Color Me Mine Review, Memorial Day Sales.

In my post on May 6, 2009 I had mentioned about the Color Me Mine activity for Mother's day. I wanted to provide you with an update and review if any of you were thinking of going.

I had made reservations before going since we were a group of 8 . They do welcome walk-ins, but if more than 6 people will be going I would definitely recommend making a reservation. We got a separate room all to ourselves .

They have a lot of ceramic pieces to choose from. Although I have to say that they are a little bit pricey. You have to pay a flat rate studio fee and the price of the piece that you choose. On the day that we went , they had a promotion for Mothers day where the studio fee was waived. So we ended up saving about $30 for a family of 4.

Once we chose our pieces , the associate let us know the procedure. They have a lot of colors, stencils, foam shapes available. It takes about 2 hours for the whole process. It is very relaxing and calming. We had 4 kids with us, and at one point to my surprise the whole room was quiet-- no arguing,talking, fighting. I wish we had more moments like these :-)

It took about a week to get our pieces back. They turned out good. The kids were happy to see their creations.I would say it is worth a visit. Even the Dad's enjoyed this activity.

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A reminder about the Memorial Day Weekend Sales coming up as mentioned in yesterdays post. If any of you know of any other good sales , post them in the comments section for all to see.

--Ikea has a Memorial day weekend sale for 3 days from May 23, 2009 to May 25 , 2009. You can also grab a free breakfast while you are there. Find the breakfast hours at your local store here.

--OshKosh B’gosh stores has a 50% off Entire Store Memorial Day Sale this weekend only - May 21st-25th. You can get a $10 Play Card for every $25 you spend May 21st-June 14th. Plus I have an extra 20% off coupon .. click here.

--Carter’s up to 60% off Memorial Day Sale this weekend only - May 21st-25th. Plus, take an extra 30% off already reduced clearance merchandise. Get your $10 gift check for every $25 you spend May 21st-June 14th. Extra 20% off coupon here. Babies and kids sizes newborn to 7.

--Gymboree has additional 20% off sale off all sale items for savings of up to 60% off. Tanks and shorts are as low as $7.99.You can also earn $25 Gymbucks for every $50 spent.

--Gymboree Outlet has a sale sale starting at $4.99. All swimwear is $9.99 and under. Click here to find a Gymboree outlet near you.

Memorial Day Sales

After my post yesterday about the Kids National Geographic subscription , I received an e-mail from a friend.She has been subscribing to it for a while and hates to throw them away after her son has read them. She wanted to know if trading them for other kids' magazines would be something folks would be interested in. I thought it was a good idea worth exploring. She lives in the Bay Area.
Also another friend wanted to know if anybody is interested in buying the Live Butterfly Garden from May 19th's post , since buying two would be helpful in getting the free shipping from Amazon.She is also located in the Bay Area.
So if any of you out there are interested in trading or buying the Butterfly Garden, e-mail me back or leave a comment .

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Lots of stores have amazing memorial day sales this weekend. Here are my top picks:-

--Ikea has a Memorial day weekend sale for 3 days from May 23, 2009 to May 25 , 2009. You can also grab a free breakfast while you are there. Find the breakfast hours at your local store here.
--OshKosh B’gosh stores has a 50% off Entire Store Memorial Day Sale this weekend only - May 21st-25th. You can get a $10 Play Card for every $25 you spend May 21st-June 14th. Plus I have an extra 20% off coupon .. click here.
--Carter’s up to 60% off Memorial Day Sale this weekend only - May 21st-25th. Plus, take an extra 30% off already reduced clearance merchandise. Get your $10 gift check for every $25 you spend May 21st-June 14th. Extra 20% off coupon here. Babies and kids sizes newborn to 7.
--Gymboree has additional 20% off sale off all sale items for savings of up to 60% off. Tanks and shorts are as low as $7.99.You can also earn $25 Gymbucks for every $50 spent.
--Gymboree Outlet has a sale sale starting at $4.99. All swimwear is $9.99 and under. Click here to find a Gymboree outlet near you.

Reputable Childrens Magazine

Here is an amazing resource for kids of all ages to learn more about our planet, animals, different cultures, science and more. It will help encourage kids to read . National Geographic is a well known magazine . They have magazines for kids (ages 6 to 12) . They have also just recently introduced their new magazine for little kids (ages 3 to 6) .

National Geographic Kids Magazine.(For ages 6 to 12. )

It's filled with learning adventures about the things kids love. Features encourage readers to protect the planet's resources and to learn more about geography, adventure, wildlife, science, and youngsters from around the world. A colorful world ball is sent with each subscription. 10 issues for $15. This is the lowest price I have found so far , usually it costs from $19.95 and upwards.


National Geographic Little Kids Magazine (Ages 3 to 6)

This magazine is full of learning and fun for youngsters ages 3 to 6 and their parents. Bursting with lively photographs, engaging stories, and interactive picture games, each issue supplies fresh and imaginative teaching tools Created by noted educators and approved by families nationwide, National Geographic Little Kids features rich content, large text, and fun activities. Captivating stories and interactive games—covering amazing animals, cool science, families around the world.It encourages children to read, learn, and explore. Plus each issue comes with Wild-animal Cards! A one year subscription of 6 colorful issues for just $15 for U.S. delivery.

Volunteering for Kids, Live Butterfly Garden Kit

We all want our kids to have a sense of appreciation and gratitude . Volunteering is a good way of giving back and develop a deep sense of appreciation and happiness.
Even kids as young as 4-5 can volunteer . Little children could start by donating books or school supplies. Bigger kids could donate their time.

Check out the following site where you can donate and find more information about the work they do:
www.booksforthirdworld.org/ (New and gently used books ) www.projectnightnight.org/DonateItems.html (They accept new or gently used books,Stuffed Animals, Blankets,Gift cards, Flannel Fabrics)

For Bay Area Residents a website called http://www.handsonbayarea.org/ is an excellent resource to find volunteering opportunities for and with kids. Click here to find family projects.

I recently became aware of a web site called volunteermatch.org. Its purpose is to match volunteers with volunteer opportunities based on your geographic location. It's free, it's easy and it uses your ZIP code to find an opportunity in your area. On the search form you can check the box ''great for kids'' to find opportunities that welcome kids. You can choose the type of volunteer work that interests you (Animals, Children, etc.) and it will show you the opportunities available. Most of the links that you will see may not be appropriate for kids, but some will.

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Todays Amazing Deal

Live Butterfly Garden

Watch them grow then let them go! See one of Nature's greatest miracles right before your eyes with this butterfly raising kit.The Butterfly Garden Kit is a perfect way to teach young learners about metamorphosis. They can witness the development of the butterfly from egg to adult . The butterflies' development takes approximately three weeks . Amazon has it on sale for $13.85 and eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping.

United Nations Tree Planting Program

Its time to go green

Studies have found that an average American family needs to plant 30 trees to offset the CO2 produced by their daily energy use.Its our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint on our planet.

Here is an excellent opportunity for children to join and pledge with kids worldwide to plant 7 billion trees .

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has launched a worldwide PLANT FOR THE PLANET: THE BILLION TREE CAMPAIGN.

Their goal is to plant 7 billion plants by the end of 2009.

You can plant a tree at home with your family, in your community with your class at school,with girls or boy scouts or any other group.

Click here to enter tree planting pledges online .

Each pledge can be anything from a single tree to several million trees. The responsibility will lie with the person/organization making the pledge via the campaign website to arrange for the tree planting. All contributing participants will receive a certificate of involvement. They will be encouraged to follow up via the web site so UNEP can verify that the trees have survived.

They have a very informative website. It gives information about how to plant trees, facts & figures,videos. They also have a counter showing how many trees have been pledged , how many have been planted. As of May 18, 2009 there have been approximately 5.3 million pledged and 3.1 million planted. The campaign strongly encourages the planting of indigenous trees and trees that are appropriate to the local environment.

Lets all join today and protect our planet for our kids and teach our kids to be environmentally responsible.