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Smart tips to get your little one prepped for kindergarten

Tomorrow marks the first day of August and this means back-to-school month for many of us. Being a stay-at-home mom to a rising kindergarten student means getting my little one ready for a whole new world. Since William has never attended pre-school or been enrolled in any programs that are in a group setting, it will be a big adjustment phase for him (and me). It also dawned on me that there are plenty of things he is not used to besides being around other kids. I have been trying to remember the kindergarten days when the girls were in it. One thing that really stuck out to me was the use of hand sanitizer. Being at home most of the time, there has been no need for it. I purchased a bottle and have been teaching William why he will have to use it in school. Of course, I have had to be harder on him with potty practices. He still has never been into a public restroom on his own so I am still VERY a bit nervous about that one. 

Another important thing is his sleep schedule. We started putting him to bed at 8:00 each night and wake him up about 6:45. He had such a tough time getting up this morning so I think we will move his bedtime starting next week to 7:30. A lot of kids don't get enough sleep at night so we want to make sure to not interrupt his sleep schedule as much as we can, even on weekends. Once he wakes up in the morning, we go through the full morning routine of washing, brushing, breakfast and getting dressed. So far so good. 

I recall when the girls were in kindergarten, that they had lunch as early as 10:30 AM. What I do is prepare Will's lunch early in the morning between getting him fed and dressed. I pack his lunchbox as I would for school so he can get in the habit of opening it, eating/drinking and packing up in a short time. When they are that young it can take longer to get situated and they have a very limited time to eat. It's funny, I make him line up like they would at school and he calls me "teacher". It has been going very well and I feel confident that he will make it through lunchtime with ease.

Each morning I have specific practice worksheets, coloring pages and other things that are kindergarten-based to get his mind focused on academics. I even teach him how to raise his hand and not speak until I acknowledge him. It has been really good having his big sisters at home to help out with training him for school.  I have him enrolled in "kinderbee" camp from August 6-8 for him to be screened for placement as well as for him to get a chance to preview what big boy school is like.

He officially starts kindergarten on August 21st. William is so enthusiastic about school and we are all so excited for him.

I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I tell myself that each day :)
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My favorite tip when baking brownies

My family loves when I bake brownies and can't ever seem to wait for them to cool down before hacking into the pan! This usually leads to uneven pieces, lots of crumbs and a big mess. For many years I have baked my brownies (both homemade and from a box mix) in muffin pans. I just spray the pans lightly with non-stick spray and bake them for about 10 minutes less than I would in a traditional pan. The pop out of the pan easily and you have those perfect chewy edges all the way around!

I like to make these to stash in lunchboxes and they are great for taking to banquets, potluck gatherings or bakes sales. I have even topped them with a mini swirl of homemade cream cheese frosting and stuck a few M&M's in my daughter's school colors right in the center. They are always a big hit!

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WORX GT 2.0 Trimmer & Edger As Seen on TV | Does it really work?

Do you ever get caught up in infomercials and think, "I NEED that!"? That happened to my husband when he saw the WORX GT 2.0 rechargeable grass trimmer and edger. When he found out that our neighbors both next door and behind us got one and highly recommended it, we went out and purchased one. I was so skeptical because of how light weight it was. How can this thing that even I can easily use do the job? 
It took under 10 minutes to complete the assembly and we let the battery charge overnight before testing it out. The trimmer is very quiet, very different from traditional gas powered ones. I couldn't believe how quickly my husband blew through our edges and how amazingly clean and beautiful it looked! He trimmed all along our garden beds, shrubs and fence line with ease.

He says that it is a powerful tool and is ridiculously easy to use. He found a new toy and I am not mad about this one at all! It cost us about $120 and is worth the investment. The best part? It is battery operated and you never have to mess with the gas can with that oil and fuel mixture. We are so pleased with our purchase and plan to buy the newest Worx power tool that came out called the Jaw Saw. If you need a new grass trimmer/egder, we highly recommend this one! You can order it online or do like we did and buy it at your local Lowe's store.
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IHOP® Restaurants Introduces new sweet cream topped Belgian waffles for a limited time

WAFFLE LOVERS:  YOUR WORLD IS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT SWEETER! IHOP INTRODUCES NEW DELICIOUS SWEET CREAM TOPPED BELGIAN WAFFLES IN THREE VARIETIES: BERRIES & CREAM, CHERRIES & CREAM AND BANANAS & CREAM

The Latest Innovative Breakfast Treat Available for a Limited Time Only, Beginning July 22nd IHOP® Restaurants are giving waffles lovers—and all breakfast lovers—a reason to rejoice by introducing a new, scrumptiously sweet and creamy variation on the classic waffle:  the Sweet Cream Topped Waffle.

This new twist on one of IHOP Restaurant’s most popular breakfast items offers guests a delicious IHOP Belgian waffle, made to order to be crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside and topped with a slightly cooled silky vanilla cream and fruit.

“Waffles have always been an important part of the IHOP heritage and as we’ve done with our Brioche French Toast and Signature Pancakes this year, we’ve found a way to bring this beloved favorite to a completely different level,” said Natalia Franco, Senior Vice President, Marketing, International House of Pancakes, LLC. “We’ve given our guests three new tasty ways to indulge their craving for something sweet. The combination of our warm, crisp, thick waffle, our velvety cream and any one of our fruit toppings is a taste sensation you’ll have to try to believe! ”

IHOP Sweet Cream Waffles are available in three varieties:



·         New! Berries & Cream Belgian Waffle – A traditional thick and crispy Belgian waffle topped with vanilla cream, whole blueberries, sliced glazed strawberries and finished with powdered sugar.



·         New! Cherries & Cream Belgian Waffle - A traditional thick and crispy Belgian waffle topped with vanilla cream, sweet black cherries, drizzled with dark chocolate sauce and finished with powdered sugar.



·         New! Bananas & Cream Belgian Waffle - A traditional thick and crispy Belgian waffle topped with vanilla cream, sliced bananas, honey-roasted pecans and finished with powdered sugar.

IHOP’s Sweet Cream Topped Waffles will be available in restaurants for a limited time beginning July 22 through September 8, 2013. They can be ordered as a separate menu item, or as a half waffle with one of IHOP’s famous 2 egg any style made to order combo breakfasts, all served with hash browns:

·         Ultimate Bacon & Sausage Combo

·         Ham & Eggs Combo

·         Bacon & Eggs Combo

·         Sausage & Eggs Combo.

·         Regular Combo

·         Egg Combo.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES, LLC
For 55 years, International House of Pancakes, LLC has been a leader and expert in all things breakfast and a leader in family dining. The chain is highly competitive in its menu offering, serving 65 different signature, made-to-order breakfast options as well as a range of meals under 600 calories.  Beyond offering “everything you love about breakfast, SM” IHOP® restaurants have a wide selection of popular lunch and dinner items, as well. IHOP restaurants offer guests an affordable, everyday dining experience with warm and friendly service. As of March 31, 2013, there were 1,589 IHOP restaurants in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under the licensed name IHOP at HOME® consumers can also enjoy a line of premium breakfast products available at leading retailers. IHOP restaurants are franchised and operated by Glendale, Calif.-based International House of Pancakes, LLC and its affiliates. International House of Pancakes, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN). For more information or to find an IHOP restaurant near you, please visit www.IHOP.com. Follow IHOP on Facebook and Twitter.

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Sign the Toyota & Teen Vogue #ArriveInStyle pledge for safe driving and win prizes! #ad

***CLOSED***
This post was written as part of my association with Toyota for Arrive in Style. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.  The prize was provided and may be shipped by Toyota.  Toyota is not a sponsor, administrator, or connected in any other way with this giveaway

I have been working to help spread the word about a great initiative by Toyota and Teen Vogue, to promote safe driving for teens by taking the Arrive in Style pledge. I was Tweeting a couple days ago with many prizes to give away just for taking the pledge. I still have a lot of prizes left over and I would love to see them all in the hands of those moms and teenage daughters who make safety a priority. It takes about 2-3 minutes to complete and all you have to do is copy and paste the link when you reach the completion page. The other alternative is to share your pledge through Facebook. It is very easy to do and I sure hope you will take the pledge!

You can win one of the three prizes we have available:

A Two-Pack “Arrive in Style” safe driving promise rings (photo below)
An “Arrive in Style” beauty box or
A $50 AMEX gift card

To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is take the pledge then copy & paste your completion link or Facebook share post in your comment. That's it! 9 winners will be chosen at random and contacted via email to claim prize.

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will close on August 31, 2013. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!
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