Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is an Emmy Award-winning Nick Jr. preschool TV series that is super cute, engaging and encourages young viewers to embark on new, exciting adventures. Each episode has a lesson or teaches social skills like sharing, listening, compromising, helping and appreciating others and self-awareness.
In Wubbzy Goes to School, the cute and quirky bendy-tailed character is nervous about going to school for the first time and because he knows best, as all kids tend to think they do, he decides that he will learn everything he needs to know all by himself. Wubbzy realizes that he can’t teach himself everything and even worse, he has no friends to play with, he gives school a shot and realizes it isn’t so bad after all.
Because the first day of school–not to mention all the preparation leading up to it–can be an extremely hectic, stressful and downright scary time; especially if your child is just starting school and doesn’t know what to expect or even why they have to go in the first place, I was really happy to be able to host this giveaway and get this DVD out to someone who will undoubtedly get a ton of use out of it. So, the winner of our Wubbzy Goes to School DVD giveaway is…
Practically everyone knows about Mom Central and the variety of blogs full of expert advice, opinions from real parents and of course, the amazing community run under their banner. We like Mom Central a lot, we participate in the community, in their awesome Twitter parties and write about them fairly often. Well, considering moms have been having a blast over at Mom Central for such a long time, it was only natural for them to branch out some more and have a little nook for all the dads.
Dad Central Consulting is a division of Mom Central just for all the dads out there who are pretty spectacular and eager to connect and engage with each other while building brands. On Thursday, August 26th from 12PM to 1PM EST (that’s tomorrow, folks!) join Dad Central for the Power of Dads Twitter party. The focus of the Twitter party will be discussing how becoming a dad has influenced what you buy, why you but it and who you trust for advice. As an extra, special perk for participating in the party, Dad Central will be giving away six $50 American Express gift cards during the party. To join in on the Twitter party, just search for and use Twitter hashtag #PowerofDads. Also, make sure you’re following @DadCentral and @MomCentral for the discussion and chance to win prizes.
If you’re a blogging dad and want to get involved with Dad Central, join the Dad Central Blog Roll. If you want to be considered for getting to test and review cool new products and take surveys for the chance to win prizes, join the Dad Testing Panel and if you’re on Twitter, join the Dad Twitter Team! If you’re on Facebook, you may also want to join the Dad Central Facebook page to stay up to date on all things Dad Central, participate in discussions and more!
The first day of school–not to mention all the preparation leading up to it–can be an extremely hectic, stressful and downright scary time; especially if your child is just starting school and doesn’t know what to expect or even why they have to go in the first place. As a parent, you want to make sure that when you get your child to their classroom on that fateful morning, you can turn around and walk out the door knowing full well that you eased your child’s fears and anxiety about school and got them excited to learn new things and making new friends.
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is an Emmy Award-winning Nick Jr. preschool TV series that is super cute, engaging and encourages young viewers to embark on new, exciting adventures. Each episode has a lesson or teaches social skills like sharing, listening, compromising, helping and appreciating others and self-awareness.
In Wubbzy Goes to School, the cute and quirky bendy-tailed character is nervous about going to school for the first time and because he knows best, as all kids tend to think they do, he decides that he will learn everything he needs to know all by himself. Wubbzy realizes that he can’t teach himself everything and even worse, he has no friends to play with, he gives school a shot and realizes it isn’t so bad after all.
In addition to the back-to-school episode, the DVD also includes an episode about making friends and acceptance after the larger-than-life new student named Murphy joins the class. Wubbzy finds that good friends can come in all shapes and sizes. Additional episodes include “Gotta Dance”, “Wubbzy the Star”, “You Gotta Have Art” and “Magic Tricks”. There are also a slew of bonus features on the DVD, including a photo gallery, coloring and activity sheets and more.
Thanks to Grand Communications, we are able to give one Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Wubbzy Goes to School DVD away to a lucky Woman Tribune reader.
Mandatory Entry
To enter to win the Wubbzy Goes to School DVD, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us one back-to-school memory you have either from your own school days or your child’s. [REQUIRED]
Tweet about this giveaway. Feel free to use the following tweet or write your own. [Can be done once per day.]
Win Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! DVD ‘Wubbzy Goes to School’ from @WomanTribune http://t.co/OL4fAdx ends 8/25
Leave a comment on any other Woman Tribune post and come back here and leave a comment telling us what post you commented on.
Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post. [5 entries, so leave 5 comments.]
This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 25th at 11:59PM EST. This giveaway is open to all US residents over the age of 18 at the time of entry. The winner will be contacted by email and has 48 hours (2 days) to respond to that email or another winner will be chosen.
Parents of young athletes always have to be aware of the warning signs of heat illnesses that could affect their child. Heat illnesses that have the opportunity to come on when your child is exercising vigorously in unusually high temperatures and high humidity, which can result in heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke. To make sure you know what to be on the lookout for–and for the chance to ask an expert in the field any questions that may be on your mind about heat illnesses–Mom Central has teamed up with Leslie Bonci to host a Beat the Heat Twitter Party.
Gatorade’s Beat the Heat campaign is an ongoing effort to raise awareness and building communication about heat illness prevention. Leslie Bonci is an expert on sports nutrition, a consultant to numerous professional, collegiate and high school athletic programs and a registered dietitian.
Use hashtag #beattheheat tomorrow, August 18th from 3PM to 4PM EST and make sure to follow @MomCentral and @LeslieBonci. There is no RSVP required, just search Twitter for the #beattheheat hashtag and start participating in the discussion. By participating, you will not only learn a lot about heat safety, but you will also have the chance to win a pretty awesome gift pack, including Gatorade coolers, powder and $50 AMEX gift cards.
Thanks to everyone who entered our $25 Walmart gift card giveaway. We had an astounding number of entries and I’m really glad we were given the opportunity by General Mills through MyBlogSpark to help spread the word about how parents and friends can help support children’s education on a local level with Box Tops for Education.
Box Tops for Education is a great way to support your child’s education. Just buy some of your favorite items at the store, like Betty Crocker cake mix, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Pastries, Yoplait Kids Yogurt, Hamburger Helper and a slew of other delicious items, clip the Box Tops for Education coupon off of the package and send them to your school’s Box Tops coordinator. As if it weren’t already super easy to collect Box Tops for Education, Walmart is making it even easier! From August 3rd to August 31st, head on over to your local Walmart to find 4 Box Tops on participating General Mills products and earn even more cash for the participating school of your choice.
We were super excited to be able to help one family get a head start on collecting their Box Tops for the upcoming school year by giving away a $25 Walmart gift card. And the winner of that gift card is…
Jessie C. who left comment number 52.
Thanks to everyone who entered and congratulations, Jessie C!
Bill O’Reilly recently attacked Jennifer Aniston because of her new movie The Switch, about a single woman deciding to have a baby using a sperm donor and not with a man who would be a father to her child. While promoting the movie, Jennifer Aniston commented on the movie’s premise, saying:
“Women are realizing more and more that you don’t have to settle, they don’t have to fiddle with a man to have that child. They are realizing if it’s that time in their life and they want this part they can do it with or without that.”
Many have been commenting on what the movie is really saying about society, but this commentary goes back as far as when other movies of the same type came out; movies like like Baby Mama and Miss Conception. But one person in particular had quite the negative reaction to Aniston’s comments about women having children without fathers being in the picture; and that person is none other than Bill O’Reilly.
O’Reilly is under the impression that Jennifer Aniston is some gigantic role model amongst children and commented saying, “She’s throwing a message out to 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds that, ‘Hey you don’t need a guy. You don’t need a dad.’ That is destructive to our society.”
When I heard about this comment, the first thing I thought of was “Why would 12 and 13-year olds need a guy in the first place? At that age, you kind of want them to stay far, far away from guys”, but perhaps he just meant that Jennifer Aniston is out there saying that kids don’t need any kind of male figures in their lives whatsoever. Even so, that’s a pretty big slip up on O’Reilly’s part. Secondly, what 12 and 13-year-olds know who Jennifer Aniston is or what she is doing or what movies she is in? I really don’t think they care much about Jennifer Aniston and I was assured in my thought about this when Beth Feldman of Role Mommy came out and said the same thing.
But let’s get down to the real point of this topic–Do children of single mothers suffer more than if they were brought up in a household with a father present?
“The traditional family that we have always known as mom, dad and two kids is no longer the traditional family. … Children of single parents do just as well as kids who have two parents. There’s nothing in the research that says having a baby by yourself is a terrible thing.”
Carl Pickhardt, a parenting expert and psychologist also commented on where Bill O’Reilly’s comments were coming from and what to take away from them, saying that while fathers are important in a child’s life, what it is even more important and downright crucial is “the quality of parental commitment to raising that child after it is born. … It is a prejudice that single parents — mostly moms — are deficient parents. In fact, they are among the strongest and most resourceful parents I see.”
Creating a comfortable, safe and stylish nursery doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. All it takes is some simple research, good advice and a plan to get you started and you can’t go wrong. You probably already have a few ideas for the decor, and have thought a little about cribs and other furniture. Here are a few more things to keep in mind.
Do start out by making a plan. How do you want the nursery to look? Will the colors and decor blend with the rest of the house, in keeping with current trends? Or do you prefer a colorful room, busy with children’s characters? Remember that it will always be easier to create a new look by swapping out art and toys than it will be to paint over a bright wall color. A clean and simple design, embellished with changeable design elements, will ensure that the room can grow with your child.
Don’t make the nursery an obstacle course. It’s tempting when you’re pregnant to buy lots of fun gadgets and cute furniture, but keep in mind that the nursery needs to be a functional room. A crib that converts to a toddler bed, a changing table, a small dresser and a relaxing chair are all you really need. If the nursery is large you can certainly add a rocking horse or other decorative items, but keep in mind that the room should be open and accessible. If the room has little or no closet space, look for furniture with built-in storage. Otherwise, be sure to stash all of your supplies in the closet and up off the floor. You should have unhindered access to the crib and other furniture, and not be in danger of tripping over anything when you walk in the room.
Do load up on supplies well before your due date. Check the Sunday paper for coupons, keep an eye out for sales and sign up online with manufacturers of baby products. Your nursery should be stocked with plenty of baby wipes, diapers, diaper cream, lotion and powder. Don’t forget the hand sanitizer for yourself, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol for swabbing the umbilical cord.
Don’t settle for a cheap chair. Skimping on a chair will cost you in the long run. You will be spending many exhausted hours in your nursery chair– make sure it’s one that will provide plenty of back support and cushioning. It’s also a good idea to look for features such as recline and swivel, and for locking mechanisms, all of which make resting (and standing up) while holding a baby much easier. You can customize a Storkcraft glider and ottoman to fit your nursery decor, or choose one of the styles available in-store if you’re pressed for time. The advantage of choosing a quality custom chair is that it will fit effortlessly into your living room, or your next nursery, when the time comes for it to be moved out of the baby’s room.
Do outfit the baby’s room with organic bed linens. You don’t have to pay a fortune for exotic or expensive brands. Most retail stores now carry cute and affordable bedding made with unbleached cotton that is produced without the use of chemical pesticides. You can be confident that your baby is sleeping in a healthy environment, free from harsh chemicals, and you don’t have to break the bank.
Don’t paint the walls with standard paints. They contain substances known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which emit toxic fumes. Low or no VOC paint is available in all price ranges at home improvement stores and at many large retailers. You can find it in any color, or you can have it custom mixed to suit your design plan. A popular trend for nurseries is to paint the lower and upper parts of the walls in different colors. Even if you choose colors that complement the rest of your house, this fun design idea can help to make the nursery unique. Whichever color you choose, be sure to paint the nursery at least a month before your due date to ensure that any fumes will have dissipated before you bring your baby home.
Do look over the nursery one last time with safety in mind. Get down on the floor and consider the room from a baby’s perspective. Are there lamp cords within reach, or other electrical cords that could be pulled down? You should conceal them behind furniture. Also remove any curtains or blinds with cords that might present a risk of strangulation. Have you fitted all of the electrical outlets with plastic covers? Those little holes are enticing to little fingers.
The most important item on your to-do list is to get started. Your pregnancy will be over before you know it, and taking care of a new baby leaves little time for anything else. If you plan ahead and take some time every day to work on your nursery then you’ll be able to breathe easier in the days leading up to your baby’s birth. And you’ll both come home to a nursery that is functional, warm and welcoming.
The back to school season is already in full swing and now that you may have a lot of your kids’ back to school shopping completed, it’s time to start thinking about how you can support their education aside from the new clothes, shoes, backpack, lunch box, pencil cases, folders, notebooks, protractors and the rest of the supplies they need throughout the school year.
Box Tops for Education is a great way to support your child’s education. Just buy some of your favorite items at the store, like Betty Crocker cake mix, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Pastries, Yoplait Kids Yogurt, Hamburger Helper, among many others, clip the Box Tops for Education coupon off of the package and send them in to your school’s Box Tops coordinator. With over 20 great brands and more than 40 products participating in Box Tops for Education, it won’t be very hard to find items you and your family will love and support education at the same time. Each Box Top coupon is worth 10 cents for your school. It doesn’t take long for those Box Tops to add up and the money collected from them goes towards school field trips, activities and supplies your child’s school needs to continue giving them the best education possible. Don’t have a child currently enrolled in school? That’s okay, collect Box Tops and save them for a friend or family member who does.
As if it weren’t already super easy to collect Box Tops for Education, Walmart is making it even easier! From August 3rd to August 31st, head over to your local Walmart to find 4 Box Tops on participating General Mills products and earn even more cash for the participating school of your choice. Walmart is already helping families save on all of their back to school supplies, so it’s only natural for Walmart to also help you save and earn more with the Box Tops for Education brands you love.
To help families save money on their groceries and earn more cash for the participating school of your choice, General Mills is giving away a $25 gift card to Walmart through the awesome folks at MyBlogSpark.
Mandatory Entry:
To win the $25 Walmart gift card all you have to do is leave a comment telling us what General Mills Box Top item you plan to purchase at Walmart during the month of August. [REQUIRED] For a list of participating General Mills products, click here [PDF]
Tweet about this giveaway. Feel free to use the following tweet or write your own. [Can be done once per day.]
Win a $25 Walmart gift card and earn money for your school with Box Tops @WomanTribune http://ow.ly/2mlFz ends 8/13
Leave a comment on any other Woman Tribune post and come back here and leave a comment telling us what post you commented on.
Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post. [5 entries, so leave 5 comments.]
This giveaway ends Friday, August 13th at 11:59PM EST. This giveaway is open to all US residents over the age of 18 at the time of entry. The winner will be contacted by email and has 48 hours (2 days) to respond to that email or another winner will be chosen.
Disclosure: General Mills provided me with a $25 gift card, information and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed throughout this post are 100% mine.
If you’re one of the thousands of bloggers heading to the BlogHer conference in New York City this weekend, be sure to stop by thredUP’s booth (#1812) to help make a big difference for underprivileged kids this back to school season.
The average American family spends more than $1,000 every year on children’s clothing. thredUP has made it easier than ever to save time and money on children’s clothing by creating a national network of parents and caregivers that can trade boxes of new and gently-worn children’s clothing. Just put up a box of clothing you would like to get rid of and choose a box within thredUP’s network that you would like to receive. thredUP will even pick up your box of clothing for free and the only thing you pay for is the shipping cost of your box when it is picked by someone in the network.
thredUP is helping families across the country save time and money and they have recently partnered with Cradles to Crayons, an organization dedicated to providing children ages 0 to 12 some of the most important basics of life like clothing, school supplies, toys and much more–free of charge.
If you will be at BlogHer this weekend, make sure you set a few minutes of your day aside to stop by the thredUP booth and make a Green School Year Pledge, vowing to reduce, reuse or recycle kids clothing and school supplies this year. For every signature thredUP receives $1 will be donated by thredUP to Cradles to Crayons. If you aren’t going to BlogHer this weekend, you can still help Cradles to Crayons by making a transaction on thredUP.com.
Child expert Wendy Toone offers fun ways to expand your child’s mind during the dog days of summer.
We may be in knee deep in those lazy, hazy days of summer, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t keep our kids active with challenging games and activities that will keep their minds buzzing. In fact, here are some great rainy day and car ride activities that will challenge your kids to think on their feet!
1. Mind games can keep boredom away as well as physical activity. Even small children can follow an adjusted version of “I Spy.” Just be sure that the clues are age appropriate and not too tricky. Look for easy to spot shapes, bright colors, or unique characteristics (animals, common objects such as pencils, etc.). Remember to let them give you the clues, too, to really work their brains. Finding an object is different than coming up with a clue for an object.
2. Once your child is a little older, around 4 years or so, theme games can be played. A favorite (still) of my kids is the animal game. “I Spy”-like clues can be given, but your child must rely on their memory and knowledge of animals instead of looking for pictures or representations of them. These types of games are great for long car rides, and you can make them more challenging, as your children get older. Go in order through the alphabet…”I have a long nose and tongue” = Aardvark (or anteater, both will work in this case); “I’m totally white and live in the cold” = Beluga whale. Get it?
3. READ, READ, READ. Reading to your child, no matter how young, increases their vocabulary, imagination, and overall cognitive abilities. Hearing language creates synapses – the connection of brain cells. Most of us parents think that reading at bedtime is sufficient. And while bedtime stories create a wonderful bonding time between parent and child, so can reading a story with your child snuggled on your lap in a waiting room. Granted, you can’t be expected to tote a small library around with you at all times. But if you know your day will include a little waiting time, why not pop your child’s favorite book in the day bag. Or maybe a story you haven’t yet read to them? Or take advantage of digital children’s books that can be downloaded to your cell phone or iPod? These digital books can do double duty, as oftentimes they are books that are enhanced with narration (sometimes even music and sound effects are added), so your little one can hear the book as they see the words on your phone or iPod screen.
So the next time you find yourself exasperated trying to tame the savage beast that is a toddler with nothing to do, try a few of these tips. Not all of them will work at all times or in every situation. But hopefully if nothing else, it will spark your creativity to engage your child and use your waiting time as teaching time. For there is no better teacher for a child than his or her own parent. Good luck!!!
Wendy Toone is a child expert having owned and operated a leading franchise children’s fitness center and now producing MobiStories, Digital Books for KidsTM, as well as being a mom to her two children. To experience the world of digital children’s picture books, visit www.mobistories.com.
To download a free copy of Mommy’s High Heel Shoes for your PC or Mac, visit MobiStories.com and enter the promo code: MHHS0710. The offer expires 8/22.Mommy’s High Heel Shoes is also available for download as an app via the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad in the iTunes store where you can check out more great story apps from MobiStories: To order a hard cover copy of Kristie Finnan’s book, Mommy’s High Heeled shoes, visit her at KristieFinnan.com.
*This advertorial post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writers Network.
Sexuality is something to be celebrated and explored and we hope to help you do just that with the articles and reviews we publish in our love and sex category.
Thanks to everyone who entered our Wubbzy Goes to School DVD giveaway sponsored by Grand Communications.
Because the first day of school–not to mention all the preparation leading up to it–can be an extremely hectic, stressful and downright scary time; especially if your child is just starting school and doesn’t know what to expect or even why they have to go in the first place, I was really happy to be able to host this giveaway and get this DVD out to someone who will undoubtedly get a ton of use out of it. So, the winner of our Wubbzy Goes to School DVD giveaway is…
Parents of young athletes always have to be aware of the warning signs of heat illnesses that could affect their child. Heat illnesses that have the opportunity to come on when your child is exercising vigorously in unusually high temperatures and high humidity, which can result in heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke. To make sure you know what to be on the lookout for–and for the chance to ask an expert in the field any questions that may be on your mind about heat illnesses–
Thanks to everyone who entered our 
As if it weren’t already super easy to collect Box Tops for Education, Walmart is making it even easier! From August 3rd to August 31st, head on over to your local Walmart to find 4 Box Tops on participating General Mills products and earn even more cash for the participating school of your choice.
Bill O’Reilly 
As if it weren’t already super easy to collect Box Tops for Education, Walmart is making it even easier! From August 3rd to August 31st, head over to your local Walmart to find 4 Box Tops on participating General Mills products and earn even more cash for the participating school of your choice. Walmart is already helping families save on all of their back to school supplies, so it’s only natural for Walmart to also help you save and earn more with the Box Tops for Education brands you love.
