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Puffy Paint Snowmen and The Last Snowman Blog Tour

Posted on February 4, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When I wrote my review of The Last Snowman on Tuesday Tales almost two months ago, I kind of fell in love with the book and snowmen in general. As I watched JC share more of the reviews, I started to think about snowmen crafts to try with the boys if we were stuck at home. An opportunity came up to run a giveaway of The Last Snowman and some swag for my readers to celebrate the release of the paper book version. In case you are wondering, you can still purchase the Kindle version of the book for $3! Oh and if you grab that check out how the book is designed to ‘animate’ when you flip pages. I instantly knew what I wanted to try with the kids and include as a perfect activity to pair with reading this book. As you can see below, I now own a copy of the paperback version as well!

So, when I agreed to be part of The Last Snowman blog tour I knew what I had to make. Years ago, I saw another teacher make puffy paint with kids to use in the classroom. It looked like the perfect paint to try for making our own Last Snowmen. The puffy paint only needs two simple ingredients. Of course, it is all about the props and accessories for the snowmen so other items had to be located from around the house.

Supplies for Making the Puffy Paint:

shaving cream
white liquid glue
construction paper – you do need something to paint on
paint brushes – different sizes work for for snowmen and snowflake making
bowl to mix paint
glitter – optional if you want your Last Snowman to sparkle

Supplies Suggestions for Decorating your own Last Snowman:

googly eyes – all snowmen need eyes that move
construction paper – makes great snowmen hats, scarves, mittens, and more
scissors – carrot noses need to be shaped along with other items
foam sheets – we did not use this, but had it in case we wanted to use it for snowmen arms or clothing
yarn – great for mouths and could be used for scarves
pom-poms – many uses within your painting
beads – my kids loved these instead of buttons for decorating their snowmen

You could honestly use almost anything you have in your crafting supplies to decorate your own Last Snowman. Think outside of the box and let your kids go wild.

Ready to make your paint? Just add equal amounts of white glue and shaving cream and mix. It really is that simple. I let each of my kids have their own bowl to test it out. When we found that one was a little too sticky on the paint brush, I added a smidge more shaving cream and it was ready to go. Your kids will love watching the mixture puff up. It really does this right before your eyes. Give everyone a piece of construction paper and let them get started.

Once the boys had their snow down onto their papers, it was time to decorate them. They decided that they wanted to stick with the construction paper to make hats, scarves, and arms for their creations. One nice feature about the puffy paint is that you just use a little bit on the items you want to add to your pictures and they will stay in place thanks to the glue.

Of course, once the kids were done, I had to try this out for myself. There was extra puffy paint, so I made my own snowman as well. Here are our three creations before they dried. (FYI – when it dries the snow puffed up even more. I was very impressed.):

Giveaway Time:

Now that you can make your own Last Snowman with puffy paint, would you like to win a prize courtesy of author JC Little and her sponsors? Here are the prize details:

Author JC Little is giving the winner a paperback copy of The LAST Snowman. In addition to this, she is adding in a cute mug from her Zazzle shop that will feature illustrations from the book. As she notes, it will be perfect for a little hot chocolate after playing in the snow.

…and sponsor swagstuff. I’m so proud to offer this to your readers in both the USA and Canada! These are brands that I use myself all the time and I believe in them. – JC Little

Boiron will including a winter-themed swag bag with items that are specifically for the cold and flu season like Oscillo, Coldcalm, and Chestal.
Dot & Lil have designed a custom soap just for The LAST Snowman blog tour. The winner will receive a limited edition “Hot Chocolate Swirl” soap! It will be chocolate scented and have chocolate soap sprinkles on top, with the book cover design on the label. In addition to this, their gift bag will include Shea Rescue Butter for lips and nails.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – If you had to design your ideal Last Snowman, what would he or she look like? Tell me what they would be wearing and other details about their personality.

The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comment each time you complete this item.

1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway using the share button. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and #TheLastSnowman within the message. Also feel free to thank the giveaway sponsors @BoironUSA and @DotandLil. You may do this entry twice a day.
1 Bonus Entry – Head over to say hello to The Animated Woman and check out the other blogs participating in this tour. Leave her a message and let me know that you did this in the comments below.
1 Bonus Entry – Draw or paint your own Last Snowman and share it via Instagram (if you do multiple snowmen or the kids do…share each one and enter below for each of your creations). Be sure to tag me @TheAngelForever @TheAnimatedWoman and #TheLastSnowman. When finished come back here and share a link to you picture.

Please follow the rules above within the comment section. Giveaway begins February 4, 2014 and ends February 10, 2014 at 10:59 EST. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 24 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to US and Canadian residents only.

So get your paint brushes ready, make a snowman, and be sure to enter the giveaway thanks to JC Little and her sponsors.

Additional Disclosure: I wrote this post to participate in The Last Snowman Blog Tour because I love JC Little and wanted to share her success with my readers. I received a copy of the paperback book (which is gorgeous) and all opinions are my own. No other compensation was received and all giveaway items will be sent from JC Little and her sponsors to the winner.

Categories:
arts and crafts Blog Tour bloggy friends books

Classic Tales with Silver Penny Stories (Giveaway)

Posted on October 14, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a parent, I think I often take what my children read for granted. I have a lot of books that were from college, my classroom, purchases, and gifts over the years. I never really noticed that the boys had not read many of the classic stories that generations have enjoyed. When Sterling Children’s Books contacted me to review their new Silver Penny Stories, I thought it would be a great opportunity for our family.

The boys immediately took the books and began reading them together. They had read other more cartoon like retellings, along with animated television versions of many of these stories, but some were new to them. The eight books above were released in October and six more will be coming out in April 2013.

Jack and the Beanstalk – Told by Diane Namm – Illustrated by Maurizio Quarello– Sterling Children’s Books – October 2012 – ISBN 9781402784330 – Paperback 40 pages – Ages 3-6 – $3.95

As part of the blog tour, we were asked to review Jack and the Beanstalk. The boys are familiar with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse version of this story. NHL immediately noticed that the story was the same, but it was not as childish. JSL enjoyed hearing his brother read about how Jack helped his mother and the beanstalk saved the day. What I really enjoyed was seeing how the boys talked about the book. They carefully explored the illustrations. When I asked them how Jack felt with the artwork, JSL quickly could explain it based on beautifully illustrated pages from Quarello.

The boys also helped me to come up with some questions to ask Mr. Quarello. The Italian illustrator has worked on nearly 30 children’s books. He also has work that has been in exhibits around the world.

Right now we are waiting to hear back from Mr. Quarello. Once those questions and answers are back, I will update this post with those items.

The books also helped us to have a chat about different variations of stories. We could compare the one they saw on television and other books about Jack and his beanstalk. The kids agreed that it is fun to compare and contrast the books to see how the author and illustrators see these classic stories. This would be a great activity in a homeschool setting or within a classroom. Imagine what you could do with Venn Diagrams and beyond.

Giveaway:

It is time for another Rafflecopter giveaway for one lucky reader thanks to Sterling Publisher. Please be sure to see the rules listed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section and Rafflecopter. Giveaway begins October 14, 2012 and ends October 27, 2012. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to US and Canada residents only.

Disclosure: I received the eight books Silver Penny Stories Series complimentary of Sterling Children’s Books in order to facilitate this review. The giveaway is sponsored by Sterling who will fulfill the prize to the giveaway winner.

Categories:
Blog Tour books giveaway photos Product review

Rally for Recess with Danimals

Posted on September 12, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I have to admit something right now. When I was teaching, recess duty was one of my least favorite parts of the day. You see, recess meant heading outside with the kids, often freezing while they ran around and got rid of some much needed energy. Living in the northeast, even on those cold and snowy days, we were outside. There were only certain temperatures and wind chills that would keep us inside. On those days, I could see the importance of recess. It was a time for the kids to run, play, and get stresses out. They would walk around the track and chat with buddies, or chase each other around and climb on a playground. It really didn’t matter what they did – it was their free time to move their bodies before heading back inside to work for the rest of the afternoon.

Now, as the parent of two children in school, I watch to see if they have recess every day. In addition to this, I want to know if they will have PE and or time in the gross motor room (that’s the preschool indoor room). I know the days that my older son has PE. He seems more focused and still adores learning to play sports and I hope he keeps this throughout his lifetime.

When I received an e-mail from Mom Central telling me about the new Danimals ‘Rally for Recess’ Blog Tour, I immediately signed up. If I could help to spread the word about this great project they have I wanted to. We were sent a giftcard to purchase our own Danimals products. I would share a picture, but, well, they gobbled the Smoothies before I was able to get a photo.

So what do you do?

Purchase specially marked Danimals products that have codes on them.
Sign up online and enter codes for credit
Help your school earn the most points in their league

The top five schools will win a $20,000 playground makeover and ultimate recess day. There are also instant prizes and other details available on the Rally for Recess website. The programs runs through February 8, 2012. You can find codes on Danimals packaging (or free by mail) to enter and register schools online. The top school in each of the five categories (based on size) with the most codes registered wins!

Be sure to tell your school about this opportunity. With recent budget cuts, they can use your help to try to revamp their recess equipment. Lots of families probably purchase Danimals for yogurt snack options and can take a few moments to register their school for possible prizes. Imagine the smile on the faces of the children if your school wins the big prize.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Danimals and received a gift card to facilitate my review. In addition to this, I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions are 100% mine and in no way influenced.

Categories:
Blog Tour food glorious food school yummy

Lucky to Have Friends Like You – Movie Fun

Posted on March 9, 2011 10:30 am by TheAngelForever

I wish we were able to go to the movies to see films when they are on the big screen. The reality is that we can not afford to do this too often given the price of a movie experience. Of course, this does not stop us from having a family movie night. We are able to make our own Whirly Pop Popcorn, curl up on the couch, and watch a rented DVD. It’s all about family time. Now thanks to a Global Influence campaign (see my disclosure below), I have some fun news to share with you.

Details about the Lucky to Have Friends Like You from Redbox:

From today to St. Patrick’s Day (Thursday, March 17th), Redbox is giving everyone a chance to receive as many free one night movie rentals as you can. What’s the catch? Nothing more than telling your friends and family via spreading the word about the fun.

How does it work?

Sign up at www.redbox,com/luckyus
Redbox will e-mail you a unique web address for your referrals.
Each time someone reserves a movie online through your unique web address, you will get a credit for a one-night DVD rental FREE.
If your friend has never reserved a Redbox DVD online before, they will also receive a credit for a free one-night rental.
Please note that rental credits are valid for 10 days after they are deposited into your account. This means you can have quite a nice movie filled March.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to score some free movie nights with your family and friends. Then spread the lucky news by e-mailing it, posting to Facebook, and sending Tweets to everyone you know.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Global Influence and Redbox. For sharing this information, I will be receiving compensation.

Global Influence Network

Categories:
Blog Tour deals sponsored post

Living with Epilepsy

Posted on December 5, 2010 9:40 am by TheAngelForever

Seizures scare me. There are no other words for how I feel about watching someone seize. As a mother, I have seen it many times. Both of my boys have had febrile seizures. NHL (7) had one at 11 months old. At three and a half, JSL has already had four and is susceptible to more because of his young age and tendency toward them.

My heart breaks for people that have epilepsy and must battle seizures within their everyday lives. I can not even imagine having epileptic seizures or caring for someone that does. It is because of this that I signed up for a blog tour from Mom Central to show my support of the new HealthyWomen.org “Women Succeeding with Epilepsy” campaign.

HealthyWomen.org knows that many people are living with epilepsy and/or caring for someone (possibly a child) that has it. Thanks to this, they have created an area on their web site that highlights a video series about Women Succeeding With Epilepsy.

Navigating life with epilepsy can present many challenges, particularly for women. Whether a woman has epilepsy or cares for a loved one, she often has to balance epilepsy with her responsibilities as a mother, wife and healthcare decision maker for the family.

The "Women Succeeding with Epilepsy" video series highlights the stories of two women who are living well with epilepsy. Their stories will both educate and inspire you.

The website has a tip sheet that you can print called 10 Tips for Supporting Someone Living With Epilepsy. The tip sheet also points people to Epilepsy Advocate web site.The videos of women living with epilepsy in their lives are powerful. The one with Amy W about how her son Spencer and his diagnosis at three hit hard. It reminded me of how I felt when my little one had his first seizure and how the time after can often be worse to watch. Amy W does two other videos about helping your child to succeed with epilepsy, along with living beyond epilepsy. Spencer is now 11 and Amy shares her experience as an advocate for a child with epilepsy.

If you know someone with Epilepsy, I highly recommend looking over some of the resource within the HealthyWomen web site. This website is also a great place for people that are newly diagnosed to seek support and information.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of HealthyWomen’s “Women Succeeding with Epilepsy” sponsored by UCB, Inc. and received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.