* Shoes from Eleven Collection (ended 10/26) congrats to comment 168 Sheila Hickmon!
*Fair Trade O Bracelet (ended 10/29) congrats to comment 110, Vanessa!
* Entertainment Book (ended 10/31) congrats to comment 19, Angela Bailey!
* Hasbro Preschool Games (ended 10/31) congrats to comment 106 clarissa neiding!
* Progresso Cooking Prize Pack (ended 10/31) congrats to comment 38, JC!
* Shrinky Dinks Giveaway (ended 11/1) congrats to comment 46, judy brittle!
* Jaquard Hoop Painting Fun Bag (ended 11/1) congrats to comment 11, Ann W.!
* Jazzy Toes Baby Socks (ended 11/1) congrats to comment 32 Rachel DeMille!
* Little Music Lovers CD of Choice (ended 11/1) congrats to comment 7, Jaime P!
*Beaute de Maman facial scrub (ended 11/2) congrats to Fionen!

* Marcal Small Steps Eco-Friendly Home Starter Kit(ended 11/2) congrats to comment 73, trixx!

*Marshmallow Blaster (ends 11/3) congrats to comment 44, Peter!

In other news, it is that time again! Woohoo, the Give It Away Fall Carnival!

Grab the button (designed by Painter Mommy) and spread the word! Fall Blog Giveaway Carnival at Mom Most Traveled: November 9-13, 2009

<br /> <a href=”http://www.MomMostTraveled.com” mce_href=”http://www.MomMostTraveled.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y162/JoJoMachine/blog_carnival_button_150X210.png” mce_src=”http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y162/JoJoMachine/blog_carnival_button_150X210.png” border=”0? alt=”BlogCarnival”></a>

If you aren’t sure about how this works, please read the rules and get ready!

And two totally unrelated announcements:

1) I have posted the Mom Most Traveled 2009 Holiday Gift Guide in process. I will be adding to it daily!

2) Check out this article about my worst childhood memories on MSN.com

It comes packaged in a lovely gift box and a velvet bag, without any kind of markings or words or company logos.

This is a very thoughtful detail because it allows the Santa’s Classic Gift Set to become a real gift from Santa. No brand names or “Made In China” stickers to ruin the magic!

I was pleased with the quality of the Santa’s Classic Gift Set that we received as a sample. I had big plans for presenting it to Jojo around Christmas time, but he discovered it on my review table and claimed it right away!

Even though Deeds, at age 2, isn’t yet famliar with Polar Express, Santa, or pretty much anything that involves long-term memory, he appreciates Santa’s Classic Gift Set for it’s musical noise making capabilities! On the Santa’s Classic Gift Set you can listen to a recording of the bell ringing, so you know what you are getting into.

Thanks Magical Bells, for a great product! This gift set is included in the Mom Most Traveled 2009 Holiday Gift Guide.

I was so thrilled to receive samples from Taraluna Fair Trade, Organic and Green Gifts of PeaceKeeper Nail Polish, which came packaged in a beautiful Hand-Made Indigenous Bag from Hmong Hill Tribe Women in Thailand.

I didn’t know what to expect from the PeaceKeeper Nail Polish, since I knew it was missing all of the usual preservatives. To my delight, it painted on easily and smoothly with no clumps or other monkey business.

If PeaceKeeper Nail Polish is made ethically and without nasty chemicals but can perform just as well or better than brands containing yucky stuff and employing shady business practices, there is no reason NOT to support PeaceKeeper Nail Polish!

I also got a sample of Eternal Equity Gloss, in a pretty green bag with a brochure and paper flower.

I have to be careful with lip glosses; my lips react to many products, becoming very chapped and disgusting.

I’m happy to report that I had no adverse effects from Eternal Equity Gloss. The color was smooth and I didn’t feel like my lips were coated or greasy. They could still breathe!

I also noticed that when I took a drink while wearing Eternal Equity Gloss, it didn’t leave a thick, scary waxy residue on the glass.

PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics sources sustainable organic ingredients from some of the best farmers on earth, who use eco-friendly viable alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides that are used in traditional farming.

All PeaceKeeper Products have NONE of the following…
No FD&C Coloring
No Animal Testing
No Artificial Colors
No Artificial Fragrances
No Toluene
No Formaldehyde
No Acetone
No Phthalates
No Parabens
No Synthetic Preservatives
No Mineral Oil
No Lanolin
No Sodium Lauryl
No Sodium Sulfate
NO NASTY ANYTHING !

Taraluna Fair Trade, Organic and Green Gifts has lots of products you can feel good about purchasing. PeaceKeeper™ Cause-metics™ are on sale right now! And, between now and November 14, use coupon code TRAVELMOM at checkout to get free shipping on all orders over $60.00.

Taraluna is giving away some PeaceKeeper Nail Polish, packaged in a beautiful Hand-Made Indigenous Bag from Hmong Hill Tribe Women in Thailand to one Mom Most Traveled reader!

1). To enter for your chance to win visit Taraluna.com and comment here telling me another product you like.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

Want to subscribe? Just click here:  Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3) You can tweet about this giveaway once each day for extra entry. Be sure to include a link to this post, and @MomMostTraveled

Leave a comment here for each tweet. Be sure to include your twitter ID.

4.) One extra entry for blogging about this giveaway, including a link to this page and Taraluna.com

5.) Sign up for the Taraluna Newsletter to receive coupons and discounts, and let me know you did. Sign-up is in the left sidebar of Taraluna.com

This giveaway is open to US residents only. This contest will close on November 14, 11:59pm CST

Superphonic Decoder Cards reveal stats on each robot character who wears a letter or letter team on its chest and an icon on its head that serve as constant visual references to the sound the character represents.

Each card also tells a story about its life and personality which helps memory and phonemic awareness (the ability to break down a word into individual letter sounds).

Designed for children ages 3+, the cards are large, (46– 10″ x 4.5″), colorful, and have cool robots on them! Alphabotz character cards are also very sturdy, and I love the sliding-drawer box they come with.

The Alphabotz are grouped into squads. Each squad has a designated code that appears in the upper right-hand corner of the cards.

The 26 letters of the alphabet cards are marked with a star code to make them easily identifiable, the A, E, I, O, and U of the alphabet cards are the Superphonic Shorts (the short vowel sounds of these letters), but kids are also introduced to the Superphonic Longs (long vowel sounds), the Impersonators (who “copycat” other letter sounds because they don’t have one of their own), the H-Bunch (consonant digraphs), the R-Rangers (r-controlled vowels), the Vowel Teams (vowel digraphs) and even one Silent E character named Elaine who’s job is to be perfectly quiet.

Alphabotz really are the whole package; they explain all of the tricky aspects of beginning reading that are encountered after consonant-vowel-consonant words are mastered.

Additional Alphabotz cards are stern librarian Miss Spella de Books, Professor Ben Letterman, a “how to” card, and a game and activity card that details numerous games and three levels of play activities.

Alphabotz Superphonic Decoder Cards retail for $19.95, and were awarded the 2009 Preferred Choice Award in Creative Child Magazine’s Educational Products category.

Alphabotz Superphonic Decoder Cards were ALSO named to Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products of 2009 list!

Want to buy some? Use coupon code KSBLOGS1 for 20% off the purchase of Alphabotz through Amazon.com! Note this code is ONLY good for purchases made through Amazon.com. The code expires on 12/18.

Win a set of Alphabotz Superphonic Decoder Cards!

1). To enter for your chance to win leave a comment here telling me what you like about Alphabotz!

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

Want to subscribe? Just click here:  Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3) You can tweet about this giveaway once each day for extra entry. Be sure to include a link to this post, @Alphabotz and @MomMostTraveled

Leave a comment here for each tweet. Be sure to include your twitter ID.

4.) One extra entry for blogging about this giveaway, including a link to this page.

5.) Become a friend of Alphabotz on Facebook.

This giveaway is open to US residents only. This contest will close on November 12, 11:59pm CST

It is free; anyone can use it, and it gives you online space to store, share, and remotely access your documents and files.

When I first logged on, Microsoft Office Live immediately recognized that I had a hotmail account open and started sending me suggestions about how to get the most from the tools.

I was pretty impressed with that! The way I see Office Live Workspace benefiting my family is that I can create a workspace for a specific event or project, and choose among dozens of templates that can help us stay on track along the way.

Most practical is the ability to share grocery lists and to-do lists with my husband via email. Sadly we don’t often get the chance to talk face to face without continual interruptions. At least if I email him, he can access it at work and read it in peace and quiet!

On the to-do list, we can satisfyingly check a “done” box when a task is completed.

I also created a family calendar that we can update and edit easily online.

Microsoft Office Live stores all the templates and documents online so you can update the document you started at work on your home computer, or vice versa.

Microsoft Office Live has templates for managing extracurricular activities, work projects, travel schedules, job searches; all kinds of things.

Also, you can upload virtually any file type and you get 5GB of online storage for free, which isn’t too shabby.

Last week I started teaching full time again (very sudden and unexpected, but the former teacher had to resign and I got called upon!). I think Microsoft Office Live will be helpful as I organize the next unit plan with my co-teachers.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Microsoft Office Live. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

The Georgia-born lyricist, singer and composer named Johnny Mercer has kept the world singing for more than eight decades.

On November 4th, in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will celebrate with JOHNNY MERCER: THE DREAM’S ON ME, a 100-minute special, executive-produced by Clint Eastwood.

Premiering Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m. (ET) on TCM,  JOHNNY MERCER: THE DREAM’S ON ME has great footage of performances and interviews detailing Mercer’s life and career.

TCM will complement the premiere of JOHNNY MERCER: THE DREAM’S ON ME with presentations of several classic films on which he worked every Wednesday night in November. Titles include Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Blues in the Night (1941), Hollywood Hotel (1937), The Harvey Girls (1946), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), The Days of Wine and Roses (1962), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Li’l Abner (1959) and The Belle of New York (1952). On Nov. 18, the anniversary of Mercer’s birth, TCM will devote the entire day’s schedule to his work.

JOHNNY MERCER: THE DREAM’S ON ME

In 1935, Mercer began working in Hollywood writing songs and occasionally appearing in small musical roles.

Throughout his extraordinary career, he wrote songs for nearly 100 films, picking up four Oscars and 16 nominations. His more than 170 collaborators include Richard Whiting (“Hooray for Hollywood”) Harry Warren (“Jeepers Creepers” and “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe”); Hoagy Carmichael (“Lazybones” and “Skylark”); Jerome Kern (“I’m Old Fashioned”); Harold Arlen (“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” “Blues in the Night,” “That Old Black Magic” and “One For My Baby”); Henry Mancini (the Academy Award-winning songs “Moon River” and “The Days of Wine and Roses”); Johnny Mandel (“Emily”); and John Williams (“The Long Goodbye”).

Mercer co-founded Capitol Records in 1942, and in 1956 Mercer realized his dream of a hit Broadway show with L’il Abner.

Mercer passed away in 1976 in Los Angeles after suffering complications from surgery to remove a brain tumor.

He is buried in his hometown of Savannah in the Bonaventure Cemetery, overlooking the Wilmington River, which served as the inspiration for his lyrics to the song “Moon River.”

The AVIA Savannah Hotel is joining the City of Savannah to welcome the Johnny Mercer Statue to the Savannah City Market neighborhood.  The hotel is going all out with a display of the Mercer watercolors, exhibits, Mercertini specialities, Mercer music and Centennial Guest Packages during the month of November.  Under special licensing, AVIA management will include as the newly released double CD — “Moon River: Johnny Mercer Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook” (Johnny’s final recording sessions in London, produced by Ken Barnes) as a special gift for each guest who has selected the Johnny Mercer Centennial Package.

Last year I hosted a Carols By Candlelight event in my home on Christmas Eve. Along with holiday sweets and treats, I served hot apple cider in my favorite crackle glazed celadon tea cups.

I actually use premixed mulling spices (the brand name escapes me but it has a picture of a raven on the shiny gold package) which I add to apple juice and boil in an enormous soup kettle. It makes like 2 gallons or something.

If you don’t have a mix, try this recipe:

MULLED CIDER SPICE MIX

Make a spice bag from 2 to 3 layers of cheese cloth. Put the spices in the center of a 6 inch cheesecloth square or circle. Tie cloth shut. Use one bag to every 2 quarts of apple cider.

Perfect for when you go a-wassailing!

Lenox & TwitterMoms Drinks of the SeasonMore Drinks of the Season Recipes

I ate them all mindfully, but I still can’t decide on one favorite flavor out of the three yummy options: S.S. Sea Salt, Chez Cocoa and Salty Pepper.

Somersault Snacks have 150 calories per serving (each 2 oz bag contains two servings), and are protein packed with 6-7 grams, plus you get fiber too (3 grams)!

These are so satisfying, I was surprised to read that they are nut free! It’s true! Somersault snacks are made with grains and seeds (sunflower and sesame). Somersault Snacks are certified kosher, and the S.S. Sea Salt and Salty Pepper flavors are also dairy free.

Dietary restrictions, be hanged!

Visit www.somersaultsnackco.com to buy online or find out which stores carry the Somersault Snack line, or buy on Amazon.

What is it? Why is it awesome?

Morph-O-Scopes are an optical illusion toy, which comes in a kit containing some bendy reflective shiny things, and crazy warped images to color.

You fold the shiny thing into a “cup”, then look at the reflected image

to make sense of the coloring page.

It is like a reverse fun house mirror; when your child colors the morphed shapes on the page, color magically appears in the right places in the perfect cartoon reflections.

Beyond coloring, kids connect dots and lines to complete morphed drawings, create their own morph picture, navigate morphed mazes, decode slant art, and other crazy optical tricks.

We have the Sports of All Sorts Kit, which has received numerous industry awards, including The Toy Man Award of Excellence, The Toy Man Editors Choice Award, The Toy Man Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy Best Children’s Vacation Products, and accolades from the National Association for Gifted Children / Parenting for High Potential Magazine.

Jojo is not normally a coloring enthusiast (I recently had to force him to complete his school coloring contest entry), but the “magic” of the Morph-o-Scope holds his attention.

These pictures were taken on the first day he saw it, but today, 3 weeks later, Jojo again sat patiently  completing the coloring and started asking me question about different colors in the included crayons.

It led to an interesting discussion about differentiation between colors like blue-green and blue-violet.

Deeds wanted to get in on the fun, and luckily the Sports of All Sorts Kit includes two reflective thingies. I set him up with the reflective thingy and a blank piece of paper, which was enough to satisfy him.

I love the possibilities for Morph-o-Scopes; they are inexpensive and available in party packs and classroom packs. You can even get some customized morphed images!

There is a CIRCUS KIT, the ZOE’S ZOO KIT, and also packets with one reflective thingy and 5 coloring pages. The packet themes are DISTORTED DINOS, FAIRIES FANTASY, STRETCHED PETS, and TWISTED PAJAMA PARTY.

A party pack sounds like a fun idea to me! I love the available themes, especially the pirate option:

• PRINCESS PONY Party
• PIRATES Party Fun Pack
• HALLOWEEN Party Fun
  

Thank you, Ooz and Oz, for providing the Sports of All Sorts Kit for our review.

Morph-o-Scopes can be purchased at http://www.oozandoz.com/, or you can buy Morph-o-Scopes on Amazon!

The boys chose their costumes out of our year-round dress up box about ten minutes before we walked to the school Halloween Carnival.

Deeds wore the fireman coat, but it was too hot for the pants. He also kept throwing the fireman hat so I left it at home.

Jojo decided on a cowboy look, and even came to me with the bandana and told me just how to tie it on. These various poses are his interpretation of a cowboy. He had talked about being Indiana Jones, but we lost the Indiana Jones hat two days prior.

Deeds makes this face a lot in pictures now; I don’t know what makes him think of it!

The first thing we did at the Halloween Carnival after buying our tickets was get our 4K map of the preschool treasure hunt.

There were 3 places to find, then at each place the children did a worksheet, which they traded in for a prize.

I was like “Woo-hoo, worksheets!” They didn’t dampen Jojo’s celebratory mood.

After we visited all 3 treasure locations, we went in the “haunted house”, a classroom decorated by the high school kids.

It was really lame of course but Jojo got scared at a part where a student wrapped in toilet paper started walking toward us.

I carried him through the rest, then as soon as we got out, he asked if we could go through again!

But first we went to have some eats.

The boys had hot dogs, and I didn’t find a vegetarian option so I started to console myself with a chocolate covered apple.

However, Deeds spotted the apple and marched up to the concession stand to demand one of his own. Later he did the same to procure an iced pumpkin-shaped sugar cookie and a blood red lollypop.

Deeds is my little sweet tooth.

During the junk food binge, Jojo and Papa were checking out the games. There were only two. One was a bean bag toss and the other was something to do with reaching your hand in a box and guessing something.

Jojo continued to beg to be taken back into the Haunted House.

Nick took him, and he had to be carried through again the second time! Ditto when Grandmother took him in for trip #3!

I don’t know why he got so fascinated by it; when we got home, he made a replica with his legos.

The kids weren’t allowed to play the games more than once, so we ran out of things to do.

Lastly Jojo got wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy, then enjoyed walking around with stiff joints until all of the toilet paper fell off.

The boys both played on the school playground in the moonlight and then we walked back home. We spent about $16.50 on tickets and snacks. Is that what families do these days? How much do people normally spend on Halloween?

We had a good time, and I’m glad the boys had a place to go in our community!