It’s safe to say most parents look forward to that special bedtime story with their little ones. Celeb moms agree – including Jennie Garth, Jodie Sweetin, Samantha Harris and Jessica Seinfeld – and have shared with Celebrity Baby Scoop their favorite bedtime stories and precious moments with their little ones, just in time for NEA’s Read Across America day on March 2.

“Beverly Hills, 90210” alum Jennie Garth says, “Skippyjon Jones is a favorite book of ours, it makes them laugh….”

“Full House” alum Jodie Sweetin says, “We have story time every night before bed….Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton is their favorite.”

“Entertainment Tonight” correspondent Samantha Harris says, “…our favorites come from the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems….My husband, Michael, does the elephant’s voice and I read the piggie’s parts. It cracks up all three of us!”

Baby Buggy founder Jessica Seinfeld says, “My family loves reading poems by Shel Silverstein. We’ve read his poems so many times that by now we can all recite them by heart.”

Read the complete story at http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/2012/01/31/celebrity-moms-share-their-favorite-bedtime-stories.  This story is available for reprint with the below credit and a direct link to the story.

tea light holder...for the candle loving mom

If you are a candle mom, you know, the one who always has beautifully scented candles lit, then you will love this Midsummer Night Tea Light Candle holder that retails for only $14.95.

engraved bangle bracelet...for the bracelet wearing mom

If you love wearing bracelets, then this beautiful, engraved, Silver Dream bangle bracelet is a must-have for you.  It is nicely priced at $19.95

lambswool scarf...for the scarf wearing mom

If your mom loves to wear scarves, then you have to splurge a little and get her a scarf she will treasure for years.  The Milky Way Lambswool Scarf will keep her in style and keep her warm.  This beauty retails for $79.95

All these beautiful gifts, along with many others can be found at MyMela.com.  MyMela is an innovative online marketplace of handicrafts made by Indian artisans.  MyMela created a platform for Indian artists to present their beautiful work to US and global customers, who otherwise may not have been able to, while providing a shop for customers worldwide to find unique, handmade items.  For more information, please visit MyMela.com

]]> http://www.totstoteensmagazine.com/2012/02/21/gifts-for-moms-just-because/feed/ 0 http://www.totstoteensmagazine.com/2012/02/21/personalized-gift-bags/ http://www.totstoteensmagazine.com/2012/02/21/personalized-gift-bags/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:58:40 +0000 Mrs_AOK http://www.totstoteensmagazine.com/?p=4191 [Continue Reading]]]> I love making things personal when gift giving–

I also love making flower clips and bows.

Now with both of my girls going to birthday parties

making a flower clip for their friend is a given.

The girls love to create new hair clips for their  friends.

We wanted to showcase the pretty flowers they were making with me.

This is what I came up with

Glue ribbon to bag, and make sure to make a special spot for clip

Personalize with a name or initials

add your clip and BAM you’re done.

Super cute, easy, and, inexpensive personalized bag for the birthday girl.

For instance, did you know?

If you lined up the eight billion Conversation Hearts produced each year, they’d stretch 5,924 miles across the United States from coast to coast.

Or in Victorian times, if a woman wore the gloves she’d been sent by
her suitor, it meant she accepted his proposal. If she instead donned a pair
of mittens, the rejected gentleman should lose all hope.

There are many more great facts of love you can read about in this book. Retails: $14.95 and available on Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble.

Have you ever wondered what goes into the making of a professional race car driver?  Where do they get their start, what is the energy like, and what are these racers actually thinking or feeling about as they push through life and career pitfalls?  Racing Dreams, a documentary film by Marshall Curry takes you through a year-long journey of three tween-teen NASCAR hopefuls.  They start their journey racing high-speed go-karts (think 70-M.P.H Go-Karts!),  in NASCAR sanctioned championships.

The documentary follows three tweens, Josh Hobson (12), Annabeth Barnes, (11) and Brandon Warren (13) as they each take their dreams to the race track in a year long struggle with achieving national championship status, relationships with family and friends, securing sponsors to help with racing costs and of course, there is school.  It is described as “Talladega Nights meets Catcher in the Rye“.

While you watch these three kids working towards their dreams, you will see their determination as inspiration.  Josh gets an opportunity to meet Jeff Gordon and becomes more focused and determined to get where he needs to go to achieve his goals and dreams.  Annabeth states that she hopes to be the next Danica Patrick and be the first woman to win the Daytona 500, is experiencing normal teen-age girl behaviors…and has developed an interest in…boys.  She also loves beating the boys as it is such a male-dominated sport.  And then there is Brandon, the one who, through his own personal struggles (parents wrestling with drug addiction….is living with his grandparents) faces disqualifications and has a little bit of a temper that he must keep under control.

It is a film where you can see how each of these kids have the same passion for racing but the outcomes are of their own doings.  It is a great documentary to watch with your kids as it will not only thrill you, but it will show children that it is ok to have a dream that you are passionate about and how there are different steps in which you need to take to achieve the best outcome.  It will show kids that through hard work, dedication, and passion for what you love to do, you can achieve any dream, big or small. We watched this documentary as a family, and all three of my own children thought it was inspiring and entertaining. It is definitely a film all parents can relate to on some level.

Where are the kids now?

Josh Hobson, is now a senior in high school and maintains a 4.0 grade average.  He hopes to attend college next year.  He has raced in a full sized car in the ASA Late Model racing series.

Annabeth Barnes, now in the 11th grade and is racing full sized late-model stock cars against adult drivers.  She continues to work towards being the first female driver in the Daytona 500.  Annabeth will be at the 5th Annual NASCAR Diversity Awards Luncheon, presented by NASCAR Diversity Affairs on Wednesday, February 22, 2012. She is still, living the dream.

Brandon Warren now 18,  has not raced since the season chronicled in Racing Dreams but is considering joining the military when he graduates. In 2010 he was Lieutenant Colonel of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at his high school.

Racing Dreams, winner of the Best Documentary Feature Award at the Tribeca Film Festival and executive-produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has its national broadcast premiere on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, at 9 p.m. as a special broadcast on PBS’s POV (Point of View) series. (Check local listings.) American television’s longest-running independent documentary series, POV is the winner of a Special Emmy for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking, two International Documentary Association IDA Awards for Best Continuing Series and NALIP’s Corporate Commitment to Diversity Award.
 
Credits:
Director/Producer:  Marshall Curry
Producer:  Bristol Baughan
Executive Producers:  Jack Turner, Ben Goldhirsh, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia
Cinematographers:  Marshall Curry, Peter Gordon, Wolfgang Held, Alan Jacobsen
Editors:  Marshall Curry, Matthew Hamachek, Mary Manhardt
Original Music:  Joel Goodman, The National
Running Time:  86:46
 
POV Series Credits:
Executive Producer:  Simon Kilmurry
Co-Executive Producer:  Cynthia López
Vice President, Production and Programming:  Chris White
Series Producer:  Yance Ford

{Warning this video has curse words}

This is a video response of an angry father.. who has just read a Facebook post his daughter privately posted to her friends.  The father chooses to express his anger in a very unconventional way.  Do you think  this tactic is okay?  Does this just breed more negativity or did the daughter deserve to have her laptop shot?

Please share your thoughts– how would you handle this situation?

I am so excited to share this product with you!  If you have a child who refuses to read, or fights with you to read, like I do, then try to make it a little fun for them.  My daughter loves to read in bed, however, at night time, you don’t want your child’s room brightly lit or they may never settle down.  We have tried turning on closet lights but that still wasn’t good enough.  I let my daughter “borrow” my book light and she loved it!  In fact, I couldn’t get it back from her.  Then as if my prayers were answered, in comes MOBI TykeLights.  These adorable night lights for children are amazing!  I mean, look at that cute monkey, how could you not love him?  They come in three different characters, monkey, bunny and giraffe.  They’re safe for kids, which I love!

I was able to sneak a snapshot of Gianna reading…she was actually very content which made me pleased.

The one thing that Gianna likes is that it you can make the light dim or brighter just by sliding your finger over the touch button and it doesn’t get hot.   With 12 bright white LED lights, tilting lamp head, rechargeable battery (that holds it charge up to 10 hours…yes, I said 10 hours!)  and touch button technology, it has everything your little reader will need for reading in bed, taking on camping trips, making home made tents under the kitchen table with a bunch of blankets, and they make the best night lights!  They will take this AnimaLamp everywhere they go because it’s that portable!  These little guys retail for $24.95 and can be found at www.getmobi.com

 Our Disclosure

S’well is a Stainless steel water bottle that keeps beverages hot or cold for up to 24 hours!  So whether you are climbing the ladder of love, or taking a nice slow journey, you will always be hydrated!  $35 at www.swellbottle.com

If you are falling in love with Yoga, then you will without a doubt fall in love with eKO Lite Mat.  eKO Lit Mat is made of natural tree rubber and is incredibly durable.  $42 at www.manduka.com

The love of exercising will not be complete without the perfect legging.  You can find fun and flirty fitness apparel such as the hip-hugging Odette Capri legging by msSheeky.  If you like the leggings, don’t forget to check out the v-cut Stevie Cami!  Odette Capri Legging $78 at www.meSheeky.com

You may be able to stand the test of time this Valentine’s Day if you are wearing this lightweight, colorful watch with interchangeable faces by RUBR-Watch.  It is a sporty, colorful, silicone watch that allows you to create your own look.  $25-$30 at www.rubrwatchnation.com

We hope you enjoy your Valentine’s Day today and that you spend it with products you love!