TUNE IN – SUNG HISTORY ON DREAMWORKSTV

I absolutely love this!  I home school both my children.  Virtual classrooms can sometimes be a bore and I have always agreed that fun and interactive learning is the best way to go.  History class especially can be a little boring some times. 

That's why DannyTieger and DreamworksTV created Sung History! Two minutes of musical mischief that's guaranteed to have you singing along with some of the biggest historical figures of all time.

In their first episode Napoleon Bonaparte sings through his triumphs as the Emperor of France…but what kind of emperor was he, exactly? Perhaps he was actually….a penguin? Check out a sample of their first episode that aired this past Saturday.  

  

I had my kids watch it who are 11 and 12.  While they thought it was a bit hard to understand at times, it does provide the words and a very catchy tune.  Once watched a couple times, it quickly becomes a memory.  Music has always been a great way to learn.  It really makes it so much more fun, interesting and all while retaining important history.  Coming up – take a funky and fresh look into the historic stories of Marie Curie, Ghandi, the Wright Brothers, and more.  

About DreamWorksTV

DreamWorksTV combines DreamWorks Animations’ expertise as a global family entertainment brand with the digital savvy of AwesomenessTV to create a YouTube channel featuring original live action and animated content. Helmed by AwesomenessTV’s Brian Robbins, DreamWorksTV showcases original short-form content that is laugh-out-loud funny, introducing fresh new voices as well as iconic characters.  Family-friendly versions of reality TV and original animated web series from top creators are featured along with Vlog posts from DreamWorks Animation’s stable of fan favorite characters.  Visit DreamWorksTV at www.YouTube.com/DreamWorksTV, “like” them on Facebook using keyword “DreamWorksTV” and follow them on Twitter @DreamWorksTV.

Congrats to our Winners!!

Celebrating Hot Breakfast Month with Krusteaz

Who doesn't love breakfast, right?! So when Krusteaz reached out to me and asked if I was interested in working with them, we jumped on it!  February is National Hot Breakfast Month - but hot breakfast doesn't have to be a morning staple.   In fact a good hot breakfast is one of our favorite dinners.  Especially being a Mom, it's something that is easy, quick, filling and is something the entire family enjoys and looks forward too.  I honestly don't think we do it enough!  Krusteaz sent us some product to help celebrate National Hot Breakfast Month.

Our family is mixed, half of us enjoy pancakes while the other half would rather indulge in some waffles.  My grandma is who I think of when making pancakes and waffles.  I remember my sister and I staying over for the weekend and she would always be the first one up making pancakes for us.  And not just any pancakes, she would always try to design them, make sun shines, write our names out or even just a simple happy face.   The little touch, would mean so much and make lasting memories!

For the folks at Krusteaz, Breakfast Night is every Wednesday, a night where the whole family can spend quality time together and enjoy a meal that's easy, familiar and delicious.  It doesn't have to be fancy, just needs to be fun!  In a recent survey, Krusteaz found that nine out of ten Americans say they eat breakfast for dinner, with more then half of respondents enjoying breakfast night dinners once a month or more, and nearly a quarter eating breakfast for dinner once a week.

I love the Krusteaz mixes - they have pancakes, waffles and muffins!  The pancake mix is great, you simply add water, mix and cook.  We like to camp a lot and this is a great product to take with you.  It's so easy to take a box, a griddle for a nice hot fresh breakfast.  You can even take some fruit such as some strawberries and top your pancakes with fresh fruit to make an even more satisfying meal.  Couldn't be any more easier!

Visit Krusteaz.com for more information and recipe ideas.

Valentines with Dunkin' Donuts

***Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Dunkin' Donuts.  I was provided with product to help facilitate this posting. No monetary compensation has been received. 

Love is in the air at Dunkin’ Donuts, and the brand is offering several fun and heartfelt ways to help celebrate the season. Dunkin’ Donuts is launching today an online contest, “Dunkin’ Hearts Love,” to give engaged couples the chance to win a $10,000 wedding present. In addition, to help guests show their love in creative yet simple ways, Dunkin’ Donuts is offering two varieties of heart-shaped donuts (pictured in the video above) perfect for any Valentine’s Day celebration, love-inspired Snapchat filters and mGifts, virtual Dunkin’ Donuts cards, to send the gift of Dunkin’ to a loved one from a mobile phone.

Dunkin’ Donuts’ sweet seasonal celebration includes:

·         Dunkin’ Hearts Love Contest: Dunkin’ Donuts is putting the DD in Wedding, engaging fans with a contest that gives engaged couples a chance to win $10,000 in cash as an early wedding gift. As part of the “Dunkin’ Hearts Love” contest, anyone planning their wedding between today and December 31, 2016 can visit a special website between February 11 and February 18 to share their sweet story of how their sweet heart proposed. One lucky couple will win the $10,000 grand prize. To enter, and for rules about the contest, please visit http://DDHeartsLove.com.

·         Valentine’s Day Snapchat Filters: Dunkin’ Donuts fans can show a lot of heart via the brand’s new Snapchat filters, featuring Dunkin’ Donuts’ heart-shaped donut designs and sweet sayings such as “Donuts About You.” The Valentine’s Day themed geofilters are the latest addition to Dunkin’ Donuts lineup of seasonally themed filters and will be available for sharing the love with friends and followers for fans in or around a Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant.

·         Send the Gift of Dunkin’: Dunkin’ Donuts mobile gift cards are available in four varieties of Valentine’s Day themed designs, including one with heart-shaped donuts as roses and another that reads, “You are the Turbo Shot to My Heart.” Dunkin’ Donuts mobile gift cards can be purchased through the Dunkin’ Mobile App or DunkinDonuts.com. The Dunkin’ Mobile App also allows guests the option of sending cards to anyone via text, email or Facebook Connect.

Throughout February, Dunkin’ Donuts is serving two varieties of its beloved heart-shaped donuts. Brownie Batter Heart Donut (my fav!)  is a heart-shaped donut with brownie batter flavored buttercreme filling, topped with chocolate icing and heart sprinkles. The Cookie Dough Heart Donut is a heart-shaped donut with cookie dough flavored buttercreme filling, topped with chocolate icing and chocolate chips. Perfect for large parties or that special someone, these two scrumptious seasonal treats are available at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide. 

The perfect complement to a heart-shaped donut is Dunkin’ Donuts’ Caramel Macchiato, a handcrafted, layered espresso beverage. Two shots of Dunkin' Donuts freshly-brewed, rich espresso are poured over steamed milk swirled with a sweet caramel flavor. All Dunkin’ Donuts espresso beverages are made with espresso beans that are 100% Fair Trade Certified™ and selected from the finest, high-quality Arabica beans.

GIVEAWAY TIME! (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

Duknin' Donuts has also provided us these cute mugs along with a $10 gift card in each for two of our readers.  Each winner will win one mug along with a $10 gift card to Dunkin' Donuts.  All you have to do is follow and reply to us on any of our social media outlets and tell us who your Valentine is that you would be sharing these special donuts with.  We will put all names in a hat and the kids will draw two names on video announcing the winners.  Giveaway will end Saturday, 3pm PST.  Have fun and Happy Valentines Day! (You can find us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Facebook.

To learn more about Dunkin’ Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DunkinDonutsLV)

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for nine years running. The company has more than 11,700 restaurants in 43 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin' Donuts is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

This Spring, Think Green!

The holidays are over and we have spring on our minds.  At least here in Vegas we do!  The temps have been beautiful and the sun is shining!  I've been going through a spring cleaning phase.  I like the clean smell through out the house and shine that you can see reflecting off the sun.  Frosch shipped out some products for us to use to help us get a head start on our spring cleaning.  I have kids and while they are not young, they still make a mess!  As a mom, I think about how harmful spraying chemical filled cleaning products are.  Do I really want to spray them on the same windows and tables that the kids touch and eat off of? No way!  According to EWG's guide to cleaning, "A large and growing body of evidence links frequent use of many ordinary cleaning supplies at home or on the joy with development of asthma and other respiratory problems."

This spring, think green! Frosch, a green cleaning product line, offers moms and alternative to traditional cleaners.  The windows can be cleaned with their award-winning Bio Spirit glass cleaner and the Baking Soda All Purpose Cleaner if perfect for highchairs, counters and tables.  And it's a clean you can feel good about! For the past 15 years, Frosch has been voted Germany's Most Trusted Brand by Reader's Digest.  I did not see any difference in these products. They worked just as good, if not better than the chemical filled products I'm use to using.  Not only did it do the job, as a Mom it made me feel good using products that I knew were not going to harm my children in any way.

These economical and ecological cleaners are available online at FroschUSA.com or through Amazon.

Valentine's Day Recipe: Chocolate Mocha Bundt Cake

Searching for the perfect Valentine's Day dessert recipe that will wow your family, or that special someone? Terra's Kitchen's Mocha Bundt Cake is packed with love and flavor, not to mention also low in sugar! A Valentine's Day (or any day) chocolate indulgence with half the guilt and twice the jolt. This decadent, delicious mix of chocolaty goodness, with a hint of coffee flavor, is the perfect ending to an amazing Valentine's Day dinner!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting
• 2/3 cup high quality cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda-
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 5 tablespoons cold brewed coffee (we use Baltimore-based Zeke's Coffee)
• Butter Coffee Pour Over (recipe to follow)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Generously grease a Bundt pan with butter (we used a heart-shaped Bundt for Valentine's Day). Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and light in texture (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the sour cream and coffee and mix until combined.
5. Gradually add the dry JUST until incorporated.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt and bake until the center of cake springs back when touched and a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean (about 45-50 minutes).
7. Remove the cake from the oven and pour Butter Coffee Pour Over mixture over the hot cake. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Release the sides and bottom of the cake from the pan with a narrow metal spatula or knife. Invert the pan onto a plate or cake stand. Remove the pan and dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar before serving.

Butter Coffee Pour Over
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup brewed dark roast coffee (we use Zeke's Coffee)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Add ingredients to a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Tomorrow - Safer Internet Day!

Tomorrow is Safer Internet Day!  I have two pre-teens so can def relate when it comes to internet saftey.  In fact when they first started going online and on their Ipods, I was always nervous about what they would see and where they would end up without me knowing.  As a parent new to this, I was a bit confused on how to monitor them.  Especially with them having Apple products, as I'm an Android and windows user, so really have no knowledge when it comes to Apple. So where can we turn as parents?  TeenSafe, it's one of the most popular parenting smartphone monitoring service and as Safer Internet Day aims to provide education and awareness to Internet users of all ages, it is the perfect time for parents to have an in-depth discussion with their kids about Internet usage.  Below, I've included a list of 5 Tips on Internet Safety, penned by TeenSafe CEO Rawdon Messenger.

5 Tips on Internet SafetyTeenSafe CEO Rawdon Messenger

• Be open and clear with your child about the importance of Internet safety. 
  Communicate and discuss with your child the issues and the precautions they should take when using the Internet. Wherever possible, ask them what they think and know about the Internet - you will be surprised how much they already know. Wherever appropriate, set rules that you expect your child not to breach. Make sure to explain to them and confirm how you will be enforcing these rules (device monitoring and management).  Also consider having a “Digital Citizenship” discussion about what can be considered good and bad online behavior. 

• Conduct an audit of your child’s smartphone. 
  It is important to know which apps are installed on your child’s phone and how he or she is using them. It is import to also check the privacy settings for each app as well as the device. If possible, do this together with your child. It is also important to understand which apps may expose your child to danger and why. TeenSafe has a great guide to some of the more troublesome apps.

• Set Privacy 
  Set privacy policy accordingly - younger children’s social media and messaging accounts should have the highest privacy settings that only allow approved family members and reference access to personal content and communications. Check regularly to confirm that accounts are not changed.

• Set Policy
  Every child is different and matures over time. Set a policy for where your child is developmentally and remember to update it over time as they become more responsible. Do not overly restrict your child as shutting off all social media access without thoughtful rules, may cause more harm than good.

• Avoid “Knee Jerk” Reactions
  If you do discover in-appropriate or dangerous behavior, avoid knee jerk reactions. It helps to try to understand the causes and the issues that underlie the behavior and discuss them with your child. The best parenting practices are about discovering potential issues before they become problems and fixing them in an open and thoughtful way.