Spoonful of Imagination

Add it to a Family for Something Beautiful

My Extra Set of Eyes

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If your childhood was anything like mine, you probably grew up wondering, “How does mom always know!?” It didn’t matter how quiet or careful you were, mom somehow knew what you were up to. Now as a parent, I take great pride in performing these jaw dropping feats of foresight and knowledge. It’s important to have eyes everywhere. Even in the back of your head. Well, now with the Motorola MBP36S video baby monitor it’s a little easier to keep tabs on your little ones and you don’t even have to have super-mom powers to know how to use it.

When I was first presented the monitor, I was a little skeptical. My kids aren’t babies. They are past nap times. However, Reagan, my 3-year-old does have a one hour “rest-time” each day. She doesn’t always love being told to settle down but it’s an important time for us both to recharge. The problem is that many times she waits for me to leave the room and then she pops right up and starts playing and sometimes gets a bit mischievous. One day, I came back into the room to find her coloring on her walls as evidenced in the picture below.

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When I started reading all the features on the Motorola monitor, I realized it could be the perfect aid to Reagan’s rest time. Because let’s be honest… If you are constantly running upstairs and returning your child to their rest-time, it’s not really a restful time for either of you, is it? This sweet little piece of technology has given me an extra eye and voice into Reagan’s room. This monitor provides crystal clear two-way communication and showcases a full color LCD screen. Did you catch that? TWO-WAY Communication!! I can speak right into the monitor and gently tell Reagan to get back in bed without having to run up the stairs. Plus, you can remotely pan, tilt and zoom.

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You can even peek in at night with the infrared night vision and use the picture- in-picture feature to keep an eye on multiple rooms. With this monitor, you can be sure your baby or child is safe and sound, giving you the peace of mind you deserve.

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Here are a few of the amazing features of the Motorola MBP36S video baby monitor:

  • Wireless technology 2.4 GHz FHSS
  • 3.5” diagonal screen
  • Remote pan, tilt and zoom
  • Crystal clear two-way communication
  • Infrared night vision
  • Room temperature display
  • 5 lullabies
  • Sound level indicator
  • Volume control
  • Range up to 590 feet
  • Out-of-range alert
  • Rechargeable battery
  • Flip out stand (on parent unit)
  • Expandable up to 4 cameras (additional baby units sold separately, Model: MBP36BU)
  • View two baby units simultaneously with picture-in-picture technology

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Now that we are in Indiana, I can’t wait to unpack my video monitor and set it up in Reagan’s new room! Whether you have a new born baby, a toddler, or a house full of kiddos, I’d recommend this great device to give you one more tool in your arsenal of super-mommy tricks.

 

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Getting KuKee with Hello Kitty!

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media
Group™ and KuKee, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #helllokittyletsplay http://
cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Having two rough and tumble boys before having our precious little girl has definitely colored our Reagan’s world. My girl knows how to hold her own in a wrestling match on the bean bags and she can name every Transformer toy without even straining. So, any time the opportunity pops up to have some “girl-time” with my little one, I jump at it.

Recently, I was given a day to take Reagan on a special shopping trip where we got KuKee with Hello Kitty! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’m guessing a video must be worth a million. Watch this short clip to see our shopping trip and then I’ll tell you all about it below!

The Hello Kitty Let’s Play Clothing Line is being sold at Macy’s. To make the shopping experience even more fun, download the KuKee app before you go.
It’s simple… Go to the App Store or Google Play and download the KuKee App. While shopping look for a Hello Kitty Dress Up Icon. Open the app and it brings up a scanner. Aim at the Dress Up Icon to launch the app and give your child a fun play experience.

For our trip, we were focusing on the Let’s Play Dress Up series. As you know my kids love to be creative and dress up, so Reagan had no problem understanding the goal. When we scanned the Dress Up Icon the app brought up a Hello Kitty for her to “dress up.” She loved picking out accessories, crowns, and different garments for her Hello Kitty.

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We then looked around at the clothes so that she could dress up herself.  Reagan is obsessed with dress up. On each piece of clothing there is an attached Icon which is used to launch the app. The icons are printed on a nice sturdy cardstock and Reagan has enjoyed playing the app several times since our shopping trip.

Another feature of the app, is set up like a scavenger hunt. If you aim the scanner at the cute little KuKee marker, it opens up another experience, where you can collect all the different color markers.

KuKee_markerThe app is a lot of fun and the clothing is so cute. I had a hard time choosing which pieces I wanted as they are all bright and colorful, which is so our style. I ended up buying Reagan a long sleeve long tunic shirt with a cute ruffle at the bottom and a warm vest.

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With some cooler days she was needed some warm pieces in her wardrobe. I know holiday shopping is probably at the forefront of a lot of our minds. With Cyber Monday and Black Friday coming, Macy’s will be having some great sales on all their Hello Kitty Let’s Play items.

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To learn more about the Hello Kitty Let’s Play Clothing Line and KuKee app you can visit their pinterest board, online, and Macy’s collection here.

To stay connected, visit their Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the quick know!

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Our First Year of Homeschooling

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When I look back on our first year of homeschooling, I am very proud. I do lots of art and projects, but there is nothing like trekking through a school year of teaching your child that gives the same reward. My son is reading.  It might not be perfect and Lord knows I could have done a WAY better job at teaching him, so it was a smoother transition, but we were learning together. I am thankful I have such a bright son, and who as I tripped on explaining rules and sight words still managed to get something.

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At the beginning of the year, our school days were a very formal routine. After breakfast we did the pledge, calendar, etc and went on from there. I pushed to get it all done right away (as I have an early education degree and that is how I was trained). As our year went on (and the moving stuff got crazy)I got more relaxed and together we figured out routines that worked better for us. Having a preschooler and a toddler to care for while also teaching was difficult. I learned that any activity they could do with us should be done up front. We did playdoh and crafts mostly in the morning and they were toned differently for each skill that I was working with.

For example, Caleb might have been spelling words in his playdoh, J making shapes, and Reagan mixing all our colors together as she explored the texture and cause and effect elements. In the afternoon, when J and Reagan were down for naps, is when Caleb and I would do our harder stuff that required more concentration. Sometimes this even ended up being at night, if life happened and dr visits came into play. I learned that was ok. The beauty of homeschooling is it doesn’t have to be at a set time or place. I learned that all the life lessons (like being apart of working on a house to sell) are really important too. Every experience with a kid is a teachable moment and it doesn’t have to be sitting in a chair in a school room all day everyday. I wouldn’t trade the time we had together this year for anything. We had a lot of fun.

I say all this to say, we started the year saying we would just take homeschooling a year (and a child) at a time. We are excited to say, we will be homeschooling again in the fall. Although I feel like I have learned a little on how I can do my job better, I know I still have a lot of space to grow. One thing that needs to change is I need to find a co-op or some kind of class for my boys. This year I was totally on my own. I made my own curriculum and I implemented it all by myself. There are tons of good resources available and I need to lean into that and make my job a little easier. One avenue of help that I have recently learned about is TakeLessons.com.

Takelessons.com helps make it easy and safe to find a music instructor or academic tutor. They’ve been in business since 2006 and have a very high safety and quality priority. From what I have learned is they take the process of researching a good teacher, scheduling and coordinating times of lessons, and billing, so I can just enjoy the lessons. I’m especially intrigued with the range of in home, in studio, or online lessons. There are options!

As I think about next year, I am processing this option. There are over 30 lesson types available and a 100% money back guarantee. Most co-ops I have researched require the year cost paid up front without any money back if we discover that is not a good fit for our family.

I encourage you to research it as well and see if TakeLessons.com might be a good fit for your family-even if you aren’t a homeschooler!

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To get a FREE copy of “Quick Guide to Getting Started With Music Lessons” you can click here.

As a special bonus TakeLessons is offering you a 20% off music lesson or tutoring package when you use promo code ‘IMAGINATION’ at checkout. Call 619-618-7473 to speak with a TakeLessons Student Counselor. This offer is good only through July 6, so check them out this week and be sure to mention the discount code.

Other ways to learn more about TakeLessons and connect are by twitter, You Tube, or Facebook.

I hope you are enjoying your summer, and I am excited to share with you a little of what we have been up to later this week!

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