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A Girls Wellness Day & Kellogg’s FiberPlus Giveaway

Do you have someone in your life who encourages you to take care of yourself?  Someone who urges you (and helps make it possible for you) to take time for YOU and make healthy choices?  I am blessed to have a good friend named Jen who does this for me.  She watches my kids when I need a break, suggests natural cures for what ails me (like melatonin for my sleep and raw ginger for my morning sickness) and she has even cleaned my house and shoveled my driveway for me when I needed it!  She is my Wellness Ambassador!

Recently Kellogg’s FiberPlus gave me the opportunity to recognize Jen and thank her for all she does for me – they treated us to a Wellness Day  – a girls’ day at the spa!  We had a wonderful time talking, relaxing, getting pampered, and taking time for US.  And to just chill together.  It was awesome!  We got our pretty little nails and toes done, treated ourselves to lunch, and just got to spend some quality time together.  And I got to show her how much I appreciate her!

Jen and me throwing the gang sign for "manicure".

As a busy mom, I am very guilty of putting myself last  – my wellness, my mental health, all of it – and I know you probably are too!  So take this reminder from Kellogg’s FiberPlus to slow down and take some time to really think about and act positively toward your wellness.  It’s the best things we as moms can do for our kiddos, is to do everything we can to be around for them as long as they need us!

Kellogg’s FiberPlus wants you to know how important it is to take care of yourself!  They have lots of healthy snack offerings and to encourage you to try them, they’re letting me give away 25 coupons for a free box of Kellogg’s FiberPlus bars.  They are good for you and they are YUMMY.  (Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Peanut Butter are my favorites. Just sayin’.)

Here’s how to enter:

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me how YOU act as a Wellness Ambassador for someone in your life.

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.  Tweet about how you promote wellness and include @jennyitup and #kelloggsfiberplus in your tweet.

3) “Like” the Mommin’ It Up facebook page or leave us a comment here telling us you already do! Feel free to write on our wall about how you act as a Wellness Ambassador for someone in your life.

This giveaway will end Thursday December 16, 2010 at 5 pm.  Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email on Friday, December 17th.  Check out the complete giveaway rules here.

Good luck!  And thanks to Kellogg’s FiberPlus for reminding us how important wellness is and giving Jen and I such a wonderful Wellness Day out!

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This post was sponsored by Kellogg’s FiberPlus, who provided me with the funds for a girl’s Wellness Day at the Spa.  All opinions are mine and this post was not edited by the sponsor in any way!

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Dayton: New Preschool Opens at the Boonshoft!

If you live in the Dayton area and have small kids, you’ve no doubt been to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery many times. If not, you should go often! It’s a wonderful place for kids to learn and play, and has been since I was a child. My two kiddos both love it there – Joshua recently had a special day there with my mom and came home all excited! Their zoo also just re-opened after a massive renovation and it is spectacular!  I love taking the kids there myself, but since I am a million months pregnant, my mom also has a special day at the Boonshoft planned with my kids next week when they are on break from school (don’t tell them yet, though!)

So when I heard that the Boonshoft had opened a preschool, my immediate thought was “what a great idea!”  It’s always been such a fun environment for kids to learn in, and having a classroom setting there just seems so natural.  Plus, the students at the Boonshoft’s Kaleidoscope Preschool have full access to the museum’s zoo, science exhibits, and experts.  I can’t imagine a better learning environment.  Just a couple days after I heard about Kaleidoscope Preschool, a friend mentioned she was thinking about sending her son there!  So, I guess the word is spreading!

If you’re looking into preschool options for your child, here are some things to consider about Kaleidoscope. It is a Montessori school, and offers a mixed-age classroom, with children age three through kindergarten learning together.  They offer options for  full-day programs five and three days a week, or a half-day program three days a week.  In this encouraging and creative classroom environment, kids learn not just language, math, and science concepts, but they work on practical life skills and becoming independent, too.  (Those latter two are thing I personally wish I’d worked more on with my kiddos!)

The teacher at Kaleidoscope has a M.S. in child development and as I’ve mentioned, can utilize the museum’s resources fully to teach her students through an active circle time as well as small group lessons.  One thing that really appeals to me about the typical day setup at Kaleidoscope is that the schedule involves large group, small group, independent play, and play time with others.  So there’s time for structure and time for kids to explore the classroom and interact with each other as well.  The full-day program also incorporates a rest time for the younger kids while the kindergarteners continue their learning time.

Other important facts to know about Kaleidoscope Preschool: It’s licensed by the Ohio Department of Education and the faculty is Montessori trained and certified.  You can also visit the school to observe Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday from 9:15-10:15 or take a tour by appointment.

So what do you think about a preschool at the Boonshoft?  For more info, visit their website, where you can find contact information for Kaleidoscope preschool as well as download an application form.

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One-Stop Holiday Shopping at TJ Maxx & Marshall’s!


A couple of weeks ago, TJ Maxx and Marshall’s dialed me up (ok, they emailed me!) and asked if I would like a $50 gift card so I could sample all their great holiday gift offerings. Um, hell-O, total no-brainer!!  Of course I said yes, because I already big puffy heart TJ Maxx and Marshall’s.  Here’s why: they have a huge variety of items, from shoes, to clothes for every member of the family (I LOVE the baby section right now!), to comforters, sheets, towels, decor, dishes, and all kinds of things for the home.  Oh, AND the prices are RIGHT!  You can get brand name-everything for such great prices there!  Last year we bought a slew of toys there and for Christmas Bobby and I bought ourselves a nice comforter and sheet set.  All in the same trip. Love it!

So, I set out this season to get some gifts at TJ Maxx…and I did…for $50 I covered three people on my gift list.  Three people of varying genders and ages, all in one store!  Woot!   (I am not going to reveal what said items are. I DO like to keep some surprises for Christmas!!) Since I am like, approximately one million months pregnant, it was great not to have to walk around to a bunch of different stores!

You’ve got 13 more shopping days left!  Get thee to a TJ Maxx or Marshall’s and find something for everything on your list!

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