#StoptheBurn Twitter Party Aug 7th 8:30-9:30p ET w/ $750 in Prizes + $499 Weber Grill Giveaway

Twitter Party

This is a Sponsored Post

First RSVP for this Twitter Party, then enter the Weber Grill Giveaway

#StopTheBurn

Twitter Party

$750+ in Prizes

25 Giftbaskets valued at $30 each

Thursday, August 7th

8:30-9:30 pm ET

Image from JoyofKosher.com

Join us for a chat about 
kitchen safety & treating minor burns
With prizes, of course!

Be sure to follow all party panelists

@JoyofKosher
@JoyofKosherMag
@JamieGeller
@TamarGenger
@MommyBlogExpert



Party Prizes

TWENTY FIVE (25) Giftbaskets valued at $30 include

• Full-size Burn Jel Pro product
• Apron
• Oven Mitt
• Other Kitchen Tchotchkes

Latkes frying in hot oil, MommyBlogExpert.com

#StoptheBurn
Twitter Party

RSVP HERE

To be eligible for Prizes
U.S. Residents Only

Weber Grill Sweepstakes

ARV $499

Image from JoyofKosher.com

After you RSVP

Once you've RSVPed for the Twitter Party, be sure to go over here and enter this Weber Grill Giveaway, too!

FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert is being compensated as a moderator/panelist for this #StopTheBurn Twitter Party. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Journey to Motherhood in Foreign Lands to Learn About Other Cultures With Mom Voyage

Motherhood

I participated in a Blog Blast on behalf of Mom Central for Urbini. I received information from Urbini to facilitate my post.

If you're a mommy blogger or a regular mom interested in learning about things like pregnancy, babies and raising children who embrace cultures from around the world, the Mom Voyáge community is for you. This site just for moms was created by Urbini Baby, makers of a stylish and functional line of car seats and strollers, with the intent of inspiring mothers around the globe to celebrate our lives as moms raising families with an international flair.

Dutch Bitterballs (Bitterballen), Image from Mom Voyáge

Among the community's discussion topics are

• Baby Naming
• Baby Showers
• Birth Plans
• Data & Research
• Life Before Baby
• Maternity
• Pregnancy

Canal in Amsterdam, Holland, MommyBlogExpert.com

By looking at such fascinating stories as Dutch Pregnancy Cravings, for example, you'll see that there are some similarities and a whole lot of differences between moms in Holland and the U.S. when it comes to what they crave when they're expecting. Yes, both Dutch and American moms-to-be seek out pickles, I know that was on the top of my list when I had four babies within a year (a singleton followed in quick succession by a set of triplets). But
you just have to read this post by mommy blogger Esther Buitendijk, UrbanMoms.NL, about some of the edible oddities that her pregnant friends in the Netherlands typically have on their minds -- you will be amazed.

In addition to Buitendijk, other featured mom blogger contributors include Emily Harvey, Mummy of Two, United Kingdom; Lindsey Paris, Redhead Baby Mama, Atlanta, GA; and Rena Mae Acosta, Finding Dutchland, an American living in the Netherlands.

My kids celebrate Chinese New Year in Nursery School, MommyBlogExpert.com

My own four are teenagers now. Looking back on their days before elementary school sending them to a multi-cultural preschool was one of the best things I did as a parent. There they celebrated everything from Japanese Boys Kite Day to the Chinese New Year to Hannukah and many other holidays from around the world. They learned so much about international customs and, as an involved parent, so did I. Consequently, I can personally vouch for the value of exposing yourself and your young children to various cultures. Mom Voyáge succeeds in doing just that, enriching your life (and your child's) as a mom sharing in all there is to learn in this global mommy village online community.

About Mom Voyáge
The Mom Voyáge  community, from Urbini Baby, is comprised of mom bloggers who share their unique and common cultural outlooks and experiences in motherhood from all around the world. The site's contributors are from the Netherlands, France, Britain, Holland, Japan, China and Australia and the U.S. In addition to visiting the UrbiniBaby site, follow Urbini on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to learn more.

FTC Disclosure: I participated in a Blog Blast on behalf of Mom Central for Urbini. I received information from Urbini to facilitate my post as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. However opinions here are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Pet Turtle Popularity Spike Expected with TMNT Theatrical Movie Release This Weekend

Nature

Guest Post

by Susan Tellem & Marshall Thompson
Co-founders, American Tortoise Rescue

Save a Turtle's Life While Protecting Your Child

Save a Turtle From Losing Its Life
This weekend a whole new generation of kids who missed the 2007 animated film will head to theaters for the re-release of the extremely popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  movie. While this animated classic film is fun and great entertainment we have an important message for consumers and especially, parents.  Since the first movie came out in 1990, hundreds of thousands of live turtles, mostly water turtles called red eared sliders, were purchased for between $10 and $25 after each TMNT film was released.  Soon after many, if not most, were dumped and even deliberately killed or flushed down the toilet.

Baby Turtles, Image from American Tortoise Rescue

Unfortunately, children don't realize real turtles do not fly, perform stunts or do any of the exciting moves and heroics fictional movie turtles do.  Moms and Dads, trying to please their children, purchase live turtles as pets -- most taken out of the wild and sold through pet stores and a variety of other sources. Sadly, the turtles soon lose their appeal to kids. They end up dumped illegally into rivers and lakes as well as dumpsters, flushed down toilets or relinquished to shelters and overcrowded rescues and ultimately, about 90 percent of them die.  

Melanistic Slider, Image from American Tortoise Rescue

Safeguard Your Child Against Salmonella
Here’s the bigger problem.  Turtles carry salmonella which can make a child, the elderly and those who are immune suppressed very, very sick and can even kill them.  That’s why turtles less than four inches were banned from sale in the U.S. in 1974 and still are…tiny turtles easily fit into a child’s mouth and children don’t wash their hands after touching turtles.  

This illness is an ugly problem causing nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and in extreme cases, can even cause death. A nine month old baby in Los Angeles got salmonella meningitis from a turtle after its parents touched it and then held the baby.  We do not recommend live turtles or tortoises for children under 13 because of salmonella exposure and because younger children lose interest almost immediately. 

Frack Sunning, Image from American Tortoise Rescue

Save a Turtle’s Life, and Perhaps Even a Child's
Turtles have been around for 200 million years and outlived the dinosaur.  Is this the way we want to treat our precious disappearing wildlife?  What can you do to help? Buy Ninja action figures and toys instead of live turtles for pets.  

About American Tortoise Rescue
For more on protecting turtles visit American Tortoise Rescue at Tortoise.com. You can also stay informed on turtle rescue and preservation by following the organization on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

FTC Disclosure:  American Tortoise Rescue provided the content and images for this post. However, no payment or other compensation was exchanged in connection with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.