Mommy Blog Expert Debuts Singing Winter Wonderland With Clever Girls A Cappella Chorus

Celebrations

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Bet you didn't know that there are members of the Clever Girls Collective that can actually sing. Neither did we! That is until the Clever A Cappeller chorus was formed and I joined 29 others, making our group debut this past week performing the classic Christmas song Winter Wonderland, Jason Mraz version, arranged by Carrie Wade.

Me pulling my big brother on our sled, Circa 1960s

Each of the thirty us who signed on for this fun, all women singing group project, received sheet music with the parts for 1st and 2nd soprano and 1st and 2nd alto to choose from. After we practiced on our own for a bit each of us recorded our individual part and submitted it via email. Then all of our voices were magically blended by the talented Sara Maamouri to create our Internet performance for you.

This was the first virtual a cappella chorus ever, both for Clever Girls and for me personally. It was such a blast to work on, I hope this becomes an annual tradition!

I hope you enjoy listening to our recording as much as we enjoyed putting this holiday performance together. 

Click on the arrow to listen and feel free to sing along with us...




See credits for full list of performers at
CleverGirlsCollective.com/holiday2012


Happy Holidays to All!

FTC Disclosure: As mentioned in this post, I am a member of the Clever Girls Collective and I was a participant in the Clever A Cappeller chorus. However, no payment or other compensation was received either for recording this song with the group or for this post. 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.

Twitter Party Calendar This Week December 23 - 28 With RSVP Links & Prizes

Twitter Parties

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Ongoing Updates  - Sneak Peek at Coming Weeks Too!

Get all the details in this free constantly updated Twitter Party Master Calendar listing tons of family friendly parties including specifics on prizes you can win and links to RSVP and participate. Includes Twitter Parties in the U.S. and Canada. Be sure to check back often every week as new events are added on an ongoing basis -- often with new prize-winning opportunities added several times per day. You'll also get a sneak peek at Twitter parties coming up next week and in the month ahead. Now listing Facebook parties with prizes too.

Be the first to know when the latest Mommy Blog Expert Twitter Party schedule goes live by following MBE on Twitter Facebook and/or by subscribing to this blog right now.

THIS WEEK

Sunday, December 23

Twitter Party at 8 pm ET with @MomPoweredMedia. $100 in Paypal prizes. #ICaughtSanta RSVP

Monday, December 24

TBA

Tuesday, December 25

Christmas

Wednesday, December 26

It's the weekly @TheOnlineMom Twitter Party at 9 pm ET. Prizes: TBA. RSVP & participate in party with hashtag #TheOnlineMom.

Thursday, December 27

Next @CafeYak #MomInspirations Twitter Party at 9 pm ET talking about new beginnings. Prizes: TBA #Mominspirations

Friday, December 28

Weekly Verizon Wireless Twitter Party hosted by @theonlinemom at 3 pm ET. Prizes: TBA. To be eligible to win participate in chat, use hashtag #VZWBuzz and RSVP

NEXT WEEK

Sunday, December 30

Menage a Trois New Year's Eve Twitter Party with @menageatrois @CleverGirlsColl at 10 pm ET. Prizes TBA. You must be 21 to participate and prizes will be given to U.S. residents only (except for California, sorry). #menagewineNYE RSVP

Monday, December 31

TBA

Tuesday, January 1

New Year's Day

Wednesday, January 2

It's the weekly @theonlinemom Twitter Party at 9 pm ET. Prize: TBA. To be eligible to win a prize RSVP & participate in party with hashtag #TheOnlineMoms.

Thursday, January 3

TBA

Friday, January 4

Weekly Verizon Wireless Twitter Party hosted by @theonlinemom at 3 pm ET. Prizes: TBA. To be eligible to win participate in chat, use hashtag #VZWBuzz and RSVP

COMING SOON

Wednesday, January 9

GE Lighting School Project Energy Saving Twitter Party at 1 pm ET with @miscfinds4u @proverbswife. Prizes: FOUR (4) Walmart gift cards one in each of these denominations $15, $50, $75 and $100. #GELighting #cbias RSVP

More Twitter Parties constantly be added to this list as soon as they're scheduled so stay tuned by following this blog.  

About this Weekly Twitter Party List
Compiled by MommyBlogExpert.com Twitter Parties are listed free of charge in this weekly schedule. If you'd like to add an event to the Mommy Blog Expert Twitter Party Calendar email janis at janiselspas dot com with Twitter Party in the subject line including all the details and links in the body of your  message.

Also available, for a nominal fee, to host, co-host or serve as a panelist for your own brand Twitter party. To inquire, please email janis@janiselspas.com for information with Twitter Party Consulting Query in the subject line.

FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert does attend some Twitter parties as a guest and also works as a host, co-host, and panelist on others. However, I did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. 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.

15 Best Kids Brain Building Toys Games Guide

Toys

Fun Educational Games and Toys

Just about everyone who has kids or who is giving gifts to children is shopping for games and toys this Christmas season. After all, it's been a tradition for generations and there seems to be a nearly infinite supply of of both old and new games and toys that you can buy.

Bop It! Toy Series by Hasbro 

Toys aren't all fun and games, though. Some toys actually will help your child build cognitive skills too -- which is a good thing for both you and your child. So in this post I'd like to share with you the top brain-building toys under $15 chosen by Dr. Ken Gibson, founder of Learningrx, a national brain training center, and co-author of the book Unlock the Einstein Inside: Applying New Brain Science to Wake Up the Smart in Your Child. 

"Parenting is all about compromises," says Dr. Gibson. "and Christmas is no exception to that rule. Your kids want fun toys, but you don't want to blow your entire budget on junk that'll rot their brains. Luckily there are plenty of great toys that are fun and also help develop complex learning skills, like memory, logic and reasoning, processing speed, attention, and auditory and visual processing."

Dr. Gibson's Picks for the 15 Best Brain-Building Games

1. Rhyming Words Dominoes, Trend Enterprises, $2.99 Amazon 

2. Geometric-Shaped Magnet Set with Board, Trademark global, $5 Walmart

3. Simon Electronic Carabiner, Basic Fun, $10.24 Amazon

4. Shape and Color Sorter, Patch Products, $10.99 Walmart

5. 60-Second Jumbo Timer, Learning Resources, $12.40 Walmart

6. Minute Math Electronic Flash Card, Learning Resources, $13.16 Amazon

7. Rattled, Educational Insights, $8.49 Amazon

8. Spot it! by Blue Orange, $11.98 Amazon

9. Sport Stacking Game - Stacks Cups, Flying Cup, $12.50 Amazon

10. Travel Battleship Fun on the Run, Hasbro, $8.49 Amazon

11. LED Light Rubik's Cube, OEM, $12 Amazon

12. Sequence for Kids, Jax Ltd., $11.99 Target

13. 4 in a Row, Pressman Toy, $10.07 Amazon

14. Bop-It Bounce, Hasbro, $9.73 Amazon

15. Mancala for Kids, Pressman Toy, $9.49 Amazon

According to Dr. Gibson all these toys and games develop various types of cognitive skills which are the learning skills used to attend to and retain information, to process, analyze and store facts and feelings, and to create mental pictures, read words and understand concepts. When cognitive skills are strong, academic learning is fast, easy, efficient and even fun. Toys that work these skill are a step in the right direction toward creating strong learners.

Tip: Print this post before you shop in-store or online for the holidays, birthdays or any other occasion.  That way you'll have a ready-made shopping list to reference as you browse all the wonderful toys and games that can enhance your child's learning abilities.

FTC Disclosure: No payment or other compensation was received for post. 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.

Butterfinger Blondies Bar Cookie Recipe Fun to Make With Kids for Holidays & Christmas

Good Food

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It seems like only yesterday I created those scrumptious DIY Candy Bar Candy Apples for Halloween and other Fall holidays for this blog. For sure there's nothing like seasonal celebrations for inspiring me to get creative with the food I make to serve at parties and to give for gifts to teachers, family, friends and other special people in my life.

Mommy Blog Expert's Butterfinger Blondies

Presenting my latest creation: a treat that's easy to make using two of my personal favorite ingredients of peanut butter and Butterfinger candy. You're going to love this too, if you have an affinity for those things like I do. Yes, even if you are cooking/baking challenged, because the steps to make this are unbelievably simple. Come to think of it, if you have children at home that are old enough, consider inviting them into the kitchen to help you bake this. Remember the family that bakes and cooks together, stays together.

Butterfingers from Nestle are what make this recipe a real stand out

This sweet dessert recipe  -- taste tested by my own four teens for this review -- is so good year round. But it's a wonderful idea to whip up to give as a holiday gift or to bring to your host or hostess if you will be going to a Christmas party or dinner. If you ask me, this delicious treat will likely disappear quickly (as in eaten). No, these definitely won't be going to the same place where those infamous fruit cakes often end up this time of year, LOL!

Have fun making this, eating it or giving as a gift.

Butterfinger Blondies

Makes 24 delicious bar cookies

For Blondies:
2 cups flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 eggs
1 T. vanilla exutract

For Frosting:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup milk or soy milk
8 miniature Butterfinger candies or 2 regular bars

The batter will look something like this when you spread it in the pan

Blondies:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking pan
3. Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl and set aside
4. Cream together margarine, shortening, peanut butter eggs & vanilla in a smaller bowl
5. Add creamed mixer to dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated
6. Spoon mixer in pan, using a spatula to level surface
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, watching it carefully last 5 minutes so it doesn't dry out
8. Cool completely before spreading frosting (see recipe below)
9. Coarsely chop Butterfingers and distribute evenly on top like you would sprinkles
10. Store at room temperature covered with plastic wrap until you're ready to Enjoy!

Frosting:
1. Beat all ingredients briskly, except for milk/soy milk
2. Slowly pour in the liquid and beat some more till frosting is creamy
3. Spread frosting over Butterfinger Blondies that have completely cooled and finish with steps 9 & 10 above

Christmas Tip:
To make this really Christmasy you might add Wonka Sweetarts Merry Mix or Wonka Frosty Nerds and then jazz it up further with red and green decorating sugar crystals.

The extensive line of Nestle brand candy and chocolates for the holidays and Christmas 2012 includes some of their classic sweets in special packaging as well as some new ones. Many of these seasonal offerings are pictured below.

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and I received the Nestle products pictured to facilitate this review. 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.

Children of America Dolls Ethnic Quality Affordable Toys for Girls Holiday Gift Idea

Toys

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I'm a Baby Boomer whom you'll often see me reminiscing about the fabulous 1960s here on MommyBlogExpert. I guess you could call me hopelessly nostalgic because there's plenty I miss from those days gone by. Full-size candy bars that cost only 15 cents, a loaf of bread that sold for a quarter, stylishly dressed women wearing hats and gloves to work each day and neighborhoods so safe kids as young as kindergarteners could walk to school alone. These are just of the things that I wish still existed, but sadly are gone forever, all in the name of progress and the passage of time.

I still have this 1960s era first doll my parents gave me

Thankfully one thing that has changed for the better is dolls. Back in the day these were largely depicted as Caucasian like my first doll which I still own today.  In fact as a child I'm sad to say that I don't remember ever seeing a doll that was anything but White Anglo. That would definitely not fly in today's politically correct and ethnically conscious society. Modern day dolls -- which continue to be popular with little girls even in high tech 2012 -- are not only much nicer now than the ones I grew up with, they are also truly representative of the modern multi cultural world we live in.

Dolls in 2012 have come a long way, Image from Children of America Dolls

The good news is you don't have to spend over $100 on a gorgeous new first doll for that special little lady in your life to get a toy as exquisite -- and all about cultural diversity -- as the one you see pictured wearing a wonderfully colorful and coordinated hip outfit complete with orange and lace leggings. Thanks to the newly-introduced Children of America Dolls (COAD) collection you can buy a very affordable classic heirloom quality doll that's priced at just under $35 which is much more in touch with the realities of today's average family budget. 

The doll is available in four choices embracing current ethnic culture awareness and diversity from Hispanic to African-American to Asian and even blonde blue-eyed Caucasian. Making it even more realistic, each doll has her own back story. This line was created with kids ages 4-8 in mind but seasoned collectors will undoubtably appreciate this too. Each of the different products in the Children of America Dolls collection consists of a 13" doll with expressive facial details, a soft cloth body, vinyl extremities and rooted hair that's precision-made and comes complete with a trendy and fully-accessorized outfit. 



As you can see from the video above and pictures below that I shot for this review post featuring my very happy little girl product tester with the Mia Doll from Children of America Dolls, this line is not endowed with beauty alone. It is also durable and so realistic, encouraging lots of healthy interactive play for your child.

Mia comes in a big see-through box ready to give to a lucky little girl

"Neither me or my doggie can wait to tear into this Children of America Dolls box."

"Now to get this pretty doll out of the package so I can start playing with it."

"We sure do look alike, don't you think?"

"Hey, this is so fun. Her arms really move and I can dress this pretty doll."

"Children of America Dolls mirror today's youth in their appeal and authentic ethnic diversity, most specifically reflected in the latest 2010 U.S. Census," explains Mary Eubanks, creator, founder and retired school teacher and counselor. "These facilitate healthy early childhood development because each doll is designed to deliver messages about the value of developing positive self-esteem and personal nurturing."

Painstaking attention to facial, hair, clothing and accessory details are all apparent in each of the Children of America Dolls. But don't take my word for it. Take a close look at these product images to virtually meet each of the dolls in this fabulous foursome: Andrea, Brianna, Ashley and Mia.

Andrea represents the Hispanic culture, Image from Children of America Dolls

Beautiful Brianna is African-American, Image from Children of America Dolls

Ashley is blonde with blue eyes, Image from Children of America Dolls

Mia stands up for Asian diversity, Image from Children of America Dolls

Each of the dolls Andrea, Brianna, Ashley and Mia in the Children of America Dolls collection is boxed ready for gift giving and priced at $34.99.  All are available online direct from COADolls.com and may also be purchased in select toy stores in Southern California including Dinosaur Farm Store in Pasadena and The Dollmakers Store in Monrovia. Stay up to date on COA Dolls news by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Children of America Dolls providing product to facilitate this review. 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.