5 Tips for Getting Your Child Ready for College

When your child goes off to college, he or she is all alone. If that thought fills you with dread, you’re definitely a parent. Fortunately, you can assuage your fears if you follow a few steps.

Calm Down

working-at-computerImage via Flickr by Louis Law

The first thing you need to do is calm down if you find yourself getting anxious. As the day when your child takes the early step into adulthood that is college looms before you, there may be temptation to over think everything. You may even feel tempted to ground your child just to keep them home a little bit longer. You must fight these urges and accept that while things won’t be perfect, they will be okay.

Remember How You Were at That Age

One of the worst things a parent of a teenager can do is to forget what it’s like to be that age. There’s a lot of pressure as a person goes from being a child to being an adult, and the process is a slow one. Many teens will test both their personal limits and their parents’ patience. But were you so much better behaved and responsible at that age? Chances are, other than technology you weren’t much different. Somehow you survived and prospered in spite of yourself.

Help Your Child Learn to Study Well

Studying is a skill that has to be self-motivated in college. If your child isn’t very studious, at least give him or her the tools in case this trait develops later on. Whatever you do, do not allow yourself to become a crutch that your child can endlessly lean on. Your child needs to learn how to handle his or her own academic career, not to mention the future once school is finished for good. Good study and research skills are worth a great deal to most anyone’s future career.

Ensure Your Child Gets the Best Scores Possible

Tests like the SAT and ACT are no joke. They can mean the difference between not getting into a desired school and getting into the school’s honors program. So ACT prep, such as that offered by Huntington ACT test preparation, can be a significant boon to your child’s academic future. Do not allow your child to be discouraged if his or her initial scores are less than stellar. Everyone occasionally does poorly, and only the last time one takes these tests really matters.

Instruct Your Child on Reasonable Etiquette

Treating people well is a trait that far too many people go off into the world not possessing. When you observe how your child acts towards others, be aware that you will not always be there to advocate for their actions. In the real world and in college, how your child treats other people will decide much of their ultimate fate. Do your best to provide a solid example, and make sure you consistently lay down the law for your child starting at an early age.

There is a lot you can do to help your child be successful in college. Keep your mind clear and do all you can to impart the crucial skills, and everything should be fine.

Gaylord Palm’s Shrek Feast Breakfast

I received an all expenses paid trip to Florida to attend the Decade of Memories Event from Experience Kissimmee. No monetary compensation has been received and all thoughts expressed are my own.y

When you are vacation, every extra little bonus can make memories that last forever. How about a character breakfast with Shrek and Princess Fiona? I may be a mom but I am definitely a fan of this ogre and princess.
Shrek Feast at Gaylord PalmsI didn’t have a chance yet to stay at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, FL but I did get a chance to visit the resort eat breakfast there just a few days ago. Not just any breakfast either, a breakfast fit to feed an ogre.

There was a TON of food to choose from. This is just some of the food that I was able to grab photos off, there was more. There was an entire filled with all sorts of yummy breakfast options.

Shrek Feast Buffet at Gaylord Palms

While you are eating, you have the option to wash your meal down with some yummy ogre juice or soda!

Shrek Feast Ogre Juice

It isn”t a character breakfast without getting to see and take pictures with the Dreamwork’s characters Shrek and Fiona. Being the blogger I am, I just had to get a picture with Shrek.

Shrek & Stefani Tolson

I wasn’t going to leave without a picture or two with my favorite Princess Fiona.

Shrek Feast Fiona Gaylord Palms

We also got a surprise visit at breakfast from Puss In Boots.

Puss In Boots at Shrek Feast

I think this might have been my favorite part of the buffet. A Shrek inspired fountain that you can dip cake or marshmallows into.

Shref Feast FountainThe food that I had was delicious and the parts of this resort that I was able to see during my time there was beautiful. The Gaylord Palms includes four-and-a-half acres of indoor gardens and three distinct Florida environments. I loved the pond with some very pretty Koi fish too!

Gaylord Palms Kissimmee

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Become an honorary Ogre and join Shrek and friends for a fairytale feast fit for a king. Discover a magic fountain bubbling over with intoxicating chocolate potions. Plus, Shrek and friends will visit you tableside for hugs and photos!

Location: Villa de Flora
Availability: Every Saturday and Sunday (8:00 AM – 10:30 AM)
Open to the public.
Price: $29.95* Adult (ages 13+) | $19.95* Child (ages 4 – 12)
To Book: Call 407-586-1114 or book online now
*Prices are exclusive of tax and service charge. Dates are subject to change.

Loving The White Cloud

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When it comes to toilet paper, I normally buy what is the cheapest. I have a large family so we go through quite a bit of toilet paper. I received some of the White Cloud Bath Tissue and I am in LOVE. It is super super SOFT!

Toilet paper gets used for quite a few things around here. For instance when I take off my makeup, I use my makeup remover on bath/toilet tissue. I am now using the White Cloud tissue on my face because it is so much softer than the normal generic bath tissue I normally buy.

White Cloud makes premium quality paper products without the premium price. For those that shop at Walmart, you can find the White Cloud products there. Starting June 10th you will find a coupon for the White Cloud products to save $1 OFF of your purchase. Be sure to Like White Cloud on Facebook and Follow White Cloud on Twitter.

Check out my White Cloud video:

If you prefer a soft tissue, Find White Cloud products near you.

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Top 4 Innovative Ideas for Your Startup Business

Technology is a great way to help any business work well, and the best time to get to the top is when you are first starting out. With innovation, you can explore a niche or a method that no one else has ever tried before. The following are a few ways you can take your startup to the next level.

Use Crowdsourcing Better

crowdImage via Flickr by dperdue

The nature of crowdsourcing is a fairly new one in its current application, but its roots are as old as the classical auction. You get a group of people together who can all benefit from an offering, and together the most efficient way to solve the problem at hand tends to develop as a result of competition. In an auction this means raising the most money, but in a crowdsourcing environment this usually results in the best-tailored solution.

Now you can make the process better somehow. Traditional bidding sites like Elance and Odesk have allowed workers from around the world to gather around job offerings, but how can the process be expanded and made better? If you can solve that riddle, you can create a very successful crowdsourcing business.

Make the Process Faster

A funny thing happened when a person broke the four-minute mile. Within a year, more than a dozen other people had broken it. There is always a speed that everyone assumes is the best one possible, but there is often nothing magical about this speed at all. Any way you can make a given process faster and keep it providing what it needs to provide can be endlessly helpful to a lot of people, both in their businesses and in their personal lives. Finding a faster way to accomplish any worthwhile goal, particularly if it helps other businesses to be more profitable and efficient, is a great way to make your startup stand out.

Help Human Life in a New Way

As philanthropist Lindsay Rosenwald has previously done, combining kindness and biotechnology may be a great way for your startup to shine. When you help human life, such as by extending the lifespan or finding a successful treatment to a dreaded illness, you are providing a useful service that people will pay for. The greatest thing about this is that once your company is turning a profit, you can turn your attentions to helping those who can’t afford to pay for your services. This way you can be both kind to others and profitable for yourself and your shareholders.

Connect Businesses That Don’t See Their Connection

As the old saying goes, everything connects to everything. In a lot of cases, people don’t necessarily see this connection. If you can see a connection between two businesses that neither of them sees, and this connection can produce a tangible benefit to both companies, you have the potential for something truly amazing. Use your vision, and your startup can become a great facilitator.

There are many ways your startup business can innovate, and they all essentially boil down to helping others. If you can create something that helps someone in a new way, this is the kind of innovation that will take you far.

Decade Of Memories Winner Announcement #Kiss10

I received an all expenses paid trip to Florida to attend the Decade of Memories Event from Experience Kissimmee. No monetary compensation has been received and all thoughts expressed are my own.y

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the Decade Of Memories Luncheon at the Westgate Resorts where the winner of the Decade of Memories contest from Experience was announce. There were 5 finalists and the lucky family that won 10 years of vacations was the Shuff Family.

Decade of Memories winner

I was able to meet, spend time and also ask each of the five lucky finalists questions.  Brooke Shuff, the Grand Prize winner says that she will probably take the kids to Disney World for their first vacation of the ten. What was neat about this was each of the families got a trip to Florida to attend this event and we got to do some pretty fun things.

For those that want to watch the winner’s be announced, watch my video I took at the luncheon below.

You will want to watch the video to see a little surprise that the other contest finalists received.

Stay tuned for more details of my trip to Florida to Experience Kissimmee!

SodaStream Fountain Jet Soda Lover’s Kit Giveaway

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SodaStream Giveaway

Sponsored by SodaStream

Hosted by Gator Mommy Reviews

Do you like soda? Make your own soda with a SodaStream in less than 30 seconds. You can turn your own tap water into carbonated water. Just add the flavoring of your choice for your own homemade soda.

SodaStream Fountain Jet Soda Lover’s Start Up Kit includes :

  • Fountain Jet- winner’s choice of color
  • Carbonating Bottle
  • Carbonator
  • 6 pack of sample size flavors
  • 3 full size flavors of winner’s choice

 

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One lucky winner will receive a SodaStream Fountain Jet Soda Lover’s Start Up Kit!

This giveaway ends June 27, 2013 11:59pm

Open to US residents

Good luck!

Disclaimer- This blog is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.

I’m Having Their Baby Season Two Premieres Tonight – #ImHavingTheirBaby

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The post is sponsored by Oxygen Media, but all thoughts and opinions stated herein are 100% my own.



Many of the shows that I currently watch, the seasons have recently ended leaving my DVR a little empty. I am excited because tonight begins the second season of Oxygen’s I’m Having Their Baby. For those that didn’t see the first season, it was pretty intense.  The I’m Having Their Baby docu-series lets viewers take a peek at the real world of adoption and follows different women who are pregnant, that all have different stories and have to make the ultimate decision whether to give up their baby for adoption or to change their mind once they have their baby’s in their arms.

Tonight Oxygen is bringing back I’m Having Their Baby with a whole new set of families they will be following. Each of the one hour episodes will follow two pregnant women who have made the choice to place their babies for adoption. This new season will continue on the path like it’s first season, but delving deeper into the lives of the birth mothers, birth fathers, their families, their friends and the possible adoptive couples.

For those that are reality TV show fans like me, this series is something you will definitely want to watch, just make sure you have some tissues near, because season one tended to get a little emotional. Some of these pregnant women that are featured in this show are young, some are in their teens and all are from different states in the country and have to make a very important decision that they might regret later on in life.

I'm Having Their Baby Season 2

As seen in season one, not all of these women choose to give up their baby for adoption once it is born. The decision each of these ladies has to make is a life changing decision for all of the parties involved. This show allows the viewers to witness the adoption process and the heart wrenching final decision that each of these ladies must face.

To take a sneak peek at I’m Having Their Baby Season Two, watch the trailer below:


The winner of the $50 gift card is: Jenni York

For those that want to watch this new season, be sure to tune in tonight, June 12th at 10/9c on Oxygen. You can also find the latest news and updates by following I’m Having Their Baby on Facebook and Twitter.