Five of my Favorite Family Time Ideas

We are a big family so we cherish our family time together!  Here our five of my favorites!

We absolutely love family game night! ~ I like to occasionally surprise my kids with a new game that we all can play and put it on the dining room table before dinner so they all see it! We can discuss it and get excited about when we're all gonna get together to play it!

Going to the the park near our home is another great family time! ~ We are fortunate to have a park within walking distance! We will take a stroll over there in the evening and have a little nature walk through and along the creek.  We love to discover all the little critters in the water.

Camping is also one of our family favorites! ~ Even the older children have to go and do end up enjoying it! It is a lot of fun around the camp fire.  We love to roast marshmallows and play telephone... where everyone is in a circle and the first person starts off with saying a funny statement or joke... then it goes around the circle from one person to another... by the time it gets to the end it is VERY SILLY!

Family movie night! ~  It's a great way to get everyone together!  We try to pick a movie all can watch.  Then we make sure we have some popcorn and family favorite candy! Fun had by all and a little quiet for the mommy and daddy while the kids are enjoying the movie!

My children love to build things with their hands. ~ We love to play with homemade playdoh.  Do puzzles and play with LEGO'S! Lego's have been a big part of our family since my oldest son was about 4 years old, he is now 17.  He was amazing with what he could create with them!  Now, my youngest is 4 and is starting to get into them, the older kids like to play along and build cool things with him.  It is always fun to get a new box of LEGO'S and see what the final build looks like! What a great accomplishment!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and LEGO blogging program, making me eligible to get a prize pack. For more information on how you can participate, click here

Five Lessons Every Kid Should Learn...

This is very hard for me to narrow down honestly... As we continue to learn lessons through out our entire lives! Hence WISDOM!  Here are the ones I thought of fairly quickly of of the top of my head.  This also is difficult depending on your child(rens) age.  Mine range from young adult to a 4 year old toddler.  But, these lessons will all apply at one age/stage or another and to you young parents out there I hope this is of some help as you begin your parenting journey!

1.  There are Consequences in life to everything.  ~ This can be learned at a very young age.  There is a result to every action.  Therefore, resulting in a good or negative consequence.  You can help your child along by letting the consequence happen but, encourage the positive result.

2.  Be Aware of one's self and their surroundings.  ~ We do not want our children to be afraid but, you have to make them aware.  Teach them age appropriate actions to take when they are afraid or lost, what is OK and not OK from others actions.

3.  Responsibility for one's self.  ~ This can also be taught at a young age.  To be responsible you avoid negative consequences.  Like knowing you have homework.  Do it, don't lie and say you don't and risk a negative consequence like staying in from recess.  Responsible for remembering chores, personal hygiene ie: take a shower when needed , brush your teeth in the morning and before bed. 

4.  Choose your friends wisely.  ~ It is your family that will ALWAYS be there for you.  As children get older this plays more of role in their lives.  You can also count on that your child IS doing what you HEAR his/her peers ARE doing as well.  Good or bad! ~ Bad is when it is time to intervene!     

5.   Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. [Matthew 7:12] ~ Behave toward others as you would like to have them behave toward you.  The old 'sticks and stones may break your bones but, words will never hurt you'  ~ is NOT true.  Hard lesson to be learned.  Words alone CAN hurt.  We know certain actions do too!

Heck I'm still learning lessons and our children will too! It's all part of life!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Nanny McPhee Returns blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Summer doesn't have to end Giveaway! -- Take a deep breath and float away to your happy place!

So, that Summer is coming to an end there is one thing in my regimen that is not!  I'm definitely addicted to this amazingly delicious body oil spray by Votre Vu! So enjoy this Bizee Mama's Beauty Secrets Summer Giveaway! Take a deep breath and float away to your happy place. This unique and seriously intoxicating formula was designed to out perform any body oil on the market and formulated especially for today's busy, time-crunched bathers.

Votre Vu's ON HOLIDAY Huiler Pour Le Corps

Moisturizing Body Spray

This natural treatment will virtually transform your bathroom into a sumptuous, infinitely soothing mini-vacation.  On Holiday Body Oil contains an aromatic and therapeutic blend of essential oils--grape seed, apricot kernel, sweet almond, wheat germ and jojoba. Use to spritz your feet, stomach, legs, wherever you would like, and lock in precious moisture. Its sprayer is genius for reaching dry skin on your back. Silky soft and lightly fragranced, you'll be fresh to face what's ahead. To seal the deal, follow with On Holiday Lait de Corps to layer the effect of your vacation daze. Linger in Your Lusciousness.

Buy It: You can purchase Votre Vu products at: www.votrevu.com/beautysecrets

Win It: One lucky reader will win a Votre Vu On Holiday Huiler Pour Le Corps spray. To enter FIRST YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG. Next visit: www.votrevu.com/beautysecrets and tell me about a product you'd like to try.

Extra Entries: ( Leave a separate comment for each one!)

1. Follow Bizee Mama's Beauty Secrets on twitter (1 entry) - www.twitter.com/bizeebeauty

2. Retweet the following: I entered to win a Votre Vu's ON HOLIDAY Moisturizing Body Oil Spray @ Bizee Mama's Beauty Secrets! Stop by & enter @ http://bit.ly/dqbbOT - You can retweet once a day for 1 entry each time (please leave me the URL so I can verify your tweet-- I will be checking! (1 entry per day)

3. Make a blog post linking to this giveaway stating why you would like to win this giveaway. Please leave a comment with a direct link to your post (3 entries)

4. Add me to your PUBLIC Blog Roll make sure to leave a URL I will be checking. (2 entries)

5. Grab my button and tell me where it is make sure to leave an address I will be checking. The button MUST be on your HOMEPAGE. (5 entries)

Giveaway ends August 31st at 11:59PM EST. US only. Winner will be picked via Random.org. If your profile page does not show your email address, please include your email address in your comment. For example: BizeeBeauty@yahoo.com so that I may get in touch with you if you are selected as the giveaway winner. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

This was not a paid post. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.

Good Luck!

Summer is going as quickly as it came... Here are my "Tips for getting your kids ready to go back to school"

Summer is going as quickly as it came.  Being a mother of 6 children ranging in ages from 21 to 4 we have all schools covered.  My oldest will be a Senior in College, I have a High Schooler, 2 Middle Schoolers, Elementary student, and preschooler.  To make the transition easier no matter what age you need to prepare.  I'm sure I follow some basics that all parents do but, I'm listing some of my tips that may offer something that would be helpful.

Here are my "Tips for getting your kids ready to go back to school"

In this preparation for the new school year make it fun & exciting!

1.  Being excited for them in all that the new year has to offer!  ~ Even if you didn't like school when you were younger. :]

2.  Make it fun to find out who their teacher(s) will be and what fun schedule they got!  ~ Check with your school when the will post their classroom lists.  Most schools have some sort of an Open House/Back to School night prior to school starting to find out the classroom(s), teacher(s), and/or older child's schedule.

3.  Have them help in the shopping for school supplies by getting a grade/age appropriate list (at the back to school night or a lot of your local supply stores actually have them) and shopping around for the best deals! Getting their backpacks organized! ~ They love this!

4.  Shopping for School clothes is the most fun!  However, being on a tight budget for this we really enjoy shopping around and trying to find the best deals to get the most clothes for the least amount of money!  This teaches them to be thrifty!  ~ Second hand stores come in quite handy for this that carry name brands but, not that name brand price and are just gently used but, NEW to them!

5.  Start doing some reading and brush up on some Math age appropriate problems if you haven't been doing this already through out the Summer.  ~ We do a Summer bridge program through our school and it is a great inexpensive workbook that is grade/age appropriate that helps bridge them from one grade to the next! ~ Or visit your local library if you haven't done so yet this Summer.  ~ Even age appropriate computer learning games at home or at your local library.

6.  Having your children get enough sleep is so important whatever age they are.  All my children know how much sleep they need and I help reinforce this with the younger ones.  ~ We start going to bed earlier and waking earlier about 2 weeks before school starts. ~ This truly helps!

7.  For the Mama's out there... know that this is a good thing!  Enjoy the extra quite if you can.  Or enjoy that extra time it may give you with a preschooler, or enjoy some girlfriend time! Whatever it is know that another year will soon fly by all too fast!  ~ Your children will learn so much this next school year! 

~ Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ~John Dewey

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Back-to-School Books Back-to-School Sweepstakes

Seventy-Four Children's Birthday Celebrations -- and Today my Baby is Four!

Oh, Summer days as a bizee Mama... I haven't gotten to the point of writing on my blog yet about my actual personal life/family.  So, today is the day!  I am a bizee mama of 6 amazing, beautiful, healthy, challenging children... and these are some long Summer days!  Three (3) Birthday's this month, three (3) pageants, the County Fair, sports, friend sleepovers, late night refrigerator raids, camping, swimming, & about any other activity you could think of. 

But, my baby has turned 4 years old today and it is a mix of emotions for me.  My baby is four.  I don't want him to get any older!  He went to bed saying his prayer... may the angels watch me through the night until I wake in the morning light... so I can be four! -- AMEN!  This brought tears to his daddy and my eyes.  What a simple request but, yet so significant.  To him it was simple.  To us our baby... who brings us so much LOVE, JOY, & HAPPINESS another year of learning, exploring, getting taller, making new friends, boo boo's, hugs, laughter, being a whole year older and so much more!

He woke running in our room this morning saying, "I'm four years old today!  Am I bigger?  Where's the cake & balloons?"... "Yes, you are four and you are bigger and cake & balloons are coming!".  Not, "Where are my presents?".  Which we have gotten him a new shiny bike! We can't wait to give it to him!  But, that was not what he was concerned with.  He is concerned about being bigger and older.  All the new fun things you can do at 4 that you couldn't do at 3.  We are off to a good start!

The joys of children & Birthdays!  I have celebrated so far: 74!  YES, Seventy Four children's Birthday's and adding to this number two more this month on the 10th & 14th.  How blessed we are!
We've celebrated BIG & small... and I must admit their is plenty of celebration in just a little, simple few friends, or a couple cousins, a cake, some balloons, and a few presents to celebrate their birth! That is our plan this evening!  Happy "4th" Birthday Brody Patrick! ~ We love you! 
"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way." - Dr. Seuss