I’ll be spending the rest of today on the move. If all goes well, your links will redirect but-I’m doing this myself so who knows. I don’t have the hundreds of dollars that was asked for by the pros who move blogs for a living. This is why it has been a 3 month process of learning how to do this.

Lord willing by tomorrow you can check out my new digs. In case I mess something up and your old links don’t work-my new home will be http://themommaven.com. After today, please stop by leave me a comment and if you’re able-show me some link love as I rebuild my page rank, Technorati authority and all of those other things that get lost when you move. Thanks! I can’t wait for you to see what I have up my sleeve (a bookstore, Disney tips, e-courses, newsletters and awesome giveaways).
Thanks for your Support,
Cindy

The post The Big Day appeared first on The Mom Maven.

There is hope but it will take work, planning and follow-through. Kid’s behavior changes for the positive when they understand the “why” behind the rule. Take the time to sit down parents and teens together and talk about what is and isn’t appropriate behavior and why it is or isn’t. Discuss things like-Anything that is said or done to purposely hurt another person physically or emotionally is not acceptable. I always take these discussions and point back to God’s Word. Scripture tells us what is and isn’t appropriate behavior-it also tells us the consequences for our behavior. I’ve listed a few ideas here:

1. Work hard and do your best, don’t procrastinate. Proverbs 14:23 NIV “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

2. Take care of your body. Do not use cigarettes, drugs or alcohol. 1 Corinthians 6:19a NIV “Do you not know that your body is temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.”

3. Respect the authorities in your life. Parents, pastors, teachers etc. Obey them and do what you are asked. Romans 13:1-3 NIV ” ¹Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ²Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.”

Use these as a staring place to discuss actions and consequences. I suggest working as a family to create a teen behavior contract. On this contract list offenses and consequences. Kids crave boundaries and often once they know what is expected of them they thrive. Create it together with your teen, allow them to have a voice. When it is complete-type it up have the teen(s) and the parents sign the document and then make photocopies so everyone involved has their own copy as a reminder of the agreement.

Don’t let this discussion end with the contract though. Use this time and the contract as a springboard for conversations about behavior, consequences and rising above the tide of disrespect for others that is so prevalent in our society. What do you think about this topic? What would you tell this mother? Please leave a comment and let me know.

The post Teen Behavior appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Zarbee’s Children’s Cough Syrup was developed by a pediatrician and is all natural. The ingredients are a proprietary blend of honey, water, natural flavors, Vitamin C, citric acid and zinc gluconate. It can be used for coughs caused by minor throat irritation, night coughing, dry scratchy throats, immune system support and hoarseness. It comes in cherry and lemon flavors and according to my son, “It tastes pretty good.” A 4oz bottle costs $9.99 and comes with free standard shipping at the Zarbee’s website. That cost equals approximately $0.40 per dose for a 6-11 year old child VS $0.57 for the same dose for a national brand over-the-counter medicine.

If you remember in October 2008 the FDA banned the marketing of over-the-counter cough medicines for children under age 4. These medicines have been found dangerous for young children. Zarbee’s is safe for children 12 months and up. In December 2007, a research team from Penn State University concluded that, “Honey may offer parents an effective and safe alternative,” to over-the-counter medicines for children.

My son said that the cough syrup soothed his scratchy throat and lessened his cough. I would definately use this product with my children, it is healthy and drug-free. I have 4 sample packets, 2 lemon and 2 cherry, to give away to one Mom Maven Reader.
How to Enter:
**Mandatory**Visit the Zarbee’s website then come back here and leave me a comment telling me something you learned about Zarbee’s Cough Syrup that I did not mention. Please leave a valid e-mail address or twitter name so that I can notify if you win. **You must do all of this to be entered.**

If you would like extra entries you can earn them for doing any or all of the following after completing the above requirements:

* tweet this contest and post the url of the tweet as a separate comment (you can do this 1x per day each day of the contest-just post each tweet url in a separate comment)
* blog about this contest and link to this post (not just a link to the contest) then leave me a link to your post in a separate comment
* Fave this blog on Mom Faves
* stumble this post with a review and link it here in separate comment

This giveaway ends Tuesday 4/7/09 at 5pm. This contest is open to US residents only. I reserve the right to disqualify any entry that doesn’t follow the above guidelines. Good Luck!

The post Zarbee’s All Natural Cough Syrup Review appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Upcoming Giveaways:
Pouchee
MomAgenda
ZarBee’s Cough Syrup
and much more!

The post Teens Talk High School Winner appeared first on The Mom Maven.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School: 101 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning for Older Teens is here to help with a variety of all new stories about real-life from teens dealing with regrets and lessons learned, self-image and self-acceptance, family relationships and more. As part of the all new Chicken Soup for the Soul ® teen series, it is specifically designed with high school students in mind. With topics ranging from “Not Like in the Movies” to “A Hard Lesson,” Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School inspires and supports teen readers as they struggle with fitting in, finding friends and whatever else comes with the high school years. It also helps parents prepare conversations with their children, on everything from divorce, to illness and death, dating and sex.

Inside Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School, you’ll also read about:

• How Michelle Vanderwist survived the emotional abuse from her boyfriend
• How Amy Anderson confronted an eating disorder, and took steps to heal
• How Cristy Trandahl didn’t make the high school cheerleading squad, became a Minnesota Vikings cheerleader, then quit in the middle of the season – more content than ever
• How Bryonna Garcia deals with being a teen parent

You can purchase this book by clicking the link above or you can win it from the Mom Maven!
How to Enter:
**Mandatory** In your comment tell me what issue about raising teens you would like me to talk about on Mom Maven. You must also follow or subscribe to this blog and leave a comment here telling me that you have done this Please leave a valid e-mail address or twitter name so that I can notify if you win. **You must do all of this to be entered.**

If you would like extra entries you can earn them for doing any or all of the following after completing the above requirements:

* tweet this contest and post the url of the tweet as a separate comment (you can do this 1x per day each day of the contest-just post each tweet url in a separate comment)
* blog about this contest and link to this post (not just a link to the contest) then leave me a link to your post in a separate comment
* Fave this blog on Mom Faves http://www.momfaves.com/faves/1495
* stumble this post with a review and link it here in separate comment

This giveaway ends Tuesday 3/31/09 at 11pm. I reserve the right to disqualify any entry that doesn’t follow the above guidelines. Good Luck!

The post Teens Talk High School-Review & Giveaway appeared first on The Mom Maven.

You don’t need any additional software for your computer. The software is built in to the camera. You edit and save the video to your computer and you can upload it to the web via Youtube, Photobucket or Box.net so that you can share the video with friends and family. I don’t know anything about video editing-that is my son’s department, but I was able to edit this video and upload it without any trouble.

I took this video at this afternoon’s Works Of Wonder rehearsal. WOW is our homeschool musical theatre class. The sound is magnificent for such a small built in microphone. The colors are crisp and clear and the video is smooth. The camera is very easy to use-it has 1 button that controls recording with the zoom in and out on the top and bottom of the button. I love the size of the camera. It fits in my Vera Bradley media case and I pop it into my purse and carry it with me all the time. I will never miss an important video again. The Vado HD retails for $229.99 and you can order it from the Creative website. They also have a standard, non-HD model that comes in pink or silver and retails for $99.99 but right now the pink is on sale for $30 off! That’s right you can get it for only $69.99. If the pink is what you want click here. The Creative Vado HD is an amazingly powerful camera for the size and price.

The post Vado HD Pocket Video Camera Review appeared first on The Mom Maven.

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Ingredients

• Palm and coconut based non-ionic surfactants
• Silicates and carbonates including sodium meta silicate (simple mineral salts)
• Citrates and natural citrus oil
• Cellulose (plant based)
• Fatty acid derivative”

We have done 3 loads of dishes using the Auto Dishwash Powder and it works great! We are not a family who is great a scraping all the food off of our plates and rinsing them well before we put them in the dishwasher. As a result, we often end up with a few plates and silverware piece that are still dirty after washing. Since using the Auto Dishwash Powder, our dishes and silverware are much cleaner. I must admit it also feels good to know that I’m not subjecting my family to the chemicals found in our other dishwashing detergent. The Auto Dishwash Powder is cost effective too. You only use 1 TBS for a load of dishes so you can get approximately 83 loads from one container and this would put the cost at less than 15 cents a load. My usual detergent costs 25 cents a load! For my family, that would save almost $55 a year plus no chemicals on our dishes and silverware.

The Rosemary Orange Shampoo
From the Ecostore website: “This shampoo gets excellent results on fine and oily hair.

Combining nature’s best products and aromatherapy Ecostore USA has created a wonderful shampoo that will bring volume and life back to your hair. (6.8 fluid ounces)

Ingredients

• Water
• Lauryl-glucoside (from glucose)
• Derivatives from coconut and palm oil – olefin sulphonate
• Laureth-2
• Polyol Coconut Fatty Acid Ester
• Sodium Hydroxymethyl Glycinate (from natural amino acid)
• Citric Acid
• Certified Organic Cider Vinegar
• Essential oils of Rosemary Cineol, Orange Sweet Organic, Pine Scotch, Sage and Cypress.”

I wanted to try this product for my 16 yr old son. Like many teens, he has excessively oily hair. We have tried many different shampoos but none have allowed him to go more than 24 hours without shampooing. It seems to be a vicious cycle. I gave him the shampoo and asked him to try it. He was afraid it would smell to “girly” -but it doesn’t. He says you don’t need to use much shampoo and it does work best when you lather it up and let it sit there for a minute or two before rinsing. Since using the Rosemary Orange Shampoo, his hair has been cleaner and softer. He has actually been able to go 2-3 days between shampoos and he hasn’t been able to do that in a long time. He is very happy with his hair and says the shampoo, “Works great!” The shampoo is not as cost saving as the dishwash detergent. Since there is no exact measurement for how much shampoo to use, I had to figure out the price per ounce. For the Rosemary Orange Shampoo it is $1.61 per ounce where his regular shampoo is 33 cents an ounce. To me, the cost difference is worth it because my son feels better about himself and if he is only using it every 2-3 days versus daily the bottle will last for a while.

I bet you want to know what you need to do to win a $25 gift certificate to Ecostore.
How to Enter:
For your first entry: Go to Ecostore and look around. Then come back here and leave me a comment letting me know what you would get with the gift certificate. You must also follow or subscribe to this blog and leave a comment here telling me that you have done this Please leave a valid e-mail address or twitter name so that I can notify if you win. **You must do all of this to be entered.

If you would like extra entries you can earn them for doing any or all of the following:

* tweet this contest and post the url of the tweet as a separate comment (you can do this 1x per day each day of the contest-just post each tweet url in a separate comment)
*Fave this blog on MomFaves-just click this link
* blog about this contest and link to this post (not just a link to the contest) then leave me a link to your post in a separate comment
* stumble this post with a review and link it here in separate comment

The winner will be chosen on Thursday, March 26th at 10:00pm. Good Luck!!

The post Ecostore Review and Giveaway appeared first on The Mom Maven.

This week’s challenge: February 2009 or 1st folder
FIRST picture of something other than your kids!

I didn’t take a lot of pictures in February but here it is…my sister’s birthday cake. She always has mom’s homemade strawberry shortcake for her birthday. February/March is the best time for fresh Florida strawberries.

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