***Disclosure:  I received a free week of Soccer Camp for my daughter thanks to the USFamilyGuide.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.***

Chloe loved soccer camp again this summer. She enjoyed the program and that it was slightly different but still similar enough that she felt comfortable. It’s awesome to watch all the kids grow and develop through the skill building at Challenger International Soccer Camp. This year instead of competing in the World Cup the kids competed as premier league teams. My daughter enjoyed this since her dad is a soccer nut (self proclaimed) – he was sad that she was on Arsenal and not Liverpool though!

It’s amazing to see the changes in Chloe as both a player with her skills but also with her confidence in general. This year we would arrive at camp – check-in and she would take off without even saying bye! Four years of Challenger soccer camps has really made a huge difference for her.

The only thing that was disappointing this year was the weather on Friday. It poured buckets – I had planned to go to watch the final game and the awards but we got a call saying camp was cancelled and to come pick up our kiddos. They didn’t get to play the final game and they did the awards crammed into a baseball dugout. Then we headed home for the day.

Register for Challenger International Soccer Camps

Register for Challenger’s International Soccer camp & get a free international ball, t-shirt, poster, skills evaluation, new downloadable coaching app & 20 skills videos! Register 30 days before camp and qualify for a free International Game Jersey! https://bit.ly/2T6K5jK @usfgeve

Why Challenger Sports? Challenger Sports, the leading camp company in the US has launched a brand new, soccer camp that combines the most popular elements of their two camp programs, British Soccer and TetraBrazil. The all new Challenger International Soccer Camp will offer instructional camp programs for each age/ability level!

Don’t miss our past reviews as well!

• 1/2 day camp
• Full Day camp
• Full Day camp

The post Skill Building at Challenger International Soccer Camp appeared first on Crafty Mama in ME!.

Celebrate Root Beer Float Day with A&W Root Beer

Do you love celebrating quirky holidays with your families?  Well today (August 6th) is a fun day!  Celebrate Root Beer Float Day with A&W Root Beer and have a fun family night!  We love any reason to celebrate and had a lot of fun making our Root Beer Floats together as a family .

You’ve seen me post before about on our our families favorite activities – dinner movie picnics.  A&W Root Beer floats would be the perfect addition to your dinner movie picnic.  They would also be great served pool side or when you are out camping.  That’s the great thing about A&W Root Beer floats – you don’t need many supplies to make them but they are always great!  We like the original Root Beer Float but check out some other fun ideas here: www.rootbeer.com.

What Makes A&W Root Beer Great?!

• A&W Root Beer has a long history of creating family memories.
• The unique, creamy taste of A&W Root Beer is a simple treat that creates fun, care-free experiences for families and can help make any moment special.
• A&W Root Beer helps create the perfect timeless family night treat: an A&W Root Beer Float!
• For “float how-tos” and recipe inspiration visit, www.rootbeer.com.

 Find more information about A&W Root Beer by visiting them at their sites below:

A&W website / A&W Instagram

The post Celebrate Root Beer Float Day with A&W Root Beer appeared first on Crafty Mama in ME!.

Confidence Building at British Soccer Camp 

Do you have a child that loves soccer?  My daughter definitely has a great love for soccer.  This was her third summer attending British Soccer Camp and her skills have improved drastically which has been great for her confidence.   This year Chloe really enjoyed herself – she was no longer one of the youngest or least experienced children at the camp and that in itself helped her feel more confident in herself.  She loves everything at soccer camp from the drills, to the practices and games.  She loved the coaches and the silly challenges and themed days.  She is already looking forward to going again next summer!

I love the feedback sheets given to the kiddos on their last day of camp – they highlight areas that they can improve as well as positive feedback on things they are doing well.  As long as Chloe still loves soccer she will be attending British Soccer Camp each summer.  Each year the kids get broken up into teams to compete in the “World Cup” – this year Chloe’s team came in second and she was so excited!  She went from scoring only 1 goal last year all week to more than I could count this week.  It’s such a pleasure as a parent to watch your child improve and to see coaches that really support them along their journey.  One of the best point for Chloe this year was that their was a female coach and that she was who Chloe’s group was assigned to.  It was exciting for her to have a female role model when all of her past coaches have been male.

Find my past reviews for both the half day and full day camps below:

Half Day Camp

Full Day Camp

More information about British Soccer Camps

British Soccer Camps are the most popular soccer camp in the US. With an innovative curriculum that develops skills, speed and confidence in players ages 3-18, The British Soccer Camp provide boys and girls with the rare opportunity to receive high-level soccer coaching from a team of international expert’s right in the heart of their own community. In addition to teaching new skills and improving game performance, each British Soccer Camp provides lessons in character development, cultural education and is the most fun your child can have learning the sport they love!

Special Offer!

Register for Camp and get a Jersey, Ball, T-shirt, New Skills App and 20 Free Videos!!

Enroll in the most popular soccer camp in North America! British Soccer Camps have programs for all ages and abilities and feature an innovative curriculum full of skills, drills, and thrills! Register now and you will not only get your free British Soccer game jersey (value $34.95) shipped to you for free immediately, but you will also get our brand new skill development App and 20 videos to help your child practice at home. Your soccer ball, T-shirt & poster will be given out at camp.

USE CODE BSC18 at check out to get free shipping.

To Enroll: https://www.challengersports.com/british-soccer/

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Circuit Cubes & the Brownie Programming Robots Badge

Do you have a daughter in Girl Scouts?  Or are you interested in possibly having her join in future years?  You definitely should!  Some people consider Girl Scouts outdated and that they only teach girls how to sew and do other domestic tasks.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  This is my third year as my daughter’s leader and the badges they have now are amazing!  The girls still can earn some of the older patches (called legacy patches now) but also have the opportunity to focus on a lot of STEM learning (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). 

This year we had the girls chose the journeys they wanted to earn (a journey is a set of patches that go together and focus on a specific learning area).  We weren’t surprised at all when they chose the engineering journey as their first badges to work on.  We had a ton of fun engineering pumpkin catapults, marble runs, and more!  I had the opportunity to receive three Circuit Cubes kits this spring and to use them with my troop.  I browsed the Brownie badges and new instantly that they would be perfect to tie in with the Programming Robots Badge.  The girls were ecstatic when I told them we were going to learn about programming robots and also get to build some as well!

The Brownie Robotics program is progressive and will result in the girls earning three different badges when they complete all of the requirements.  Download your own copy of the badge requirements by clicking the image below:

The meeting before we really started learning about Programming Robots I let the girls know that our next patch was going to be about robots.  I asked the girls what a robot was and what they did.  We also had the girls share some of the robots they knew – like R2D2, Wall-E, and Roomba!  I loved hearing the ideas they shared. 

Our first official Programming Robots meeting started by having the girls pair up – one was a robot and and one was a programmer.  The programmer had to tell the robot step by step how to do something and robot had to act out only the actions they were told.  We talked about how robots follow an algorithm, or step by step instructions.  Next we learned about coding and did an activity called Paper Programming that came from the Girl Scout Volunteer Toolkit (if you are a girl scout leader you have access to this).  The girls struggled with this step when we had them try it individually so we worked as a large group.  I would provide the verbal instruction and they would follow it and fill out the appropriate squares on their blank 4×4 grid.  At the end we checked to see if they completed the right pattern.  By the end of the session they were all doing really well.  

Finally we got out the Circuit Cubes so the girls could build their own robots.  The kits help them create very simple machines that only complete one task.  The girls broke up into three engineering teams and set to work!

We had one group working on the Whacky Wheels kit.

Another group worked on the Smart Art kit.

The third group worked on the Bright Lights kit.

The girls had a lot of fun in a short amount of time – we only had about 30 minutes for them from opening the kits to the end of our meeting.  They worked well together in their groups and all succeeded in following the directions to create at least part of the object they picked.  The Smart Art group was the only one that full completed their robot and all of the girls had a chance to look at it before we picked up (and they all want to use that kit at the next meeting!).  The instruction books were a little difficult for their age range (7-9) but with adult assistance we figured them out!

We will continue working with these kits at our next meeting as we conclude the badge requirements for Programming Robots.  The girls will also get a chance to write their own code for a robot next week as well as pretending to be robots following instructions in a maze!

I love helping expose my daughter and her friends to such cool activities.  Supplementing the Girl Scout programming with such awesome tools like the Circuit Cubes is a sure way to interest the girls and encourage them to want to learn about STEM.

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Entenmann’s Little Bites® Pouch Pledge Program

I love programs that are made to help schools!  The Entenmann’s Little Bites® Pouch Pledge Program is a win win – we help the environment and help schools at the same time.  My kids love Entenmann’s Little Bites® as I’m sure most kids do!  One of my favorite things about Entenmann’s Little Bites® is that they are nut free so my kids can both have them in their classrooms.  Read on to learn more about the Entenmann’s Little Bites® Pouch Pledge Program and find out how you can participate!  

Information about Entenmann’s Little Bites® Pouch Make the Pledge Program with TerraCycle®

• TerraCycle®, an international recycling company, turns waste into plastic that can be used for products such as park benches, recycling bins and playgrounds
• Through the free recycling program, you can collect waste, like Entenmann’s Little Bites® pouches, and ship to TerraCycle® for processing using a pre-paid shipping label
• From now through April 30, 2018, TerraCycle® and Entenmann’s Little Bites® want to reward you for making the pledge to make eco-friendly choices a habit. Plus, if you collect Entenmann’s Little Bites® pouches on behalf of a K-12 school, you could be placed in the running to win a Classroom Party. It’s easy to participate: make the pledge, send in the waste, and earn more rewards
• The Entenmann’s Little Bites ® Pouch Recycling Program is open to any individual, school or organization interested in reducing local landfill waste. To learn more about the Entenmann’s Little Bites ® Pouch Recycling Program here: http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/contests/little-bites-pledge

How to Win

1. Pledge: your pledge qualifies you for the contest
2. First Shipment: your first shipment earns 500 bonus points
3. Second Shipment: your second shipment earns 1,000 bonus points
4. TerraCycle Sweepstakes: K-12 schools-only have the chance to win a Classroom Party as long as they pledge. The classroom party will include five (5) cases of Entenmann’s® Little Bites® and 100 upcycled pencil cases. Please see more details and official rules here: http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/contests/little-bites-pledge

Enter for a chance to win your OWN prize package courtesty of Entenmann’s® here on my blog. 

If you are the lucky winner you will receive three coupons, each valid for a free Entenmann’s® product, and a $25 Visa gift card to purchase additional Entenmann’s® products!  The prize will be shipped directly by Entenmann’s®.

Find additional information about Entenmann’s® below

Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube

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Wubble® Fulla Fun

Do you believe in serendipity? (definition: ser·en·dip·i·ty: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way).  I definitely do!  Our Wubble® Fulla Fun day couldn’t have come at a better time.  The box arrived the night prior to a March Nor’easter (definition: Northeaster: a storm or wind blowing from the northeast, especially in New England.).  A Nor’easter in Maine equals a snow day for the kids.  They were eagerly awaiting me to take pictures of the new Wubble® Fulla balls so they could take immediate ownership!

What is Wubble® Fulla all about?  Check out the commercial and product information below:

Toss it. Catch it. Stretch it. Slam it! New Wubble^®  Fulla is the Wubble you can’t put down!

New York City-based NSI International Inc. – makers of the wildly popular Super Wubble^®  Bubble Ball – just topped itself again, with Wubbles filled with gooey slime and soft, colorful Magic Marbles^®. Wubble Fulla is the squishiest, squooshiest Wubble Ball yet!

Wubble Fulla is the newest addition to a Wubble family of products that includes Super Wubble, Tiny Wubble, Super Wubble Brite (a light-up Wubble for playing in the dark), Wubble X (a helium-filled “anti-gravity” ball that can hover in mid-air) and Water Wubble (refillable water balloon balls that splash, but don’t pop).

The new ball comes in three super squooshy sizes: Huge (5″), Big (4″) or Tiny (just under 2 ½”)! Each size comes stuffed with either slime or Magic Marbles – colorful and squishy round balls made of a super-absorbent polymer that absorbs water. Whichever you choose, once you pick up Wubble Fulla, you won’t want to put it down!

Wubble Fulla Slime and Wubble Fulla Marbles are recommended for children ages 6 and up and retail for $14.99 (Huge), $9.99 (Big) and $7.99 (Tiny). A combo set is currently available at www.WubbleBall.com, which includes two Huge Wubble Fullas (one of each) for $19.99, plus $8.99 shipping and handling. The balls are coming soon to Target, Toys R Us and Walgreens.

Don’t they look so happy? The kids loved the way the balls stuck to the floor a little bit when they would pick them up.  They also loved trying to stack them and watching them squirm away.  They found hiding spots in their rooms for their new treasures when they finished playing and I haven’t seen them since!

I personally LOVED the Wubble Fulla Marbles!  These balls aren’t just fun for kids – they would make a great stress relief toy to keep on your desk at work for adults.  The balls are so squishy and stretchy and just fun to play with.

Order a Wubble Fulla ball today!

Enter for a chance to win!

Giveaway

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Yummy Snacks for the Whole Family

Are you a busy mom that is on the lookout for yummy snacks for the whole family?  If so you should make sure you check out Entenmann’s®!  They have snacks and treats that range from their fantastic Little Bites® to donuts to cakes.  Our favorite snack hands down are the Little Bites® – the kids love them and are always happy to find them in their lunch boxes for snack time at school.

I love being able to pop by the store and pick up a box of Soft’ees Donuts and knowing how happy they will make my family.  We don’t have donuts frequently but when we do I love knowing that they will be fresh and taste great!  Do you have a favorite Entenmann’s® product?  If so make sure you let me know via the comment section as an entry for the awesome giveaway I am hosting!

This year Entenmann’s® is celebrating its 120th Birthday with an awesome National Sweepstakes!  Read below for more information directly from Entenmann’s® about their contest:

• In celebration of its 120^th birthday, Entenmann’s® invites fans to enter the “I Sing on the Cake” national sweepstakes for a chance to win sweet prizes.
• Prizes include:
  • An Ultimate Birthday party featuring a performance from the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters for the winner’s friends and family
  • Four days and three nights of family fun in New York City with four Grandstand Tickets to the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
  • 120 winners will receive free Entenmann’s® for a year
  • 3,000 winners will receive a coupon for one free Entenmann’s® product
• From now until March 31, fans can enter, and see official rules at,  www.entenmanns120birthday.com.
• To receive a second entry and to make the milestone even more memorable, fans are invited to sing “Happy Birthday” to Entenmann’s® on Instagram or Twitter using #entenmanns120 and #promotion or uploading directly onto the Entenmann’s^® Facebook page.
  • For every video submitted, Entenmann’s® will donate $1 to the Give A Note Foundation, up to $10,000, to share the gift of music with children across the country.
• Look for information about the “I Sing on the Cake” sweepstakes on specially marked packages of Entenmann’s® fan-favorites including Entenmann’s® Donuts, Entenmann’s® Little Bites® and Entenmann’s® Minis Golden Cakes.

Enter for a chance to win your own prize package courtesty of Entenmann’s® here on my blog. 

If you are the lucky winner you will receive three coupons, each valid for a free Entenmann’s® product, and a $25 Visa gift card to purchase additional Entenmann’s® products!  The prize will be shipped directly by Entenmann’s®.

Find additional information about Entenmann’s® below

Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube

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Halloween Carnival Fun for Kids made Easy

Are you room mom for you kids class?  Or a Scout leader?  Are you trying to find a fun but easy and economical way to celebrate Halloween with kids?  If so read on and find out how to use some awesome products from Oriental Trading Company to help you make Halloween Carnival Fun for Kids (easily and on a budget!).

So what are the basic elements you need to throw a Halloween Carnival for kids?  

1. Games
2. Prizes

Pretty simple huh?  Kids love playing games and they love winning something no matter how small the prize.

Games

These are the fun games I got for my Scout troop to play (and of course my kids had to test them out ahead of time!):

• Fall Bowling Set (how cute is this?!)
• Monster Bean Bag Toss Set
• Inflatable Spider Ring Toss Set
• Inflatable Witch Hat
• Ring TossPeanuts® Halloween Bingo

Prizes

As I mentioned before kids don’t really care what their prize is as long as they get something!  I found some cute little items to give out to the kids and of course we will have little treats.

• CANDY!
• Halloween Stickers
• Vampire Fangs (they glow in the dark!!)
• Spider Rings
• Little toys, bouncy balls – honestly anything small and cost friendly that the kids will be thrilled to win!

 
I love planning parties for my kids classrooms and Scout troops.  My husband always asks why I do so many things for them and my response is always “they are only little once” or “I only have so many years before they don’t want me around”.  I’m taking advantage of the time I’m given with my kids and helping create special memories along the way.  While every parent doesn’t have as much time as I do to volunteer just remember its the little things that matter and that your kids will remember.  They will remember the field trip you went on or the school concert your boss actually let you off of work to see.  Don’t focus on what you can’t do – focus on the things you can do. (phew…stepping off my parenting advice soap box).

If you are looking for some additional Halloween themed ideas take a peek below:

How to Make DIY Pumpkin Bowling Pins

Spook-tacular Family Fun Pumpkin Carving Party

How to Make a Halloween Wreath for Under $5

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Cole’s Middles for the Lunch Box Win!

Do you ever just want an easy meal for your family?  In our house we love to have dinner movie nights.  If you have younger kids you know that allowing your kids to eat anywhere but the table requires foods that doesn’t have the potential of creating a super big mess.  Enter Cole’s Middles!  My kids loved them so much that they wanted the leftovers in their lunch boxes.  Cole’s Middles for the Lunch Box Win (as a mom packing lunch boxes is one of my most dreaded tasks).

For our first time trying Middles I heated up three varieties: Plain Bread Middles with Mac & Cheese Filling, Salty Pretzel Middles with Beer Cheese Filling, and Everything Bagel Middles with Cream Cheese Filling.  We had a taste test to see which of the products our family really loved and had two big winners!  

The Cole’s Middles are very easy to make – they would be great for anytime.  Preheat the oven to 400°, place the Middles on a pan and pop in the oven for 7-9 minutes.  Fast, easy, and tasty!  Now that my kids are getting older they could even make these themselves in the toaster oven (parental supervision is recommended).

So what were the family favorites in our house?  We loved the Plain Bread Middles with Mac & Cheese Filling and the Everything Bagel Middles with Cream Cheese Filling.  We all loved the Everything Bagel Middles (pictured above with a bite taken and my son eating one).  The cream cheese was evenly dispersed in the middle and every bite was just a good as the first. 

The kids were lucky enough that there were leftovers for their lunch boxes as well!  They are already asking when they can have Cole’s Middles again and I think they will soon be a staple item in our freezer.

Cole’s Middles  make an easy breakfast, snack or dinner – honestly they are great any time.  My kids are dying to have the Bagel Middles for breakfast!  They would also be great for after school snacks.  As a mom with kids that are on the go all the time I can see Cole’s Middles becoming one of my regular quick meals – heat them up and then eat them in the car between activities with little worry about messes.

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Review of British Soccer Camps 

Do you have a soccer loving child?  My daughter’s favorite sport is soccer and it is something she truly enjoys.  Last year was her first time attending soccer camp and we started out with a half day British Soccer Camp.  This year she attended a local half day camp right after school got out and then moved up to the full day British Soccer Camp a few weeks later.  Read on for my review of British Soccer Camps.

Brief Overview

• Upon arrival parents would sign their children in and write the name of the person picking them up at the end of the day.
• The kids would head down to the field to warm up – the coaches led various exercises.  
• The first day the kids were split into 4 groups based on their ages.  The half day kids were in with the full day kids for the morning session and departed at lunch time.  The kids were assigned colors to wear for the rest of the week and told about the theme for the next day.
• The full day kids had a break from 12pm-1pm for lunch.
• At 1pm the kids started back up working on more advanced skills and scrimmaging more.
• Parents signed their kids out and picked them out.

Our Experience

My daughter is seven and still struggles with confidence.  She gets easily frustrated when she can’t complete tasks and can shut down or burst into tears.  This year it was amazing to see the difference in both her skills and her confidence from last year.  We were lucky and she ended up with two of the same coaches from last year at her half day program.  They remembered her and I  think that helped make her feel more comfortable.  

There were three coaches and by the end of the session  they all knew my daughter’s name and had such great things to say.  The coaches at the British Soccer Camps have all been very great with the kids – they help challenge them in a safe environment and also help build them up. The kids in my daughter’s group were also great – she was one of the youngest and definitely not at the same level as some of the more advanced players but they helped and encouraged her and that really made a difference.  In the last game of the week they all helped her score a goal and it made her so happy.

I am thrilled with the total experience – the coaching staff, program, and other participants were all amazing.  I really enjoyed reading the feedback that Chloe’s coach provided at the end of the week.  My daughter’s confidence soared and she learned a lot of new skills that she will be able to apply in the soccer season this fall.  She can’t wait to attend another British Soccer Camp next summer!

More information about British Soccer Camps

British Soccer Camps are the most popular soccer camp in the US. With an innovative curriculum that develops skills, speed and confidence in players ages 3-18, The British Soccer Camp provide boys and girls with the rare opportunity to receive high-level soccer coaching from a team of international expert’s right in the heart of their own community. In addition to teaching new skills and improving game performance, each British Soccer Camp provides lessons in character development, cultural education and is the most fun your child can have learning the sport they love!

Find more information about British Soccer Camps today!

Website

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