If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
**This post will be sticky all month which means it will be the top post all month! Scroll past it for most recent posts – DON’T FORGET TO PLAY ALL THE GIVEAWAYS FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN!**
It is time for my annual Back 2 School Bash! This year I have gone one step farther and invited 4 other bloggers to participate in the Bash with me! So, this is a Back 2 School Blog HOP Bash! Are you ready for some Back to School Blog Hopping Fun!? Between the 5 of us, we are bringing you a giveaway every day during the month of August, PLUS on Sundays, the 1st of the month and last day of the month, we will all be running the same giveaways! That means, lots of Back 2 School giveaways for you to try your hand at winning.
In addition, some of us are running giveaways that are not part of the School Hop Bash, so get ready to hang out with us and win some prizes!
Refer back to this post during the entire month of August for links and end dates of every giveaway! Once each post is live, the title will be clickable and it will have an end date.
**Button and Banner Designed by Krizzy Designs – yes, I paid for them, but I thought you might want to know who I got to make them and how you could get some. **
Although our school years started at the beginning of August, after a month in it is time for a pick me up and little reminder. ~Kelli
Setting an Example for a Successful School Year
Dr. Susan Bartell
I love the crisp notebooks and brand new, no-colors-missing boxes of colored pencils of the new school year. However, what I enjoy more than anything else is the feeling that this year is another chance for each child to start fresh—with a new teacher, additional friends and another opportunity to show herself that this will be the best year yet!
There are many ways to help your child have a successful year, but one of the most important is to consistently role model the ‘tools’ of success. You are one of your child’s most important and best teachers. Therefore, you play a critical role in helping your child have a truly successful school year.
By taking the following suggestions to heart, I’m confident you will help your entire family have a successful year—let me know next summer!
Be on time. Teachers request timeliness, but when parents regularly run late, it reinforces that this is okay. In fact, it sends the message that another’s person’s time (the one waiting for you) isn’t as important as your own. So teach your child to be on time by living this way.
Show effort. Of course, you tell your child to work her hardest. But, do you do so yourself? Whether you are completing a work project or cooking a meal, take pride in your own work because it is important feel good about what you have produced, and know that other people will appreciate your effort as well. Your efforts won’t go unnoticed by your child.
Plan ahead. The school year includes the completion of long-term assignments, each of which requires careful planning. Life has many of these long term “assignments’ too. When planning vacations, work projects, home renovations or other big ventures, discuss these with your child, helping him see the importance of advance planning.
Compromise with friends and family. Kids learn many of their social skills by observing you. Therefore, when you are flexible, compromise frequently, and reduce bickering and fighting to a minimum, your child will do the same!
Be polite. You may be frustrated on a long line at the supermarket, or when a telephone operator is rude, but your child focuses only on your behavior. She will mimic your words and intonations in the classroom or on the playground. Thus, be aware of how you speak to people—no matter how aggravated you may feel inside!
Listen. Paying attention is one of school’s—and life’s—most important skills. So put down your phone, turn off the TV and really listen to your kids, your partner and anyone that is talking to you. Not only is it a good way to teach your child, but it will improve the quality of your life as well.
Organize your workspace. Kids need an orderly space to do their homework and so do parents! If you keep your space organized, your child will be more likely to keep his space tidy too.
Be open minded and curious. Approach every situation and person with as little pre-judgment, negativity and ambivalence as you can muster. Be enthusiastic and optimistic whenever possible. Fake it if you must! These are important life skills to role model for your child.
Read! Parents who read are more likely to raise children who read. In addition, read to younger kids. Children who read will have better reading comprehension and overall better success in school.
Dr. Susan Bartell America’s #1 family psychologist . Her latest book is The Top 50 Questions Kids Ask. You can learn more about Dr. Bartell at www.drsusanbartell.com
I am really surprised that we didn’t have more people playing. I am so confused! I really love the Blogger Appreciation post each month and thought others would also. Am I doing something wrong with it? Please, leave me a comment telling my why you don’t join in. I have advertised this thing EVERYWHERE, it has been going for 7 months, but I can’t strike up the interest.
Anyway, out of only 12 players, the winner is – #8
Congrats to GrowMap for winning 1 full month of Ad Space at 3 Boys and a Dog! You have been contacted.
Blogger Appreciation Day is supposed to go live on the 5th. Did y’all like the ad space giveaway? Would you prefer something else? Talk to me, help me make this great for everyone.
My mother is a BIG Manheim Steamroller fan. I listen to their Christmas albums, but I am not a typical Classical or Orchestra fan. I like words to go with my music. BUT (why does it seem we always have one of those?) I really enjoy this CD. It has all my favorite songs on it. I have also purchased one for my mother… although, she reads my blog so maybe I shouldn’t have written that here.
Classic and Rock… who knew this would be such an amazing combination?
For David Garrett, whose idols go from Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page to his former teachers Itzhak Perlman and Ida Haendel, there shouldn’t be any hierarchy between genres. “Choosing repertoire is very instinctive,” David observes. “For this project, it was quite easy. We had a theme—rock—and we chose things with a very strong rhythmical vibe, whether it was Beethoven or Metallica. The concept of “Rock Symphonies” has been on my mind for a very long time. I’ve always thought that there was a very strong connection between classical and rock; there’s a very strong sense of rhythm and a very strong sense of precision in both.”
The combination of rock and classical music was quite intriguing, and I found myself really enjoying the CD. The songs are so much more powerful in the “Classical” genre than they ever were in Rock!
I am a child of the 80s and a teen of the 90s… David Garrett brought many of my favorites back in a new form that this adult of the ‘10s can really appreciate! Songs like:
Smells like Teen Spirit (our band played this EVERY SINGLE GAME)
Walk This Way (oh man, this is like the greatest song ever)
November Rain (you can not go wrong with this one!)
Garrett’s passion is evident in Rock Symphonies, and I think he was able to successfully combine his love of rock and classical music into a memorable CD.
To Buy: You can purchase Rock Symphonies at Amazon and at various other retailers online and nationwide. (ARV $10.00)
*DISCLAIMER: I was sent Rock Symphonies by Music Moms to help facilitate my review. Any opinions stated are strictly my own.*
Hasbro has recently come out with some new Toy Story 3 toys, including 4 new Mr. Potato Heads inspired by the hit movie. When Hasbro reached out to me about reviewing the new Mr. Potato Head Classic, Mrs. Potato Head, Spud Lightyear, or Woody’s Tater Round Up, I couldn’t get Tank to choose the one he wanted. So, they graciously sent me TWO and will be offering the same 2 to one of my readers!
Since Tank likes to be on “TV”, I did this as a video review. If you are reading this via a reader, you will need to click through to my site so you can see the video.
One 3 Boys and a Dog reader will win Woody’s Tater Round Up and Spud Lightyear.
REQUIRED: Visit Hasbro, look around, and tell me something you want, like, or learned.
I am really surprised that we didn’t have more people playing. I am so confused! I really love the Blogger Appreciation post each month and thought others would also. Am I doing something wrong with it? Please, leave me a comment telling my why you don’t join in. I have advertised this thing EVERYWHERE, it has been going for 7 months, but I can’t strike up the interest.
Anyway, out of only 12 players, the winner is – #8
Congrats to GrowMap for winning 1 full month of Ad Space at 3 Boys and a Dog! You have been contacted.
Blogger Appreciation Day is supposed to go live on the 5th. Did y’all like the ad space giveaway? Would you prefer something else? Talk to me, help me make this great for everyone.
