Lessons from the Scrapbook Page

Let Your Preschooler Bloom

I officially have a preschooler now. My little one just turned 3! I can't believe how quickly the time passes. We took him to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate and he absolutely loved it. His favorite game: the electric train...of course. He loves trains, but I still try to get him to play with other toys too.

When I was offered a chance to check out two new games by Cranium Bloom, I jumped at the chance. Even their packaging is colorful and fun. The first game I opened was "Let's Go to the Zoo." It's a large puzzle with a flip book. This is only the second puzzle that my little guy has tried and I thought he would just love the zoo animals. Unfortunately, he had a hard time focusing on the game. He was distracted by...you guessed it...his trains. The game box specifically states that it's a game for 3 years and older, so I'm not too surprised that he wasn't completely engaged.

The funny thing is that if it had been my daughter, I think she would have loved it at that age. She was much more interested in books and puzzles and details. I'm not sure if it's an age-related thing or simply a personality and gender-related one. Either way, I think the key is making sure that the games you have work for the child. Each child is so different that no game will meet every need.

The second game was “Count and Cook.” It has a small gameboard which you move pieces around and land on different ingredients. It is a simple game that helps work on the skills of matching, counting, and taking turns. If you've got an aspiring chef in your house, this would be a perfect gift. Especially if you've seen Ratatouille and they're raring to create in the kitchen.

You can see more Cranium Bloom games online. I even saw a display of them at Target this week. Check 'em out!

Real Women Scrap TV: Episode 29 (Lisa Bearnson Part 2)

Here is part 2 of our interview with Creating Keepsakes founding editor, Lisa Bearnson. Enjoy!

technorati tags: Lisa_Bearnson, Creating_Keepsakes, Memory_Trends, Scrapbooking

Real Women Scrap TV: Episode 28

My Sit Down with Lisa Bearnson - Part 1

Well, it's the episode you've all been waiting for. My one-on-one conversation with Creating Keepsakes founding editor Lisa Bearnson. This is the perfect first episode for 2008. We don't talk scrapbooking. We don't talk Memory Trends. We don't talk about any of that industry stuff. This is a real conversation with a real woman talking about the real issues she (and all of us) face. You're sure to be inspired. Part 2 will be next week. This video will also soon be available on YouTube.

Click image to play.

technorati tags: Lisa_Bearnson, Memory_Trends, scrapbooking, Creating_Keepsakes, CK_Media

A New Car in 2008

5 Minutes for Mom has raised the bar and is now giving away a NEW CAR...for your preschooler.

Today they are offering this car from their online store, Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles. It's one of their favorite pedal cars. This AMF '65 Mustang Pedal Car is completely authentic and has been re-manufactured in 2005 using the original AMF tooling. All you have to do to sign up is visit their blog and leave a comment on the post. Good luck!

Real Women Scrap TV Starts New Channel On YouTube

Real Women Scrap TV is back on YouTube, and it's also on Veoh. We've received so many comments from people requesting we put RWS TV on YouTube that we created a dedicated Real Women Scrap YouTube channel.

Episodes from Season 1 are available on a different YouTube channel. Season 2 and all remaining seasons will be posted to our new channel: http://www.youtube.com/realwomenscrap. So, make sure you subscribe to this new channel if you want to get Real Women Scrap YouTube updates.

If you'd rather have Season 1 on DVD, you can purchase your own copy at CreateSpace. Season 1 is the first 12 episodes of our show, running time 84 minutes.

We also have episodes on Veoh. You can subscribe to that channel at:
http://www.veoh.com/channels/realwomenscrap

Be on the lookout this week for Episode 28, part 1 of our interview with Lisa Bearnson. You won't want to miss it.

technorati tags: Real_Women_Scrap_TV, YouTube, online_scrapbooking_show, Lisa_Bearnson

How Cool Is This???

The Genealogy Insider blog from Family Tree Magazine named Lessons from the Scrapbook page one of the Best Scrapbooking Blogs! Read their post below...

The Best Scrapbooking Blogs
Posted by Grace
January 7, 2008

If you're the crafty type, you're probably at your best when you're among creative people or when you stumble across something beautiful that makes you cry out I want to do that. What's that old saying—no scrapbooker is an island?

The March issue of Family Tree Magazine's Preserving Memories column was conceived while thinking of the crafter in dire need of inspiration. Our very scientific process of visiting approximately a bazillion blogs resulted in this list of five fabulous sites.

Bookmark these babies and enjoy!

Lessons from the Scrapbook Page: On this inspirational blog, you can watch the latest installments of Real Women Scrap TV.

Mad Cropper: Keep up-to-date with news from the scrapbook world and plenty of step-by-step projects.

Memory Makers Blog: The editors of our sister magazine give you a peek at their latest pages (like the one you see at right).

SimpleStudio: Simple Scrapbooks serves up advice plus lots of layouts and photos.

Sprague Lab: This "studio of scrapbook alchemy" focuses on computer-assisted scrapping.

What are your top 5 blog picks for 2007? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

Great News for Clean Freaks

You probably don't know this about me, but I'm a clean freak. Seems like every day and night I'm asking someone if they washed their hands, wiped down the counter, and cleaned up after themselves. It's not just because I like things being neat and clean, it's a germ issue. I don't like germs, bugs, viruses, colds, or bacteria. I don't imagine many people do, but some people just don't seem to mind as much.

For example, you'll never find me eating food off the ground, even with the 10-second rule. If I see it hit the ground it's over. If I even see food hit the table in a restaurant it's over, I won't eat it. This is good news to my husband and daughter who don't seem to mind eating things off the floor. I know it sounds bad, but that's just how they are. I think it's fine for them... they both have incredible immune systems that have been built up over the years of not being a clean freak.

But I digress. What I really want to share with you is that I found a resource that made me feel like I could loosen up a bit on the cleaning reigns and not have chaos ensue. The resource is a little guide called, What to Expect Guide to a Healthy Home. Sound familiar? It should if you read the "What to Expect" guides for pregnancy and raising your child.

The great thing is that this is a short booklet that reassures you that you're probably doing better than you think. So many things we do are habitual because we've been trained. Things like washing your hands before handling or eating food, wiping noses with tissue, not sleeves...not to mention great inventions like inside bathrooms! The booklet even talks about eating food off the ground and says that my family is actually right...at home it's probably okay to pick something up and eat it. But if it's a paci or if it's not at home, it's best to get a replacement.

The way the information is organized let's you take a look at specific rooms in the house for ideas on how and what to pay attention to. Clorox actually funded the little booklet and author Heidi Murkoff to get this clean information out. Heidi's guide is a perfect resource to keep at your finger tips. And it's yours with just a click of the button at What to Expect Guide to a Healthy Home. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

I'm here and enjoying the fresh start that each new year brings. Some exciting new posts, reviews, and ideas are brewing and on the horizon. Can't wait to get them all together and share them with you.

My holiday break was fantastic. Super busy, but productive. Cleaned the house, organized the garage, sanded and painted shelves, and celebrated the holidays with my family. New Year's Eve my husband and I watched 4 episodes of Gilmore Girls and 2 episodes of LOST. So much fun! We were catching up on last season from the time we stopped watching TV.

We also hooked up Apple TV, my hubby's Christmas present and for me it's like a huge digital picture frame! I've seen those frames at the stores and everywhere, and now I have one of my own that's a full size flat screen. Incredibly cool way to view my photos. Lets me enjoy them from my computer even before the albums or scrapbooks are done. Something to think about!

One of the highlights of the break was reading comments from some of you. I'll paste two of them below so you can read them too...and to thank the people who wrote them. They truly blessed me and even made me get a bit teary-eyed if you can believe that. We all long to feel valued and that our life has meaning. These comments made me feel that last year's challenges and trials were definitely worth the time, energy, and effort. Thanks to all of you for sharing and for being part of my life!

Tasra, I wasn't sure where to put this, so hope this is ok, I just finished your book (I actually found it hard to put down) and all I can say is WOW - I am now suggesting it to all my friends (both scrapbookers and non-scrapbookers alike) and it will be a well used, revisited book for years to come I'm sure. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and the best to you and your family in 2008! Good luck with your Apple job and I so look forward to Real Woman Scrap in the new year.. it's a daily visit for me as I have lots of catching up to do and I just love to see what is new as well. Take care, you #1 Aussie Fan, Chelle xx

Tasra! Congrats and all the best as you go in a new direction. Praying with you that the Lord will guide you re: the future with Real Womens Scrap - I just can't say enough of how God used your book to touch me just when I needed it most [after a crazy summer of parent illness, death, and my own sickness.] I know He will use you whatever the path may be - Judy@faithbasedpages.com