Pale Yellow #PINNING!!

"Pinning!" is a Weekly Pinterest Link-Up

(Share pins, meet others who love "Pinning", get inspired!)

First Time?  It's simple just follow these rules:

 Please follow your hosts' blogs & Pinterest boards: 

Courtney // Baxtron{Life} //

Kimberly // A Night Owl //

And your Co-Hosts:

Ann // Living with Porteous //

Holly // The Artist Who Never Starved //

Devon // The Jack Chronicles //

then

 Link up your Pinterest Inspired Post & Profile below

and

Make sure you link back to the party!

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Share the link-up:

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I've got a color crush - PALE YELLOW - 

which seems slightly out of place for Fall, 

but I actually think I'd wear or use it this Fall anyway (if I can find it!)

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: plus.google.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: chictopia.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: room269.tumblr.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: neimanmarcus.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: thefancy.com via Courtney on Pinterest

THANK YOU to all who linked up last week!

So, who's "Winning at Pinning?"
This week it's Natalie from Growing Up a NJ Wife & Mom for this adorable balloon cake pin:

Source: growingupanjwife.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Natalie! Feel free to grab the button, and flaunt it!

Each week a winner is chosen to flaunt the title of "Winning at Pinning" for successfully wowing us with the best Pinterest find.  The winner will be featured/announced in the following week's post!

WANT TO BE A GUEST JUDGE or HOST? 

Email us!

Are you "Pinning"?  

Come on, everyone is doing it.  

Join us MONDAYS for weekly sharing of Pinterest finds.  

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Link up your PINTEREST INSPIRED POST below:

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Link up your PINTEREST PROFILE below:

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8.16.12 The Weekly Wrap

1. Little Gym Grand Opening // Rejoice // Action // Sweetie

2. Carpal Tunnel // Insomnia // Pachyderm & Jelly // BFF's

3.  I'm Still Here // Tweet // Playdate // Gameface

4. Freeze // Snacks // Color // Bliss

 1. Turtle Shell // Solace // Like Mother // Fancy Snack

2. French Toast w/PB&Maple // Boots! // Selfie // Sleepy

3. For Real // Hippo Park // Steeple // Lounging

4. Hudson River // Vivid // Epic Haul // TJ's

1. Sunset // Te Amo // Not Acting // Cheese & Crackers

2. Marker Pedi // Marker Mani // Marker on Mommy // Retouched Vivid

3. Turkey Burger w/Garlic Fries // I Win // Swangin' // Four-legged-Daddy-Creature

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Wheels on the Bus go - clash, boom, bash! LeapFrog Touch Magic Learning Bus letters toy

Last week, I had the opportunity to gloat a bit about our sneak preview of the fantastic new LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar - which Zion has been jamming on daily!  This week - I want to share with you another great product in their new Touch Magic line - the LeapFrog Touch Magic Learning Bus!  This is my favorite new alphabet learning letters toy I have come across!

What sets the Touch Magic Learning Bus apart from other alphabet learning toys is the modern feel.  You know everything is "touch screen" now - and it just has a stronger appeal to our little ones who have been exposed to the excitement of tablets and smartphones.  It is also a brilliant design when you take into account - again - the lack of cracks that toddler drool/mess/ickies can get into (and never get out!)

Music & learning fun with every little touch!

• Touch and learn with 200+ learning and musical responses

• Switch between three modes: Learning, Letter Exploration   

and Music, which includes fun sing-along songs about the alphabet, motion and more.

• Explore 40+ touch points including letters, piano keys and more!

Our favorite feature on the Touch Magic Learning Bus are the adorable passengers!  Each of the cute little characters on this letters toy play a special instrument - and when you are using the bus in music mode - they can play along with their instrument when you press them.  Another fun musical feature is the mini keyboard and drum symbols at the bottom of the bus.  The wheels on this bus go clash, boom, bash!

I'm also impressed that Zion, at 2 years, really gets into the game mode - where she can hunt for either a letter or an object according to what is asked.  This Learning Bus letters toy keeps her attention and strong focus for anywhere from 10-20 minutes at a time - which is perfect for her age.  We loved having the opportunity to explore the features and enjoy this new learning tool/toy!

This post is sponsored by LeapFrog. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Tumbling, Balancing & Charity Little Gym Grand Opening Event

Right before the craziness of BlogHer began, I was invited to a special grand opening event at the  newest The Little Gym on the Upper Westside in Manhattan.  I'm always excited to attend special events and activities in New York, especially those which offer a fun and unique experience for Zion.

Zion, now 2, is in full curiosity and exploration mode - its hard to keep her interested in any one thing for too long before she craves something new and different.  It is as if she senses the scale of the incredible world that exists and wants to taste, see, touch, feel and experience anything and everything she can.  I love this stage for that reason!

The event was really top notch.  Zion was able to experience some of the variety of activities she would participate in if enrolled in their programming, as well as just have free play in their incredible gym!  From tumbling - to swinging on bars - to walking the balance beam - she enjoyed every single moment!

While Zion and the other children were experiencing the thrill of endless mats to somersault, roll around and jump on - I had the chance to learn a about the Little Gym's philosophy, history and curriculum.  I also feel honored to be given a first look at the partnership between the Little Gym and Soles4Souls!

The Little Gym has a really cool "Three Dimensional Learning" curriculum - based on 35 years of experience, parental feedback and early childhood research.  The goal of the curriculum is to get kids moving, help them foster a love of learning, and equip them with life skills - like sharing, listening and taking turns.

The Little Gym and Soles4Souls have recently joined forces to launch their "Big Hearts, Little Shoes" campaign to collect shoes for those in need.  The Little Gym has set a goal of collecting one million pairs of shoes - and have set up special Soles4Soles drop-boxes on all of their campuses for the 2012/13 season.  What an awesome and powerful way to get the kids involved in being charitable and generous at an early age!  One of the biggest highlights to me was that any shoe could be donated - and nothing is wasted - so even heavily worn shoes will be recycled and not wasted!

The Upper Westside just got a little brighter by the addition of The Little Gym! We had an amazing time at the event, finishing it off with a nice little reception and mingling with some other New York City mamas and their little ones.  Thanks to MomCentral for inviting us to the event!

I was invited to this event by MomCentral.  A post was not required - however; this event was just such a great experience I wanted to share it! All opinions expressed in this post are my own.  :)

I'm No Angel But in this case, I am!

Today marks the halfway point for the August Blog Angels program.  I like giving back to the community that has helped me so much to grow myself, so this program has been really fun to participate in.

I think that in reflection, the hardest thing to do so far is not to reveal myself.  I'm not sure if my assignment has figured out who I am already or not, but I do know that I have actually had to hold back a little of what I want to do for her, because if I didn't it would be totally obvious!

So far this program has not really stretched me in any way - as I am a promoter of others by nature - I want to help people grow.  I follow the Golden Rule, even in blogging.  So if anything it has mostly introduced me to another blogger who I perhaps wouldn't have encountered if I hadn't signed up.

Whether or not the program is beneficial to her - we'll see what she thinks in the end!

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She Said What!? Tuesday 10

I'm totally jazzed to be co-hosting this week's Tuesday 10 with Lena from Mom 2 Memphis and Ruby!

Every Tuesday Lena has a fun link-up - super simple - 10 of something - anything really that you want, or you can go along with her theme of the week, your choice!

This week, as co-host - I got to choose the theme - 

and I thought it would be great to see a showcase of favorite blog posts -
could be blog posts others have written -
or a collection of your own!

Either way - I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

10 of My Favorite (self-authored) Blog Posts:

1.  Marriage: The "For Worse" Times

2.  Mole Chile & Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe

3. Ginger Bread Man & Zion Speaking

4. Solitude

5. Pastels

6. From Winter to Spring

7. Mothering A Daughter

8. Hate Love Your Body

9. What I Wore: Wedding Edition

10. Priorities

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Grab the button & link to the party!

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Can't wait to see what you link-up!

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So You Think You Can Jam? LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar + Contest

We're big fans of music in our house - and dancing - and jamming.  Zion has a set of instruments that she loves to dig through every day, regularly filling the house with her own melodies and beats.  So when I learned of the LeapFrog TouchMagic Rockin' Guitar Contest I was pretty excited - mostly because I know she could totally win it!

Better still - we have had an awesome first look at the LeapFrog Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar!!  I'm gonna give you a spoiler right now, we are BIG fans of LeapFrog at our house.  Zion owns quite a few of their toys - and it's no wonder why she loves them, they are truly built with education, durability and fun in mind!  Here are a few details about her new favorite instrument - the Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar:

The Rockin’ Guitar brings musical fun and helps to develop preschool skills with every little touch.  Kids can choose to play solo without a backup, play along with a band or select electric or acoustic guitar to play 10 built-in songs including: Rockin’ Robin, Itsy Bitsy Spider, If You’re Happy and You Know It,  Pop Goes the Weasel and more. Plus, kids can customize their play experience by adding guitar riffs, silly sounds and drums creating 100+ musical combinations to make every song unique.  

So far Zion's favorite song is to play is "Pop Goes the Weasel."  Can I just tell you that CUTE OVERLOAD is an understatement as she sings along and strums away?

When we first opened the box - I have to admit, I felt a little out of touch with technology for a hot second - I may have even had to read the instructions.  I was nervous that Zion would get frustrated by the lack of actual guitar strings to strum.  Turns out - she picked up the motions quite easily after a couple of times playing with it.  Now when she plays - she really gets into it - doing spins, holding it like a pro - and strumming away at the same time.

One of my personal favorite features on the Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar is the ability to make the play along songs turn very "chipmunkish" by strumming fast.  Zion and I both giggle whenever it happens.  I am certainly impressed with the fact that without any cracks or creases - the guitar can be easily cleaned and wiped down.

Right now Leap Frog is hosting a contest - not just any contest though - a Rockin' Guitar Contest!  Record your kiddo jamming on either their Touch Magic Rockin' Guitar or crafty homemade one - then upload it to the contest website and get your peeps to start voting! Five grand prize winners will get a $500 giftcard!  Go check it out and vote for Zion, and post up some competition for her!  Each week those who vote get entered to win a $100 Leap Frog Touch Magic Prize Pack!!  How awesome is that!?  The contest JUST started (8/1) and runs through 11/30/12!

This post is sponsored by LeapFrog. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.