The Ultimate Father's Day Gift for Golfers: Backyard Do-it-Yourself Putters

I just received my Lowe's e-mail update and was impressed with this idea for a backyard putter.

Here is the STEP-BY-STEP or you can click here for the article.

Step 1:  Determine and mark the size and shape of your putting green, chipping stations, and sand trap on your lawn. (Be sure to consider the width of your synthetic turf when designing the green and chipping stations to avoid turf seams; 9- and 12-foot widths are available.) Remove the sod within these areas. Dig out the sand trap area to the desired depth, and fill it with sand. Step 2: Dig a 12-inch-wide x 3-inch-deep trench around each green. Pour a 1-inch layer of paver base in the trench. Level and tamp until firm.
Step 3: Lay wall blocks in the trench, ensuring that they are level from front to back. Fill in the greens to the top of the blocks with paver base. Step 4: To create the putting-green cups, place a 4-inch atrium grate in a 3- x 4-inch S&D adapter, and place this assembly inside a 4-inch S&D bushing. (These materials can be found in the plumbing department.)
Step 5: Use a posthole digger to dig a hole in each green for each putting cup. Test-fit the cup assembly, and adjust as needed. Fill any gaps around the cup assembly with sand or paver base. Make sure that the top of each hole is flush with grade. Tamp down the area around each hole until firm.
Step 6: Lay the synthetic turf on the paver base, and cut to size. The turf should extend over each block.Using landscape fabric pins, pin through the turf and into the paver base between each block. While you are pinning, have someone pull the turf taut to ensure a tight fit. Once the turf has been pinned, secure it to the top of the blocks using landscape block adhesive. Step 7: Trim out the putting cups using a utility knife. Step 8: Lay brick pavers on top of the wall blocks and secure using adhesives.
Step 9: To create the flagpoles, cut a 1/2-inch-diameter PVC pipe into two 3-foot pieces, and wrap the poles with electrical tape in a swirl pattern.Cut flags from a drop cloth, paint as desired, and spray with a clear topcoat, allowing each coat to dry.Use Liquid Nails to attach the flags to the PVC poles. Use Liquid Nails to attach a 3/4-inch bushing piece (found in the plumbing department) to the inside of each atrium grate. Allow adhesive to dry. Place each flagpole inside each bushing.

Looking for Review Opportunities: Trip to Orlando

I'm taking my girls to Orlando soon to help offset the sadness they are experiencing with their dad's deployment to Kuwait.  I'm hoping it will be a great experience for them as we have a house with an inground, private pool!  I'm hoping to take advantage of the area to write up some posts for my blogs for recommendations if others are planning a visit.

If anyone has any suggestions on where to go other than the obvious (smile), please let me know!

Koala Kuddles Swaddling Blankets Review

   

Anyone who has every tried swaddling knows how difficult it can be with the standard receiving blanket.  It's not quite large enough and when you try to use a regular blanket, it's usually too big or bulky and doesn't maintain the swaddle effect.   I always struggled with this until I received two complimentary Koala Kuddles blankets to review.  I'm a bit partial to Australian products as my middle child is half Australian and my dear friend is from there too.  Koala Kuddles is a wonderful option for parents who want to swaddle their children the correct way.  Australian moms have long known the effects of a good swaddle.

Babies that are swaddled may sleep better as the blanket's material allows air flow thus decreasing overheating, provides a snug fit to mimic that comfort in the womb and is soft.  The Koala Kuddles even get softer with each wash.  I was able to see the difference in both blankets as one was straight from the box and the other was prewashed for me.  They were both soft but after repeated washings, it did feel softer.  

Another aspect I like about Koala Kuddles is the size.  Since they are larger, they do swaddle better and they have other uses such as a cover for a nursing mom, a shield from the sun in the stroller and a blanket.

The Koala Kuddles come in three choices:

Australian Animals 3 Pack:

A fun and whimsical design that incorporates animals native to Australia, including the kangaroo, giant sea turtle, crocodile and platypus. Design is printed in burgundy and cream onto 100% muslin cotton cloth. Cloth is lightweight, breathable and ideal for the perfect swaddle. Softens with every wash!

Polka Dots 3 Pack:


Polka dot pattern printed in tints of Koala Kuddles green. Design is printed on 100% muslin cotton cloth. Cloth is lightweight, breathable and ideal for the perfect swaddle. Softens with every wash!

Assorted Swaddles Animals and Polka Dots 3 Pack:


Assorted Koala Kuddle swaddling blankets. Includes both Australian Mammals and Polka Dot patterns. Choose from two Animals and one Polka Dot design or two Polka Dot and one Animal design. Cloth is lightweight, breathable and ideal for the perfect swaddle. Softens with every wash!


There are even helpful hints on how to swaddle or you can watch a video:

About Koala Kuddles:


I moved from Sydney, Australia to Kansas with my family in 2005. When my baby boy was born in 2006, I was very surprised my American friends had never seen anything like the swaddling wraps (receiving blankets) I was using from home. After subsequently giving mine away, and my friends telling all their friends about them, I thought I would create and sell my own swaddles. And so Koala Kuddles was born! Now based out of Austin, these authentically Australian wraps make a wonderfully unique baby shower gift for a friend or your own baby! I hope you enjoy and cherish them as much we do in Australia!


I really liked the Koala Kuddles Swaddling Blankets and would recommend them.  My baby did seem to sleep longer and better and they really were soft especially after the repeated wash.


To purchase online, click here.


To see a list of retailers who carry Koala Kuddles, click here.

McDonald’s® McNuggets® and Shrek Forever After™ House Party™

I'm very excited to be a host for the McDonald’s® McNuggets® and Shrek Forever After™ House Party™!  If you haven't had a chance to host a party or sign up, you really should as you get some great items to host your party.  The site allows party hosts to exchange ideas and suggestions while posting the success of your party.  My kids love Shrek so this will be a fun one.  I'm trying to decide if we should have the party here or move it up one day and give the kids at school a special treat.


For the party, we get an Arch card to purchase McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and a host of other great favors, plates, cups, napkins and much more.  If we have it at the house, I will decorate with Shrek balloons and pictures along with the poster we are receiving.


These are the invitations I made for the party:

To go along with the McNuggets, we'll have a variety of sauces and to change it up to make it more healthy, apple slices with dip and salad in honor of being Shrek green.  For desert, I'll make these and it's as easy as printing out Shrek pictures and attaching them to toothpicks.

Of course, we'll have to watch our complimentary Shrek 3 movie and for fun, we'll play pin the tail on the Donkey, name that shape (small shapes like toys immersed in green jello), photos taken by the poster with the Shrek ears and each guest will receive a photo CD of all the photos (edited by me).

That's it for now!

Post Your Giveaways via New Link!

Post your giveaways here.

Thanks!

Amazing Products at Zulily Today: Great for Kids & Expected Parents & Special $10 Savings Code

Have you tried out Zulily yet?  If you haven't, you should and right now until May 11th, my readers will get a special $10 off $30 purchase (see below for details).  Here are some of the items being offered right now:

Baby Aspen:

  

  

  

Popatu:

  

Many other sales are going on now too!  Don't miss out!

By using the code YOUNG10, you can save $10 off a purchase of $30 or more from 5/4 - 5/11!  That's a great savings considering the prices at Zulily are already amazing!

One use per customer.

You can also enter my Zulily giveaway here.

11 Giveaways Ending in May - Two Tonight

I have 11 giveaways ending in the month of May with two tonight!  Starting with any new giveaways, I'm going to decrease the running date of giveaways to see how they do with only two weeks in duration.

In the interim, enter and don't forget the bonus entries!

Stay tuned as I'll be introducing my role as a Huggies Mom Ambassador!

1. YouthfulTips YouFloral Flower, Gift Cards & More Mega Mother’s Day Giveaway 5/5 $200+ Value
2. YouthfulTips This Little Prayer of Mine Book Giveaway 5/5
3. YouthfulTips Coupon Giveaway 5/7
4. YouthfulTips Melvin the Magnificent Kid’s Book Giveaway 5/13
5. YouthfulTips EA Active More Workouts 5/18
6. YouthfulTips Zulily Chinese Cookbook Set for Kids 5/18
7. Combi USA Bouncing Car Jumper Activity Center Giveaway 5/25
8. CSN $100 Gift Certificate Over 200 Stores Baby Giveaway 5/25
9. YouthfulTips Reading Sunglasses $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway 5/25
10. YouthfulTips Six Mother’s Day Romance Books Giveaway – 3 Winners 5/9
11. YouthfulTips Nintendo DS Light w/ Zhu Zhu Game Giveaway 5/30

Social Parade!

We're participating in the Social Parade.  This week it's Google Friend Connect Week

How it works

Grab the link-up button and post It's a Social Parade!! Wednesday Link-up. Every Wednesday a new linky will be posted with that weeks exchange info.
This week is Google Freind Connect Round Up!!  Here's a link to the detailshttp://www.smartandtrendymoms.com/2010/05/link-up-and-get-new-blog-readers-its.html


To participate

Follow the blog in the first spots FanPage. All blogs participating must post about Social Parade and have a link in their POST to their fan page.   Link-up your blog post for "It's a Social Parade" that you made on your blog. This week you need to include your fanpage link in the post for others to Like/Fan you back.

Few More Hours Left on 50 Thank You Cards!

If you have a baby shower, wedding, a birthday or anything that you might need thank you cards for, don't forget to sign up for the giveaway that ends at midnight!

Click here to enter.

Little Tykes Makin' Mud Pies & the SwingAlong Castle Review

My daughter just squealed with delight when the new Little Tykes Makin' Mud Pies commercial came on.  What a cute concept but then again, it is Little Tykes and we love their products!  I have purchased so many of them for all my kids.

It's really cute and gives them the chance to have fun in the sun while being creative.

FEATURES:

• Hand-crank mud mixer with a mixer head that pivots up and down like a real one.
• A real working sink that you fill up from a garden hose or container.  They push the pump button and the water pours out.
• No batteries!  Can you believe it???

Just when you thought it couldn't get any cuter, online at Little Tykes, there are recipe cards.  Here are a couple:

*********************

SwingAlong Castle

My middle child had the SwingAlong Castle when she was a toddle and loved it!  When we moved to Hawaii, we didn't take it with us but we made another kid very happy!

FEATURES:

• Play telescope swiveled all around giving her the feeling it was real.
• The swing featured a three-point safety belt so I didn't have to worry about her falling out.
• The easy-climb rock wall helped encourage her to develop coordination.
• The gentle sloped slide was perfect for no-hurt fun.
• The steering wheel moved giving her more realistic fun.

I know both would love the Makin' Mud Pies and my middle one loved her SwingAlong Castle.

Stay tuned for more reviews on Little Tykes!

*Disclaimer:  I was not compensated for this post.

Dear Baby It's a Colorful World by Carol Casey Book Review

Product Details

• Author: Carol Casey
• Illustrated by: Jason Oransky
• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
• Hardcover: 28 pages
• Publisher: DearBaby Books (May 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982097220
• ISBN-13: 978-0982097229
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches

The Review

I received a complimentary advance copy of Dear Baby It's a Colorful World by Carol Casey.  The jacket cover of this perfectly sized hard back book was full of bright colors and included a multi-cultural cast of children.  The colors used are perfect to stimulate and peak a little one's curiousity. 

I may be one of those old fashion type but I like my little children's books to rhyme and this one does a perfect job.  I love to be able to read to my children with a whimsical type voice and when the words go together, it makes it more fun.  

Here is an example:

I'm ready to go,

my eyes open wide.

A colorful world is

waiting inside!

It's chalked full of bright colors, familar shapes and fun pictures.  Each set of pages consists of a different scenes with this host of cute characters.

Another great feature is the back page that allows for those that read the book to the child to sign.  This is a great memory to have as the child turns into an adult and hands over to his own child.

I would definitely recommend this wonderful and colorful book to any parent and if you don't have children, it would make an ideal gift!

About the Author

Carol Casey began her writing career in Chicgao as a news writer and editor.  Over the past 15 years she has worked with women's and children's charities in the areas of fundraising, media and event planning.  She has two children and a grandchild and lives in Atlanta with her husband.  This is Carol's third collaboration with illustrator Jason Oransky.

About the Illustrator

Jason Oransky is a lead graphic artist for Carter Clothes, Inc.  He is an avaid Florida Sate alumni and lives in Atlanta.  Jason is an active participant in an Atlanta Big Brother mentoring program.  He has illustrated for three Dear Baby books.

Extras

• Fun games are available online for babies and toddlers here.
• Check out Carol's blog.
• News and Events 
• Available online and at many retailers.  For a list, click here.

Don't miss out!  This is a definite for your library!

Does a Celebrity Influence Your Eyeglass Decisions?

The other day, I was having a conversation about eyeglasses with a friend.  We were discussing which celebrity eyeglasses we liked the most which led me to wonder how many people actually purchase their glasses based on a celebrity?  I have to admit that I loved the glasses that Sarah Palin wore.  I thought they were sleek, professional yet sexy.  Other people like Johnny Depp's glasses and the great thing with Johnny, he can wear any type of glasses he wants!


It seems the latest trend among Hollywood has been to wear glasses.  I don't know which ones are wearing prescription glasses or fake glasses but they have turned them into a great fashion accessory.  I love that they help to take away some of the stigma around wearing glasses.  It was always a joke to have that librarian look but it's funny how surveys have revealed that men actually find that look sexy.   Another aspect is a child's favorite celebrity might wear glasses which could help him wear his glasses with greater confidence or at least prevent one from picking on another.


There are so many different types of glasses available it makes it really hard to determine which pair to get.  This is where I do indulge and make my decision based on what a celebrity wears.  I don't wear it because they wear them rather I would choose them based on liking the look on them.  My friend choses her glasses based solely on the celebrity she likes. 

We also talked about how glasses have come a long way since my first pair in the sixth grade.  I think there were a handful of choices and they were big, bigger and bigger!  I have a picture but it would make you laugh too hard to see it!   When I took my father to get a pair last summer, I was amazed at how many different types of prescription eyeglasses there are.  They have expanded to offer such versatility along with the ability to be fashionable.  I love the fact that you can have a real choice whether you want to look traditional, sexy, sophisticated or just different.  


How about you?  Is there a celebrity that helps influence your glasses choice or is there a celebrity you love to see wearing them?


Here is a discount for GlassesUSA offering 10% off your first purchase.  Use code mommy10.


* Disclaimer:  This is a paid post per FTC requirements.

Planning a Fancy Nancy Tea Party

TwitterMoms has a new contest and are launching the TwitterMoms Reading Channel!   The wonderful women at TwitterMoms are throwing a Fancy Nancy Tea Party contest and you can be a part of it just by clicking here to read and join in on the fun.

What a creative and fun way to have fun with your kids and this is how I would throw an incredible Fancy Nancy Tea Party for us:

• I will have my daughters hand create the party invitations with directions on what to wear.  Boas of course and everything fancy!  Jewels, tiaras and fancy dresses. A mini-fashion show before the tea party is a must have!
• In order to teach them about manners, we will discuss a few rules with little cards I will create from the computer showing proper manners such as how to burp politely.  They need this!
• Nothing but the fine china will do so time to get a cute set of china at a resale shop or just a little kid's set will work perfectly.  
• Plan the menu and decor such as doilies on the plates which you can pick up at a party place or with some creativity, have the kids make them like you would with paper snowflakes. Cookies, juice and finger sandwiches are all fun items they can make themselves.
• No fine tea party is complete without reciting some poetry.  Luckily, my middle one can read so I'll have her read some fun poetry with a request to write one poem herself.
• While we eat, sip "tea," read poetry, laugh and have fun, I'll video tape it and send to my husband who just was deployed to Kuwait.  This will be a great way to include him and see how we included him.

Fancy Nancy Poetry Party IdeasFancy Nancy Books


Disclaimer:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a Fancy Nancy prize pack. For more information on how you can participate, click here.