Archives for September 3, 2014

2014 Office Depot Foundation National Backpack Program Helps Children Start School on The Right Foot

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Office Depot Foundation Serves 3.3 Million Children

Through National Backpack Program – Now in 14th Year!

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In the 14th year of its award-winning National Backpack Program, the Office Depot Foundation is donating 350,000 school sackpacks in seven brand new, colorful designs this year to help children around the world succeed in school.

 

By the end of this year, Office Depot and the Office Depot Foundation will have donated more than 3.3 million backpacks and sackpacks to deserving children.  The sackpacks, which have been completely reimagined for 2014, feature seven kid-friendly designs – two for boys, two for girls and three that are unisex.  Each sackpack holds a zippered pouch containing essential school supplies – a pen, a pencil, four crayons, a pencil sharpener, an eraser and a 6-inch ruler.

 

The sackpacks do not carry any Office Depot or Office Depot Foundation branding or logos.

 

The specially designed sackpacks are manufactured exclusively for the Foundation.  Highly contemporary in their design, they reflect and respond to changes in the ways that children are taking their materials to school.  Made from the same sturdy material as backpacks, they are water-resistant and lined to provide extra protection for their contents.  They feature strong ropes and have no metal parts.

Intended primarily for use by students in grades K-5, the sackpacks also are suitable for older children, who use them in a variety of ways.  The sackpack is compact and stores flat, yet still offers plenty of room for books and other school items.

 

The sackpacks are being donated throughout the summer as the Foundation carries out the 14th year of its National Backpack Program.  Every Office Depot and OfficeMax store in the United States has received approximately 50 sackpacks to give to nonprofit organizations and schools in their communities.

 

In addition, sackpacks are being donated through more than 35 Back-to-School Celebration events in key Office Depot markets during the summer, as well as in collaboration with nine national nonprofits serving children in the U.S. and around the world:

  • AARP Experience Corps
  • Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)
  • National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association
  • Feed The Children
  • Food For The Poor
  • Kids In Need Foundation
  • National Foundation for Women Legislators
  • Operation Homefront
  • Samaritan’s Feet International

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We received a couple of Sackpacks and these are really great for kids! The designs are cool such as the blue one with white stars on it that we received and my son will be using for the library.  They are bright and colorful and perfect for back-to-school!

Website – http://www.officedepotfoundation.org/

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/OfficeDepotFoundation

Twitter – @OfficeDepotFndn

We have teamed up with our new friends from the Office Depot Foundation and are having a back-to-school giveaway! Two winners will win a Sackpack. To enter, leave a comment below telling us your favorite or your child’s favorite back-to-school supply! Deadline to enter is September 9, 2014 at noon PST. Two winners will randomly be selected from all entries!

Self Disclosure: No compensation was received to facilitate this feature post but I did receive two Sackpacks.

 

Back-to-School with Bestowed

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It’s Back-to-School time and looking for healthy goodies to add to your children’s lunches? Bestowed has you covered! I recently received a review discount to purchase the August Back-to-School box and there are some real goodies that are perfect for lunches such as Funley’s Super Crackers. These are 100% natural and have hidden veggies in them! My favorite is the Ocean’ Halo Seaweed Chips which are crunchy, gluten-free and just the right amount of spicy! I’m still on the lookout for the Maia Yogurt! (I received a free coupon but haven’t yet found it in the store.)

Our readers can use the discount code BST5 to get $5 off of the first month of Bestowed. This code is valid for their one, three and six-month auto-renewing subscriptions and expires on 9/15 so don’t miss out!

Don’t forget that the products in the July box and many more are available for sale on bestowed.com under the SHOP tab.

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Self Disclosure: I received a blogger discount and only paid shipping to facilitate this feature review. Photo Credit: Top photo: SoCal City Kids. Logo and Boxes image: bestowed.

Dr Song Vitamin C Serum

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I love that this product comes with a 365 day no hassle money-back guarantee! But, I don’t think that it will be needed in my case. So far, I am quite happy with this product. I love that it is light and non-greasy. My skin actually feels smoother and softer since I started using over a week ago. It feels good on my skin and not too sticky and I have been using it once a day and once at night. It is now part of my daily skin care routine. I still have dark spots but I actually think that one of them is starting to fade.  I have tried other Vitamin C skin care products but this is one of my favorites so far! This really is a Must-Have! It contains 20% Vitamin C and is boosted with Vitamin E, Aloe Vera, and Hyaluronic Acid. It can be found on sale right now on Amazon.com.

More info:

About Dr Song Medical
Dr Song Medical is a medical cosmetic laboratory that originally manufactured products for professionals, doctors, and medical facilities.  The creation of Amazon has allowed manufactures like us, to easily get products directly into the hands of consumers, which allows professional quality products at a reasonable price.  Dr Song Medical products are made in the USA and is FDA compliant and a provider of professional products.

We have teamed up for a giveaway! One winner will win their own Vitamin C product! To enter, leave a comment below. Deadline to enter is September 4, 2014 at noon PST. One winner will randomly be selected from all entries.

 
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

New Cookie Monster ipad app from PBS Kids & Sesame Street

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“Me want to go to school!”

You have to love Cookie Monster! This looks like such a fun and educational app for children ages 3-5! Keep reading to learn more!

Kids can join Cookie Monster as they head back to school with a new app from PBS KIDS and SESAME STREET –Cookie Monster’s Challenge. This marks the first time the two children’s media organizations have collaborated on a mobile project. The app, a mix of whimsy and education to help kids ages 3-5 get back into the school mindset, launches just in time for the debut of SESAME STREET’s 45th season, which premieres September 15 on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

 

Available for iPad for $2.99, Cookie Monster’s Challenge offers a series of brain-building games that encourage self-control, focus, memory, following directions and problem solving.  App features include:

  • Ten mini games – Each game presents an exciting challenge designed to give children the opportunity to practice self-control, focus, and memory.
  • Nine Levels – With each level the mini games get more challenging, keeping children engaged and motivated.
  • One Crazy Cookie Making Contraption – As children beat levels they earn pieces of a giant and hilarious cookie-making machine. Children can use the machine to decorate and deliver the cookies they’ve earned to their hungry friend Cookie Monster.
  • Profiles – Children and parents can create up to three separate profiles so that everyone in the family can progress through the game at their own pace.

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Self Disclosure: No compensation was received. SoCal City Kids believes that this would be a fun and educational app for children.

Hello Kitty Oral Care

HK-RG-inpkg         HK Mouth Rinse

Did you know this year is Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary? I did…well, because I am a Hello Kitty fan. If you have a Hello KItty fan in your house, you don’t want to miss out on these two products that will make brushing teeth a little easier! FireFly Hello Kitty Ready Go Brush and Mouthrinse (www.fireflytoothbrush.com) will be a hit with your Hello Kitty fan!

We received samples and they are just adorable!  My son wouldn’t try these out but well…he’s a boy who is 10. I was tempted to keep them for myself but we have a 9 year old friend who likes Hello Kitty so we gave them to her to try out.

Firefly Hello Kitty Ready Go Brush features a light-up timer that mimics the cycle of a traffic light and makes sure kids brush long enough – one minute one uppers and one minute on lowers.   Green for go, yellow for halfway done, and red for finished!  It’s so colorful (the handle comes in punchy Hello Kitty pink) and fun to use that kids will want to brush, no nagging from parents required.   It also has a suction cup holder so it can be stored upright on the counter for less clutter and better hygiene.  This ADA-approved toothbrush is just $3.49 at major retailers nationwide.

This is a favorite of mine because I love the light-up timer feature and it was a hit with our friend who tried it out for us! 

Firefly Hello Kitty Mouthrinse is designed to complement proper brushing and flossing with added smile protection.  The chic character adorns every bottle, reminding kids that proper oral care is good clean fun, and fashionable to boot.  The great tasting and effective mouthrinse formula comes in a kid-friendly “melon kiss” flavor.  It’s sugar-free, alcohol-free formula is safe for kids.  Contains fluoride to fight cavities and strengthen tooth enamel and provides long-lasting anti-cavity protection.  Available for $3.99 at Wal-Mart.

I like that both are affordable and can be easily found in locations that are close by.

Self Disclosure: I received samples to facilitate this feature. Photo Credit: Firefly.