If you’re looking for educational supplies and just fun things for kids like stickers, wrist bands, and arts and crafts supplies then you need to check out a site called Smile Makers (part of the Staples company). Remember when you were a kid and the doctor would give you a lolly pop if you were good? Well Smile Makers is a great resource for doctors, dentists, teachers, day care instructors or anyone who just wants to make a kid happy.

Of course if you buy for enough kids then it can be expensive so we’ll use this page as a list of Smile Makers coupons so you can make your kids happy and save a bunch doing it… what could be better than that?

	Offer	Coupon Code	Expires	Activate
	Up to 25% off Best Sellers	None	Ongoing	Click to Activate
	Save 10% (No Minimum Required)	SAVE10	1/6/2012	Click To Activate
	FREE Alphabet Smile Bands (with any purchase of $30)	FREEBAND	1/6/2012	Click To Activate
	FREE Disney Cars Smile Bands (with any purchase of $30)	FREEBANDS	1/6/2012	Click To Activate

Too often I feel like the toys I buy for my son are made to just fall apart with their cheap plastic and poorly connected pieces. That’s part of the reason why I love buying him Melissa and Doug products whenever I can.

The only drawback to Melissa and Doug toys is that they tend to cost a little more than the average toys do (although in my opinion the improvement in quality is very much worth the slight increase in price). So to save you some money below is a list of all of the current Melissa and Doug coupons to save you money on your next order.

	Offer	Coupon Code	Expires	Activate
	Free Shipping On Any Order of $60 or More	FREESHIP60	12/31/11	Click To Activate
	15% OFF Any Order (Not Stackable w/Other Offers)	take15	12/31/11	Click To Activate

Melissa and Doug make hand crafted toys that are not only built to last but are mostly educational and actually teach children instead of just giving them something to do. All of their products are hand made and produced in house so you know you are getting the best quality toys for your money, not just cheap toys that will fall apart.

Whether you’re 8 or 80, you remember Disney fondly. From Mickey Mouse (or Steamboat Willie if you’re old enough to remember that!) to Donald Duck, to the latest movies like Cars… Disney has been a part of our childhood for a very, very long time. Now you can bring the magic of Disney home with you for your little girl or boy direct from the Disney store.

Below is a list of Disney Store coupons so you can save money bringing home some toys, games and costumes for your little one.

	Offer	Coupon Code	Activate
	Get Free Shipping on Orders over $50 (expires 12/25/11)	SHIPFIFTY	Click To Activate

If you have school aged children then you know that even though schools supply the books, other educational supplies can be very expensive. Thats why I’m very thankful for Discount School Supply and their seemingly endless inventory of school supplies. They have everything from arts and crafts supplies like crayons, glue and construction paper to puppets, toys and even furniture.

What’s even better is that Discount School Supply offers a lot of coupons and free shipping codes. This post will keep the latest Discount School Supply coupons.

	Offer	Coupon Code	Activate
	Free Delivery on Orders Over $79!	None	Click To Activate

One of my favorite places to shop for the kids is a store called The Land of Nod that has everything from toys and games to furniture and decorations for their rooms. When I was shopping for a desk for my son Land of Nod was one of the first places I checked because I know all of their items are top notch.

Every once in a while they run a sale and when they do you know Mommy Brain is here to help. Below are the latest Land of Nod coupons, promotions and specials.

No Land of Nod Coupons Available at this time. Please check back later!

Instilling in children the natural ability to determine where and when their bodily functions will happen can seem to be unnaturally difficult, not to mention stressful. The points to remember are these: 1). Children want to please, 2). Identifying when a bodily function is imminent, much less exerting control over these function, is an ability that takes time and cannot be rushed.

Like kittens and puppies it helps to catch them just as they are about to do the “deed” and transport them to a more appropriate spot which in the case of a child would be their potty seat. Children, unlike pets, can’t be counted on to give warning on a regular basis; children, however, do give clues as to when their bodies are ready for potty training.
Generally after the age of 18 months, a child’s bowel movements will become somewhat predictable and the child will show signs when they commence to soil or wet their diaper. Additionally, they will begin to go through the night without emptying their bowels. This is the ideal time to start potty training.

In our family potty training a child was a family affair. Whenever anyone went to the bathroom to conduct their own business the child in training was taken along and sat on their own pot. The logic was that a child, when the reach the age of beginning to have control over the bowels and bladder, would be more inclined to go when they were sitting and, with enough chances, would “go” simply by laws of probability when seated on their potty chair.

In addition to the child be taken to the bathroom on everyone else’s schedule, they also need to be taken when they show signs of preparing to go in their diaper, right after a meal or snack, first thing in the morning, immediately after a nap and last thing before going to bed. It is important that there be no pleading, scolding, or bribing; if the child does not go that is fine, but if they do it is important to make note and give positive reinforcement for the act.

As the necessity for diaper changing drops, the child can spend increasingly larger portions of the day in underpants; the period of time being carefully chosen to reflect times when the child will be at home and is usually free from soiling or wetting themselves.

There are many creative methods that can be used to help children learn how to tie their shoes. Everyone learns differently, and this is why different teaching methods are helpful. Trust me, a mother may need a little patience to teach children, but this can be accomplished with success.

Most parents are somewhat familiar with the reference to the shoelace loops as bunny ears. In this process the children are instructed to tie a knot for the bunny’s head. The children can then be instructed to take the laces and make an “X” by crossing them over. They can loop the laces into bunny ears and repeat the process. This is usually one of the best ways to get children excited about the possibility of tying their shoes.

The best thing that can be done is repetition. Children will often need to practice these things over and over. Different color laces can also be good practice. It may be easier to get kids to follow the steps if they can distinguish between the laces.

Another method that tries to simplify things is the “loop it, swoop it, and pull” method. This is a nice little catch phrase that kids are likely to remember. This is something that they can practice because they can almost do it without thinking about it. This may takes lots of going through the motions before the child gets good at this.

These methods are great, but none of them would be complete without a demonstration. Children can be given a multitude of instructions. They will seldom learn, however, until they are actually shown. It takes some patience and many times for children to get comfortable with what they are watching.

The best way to train involves a demonstration followed by some hands-on with the children. It’s easy for them to sit back and watch. A better way for them to learn involves a demonstration on their part. Parents can correct the children and show them where they are going wrong.

Sometimes it helps to have a poem about the process of tying shoes. It needs to be something fun that children will remember. This will be a great way to make them remember the process. They may know how to make the loops and the knots, but they may not remember the steps in order. Sometimes poems are needed to jog a child’s memory about the steps.

As many of you know, I recently gave birth to my third child… a beautiful baby girl named Rebecca and while she (and all of my kids) is the light of my life, I also gained more weight than ever during my pregnancy and am having even more trouble trying to take it off.

Here we are half way through November, the holidays are coming up and I know my family isn’t going to settle for carrot sticks and celery for Thanksgiving so it’s time for me to do something and whip myself in to shape!

I’ve never been able to diet well on my own, too much junk food in the house. So what am I doing? Starting tomorrow I am going to start on the Medifast diet program. I have no idea if the plan is any good or not, I’m sure the food tastes awful, but I know Judy at work used it and she looks fantastic… lost close to 50 pounds!!

The diet is really expensive, so I hope it works. Thank god I found a great Medifast coupon that took $50 off my purchase or I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

I’m sure the food doesn’t taste great so that part kinda stinks, but whatever I’ll get through it, I’ve eaten worse tasting food to get this fat so I can eat more of it if it means taking off this pregnancy weight. I just hope it doesn’t make me sick or something because I dont think I could handle that this time of year!!!

So anyway for all of you who know me personally do me a favor and try not to bring bad food, cookies, candy etc around me because I will totally break down and I have to lose this weight now. I feel worse than I’ve ever felt before but I think I can really lose it this time, so here goes nothing!!!

We hate to see our children get sick; therefore, we do all we can to keep our children healthy. We protect our children from physical harm, and we try to take every precaution to keep them from catching any illness. By following a few simple techniques, our children can grow up in a healthier environment.

Bedtime was one of the hardest things to enforce as a mother. The children wanted to stay up late even though they knew their bodies needed rest. As a mother, I had to find a way to ensure that the children got enough sleep. Bedtime became a fun time when we set up a routine and made a game of it. The bedtime routine included teaching them good hygiene techniques like brushing their teeth and taking a bath.

Another thing that is sometimes hard for us to do is to get our children to eat the right foods. They need plenty of healthy food and water each day. A good way to encourage them to eat right is to let them become part of the process; they can help you prepare the meal. The time spent together is an added bonus.

Playtime is a necessary activity for healthy children (and it helps keep me healthy too!). I would spend time outside with my children throwing balls, playing basketball, or visiting a local park. These activities gave my children a chance to be outdoors in the fresh air as well as to get some much needed exercise. Exercise helps keep our children healthy.

Our kids spend too much time watching TV or playing games. We need to set limits on how much time they spend on these activities. We can use inexpensive timers like the ones used in the kitchen or even set an alarm clock to let them know when they have been doing this particular activity too long.

To keep my children healthy, I posted no smoking signs for my house. My youngest suffered from asthma as a baby, and second-hand smoke is bad for asthma sufferers. If family or friends had a problem with my no smoking policy, then they just didn’t come over. But at least I was keeping my child healthy.

When we promote good personal habits such as making sure they wash their hands after using the restroom, we are instilling in our child how to live healthier. A mother’s first priority is to keep her children healthy.

Dealing with a sick child can be difficult, especially when they have needs that are generally not met with cookie-cutter solutions. At first sign of illness, a child must be assessed by the caregiver to determine whether the illness is something that will require medical attention from a professional.

Making sure to note any physical symptoms that can be determined through observation as well as any that the child is able to communicate is always recommended. Common problems that children will complain about are high fevers, headaches, fatigue, cough, sore throat, runny nose, aches, diarrhea and vomiting. Any pre-existing conditions which can cause excess pain or complications can make soothing children a complex matter.

It is important to provide the child with medication as necessary to reduce their symptoms of their illness. For me children’s tylenol is a wonderful thing, but make sure you follow proper dosage so you don’t make them worse! The sooner that they are able to feel relief of their symptoms, the sooner they can rest and allow their body to recover from the illness. Generally, an illness can last anywhere from a few hours to several days or longer depending on the cause. Within this time frame, a child may be lethargic or unwilling to cooperate with necessary bodily functions such as eating or sleeping. Ensure that the child is properly hydrated and has a source of caloric intake that is of high nutritional value.

When dealing with very young children, ensure that they get a higher frequency cleaning of their diapers to prevent uncomfortable situations such as diaper rash, which will ultimately cause them to complain and cry more often from excess pain. Older children may be unable to make trips to the restroom on their own if they are fatigued, so ensure that they are able to relieve themselves without soiling their resting locations.

If the child has siblings, they may need to reduce their exposure to the ill child for two main reasons. First, the sibling may be able to contract the illness if it is a communicable disease. Second, the ill child may not be able to rest if their sibling is causing a stressful atmosphere. Additionally, sick children may generally be unwilling to play while they are ill so the interactions they may have can be unpleasant. The same can apply to hyper-active or loud family pets.

Maintaining positive interaction with the child while they are sick can help them to relax and get over their sickness in a shorter period of time.