Oh chores…how I can’t wait until Carter is old enough to do them.  Wait…I mean, I can’t wait until I can start teaching Carter the value of work and responsibility.  My Job Chart is here to help with that!

My Job Chart is the free, easy to use, online chore chart and reward system for organizing and motivating your kids to learn first hand how to save, share and spend.

My Job Chart gives parents the satisfaction of seeing their kids gain the foundation skills of a strong work ethic and financial responsibility.

With My Job Chart you can create a free account.  Yes, FREE!  Then you enter your family’s information, create chores for each child, decide the point value for each chore and choose the reward options.  It’s that easy!  When your child completes a chore they can login to update their progress and see the points they’ve earned toward their rewards!  Once a reward has been earned you will get an email notification so it’s easy to keep track and follow through.

Here’s a more detailed explanation about how it all works:

My Job Chart also allows parents to give their children the option to donate their rewards to a charity.  Some of the charities available include Susan G. Comen for the Cure, the American Cancer Society and the American Red Cross. This is a wonderful way to teach children the importance of giving back!

So if you have a child that is old enough to do chores, make sure to head over to My Job Chart and create your free account!  I can’t wait to try it out once Carter gets older :)



I’m so excited to tell you about Three P’s in a Pod’s newest sponsor –  Nanoosa.com, a website that is doing great things.  Here is a little bit about what they do taken from their About Us page:

Nanoosa.com was founded to help organizations benefit from people shopping online. Retailers pay commission to websites (like nanoosa.com) who generate traffic to their site. Nanoosa.com takes the commission that is paid to them and then returns a percentage of the commission to the shopper (you) who made the purchase. The commission can then be withdrawn by the shopper to use as they wish; or, more importantly, the shopper can elect to have the money donated to the organization of their choice. It’s a win/win for everyone.

Nanoosa.com works with websites including Walmart, Overstock, Mabel’s Labels, Kohl’s, Lego, Barnes & Noble, Build a Bear, Target, Melissa & Doug and Disney Store.  How awesome is it that you can shop as usual and, just because you go through Nanoosa.com, you’ll earn cash back that you can either keep or donate?!?

Now, for even more great news!  Nanoosa.com is having an awesome back to school giveaway event.    They have specific sponsors lined up for specific dates from August 17 – 31.  You must sign up as a participant to be notified by email of each sponsor’s special deals and giveaways because the information won’t be available to the public.  There will also be several giveaways for the registered participants.  It’s super easy to register as a participant for this event.  You just submit your name and email address.

The next time you’re doing some shopping online be sure to go through Nanoosa.com to earn some cash back for yourself or to donate to the organization of your choice!

You can also find Nanoosa.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Would you like to become a sponsor of Three P’s in a Pod?  Email me at tara@3psmama.com to find out more!

I am so excited to be able to tell all of you about Slooooks!  I was only recently introduced to this game, but can’t wait until Carter is old enough so I can order it and play it with him!  It really seem like the fun could be endless, which isn’t true for a lot of games and toys these days. 

Here’s a little bit about Slooooks!, written by the creator, Kate -

HOW IT WAS CREATED

Slooooks! was created when Kate Patterson, an interior designer and mother of two, began looking for a way to make an engaging game for her daughter’s birthday party.  

She started with a scavenger hunt, which the kids loved.  Thinking it would be fun to play as a game on a regular basis, she created a scavenger hunt in book form.  The kids liked it at first, but once they’d figured out all the clues they lost interest.  Back to the drawing board! The result was Slooooks!, a cross between eye-spy and a scavenger hunt that’s different every time you play, and can go anywhere! 

BIO

Kate has a degree in fine art and has run her own interior design business for 15 years. She lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan with her family.  She says that her two daughters taught her what to look for in a good toy. 

THE GAME

Slooooks! is an educational and entertaining new game. The rules are simple and all ages can play together … and the game board folds up like a book so it can go everywhere! 

To play, just open up the board. Spin the spinners to get the color and first letter of an object to seek, then flip the timer and start searching! If you find it before the timer runs out you score a point!  You can play simple versions of Slooooks! for younger children, or choose Challenge Slooooks! or Speed Slooooks! for older children. 

Slooooks! is the perfect on-the-go game. You can play inside, outside, at restaurants, in the car, at the beach, in a waiting room … wherever you’d like! When you are done, simply replace the sand timer and fold up the game. 

Parents will like the fact that there are not a lot of loose pieces. Kids will like that it’s never the same game twice!

To read more detailed instructions on how to play the game you can visit the Slooooks! website.  It also explains how to play four additional versions of the game – Challenge Slooooks!, Speed Slooooks!, Mind Slooooks! and Junior Slooooks!

Slooooks! recently won the Dr. Toy Best Vacation Products Award for 2011.  

Slooooks! is available to purchase on their website for only $17.95.

Amanda, author of Organic Homemaking, is a wife and mother to two adorable little men.  Here is a little bit about her blog, taken from her About Me page:

I get the opportunity to stay home with the munchkins. Every day is a lesson in becoming a more patient person while I wipe noses, read stories (over and over) and graciously dispose of bugs my 2 year old brings to me.

I started this blog last year. I wasn’t sure I would like blogging but almost a year and a half later I can confidently say I love it! At 24, I’m sort of a newbie at everything. As I learn how to cook real foods, use cloth diapers, plant a garden, make a baby sling, and raise my children…you’ll know about it because hopefully we can learn this thing called life together! I hope you enjoy Organic Homemaking!

Make sure to head on over to Organic Homemaking to pay Amanda a visit and say hello!  You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

I’m excited to announce my first June sponsor, Tiny Owl.  Tiny Owl LLC includes several different websites – Many Little Blessings, The Homeschool Classroom, Catholic Mothers Online, Connections Network, Just a Tiny Owl (etsy shop), and The Catholic Gadget (a free downloadable toolbar).

Here’s a little bit about the owner, Angie, taken from the home page:  

All of these sites are owned and managed by Angie, a thirty-something Catholic homeschooling Mom to three children.  From a young age, Angie loved to do a few things — talk (too quickly for people to understand) and make up stories.  It’s only natural that as she grew, writing became an outlet that she enjoyed.  When she began college in the 1990′s, she found another thing she loved – The Internet.  These loves quickly combined into a love of writing on the Internet.

Angie has long had a love of connecting with and helping people, and the Internet is a perfect fit for that love.  As a writer of blogs, she has also grown to really love connecting small businesses with people who might have never heard of them otherwise.  (She’s not too proud to admit that she recently had a tear in her eye as she received an email from one client who excitedly told her that she received her very first sale in her Etsy shop, and the customer had been referred through one of Angie’s sites.)  As the owner of an Etsy shop herself, she understood the joy of that client.

In early May 2011, Tiny Owl launched their Connections Network.  This is a network for bloggers to come together and learn from each other.  In addition to large groups, there are also smaller groups of about 8 to 12 bloggers.  You are assigned to one of these groups in match-maker style, not randomly.  This allows you to network and form close relationship with the bloggers in your group instead of getting lost in the crowd of larger groups.

You can join the Connections Network for the regular price of $29.95 per year.  Until June 30th a one-year membership is only $19.95, and from July 1st to August 31st, a one year membership will be $24.95.  There is also an affiliate program where you can earn a percentage of their membership fee when you refer other bloggers!  What an awesome deal!

Make sure to head over and visit the Connections Network and Tiny Owl today!

On Sunday May 22nd, the town of Joplin, Missouri was devastated by an F5 tornado, the highest rating given to tornados.

The death toll is at 122 victims and there are over 700 with injuries. There are still over 1,500 people unaccounted for. 

Times like these, we feel helpless. We don’t know what to do. We wish we could be there to help. Our hearts go out to the victims of the Joplin, Missouri tornado.

We are going to do what we do best: Blog and use Social Media. 

Bloggers for Joplin is a group of bloggers who have teamed up to help Joplin, Missouri.

We are accepting advertisers for the month of June with 100% of the proceeds going to help the people of Joplin, Missouri. 

The following blogs are participating and accepting advertisers: 

Sippy Cup Mom is accepting 6 spots at $25 each. (2 spots available)

The Maven of Social Media is accepting 6 spots at $25 each.

Mommy PR is accepting 2 spots at $25 each.

Motherhood Unadorned is accepting 4 spots at $25 each.

Girl Gone Mom is accepting 2 spots at $25 each.

Crazy about My Baybah is accepting 6 spots at $25 each.

Family and Life in Las Vegas is accepting 6 spots at $25 each.

Fun Finds For Families is accepting 6 spots at $25 each.

Family Friendly Frugality is accepting 8 spots at $25 each. (ALL SPOTS FILLED)

Sarah’s Deals is accepting $75 each for her 350×250 banner and her skyscraper. She is also accepting spots at $25 each.

Taming Insanity is accepting 6 spots at $20 each.

**Three P’s in a Pod is accepting unlimited spots at $15 each.**

See K Read is accepting 4 spots at $10 each.

StL Baseball App is accepting 4 spots at $10 each. 

Tara of A Creation of Miracles is also looking to donate $300 for 3 families that are now homeless. These families work with her father. She is looking for $100 for each family. You can visit her blog on more information and to donate to help these specific families!

If you are are a blog or a business looking to advertise, or have specific questions about advertising on my blog, please email me at tara@3psmama.com.

If you are a reader looking to donate ANY AMOUNT, you can click on the Bloggers for Joplin button above and it will take you to Paypal to make a donation.  

If you are a blogger looking to join our cause, please let us know at bloggersforjoplin@gmail.com and we will get you added to the list! 

Thank you so much and please spread the word!

I’m so excited to introduce you to the newest sponsor of Three P’s in a Pod – I Heart Maternity.  Their online shop just opened up this week and I’m honored to be able to help spread the word about it!  I Heart Maternity is a shop for expecting mothers and parents who are looking for fun and unique items to use during pregnancy and throughout parenthood with their little ones.     

I Heart Maternity isn’t your typical online shop.  It’s serves a purpose for both shoppers and moms and dads with shops of their own.  I Heart Maternity links to other online shops.  So when you find an item that you’d like to know more about or even purchase, you click on the picture and are taken directly to the online shop that makes/sells that item.

This custom painted rocker from Ellie’s caught my eye right away!  I think it looks so fun.  You can have it painted however you want, isn’t that awesome!

The shop has several categories to choose from, making shopping so much easier.  Some of the categories are – Pregnancy, Expecting Dads, Organic Items, Bows & Headbands, Baby Mealtime and Big Sister/Brother.  So, whether you’re looking to purchase something or would like to advertise your business, you should definitely stop by I Heart Maternity!

You can also find I Heart Maternity on Twitter, Facebook, and at the I Heart Maternity blog.

An ultrasound tech told me that there were maternity belly rings, but they were just hard to find.  Well I went on a search and finally found one.  I wore it through my entire pregnancy and right into the delivery room.  The nurses all loved it.

After my son was born, I went back to the “regular” steel belly button rings but just did not like them anymore.  So I got out my maternity belly ring, cut the PTFE bar to a much shorter length, rethreaded the ball, and took off the “It’s a Boy” charm and replaced it with a candy cane……that is when Belly Charms began in December of 2007.

—————————————–

Belly Charms is 100% mom owned and operated and has been since day 1.  I process your orders, make your jewelry, pack the orders and ship them. If you call with a question, I will answer the phone.  If you send an email I will respond.  You get fast customer service….even at 1am if I am still working.

Want to become a sponsor of Three P’s in a Pod?  Email me at tara@3psmama.com!

I don’t think I could be more excited than I am to announce a new sponsor.  Introducing, the newest sponsor of Three P’s in a Pod – my friend and fellow co-host of Say Hi Sunday – Mommy Head Adventures!

I am a mom of 2 under 2, both with special needs, who is on one amazing life adventure to learn how to juggle it all! Life has dealt me a few apples and oranges, but on this journey I am not alone.  Along my side is my Saviour and King, Jesus Christ.  I also have the following “characters” who you will get to know along the way.

Daddy Head

My dearest husband.  He can be the source of many funny moments, all of which I hope to share.  Besides, he never reads this thing, so he wont be any wiser of it ;)

Bear

My daughter.  She received her nickname from her great grandmother.  When she was told Bear’s real name, Lilibeth, she thought we said Billy Bear.  Well, the name stuck and that is where it comes from.  At 5 1/2 months, Bear was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms, a rare form of epilepsy in infants.  It was by far the scariest thing I have ever faced, but it has made me so much stronger.  I am the woman I am today because of what we have been through with Bear, and continue to go through with her.  She is defying the odds today and is close to walking and talking.

Lion

My son.  His name is Ryan and he is a doll.  He received his nickname from his Grampy the day he was born.  When we found out that he was a baby with Down syndrome, the name fit him well based on a scripture that God had spoken to us about how David had conquered both the Lion and the Bear.  What encouragement based upon what all we have faced.  Lion now lives up to his name by growling all the time, his first attempts at talking, right on schedule!

Bear and Lion are just too cute!  And there’s always a new story or photo to see on Mommy Head Adventures, so make sure to pay her a visit!  Mommy Head is such a wonderful mother to them and she is truly inspiring :)

You can also find Mommy Head Adventures on Twitter and Facebook.

Interested in becoming a sponsor of Three P’s in a Pod? Email me at tara@3psmama.com for more information about my current special!