Land of Nod's winter sale catalog is out and you can view it online here to see items up to 50% off.

Here's a link where you can win four tickets to see The Wiggles in concert Wednesday, February 28, 6:30 pm, at Freedom Hall in Louisville! You just need to fill out a short entry by Wednesday, February 21.

GameStop/EBGames has Donkey Kong Jungle Beat with Bongos for $10 + $10 handling fee = $20. Use coupon code saver for free Value Shipping (make sure to select it at checkout).

The fight against teen pregnancy in the U.S. is probably the greatest in the world. Though teen pregnancy rates have declined over the past few years, for some is not enough. The Washington County (West Virginia) Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition is sponsoringa contest with more than $5,000 in cash prizes for those who develop the best print ads, 30 second video spots and 10 minutes short films about the theme, "Sex Has Consequences". Washington County has the fourth highest rate of teen pregnancy across the nation according to a report in 2005. Read it here

To see ads done by other young people, go to www.teenpregnancy.org.

A new research study indicates that babies of mother's who have developed diabetes during pregnancy and had to be treated with insulin have a weak sucking reflex. But babies of mothers who had diabetes and managed their diets carefully didn't have the same problem. The findings indicate the nervous system of newborns of insulin-treated diabetic mother is less mature than that of babies born the healthy mothers. Read it here.

Receive a free Korres Guava Body Butter ($6 value) & free shipping with your first Beauty.com order of $35 or more! Ends 1-15-06 or while supplies last.

Buy $30 of select philosophy and get a free Amazing Grace Bubble Bath ($25 value). Ends 1-31-07.

Buy a Clarisonic skin care brush and get a free Travel Kit ($55 value). Ends 2-13-07.

Buy any BORBA and get a free bottle sleeve ($10 value). Ends 2-13-07.

Buy $50 of philosophy and get a free Purity Made Simple cleanser ($10 value). Ends 1-15-07.

Get $10 off a Beauty.com order of $100 or more. Ends 1-31-07.

Phil & Teds e3 Strollers with doubles seats are recalled because children can touch the rear tires when in the stroller’s add-on seat. This can pose an abrasion hazard to children. This recall involves the e3 Buggy which is a three-wheeled stroller with a black steel tubing frame. It is sold in a variety of fabric colors. An additional seat, known as a “Doubles Kit,” can be added directly behind the main stroller’s seat allowing a second child to ride in the stroller. This seat can either be added on top of the stroller’s frame or attached on top of the rear axle in the lower position. When used in the lower position, a seated child can reach the wheels.

Sold by: Baby furniture and baby products stores nationwide, and Internet retailers from July 2005 through November 2006 for about $380. Consumers should immediately stop using the additional rear seat in the lower position on top of the rear axle and contact Regal Lager for free additional rear wheel guards. For more information, contact Regal Lager at (800) 593-5522 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, e-mail the firm at info@regallager.com, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.regallager.com

365 Penguins - From School Library Journal: This hilarious, oversize picture book integrates challenging math concepts and environmental concerns into a clever narrative. On New Year's Day, a family receives an anonymous package containing a penguin. The young narrator chases the bird around the house as it runs amok and knocks over lamps and furniture. His sister, Amy, finds a note, I'm number 1. Feed me when I'm hungry. Just as the message implies, there are more to come; by the end of the year, 365 in all. Penguins, penguins everywhere./Black and white and in my hair, sighs Amy. As they arrive, readers must recall the number of days in each month–by the end of February, they are calculating the number of penguins in all. Then Father decides to organize them, first into four groups of 15, later in boxes by the dozen, and, finally, into a cubic formation. By summer, the heat, noise, and smell are unbearable. On New Year's Eve, ecologist Uncle Victor arrives and the mystery is solved. The engaging story is illustrated in a flat retro design with a palette dominated by orange, blue, gray, and black and white. The comical birds watch TV, dance with their teenage sister, and eat everything in sight. The text provides endless opportunities for word problems, and units on penguins and global warming will never be the same. –Barbara Auerbach

Adam Sandler is well known for his comedic roles in movies like 50 First Dates, Click, Bid Daddy and others and this Christmas his role was to play Santa to a brother and sister who are fighting cancer in his home state of New Hampshire. He had a PlayStation 3 loaded with games as well as autographed DVDs, jerseys and a Longest Yard poster delivered to 15-year-old Stephanie and 18-year-old Kevin Hudon of Manchester, N.H., the Associated Press reports.

Stephanie is scheduled for sugery January 8. She has bone cancer that has spread to her lungs and her brother Kevin was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and is under-going chemo. Read it here.

Here are some toys I found that are 50% off at Target.com. They have dozens of toys newly marked down. Shop Toys at Target.com

         
Froggie Activity Board   Solar Plane Kit

      
  Dupers Cow        Melvin the Rooster Giant

    
Terri Lee Nanook   BRIO Networkers Pack 2

Isabella Oliver is having a sale and you can save up to 40% off warm winter essentials and more! The sale ends January 8th, 2007 so hurry!

Buy $25.00 in Burt's Bees and get a free body wash ($8 value). Ends 2-9-07.

Save up to 50% on Cough, Cold & Sinus cures! Ends 2-9-07.

Save up to 40% on Rite Aid brand health & fitness products. Ends 12-29-2006.

Buy Any AirBorne product and get Sour Throat Free ($2.99 value)! Ends 2-9-07.

Buy $30 of philosophy and get a free shower gel, 2oz ($4 value). Ends 2-13-07.

Janie and Jack is having Season Final Sale and you can save up to 60% off original prices!

This Limited Edition Baby Jogger City Series Single Jogging Stroller is on sale for $299.98, a savings of $43.02. A portion of proceeds goes to breast cancer research.

All the Maclaren Strollers @ BabyUniverse.Com are also 10% off.

If your child has lice, use this link to get a free sample of Nix Lice Treatment. Even if your child doesn't have lice now, this sample would be a good thing to keep in the cabinet just in case.

Save 10% storewide at Skinstore.com with coupon code NEW10R during checkout. The code expires 1/2/07.

Due Maternity is having an End of the Year sale and you can save up to 70% off. The sale ends December 31st. I see some great jeans, skirts, tops and diaper bags on sale!

Each order also goes out with a free sample of Tummy Honey while supplies last!

Here's a link for a free 24 day pass to 24 Hour Fitness. Usually you get only 2 weeks free.

I was checking out the deals at the mall today and noticed that Gymboree is having a sale and you can save between 25% - 60%. Items that were about 25 - 40% off included winter clothing while items that were 60% off included spring and summer apparel. Looks like they're clearing away things from last spring/summer that were left hanging around their stock rooms.

There wasn't much of a sale going on at Children's Place.

Ads are everywhere, period and now video game marketers are getting very sneaky about advertising their games to children. Many of you have heard there are video games that allows players from different locations to play the same game via the internet. Marketers have taken advantage of this convenience by implementing interactive ads during the game playing that makes it hard to differentiate between the game and the ad.

Justin Townsend is the CEO of IGA Worldwide, a company that develops this interactive advertising. "We can literally feed the ads in then, over the internet straight into the gaming environment itself. So you might switch on the game, play it one day, and see big name sports brands, and the next time you play you might see big name drinks brand," he says. Townsend claims these ads also make games more fun. "When the brands are contextually relevant to the game and placed in a contextually relevant manner within the gaming environment, then it actually enhances the game play itself for the consumer."

But not everyone's buying that. Dr. Susan Linn with the Campaign for a Commerical-Free Childhood say young children and teens shouldn't be exposed to these types of ads. "The ads change all the time so, you know, parents have no idea what's being marketed to their kids." Read it here.

Marketers have also integrated product placement (usually found in movies and tv programs) into video games. These ads may come in the form of billboards or posters within the game that advertise a specific product.

Who knew Lego was having a world competition! Well a team of seventh-graders from Texas are on their way to the First Lego League robotics world championship competition in Atlanta this spring. Contestants have to build robots that solve real-world engineering challenges. "The theme changes every year," said tournament director Randall Hicks, manager of educational services for Stennis Space Center. "This year, it's nanotechnology."

More than 62,000 children in 31 countries are competing in FIRST Lego Leagues. Judges include those with experience working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NASA is apparently sponsoring this competition and Hicks said they are the FIRST sponsor because, "This is a pipeline for future scientists and engineers. This is an investment in our future." Read it here.

AFTER CHRISTMAS SALE & CLEARANCE at macys.com! Save 10-60% + values throughout the store. Offer valid 12.26.06-1.1.07.

Holiday Lane - save 50% on clearance!

The Men's Half Yearly Sale (save 33% or more) at Nordstrom is now in progress and there are some great items on sale just for dads!

Also save at the NORDSTROM Online Winter Savings Event - Save 25 - 50% on select winter apparel for the entire family!

Discovery Channel Store is having an After-Holiday sale and you can save up to 50% on neat little gadgets. This award winning ATM bank is just $27.96 from $39.95. The ATM bank accepts real bills and coins for hours of learning and fun. It also dispenses cash like a real ATM, you can enter a secret PIN number, make deposits and withdrawls, keeps a running total of savings, and has an electronic bill feeder. Fun! Get it now and save it for your child's birthday!

"I was excited and fell in love with the idea of this product immediately. I soon decided to use it with my youth entrepreneurship program as an award to some outstanding participants. The ATM encourage kids to save at home until they reach a financial goal and will be able to deposit their money into a "real" bank. I love it!" -- Benita, Huston, TX

Toys R Us has a buy one get one free promotion on all Leapster and V.Smile learning system cartridges with free shipping and $10 off $30 using Google Checkout. you can get 4 Leapster cartridges for $40 or 4 V.Smile cartridges for $30. Click the image link to start shopping.

Old Navy is having a Holiday Sale with a savings of up to 50% for the whole family. I see some great long sleeve shirts for boys, fun sweaters for baby girls, cute tops for women, warm jackets for men and stylish outfits for those with a bump! Click the image to the right to go directly to the sale!

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are at it again handing out toys to less fortunate children of refugees on Christmas Day in Costa Rica's capital of San Jose. "We had a wonderful Christmas both with the Costa Rican people and the Colombian refugee families we met," Jolie said in a statement. Her visit was part of her work as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

"The conflict in Colombia is the greatest humanitarian tragedy in the Western Hemisphere, but it receives very little international attention," Jolie said after her arrival in San Jose. "My Christmas message to Colombian refugees and to the millions of displaced people in Colombia is that the world has not totally forgotten them."

"It's been sad for me to hear so many negative stories that show confusion between refugees, who are the victims of the conflict, and some criminal elements," Jolie said. Read it here.

Paper Source is having a holiday sale with a savings of up to 40% off. I guess they need to get rid of all that holiday wrapping paper and gift tags!

Banana Republic's winter clearance just started today and you can save 25 - 50% off apparel for the entire family. I found this baby shawl cardigan on sale for $46.99 from $68. It's made with a blend of wool and cashmere. Sounds soft.

There's also a ton of great stuff on sale for moms and dads that'll keep us warm during the rest of winter!

Save between 25% to 50% at Sur La Table's Winter Clearance.

Carter's is having a $7 baby sale, plus click the image to print out a 20% off coupon! If you're curious, Carter's stores are usually located in outlet malls.

Crabtree & Evelyn has some great products that will be retiring soon and you can save 30% off these products! Choose from Black Tea Body Mist, Goatmilk Hand Cream, Shower Gels and more!

American Eagle has a 20% off coupon that works on all items. Use code 99819662 at checkout. They're also having a free shipping offer on all jeans, no code required.

Growing up I remember taking mandatory surveys in middle and high school with questions about how safe I felt at school. It made me wonder, "Shouldn't I feel safe at school? Why wouldn't I." I guess I felt safe because I had good friends, butooking back I understand that there aren't so good kids at school.

More than half of fifth-graders in Vallejo don't feel safe and secure at school according to a California Healthy Kids Survey. More students in higher grades feel unsafe at school including 59% off seventh-graders and more than two-thirds of freshman and juniors. The study also found that there's a rising number of children drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Some children also report having brought weapons to school - nearly 20 percent of freshmen, 13 percent of the juniors and 16 percent of seventh-graders, the survey said. Those weapons included knives or clubs, according to the survey.

"Safety is definitely something we all need to pay attention to, especially to the fact that the kids themselves are saying they don't feel safe in or around school," said Vanita Finney, district coordinator of school health services. It will take parents and the community's help, she said. Read it here.

   

I recently found a good article about focusing on your positive aspects when fighting for your child's custody. The article is written like a Q and A and here's an excerpt:

Q: My custody evaluation is coming up soon, and I am trying to prepare for the meeting with the evaluator. After 20 years of marriage, I realize I was emotionally, verbally and sexually abused and regularly threatened with divorce. I can easily get caught up in the injustice of my ex's lying and character assassination.

How do I respond to his lies? Do I rely on providing a list of people who have been close to our situation to give their opinions of us as parents? How do I bring up the domestic violence conviction or the fact that his case is being reviewed for probation violation? I feel my ex has emotional problems that he should deal with because they affect his ability to be a good parent. What advice do you have?

A: Make a list of points why you believe you should have primary physical custody. Emphasize your strengths, rather than your ex's shortcomings. Describe your stable home environment, your daily routine, methods of child care, your involvement with the children's school and your support system of family and friends.

This information tells the evaluator how effectively you have established a healthy and stable lifestyle. Practice describing your family life to one of your friends. The more familiar you are with the information you want to convey, the more confident you will feel in your interview.

Don't allow your ex's accusations to upset you. Correct any significant errors when the opportunity arises. If the evaluator is not aware of your husband's conviction and probation violation, offer this information calmly, giving dates and details.

Your comfortable presentation of your lifestyle is much more effective than reports from friends or family members. Both parties in a divorce can find people to defend them. The evaluator will judge you on your personal presentation and description of family life.

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Most judges allow the non- custodial parent to have normal visitation, unless there is clear evidence that a parent has emotional problems that could damage the children. Children benefit from maintaining a relationship with both parents.

The judge will determine custody regulations from the facts in the case, not from perceptions of your ex from you or your friends. Judges also look very carefully at either parent's attempt to withhold the children from the other parent. Read it here.