Top Ten Text and Email Code Words – You don’t want your kids to use. 

I can remember the days when I was lucky to have a phone in my own room so I could have private conversations with my friends.  Wow does time fly! Now our kids will chat and text right in front of our faces—but that doesn’t have to mean we don’t know what they’re saying.  If were near by, you can bet that they’ve texted their friends clues that your in ear/eye shot. 

Here are some warning codes kids tell others that mom and dad are lurking:

1.  AITR—Adult in the room
2.  CD9—Code 9 – parents are around
3.  KPC—Keep Parents Clueless
4.  MOS – Mom over shoulder
5.  POS – Parent over shoulder
6.  PAW – Parents are watching
7.  P911 – Parent alert
8.  PAL – Parents are listening
9. PRL – Parents are listening
10. PIR – Parent in room

Dish with us: Do you check your kid’s chat, text, and email histories?

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Trendy Tip mom’s as you know, I am always looking for ways to go Green and thanks to another Trendy mom, I just found another way to do my little part.  On a daily basis I am picking up broken crayons and tossing them in the trash.  NO MORE now we have a great little box ready to recycle.  The kids and I took a shoe box and decorated it full of color and cut a small hole in the top.  It now sits with our other recycle bins ready to gather broken crayons.  So if your crayon box has gotten out of hand,  Crazy Crayonsmight be the place for you. Founder LuAnn Foty is on a mission to recycle those old crayons kids don’t want to use anymore. You can send your old crayons (or those from your school, daycare or church) and they are recycled into new, multi-colored molded crayons. You can get turtles, hearts, dinosaurs or seasonal varieties. All of them are really cool and they color in a nice, randomly colored pattern.

Recycling crayons may not change the world, but it’s a lot of fun and a great way to introduce your little ones to the idea of recycling in a way they can really relate to and enjoy…

•  LuAnn Foty, founder of CRAZY CRAYONS and the CRAYON RECYCLING PROGRAM has been in business for 14 years
• The CRAYON RECYCLE PROGRAM is an educational tool, a “doing your part for the Earth” project, and a community service. Be creative with this recycle program. A crayon drive can be organized by kids and brought to a community level.
• All CRAZY CRAYON purchases benefit the CRAYON RECYCLING PROGRAM.  

Another great idea from Martha Stuart  

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/crazy-crayons

Heat makes a crayon a little loopy; it may melt into a swirl or pool into a whirl. With this in mind, we chopped up crayons and baked them in shaped mini cake tins, making large blocks that are easy for toddlers to hold and will surely inspire older artists. Encourage kids to come up with combinations: A blue-and-white blend for drawing the sky, for example, and a mix of reds and oranges for sunsets.

Tools and Materials
Kitchen knife
Old crayons
Mini-cake tins (we used pans with heart- and circle-shaped pockets)

Crayon How-To
1. Parents can use the knife to chop crayons into pea-size pieces, taking care to keep colors separate so kids can combine them as they like.

2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees while children fill the tin with crayon pieces, arranging them in interesting designs.

3. Bake just until the waxes have melted, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Remove the shapes after they have cooled. If they stick, place tray in the freezer for an hour, and the crayons will pop out.

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Madagascar Escape2Africa

What’s a more perfect way to celebrate fall and the quick approach into winter?  A Sunday afternoon Movie.  In the winter months my 7 yr old and I typically enjoy a weekend matinee, while my husband catches up on the Sunday Ticket (Football) It is always a great way to bond and perfect mommy and me time with my oldest daughter.

Our trendy pick of the week was Madagascar Escape2Africa. And it gets a Trendy MOM kids shoe must see..

Madagascar Escape2Africa – As usual DreamWorks does a wonderful job of making a movie that is enjoyable for kids and adults alike.  All the fun and fantasy that grabs our children’s attention but at the same time troughs in some adult humor to keep the parents entertained. Filled with music, dancing, and laughter filled moments.

Alex, Marty Melman and Gloria and the whole Madagascar gang strive to head home to New York City but end up back home where it all began – Africa.  These lovable characters find themselves back in the wild – where they discovers their roots, and work to determine if this beautiful place is better then the home they have grown to know in Central Park.

In the highly-anticipated sequel to “Madagascar”- was well worth the weight and we loved it.

The voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Andy Richter, Bernie Mac, Sherri Shepherd, Alec Baldwin and will.i.am. bring this star studded group of characters to life and into our hearts.  

Enjoy the movie:

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As an on the go mom, I know how hard it is to find Affordable and Trendy Shoes for Kids. 

  We want them to have the best but they grow so fast we don’t want to spend the big bucks.  Shoebuy.com has been the answer for me.  The quick, affordable and safe online shopping shoebuy provides makes finding the perfect shoe a piece of cake.  Here are a few of my Top Picks so far this season.Click Here to see more or subscribe to the TrendyTip Newsletter and keep posted on the latest Posh Pre-teen Trendy Tips.

Merrell Zodiac Kids (Girls’) – PinkA Celestial leather flat, lean, stitch-detailed and marked by elastic-anchored crossover buckled leather straps. Non-marking Solstice sole surrounds a low-profile In-Board Air Cushion EVA midsole. Leather Upper. Soft Mesh Lining. Leather Buckle and Elastic Gore Straps. Removable Perfed EVA Footbed. Merrell Air Cushion EVA Midsole. Merrell Solstice Cupsole/Non-Marking Rubber. Available Colors: Brown/Blue, Flintstone, Pink, Autumn.

 

EMU Bronte Hi Kids (Children’s) – Orchid PinkA Classic tall full sheepskin style from EMU. Made from the finest australian sheepskin. Sheepskin naturally ‘wicks away water’ meaning odourless footwear. Comfortable, durable emusole dual density EVA outsole. Superior double stitched seams for added strength. Cupped suede leather heel for extra fit and support. Can be worn indoors or outdoors. Available Colors: Orchid Pink, Black, Chestnut, Chocolate.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Technorati Tags: affordable, Girls, kids, shoe, Shoebuy, TrendyTip

Halloween Parties Made Easy Traditional Trick or Treating door to door is only one way to enjoy Halloween.  How about a Spooktacular neighborhood Halloween party?  

 Frightful Fingers

This fun finger food is the perfect bit size snack. Just for fun serve them on a platter with a bowl of BLOOD (Katchup) 

Mini Hot Dogs or 1 package of Franks cut into 4ths

1 package crescent dinner rolls 8 rolls

1 small package of Almond Slivers

Hide the Hot dogs into the crescent rolls (kind of like a pig in a blanket) press a fork on the top to create the illusion of finger wrinkles. Take 2 almond slivers and poke them into the end as if creating the look of the nail of a finger.  Bake in the over 375 and Bake for 12 minutes.

Tombstone Cookies

These ghoulish goodies make great party tray decorations. For a fun presentation, stick them in a “graveyard” of chocolate frosting or pudding and invite the kids to scoop to their hearts’ content.

2 ½ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. powdered sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg, beaten
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Mix flour and sugar together well. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Divide dough into two sections and wrap well in plastic wrap or put in zipper-lock plastic bag. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.

Put the kids to work making cookie cutters out of cardboard, or find the cutters at your local party store.

When the dough is chilled, roll each section to about 1/8-inch thickness and let the kids go to work with their cookie cutters. Older kids can even use plastic knives or pastry cutters to cut their shapes from the dough. If desired, use cookie stamps to put things like “RIP” on the tombstones. (You can make a cookie stamp out of a potato. Just cut in the desired stamp design.)

Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets at 350° F for 10-12 minutes. Cool on racks.

Worms And Dirt Cupcakes

This one is great fun for even the youngest kids. You can even make the decoration one of the party events!

Bake your favorite chocolate cupcakes, either homemade or from a boxed mix.

Frost them with chocolate frosting, then top with a generous sprinkle of crushed chocolate cookies (Oreos work really well).

Cut the Gummi worms in half, and stick them into the tops of the cupcakes so they look like they’re crawling out or burrowing in.

The kids can do as much of the decorating as their age and patience will allow, from the frosting through the worms.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Party Music Playlist

Lil’ Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs

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