I am so excited to announce that I’m officially the new brand ambassador for Ragu’s Mom’s the Word on Dinner campaign!

This is so exciting for my family and I  because:

1) Ragu is “yummy deliciousness”. Direct quote from my 5 year-old.

2) They understand and appreciate the importance of a mother’s influence and care about giving us tools to feed our families healthy and nutritious meals.

3) Ragu actually has faith in me, that I CAN cook (feel free to giggle, my husband just did).

In all seriousness though, I LOVE what they’re already doing. If you visit Ragu on Facebook, you can view their dinner time topic videos. I’ve really enjoyed this week’s topic: TABLE MANNERS.

I think this is an important topic to every mom (unless that mom was born in a barn, which I don’t judge our furry friends). So many have questions about it.

But I’m here to tell you a little secret:

I went to finishing school. For an entire year.

I know.

While I might not have the best grammar (Oh my Lord, I wish you could have been in my English classrooms growing up) I certainly know my way around manners at the table.

Lots of people think that elbows on the table are an all out no-no. And I’m here to tell you that it’s simply not true. Of course, if you’re hunched over like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, then there’s an issue. But, if you’re resting your arm while picking up your glass or in between courses, it’s a-okay.

My biggest issue at the dinner table is politeness. While not exactly “proper manners” it’s a hot-topic in the same category. You should always thank the person who made the meal. Even if you didn’t enjoy it. You should also offer to clear the table or help do dishes (For me, it’s clearing the table. I’ve YET to find a dish soap that didn’t make my skin welt up and peel by even touching the suds.). Saying “please” and “thank you” are often words forgotten or simply not drilled taught to children enough. Believe it or not, everyone doesn’t think this way when raising a child. Unfortunately, I experienced that all to often while being a substitute teacher. With my daughter, as soon as she began speaking, I would refuse to give her anything until she said “please”. I got a lot of flack (for lack of a better term) from friends and family members because they thought she was too young at 9 months to learn this. But I’m proud to say, now at 5, she doesn’t need to be reminded to say “please” and “thank you”. They come to her naturally, without thought.

But with that being said…

We have other issues when it comes to manners at the table.

We call it “fork-gate”.

My husband and I totally disagree on it.

In my opinion: the fork is there, you need to use it. No matter what.

His opinion: the fork is optional. As long as our daughter is eating it shouldn’t matter.

This is when I want to slam my head on my desk as hard as I can.

I see where he is coming from. I GET where he is coming from.

However; I don’t want her to grow up, get a job, get invited to a fancy dinner by her boss, only to pick up her ziti by her fingers because she wasn’t in the “mood” to use her fork.

I’m pretty sure my heart just landed at the bottom of my stomach.

I can only pray that she’ll change her mind as she gets older.

So I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter- manners at the table!

You can comment here, or check out the conversation happening at Ragu’s Facebook page. We’re also discussing it on twitter- just make sure you follow the #Momstheword hashtag.

I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

This post/video was created in connection with my appointment as an ambassador in the Ragu Mom’s the Word on Dinner Program. Visit http://www.facebook.com/ragusauce to join the conversation.

In my neighborhood, budget cuts for schools continue, playgrounds and sports programs are the first to disappear (or leave the parents paying most if not all fees, limiting who can and cannot play) leaving students with limited space to let their imaginations run wild and put simply, to play!

Because of this issue Sprite created the Sprite Spark Parks Project- Sprite’s multi-year commitment to bringing a ‘spark’ to school spaces within communities across the country. Yours, mine or anyone else.

This year alone, Sprite will invest $2 million and their time to construct, refurbish and renew more than 150 neighborhood parks, athletic fields, playgrounds and basketball courts. Their goal is to give young people a chance to be active, inspire their imagination and create clean, safe and creative places to play for years to come. So many places in our area especially need help. What areas in yours need it most?

The wonderful program is open to My Coke Rewards members who can enter for a chance to have their local school playground or athletic field refurbished. To submit your school, head to the My Coke Rewards for Schools Program and enter the point codes found on all Sprite and Sprite Zero products.  If you are not yet a My Coke Rewards member, simply log on to www.mycokerewards.com and follow the prompts for new member registration- it’s super easy and very user friendly (there is a TON of other fun stuff on My Coke Rewards too, so make sure you stay awhile and check it out).

So to help spread the word, Sprite has generously provided a ‘Playground Prize Pack’ to giveaway to one lucky reader . Each prize pack is valued at approximately $100 and consists of:

* Sprite Spark Parks Pen
* Sprite Spark Parks Backpack
* Sprite Coupon
* Medibuddy First Aid Kit
* Hand Sanitizer Wipes
* Green Jumprope
* Sizzlin’ Cool Sling Racket or Baseball Glove set
* Crayola 3-D Chalk Set
* Everything Kids Travel Activity Book
* Tootle Turtle Bubble Set
* $25Amex Giftcard

To enter, you have several opportunities, just make sure you leave each entry in separate comments.

• Leave in the comments below, telling me what cuts your schools have had to make.
• Share on Facebook about this post. This can be on a personal page or Fan Page. We want to get the word out about this great program, and would love for you to help us. You may leave one comment/entry per day as long as you post once a day. Make sure you like and tagDomestic Debacle and Sprite’s Facebook Pages in your post as well.
• Tweet about this program on Twitter. You can copy this post “@Sprite Spark Parks Project could come to your town & you could win a great prize pack from @DomesticDebacle http://tinyurl.com/3bfhm7q” or you could create your own, just be sure to include both @Sprite and @DomesticDebacle. You may Tweet this once a day, but you must link to your tweet in your comment. If you do not, your entry will be deleted.
• Post about this giveaway on your blog. Share with your readers the great opportunity they have by sharing about their community with Sprite, linking back to this post.

This giveaway will end on Friday, August 12th at 10:00am. Good luck, I’m so excited for the winner because my daughter LOVES this prize pack!

The prize was provided by Sprite (one was also provided to myself as well), but Sprite is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this giveaway. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of Sprite or The Coca-Cola Company. Entrants must be 18 or older and located in the US or Canada only. Winner to be chosen at random.

Okay, so it’s not *exactly* a Wordless Wednesday, but I had to write something about these drumsticks. I know that most of my readers know that my daughter has been drumming since October of last year. About 2 weeks ago, her drum teacher came to me with an update on her progress.

My 5 year-old little girl, who isn’t even in Kindergarten yet is reading music and playing drums on a 7th grade level.

::jaw dropped to the floor::

Turns out she has some talent.

Good thing I let her take the lessons when she wanted to.

She can play The Beatles “Yellow Submarine”, Joan Jett & The Black Hearts “I Love Rock and Roll” and Maroon 5 “She Will Be Loved”.

So, as a reward I bought her a pair of Hot Sticks Drumsticks. They’re hot pink with black tips! It’s her favorite pair (and you can really tell now because they’re all sorts of torn up).

They’re my favorite pair because they’re made right here, in the USA.

But the best part of all this?

We took a private tour of her new conservative Catholic school (’cause you and I both know my kid is going to need all the discipline she can get), with the principal.

She asked the divine Miss M what she wanted to be when she grows up.

M’s reply?

“The drummer for KISS”

I think I took the rest of the half hour trying to convince the principal that I really *am* a good mom.

Really.

I am.

Thank the Lord I’m deaf-

and for Hot Sticks Drumsticks that come in colors that match her outfits.

Because if she’s not in ballet wearing a tutu, I can at least coordinate her sticks with her ripped up jeans and leather jackets. heh.

One thing that I am very proud of, is that my daughter (5) is a GREAT traveler.

I think it’s because as a family, we’ve done quite a bit of traveling since she was 3 months old. Whether it be by air or car (we still haven’t hit that cruise yet) she’s always been very happy even in the 9 hour car rides or the 4 hour layovers.

Here I’m going to share with you some of my top tips, tricks and products that I absolutely don’t leave home without.

First up- the tips:

It’s all about keeping your child happy, and on their schedule if at all possible. If you’re leaving on a 7:00am flight (that means security check in at 5:00am), make sure they head to bed an hour or two earlier than normal. You can start this process by 2 weeks before departure, cutting your child’s bed-time back by 15 minutes every 3 days. Your child will adjust because their bodies cannot tell 15 minutes from none. Really. It’s advice I had gotten from my pediatrician early on, and it really does work.

Surprise your child- it’s okay to eat healthy on the go, but those little packages of 100 calorie cookies are a great way to distract from a high-stress situation. Or, if your child has a favorite snack, bring it along to help ease the transition. I’m always known for taking longer in the security line because I bring my daughter’s favorite applesauce with us. While it’s under 3 ounces, it still has to be wiped for explosives. This extra step doesn’t bother me if I know it will help keep my child happy while we’re waiting for the plane. It’s also same for the car. Want to make it to that rest stop that’s still 30 minutes away? Pull out the snack.

My tricks:

Theme your trips. I know it might sound cheesy, but if you’re headed to Disney World- have Tinker Bell visit your child during the night with some goodies. She normally brings my daughter a back pack full of glow bracelets (to share during the parades), coloring books, crayons, magnets & board, stickers and small toys. Sometimes, she even brings tiaras! If you’re headed to Washington DC, pack mini space ships, books about the presidents and so on. These are a great way to get your kids not only excited about the trip, but also gives them distractions. I get most of my items from the Dollar Store, so I never spend more than $10.

Another trick I have is loading videos on my smart phone. My daughter feels very special when I let her do anything with my phone, so when she gets to watch an entire video on it- well, let’s just say I’m the bee’s knees. It’s super easy to do and most of the time free (when I upload my own videos from home).

I also give my child a Hot-Wheels sized airplane every time we fly. She has a blast playing with it in the terminal while we’re waiting for our plane to arrive. Once, we were sat next to a pilot on his way home who knew everything about her toy plane. He kept her occupied the entire two hour flight by telling her about it, and then quizzing her on what she remembered as they chatted. It was a great experience, and I am so glad we had that toy with us.

And then there’s the products…

I could go on and on here. In fact, I already kinda have. I know I’ve mentioned a few things above, but here I’m going to share with you more smart products to keep you and your kids sane.

First, I received the coolest piece of luggage from Colorado Bag &Baggage. It’s a Hey’s Disney LED hard case Pooh and Tigger carry-on. Hey’s has several exciting prints to choose from, but we happen to love the Pooh and Tigger one, because they look like they’re on vacation. Plus, there are special LED lights within the wheels when the luggage is being rolled. It’s a cool effect, and we always get people asking us where we got it from. It’s also super easy for my daughter to use it. Protruding wheels keep the case elevated so it never drags on the bottom. It’s also specifically designed for kids, at only 3.8 pounds it’s easy to pull (and fill) with a mono grip adjustable handle that fits comfortably. We never get complaints from our daughter even walking in the longest corridors.

Next up are the Expo washable Markers. I had never even heard of these beauties until I was blessed to have a House Party for them. They are the first washable erasable markers from Expo that have no odor and are completely washable. There’s also very little lint. You can use them on almost every dry erase board, but I recommend Expo’s 8.9″x11.8″ Dry Erase Learning Board. It’s blank on one side for creative use, and lined on the other so your kiddos can work on words, letters or sentences. It also fits perfectly in a book bag or carry on.Who says you can’t learn while traveling?

Then there’s the Sesame Street USB. If you’re like me, you never go anywhere without your laptop, so these little USB memory sticks are perfect for keeping your kid entertained without taking up a lot of room. Each USB stick is character specific with a full length Sesame Street video loaded onto it. You also have direct access to SesameStreet.com (for use in terminal or using in-flight WiFi). It has the capacity for storing over 400 songs, photos and written content as well. It’s a one-screen, one-touch process to access the movie as well, so it’s easy for the little ones to navigate. It also has a built-in bungee cord, so once you attach it, it’s nearly impossible to lose.

So now you’ve heard some of my tricks and tips, and have seen some of the products I can’t live without when traveling with my kiddo. What are some of the things you find most useful?

Recently I had the chance to review a Retro Mama Custom hand-stamped necklace.

Notice I said *chance*.

My daughter (5) decided it was the perfect necklace for her- and that’s where it’s been ever since!

Isn’t that dainty tiara just adorable?

I actually wish I would have just paid for an extra one, so I could have one to wear too (Please take this as advice. If you order one as a gift, just make it two. If not, you’ll be sorry later!)!

We (heh) received the “Lexi” necklace which is a beautiful hand stamped disk with a name or saying on it, with your choice of icon and a swarovski crystal. I ordered the 18″ necklace which is the perfect length for me for my daughter!

Each design is made just for you, by Courtney of Retro Mama Customs. She’s a local mom and business owner right here in the USA! She also specializes in portrait handcrafted personalized jewelery and accessories that are absolutely stunning.

Your unique piece is also protected by a micro-thin coating of renaissance wax, which helps protect against tarnish and scratches (it’s the same stuff museums use, so you know she’s all about quality).Plus, it comes with a professional polishing pad to remove any tarnish if/when necessary. The pad can be used until it’s totally black, and if you need to order more for your other jewelery you can!

I’m really happy with the Retro Mama Custom necklace, and in my opinion it’s certainly an heirloom piece. You can tell that her attention to detail is second to none, even when it comes to the chain- that has a lobster-claw closure.

The necklace is super classy, and my daughter has gotten a ton of compliments on it!

So would you like to win your very own personal design session, 50% off your custom design AND free shipping?

All you have to do is (one or all of the following, just make sure to leave your entries in separate comments):

• Visit Retro Mama Customs and tell me which design you like the most (doesn’t have to be the design you chose if you win)
• “Like” Retro Mama Customs on Facebook
• Leave a comment on Retro Mama Customs Facebook Page letting Courtney know you heard about her through Domestic Debacle
• “Like” Domestic Debacle on Facebook
• Tweet about the giveaway with link to this page and include @DomesticDebacle. Make sure you leave the link in your comment.

This giveaway will end on Wednesday, July 20th at 10:00am! Good luck!