Today is World Toilet Day.

I know what you’re thinking. There’s officially a day for everything now. But why do we need a day for a toilet – something everyone obviously already knows about?

Because there is a huge population of the world who doesn’t have one. In the US, we tend to take our access to clean, running water for granted. But While the Western world grapples with ways to reduce the amount of water used in our clean, abundant and convenient bathrooms,  almost half the people in the world lack  a safe way to go to the bathroom. We have traveled many places where THIS was considered a nice bathroom:

Across the world, over 1.5 billion people are living without access to sanitary water or a proper toilet. The open pit latrines common in these places increases the spread of disease through transmissions from flies and other insects. This isn’t a matter of indoor plumbing or giving people nicer bathrooms. This is a SERIOUS health issue across the globe.

EVERY DAY 2,000 CHILDREN DIE FROM LACK OF PROPER SANITATION. Do you know what that means?

One thing is abundantly clear: this is a serious issue.  American Standard saw this as a problem and created the Flush for Good campaign to try to help.

A team of American Standard engineers conducted field research in villages located in the Rajshahi region of Bangladesh in 2012. Based on their findings, the American Standard team invented a cost-effective, hygienic toilet pan called SanTo that  uses ingeniously simple mechanical and water seals to reduce disease transmission by closing off pit latrines from the open air, keeping flies out. Plus, they’ll help reduce the occurrence of odors, thus improving sanitation and quality of life for users.

For every Champion toilet purchased, American Standard will donate one sanitary toilet pan for a developing country.  You can also help on  Facebook, with a sanitary toilet pan being donated for every 100 likes and shares.

I am so pleased to be supporting this campaign. I love that American Standard has latched on to a cause that is related to their products and is doing what they can – not just to donate money – but to EDUCATE people about this important global health issue.

win it!

One lucky Girlymama reader will win a $200 Gift Card to Home Depot, courtesy of American Standard!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One winner will be selected at random and will be notified by email. Winner must have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see our giveaway policies page.

I am so pleased to be partnering with the Flush for Good campaign. This important campaign  is designed to increase awareness of the global water sanitation crisis and to stimulate action that protects the health of all people through well-engineered plumbing solutions. In the US, we tend to take our access to clean, running water for granted. Across the world, over 1.5 billion people are living without access to sanitary water or a proper toilet. American Standard saw this as a problem and created the Flush for Good campaign to try to help.

Having traveled all over the world, my husband and I have seen the deplorable water conditions so many people live with. You really haven’t lived until you’ve used a public toilet in rural India. And you think the bathrooms at the rest stop on the turnpike are disgusting? I remember the Ganges River in India – telling the kids not to go in, because you could see how awful the water was. The Ganges was ranked among the five most polluted rivers of the world, with astounding amounts of sewage and industrial waste. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many poorer people rely on the river on a daily basis for bathing, washing, and cooking. And we were at the top of the river, so it wasn’t even as bad!

I will never forget this picture my husband took in Haiti. I had to crop it, because the little boy was not dressed, but this a a boy, playing is a river filled with raw sewage in Haiti.

He lived in a tent city, atop a hillside outside Port-au-Prince. His family lost everything in the earthquake. This water – THIS water – was their source of water for drinking, washing and cooking.

This should not be. We can fix this.

I am so supportive of this campaign. I love that American Standard has latched on to a cause that is related to their products and is doing what they can – not just to donate money – but to EDUCATE people about this important issue.

win it!

One lucky Girlymama reader will win a $200 Gift Card to Home Depot, courtesy of American Standard!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Winner must have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see our giveaway policies page.

Well, it time for our second annual Back-to-School shopping trip, where we buy everything we forgot the first time! (I’m not the only one, right?)

Except now we’re facing crazy temptation when we go to Staples – they’ve expanded their educational supplies section and the prices are divine. Now, right along those school supplies and copy paper, you can find brands like Crayola, Leap Frog, Melissa & Doug and more, at select Staples stores and on Staples.com.

First off, if you’re a fan of Crayola brand crayons (who isn’t?) then you’ll want to head to Staples and take a look at their “crayon wall.” Now you can pick up an empty tin and customize it with your own set of colors.  From Wild Watermelon to Mac and Cheese to Royal Purple Glitter – the choice is yours! Gracie’s would be entirely pink and purple. Colin’s? He would want every color EXCEPT pink and purple. That’s how we roll. We like to be complicated like that.

Remember fresh crayons as a kid? WHAT was more exciting?

We took advantage to beef up our TAG by LeapFrog library. Colin is obsessed.

We got him one last year and it has been a lifesaver. He is so proud when he can sit and ‘read’ just like his big sisters! We were thrilled by the great selection of Tag books we found at Staples. The prices were competitive and we even found one in 3-D. Total coolness!  Staples had a ton of options from brands like Crayola, Melissa & Doug, Leapfrog and Alex Toys – all brands we know and love in our house!

win it!

One lucky Girlymama reader will win a $25 Gift Card to Staples!!  To enter, tell us what you would buy at Staples.

Additional entries:

2. Like Girlymama on Facebook to keep up with what’s happening on our site (then comment here to tell us!)

3. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @MelissaAngert

I entered to win$25 gift card to Staples from @MelissaAngert #giveaway! Enter here: http://girlymama.com/?p=6214

One winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Winner must have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see our giveaway policies page.

Are you as excited as we are for Monsters University?? We adore all things Pixar in our house, so a new Pixar movie is always cause for celebration.

And we are not along! Kelloggs is just as excited as we are about seeing our favorite Monsters on the big screen.

And they are celebrating on their cereal boxes. My kids were begging for Monsters’ cereal in the grocery store when they saw them! And its going way beyond just cute cereal box designs. Just in time for summer, moms and kids can check out Kellogg’s Scare Scholar, designed to provide us with free, fun social gaming (and rewards) around Kellogg’s cereal and the Monsters University movie!

Scare Scholar is an instant win and sweepstakes game that will provide moms and kids a fun, new way to engage at the breakfast table and beyond. The Facebook promotion awards multiple instant win prizes each day, and culminate in one grand prize drawing of a $10,000 scholarship in August! WOW!  The kids and I played yesterday and we had so much fun!

Not to brag, but I got an “A”.

Are you a Monsters nut like we are?

win it!

Quite a few lucky Girlymama readers will win amazing prizes Monsters University for you courtsey of Kelloggs!

• 3 sets of four movie tickets to see Monsters’ University
• 3 $200 “Monster Cash” (AMEX gift card)
• 8 Monsters’ University themed pillowcases

 To enter, please share YOUR favorite monster! 

Additional entries:

2. Like Girlymama on Facebook to keep up with what’s happening on our site (then comment here to tell us!)

3. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter &  follow me on Twitter @MelissaAngert

I entered to win Monsters University prizes from @MelissaAngert #giveaway! Enter here:http://girlymama.com/?p=6053

You may enter once per day per email address. 14 winners will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Winner must have a U.S. Mailing address. Official Rules here.

Disclosure: While Kellogg’s has provided promotional support in the form of prizes, Kellogg’s is not sponsoring or administering the giveaway on this blog.

About this time last year, I discovered I was lactose intolerant. I’ve always had trouble with dairy, but suddenly any and all dairy was no longer my lukewarm friend. Now it was my mortal enemy. Like many, many others I realized that those stomach aches weren’t a coincidence – they were directly related to my body’s inability to digest the lactose enzyme.

Lactose Intolerance is surprisingly common.  Most people produce that natural enzyme, lactase, which breaks down lactose (sugar in milk). The amount of lactase your body produces will determine how much lactose your body can break down. So as you lose that lactase, you lose the ability to digest the lactose in milk. And it is common for lactose intolerance to be progressive; many people develop a lactose intolerance later in life. Guess I’m getting old?

It was quite sad when I had to say goodbye to some of my favorite foods. Like lattes. (tear) Like ice cream. (SOB! Goodbye, Old Friend!) But my sister recommended Lactaid tablets and I gave it a try. It helped – a lot! I still had trouble eating really good ice cream, but with Lactaid I could comfortably eat frozen yogurt again. Now I always carry Lactaid in my purse, for those dairy emergencies. Like crème brulee on the dessert menu. (Because you should never EVER pass up crème brulee.)

I just recently was on a call with Food Network chef Melissa d’Arabian and registered dietitian Michelle Harrington and learned so much about what lactose intolerance is and how to live with it. And one of those ways to help is Lactaid milk products!  I went out and grabbed some Lactaid milk. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed milk!  I put it in my coffee, in my cereal and my tummy is so much happier! Even those little glugs of dairy in my coffee were hurting, so this is a fantastic development for me!

Lactaid milk is real milk – it just has had the lactose enzyme removed. For some reason I never knew this. I thought it was like soy milk or something. Clearly, I am a super informed consumer, as usual. But it is just regular milk without the lactose. Same thing, just made so that people like me can drink it. And did you know  that Lactaid also makes ICE CREAM? No joke. Things just got real, people.

WIN IT!

One lucky Girlymama reader will win a coupon for a FREE Lactaid product!! (As if you are going to get anything but ice cream, right?)  To enter, tell us someone in your life who is lactose intolerant.

Additional entries:

2. Like Girlymama on Facebook to keep up with what’s happening on our site (then comment here to tell us!)

3. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @MelissaAngert

I entered to win free Lactaid from @MelissaAngert #giveaway! Enter here: http://girlymama.com/?p=5969

One winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Winner must have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see our giveaway policies page.

*Giveaway is now closed! Thanks to everyone who entered!*

I love the Box Tops for Education program and I’ve seen first hand how effective it is as a school fund-raiser.  You may not know this but the General Mills program began as an experiment on boxes of Cheerios in California back in 1996 with first year earnings of only $1 million. Since that experiment  Box Tops for Education has grown to include more than 240 participating brands providing needed cash for 90,000 enrolled K-8 schools. At the heart of the program is more than 75,000 volunteer Box Tops for Education coordinators who motivate local school communities to collect the 10-cent coupons which are redeemed for cash schools use for whatever they need most. Over the years, American schools have earned over $525 MILLION from Box Tops for Education.

To celebrate this milestone, this winter, the program is offering a variety of bonus Box Tops on more than 50 million packages at grocery stores and at btfe.com, allowing shoppers to DOUBLE their earnings with select products. With school budget cuts across the nation,  Box Tops for Education is now more and more important as it provides unrestricted cash to help schools with their basic operating needs and programs that would not be possible otherwise. Programs and supplies such as field trips, textbooks, musical instruments, playground equipment, classroom technology and arts and cultural programming.

“We are very impressed at how far the Box Tops program has come,” said Mark Addicks, chief marketing officer at General Mills. “To say that we’ve awarded schools more than $525 million through this simple program is amazing to us. However, it’s due largely to our participating brand partners and passionate coordinators that have propelled the program to this level.” On average, schools in the U.S. earn around $900 annually through the program, but many schools earn more than $20,000 by clipping Box Tops, participating in bonus programs and shopping 300 online eBoxTops retailers at the Box Tops Marketplace.

Get Social with this great program through these social media sites:  Box Tops for Education Facebook page,  Twitter  and YouTube.

WIN IT!

One lucky reader will win a Box Tops for Education Pantry Stock Up Prize Pack! 

The Pantry Stock Up gift pack includes:

• New Peanut Butter Toast Crunch cereal
• Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Dark Chocolate Cherry and Protein Salted Caramel
• Fiber One Protein Bars
• Progresso Recipe Starters
• Food Should Taste Good Chips
• Green Giant Fresh Box Tops for Education pencil pouch
• Hamburger Helper Sweet & Sour Chicken and Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Betty Crocker Mac & Cheese and Au Gratin potatoes
• Kleenex wallet pack and 184 count box
• Scott toilet paper (4 roll) and paper towel roll
• Avery dry erase weekly calendar
• Ziploc bowls and bags
• Yoplait Frozen Yogurt free product coupon

Here’s how to enter:

1. Please leave a comment below by February 22, 2013 telling me whose school you collect Boxtops for!

2. Like Girlymama on Facebook here and leave a comment telling me you liked our page

3. Tweet the following for an additional entry and leave a comment telling me you did so

I want to win Boxtops Pantry Stockup Prize #giveaway from @MelissaAngert. Enter here: http://girlymama.com/?p=5788

disclosure: I was provided with a stockup kit for my family to enjoy. Highly recommend the Fiber One bars. They’re yummy.

About Box Tops for Education

America’s schools have earned more than $525 million through the Box Tops for Education® program since the program started in 1996, including $47 million just since March 2012. More than  90,000 schools use that cash to purchase items such as computers, library books, art supplies and playground equipment. Schools can earn up to $20,000 by clipping Box Tops
coupons from 240 products and can earn eBoxTops by shopping online through the Box Tops Marketplace. To learn more and for a list of participating products, visit www.btfe.com.

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Presents Built to Amaze! show is about to arrive in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center. We are SO SUPER excited to go to the circus with the kids  – we went about 4 years ago and they still talk about it!

The circus spectacle will run from February 13-17 with a total of 11 shows at the Wells Fargo Center.

I’ve got a great discount coupon code for readers. Here’s the scoop – basically they will do 20% off tickets or the following with the code MOM. You can enter and order tickets for the Ringling Brothers Circus here.

$15 flat price (valid on all $30, $25 seats)

Code MOM

Valid 2/14 10:30am  and 7pm shows and 2/15 10:30am and 7 pm shows

Wanna go?

WIN IT!

I’m giving away 4 ticket vouchers good for any non-weekend show to one lucky reader for the Philadelphia area shows at Wells Fargo Center running from Feb 13th – Feb. 17th.

1. Please leave a comment below by February 5th, 2013.

2. Like Girlymama on Facebook here and leave a comment telling me you liked our page

3. Tweet the following for an additional entry and leave a comment telling me you did so

I want to win Ringling Brothers Circus Tickets in #Philly from @MelissaAngert. Enter here: http://girlymama.com/?p=5766

disclosure: I was provided with tickets for my family and my readers to enjoy the show!

Reading bedtime stories is a huge part of our lives. Bedtime stories are one of my strongest memories as a child.  And now its a huge part of our nightly routine. The books are changing a bit, more The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, less Elmo. It runs in the family – family vacations are hilarious as kids run from room to room trying to figure out who is reading the book they want to read most! My brother in law even recorded himself reading a book for his son while he was deployed. How sweet is that?

So we love Hallmark’s  Disney Recordable Storybooks!! Its a way to share a story with the little in your life when you can’t be there. And they all star your kids favorite characters, like princesses:

“The Wish My Heart Makes for You”

All you do is record your voice reading the book (which is very simple – if I can do it, anyone could!) then send it off to your grandchild or tuck it in your child’s bed as a surprise when you are leaving on a business trip and they will  be able to listen to you read stories anytime. There are lots of options – not just princesses, superheros too – so there is something for everyone! And to bring the enchantment of Disney Recordable Storybooks to life, Hallmark is sponsoring the Disney on Ice tour hitting cities across the nation, including the Philadelphia area!

To celebrate the launch of Hallmark’s new line of Disney Recordable Storybooks Hallmark has offered to send one lucky family a recordable storybook and 3 tickets to see Disney on Ice in Philadelphia on Dec 29th!

Giveaway Hallmark Disney Experience

This new show, Rockin’ Ever After, is the first Disney on Ice appearance of Merida from Brave and includes some of our favorites like Rapunzel, Belle, and  Mickey and Minnie. Here’s a little sneak peek behind the scenes of the show.

WIN IT

To create a unique Disney experience Hallmark is sending one lucky reader a special package! It includes a Disney Recordable Storybook and 3 tickets to Disney on Ice Rockin’ Ever After tickets for 12/29 3pm at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

To enter, tell me who your child’s  favorite Disney character is in the comments.

Additional entries:
(please leave an additional comment for each entry completed)

2. Follow Melissa on Twitter and tweet:

I entered to win tickets to @DisneyonIce in #Philly on 12/29 from @MelissaAngert and Hallmark #giveaway http://girlymama.com/?p=5667

3. Like Girlymama on Facebook.

One winner will be selected at random using the WordPress plug-in And The Winner Is… and will be notified by email.For other contest rules, see my giveaway policies page. NOTE: Due to the timing of this giveaway and the actual event, I’ll notify a winner on Monday December 24th and will need to receive confirmation they can attend that day.  If I do not hear from winner within 24 hours, I will be drawing a new name.

Disclosure: We were provided with these tickets and book to facilitate a giveaway, as well as tickets and a book for us to experience.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author alone.

**The winner has been notified and confirmed! Congrats, Paola! Enjoy the show!**

Don’t you just love Carrie Underwood? How can you not? She is so adorable! We just love her and were SO thrilled to hear that she is including Philly in her Blown Away Tour this year.

Wanna go to the show with us?

WIN IT!

Super excited to giveaway four tickets to Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away Tour at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA on November 28, 2012 thanks to the Wells Fargo Center! T0 enter, leave the name of your favorite Carrie Underwood song in the comments!

Additional entries:
(please leave an additional comment for each entry completed)

2. Follow Melissa on Twitter and tweet:

I entered to win 4 tickets to the Carrie Underwood concert in #Philly on 11/18 from @MelissaAngert #giveaway http://girlymama.com/?p=5563

3. Like Girlymama on Facebook.

One winner will be selected at random using the WordPress plug-in And The Winner Is… and will be notified by email. For other contest rules, see my giveaway policies page. NOTE: Due to the timing of this giveaway and the actual concert, I’ll notify a winner on Monday November 26th and will need to receive confirmation they can attend that day.  If I do not hear from winner within 12 hours, I will be drawing a new name.

Disclosure: We were provided with these tickets to facilitate a giveaway, as well as tickets for us to experience the concert.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Wells Fargo Center.