Simply changing your bedding to keep up with the seasons is the key to keeping your bedroom fresh and stylish. With summer quickly approaching, now is the time to store your winter bedding until next year. Upgrade your room to match your mood with bright colors and fun designs and save money by doing so! Right now, Zinc Door is offering 15% off Trina Turk bedding with promo code 15BED. It’s always a happy hour at home with Trina Turk’s fun, whimsical bedding and accents. Don’t miss your chance to save on these stylish and modern bed sets. Enjoy!

Cotton Ridge Homeschool is pleased to bring you this giveaway hosted by Our5cents!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Cotton Ridge Designs, LLC is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Please contact Megan at our5cents1@gmail.com with questions or to see your business or blog featured on the next big event!

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Guest Author Nicole Yontz is a stay at home mom in Arizona, a contributing parenting writer for WhatToExpect.com and a personal blogger at TheBetterHalfBlogs.com.

Sniffling, sneezing, watery eyes, stuffy noses, sinus pressure, headaches, and generally feeling like you’re been hit by a Mac truck. All of this sounds like a total nightmare for you, so just imagine the torture it is for your little one who either can’t explain what hurts or is too young for certain medications. Allergies are no fun for anyone, most of all your kids, but since one in four children in the U.S. suffers from allergies, chances are you may be looking for a way to ease their misery.

The first thing you need to figure out when it comes to your child’s allergies problem is to confirm it’s allergies vs cold. Once you decide it’s allergies, it is time to dig deeper into the causes. Do they only get sneezy in a room full of pets? Only when outside? Did the skin rash start when you changed laundry or bath soap? If you were able to narrow down the cause right away, awesome, but don’t be discouraged if you can’t put your finger on it. If you are having trouble after some extended sleuthing, you might want to consider a trip to the pediatrician for an allergy skin test. This is where your child’s doctors will subject your child to several different allergens to see what is the exact cause.

Once you have your culprit narrowed down, you can now get started on combating it. Of course, the best way would be to reduce your child’s exposure to their allergy trigger but that may not always be possible. Some of the easiest ways you can help reduce exposure is to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter, use allergy-free pillow and bed covers, change the air conditioning/heating filters in your home, keep your child’s room uncluttered, use hypoallergenic soaps and laundry detergents, or even rid your home of household pets.

If you prefer to go the medicinal route in controlling your child’s allergies, there are many over the counter options to choose from that are regarded as safe as long as you don’t use more than one type of medication at a time. Benedryl is one of the more common OTC medications that is safe for children as young as 4 months. Allegra, Claritin and Zyrtec are safe for toddlers, with fewer side effects than Benedryl, and last as long as 24 hours. Other options are Sudafed, a decongestant that may cause hyperactivity, and RobitussinDM, which also help with cough. However, be sure to consult your pediatrician for dosing instructions on any type of over the counter medication you give to your child. In extreme cases, your doctor might recommend allergy shots but these are not recommended until your child is at least 4 to 6 years old.

In the end, toddler allergies, although never fun, are easily treated with a little knowledge and lots of planning. From OTC medications to always keeping a tissue in your back pocket, there’s always ways to ensure that your young one doesn’t have to suffer this allergy season.

Image Credit: Image by jfl1066 on flickr.com, used under the Creative Commons License.

About Flattenme

Flattenme.com publishes several wonderful personalized children’s books in both hardcover and softcover versions.  Some of the titles available are Owl Always Love You, ABC & 123, My SuperSomeone, Potty Dance, and Pirates. They also offer unique personalized wall art, t-shirts and greeting cards as well!  If you are looking for some neat personalized gifts for the kids in your life, this site is a great place to start!

To celebrate the release of Owl Always Love You, Flattenme.com is offering a giveaway of a $34.95 gift code to one of my readers! You can read my review of this beautiful book here.

Great news – flattenme is also offering 10% off to my readers through May 31, 2013!  Just use the coupon code “Owl10″ when you check out to receive your discount.

Giveaway Details

One winner will receive the $34.95 code that will be good for anything on the Flattenme web site, except shipping charges.  The code expires on June 30, 2013.  This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada and ends at midnight CT on May 21.  All entries are optional, must be 18+ to enter.  Winner will be contacted by email within two days of ending date, and will have two days to respond or another winner will be chosen. All winner’s entries will be verified. Please enter on the Rafflecopter form below.  Thank you for visiting Cotton Ridge Homeschool!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a free book to review.  I am an affiliate of  Flattenme.com and will receive a small commission if the links above are used to make a purchase. Nevertheless, my opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

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May is a month full of celebration! To help you prepare for all of your upcoming parties Layla Grayce is offering 15% off Hostess & Entertainment with promo code SPRING15 valid through May 16! Browse party essentials like aprons, tableware and much more! Don’t miss your chance to shop this amazing sale!

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Layla Grayce & Zinc Door and will receive a small commission if the links above are used to make a purchase. Nevertheless, my opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Welcome to the Clean Sweep Giveaway

Hosted by Stay at Stay at Home Mom with cohosts Ultimate Coupon Club and Kid’s Cooking Activities.

Its spring! And you know what that means, don’t you? Time for Spring Cleaning! Although cleaning my house is not my favorite thing to do, the right tools and supplies certainly make it easier!  This giveaway is designed to help one winner get the tools she (or he!) needs to clean up the house.

One lucky winner will receive a Bissell Perfect Sweep Sweeper. This incredible cordless sweeper packs one powerful punch. Read the review from Stay a Stay at Home Mom here and learn how you can use this sweeper in your house.

Additionally, the grand prize winner will receive a $75 Amazon.com Gift Code that she can use towards purchasing cleaning supplies (or really, anything at all!) Unsure what supplies you’ll need? How about taking the plunge this month and making your own laundry soap. It’s super easy to do, and once you’ve done it, you’ll never go back to buying it at the store again. Follow the step-by-step instructions here, or view the video below:

Giveaway Details:

• One winner will receive a Bissell Perfect Sweep Sweeper & $75 Amazon.com Gift Code to use towards cleaning products (or anything, really)
• Giveaway runs April 22 – May 13
• Winner must be in the United States
• Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter to win
• This blog is not responsible for prize shipment and was not compensated for this post
• Questions? Contact Stay a Stay at Home Mom

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This guest article is brought to you by Camille from Barron’s Test Prep.

Time for Practice Tests

Everyone has different learning styles and ways to best remember information. But one of the keys to performing well on the SATs, no matter your style, is to practice, practice, practice.

Test. Studying tricks and hints can be good, as you can pick up on test tips you would have never even thought of. But you should be spending the majority of your time on practice tests. Just going through the act of answering full sets of questions at once and experiencing math and critical reading sections intermixed will help you do well. Practice tests are as close as you can get without taking the real thing.

Time. Timing really is everything, at least when it comes to the SATs! Set the clock and stick to the allotted time. Really stop when the clock stops! Getting in the rhythm of answering questions in a set amount of time is a major part of doing well on the SATs. The more you time yourself, the better you will be at making it through a section without breaking a sweat.

Repeat. It feels redundant because it is redundant, but not in a bad way. The more practice you have with the format, question options and timing, the better you will be able to perform on test day. Just think of a runner or a swimmer competing for their best times. They do it every day and get better as a result.

Set a goal for yourself. After your first practice test, see what percentage you answer correctly. Then set a goal of increasing that percentage by a certain amount. (Don’t make it too easy on yourself!) Keep repeating until you see your scores climb.

Some people find it useful to take the same question set over and over. If you think this method might help you, each print multiple sets of the section so that you can retake every week or so. This is a good method to learn the question types and answers that can distract you.

Image Credit: Earls37a on flickr, used under the Creative Commons License.

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Today I received the most beautiful hardcover book in the mail from flattenme.com, personalized with my child’s name!  Written by Robyn Spizman and lovingly illustrated by Erica Leighton, Owl Always Love You is a perfect gift to give to little ones.  This “bedtime story for little night owls” is personalized throughout the 30 pages, and is a wonderful way to communicate how much you love your little ones.

OWL always love you

My little chickadee.

OWL always love you.

You mean the world to me.

I plan to give this book to my little daughter on Mother’s Day, and I am sure she will love the gentle rhymes and amazing illustrations of owls, animals, and nature.  It is important to me to expose her to beautiful books to encourage her already-blossoming love of reading!  If you are interested in seeing more, you can preview this entire book online!

OWL always love you.

You put a smile upon my heart.

OWL always love you.

I’ve loved you from the start.

Flattenme.com publishes several personalized books in both hardcover and softcover versions (most  require a photo, but Owl Always Love You requires just the child’s name).  Some of the titles available are ABC & 123, My SuperSomeone, Potty Dance, and Pirates. They also offer unique personalized wall art, t-shirts and greeting cards as well!  If you are looking for some neat personalized gifts for the kids in your life, this site is a great place to start!

Great news – flattenme is offering 10% off to my readers between now and May 31, 2013!  Just use the coupon code “Owl10″ when you check out to receive your discount.  Look for a giveaway coming soon, too!

Disclosure: I received a free book to review.  I am an affiliate of  Flattenme.com and will receive a small commission if the links above are used to make a purchase. Nevertheless, my opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Copyright 2013 Kathryn Depew

Create a special memory book for Mother’s Day this year with Blurb Designer Instant book template. Instant Books are easy to create, take about an hour, and start at just $12.99. This is definitely a present Mom or Grandma will leave on the coffee table for everyone to see each and every day!

Last year, a friend of mine personally recommended that I use Blurb for my personal photo books.  Since then I have created three books online with Blurb – two photo books and a weekly planner.  I was very pleased with all three books – the process is fast and simple (especially if you already have your pictures organized), shipping is prompt, and the book itself is professional quality.

Start creating your Blurb Designer Instant Book today and save 20% with promo code LOVEYOUMOM valid through 5/10/13!

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Blurb and will receive a small commission if the links above are used to make a purchase. Nevertheless, my opinions are 100% my own, and I only recommend companies and products that I believe will be of benefit to my readers.

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Cotton Ridge Homeschool is pleased to bring you this giveaway from Tammie’s Reviews, Giveaways and More.

Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that specializes in Vintage and Retro Dresses.  They have an old fashioned style and modern ideas which you will notice when looking at the clothing they offer.  If you are like me, I love new clothes but hate going out to finding something that I like.   In the comfort of your home, you can browse their terrific selection of women’s, children, pre-teen and maternity clothing. At Shabby Apple, I love all that they offer, from the dresses to their accessories. Their products are by far the best that I have seen in a long time.  I just fell in love with a dress called Tiber. This dress has everything I for when shopping for a dress: 3/4th sleeves, boat neck and knee length.  Simple but elegant in style.Sometimes finding a certain style can be so frustrating at times.  No matter what you look at, nothing pops out at you. Shabby Apple has styles from flirty to straight laced and everything in between.  I cannot tell you how much I love this site and the clothing they offer.  My husband said he was worried, I was gonna put us in a hole but their prices are so worth while.  They even have a terrific sales page – I love a bargain!

This review was provided by Tammie’s Reviews, Giveaways and More.

Giveaway Details

Shabby Apple has something for everyone – I personally love the Fishermen’s Find Top! They have been gracious enough to offer one winner a $50 Gift Code to their site!

This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only. The giveaway will end on May 11 at 7 p.m.

All entries will be verified.  Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or another will be chosen. Please enter using the easy Giveaway Tools widget below and best of luck to you!

Disclosure: Cotton Ridge Designs, LLC is not responsible for prize fulfillment and received no compensation for this post. However, Kathie at Cotton Ridge Designs, LLC is an affiliate of Shabby Apple. Some of the links above are affiliate links, and I will receive a small commission if they are used to make a purchase.  For any questions regarding the giveaway, please contact Tammie at pankuch1605@hotmail.com.