In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Sweety High (the next generation of social game for girls ages 8-16), is offering a special baking prize pack for one lucky reader! This kit will include everything you need to create delicious heart-shaped goodies with your family this Valentine's Day.

Sweety High members are also competing for a grand prize baking kit with more than 20 pieces by submitting pictures of their very best baking creations (link will be available soon).

If you're not familiar with Sweety High, be sure to check out their YouTube Channel for original programming. Sweety High drives noteworthy achievements built around self-expression, pop culture and a community of like-minded girls. The site, which has already connected talented girls with real-world opportunities in the fields of art, entertainment and design while in beta, is now live at http://www.sweetyhigh.com.

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win a special baking prize pack in celebration of Valentine's Day! The kit includes (pictured above):

• 2 Heart Shaped Plates
• 1 Petite Pie Mold with Heart-shaped cut-out
• 1 Set of Valentine’s themed confections
• 1 Heart-shaped cookie cutter
• 2 Heart embroidered kitchen towels
• 1 Spatula

Mandatory Entry - Visit Sweety High and let me know something you like or something you learned.

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 1 extra entry- Like Sweety High on Facebook

2. 1 extra entry- Follow Sweety High on Twitter

3. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and Sweety High) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

4. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

#WIN a Valentine's Day Baking Prize Pack! http://bit.ly/xAGh5b Ends 2/8

5. 3 extra entries- Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

6. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

7. 2 extra entries- 'Like' A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

8. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

Leave one comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address (or make sure it's visible in your profile) so that I can easily contact the winner!!

This giveaway will end February 8th and is open to US Only!

**The product for this giveaway was provided for free. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way

If you read here often, you know I'm a huge fan of Learning Resources. They create hands-on activities that build a foundation of skills through imagination and fun. I always enjoy visiting their site and recently came across their new 2012 products, many of which I know my kids would absolutely love. At four years old, Kaelyn is especially interested in toys like this, which is why I am happy to know that I can always count on Learning Resources.

The leading manufacturer of innovative, hands-on educational materials for classrooms and learning toys for the home, Learning Resources has been a trusted source for educators and parents for more than 25 years! With a diverse product line of over 1300 products focusing on everything from mathematics, science, early childhood, reading, etc...it's no wonder Learning Resources is a name known around the world.

We have owned and reviewed several products from Learning Resources. The quality, educational value and overall appeal are what keep me coming back to this fantastic company. I was happy to learn we were going to have the opportunity to choose another of their great products, and decided to go with the Smart Snacks Count 'em Up Popcorn.
When the game arrived, both kids were very eager to check it out. Who doesn't like popcorn, right?! I was excited to see all this product had to offer as well.

As I pulled it out of the box, the quality of the materials caught my attention right away. Once again, Learning Resources did not disappoint! The set includes 15 jumbo popcorn pieces to count into 5 different bowls (which are printed with numbers 1-5).
What I love most about this toy is that both my 2 year old and 4 year old can play with it together. A little bit older, Kaelyn enjoys using this for practicing counting sets. It's the perfect activity to help with her counting skills and one-to-one correspondence. She also sequencing the dishes in order from smallest to largest.


Kaden, who is a little bit younger not only enjoys the large popcorn (they fit perfectly in little hands), but he also has been using this activity to help with his number recognition and fine motor skills as he places the different pieces of popcorn in each dish.

Overall we've been thrilled with this simple, yet fun and educational toy. It's been perfect for my kids and helps encourage them to practice their counting skills, number recognition, and more...all while having fun. This is definitely a product I would recommend to families with young children. I love it!

Buy It: You can purchase the Smart Snacks Count 'em Up Popcorn for $17.99.

Win It: One lucky reader is going to win Smart Snacks Count 'em Up Popcorn of their own!

Mandatory Entry - Visit Learning Resources and let me know another product you'd love to have.

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 1 extra entry- Like Learning Resources on Facebook

2. 1 extra entry- Follow Learning Resources on Twitter

3. 1 extra entry - Subscribe to the Learning Resources You Tube page

4. 1 extra entry - Following the Learning Resources Blog on Google Friend Connect

5. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and Learning Resources) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

6. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

#WIN a Smart Snacks Count 'em Up Popcorn game from Learning Resources! http://bit.ly/yhpRfk Ends 2/16

7. 3 extra entries- Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

8. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

9. 2 extra entries- 'Like' A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

10. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

Leave one comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address (or make sure it's visible in your profile) so that I can easily contact the winner!!

This giveaway will end February 16th and is open to US Only!

**The products for this review & giveaway were provided for free. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way

As I said a couple of weeks ago. I've made it my goal to share some fun activities that I do with my kids, here on my blog each week. Everything from educational to crafts and games. Feel free to share any links or activities you have done with your little ones as well. I'm always looking for new ideas! :)

With any activity, my kids love if it includes food. I have found that candy and cereal work great as a manipulative for counting, color sorting, etc with many different activities we do. The other day we sat down and decided to use Fruit Loops. I always try to find activities I can do with both kids at the same time, but still similar so Kaden isn't feeling left out.

Kaden has been working on recognizing his colors and sorting, so I printed out this fun idea found over at The Princess and the Tot and laminated it. He had a blast sorting the different colors and of course, eating a few as he went as well! It really made learning a lot of fun for him.
Kaelyn really enjoys making patterns lately. I though it would be fun to use the Fruit Loops for this as well. So, while Kaden was working on his color sorting, I got out these Color Pattern Cards that I found over at PreKinders.com a while back. I laminated them so they'll last longer.

Kaelyn enjoyed making different patterns with the Fruit Loops. She even started making patterns of her own without the cards which was great as well.

These are two simple activities I was able to do with both kids at the same time. It was educational, while fun at the same time. We'll definitely be doing it again!

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Pregnancy is a beautiful experience for many women, even if the delivery aspect of it may seem daunting and a little scary. In fact for most women childbirth is easier more often than not, and knowing what to expect before the big day arrives should help make it even easier.

Before Baby

In the weeks leading up to a baby’s due date it’s important for women to familiarize themselves with delivery day related things, such as how long to wait before going to the hospital, what to do if their water breaks and whether or not she wants a natural birth or one with an epidural. Most hospitals require expecting mothers to fill out paperwork requesting an epidural when registering for birth so it doesn’t have to be filled it out in the middle of giving birth. However, women are free to change their mind about the epidural at any time.

There are many other considerations for expecting parents before their baby arrives. For example, it is becoming a popular trend for parents to use a cord blood bank. Cord blood banking is the process of saving a newborn’s umbilical cord blood for the stem cells contained within. Stem cells harvested from the umbilical cord may be used later in life to possibly help treat the child, or a sibling, if a medical need arises.

The Unexpected

As challenging as it may be, women should try to remain calm on delivery day. Like with many moments in life, certain things just cannot be predicted. Fortunately, having a back up plan can be a simple solution to something unexpected. For example, women should try to have a secondary mode of transportation to the hospital in case the primary driver is too far away when she goes into labor. Also, to avoid stopping to get gas on the way to the hospital, it’s a good idea to try and keep the gas tank filled in the weeks leading up to delivery.

The Big Day

Due dates can be predicted by doctors, but there’s no way to determine exactly when the baby will come. Any time after 37 weeks and before 42 weeks a mother could go into labor. Contractions may start early, but an expecting mother may not be going into labor just yet. There is no mistaking real contractions; however, knowing how to time them and what the stages of labor are is vital. A doctor, childbirth education classes, and baby books may provide pregnant women with information regarding the stages of labor and, what to look for during contractions and approximately what stage she is in at any given time.

"This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche. If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact her via twitter @moorekm26."