Tips on how to have a safe and happy holiday

So your getting ready for the holidays, shopping, decorating the house, and probably baking if your anything like me. Well there's a few things you want to remember this holiday season to keep your family safe, your money safe, and your house safe. Let's start with shopping. I know many many people do a lot of online shopping so that means using debit and credit cards online and the chance for scams as well as home deliveries. When making a purchase online Make sure your using a verified site so if something was to happen you will have some type of backing from the company. For example Amazon is very trusted but there are many reports of third party sellers scamming money from consumers. If you come across an item that's sold by a third party seller most likely Amazon sells it as well. You always want to try and look for the sold and shipped by Amazon. That way you know for sure you will receive your package. There are third party sellers asking that the buyer email the seller first before purchasing an item. Then the seller ask the buyer to purchase Amazon gift cards, if you see that STAY AWAY! It's a big scam going on and these so called third party sellers are taking hard earned money from people just like you and me. Also never safe your credit or debit card information on a site. Many times after putting your credit card information on a site to purchase something it will ask do you want to save your information to make it easier for your next purchase. Also click no this time of year many hackers are online waiting and watching for a chance to take your money. Many of us are having packages shipped to our front door and this is the biggest problem all over the world. There are people just driving around looking for packages sitting on our porches or door steps. Some of these pack thieves will go as far as to watching and learning your schedule so they know when nobody is home so they can,come in take your stuff and leave. Ways to avoid having your packages stolen are making sure your packages can only be delivered if someone in your house signs for it, contacting the company your ordered from telling them where you want your package delivered at your house. For example if you have a back door that can't be seen from the front of your house ask that all packages be delivered to the back door or you could purchase some type if box like a storage box that's not clear sit it on your porche and put a blank it over it and tell your delivery man that's where you want your packages put. If the packages aren't in site Then most likely nobody is going to look. If your put shopping in the stores keep your purse close to your body never just alone it to sit in the cart and don't leave it in the car insight it's best to put anything of value in your trunk again out of sight out of mind. If you are shopping at night and alone be sure to park under a well-lit area. Keep your phone in hand while walking to your car as well if you see something suspicious turn around and walk back to the store. If you see a piece of paper on your windshield or your back window don't get it leave it on your car and just drive away. Decorating & baking it's always so much fun but can also be deadly. I know there are many of us out there that love a real Christmas tree but Christmas tree fires are the many cause for house fires during the holiday season. Be sure you keep your tree well watered. Check all your tree lights and make sure they are all in working order before putting them on the tree overloading a power circuit try to plug your lights in two different sockets you don't want to have all your lights plugged into one socket or extension cord this can spark a fire as well now I'm a big Baker especially on the holidays I love making cookies holiday cookies are my favorite decorating them with my kids is one of our traditions but things can get busy while baking you always want to remember to watch what's in your stove or oven I always set a timer because if I didn't my cookies would burn and I could end up with a fire when the timer goes off I go straight to the kitchen if you like a deep fried turkey like me then I'm sure there's going to be plenty of people making this delicious fried turkeys like me this holiday season making a fried turkey is dangerous make sure you take all the proper precautions when making your turkey in the deep fryer I always suggest allowing your turkey to get to room temperature because adding anything very cold into hot grease can cause it to boil over. Oh yeahvi forgot candles I know we all love the smell of those holiday candles are just making our house smell good just remember to blow your candles out at night or if you're leaving the house remember to blow them out I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.

Legging Army By Amanda Get your leggings Here

Do you love soft leggings that you can't see through and that are affordable? Then come shop with me at Legging Army, you will find plenty of cute designs and my new designs come out in November. If your thinking your to big for leggings, your wrong! We have sizes that will fit every OS 3-14 PS 15-20 and there's also kid sizes so you can match your daughter. I also sell joggers, skirts, and shorts so there's more then just leggings.

Head over to Legging Army By Amanda to check out my store. You can just click the shop now button and it will take you right to my store. Once you find something you love send me a message and we will get your order completed. I'm also holding a giveaway right now for a free pair of leggings and the winner will be announced during my launch party on November 1st at 6pm. Are you looking to make some extra money for the holidays then why not become a LEGGING ARMY REP. If your interested in selling clothes you can contact me on my Facebook page Legging Army By Amanda (link above) or you can email at Ballboylover@gmail.com

Absenteeism

Depending on where you are – your kids have likely been in school for a month or two already. Have they missed any days during that time? How many? Is that even something you think about regularly? When they did miss – you probably did everything you needed to do to ensure that they stayed caught up, right? Unfortunately, there are kids out there who do not have that luxury and they are falling behind. A student who misses just two days of school each month — 18 days total in the year — is considered to be chronically absent. However, many parents don’t realize that, even when absences are excused or understandable, absences add up and can greatly impact a child’s education. In the United States, more than 6 million children are chronically absent from school each year. Key Takeaways for Parents

• Every absence matters.
• Absences matter as early as elementary school.
• Absences matter whether they are excused or unexcused.
• Students who miss just two days of school each month, or 18 days in a year, are more likely to fall behind in reading, writing and math and less likely to graduate from high school.

Tips and Suggestions

• Keep track of how many days of school your child has missed.
• Figure out why your child is absent from school.
  • Are they dealing with a chronic illness like asthma?
  • Are they being bullied or struggling at school?
  • Are they staying home to help care for a family member?
• Visit AbsencesAddUp.org to find help addressing the underlying cause of your child’s absences.
  • Ask teachers and community leaders for advice and specific resources in your area.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach out to other parents in your area to ask for help and share tips.
• To prevent absences in the future, consider enrolling your child in a mentoring or afterschool program.
• Understand the impact of each absence on your child’s future.
  • A student is chronically absent even if they miss only two days of school each month (18 days per year), whether the absences are excused or unexcused.
  • Chronic absenteeism can affect students as early as elementary school.
  • Children who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are much less likely to read on grade level by third grade.
  • Students who cannot read at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.

One third of parents surveyed admit that they could do more to ensure that their child attends school every day. There are many reasons why students miss school when they don’t have to. Some are struggling in the classroom, while others may be having trouble with bullies, or dealing with challenges at home. Children who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are less likely to read on grade level by the third grade. Students who cannot read at grade level by the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Your child’s daily, on-time attendance is critical to their success in school. And while some challenges to your child’s school attendance are unavoidable, it’s important to understand the impact of each absence. SPREAD THE MESSAGE! The best way to ensure success for our kids? Get them to school every day. Visit AbsencesAddUp.org for tips #AbsencesAddUp Every day in class = 1 day closer to graduation. Learn more about ensuring our kids' success at AbsencesAddUp.org #AbsencesAddUp

Dog lovers give your pet the best from Urban Dog Bakery

Do you have a dog that you love and treat like family? I know I love my pup and only want to give her the best. Now you can as well. I'm going to tell you about an awesome company that has nothing but the best for your dog.

Urban Dog Barkery was started in the Houston area where they sold dog treats. A very nice lady by the name of Theresa started this company when she started received phone calls asking her what she was going to do about peoples sick dogs. Below is Thereas very own statement on why she started her business.

 "I was a travel agent in 2007 when the pet food crisis hit (dogs dying from food/treats from China). I was working on the west coast and started getting phone calls at 4am asking me what I was going to do about their sick dog? Being totally confused, I started thinking I needed to check into this.  After 750 phone calls of the same nature, I decided I needed to get involved in the industry.  I moved back to Houston, TX and opened Urban Dog"

Now this is the type of person I want to buy products from for my dog. She knew nothing of this industry but seen there was an out cry for help so she stepped up to the plate. Urban Dog Bakery doesnt only sell treats they have developed a line of natural wipes, sprays and shampoos under the Urban Dog Naturals line.  That website will be up and active by the end of September. 

Now it's time to give your dog the best with healthy tasty treats, all natural shampoos and stain and odor remover. You can check out Urban Dog Bakery at the follow links below as well as social media platforms. Also be watching because at the end of the week we will be giving away a basket full of goodies from Urban Dog for our monthly giveaway.

Instagram: #Urban_Dog_Barkery

Twitter: @UrbanDogBarkery

http://www.urbandogbarkery.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Odor-Stain-Remover-Trigger/dp/B015HS9CSK
https://www.facebook.com/UrbanDogBarkery/

Bath Bombs From Soapie Shoppe

Do you ever have stressful days because of the kids, your job, or just life? I know I do and more often than I would like to admit. Well I've found a new way to melt that stress away when I came across a company called Soapie Shoppe. This company is just wonderful and sells some of the best bath bombs and soaps you will ever find. Now let me tell you about my experience with one of their bath bombs called Galaxy.

A few nights ago I put the kids to bed and snuck off into the bathroom taking his bath bomb with me. It had been a long 18-hour day taking care of kids, working, and just being an adult and all I wanted to do was relax. I turned me bath water on and let it run for a few minutes jumped in and dumped the bath bomb directly under the running water. As soon as it hit the water it started fizzing and spinning, the the water turned most black. There were little pieces of silver glitter floating all over the place sticking to my skin it was just amazing to watch. The smell that was coming from this bathroom was just phenomenal it was of like a sweet candy floral smell that just had my whole bathroom smelling wonderful. After sitting there in amazement watching the bath bomb dissolve I decided to go ahead and relax I laid-back to enjoy myself and the next thing I know I woke up almost an hour later in Cold water. This bath bomb made my skin feel amazing, Super soft and it smells again phenomenal. The whole experience of the bath bomb just blew my mind and melted my body.  I know I can never take a bath without a bath bomb from The Soapie Shoppe again because it just won't be the same. This thing is so awesome, I did learn not to play with it and crumble it in your hand because it did turn my hand slightly black while it was wet. I handle it while it was dry and it didn't do that but I guess crumbling it while wet will do that. The day following my heavenly bath my skin was still super soft and I could still smell the Glorious smell of the bath bomb on me. If you're wanting a gift for yourself or friend then this amazing Galaxy bath bomb will be the thing. There are also different kinds of bath bombs along with soaps, so if you have never tried a bath bomb from the soapie Shoppe then you have no clue what you're missing. Just a forewarning you will have to rinse your tub out once you're done taking a bath using this bath bomb. It will leave a blackish residue on the bottom of your tub but just using cold water and splashing it on it will remove it right away I had no problems getting it out of the tub.

I will be a forever fan of this company now and I had to show with everyone. With Christmas right around the corner this is the perfect time to check them and help support a small business. Why give your money to the big box store when you can help support a small business, their family and your getting quality products. I can assure you that whoever you purchase something for from Soapie Shoppe may it be for yourself, friend, family, co worker they will love these products. You can check them out on Amazon (link below) or instagram (search Soapie Shoppe). And guess what else the products are reasonably priced. So you get amazing quality products at a decent price what more could you ask for and you wont have to leave your house to buy them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011GYOMLQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=10140b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B011GYOMLQ&linkId=3c167856800e892f7fd373e12744b6c2I'm also thinking of doing a giveaway around with some of their products as well. Now what are you waiting for go check them out.

I did receive this product complementy

Mermaid blanket winner and this months giveaway details

The winner of the surprise giveaway of the mermaid blanket is Sam Farth. Congratulations Sam if you could Please send me an email by Sunday confirming your win that would be great. If your sad you didnt win don't worry plenty more giveaways are coming and you can always purchase the same blanket just click the link below. Also be watching tomorrow I'll be posting September's monthly giveaway and it's for all you animal lover out there.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01JGENM7S/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1

Massive Toy Giveaway From Explosive Potential

There's only a few more weeks left on the Massive Toy Giveaway. This is a giveaway you dont want to miss out on. You could be the lucky winner of 8 that's right 8 different toys, like a playhouse, water table, #kids picnic table and so much more. So click the link below and enter. Taking a chance Will never hurt anyone it's over $500 worth of toys😉http://explosive-potential.com/index.php/giveaways/toddler-toys-giveaway-500-value/?lucky=69

SURPRISE MERMAID BLANKET GIVEAWAY

Amanda's Monkey's is having a surprise giveaway thanks to an amazing Amazon Seller YEPMAX. You have a chance to win this super soft super comfy ADULT MERMAID BLANKET!! 😃 All you have to do is follow the instructions to enter to win. The link is posted so you can check out this awesome mermaid blanket as well (adult size only)https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01JGENM7S/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1

Picture of mermaid blanket at the bottom of post. Good luck

Requirements

1. Follow Amanda's Monkey's Blog
2. Comment your favorite season 
3. Share this post (optional) 
4. Be sure to check out YEPMAX on Amazon.

Giveaway will run from 9-9 to 9-14 at 11:59pm.

Why you should be a member of ONE2ONE

Attention all bloggers, twetters, reviews, posters, and all you other social media people. Let me tell you about ONE2ONE a network that im part of and proud to be part of. One2One Network has been connecting brands and influencers since 2008—or almost as long as social media networks have been “a thing.” Our vision from the beginning has always been to create genuine and measurable engagement. ONE2ONE has blogging, reviewing, campaigns for food, parenting, lifestyles and so much more. These are just some of the things you are missing out on not being a member of ONE2ONE. ONE2ONE also pays you for certain campaigns and can help with getting brands to recongizes your blog. They are all-inclusive! One2One Network was one of the first influencer agencies to bring non-bloggers into its network. And while we did start out as an influencer network for women, over the years our membership has expanded to include men. So if your not a blogger no need to worry you can still join. 

I myself am working on reviewing a product for Graco. Im waiting for the product to arrive now and im very exited that ill be reviewing this product. This will be my first product that ill review that came from ONE2ONE. The person from ONE2ONE who contacted me about the product ill be reviewing has been nothing but nice. If I have any questions I can contact her and she gets right back to me and has even called to speak with me. I havent been treated like a nobody i have been treated like a friend of the network with respect. I was given step by step directions on how long i will have until my review is due and where to post it. You wanna know the best part, once my review has been verified Ill get a $25 amazon gift card. Thats right im getting rewarded for doing a great job with my review. I will tell you this, i would have done the review on the product without being offered the gift card that just makes the deal a lot better. One2One has paid bloggers as well and social media influencers well over $1 million in project payments and incentives to date.

This is just a great network to be a part of it and im happy i signed up when there was opening. One2One is not just a network but rather a community! O2O is committed to supporting  members by sharing and featuring their work, keeping them in the know about social influencer best practices, and encouraging online and offline conversations about topics that matter to our industry.

Now you can be a part of this amazing network now by signing up and dont wait because the ONE2ONE network only has signs up at a certain. You can click the link below to sign up.

http://members.one2onenetwork.com/register

The Winner Of August Giveaway

I want to thank everyone for entering the first monthly giveaway at Amanda's Monkey's. I'm very pleased with how many people commented and my husband and myself read every comment. We will be holding a giveaway each month with many prizes along with surprise giveaways that will pop up here and there and will only run for 24-48 hours. Now to the part you all have been waiting on the winner of the giveaway.

THE WINNER OF AUGUST GIVEAWAY IS JESSICA RAY! PLEASE CONTACT ME AT COLEMANBALLBOYS@GMAIL.COM TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE.

Thank you all again and watch for this month's giveaway coming soon.

Chubby Puppies A Christmas Toy Must Have

Hello everyone and how are you? Today I want to talk about a toy that's going to be on the must have Christmas list or hottest toy. That would be chubby puppies, these little pets are just the coolest and my kids love them. They are little dogs that fit in the palm of an adults hand and they walk around. There's also chubby puppies and friends which the friends range from cats to bunnies. You can also purchase accessories in different little play parks my kids have the ultimate dog park that has a little elevator, a slide, and a dog house. Yes I know that most of the accessories are pink, purple, and yellow but my boys like the pets to so I'm not going to keep them from playing with something because of color. Would it be awesome if they would make some of the accessories in both girl and boy colors most definitely but we all know that will never happen. Anyway back to these neat little pets. There are some rare ones and super rare pets. My kids are excited to collect as many as they can on the adoption check list (which a check list comes with each pet and there's more then 1 list). You can go on the chubby puppies website which I've posted and check out all the pets. You will also see that some of the pets will say rare and where you can find them. The Wal-Mart near me only has dogs but the Wal-Mart near my mom has cats and bunnies which those we are waiting to arrive sometime this week. Hey and if you can't have pets due to landlord rules and your kid really wants a pet well get a chubby puppy it's the next best thing. There will also be no potty training, potty accidents, walking, or feeding lol so it's a win win.

Each animal is powered by 1 AAA alkaline battery. I will say that after 5-6 total hours of the pet on the battery will die and need replaced. The battery is easy to replace just a small screw needs removed to take the cover to the battery housing off.

I've done some research on the prices on The Chubby Puppies and I'll have to say Wal-Mart is where you will find them the cheapest. That is where we have purchased all of ours and that's where I got the ultimate dog park at. It was on sale for $15-$18 when it's normally around $30. Just the pets allow at Wal-Mart range in price most of them were about $8-$9 but the rare ones are more. The next 2 places after Wal-Mart would be Target and Toys R Us they do cost more then Wal-Mart but if one of those is closer then I Wal-Mart why not. Then you have Amazon and you all know I love Amazon and I'm always finding excellent deals on Amazon but let me tell you not with the chubby puppies. I've seen some at $100, the ones my boys have that we got at Wal-Mart for $9 are selling on Amazon for $20-$30. I'm sorry but I just think that's completely crazy. I understand some people cant physically go to the store due to health issues or some other issue so they shop online. So stay away from Amazon when buying these go to Wal-Mart's website and you can get them for the same price they are in Walmart store on their website and sometimes cheaper.

So Now that I've told you all about these awesome little toys to get some for Christmas. Get your kid a fleet of chubby puppies, at least you don't have to clean up after it or walk them lol. You can also the link out below to the chubby puppies website and it will show you the pets and will tell you what stores you can find the rare ones in.





http://chubbypuppies.com/products.php?loc=en_US

Amandas Monthly Giveaway

ILL BE POSTING THE WINNERS NAME OF THE GIVEWAY THIS THURSDAY BE WATCHING YOU COULD BE THE LUCKY PERSON!!  

Today is the start of Amandas Monkeys Monthly Giveaway! I will post a different giveaway each month running for 2 weeks. You will have a chance to win everything from gift cards, toys, and purses full of goodies (ALL NEW ITEMS). Since this is Amanda's Monkey's first giveaway my monkeys and I made sure it was a good one. If your the winner you will getting this nice beach bag full of prizes such as make up, lotions, jewelry, wraps, hat, after shower headband, yoga socks, adult coloring book with colored pencils, gel pens, and who knows what my monkeys will drop in from here until the day the giveaway ends. 

To enter to win this awesome bag of goodies you must be a follower of Amandas Monkeys, tell me why you should win, and give the post a share.

Giveaway will run from August 19,2016-September 1,2016 11:59pm 

                                          GOOD LUCK 

Baby Product Giveaway

Are you looking to win some awesome baby products? If so head on over to Infant Happiness and enter for your chance to win $200 worth of baby products. All you have to do is click the link below, find the post for the giveaway and follow the directions. It only takes about a minute to enter and no email required. Now what are you waiting on enter, you may be the Lucky Duck who wins.

https://m.facebook.com/InfantHappiness/

Toy Giveaway From Explosive Potential

Are you interested in winning a free toddler toy like Climb, Slide and Soy playgroup? If so just click the link below, enter your email and your entered to win 1 of 8 prizes from Explosive Potential. Now what are you waiting on click that link and be that lucky winner.



http://explosive-potential.com/index.php/giveaways/toddler-toys-giveaway-500-value/?lucky=69

Lets save some money

Christmas is coming and you may think I'm crazy but it is only 4 months away. Being that I have 3 kids, 2 of them with birthdays in December, and only 1 parent working full time (I'm working on getting my own business to take off) Christmas is a struggle for us. That's why I start in August looking for great deals on birthday and Christmas presents. If I can save $3.00 I'm going to because every dime counts. Its not like I'm the only one who worries if they will be able to give their kids a Christmas. There are plenty of other families who are like me just waiting to see the smile on their kids face come Christmas morning. That's why I started a Facebook page were deals on all kinds of products are posted. I have a partner on the page as well and we both spend time finding great deals to post about to help ourselves and others like us. Even if there's something your looking for that you want to try and save some money on we can help. Just send us a message on the page or comment here and we will look for it. So if you want to save some money and we dont only do this for holidays this page is open all year round then come on over and give the page a like to be able to watch the deals we are post and telling you what big stores have products at a low price.https://www.facebook.com/FloridaGirlsDeals/?fref=ts

Welcome

Hello Im Amanda, Im a mom of 3 boys and a wife of a hard working man. We are a close family and love to do things together. We sit around the table together for all 3 meals, which i think is very important in a family. I call my boys my monkeys because they are so active and all over the place so thats where my blog name came from. So now you know a little about me Ill let you know what you will be finding here at Amandas Monkeys

When you come to visit here you will find a little of everything from my thoughts on products, recipes, family fun activites, sale items, holiday talk, and random talk. Im a person who is always on the go looking for great deals, trying out new things, cooking, planning trips with my family and so much more. I hope you will join me in my craziness and visit often. Also ask questions if you want to or just chat IDK i like to make new friends. You can find me on many other social media outlets which I post.

Facebook- Amanda Ball
Instagram- Jays_BallGirl
Google+- Amandas Monkeys
Youtube- Amandas Monkeys

You can also email me at colemanballboys@gmail.com