Sanjay's Super Team

Ever since I was little I loved visiting zoo’s and aquariums, and learning all about the natural world around me, so it’s no wonder one of my favorite places to take the boys is the local free Aquarium At Rockport Harbor, in Rockport, Tx…with 4 boys, finding free things is difficult, but important for our pocket-book. At the Aquarium At Rockport Harbor, the boys can view and learn about the local aquatic life. It’s a small facility in a warehouse type building, and the only way they can keep this aquarium free is to get grants and donations from visitors. So I was excited when Huggies, who is known for helping communities and babies, asked me to team up to spread the news about their new #UltraHug Selfie Contest, community project grant.
Huggies new Snug and Dry Ultra diapers are built for little ones on the move! These Huggies Snug & Dry Ultra Diapers offer long-lasting leakage protection you can count on, so you can focus on all of your baby’s daily adventures. The range of sizes fit babies from newborn to 35 lbs. Only Huggies Snug & Dry Ultra Diapers have a new, unique quilted liner to lock away wetness better..as they have a conforming, gap-free fit to keep your active baby dry throughout the day with The trusted Leak Lock® System that has quick-absorbing layers for up to 12 hours of protection
More about the Aquarium at Rockport Harbor
The Aquarium is a non-profit Texas Corporation with volunteers for management, docents, operation and maintenance. The efforts are managed by a Board of Directors with committees responsible for all activities ranging from Executive Committee (providing day-to-day direction) to Volunteer Committee. These committees are defined in a Committee Policy and volunteers are always welcome. The Aquarium has two paid full-time and one part-time employees . MaryGrace, a full-time Aquarist, and Angalee, a part-time Aquarist, are responsible for care and feeding of all marine life. Jessica, the full-time Administrative Assistant, coordinates activities between the Aquarium and the Education Center. The Aquarium enjoys a long-term relationship with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Division that provided the building housing the Aquarium and often live animals from their research.
The mission of the Aquarium is to establish and maintain an Aquarium at Rockport Harbor that provides:
an educational and entertaining visitor experience that promotes understanding, conservation, and stewardship of marine resources and environments;
living exhibits focusing on local species; and
static and changing displays providing opportunities for the visitors of all ages to learn about research and management of coastal resources.
About the #UltraHug Selfie Contest
From April 20th until June 25th, Huggies will be accepting all selfies of you and your baby with the hashtag #UltraHug, and featuring them in a collage on the campaign landing page. On July 6th, voting will begin to narrow down the 20 finalists to 10 winners who will win a $2,000 grant from Huggies for their nominated community initiative.
How to Enter the #UltraHug Selfie Contest
First, take a selfie of you and your baby and upload that selfie to Twitter or Instagram. Make sure to use the hashtag #UltraHug
In your same post, make sure to include a text nomination (approximately 100 – 120 characters) including a name and/or identifying description of a community project in the US, which you would like to nominate. Make sure the community project is something near and dear to your heart.
WIN
One lucky My Sparkling Life Reader is going to win a $25 Walmart Gift Card to purchase Huggies Snug & Dry Ultra!! This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18+ until 11:59 PM EST June 22, 2015.
The Fine Print: Entering this giveaway means that you accept both my rules & disclosure. I will notify winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to reply before I am forced to redraw winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Each household is only eligible to win this prize via blog reviews and giveaways once. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Many will enter, few will win! Please allow 8-12 weeks for delivery of prizing. My Sparkling Life is not responsible for any lost or misdirected packages. Prizing provided and shipped by My Sparkling Life. In the rare occasion that a prize does not arrive (which has happened), please notify me and I will try to contact the sponsor.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

If you are looking for a great gift for the lady in your life, Andre Lorent PRO Makeup Brush Set is a fantastic idea. This elegant 5 piece professional makeup brush set is the ultimate makeup brush set. It is 100% cruelty-free, made with high quality synthetic hair which is more hygienic and durable than natural hair brushes & comes in a convenient designer case.
THESE ARE THE TOP 5 MAKEUP BRUSHES EVERY GIRL NEEDS! We got you covered! We made sure our 5-piece set includes every brush you’ll need on a day-to-day basis. Here’s what you get: Foundation Brush + Powder/Blush Brush + Angled Liner Brush + Eyeshadow Brush and Lip Brush along with designer case.
SLEEK WHITE CARRYING CASE – The brushes come in a durable, sleek white carrying case for ease when you travel and it also looks beautiful on your countertop.
TOP QUALITY BRUSHES – QUALITY, DESIGN AND LONG LASTING! See why customers give us 5-star reviews on Amazon and love our makeup brush set! Our brushes utilize LuxeFiberTM which is a high-quality synthetic fiber. This results in longer lasting brushes. Reduces falling out fibers. Smoother makeup application. A better experience overall! LuxeFiberTM is hygienic, cruelty-free and vegan.
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED – We guarantee you will LOVE the Andre Lorent Makeup Brush Set, or we’ll give you your money back.
Available on AMAZON for $39.95 and has 5 STAR rating! The brushes are so soft and gentle and a great addition to my makeup bag.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

5 Tips For Creating Safe Havens for Your Anxious Child
The school environment can pose unique problems for a child with anxiety, especially if the type of anxiety is social anxiety. Often considered a “performance-related” anxiety, children exhibiting social anxiety are often triggered by both the social demands of a school setting and the performance demands within the classroom. The five tips below can help you, and the school, create “safe havens” within the highly social school setting, supporting your child’s anxiety before it develops into school avoidance or worse:
Partner with the teacher and school at the first indication of concern. Don’t wait until the problem is significant to approach the teacher. As soon as your child begins to avoid school or indicate a problem, speak with the teacher to develop strategies early. Doing this can help you avoid the more serious cases of school avoidance.
Develop strategies with the teacher for use within the classroom environment. Many anxious children are triggered by the typical performance demands of a classroom. Work with the teacher to incorporate some of the strategies listed below to minimize the negative impact:
Seat the child next to helpful and calming peers
Work out non-verbal signals to use with the child to signal when the teacher is going to call on him or her.
Provide advanced warning to the child for changes in routine
Establish “safe zones” for the child to use during recess and/or lunch. It is easy for a child with anxiety to be triggered by the noise and energy of the other students during lunch and recess. If this is a trigger for your child, work with the school to establish alternative places for your child to go. Working in another classroom and using the library often work very well for children with anxiety.
Establish “safe” people on campus to function as coaches to your child. Although schools can be huge triggers for children with anxiety, they also provide great opportunities for children to learn and refine social skills and coping strategies. Enlist the help of someone on campus that your child trusts to help your child learn and use social competencies at school.
Make sure the home environment is safe and supportive. As important as it is to mitigate the possible negative impact of the school environment for children with anxiety, it is important to remember that everything starts at home. Making sure that home is a calm and secure environment can establish a foundation of safety that can support the anxious child.
Children who demonstrate extreme shyness and social anxiety-like behaviors can really struggle in school and during social events. Following these tips and adapting them to your specific situation can go a long way toward supporting these children and improving their outcomes. Social anxiety disorder doesn’t have to dominate a child’s life. Providing safe havens can help your child find the balance needed to manage his or her anxieties.
Raising the Shy Child
By Christine Fonseca
The fear of being judged by others in social activities is a common human experience, especially during childhood. But when the fear becomes all-consuming, it can disrupt daily functioning and the development of social competency. Raising the Shy Child: A Parent’s Guide to Social Anxiety takes a fresh look at social anxiety disorder, coupling the latest in research trends with evidence-based strategies and real-world stories to untangle the complexities of this disorder. Presented in an easy-to-read, conversational style, the book uses a combination of real-world examples and stories from adults and children with social anxiety disorder to show parents and educators how to help children find a path through their fear and into social competence. With specific strategies to address school refusal, bullying, and identity issues, Raising the Shy Child is a must-read resource for anyone dedicated to enhancing the lives of children.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Fonseca is a school psychologist and award-winning author of nonfiction and teen novels dedicated to helping children and adults find their unique voice in the world, including the books “Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students,” “The Girl Guide,” and “Quiet Kids.” When she isn’t crafting new stories or working with student groups, she can be found sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her local coffee house.
BUY IT
Prufrock Press
March 1, 2015
ISBN: 9781618213983
$16.95
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | IndieBound

This feature has been compensated by Lunchbox. and its advertiser. All opinions are 100% my own.
With my boys getting older, and needing to get online for school work, and my blogging…having 2 older laptops isn’t cutting it anymore. We have 2 older laptops, but they have both gotten a little temperamental with age, So I’ve been thinking about upgrading for the holidays. I’ve been looking and think that maybe a few Dell Inspiron 15.6” with Intel Laptops would make workflow in our house so much easier.
I’ve had a few Dell computers in my days. My first computer which I took to college back in 1999 was a Dell…a giant desktop, but still a Dell, and the laptop I use now is a Dell (even thought it’s really hubbys laptop)…so I already know they are work horses. My grandmother ordered my first one on the phone, but now they’re available at Walmart so I can just walk in a walk out without the long delivery wait.
I really like this Dell Inspiron Black 15.6 Laptop. Check out the features:
15.6″ LED-backlit touchscreen with HD resolution
720p webcam
3-in-1 memory card reader
Bluetooth 4.0
1 x USB 3.0 ports, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x HDMI port, 1 x headphone/microphone jack, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port
4-cell battery for up to 6 h 33 min battery life
It has all of the necessities that we need with the memory card reader, the USB ports, and I love the fact that it has an HDMI port so we can hook it up to the tv to preview slideshows and presentations. Right now with the Upgrade with Intel Contest, you could win a shiny new laptop!!
To enter the Upgrade with Intel Contest, here are some instructions:
Click on the image above to visit the microsite
Select the contest tab
Then, in 400 character or less, share” How would a Dell Inspiron 15.6” Laptop make your life more amazing?”
One entry per email, per person, complete Terms & Conditions are found on the site
What a great way to start your holiday shopping! Enter the contest to win a new laptop for yourself or that someone special on your list! Good luck!
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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