Busy Mom Reviews

Serph is a search engine that allows you to search all the social media sites to see what people are saying right now about a topic.

I have no vested interest in this site, I just liked it.

when you type a query into Serph, it searches online social media sites to find out what people are currently saying about that topic.

It's a clean, bright interface that is easy to use. It has a Firefox plug-in to make Serphing even easier. It's in beta testing right now, so. you'll need to sign up to get access, but, mine came quickly.

You could use it to find out what people are saying about your company, your hobby, your favorite TV show, or, even you.

I guess the last one would be called "Self-Serphing".

Go ahead, sign up and give it a try!

We Just Got Back.com offers travel advice from families who've already been there.

Filled with information about family travel, you can search destinations by region, or, childrens' ages. They even have a Flickr Photo Pool with real photos from real people, because there's nothing like being misled by a travel brochure photo, only to find out that your destination is nothing like it looks.

Be Wise About Beauty is a campaign designed to educate the general public about Cosmetic Surgery. You can take a quiz to find out if cosmetic surgery is right for you.

This educational initiative is sponsored by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. You can learn more here:

Vocal Point (aff. link), a program of P&G, is a network of "moms with a voice", where you have a chance to voice your opinion about products and services in industries that include entertainment, fashion, music, food and beauty.

Feedback on products and services is generated through surveys, product sampling and previews of products and services.

Membership is free, and, you get product samples, and, discounts. They have a privacy policy, and, you can unsubscribe at any time.

I have been a member for a while, and, you really do get some cool samples in the mail, and, the chance to fill out surveys (they don't bombard you).

Just in time for Mother's Day, there's a new show starring Leah Remini, In The Motherhood (has sound).

But, this one is different! It's a series of web-based episodes, and, you are the writer!

Leah Remini partners with Suave, Sprint and MindShare Entertainment for In the Motherhood, a first-ever, mom-focused web series, which will appear on MSN from April 17 through June as well as an integration partnership with the Ellen DeGeneres Show .

Beginning in April, moms across the country will have the unique opportunity to write and collaborate with Hollywood screenwriters to create a series of web-based films starring Leah Remini, best known for her comedic role in the “The King of Queens,” which is completing a successful nine-year run this year. Directed by Peter Lauer, whose directorial credits include “Malcolm in the Middle”, “Arrested Development” and “The Chapelle's Show,” each In the Motherhood webisode will profile the ever-hectic yet always humorous lives of three mom girlfriends.

Professional Hollywood screenwriters will develop the characters and story lines for each of the webisodes, but real moms are the real behind-the-scenes stars. Moms will get the chance to tell their real-life stories by logging onto www.inthemotherhood.com, which will prompt them to sound off about universal experiences all moms share such as “your child's worst public meltdown,” “how to put the ‘me' back in mommy” or “your funniest mother-in-law child-rearing advice.”

Participating is easy – moms literally write out their story in paragraph form and with a few mouse clicks, the story is automatically transformed into a traditional Hollywood script. The online mom community will vote and nominate the best entries, which will then be polished and incorporated into the series of webisodes.

You can visit inthemotherhood.com for the webisodes, information, blogs, games, music, and forums to connect with other moms.

The In the Motherhood web community will launch on MSN April 17 and run through June. The first webisode will air on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 11 and subsequent webisodes will air on May 22, May 29, June 5 and June 12.

MyGroceryDeals.com is a free, easy to use, service that allows you to go online, do your grocery pre shopping based on advertised grocery flyer specials, look at nutritional information, create a shopping list and then head out to your selected store(s) with list in hand.

You can search by your ZIP code, and, see the stores around you.

Now, if someone would just create a site that inventories my pantry, drives to the store, bring it home, and, puts it away.

But, MyGroceryDeals.com is a good way to start!

Light Iris is a brand new website for new moms that launches on Mother's Day, May 13, 2007.

Be sure to check out the Celebration of Today's Mom Sweepstakes, for a chance at some fabulous prizes!

Stay tuned for more good things from Light Iris coming soon.

MySpace Guardian helps protect parents and children from potential predators on MySpace.

This free toolbar notifies MySpace members when other members add content to their MySpace pages.

By integrating the US Sexual Offender Registry with Google Maps it not only gives mapped locations of potential predators, it also offers pictures and complete profiles on each individual predator.

Users can also notify authorities directly form the toolbar if they suspect that they have been contacted by a sexual predator.

Of course, nothing replaces parental involvement, and, working knowledge (you MUST be able to use any application your kids use) about your child's computer usage, but, it's wise to check out the tools available to assist you with Internet safety.

Eat Better America is a free web site designed to provide useful recipes, nutrition, and fitness advice for an overall healthier lifestyle.

It's a creation of General Mills, and, experts take an entertaining approach to presenting insight into a healthier lifestyle. It features recipes, fitness information, coupons, a free newsletter, and more.

During January, 2008 you can get your most burning tax question answered by a tax professional for free at FreeTaxQuestion.com

Whether you have a question about the recent tax law changes related to the AMT, or how big changes in your life such as getting married or having a child will affect yourr 2007 taxes, you can now go FreeTaxQuestion.com through January and have your tax question answered for free.

Simply submit a question online and a TurboTax tax pro will personally call you back at a time you request (a $29.95 value - FREE!)

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THIS EVENT WAS FOR LAST SEASON (2007). THIS IS NOT THE TURBO TAX WEBSITE - PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT QUESTIONS HERE

I'm always looking for ways to save money (especially on the days I have no money to save. Like, oh, maybe today, for instance).

Women's Day Magazine has some great tips on Thrifty Family Fun, you should go check them out!

Remember the HERO Youth Ambassador Program I told you about?

HERO (has sound) was developed to provide comprehensive school-based support to orphans and vulnerable children living in HIV/AIDS-affected African communities. Now, HERO is looking for 20 students (ages 16-19) from across the US and Canada to be selected as 2008 HERO Youth Ambassadors. Students chosen will travel to Africa in 2008.

The deadline to apply to be an Ambassador is March 1, 2008.

You can check out some of the Youth Ambassador’s personal experiences in a series of webisodes.

Even if you can't apply, be sure to check out the other ways you can get involved with the HERO Program.

Remember the Internet series In the Motherhood sponsored by Suave and Sprint and starring Leah Remini, Chelsea Handler, and Jenny McCarthy?

It's back for a second season, and, is the mom-focused web series written by you! The episodes are chosen from reader submissions.

Be sure to check out the In The Motherhood website for discussions, activities and more.

Here's the latest episode: The 3rd Date, it's hilarious.

Did you know that one third of American households pay on average 40 percent (4.4 cents more per kilowatt-hour) more for their electricity bills solely because they live in states without Federal regulation?

The Campaign for Fair Electric Rates is a "grassroots advocacy effort focused on educating consumers and businesses as well as Members of Congress and other policymakers, on the failure of the wholesale electricity markets operated by regional transmission organizations (RTOs) to adequately protect consumers."

Also, according to the website:

Participants in the Campaign for Fair Electric Rates are encouraged to contact their Senators and Representatives asking that Congress urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reexamine the changes made to the wholesale electricity markets over the last few years and take all necessary steps to protect consumers against unjust and unreasonable rates

he Campaign for Fair Electric Rates is committed to raising awareness of the price discrepancy in electric rates between regulated and deregulated states, learn more.

Buzzillions is a product review site that features literally millions of opinions from unbiased users on thousands of different products.

You can also get recommendations for products from other people like you and compare brands. It's a great way to find out the "real scoop" on products before you buy them as well as give your opinion that may help other consumers.

The site is appealing and easy to use and every product on there has a review. It took me a minute to catch on how to write a review, but it is a simple link. I like that the review screen has check boxes that you can quickly comment on the obvious features.

Check it out today, you can get to the reviews quickly and it's easy to sign up to leave your own opinions.

Buzzillions is a great tool to help you with most any purchase, especially since Christmas and other holiday gift giving occasions aren't too far off!

Tripit is a free online travel organizer that takes all of your confirmation emails and puts them in one comprehensive and easy to read itinerary.

It also helps to:

-Quickly organize all your travel plans in one place - flights, hotels, cars, trains, cruises, event tickets, restaurant reservations and more

-Automatically get a master itinerary with all your trip details and weather, maps and city guides

-Easily access your itineraries online, in a personal calendar, via a mobile device or in print form

-Share your trips and see where your travel plans overlap with friends and colleagues

There's even a Tripit Mobile to access your information on the go and be sure to check out the Tripit blog.

Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men's health.

In the U.S., Movember is being utilized to get people talking about prostate cancer, a very serious health issue for men.

Participants in Movember (known as Mo Bros) start the month clean shaven, and along the journey of growing and grooming get people to talk about health issues normally avoided, at the same time raising money for the cause.

Since Movember’s inception in 2003, almost 200,000 Mo Bros have sported a Mo and more than $29 million has been raised globally for prostate cancer research, including $740,568 raised in the United States last year.

Movember is the biggest international event supporting prostate cancer.

By now, most Americans know that the current economic downturn has but endangered many businesses, both small and large.

Currently, the auto industry is facing a crisis, and GM is about to go under and it's hotly debated whether or not the government should intervene financially to keep it from collapsing.

There's no doubt that no matter your opinion on the matter, that the demise of one of the big 3 automakers would have far reaching effects.

I'm not affiliated with GM and I gain nothing from this, but I do want to point you to a site (by GM), GM Facts and Fiction, where you can learn more about what is going on and the challenges they face as Congress meets next week to discuss providing financial relief.

Ciao! is a fabulous online community where members review and rate products and services. It features thousands of accurate and honest reviews from real people just like you.

Ciao’s members and users can also browse from more than 2,000 of online retailers to find the most up-to-date and accurate pricing information on everything from laptops to video games to cell phones, movies, beauty products and more.

You can even earn money from product reviews on Ciao. Reviews of some products will be awarded a small cash payment every time a member rates them "helpful", "very helpful" or "exceptional".

Ciao! is a great place to start your holiday shopping. See what people really think of popular items before you buy, let others know about your experiences and find the best prices.

Join today, it's easy to get started. Participate in the community and get started earning a little extra money while you shop and tell others about things you've tried.

Remember the Wells Fargo Someday Stories?

The winner (has sound) is Evelyn Krieger of Sharon, Massachussetts!

She won $100,000 to make her Someday dream of expanding Yaldah magazine come true. Yaldah magazine’s mission is to empower girls to follow their passion and dreams, to inspire creativity and leadership, and to celebrate Jewish values.

On Decvember 10, 2008, Evelyn and Leah were honored at the Wells Fargo History Museum in San Francisco at an awards ceremony.

Wells Fargo is also donating $250,000 to Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity received 25,542 votes from all of you. This will help Habitat for Humanity continue its mission of helping families turn their someday dream of owning a home into reality by building houses in partnership with people who need them.

Junior Achievement will receive a donation of $150,000 and Boys and Girls Clubs of America will receive a $50,000 donation from Wells Fargo.

Thank you to all who entered and voted.

Safety at Home is a new site from Underwriter's Laboratories (UL).

You might recognize the UL name or logo from several items in your house. UL is the world’s leading independent test lab. Since 1894, UL has been writing safety standards, testing and certifying products and checking manufacturers’ facilities to make sure their products continue to meet UL requirements.

They're even sponsoring a Holiday Sweepstakes where they're giving away a UL certified digital camera each day, and the Grand Prize will be $10,000 of Best Buy products certified by UL

Find out some holiday safety tips and you can also find out how safe your home is by taking their online safety quiz.

T-Mobile asks, What's your parenting style?

Mine?

I actually prefer to think of it as, um "straightforward".

The questions mostly apply to older kids and teens and it's quite timely for me with a teen and one near-teen in the house at the moment. If you have little kids, some of the scenarios might be purely imaginary for you right now, but they'll be real before you know it!

Take the Mom to Mom Quiz, and tell us about your parenting style!

You're strict, too? Right? Right?

I'm not the only one, right?

Also, especially if you have teens with cell phones, be sure to check out T-Mobile's Family Allowances.

With Family Allowances, parents can easily:

* Avoid surprise bills by managing their child’s allowance of minutes, messages and downloads via their cell phone or a simple Web-based interface on my.T-Mobile.com.
* Set limits on the time of day a phone may (or may not) be used.
* Set limits on who can or cannot call or send text messages to the phone.

I promise, it's never too early to plan how you'll handle teens and technology!

This post in conjunction with T-Mobile

The Health Alliance on Alcohol has issued 10 Tips for Parents During Prom/Graduation Season.

I beg you to check this out, this is vital information to parents, especially to those of us with teens, and especially this time of year when it seems there are parties everywhere.

Also, be sure to join the Health Alliance on Alcohol on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 12:30pm ES for an On-line Chat Lead by Dr. Karen Soren and a panel of experts.

TOPIC: Parents Talking to Teens About Prom, Graduation and Alcohol

Mamapedia is an online resource of mothers sharing wisdom and advice with other mothers. It's a searchable compilation of what people have shared though the Mamasource community about kids in all stages.

Since they emphasize that it's about kids of "all ages" and I have a teenager (as well as a pre-teen and a school-ager), I decided to test out it's teen powers as many of these types of sites concentrates on babies and toddlers.

I searched "teen driver's license rules" as this is something that's getting ready to be big ion our house in the not too distant future, and I was pleased to see that there is a lot of real advice in there, and that there's a way to indicate if you find the advice helpful or not.

While there are lots of parenting communities and forums out there, I liked this format, it narrows down the information and it's an easy to use interface.

Mamapedia is free and it's updated daily and the questions and answers are by real moms who've "been there".

This post in conjunction with Mom Central

Making Life Better is a lifestyle site covering great topics such as food and drink, beauty and style, home and family as well as wellness and other tips. Be sure to check out the news and offers with savings, sweepstakes and more.

I signed up for a free membership and I found you can save articles and recipes, make comments and share tips with others. There's even a Making Life Better YouTube channel that has some great, easy and cost effective meal ideas featuring such handy items as Knorr Sides, Lipton Recipe Secrets, Hellman's Mayonnaise and more.

Be sure to check out the great Family Fun Book (.pdf) on the site filled with fun, affordable recipes using trusted brands for lots of occasions. I got to try out a variety of the products and we're partial to the Upside Down Deep Dish pizza.

I really liked this site. It's attractive, easy to use and the meal ideas are practical for people like me without a lot of time. It's really worth a look, I think you'll like it!

Making Life Better is brought to you by the good folks at Unilever, home of such well known food, personal care and home care brands such as Hellman's, Lipton, Knorr, Bertolli, Suave, Vaseline, Ponds and more.

This post in conjunction with Mom Central

The Canary Project began in 2006 as a project to photograph landscapes around the world most acutely affected by global warming. Since its founding, Canary has expanded its initial efforts and produces art and other visual media about climate change.

In 2009, Canary teamed up with Citizen Schools to help students explore how their behavior impacts the world’s climate and engage them in a public art campaign.

As part of this initiative, the students at McCormack Middle School in Dorchester, MA have expressed what they’ve learned about their carbon footprints in a series of individually stylized sneakers. They spent the first half of the semester learning about climate change -- its causes, impacts and solutions. Then they processed what they learned by designing sneakers that gave voice to their concerns and urged others to reduce their carbon footprint. These sneakers are now featured on a billboard in their area.

Do you know your carbon footprint? Find out with the Carbon Plus Calculator

This post courtesy of MS&L, no payment or compensation was received for this post. They brought it to my attention, and I thought it was pretty cool.

CancerCare is a national nonprofit organization that provides free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer: people with cancer, caregivers, children, loved ones, and the bereaved.

CancerCare programs including counseling and support groups, education, financial assistance and practical help are provided by professional oncology social workers and are completely free of charge. Last year, CancerCare provided individual help to more than 100,000 people in addition to the more than 1 million unique visitors to its Web sites.

Now, Tic Tac mints has teamed up with Cancer Care for a new online game (has sound) with a purpose Shake, Share and Care:

Tic Tac will donate $1 to CancerCare for every game played (up to $5,000). That's above the $100,000 donation Tic Tac is already making to this special cause.

Also, on August 19, 2009 in Times Square, Tic Tac and CancerCare will attempt to set a Guinness World's Record for the most games of Tic Tac Toe played simultaneously. This world record attempt is part of a larger partnership between Tic Tac and CancerCare to raise awareness of cancer’s affect on people with the disease, caregivers, loved ones and the bereaved.

This post courtesy of MS & L. I received no compensation, I just thought it was a good cause

Though I've cared for an aging parent, Alzheimer's is not something I've had to face, but millions of people do just that each day. Accera is a private biotechnology company that develops products to treat central nervous system disorders. One of their initiatives is to improve Alzheimer's care.

Accera and the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) have developed the Lost and Found Campaign to raise Accera's goal of donating $50,000 to the AFA to be given on November 17, AFA’s National Memory Screening Day.

It's cute and just takes a second. All you do is go to the Lost and Found site and vote for something you've lost today. Each visit to Lost and Found results in a $1 donation by Accera to support the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA).

This cause was brought to my attention by the fine folks at MS&L Worldwide. No compensation was received, I posted it because I thought it was a worthwhile cause.

Check out, “A Parent is Born”, a 12-episode series From Pampers that follows real-life couple Suzie and Steve, as they journey through the ups and downs of pregnancy.

No compensation was received for this post, (Though I think I may be entered into a contest, but then again I might be too late. If I win something, I'll do a giveaway. Wait, why am I explaining this to you?) I did some work with Pampers over a year ago and they brought it to my attention, I just thought you might like it.

Well, then is a "community of people who inspire each other with ways to be well."

It's a simple, friendly community with short videos and articles by real people, just like us, on topics ranging from connecting with family, eating healthy and working smart, to tips on living with a chronic condition such as asthma and diabetes.

It's easy to use, there's a quick sign-up, and you can upload a short video or just write a tip under the proper area. It's a nice community, very welcoming and positive. For example, I submitted a post under "exercise" about trying yoga.

Take a look, you might find some helpful information, and even some friends there!

Be sure to check out well, then on Twitter, and well, then on Facebook and YouTube.

I was compensated for my initial participation on the site, but am under no obligation to give it a positive review. But, after becoming familiar with it, I thought you might like it, so I'm sharing. That's all. Really.

This is a compensated review by BlogHer.

You do know that BlogHer isn't just a conference, right?

BlogHer is an entire community full of information and content on lots and lots of topics from food to career to life to politics. There's groups and discussions, articles from BlogHer editors on all sorts of topics, and even exclusive offers where you can learn about new products, get coupons and samples, and enter to win prizes.

You can also find blogs on most any topic you desire in the Blog Directory, and be sure to submit your own and find new friends and readers.

If you haven't been there in a while, it's got a spiffy new design, do go check it out, and see what’s new and be sure to visit this week's Sweepstakes post on BlogHer.com for a chance to win a full conference pass to BlogHer Food '11 in Atlanta, GA.

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I remember when I was first became aware of the Internet. I was in college, and I was immediately mesmerized by the fact that you could connect to other computers no matter where they were. I was only vaguely aware of e-mail, but it seemed foreign to me, the domain (ha!) of my computer science major friends rather than a nursing student like me.

Time passed, and I eventually got my own portal to the Internet with an awesome 56k modem. After it went through all it's boops and beeps, it was fascinating to be connected to other computers able to see lists, and books and even some conversations as I dabbled in IRC, even if it was all text-based.

Eventually, we became "cutting edge" at work when our department got an e-mail address. Yes, one e-mail address for the entire department. You had to put your name in the subject line so that everyone knew who the e-mail was for, but it was still exciting to be able to message people both near and far through the computer.

I eventually got my own e-mail address when I needed to join a message board thing, and after that, there was no stopping me. (It was a Yahoo! account, and I've proudly had it since 1999 and I still use it today.)

Over the years, and each day I conduct business, catch up with friends, share news, write notes to myself and communicate about my childrens' sports teams.

Even though my inbox isn't all fun and games, I get excited when there's a new e-mail waiting. Maybe it's a friend just saying hello, maybe someone liked something I wrote on my blog, or perhaps someone wants to give me money (hey, it could happen...). I also think it's fun to send someone a note so they have something waiting for them, too.

I also love the idea of someone being just an e-mail away. I can easily reach my family during the day (if necessary), I can spontaneously interact with a group of friends even if we are too busy to get together, and it can even make a far-away friend seem closer.

Sometimes, electronic communication can be more, it can be a connection.

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

As I was thinking about how we connect with e-mail, one of the first things that came to mind was my dad.

He's 78, and he teaches high school. This is a second career for him, so he came into teaching later in life, and he's had to learn a whole lot of technology that I imagine he never thought he'd have to be bothered with. But, he's embraced it a lot more than I imagined he would, and is actually pretty good at it now.

One of the first things he learned and had to become proficient at was e-mail. Though it started out mainly for work, he's grown to use it for personal communication as well. I think he's been surprised to see how much he enjoys it.

I've had to teach him some things over the years, but the best part for me is seeing how he's used it to communicate with old friends and family, and it was a lifesaver for him when my mother had cancer and he couldn't leave home a lot.

He communicated regularly with his brother (my uncle), 12 years his senior, who lived several hours away. Before email, they talked occasionally on the phone, but that was about it. After e-mail, they shared news, family history, jokes and other information they both valued.

My uncle liked to send me jokes and quick notes, too, and I've really missed those e-mails since he died a few years ago.

It's also been fun for me to communicate quickly with my dad via e-mail. Even though we live in the same town, I enjoy sending him pictures of the kids and jokes to share with his friends. I'm also able to help him with computer documents and such from home when needed.

Something as simple as e-mail has given him so much over the years, and I look forward to using it with him for a long time.

I love this little Yahoo! video, it reminds me of sharing with my dad and uncle:

My two oldest kids are teenagers, so we're in the throes of teaching them about handling money since they'll be on their own before we know it.

We're very fortunate that our school has a fabulous personal economics class that they've both taken, so the have a solid foundation in the concepts of money, spending, saving, credit, insurance and more.

However, it's up to us to teach them to make it work in real life.

My daughter has had a job for a year, so she has some of her own money. She has a car and drives, so we give her an allowance that includes gas money. When she turned 16, we opened a very basic teen checking account (with a debit card) and a savings account, so we can monitor what she does. We wanted her to be very familiar with the banking process well before adulthood.

She's quickly found that she has to pay real attention to how much things cost and that she can't always afford what she wants.

She's less than a year away from college, and there's so much more we want to make sure she knows about money before she goes.

We all want our kids to be able to manage their finances and thrive without mishaps, and American Express provides some tips and tools for parents (created by financial expert Jean Chatzky and Mom Central’s Stacy DeBroff), to educate their teens called, "Practice Safe Spend”.

Some of the tips include:

* Protect yourself from a budget blowout: There are college expenses you plan for – food on the meal plan, books – and then there’s everything else. Laundry, late night pizza and other extras add up fast. Decide how much your teen will have for these variables, tell them to track all spending, then check back in a month to see how it’s working out.

* Understand that no means no: It happens to parents, too – paying for a killer outfit or electronic gadget with a credit or charge card, only to feel the delayed sticker shock at month’s end. Before your college student arrives on campus, talk about the types of spending temptations they may experience and should avoid while at school.

* Keep your teens close, and their spending closer: A card linked to your account proves ideal for teens in emergency situations. Parents never know when their young adult might need immediate access to additional funds to get themselves out of a jam. For example, their car might break down and they need to pay for a tow. You can give your teen a charge card like the American Express Additional Card with Custom Limits, that allows you to quickly and easily raise their spending limit – granting them access to additional funds – simply by going online.

Financial skills and responsibility are just as important topics to cover with your teens as the other "big talks" you have with them such as drinking and drugs. It's an ongoing challenge and we are very fortunate that it's covered at school, and I'd love to see it become a common topic in all schools someday.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

We live in a large 1930's house. While it's "quaint" and "has character" and all that, "old" also means it's not the best sealed dwelling ever created.

Combine that with 3 active kids, and you have the potential to have a mess covered in dust if you don't stay on top of cleaning and de-cluttering. Therefore, It's important for everyone to pitch in and do their part, especially in a house like this.

We don't really assign ongoing chores to the kids, but we have general expectations that people will clean up after themselves, and they are enforced as needed. They are also expected to keep their rooms clean. Our kids are older, so "clean" and "picked up", aren't always the same thing, but for the most part, they do a good job.

If the house is particularly messy or there are guests coming, we assign rooms to take care of with the understanding that it needs to be done not because you are responsible for the mess, but because you are a member of the family.

We also offer pay for cleaning chores that are above and beyond the call of duty if anyone is wanting to earn some money.

No matter what the cleaning task at hand is, it's important to make sure the kids know what cleaning up is supposed to look like, or it won't get done in an effective manner. For example, when they were young our kids concluded that "cleaning up" meant covering up the mess with blankets or hiding things under the bed.

It's also important to me that they learn basic household chores correctly (especially the boys) before they go out on their own, so I do hold toilet cleaning lessons and dishwasher loading primers from time to time.

No matter who is cleaning what, it's important to have the right equipment and products on hand. Not only does it help get the job done better, kids (or at least mine, anyway) are more inclined to clean thoroughly when there's cool stuff to spray or equipment to use.

Check out GreatCleaners.comfor a convenient way to have some of your favorite cleaning products delivered to your front door, and be entered to win some prizes!

Want to hand over cleaning to the experts? Tell us how you have taught and encouraged your kids to clean and be entered to win one of two prizes!

• First Prize: House Cleaner for a day plus $100 in product from GreatCleaners.com.
• Second Prize: A Copy of the Book Over 100 Helpful Household Hints

With GreatCleaners.comClean Club, you'll never have to shop for cleaning products again. With the simplicity of automatic shipments that fit your schedule and free shipping on every order, plus 25% off your first order, you'll never have to be without your favorite, essential cleaning products. Click here to join the Clean Club today!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of GreatCleaners. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Arm & Hammer Brand.