Focuscope Wants Moms Like You

Moms are really smart, resourceful people. They have to be. When you are responsible for the day-to-day details for all of the little people in your life, you have to be on your game!

Moms are schedulers, shoppers, medics, coaches, teachers, cooks, maids and more. Moms know how to multitask, make ends meet and keep everybody in the family happy – and they do it every single day.

Focuscope Inc. , a local, family-owned market research company, knows how valuable moms and their opinions are. Focuscope Inc. is looking for Chicago-area moms to add to its database for future paid opportunities (that’s right – real, cash money in your pocket).

Members of the Focsuscope database are eligible to participate in various research projects, including focus groups, taste tests, product testing, and in-home studies. Focuscope, Inc has three locations: Oak Park, Chicago, and Oak Brook.

To become part of the database, all you need to do is complete an online form. Once you’ve completed the application process, you can expect to be contacted by Focuscope at some point in the future to determine if you are a good fit for specific projects. If you are chosen for a project, you will be compensated for your time (the compensation varies from project to project). If you aren’t chosen for a particular project, your name remains on the database and you will be contacted again for future opportunities.

Does this sound like something you might be interested in (after all, you too are a smart mama)? Simply fill out this form to apply to become part of the Focuscope database or you can click on the Focuscope badge on the right-hand sidebar to learn more about the company.

Disclosure: Focuscope is a new sponsor here on A Hen and Two (now Three) Chicks.

My Dream Family Getaway

Sponsored By


Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your ultimate family vacation. As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine, Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes.

When I first committed to write a post about my ideal family vacation, I really had no idea what that would be. Lots of vacations are good, right? But few vacations are AMAZING. I mean, come on -- an ideal vacation. That's a tall order.

So I spent some time mulling over what would be the "essential components" of any such trip. We would need to be someplace we've never been before (someplace warm), doings things that we all liked to do, in a non-hotel setting, all the while dining on fabulous food.

Where on earth could we find all of those things?

Then the answer came to me: Italy.

My dream family getaway would be to rent an Italian villa for a whole summer. Ideally, this property would be located in the Tuscan countryside -- allowing for easy travel to both northern and southern Italy. This one looks pretty nice, doesn't it? Although this one isn't too shabby either. Choices. Choices.

We'd need to have a house large enough to accommodate our visitors throughout the summer (grandmas, grandpas, cousins, aunts, and uncles). We'd hang out alone for a few days, and then welcome a new wave of visitors for a few days, and so on.

Our villa would be comfortable, but not so fancy-schmancy that we wouldn't feel at home. We'd need to have a little pool for cooling off on those hot Mediterranean afternoons. And a garden to provide fresh produce for our meals. And, I know this is a lot to ask, but I'd also love to have a nice old Italian lady on site who could teach me how to make delicious pastas and sauces.

We'd take some day trips and learn Italian. We'd cook amazing food together and gather around a large outdoor table for our leisurely meals. We'd go swimming every single day.

We'd be together -- really together -- for an entire summer. Sounds pretty darn ideal to me.

Don't forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Marsha's Music Together: A magical, musical experience for the whole family

Despite the fact that neither my husband or I have any musical talent to speak of, all three of our kids love music -- each in their own way.

Ellie is quite the dancer and she is quick to get moving when she hears any sort of music (the girl isn't shy). Brendan likes to hang back and listen intently -- memorizing all of the lyrics while nonchalantly tapping his foot. Little Colin loves a good maraca or shaker and he invariably concludes each song with an uproarious round of applause in celebration of his most excellent performance.

As a mama, I love to see how music awakens a child's enthusiasm, curiosity, and imagination. I love to watch them dance and sing along. I love the smiles on their faces while they are having fun (and learning all sorts of new things at the same time).

For all of these reasons, I have long been a big fan of music classes for kids. There is something sort of magical about gathering together in a room with other parents and kids, sitting on a carpet filled with drums, tambourines, and music-makers in all shapes and sizes and just watching what happens. This experience always makes me feel good (I suspect that the kiddos feel the same way).

Last Sunday, 20 month-old Colin and I met up with my sister and her 5 month-old daughter to try out a Marsha's Music Together class. We gathered together in a comfortable room with other parents and kids. The kind and gentle teacher led us in some familiar (and a few not-so-familiar) tunes. We moved our bodies. We were LOUD and we were very, very quiet. We played with a huge variety of instruments. We had fun making music together.

Marsha's Music Together recognizes that children have an innate need and love for music. This program has been popular in the Hyde Park neighborhood for years and is expanding to new Wicker Park and Lincoln Park locations this fall.

Each class has rituals that the children need and enjoy — the hello song, an instrumental play-along, a lullaby and the goodbye song — plus eight to ten varying experiences involving unusual meters and tonalities, sometimes using props like scarves or a parachute. Many of the classes are for mixed ages (birth through 5 years). I found that this mix of younger and older children makes for a lively, interactive atmosphere (and also makes it easy for families with multiple children to attend one class together).

If you think this sounds like something that your little music-maker would love, I encourage you to try a free class. Marsha's Music Together is holding free demonstration classes at a variety of locations throughout the city this week. Have a look at the schedule of demo classes to find one near you.

Enrollment for the fall session is now open. Each Music Together session includes 10 weekly 45-minute classes filled with live music. Each new family also receives the complimentary booklet Music and Your Child: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers plus 2 copies of a CD with familiar tunes (one for home and the car).

Whether you do it in a class setting or simply at home in your living room with a drum and a kazoo, I encourage you to set aside some time to make music together with your little ones (trust me -- you'll be so, so happy that you did).

Disclosure: Marsha's Music Together is a new sponsor of A Hen and Two (now Three) Chicks. I am being compensated to help spread the word about their program (which is an easy thing to do because we really loved our experience in the demo class).

Cross-posted at Wee Windy City.

A Better Afterschool

When I was growing up, my afterschool experience was pretty idyllic.

When the school day ended, I walked the block-and-a-half home with a group of neighborhood kids. My stay-at-home Mom and baby sister were usually on the front lawn waiting for me and my brother. Sometimes my Mom would have homemade cookies for all the kids who strolled by. Our door was always open to any neighborhood kid to had to make a bathroom stop or needed a band aid for a scraped knee.

After the requisite "how was your day?" exchanges, we would throw down our backpacks, grab a snack, and head back outside for an impromptu game of kick-the-can or some serious backyard fort-building. Parents didn't stand by and supervise -- we just played.

Some days, I had a piano lesson, soccer practice, or an arranged play date -- but most days, the time between school and dinner was spent hanging outside with other kids who lived on my block. Eventually, my Mom would call for us to come in for dinner and the good times would come to an end -- until the next day when the exact same scenario would take place.

I certainly recognize how lucky I was to have this kind of carefree time as a kid. My afterschool experience is far from typical -- especially for kids growing up now.

For many kids, the hours between school and dinner are not always a happy or productive time. For some, this time is spent alone because parents are at work. Other kids plop down on the couch for a few hours of television or video games. For other kids, this time is spent plowing through the mounds of homework they receive each day.

One thing seems clear from all of these different scenarios -- afterschool can be a better experience for our kids. Kids should use this time to run, play, breathe fresh air, learn about music, make an art project or practice their tennis serves. Afterschool should be fun -- and that isn't the case for every kid.

The Quaker Chewy Afterschool Rocks Program is partnering with the Afterschool Alliance to provide school-aged children with opportunities to learn and grow through affordable, quality afterschool programs. To help raised awareness for this campaign, Quaker has joined with Miranda Cosgrove of Nickelodeon's iCarly. Parents can enter into the Quaker Chewy Afterschool Rocks sweepstakes to win a private performance by Miranda Cosgrove (can you hear tween girls everywhere squealing at just the thought of it?). Mamas and papas can enter to win once a day through April 16, 2010 at www.Quakeroats.com/afterschoolrocks.

Plus, every day you have the chance to win a 10-count box of Quaker Chewy Bars. Head on over to the website to check out all of the details. While you are there, be sure to check out the information on how you can get your kids involved in afterschool programs in your area.

In the spirit of inspiring afterschool fun, Quaker sent me an Afterschool Kit -- complete with Quaker Chewy Bars, an itunes gift card, a journal, and a box of perfectly-sharpened colored pencils (love that). Sound like something your kids would like? You are in luck because Quaker gave me an extra Afterschool Kit to give away to one of my readers. To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post (be sure to include your contact info) by midnight CST on Monday, April 12th.

Good luck and happy playing!

The full disclosure part: I was compensated for writing this post about the Quaker Afterschool Rocks program. I also received an Afterschool Kit to keep and one to give away to my readers. Quaker did not tell me that I should write about my memories of my Mom standing on the front lawn with homemade cookies -- that part is all me.