Celebrate Easter with an #HBOEggHunt on the HBO Shop

While many kids will be enjoying egg hunts this weekend, HBO is having its own Easter EGGstravaganzas that adults can have some fun with too that will allow them to save money on merchandise from their favorite HBO shows! Starting Thursday, April 13th through Monday, April 17th, the HBO Shop will host an Easter Egg Hunt.

HBO fans can search for hidden discount codes that can be found throughout the product listings of six fan-favorite HBO shows: Game of Thrones, Westworld, Last Week Tonight, Silicon Valley, Veep, and True Blood. Hunt through each of these series’ product selections in search of a single item with an egg decal. Some of these eggs contains a discount code for up to 20% off your entire purchase and some will be a bust with no special code so you'll have to keep hunting through the web site.

Whether you have a friend or family member who loves HBO shows, or just want to treat yourself to a great deal, don’t miss out on the chance to score some great, discounted merchandise this holiday weekend. Here's a hint where you can find one of these golden eggs; but you may want to search for others too because there are some with more lucrative offers than this one provides which are hidden within the HBO Shop as well.

Unique Finds & Money Saving Deals Can Be Found Back-to-School Clothes Shopping @ The Salvation Army's Thrift Stores

50% off Labor Day clothing sale 

Second hand clothing stores became popular during the Great Recession years when everyone was trying to save money where ever and how ever they could and the shops have stayed trendy as the economy has improved as a source of unique finds that let people have a more personal touch in selecting their clothing style.  Of course every tween and teen wants to be trendy and have their own unique style so stopping by a thrift store like those run by The Salvation Army with them can be a fun search for great finds and a chance to save some money on back-to-school shopping.  As an extra bonus all of Metro Detroit's 34 Salvation Army Thrift Store locations will be open on Labor Day ( Monday, September 7, 2015 ) and have their clothes discounted an additional 50% off for that one day only.

It's honestly been a few years since I stopped by one of these thrift stores. So when I heard about this special Labor Day promotion, I stopped by to check out what they had to offer for back-to-school shopping.  From the location I visited if you want to pick up some clothes for grade school children at bargain prices you'd be better off heading to a Mom-to-Mom sale or resale shop that specializes in children's clothing; but if you have a tween or teen heading to junior high, high school or college there were plenty of pants, shirts, skirts, dresses and shoes for guys and gals to pick out to suit their own individual styles.  Keep in mind too that I only went to one location out of The Salvation Army's 34 local thrift stores so there may be other sites where they divert more of the children's wear to and of course since they are selling donated items not every location will have exactly the same items to choose from.

All of the donations  to The Salvation Army that stock the store had been sorted through by staff and volunteers so that  only the best of the best made it to the store shelves.  Everything was clean and in great shape with no stains, rips or tears.  Items ranged a whole gambit of styles from conservative Polo branded shirts to some slinky skirts.  There were lots of items that would be considered "vintage" and others that wouldn't stand out in a crowd but would be a bargain to help fill out a wardrobe for the school year.  A visit to a Salvation Army Thrift Store will help a tween or teen with developing their identity by searching for and picking out clothing items that fit their sense of style and make them feel unique.  It will also help people in need as proceeds from these sales fund The Salvation Army's Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Centers.

These adult rehabilitation centers provide a free 180 day residential treatment program for men and women who are trying to overcome addiction.  The Salvation Army as a religious institution uses a Christian-based program meant not only to deal with a person's addiction but also help them improve the overall state of their body, mind and spirit through individual and group counseling, chemical dependency education, relapse prevention education, bible study, G.E.D. courses, career counseling, and continued follow-up contact after the successful completion of the program.  Proceeds from all of the Metro Detroit Salvation Army Thrift Stores support the continuation of this program so that it can be adequately funded and continue to be provided at no cost to those in need.  The Adult Rehabilitation Centers are completely self-funded and receive their entire operating budget from the revenue generated from these thrift store locations.

Visit any of the 34 Metro Detroit Salvation Army thrift store location to enjoy 50 percent off clothing on Monday, September 7.  Door open at its 32 "Thrift Store" locations from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and its 2 "Dollar Store" locations in Pontiac and Detroit will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For more information visit SalArmyThrift.com or call 313-965-7760.

Founded by William Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination.  The Adult Rehabilitation Centers are an integral part of The Salvation Army's mission by offering substance abusing adults the opportunity to rebuild their lives through a voluntary, short-term residential self-help program designed to establish a sense of dignity, self-esteem and personal strength that will allow them to resist the desire to abuse a substance and regain their rightful place as a contributing member of society.  In 2014, 174 men and 49 women successfully completed the 180 day program.

2015 Michigan Renaissance Festival

** This is a U.S. Family Guide Sponsored Post for an event that I have been provided free tickets to attend for a future blog review. I have not received any financial compensation for this post **

Take a time-travel adventure into the 16th century at the 37th annual Michigan Renaissance Festival! Join the the Fest's Queen Elizabeth in a jubilee! Inside the Festival's turreted gates, visitors enjoy the sights and sounds of a 17-acre village, complete with building reproductions of Renaissance shops, taverns and a magnificent castle. Continuous entertainment takes place on the streets and on 17 themed stages; featuring full-contact armored jousting, comedy and theater shows, music, games, people-powered rides and so much more! Fabulous food and more than 300 artisans displaying their gallery-quality works complete the experience! The 2015 Michigan Renaissance Festival takes place on weekends and Labor day August 22nd thru October 4th! Plus Festival Friday on October 2nd.

A Geek Daddy's blog readers save $3 Off Gate Admission! With this Coupon, receive $3 off an Adult Admission or a FREE child ticket with the purchase of an Adult Ticket. Not Valid with any other offers. CLICK HERE to print out your special U.S. Family Guide coupon.

Our family is excited to attend the Michigan Renaissance Festival and hope you'll join us in going to #MichRenFest this year.  There are a variety of fun themed weekends that include Highland Fling, High Seas Adventure, Wonders of the World, Harvest Huzzah, and Sweet Endings.  Which of these sounds like it would be your favorite to venture to? The 37th annual Michigan Renaissance Festival takes place at 12600 Dixie Highway in Holly Michigan from August 22nd thru October 4th, 10am - 7pm, Rain or Shine! Click here for ticket prices and don't forget to use your coupon from A Geek Daddy blog.  Oh and did I mention FREE PARKING at the event.  I hate paying extra for parking so that is always something I appreciate. Huzzah!

Celebrate NATIONAL READING DAY with Your Family

January 23rd has been designated National Reading Day to celebrate and encourage reading by children. Whether it is a parent reading to a preschooler or an elementary school aged child reading on their own, most medical and educational experts contend that children should be reading or read to every day because it helps develop vocabulary and communications skills that are vital for both learning and social interactions.  For our family, I read each night a bed time story to our kids before they go to sleep.  During the preschool years every night I'd read Dr. Seuss's ABC plus one other story from our home library of children's books to mix things up.  Now that my twins are in kindergarten, I've given Dr. Seuss' ABC a rest but we still read a book every night.  Lately, my daughter's favorite bed time story is CORDUROY by Don Freeman and my son's is HAVE YOU SEEN MY DRAGON? by Steve Light.  Here are a few other of our favorite bed time reading books:

PETE THE CAT & HIS FOUR GROOVY BUTTONS by James Dean

llama llama red pajama by Anna Dewdney

DUCK @ THE DOOR by Jackie Urbanovic

IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE by Laura Joffe Numeroff

BEDTIME MATH by Laura Overdeck

A nice way to celebrate National Reading Day is to mark the occasion by creating a list of some of the books you'd like to read in 2015 and then enjoy reading them throughout the rest of the year.

In recognition of National Reading Day and the Blu-ray/DVD release of the movie The Book of Life on January 27, 2015 our friends at Fox Home Entertainment generously provided my kids with some art supplies so they could create their own books telling stories about our family's adventures and traditions.  So my 6 year old twins spent some time today writing and drawing about our family.  After looking over their books, I do have to say I look pretty darn impressive as a stick figure. Seriously though they really did a nice job with their books as my son wrote about his favorite family trip memories to the beach, zoo, and Disney World while my daughter's story focused on traditions like carving pumpkins at Halloween, going to the Thanksgiving Day parade, Easter egg hunts at grandma and grandpas and watching Detroit Tigers games with her daddy.

Fox Home Entertainment also included in our kids' National Reading Day gift bags some nice The Book of Life themed notepads created by PinholePress.com for them to sketch in and a gift card so our family could make our own customized photo books through this website. Between now and Valentine's Day (February 14, 2015) get 10% off all Pinhole Press products when you use the code: BOOKOFLIFE.

Adventures, family, and traditions are all themes in The Book of Life.  The movie tells the story of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, as he embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears and realize what is most important - family and loved ones.

For more suggestions on reading selections for children, check out the Library of Congress' Kids Section  www.read.gov/kids.  Like the worlds pictured in the movie The Book of Life, when you read books fantastical places are opened up to your imagination so have fun exploring!  Happy National Reading Day everyone.

#BookofLifeReading

Child Sleep Training - Dream Team Pets Mighty Lion Helps Kids & Their Parents Have A Good Night

My 5 year old son had been sneaking out of his room after bedtime and slipping into bed with my wife and I in the middle of the night lately.  To help alleviate the problem we gave the Mighty Lion from Dream Team Pets a try to see if that might help him stay asleep throughout the night in his own room.  My son really enjoys watching Detroit Lions games with me so we thought that was the best selection out of the Dream Team Pets line-up which includes a playful puppy, magical cat and the mighty lion.  These aren't just toys though they are part of a program that is aimed to help children sleep through the night in their own rooms.

The way the program works is you explain to your child that they are supposed to train their Dream Team Pet to sleep through the night without running into mom and dad's room.  You are provided with a book to read together with your child and their new pet that explains how they need to work together to sleep through the night.  It also advises that the pet is strong and brave enough to scare off any monsters that might be creeping around in the night.  A certificate is provided with star stickers to place on it each night they sleep through the night together.  Parents are supposed to fill out the Certificate of Achievement and present it to the child and their Dream Team Pet when they've earned enough stickers to demonstrate they've slept alone in their room for ten nights.  The goal is that by the tenth night it has become a routine that will become the child's regular behavior.

We've personally had some decent results with the program and while I can't say yet it has eliminated the problem there has been a noticeable improvement.  My son takes a great deal of pride and is really excited when he earns a sticker.  The Mighty Lions has also become one of my son's best pals, not just at bedtime but all day long.

A Geek Daddy Blog readers receive a 30% off discount on Dream Team Pets from Amazon.com if you use the promo code: USFGUIDE.  CLICK HERE to pick one out for your child.

The only problem we had with the Dream Team Pets was that I didn't pre-screen the bedtime reading book before I started reading it to my son.  It really has a focus on the pet scaring away monsters that may lurk under the bed, in the closet or in a child's dreams.  I didn't really appreciate that because "monsters" weren't an issue until this book made him think about them and it really highlighted a scary aspect of sleeping alone. So it actually created somewhat of a new problem for us for a few nights.  He soon forgot about the monsters as I didn't read the book again and made up my own stories about not being scared at night that tied into his sleeping with his new buddy the Mighty Lion.  Now if monsters are an issue for your child it is a nice little book to read to them but in our case my son was mostly scared about being alone in the dark.  I felt the book could have highlighted other issues beyond being scared of monsters to address childhood fears of sleeping through the night. So I'd just recommend reading the book by yourself before reading it to your child to see if it is a good fit for your particular situation.

The Dream Team Pets provided us with a structured child sleep training program so my wife and I didn't need to create our own ad hoc solution to a problem.  Since he's been excited every morning to get his special sticker, has developed a bond with his toy, and most importantly slept through the night in his very own bed the last five nights, this product gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

At $19.99 Dream Team Pets are a reasonably priced option to assist with getting your child to sleep on their own through the night.  Plus you can get an additional 30% off by using the promo code USFGUIDE and purchasing through Amazon.com.

DISCLAIMER:  the story about my son not sleeping through the night is true and  the opinions are my own.  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive financial compensation for this post but did receive a complimentary Dream Team Pet for reviewing the product on this blog through the U.S. Family Guide Blogger Program.  A positive review was not required for our participation in this marketing campaign.

Help Your Child Explore Science & Technology With A Monthly Subscription To Space Scouts

Who doesn't like getting something delivered in the mail to their house? Admit it; there is a thrill to getting something delivered from your postal carrier that isn't a bill or junk mail but rather something fun or interesting you can enjoy...and when it comes to kids that thrill level of getting something special in the mail is escalated a thousand percent!  So if you are looking for something a little unique or different to give to a special child in your life you may want to check out a subscription service that recently caught my attention called SPACE SCOUTS that promotes creativity and imagination through sending space themed boxed filled with arts and crafts projects and other fun treats each month.

Join space scouts Roxy and Jett as they explore the galaxy engaging children with fun learning activities, hands-on discovery, and exciting challenges through this monthly subscription club.  Each month explores a new aspect of outer space -- astronomy, science and space exploration are just a few of the topics explored by the Space Scouts to help launch children's interest in science and technology.  A package will arrive each month filled with learning activities plus magnets, stickers, and toys to enjoy.

The subscription program is designed so that each month's package builds upon what you have already received in previous mailings.  Pricing starts out at $11.95 + $3 shipping per month with additional discounted plans for multi-month purchases.  SPACE SCOUTS is recommended for kids age 6+.

A GEEK DADDY blog readers receive a 20% discount on their initial purchase of any SPACE SCOUT subscription plan by using promo code USFAMILY20.

For more information, visit  www.atcssc.com/space-scouts

DISCLAIMER: A Geek Daddy Blog was introduced to this product through its participation in the US FAMILY GUIDE Blogger Program.  A Geek Daddy blog was not provided any financial compensation for this post but is being provided a complimentary two month subscription to the Space Scouts to review.  A positive review is not required of our blog to participate in this promotion.  A Geek Daddy blog had not received the product to review yet at the time this post was published.

Dream Team Pets to the Rescue

My 5 year old son has been sneaking out of his room after bedtime and slipping into bed with my wife and I in the middle of the night the last couple of weeks.  So we're going to give a product called Dream Team Pets a try to see if that might help him stay asleep throughout the night in his own room.

Photos provided by Dream Team Pets

According to information provided by the manufacturer of Dream Team Pets these stuffed animals are more than just a bedtime toy - they are an innovative kid's sleep aid that helps end the bedtime battles of trying to keep your child in bed.  Developed with the help of a pediatrician, Dream Team Pets bedtime routine empowers kids as they reward their Pet with stickers and a certificate for a good's night sleep.  If the child wakes up from a nightmare, there are no hard feelings because the responsibility is on their Pet, but when they successfully sleep in their own bed, the kids feel a sense of accomplishment as they reward their Dream Team Pet.  What makes this unique is that the kids think they are training their Pets, but really they are sleep training themselves!

Since my son and I enjoy watching Detroit Lions football games together we're going to go with the Dream Team Pet Lion and see if it helps with his sleeping through the night.

A Geek Daddy Blog readers receive a 30% off discount on Dream Team Pets from Amazon.com if you use the promo code: USFGUIDE.  CLICK HERE to pick one out for your child.  The options to choose from are a cat, dog, or lion.

DISCLAIMER:  the story about my son not sleeping through the night is true and my own personal situation but most of the information provided in this post was supplied directly from Dream Team Pets through the U.S. Family Guide program that A Geek Daddy Blog is a part of.  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive financial compensation for this post but is receiving a complimentary Dream Team Pet for a future review post regarding the product on this blog.