Bold, bright, and beautiful, the CobraCo Cauldron Solid Copper Garden Hose Storage Set adds a touch of real copper to any backyard decor. This hose holder and matching lid are made from 100% copper and are paired with attractively contrasting black handles, creating a look that makes this hose holder perfect for a variety of uses.

When used as garden hose storage, it can hold up to 150 feet of hose.  The center post guides your garden hose for easy coiling and uncoiling.  But, if you plan on using this copper cauldron for other storage ideas, you can remove the center post entirely.  Curious as to how to incorporate this gorgeous container into your garden or home?  Then be sure to keep reading for my top 7 ideas!

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Although I have no intention of homeschooling Riley, I do have several learning goals for her before she officially starts school.  I want to teach her to read and write her alphabet, her name and our phone number so as to be better prepared for kindergarten.

We're busy learning letter sounds, but I soon realized that I needed a fun and easy way to enrich Riley's phonics skills.  As always, Educational Insights was right there with a terrific toy to teach beginning reading fundamentals.  Keep reading to learn more about the Teaching Tiles Early Learning System!

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As you may remember reading in a previous post, I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Maytag Dependable Laundry Mom!  With that designation comes the perk of trying out the new Maytag Bravos XL High-Efficiency Top Loading Washer and Steam Dryer in my own home.

I'm happy to report that I've been using the Maytag Bravos XL pair to clean my family's neverending supply of dirty clothes for over two months now.  Keep reading to learn what my impressions of this laundry room duo are so far!

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A new study of 1,430 7^th-grade students released last month reveals that many 7^th-graders are dating and experiencing physical, psychological and electronic dating violence. More than one in three (37%) students surveyed report being a victim of psychological dating violence and nearly one in six (15%) report being a victim of physical dating violence.

The study also found that while some attitudes and behaviors associated with increased risk for teen dating violence are pervasive, nearly three-quarters of students surveyed report talking to their parents about dating and teen dating violence. Parent-child communication is considered a protective factor that reduces the risk for teen dating violence.

The study was conducted by RTI International (RTI) on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Blue Shield of California Foundation as part of an independent evaluation of their Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships (Start Strong) initiative. The data released today is the baseline for this larger evaluation to access the overall impact of the program.  Start Strong is one of the largest initiatives ever funded that targets 11- to 14-year-olds to promote healthy relationships in order to prevent teen dating violence and abuse.

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If you've read my previous post about Polly Pocket toys, you'll remember that my daughter was absolutely fascinated after being introduced to the world of Polly.  The toys I reviewed then were all larger and included suction cups on the bottom, which were just perfect for my 3-year-old to manipulate.

This time, the Polly Pocket toys we received were more like the original variety and included small pieces without suction cups.  We also received a DVD containing a short video of one of Polly's adventures, entitled "Friends Finish First".

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I'll be the first to admit that I am hardly a professional cook.  I try really hard and usually come up with some very delectable dishes, but it's always a supreme effort on my part.  For me, kitchen organization is extremely important because without it, cooking a yummy family meal would take forever.

One area that I've never quite been able to organize effectively though is my spice collection.  Currently, I use a large lazy susan to stack up all of the various bottles of spices, but this is far from perfect.  It's hard to see which spices are in the middle and I constantly have to stack and unstack the bottles each time I cook.

Thankfully, YouCopia Products has created an innovative spice organizer to help declutter your kitchen and prepare your food in record time.

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