News | Twin Cities Moms - Kids and Family Guide

Introducing the Twin Cities Moms Direct Sales Guide! – TwinCitiesMoms.com

You asked and we're delivering! We get several requests every week from moms in the Twin Cities who represent various direct sales companies asking if we can promote their products and events! A few months ago, we asked our readers if there would be interest in having a direct sales guide here on Twin Cities Moms where moms who are looking for a representative of a specific company could come and find everything they need in one place! Well, the response was amazing and we're happy to announce that our direct sales guide here on Twin Cities Moms will be ready just in time for the holidays! Whether you're a customer-to-be looking for great products sold by local moms or are a representative for a company, everything you need will be here on Twin Cities Moms in a dedicated section of our site! For less than $30 per year, you can be one of just SEVEN representatives from your company listed in your county! At less than the cost of a small Starbucks per month, you'll…

AAP: NO Amount of Alcohol Safe During Pregnancy

Put down that wine glass, pregnant mama....there are specific guidelines about drinking alcohol (even wine) during pregnancy that you need to know about.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a report indicating that NO amount of alcohol during pregnancy should be considered safe. They write, "no amount of alcohol should be considered safe to drink during any trimester of pregnancy."

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) comprise a wide range of effects that are seen in children whose mothers consumed alcohol of some sort at varying times during their pregnancies. These effects can range from neurological deficits, to behavioral problems and cognitive delays. The statistics on how affected children are based on when their mothers consumed alcohol show, "First-trimester drinking, compared to no drinking, results in 12 times the odds of giving birth to a child with FASDs. First- and second-trimester drinking increased FASDs…

Free subscription to Family Fun Magazine!

For a limited time, you can get a free subscription to, "Family Fun" magazine! Totally free, no credit card needed! Claim it now, while it's still available! =) Be sure to also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest! This post, like any post on Twin Cities Moms, contains affiliate links which do not increase your cost in any way.

Twin Cities Not-So-Spooky Halloween Activities – TwinCitiesMoms.com

So you have a little one who adores dressing up and going trick-or-treating but isn't *quite* ready for the spooky events around town? We have the ultimate list of "not-so-spooky" Halloween events in the Twin Cities and will be adding to it every day until Halloween! Whether you're looking for a community Halloween party, a trick-or-treat event during the daytime, a pumpkin carving contest or anything in between, we'll have a full list for you! Bookmark this page now AND be sure to add our Twin Cities Moms Kids & Family Calendar as a shortcut on your phone's home screen! It works just like an app and will keep you connected to what's happening around town for kids and families! Do you know of a Twin Cities Halloween event for kids and families that we should add to this list? Click on the green, "Post Your Event" button below and add it for free now! Be sure to also come back to our post on Facebook about our "not-so-spooky" event calendar and share some of YOUR …

Advertising Opportunities on TwinCitiesMoms.com

If you've been interested in advertising on TwinCitiesMoms.com we have some flexible advertising packages available through 9/28. We will be offering a maximum of nine packages at special low rates through this date. Package A: Six months of display advertising rotation in our prime header location (size is 300 X 250) which displays beautifully on both the desktop and mobile versions of our entire site as well as within our Kids & Family Calendar and Guide. This package also includes three social media mentions across our Facebook and Twitter channels during your six months (of your choosing....you decide when and what we mention for you). Also includes one Twin Cities Moms email newsletter mention in a month of your choosing. Package B: Everything in Package A -plus- an additional ad (two different images which rotate between each other) and one extra month of rotation. Also includes an additional email newsletter mention in a month of your choosing (two total…

Free Sam’s Club Membership for New or Expecting Moms! – TwinCitiesMoms.com

Exciting news for mamas-to-be and new moms (with kiddos under a year old)! You can get a free one-year Sam's Club membership! It takes a little time on the phone with a rep, but the membership deal is working and available now! If you have some time tonight and can stand being on hold for a little while, this might be worthwhile to you! Get the details here from Hip2Save! Tell us how it went on our Facebook page! Be sure to also join our Due Date Clubs and Ages & Stages Clubs and share your experience with this deal there with other moms of kids the same ages as yours! Our clubs keep local moms connected with other moms who have kids the same age!

Target Ending Their Take Charge of Education Donation Program – TwinCitiesMoms.com

The last thing this PTC mom wanted to hear on the radio as I parked at school for pickup this afternoon was this news. Target is ending their, "Take Charge of Education" donation program where a percentage of sales put on customers' RedCards (debit or credit) is donated to local schools. For many schools in the Twin Cities, this will result in a significant loss of fundraising income that many districts use for technology purchases, books, supplies, playground equipment and other necessary purchases. Target will instead be focusing their donations on the categories of, "health and wellness" instead of education but says that they will continue to donate money to the same communities and at the same percentage as the previous program. The only thing that will change will be the beneficiaries. Considering some school districts are realizing fundraising returns of $100,000 or more from the Target program, this will cause many schools to have to seek out new fundraisin…

Target Testing Grocery Delivery in the Twin Cities – TwinCitiesMoms.com

Alright moms, hang on to your shopping bags! Big news about the often-talked about Target grocery delivery service is finally available! Starting on Tuesday, Target will test grocery delivery here in the Twin Cities! Complete details about how it will work aren't available yet, but Target's goal is to deliver perishables and household goods to homes in St. Louis Park, Edina, Hopkins, Richfield and the Dinkytown Uptown and Downtown portions of Minneapolis in about an hour! They'll tie into a service called Instacart to get the job done. Yet another reason to love living in the Twin Cities! Having Target based here gives us first crack at so many new offerings! The service will have a cost, as we'd expect. If you want your groceries in two hours, there will be a $3.99 charge and a one hour delivery window will cost $5.99. For both delivery options, a minimum order of $35 is required. We understand that Target wants to compete in the grocery delivery game, but this s…

Twin Cities Moms Ages & Stages Clubs – TwinCitiesMoms.com

Fresh off the heels of a total relaunch and big "push" (no pun intended! haha!) of our super-popular due date clubs, we're announcing our new, "Ages & Stages Clubs" to give moms at ANY part of their parenting marathon an opportunity to connect with other local Twin Cities Moms! We have a Toddlers Club, Preschoolers Club, Early Elementary Club and Tweens Club. If there's enough interest we'll also create a Teens Club. If you have kids in any of these age groups, please join as many as apply! You'll be able to share and ask for advice fom other moms in the exact stage you're in with your kids, plan meetups and get-togethers and generally support one another as you move through the same stages together! We also need volunteer admins for each of these clubs, so if you're interested in participating and having an active role with Twin Cities Moms and helping to guide the conversations a bit, we'd love to have you! Shoot us an email at editor@TwinCitiesMoms.co…

Join a Twin Cities Moms Due Date Club! – TwinCitiesMoms.com

Are you an expectant mama eager to talk with other local Twin Cities moms who are due the same month? Do you want to share your hopes, dreams, concerns....or gripes (haha!) about whatever stage of pregnancy you're currently enjoying? Our due date clubs are just one more resource we've created to bring you information, resources and connection with other moms in the Twin Cities! Whether you've just learned you're expecting, are ready to pop, or already had your baby, we have a group for you! Join at any stage! Even if you're headed toward baby's first birthday, we have a group for you! Just join the group for the month your baby was born and connect with other local moms! Plan get-togethers, playdates, mom's nights (or days) out...whatever you like! Are you interested in taking a leadership role for your baby's birth month? We could always use group admins who help facilitate the conversation or plan events (if you like...not required). Email twincitiesmoms@hotmail.com…