Bundles and Buzz: Bundle Review

So have you heard of Bundles and Buzz? 


I wanted the best description so I took this from their facebook site:

Description

Do you love surprises? Us too! We are thrilled to bring you all the latest products, samples, gift cards and coupon codes for mom and baby in "The Bundles". We only stock a few times a month, but when we do you had better have fast fingers because they sell out fast! Be sure to sign up for our e-newsletter "The Buzz" to be the first to know when the exclusive Bundles stock!www.bundlesandbuzz.com

Business interested in participating please visit www.bundlesandbuzz.com, create an account and email us at bundles@bundlesandbuzz.com asking us to 'create business access'. We will be in touch shortly after.

   

My Thoughts: COOL!?!  What a great way for a mom and her children to get new products.  It is a little surprise each time you order one as you never know what you might receive.  :) One of the really neat things about this is finding new companies that you most likely would never hear about. 

Bundles that they offer include:

-The Baby Bundle

-The Preschooler Bundle

-The Mama Bundle

-The Cloth Diapering Bundle

These bundles range in price from $30-$35 with free shipping in Canada and $3 to US.  

Go check them out on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/bundlesandbuzz

Website: http://www.bundlesandbuzz.com

 

Let me tell you what I received in my bundle. 


- Big Blue Reusable Bag (Everything came in this nice bag) I love reusable bags and this will be used a lot in my household. (Picture above)  
        
- Balmshot- Cool Mint Lip balm- This is in the shape of a bullet (shot) and it protects from sunburn, windburn, and chapped lips.  It was in cool mint and I enjoy that so it works great.  It is a bit more manly for my taste so I'm sure my husband will end up with it.  

- Eco Fab Mama- Soap Sample- My sample was Tutti Fruity scented and I liked it.  Disliked that they added colorants as I would have preferred a more natural handmade soap.  


- My Hikes- Pant Cuff Fasteners-If only this was available for me when I was growing up!!  Everyone knows I am short so to have a neat stylish way to cuff my pants when I was a kid would have been fantastic.  This might come in handy for my children one day, but right now their pants fit them well.  :) 


- My Beautiful Girl- Reusable Snack Bag- This is my favorite thing I received!!  I think it is adorable, it is easy to clean with a liner inside, and the Velcro is easy to open and close.  :) So excited to get some great use out of this!  :) I adore the monkey pattern since I have a little monkey boy.  :) 

- Quadra Isalnd Soap- Sun & Sand Soap Sample- The scent is  okay, not my favorite but not bad either.  It is also handmade with: Olive, Palm, coconut, Castor Oil, Cocoa butter, Aqua, Oxide, and Fragrance oil.  


- Suuthe- Skin Relief lotion- Perfect timing to try on my husbands sun burned back.  :)  He said it felt good as I had to rub it on his icky peeling back.  I used the whole sample on him but I am glad he is getting relief.  


- Softcup-12 hour Period Protection- Call me old fashion but this product scared me so much that I couldn't even try using it. I mean I use, like, and prefer tampons but this rubber cup seems very foreign to me.  They are tempting to try though since they can be worn for 12 hours, during any activity including sports, swimming, sleeping, and sex.  There is no string or applicator like a tampon which means you have to be careful and use your fingers.
 :( That is the part that freaks me out a bit. Has anyone I know used this???  It might be the next best thing but I am so scared to try it.  If I do I will write a separate post detailing my experience!!  

- Uppercase Living- Dragon Fly wall cling- I have seen some other Uppercase living decorations and I do think they are very nice.  :)  However the small sample that I got will not be going on any of my walls.  

  

Gift Card Giveaway $100 Amazon, $50 Victoria's Secret, $50 Target

Beautifully BellaFaith and over 160 blogs have put together an awesome gift card giveaway for everyone to enter. Not only will one lucky person WIN a $100 Amazon gift card, but they will also win a $50 Victoria's Secret gift card AND a $50 Target OR Walmart gift card. 

This giveaway is open worldwide. You must be 18 or older to enter. It will begin May 30th and end June 7th. There will be NO substitutions for any of the gift cards. 

I realize that there are quite a few entries, so I included an end bonus! The more entries you have...the more of a chance you have to WIN! 

Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. If you have any problems, please e-mail littleamberfaith@yahoo.com. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another will be drawn. You do NOT have to be a blogger to enter OR win. Good luck!! 

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Encouraging our Children in new interests!

On Memorial Day our family walked up the smaller mountain we have here in Wisconsin.  :)  It was a great family walk and fun picnic at the top of a beautiful view:

As we started the hike back down we turned our walk to a run.  After we got half way down my daughter requested to run with us.  She impressed both my husband and myself.  She ran and ran and her coordination was great!!  :)  I was so thrilled!  She was running in sandals and a dress so I knew a shopping trip was in store for us to find running shoes and outfit for her! 

3 hours of searching for the right shoes this is what we found:

After we got home she immediately put it on.  We waited and waited for daddy to arrive home.  I absolutely enjoyed my husbands enthusiasm when he saw his daughter.  He was so encouraging and full of compliments.  :)  It melted my heart.... I love him so much, and I adore watching him being a daddy.  :) 

Soon after the hubby and I had to change because Selah was anxiously waiting to go for a run in her new shoes.  :) So here is the SHOCKING part we ran... 1.21 miles!  :)  Her first run in her new shoes and she impressed us so so much!!!  :) :)  

I am looking forward to a running partner!  :)  :)  In fact I signed her up for a half mile run in 2 weeks and I will be running a 5K.  :) 

It is a joy to watch my children in new talents.  Running may not seem like much to many but to me I sit back and think if this is a talent that God is blessing my daughter with then how can she use it to Glorify God?  How can I help her in this talent? 

A lot for me to reflect on.  I love it and I LOVE GOD!  

The Berenstain Bears: God Bless Our Home Book Review

About God Bless this Home:
In this wonderful story Mama and Papa bear start discussing needing a bigger house since the family has outgrown the small cozy tree house.  When Mama and Papa Bear talk to Brother and Sister Bear they were very reluctant to move from the home they know best.  Will the Bear family move or come up with a different way to expand the tree house to make more room.

The Bear family finds the needs of each person in the family and then discuss how to create the room they need.  Some of the needs include: Honey Bear needs her own room and Papa Bear needs a place to protect his car from the snow.

God Bless Our Home evokes the true meaning of home, sweet home illustrates the importance of working together as a family.  Young readers will learn that a house does not have to be big, beautiful, or expensive because every home is filled with the blessings of God.

My Review:
I have said it before but I absolutely love finding books that leave my kids with a good Biblical lesson.  :)   We related very well to this story since we did just move out of our little 2 bedroom apartment into a 3 bedroom house.  One thing we did was pray over the house similar to the Bear's "God Bless this Home" sign that they place in their house.  I think it was very neat to watch the family problem solve and find a way to keep everyone happy.  :)

About the Authors: 
Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bear books in 1962.  Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears.  Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too.  Since the late 80's, he has been very much involved as a writer and illustrator with his family's creation, the Berenstain Bears.  he continued to work with his mother, Jan, creating new books, writing and illustrating up until her death this year.  The antics and activities of Mike's three children have provided inspiration for many Berenstain Bears Books over the years.  Though Stan  and Jan passed away in 2005 and 2012, respectively, Mike continues to create the delightful Bear adventures form their studio in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks much like the sunny dirt road deep in Bear Country.  

Sidewalk Chalk #4: Shapes and Colors

I drew some shapes with different colors on the side walk and then we had a racing game.  Who could find the color or the shape the fastest.  The girls did a great job and kept friendly competition which surprised me!  :) 

After the girls got tired of that game we changed it up.  I would call out a command such as "do five jumping jacks on a triangle." Then they were getting some good exercise within practicing shapes.  

We also did some practice drawing the shapes.  :)  

Please VOTE for Titus

Go vote for my son in the Parents Photo contest:  http://photos.parents.com/parents-cover-contest-2012/22/2012/1432?esrc=nwphotofaves_pmcover12

I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!  :)


THANK-YOU

Happy Memorial Day

 I had a happy camper waving the Red, White, and Blue Flag.


Saturday we had a Memorial Day parade and both kids had fun but it was fun seeing many veterans in their uniforms!  


Thank you men and women for serving our country!!  


"ONE NATION UNDER GOD"  


Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!  

Salt Dough Keepsakes

I actually made these hand-prints with my children back in December and I finally sat down and painted them.  I was going to have my daughter paint her's but after I did my sons I just kept going because I absolutely love them! It will be a hand print I will keep forever!  


Recipe 

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water

Bake for about an hour at 325*

Last Christmas we made fun ornaments and I let Selah have a ton of fun painting them.  We did make these hand-prints then too but we never finished them.  

You have so many possibilities to create something  neat with salt dough and the best part is it will not break your bank!  You can make a keepsake like these hand-print ones for Father's Day, Mother's Day, Birthday's, Christmas, or any other special event.

Click HERE to check out our Christmas Ornaments from last year

#EclosBeauty Skin Care Review and Giveaway

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of éclos Skin Care for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you heard of éclos Skin Care?  This new product is made from using plant stem cells and that helps us look younger!  How neat is that?  The also benefit of Eclos includes: No synthetic fragrances, No parabens, No synthetic dyes, No sulfates, and NO petro-chemicals.  I was a happy camper when I read that!  It is hard to find a product that is not filled with all of this junk that is harmful to us!  So two thumbs up for the healthy formula of this product.  

Included in the éclos Skin Care is:

-Facial Cleanser- Skin prep This will extend skin cell longeivty, purify pores, and prime the skin for the rest of the treatment.  

-Cellular Activator- Facial Serum The facial serum will regenerate skin cells, rehab aging skin, and help to prevent further damage.  

-Restorative Eye Cream-  The eye cream will slow signs of aging, firm delicate skin, and reduce fine lines.

-Skin Renewal- Clay Mask-This part of the process will restore youthful texture, absorb the dirt and other impurities, and tighten and reduce your pores.  

-Instant Radiance- Facial Scrub-This scrub will activate cell renewal, remove dull and dray skin cells, and improve your facial texture and tones.  

-Moisture Therapy- Regenerative Cream This cream will awaken your cell renewal, brighten dull skin, and reduce lines and wrinkles. 

Each of these products make a complete facial experience.  I truly enjoyed the clay mask as it tightened up my face it just felt amazing to wash off with the facial cleanser.  The eye cream seemed to work awesome under my tired eyes!  :) The biggest change I saw is under my eyes!  I may still be in my 20's but I do have bags and wrinkles and I do believe they have decreased!  Overall I am thrilled with the product and reccomend it to any women.  :)  Not only will they help to keep your skin younger but you can be sure you are not using any harmful chemicals which can be found in so many other over the counter products!  

Here is what I found from their site:

The Discovery

Researchers have found that Plant Stem Cells extracted from a rare 
Swiss apple, (Uttwiler Spätlauber), show tremendous ability to
stimulate skin stem cells, encouraging aging skin to behave like 
younger skin.

Enriched with PhytoPlex24™
Plant extracts, vitamins and anti-oxidants work in 
synergy with the Plant Stem Cell technology to help 
minimize the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and 
tired skin.

Clinically Proven Results

• 100% of the women saw a reduction in wrinkle appearance 
  within 2 weeks
• Skin’s collagen matrix and elastin fibroblasts can look up to
  15 years younger
  (a 50 year old subject’s skin can appear like that of a 35 year old)

 

Wanna see my before and after photo in only 10 days?  I am a little embarrassed to post this picture since it is such a close up.  Also, I just switched my birth control so my hormones are a little off and that is why there is some acne on my face.  :(  

 

Are you ready to enter a giveaway to win your éclos Skin Care beauty set?  

Enter through the rafflecopter form below.  Make sure you leave a comment on this blog post stating which product in the kit you are most excited to try.  

 

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14 Months old

Each month it seems to be a bigger challenge at getting a good picture.  My lil guy is a mover, a climber, and a happy boy.  :) 


He got 2 more teeth in the last month!  He is a very slow teether and they seem to bother him for few days on each tooth.  It makes for a tired momma!  


Great news!  He finally slept through the night!  Took forever but he did it and I know many more sleeping nights are in our future.  :)  YAY!  


His favorite thing to do right now climb, drive his car, chase his puppy, annoy his sister, and cuddle with his mommy.  :) I am one blessed mom to have such a fun boy.  

Learning responsibilities: Dog Walking

Do you have a pet?   Do you teach responsibilities to your children with the pet?  


Yesterday we went out walking and this time I made my daughter walk our dog.  She needed to learn a few things but she did great.  


The best part is she loves this responsibility!  

New to me because I repainted it! :)

I was able to snag this cute flower bench for $5.00.  Sadly, I forgot to take a before picture so here is the after picture.  Just picture it solid deep red... it was nice just kinda boring.  So I painted it  and planted some pretty flowers.  The colors actually do match my children's patio chairs.  :) 

The hubby was not very fond of the colors since he is more of a earth tone type of guy but it was all painted when he came home from work. 

So do you think it is too bright? 

Blessed- Clothes shopping

Good news, have been maintaining my weight loss!  WOOT WOOT!!  Still want to continue to lose a little more and tone a ton  more!  :) 


Anyways, my clothes do not fit anymore!  Which is a great problem to have but at the same time when I don't want to spend a fortune on clothes it  kinda sucks too.  :(  After moving and working on our garden I really did not want to spend much on myself.  


As I was driving to get groceries I somehow found myself at a consignment store.  :)  I was with both kids so it can be quite a challenge trying to dig around when they had no interest in helping mom shop.  Even with the distractions of children I managed to snag some really amazing deals!  :)  I found a great Addidas workout top that I have been wanting to buy since January and got it for $5.50!  I had priced them out and usually they are $25 and up!  :) Then I found a cute pair of American Eagle shorts for $4.63.  The next deal was Calvin Klien jeans for $6.00 and they had tags on!  The neater thing about that pair is they are perfect since they are short, and well let me honest... I'm super short.  The last pair of jeans I found were Levis for 2.25.  Total $20.32!!!  :)  YAY!!!  

Snapatoonies DVD Review and Giveaway

OK mommy's lets admit the fact that we need to turn that TV on every now and again to get something done around the house and just get the kids out of the mess!  For example both my husband and I got the flu at the same time so yes the TV was on most of that day.  :(  There are so many show's out there that get our kids attention but is it educational?  I really do not allow my kid to sit in front of the TV for hours upon hours but there are times when we just need to kick back with our kids.  

I want to introduce you to "Snapatoonies!"  Have you heard of them?  Snapatoonies was created by to mum's Lee and Jordi (Aussie mom's or mum's)  Here is a little more about them and why they wanted to create Snapatoonies:

"We wanted them to have a head start on learning.  Kids can absorb and learn so much while they are little.  Snapatoonies is about building on that learning platform to give them the essential skills for success.

Excited as we were about the concept of having the shows, we had no idea how to make a TV/DVD show.  No TV or film background, no animation skills and no writing skills.  

So what made us think we could make the show?  Good question - call it a mothers' determination ...lol  ...and Google!

We had to start somewhere - so we began to Google and to learn what we had to do - and in what order - and how we had to do it.... oh we had a million questions ... and Google.

That being said, I am sure if you have looked at the show it is not a bad effort for two mums with no experience and no one to guide them along the way.  But don't think we didn't make our share of mistakes.  The first version of the show (and 6 months of work) was all thrown out - we just made too many mistakes - so not getting discouraged, we started again.

We still make mistakes... but thankfully we still have an ample supply of determination.

The next question we are usually asked - how did you pay for it all?  The short version is we sold our house.  You have to understand, with no experience and no credibility, with a show script that was not your usual Dora or kid's formatted show no one would listen to us, far less talk to us - so if we wanted to do Snapatoonies we had to put our money where our mouth was... so to speak.  And we did.

Where to from here?  Well first things first.  Not only did we want Snapatoonies for our kids - we want every child in the world to have access to this fundamental learning because we have this belief that kids like learning - and if we give them fun, interactive and enjoyable ways to learn, they will want to keep learning.  What a concept!  

So first things first - get Snapatoonies out there so that kids all over the world can watch it and begin their fun learning journey.  Meanwhile we, with our limited funds, are keeping the production rolling - we have 39 more shows to make - we actually are halfway into Series 2.

Snapatoonies has already picked up some terrific awards of which we are very proud.  You can read more about them on ourAwards page.

So thanks for calling by to check us out.  ...oh and BTW - in case you are wondering why we are misspelling mums - it is because we are Aussie mums!

Cheers Lee and Jordi"

  

Snapatoonies sent us the "At the Zoo with Turtle" to conduct our review.  All opinions are 100% my own.  

We turned on the video on an evening I was babysitting a neighbor kid who is 2 years old.  So I had my 4 year old, 1 year old, and the 2 year old neighbor boy watching this video.  My youngest was able to pay attention for some of it, but the 2 year old and 4 year old sat through the whole thing.  They were making animal noises too so that was fun to see.  What I enjoyed about the DVD was the real images of the animals.  Just the simple fact that the whole DVD was not animations but a little bit of animation and then real animals included made this mom happy.  Through out the entire video there was bright and inviting color and some catchy songs.  Overall there are several other DVD's as they are working on their 2nd series and they all are educational.  

To learn more check out there website:  http://www.snapatoonies.com

ENTER GIVEAWAY BELOW

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Embracing Beauty's Kindle giveaway

I've teamed up with Embracing Beauty to giveaway a Kindle Fire to one lucky reader. This is a great gadget for anyone on your gift-giving list, including Dad! Whether you're a social media addict, book lover, or avid blog reader, this is one product you'll love to own!

Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi - RV: $199

Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon’s revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser

• Over 20 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books
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• Ultra-fast web browsing – Amazon Silk
• Free cloud storage
• Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle
• Fast, powerful dual-core processor
• Favorite children’s books, graphic novels, and magazines in rich color
• Amazon Prime Members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming on thousands of popular movies and TV shows.
• Amazon Prime Members choose from over a hundred thousand books to borrow for free.

Want to win a Kindle Fire?

One winner will receive a free Kindle Fire shipped right to their door.

There are some great ways to earn extra entries into this giveaway! All mandatory and extra entries must be submitted within the Rafflecopter Giveaway box below.

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This giveaway is open worldwide and will go from May 21-26, 2012 11:59pm EST. As always, if you have any trouble entering this giveaway, or if you have any questions, please contact me!

The techy children

So I was so ________ ??  I can't even think of the right word.  I was impressed, excited, thrilled, scared??  So many emotions as I thought about it really! 


What am I talking about you wonder??  


Well, on Sunday I was throwing a friend a baby shower and at her shower we had about 8 girls ranging from 7-11 years old.  They still were playing the games I had planned which I was excited I planned games that they were able to play.  


One game we were playing was a trivia game.  It was called "Baby Animal's"  in which I would call out an animal and the guests would have to give me the name of their offspring.  ie cat-kitten, dog-puppy, deer-fawn...etc etc.  There were a few that were very challenging that I knew I would never have gotten right.  


I look back at the girls who were working hard on this more challenging game and one girl asks, "is it ok if I use my phone for help?"   LOL, outsmarting some of us older ladies these young guns were ready to use their resources to get the answer faster.  


Immediately I thought "ooh those smarty pants" "resourceful" and  "how many of you have a phone" but then later I thought "kinda sad that their immediate reaction was to get the answer as fast as possible before even letting their mind recall the information."  I also got to thinking and we are in a very techy world so I have to make sure my children are keeping up with the technology these days too, but no way is my daughter getting a phone yet!  The girl who did have the phone was the oldest in the group and is very responsible!  So watch out the younger generation is going to pass us up in all of this technology!!  

Hoping to plant my Garden this weekend!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

With the weather being awesome this weekend I hope the hubby and I can squeeze sometime into creating a little garden!  :)  I have never planted a garden before but I am really looking forward to having some of my own homegrown foods.  :)  I would love to have some fresh fruit and veggies.  

We are going to try to grow peas, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelon, tomatoes.  Sure hope we do well! :)  We only have a small space where I want the garden but I think it will work, I am going to take some of the current flowers out and give them to someone else so I can grow some veggies instead.  

If I had a bigger yard this would be my dream garden: 

Not only do we have to buy some tools but also some organic plant food and maybe even organic soil.

 I am a newbie at this but might as well go organic right?  I want the best for my family so I think going organic would be awesome.  I think we will be trying the Whitney Farms® brand.  Whitney Farms® has 25 years of experience and their products have low to no dust, no manure smell, easy to apply, it contains beneficial mcrobes, specially designed protein-based blends  provide your plants with both macro and micronutrients they need to grow and thrive.  

I am going to print a $3.00 off coupon for Whitney Farms® to try it and so should you!  :)

 

Are you planting a garden this year?    What will you plant?  Any advice for me? 

Flu bug pondering's...

Back in November the whole family was hit with the flu bug but now again in May??  It is not fair to get the flu bug once warm weather comes.  

On Thursday last week my daughter woke up sick but she seemed back to her normal self in just a few short hours.  On Saturday we were heading to the YMCA for a workout when my son threw up in his car seat.  :(  It was a huge mess and so stinky that my daughter was plugging her nose.  We pulled over to a gas station got him all cleaned up and headed back home.  He took a great nap and we went for a  walk which maybe was not a good idea since he ended up throwing up a big more.  :(  

Then Sunday came... the day I had to throw a baby shower.  The shower did go well... Praise the Lord! The last half of the shower my stomach really started to hurt.   Thankfully one of the ladies offered to finish cleaning and lock up the church!  :) Well, I got home and my husband who was with the kids told me he was not feeling well and wanted to get some fresh air so he decided to go to Menards.  As he was gone I found myself in the bathroom...ugg so sick!  I text back  my husband to come home and he texts back that he had just thrown up in the parking lot.  :(  

It seems like a reoccurring problem for the hubby and I...we always are sick at the same time.  With 2 children and a puppy it is not easy task for mom and dad to be sick.  So I did the best job I could do, lil man went to bed a tiny bit early, my daughter picked out a movie, and I put the puppy in her bed while I went to bed!  

Anyone else have the same issue where both mom and dad are sick at the same time??  What do you do???  

Summer weather and Carnival Rides

The carnival was in town this weekend!  :)  My daughter had some fun on a few rides, and my son went on one too.  :) 


I enjoyed watching my children have fun but next time I think I am getting on the Tilt-O-Whirl... best ride ever!  :) 


I also did well and ate no fair food...i secretly really really wanted cotton candy!  I bet my husband was surprised I never asked for it!  I still really really want it though.  LOL

Footprint Butterfly Flower Pots

I had seen some adorable footprint butterflies on Pintrest so I knew I wanted to do them with my 2 children.  


I did not buy flower pots for this activity.  I reused some containers that we got from Wal-Mart when we ordered some food to-go.  :)  


After we cleaned to containers I put some blue paint inside and attached the lid and let my daughter shake it around till it was covered.  


After the inside paint dried I took the kids outside and tried my best to get some cute foot prints.  Selah was giggling when I painted her feet because she is so ticklish.  Then Titus was crying because low and behold he is afraid of paint.  So a fun activity had a lot of drama involved but I still think they turned out adorable.  :)  


This was also a present for Mother's Day... Nana is coming to visit us in June so shhhhh... "it's still a secret."   :) 

Tough boy VS Sensitive Girl

With the warm weather here means we are outside walking, biking, skipping, dancing, jumping, running.  With all the activities comes the small accidents with cuts, scrapes, bruises, and a little bleeding.  :(  


That brought us to Mother's Day when we were all outside enjoying the weather and the new puppy.  My daughter was running and down she fell.  Her reactions: screaming, crying, not walking because of her little boo boo's.  She threw a fit when I tried to clean it and she remained on the couch for at least an hour because she was still "in pain."  I thought it was a typical reaction for a 4 year old girl.  

Then about 2 hours later my son falls and scrapes his leg.  His reaction: a tiny whimper cry for maybe 3 seconds.  He was bleeding more then his sister was and he then he was ready to go back and play before I could even pick him to bring him in to clean it.  


I really witnessed a tough boy (almost 14 months) compared with my 4 year old sensitive sweet girl. It made me and my husband giggle for a little bit.  I was just thrown aloof at how different they two acted in similar situations.  


So parents with a child of each sex... what have you noticed?  I would love to hear your stories.  :) 

Skinny Water Giveaway

I have teamed up with Be Rich Be Frugal to present to you this wonderful review and giveaway of Skinny Water. If you're looking for the perfect sports drink that will thoroughly quench your thirst, this is the drink for you. Read on for the full review.....

Here's the skinny:
(Review not written by Praises of a Wife and Mommy)

I have never been keen on drinking energy drinks, diet drinks, or anything along those lines. It's not that I am protesting against them, it's just that every time I decide to give it a try, it is always a disappointment in the flavor department. Honestly, they all taste like watered down juice to me. Nice try.

As many times as I have been disappointed, I have still kept on with my search for the right sports drink that I can truly enjoy. I don't drink soda so my sweet go-to thirst quencher is juice. Although it is a better alternative, the amount of sugar that juice contains is still rather high. If there is a diet/sports drink that can offer me some flavors I can enjoy minus the sugars and calories, I would stock up on it as if there's going to be an apocalypse. No lie.

Just as I have exhausted myself in the search to find the right drink, a great acquaintance of whom I have been so blessed to meet, directed me to another lady who was looking for people to try out their new line of sport water. Excited yet skeptical, I shot out an email with the request to try it. Immediately, I got an answer back with an enthusiastic communications director who didn't hesitate to allow me to give it a try. A week later, a big box of sports drinks landed on my door step and the 5 year old in me jumped on it like it was a gift on Christmas day.

Honestly, I don't really know what happened next. I believe it went like this:

My husband helped me open the box and upon making it's presence known to me, these sport waters seemed to have sung a melody as I nudged away the lid of the box so I can get a better look at it. I delved in and the first bottle I picked up, with all its slenderness and lure of a luxurious treat, said on its label,

Skinny Sport Water

0 Calories

0 Sugar

0 Sodium

0 Guilt

WHAT?! I couldn't believe it. With all its benefits and the 0 calories, sugar, etc., how could it pack in any flavor? All I can say is, boy was I wrong. The first flavor I tried was Goji Black Cherry. As the first drop of this amazing sport drink touched my taste buds, my eyes immediately shot open wide and I found myself gulping down nearly a third of the bottle. It was delicious. I really couldn't believe that this was in any way a sport drink. My husband glanced as me as I looked at my bottle of Goji Black Cherry Skinny Water in amazement. He's long known about my quest for a good sports drink and how many times I have been disappointed. Without a word, he held out his hand for me to hand my bottle over to him. I watch him take his first gulp and with a knowing smile, I nod at him as he nearly finishes the bottle. This is really happening....

I have found THE sport drink that I have longed for for so long. I am not one to rave about a product unless I truly believe that it is well worth it. And this? This is worth raving about. It has the perfect sweetness minus the weird thickness in the back of your throat you get from drinking sugar substitutes. It is also so refreshing. I've taken a bottle with me on my morning run and it really keeps me hydrated. 

I can't wait to have everyone try it, including you! Because the people of Skinny Water are absolutely amazing and beyond generous, they are providing me with a set of Skinny Waters to give to my readers! One lucky winner will win a set of 12 Skinny Waters sent straight to their home. 

To enter, simply do the tasks on the Rafflecopter widget below and you're set to have a chance to win! 

Good luck, everyone! Thanks for entering!

*I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.*

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Awww, how sweet!

At 5 a.m I was out of bed after hearing a crying lil girl.  She had thrown up in her bed...:(  After getting her cleaned up and back in bed only a few minutes later she was in the bathroom where she almost made it to the toilet.  :(  

It is now 9am and she is eating some breakfast and cuddled with Kiah for about an hour and she seems to be doing much better!  Kiah was actually sleeping like that on Selah.  :)

Thank you Jesus for healing my spunky sweetie! :) 

Awana Award Night

My daughter just finished her 2nd year of AWANA.  She has such a fun time each week going and looks forward to it every week.  I love how much of the Word of God she has memorized and I love how excited she it to memorize it.  :) We sure are blessed with great adults who like to work with children in our church.  :)  If  you see her cute blue vest it has a lot of patches from finishing her work but this mom fell a bit behind on sewing them on...oops!  Her vest should be 100% full!  :)  :)  

Honey Bunches of Oats Review and Giveaway

Honey Bunches of Oats is one of America's favorite cereals-and  now it is even better!  They added more of the delicious granola bunches to each box.

Each serving has:
10 grams of Whole Grain
0g trans fat
0g Saturated fat
0mg cholesterol

Provides 9 essential vitamins and minerals
Brings together 4 nutritious grains

My Review:
I was thrilled to receive a box from Post to conduct a review since everyone in the family LOVES it!  I mean I really did not need a free box to do a review, in the last month I think we have gone through 4 boxes, 4 people in the family and 4 boxes of Honey Bunches of Oats.  :)  My two children both seem to enjoy eating it for breakfast or a snack.  My 13 month old eats it dry while my 4 year old has hers with milk.  The Honey Bunches has been my favorite for a long time but now they offer two new "fruit blends" one is a peach and strawberry and the other is banana and blueberry.   I am pretty sure I will be trying those out soon!

It is always a win win when my kids both enjoy eating Honey Bunches of Oats and when I know they are not getting sugared up and are getting important whole grains.

The next time you are at the grocery store re-look at all the varieties and pick a new one and see what you think.  They have 10 different varieties and even though I have only had the honey bunches and the almonds I am willing to bet you can find one that will be your new favorite breakfast cereal!  :)

Post provided a free sample of their Honey Bunches of Oats-Honey Roasted so I could review them.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.  

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Dandelion Swirly

 One of my daughter's favorite things to do is pick Dandelions and give them to me.  (I am so blessed)  As she handed them to me on Mother's Day I had a flash back to my childhood to  something my mom and I did.  

We would rip the flower off and then take the stem and peel it apart in as many long pieces as possible.  After peeling the stem you place them in a bucket of water and watch them curl up!  It is fun and really awesome to watch.  :) 

Now go have fun and pick some Dandelions and then make them curly and swirly!  :) 

Meet Kiah our Puppy!

So far things are going great with a puppy in the house.  She has only had one accident in the house and every time I take her outside she immediately goes potty!  GOOD GIRL!  Titus was giggly today and playing nicely with her and Selah wants to be a little mommy to the puppy and I have to keep telling her "put Kiah down."  

Repaint Jesus: Eric Samuel Tim

What a wonderful weekend we had at church.  :) We had a guest speaker, Eric Samuel Timm!  He is a powerful speaker but the icing on the cake sure is his artwork!  He speaks around the world and in many schools!  He has a heart and a passion for Jesus that is so vibrant and contagious.  :)

His message is so easy but so powerful.  Somewhere along the way peoples view of Christ is skewed by someone so we need to repaint Jesus!

You know the skewed views around that we have seen on the news, someone wearing a sign around their neck that says "God hates ______"!  WHAT A LIE!

God gave his son for each of us so we could live... THAT IS LOVE!!!!

Eric also encouraged me as a mommy!  :)  I felt so blessed that I hope we can have him come back again!  :)  If you would like to see him come to your church or school check out his webpage: http://nooneunderground.com/

Here is a video I found on Youtube.com... there are several more to choose from.  :) 

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Review and Giveaway

Win 1 quart of  Gold Label

Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America's source for coconut oil.
Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their
website:

What is Virgin Coconut Oil? You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the  advantages of buying coconut oil online.
Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

MY REVIEW: 

I was a Coconut newbie and now I think I am an addict!  :)  I absolutely love the fact that there are so many uses for coconut oil.  I now use it in all my baking and cooking rather then any other oil.  I absolutely love the flavor, it is hard to explain, best way I can is it is a more clean and crisp or fresh taste.  Not only in kitchen but I read to use it on hair, face, or even the armpits! :)  Click on some of the above links to find other ways to use this versatile product.  

The first time I used the oil was when I cooked steak.  The flavor of the steak was great!  I have a list of recipes to try using my oil and I am excited to continue to use it!  I know Salmon has never tasted better with coconut oil!  Even in smoothies... I would have never even thought about it.  

I love the story from Tropical Traditions on how their coconut oil is produced!  Still family produced and hand crafted, this is not in some warehouse for months before hitting a store shelf, you purchase first hand!  :) 

Overall this mom is giving this product 2 thumbs up!  Make sure you sign up for their newsletter so you can stay up to date and get special offers.  :) :)  

Currently they are having sale:) GO STOCK UP here!  Or enter the giveaway below for your chance to win:

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Skinny Water Giveaway Opportunity for bloggers

Bloggers follow the link to get 2 free links in this giveaway:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHQ1YjBSS2FqZksxcVQ2cHlDaGNpQUE6MQ

You can tell them Praises of a Wife and Mommy sent you!  :) 

Silly Boy

I was happy to get a cute picture of him in some action.  This is one action that Titus keeps repeating.  I think he really want to learn to do somersaults and he is getting closer to succeeding! :)

Kids are so fun and this brings a smile to            my face.  :)