Articles | Faith and Family Reviews

Archive for Articles

Back to School with U by Kotex Tween #KotexMom

Posted by html404 on September 12, 2012
in Articles, Girl Stuff, Parenting, Personal Care Products

Can you believe summer is over? I can’t. Sniff. Sniff. Summer is my favorite season. Everyone’s been busy with their back to school schedules and acclimating to new routines. I know nearly every weekend in September, October and November we have something one or both days of the weekends. It’s mind boggling. With such busy schedules and being out and about more it’s even more important to keep in mind our daughters’ monthly cycles. Since my girls are still pretty new to having their period I tend to baby them a little.

Back to School with U by Kotex Tween

We homeschool so our girls do not have to worry about going off to school all day and starting their periods, but we do go out places. I have always told them to carry a couple of pads in their purse…just in case they started while we are out. Our older girls are very much girlie girls and love purses and accessories, so it wasn’t difficult for them to adapt to carrying pads around. U by Kotex Tween pads are very compact to carry and easy to keep hidden. Last month, my girls received little bags that look like make up bags, which just made carrying pads easier for them.

If your girls are in school, then getting a little bag that could pass as a pencil case could make them more comfortable carrying pads too. It would make it less conspicuous in a locker or back pack.

Warning Signs

I’ve tried to teach my girls to keep track of their menstrual cycle on a calendar so they know when to expect it. This is to help eliminate the surprise element. U by Kotex has a calendar available on their website. Even if they are experiencing irregular cycles at first it is a habit I established as a young girl and wanted them to as well. We all have warning signs that our period is near and my girls know that they are prone to headaches or backaches and probably other things that are escaping me at the moment.

I Remember When…

I remember when I first started my period and going to school. I had to watch what color pants I wore. I even remember asking one of my close friends if she could tell if I was on my period – you know that pad “bulge”? Ugh. These are not very fond memories. I remember being uncomfortable at school when I was on my monthly cycle. Not fun. If I had of had internet access back then, I imagine I would have Googled “pad bulge” or visited a website like U by Kotex Tween to get answers to my questions since I really did not talk to my mom about the subject.

What about you, what are your memories of your starting your period and school? What kinds of things do you do to help your daughter feel more comfortable with her feminine cycle while at school?

“I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Share and Enjoy

{2 comments}

Download the Colonel’s Autobiography and Recipes for FREE!

Posted by Brande on June 21, 2012
in Articles, Books, Downloads, Ebooks, Food and Treats, Free Stuff, Recipes, Thrifty Thursday

Head over to Facebook and “Like” KFC and download Colonel Sanders’ Autobiography FREE and a secret recipe book!

Share and Enjoy

{10 comments}

Summer Tip: Check Your Deck for Safety

Posted by html404 on June 19, 2012
in Articles, Guest Post, Home

When warmer weather arrives it usually motivates homeowners to do projects around the house. Summer is often spent barbecuing and hosting family gatherings in the back yard on the patio or deck. It is important that guests and our families are safe. Below you will find a number of steps to check your deck for repairs:

Share and Enjoy

{15 comments}

Autism – Invisible Disability

Posted by html404 on May 22, 2012
in Articles, Guest Post, Health

Because Matthew, my son with autism, looks so “normal” many people don’t believe he has a disability. He has no visible problems, all of his limbs are well formed, he carries no telltale traits that would clue the casual observer into the fact that he struggles with many normal activities. Even extended family has questioned his diagnosis because during their brief encounters with him, he appears to be just fine. He looks “good”.

But in reality he has a pervasive developmental delay that touches almost every aspect of his life. Over the years of “looking good”, he has had to participate in physical therapy to help him learn to hold his head erect, crawl, sit, walk and run. He still works with an occupational therapist to help him with his fine and gross motor problems such as writing, coloring, ball play and balance, among other things. His autism has left him ill-equipped to deal with every day stressors and he is prone to bouts of anger and temper tantrums. He requires close adult supervision while at school because he does not have the attention span to stay on task, raise his hand, or complete his assignments. While my husband and I understand that his behaviors stem from his autism and how his brain handles (or doesn’t handle) certain situations, many people assume he is just a poorly behaved child and that we are negligent parents.

I used to feel bad if other people looked at us as if we had no control over our child, or as if we didn’t care. I used to think their opinions mattered. Then I realized that we are more involved in our child’s life than many parents. We know his moods intimately and read his actions to gauge what interventions are needed at that moment. Because of our devotion to Matthew we have actually been able to help him improve so much that his autism is no longer impacting him to the same extent it previously did. He has become extremely high functioning and we now feel confident that he will be able to attend college and hold a job in the future. Of course this now makes his autism even more invisible. He looks even more “normal” or “average”. And I guess ultimately we want his autism to be completely invisible, so invisible, that he no longer qualifies for the diagnosis. The reality of autism is that it affects a child’s behavior and physical condition without leaving physical markers, which in turn make it undetectable to many. Autism is an invisible disability.

Maryann is the mom behind Matthew’s Puzzle where she blogs about her son’s autism recovery.

Share and Enjoy

{7 comments}

Great Day To Be A Dog #iLoveMyK9 #CBias #SocialFabric

Posted by html404 on May 20, 2012
in Animals, Articles, Family Stuff, Shopping

We love our new puppy, as if you couldn’t tell by how much I talk about him here on the blog! Ha! He’s become another member of the family and a source of endless stories. He is pretty funny. While we have been working in the garden this week, we’ve been trying to get him to stay out of that area, which is partially fenced but has some openings. So a few times we have yelled, “Out Padfoot!” It usually takes a few times with a clap of the hands. This one particular time I was walking towards him saying, “Out” in a growl-y voice. What does he do? It’s like he was sassing me, he does a little skip around wagging his tail, then goes down on his front paws and barks at me! Of course, I had to run over and give him a pet and “Good dog” because he did get out.

The children have been having fun with the chicks, turkeys and ducks. This week they have been taking them outside and kind of tossing them up in the air and allowing them to fly down to the ground. It’s pretty fun to watch, except when one Turkey flew into a tree – that scared me because I thought it’s poor wings would be hurt, but it was ok. They have also been trying to train Padfoot to be nice to the poultry. My oldest at one point had two chicks on Padfoot’s back. He did pretty good, but she stayed with him the whole time. I should have told her to give him some dog treats but I didn’t think of it. He loves his treats and since he is almost out of the last ones we got, I had to go to Walmart to buy him more. There are many dog treats to choose from, many of which are unhealthy, I ended up deciding to buy the pup Pup-Peroni Mix Stix, Milk-Bone Trail Mix and Milo’s Homestyle Kitchen Chicken Meatballs. I am not sure which one he prefers yet, but he sure likes to eat! Update: Milo’s Chicken Meatballs are Padfoot’s new favorite dog treat! I chose small packages because I hate to buy a big thing of them only to find out Padfoot doesn’t like the treats. The children have a tendency to give the puppy too many treats, so much so he ends up neglecting his yummy puppy food. Time to hide them!

While I was out I also purchased the same items for a friend who also got a puppy a few months ago. We wanted to surprise her with them because she is such a good friend and they were suppose to come over for lunch this week but we had to cancel. Here’s a photo of my oldest with our friend and isn’t her little Chivalry cute?

You can read more about my shopping trip here. And also feel free to connect with these brands on Twitter and Facebook. @Milkbone, Milk-Bone’s Facebook page and @PupPeroni.

When there’s dog treats around, it’s always a great day to be a dog!

“I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric”

Share and Enjoy

{22 comments}

Tick Removal

Posted by Brande on May 15, 2012
in Animals, Articles, Camping, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Gardening, Health, Health and Nutrition, Parenting, Safety

Ugg… Ticks! I dislike ticks greatly! I dislike the stuff I have to put on my dog to prevent ticks! I dislike removing ticks! Ewe…. Yuck… They are gross insects! I recently received an email from a friend. I haven’t tried it yet, hopefully I won’t have to! But, it’s better than using tweezers.

“A School Nurse has written the information below – Good Enough to share – and it really works.”

“I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great because it works in those places where it’s sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.”

Tick Removal

“Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20); the tick will come out on it own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.”

Let me know if it work, unless I need to do it before that!

Share and Enjoy

{3 comments}

Pre-Order KIWI’s New Cookbook!

Posted by Brande on March 31, 2012
in All Natural Products, Articles, Books, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, News Worthy, Organic, Recipes, Shopping

I just got this email! KIWI Magazine is all about natural and organic ways of living. LOVE IT! They just came out with this cookbook for families with food allergies. It will get released on April 10 but, you can pre-order it through Amazon.com.

Share and Enjoy

{9 comments}

FREE “Dummies” Books

Posted by Brande on March 29, 2012
in Articles, Books, Downloads, Ebooks, Education, Encouragement for Moms, Family Stuff, Free Stuff, Parenting, Products for Dad, Products for Mom

I’ve used “Dummies” books before and they are helpful. Check out these 3 that I ordered. “Living the Boomer Life for Dummies“, “Well-Being for Dummies“, and “Retirement for Dummies” – Get these FREE Dummies books as a download if you need them faster or in hard copy. They are available at REAL Powered by Humana, which so far, for me at least, seems to be an equally good site for various information about work, family, self and play. If you look near the middle of the page you will see Marketplace that’s where you will find these “Dummies” books too. They are on the right side of the Marketplace link.

Share and Enjoy

{4 comments}

SchoolhouseTeachers.com

Posted by Brande on March 12, 2012
in Articles, Education, Encouragement for Moms, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gardening, Gift Ideas, Parenting, School

Check out The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s (TOS) reinvented Teacher’s Toolbox. I introduce SchoolhouseTeachers.com.

Click the banner above or here’s the link – http://schoolhouseteachers.com/dap/a/?a=3429

The topics of March include “Get Out and Garden!” , “This Day in History” , “Schoolhouse Kitchen”, crafts, lots of encouragement and devotions.

TOS is continually adding enhancements to SchoolhouseTeachers.com - Watch for Schoolhouse Clubs for Kids, freebies (for long-term members), and TOS digital back issues! With even more coming in April and beyond!

There are 3 different tiers of membership.

The Standard Membership includes –

Members-only access to lesson material from all of our expert teachers—Geography, History, Home Ec, Literature, Music/Singing, Technology, Writing and many more subjects in months to come
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine delivered by TOS straight to your inbox monthly
All The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine digital back issues (easily searchable)
3 E-Books from the TOS E-Book Homeschool Library during the first 12 months of membership

After 12 months of uninterrupted membership, you’ll receive a $5 gift certificate to the Totally TOS section of The Schoolhouse Store.

Premium Membership –

Members-only access to lesson material from all of our expert teachers—Geography, History, Home Ec, Literature, Music/Singing, Technology, Writing and many more subjects in months to come
All TOS webinar Expo-to-Go recorded sessions ($60 value), including recordings of all future and ongoing Expos during length of membership
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine delivered by TOS straight to your inbox monthly
All The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine digital back issues (easily searchable)
7 E-Books from the TOS E-Book Homeschool Library during the first 12 months of membership

After 12 months of uninterrupted membership, you’ll receive a $10 gift certificate to the Totally TOS section of The Schoolhouse Store.

Ultimate Member –

Members-only access to lesson material from all of our expert teachers—Geography, History, Home Ec, Literature, Music/Singing, Technology, Writing and many more subjects in months to come
All five 2012-13 Schoolhouse Daily e-Planners (more than $125 value)
All TOS webinar Expo-to-Go recorded sessions ($60 value), including recordings of all future and ongoing Expos during length of membership
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine delivered by TOS straight to your inbox monthly
All The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine digital back issues (easily searchable)
12 E-Books from the TOS E-Book Homeschool Library (one per month) during the first 12 months of membership

After 12 months of uninterrupted membership, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate to the Totally TOS section of The Schoolhouse Store.

BONUS for the Ultimate Membership for a limited time only!

Go and sign up, this is a great tool for any parent just not homeschoolers!

**The membership information was quoted directly from the SchoolhouseTeachers.com website.**

Share and Enjoy

{7 comments}

Costa Concordia Cruise Ship & Future Men

Posted by html404 on January 17, 2012
in Articles, News Worthy, Parenting

I have been reading bits here and there of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster and I have to say if reports are true, the captain and his crew were very ill equipped to handle the emergency situation they found themselves in. To be frank, they were cowards. I read one passenger’s description liken their experience to that of the Titanic, but I would add “except for the crew members and captain.” The Titanic’s crew had poise and chivalry (for the most part) and the Titanic’s captain displayed heroic courage to stay with his ship, whereas the Costa Concordia’s captain went AWOL and his crew members were like lost puppies, desperately lacking character and courage.

Actual Photos here.

Where are the men of chivalry and courage today? Who will lead when no one else will? I am not going to beat on men, but rather their courage and leadership skills. Their display of chivalry. The crew of Costa Concordia were lost without their captain and no one stood up to the plate to lead the rest of the crew and passengers when their captain abandoned them and his ship. It’s terrible. If only one or two crew members could have led the rest how many of the lives lost could have been saved. After all they were so close to land!

I don’t know about you but I want to raise sons of courage and sons who will strongly lead when others only follow. I don’t want my sons to be wimpy and lack the thought power that it takes to step up to the plate and do what a man has to do to save lives, to save his family, fellow man or his country. As much as it scares me to death to think of my son’s being in harms way, I would much rather them be true heros in the sense of the word than to bring shame on their gender and themselves.

As mothers, we owe it to our sons and the future of this country to raise them to be strong, able men. Not brutes, not wimps, but men who are not afraid to love, not afraid to do the hard thing when the opportunity arises and not afraid to lead others with courage and chivalry of old. It is my hope and prayer that God will equip each of us raising sons to do the right thing by them and teach them to be men, not boys.

Stepping down off my soapbox now.