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Saturday Top Five Laughs- Join the Blog Hop with Mommyhood Chronicles!

Posted by html404 on October 26, 2013
in Blog Stuff, Encouragement for Moms, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Uncategorized

Please note: All of this up to #3 was written months ago, if not nearly two years ago, since my first and last Saturday Top Five Laughs was 2/24/12! I had good intentions of joining Saturday Top Five Laughs….

I keep meaning to participate in Mommyhood Chronicles’ Saturday Top Five Laughs but it keeps getting brushed aside for reviews and other things….not so this week!

Here goes my top five laughs of the week late February 2012/Early March 2012:

1. My baby’s laugh. He has this laugh when he’s excited. Whether he’s excited to nurse, eat or be put to bed. It’s priceless and makes my husband and I smile or laugh every time we hear him.

2. We had a few emotional break downs this week (that’s what happens when you have teen girls and preteen girls!) and my husband said, “I wish you all would stop diving off the deep end.” Our Amelia Bedilia matter of factly states, “But there’s no cliff to jump off of Daddy.” My husband says, “Yes, my little Amelia Bedilia” and I pointed at him and said, “That’s exactly what I thought!”

3. My rock star son wet his hair and brushed it dry so that it was standing up on end. He’s hilarious. I don’t have a photo of him, but I just took this one of my other son for the sake of this blog post!

Fast forward to 10/24/13…

4. My daughter cracked me up when she used a scarf to become Ninja O.

5. My youngest son has been giving us two thumbs up when he wants to say “ok”. We have no idea where he got it from because none of us do this on a regular basis. We prompted him for the sake of having a photo to share.

Happy Saturday Top Five Laughs!

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Minted Holiday Cards

Posted by html404 on October 23, 2013
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Holidays, Seasonal Stuff, Uncategorized

This is a featured holiday post.

I have always loved shopping for and picking out Christmas cards. Holidays have been the one way to stay connected with my friends and family in Canada, as well as the United States. I use to take great pride in writing notes or a family newsletter and including a family photo or just one of the children in our holiday cards. However, since I started working at home the task of letter writing, newsletter writing and getting Christmas cards ready has fallen to the wayside. It is one of those enjoyable tasks I had to let go. I love receiving holiday cards because it reconnects me with people I do not talk with throughout the year, sometimes Christmas is the only time we connect. This year I think I will be doing a flyer, but it will be for my newspaper customers. Apparently, some of them can be quite generous at Christmas time and I am hoping I have done a good enough job for them to feel like giving me a little something extra this Christmas.

What about you? Do you send out holiday cards? Photo cards or a family newsletter at Christmas or Thanksgiving? There are many card places online to choose from. This year Minted is coming to mind. I seriously contemplated getting an order of cards but with the nearly 300 newspaper customers to connect with I did not think I would get any family cards done. With my husband out of work, tasks that provide revenue take precedence. Sorry dear friends and family!

Minted Holiday Cards

The selection at Minted.com is better than I have seen in years. They have some really nice looking cards, not only for Christmas but also for Thanksgiving. Currently, they have a special going on 10% off on all holiday cards. Code: FALLHOL10, expires on Tuesday, October 29. You can buy now and upload your photo later. Cool feature, eh?

I love the cool shaped cards because they are different from the traditional ones, like this Christmas tree ornament style:

And this round style:

Though sadly the odd shaped cards take more postage for some reason! So much for being different.

You can have your cards and envelopes pre-printed – for a price – but if money is no object and convenience is your mantra, then the extra expense won’t bother you too much. If I had the extra cash, I would definitely take advantage of these services just to save time!

Minted’s site is very easy to navigate. Since I did not place an order, I cannot confirm whether or not the order process is smooth or not. I am assuming it is pretty straight forward from adding items to the my shopping cart and clicking through the process that way.

Don’t just take my word for it….check Minted out for yourself!

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Kittens! – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on October 23, 2013
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Fun Stuff, Home, Kids Stuff, Uncategorized

We had three little kittens born four weeks ago this past Sunday to our mama cat, Princess Moonstone (Princess or Prinny). At first they look like little rats, but they are adorable now and worthy of a blog spot. Ha ha! They are so hard to photograph because they wiggle so much! For the photos below I had to tuck them in my arm and have the girls take the photos. When I tried taking the photos with the girls holding them, the girls let the kittens crawl up their arm, their shirt and we were not getting anything but laughing (and frustration) done.

Happy Month Old Birthday! (taken on Sunday, October 20)

From left to right the children have named them: Selene, Sir Hiss (actually should be Lady Hiss, doesn’t she look like a badger?) and Tabby or Freckles.

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3 Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids from Mega Bloks

Posted by html404 on October 20, 2013
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Girl Stuff, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

I don’t know about you but I have been thinking about Christmas lately and the fact that I have nothing bought. Edit: Now I do as I was able to find a few items this week!. We usually keep gift giving simple. It’s cheaper that way. We like to get the children something fun, practical or something they need.

Mega Bloks has some neat toys and we received three for review. I thought they’d make great Christmas gift ideas for kids!

3 Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids from Mega Bloks

1. Mega Bloks Skylanders Giants

The Mega Bloks Skylanders Giants is for 5 and up but our five year old found it difficult and needed help. He loves it. I just do not think he has the perseverance to sit there and do it. There’s 294 pieces! Every time someone built it for him, our three year old would knock it over or destroy it. Yes, he’s a little booger and no we did not do a very good job of staying on top of teaching him NOT to do that to his brother. Parent fail. I can admit it.

This Skylanders Giant is called Arkeyan Robot King.

2. Mega Bloks Barbie Build ‘n Style Pet Shop

Mega Bloks Barbie Build ‘n Style Pet Shop is loved by all our children ages 13 and down! It’s recommended for ages 4 and up. Our children all love animals and people figures to play with. Thankfully our seven year old is quite good at sharing!

The Barbie Build ‘n Style Pet Shop comes in a box that has a convenient handle (not shown in my photos), so its 94 pieces can easily be stored back inside the box. Our box is a little beat up and I don’t think my daughter stores her pet shop in it. I think she kept the box for the sake of keeping it and keeps her Barbie Build ‘n Style Pet Shop set up on her kiddie table in her room.

Barbie is missing an arm and her head. Again our three year old was blamed for that mishap. I’m seeing a trend here, aren’t you?

3. Hot Wheels Cars

Our two older boys got the Hot Wheels Cars. They come with a little zip cord that enables the cars to zoom around on the floor or table and the boys to have races with their Hot Wheels Cars. This is our ten year old playing with his car. Our oldest son claims our three year old toddled off with his car and can’t find it. I’m sure as soon as I post this, it’ll turn up.

These Mega Bloks toys are definitely great Christmas gift ideas for kids!

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Breathe Easy with Air Scrubber Plus Pure Air iPad Mini Giveaway

Posted by html404 on October 13, 2013
in Fun Stuff, Giveaways, Health, Home, Uncategorized

I think we would all like cleaner air this fall as we approach cold and flu season. Some of you with children in school may have already experienced your first illness of the season. Did you know the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental dangers? In fact, the quality of indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than the most polluted outdoor air. 87 percent of American homeowners are not aware that pollution may be worse inside their homes than outdoors. October is National Home Indoor Air Quality and Awareness Month and we want to spread the word on improving indoor air quality!

Air Scrubber Plus® with ActivePure™ technology is based on a variation of the technology originally developed for use in the International Space Station and is recognized as the exclusive Certified Space Technology by the Space Foundation in its category. offers the only environmental technology that is proven to actually reduce contaminants in the air and surfaces of the home.

Working through your heating and air conditioning units, Air Scrubber Plus uses specialized germicidal UV light waves along with a proprietary catalytic process to reduce dust, pet dander and odors in your home. You will be able to reduce common smells such as pet odor, cigarette smoke, paint fumes, mold smells and the occasional burnt food odor.

The difference in air quality is noticeable; the air is fresher and the surfaces are cleaner, with an up to 99% reduction in contaminants on surfaces, like kitchen counters and toilet seats. Dust, allergens, mildew and odor-causing bacteria are proven to be significantly reduced with Air Scrubber Plus, now available through a nationwide network of general contractors and HVAC specialists.

Our Favorite Features of Air Scrubber Plus® with ActivePure™ technology:

Air Scrubber Plus cleans and disinfects the air and surfaces of your home, reducing up to 99.9% of surface micro-organisms and 90% of airborne micro-organisms.
The most highly respected labs in the country at Kansas State University and University of Cincinnati have tested and validated the effectiveness of the Air Scrubber Plus technology.
Air Scrubber Plus reduces VOCs (volatile organic compounds) emitted by carpets, building materials, cleaning products, furniture, paint, fireplaces, and pesticides.
Air Scrubber Plus eliminates airborne and surface toxins that can aggravate allergy symptoms, chest tightness, cough, nausea, sinus problems, dizziness, eye/nose/throat irritation, fatigue, and headaches.
Air Scrubber Plus extends the life and effectiveness of your existing HVAC system.
Air Scrubber Plus is easily installed by professional HVAC technician.
Member of the U.S. Green Building Council

Purchase: You can purchase the Air Scrubber Plus indoor air purification system from top HVAC contractors across the country or contact Air Scrubber Plus by phone or email for more information.

Win! Air Scrubber Plus is sponsoring an iPad Mini 16 GB giveaway (retail value $329) to promote their incredible new indoor air purification incredible technology during National Home Indoor Air Quality and Awareness Month.

Special thanks to AnaB Social for hosting this giveaway. Huge thanks to airscrubberplus.com and all the fabulous participating bloggers as well! Giveaway ends November 11th at 11:59 pm, open to residents of U.S., ages 18+. See detailed terms and conditions on entry form. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below (see directions on how to enter here). Thank you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: AnaB Social and all participating event bloggers are not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. I received no compensation for this post.

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InnoTab® 3S Learning Tablet Review and Giveaway

Posted by html404 on October 11, 2013
in Downloads, Ebooks, Education, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Reviews, School, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product from Vtech in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

It is pretty safe to admit our family has embraced the age of technology. While we don’t have every techie gadget on the market we have our share. More and more of our children’s education is relying on technology. That’s why we embraced the opportunity to review a Vtech InnoTab® 3S Learning Tablet

Features of the InnoTab® 3S Learning Tablet:

The InnoTab® 3S features VTech Kid Connect– an exclusive communication app that allows kids to be connected with their parents and friends through both tablet-to-mobileand tablet-to-tablet communication
The new 3S comes with a rechargeable battery pack with AC adapter and a kid-safe web browser
The new InnoTab 3S continues to provide access to VTech’s Learning Lodge™ app store, plus it comes packed with 20 free apps
Ages 3-9
All for under $100

InnoTab 3S Learning Tablet Review

Our children love their new InnoTab® 3S Learning Tablet. We are still learning to use all the features. They haven’t text me yet and they really haven’t used the web browser much because it requires me to put in our network password. I think it would be nice if we could save that password just because it would be easier than logging in every time, but I understand that this is one of the safe browsing features. I like that we can add new websites under the parental controls.

I know the camera and video camera gets used a fair amount. The children have fun taking goofy photos or videos or practicing their photography.

The children’s favorite activities is to play the beanstalk game. They have to check their bean plants every day to care for them or else they die. Kind of helps teach responsibility. The children love to see how much their beans have grown day by day.

InnoTab 3S Learning Tablet Downloads

Though there were free downloads with the InnoTab 3S Learning Tablet, I did purchase a few more for the children just so I could understand the selection, purchasing and download process. It was pretty painless and easy. Similar to downloading apps to a cell phone. Edited 12/27/13: But in comparison, there are more free apps available for other tablets, which I did not realize until much later. It is costly to buy more apps, something I cannot seem myself doing much of now that we have a Kindle Fire.

The Learning Lodge is where parents and children can access “hundreds of engaging, age-appropriate games, videos, e-books and music, endorsed by VTech’s team of educational experts”. Word has it the Learning Lodge will expand its current library of 350 titles to over 600 titles by the end of the year.

I did find the InnoTab 3S Learning Tablet a little slow when changing screens, but overall I really like its features and having this as an addition to our children’s educational program, even our big kids (ages 10-14) like to use it!

Vtech InnoTab® 3S Learning Tablet Giveaway

One of you has the chance to win a Vtech InnoTab 3S Learning Tablet by entering below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Fruit Sparx Candy Review

Posted by Brande on October 7, 2013
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Organic, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Seasonal Stuff, Uncategorized

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

Halloween is right around the corner and my daughter is already excited about all the candy. Sparx has a wonderful product! Recommended by dentist & hygienist, it is 100% Xylitol and tooth friendly! These all natural sugar free candies are also gluten free. They come in citrus, berry, & fruit flavors.

My first question was what is Xylitol? Direct from the Xlear.com site – here is the answer.

“Xylitol is a natural sweetener derived from natural sources. It is also produced in the human body as a by-product of a normal metabolism. Our xylitol is of the highest quality possible. It is a pharmaceutical grade, meaning it must be more that 99.95% pure, and is made from non-GMO (non-genetically modified organism) corn fibers. It does not contain any of the corn grain and it is tested to ensure that no corn allergens, mycotoxins, or corn proteins of any type are in the product.”

Fruit Sparx Candy Review

Sparx candies are tiny dot like goodies; they are on the hard side. I would recommend these for your older kids, just because you don’t want your younger kids swallowing a bunch of them at a time. My daughter and I shared a package and I really enjoyed them, she kind of wished they weren’t as hard to chew. You can get a great Halloween bag with all the flavors or order you favorite flavor directly from Xlear.com. They sell them in tubes and are only 1.49 each!

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Dino Dan Review and Giveaway

Posted by Professor on October 4, 2013
in Animals, DVDs & CDs, Fun Stuff, Giveaways, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Uncategorized

Dino Dan ~ Dino DVD 4 Pack

We are pleased to review another WONDERFUL children’s DVD ~ DINO DAN!

DVD synopsis: Follow the adventures of paleontologist-in-training Dan Henderson as he imagines dinosaurs into the real world! Join Dan as he plays a game of chase with his prehistoric pals, races against a T-Rex, and time travels back to the prehistoric era.

Dan uses the scientific method to gather clues and solve mysteries. Enjoy over 4 hours of dino-rific fun!

Dino Pack Includes: 4 DVDs of action packed adventures, including a brand new, never before seen DVD!

DVDs feature these Dinosaurs:

Ø Brachiosaurus

Ø Compsognathus

Ø Edmontosaurus

Ø Tyrannosaurus Rex

Ø Quetzalcataus

Ø and more!

Our Review:

ALL of my children loved the DINO DAN DVD’s… yes all of them! There was a little something for everyone (including me) to enjoy in this series! I have a five year old daughter, a 7 year old son, and a 9 year old daughter…and yes even the girls LOVED DINO DAN! The program is crafted to give information for all levels of learners as Dan goes on his adventures. This was important to us because we could watch the series as a family!

As a mom I loved that all of my children loved the program. I also loved the historical aspects and scientific qualities of the DVD…my children were learning while having fun watching DINO DAN…definitely an added plus!

Do not miss out on DINO DAN!

You can also get a FREE Dino Dan App at DINODAN.com/DVD

Also… for additional Dino Dan fun Visit Dinodan.com for fun interactive activities!

Find out more about available Dino Dan DVD’s at http://www.ncircleentertainment.com/dino-dan/b136078

DVD is scheduled for release on November 5^th, 2013

Dino Dan DVD Giveaway

Enter to win your own Dino Dan DVDs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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What Are Your Hobbies?

Posted by html404 on September 30, 2013
in Crafts, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff

Hobbies are usually our way of doing something we enjoy in our spare time. What’s spare time you ask? Good question! But that’s not what my post is about. I have had a lot of hobbies over the years, nothing overly serious or out of this world but things I have enjoyed and gained pleasure from.

Childhood Hobbies

When I was growing up I was a part of Girl Guides and 4-H. I believe those groups helped make me a more rounded person, especially in my interests and hobbies. We always had projects on the go. I sewed, embroidered and even knitted. I still remember going to my grandmother’s to get help with a knitting project when I was making slippers. Going to my grandparents house was a highlight when I was a child, not just for knitting help. They were very involved and loved taking me places. Shopping, church, bingo - www.galabingo.com/mobile/bingo - in the church basement…my grandmother was a social butterfly. But I digress…

Hobbies Before Children

Before I had children one of my hobbies was crafts. I actually worked a Franks Nursery & Crafts for over two years until I quit when I was six months pregnant with our first child. Let’s just say I spent a good amount of money there! I would use my discount and any coupons we were allowed to use and stock up on craft items. I think this year we finally finished up what I had left of all of those supplies.

Some of the individual crafty things I enjoyed were: painting plaster Christmas ornaments, cross stitching, latch hook and sewing.

Hobbies After Children

My hobbies after I had children did not change too much, I just added baby books (for the first three children anyways) and photo albums for each child…well, up until our fifth. We got a digital camera when I was pregnant with our sixth so the last three children’s baby and toddler days are in digital format needing to be printed out and put in albums. We were going to start scrapbooking but that fizzled out before we really go started.

Hobbies take time and money, those two things are precious commodities these days.

So what are your hobbies?

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Picking to Win with Capri Sun Big Pouch

Posted by html404 on September 21, 2013
in Contests, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Home, Kids Stuff, Uncategorized

Capri Sun Big Pouch

Our teens and tweens sampled three flavors of Capri Sun Big Pouch products this weekend for the first time. GASP! I know! They’ve had regular Capri Sun pouches, just not the Capri Sun Big Pouch. Capri Sun Big Pouch Fruit Punch seemed to be the flavor that was enjoyed the most, as Capri Sun Big Pouch Maui Cooler and Capri Sun Big Pouch Strawberry Kiwi were more faintly flavored according to my crew. Our teens enjoyed drinking Capri Sun after our “Pickers Adventure” and after working hard fencing for a couple of hours. We had to put up more fencing for our cow since she grazed through her new pasture this week. Oh the joys of rotational grazing! Capri Sun Big Pouch products are available at Walmart for just 88 cents a piece!

Capri Sun Big Pouch and American Pickers on History

Mike Wolfe, creator and star of American Pickers on History, in conjunction with Capri Sun Big Pouch are sponsoring a contest called Picking to Win with Capri Sun Big Pouch for you all to enter! The grand prize is a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Contest winners (and 3 guests) will meet and do a half day pick with Mike Wolfe, creator and star of American Pickers on History. How exciting is that to all you pickers and history lovers! To enter the contest all you have to do is go to the highlighted link above, enter your name, email, address, birth date, phone number and agree to contest rules. Then upload a photo from your picking adventure of what you found on your pick and you are done! Takes no time at all.

100 other winners will win a picking kit. The items included in the picking kit Capri Sun Big Pouch contest are: Messenger Bag, Magnifying Glass, Gloves, Bandanas, Flashlights, Journal, Pen, T-shirt, Kid Pickers Book (signed by Mike Wolfe, creator and star of American Pickers on History) and Carabineers.

Capri Sun Big Pouch Pick Adventure

As I mentioned in my intro, we went on our own picking adventure. We love antiques and history so my teen “Om” and tween “JAG” helped me pick in the barn we are renting. When we made the agreement to rent the barn it was “as is” so a lot of OLD stuff was left in there. We assembled our own picking kit of gloves, a bag, flashlight, pen and notebook. My son and daughter grabbed a Capri Sun Big Pouch Strawberry Kiwi and our picking kit, then we headed to the barn.

We discovered a couple of old milk cans, an old gas can, thermos and bridle or halter as shown in the photo collage above. We have no idea the value of any of these items but we’d love to find out! I entered the photo of my son in the Picking to Win with Capri Sun Big Pouch contest. Be sure to enter your own picking photo!

Feel free to follow Capri Sun Big Pouch on Twitter (Please use hashtags #shop #CapriSunPickers and #cbias) and Facebook. Have fun picking!

What are your favorite places to pick? Your favorite pick items?