Archive for Holidays

Piggy Paint Review

Posted by Brande on November 12, 2013
in All Natural Products, Eco Friendly Products, Fashion, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Girl Stuff, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Products for Mom, Reviews, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, Uncategorized

I, like most Moms, am always looking for healthier options for my daughter. I always thought there wouldn’t be a replacement for “regular” nail polish. Well, I’m happy to share Piggy Paint with you! This is a Non-toxic, almost odorless, hypoallergenic, and eco & kid friendly.

Piggy Paint is water-based, dries quickly and is safe to use during pregnancy! Piggy Paint suggests using a blow drier on your nails for about a minute for maximum chip resistance.

Let’s talk colors! Piggy Paint has over 30 colors! They also have their own specially formulated nail polish remover and nail stickers! They have great sets for holiday or any occasion! Piggy Paint even has nail polish for your favorite pup!

My daughter and I had a great time with Piggy Paint. She was happy to be a big girl and I was happy it was safe for her!

Piggy Paint is great for Birthday gifts and don’t forget the Holidays are coming!!

MistleToes

Click here for your stocking stuffers or stop by your local Walmart!! Don’t forget to visit Piggy Paint on Facebook, they sometimes have giveaways!

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Fall Inspired Recipes with Squash

Posted by html404 on November 11, 2013
in All Natural Products, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Holidays, Home, Organic, Recipes, Shopping, Uncategorized

Thanksgiving is only a little over a couple of weeks away and I have been looking for fall inspired recipes for squash. I found a couple new ones I want to try. To facilitate this post I shopped at Mariano’s for the ingredients for our traditional recipe.

I really enjoy shopping at Mariano’s. I love that they carry a good selection of organic food. The employees make it a pleasant experience. Each time I have gone, one has helped direct me to a faster checkout. It’s very helpful. Mariano’s also has a reward card shoppers can use to earn 1% cash back on every $50 purchased from November 7 thru February 8, 2014. How’s that for a bit of holiday shopping incentive?

For my very simple recipe I purchased four organic squash, but only used two. Organic parsley, organic butter and ground cinnamon.

Those of you who have never cooked a squash, you wash the squash and cut it into halves lengthwise. Then put it face down inside a 9×12 dish.

Once cut, scoop out the seeds and pulp from the ball of the squash.

The squash seeds may be saved, dried and used to plant in your garden next spring (especially if they are organic, non-hybrid seeds!). Or the seeds may be roasted and eaten as a super nutritious snack.

All four halves would not fit in my pan so I wrapped the last half in foil and baked it along side the pan.

After the squash is baked, it is scooped out of it’s skin and put into a bowl.

Then I mash it to make sure all the clumps are pretty much out before adding the butter, cinnamon and parsley. And that’s all there is to it. Very simple, inexpensive and yummy!

Fall Inspired Recipes with Squash

Simple Squash Recipe

Print recipe

Serves	8-10
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	1 hour, 10 minutes
Dietary	Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Side Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving
Region	Canadian

This simple squash recipe is a tasty side dish for the holiday season.

Ingredients

2 Organic Butternut Squash
1 sprig Organic Parsely ((I used curly parsley, there is also flat leaf))
1/2-1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 tablespoons Organic Butter

Directions

Step 1
Wash squash of in warm water.
Step 2
Cut squash in half lengthwise.
Step 3
Place face down in a 9x12 baking dish. I had an extra so I wrapped it in foil because it would not fit in my pan.
Step 4
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 -60 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork.
Step 5
Spoon out squash into a bowl.
Step 6
Mash out lumps.
Step 7
Add butter and cinnamon. Cinnamon can be to taste with more or less.
Step 8
Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top and add a few leaves of parsley for garnish.
Step 9
Enjoy!

Shopping at Mariano’s

You can learn more about Mariano’s and get new ideas on a weekly basis on Mariano’s website. Consider liking #MyMariano’s on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

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Just in Time for Christmas….RUUM Kids

Posted by html404 on November 10, 2013
in Children's Clothing, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Shopping, Things to Do in Chicago, Uncategorized

Christmas is just around the corner and I am still working on my Christmas shopping list. This past week my youngest daughter and I went shopping at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. It’s been a long time since we’ve gone to the mall. We had a lot of fun! We were clothes shopping for Blondie since she needs a few more pants for winter and we had a gift card to RUUM Kids (pronounced “Room” and formerly 77Kids).

RUUM Kids had a 40% off sale going on so we took advantage of those savings.

Blondie is seven and she is a girly-girl, which is amazing since she is smack dab in the middle of four boys! Her taste in clothing steered her towards this sparkly holiday dress:

Gotta love her style! It’s beautiful but I had to tell her no because she has plenty of dresses and this dress though it was 30% off was a bit out of our budget right now. We were shopping for winter pants.

That led us to the 40% off rack. We ended up getting two pairs of sparkly pants. I thought it was a nice compromise for her. She got her sparkle and glitter and I got her warm clothes!

She also found a sparkly butterfly t-shirt and hair gold band that coordinates really well with both colors of pants she choose. Nearly all of RUUM Kids clothing coordinates well with each other.

I also found a couple of things for our younger boys that I put away for their Christmas gifts.

All and all Blondie and I really enjoyed our day out (we went grocery shopping at Mariano’s too!). Blondie loved the VIP treatment she received while shopping at RUUM Kids – choice of a candy treat (RUUM Kids employees asked me first before giving anything to her). When we checked out Blondie was asked if she wanted her own bag, which of course she did, and then employee personalized it by putting her name on it! Blondie loved it!

When we got home Blondie modeled her clothes for me. Everything fit perfectly.

We were very happy with our RUUM Kids purchases.

RUUM Kids has lots of gift ideas including headphone hats ($19.50) and texting gloves ($9.50) for the hard to buy for tweens, and layering pieces with coordinating accessories for all ages. RUUM sizes range from newborn to age 14. Find RUUM Kids on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to day for holiday specials. Right now they have a 25% off code for online just for this weekend only.

Do you buy your children clothes for Christmas?

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2013 Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Posted by html404 on November 8, 2013
in Gift Ideas, Handmade Items, Holidays, Personal Care Products, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized

Christmas Stockings were one of my favorite things to open on Christmas day. We did them for several years with the children and just got out of the habit because stocking stuffers were costly having 8-10 Christmas stockings to fill. My mom use to fill them with batteries, makeup, hand lotion, lip balm, maybe a nightie or something rolled up, socks, ribbon candy, shelled nuts that we had to crack ourselves, a huge apple and orange that our hometown’s grocery store only stocked at Christmas time.

Here are my 2013 Christmas Stocking Ideas, most of them personal care products:

1.800Razors.com, especially for mom and dad. They shave really well. My husband thinks for a disposable razor it shaves the closest he’s ever experienced. I really like mine too. I like that we get to keep the razor and only buy replacement razor blade heads. The razors have lasted quite awhile too. I think we are both still on our first head and it’s been over a month since we received them.

2. Shaving cream to go with those razors!

3. Burt’s Bees lotion. Our oldest daughter has been using this for her dry skin and it helps a lot. When we use goat milk soap we do not even need any moisturizing lotion.

4. Bumble and Bee Organic lip balm. This lip balm has become one of our favorites! Not only do they have lots of flavors but it works!

5. Flash Drive. On my wish list is this Ningxia Red USB thumb drive. I think it’s cool!

6. Toothbrush and toothpaste. I know our children would be very excited to each have their own tube of toothpaste and not share with a sibling! It’s the little stuff, right? Same goes for lip balm too.

7. Our daughter’s handmade goat milk or cow milk soap! It comes scented or unscented and in several different molds. Not all are showing on our sales page.

8. A kitten! An 8 week old kitten would fit perfectly in a stocking and make your child’s day! And no our kittens are not for sale.

What are your top 2013 stocking stuffer ideas?

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Kmart Layaway

Posted by html404 on October 30, 2013
in Deals, Holidays, Saving Money, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, Uncategorized

This is a sponsored post. I am a Kmart blogger, though all opinions are my own.

I’ve never actually used a layaway plan before but have always thought it was a great idea. Whether or not you want to admit it; the countdown is on to the holiday season! Although many of us don’t start shopping, decorating and celebrating until after Thanksgiving, there are a few holiday ‘musts’ that you need to start sooner rather than later (we’re talking before Halloween). First, putting your big (or small) items on Layaway. Since most Layaway contracts are eight weeks long, this is the ideal time to shop now and pay over time. You don’t want your wallet to go into shock on November 29th, do you? Didn’t think so. Still need convincing?

Kmart Layaway

Here are a few ‘Layaway Lessons’ to keep in mind:

1.) The cat ate your Christmas tree. OK, so even if you don’t have a cat but last year’s Christmas tree was on its last limb and this is the year you need a new one. On the other hand, maybe you just got a cat and the days of having a real tree are over. Either way, you need some new decorating digs. Pick up a pre-lit tree (because that’s the way to go), LED lights, wreaths and village houses now and pay them off in time for decking those halls! Or simply buy a real Christmas tree.
2.) Your gift list has grown. Maybe you’ve found a new group of friends, entered into a new family or you’re just feeling extra generous this year. Long gift lists call for Layaway. Fill that cart to the brim and roll it over to the Layaway counter. Your pals won’t know you paid their gifts off over time.
3.) Money is tight this year. It’s not just you; many of us are watching our spending. If you’re having trouble staying afloat while keeping those bills paid, Layaway is a must. Not only will you avoid ‘wallet shock,’ you’ll keep your pre-holiday peace of mind.

Whether you have one or 100 items , you can Layaway almost everything on your list without paying a service fee through 11/23. Plus, you can pay in store, online or using a mobile phone. Eight or 12 weeks later (depending on your contract) pick up your items and you’re good to go! Bonus: After you figure out how easy it is, you can Layaway all year round at Kmart.

Do you use a layaway plan during the holiday season?

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Halloween Tru Moo

Posted by Professor on October 30, 2013
in Contests, Coupons, DVDs & CDs, Health, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Uncategorized

I am a BzzAgent and received these products from BzzAgent.com for review at no cost to me. I receive no monetary compensation for my open and unbiased review. The purpose of BzzAgents is to generate word of mouth sharing of information – both good and bad – about the products offered by both familiar and unfamiliar companies.

TruMoo^® is dressing up for Halloween this fall, with the same delicious taste and feel-good nutrition underneath.

THE TASTE KIDS WANT, WITH A LOOK GHOULS LOVE

To kids, TruMoo^® must feel like a trick — Mom’s letting us drink flavored milk again!? — but it’s really just a nutritious treat children and parents can’t help but agree on. Made with pure, fresh milk from your trusted dairy, no artificial growth hormones and no high fructose corn syrup, TruMoo^® has the delicious taste kids go crazy for, now with 35% less sugar* than a leading chocolate milk brand. And this bewitching season, there’s even more to treat your family to:

Get into the spooky spirit with limited edition TruMoo in classic Chocolate and NEW Vanilla in Halloween Orange!
Learn how you can enter to win a Goosebumps Haunted Hollywood Vacation and instantly get a $2-off coupon for any Goosebumps DVD with your next TruMoo^® purchase

*A leading low-fat and fat-free chocolate milk brand contains 28g of sugar per serving. TruMoo^® low-fat and fat-free chocolate milk contains 18g of sugar per serving.

Do not forget to “peel and play” once you buy your own tru moo product!

Our review:

My children LOVE Tru Moo… it is a special treat for them since I do not buy chocolate milk that often. However Tru Moo has become their preferred brand… its thick, rich , chocolateness delights their taste buds! As a mom I am glad to be able to give them this treat once in a while!

We were also pleased to see Tru Moo pairing with our FAVORITE Halloween TV show… R.L Stein’s Goosebumps. goosebumps books, DVD’s, and TV show has been a long standing favorite in our house!

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One Thousand Gifts Review and Giveaway #1000gifts

Posted by html404 on October 26, 2013
in Books, Encouragement for Moms, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Reviews

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 am not sure what I was expecting when I agreed to read Ann Voskamp‘s book, One Thousand Gifts, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. All I know is I was interested in Ann’s book because she lives on a farm, has six children and homeschools. I thought she and I had a lot in common and I’d be interested in what she had to say. It turns out we had more in common than I thought.

Ann lost her two year old little sister when she was four years old. A delivery truck driver didn’t see her and backed over her. Talk about tragic. Talk about the family being grief stricken. Ann did not get over it easily, even though she was four years old, as a matter of fact, it seemed to take her years. Her journey is at the root of One Thousand Gifts. It is Ann’s story of going from a less than joyful existence to living more fully in the joy of the Lord.

One Thousand Gifts is not “candy” reading. Remember when I said I like to read “candy” books to relax and just get away from every day work and life. It’s my rest so to speak. This book requires deep thinking and even personal examination, if you are willing to delve into your soul on a new level. I know I couldn’t just zip through reading the book at high speed. I took it slow so I could digest its words.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ann’s word studies, especially on eucharisteo (you’ll have to read the book to find out what that is! ) It really helped me see some areas in my life where I’ve been lacking. I will say one thing about living a joyful life, it is first necessary to be a thankful person. Discontentment is a sure fire joy robber.

I’d encourage all women who are looking for more meaning to life to read this book. It is definitely inspiring, soul searching and taught me enough to make me want to change my outlook from one of discontentment to joy and to choose to make gratefulness an every day habit. It’s definitely a must read.

Could you make a list thanking God for 1000 things in your life? If you could, how do you think that exercise would change you? Or would it?

One Thousand Gifts may be purchased at any major book retailer.

One Thousand Gifts Review and Giveaway

If you are looking for a great gift for mom, just because gift, encouraging gift, birthday gift, Christmas gift……enter to win a copy of One Thousand Gifts below!

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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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Cool City Threads and Giveaway!

Posted by html404 on October 21, 2013
in Children's Clothing, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Reviews, Shopping, Uncategorized

It’s getting colder and packing away the summer clothes is on my to-do list, as well as doing inventory of our children’s clothing to see what they need, what they have grown out of and what needs to be replaced. We just bought socks this week! I detest socks so we do not replace or wear them in the summer. Socks are so hard to keep paired in this family. Imagine 20 socks each time we all wear a pair!

Clothing makes for nice Christmas gifts too. Our five year old received a gift set recently from City Threads, which has a wide selection of cool weather clothing just for kids!

Here’s some quick info on their line of clothing:

– girls and boys everyday collection
– spans sizes 0 to 14
– known for twists on American style favorites
– includes tees, hoodies, cords, leggings, twill pants, underwear, pjs and hats

City Threads is a made in the USA children’s clothing company, making it a real American apparel company. It is family owned by a husband and wife team, Shayna Samuels and Joe Willis. Prices reflect quality. It is more expensive to produce clothing here in the U.S. than it is to outsource it to China, the Philippines or Mexico, but being made here creates jobs for Americans. City Threads clothing is well-made. They have children’s clothing for baby, girls and boys, as well as a big sister, big brother line for kids ages 0 through 14.

Unfortunately, I have not washed his shirt or boxers yet, but I am inclined to think it will wash up quite nicely from the feel of the material. I’ll update this post when I get them in the wash. I asked “Nook” to save his shirt for “nice” a.k.a. going out because he already has far too many “farm” shirts!

Below you will see “Nook” modeling up a storm in his City Threads 2Fer Football in Air Denim Blue w/Football Scoreboard Sleeves 100% cotton (retail $40.50) and Boxer Briefs in Elf Green 100% Cotton Baby Rib (retail $10.50) – we thought they were short shorts at first!

I told “Nook” to pose in his City Threads and this is what he did:

Quite the ham, eh?

We really like these two items from City Threads. It’s a great line of children’s clothing. You can find City Threads on Twitter and on Facebook. For your information, City Threads offers FREE shipping on all orders over $40.

City Threads Giveaway

Enter to win a City Threads prize valued at at least $40!

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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

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.