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Dying To Read

Posted by html404 on August 25, 2012
in Books, Reviews

Are you Dying To Read? Gotta love that book title, eh? Lorena McCourtney has started a new series called The Cate Kinkaid Files and Dying to Read is the first book. After reading it I am already looking forward to the others to come.

Dying to Read is a Christian mystery. The main character, Cate, is at a crossroads in her life after some of life’s most disappointing moments.

I found this book to be entertaining. Lorena definitely kept me guessing and eager to keep reading in order to solve the mystery surrounding Cate’s first assignment as her uncle’s Private Investigator Assistant. I never did solve the mystery and had an ah-ha moment when it was finally revealed.

Though Cate’s character didn’t seem to think very highly of herself. I found her to be strong, not easily swayed and possessed a very good work ethic.

I liked that this book only had a hint of romance. It wasn’t a gory mystery, not that I mind that kind of mystery, but just so you all know. It was mostly about Cate and how she went about trying to solve the mystery and the scrapes she encountered along the way. I can’t say there was anything I didn’t like about it, only that it ended too soon and I want the second book….now!

This was the first book I have read by Lorena McCourtney and Dying to Read made me want to read her other books. It was quite refreshing.

“Available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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.

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Mabel’s Labels Review

Posted by Professor on August 24, 2012
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Girl Stuff, Kids Stuff, Organization, Parenting, Reviews

Mabel’s Labels

Labels for the stuff kids loose!

Mable’s Labels creates top-quality, durable labeling products.

The Mabel’s Labels personalized labels feature extremely durable laundry, dishwasher and microwave safe sticky and clothing labels plus child safety products, household labels and seasonal products. All labels are UV resistant.

Prices range from $12-21 per pack, with combos priced between $ 30-55. ALL Products are backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

The Mabel’s Labels line includes:

Baby Labels

Iron-On Labels

Sticky Labels

Allergy Labels

Waterproof Labels

Clothing Labels

Shoe Labels

Uniform Labels

Mabel’s Labels also has great fundraising ideas!

OUR REVIEW:

We received two products from Mabel’s Labels

~ Ultimate Back to School Combo

~ Tween Pack

The Ultimate Back to School Combo is their bestselling combo. It has all the labels needed to identify children’s belongings and keep them out of the lost and found. This was really a great pack! There are so many labels you cannot help but label EVERYTHING! The labels come preprinted with the child’s name…so it makes labeling a breeze. I like that they are super sticky they stay where they are placed! We used the labels to mark all of my son’s school supplies, his backpack and gym shoes. After two weeks of school I can honestly say these labels stick! Any other labels would have been long gone by now…not Mabel’s! The Ultimate Back to School Combo includes the following:

40 skinny-minis ~ 50 Tag mates ~ 16 Shoe Labels ~ 2 Teeny Tags

(Choose from 4 limited edition solid color palettes or 40+ multi-colored designs.)

There are so many tags that if by chance (very slim) you happen t have to replace a tag you will have extras to replace the missing tag. I honestly am not worried about having to replace any tags… except for maybe a shoe tag. But…with 16 shoe tags I can easily replace a tag if it goes missing (which I doubt it will). This is such a GREAT combo…can I say AWESOME!!!

The second product we received was the Tween pack. This is a new product to the Mabel’s Label family and it is a must stay! This label pack helps your child identify ~ with style! These beautifully personalized, shaped labels are designed especially for big kids ~ whatever their ages! These labels are perfect for lunch, camp gear, water bottles, school supplies, journals, electronics, sports equipment and more! My daughter has adhered these labels to her water bottle, backpack and notebooks. I was a bit leery about sticking them to her water bottle and backpack thinking they would not last more than a day…boy was I wrong… now two weeks into school we have not see any wear on the labels! This is amazing! The water bottle label has even sustained through a dish washing cycle or two! The Tween Pack includes the following:

25 personalized labels & graphic labels

(Choice of 2 multi-colored designs)

Overall, we are ecstatic about Mabel’s Labels! This is such a resilient product…that will LAST! Not only are the products hardy but they are kid friendly and have such nice designs to choose from…you cannot go wrong with Mabel’s labels for your labeling needs!

I am definitely a fan of Mabel’s labels and will be back to order more products for my labeling needs!

You can find this product and many more at mabelslabels.com. I would recommend this site to ANYONE who needs to label products! They are so versatile!

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.

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The Haven by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Posted by html404 on August 21, 2012
in Books, Reviews

It was great to catch up with one of my favorite author’s new release, in The Haven by Suzanne Woods Fisher. It is the second book in The Stoney Ridge Seasons. You may read my review of the first book here.

The family dynamics of the Lapp family is at the heart of what makes this book series so enjoyable. There was one part that I literally laughed out loud (LOL for those not familiar with internet lingo ;)).

Sadie Lapp really grew up in this book and I enjoyed seeing her blossom with strength of character. Like in real life, life’s experiences have a way of making us grow in ways we never thought possible, if we let them.

There are a few things I took away from The Haven:

~ Gossip. It can tear family, friendships and even communities apart if gossips are allowed to spread their rumors and lies. Esther, Gideon, Edith and so many more of the Lapp’s neighbors chose to believe the gossip rather than find out the if the rumors were true or not.

~ Expectations. Sometimes as parents, we have very high expectations and it can cause undue stress on our child and our relationship with them, as was the case with Will and his dad.

~ Love. Gotta have love. Relationships without love are not relationships. If the Knapp family wasn’t fictitious, I would say it was the family love to model after.

~ Forgiveness. This is such a powerful one. Forgiveness can be hard to give out. I appreciated the reminder that our health is affected by not only physical symptoms, but our emotional and mental well-being as well. This was revealed in Esther and Amos.

~ Choices. All choices have consequences. It’s whether or not we move on from the bad ones that will make or break us.

As I said in my review of the first book, I love the Lapp family dynamics. I have always enjoyed learning more about the Amish ever since our family visited Amish Country in Indiana over 10 years ago. I think there is much to learn from them.

The Haven by Suzanne Woods Fisher gets a two thumbs up from me!

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Trendy Top Fashion Accessory & Giveaway

Posted by html404 on August 17, 2012
in Giveaways, Reviews

Most woman and girls short and tall struggle with wearing clothing that doesn’t rise up. Jeans are low and tops seem to be getting shorter. The solution? Trendy Top.

The Trendy Top is a fashionable way to make a statement and protect your modesty. What is it? It is a half t-shirt that extends any t-shirt. They sent us one to review and we thought that it was very comfortable and added a cute stylish look.

When they claim to not slide down or slip they mean it. The Trendy Top stays in place even when you are running or walking all over the place. It is so nice to have a product that actually works. No more flash of the belly or rear! Trendy Top also works with skirts and shorts. Not just jeans.

Trendy Top is a great fashion product for every closet. I keeps your body covers while adding a fashionable layered look without added bulk around the waist. With sizes small to XL there is one for everyone. Plus they have a great collection of colors and styles.

Enter to win your very own Trendy Top! Even if you don’t win this giveaway you can enter to win over at Trendy Top’s facebook page. They are giving away a $250 American Express gift card AND a trendy top! Nine runner-ups also win a trendy top. They choose ten winners every week from August 6th-September 3rd.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Kidorable Rain Boots & Back to School Sale

Posted by html404 on August 13, 2012
in Kid's Footwear, Kids Stuff, Reviews

It’s been a very dry summer here in Chicago, the Midwest and many other places. We haven’t had much need for our farm boots or rubber boots. My little ones still wear them though and my husband dug his out of the “boot” closet over the weekend due to the heavy dew on the grass. Thankfully in the past week or so we got rain and boots have come in handy for all of our children as they tramp out to feed the animals.

Our little guy, whom we still call “baby” as he is the baby of the family even though he turns two this month, did not have any rain boots. The ones our 4 year old had at his age were worn until they cracked and had holes in them – they were that loved!

Thanks to Kidorable, baby now has boots. They are pirate boots. Fitting since he recently received a pirate’s eye patch and foam sword. He loves his new boots. They are the first pair of footwear he runs to grab when asked to get his shoes to go outside.

And yes he is pretty much in his diaper all the time unless we go out. The first thing he does when we come home is to take off his clothes! At least he knows to keep them on while we are out!

We have had Kidorable rain boots before when my four year old was younger. They were the frog boots and he loved them too. They lasted him about a year, but that is with constant wear, not just during the spring or fall rainy seasons, as we have worked on farms the past three years now.

Kidorable gets a cute 2 thumbs up from us!

From August 13-31 Kidorable has a back to school sale and promotion going on and they are offering you a discount code!

From ballerinas to butterflies, from frogs to pirates, the styles and choices are sure to excite your children and you! (I know I love all them!) Simply use coupon code SCHOO888 at www.kidorable.com to receive 20% off Kidorable rain boots.

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Back to School Giveaway With Pirate’s Booty

Posted by html404 on August 10, 2012
in All Natural Products, Food and Treats, Giveaways, Reviews, School

It’s back to school time and that not only means school supplies and school clothing, but also packing school lunches! I can’t imagine the morning school routine we’d have if I had to get 6-7 school lunches, school bags and children ready to get out the door! Hats off to you ladies with multiple children! What do you do to make sure their school lunches don’t get boring? After all you are packing lunches for at least 180 days in most states.

Growing up I always seem to have a sandwich, apple, granola bar or sweet for my bagged lunches. My mom wasn’t heavy into convenience foods back then and made nearly everything from scratch. Nowadays, there are so many packaged snacks to choose from, healthy and unhealthy. Our family prefers to eat organic (as much as possible), all natural foods and snacks without artificial flavors etc.

One snack we have enjoyed is Pirate’s Booty Corn Puffs. They are made from aged white cheddar so they are similar to other brands of cheese puffs, only better because they have half the fat! They taste very good and are gobbled up in no time at all by our children. Love the little bags, perfect for little hands and great for travel treats too!

Consider adding Pirate’s Booty snacks to your child’s lunchbox. Their products make a wonderful “Snack Swap!” (we all know kids do this, right?) Pirate’s Booty is a deliciously baked, all-natural snack we can give our children guilt-free. Pirate’s Booty is less fattening and has fewer calories than regular fried potato chips. Pirate’s Booty is safe for kids with allergies as it is gluten, peanut and tree-nut free. Pirate’s Booty contains easy to pronounce ingredients and are made without trans-fats. Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar half-ounce size multi-packs have only 65-calories per pack! A convenient lunchbox treat! You can find Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar half-ounce 12-packs at retailers nationwide. They retail for about $6.99.

Back to School Giveaway With Pirate’s Booty!

You can enter to win the Pirate’s Booty Treasure Box in the above photo. It includes 2 12-packs of corn puffs, a chip clip as seen clipped to the box, 3 Pirate’s Booty tatoos, 2 pirates eye patches and two foam pirates swords. For some reason YouTube doesn’t like videos from my iPhone. And I cannot even get QuickTime to work today. Boo, I had wanted to share a video of my boys with their eye patches and swords.

Enter the giveaway!

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Polly Pocket by Mattel

Posted by Professor on August 10, 2012
in Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Reviews

Toys! Toys! Toys!

In our house we have a plethora of toys! However, we have recently been introduced to a new favorite toy or my daughters…from Mattel!

POLLY POCKET! Yes this is a name that many of you have heard in the past… but this new Polly pocket is redesigned and WONDERFUL!

My daughters were elated to receive both the following products: Polly Pocket Hangout House Playset AND Polly Pocket Stick N Play Kitchen

Polly Pocket Hangout House Playset

As a mom I was leery of more small pieces to get lost…but with the new playset the pieces are larger and there are suction pieces on the bottom of the toys that actually suction to the playset helping Polly and all of her accessories stay where put. This is definitely a great redesign as in the past some of the Polly pocket pieces and dolls were harder to maneuver and play with because they did not stay put.

The hangout House play set is such a nice dollhouse. It easily stored when not in use and houses all of the little dolls and accessories very nicely.

The set includes:

Polly doll and pet dog

Lots of cute, colorful furniture

Includes an awesome elevator

Third floor transforms from a bedroom to a rooftop pool.

The Stick N Play Kitchen is just as nice as the hangout house…in fact, it is a nice compliment to the hangout house…my daughters play with the right next to each other. They even connect as pictured below!

The best thing about these two sets is that they can be used alone or together. Mattel’s Polly Pocket line has even more Stick N Play Room assorted sets so you could enlarge and diversify your Hangout House…how cool is that!

I have to say that both my daughters (3 years and 8 years) both LOVE this set…even my son (6 years) has occasionally dropped by the hangout house with his Lego mini men figurines to play and visit with Polly. It is so nice to see a toy that actually brings my children together!

Do not forget to visit Polly Pocket by Mattel at www.pollypocket.com for more great playsets and toys!

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mattel Polly Pocket. I received a product samples and a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.”

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UV Skinz Review & Giveaway!

Posted by Brande on August 3, 2012
in Baby Products, Children's Clothing, Fashion, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Girl Stuff, Giveaways, Health, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Safety

It’s summer time which means most people will be spending lots of time outdoors! With the sun being so harmful, sunscreen isn’t enough! UV Skinz has a wonderful line of 50+ UV sun protection clothing for everyone in the family! This company is approved by the Melanoma International Foundation as well as an iParenting Media Award Winner!

Kids sizes range from 6 months to 14 and adult sizes go up to a size 4 XL! UV Skinz carries shirts (long and short sleeve), hats, shorts, gloves/sleeves, shades, and sun screen! It’s a one stop shop for sun-protective clothing for the entire family!

My UV Skinz Review:

My daughter received the Pink Mermaids sunwear set, which included a reversible hat, short sleeve swim shirt, and shorts.

This picture is with the Mermaid side of the hat.

This picture is the reverse side of the hat which is pink.

I have a very active, wiggly 3 year old. Sometimes trying to put sun screen on her is like trying to put it on a cat! I always miss a spot, however, with her new outfit I can worry less. The shirt covers her arms to her elbows and the hat is wide brimmed for fun at the beach. It’s light weight and doesn’t make her hot. I love the modesty of the entire outfit. It’s very age appropriate and fun!

It also washed up nicely! Gentle wash and drip dry.

UV Skins has my vote for UV-protective clothing! Check out their website to buy yours today! You can also find them on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Special Offer: BLOGS15 code that you can use for a 15% discount on UV Skinz’s site.

Now for the Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Buddy Bear Review

Posted by Professor on July 31, 2012
in All Natural Products, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Health, Kids Stuff, Reviews

New Warming Bear Provides Natural Kid-Friendly Pain Relief

Bed Buddy Bear^® Features ThermaTherapy^® to Provide Comfort and Targeted Heat

Far more than a plush toy, Buddy is the latest in a series of breakthrough ThermaTherapy® products in the Bed Buddy line that provide warmth and comfort to soothe aches and pains.

Made with 100% natural materials, Buddy Bear’s warm feet, tummy and paws provide deep penetrating moist heat ideal for reducing pain associated with arthritis, fibromyalgia, back problems, ear aches, tooth aches and stiff necks. Living up to his name, Buddy can be counted on to do what any good friend does – provide comfort on a cold night or eliminate stress after a long day. For penetrating heat that will last up to an hour, place Buddy in the microwave. He can also be hibernated in the freezer to create a cold pack for fever relief and to relax restless sleepers.

Buddy Bear Review:

This is another great product that we were sent from Carex. I cannot express my adoration for their Bed Buddy line enough! We were sent the BED BUDDY warming bear to review…and boy is he cute and cuddly! When I opened the box my children instantly fell in love with this cute little bear…it took much coaxing for me to explain that he was not an ordinary stuffed animal. I had to “warm” him up and show them how he was used for them to understand…what a learning experience for all!

This is a great product…so easy to use and most surprisingly it can be used hot or cold! Pop the bear in the microwave for soothing heat or place in the freezer for cooling relief!

During this portion of our lives we have been blessed with our fair share of ear infections in our children. So of course during the course of this review one of our little ones was having ear pain. Usually the remedy for ear pain is a warm wet washrag that usually has to be rewet/warmed every 10 minutes to soothe the ache. This product did wonders for my sanity … I used the bear in place of the wet washrag for ear pain. My child was more comfortable resting their ear on the bear than on a wet rag and the heat lasted so long that my little one fell asleep and did not complain the rest of the evening. Yes this bear is my new friend!

Overall, this is another WONDERFUL Bed Buddy product that I cannot live without. What did I ever do before the Bed Buddy Bear…oh yeah warm wet wash rags (YUCK!)

You can find this product and many more at carex.com. I would definitely consider perusing the site the company has so much to offer in moist heat and home healthcare products.

Bed Buddy Product Link http://www.carex.com/products/Bed_Buddy/93

Bed Buddy Bear Product Link: http://www.carex.com/products/detail/635

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Over The Moon – The Broadway Lullaby Project

Posted by Brande on July 29, 2012
in Books, DVDs & CDs, Encouragement for Moms, Family Stuff, Gift Ideas, Giving Back/Charity, Kids Stuff, Music, Parenting, Pregnancy and Birth, Reviews, Shopping

My daughter and I went on an inspiring and peaceful musical journey with Over the Moon – The Broadway Lullaby Project and I invite you to join us. This book and CD are not only fantastic for bed and nap time, it is very calming for adults also.

The Book – Over the Moon – The inside cover says it best…

It’s often said that “a picture speaks a thousand words,” that “music is the universal language,” that “all the world’s a stage,” and that lullabies fill the special place where babies and those who love them come together.

I’ve never read such a true statement. This 48 page hardcover book is beautifully illustrated and written by many artists, each donating their time for the Over the Moon Book and CD. The CD is attached to the back of the book.

The CD – Pop this 2 CD set of 13 songs each in your player. Sit down and close your eyes and let the music take you on a voyage. The calming flow of the music will take you and your little one away on a mini vacation. All the artists on the CD have beautiful melodic voices, including Vanessa Williams.

As is said earlier everyone has donated their time for Over The Moon-The Broadway Lullaby Project, which will raise money for breast cancer charities including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Yound Survival Coalition.

Visit the Over the Moon Website to purchase your collaboration today! You can also visit them on Facebook and Twitter.

This is such a wonderful book and CD. My daughter and I have listened to the CDs many times and we have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of them. Perfect for a new baby or baby shower gift!