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OMG Nail Strips Review

Posted by Brande on August 27, 2013
in Deals, Fashion, Fun Stuff, Personal Care Products, Products for Mom, Reviews, SALES, Saving Money, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, 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.

Imagine having great nails that look expensive BUT, without the appointment and expense! OMG Nail Strips bring that to you at a low cost and it’s do it yourself at home! Hook me up, right?

These super easy nail adhesives are so much fun with little effort. Pick your favorite design from OMG Nail Strips; rather pick 4 of your favorite designs. There’s a sale going on right now 4 designs for $20.00! Tell me where you can go to get your nails done 4 times for $20.00? Not where I live.

OMG Nail Strips Review

They come in a strip with 12 sized strips. You need to make sure your nails are clean, apply a small amount of hand lotion. Wipe the excess and start applying the nail wraps. File the edges and you are ready to go! Yes, it’s that easy.

I wore them out to a picnic and one of my friends asked… “Do they really last?’” My answer was yes. After I applied OMG Nail Strips, I peeled and canned tomatoes. The strips lasted through the scald, cold bath and peeling tomatoes.

The strips last up to 10 days and come off very easy and there’s no drying time. For a mom & wife on the go these are great and very fun!

Click Here to visit OMG’s Nail Strip Website or visit their Facebook page.

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Back-to-School with Kmart #KmartBackToSchool

Posted by html404 on August 26, 2013
in Deals, Kids Stuff, Parenting, SALES, Saving Money, School, Shopping, Uncategorized

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

Doesn’t it seem like every year your kids get busier and busier? As the years go by, activities get piled on and so do the expenses. Soccer, ballet & music classes aren’t free. Unfortunately, neither are school supplies. With so much going on, your budget can get pulled in a lot of different directions. Fortunately, Kmart has savings on back to school so you can breathe easier. Pick up everything on their back to school shopping list from backpacks to gym shoes and the latest fall styles for less. The only question left is what will YOU do with the savings? I vote picking up something for yourself because it is a new year after all.

Watch for the Back-to-School with Kmart savings on Twitter using hashtag #KmartBackToSchool and follow the conversation too!

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Coppertone Water Moms Recipes

Posted by Brande on August 24, 2013
in Camping, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Parenting, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Recipes, Safety, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, Uncategorized

With the end of summer drawing near (sniff…. sniff), I wanted to share Coppertone Water Moms recipes for upcoming parties! Enjoy and don’t forget your sunscreen!

Coppertone Water Moms Recipes

Summertime Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 liter of lemonade

1 cup of Strawberries, sliced OR 1 cup of Raspberries

½ cup of sugar

2 cups of water

Ice

Directions:

Combine sliced strawberries/raspberries and sugar in a bowl. Using a fork, mash the berries into the sugar, leaving some large chunks. Chill for 1 hour. In a large pitcher, combine the berry mixture, the lemonade and the water and stir. Add ice then serve!

Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil

½ tsp. of sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice sweet potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices, then coat slices with olive oil by tossing together in a bowl. Place slices on baking sheets in a single layer so there is no overlap and then sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, slipping once, until lightly browned and crisp.

Beach Sand Pudding Cups

Ingredients:

2 cups of Milk

1 (3.5 ounce) package instant pudding mix

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (12 ounce) package of vanilla wafer cookies, crushed

Variety of candy topping to decorate

Directions:

Combine milk and pudding mix in a large bowl. Beat with a whisk until well blended, then let stand for 5 minutes. Add in whipped topping and half of crushed cookies and fold in. Place 1 tbsp. crushed cookies into each cup, and then fill each up ¾ of the way full with pudding mixture. Top with remaining crushed cookies. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Decorate with fun topping such as gummy worms, gummy snacks, gummy fish, paper umbrellas, or get creative and come up with your own!

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My First Trip to Mariano’s in Chicago

Posted by html404 on August 20, 2013
in All Natural Products, Deals, Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Fun Stuff, Health and Nutrition, Money & Finances, Parenting, Reviews, SALES, Saving Money, Shopping, Things to Do in Chicago, Uncategorized

It takes a lot to feed our family of ten. A huge reason we started farming was to grow our own food because buying all organic food for a large family is soooo expensive! There is no way we could do it by shopping at Whole Foods. We try to buy as much organic as we can, but it’s not always possible due to our budget. Enter Mariano’s. We had seen bags with Mariano’s on them but until we shopped there we did not know anything about this store or that they offered organic produce.

My husband and I went out ALONE to Mariano’s in Jefferson Park, Chicago. It was a rare treat to be alone but it was also a treat to go into the city for a change. We looked forward to purchasing organic milk, natural products and organic produce. First we went to Whole Foods in Sauganash, Chicago, then we went to Mariano’s in Jefferson Park. The stores are literally only a couple miles apart. We bought the exact same items at each store. The goal was to see how much money we could save by shopping at Mariano’s for organic produce and all natural products.

Mariano’s in Jefferson Park

Mariano’s in Jefferson Park is a large spacious store. There was lots of room to maneuver aisles, even though there were lots of people in the store. It was pretty easy to find everything. The only thing we couldn’t find right away was Kombucha but we found it just before we checked out because I almost forgot to buy it!

Shopping at Mariano’s was a good experience for us in that we discovered a new store we can shop for organic produce and all natural products our family loves and enjoys and SAVE money, which makes my hubby very happy!

Here’s a list of items we bought:

Organic Valley Milk
1-1.5 lbs Organic Tomatoes
2 lbs Organic Carrots
2 lbs Organic Blueberries
2 pkg.Applegate Organic Bacon
1 bottle of Kombucha (fermented tea that is carbonated)

Below is our receipts from both stores to show you how much we saved by shopping for organic produce at Mariano’s. We saved a whopping $12.24! We were impressed.

This past weekend was customer appreciation at Mariano’s. In celebration of this they featured over 3,000 roses on display at all stores – just $1 each. Over 100 varieties – a rainbow of color and called it their Rose Extravaganza! It was truly a gorgeous display of roses. Robert and I loved looking at the roses and we even took time to stop and smell them.

Customer appreciation at Mariano’s includes a FREE rewards card with the potential to earn rewards!

We are looking forward to shopping at Mariano’s again in the future.

Please mark your calendars because you are invited to Mariano’s Twitter Party which will be on Thursday, August 29, from 12-1pm CT/1-2 pm ET RSVP link: http://cbi.as/5bh5f #cbias #MyMarianos. Consider “liking” them on Facebook as well.

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The Ultimate Back to School Bash #bts2013

Posted by html404 on August 17, 2013
in Contests, Education, Family Stuff, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Giveaways, Kids Stuff, School, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, Uncategorized

Welcome to the Ultimate Back to School Bash #bts2013!

I don’t know about you but I still have school supplies to buy…oy! I so want to get back to the store before the sales are over! Since it is back to school season, I thought it would be fun to join the Ultimate Back to School Bash and let you all have some fun trying to win some awesome back to school products!

3BoysandaDog has teamed up with A+ Interactive Math and some fabulous other brands to bring you this giveaway.

Prizes:

A+ Interactive Math – 1 year FREE Online Full Curriculum – A+ Interactive Math – 1 winner (choice of: grades K – Algebra I) Value $124.99 . A+ Interactive Math is dedicated to making math enjoyable and learnable for all ages. A+ Interactive is perfect for homeschooling parents or parents that just want to give the child some extra math help. A + Interactive Math offers full curriculum books, workbooks, online education and interactive math CD’s. You can purchase A+ Interactive Math or view their catalog here.

Door Prize for all participants:

Multiplication for Elementary & Middle School – download (value $21.99)

link: http://aplustutorsoft.com/SpecialOffers.do

Code: enter 3DOGSMATH upon checkout

$100 Visa Card – This fabulous gift card is being brought to you by www.learntobloghangouts.com! This is the perfect way to get a great jump start on your back to school shopping! You can use this $100 Visa gift card at any location that accepts Visa.

Back to School Survival Guide – This back to school guide is brought to you by The Confident Mom. In this Back to School Survival Guide you will find everything you need to help you ensure the school year runs seamlessly. This guide is an 80 page printable that will help you keep your child safe while using the internet, help with homework, making packing school lunches easier, become a savvy back to school shopper and much more! You can read more about the Back to School Survival Guide or purchase one here.

Office Depot Sackpack of School Supplies -Office Depot is committed to providing affordable school supplies! You will find $25 worth of school supplies in this sack pack. The Office Depot Foundation donates over 30,000 backpacks to school children each and every year!

BYOU Magazine Subscription

Go Picnic Ready to Eat Meals – Go Picnic makes packing lunches and snacks a breeze. They offer gluten-free, kosher, all-natural and a variety of other snacks that are perfect for back to school lunches and snacks. You can view the large variety of products they offer here.

Tummy Calm – Have a little one with an upset stomach? Tummy Calm is a safe option to helping your child feel better. Tummy Calm is made with all-natural FDA regulated ingredients. You can read more about Tummy Calm and place an order here.

BIC School Supplies – BIC offers a wide range of back to school items from pens, pencils, markers, highlighters and much more! BIC is your one stop shop for your back to school supplies.

Teach My Preschooler – Teach My is your one stop solution for giving babies, toddlers and preschoolers a jump start on education. You will find interactive learning products that promote learning in a fun manner. You can order a Teach My learning program here.

Texas Instruments – Texas Instruments should be your go to supplies when it comes to tools for math and science calculators. One lucky winner will be receiving this http://education.ti.com/en/us/nspire-family/cx-handhelds. This is a colorful and engaging way for to learn math and science!

Wild Planet Foods – Wild Planet Foods has tuna like you have never tasted before. This tuna is the perfect ingredient for a healthy and delicious school lunch. Wild Planet offers tuna that has 6 times the Omega 3 and 1/2 the mercury other brands have. Order up your own supply of Wild Planet Foods here.

GHCretors – GHCretors offers all-natural, non-GMO and gluten-free popcorn in a variety of flavors! You will love that a healthy snack can taste so good. This might just be the best popcorn you have ever tasted. Get your order placed here.

ListPlanIt – Are you ready to get your life organized? If so then ListPlanIt is the place to visit! Any kind of list you can imagine you will find on ListPlanIt. The winner is going to receive 2 ePlanners (Student ePlanner and Home Education ePlanner, value $10) + a coupon code for a 3-month trial to ListPlanIt! This is a fantastic prize to get the school year started off. You can also sign up for ListPlanIt here.

Go to The Ultimate Back to School Bash (<<—-click there) post to enter for your chance to win this HUGE giveaway worth well over $350 dollars!

Awesome line up of prizes, eh? Have fun and I hope you win!

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Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat by Smart Step Home Review & Giveaway

Posted by Brande on August 16, 2013
in Appliances, Home, Houseware, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Shopping, Uncategorized

What’s one of the worst things about washing dishes, baking, canning, or folding? Standing on the hard floor! By the time I get out the kitchen my back is aching and my feet are barking.

Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat by Smart Step Home Review

I was super excited to review Chef Fabio Viviani Comfort Mats by Smart Step Home. The first time I stepped onto the mat it was a dream to my feet. This nearly indestructible mat will not curl and is trip resistant. It is puncture, heat and stain resistant and is non-toxic. In addition it is super easy to clean and is non-skid.

In this picture you can see I do my kitchen work in heels. lol…….nah. I’m just showing you how thick this mat is. I’m putting my weigh into the heel of this shoe, the product did not puncture. When I got off the mat, it popped right back in place, you didn’t see when I dug my heel into it. I LOVE IT!

Here’s what Smart Step Home says about the comfort of their mats….

“Our proprietary polyurethane composite (STP) effectively suspends body weight and reduces the impact on the back, legs, and feet, while encouraging proprioception (rebalancing). The result is consistent comfort, improved circulation and less fatigue on joints, limbs and muscles.”

I have been using my mat for the past few days and my body doesn’t have the aches as it did last week. I highly recommend this Smart Step Home Mat for people who stand most of the day. I have a friend that owns a flower shop and she is planning on buying them for her shop.

It’s available in a few different colors and also comes in a 6 foot size! Click here to order yours today!

Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat Giveaway!

Now you can enter to win one of your very own Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat in the giveaway form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Kids II Taggies Bedding and Bouncer

Posted by 278Wife on August 15, 2013
in Baby Products, Bedding, Gift Ideas, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Shopping, Uncategorized

This review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Kids II. I was provided the featured product free of charge to facilitate my review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Kids II Taggies Bedding Review

My four month old daughter LOVES touching and feeling different textures. The Taggies Owl Crib Bedding Collection arrived at a perfect time for her to really explore. The 4 Piece Crib Set contains a brightly colored polka dot crib sheet, a matching diaper stacker with an owl perched on top, an adorable owl and polka dot textured comforter, and a coordinating cribskirt.

When I put the polka dotted sheet in the crib and laid my daughter on her tummy on it, she was enthralled!

She probably stared at all of the dots for ten minutes straight. I don’t cover her up in her bed, so I use the comforter for tummy time. She had a ball, touching all of the polka dots, and looking at the whimsical owls. Her favorite part of the comforter were all of the “Taggies” placed around it. The tags are satin-like and of all different colors.

The Taggies Owl Comforter has now become her new favorite tummy time spot! I loved how soft the materials were and that it is machine washable. The colors are so bright, yet very soothing at the same time. It is a perfect bedding set for any little girl. My daughter sure enjoys it!

The Taggies Owl Crib Bedding Collection can be purchased at Buy Buy Baby.

Taggies Soft ‘N Snug Bouncer Review

My daughter is one of those babies that likes to be held at all times. It’s very cute at times, but not when I want to get something accomplished! I was very anxious to try the Taggies Soft ‘N Snug Bouncer. First of all, it was super easy to put together, it took less than five minutes. The only tool required is a screwdriver to put the batteries in.

This bouncer is very unique in that it has two positions so it can either be upright or reclined. This is great if you wanted to use it for when your baby takes naps.

It features hanging plush animal toys, and a Peek-A-Boo blanket. The bouncer has a removable headrest and a sunshade, too. I love that it has music and vibration, and that you can use them singly or simultaneously. When I put my daughter in it, she loved it right away. I think she felt very secure. She loved batting at the hanging toys and feeling all of the “Taggies” all around the bouncer. Her favorite, though, was the Peek-A-Boo blanket. She loved snuggling it and looking at all of the brightly colored tags. She didn’t care too much for the vibrations, but she enjoyed listening to the music.

The bouncer is very lightweight, yet sturdy. It is one of the nicer ones I have seen. I would highly recommend the Taggies Soft ‘N Snug Bouncer. It has so many great features and my daughter loves it!

The Taggies Soft ‘N Snug Bouncer can be purchased at Babies ‘R Us

To see all of the many great Taggies products go to their website here.

Check Taggies out on Facebook.

See the Taggies Instagram Page.

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Kwickeye Review

Posted by html404 on August 15, 2013
in Children's Clothing, Crafts, Deals, Eco Friendly Products, Education, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Shopping, Uncategorized

This is a sponsored post.

What is Kwickeye?

Kwickeye is a social platform that lets you follow products/services that friends want for their kids and also makes it easy and fun to surprise moms and kids with the things they love!

Kwickeye has a “quick add”, or “Kwickadd” as they like to call it, button that is very easy to install, much like Hootsuite’s or Wishlist’s, simply drag it to your bookmark toolbar and voila! it’s installed. This makes it convenient to add products you like from any online store to your Kwicklist. Your Kwicklist enables friends and family to see the products on your list and allows them to comment, provide recommendations or opinions or maybe even purchase the product for an upcoming gift! You can also receive surprise notifications of an anonymous gift!

Kwickeye was founded by a mom – Gayathri Santhanam, an entrepreneur with technology background. She has two adorable kids, Aadit(6) and Anishka(3). She lives in the San Francisco BayArea. The site was featured on CNBC as one of the most promising startups globally.

You can find Kwickeye on Facebook here.

My Kwickeye Review

Kwickeye has a wide variety of products displayed on their site. From clothes, books, toys to organizational tools for mom – I found a fabulous daily organizer from Pottery Barn on that I would love to put in my office. I also found eco-friendly clay, Pure (organic snack bars) and sweet clothing for children.

I like the idea of Kwickeye and can see how helpful it would be to busy moms, moms with family close by and far away and be a general help to moms who attend a lot of birthday parties. Moms and kids could just look up their friend’s lists and pick a cool gift based on their Kwicklist. Eliminating unnecessary gifts and returns. Bonus!

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End of Summer Footwear Shopping

Posted by html404 on August 13, 2013
in Fashion, Products for Mom, Seasonal Stuff, Shoes & Footwear, Shopping

This is a featured post.

Sadly summer is coming to an end soon. I love summer and it’s bittersweet to say good-bye to my favorite season. However, shopping end of summer sales is always fun! That’s about the only good thing about the end of summer, if you ask me.

I love wearing sandles or crocs in the summer time. My feet like to breathe and not be cooped up in tight, enclosed shoes like running shoes or even rubber boots. Hot. Hot. Hot.

When end of summer footwear shopping I look for the best deals for my children. For myself, I have to go by comfort first, with the extra weight I am carrying I need good supportive shoes that will not only support my feet but also my legs and knees. More often than not that means sticking with the same brand that has been working.

It’s easier to shop for children’s footwear, unless it is my older girls. They have varying tastes and one or the other likes something that is bright, colorful and fashionable. Then there is the issue of heel or no heel. I prefer flats, while I have daughters that want to wear heels – my feet hurt just thinking about it. I also like basic looking sandles that will go with everything . I am practical.

I will shop in-store or online for end of summer footwear. I will look at thrift stores but will only buy them if they seem almost new as every person’s feet are shaped differently and who knows how much the inside is worn if the shoes have been well cared for. As you can see from the photo above, my Velcro is no longer sticking well, the straps are getting stretched out and while they are functional, they are no longer very “pretty”.

Where do go for end of summer footwear shopping?

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Shopping for a New Tea Kettle

Posted by html404 on August 12, 2013
in Appliances, Family Stuff, Home, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Shopping

This is a featured post.

We drink a lot of tea in our house. Since we mostly drink decaffeinated tea, the children also drink it. I’ve never owned an electric tea kettle, we’ve always had one that you heat on top of the stove. My parents always had one electric kettle and one for the stove, if I remember correctly.

Here’s a photo of our two year old tea kettle. I really like it, but it’s missing the knob on the top cover and wait until you see inside! The outside will actually clean up for the most part with a good scrubbing.

The inside of the tea kettle seems to have a lot of salt or sediment build up making the kettle that much heavier. It’s all around the sides and on the bottom. This photo does not really show the full extent of the build up but gives you a good idea:

I like a nice looking tea kettle and I really liked this green one, but I have no idea what kind I would buy next so I am appealing to all of you for recommendations! What brand, style, electric or on the stove tea kettles do you recommend? Leave your recommendations in the comment section!

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Archive for Shopping

OMG Nail Strips Review

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Back-to-School with Kmart #KmartBackToSchool

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Coppertone Water Moms Recipes

Coppertone Water Moms Recipes

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My First Trip to Mariano’s in Chicago

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The Ultimate Back to School Bash #bts2013

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Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat by Smart Step Home Review & Giveaway

Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat by Smart Step Home Review

Fabio Viviani Comfort Mat Giveaway!

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Kids II Taggies Bedding and Bouncer

Kids II Taggies Bedding Review

Taggies Soft ‘N Snug Bouncer Review

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Kwickeye Review

What is Kwickeye?

My Kwickeye Review

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End of Summer Footwear Shopping

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Shopping for a New Tea Kettle

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