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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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The Good Wife – Hitting the Fan

Posted by html404 on October 22, 2013
in Entertainment, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, TV Shows, Uncategorized

I actually do watch The Good Wife. I don’t agree with everything in it but it is an interesting show with lost of twists. The all important question this season is…..which team are you on? Team Lockhart/Gardner or Team Florrick/Agos?

Personally, I am on Team Florrick/Agos because I want Alicia to fight for her marriage, but I have a funny feeling she and Peter are going to have more struggles ahead of the due to the woman hired to run his ethics committee. I also think Alicia is seeing how Will is treating Diane during this transition time and is becoming wiser in determining what she wants and where she wants her career to go.

For those unfamiliar with the show or do not watch it, here’s a synopsis about The Good Wife:

THE GOOD WIFE stars Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, a wife and mother who reinvents her life following her husband’s sex and political corruption scandal. Four years into her tenure at the law firm of Lockhart/Gardner, Alicia accepts a prestigious partner offer from her bosses, Diane Lockhart, Will Gardner and David Lee. However, a mutual attraction with Will leaves Alicia conflicted after she agrees to renew her vows with her husband, Peter, who has won the gubernatorial election with the help of campaign manager Eli Gold. After much thought, Alicia agrees to leave Lockhart/Gardner to start a new firm with her colleague, Cary Agos, who is unable to convince investigator Kalinda Sharma to join them. Now, Alicia must find a way to balance her evolving career, her new position as First Lady of Illinois and her roles as a wife and mother to her teenage children, Zach and Grace. Emboldened by the prospect of taking control of her future, Alicia bravely ventures into unknown territory.

“The Good Wife” began its fifth season Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 on the CBS Television Network.

About the upcoming October 27th Episode:

The heat is on as Alicia and Cary’s plans to leave the Lockhart/Gardner firm are suddenly exposed, with Diane getting suspicious, leading to a frantic battle for clients, on The Good Wife, Sunday, October 27 at 9:00-10:00pm ET on CBS Television Network. Will you be watching as the heat is on?

If you are a fan of the show, consider liking The Good Wife on Facebook.

This post was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network.

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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

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.

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!

Entry -Form

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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.

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

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A Reluctant Courtship by Laurie Alice Eakes

Posted by html404 on October 19, 2013
in Books, Ebooks, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized

A Reluctant Courtship by Laurie Alice Eakes is a historical romance with a mystery twist. It’s actually the third book in Daughters of Bainbridge House series, which I thought I had read but must have mixed them up with another series.

I actually thought of Downton Abbey a lot (which I thoroughly enjoy, by the way!) as I read this book. English propriety. Social Standing. Prim and proper decorum…well…to a point because we all know scandals rock the English just as much as the next.

I loved Honore’s (the main female character) faithful companion who showed her love and devotion amidst Honore’s ostracized state. I felt bad for Honore and the judgement placed on her because of some poor choices in past suitors and the scandal they brought into her life. I had a love-hate relationship with the reluctant suitor, Ashmoor. I love the honor and devotion he displayed for his family but hated the reasons for his reluctance to court Honore. Whatever happened to believing the best in people first?

The mystery case really did not surprise me as I had guessed which character at one point in my reading.

As love would have it’s way, love did triumph at last, which is no surprise in this type of book. However, I enjoyed the humor, the scandal and journey of Honore Bainbridge and her suitor Lord Ashmoor. I’d probably even read this book again and am interested in reading the first two books of the series (ChristianBooks.com has vol. 1-2 for $4.99 + shipping!)

“Available October 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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Etymotic BEAN

Posted by html404 on October 18, 2013
in Health, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Technology/Electronics, Uncategorized

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Etymotic. I received a product to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

My husband is older than me and it’s been a long running joke for me to tease him about how “old” he is, after all he is nearly five years older than me, so it’s my prerogative right? Thankfully he’s a good humored kind of guy and puts up with my teasing, not that he’s never teased me. Ha! You should hear the short jokes, the Canadian jokes and whatever else his twisted mind comes up with. But we love each other, don’t get me wrong.

Back to the age jokes…with those age jokes come the hard of hearing jokes. My husband really struggles with wax build up in his ears. Seriously, he should go more than once a year or so to get his ears cleaned out but he doesn’t. He let’s it go soooo long that if his bad ear is facing you or he’s laying on his good ear in bed he cannot hear what you are saying. He cannot hear what is playing on the computer when we watch movies or TV shows. I almost think he let’s it go so long so he gets a break from our noisy household!

Enter the Etymotic BEAN.

Etymotic BEAN

The BEAN is…

Designed to ampilfy quiet sounds
Requires no medical referral or prescription
Ready-to-use right out of the box – no adjustments, no controls to adjust
Two-position switch offers two levels of amplification: Normal 15 dB (decibels) or High 23 dB
Handles high-level music without distortion
Long battery life (10-12 days)

An interesting fact: “Etymotic” means “true-to-the-ear”.

The BEAN came with a few accessories:

Assortments of eartips (we did not use them all)
Filter tool (seen just above the little red filters) and extra filters
Cleaning tool
Leather storage pouch
#10 batteries and lots of them!
User manual

Comes with a 1 year warranty

Etymotic BEAN Review

I think my husband gave me a dirty look when the BEAN arrived and I told him it was for him to review. I don’t tell him when I get products for him to review because he’ll just forget. Better to tell him when it arrives. I just do not always have good timing!

Hubby’s Review

My husband said the BEAN felt too weird and amplified the children’s voices and noise too much for him. He also said something about the sound having a fuzzy background noise.

He hasn’t given it a second chance….yet.

My Review

The incorrect way to put the BEAN in your ear.

Yes, I even tried the BEAN. I have no hearing issues except when my children are being loud and I am trying to talk/listen to my husband or watch a video. The Bean felt weird in my ears but it did amplify the video I watched while using them. I could definitely hear better and clearer.

My voice sounded very is muffled when the Bean is in my ear. If they had an off switch, I could use them as ear plugs! Speaking of ear plugs Etymotic does have ear plugs and ear phones available in their product line.

The correct way to put the BEAN in your ear.

I think the BEAN will be helpful to my husband and others who have trouble hearing, whether they wear it sometimes or on a daily basis.

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Calorease Review

Posted by html404 on October 17, 2013
in All Natural Products, Health, Health and Fitness, Health and Nutrition, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meetsm program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC. or the manufacturer of the product.

Weight loss has been on my mind lately and not just weight loss for the sake of losing weight but for the sake of getting healthy. You see my husband and I started going to the park to shoot hoops. Playing one on one left me breathless. We ended up playing the game of “horse”. For those of you unfamiliar it’s basically choosing a spot to shoot from and the other player(s) shoot from the same spot, if they miss they earn a letter. The one with the least amount of letters in “horse” wins or the one who earns “horse” loses. The breathlessness like this has never happened to me before and I didn’t like it. I know I’m getting old but not that old.

I am not much for diet fads or diet pills but a few all natural and seemingly “safe” products have come across my inbox that I thought I’d give them a try. Calorease is one of them.

Facts About Calorease

• Stimulant free.

• FBCx (TM), a patented heart healthy fiber.

• If taken as recommended, results can be seen in about 2-3 weeks. Keep in mind that Calorease is not a license to overeat, nor is it a magic bullet for quick weight loss. As always, results will vary from person to person.

• There is no program or special diet involved with taking Calorease. A reasonable, balanced and nutritious fat-containing diet is recommended. Click here for sample meal plans.

• Calorease does not contain gluten, lactose, yeast, wheat, sugar, salt, egg, soy, dairy, artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives. It is naturally sourced from grain and is suitable for vegans.

• It binds with fat in food to reduce up to 500 calories a day. That’s equivalent to 15000 calories a month, which could be a whole pant size!

Calorease Review

I haven’t been very consistent, nor have I used the product long enough to see a significant difference. I feel no different when taking Calorease. It’s easy to take. Just take two tablets with water after a fat containing meal or snack, up to three times a day. The package contains 90 tablets so about 15 days worth of product, if taken consistently. A 90-tablet pack retails for $29.99. They do have a 180 count pack for 30 days for $49.99.

I liked the idea of Calorease because there is no special diet plan. You eat healthy, treat yourself if need be and exercise. So many diet programs or diets are so restrictive that it feels like you are starving and depriving yourself. I’ve always been able to lose weight by increasing my physical exercise, cutting back on sweets (not that I eat a lot of sweets anymore), so that is what I am working towards…ever so slowly…after all that’s another reason I want to farm – physical work.

Special Discount

Calorease is offering you a 50% discount! You’ll pay only $14.99 for a 90-tablet pack! Visit calorease.com/buy and enter code 4MOMS. You can also find Calorease on Facebook.

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Ever Feel Like the 2 Broke Girls?

Posted by html404 on October 15, 2013
in Entertainment, Money & Finances, TV Shows, Uncategorized

Most of you know we are going through a season of unemployment since my husband lost his job at the end of August. This is his second job loss in five and a half years. It is stretching to say the least to see how we manage to pay bills and get food on the table. The amazing thing is so far so good. We still have a roof over our heads and meals on the table. Between my husband’s unemployment benefits, my paper route, blogging and other work at home income, we are managing to scrape buy. It’s not without worry, fears or stress though. We call this “faith” stretches.

There’s a new (to me anyways) show on TV, which I have only seen a clip for, but I can relate to these girls who are working hard to make their dreams come true. Have you seen 2 Broke Girls yet? Viewer discretion is advised as this show is rated TV-14.

2 BROKE GIRLS is a comedy about the unlikely friendship that develops between two very different young women who meet waitressing at a diner in trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and form a bond over their dream of one day owning their own successful cupcake business. Only one thing stands in their way – they’re broke. Sarcastic, street-smart Max Black met the sophisticated, school-smart Caroline Channing when the uptown trust fund princess was having a run of bad luck due to her father’s Wall Street scandal, which caused her to lose all her money and forced her to give waitressing a shot. At first, Max sees Caroline as an entitled rich girl, but she’s surprised to find that Caroline has as much substance as she does style. When Caroline discovers Max’s knack for baking amazing cupcakes, she visualizes a lucrative future for them and they begin to save money to reach their start-up money goal of $250,000. As the girls’ cupcake tally expands week-to-week, they become closer to their goal and to each other. At the diner they are surrounded by their offbeat, colorful “work family”: Oleg, an overly flirtatious cook; Earl, a hip 75-year-old cashier; Han, the eager-to-please owner of the diner; and Sophie, the girls’ outrageous upstairs neighbor. As Max and Caroline climb toward their goal, we see that their “smarts” plus their “hearts” might just be the recipe for success.

2 Broke Girls has moved to a NEW TIME – Mondays at 8:30/7:30 c on CBS. Viewer discretion is advised as this show is rated TV-14.

If you’ve seen this show, let me know your thoughts!

This post was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network.

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The Liquid Amino Diet Part 1

Posted by html404 on October 14, 2013
in All Natural Products, Health, Health and Fitness, Health and Nutrition, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

This is a featured post and I did receive product to review. All opinions are my own.

I really struggle with weight loss. It’s been years since I have successfully take off extra pounds. I love to watch the TV show Extreme Weight Loss Makeover. I find it is very inspirational and sometimes wish I had coaches like Chris and Heidi to help me over the mental, emotional and physical hurdles that come with losing weight. They say that you have to be ready to lose weight. For months I have felt it building up to the point where I was going to say, “Enough is enough.” However, I still need some motivation. Elizabeth’s video below inspired me.

Elizabeth’s Video

The fact that I am even willing to try a weight loss product shows I have made some progress. I am usually quite skeptical of diet products. I am a firm believer in eating healthy and getting enough exercise. Speaking of exercise my husband and I have started going to the park to shoot hoops. We use to play basketball together before we were even dating so it’s something to not only get us moving physically but to spend time together doing something we enjoy. We’ve been the kind of couple who has often put our marriage on the back burner while raising our kids, especially when they were younger. Now they are all getting older and we are finding a healthy balance again.

Back to dieting and losing weight….

About the Liquid Amino Diet

The Liquid Amino Diet is a product I am going to try over the next few days, maybe even weeks. The nice thing about this product is that it does come with a personal coach to assist you along your journey.

Dr. Finsand developed the Amino Diet about 4 years ago after years of research and trials with his patients. The Liquid Amino diet is not about a quick fix, it is about a total and complete lifestyle change, which is something I need, especially increasing my activity level. You would think living on a farm would do it but it doesn’t especially when I spend most of my day on the computer earning an income. Supposedly, the lifestyle change is accomplished through clean eating and ALL NATURAL homeopathic drops. Because of the healthy change in diet, you can expect to lose between .5-1 lb per day. Unlike other diets, the Amino Diet does not inject hormones for a total body shock, but instead focuses on teaching people how to eat clean without the shock of the system. This is one HUGE factor in keeping the weight off for extended periods of time. One thing I was shocked about was the limited calories – 1500 per day. I am scared I cannot stick to this. I am a total carbs girl and cannot picture life without them!