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Great First Car: 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage Review

Posted by html404 on December 20, 2014
in Automobiles, Cars, Reviews, Vehicles

The 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage is a great little first car or starter car for college aged students, for a small family or for a second car to save on gas mileage…that’s what I would love it for!

2015 Mitsubishi Mirage Review

Bobbie and I were able to drive this 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage in Sapphire Blue around town for a week in November. It was so much fun to drive! It was easy on gas and cute to boot! We drove the automatic version but there is a standard version (or stick shift) available. It would have been great to try the stick version though, but dear daughter has not yet learned how to drive a standard.

We loved the color, as it reminded us of my husband’s 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

The Mirage handled well, even on corners, was easy to park and my 17 year old daughter LOVED driving it. It gave her more confidence and excited her about driving. Our vehicle is a large vehicle and very daunting to a first-time driver. I appreciated how much more confidence she had after driving the Mirage for a week.

This car comes with a push button start, trunk and door feature. Pretty cool, eh? I still have to get use to all these new things and remotes that actually work to open the locks and start the car…comes from owning an older vehicle!

Other features:

Halogen headlights
Fog lights
Power windows and doors
14″ alloy wheels (they are so cute and little!)
USB port in glove compartment
Anti-lock braking system
Child safety door locks
Split folding back seat
LATCH child restraint system
and so much more!

I was not too sure about how much room we would have in this little car, but it surprised me. We could fit three of our younger children, two in car seats in the back seat, though my 8 year old said it was not comfortable to sit all the way back. So I do not think it would fit three car seats, it would depend on their size. And depending on the height of the drivers, back seat leg room would have been limited for taller passengers riding in the back. The trunk is normal for this size car. It has 47 cubic feet of cargo space when the seats are down and 17.2 when they are up.

The interior of the car was nice. It included floor mats, cup holders, storage holder for phone or keys, radio, etc.

The doors contain a storage area for maps or personal belongings.

For those who are interested in what is under the hood. It has a 1.2L 3-cylinder MIVEC DOHC engine producing 74 horsepower and 74 lb/ft of torque. It averages 37 city miles/44 on the highway with customer reported 50+ MPG. I know we cut our weekly gas allowance nearly in half! We were pretty impressed.

Not only is the 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage Cars.com #1 Ranking in “New Cars for Penny Pinchers” but it comes with 7 airbags! Yes, 7! This car comes with RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) Construction which deflects and transfers energy away from its occupants. It was named to the American Council of Energy Efficient Economy’s “Greenest Vehicles” list, which is very important to those of us trying to live a greener lifestyle.

The 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage starts at $12,995, the version we drove had a MSRP of $16, 205. It also comes in 8 different colors. We had so much fun driving this car!

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Planning a Holiday Road Trip

Posted by html404 on December 19, 2014
in Holidays, Seasonal Stuff, Travel, Uncategorized

With the arrival of Christmas, that means holiday travel. This post is a little late in the season, but are you planning a holiday road trip? Maybe these tips will help you as you prepare to travel with your family…

1. Make lists. Your to-do list before you leave, one for items to pack or bring, include food, clothing, toiletries and personal items, and finally, one for to-dos while on vacation – places to see, people to visit or call, etc.

2. Map out your journey. GPS and smartphones are wonderful and I love having them available to me. However, they are not always right. So pack a real life map and gather your children around to map out what roads you will take, which states you will drive through and what cities you will pass by. If you have time, plan some side trips too! If you homeschool, make it a school project for your children to learn something new about the state or city in which you will be visiting. Older children could handle doing this for each state and city you pass through.

3. Reserve your lodging ahead of time. Reserving your lodging ahead of time prevents you from the disappointment, not to mention the inconvenience of possibly not finding any a vacancies at hotels you just happen to stop at for the night. The holidays are busy so plan ahead.

4. Check the weather forecast for your destination, as well as any place in between. This will help you be prepared for winter road conditions, enable you to bring the proper attire and possibly prevent you from driving in any bad weather.

5. Share your plans with your family. This could be the family you are visiting, God forbid they leave for their own vacation, not knowing you are coming to visit! Or this could be family you are leaving behind, just so they know where you are going and how long you will be gone for, in case of emergency.

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Unhealthy Christmas Cookies – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on December 17, 2014
in Uncategorized

Yep we had some unhealthy Christmas cookies. Not sure there really is a healthy cookie, right?

M & M Christmas Cookies

My 14 year old made the cookies and my 13 year old took the photo. That’s called team work! 😉

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Christmas at Rose Hill Farm

Posted by html404 on November 15, 2014
in Books, Gift Ideas, Products for Mom, Reviews, Shopping, Uncategorized

Christmas at Rose Hill Farm

Christmas at Rose Hill Farm is more of a back story of some of the older characters from Suzanne Woods Fisher’s other books, The Search and The Stoney Ridge series. You can read my reviews of book one, two and three at the corresponding links.

I thought this book was a sweet love story, but with a twist. It was fairly easy to guess who the character George was from his responses, though I do not remember him from The Search by Suzanne Woods Fisher!

I LOVED learning more about the history of roses. Thanks to my husband, roses are my favorite flower. I had a rose bush at our townhouse and had been told how hard they were to grow, but that particular one flourished. I was sad to leave it. I tried bringing slips here to our new home but they did not survive. Sniff. Sniff.

The idea of waiting for the rose to open before revealing its identity added intrigue to the story for me. I really wanted to know what type of rose they had on their hands!

This book was really all about relationships, dealing with past misunderstandings, and as usual, I really enjoyed reading Suzanne’s book. I found that it was sad, funny and very interesting, as I loved learning more about roses. I honestly do not have any negative thing to say. If you have a loved one who loves to read, this would be a wonderful Christmas book to gift them!

You can join bestselling, award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher for an Amish Christmas to remember at any major book store near you that stocks Revell Books.

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24Karite Gold Shea Butter

Posted by html404 on November 12, 2014
in All Natural Products, Beauty Products, Eco Friendly Products, Personal Care Products, Reviews, Uncategorized

24Karite Gold Shea Butter

Winter seems to have arrived a month early here in Northern Illinois. It is that time of year when the cold, wind and dry air reek havoc on our skin. And if you are like our daughter, your eczema can flair up even worse. This is when all-natural, eco-friendly shea butters are a must-have in our homes. It is a great solution to relieve dry skin, itching and eczema. We were sent 100% natural Shea Butter from 24Karite Gold:

http://sheabutter.com/

About 24Karite Gold Shea Butter

The name 24Karite Gold refers to the color and benefits of raw Shea Butter in its natural state. Here is what 24Karite Gold says about its name:

Our name is also a play on words that refers to the origins of Shea Butter. Shea Butter is made from a nut that grows in Africa on the Karite tree. We want our users to know that the products we deliver are pure, natural distillations from this tree. So pure, they’re 24Karite you might say.

The company benefits the women in Burkina Faso who make 24Karite Gold Shea Butter. Their website states, “Through our strategic fair trade partnership with Empower Village we are able to gather and invest in three hundred women. The income from this project contributes to business development in the area and represents 75% of their annual income. We feel blessed to share that the purchases you make from us directly and indirectly benefit a population of 38,637 people!”

For more information about its ingredients, visit: http://sheabutter.com/ingredients.html

Our Review

It took us a long time to open our 30 oz. container of 24Karite Gold Shea Butter. It was sealed very tight. We did not get it opened until we thought of running the cover around the rim under hot tap water. We had to do this two different times to try to get it open….finally it did.

Our fifteen year old daughter used the Shea Butter on her eczema spots and found that it really did help. The red, sore, itching spots are pale now and look sooo much better! I wish I had remembered to take before and after photos, but alas, I did not.

I took a smidgen and used it on my pinky knuckle where a dry patch was beginning to form (from using an icky soap we bought 🙁 ) and while I found the Shea Butter gritty and oily, it did clear up the dry patch fairly quickly. I was happy that I remember to try the Shea Butter on the spot right away before it got worse. Dry, cracked, bleeding hands is not something that would be fun when I have to fold and bag on average 200+ papers each day.

We hope to try some of this Shea Butter in our next batch of goat milk soap, just to compare what we have used in the past with 24Karite Gold.

A 16 oz.container costs $15.99. To purchase this product visit SheaButter.com

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Movie Monday: Big Hero 6 Movie

Posted by html404 on November 10, 2014
in Entertainment, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Movie Monday, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized

Over the weekend Big Hero 6 opened in theaters across the nation. We do not go to the theater very often but are so glad we made it to Big Hero 6. Our town’s 7pm show was sold out of tickets so we opted to go see the 3D version of Big Hero 6 since there were still seats available. It did not disappoint. I was hesitant to go to the 7pm show because it was so close to our two youngest bedtime, but our four year old sat in his seat with his 3D glasses on mesmerized. He looked so cute when I glanced over at him! We all LOVED the movie. It made us laugh and cry. It is a great family movie.

About Big Hero 6

With all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Big Hero 6” is an action-packed comedy-adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action, “Big Hero 6” is directed by Don Hall (“Winnie the Pooh”) and Chris Williams (“Bolt”), and produced by Roy Conli (“Tangled”).

Baymax was a loveable character. “Baymax is 6 feet tall and 75 pounds—until Hiro mechs him out. Baymax, in his super suit, is more than 7 feet tall and can lift 1000 pounds. ‘He’s all air,’ says head of animation Zach Parrish.”

If you have not gone to see Big Hero 6 yet, we highly recommend you do!

Don’t forget to check out the trailer!

Big Hero 6 Trailer

Like BIG HERO 6 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyBigHero6

Follow Walt Disney Animation Studios on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DisneyAnimation

Follow BIG HERO 6 on Tumblr:http://bighero6fans.tumblr.com/

Visit the Website: http://www.disney.com/BigHero6

BIG HERO 6 is now playing in theaters everywhere!

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#38 Saturday Top Five Laughs

Posted by html404 on November 8, 2014
in Animals, Farm Stuff, Fun Stuff, Humor, Saturday Top Five Laughs, Uncategorized

It’s that time of week again to join The Mommyhood Chronicles for Saturday Top Five Laughs – week #38 (for us)!

5. I went to a birth a while a go and when I got home my four year old goes, “Mommy, you have a baby?” He completely misunderstood me when I said goodbye today. He was really sad that I didn’t have a baby. 🙁 Too cute, eh?

4. A few weeks ago a lady stopped by and asked my husband if she could buy a new dog house for our dog. My husband told her no and that he could not make our dog go in his dog house. Our current dog house is old and a bit dilapidated, as it was our landlords’ dog house for their dog when they were growing up. It looks like it is small but he fits in it and he goes in it when he wants to. It’s not like we can force him to go in his dog house when it is cold outside. So now we have a new dog house to assemble for our dog. Made us tempted to put out a donation box by our farm sign! Ha ha!

3. Early yesterday morning, like at midnight there was a ding-dong on our door. It was a persistent ding-dong and we couldn’t fathom who it was or what it was about. Should have known…it was our neighbor to inform us we had a cow in the road! Miss Moo has been an escape artist lately and we are beginning to wonder if she isn’t doing it for attention. You see, we stopped milking her to dry her up for her date with a bull so she is not getting milked, nor is she getting undivided attention and love like she’s been use to the past 18 months or so. Thankfully, she was fine and went right back home once she got the ok that the creaky gate was not going to hurt her.

2. Oopsie our wether sheep was so cute this week boing-ing along in the backyard. I wish I could have got a video of it because you all would have loved to witness his “happy dance”!

1. Comet, first-time heifer, likes to skip when she is happy. It is very endearing. Warm weather, new pasture or just being happy and we get to see her skip! Gotta love happy animals!

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2015 Mitsubishi Mirage – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on November 5, 2014
in Fun Stuff, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday

This is our ride this week, a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage! Stay tuned for a review of it…

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#37 Saturday Top Five Laughs

Posted by html404 on November 1, 2014
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Fun Stuff, Humor, Kids Stuff, Saturday Top Five Laughs, Uncategorized

I slacked off from doing my Saturday Top Five Laughs posts for the past month because life has had me in a whirlwind and to be honest there has been very little thought to what has been funny lately. Weird how our thoughts and circumstances can rob us of every day joy and laughter. Thought it was time to step up and re-join The Mommyhood Chronicles on week #37 (for us)!

5. Our six year old asked who invented kissing or why do people kiss? And before I could respond, our four year old said, “Because them married.” Nice logic, eh?

4. Our 14 year old daughter got peed on by one of our cats and said she now smelled like dead mice. Our 15 year old daughter told her it was because it (the pee) was MADE of dead mice.

3. Our 15 year old was feeding her baby goat raspberries and because B was not feeding him fast enough, he jumped up on her as if to say, “Come on, I’m hungry!” It was cute.

2. Hermes, our calf, has been giving the girls milk kisses and slobber at milking. They are milking twice a day and he has his side and they have their side. He seems to be finally getting use to them and is showing his affection! O got milk slobber in her hair this morning when Hermes sucked on her hair! Silly calf!

1. My little 11 month old niece cried when my mom’s dog sniffed her! Poor little thing, but I did have a chuckle.

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First Milking Experience – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on October 29, 2014
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Homeschooling, Humor, Kids Stuff, Things to Do in Chicago, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday

I always said B’s first milking experience was when we visited a working farm in Schaumburg, IL called, Volkening Heritage Farm at Spring Valley…but then I came across this photo not too long ago. It is funny because it kind of predicted the future. What was a fun little homeschool activity turned into what real life would be like 12-13 years down the road. B milking, B has the bonnet on, with O helping her. O is standing at the chair by B’s side.

By the way the Volkening Heritage Farm is an awesome place to visit as a family. For a few years we went there after an early 8:30am morning church service and visited the farm. Some Sundays we just walked, other Sundays we participated in farm events. One of which was B’s first time milking a real, live cow. She went to its tail first! She was only four at the time and had never been around a cow. It still makes us chuckle.

Gotta love memories, eh? What memory made you smile this week.

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