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NEW! Garden Tuesday!
I nearly forgot to post this! Our next new theme is Garden Tuesdays! ![gardentuesdaysbuttonforffr[1]](http://faithandfamilyreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/gardentuesdaysbuttonforffr1.jpg "gardentuesdaysbuttonforffr[1]")
I had a book review to post for today, but couldn’t find it in my files anywhere so I will have to post it next week after I rewrite it! Then after today’s adventure to pick up two of these 4 Tier Greenhouses, I thought I’d post about them. It isn’t a review per se because we just got them and I haven’t had sufficient time to really put them through a tested, tried and true review.
However, to add a bit of a Thrifty Thursday tip here, these 4 Tier Greenhouses sell anywhere from $32-$59 but we got each of these for just $15! They are used, but in useable condition and will be of great help to get some plants started for fall harvest, since we are going to try our hand with at least a bit of succession planting.
While I was working this afternoon, the girls got more lettuce and some more cold crops planted. We are hoping for some faster germination compared to our direct seed planting. Here’s to hoping and praying!
Do Good Day with 77Kids.com and The Motherhood.com
My children and I will be participating in the 77Kids.com and TheMotherhood.com Do Good Day on July 14th in Chicago. There are a total of 11 Chicago area bloggers and their children taking part in this great project!
We will be “Doing Good” for the Ronald McDonald house of Chicago (which Ronald McDonald House TBD). We will be preparing a meal for the families and providing them with some activity and donations of needed items.
Special thanks goes to 77Kids.com and TheMotherhood.com for giving us this opportunity to serve others and to teach our children how to “do good”.
We’d like to encourage you, our readers, to think about “doing good” in your community that day. Whether that be holding the door open for an elderly person or a mom with her hands full of packages, pushing a stroller and chasing a toddler. Whatever you choose to do, please be sure to come back and tell us what you have done. There just may be an extra blessing for doing so! 😉
77kids Website: http://www.ae.com/77kids/index.jsp
77kids on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/77kids
77kids on Twitter: http://twitter.com/77kids
Hashtag: #77kids
77kids at Elizabeth Glaser Pedaids Celebrity Picnic: http://www.fitceleb.com/node/7927
NEW! Monday Motivation!
Just wanted to introduce another new theme – Monday Motivation! This was inspired by Every Day Eve’s Monday Affirmation post. I don’t need affirmation as much as I need motivation, especially at this point in my pregnancy! I just want to share the things that I’d like to get done and will let you know next Monday how I did. As time goes on, perhaps I will elaborate to share whether or not sharing helped get more accomplished or what exactly has motivated me throughout the week.
Sooo….this is my Monday Motivation for this week, I limited it to five things for simplicity sake. Please feel free to share your own so we can inspire and motivate one another:
~ To make it through the week! Seriously, I have been feeling awful, baby has been pressing up on my diaphram and it is very uncomfortable to move these days.
~ Work on client projects. Starting with a new client this week and have a training session tomorrow afternoon.
~ Work in our garden as weather permits. I am sure we have summer squash in need of picking since I forgot to remind Robert and the boys to pick when they went out to the field!
~ Come up with name for baby! Ongoing until we agree on a name.
~ Work on getting my iron up more. This will be ongoing until even after the baby is born.
I wanted to give you a bit of an update in regards to the last one on the list. My iron levels stayed the same – right around the 10 mark, possibly a tad higher to even 10.5. I have felt somewhat better, but still have bouts of nausea and tiredness. The thing is I really think that the Bebe O Prenatal Vitamins and Floradix (liquid form of iron) have been helping. So I am going to continue with both of them and hopefully things will remain the same or possibly improve in these last few days/weeks. I have never had heavy bleeding during birth and hoping not to start with this one with my iron lower than my norm.
Floradix may be purchased at Wholefoods or the Vitamin Shoppe and don’t forget about our Bebe-O Prenatal Vitamin giveaway for the opportunity to try an all natural prenatal vitamin.
Product Review: Pop Top Bracelets From five ACCESSORIES
Pop Top Bracelet $5.00
A bracelet made from can pop tops and ribbon. Perfect for the little princess. Handmade by the vendors of StreetWise. Each item comes with the picture and story of the individual who made it. One size fits all wrists. For custom colors and orders please inquire at info@fiveaccessories.com or call 312.504.3483.
This bracelet comes in a lot of different styles and colors (ribbon wise) and you can get custom orders done at the above info. I thought that this bracelet was appealing to the eye and was very fun and cute. Perfect for a child or even fun loving teenage girl! I don’t know if I really would wear this one alot but my children like it.
NEW! FFR Friday Giveaways – Bebe O Prenatal Vitamins! *CLOSED*
Congratulations, Deborah! You are our Bebe O Giveaway Winner!
Winner chosen by Random.org #2 entry.
Thank you to all who entered, I truly thought Julie would win since she had the most entries, but I guess it doesn’t always work that way!
Thank you to Talooza for sponsoring this giveaway and providing expectant mamas and mamas to be with an all natural prenatal vitamin!
Ok, in an effort to vamp things up for you as readers and to motivate me as a blogger 😉 I have been rather sluggish around here, wouldn’t you agree? I thought I would try and set some definite themes for each day of the week. That way we all have something to look forward to, as well make the content a little more consistent and interesting.
The first re-vamp was Thrifty Thursdays and the second is to introduce Faith and Family Reviews’ Friday Giveaways – a.k.a FFR Friday Giveaways! This, of course, will all depend upon what PR folks are willing to offer me for giveaways. Thankfully, we have some product lined up for at least 4-6 giveaways, each lasting 2-3 weeks.
So depending upon reader participation etc. we’ll have July as our trial month. After all this blog is a two-way street, right? I write, provide my time and content and you all participate by reading, leaving comments and entering giveaways, right?
Our first FFR Friday Giveaway is…..Bebe O Prenatal Vitamins!
If you didn’t read my review of Bebe O Prenatal Vitamins, please go back and read it here.
One reader has the opportunity to win a bottle of Bebe O Prenatal Vitamins! Yes, our wonderful PR contact has just verified that we can offer one winner one bottle of prenatal vitamins. ($38.00 Value and one month supply of prenates!)
Required Entry: Simply leave a comment telling me why you want to win!
Extra Entries (Please be sure and leave a comment and link for extra entries):
1 Entry: Follow Faith and Family Reviews on Twitter.
1 Entry: Follow Bebe O on Twitter.
1 Entry: Like Faith and Family Reviews on Facebook
1 Entry: Like Bebe O Prenatal Vitamins on Facebook
2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway, but only one tweet per day please. Include your tweet url with your comment. You may write your own tweet or use this one:
Enter to win a bottle of @mybebeO prenatal vitamins at @faithfamilyrevw! http://tiny.cc/BebeOGiveaway Please share! Thx!
5 Entries: Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post and to Bebe O’s website.
1 Entry for every comment you leave anywhere else on this blog, but please leave a link with your comment!
Details:
This giveaway will run from July 2nd until July 21st at midnight CST. The winner will be chosen through Random.org. Winner will be contacted before July 31st and asked for their contact info. Winner will have 48 hours to send me their info at [ffr] [giveaways] [at] [gmail] [dot] [com] (without spaces and parenthesis). Bebe O will ship one bottle of prenatal vitamins directly to the winner. Please note: This giveaway is open to the USA only.
Thanks and have fun!
Winners of “Real Women of Philadelphia”
Did any of you watch “Real Women of Philadelphia” last night? I admit I didn’t, but would like to catch any videos they might have. I was working, what can I say?
If you missed the live streaming event, then here are the winners:
The winners of the online cooking competition and talent search, “Real Women of Philadelphia,” were announced last night during a live ceremony hosted by Paula Deen at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts in Savannah, GA. With an existing digital RWOP community of more than 220,000 cheering them on, Mandy Heaston, Caryn Ross, Sheila Cutchlow and KC Quaretti Lee were crowned “The Real Women of Philadelphia.”
The Real Women of Philadelphia categories included: appetizers, side dishes, entrees and desserts. All contestant dishes were judged by Paula and her friends. The four winners are as follows:
Mandy Heaston, Seattle, WA
Side Dish
Asparagus & Parmesan Cream Pastry
Caryn Ross, Norman, OK
Appetizer
Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches
Sheila Cutchlow, Washington, DC
Entree
Joy Bundles & Rice
KC Quaretti-Lee, Venice, FL
Dessert
French Apple Cake
Each winner received a talent contract worth $25,000 and the opportunity to host their own weekly online cooking show on www.PaulaDeen.com/RealWomen. The winners will also have the chance to contribute to a cookbook featuring the community’s favorite cream cheese recipes.
“Congratulations to our ‘Real Women of Philadelphia.’ We’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the response, engagement and authenticity of the community,” said Adam Butler, Brand Manager Philadelphia Cream Cheese. We love the creativity and passion that’s being shared between these women and look forward to bringing more fun and new challenges in the future.”
Since the program’s launch in March 2010, the Real Women of Philadelphia community has seen significant growth, and has hosted more than 590,000 unique visitors to the site. The Real Women of Philadelphia have created their own site profiles, uploaded pictures, written articles, and self-produced more than 5,000 entertaining, emotional and creative short videos showcasing how they use Philly in their favorite dishes – whether it’s their secret ingredient for smooth mashed potatoes or the perfect creamy pasta sauce. To date, these compelling cream cheese-based recipe videos have received a total of approximately 19 million views across various media channels and the RWOP site.
Visit www.PaulaDeen.com/RealWomen to find out more about the Real Women of Philadelphia community and find and share Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipes and tips with other real-life cooks.
Introducing Faith and Family Reviews Thrifty Thursdays!
Ok, I was actually going to introduce new things tomorrow, but thought of this little post for today so here I am starting something new that I will try to keep on top of. I thought giving each day a topic might be helpful to keep me on track, plus post my reviews as time allows. If that even makes sense at 11:30pm!
Without further adieu, let me introduce you to Faith and Family Reviews Thrifty Thursdays or FFR Thrifty Thursdays!
This week someone on our homeschool loop reminded me of a ministry who helps those in need. We were told about them when my husband was laid off work, however, never found ourselves to the point of really needing to use them. Also, they seem to have changed in the way they do things in the last two years as well.
The ministry is called Angel Food Ministries. Now, I have not used their services, but another person I “know” has. She recommended them and stated that she was surprised by the quality of the food. So I thought that this might help someone out there or provide you with a way to help someone else.
Here’s exactly what she said:
Ok,
I know this has been posted before. The last time it was talked about not many of us had tried this for getting really good food and some really great prices…
I have had a chance to buy several times and can tell you from experience that the food is great and the prices are really good.
In these hard times a great way to save some money.
Here is the website for angel food ministries.
https://www.angelfoodministries.com/
You can order online or over the phone use your zip code to find a location close to you.
Hope this helps you out.
When you go to their website you can put in your zipcode to see if there are any local distribution centers near you, then you can look at their monthly menu to see what “sales” and specials they have going on. The prices seemed very reasonable, they take food stamps for those that may be using them during these hard times.
Sample Menu:
Sample Menu:
(this month’s menu can be viewed here)
* 4 lb. IQF Leg Quarters
* 4 oz. Beef Back Ribs
* 1 lb. 80/20 Lean Ground Beef
* 2 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders
* 1.5 lb. Bone in Pork Chops (4 x 6oz.)
* 1 lb. Ground Turkey
* 18 oz. Stuffed Manicotti (Cheese)
* 12 oz. Smoked Sausage
* Betty Crocker Seasoned Potatoes
* 7 oz. Cheeseburger Dinner
* 16 oz. Green Beans
* 16 oz. Baby Carrots
* 2 lb. Onions
* 1 lb. Pinto Beans
* 1 lb. Rice
* 7 oz. Blueberry Muffin Mix
* 10 ct. Homestyle Waffles
* Dessert Item
On the surface Angel Food Ministries reminds me of a glorified food pantry, you know? Take if for what it’s worth, but please do your own research too.
Happy Thrifty Thursday!
Tune-In Alert – Watch Paula Deen Crown the “Real Women of Philadelphia”
**TUNE-IN ALERT**TUNE-IN ALERT**
PAULA DEEN CROWNS THE “REAL WOMEN OF PHILADELPHIA”
Wednesday, June 30 – 8 p.m. EDT, Savannah GA
Streamed LIVE at http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/rwoplive
WHO: Southern cooking queen, Paula Deen and Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese will stage a LIVE EVENT to determine the four winners of the “Real Women of Philadelphia” online cooking competition.
WHAT: Paula Deen is hosting a down-home cook off in her hometown of Savannah, GA where she has teamed up with Philadelphia Cream Cheese for the “Real Women of Philadelphia,” an online quest to find four fantastic female home cooks. Each will win a talent contract worth $25,000 and work with the community to create a cookbook featuring all of their favorite recipes made with PHILLY.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 ; 8 p.m. EDT
WHERE: Lucas Theatre for the Arts, Savannah, GA
LIVESTREAMED HERE: http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/rwoplive
BACKGROUND: Thousands of women have come out, many for the first time, to create videos and share their recipes online thanks to the encouragement they received from both Paula Deen as well as the community as a whole. Four finalists were chosen from the following categories: Side Dish, Appetizer, Entrée and Dessert. More information on the competition is available at: http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/
Review of The Belly Blanket Luxe
I received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While I consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, my review is my honest opinion and thoughts of this product.
I received a new product to review (it did have to be returned though!). This new product on the market is called The Belly Blanket Luxe made by RadiaShield and one of a few pregnancy products now on the market with the focus of protecting the unborn. Belly Armor have specially designed these products with the purpose of protecting the unborn child from harmful radiation that we all are exposed to every day.
What is the problem with radiation? We all know that we live a technological world. It is a world that we all love and appreciate and even hate at times, but admit would be hard to live without now that we are use to it. But do we really know the long term affects of every day use of cell phones/PDAs, laptops/computers, power lines/cell phone towers, MP3 players, wireless networks and many other electronic devices? No, we don’t.
I can be a bit skeptical at times about things because I think more studies need to be done over the long term and there is so many conflicting views about subjects like radiation exposure. Yet, most of us want what is best for our families and our mother’s hearts are definitely in tune to doing what is the best for our children, which is why we don’t mind spending time researching topics to figure out what is best for our family. That is what I have tried to do with this particular product, as you will note from the resources listed at the end of this post.
RadiaShield saw the need to provide an answer to consumer concerns about exposure to radiation, especially during pregnancy. They are also providing a solution to the problem with their Belly Armor. Belly Armor products are made with RadiaShield fabric and the highest quality textiles. I can verify that The Belly Blanket Luxe was very soft and comfortable when I tested it in my review process. It is made of a cotton micro-fleece that gives it an incredibly soft feel to it. The outer edge is satin and the backing is the RadiaShield fabric.
This blanket is not just for pregnancy, as it could be used while your baby is an infant too. Don’t we all nurse or feed our babies while checking emails or chatting online or on our cell phones?
The size of the Belly Blanket is 30″ x 35″. It is machine washable in cold water with like colors, but it is to be air dried and no bleach. The Belly Blanket Luxe retails for $109.00 and comes in great gift packaging, which would make gift giving that much easier. See the photo below.
I have to admit that I like the concept of the Belly Blanket Luxe and that I really like the product. It really made me feel reassured that the baby in my womb was being protected when I was on the computer. I actually forgot about using it while on my cell because I usually use that in the car and I didn’t take the blanket out of my office since it had to be returned!
What really got my attention and was a turning point in my skepticism was the Cell Phone Test they recommend doing (this is right on their website too):
Cell Phone Test
Note the level of cell phone signal you have.
Wrap your cell phone in a Belly Armor product.
After 30 seconds check your cell phone signal again – you’ll notice it has gone down.
It really works. When we did this, we actually lost all the bars to our cell phone signal. They were gone. Only the little green tower left. That really left an impression on both my husband and I.
Belly Armor also offers The Belly Tee ($59.00), The Belly Blanket Chic ($69.00) and plan to come out with The Belly Band and The Belly Tank.
They are also offering Faith and Family Review readers a promo code: “faithandfam” for 15% off, and it is valid until the end of August.
Here are some related articles that I dug up online that may be of interest to you:
http://www.cellphone-health.com/blog/2009/10/who-study-shows-cell-phone-radiation.html
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/
http://emf.mercola.com/sites/emf/archive/2010/02/16/how-the-media-lies-to-you-about-cell-phones.aspx
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/garment-apparel-news/apparel-technical-textile/usa/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=85973
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/anti-radiation-products-with-some-science-in-them/
