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What’s a Butt Bench?

Posted by html404 on April 7, 2012
in Furniture, Gift Ideas, Reviews

The Butt Bench

The Butt Bench is an innovative bench to go in your tub to provide a place to sit, rest your foot on while you shave your legs or to hold all your personal care products while you shower or bathe. In their words, the all in one bath tub seat.

View a video here: VID00052

My Butt Bench Review

I have to tell you the name alone makes me smile! A Butt Bench is exactly that and more. I thought it would be a great addition to our girls’ bathroom, however, we must have measured something wrong as the first time we went to use it water got every where. 🙁 Kind of disappointing. I am going to see if it will fit better in my mother-in-law’s bathtub, but not sure if she will go for it. If not, I will get my husband to ask his brother and sister-in-law to see if they would like it.

I love the cedar wood and look of the bench. It may just be a perfect Mother’s Day gift for yourself or your mom! It is kind of pricey, but for a gift item not too bad at $52-56. For more information, please visit www.ButtBench.com

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Girls and Boys Bibles – Last Minute Easter Gift Idea

Posted by html404 on April 7, 2012
in Books, Family Stuff, Gift Ideas, Holidays

The NIV Girls Bibles if for girls 9-12 and not only does it have a Bible inside, but it also has a ton of extra features like a dream girl section where girls can use their imaginations, finding out what they have in common with great women of the Bible, words to memorize, and answers to questions that they have always wanted to find out about.

My girls really liked the notes on the side/bottom of the pages and the index in the back too. Most girls will love the frilly pink design and cute flowers that are scattered throughout. It also has a read the Bible in a year index is something that most girls will love and I know that my girls did. They will also love the list of verses to read when you are feeling bad or upset.

The NIV Boys Bible is targeted with boys ages 9-12 in mind. With tons of cool features and devotions designed to strength your boys walk with God parents will love that their boys are leaning values at a young age. The colors and textures in the boy’s Bible will appeal to them since it is very “manly” and they will love the metal cover. They will also love the gross and gory section that features all the weird and cool thing that you never knew was in the Bible. It seems to be very sturdy and I am guessing that it would last through even the most destructive boy.

Both Bibles are really nice and tweens will love the extra features. I’m not too crazy about the hardcover, but I prefer soft cover Bibles so that is just a personal preference. I think that these would make nice bibles for tweens and then you could “upgrade” to a more adult Bible when they reach their teen years and outgrow these.

The NIV Bibles can be purchased at bookstores nationwide and www.Zondervan.com A great last minute Easter gift idea!

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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A Note to My Politicians by Rachael Brown Lee

Posted by html404 on April 7, 2012
in Farm Stuff, Food and Treats, Gardening, Health, Health and Nutrition, Politics

Love this poem by Rachael Brown Lee. One little paragraph about beer was edited out due to my personal preferences since I do not drink alcohol, nor do I promote it.

A Note to My Politicians

Hear me now:

Your pursuit for safety is as false as your concern for our health.

While you shake hands and lie in bed with chemical producers

and drug distributors

you cry out in the name of food safety,

to pasteurize, bleach, boil, package and inject

everything which passes our lips.

You can’t serve it raw

because it is too dirty and dead.

You have never worked in real soil.

You have never washed earth off your food before preparing it.

You have never shaken sleepy bees from dewy blooms early in the day.

You are afraid of people who eat from their garden,

because their minds

are still their own.

Subsidize.

Pasteurize.

Sanitize.

Kill the small farmer.

Then sell us drugs

and flu shots.

Give us antidepressants.

Tell us to wear sunscreen and never go out into the sun.

Eat from a bag

or box

that’s sealed and clean.

No I won’t vote for this.

I have cast a different ballot,

and it is waiting at the end of my fork,

seared rare,

and dripping with unpasteurized cream sauce.

My hens will continue to lay warm eggs right into my fry pan

without your permission first.

I will give what little is left of the diminishing American dollar to my neighbor

in exchange for pastured pork

and raw milk.

I will spend time collecting seeds.

I will use butter liberally.

I will go out in the morning to harvest.

I will not drink your corn syrup.

I do not want your sterilized meat.

I don’t want your drive-thrus and chains.

In the name of all that is patriotic,

I will drink milk straight from the happy cow.

Keep your red #40,

your food safety modernization act,

your myths.

Smoke your cigars and drink your scotch.

Sign your papers.

Legislate.

Your “safe” food

is a life lived behind bars.

If this is safety

keep it.

What you need

is some real food

my dear,

fear ridden

politician.

What you need

you will find

in raw milk cheddar

melted over homemade sourdough.

You will find peace

in slow roasted root vegetables,

dipping your crisp

thick-cut

pastured bacon

into your poached fresh egg.

Slurp a raw oyster

fresh from the sea.

Pass the butter.

Smell the herbs.

Drizzle the honey.

Break the bread.

I welcome you

to my renegade table,

my hungry politician.

But be prepared

to become

blinded

by the light.

Rachael Brown Lee

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Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock Review

Posted by html404 on April 6, 2012
in Food and Treats, Reviews

We tend to eat a lot of soups and casseroles during cooler days and we’ve had some cooler weather the past couple of weeks. My husband found frost on the car yesterday morning! We have been working on cleaning up the garage in anticipation for our turkeys arrival on the 18th, so the car has had to sit in the driveway. Gotta finish this project this weekend!

The other night we made barley soup with Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock. It comes in a package of four little cups, each cup yielding about 3.5 cups of stock. We used all of them for our big stock pot of soup. It was tasty and seriously you could not tell it was packaged chicken stock, but I couldn’t imagine using less than we did. We usually use powdered chicken seasoning to make our chicken stock.

The packaging got thrown out before I could make note of the ingredients so I cannot verify if all of them were on our “good” list and Knorr’s website does not seem to list them, which is disappointing. There is no MSG though, so that is a plus! I know I read them when I received the package but am suffering a memory lapse. I had to look them up on another site:

Water, Salt, Modified Palm Oil, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Sugar, Carrots, Chicken Fat (Adds A Dietarily Insignificant Amount of Cholesterol), Lactic Acid, Leeks, Maltodextrin (Corn), Xanthan Gum, Potato Starch, Garlic, Chicken Powder (Adds A Dietarily Insignificant Amount of Cholesterol), Beta Carotene (For Color), Parsley, Locust Bean Gum, Malic Acid, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Natural Flavor, Disodium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Caramel Color, Succinic Acid, Spice, Mustard Oil, Coconut Oil

Not so bad, but Caramel Color, Natural Flavor and can mean many things and may mean hidden ingredients, including MSG, unfortunately. 🙁 This is why we need an overhaul done in food labeling!

And I thought we had leftovers so I could take a photo, but it must have been gobbled up because there’s not a bit left. As long as the ingredients are ok, I would probably recommend this product for smaller families. Bulk chicken seasoning is more economical and will last longer for larger families, as this little package is $3.99.

Visit Knorr’s website for more information about their chicken flavored Homestyle Stock.

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Krill Oil from Viva Labs Review

Posted by html404 on April 6, 2012
in Family Stuff, Health, Health and Nutrition

You all must know by now that I am pretty much into healthy living, taking my supplements etc. So when the opportunity came up to review Krill oil, I took it. Our family has taken lemon flavored cod liver oil and another type of supplement that contains fish oil because it provides essential Omega 3 and 6 that are sorely lacking in our modern day diet; especially ours since we are not fish eaters.

Krill Oil from Viva Labs

Krill oil is made from 100% pure cold pressed Antarctic Krill oil, nothing like stating the obvious. 😉 But what is Krill? It is a shrimp like crustacean that lives deep in the ocean. Krill Oil contains more antioxidant power than Vitamin A, Lutein, Vitamin E, Lycopene and has the all important Omega 3 fatty acid. Those omegas are very important to ward off any kind of blues.

Also Krill are at the bottom of the food chain so they are unlikely to contain dangerous levels of mercury or PCBs like other fish sources.

My Krill Oil Review

I like that it the Krill oil is in capsules so I can just swallow it without much taste. To say there is no after taste would be a lie, at least in my case. I found it smelled like fish and not being the Nova Scotia fish lover that my parents are it nearly made me gag. I had to make sure to not breath in as I put the capsules in my mouth or I would smell that fishy scent. I could taste fish after swallowing and I even had “fish” burps. Ewwww….yeah. It wasn’t every time, but most of the time and I have been taking Krill Oil for well over a month now.

The capsules are a little messy if held in your had too long. The picture below is of my hand after rolling the capsules in my hand several times so I could show you what I meant:

Krill oil would not be good for anyone with a shellfish allergy.

I would have to say the taste kills it for me. I’d rather take a fish oil with essential oils or lemon flavored cod liver oil because at least there’s something there to hide the strong fish taste. Maybe it depends on what you take it with, but my preferred drink in the morning is a cold glass of Florida Natural Orange Juice (they are the only orange juice company still making OJ with oranges entirely from the USA!) So it could be the acidic-ness of the OJ causing the reflux, but I had it with other fish oils too, that did not require me to swallow a capsule.

I highly recommend adding a fish oil to your diet. It just takes trial and error to find the one that works best for your and your family.

For more information about Krill Oil, please visit their website www.KrillOil.com

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Wordless Wednesday: The Way Babies Sleep

Posted by html404 on April 4, 2012
in Family Stuff, Wordless Wednesday

I came across a memory card with photos from 2008! Here’s one of my precious son. Don’t you love the way babies sleep?

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Sibu Beauty Review

Posted by html404 on March 30, 2012
in All Natural Products, Eco Friendly Products, Health, Health and Nutrition, Personal Care Products, Reviews, SALES

I was recently given the opportunity to review a Sibu Beauty product called Sea Buckthorn Revitalize & Renew, a liquid supplement for skin, hair and nails. I loved the look of the company and their commitment to sustainability and environmentally friendly practices.

Sibu Beauty

Sibu Beauty products all started with a meeting between Sibu’s founder, Bruce McMullin and an ayurvedic specialist (which is Ayurveda, which literally means “The Science of Life,” is an ancient healing science from India Source) in Calcutta, India. This specialist told Bruce about a “powerful holy fruit, the Sea Buckthorn berry” and Sibu was founded in 2003.

Sibu has a complete line of products including: facial cream, body cream, balancing facial cleanser, hydrating serum, replenishing night cream, sea buckthorn seed oil, age defying eye cream and a bar of facial soap. Products range in price: $6.95-$50.90. They even have a couple new products not in their brochure.

All of Sibu’s products are chemical free, contain no artificial flavors or colorings and no preservatives. The company seeks to use the sea buckthorn berry responsibly and in a sustainable manner. Sibu Beauty also practices fair trade in that they offer fair wages to the people of Tibet who harvest the berries, environmentally safe processing techniques and healthy, safe working conditions. (Source: Sibu’s product brochure & website)

The company’s founder is committed to giving back to charity, which you can read more about on their website under the “Giving Back” tab.

Sea Buckthorn Revitalize & Renew

Sea Buckthorn is suppose to improve skin tone and texture, supports hair and nail growth. It is full of Omega 3, 6, 7 & 9 fatty acids. Omega 7 is rare, but supposedly vital for cellular support. It is also a powerful free radical scavenger.

Ingredients: Besides the Omega fatty acids, sea buckthorn fruit puree, apple juice from concentrate, white grape juice from concentrate, acerola fruit juice from concentrate, evaporated cane juice, banana puree, sea buckthorn oil seed oil, natural flavors, pectin, xanthan gum.

Sibu Beauty Review

I am pretty skeptical by nature, but have had such a dry face this winter that I was willing to try anything to help alleviate the flakes and scales! I received a 25.35 fl.oz. bottle of the Sea Buckthorn and started taking it….oh nearly a month ago, I guess. I have taken a tablespoon or so each day, pretty consistently but have missed days and think there might be just the slightest change, maybe. Definitely no overnight differences or incredible results by any means.

By my last tablespoon, which I took yesterday, I think I was finally getting use to it’s unusual flavor. I am not a huge peach or apricot fan and I would have to say that Sea Buckthorn reminded me of a mix of those two fruits. I would literally shiver after drinking it, but I persevered because I wanted to be able to give an honest review of how well it worked. I could have easily given up the first day! 😉 Just goes to show that if you keep trying a food/drink you can start to kind of like it, even if you didn’t in the beginning.

I like the idea of this product, but the ingredient “natural flavors” is always something hidden. While the ingredients are not organic, two of these products have a low score on EWG.org (Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic site), so that is very good. The other products were not showing up in the database.

Overall, this was an ok product and I am glad I tried it. However, ultimately I think beauty products are a personal choice and we have to find what works best for us. For more information about this product please visit: www.SibuBeauty.com

Sale & Discount

Right now they have a sale going on until tomorrow night:

20% OFF Sitewide + Free Shipping!
Use coupon code SIBUDEAL20 on checkout.
Free shipping offer excludes Sibu Raw. Offer ends March 31st.

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Mommy Vacation, Blog Vacation, Brandcation

Posted by html404 on March 29, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Travel

I will admit I am pretty much a home body. My husband and I are not apt to go on dates or it’s very rare. I have never gone anywhere overnight without my children. I heard some of you *gasp*! The closest I have come to doing so is when I went home to Canada when my dad was sick back in 2002, even then I had a 4-month old with me! However, that is about to change come May 4-6th when I attend the 3rd Annual Brandcation Bloggers Gone Coastal. Call it a mommy vacation, it won’t really be a blogging vacation since I will still be doing some social media stuff, besides the whole event is centered around bloggers and blogging! I have never attended a blogging event either and am very excited and nervous now that I have taken the step of faith bought my ticket, paid for my lodging and booked my airfare! I have never met any of these women except for our online interaction, but I have learned a lot from many of them.

Brandcation

What is Brandcation anyways? It an annual event that is only open to a select few bloggers – only 30 tickets are sold. Once they are gone, they are gone. I got one of the last few, I cut it that close! Only about 5 PR tickets are sold. Incredible brands sponsor this event to keep costs low for the attendees and an amazing group of women organize all the activities! (Thanks Trisha, Lynsey and Kim! And any others behind the scenes!)

There are no classes or workshops, all networking is done in conversation making it personal, enabling attendees and PR to connect face to face real life style.

I have wanted to go the last two years but have been unable to due to being pregnant and having a baby under a year. I still can’t believe I am going this year!

Let the Fun Begin!

P.S. If you happen to be a brand or company reading this and think my blog compliments your product or service, I am seeking sponsors for this event. Please contact me for more details about partnering with me to share your brand with 30 other bloggers. Thanks!

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Coupons, Coupons and More Coupons!

Posted by html404 on March 29, 2012
in Coupons, Deals, Saving Money, Shopping

Coupon lovers and deal seekers will love this! A post full of coupons for products from baby wipes to food to DVDs! Let me know how you like it and I will be keeping track to see if people click the coupons to determine if this will be a regular feature! Leave me a comment if you’d like a regular post featuring coupons! Happy Shopping and saving money!

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Deals, Coupons and More….for Charity

Posted by html404 on March 28, 2012
in Coupons, Deals, Giving Back/Charity, SALES, Saving Money

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I wrote about our Champion for Kids SIMPLE service projects (here and here), and I said I was determined to coupon for charity more often? Well, we have been hard at work.

My older daughters are interested in helping so they have offered to help look for coupons, promo coupon codes and Target coupon codes that will allow us to save money on our purchases. So their job is to scour selected websites and blogs for deals, sales, coupons and more for charity. They print off the coupons, cut them out if necessary and file them for me.

The snag we have hit is our printer has not been cooperating. One of my daughters must have worked an hour on gathering information only to discover the printer would not allow her to print the coupons! Very frustrating to say the least. I am not sure if we didn’t have the appropriate coupon printing software installed or what, but at least one of the sites we have used before so I think it was just a printer issue.

Needless to say we kept working with the printer and I *think* we have finally got it to work…. most of the time. Therefore, my daughter will be at it again today to find more coupons in order for us to complete our shopping for charity and dropping off our donation.

Has that ever happened to you when you are working on project, especially a worthwhile one like couponing for charity, need to print something, only to have your printer act up and hinder you from completing your task? Arrrrrgh! is how I feel just thinking about it! But the feelings go away when I think of the cause we are supporting – our local food pantry or women and children’s shelter. A good thing, eh? 😉