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Wool Dryer Balls – Dryer Sheet Alternative

Posted by html404 on December 5, 2013
in All Natural Products, Animals, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Gift Ideas, Handmade Items, Health, Parenting, Safety, Saving Money, Uncategorized

About a month ago my 14 year old daughter “B” and I went to a Green Expo to promote our farm. We collected a few business cards, one of which was a local sheep farmer. I finally got around to visiting their website and discovered they sold wool dryer balls. These wool dryer balls are handmade by M.

When my older girls were little I had to stop using dryer sheets because a couple of them broke out with rashes. I never liked the expense of liquid fabric softener so we’ve basically gone without. I have used a rag with vinegar on it to get rid of static cling.

That’s why I was excited to try the wool dryer balls come in as an alternative. We have been using them since the weekend and they are working. We do not seem to have to turn the dryer on for a second cycle on our larger loads so it is doing what I hoped they’d do in reducing dryer time by soaking up extra wetness. No one has said anything about static cling yet so I am hoping that will be rectified as well.

I think I’ll get my mom a set of dryer balls the next time she comes to visit.

Do you have any dryer sheet remedies?

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Pampers Celebrating Firsts & Giveaway

Posted by 278Wife on December 1, 2013
in Baby Products, Diapers and Accessories, Family Stuff, Kids Stuff, Parenting, Uncategorized

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

As a stay at home mom I have been absolutely blessed to witness all of my babies’ “firsts” first hand. These moments I will never be able to get back and I cherish & hold them close to my heart. I will never forget the first time she smiled at me or her first word, “MaMa.” From the moment I laid eyes on her in the hospital, I knew I was the luckiest mom ever. Pampers has been there every step of the way with me.

Pampers Celebrating Firsts

As a newborn, through her infancy, and now into her “walking” stage, I have always used Pampers diapers. My favorite feature is the color-changing wetness indicator, which lets me know in an instant when my baby needs a diaper change. The elasticity around the legs keeps leaks in, all while still being very comfortable for my daughter to crawl, sit, stand, and attempt to walk. Pampers Swaddlers are Pampers softest diapers ever from newborn all the way through size 5. Imagine a pillow for your babies’ butt! As Annabelle takes on her next challenge, her “first steps,” Pampers will be there keeping her dry and comfortable. Here is Annabelle taking her first steps with her push toy. I couldn’t be more proud!

From your baby’s first smile to their first step, Swaddlers can now be there for many more firsts to come! To celebrate Swaddlers sizes 4 & 5, Pampers has 30 days of incredible giveaways and a grand prize of FREE Swaddlers diapers & wipes for a year. Join the celebration and enter our 30 days of sweeps on the Pampers Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Pampers/app_1426402564246361 where you can win daily prize bundles, plus the grand prize of free Swaddlers diapers & wipes for one year!

Check out Pampers at http://bit.ly/18psPH0

Pampers Facebook http://on.fb.me/1eWzMVD

Pampers Twitter http://bit.ly/1brDKYn

Be sure to join the #SwaddlersFirsts Twitter Party on Thursday, December 5th at 9pm EST. You can RSVP at http://twtvite.com/SwaddlersFirsts

Twitter Party prizes include:
Prizes include:

3- Celebrating Firsts Gift Packs, which include:

· Baby’s First Friend Plush Doll

· Baby’s First Tooth and First Curl Treasure Box

· Baby’s First Words Book

· Baby’s First Steps Push Toy

· $50 Shutterfly Gift Card to celebrate all “firsts” moments

· Baby’s First Bath Robe

· Pampers Swaddlers

Grand Prize: Canon EOS Rebel T3 DSLR camera worth $450!

Pampers Giveaway

As a part of the Pampers Celebrating Firsts, we are hosting a giveaway for the following package:

· Baby’s First Friend Plush Doll

· Baby’s First Tooth and First Curl Treasure Box

· Baby’s First Words Book

· Baby’s First Steps Push Toy

· Pampers Swaddlers

Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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CaringBridge Contest

Posted by html404 on November 1, 2013
in Encouragement for Moms, Family Stuff, Giving Back/Charity, Health, Kids Stuff, Parenting, Uncategorized

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for CaringBridge. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

It wasn’t too long ago that I posted about CaringBridge. Just to jar your memory the post shared about a family we know who used a site like CaringBridge to keep friends and family up to date on how their child was doing just after she was born with a rare condition. They still use the site today for the same reason since their child is still going through treatment several years later.

This post is to celebrate and support caregivers, the strong personal heroes who tirelessly help families get through one day at a time when experiencing a hardship, CaringBridge, the nonprofit caring social network, and Hallmark Cards are kicking off the “Caring Messages” card contest during National Family Caregiver Month.

From October 28th through November 17th, the “Caring Messages” card contest encourages participants to draw on personal experiences as a caregiver or as someone receiving care and create a message of love and support appropriate for a caregiver. Participants can submit one card idea in each of the following categories to www.hallmarkcontests.com:

Support and Encouragement: What can you say to lift someone up or help them get through the day? Let them know you’re thinking of them, send happy thoughts and cheer them on.
Compliments and Appreciation: Let someone know how much you admire them: What they do and how they do it. Words from the Wise: If you’ve experienced something yourself you understand what it’s really like. Write a supportive message for others based on what you’ve learned or what you needed to hear.

This partnership aims to provide patients, caregivers and supporters with love, hope and compassion. Winners announced in February will receive a cash prize, and their entry will be sold at Hallmark.com with in-store sale to be determined.

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LeapReader “Ready, Set, Read & Write!”

Posted by 278Wife on October 1, 2013
in Books, Downloads, Education, Family Stuff, Kids Stuff, Parenting, Reviews, School, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Travel, Uncategorized

I received free LeapFrog products in order to host the LeapFrog sponsored MommyParty. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I am thrilled that I was able to be a host for the LeapReader “Ready, Set, Read & Write” Party, sponsored by Leapfrog! LeapReader is the complete learn-to-read-and-write solution. It combines reading, writing, and listening into one easy and fun system. LeapReader uses books, flash cards, workbooks, audio book apps, music apps, and even trivia apps to enhance the learning experience. If you’ve never tried a LeapReader, you must. It is lifechanging! My son and I call it a magic pencil, since it knows everything.

The activity book that came with the LeapReader was great. It really taught us how versatile the LeapReader was. For example, we turned to the page featuring “Cars” and the LeapReader read it to us. It also had a game to play, and it would sound out the words for you if you touched the words with the LeapReader.

When we turned the page to the “Leap and the Lost Dinosaur,” my son loved pointing the LeapReader on the different pictures and learning fun facts about them. He was engaged the entire time, and was learning. It is the best of both worlds! Another page he loved was a game you played with the “Muscular System” page. The LeapReader would give you a clue and you had to point to the answer. For example, touch the muscle you smile with. We played that for a good ten minutes.

The LeapReader flash cards were a hit, too. You are able to mix and match letters to build words. It has rhyming, spelling, and singing games as well. My son’s favorite were the singing games. If you touch one of the pictures with the LeapReader it sings a song, spelling and sounding out the picture. It actually made him start to remember how to spell the words, it was very catchy! My favorite feature was the included sight words list. Just touch the word with the LeapReader and it would say it.

We attempted the Writing books, but my son was more interested in hearing the stories than writing. Some of my friends’ kids came over and tried them, and they had a ball! The LeapReader really tells you step by step how to write Upper and Lowercase letters, while saying letter sounds. I found it amazing that the writing magically appears on the special paper.

Each of the writing activity sets includes a workbook filled with fun activities as well as extra writing paper so you can practice. The activity books are so interactive that the kids are constantly engaged.

The Get Ready for Kindergarten book is a must for all preschool aged children. It teaches letters, vowels, beginning sounds, blends, patterns, numbers, skip counting, math, months, seasons, community places, and more. This was my son’s favorite book. He plays with it almost daily. There is so much to do on each page, that he rarely does the same thing twice.

My son really enjoyed reading the Monsters University LeapReader Interactive Book, too. You can either touch on the book picture and it will read it for you, or you can touch word by word to read and follow along. For now my son likes to listen to it, but I’m sure in no time he will be wanting to touch word by word. This will then teach him how to read.

I am absolutely in love with the LeapReader “Ready, Set, Read & Write” system. In additon to all of the workbooks, flash cards, and books you can buy for your LeapReader, you can also download apps to put on the LeapReader. Mine was conveniently loaded with two audio books, learning music, and a trivia app. Let me just tell you how amazing this is for travel. My son brings this in the car, plugs in his headphones, and enjoys listening to the stories and music. With a touch of a button you can switch between apps. The LeapReader is lightweight so I carry it in my purse or diaper bag when we are out and about so he is always entertained and more importantly, learning. The best part is that no batteries are required. Simply charge it with the included USB cord and you are good to go!

I can honestly say that this LeapReader is life changing. I will be telling all of my mom friends about how great of a learning tool this is. It is great for reading, writing, and listening skills. My son has yet to become bored with it, and continues to ask me to buy more books or apps for him. I love that he asks me to buy him books rather than toys. The LeapReader is definitely going to create lifelong learners for all children who use it!

www.LeapFrog.com

I received free LeapFrog products in order to host the LeapFrog sponsored MommyParty. The opinions expressed here are my own.

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Moms.com is Live!

Posted by html404 on September 14, 2013
in Encouragement for Moms, Family Stuff, Miscarriage, Nursing and Breastfeeding, Parenting, Pregnancy and Birth, Pregnancy Loss, Products for Mom, Reviews, Uncategorized

A couple months ago I applied to be a part of a new beta moms forum called Moms.com. I thought it would be fun to be part of a new website for moms as well as earn a little extra money on the side. It has been a lot of fun getting to know the “beta” mom group as we have created content for the site, which is full of topics from trying to conceive to pregnancy, babyhood, toddler, preschooler, big kid to just for mom stuff. In just over a month of working together, I believe we have laughed, empathized and cried together/for one another through sharing our lives and experiences as mothers – from the first day of school memories to reminiscing about our children’s births and so much more. Unlike other mom type sites, Moms.com encourages moms to be themselves and enjoy the daily sharing of our lives without harsh words and criticism for individual parenting choices. All of the mom members so far come from a diverse background and are a variety of ages, yet we have come together to unite as we share our thoughts and experiences about motherhood, as well as encourage each other in the journey of being a mom.

The Site

The site does require you to join if you want to participate in the conversations. Otherwise the site is very much public, not private. Though I just learned they are working on privacy controls, to be released soon, so this is about to change. When you join you will receive an email confirmation with your login information.

The Moms.com site has different sections such as Mom Moments where we can share photos or animated images in a card form with a few words as a description or caption. This section can be used to share photos of family, write an encouraging or humorous note.

The Best of Mom section is a catalog of topics where there are questions broken down and sub-categorized according to the different stages of Motherhood.

The Find Moms search button on the site allows you to follow other moms, look for moms in your geographical location or for moms with children the same age as yours.

Join Now!

Moms.com went live to the public this week and is open to new members. You can join now!

Follow Moms.com on:

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Hope to see some of you there!

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Robi Comb Review

Posted by Professor on September 12, 2013
in All Natural Products, Health, Parenting, Personal Care Products, Reviews, Uncategorized

Head lice problem? No worries ROBI COMB can help!

Robi Comb is Pesticide FREE, Chemical FREE, Oil Free, and Reusable 100’s of times!

What is Robi Comb?

From the makers of LiceGuard Robi Comb is a patented product that detects and destroys Lice on contact! Simply comb through DRY hair and when the electronic Robi Comb contacts lice, they get zapped and die!

What are the benefits?

Detects Lice - Just comb through dry hair
Destroys Lice on Contact
No Chemicals / Non-Toxic
No Mess, No Gels, No Oils
No Odor or Fragrance
Use Anywhere and Anytime on Dry Hair
Reusable and Economical

Remember that the Robi Comb is Safe and Effective
Parents are becoming wary of using dangerous chemical gels, oils and toxic shampoos that poison lice, because of serious health risks! These treatments use chemicals that are harmful to living things, and may cause harm to your children.

In addition, although lice can build up a resistance to pesticides used in other lice treatments, lice cannot become resistant to the Robi Comb. The Robi Comb works when chemicals shampoos fail.

VERY ECONOMICAL

The Robi Comb is also a very economical way to kill lice fast. Harsh chemical treatments and toxic shampoos cost between $9 – $15 a treatment. Most shampoos suggest between 2-4 treatments per out-break, per person. Compare that to 1 multi-use Robi Comb that can be used over and over, as often as you like. The Robi Comb can be stored and used repeatedly by the entire family!

Our Robi Comb review:

We are very fortunate to have NEVER (knock on wood) experienced a lice outbreak in our house. But let me tell you … if we ever come in contact with the little buggers ROBI COMB would be our first course of action. I am very leery of lice products that leech chemicals directly into the scalp…cannot be good right? The Robi Comb is a great alternative. It is electronic and non-invasive…just comb through the hair and zap the little buggers! Even though I use the word electronic and “zapping” the product does not hurt…at most it just tingles.

I also liked that the teeth of the comb are detachable from the product so it is easily cleaned and sanitized for the next user or future uses. For heavy users or people who like to keep things separate… you can buy replacement teeth and each person in your house could have their own “teeth” that just pops into the unit…if you are so inclined (much cheaper than buying a unit for each family member).

Overall this is a neat product and I am glad that a company has come out with an alternative to the harsh lice treatments that are currently on the market. I also noticed that the product is readily available at the local Walgreens or CVS…so it is SO convenient to get…no ordering online or waiting for shipments…simply go to your local store! Of course the product is available on line to our online shoppers… visit robicomb.com for their whole product line and ordering information!

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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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He’s All Boy Alpha Cards

Posted by 278Wife on August 26, 2013
in Education, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Kids Stuff, Parenting, Reviews, School, 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.

As a mother, I am always on the lookout for fun, innovative ways to teach my kids important lessons and skills. Learning your ABC’s is especially important since it is the basis of reading. I started early teaching my son his letters, always looking for fun ways to teach him without him knowing he was “learning.” He’s All Boy has made this an easy task!

He’s All Boy Alpha Cards are not your ordinary flashcards. “A” is no longer for “Apples” and “B” is no longer for “Ball.” “A” is featured as an “alien” having an “accident” and “B” shows a “bear” picking his “booger.” These silly cards are gross and funny, a perfect mix for any boy and even girls.

I have found that when I relate things to my son, he is more likely to remember what I taught him. What better way than teaching him that “F” is for “fart” rather than “feather.” What will your child more likely remember? My son is really into the Ninja Turtles right now so his favorite card was “N” for “Naked Ninja.”

Every card he laughed out loud at, and when we went through the entire deck he wanted to do them again. These Alpha Cards are an absolute GREAT learning tool to get kids excited about their letters.

These cards are also nice because they are larger than most making them very kid-friendly. They are also thicker and have a shine to them so they would be easy to clean. He’s All Boy also sells a Matching Game and Vinyl Placemat which would be great for reinforcement! Overall, I highly recommend the He’s All Boy Alpha Cards to any mom. They are definitely fun for everyone playing. I’m not sure who laughed harder, my son or I!

www.he-is-all-boy.com

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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

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.

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.