Family Stuff - Faith and Family Reviews

Tag Archive for Family Stuff

More Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Posted by html404 on February 7, 2013
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Seasonal Stuff, Uncategorized

Valentine’s Day is only a week away! I came across some more Valentine’s Day gift ideas that I want to share in case any of you are still struggling to find just the right thing for your sweetie or loved ones.

1. Reasons Why Mug. A Reasons Why Mug for mom or dad with little sketches of the children is something I’d enjoy! My husband not so much since he doesn’t drink tea or coffee.

2. Glass Keepsake Box. I think any female over the age of 12 would love something like this to keep jewelry and small trinkets in.

3. Heart in Sand Framed Print. I wish I had known about something like this when Robert and I were dating! It would have been a lovely reminder of our trip to both sides of Florida to watch the sun rise and the sun set.

4. Bucket of Love. Feelings of love low? Need some help? Try this bucket of love to sweeten the mood with your better half. 😉 Ha ha. Not sure it will work, but hey it’s worth a try, right?

5. Bee Bear. The Bee Bear can be personalized for each of your children’s names. He’s awfully cute and cuddly looking!

All of these Valentine’s Day gift ideas can be found at the link I provided.

What are you getting your sweetie for V-Day?

This is a compensated post.

{9 comments}

Making Memories With Bigelow Tea #AmericaTeas #CBias

Posted by html404 on February 4, 2013
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Home

Tea parties have always been a delightful pastime in our family. I grew up having tea with my grandmother. That’s where my love of tea started. From the time my girls were little we have been having tea parties too. The tea parties continued as the years went by to include their younger brothers and sister. I think the boys enjoy tea parties as much as the girls! The food and treats might have something to do with that. 😉 They remember past tea parties and look forward to future ones with huge smiles on their faces.

Bigelow Tea

Bigelow Tea bursts with flavor and they have such a variety of tea, quite unlike other tea brands. From herbal and decaffeinated to caffeinated flavors there truly is a tea for everyone. Their foil packaging of the individual tea bags do not break open like other brands which use paper packaging. The tea bags are sealed tight making transporting them from one location to another easy and helps keep the tea bags fresh. I personally love the family owned and operated aspect of Bigleow Tea. It definitely means a lot to me as a consumer and business owner myself to support another family owned business.

Making Memories with Bigelow Tea

This past weekend we created a Bigelow Tea moment by hosting a family tea party. We had just run out of tea, so two of my daughters and I went to Walmart to select and purchase some of our favorite (and new) flavors of Bigelow Tea. We were first introduced to Bigelow tea through my mother-in-law and have loved it ever since.

Walmart had three shelves full of Bigelow Tea and I somehow managed to only get a portion of those shelves. The aisle was so busy and every time I went to take a photo someone went by so I thought I had got a shot but actually didn’t.

My children were giddy with excitement and anticipation of participating in our family tea party. So while the girls and I were at the store the rest of the crew were busy cleaning, baking and preparing for our special tea party.

When we arrived back home everyone else had the table nearly ready and were eager to get started.

We served homemade bread sticks, shortbread, lemon cake and of course Bigelow Tea. It was so nice to sit around the table together on a cold winter day to warm not only our bellies but our spirit of togetherness. The conversation was light we talked about food, what new tea flavors we liked, our home schedule and of course our farming plans. The mood was festive and most of all everyone enjoyed making memories with Bigelow Tea!

“I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Bigelow Tea #CBias #SocialFabric #AmericasTea All opinions are my own.”

{6 comments}

Animal Control Visit….Again

Posted by html404 on January 31, 2013
in Animals

This occurred and was written yesterday.

I was right. Remember the other day I told you about our Animal Control visit, here and here? Animal Control was out again today. The officer was very nice and she said they get at least a call a week about us – or should I say the dog and the chickens. But because she knows there’s nothing going on she doesn’t come out. She’s the same one that came out last June and who drives by our house when she visits her horse at the barn she boards it at. This time she did have to come to check it out because someone reported the dog having duct tape on his paws???

He’s sad that Animal Control came again and decided to use his house so people would see that he does indeed fit in it! And look the children put more hay in his house when they moved it and some of it actually stayed in!

Here’s the real story. Last week Padfoot broke his plastic covered steel cable that we keep him tied on, so we let him go loose for a while. That was the same day he killed a chicken. When I went to tie him up after his naughtiness the steel was showing through where it broke, it was like steel wool and sharp. I cut my fingers on it trying to re-tie it and knew if we kept the cable like it was it would cut Padfoot too. So because I was needed in the house I sent my daughter out to cover the steel part with duct tape so he wouldn’t get cut. There was no duct tape on his paws. That’s the story I told her too.

He’s wondering when people will start minding their own business and just let us live life together without these cold interruptions.

Today she also took a photo of his paws – duct tape free mind you – and his house, as people driving by don’t think his house is big enough for him and she said it is. We are all clear there. Whew. She wanted proof to take back that she did indeed check things out. Hopefully she’ll put them in our file so they can refer back to it, especially in case any new Animal control officers come on board.

Thankfully Animal Control realizes we live on a busy road and also realize there’s nothing going on here that shouldn’t be, but still it’s a waste of their time and ours for them to have to keep checking us out when I am sure there are animals out there truly neglected, starving and being treated cruelly who need their time and help.

So how has your week been? Any interesting knocks on your door lately?

{22 comments}

Dear Neighbors

Posted by html404 on January 29, 2013
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff

I think I have mentioned that we live on a busy rural road about four miles out of town, but the North side high school is basically in our backyard only a few fields over. I also believe I mentioned the fact that we have had Animal Control come out to visit us twice. Or maybe I neglected to share the last visit. The first visit was last June about our chickens. The last visit came due to an anonymous call to Animal Control saying our dog was neglected. Cough….eh-hem….there are eight children who live here and love Padfoot, how on earth could he possibly be neglected? Just because he’s tied by a roadside where everybody and their mother can see him?

The result of that visit ended in the Animal Control officer saying he could see our dog wasn’t neglected and that Padfoot was happy, but if we wanted to keep him outside… fix his house. We have a very old dog house for him that was given to us by our landlords and we are temporarily using it until Padfoot finishes growing. He knocked out the back wall by going through his house like a tunnel – silly dog! Robert finally braced it up against an old silo so the dog couldn’t do that anymore, so that worked.

The officer also told us to dig a hole and put a five gallon bucket of water in there so he had access to water 24/7. We had only been using his water dish which he frequently played with, emptied and tossed around. We knew that the bucket in the hole was not going to work as Padfoot is very strong. He is part Newfie and they are bred to be working, water rescue dogs. Think pulling people out of the water to save them from drowning and hypothermia. He can pull three of our older children on a cart! We were right, within a day he’d lifted that five gallon bucket, water and all, emptied it and was playing with that around the yard. We have a goofball of a dog!

Then one day a friend was over helping us see what needed to be done around the pasture and barn to make it horse-ready, as we are trying to bring Blaze our horse “home” to save on paying for board. She suggested using a bungee cord to hold the the bucket to the fence post to prevent him from spilling it or playing with the bucket. It worked!

The Animal Control officer never did come back within the ten days to make sure we complied to his requests, but perhaps he did a drive by to save on disturbing us. Thinking positive thoughts….

Icing on the cake was a few weeks ago a lady stopping by asking if she could adopt our dog because she never sees anyone outside with him.

Us: Cough…eh-hem…we are always outside, don’t you see people outside?

Her: Oh yes, but never with the dog.

Us: Well, every time someone goes out to feed or check on the chickens we stop and pet him. And he’s tied because our children would be devastated if he got run over by a car and our chickens need to be protected He’s killed two chickens this month when he’s been let loose to run :(. Now granted it may only be 5-10 minutes sometimes but over the course of day with all of us stopping and petting him, throwing his ball, rubbing his belly…that adds up to be a lot of time.

That conversation ended in the lady being close to tears because she felt so bad for suggesting adoption when we so clearly loved and truly did take care of our dog. I actually gave her a hug…my children couldn’t believe I hugged someone who wanted to take their dog away! Needless to say they were not feeling so solicitous.

The last straw was over the weekend a farmer, who has farmed for 40 years, stopped by to tell us to get our dog in the house. My husband thankfully was home to deal with this particular neighbor. My husband told him Padfoot was a Newfie. The farmer said, “I know what kind of dog he is….blah…blah…blah….” My husband also told the farmer that he cannot make the dog go in his dog house.

Do you dear readers know anything about Newfoundland dogs? As I said they are bred to work, to do water rescues, to go in cold water…this dog has three layers of water protective coat – meaning it is water resistant and does not penetrate his skin – and Newfies have extra padded paws too. Padfoot was born on a farm. He’s been outside since birth. The only time his previous owners brought him inside was to potty train him for his next home. Padfoot plays out in the rain, even when he has access to his dog house. He loves water and snow for that matter! My husband finds Padfoot sitting on top of his dog house ALL THE TIME. Padfoot sleeps out in the cold, even though he has access to his dog house. My husband went out the other morning and Padfoot had frost on head and raindrops frozen on the ends of his fur. Was he shivering? NO. Was he unhappy? NO. He was happy and jumping all over the place to greet his master, my husband, and get his tummy rubbed. That dog loves Robert more than all of us put together and has chosen him as his master. Good thing the feelings are mutual or it could be very annoying! lol!

When this farmer found out we could not have animals in our house, per our landlords request, he said, “Well at least put some hay on the ground in his dog house. You don’t want Animal Control coming around and ticketing you, do you?” Ah-ha! I think we know who’s called Animal Control….

We did what the farmer said to appease him. My husband said before we even put the hay in the house that Padfoot was going to have it strewn all over the yard….guess what Padfoot did within minutes of the hay being placed in his house? He threw it all over the place! Goof. Ball. Dog. But HAPPY.

Dear Neighbors,

We love our animals. We honestly do take care of them and if you were driving by every waking minute of the day you would be able to see that for yourself, rather than relying on random minutes when you are zipping by at 50 mph. So please stop meddling and find someone who is truly neglecting and abusing their animals to pick on for we think you have far too much time on your hands and need someone else to terrorize with your concerns. And by the way, we are getting very familiar with Animal Control. We hope they come to know us so well that they start to ignore anonymous calls about our animals and us, knowing our location puts us in a fish bowl for all to see or think they can see all but really don’t. You really know nothing at all about us or our animals. For if you did, you would see that our animals are very happy where they are and are joyful when they see us coming.

Oh the joys of living in the country…where no one minds their own business like they do in the suburbs! 😉

{17 comments}

The Official LEGO® Channel #LEGOChannel

Posted by html404 on January 21, 2013
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys

Do your kids like watching videos? Do you use videos to keep your child entertained so you can get housework or other work done? Yeah, I admit I do too. Not matter how much I try to limit my use of it, I still find myself turning to it in times when I desperately need peace and quiet or just to occupy them for a couple of uninterrupted hours of work. For the most part our children are really good at keeping themselves busy, it’s the quiet that is elusive. Maybe you can relate.
LEGO® is a popular kids toy and can keep children busy building and creating for hours. We have a couple of smaller kits and our boys have asked for more. Playing with a LEGO® set is a fun activity for the whole family. Just as watching TV or videos is something our family enjoys.

The Official LEGO® Channel is another way to entertain and keep you and your child busy. There are over 500 videos and more are being added each day. You can watch LEGO® Star Wars™, LEGO® Hero Factory, LEGO® The Hobbit™, LEGO® DC Universe™ Super Hereos and so many more favorite LEGO® characters. There are also videos that take you behind the scenes.

These LEGO® videos can be added to a LEGO® playlist and be accessed anywhere when you are at home, on the go, in the car etc. to keep your child(ren) entertained and inspired for the next time they play with their LEGO® toys.

If you do not know how to create a playlist, it’s easy to do. After you sign into your YouTube account and find The Official LEGO® Channel. Browse the videos and when you find one you or your child really likes simply click the “Add to” button beneath the video. There will be a blank space to create a new playlist and you can name it “LEGO® Videos” or whatever you like. The videos will be saved there and accessible again the next time you log onto your account.

Gotta love fun at your fingertips, especially on a cold winter day like today! Brrrr……it’s only 10 degrees here in Chicagoland!

There is a lot of content on web; creating a playlist on the Official LEGO® Channel is a great way to ensure your kids are entertained and watching videos you can feel good about.

Visit the Official LEGO® Channel to build your own playlist to watch with your kids and then reply below for a chance to win one (1) $1,000 gift card to buy your family’s favorite LEGO® products!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of LEGO. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

{No comments}

Farm Expansion

Posted by html404 on January 7, 2013
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff

What does 4.5 acres plus 12.2 acres equal? Yes 16.7 acres but it also means farm expansion. When we initially moved in 16 months ago we rented the house and about 4.5 acres with it. This included the property containing the house and barn plus an extra pasture on the west side of the barn and two smaller fields on the east side of the barn/north side of the house.

Initially, our landlords (four sisters) were against us using the barn and having large animals. After raising our small flock of chickens and turkeys we realized that if we wanted to grow our farm we’d need additional space and appealed to them late summer/early fall to reconsider, especially since we were willing to purchase farm insurance.

The sisters agreed and we moved forward to rent the additional land. Now there’s a ton of work to do and plans for a farm expansion!

Our priorities are:

Clean and organize barn.
Build a couple of stalls.
Bring our horse Blaze home to save on board.
Have a small vegetable CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture).
Put up our low-cost greenhouse.
Fix our fence line.
Get a family cow.
Plant more pasture.
Buy our 2013 turkeys.

Other possibilities include:

Raising broilers (meat chickens).
Raise a couple of hogs. While we do not eat much pork, having a year supply of bacon sounds really good to us. Plus hogs are fun to observe.
Raise a beef cow or two for our family’s meat.

We have been busy marketing our farm. We got our egg license in December. Our eggs can be found at a local health food store and at a local monthly Green Market, but we have so much more marketing to do for our CSA and any other products we decide to raise. We do have over 60 people on our e-list and have 20 likes on Facebook. We are excited about the possibilities yet it’s with trepidation that we move forward. After all farming isn’t exactly a profession most people are getting into these days and is even considered career roadkill.

Let’s just say this is another huge step of faith on our part.

{10 comments}

Novica Black Giraffe Wood Ornaments

Posted by Brande on December 23, 2012
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Handmade Items, Holidays, Home, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping

Need a last minute Christmas idea? But, it has to be unique! Head over to Novica.com. Novica is associated with National Geographic and has beautiful items for any occasion. Need help with a special gift? No problem! Novica has a “Gift Finder” section!

When I received my Novica package, I opened the shipping box and this is the box inside! Wrapped with beautiful paper adorned with a crafted bow.

In my package I received 4 individually wrapped Giraffe Wood Ornaments.

These giraffes are hand crafted and hand painted by Made Sarna. Each giraffe is unique in it’s own way. They have a small hanger on the back and ready for the Christmas Tree.

Head to Novia.com for your last minute gifts!

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review/feature. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

{28 comments}

Reverse Charades Holiday Edition Review

Posted by Brande on December 22, 2012
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Humor, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Reviews, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping

Reverse Charades Holiday Edition Review

So, I think I still have pains in my side from laughing so much! My husband, myself, and 2 other friends played this one evening when the kids went to bed. I’ve never had so much fun with a game and it got very competitive! I’m laughing as I write this remembering my husband trying to act out “Cindy Lou Who”. Start laughing now… imaging trying to act out “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, “Nutcracker”, or “Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen”. Bring some tissues because your going to laugh until you cry! Reverse Charades Holiday Edition is a must have for a Christmas Party! Great stocking stuffer also it a small box (it’s about the size of an iPhone).

Reverse Charades also come in Girls Night In Edition and Sports Edition. To purchase Reverse Charades online click here, Amazon.com, or 2000 other store locations.

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.

{24 comments}

Daisy Red Ryder Plus a Giveaway #bb4me #cbias

Posted by html404 on December 14, 2012
in Contests, Family Stuff, Giveaways, Holidays, Movies

For the past few years our oldest son has been asking for a BB Gun, remember Ralphie asking for “the holy grail of Christmas gifts….Official Daisy Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!” in the movie, A Christmas Story? That may even have been what started our son’s desire for all we know! But we were very hesitant to buy one for him because of fear. Fear that he wouldn’t be responsible with it, fear he’d get hurt, or fear he’d shoot some other person’s eye out. Like the adults in the video clip below:

I had to share that clip! 😉

We ended up using our son’s desire for a BB gun to motivate him with his school work. He got the BB gun for part of his 10th birthday gift at the beginning of this year and for accomplishing a milestone in school. Then we made him work for his BBs in the form of reading books! He also had to show us that he understood gun safety and could be responsible the BB gun.

However, that BB gun didn’t even last through the summer. We were very disappointed in the quality. Our son was disappointed not to have a BB gun anymore. We’ve wanted to replace it and finally did; just in time for holiday gifting. One of our family traditions is to get each of our children one larger gift, plus a few smaller ones, so we bought our son a Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun at Walmart for his larger gift. Silly me had to ask where I’d find BB Guns – Sporting Goods for those of you who draw a blank like I did – we found them just fine. The Daisy Red Ryder was actually on sale too – bonus!

The new gun is bigger than our son’s first BB gun, which I think he’ll like. But Daisy Outdoor Products seem better made. This gun is made of wood and metal not plastic. If Daisy Red Ryder has been around for nearly 30 years, surely it will be durable enough to last a young boy’s love of shooting it. He’ll be so surprised as he’s not expecting it! I can’t wait to see his face.

Gun Safety

Gun Safety is very important and since it has been several months since our son has used a BB Gun, we will be going over safety issues again. We even bought him safety glasses. Here are a couple important ones to remember:

Guns not in use should always be unloaded.
Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

Learn more about gun safety.

The new BB gun will create lots of outdoor family activities as we watch our son improve his markmanship ability. Fun for our whole family. Now your family can enter to win a Daisy Red Ryder!

Daisy Ryder Giveaway

To enter to win a Daisy Prize Pack that includes either a Daisy Red Ryder or a Pink Carbine Model 1998 (your choice), BBs, and safety glasses, fill in the Rafflecopter below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Daisy. #CBias #SocialFabric

{22 comments}

Christmas Entertaining Ideas

Posted by html404 on December 13, 2012
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Health, Health and Nutrition, Holidays, Organic, Recipes, Reviews

With the Christmas season upon us so is Christmas entertaining. In the past few years we haven’t done as much entertaining, mostly because I cannot seem to keep my house as clean as I once did before I worked from home – I’m home working, but not always cleaning – and let’s just say we have a long way to go in that department.

We try to eat healthy and serve healthy food during the holidays, but we don’t try to force our eating habits on others. We like kefir and yogurt, but not everyone does. However, for those of you who do have family and friends who are adventurous and will try anything you serve on the nutritional spectrum, we have some Christmas entertaining ideas and recipes just for you, compliments of Redwood Hill Farm and Green Valley Organics.

Christmas Entertaining Ideas

We love mixing fresh (or frozen) fruit with our yogurt/kefir products. The following recipes do just that and we appreciate all the nutritional value and information Redwood Hill Farm has shared right along with them.

Brainy Blueberry Smoothie
Makes one Smoothie (approx. 10 oz.)

Need a little brain boost Don’t get blue; enjoy a healthy helping of blueberries, known for their phytochemical prowess and antioxidants, both thought to improve cognitive function. Combine with walnuts for their essential fatty acids and our easy-to-digest Redwood Hill Farm Plain Goat Milk Kefir or lactose free Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir for a thoughtful drink that will have you pondering (and answering) the meaning of life in no time.

1/2 cup Redwood Hill Farm Plain Kefir or Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened blueberry, pomegranate, or orange juice
1/2 medium fresh or frozen banana
2 TBPS. walnuts (about 6 halves)
1/2 cup ice cubes, adjust to reach desired consistency

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Bigger Boost: Add a teaspoon of lecithin per serving, a natural source of choline required by the body to support nervous system health, brain function, and heart and liver health.

Per serving: 256 cal; 8g protein; 10g total fat (1g sat. fat); 39g carb; 5mg chol; 47mg sod.; 5g fiber; 26g sugar*

Go-Go Greens Smoothie
Makes one Smoothie (approx. 10 oz.)

Has your get up and go, got up and gone? Juice up your day with nourishing greens, bursting with energy to spare. We added a kiss of apple and a handful of strawberries for sweetness and recommend including a frozen banana for an extra creamy texture. Our Redwood Farm Plain Kefir or Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir pack a punch of protein and are the only kefirs available with Flourish R – a proprietary blend of 10 live active probiotic cultures. Make enough to share as a family and friends will be green with envy of your renewed vim and vigor.

1 cup (about 1 handful) leafy greens (chard, spinach or kale with ribs removed)
1/2 cup Redwood Hill Farm Plain Kefir or Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries (about 5 whole berries)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or cider
1/2 medium frozen banana
1/2 cup ice cubes (adjust to reach desired consistency)

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Bigger Boost: Add a tablespoon of chia seeds for a boost of fiber, omega 3s, and calcium. Add a scoop of lactose-free whey protein isolate powder for added protein.

Per Serving: 182 cal; 6g protein; 2g total fat (1g sat fat); 36g carb; 5mg chol; 64mg sod; 4g fiber; 1g sugars*

Pumpkin Pie in the Sky Smoothie

Makes one smoothie (approx. 10 oz.)

Our favorite smoothie tastes like pumpkin pie in a glass – without the guilt of buttery pastry and whipped cream. Its cinnamon goodness is just that: a boost that’s anti-inflammatory and getting kudos for lessening the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. Our Redwood Hill Farm Plain Kefir or Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir adds just the right amount of creamy indulgence with the benefit of belly-friendly bacteria for easy digestibility.

1/2 cup Redwood Hill Farm Plain Kefir or Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or cider
1/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 medium fresh or frozen banana or 2 pitted dates
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 TBSP. sweetener of choice (we like maple syrup)
1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. cinnamon (to taste)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (optional)
1/2 cup ice cubes (adjust to reach desired consistency)

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Top it Off: Add a couple of tablespoons of cinnamon granola (and a bit of candied ginger) to the top, grab a spoon, close your eyes and you’ll swear you’re enjoying Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

Per Serving: 295g cal; 8g protein; 5g total fat (2g sat. fat); 54g carb; 5mg chol; 124mg sod.; 5g fiber; 32g sugars*

*Nutritionals calculated using Green Valley Organics Plain Kefir

Enjoy and let me know if you try these recipes! For more recipes from Redwood Hill Farm visit http://redwoodhill.com/recipes

Faith and Family Reviews received product coupons in exchange for this feature.

{6 comments}

« Older Entries Recent Entries »