Tag Archive for Family Stuff

The Waiting Book & Giveaway

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing and participating in The Waiting review. We are being compensated by Tyndale Publishing and The Motherhood. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review and compensation, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

FFR The Waiting Book Cover

All I wanted to do this past Mother’s Day was relax and read The Waiting by Cathy LaGrow. My husband let me sleep in and when I woke up I read my book. What I didn’t expect to give myself was a huge headache, a pile of tissues, and red, puffy eyes!

FFR Teary eyes after The Waiting
Lighting in our bathroom is awful! Should have taken it somewhere else!

I don’t think I have ever cried as much while reading a book as I did during The Waiting. That’s why I took pictures of my pile of tissues and red, puffy eyes.

On to the review….

The Waiting Review

The Waiting is a true story of a woman’s wait to see her first born daughter again after giving her up for adoption.

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down until I was done. I shooed my children away , mostly because I didn’t want them sitting there on the bed with me watching and staring at me while I cried buckets of tears!

As emotional as the book made me, I cannot imagine living it as Minka did. I cannot imagine giving up my child and waiting 77 years to see her again.

There are so many facets of the story that show God’s faithfulness to a young mother and her years of praying and waiting. The fact that all the letters Minka wrote to the director of the “home” (like a pregnancy crisis center where young girls were sent to hide their pregnancy) were put into Betty Jane/Ruth’s adoption file, which would eventually be proof to Betty Jane/Ruth that her birth mother loved her fiercely for 77 years and never, ever forgot about her.

I loved the reunion and family bond Minka and Ruth’s families experienced upon meeting. I loved the honor and love bestowed upon Minka and how active and involved she continues to be even at age 102 (or possibly 103 at the time of this review). There’s so much more I could say but I think you should just read the book…how often do I say that!?

I highly recommend this very inspirational book. You won’t regret it. My daughter B read it the same day I did!

The Waiting in the Press

The NBC TODAY Show interviewed the author of The Waiting, Cathy LaGrow, who is Minka’s granddaughter. The interview aired on Friday, May 9, click the NBC link to watch it.

Tyndale is Giving Away FIVE Copies of The Waiting!

Enter to win one of five copies of The Waiting below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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VTech Phone System for Seniors & Giveaway

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A year or two ago my mother-in-law was going about her usual morning, however, one normal routine proved disastrous for her. She used her dresser to pull herself up from her bed and she inadvertently caused the dresser to fall on her, trapping her. My husband worked five minutes from her home. That one day he called her before he left work instead of dropping by but the phone was busy. He thought nothing of it and decided she was talking to his aunt and left for home instead of going over to her house. My mother-in-law in the meantime tried to use her cane to get her bedside phone but only knocked it off the hook. Fast forward 24 hours later, my brother-in-law discovers her with the dresser STILL on top of her. A bit of her history: she’s a diabetic with a history of leg and foot clots. Talk about scary! After recovering, she was suppose to get an emergency bracelet but I don’t think the home nurse ever followed through and to be honest we allowed it to fall through the cracks as well. Enter the VTech Phone System for Seniors.

The VTech Phone System for Seniors

FFR VTech CareLine Home Phone

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My mother-in-law is nearing 82 years old and still lives on her own. Yes, even after the above incident. “VTech’s new CareLine home telephone system supports independent living, featuring a wearable pendant that allows seniors to conveniently make and receive calls, listen to voicemail messages, review missed calls or receive programmed reminders for medication, appointments or other events.” This seems like the perfect phone for my mother-in-law!

We have been testing it out before taking it to my mother-in-law’s house. It has large numbers, it has a bright display and it calls out the numbers as you dial as well as announces a call. We love that it has the pendant to go around her neck so she can just push the button if she finds herself in a situation where she needs help. We are looking forward to installing this phone in her home. Hoping she likes it too!

The best part – No fees!

VTech CareLine – Want to stay socially connected? Seniors are empowered to maintain active lifestyles and close relationships with this home telephone and personal communication system. This product was designed to answer your daily communications needs and support hearing, dexterity or vision challenges. Features include large displays, photo speed dial, reminder capabilities, volume boost and a wearable pendant with one-button dialing that directly calls those pre-selected people who you communicate with most or for emergencies.

The VTech CareLine home telephone retails for $119.95 and may be purchased at VTech.

Do you have a loved one who could use a phone system like this? Enter to win below!

VTech Phone System for Seniors Giveaway

One winner of a VTech Careline home telephone. Ends 5/28.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Meet Atlas Our Babydoll Ram Lamb

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Atlas, our Babydoll ram lamb and third lamb (we still have our loaner Oopsie), arrived on our farm on April 28 at eight weeks old, which is the recommended age of weaning and going to a new home. We brought him home in the back of our “truck”, like we did the other lambs.

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We already got our papers for Atlas, since he is a registered Babydoll sheep. We are still waiting on Juno’s, her breeder sends all her lambs in at once.

FFR Atlas Babydoll Certificate

It has been fun watching our son and all our children fall in love with our sheep.

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FFR Gould children, sheep, atlas down


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AAOS + AA Distracted Driving

If we are honest, we all can probably say we have been distracted at one time or another while driving. Driving with a newborn crying with hunger? Driving with a toddler who wants to get out of his or her car seat? Driving by a car pulled over by 2-3 police cars leaving you curious as to why? What about cell phone users? Texting? We have a teenager on the verge of learning how to drive (she’s studying her driver’s handbook now) and it scares me to think of her out on the road. It isn’t that I think she’ll be a terrible driver, it’s the distractions, it’s the other drivers and their distractions.

Distracted Driving Vehicle

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Auto Alliance want to increase awareness about the risks of distracted driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), of the nearly 33,000 roadway fatalities in 2012, there were 3,328 fatalities and approximately 421,000 injuries in distracted driving-related crashes. Orthopaedic surgeons—the specialists who put bones and limbs back together after road crashes and traumas—along with our partners, the automakers, would rather help all drivers “decide to drive” each time they get in the car and to keep bones and limbs intact.

Distracted Driving

We all want to see accidents reduced so remember, the most advanced safety feature of any vehicle is the driver. The AAOS and the Auto Alliance urges all drivers to keep their most sophisticated safety features engaged at all times: eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Decide to Drive Campaign


The Decide to Drive program aims to empower drivers and passengers to speak up about distracted driving, continue the conversation at home, work and play, and reduce distracted behaviors behind the wheel.

Do you have the best slogan or catch phrase to make the Decide to Drive campaign pop? Enter the Decide to Drive Catch Phrase Contest between May 28 – June 13. Your words could be chosen as the official Decide to Drive campaign catch phrase, and you could win one of two $500 runner-up prizes or the $1,000 grand prize! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Enter here: http://clvr.li/1nwa6CV

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.


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Mom’s Night Out Papa Murphy’s Pizza Party & Movie!

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What better way to celebrate MOM than with a party! We celebrated my fellow mommy friends with a Papa Murphy’s Pizza Party and boy did we have fun!

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I will not lie the best part of the night was getting together with family and friends…BUT the Pizza was awesome too! Papa Murphy’s offers a great selection of Pizza to take and bake at home! We were able to order exactly what we wanted and took it home for our little party! And mmm was it good!

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We had a few children at our party because in our circle of moms some cannot ever get out without them! LOL! … the children delighted in their own “mini murph” pizza for kids! It is a child size pizza in pepperoni or cheese just for the little ones to make at home! The children thought it was awesome!

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 Check out the Papa Murphy’s E Club for coupons or find deals in your area:

http://www.papamurphys.com/deals/

 

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Another sweet Treat of the Mommy Party was that my sister and I were also delighted to be able to go see the new Movie “Mom’s Night Out” … we were anticipating its arrival since the pizza party …but had to wait a few days until it arrived in theaters! Well … the day finally arrived and we enjoyed it thoroughly! I can honestly say it was a laugh out loud movie with all emotions bundled into a great movie! We laughed, we cried, we had a great time!  I must say that this is a movie that everyone can enjoy! It is out in theaters right now!

Check out their website for more information on the movie!

http://www.momsnightoutmovie.com/

 


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The Original Loom Boom Review

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Calling all Rainbow loom lovers! There is a great new product out on the market to use to organize and display your creations! The Original LOOM BOOM!

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This is a great product to create, collect, and store your rainbow loom creations! You  can stack your bracelets on one the handle Loom Boom and then showcase them , collect them, or bring them…anywhere you want!

 

The Original Loom Boom Review

We were elated to be able to review the loom boom! Our house is overrun with bracelets and rubber bands from the rainbow loom craze! We have 3 rainbow looms in our house so you can imagine our stock of bracelets!

We LOVE the fact that the Loom Boom is portable and big enough to store the bracelets and he collection tray at the bottom is great for storing unused rubber bands, loom rings or projects in the making!

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The other fact I liked as a mom was that it was invented by a child! How great to be able to say to my children that a fellow rainbow loom enthusiast invented this product!

We have been looking for something similar and my daughter had even dabbled in making a holder out of duct tape but once we got a hold of this product we were sold! This is such a great invention!

 

Loom Boom can be found at your local Learning Express or Michael’s stores. I have also seen it at Amazon and Toysrus.com!

 

To find out more about the Loom Boom please visit http://theloomboom.com/

 

 

 


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Week #20 Saturday Top Five Laughs

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Guess what? It’s that time of week again! Saturday top Five Laughs with Mel over at The Mommyhood Chronicles for week #20 (for us) in our Saturday Top Five Laughs of the week.

5. Our six year old’s second question from last week was, “When do I get my mustache?” Then he laughs and says, “Just kidding!” Or something like that. Goofy boy!

4. We brought Atlas home in the truck, as we did the other lambs. Atlas was much more vocal though as he baaaa baaaa baaaaa’d his head off. O was having a conversation with him, but JAG said, “I need hearing aids” meaning ear plugs. 😉

3. Another question from our son this week. He wanted to know why he couldn’t have “zebee” pants like his dad, so I decided to see if Zubaz had any kid’s apparel. Well, on their home page a bikini clad woman comes up, which led to this conversation.

Son – What does bikini even mean?

Me – I don’t know why women want to go around in their bra and underwear.

Hubby – It means embarrassment.

O – Google it.

Me – Then images will come up.

Hubby – Google ‘what does bikini’ mean and no images will come up.

Here’s what we found out:

bi·ki·ni
biˈkēnē/
noun
noun: bikini; plural noun: bikinis

a very brief two-piece swimsuit for women.
scanty underpants.

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2. Conversation with Jr. as he was icing his bump (he jumped on his brother’s bed and landed head first onto a BB gun!):

Me – Do you like the sheep?
Jr. – Yes.
Me – Do you like the goats?
Jr. – What goats? Goats pass gas.
Me – Do you like the geese?
Jr. – No, they poke my eye out. (They haven’t but they do bite! But have only bit B)
Me – Do you like the cows?
Jr. – Yes.
Me – Do you like Blaze-y-boy? (Our 30 year old horse)
Jr. – Blaze-y-boy have baby cow?
Me – No, Blaze-y-boy is a horse. He can’t have cows. (Didn’t get into the gender/gelding (castration)
Me – Do you like Padfoot?
Jr. – Yes.
Me – Do you like the chickens and turkeys?
Jr. – No, they poke my eye out. (We have roosters who have tried to do this but don’t have any roosters right now.)
Me – What?! You goofy boy!

1. Hubby was feeding grass to the cows and each one of them tried to eat the grass from the the other’s mouth! Goofy cows!


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10 Things I Love About Spring

Inspired by Mama Kat’s writing prompts.

FFR Spring Tulips Long Grove 2013

10 things I love about Spring:

1. The sunshine.

2. The green grass.

3. The appearance of flowers and colors after a seeing dull brown after the snow melts.

4. The ability to work outside with ease. No winter weather to hinder us.

5. The chirping of the birds.

6. The beauty of new life everywhere.

7. Having our own eggs again after going all winter without.

8. The change in flavor of our homemade butter now that Miss Moo is out on pasture again.

9. Spring fever in the animals. Watching Blaze (our horse) canter across the pasture is a sight to behold, as is the cows, goats and sheep frolicking.

10. Planting our garden and the ability to grow our own food.

What do you love about spring?


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Babydoll Lambs – Wordless Wednesday

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The above photo is of Oopsie, a Babydoll Katahdin. As his name denotes, he was a mistake. The breeders Katahdin buck got over the fence to one of her Babydoll ewes and voila now there’s an Oopsie! Juno is our son’s first Babydoll lamb, Juno, who is a pure bred Babydoll. The funny thing is both these lambs were born the same week! Because Oopsie’s father was so much bigger, Oopsie will be larger than a standard Babydoll. They came home on 4/13. Oopsie is suppose to go back to the breeder as he is just a loaner companion until our son’s ram lamb is ready to come home. All the children want to keep Oopsie and at the time of this writing he’s only been here a day and a half! So we’ll see.

Just discovered a photo of Juno just after she was born with her twin sister, Jellybean, in an email from the breeder. Aren’t they sweet?

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Bottom photo compliments of Hillbunker Farms.


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Financial Literacy Guide for Women

“This is a sponsored campaign with Mums the Word Network and David Lerner Associates. All opinions are my own.”

I have always been a part of our finances from budgeting, saving, spending and investing (what little investing we’ve done). Yet I wouldn’t say that I was completely confidence in my financial literacy. Strange isn’t it? It was really interesting reading through the guide Financial Literacy and the Gender Gap.

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Financial Literacy Guide for Women

In this financial literacy guide it states that women on average will live five years longer then men, which I knew because I have a mother, mother-in-law, an aunt, an aunt by marriage who are all widows. At one point in my life (around 2010) I had seven widows in my life and knew I’d probably end up in the same position later in life. That’s when I started talking to my husband about how we’d survive if anything happened to him now that we are getting older. I’m entering my mid-40’s and he’ll be 50 in less than two years. We are still working on our financial health… since things don’t always go as planned and unemployment threw us for a loop twice in the last six years.

Three Tips from the Financial Literacy Guide for Women

It made me feel good that the three tips given in the guide are things we are doing and working towards. Here are those tips:

1. Organize your financial paper work.

2. Track your income and spending.

3. Create a savings and investment plan.

At the end of the four page guide it tells you how to create a budget. I use to live by a budget pretty strictly, now not so much. I know we need to get back to budgeting as we work towards stabilizing our finances and I learn to become more confident in my own financial literacy.

You can download this guide too by liking David Lerner Associates Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DavidLernerAssociates/app_128572423924639

If you are a woman, what are you doing to become financially literate?


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