Remember when I told you about the SchoolhouseTeachers.com from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine? Well, they are having a giveaway for 1 year PREMIUM level membership!
Here’s the link! http://networkedblogs.com/vsCFp
If you’d like to sign up for any of the SchoolhouseTeachers.com levels, here is the link to do that also!
http://schoolhouseteachers.com/dap/a/?a=3429
Happy Educating from Faith and Family Reviews!
Check out Amazon’s Deals! Amazon has one Deal of the Day, then Lightning Deals throughout the day! But, you’ve got to be fast they expire before the next one begins! If you click on each time, they will give you a hint. But, you need to check back to see what the deal is and how much percentage off!
I love sharing about new resources that educate people about our current Big Ag food system and anything that helps people realize we do not need big corporations controlling our food. Hungry for Change is a new movie from the creator of Food Matters (another must see!). This is a direct quote from FRESH’s email as I am about to watch the movie with one of my sons and whoever else is propelled towards the sound of a movie playing…..so here it is:
Today marks the worldwide premiere of Hungry for Change, and you can watch it online for FREE until March 31st. Check it out today!
http://www.hungryforchange.tv/fresh
In this movie, you’ll hear the truth behind “diet,” “sugar-free,” and “fat-free” products, and learn what to avoid in your supermarket. You’ll be inspired by transformational stories from people who have recovered from being sick and overweight. You’ll find the solutions to vibrant health for yourself and your family. So, watch the movie and share the knowledge with a friend–it may save a life!
To a more energetic you,
Ana and Crystal
The FRESH TeamP.S. Want to support good food and our work at FRESH? Consider adding to our tip jar.
It has been unseasonably warm here in Chicago and we are loving it so much that my children asked if they could have a lemonade stand! A quick call to the city and we were cleared that there was no city ordinances against kids having lemonade stands. Good thing I had ingredients etc. that they wanted/needed!
Our children made the cookies – oatmeal chocolate chip – and the lemonade (with organic lemon juice and organic cane sugar). They had a lot of fun and made a little bit of money. They are hoping to raise enough for a dog and with their combined efforts up to this point are about half way there if we choose to get a dog from the local dog shelter.
Even though we live in the country our city has about 20,000 and we are considered rural. However, at certain times of the day, especially early morning and late afternoon we get a fair amount of traffic. We had some generous people stop and leave tips. One lady left a $16 tip because she wanted to help the children get their dog! If the weather holds out, the children want to do this right through the weekend and who are we to squelch their entrepreneurity? 😉
Oh and they found that their five year old sister in a pink dress holding their lemonade and cookie sign was a very effective marketing tool! 😉 My husband said, “No one can resist a cute little girl in a pink dress.” So we are shouting out our thanks to our neighbors and those who drive by our house every day for supporting our kids!
One last thing….you know you live in the country when you meet a neighbor for the first time and she gives you a hug! (Really happened! She said she was a huggy person…) Let’s just say we really get a kick out of the friendliness of the people here at our new house/town.
Love’s Sacred Song is a fictional account about the wisest king ever to have lived, King Solomon. Mesu Andrews creatively spins a story based on the book of Song of Solomon in the bible.
I loved the character, Arielah, known as the Shulammite woman in Song of Solomon and Solomon’s lover. She was a picture of naivety, beauty and enduring love. I don’t think I would have survived what she was put through in Love’s Sacred Song. She was courageous, full of faith and strength.
In fictional stories liberties are taken to get a point across and I found it interesting how Mesu chose to reveal King Solomon’s weaknesses. I don’t think I would have taken it as far as she did, mostly because it is a very disappointing viewpoint and steals away the beauty of the book of Song of Solomon, in my opinion. It has long been seen as a book about love and the part about Solomon getting involved with a harlot while involved with the Shulammite, Arielah, is not supported biblically and takes away from the mystic of Song of Solomon. At least for me. On the other hand, we do know for sure that Solomon had a weakness for women, as it is stated in the bible that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. I will never get my head wrapped around that fact, however, in light of that I suppose in his weakness Solomon could have sunk to a new low and entertained a harlot. I just never thought of it before. It certainly reveals the struggle of monogamy for one man.
I really did enjoy reading this book, but grappled with certain components of it. It was intriguing, entertaining and certainly not boring.
If you have wondered even a little about the book of Song of Solomon in the bible you will find reading Love’s Sacred Song very thought provoking.
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.
I had a friend of mine sent me an email about preventing mold on berries. Not sure if it works, fresh berries don’t stay in our house very long. They are usually gone before any molding sets in. Here’s the tip:
Prepare a mixture of one part white or apple cider vinegar and ten parts water. Put the berries in the mixture swirl them around. Drain, rinse (if desired) and pop in the fridge. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the fruit.
I can see how the vinegar would kill the mold, it works great as household cleaner.
Has anyone done this and does it work?
Just add sandals and your ready for the summer! I was very excited when I found out I was able to review Fresh Produce clothing! I’ve heard many good things about them.
My review is for this Catalina Pintuck Tank Dress. The color of dress in this picture is “Peri”. BUT, there numerous colors to choose from depending on size. Speaking of size – this dress ranges from an XS to XL. According to the Fresh Produce’s site….This dress is 92% rayon & 8% Lycra. The dress has wide straps to hide your unmentionables. The dress is free flowing and is able to accommodate a tank top underneath if desired.
My Review of the Catalina Pintuck Tank Dress:
I got my dress in Oyster, it’s kinda gray – blueish. The instant I put the dress on, it felt like a comfy t-shirt. The material is very soft and free flowing. It’s breathable, not the type of dress that’s not going to stick to you in the hot weather. The dress is perfect for anywhere. If you put on flop-flops your ready for the beach or run errands. If you put on sandals and some jewelry with a shawl, your ready for an evening out. I love it! I plan I buying more pieces from Fresh Produce. Here’s a picture of me in my dress. I didn’t have my photographer or hair & make up crew here today to help me with my picture. Ha…Ha…Ha….
Other Fresh Produce Options:
Fresh Produce also accommodates plus sizes, kids, and they have accessories!
Check out these – Beach Dresses
How about Simple Dresses:
Of course Don’t forget about Casual Fashion…
You’ll also find a variety of tops and bottoms available!
Fresh Produce now ships to over 200 countries!
You can find Fresh Produce on Facebook and Twitter.
Happy Shopping!
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.
Join Bingzy Bee as your child has fun through this new learning app! Just released in January, this app is available for iPhone, iTouch, & iPad. This adorable character is directed for your younger ones (ages 2-6). There are 4 activities to choose from: “Bingzy’s ABC Song”, “Song & Games”, “Letter Drag & Drop”, and “Bingzy to the Rescue”
Bingzy’s ABC Song – This great little song goes through the alphabet and sounds out the letter, give you a picture, than gives you a word. Perfect for your little ones learning the alphabet
Song & Game – Starts with Bingzy’s ABC Song, then you play a game after the letter D. For example, Letter A is Ant. The app gives you the picture of the Ant and give you _ NT your child then must pick the correct letter out.
Letter Drag & Drop – Similar to the Song & Game section. Except, you get the picture of the Ant and give you _ NT your child then must pick the correct letter.
Bingzy to the Rescue – Save Bingzy’s friends by loading them in the rescue copter in alphabetical order.
My Review
This is a great app for my daughter (3 years old), we are still working on our ABC’s all the way through and this is perfect for her! She’s not quite to the Letter Drag & Drop and Bingzy’s Rescue. But, this is what makes it a great app. She can use it for years to come. At last check this adorable & useful app is available on Itunes for only .99!
Follow them! Here’s Bing Note’s Information!
Website: http://bingnote.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bing-Note/70588121848
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/bingnote
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.
There is always something to do around our home, whether it’s housework, work or whatever. For this week’s motivation I want us to work on organizing our days better to get more done across the board, especially once we have the garden and chickens. It’ll be easier once summer comes, I think, but for now we need more organized days as not everything is getting done that needs to be done lately. It doesn’t help that all the children have been sick the past week, but still when we get behind on things it is time to pull up our boot straps and get back at it. I may blog less this week as we catch up, just depends.
Seeds and Veggie Plants
On Friday afternoon I was able to get onions, kale, parsley, leeks, spinach, cabbage and Swiss chard planted. You should see the children’s seeds! They are no longer seeds, but little plants! It’s amazing how they sprouted and grew in the last week!
And here are the seeds I planted on Friday, March 16. Again, as you can see I used what I had to save money, instead of buying seed flats I used the big foil roasters and lasagna pans. Hey it works as I got 40-45 seeds planted in each! I did buy 4″ pots to replant everything into and we’ll reuse the egg cartons and pans to plant more seeds for succession planting.
Fun! 🙂
I’m in farming mode this week as the weather has been in the 70’s and we have tons of stuff to do if we are going to get anything accomplished! I ordered baby chicks online yesterday and was even able to schedule their delivery date. Yes! The chicken breeds we wanted were not available for several weeks.
Different Chicken Breeds
Here are the breeds we ordered:
25 Buff Orpingtons, a gentle brown egg layer. This is the flock my little ones and I will manage.
6 Black Australorps, a docile breed that is heat and cold tolerant and lay brown eggs as well. This is the breed that my two daughters chose for their little flock.
8 Arcuanas, another docile breed but they lay green/blue eggs! This breed will be cared for by my two older boys.
We ordered them from Murray McMurray Hatchery. We’ll be sure to take photos of the chicks when the arrive in about 6 or 7 weeks.
Do-It-Yourself Chicken Coop Ideas
We ordered baby chicks and now we need a place to keep them! The whole idea behind our farming is to not only grow our own food but to allow our children to experience different things and learn new skills. That is why my husband plans to build our own chicken coops with our boys and why I am chief researcher in getting ideas. We are doing this ourselves to save money and to teach our boys how to do it.
PVC Chicken Coops
We are interested in a moveable chicken house, which allows the chickens to scratch in new areas and not be confined to one place. We would like to try to make a chicken coop that is light-weight, which is why we are considering making one out of PVC pipe. We’d need to get PVC Fittings, like Schedule 80 PVC fittings for the corners and such. PVC also seems like it might be more economical than wood, and wouldn’t rot.
The one disadvantage I thought of in regards to the PVC is we get a lot of high winds and what if the whole coop just up and blew away…..whooosh! There goes our profits and meat supply!
A-Frame Chicken Coop
My daughter wants an A-frame chicken tractor/coop like the one at this website. However, I am partial to different moveable coop, but a modified version for laying hens.
This should be a fun project once I finish researching, deciding and figuring out the costs of each one. And yes, I intend to take lots of pictures and videos as we build our coop.
How about you, do you have any DIY projects on the go? If so, what are they?
