Faith and Family Reviews - Product reviews you can trust!

Non-Oven Meals

Posted by html404 on December 6, 2011
in Appliances, Family Stuff, Food and Treats

Ok, unless I get grocery shopping on Thursday, my non-oven recipe supply is drying out fast after two weeks without an oven. Tammy’s comment made me wonder how on earth I would go a year without an oven when I rely on it to toast bread, bagels, English muffins etc. since we do not have a toaster. We haven’t since ours broke. We can fit more in the oven anyways as we had no room for a commercial size toaster at the townhouse or budget for it either. And no my oven is not as clean as the photo to above left!

We usually do not buy packaged baked goods, we bake them ourselves or got them at the food co-op we participated in, which we no longer have. So we have been satisfying our sweet tooth with hot cocoa. I mix my own hot cocoa mix by using dry cocoa from Aldi and organic cane sugar so we do not have to eat any extra additives, preservatives or chemicals.

We have had beans and rice many times over this past week. I have made baked beans, lentils and pinto beans in the crock pot as I only have one pot to cook with on the stove besides my cast iron pans. Long story short: in our townhouse we had limited cupboard space so I learned to cook with just one pot, plus any casserole dishes that would fit in the oven. Now we have more storage space and I have two crock pots, with plans of buying more pots in the future!

I have not used the crock pot much for cooking meats like chicken, beef or the like, but that’s idea for the chicken in my freezer and something I can use to prepare a few new meals.

I avoid using the microwave for cooking, but will use it to heat up water, tea and a few other things. Yes, I am paranoid and trying to avoid any extra radiation exposure and changes a microwave can make to our food.

We do not buy a lot of boxed cereals, but depend on hot breakfasts like oatmeal (I soak regular organic rolled oats overnight and cook it in the morning). We make muffins, banana and apple breads etc., which all require the oven. We can still have eggs and toast, thankfully!

We even usually bake our family French toast in the oven. At least we haven’t forgotten how to fry it in a pan! Ha!

Thinking pancakes are fast and easy for tomorrow night’s supper since I have to be out and tonight’s dinner planned: Kale Potato Soup. No homemade bread though, will have to ask my husband to stop and get some on his way home from work.

So all that to say that I would love some fresh non-oven meal ideas that are healthy! Gotta run and get the soup on…..

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Whew! Made it Through!

Posted by html404 on December 5, 2011
in Business, Family Stuff, Holidays, Money & Finances, Shopping

Business

It was a busy four days and I only ended up working 3 of those 4 days due to my compassionate husband working the holiday craft fair for me yesterday! It was in my favor that he knew our 15 month old was really missing me too.

There was a Chicago Bears game yesterday so let’s just say the fair was not as busy as Friday or Saturday. I had as relaxing a day as I could with five children under nine (insert rolling eyes here ;-))

The business networking event and the weekend proved to be very beneficial and we met some interesting people. We are excited and grateful for the opportunities presented.

Appliance Woes Almost Fixed

We are still without an oven, at least for another week the repair man said, as he has to order the part. Hopefully it will arrive early and they can fit in an appointment earlier. How can I host a Cookie Exchange if I can’t bake cookies? I can’t, I know.

Christmas!

We are getting into the Christmas spirit around here and eager to decorate and get our tree! Just not sure how we are going to accomplish that since my mil’s car will not accommodate a tree. We took the children to cut down a live tree last year and it was such a memory making day that everyone is gung-ho to do it again this year. It was a neat family tree farm that offered fun activities for the children: candle making, wood carving, hot chocolate and more.

A Vehicle

A friend found a vehicle, we just have to decide if it is what we are looking for….beggars can’t be choosers but it is hard for us. Take on a car payment or not to take on a car payment? Buy an older car and have lots of repairs? Ugh….decisions like these are just not easy. Besides we have not even contacted our insurance to see what insurance will cost on the type of vehicle we are interested in getting. Everything costs money….

Home Life

Other than that same old same old. We cleaned the house today and did school. I worked. The girls and I are gearing up for a sewing spree hopefully starting on Friday. I have to wrap up some weekend stuff and have a couple of meetings this week before we can really get going on making some new skirts for the four girls.

Oh and if you are the praying kind, pray we find our camera. Odd request, I know but we think some little hands got a hold of it and left it in some obscure place in the house…hopefully still in tact. We need that for blogging and capturing every day moments of life so the children can look back in wonder and perhaps a little embarrassment too…..I can’t believe how many photos my oldest is embarrassed about when I was simply capturing a “moment”. Ah well, it was not my original intent to embarrass her, nor is it my intent with the rest either.

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Kidorable DRAGON KNIGHT Rainwear Review

Posted by Professor on December 2, 2011
in Children's Clothing, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas

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.

Kidorable has brought another new collection to their line of rainwear. The Dragon Knight Collection is now available! This collection consists of all of the items you would need to complete your child’s rainwear collection. Rain coat, rain boots, umbrella, backpack, and hanger set! Kidorable offers quality products at affordable prices!

OUR REVIEW:

We were very excited to have the opportunity to review items in the DRAGON KNIGHT COLLECTION! We received the umbrella AND the raincoat from the collection. Let me say my 5-year-old son LOVES the products…and my 3-year-old daughter was quite elated about the products as well!

One thing I was happy about was that kidorable sizes were available in sizes that would fit my child! The rain coat goes up to size 6/6X (my son is a 6) and while perusing the collection noticed that the rain boots also go upward in sizes also (my son is a 1) …I was afraid that if I wanted to ad to my collection they would not have a large enough boot size…not so they cater to almost any child size! NICE!

Rain Coat: I was very happy with the quality of the raincoat! The material is good and the graphics are awesome! The only downside is that the fabric is a bit thin, compared to other raincoats that my children have…this is definitely a coat that you would want to wear with an extra layer if it is a colder rainy day…but would be perfect for those warm rain showers! The size was very generous and my son who wears a child’s size 6/7 has room to wiggle in this coat…very nice! Oh and the raincoat also came with an adorable wooden hanger painted like a dragon! Sizes range from 1T-6/6X

Dragon Knight Rain Coat

Rain Umbrella: This is such an awesome umbrella! The graphics and design are so cool! All three of my children LOVE the umbrella! The dragon motif is so nifty! The umbrella actually looks like a dragon…complete with ears and roaring fire! The umbrella is completed by a spiffy handle molded in the likeness of a sword hilt…how cool is that!

Dragon Knight Umbrella

All in all, I would say any little boy or Knight/loving little girl would wear this collection with pride!

Thank you KIDORABLE for another great collection!

To find view the collection or peruse other collections and items available from Kidorable please visit:

Dragon knight collection: http://www.kidorable.com/cart/Dragon-Knight

Kidorable home page: http://www.kidorable.com/

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The Beginner’s Bible: Book of Prayers Review

Posted by Professor on December 2, 2011
in Books, Education, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Girl Stuff

Click to see a larger image of The Beginner's Bible Book of Prayers

Arriving in stores just in time for Christmas, preschoolers and parents are certain to love this new addition to the beloved The Beginner’s Bible collection, The Beginner’s Bible Book of Prayers.

This new book presents 20 short prayers as well as Scripture passages that are brought to life with bright and enchanting illustrations. On every page, children will feel the power of God’s will and love. They’ll learn the meaning behind important concepts they encounter every day, like gratitude, forgiveness, patience, and wisdom.

Whether though a lesson in hard work and faith taught through the story of Noah’s ark, an example of courage portrayed by the story of David and the giant, or the Good Samaritan’s shining example of kindness, the simple and colorful nature of this edition will encourage children to make connections between familiar Bible stories and their own lives.

The padded board book fits comfortably in the hands of youngsters, and parents will treasure time spent in prayer with their child.

OUR REVIEW:

I was very excited to receive this prayer book to review! I love the Beginner’s Bible series! This book of prayers is a wonderful edition to any bookshelf! Flipping through the pages was a delight…the stories are wonderful and the illustrations are beautiful.

All of my children were excited to peruse this book of prayers! My 7 year old was delighted to read the stories to the younger ones…the wording was not difficult and she was able to relay the stories with ease! My 5 year old and 3 year old loved the illustrations and listening to the stories! Ultimately it was my 3 year old who claimed this book as her own… she now takes it along with her wherever her day may take her… it is always at her side while she plays! It has even made more than a few car trips with us…and she has enjoyed flipping through the pages and looking at pictures while riding in the car (makes for a peaceful car ride for mom!)

All in all I must say that this is a delightful book! It teaches the stories we all know and love at a level that children can understand and connect with… read the stories over and over and the children will find something different each time! I have also found that while I read the prayers I can open up a conversation afterward about the stories and have a discussion with the children…since the stories are so relatable!

Thank you Zonderkidz for another wonderful book!

To find out more about the Beginner’s Bible Collection or other Zonderkids products please visit:

www.zonderkids.com

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The Weekend is Here & A Rip Off!

Posted by html404 on December 2, 2011
in Blog Stuff, Business, Family Stuff

Yes, the weekend is here but it won’t be our normal relax and do whatever kind of weekend. This weekend is a working weekend. From Thursday to Sunday we have events for one of our home businesses and some long days. Thursday will be fun as it will be with people we know and only a few hours. However, 11am-9pm on Friday! Oy! 9am-6pm Saturday and we are working all day on the Sabbath 10am-5pm. (Insert squeaky “Please don’t judge us!” voice) Can you say I think I am getting too old for this? Not really, I mean every mother works 24/7, right? I am truly thankful for the opportunity to work this event with my older daughters. I am grateful to a supportive husband who stays home to watch our younger crew. I am indebted to my husband’s boss who allows him to maintain a flexible schedule for family’s needs. We are blessed.

We only have a few events left for this year and then my girls and I are planning a sewing fest, which is always fun!

All that to say that I may not have much time to post or if I do it may be short and sweet for the next few days.

A Rip Off

Oh and back to weekend events, last weekend we had an awful experience. We had signed up and paid for a holiday craft fair only to arrive to ZERO cars in the parking lot! We did discover two employee cars after we drove around the buildings and neared the front of the grounds. What a rip off! It was so disappointing and we have yet to hear from the state’s attorney about whether they’ll help us recoup our vendor costs….because of course the promotion company isn’t returning our calls!

On the bright side we commiserated over Subway sandwiches and enjoyed the weekend at home.

Hacked!

Another thing that happened to me in November is my email was hacked! Lost everything. Couldn’t believe it. I am surviving though.

How about you any rip offs, scams or happy weekend memories to share?

This was written Wednesday night, just so you know! 😉

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The Mirror of N’de & $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway: A Litfuse Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on December 1, 2011
in Books

First, I have to admit that I did not read this book. My second oldest daughter did. Here is her review:

The Mirror of N’de is written by L.K.Malone. It is an allegory about young girl named Hadley Mivana and her journey to find a way to help her persecuted people, the Ramash, from the cruel rulers, the Oresed.

The book starts with strange dreams with a wonderful Being, representing Jesus. In the dreams are strange riddles. They are based on a forbidden tale about how their ancestors were banished from the Glorious city of N’de. There is are strange twists and turns that kept me glued to the book, but then again I am always glued to a book! 😉

After three life changing events come to pass Hadley begins to understand her strange dreams. One of those events is when the Emperor and his son return and change their city…and I was very surprised at the outcome, I was not expecting it!

What I got from the book is to love your enemy no matter what and to stand up for what you believe in even if others are against you. This is often hard, but it takes more character and strength to stand up for your principles than it does to back down from them. I can only hope that I will be strong like that.

I really like allegories, so I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was thrilling and very interesting to read about a mysteriously forbidden bedtime story coming to life!

Visit Litfuse here.

A Giveaway!

To be entered to win a $50 gift card to Amazon.com all you have to do is send a tweet (using @litfuse) about The Mirror of N’de or share about it on Facebook! That’s it!

If you tweet Litfuse will capture your entry when you use @litfuse. If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email let the Litfuse gals know (ckrumm [at] litfusegroup.com with no spaces)

Not sure what to tweet/post? Here’s an idea:

TWEET THIS: New YA fantasy – The Mirror of N’de – compelling narrative and creative characters! @litfuse RT for $50 to @amazon http://ow.ly/7AWGT

FACEBOOK THIS: Don’t miss this debut YA fantasy story: Crafting powerful narrative and creative characters, author L. K. Malone spins a compelling tale that combines exciting entertainment and the Christian story. In The Mirror of N’de, readers will empathize with the desires of an oppressed people, will anger at the affliction of a cruel adversary, and ultimately rejoice with the revelation of a Savior. Share this for a chance at $50 to Amazon.com http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13440685

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0825426677/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=sprightly-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0825426677&adid=19YT611JVE91SRJZHKF3

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4 Ways to Earn Extra Income from Home

Posted by html404 on November 30, 2011
in Business

Hats off to all of you who work while trying to raise a family. It isn’t easy, is it? I am very grateful for the opportunity to work from home and still be here for my children. There are numerous ways for mums to work from home with the advent of technology, especially via the internet.

Here are 4 ways working mothers choose to earn extra income from home:

1. Sharing or Network Marketing. This is a popular way for mothers to earn an income and still stay at home with their kids. After all it’s fun to get paid for sharing products with friends! After all we don’t get paid when we tell friends about the movie we saw at the theater last week, do we?

2. Virtual Assistant. This is a way for moms who are administratively gifted to use their skills in helping busy entrepreneurs grow their business by simply doing their office work from the comfort of home. Most correspondence is done via email, instant messaging or phone calls.

3. Blogging. More and more moms are discovering ways to monetize their hobby of blogging.

4. Online Store. Many women run online stores by selling products they have created themselves.

Working from home is possible and is becoming a reality for more and more mums here in the US and in other countries such as workingmums.co.uk and numerous others.

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What Does a 3 Year Old Plus 2 Keys Equal?

Posted by html404 on November 29, 2011
in Family Stuff, Parenting, Safety

You know you are a blogger when you grab your flip cam in a serious situation……

Never a dull moment in my house. So what does a 3 year old plus 2 keys equal? A burnt electrical outlet (I called it a light socket in the video below! Brain freeze!) and one melted key tip. Yep he put two keys into an electrical outlet in the boys room and one of them melted to the little screw that holds the outlet frame into the wall. Amazing. I was told that I could take the keys out with rubber handled pliers……don’t try it! Sparks still flew even though I didn’t get shocked! I had to shut down the electric in the house to take them out to prevent anymore sparks. I am just grateful we are all still here and the house is still standing! Could have been a lot worse to say the least.

I have to shake my head at the trouble children can find. My daughter and son were even in the same room hanging pictures on the wall while he did this!?

July-Nov Videos 2011 053

I didn’t have to scold him, his siblings pretty much did that because they freaked out and to tease him (yes!), I was a little surprised that Noah did it as it is Junior (our 15 month old baby) whose been the most fascinated with electrical outlets. In the video Noah looks like he’s about to cry but I think the whole experience scared him. Life is rough sometimes, even for little ones.

And no this was not staged and yes I was calm….I don’t know why I remained calm. Ya win some and ya lose some….ya know what I mean? Today I won in this instance.

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Mantis Tiller

Posted by html404 on November 29, 2011
in Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Gardening

Still haven’t got our garlic planted. We started, but my husband was using a shovel to over turn the soil, which is currently a grassy field. I told him it would take forever to get it done that way….should have let him go at it because my idea of getting our Mantis tiller fixed and working has delayed us even more. I bought the tiller with the knowledge that it had a leak in the gas line but my husband was unable to seal the leak with silicone gel. I think we are beyond his small engine repair knowledge and will have to take it to be serviced. Guess hand tilling will have to do before we get another freeze.

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Remembering You & Enter to Win!

Posted by html404 on November 29, 2011
in Books, Giveaways

I have to admit that I had a preconceived idea as to what Remembering You would be like – a typical historical romance. I am happy to report that I was wrong. Note to self to insert photo of pie to represent humble pie. 😉

Remembering You is a book with an excellent story line that is more than just about a romance occurring during a historical event. It is about honor, forgiveness, relationships and loving people for who they were, are and going to be.

I love the twists and turns of this tale. I love the honor shown to the veterans and I especially love the grandparent/grandchild relationship portrayed in this book. I love the spirit of adventure this book offers as two war veterans and their grandchildren set out to revisit important places and people representing a time gone by during which they were fighting for freedom from World War II.

Tricia Goyer has provided us with a wonderful story about God’s healing power amidst dark times and spiritual redemption for past wrongs. Thank you Tricia!

Tricia is also hosting a Kindle giveaway which ends today and the winner will be announced at her Facebook party, which you are invited to attend.

One grand prize winner will receive:

~ A Brand New Kindle Touch and a Kindle Touch for a Friend (winner’s choice!)
~ A copy of Remembering You by Tricia Goyer for each

Enter today by clicking the icon above. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon TODAY! Winner will be announced at Remembering You Facebook Party on 11/29 5PM PST / 8PM EST. Tricia will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from her website) and giving away copies of her other WWII books and gift certificates to Starbucks and Amazon.com. So grab your copy of Remembering You and join Tricia on the evening of the 29th for an author chat, a trivia contest (How much do you know about WWII?) and lots of giveaways.

Visit www.TriciaGoyer.com/contests.html for complete details.

Visit Litfuse here.

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