A Friend in the Storm – Litefuse Blog Tour

Posted by html404 on September 23, 2010
in Books

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.

A Friend in the Storm is a ninety-six page book which contains poetry with powerful quotes and Scripture verses to speak to the heart and soul of anyone going through tough times. The beautiful fabric binding with foil stamping makes this the perfect gift for anyone seeking comfort. It includes a satin ribbon enabling readers to read this little book at their leisure and mark their place or go back to a page that was particularly meaningful to them.

I loved this little book. It had encouraging snippets that I could read (and can read again and again) and think about applying to my life. I didn’t completely rush through the book, but tried to take my time to read it. I enjoyed it so much that once I was done I bought a copy for friends who are going through some difficult ups and downs. It is my hope and prayer that they find comfort and encouragement that ultimately leads them to the loving God behind so many of the thoughts and scripture contained within it.

This is a great little gift-book to consider for the holidays coming up. With so many struggling during these economically challenging times you are sure to know of at least one person or family who would benefit with a gift like this.

Book Trailer: (view the video below or visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsK0v67VHLo)

About Cheryl Ricker: Cheryl Ricker has a degree in creative writing and has written columns and articles for various magazines and newspapers. She’s been writing poetry all her life and her poems have won awards in fine arts and literary magazines. Cheryl lives with her husband and two sons in Rochester, Minnesota

Please check out Cheryl’s amazing website for more information. www.cherylricker.com

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Friend-Storm-Cheryl-Ricker/dp/0310519934/ref=sprightly-20

Litfuse Publicity Group


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Cheryl Ricker’s “Share Your Storm” KINDLE Giveaway

Posted by html404 on September 22, 2010
in Books, Contests

Cheryl Ricker is hosting this great contest over at her website during the blog tour for A Friend in the Storm, Zondervan’s latest innovative gift book of quotes, Scripture and poetry that leads to lasting hope!

Since this book covers matters of the heart, Cheryl wants to hear from YOUR heart! In the midst of any type of loss, grief or crisis, A Friend in the Storm takes you on a healing journey where you experience Christ’s love in a fresh, memorable way. Now she invites you to submit an original poem, story or snippet about a time when someone was a friend in your storm… and she’s giving you the opportunity to win a KINDLE to do it!

Head on over to her Contest Page on her website to find out how to enter!

On October 3rd, she will randomly select one winner to receive a brand-new KINDLE! She’s also choosing 5 more names at random to receive a signed copy of A Friend in the Storm! The winners will be announced at her Facebook Party on October 4th. The party will take place on Cheryl’s Facebook “A Friend in the Storm” Page – go here for all the details.

Share Your Storm Kindle GiveawayThe Facebook Party will be a blast!  Not only will she be announcing the
Share Your Storm Kindle Giveaway winners, but she’ll also be chatting with party goers, hosting fun trivia contests, and giving away even more prizes every 10 minutes – including signed copies of A Friend in the Storm, and gift certificates to Amazon.com and Starbucks.com!

Oh, and check this out – Cheryl is also giving away a $50 Amazon gift certificate! Simply help her spread the word about the contest; Facebook Party. Interested? It’s easy to enter! Here’s how:

Share this on FACEBOOK: Want to help someone who’s hurting? “A Friend in the Storm,” Zondervan’s latest gift book of quotes, Scripture and poetry, is helping thousands find lasting Hope! Go here http://ow.ly/2BYiN to enter to win a KINDLE!

Post this on TWITTER: A Friend in the Storm by @cherylricker heals hearts in tough times. Enter 2 win a KINDLE http://ow.ly/2BYiN here! #litfuse (You must use hashtag #litfuse to be entered.)

Share this as many times as you like – just email amy@litfusegroup.com by October 4th and let her know how many times you tweeted/shared on Facebook, twittered or blogged about the contest. Each ‘sharing’ represents one entry into the contest.

Another way to ‘share’ the contest is to add this button to your blog or website.  Adding the button is worth ten entries into the contest!

Simply copy and paste the code in the text box below into the html screen of your blog/website, then send Amy an email letting her know that you added it along with your URL and she’ll toss your extra entries into the pot.

Share Your Storm Kindle Giveaway


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Wordless Wednesday – Baby Love

Posted by html404 on September 22, 2010
in Family Stuff, Wordless Wednesday

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Gardening Tuesday: 10 Foods to Buy Organically and 10 Foods You Don’t Have To

Posted by Bobbie Gould on September 21, 2010
in Health & Garden Tuesday

10 Foods To Buy Organically:

10. Meat- Meat is often contaminated and will sometimes even contain E-Coli. Grass fed organic meat is best.

9. Dairy Products- Organic milk is better than “other” milk as organic milk does not have growth hormones or Bactria in it. Remember, too, to look for organics in products made from milk such as yogurt, ice cream, butter and cheese.

8. Eggs- Look up salmonella and E-Coli poisoning in eggs in recent years. Enough said.

7. Coffe- Harmful chemicals are often in your morning coffee so buy organic when ever possible.

6. Peaches- (and other fruit) Even washing and peelin­g couldn’t remove all the pesticides from a nonorganic peach. Apples and nectarines rank high on the scale of pesticide-laden foods. Strawberries absorb a lot of poison through their thin skins. You can’t peel a strawberry, either. The same goes for cherries. Grapes and raisins are under this category, as well. Check your fruit juice cartons as well, as many fruit juices contain grape juice, so look for the organic label there, too, especially if the juice is for kids.

5. Potatoes- These yummy vegetables are sprayed with chemicals so get a bag from Whole Foods instead!

4. Peppers- ( and other yummy veggies too) Peppers are sprayed with horrible chemicals on the growing fields and even all the washing in the world won’t take off the pesticides. Some other veggies that show a high level of pesticide residue are celery, green beans and tomatoes. Cherry and grape tomatoes are small and difficult to wash. Celery has no protective skin so it’s another candidate for organic purchase. Carrots and cauliflower also contain pesticides.

3. Leafy Greens- I can’t even begin to count how many articles I have read on salad food poisoning outbreaks! I suggest growing your own or shopping for them at Whole Foods or local organic farmers market.

2. Baby Food- Baby Food contains high amounts of chemicals so beware moms and dads! Little Tommy might just get a mouthful of chemicals for breakfast instead of bananas and rice. Since babies have such susceptible immune systems it is important to buy organic for baby whenever possible.

1. Anything you eat alot of- Your favorite candy is probably not organic and if you eat alot of it, your body will start to feel the effects of not eating that organically.

10 Foods You Don’t Have To Buy Organically:

You don’t have to spend extra for organic with these following foods. They don’t absorb much pesticide or are peeled before eating.

Asparagus
Avocados
Bananas
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kiwi
Mango
Onions
Papaya
Pineapple

Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and your local Organic Farmers Markets are great places to buy organically! Or, why not grow your own food?


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Motivation Monday

Posted by html404 on September 20, 2010
in Blog Stuff, Family Stuff, Monday Motivation

mondaybutton

Last week’s Monday Motivation:

~ Try and adopt a new work schedule amidst nursing a newborn and maybe even a daily walk. Got for one walk. Better than nothing, I guess and it’s a start.

~ Try and start getting caught up on my back log. Inching, but getting there.

~ My nesting seems to have kicked in postpartum and I want to purge our house of clutter and things that just take up our time. Things that are not adding value to our lives. Things like extra clothing and stuff we seem to move around and clean but do not necessarily need. Our house is waaaaay too small to have a bunch of stuff AND ten people, so the stuff has to go since the people are here to stay! This is ongoing, but we all seem to have come to an agreement that stuff needs to go! Before it was only me wanting to get rid of stuff, so to have 5-7 more people on board is progress alone!

~ One of our computer desks have completely fallen apart, so I have to clean off the cluttered one to fit the desk top PC and find a new place for the cluttered mess! Ughhhhh….we’ve been wanting to do this for the past week, but garbage day is tomorrow so it really needs to be done today.

This week’s Motivation:

This week we begin a new school schedule. I had planned to take the first month of Sir Eats Alot’s life to allow us time to enjoy his newborn days and not be rushed to get at school. Well, he turned a month old on Saturday and it was time to revamp our schedule, write some goals down and get the new school year underway. I even got the children’s school/chore lists written up for this week, handwriting for one child done for two weeks and spelling lists recorded on software that I am reviewing (another timely help that came to my door – Thank you Lord for knowing what we need!) So these alone are major accomplishments!

~ Get to the garden to begin gleaning anything left. We just haven’t got out there as often since baby came.

~ Sell any remaining produce at a Farmers Market. This will probably be one time at a private business.

~ Declutter one area.

~ Visit the YMCA regarding their homeschool gym/swim classes.

~ Go for a walk at least two more times this week.

That’s about it. I could add more, but I am trying to only bite off what I can chew. Now I am off to get on with our new afternoon schedule! Enjoy yours!


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Movie Review Monday: Set Apart

Posted by Bobbie Gould on September 20, 2010
in Movie Review Monday

Recently we watched a GREAT movie called Set Apart. This movie was very enlightening to what is going on in the inner cities so to speak. I liked it alot! It made me more thankful than ever that I have such a great family! Anyhow here is my review:

4 young teens: Korina a troubled young woman whose family tragically died, Ray a boy with a major attitude and stealing problem, and than Marcus and Anthony the two brothers. Marcus is 18 he is in a gang and is trying to keep 11 year old Anthony out of the gang scene. They all belong to a christian group called the http://www.powercompanykidsclub.org/”>Power Company kids. All 4 kids are offered a chance to visit a farm for the summer and accept the invitation only when they get in BIG trouble back home! While there for the first time in their young lives they see Jesus in these total strangers! They learn to work, to love, to respect, to obey, but, ultimately to know God! Their was some violence in it but, the Dove Foundation has given it a 5 star ranking! Oh, and another interesting thing is that this story and the people in it are real! Neat huh?

http://virtuousgirlhood.com/?p=366″>Originally published on Virtuous Girlhood here.
Recourse’s:
http://www.dove.org/reviewmasterframe.asp
http://www.setapartthemovie.com/
http://www.setapartthemovie.com/see.php


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Time4Learning.com

Posted by html404 on September 20, 2010
in Education, School

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.

Editor’s note: For Christian readers, we have discovered some evolution in the section about dinosaurs. Just wanted to alert you if you decide to take a look at Time4Learning.com

About Time4Learning.com

Time4Learning is a new approach that takes advantage of today’s technology. It’s a convenient, online home education program that combines learning with fun educational teaching games.

The online language arts and math comprise a comprehensive program for preschool, elementary school, and middle school. Science and social studies programs are provided as a free bonus for most grades.

The Time4Learning educational teaching program gives students independence to progress at their own pace.

Time4Learning tracks progress and helps students advance along individualized learning paths.

Time4Learning Members Get Access To:

Online Curriculum for Preschool to 8th Grade
1,000+ Student-Paced Animated Lessons
Math Exercises & Printable Worksheets
Language Arts from Phonics through Reading
Science & Social Studies In Most Grade Levels
Automated Reporting for Easy Record Keeping
Detailed Lesson Plans for Parents
Lessons Correlated to State Standards

Time4Learning is proven effective, has a low monthly price, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can be sure that it works for your family, Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Our Review

As a busy homeschooling, work-at-home mother I like it when educational products streamline things for me and make my life easier and Time4Learning.com has done just that during these busy newborn days as we adjust to a new normal. The offer to review Time4Learning.com came before Sir Eats Alot arrived and it served to be one of the most helpful things to come across our path. While I wouldn’t consider Time4Learning.com a complete curriculum by any means, it definitely provides supplemental material to go along with or add to whatever schooling a family may be using – public, private or homeschool.

A couple of our children were the type to drag their feet when it comes to their school work, but Time4Learning.com actually made them want to do school on weekends too!

One of our sons says that he likes Time4Learning better than another online program that we tried (it was a freebie).

Time4Learning has enhanced the learning of our daughter who is interested in art as well as explain some Math concepts that weren’t clear to her in her regular Math curriculum.

I find that there is enough variety in Time4Learning that the material keeps children interested and eager for more. After a month, a couple of our children have only begun to say that they wish there were “new” lessons because they have done their favorites multiple times, even during their free time!

It is unanimous that our children think that Time4Learning is fun – exactly what we as parents want them to think! Learning should be fun, as we give our children the gift of a life long love of learning.

Time4Learning sites:

http://www.Time4Learning.com – Online interactive curriculum for home use, PreK-8th Grade.
http://www.Time4Writing.com – Online writing tutorials for high, middle, and elementary school students.
http://www.Time4Learning.net – A forum to chat with parents online about kids, education, parenting and more…


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Aroma Home Screen Wipe

Posted by html404 on September 18, 2010
in Product Guides 2010, Technology/Electronics

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.

About Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy has been used for healing since the first century. In 1937, the word “aromatherapy” first appeared in print in a French book on the subject: Aromatherapie: Les Huiles Essentielles, Hormones Vegetales, by a chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse.

Used primarily to alter mood or cognitive function, aromatherapy is known to have positive therapeutic effects on adults and children alike. Enhanced relaxation is one of the most popular and effective uses of applied aromatherapy. The basic mechanism is the influence of aroma on the brain through the olfactory system.

Source: US National Library of Medicine and How Stuff Works

About Aroma Home Screen Wipe

These fun animal Screen Wipes have a chamois tummy and will clean and help reduce static on all computer monitors, laptops, TV/LCD screens and even car windscreens! They comes with a little zest of fragrance.

Available in sixteen fun animal designs these are an ideal gift for the person who has everything. The designs are: Pig, Lion, Cow, Bunny, Duck, Poodle, Monkey, Gorilla, Giraffe, Elephant, Brown Horse, Black and White Horse, Tiger, Schnauzer, Cat, and Westie. You may buy them here for $11.99 each.

Our Review

Our family has been using aromatherapy via essential oils for the last couple of years and have seen the positive affects they have on our family. They do indeed soothe and relax. We also appreciate their beneficial medicinal properties as well. So when the Aroma Home Screen Wipes came across our inbox when we were doing our Back to School Product Guide, we were interested in learning more about them. We were sent the pig screen wipe to review. We all thought it was cute, and many of the children asked if they could have it for a stuffed animal! 🙂

Personally, I thought this screen wipe was very sweet and cute. The pig worked well on our computers and my daughter liked it for her note/net book. I loved the smell of the screen wipe – a zest of lemon fragrance – but found that the fragrance isn’t long lasting. That didn’t affect how it cleaned our computer screens though. It cleaned the computers very well of dust particles and did help to remove some static. But if you happen to have little hands that get a sticky spot on your screen on occasion the screen wipe does not work so well for those spots that require a little extra rubbing.

The screen wipe requires sponge cleaning only, so I am still not sure how well that will work over the long term. Therefore, the screen wipe may need to be replaced eventually once piggy’s tummy is pretty dirty and is found to no longer clean screens as well as it once did. That’s just my opinion though, just having the screen wipe for a month.

My younger daughter just came in and saw Aroma Home’s website pulled up and said, “Oh, I want those for stuffed animals! (the screen wipes!)” However, these cute screen wipes are not toys.

To view the whole selection of Aroma Home’s screen wipes, please visit http://www.aromahome.com/gb/screen_wipes.asp


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FFR Friday Giveaway- Easy LunchBox System *CLOSED*

Posted by html404 on September 17, 2010
in Eco Friendly Products, Faith and Family Reviews Friday Giveaway, School

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.

giveawaygrandmabutton

Congratulations to Betty!!

Comment #53 chosen by Random.org

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and a very special thanks to Easy LunchBox for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway and giving our readers the chance to win some brand new lunch boxes!!!

In our Back to School Product Guide we featured the Easy LunchBox System. We all know how important it is to pack a nutritious lunch for our children. This system is a way for children to take a nutritious lunch without relying on school lunches and junk food in vending machines. (Although this is improving slowly in some schools). The Easy LunchBox gives parents a way to save money on baggies and paper bags as well as a way to save on the amount of waste going in landfills. What exactly is the Easy LunchBox System? (read our Easy Lunch Box System review here)

The Easy LunchBox System is:

* Eco-Friendly
* For Kids & Adults
* Bento-Style, 3-Compartments
* Less Pieces, More Function
* No BPA, Lead, Vinyl or PVC
* Affordable & Durable
* Easy Prep, Easy Cleanup
* Nesting Containers
* Custom, Washable Cooler Bag

Easy Lunch Boxes 1

http://www.easylunchboxes.com/

The kind owner of EasyLunchBoxes.com has generously offered to give away a container set and one lunch bag (winner can choose color: black, dark red, olive, aqua, or purple ). Retail value ($21.90). In order to win this giveaway, please see your options below:

Mandatory Entry: Visit our EasyLunchBoxes.com and write something learned about their products.

Extra Entries (Please be sure and leave a comment and link for extra entries):

1 Entry: Follow Faith and Family Reviews on Twitter.

1 Entry: Follow Easy Lunch Boxes on Twitter.

1 Entry: Like Faith and Family Reviews on Facebook.

1 Entry: Like Easy Lunch Boxes on Facebook.

2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway, but only one tweet per day please. Include your tweet url with your comment. You may write your own tweet or use this one:

Giveaway: Enter to win an Easy Lunch Box system @faithfamilyrevw! http://tiny.cc/EasyLunchBoxGiveaway Please share! Thx!

5 Entries: Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post and to Easy Lunch Boxes’ website.

1 Entry for every comment you leave anywhere else on this blog, but please leave a link with your comment!

Details:

This giveaway will run from Sept. 17th until Sept. 30th at midnight CST. The winner will be chosen through Random.org. Winner will be contacted via email on or before Oct. 30th and asked for their contact and other pertinent info. Winner will have 48 hours to send me their info at [ffr] [giveaways] [at] [gmail] [dot] [com] (without spaces and parenthesis). EasyLunchBoxes.com will ship one container set and one lunch bag in the color of their choice directly to the winner. Please note: This giveaway is offered to US & Canadian residents only. Please do not enter this giveaway if have won or received free product from EasyLunchboxes within the past 3 months.

Thanks and have fun!


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Baby GoGo

Posted by Bobbie Gould on September 17, 2010
in Fun Stuff, Kids Toys, Pregnancy and Birth

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.

About Baby GoGo

Baby GoGo:

This wonderful gift set also comes with an adorable story book following Baby GoGo’s experience coming home from the hospital, from meeting the family to having a bottle, and earning a nickname. Dressed to mirror a modern day baby, children will instantly recognize and bond with this toy. Whether the child is getting ready for a new sibling or just loves baby dolls, Baby GoGo™ is a valuable tool in teaching children how to nurture, a vital life-long skill.
* Ages 3 and up
* Includes 13-inch baby doll, pajama outfit, blankie and Baby GoGo™ Goes Home storybook.
* MSRP $39.99

Diaper Bag:

When Baby GoGo™ is on the go, children will be right there with everything baby might need. Our 100% cotton canvas diaper bag is just the right size for children to carry. Children love to imitate their parents and this diaper bag is the perfect tool. The bag includes a cotton diaper and has plenty of room for children to add their own essentials.
* Ages 3 and up
* Includes diaper bag and diaper
* MSRP $24.99

About Little Sib, LLC

Little Sib provides children with toys that nurture and inspire them to be healthy, loving men and women through imaginative play. The company’s first product , Baby GoGoTM, reinvents the classic baby doll. It’s fun, colorful, safe, environmentally friendly and the answer to the outdated, traditional baby doll that is limited in its versatility for children of all races and genders. Visit the web site at www.babygogodoll.com.

Our Review

In some ways I feel sad about all the gender neutral products that are coming out. I miss seeing the frilly girly products and the products that scream “For Boys!” On the other hand, a product like Baby GoGo seems like the perfect gift for boys and girls since both need to be taught to be nurturing and loving to their siblings and other little friends.

We were sent the Baby GoGo and the Baby GoGo Diaper Bag Set to review. My younger daughter adores this doll! Sometimes I think she likes it better than her Madeline doll but I guess it depends upon the day. Now that our 2-year-old son has a little brother he can be seen mimicking the happenings of our household in his play with Baby Go Go and his sister’s Madeline doll. But I have to admit that my daughter has claimed Baby GoGo for her own, but can be persuaded to let her little brother play with it too. I think that both of them enjoy holding the real deal though. Baby GoGo is much lighter than our infant son so it doesn’t scare the rest of the family if little hands shift quickly while holding Baby GoGo!

Baby GoGo is well made and has already held up through at least one trip through the laundry cycle due to an accident. Baby GoGo’s clothing is easy for preschoolers to put on, although the hat did give our daughter a little trouble since it seems to pop off. Baby GoGo’s blanket is very much like our infant son’s new baby blanket making it even more authentic for our younger children.

The diaper bag is also well made. While the diaper bag and accessories are great and are similar to mom’s and dad’s, they tend to get misplaced or lost easily. Ever notice that some children would rather just undress the dolls and leave the clothes lying around the house? My little ones are still learning how to pick up and put things away in their proper place, so it’s mom (me!) that needs to be patient in the process!

Baby GoGo products are cute, affordable (for a quality made itemsl) and appealing to both boys and girls.

Available from local toy specialty stores and online at www.babygogodoll.com.


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