Faith and Family Reviews - Product reviews you can trust!

Love in a Broken Vessel

Posted by html404 on March 10, 2013
in Books, Reviews

Love in a Broken Vessel by Mesu Andrews is a biblical fiction novel. My husband loves the minor prophets and I’ll have to admit that I’ve never really fancied them. I enjoyed reading through many of them when reading through the Old Testament because they were quite often the shortest books! Ha! I have found it takes a lot of brain power to try and wrap my mind around God’s prophecy concerning Israel. Biblical fiction helps me put it into perspective for some reason.

This book captivated my interest for the very same reason Rebekah by Jill Eileen Smith did. I enjoyed reading Mesu Andrews’ “take” on the prophet Hosea’s obedience to marry a prostitute, make her his wife and to love her as God loves Israel. Can you imagine receiving a command like that? It seems unfathomable, doesn’t it?

At times I detested Gomer, Hosea’s harlot wife. She couldn’t see what was right in front of her – a loving, tender man who loved her with all his heart regardless of her past or her continual gravitation back to her old way of life – prostitution. God gave him an unselfish love for Gomer and she could not see or believe it for what it really was – God’s love pouring out through Hosea. She had so many walls and barriers up around her heart…Yet Hosea pursued her. The picture of Hosea’s pursuing love showed me anew God’s love for us.

Have you ever thought of God as a pursuing beau? It’s a rather beautiful thought. God’s love is so great that he pursues us. What amazing love!

As with Mesu Andrews’ other biblical fiction novels, Love in a Broken Vessel made me want to read the book of Hosea in the bible and try to understand all that God truly accomplished through the prophet Hosea, who had the hard task of delivering prophetic messages to God’s people. This book truly showed that God’s love endures, even when we are unfaithful – like Israel and Gomer were to their bridegrooms – just as the bible teaches.

“Available March 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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

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Melissa & Doug Easter Shop and Giveaway

Posted by Brande on March 8, 2013
in Blog Stuff, Contests, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Girl Stuff, Giveaways, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, Uncategorized

Click the picture above to be entered into Melissa & Doug’s Easter Basket Giveaway!! What child or children wouldn’t love $20.00 worth of Melissa & Doug products for Easter! How cute is Brambles Bunny you can find him and lots of other fantastic Easter toys at Melissa & Doug’s Easter Shop!

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Go-Go Blanket

Posted by 278Wife on March 7, 2013
in Baby Products, Bedding, Kids Stuff, Reviews

Do you ever wish you could keep your baby or toddler warm in the car or stroller without the need of a coat? Here’s the solution, the Go-Go Blanket. It is a soft, cuddly, fleece blanket that fits easily over car seat and stroller straps. It has oversized sleeves which keep the blanket in place while still alowing your child to move their arms. This product is designed for infants and children through size 5. Once your child is securely strapped into their car seat or stroller simply place their arms in the sleeves and tuck in the sides of the blanket. That’s it! The blanket stays on the child and they can still use their arms to play, stretch, eat, drink, and relax.

I tried the Go-Go Blanket with my three year old son. He is a big blanket lover so he was overly excited to try it out! I have read many articles about child safety in the wintertime and how unsafe it is for children to wear winter coats in a car seat. I always feel bad putting my son in the car without a coat since it is so cold out. With the Go-Go Blanket he stays nice and warm in the car! He loved that it covered his legs and his arms and he thought the lambs were silly looking. The arms were a little long so we just rolled the sleeves. Once we arrived at our destination, it was super easy to remove and put his coat back on. I loved it! We also used it when we went on our afternoon walk. Normally I put a blanket over him and it ends up falling and sometimes even lands on the ground and gets all dirty. With the Go-Go Blanket it is impossible for it to fall off and he stayed warm the entire time! My son loved wearing it so much he even asked if he could wear it to sleep.

This product is so simple, yet so genius. I don’t know how I lived without it before. It is so easy to use, extremely soft, follows safety regulations, and most importantly, machine washable. These would make great gifts! For more information and to see all of the pattern options go to their website
www.gogoblanket.com and be sure to visit them on Facebook and Twitter.

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Flexible Spending Accounts Can Save Your Family 40%

Posted by html404 on March 6, 2013
in Family Stuff, Health, Money & Finances, Saving Money, Uncategorized

It’s been a number of years since we did any health care “shopping” and it really isn’t a problem if you know your way around, however, it can get overwhelming because of the various options available. Something like, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), can offer relief from increasing health care costs, because these benefit plans rely on pre-tax money for qualified health expenses.

Not only can you save on FSA eligible products, but an FSA also gives you access to health care services and thousands of everyday products such as sunscreen, contact lens solution, band-aids, heat wraps and baby care – a bonus for families like ours.

How Does FSAs Work?

Each FSA plan year, employers take money out of your paychecks based on how much you choose to set aside. Beginning in 2013, FSA plan contributions are limited to $2,500 per person. Before you get an FSA, it is vital to calculate how much you want to spend using your FSA.

A word of caution…because FSAs are “use it or lose it” any money unspent is forfeited when your plan year ends. Some employers provide a grace period – or an extension of coverage – up to two and a half months. One big deadline coming up is March 15. Do you have FSAs? Better check to see if you need to use any of your FSA funds before March 15.

FSAstore.com is a one-stop-shop stocked exclusively with thousands of FSA-eligible products, a national provider database and a Learning Center that answers FSA-related questions. You can save on FSA-eligible products throughout the year with FSA Store’s special offers. Check these out before your grace period ends on March 15.

This is a featured post.

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CraftProjectIdeas.com

Posted by 278Wife on March 5, 2013
in Crafts, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Kids Stuff, Parenting

CraftProjectIdeas.com is dedicated to kids’ arts and crafts projects for preschool children through tweens. The website offers step-by-step instructions to inspire kids with arts and crafts. The products shown on the site are all available in the Kids’ Crafts aisle at popular retailers. CraftProjectIdeas.com has a “How To” section featuring basic techniques, a featured material for each month, rainy day projects, seasonal projects, and even a teacher’s corner. There’s also a “Products” section, which shows an array of different materials and craft kits, a “Videos” section showing clear concise directions and what the end project should look like, and a “Store Locator” where you can find a store that carries the products. My favorite feature of the site is the Project Finder search engine. Just choose the age, season, theme, and materials and it will find a project you can make!

I received a wonderful selection of products from them including the following:

Glow in the Dark Alphabet Beads
Metallic Pony Beads
Large Bling Acrylic Jewels
Shimmer Poms
Neon Glitter Shakers
Craft Buttons
Multi-Size Suction Cups
Mini Wooden Clothespins
Skinny Sticks

I decided to help my toddler make some Valentines for his grandparents with some of the supplies. I had some red and purple foam sheets on hand so we used those as our base. I also had pink foam stickers that he enjoyed sticking on. To add some more sparkle he stuck on a few Large Bling Acrylic Jewels. They were super easy to remove from the sheet, and they stuck on easily to the foam. Then I had him pick out the letters to his name, “R, O, C, K, Y” from the Glow in the Dark Alphabet Beads and we glued them on each valentine. The beads were nice and flat and glued on easily. Finally we used the Neon Glitter Shakers to finish the valentines. I wished the glitter would have come out a little better than it did. You had to hold it at a certain angle for enough to shake out. Overall, we had a blast making them and the grandparents LOVED them!

We also decided to make some picture frames for some birthdays that are coming up. I had my son color the Skinny Sticks with markers and then we glued them into triangles and squares. Then we glued Craft Buttons onto each corner. I loved how flat the buttons were; it made them very easy to glue on. To finish off the triangle picture frame we glued on Shimmer Poms to the Craft Buttons. These took a little effort to stay glued on, but with enough glue they finally stuck. All we need to do is add a picture to the back, and they will be perfect!

All of the products I received were of excellent quality. The colors are so vibrant and the pieces are very child friendly to use. My favorite part? Most of the bags are resealable so you when you are all done with a project you can seal the bag without losing any extra pieces! I am so excited to make even more projects with my son. He loves doing arts and crafts and doing projects teaches him so many skills. The sky is the limit with all of the inspiration from CraftProjectIdeas.com!

<em>Faith and Family Reviews received the following product free from
<a href=”http://www.Craftprojectideas.com“>www.CraftProjectIdeas.com</a> in exchange for writing a
review about these crafting supplies. While we consider it a privilege to
receive free products, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the
product.</em>

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Seventh Generation Wipes Review & Giveaway

Posted by html404 on March 4, 2013
in All Natural Products, Baby Products, Cleaning, Diapers and Accessories, Eco Friendly Products, Giveaways, Personal Care Products, Reviews

Wipes are an must-have essential in a home with children, at least they are in our house. We not only use them for diaper changes, but for wiping faces, traveling and quick cleaning. Our youngest son has learned from our example and likes to get wipes to clean himself up and he will even clean with them. 😉 This is what he’s doing with the Seventh Generation wipes. Can you tell he’s very excited about helping me with the new wipes?

We have been using Seventh Generation wipes over the past few weeks. They are thick, have just the right moisture and do not seem to dry out, unless of course you leave the flip-top lid open for a day. The ones we have came in packages of 64. The packages are plastic with a closeable lid. We like them and are very grateful for no allergic reaction from baby, like some generic brands we have tried. They are actually pretty comparable to other name brands, but better in terms of being hypo-allergenic, free of dyes, fragrances, parabens and having less harmful chemicals. They score well on EWG.org, which is the kind of personal care product our family wants to buy. They soft, just not as soft as I would have liked.

Here are some product details:

• Available Packaging:
− 64 ct. flip-‐top
− 128 ct. value pack (2 refill packs with re-‐sealable tape)
− 256 ct. value pack (4 refill packs with re-‐sealable tape)

• Significant environmental savings

• Unscented

• Hypo-‐allergenic

• Free of fragrances and dyes

• Free of parabens and phthalates

• Suggested retail price for 64 ct. is $2.99 and is available at Target, Whole Foods and Diapers.com.

Seventh Generation Wipes Review & Giveaway

You all have the opportunity to try Seventh Generation wipes too! Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a box of four packages of 64 wipes! Giveaway ends Monday, March 18 at 12:00am. Please allow 4-6 weeks for fulfillment of the prize. One package will be coming from Seventh Generation and three will be coming directly from Faith and Family Reviews as our gift to you – and no they aren’t the ones we were sent for review, those are almost gone already!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing and participating in the Seventh Generation Wipes Campaign. We are being compensated by Seventh Generation 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.

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SafetyTat Review

Posted by Brande on March 3, 2013
in Parenting, Reviews, Safety

We’ve all had it, that sudden panic blood rush in an amusement park, in the store, or in a large crowd. Where is my child! This is one of those products that I love the idea but, hopefully will never have to use it to it’s fullest extent. SafetyTat is safety tattoos that you write on for an emergency situation. They are very easy to use too!

Step one you need a clean area on the skin – SafetyTat suggests the inside of the forearm.

Step two peel the entire tattoo off the backing and stick to the child’s skin and firmly press for 20 seconds. No water needed for these as the adhesive will stick because of body heat.

tats 3

SafetyTat Review

Step three peel the band aid like top layer off, then write your mobile number on the tattoo.

Removing them is also easy they peel off like a band aid. However, when they are removed they will NOT stick again.

They are very durable and waterproof! We tested the waterproof feature under the sink and yes, they are waterproof.

At SafetyTats online you can order many different tattoos for several occasions too!

Click here to order your SafetyTats at their website!

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The New Picture Keeper from MailPix

Posted by Bobbie Gould on March 1, 2013
in Technology/Electronics

I’m an amateur photographer hence I can take a few hundred photos in each sitting. Sadly, I don’t always have the space on my computer to keep what images that I want. I used to use cheap flash drives to keep my photos on, but they were always slow and lagging.

I’ve been looking for a solution to this problem for a long time and I’m happy to say that I found it. It’s almost insane how easy to use the all new picture keeper from MailPix is. In a few seconds you can easily move all your photos from your computers hard drive to the flashstick. I’m not kidding when I say it’s lightning fast.

I’m in love with the picture keeper, I had the chance to test one out and it was so easy to use. It didn’t lag at all and fits a really good amount of photos on it. I’m quite pleased with the features that the picture keeper offers. It’s small enough to fit into a pocket or purse, and is lightweight.

Overall, I’d highly recommend this product to those looking for an affordable and reliable solution to photo storage.

With each order MailPix will include a FREE gift of a picture keeper. To order or check out all MailPix has to offer please visit MailPix.com

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My Mom Arrives Tomorrow!

Posted by html404 on February 28, 2013
in Family Stuff, Home, Travel

My mom arrives tomorrow and we still have so much to do. Our plan to use five days to organized sort of back fired. Oh we’ve been working on things every day, but as soon as things are done they quickly become undone! That happens in a household of eight children! So we have track lighting, to put back up after some individual took it down from where it was over our rec room desk, for some unknown reason. We still have to set up mom’s bed and I have to get it made, with linens set out for her, laundry (we do laundry every day so that’s nothing new) and just general tidying; which I am sure will be undone before we can blink our eyes. Good thing mom had four children, but still it’d be nice if the house was presentable for her arrival at least.

Not to mention I am still working on March posts and will still have VA work to do while she’s here – trying to keep it to a minimum but I think it’s going to be tough. I think between contributing writers’ posts and mine we have posts every day up until March 18, which isn’t bad, but many of mine still need to be written! Here’s to hoping today and tomorrow are very productive…ha!

We are so excited to be able to spend time with my mom. She is excited about coming. She’s nervous about flying and getting lost, but I reassured her now that they have non-stop flights traveling from Nova Scotia to Chicago she doesn’t have to deal with Toronto or Ottawa airports. She’ll get off the plane and Robert should be waiting for her. She says she’ll be outside having a smoke after going four hours without! We are hoping her ecigarettes arrive within the week so she can try those while she’s here. She’s excited about trying them and I am impressed she has the desire to. Praying for positive results!

Here’s to three weeks of fun with my mom!

“This sponsored post was made possible by SheHeard. I have been compensated for my time and work on this campaign, however all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.”

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Messages of Love – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on February 27, 2013
in Family Stuff, Kids Stuff, Parenting, Wordless Wednesday

On Valentine’s Day the children enjoyed making sugar cookies. They did the usual with flour on the table and rolling out the dough. My youngest daughter took it a step further and made me messages of love in the flour. So precious!

Then as I am doing this post putting the watermarks on it she saddles up to me and says, “No not pink” for the words “Messages of Love”. She takes me through yellow, blue, green when I finally say, “You just want to see the words change colors!” She snickered and nodded her head and promptly told me, “Pink!” She also informed me that she had other pictures and that she would choose the colors. So without further adieu her are the other ones she chose, above and below…