Teething Baby

Remember when I told you that I was selected as a Nuby Mommy Blogger?  E and I are pretty excited about this opportunity!  So without further ado here is our first Nuby product review.

E with Nuby's Squirmy the Twiddle Worm Teether

The timing of this review was pretty amazing as E just got her second tooth last week.  She will be a year in less than two weeks and now she has two teeth.  You might be wondering but my babies are slow to get their teeth when compared with most other babies, genetics I suppose.  So here we are at 11 months, very actively teething.

Designed to soothe and comfort I think this teether does a great job of both!  There are multiple teething surfaces, E has a fondness for the nose in her mouth.

E loved Squirmy so much that she has renamed hers Thank You.  Partly this stemmed because every time one of the other kids or I would give her Squirmy she would say Thank You and then the name stuck.  So I suppose we have a Thank You the Twiddle Worm.

 Look at that face - she is seriously studying.

 This teether is easy for little hands to grip and manipulate as shown above.

 The multiple teething surfaces twist and turn.

 This twisting and turning motions encourage hand and eye coordination.

 E studying her teether.  She really enjoys the bright, variety of colors as do I.

If you have a teething baby I would highly recommend this Nuby teether.  It is fun, engaging, and soothing all at the same time!

Squirmy is available for purchase at several online stores: www.kohls.com, www.babymallonline.com, www.netkidswear.com, www.babywuvinc.com, www.amazon.com, and www.diapers.com.

And remember that you can connect with Nuby on facebook, twitter, and pinterest as well.  I even have my own Nuby Mom Pinterest board found here.

Disclosure:  I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Glade Expressions Collection Review

Yes, I am at it again.  I love being a Bzz Agent and participating in campaigns, this time the Glade Expressions Collection!  I received free product coupons for both a fragrance mist and an oil diffuser starter kit.  There are several scents available including cotton and italian mandarin, fuji apple and cardamom spice, lavender and juniper berry and pineapple and mangosteen.

I choose to get both the oil diffuser and the fragrance mist in pineapple and mangosteen.  I wanted to be able to compare the products.

 I actually love the design and bamboo feel of this diffuser.  Looks great!

 Afer opening...

Set up in my bedroom

Thoughts:  This product works very well!  I think that the pineapple and mangosteen scent is very pleasing; however, I found this diffuser to be overpowering.  While I could not smell it in every room in my home, the room that it is in I find the scent too strong for my taste.  And since it is a diffuser, I cannot really adjust the fragrance level appropriately.  Love the packaging, love the scent, too overpowering in my opinion.  Unless Glade develops some way to monitor or adjust the scent level I will not be purchasing one of these diffusers.  Now, I will be purchasing the fragrance mist spray - again, nice scent, lasts for a few hours, but I can adjust the amount - Bingo!  While the mist spray does not match my decor as well as the diffuser it is a much more useful and practical product for me.  I can use it where I want (multiple rooms), only when I want, and in the quantity I want.  Thanks Glade for having several product options available for personal tastes.

Disclosure:  I received the above products for free with my Bzz Kit for participating in the Glade Expressions Collection Campaign.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Banners On The Cheap

 

Have you heard of Banners On The Cheap?  They make amazing well, Banners!  They have a variety of banner options including advertising, anniversary, birthday, military, party, photo, sports, wedding...you get the idea.  I love that you can choose from hundreds of design options or even create your own.  I found their website to be extremely user friendly and easy to navigate.  I personally chose one of their design options, tweaked my colors and voila my banner was made.  I love that you can take one design - change up the text color, the background color - and it really changes the feel of the banner. 

 How it arrived - my box!

 Out of the box

Absolutely wonderful!

My vinyl banner is double sided and I chose to have it easier to hang by having them hem and add grommets.  I chose a dark blue background and kept the letters and balloons differing colors to add a fun feel.  I plan on using this at all our kids parties so I wanted something gender neutral.  E will be the first party to display our new banner and I am excited.  It is hard to believe but that is really only a few weeks away...yikes!  If you are looking for a fun way to celebrate a milestone, I would highly recommend Banners On The Cheap.

Disclosure:  I won my banner on another blog giveaway!  I was under no obligation to write this review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own!

Nuby: Pin to Win Today

Nuby has an awesome PIN it to WINsday contest going on right now!  See photo for instructions on how to enter for a chance to WIN a Nuby Tropical Teether Pal! Two lucky winners will be announced today at 4:30pm CST!

You have to follow Nuby on pinterest - www.pinterest.com/nubyusa!  Good luck and please let me know if you win :)

Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic

I wanted to let you know about a brand new book that is being released in just a few short weeks.  What is the book?  It is Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic.  I just finished reading his book, Your Life Without Limits and I thought it was an amazing, inspirational read.  Look forward to my review soon. 

You can download the first chapter excerpt here.  And of course, you might want to check out the video below.

Havertys Furniture

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Havertys Furniture for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you heard of Havertys Furniture?  They offer high quality furniture in a variety of styles at an excellent value!  Havertys has over 100 locations across 17 different states.  I used their store locator here to find the closest one near me, which happens to only be a few miles away!  Havertys: Discover Something You

Havertys has created monthly Inspiration Sessions to help you style your space!  You will receive tips and styling advice from their experts, how cool is that?  Currently, there are 4 scheduled sessions from September through December.  Here is the schedule:

Sept 15th- Now Showing (designing an entertainment space)
Oct 13- Seasonal Scapes (designing for seasons)
Nov 10- Winter Colors (designing to incorporate winter colors)
Dec 1-Finishing Touches (making that room complete)

I do not know about you, but December's topic is extremely applicable to me.  I can never seem to quite finish a room so any advice here would be greatly appreciated.

I have been toying with the idea of redoing our family room.  We spend a ton of time together in this room.  We listen to music, play games, read books, and hang out with friends in this room.  I would love for our family room to have a better flow and of course, furniture that has not been destroyed by our beloved cat.


I really like the sectional and the varying accent pieces pictured above.  I think this is a great representation of how you can change things up in one room or even how you can add a few key pieces here and there to really pull a look together.

Would you like to see more ideas?  Make sure to find a Havertys near you and attend their Inspiring Sessions.   Havertys: Discover Something You

Nuby Mommy Blogger

I have some exciting news.  I have been chosen to be an official Nuby Mommy Blogger!  Woohoo.  I am super excited about this partnership and I look forward to working with Nuby.  Stay tuned for product reviews, giveaways, and all the fun!

You can connect with Nuby on facebook, twitter, and pinterest as well.  I even have my own Nuby Mom Pinterest board found here.

Combat: Ant Bait/Gel Review & Giveaway

*** Giveaway Now Closed ***

Congratulations toTiffany!

I am very fortunate right now that we do not have an ant problem.  I was recently asked by my Mom and a neighbor who both are currently dealing with their own ant issues - I told them both to try out Combat Source Kill Ant Bait and Ant Gel.  Both these products were sent for me to review through the Purex Insiders Program.

Here is a photo of the gel itself.

You simply syringe the gel near ant trails, next to ant nests or in areas of suspected ant activity.  You can use this gel as spot and crevice treatment for both indoor and outdoor control of ants.  I recently used this outdoors and it was very easy to use.    How do the baits work?  Ants enter the bait station and eat the bait, take the bait back to their nest, the queen is killed and the colony is destroyed - that is the basic idea.

Do you currently have an ant problem?  Would you like to try out Combat for yourself?  Purex and Combat have teamed up to offer one of you your very own Combat Ant Gel!  Just enter below.

Mandatory Entry:  Follow me on google friend and let me know, that's it!  Please be sure and leave your email so I can contact you if you win!

Extra Entries, leave a separate comment for each extra entry.  As you can see, there are lots of extra entry opportunities so don't be shy!

1.  Follow my facebook page (2 extra entries)

2.  Follow me on twitter (2 extra entries)
3.  Follow my google+ page (2 extra entries)
4.  Follow me on Pinterest (2 extra entries)
5.  Enter the Combat Bugs Sweepstakes here (5 entries)

Giveaway will end on September 12th at Midnight.  Winner will be selected using a random number generator and will have 24 hours to respond.  If there is no response, I will randomly select another winner.  Giveaway is open to US Residents and International Residents alike, ages 18 years old and above.

Disclosure:  Thank you to Purex and Combat for selecting me to participate in this review and sponsoring this giveaway.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

C's Bike Party

C and his bike cake

We were finally able to have C's bike party last night!  I say finally because he has been ready for awhile.  What is a bike party?  It has become our tradition that when our children get their training wheels off and can ride their bikes independently we have a party (we really are party people!).  They have to be able to start and stop their bike on their own (that's another part of it).  Here are pictures from our celebration last night at the park.  C had a cake and brownies.

The kids bikes

 Off he goes...

 A and B at the table, we also had a dinner picnic.

 D swinging!

E and I having fun on the playscape.

Milk Unleashed Giveaway

*** Giveaway Now Closed *** 

Congratulations to Beth! 

Life is getting busy again, it is that time of year!  We took a little later than expected vacation so our homeschool will not officially start until the 17th but already I feel the business settling in.

Milk Unleashed is here to help!  With handy single-serving shelf safe milk there's no need to ever run out!  You can take it anywhere at anytime!  Check out the Milk Unleashed Blog App below.

Ready for an awesome giveaway?  Milk Unleashed want to give you a gift pack!

Mandatory Entry:  Take the Family On-The-Go Quiztacular and post your results in the comments below or share your favorite On-The-Go Game from the Blog App.  Please be sure and leave your email so I can contact you in you win!  This is a quick giveaway and ends on the 11th.

Extra Entries, leave a separate comment for each extra entry.  As you can see, there are lots of extra entry opportunities so don't be shy!

1.  Follow my facebook page (2 extra entries)
2.  Follow me on twitter (2 extra entries)
3.  Follow my google+ page (2 extra entries)
4.  Follow me on Pinterest (2 extra entries)
5.  Follow me on google friend (2 extra entries)

Giveaway will end on September 11th at Midnight.  Winner will be selected using a random number generator and will have 24 hours to respond.  If there is no response, I will randomly select another winner.  Giveaway is open to US Residents, ages 18 years and older.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to the sponsor for providing this giveaway.

Has it been 11 months?

Where have the last 11 months gone?  Is my baby seriously 11 months old today (that is just 1 month shy of a year - a whole year).  Didn't I just give birth, yesterday?  In the last month E has started eating cheerios, she can almost stand on her own, and she has the fastest scoot crawl of any baby I have seen!  Her eyes have changed quite a bit since birth, I think they are finally settling in on hazel/brown.

 Here she is (just barely leaning on the cabinet to keep herself up)

 She loves to get tickled.  Here I am tickling her...

 More tickle fun

 Pulling up on Mommy

 Cheese

Whenever I pull out the camera, E says, "cheese" - it is the cutest thing!  I guess that proves that I take a lot of pictures.  What about you?

Soft Scrub Total Review & Giveaway

*** Giveaway Now Closed ***

Congratulations to Regina, Amanda H, and Erika A!

I have been blessed to be a Purex Insider for awhile.  I have had lots of fun opportunities.  What did I try out this time?  I received two bottles of new household cleaners - Soft Scrub Total Bath & Bowl Cleaner and Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Cleaner.  

I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of cleaning bathrooms (who is?) but I was excited to try out Soft Scrub Total Bath & Bowl - it cleans the entire bathroom, even inside the toilets.  A major cool factor for me is that these cleaners also works upside down.  You also have the option of choosing foam or spray.  I preferred the foam setting myself but I do like that you have an option.

My thoughts?  These cleaners are effective, easy to use, and now have a place in my household.  Would you like to try out a bottle for yourself?  Enter the giveaway below - 3 readers will win a free product coupon!

And don't forget about Soft Scrub's Tough and Gentle Sweepstakes going on here.  One person will win $1,000 and 50 others will win $40 each!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Soft Scrub Tough and Gentle Sweepstakes

Soft Scrub is currently holding a Tough and Gentle Sweepstakes where they are giving away a $1,000 grand prize and fifty 2nd place winners will each receive $40 in gift cards.  How awesome is that?  Go here to sign up!  Hurry, contest ends on October 5th.

UNREAL Candy Review

As a member of Bzz Agent, I was selected to participate in the UNREAL candy unjunked campaign!  Okay, so a bit about UNREAL.  They are made with all natural colors: red from beet juice, blue from purple cabbage, and orange from achiote seed.  Natural beeswax and carnauba wax give their products their shine.  And every gram of an UNREAL 8 bar has 499% more fiber and 50% more protein than the market leading products - that is impressive!

I received coupons to try and share different candy in the UNREAL product line.

 The stash I found.

Here are the different ones that I was able to easily find at Walgreen's.  Special Note - they are currently clearanced to $0.24/piece - unbelievable price!  I found the UNREAL 41 Candy Coated Chocolates, UNREAL 54 Candy Coated Chocolates with Peanuts, UNREAL 8 Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat, and UNREAL 77 Peanut Butter Cups.

First up, my personal favorite - the UNREAL 8.  

This bar is good, really good!  I like the taste and the mix of the ingredients.  And the fact that it has so much fiber and protein really amazes me.

 The UNREAL 41 was not my favorite.  

I personally did not like eating them plain.  However, my children really liked them and kept asking for more.  I did find a way to enjoy them though...in trail mix.

 They were actually quite delicious mixed in with some nuts, raisins, and granola.  And they help keep the granola a bit healthier too - perfect.

I also really liked the UNREAL 77.  I found that these cups are a nice treat - they are healthier than their competitor and they are quite yummy!

In short, I think UNREAL is onto something here.  Developing products that are delicious and healthier for you is a great idea.  I really like that they use all natural ingredients.  While you may not like every one, I think that their current product line has something for everyone.  So, what are you waiting for?  Satisfy your sweet tooth today with an UNREAL - and let me know what you think!

My Grill-tastic McCormick's Party

Happy Labor Day everyone!  We were able to celebrate the day with great friends and fabulous grilled food - a win-win in my book.  Thanks Crowdtap and McCormick's for providing me with my Grill Ambassador kit.

 

 My McCormick's Grill kit included both rubs and sauces.

I used the Memphis Pit BBQ rub and the Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ sauce on our ribs, Spice Brandy and Herb Marinade Seasoning and the Molasses bacon on our chickens,  the Montreal Steak Seasoning on our Burgers, and some Memphis Pit BBQ rub and Molasses bacon seasonings on our pork chops.  Our hot dogs were not seasoned.

 We used a huge smoker and

a charcoal grill today!

 Here is my Chicken Collage.  We cooked 3 whole chickens.  I learned how to properly cut a chicken for a smoker and how to season them. 

We cooked 3 racks of ribs - these were quite delicious!

Some fabulous pork chops.

Our burgers and dogs - we cooked these on the small charcoal grill.

Thanks Crowdtap and McCormick's for helping us have a grill of a time :)