Purex 31 Days of Fun Sweepstakes & $10 Amazon Mini Giveaway

I have some exciting news!  Purex is having a mega sweepstakes the entire month of August,  the 31 Days of Fun Sweepstakes.  They are giving away fantastic prizes EVERY DAY in August.  This sweepstakes is only open to facebook fans so if you are not a facebook fan please become one.  Go here to enter this sweepstakes!

Would you like to see what the prizes are that they are giving away?  I thought so - here you go!

 

August 1st prize!

What do you think?  The prizes are pretty great - I would be happy to win any of them.  I think my absolute favorite prizes up for grabs are the $300 back to school shopping spree, $400 grocery giveaway, $350 family bike set giveaway and the $880 gas grill!  But like I said, any of these prizes would be pretty awesome to win.  Don't forget to enter here!

In honor of this amazing sweepstakes, how about a mini giveaway?  One winner will receive a $10 Amazon.com gift card!  Enter the giveaway below and good luck.  Please let me know if you are chosen as one of the 31 Days of Fun Sweepstakes winners - I would love to know what you win.  This giveaway will go live tomorrow after the sweepstakes goes live - I will have a link for you as well to enter into the fun!  Woohoo, the sweepstakes and this mini giveaway are both now live!  Remember to enter the 31 Days of Fun here and don't forget to enter for your chance to win a $10 Amazon.com gift card below.

Make sure to check out the Purex facebook page here.

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Disclosure:  Thanks so much to the Purex Insiders program and Purex for allowing me to be a part of this campaign including an advanced look at the sweepstakes prizes!  As part of this campaign I am eligible to win prizes!

Nuby Mealtime Travel Set Review

I want to tell you about our Nuby Mealtime travel set.  This value pack comes with 4 forks and 4 spoons and is designed for babies 3 months and up.  I love that it has a sturdy base and a lid, keeping all your utensils in one place.  This travel case makes it ideal to take with you on the go anywhere!  Of course, it still comes in handy at home as well.

 Here is the base holding the forks

And here is the top lid turned upside down holding the spoons.

Of course we took it with us on our recent beach trip - with 11 kids ages 9 and under you never know when it would come in handy.  It proved to be quite useful.

 

 Here is E eating breakfast.  She is using her fork for scrambled eggs and her spoon for yogurt!

 Success!  Love that these utensils are easy for her to grip and use on her own.

Thanks Nuby for helping my princess learn healthy table etiquette.  I would highly recommend the Nuby travel set.  Read more about it below including where to purchase one for yourself.

According to Nuby
The Nuby Travel Set is designed to keep your baby's utensils and your diaper bag clean, tidy and hygienic while out and about.  The handy travel case comes with an easy to use spoon and fork set and is perfect for Mom and baby on the go.

This travel set is available in numerous colors options - green/yellow, blue/green, purple/pink, yellow/berry, berry/blue, and orange/yellow.  Nuby travel sets are available to purchase at www.BuyBabyDirect.com, www.cookieskids.com, www.idealbaby.com, and www.amazon.com.

Thanks Nuby for another awesome product!  Remember you can connect with Nuby on facebook, twitter, instagram, and pinterest as well. 

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.

Tyndale Rewards Program Review

Have you heard of the Tyndale Rewards Program?  The Tyndale Rewards program is designed to provide you with opportunities to get books and Bibles for zero dollars!  That's right - F.R.E.E.  As a member of the Tyndale Rewards program, you'll have access to inspiring literature, Bibles, special promotional offers, and much more.

Other member incentives include a free gift on your birthday, along with opportunities to share your personal recommendations and feedback concerning Tyndale products.  The more participation you have with the program, the more points you earn - and points translate into free stuff!

This program is a great way to get free books and Bibles that you can keep for yourself or give to friends and family. 

Ways You Can Earn Points
 - Invite friends to join (they will receive 25 points and you will receive 10 points)
 - Take a Bible survey (15 points)
 - Subscribe to an e-newsletter/e-devotional (10 points)
 - Take an e-reader survey (10 points)
 - Join their focus group (25 points)
 - Join the birthday club (15 points)
 - Review a Tyndale product (10 points)
 - Share on facebook/twitter/blog (10 points)

There are a lot of books and Bibles to choose from.  Some of my favorites are below.

 This NLT Camo Bible is available for 125 points

The One Year Bible available in NIV or NLT for 65 points

Available for 50 points

As you can see, there are lots of ways to earn points and it won't take long before you have enough to redeem for cool rewards!

Ready to sign up?  Head on over here and join me in earning free faith-based products.  Thanks Tyndale for this awesome rewards program!

Twinkies Make Great Minions

Finished Minions

I saw this super fun blog post on making Minion cupcakes with Twinkies here and knew I had to try it.  It was our friend's birthday while we were at the beach so we surprised her tonight with a Minion party!

Bake Cupcakes and let cool while assembling minions

Cut Twinkies in half

Sort out Smarties - I used the white ones for the eyes

I used black frosting and a Ziploc bag to pipe the goggles, eyeballs and faces

 Frost cupcake, attach minion and add chocolate jimmies for hair

 

Voila - finished minions!

Happy Birthday Robin :)

Become a Purex Insider Today

If you read my blog you know that I am a Purex Insider.  This allows me to try new products, receive exclusive offers, interact with big brands and connect with fellow bloggers - all of which I love!  Not to mention giveaways :).  And guess what, you can become one too!  The process is easy, just head on over here and begin your application to become a Purex Insider today!  See how it works below.

Some of the brands that I have interacted with since becoming a Purex Insider include Purex, Dial, Soft Scrub, 20 Mule Team Borax, Combat, Dry Idea, and Jockey just to name a few.  I seriously cannot say enough good things about the Purex community.

Haven't applied yet - what are you waiting for?  Click here and apply to become a Purex Insider!  And look for me on the forums, I am pretty active there.

Adventures in Odyssey - Grow in your walk with God every day & Giveaway

In my Adventures in Odyssey A.C.T.S. posts I have discussed serving, imagining and this weeks theme is growing - specifically how to grow in your walk with God every day.

Prayer is an integral part of my walk with God.  And not just praying for meals (although, that it is important - recognizing the blessings we have and who our food comes from is not a light thing).  Anytime someone gets hurt or injured in our home, we take a moment and pray for them.  This is a routine that I love!  It acknowledges the injury and that God is in control and has the power to heal.  And of course, that you can talk to God about anything.

I am blessed to use a curriculum that includes Bible readings and scripture memorizations and verses.  I love that this is a part of our homeschool and that it helps develop a solid foundation for our kids in their knowledge, awareness, and hopefully relationships with God.

In our house every night at bedtime David leads the kids in a time of discussion where they go around and share about fun things that happened that day.  If time allows they might share two or three each.  And then they follow up with prayer - starting with E and working their way up the line.  They thank God for those fun things they just mentioned and then pray whatever is on their hearts.

While we can definitely improve and do more, I think having these routines set-up in our home helps foster a healthy environment for our kids to grow in God.

One of the great new Adventures in Odyssey products released this year is 90 Devotions for Kids, aimed at kids 8 to 12.  This soft-cover book draws you in with illustrations, puzzles, and kid-friendly applications.  It also includes a daily Bible verse, daily challenges, words of encouragement from different AIO characters, and more.  Even if your kids aren’t already Adventures in Odyssey fans, they’ll enjoy these daily devotionals, and get to know the Odyssey crew along the way.  This devotional, and the edition coming this fall (90 Devotions for Kids: Life Changing Values from the Book of Matthew) are great tools to help your kids put a regular pause in their day for Bible reading, prayer, and thoughts about God.  If you start now—by the first day of school, you’ll already have a spiritual component scheduled into your kids’ routine.  After that, everything else will hopefully just fall into line!

Download a free excerpt from 90 Devotions for Kids here!

Ready for a giveaway?  One person will receive a copy of 90 Devotions for Kids!  Enter the giveaway below and good luck.

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Purex Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets Review & Giveaway

What have I been up to the last few weeks?  Well, We went to the beach!  And had a fabulous time.  The water, the waves, the sand, family - we loved it all.

 D in the sand

Now we are back at home and I am doing the mounds of laundry that piled up.  As you can imagine just a bit of sand made its way into it.  And it just so happened that a box of Purex Fabric Softener Sheets was waiting for me on my return - what great timing.

Ok, I will admit it - I do not always use fabric softener sheets.  Why?  Mostly because I see it as an added expense.  However, Purex has quite literally changed my mind!  I have been using their mountain breeze fabric softener sheets and loving them.  I love the extra freshness and softness that it adds to my clothes as well as being able to reduce static cling.  I went from the beach to the mountains :).

 Available in mountain breeze and sweet lavender

I found them for $1.47/40 count box at Walmart.  Even after taxes we are talking about 4 cents a sheet - that is not bad!

Not only that but fabric softener sheets are not just limited to use in the dryer.  Here are 10 other ways to use Purex Fabric Softener Sheets

 1. Try tucking them in your hamper to keep it smelling fresh.
 2. Include them in your linen closet or drawers for added freshness (who needs scented paper).
 3. Pop them in your shoes to help your house smell fresher (my TOMS need this).
 4. Include one at the bottom of your trash can underneath the bag.
 5. Place them underneath car seats to counteract car odors.
 6. Use in your suitcase between clothes while traveling to keep clothes smelling extra fresh.
 7. Wipe up pet hair from your furniture or around your home - the cling of a dryer sheet works well to repel pet hair (they can also be used to clean out the inside of your dryer as they repel lint).
 8. Scrub showers with slightly wet used dryer sheets (reuse) to help remove soap scum.
 9. Tuck them away in items that are used infrequently like sports equipment or more specialty items to help prevent musty odors.
10. Use used dryer sheets to clean glass screens and keyboards.

There are actually quite a few more ways to use and reuse your Purex Fabric Softener Sheets - hopefully this list has gotten you started though!

Ready for a little giveaway?  Three winners will each receive a coupon for a FREE box of Purex Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets (Maximum Value $1.75 and expires 12/31/3014).  Enter the giveaway below and good luck!

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Disclosure: Purex provided me with a sample of Purex Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets in exchange for a product review as part of the Purex Insiders Program.  However, all the opinions expressed here are my own. 

Back from the Beach

We are back from our amazing beach vacation!  We had such a good time meeting up with my siblings and their families - 11 kiddos ages nine and under and 6 adults makes for some very exciting times.  The picture above shows all the cousins together!  We also went Fishing!

D, C and their cousin

A caught a beautiful fish!

 

She must get it from her Daddy because David caught several fish including this Spotted Trout above.

 I love this photo of A!

And this one of B soaring at the beach!

My sister-in-law asked D what she would do if she saw a shark and this is the face she made - love this girl.

It is hard to sum up such a great trip in one post - here are a few more photos.

 Beach Lunch

And David's famous Octopus Dogs.

So, what have you been up to?  Oh, and I should note - many of these photos were taken by my super-talented sister-in-law, you rock Dusti!

Rosemary Cottage Book Review, Blog Tour & Giveaway

I have a new book to tell you about, Rosemary Cottage by Colleen Coble.  If you remember I reviewed another one of her books earlier this year (you can find that review here).  Again, Coble does a fascinating job developing the characters, the scenery and the storyline.  She has such a way of drawing you into the story - I love her writing style and ability to engage the reader at a deeper level.  Rosemary Cottage is full of mystery, suspense, romance and so much more.  There is murder, heartache and deceit but it all comes out in the end - things you may have seen coming and things you definitely did not!  I found this to be a quick and exciting read and I would recommend it, especially if you love mysteries and books that are not completely predictable (which I do).

Check out the full blog tour here and read more about Rosemary Cottage and Colleen Coble below.

Book Info

About Rosemary Cottage: Amy came to Rosemary Cottage to grieve, to heal, maybe even find love. But there's a deadly undertow of secrets around Hope Island . . . The charming Rosemary Cottage on the beach offers Amy Lange respite she needs to mourn her brother, Ben. She's even thinking of moving her midwife practice to the Outer Banks community. It's always been a refuge for her and her family. She also wants to investigate Ben's disappearance at sea. Everyone blames a surfing accident, but Amy has reason to wonder. Coast Guard officer Curtis Ireland has lost a sibling too. His sister, Gina, was run down by a boat, leaving him to raise her infant daughter. If anyone knew who little Raine's father was, Curtis could lose his beloved niece. Yet he can't help being drawn to Hope Beach's new midwife, Amy. He even agrees to help her investigate what happened to both Ben and Gina. Can two grieving people with secrets find healing on beautiful Hope Island? Or will their quest for truth set them at odds with each other . . . and with those who will go to any length to keep hidden things hidden? Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/mQ63a Meet Colleen: Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA's RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Learn more about Colleen: http://colleencoble.com/

Water can be calming and healing, but it can also be dangerous, as Amy Lange and Curtis Ireland both found out. Both lost their siblings to the sea, and they hope to find healing on Hope Island. But will they find it, or will their quest to find answers set them at odds with each other and with those who have secrets that need to stay hidden?

Find out in Colleen Coble’s latest book, Rosemary Cottage, which released July 9. To celebrate, Colleen is hosting a 12-day Nautical Summer Giveaway. From July 16-27, Colleen will be giving away a new nautical prize every day. She’ll announce the winners on July 29 on her website, so mark your calendars for that date to see if you were picked as a lucky winner!

Not on Facebook? Enter here.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Litfuse Publicity Group for allowing me to be a part of this tour and providing me with this book to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

A Big Year for Lily Book Review, Blog Tour & Giveaway

I want to tell you about a new book, A Big Year for Lily written by Suzanne Woods Fisher and Mary Ann Kinsinger.  It is actually book number 3 in a series of books about Lily Lapp.  I started with this book and it is so sweet.  If you have read some of my previous book reviews I really enjoy reading adult books about the Amish.  This book is no exception only it is geared toward younger readers.  I have no problem letting my children read it or reading it to them!  Lily is extremely relateable and just a delightful little girl.  This book is great at tackling some of the transitions of growing up, especially with relationships.  Kudos to Suzanne Woods Fisher and her collaboration with Mary Ann Kinsinger on this series.  I look forward to reading the rest and including my children in Lily's adventures!

Check out the full blog tour here and read more about this book and Suzanne Woods Fisher below!

Book Info

About A Big Year for Lily: Book Three in the Adventures of Lily Lapp series. Co-written with Mary Kinsinger. Lily Lapp's family has settled into their new home in Pennsylvania, but life still holds big changes and big steps for Lily. Good changes, like once again living close to her beloved cousin and best friend, Hannah. Bad changes, like a mean girl who plays tricks on her. And no change at all where Lily would most want one--Aaron Yoder sits near her in school and relentlessly teases her. Surprises are in store for Lily as she learns, with Mama and Papa's help, to manage the ups and downs of growing up Amish. The third of four charming novels that chronicle the gentle way of the Amish through the eyes of a young girl, A Big Year for Lily gives children ages 8-12 a fascinating glimpse into the life of the Amish---and lots of fun and laughter along the way. It combines Mary Ann Kinsinger's real-life stories of growing up Amish and the bestselling writing of Amish fiction and nonfiction author Suzanne Woods Fisher. With charming line drawings in each book, this series captures the hearts of readers young and old. Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/mVlq1 Meet Suzanne: Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. For more information, please visit suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher. Get Amish proverbs delivered right to your iPhone or iPad! Download the Free App! http://bit.ly/134r55G Learn more about Lily at http://adventuresoflilylapp.com/

Suzanne Woods Fisher is celebrating the release of A Big Year for Lily, book three in the beloved Adventures of Lily Lapp series, with a giveaway extravaganza!

  One winner will receive:

• An iPad Adventure Pack (includes a fun stand and an art kit) 

Twelve winners will receive:

• Special prizes specially picked by Lily (something new each day)! Suzanne will announce the winners on July 29 on her blog!

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 27th. All winners will be announced July 29th at Suzanne's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit Suzanne's blog on the 29th to see if you won one of the fun prizes! (Or better yet, subscribe to her blog and have the winner announcement delivered to your inbox!)

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Litfuse Publicity Group for allowing me to be a part of this tour and providing me with this book to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

Don't Forget to Get Your Cow On

Miss E and I ready to Moo!

It is here, it is here!  Today is the day when thousands of people will discover their inner bovine.  What am I talking about?  Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A of course!

The kids this morning at our local Chick-fil-A.

If you wear a partial costume you will receive a free entree and if you dress from head to hoof you will get a free meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner).  You can check out all the details here.  Let the Moo be with you :).