Squiggle On-The-Go Product Review

I want to tell you about a new product that my family has been enjoying, Squiggle On-The-Go Barnyard version.  Squiggle doodle pads are based on the simple concept of turning a squiggly line into a picture.  It gives children a starting point of where to begin while encouraging creativity.  It can take away the intimidation sometimes felt from a blank piece of paper. 

 The kids circled around watching.

Simply spin the wheel to select your animal and try to draw the spun animal beginning with the squiggle you are given.

A's first squiggle, she spun a horse

A's finished horse

A wasn't excited about her first attempt but I thought she did a good job.  And as we continued playing I noticed improvement in everyone's drawings.  There is something to be said about practicing!

 B working on a chicken

 B's favorite was her rabbit.

 C working on his pig

His finished pig with a loop :).

D and her pig, not bad for a 4 year old!

My rooster

 And David's turkey

 I love that we can play at home, in the car, at the park - anywhere!  It truly is portable and able to go with you.  Children and adults can both appreciate having this around and creating works of art.

The Squiggle line of award winning games and activity pads now include over 30 doodle pads and Spin and Seek hidden-object pads that offer something for all ages and interests.  The pads are designed for ages 4 and up and retail for $4.99/$5.99.

Disclosure:  I received the Squiggle-on-the-Go Barnyard version to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

All My Belongings Giveaway/Webcast

Cynthia Ruchti asks what it takes to overcome your past and become who you were meant to be in her latest novel, All My Belongings.  Cynthia has woven a heart-wrenching tale of forgiveness, grace, and learning what it means to truly belong.

Cynthia is celebrating the release of her latest novel with a fun giveaway and a live webcast event!

 
One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa cash card
• All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 11th.  Winner will be announced at the All My Belongings LIVE webcast event on June 11th.  Connect with Cynthia for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Cynthia will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books, fun prizes, and gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of All My Belongings and join Cynthia and friends on the evening of June 11th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 11th!

And stay tuned for my book review!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered Series

I have a new original series to tell you about, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."  It is a wonderful mix of romance, comedy and drama.  This series follows the lives of four postal detectives who ban together to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail.  I love the premise as my Mom and Grandmother both retired from the post office (my Grandmother as a clerk and my Mom as a letter carrier).  I could actually see my Mom doing this!  If she picked up letters that didn't have enough postage she would often times add postage herself so the letter wouldn't be returned! 

I thought this show was delightful.  The episode I watched is about a special couple with Down Syndrome.  When a lost letter is delivered, the couple discovers their future which in turn inspires their parents.  And there are lots of flowers and stars in this episode, both of which I love!

The American Bible Society has built a bible study to go with this series that you can sign up for here!  Please check out this wonderful series and let me know what you think!

Read more about this series below and tune in yourself to the Hallmark Channel on Sundays, 8/7c.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered 

The new original series "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" is a wonderful combination of romance, comedy and drama that follows the lives of four postal detectives who transform themselves into a team of detectives to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail.  Their missions take them out of the office where redirected letters and packages can save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves and change futures by arriving late but somehow always on time.  The team includes charming Oliver O’Toole (Eric Mabius), the group's leader is a man of faith who prayerfully approaches his work with the goal of making a difference in people's lives; new team member, Shane McInerney (Kristin Booth), a technophile who brings 21st century sensibility to the group; free-spirited, “girl next door” Rita Haywith (Crystal Lowe) who has a photographic memory; and lovable Norman Dorman (Geoff Gustafson), a master in conventional research methods.

Hot Air Balloon Party - Up, Up & Away

C's Hot Air Balloon Cake!

As you know C turned 7 last week.  He had an amazing Hot Air Balloon party over the weekend.  I made a lot of the decorations (with the girls help) and David made an awesome cake (as always)!  Hope you enjoy.

 

 Decorations including a photo op I set up for the kiddos.

 Baby F flying away.

 B floating away.

The Birthday Boy

D taking flight.

And E.

The Food Spread

C picked his menu.  Fruit tray, pigs and blankets, chips and guacamole, M&Ms, bags of chips and of course cake and ice cream (Rainbow Sherbert and The Great Divide).

 

 I made balloon baskets using 1/8inch wooden dowels and balloons.

 M&M basket made with wafer cookies.

 

Hot air balloons we made with paper lanterns and small seed planters.

And a fun banner!

Fun plates I found.

And hot air balloon napkins

Another fun photo of the cake.

 C blowing out his candles!

 The oldest 3 kids also made a homemade pinata.  Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of it completely decorated but you get the idea.

Scents of the Season-Scentational Spring Giveaway

The Scents of the Season-Scentational Spring Giveaway from Purex is live!  Don't try and say that three times fast.

With the freshness of spring in the air, inspiration is in full bloom.  What scents inspire you this spring?  Create a board titled "Scent-sational Spring" and pin at least 1 item inspired by the fresh scents of spring.  Check out more about this contest and enter here!

If you need some inspiration you can check out the Purex Pinterest board as well.

And here is a link to my own board that you can see above!  Some of the things that inspire or remind me of spring are bluebonnets, flowers, lawnmowers, grass, Easter, picnics, butterflies, babies and so much more!

Hurry, this giveaway ends May 30th, 2014 at 3:00pm PST.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to the Purex Insiders program for allowing me to be a part of this campaign and providing information about this Sweepstakes/Giveaway!  As part of this campaign I am eligible to win prizes!

Happy 7th Birthday C

Happy Birthday to my oldest son, C!  You are a super sweet boy and an amazing son.  I am so proud of the ways that God is growing you.  I am looking forward to your party.

Cute As a Button Baby Shower

Door Sign

A friend of mine had her first baby a few weeks ago and she is the cutest thing.  Last month some friends and I threw her a Cute as a Button themed baby shower.  I wanted to share with you some of the decorations and party.  Enjoy!

 This is the third time I have repurposed my burlap banners.  I hot glued buttons on the tops of them and used them at this party.

The display table with diaper cake and button blessing cards.

 David made this simple button cake.

And these cakes as well.

 Button straws

 The food spread, yummy!

And of course, the Cookie Master was hard at work!

Family Fun Giveaway from Purex

Do you love Family Fun?  I love their ideas, crafts and articles.  Purex just launched a Family Fun giveaway.  Family Fun Magazine celebrates families, cooking, vacations, parties, crafts and so much more.

Fifteen thousand (15,000) grand prize winners will receive a FREE subscription to Family Fun Magazine.  Go here and enter to win a subscription for your family to enjoy today!

This giveaway ends on May 30th, 2014 at 3:00pm PST so please enter soon.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to the Purex Insiders program for allowing me to be a part of this campaign and providing information about this Sweepstakes/Giveaway!  As part of this campaign I am eligible to win prizes!

Allergies? Take Action/ Get Active Boogie Wipes Giveaway

It is that time again, time for an awesome Boogie Wipes giveaway!  I am privileged to be a part of a wonderful group of women, also known as Moms Who Boogie.  We are all Saline Ambassadors for Boogie Wipes.  We are excited about Boogie Wipes and love to share them with others.  In case you don't know, Boogie Wipes are made with natural saline to dissolve mucus (aka boogies) caused by colds, allergies or anything else really!  They are extra soft, alcohol/phthalate/paraben free and come in a variety of scents including great grape, fresh scent, magic menthol and simply unscented.  My family loves them and I am sure yours will too (if not already).

Do you suffer from allergies?  No Need to gripe.  Get active and grab a Boogie Wipe!  The #MomsWhoBoogie Boogie Wipes giveaway has launched.  Whether the kids love soccer, swim, baseball or ballet, Boogie Wipes are sure to always save the day!  I know this first hand this Spring as D has been playing soccer, A has been swimming, C has been enjoying baseball and B has been preparing for her big ballet recital in June.

And here are a few great articles on Allergy Solutions for Kids and Allergy Relief Tips.  Please check them out.

 

Are you ready to take action and get active?  Enter below to win an awesome Boogie Wipes Prize basket.  There are multiple ways to enter - you can follow the Boogie Wipes brand and MomsWhoBoogie on social media (facebook and twitter), share unique and creative ways that you use or would use Boogie Wipes, let us know if you suffer from allergies and more.  Please don't miss the fun and enter today.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

First Stitches

Well, it seems like it was bound to happen sooner or later with six kiddos.  C had to get stitches last night, 3 of them.  He was accidentally hit in the head with a baseball bat by a teammate prior to his game.  It was totally an accident, nobody is blaming anyone - yet it bugs me that it was preventable.  He ended up having a CT scan and everything checked out just fine, he just keeps the stitches for 5 days.  C's attitude has been great through it all, although I don't envy him the headache he surely has.

If you get a chance to pray for him these next few days as the wound closes, we certainly appreciate it.

My shirt and his shirt as well as his Jersey were covered in blood for hours.  I won't scare you with the before-cleanup horror picture!  Anyway, I couldn't believe it when I saw them today completely clean.  David hand scrubbed them in the sink with water and Purex Crystals, then ran them through the wash, and got the stains out.  I had no idea Purex worked on blood stains, good to know!

What would you ask a Hallmark writer?

I was recently asked an amazing question.  What have you always wanted to ask a Hallmark writer?  Hmmm, that's a good one!  I eventually settled on - How did you become a Hallmark writer? Was it a job you knew you wanted to do or did you fall into it?  And guess what?  Jake Gahr, a Hallmark writer, answered it.  Enjoy - thanks Jake!

Happy Mother's Day

Love these kids!

Hope you have had a fabulous day and enjoyed time with your family!  I know I have.

Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets Review, Sweepstakes and Giveaway

Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets

I wanted to tell you about the latest Purex product I have been using, the new Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets.  It comes in two scents: fresh spring waters and lavender blossom.

My Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets in lavender blossom

 My box opened

Now, I know these may look like every dryer sheet out there but I want you to know that they are not.  They have an amazing scent.  In fact, I could smell them before I even opened the box.  Not only is the scent great but with such great strength you only need to use one per load.  

 

 Placing a dryer sheet in the dryer with a load.

I personally found that they still have a pleasant scent after being used only to a much lesser degree.  I still put them in the bottom of my trash cans to freshen them up!  I love that there are multiple ways to use these dryer sheets.

Now I want to tell you about the Try Your Luck & Win $500 Giveaway!  What's up for grabs?  One lucky winner will receive $500 and a year's supply of Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets!  Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets give your clothes 30 days of long-lasting freshness!  In addition to the grand prize winner, 50 will win a free box of Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets!  Make sure to enter here.

 3 readers will win a free product coupon

Want another chance to try Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets?  Enter the giveaway below.  Three readers will win a free product coupon to try them out!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to the Purex Insiders program for allowing me to be a part of this campaign and providing information about this Sweepstakes and a sample of the New Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets for my review!  As part of this campaign I am eligible to win prizes!