Enough 10 Things We Should Be Telling Our Teenage Girls Book Review & Giveaway

I just finished reading Enough 10 Things We Should Be Telling Teenage Girls by Kate Conner.  I know I don't have any teenagers just yet but it won't be long.  In just a few short years A will be 13 and eventually I will have multiple teenagers at the same time, most of them girls!

I love the the messages - You are beautiful.  You are valuable.  You are enough.  I think these statements are so profound and if my daughters could grasp these truths as a teenager it would serve them well.

I have wondered about our children and the rise of social media.  Currently our children do not have facebook accounts and the like but that will not be true forever.  I like that Kate brought this up in her book.  Not only is there the issue of safety but also the fact that our words are swords.  They can be used powerfully for good, or evil.  I hope and pray that my kids learn this early.  There are still some adults that haven't fully grasped this.

One of the most profound statements that I learned from the movie Fireproof was the advice that you cannot follow your heart as it can lead you astray.  It was spot on!  I love that Kate discusses this in her book.  Better yet follow your passions, dreams, intuition, God's word - that is where you want to be.

Did I agree with everything?  No, but I love Kate's heart and her way of communication.  I am as white as they come and tanning beds were never appealing to me and maybe I am the only one on the planet but I do not watch The Bachelor.  However, I could appreciate and understand Kate's use of these examples.  Thank you Kate for stepping up and helping us teach our girls that they are loved, valued and treasured.

Read more about this book below and enter to win your own copy!

About Enough: 10 Things You Should Be Telling Teenage Girls
In a book based on her post, Kate Conner calls us to action in Enough.  We all have teenage girls in our lives who we love, whether it's a sister, friend, or daughter.  Kate has identified 10 things these girls need to hear today from someone who loves her.  Peppered with wit and laced with grace, Kate's list tackles relevant issues like Facebook, emotions, drama, tanning beds, modesty, and flirtation.  Woven into each chapter is a powerful message of worth that transcends age, and will touch the souls of women, young and old alike: You are beautiful.  You are valuable.  You are enough.  A former youth-worker, wife to a college minister, and a young mom in her twenties, Conner stands squarely in generational gap, the perfect place from which to bridge it.  Conner offers herself as a translator, helping you to speak your teenager's language and quipping you with a fresh perspective from which to engage your teenage girl - one that may enable her to truly hear your heart (and your wisdom) for the first time since puberty.  Check out the official website for this book here.

Ready for a giveaway?  One of you will win your own copy of this book.  Just enter below and good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and not influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive my own copy of Enough in exchange for this review and post.  Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway.  If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Edible Ice Cream Bowls

 Edible white chocolate ice cream bowl

The kids and I made edible ice cream bowls yesterday for dessert.  We used white chocolate wafers.  It was super simple.  I melted the wafers in the microwave for a few minutes.  Then I transfered the chocolate liquid to a cooler bowl.  I took small balloons (already inflated and tied) and dipped them in the liquid. 

 

 Dipped balloons

You want to cover the bottoms to create a bowl.  Place the balloons on wax paper to set and chill in the freezer for five minutes.  Remove from the freezer, pop the balloons and peel the balloon remnants from the chocolate bowl.  Load your bowl with ice cream and enjoy!

 

 I love that they were all a bit different.

E enjoying hers.

 Almost gone!

Move & Groove by ThinkFun Review

One thing that we love in our home is games.  I have a new game to tell you about, Move & Groove by ThinkFun intended for children 18 months and up.  This game can be played with two or more players.  This game includes one large washable plush cube with storage pocket for cards and 48 dance cards, 8 in each category.

Our Game

Move & Groove is a dance game for toddlers and older that gets them up and moving and ready to learn.  You can watch your child boogie down.  They are not only moving but building gross motor skills, balance and coordination as well.  The game is simple.  Toss the plush cube, choose one of the 48 matching cards and do the move on the card.  Moves include playing an air guitar, shaking your shoulders, dancing the funky children.  This is a fun way to learn colors, recognize words and images, follow instructions and build confidence as well as creativity and spend time together as a family.

Players can use their imagination.  And not only toddlers will enjoy it.  We have played this game several times as a family and everyone loves it.  It has been a great way to have fun and connect together as a family.

 

 E was so excited to roll.

 Picking out a card.

This shows an example of a card from each category.

 The plush cube has a storage pocket to hold the cards.

The categories include Let's Pretend (yellow), Movement (green), Body Parts (gray), Silliness (orange), Workout (purple) and Classics (blue).  And an example of each category card is Fly like a plane, March in a circle, Tap your feet, Play the air guitar, Run in place, and Disco.  One of my favorites is the blue category.  I love seeing and teaching my kids to do classic dance moves!

 B being a ballerina.

 D showing us her best robot.  She is really good!

So if you love games, moving and having fun Move & Groove is a great game addition.  I love that the age range starts at 18 months and up.  Having so many children with a large age range it can be difficult sometimes to find games that E (2 years old) and A (10 years old) both can play and enjoy.  This is one of them.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Removing America's stains for over 100 years Giveaway

The Removing America's stains for over 100 years giveaway from Purex has launched!  Since 1894, Purex Fels-Naptha laundry bar has been working overtime to remove greasy, oily stains, perspiration, and ring-around-the-collar.  To celebrate, Purex is giving away a year's supply each day from July 14-23.  There are 10 days and there will be 10 winners.  Go here to enter and good luck!

The Purex Fels-Naptha laundry bar is pretty awesome.  You can check out my past review of it here.

This giveaway ends July 23rd, 2014 at 3:00pm PST so please enter before then.  Good luck and let me know if you win!

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

The Minister's Wife 10,000 Facebook Fan Celebration

My friend Lois is celebrating a blog milestone, 10K facebook fans!  I am so excited for her.  And to celebrate she is having a huge giveaway.  I am sharing the details and her giveaway below.  I hope you enter and end up winning.

I am celebrating 10,000 amazing Facebook fans, and as a thank you, I am having a big giveaway for all of you! It is so exciting to see some of the wonderful prizes below that you can win.  Enjoy the celebration! There will be 10 winners! YAY!!

Grand Prize: ZINK hAppy Smart App Printer™

Second Prize: Sleep Number® CoolFit™ Foam Contour Pillow

Third Prize: MIRA Stainless Steel Kitchen Scale

Fourth Prize: Country Bob's

Fifth Prize: Country Bob's

Sixth Prize: Almondina Brand Cookies

Seventh Prize: Bulu Box One Month Subscription

Eighth Prize: Boogie Wipes Gift Basket

Ninth Prize: Kentucky Made Wood Salad Tongs

Tenth Prize: 4 Exclusive Comics From Rick Jones' Collection

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ZINK hAppy Smart App Printer™

ZINK hAppy Smart App Printer™  hAppy is the portable, Wi-Fi®, app-accessory that allows you to print directly from smart phones and tablets. Just download the free ZINK Design & Print Studio™ app onto a smartphone or tablet (or use a 3rd party compatible app); load a ZINK zRoll™ (photographic-quality ZINK Paper in roll form), design, and then wirelessly print to the hAppy. It’s compatible with iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod touch®. hAppy is also compatible with Android™ smartphone and tablets and Amazon Kindle Fire™ tablets.

Take a look at this video to see how it works. It's amazing and so much fun!

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Sleep Number® CoolFit™ Foam Contour Pillow

Like memory foam but concerned about its hot reputation? You'll love our CoolFit™ Foam bedding. A breakthrough in sleeping comfort, gel technology enhances memory foam to create a cool, comfortable sleep experience. In addition, an exclusive wave design lets air flow freely through zones that move as you do. Hypoallergenic. 300-thread-count cotton cover. Also available in classic shape. CoolFit Memory Foam Contour Pillows are made in USA of imported materials. 

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MIRA Stainless Steel Kitchen Scale

The MIRA Kitchen Scale is the ultimate kitchen tool that not only looks great and works like a charm, but also makes your life in the kitchen so much easier! The perfect replacement for measuring cups. Use one container and the TARE feature to measure out all ingredients for a recipe. Sleek looking scale that occupies very little drawer space. Looks great when left on the counter.

•  Large easy to read display offers three weighing options: grams, pounds or ounces. 
•  Easy-breezy stainless steel platform on food scale wipes clean with little effort. 
•  Accurate measurements in 1g/0.1 oz increments. 
•  Precise and consistent readings make MIRA digital food scale the perfect digital food scale for Weight Watchers members. 
• TARE function ignores plates and dishes; weighing only the food inside. This makes the Digital kitchen scale versatile. 
• 2 year manufacturer warranty. 
•  Measures up to 11 lbs / 5 Kgs. 
•  Long-lasting lithium battery included for instant use upon arrival.

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Almondina Brand Cookies

Almondina® is the inspiring success story of a man whose great loves include both music and wonderful food. For generations his family loved his grandmother Dina’s most secret cookie, which she called Petit Gateau Sec. Yuval Zaliouk, an internationally known symphony conductor and gourmet chef, always had a special place in his heart (and stomach) for this exquisite, crispy wafer with the delicate flavor of roasted almonds and the natural sweetness of plump raisins.

This all-natural, crispy almond cookie has no cholesterol and no added fat, salt, or preservatives. It is wonderfully crunchy and does not have to be dipped. It is a delightful accompaniment for coffee, tea, soft cheeses and fine light wines. The rush to eliminate fat from gourmet foods too often has also eliminated most of the flavor, a fact which is in sharp contrast to this enticingly delicious cookie.

Since the introduction of the classic Original flavor, eight more distinctive variations have been introduced, all of which continue to be packed with roasted almonds. A recent innovation, Chocolate Cherry, combines the almonds with dark chocolate and plump cherries.

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Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

In 1968 Country Bob perfected the sauce of his dreams. After years of giving the sauce to friends and family he began to sell it in 1977. The reaction was overwhelming just as it is today. Almost everyone who tries Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce becomes a lifelong user. And why not, it is the perfect complement to practically any meal set on your table.

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Bulu Box Monthly Subscription

Bulu Box is the best way to discover health, nutrition and weight loss products. Each monthly sample box is filled with 4 to 5 premium products selected to help you feel your best. Look forward to a new mix monthly for both women and men that include: vitamins, weight loss, energy, protein, digestion, sleep support, fitness DVDs, healthy food utensils and more. Earn an easy 50 points ($5) or more each month by reviewing, sharing and completing short surveys. Use your Reward Points to purchase full-size version of the products that work best for you! Subscriptions are 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

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Boggie Wipes

In this gift basket from Boogie Wipes you will receive 1, 90 ct canister of Fresh Scent Boogie Wipes, Kandoo Wash Your Hands, Kandoo Foaming Hand Sanitizer 8.4 oz and 1.7 oz, Boogie Wipes Gentle Saline Mist, Kandoo Detangler, 30 ct Great Grape Scented Boogie WIpes, and a Boogie Wipes t-shirt all in a fun green storage basket!

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WOOD SALAD TONGS 

Brilliantly designed handmade one handed wood salad tongs. Designed and crafted in Kentucky.The unique design makes it easy to serve pasta, steamed vegetables, hot bread and salads with one hand. Great for buffet lines! Steam heat and pressure have been used for centuries to bend wood into useful shapes like chair backs or musical instruments. Each pair of tongs is hand steamed and bent into shape until cool to create distinctive springs. These springs keep the tongs open for the user, and allow them to fold flat for storage.

 Handcrafted from reclaimed domestic hardwood, each tong is 11" long x 1.5" wide.

 WHO IS KENTUCKY MADE & MORE?

 Kentucky Made & More is an online retailer of high quality, sensibly priced items for gifts or personal use. We specialize in products handcrafted in Kentucky and the surrounding areas. Visit us at www.KentuckyMadeandMore.com or at one of the various events we participate in.

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Rick's Comics

I told my wife that I'd like to be part of the celebration by contributing some of my prized possessions: comic books. Here's my package of four color wonderment:

Power Man and Iron Fist #72 [1981: Months before, Iron Fist's foe, Chaka, was imprisoned. Who has now taken on his identity? The new Chaka is murderous and without honor . . . the original [and repentant] Chaka begs his brother, and Power Man and Iron Fist, to stop the imposter.

Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs [1987]: The magazine sized extra length adaptation of the Disney cartoon film classic, this golden anniversary edition includes a Snow White poster!

Spider-Man #1 [1990]: The hottest new comic of that year, written and drawn by Todd McFarlane, this comic had a total print run of around 6 million . . . which ultimately drove the value down, since it was in no sense rare. Well, a couple of the later printings are valuable, but this is the first printing, pretty common, but still . . . a cool bit of comics history and a nice Spider-Man cover [unless you dislike spiders, as Lois does, because the art includes about 3 dozen of them]. Sealed, bagged newsstand edition.

Mr. T and the T-Force #1 [1993]: Yes, that Mr. T, leading a group of youths determined to tackle "real problems of the streets" with cleverness, courage, and the inimitable awesomeness of Mr. T -- who had a heavy amount of input in the stories, and swore that his character would never use guns. Artwork by Neal Adams. Sealed, bagged edition, includes trading card.

Fun stuff for you. And for Lois, the joy of knowing that 4 more of my 3500+ comics are out of the house. Especially the one with all those spiders. Total estimated value: $10.00

Thanks to all the sponsors of the giveaway and all the bloggers who have helped to promote it!

ZINK hAppy
Sleep Number
MIRA Brands
Country Bob's 
Almondina Cookies
Bulu Box
Boogie Wipes
Kentucky Made and More
Rick's Comics

And the following blogs:
ReviewsSheROTE, Cummins Life, CasaMoncada, The Cheshire Cat's Looking Glass, Detroit Mom & Her Views, Here We Go Again, Ready, The Stuff of Success, What The Buzz Is All About, Krazy Kat Freebies, just plane and simple, Java John Z's, Our-Wolves-Den, My Best of Both Worlds, Holiday Contest and Sweeps, Confessions Of A Mommy Of 5, Deliciously Savvy, Peanut Butter and Whine, Gloria's Bits and Pieces, Frugal and Coupon Crazy, Central Bargains & Giveaways, Michigan Saving and More, A Small Village, One Sassy Geek, Simply Sherryl, Mami's 3 Little Monkeys, Cassandra M's Place, Heartbeats~ Soul Stains, My Silly Little Gang, My Devotional Thoughts, and Davids DIY

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions:
Open to US Residents only. Must be 18 or older to enter. Limit one entry per household/address. All entries will be verified. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification if no response, then another winner will be chosen. Contest ends at 12:01 AM 8/10/14. The Minister's Wife Stamps and Saves is not responsible for the delivery of the prize. The company sponsoring this giveaway is solely responsible for the delivery of the prize to the winner(s). The Minister's Wife Stamps and Saves is not responsible for lost or misdirected emails or physical mail. This giveaway is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, Instagram, or any other social media. Void where prohibited by law. 

Give your baby a fresh start with Purex & One Step Ahead Giveaway

I wanted to tell you about another giveaway, this time from Purex & One Step Ahead.  One grand prize winner will receive a gift certificate valued at $1,000 from One Step Ahead, a year's supply of Purex Baby Detergent, and a year's supply of Purex Crystals for baby, pretty awesome!  Go here to enter now.

This giveaway ends July 31st, 2014 at 3:00pm PST so please enter before then.  Good luck and let me know if you win!

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

AdventureCon14

Photo taken by Julie Pippert

Remember when I attended AdventureCon13 last year?  It was my first blogging conference and I wasn't sure what to expect.  It was chock-full of so much information, so many wonderful people and a park that never ceases to amaze me.  Well, this year I was able to attend AdventureCon14 last month and it didn't disappoint.  Unlike last year, my whole family was able to come to the park and enjoy some of the event with me!

 Baby F and I with a very special guest.

The first night was a blogger mingle.   AdventureCon14 was a time to see old friends and make new ones.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to get to know some truly amazing people who just happen to be amazing bloggers as well.

 Introducing infants

Elayna and I were both pregnant at last year's AdventureCon.  It was so fun for our babies to meet!  Elayna - it is always a pleasure to see you and your sweet family.  The list goes on and on of amazing people that are special to me at AdventureCon.

 Those little touches

Returning to AdventureCon14 this year was like going to a family reunion.  I met new people and realized I miss those that I don't see more often.  Everyone is so welcoming, encouraging and the conference is full of little touches.  Like when I checked into my room and found the above note waiting for me.  Things like this just make me smile! 

AdventureCon14 was an amazing mixture of information and experience.  I love that we were able sit down and dive deeper into some blogging improvement and that we had interactions and experiences within the park.  It truly is a great mix.

SeaWorld Highlights

Roa's Aviary is a new attraction within Aquatica


These are some of the birds you will find within the Aviary (there is a back side too).


Roseate Spoonbills

Some of my favorite birds were the Roseate Spoonbills.  Similar to flamingos, their beautiful color is diet derived.  Their pink color combined with their long bills make them quite beautiful to view.

Kookaburra

Another thing that we were able to do was meet some of SeaWorld's Animal Ambassadors.  The Kookaburra was a hoot when it made its loud call which resembles human laughing.  There is something quite amazing when you are able to see animals up close and personal. 

A and B riding Shamu Express

The kids had a lot of fun riding different rides!  A, B, C, D and E all rode the Shamu Express.  It was D and E's first time.  Shamu Express has become our traditional family first roller coaster.  We just need for Baby F to grow so he can join in on the fun.  My oldest three were also able to ride Journey to Atlantis for the first time during this visit.  I was a nervous Momma bird but I am so glad for the opportunity for them to spread their wings while I am still in the picture.

Conference Sessions

Learning about Pinterest

This is what it is like to be in a session.  The speakers this year were so insightful and down to earth.  I loved that they were approachable and willing to share their insight.  We learned how to think like a reporter, how to be a great media source, what community storytelling is all about,  tips and tricks for pinterest, Google+ and much more.  Colleen, one of the Sea World Wildside bloggers, created this awesome post of tips from the conference.  If you are a blogger and thinking about going to a conference I cannot say enough good things about AdventureCon.  Take the plunge!  Go here and sign up for more information about AdventureCon15.  I hope to see you there.

Nuby Children's Hangers Review

Nuby Children's Hangers

How do you organize your children's clothes?  Because I have six children of various ages (0-10) I realize that I may do things different than some people; however, I can always benefit from organizational tips and tricks.  Our house is a bit short on storage space so sometimes creativity is in order.

My open hangers

I have started using Nuby Children's Hangers in the kids' closet.  They are designed to hang clothes that are too small for an adult hanger.  These hangers work well for all of my kiddos sizes.  Now, I do not hang Baby F's clothes up right now.  He has a storage drawer system in my bedroom that I use for his wardrobe.  However, I went ahead and hung up a few of his clothes so that you can see that these hangers will work on babies clothes.

 Baby F's clothes sizes 6-9 months

 Another view

I currently have a similar set-up for E as well with a storage drawer system.  We are in the process of moving the kids into another bedroom so I am hoping that very soon I will be able to start hanging up a few more of her clothes!

Girls shirts size 3T and 4T

 Here is a combo of one of D's shirts, a B shirt and a C shirt

Most of the kids current closet space is occupied by A and B.  And that is mainly their shirts and dresses.  These hangers work great for their clothing which currently ranges from size 7-12 in girls depending on the individual item.

A and B clothes including a few dresses.

 Here is a view of the clothing above hanging together so you get a feel for the various sizing.

 Another view

 Close up of an individual hanger

These hangers are sturdy and work well for multiple sizes.  These hangers have the slits on the tops making it easy to hang items with straps like my older daughters' dresses.  We don't currently hang our kid's pants (we use their dresser) but these hangers would work well for that as the bottom bar has a sturdy design.

Another thing we like to do as A and B are close in age and wear similar sizes is to use different color hangers for each of them.  A has white hangers and B has pink hangers.  This system doesn't work perfectly (as sometime they just hang their clothes on the first hanger they grab) but it does help.  A can quickly identify her clothing from the white hangers and B from the pink.  I am definitely going to have to pick up some of the Nuby Children's Hangers in pink now!

Read more about the Nuby Children's Hangers below.

According to Nuby
 - Perfectly sized for small clothes
 - 10 pack
 - BPA FREE

The Nuby Children's Hangers are available in various colors and can be purchased at the Baby Depot at Burlington, Meijer, and www.babyearth.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.