Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story


Zondervan provided the picture of this great book.
This past Easter we read a great Berenstain Bears book called Berenstain bears and the Easter Story. Who doesn't love the Berenstain Bears they were a favorite when I was a kid and both of my girls have found a love for these great book. They were excited to read this book and I think we probably read it 10 times or more before Easter even arrived. This particular book takes place during Easter the Bear Cubs have gone bonkers for Easter candy its all they seem to be able to think about that is tell Missus Ursula the Sunday school teacher and some of the students put on a play tell the cubs about Jesus' resurrection and show them that the salvation is much sweeter than candy. The story really helped the girls understand that Easter is not just about getting great candy. Its a book I would like to recommend for families to read together its simple enough for smaller kids to understand but it did get my 6 year old thinking and she came up with some great questions that we were able talk about together.  This wonderful Berenstain bears book can be found by clicking Here. It sells for about $4.99 and it comes with some cute Bear Easter stickers.

Disclaimer: we received a free copy of the book Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story from Zonderkids in order to perform this review. I did not receive payment for this review all opinions are my own or that of my children.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Egglo Glow in the Dark Easter Eggs


Easter is on its way and the Girls are counting down. This year we were ask to try out Egglo Glow in the dark Easter eggs. We received the Egglo Kit with curriculum you can find it HERE it sells for $49.99 and comes with 12 glow in the dark Easter eggs, the Egg-cellent easter Adventure storybook, The egg-cellent easter Adventure book narrated on DVD(25 minutes), Egglo Treasures Scripture Scrolls, Bible Verse Scroll Stickers, Egg-cellent Easter Adventure character Stickers, Easter Egg Stickers and Glow in the dark even program guide or curriculum. You get a good bang for your buck with this kit and its really FUN!

The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure book is a interactive storybook that focuses on the TRUE meaning of Easter! The glowing eggs represent the light of Jesus, and children search in the dark for the eggs to connect with the Idea that Jesus is the light of the world. The kids went on a glow in the dark egg hunt with the heroes of the story, Hardy, Anastasia, and Pascal. My girls loved this story we read it over several nights. It helped them understand the True meaning of Easter in a fun way.  It has some beautiful Illustrations and is wonderfully written in a way that children can understand.  We have read it several time since receiving it and the girls have enjoyed it each and every time. Its something we will be reading each and every year.

The Eggs are cool they glow really well. You charge them with any light source. It takes the eggs about 20-40 minutes to charge up. They glow the best during the first hour, with the light diminishing slowly after that.  They are way brighter than I expected them to be very easy to see in the dark. Some of the eggs have a raised Cross on them and they are an assortment of colors Blue, Yellow, Green and,Pink. These eggs are tougher than the average plastic Easter egg so they will last you a long time. Snoopy has stepped on a couple and they have been thrown and bounced around quite a bit and they have yet to break one. We did a pre Easter egg hunt the other night
stickers and scrolls
it was a huge hit the kids are still talking about it. The kids had a blast running around looking for the glow of the eggs. The Scripture scrolls and Stickers are very cool. After we finished hunting the eggs we used the cute little scrolls as a jumping off point for each scripture verse. They were eager to get out there Bibles and look up the scripture that was in there egg. It was a great way to get the girls thinking and asking questions.
one of the tiny scrolls 


Check out this cool video Egglo Glow put out to see how well these eggs glow

We had tones of fun with Egglo Glow in the Dark Egg Kit and we learned some really great things.
You can find them on
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Disclosure: I received this Egglo Glow Kit free of charge so that we could provide this review. All opinions are my own or that of my kids. We were not paid for this review.




Sunday, April 6, 2014

Ecojarz


Last year I reviewed some drink lids for mason jars. Well I am proud to introduce you to another drink Lid for mason jars. If you prefer stainless or silicone Ecojarz are just for you. Ecojarz come in stainless steel or silicone and you can get them in both wide mouth and small mouth size.  The silicone drink lids are BPA free and do not contain any phthalates or chemicals to leach into your drink.  Price ranges from $5.99 to $8.95 for single drink lids or they have packs available price ranges from $14.99 to $21.95 for a three pack. They also have stainless steel straws they come in a straight style 2 pack for $6.50 or a 4 pack of bent straws for $9.95. They even sell a stainless steel tea Infuser for $4.25. You can check out all there great products HERE.

Ecojarz drink lids are really easy to use basically you take a mason jar remove the center lid place the
Ecojarz drink lid on the mason jar and screw the ring back on. They are quick and easy to use. Now I did discover that you need to be careful and not over tighten the ring or you are going to have a heck of a time getting it off when you need to refill your drink.  We got to try both the silicone which is green colored and the stainless steel. I like them both equally well the shape of the drink top is the same the silicone is slightly softer of course but it is still firm and holds its shape with out collapsing. I do like the silicone for little kids just because it would be less likely to damage teeth if they were to knock it on there teeth when learning to drink.  Both types of lids are safe for hot beverages. Washing is easy just toss them in the dishwasher they are both top and bottom rack safe. The girls love the Ecojarz and they have not used another cup since we got them.

We also got the chance to try out the Stainless steel straws. I have to say they are cool this is the first time I have ever seen a stainless steel straw. They have a nice feel to them and are very durable perfect for kids. They are about 9 1/2 in long. They work well in the bigger mason jars but for the smaller jelly jars they are really too long. I hope they come out with a shorter stainless steel straw for the smaller jars since that is what my girls use most often. I do recommend ordering one of there straw cleaners which is a long bottle brush that is sized to fit down in the straw. It makes cleaning easier and faster especially if your kids are like mine and drink milk or smoothies in them and forget to wash it out when they are done.


The Tea infuser basket is a new item for me. I had always wanted to try one. So i was excited to test this one out. Its easy to use you open the top has a little latch you put your loose tea in and then put it in hot water.  There is a hook that fits in the vent hole on the Ecojarz drink lids so you don't have to fish it out of your cup. It also hooks well on the side of coffee cups. I love that I can choose and mix my own tea flavors. It will be a blessing when I start drying my own herbs this summer.

We are in love with our Ecojarz lids and straws and they have become a big part of our kitchen.
Find Ecojarz on:
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Disclaimer: I received these Ecojarz products free of charge so that I could provide an honest review. All opinions are my own or that of my children.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Yummi Pouch


A few years a go a company came out with pouches filled with apple sauce and other blends that your kids could eat right out of the pouch no spoon required. If you are a parent you have probably fed one to your kid at some time or another. Both of my girls loved them and I found them to be very handy. That is in tell the girls got big and wanted to eat two or three at a time and I realized they were just too expensive for big kids to eat. I always loved the idea though and kept thinking someone needs to make refillable reusable pouches.  Well someone finally did they are called Yummi Pouch you can find them HERE . They come in sets of different sizes and price ranges from $8.99 to $35.00 depending on how big the set is and the size of the pouches. Pouches come in three sizes 2.5 oz, 6 oz  and 10 oz.  They come in white and blue are the solid colors they carry and then they have a set of pouches with patterns on them that are different colors.  Check out the pictures to see what they look like. Yummi Pouch are both BPA and PVC free. The best part they are completely reusable. We received a couple pouches in the different sizes and colors to test out.


First up ease of use they are very simple to use put the cap on the
pouch open the zippered end and pore in what ever puree your kids like and zip it shut just like a ziplock bag. We used apple sauce for our test just because that's what the girls wanted. I used a small funnel which worked well or you can spoon it in which worked equally well.  I found filling easy I did need to rinse off the zipper end of the pouch after I closed it as I tend to dribble a little but its was not a big deal. After I fill them I keep them in the fridge for the kids to grab as a snack or for use to take to the park.  You can also pop them in the freezer for a cold snack or to pack in a lunch box. To eat them you simply twist off the cap and suck or squeeze it into your mouth. They also have a spoon attachment that you can buy if you prefer it. My kids just like sucking it right out of the pouch.

I found washing to be easy they are dish washer safe just rinse with warm water expand and put them up side down in the dishwasher so the zipper part is facing down. I wash mine by hand because well we don't have a dishwasher at the moment.  I toss them in a sink of hot soapy water with the caps off and swish them around this usually gets them clean. Some times the zipper will get a little yuckie but i found a small brush like you would use on a baby bottle nipple works well to clean the zipper. It also fits in the spout nicely.

I was a little worried about the zipper popping open when the girls squeezed them because lets face it they get a little rough some times. So far we have never had one come open I even gave one to my two year old niece just to see if she could pop it open.  We found them to be tough pouches and I think they will last a long time. We have taken them every where to the park, on walks, in our back packs. Yummi Pouch has become our go to snack when we are out and about. I am truly happy with them in every way. I think I will get a couple of the pouch covers to help keep our Yummi Pouches cool this summer.


Disclosure I received this product free of charge so that my family could test them out and tell you what we thought. I did not receive any money for this review all opinions are mine or that of my kids.  

Saturday, March 22, 2014

My Time with Grandma Bible Storybook





Reading is a huge part of our day. Me and the girls read anything and everything we can get our hands on. Our new favorite is called My Time with Grandma bible Storybook we have read it over and over and we never tire of it. Its a cute little hardback story book that is designed for grand parents to share with there grandchildren. To help them celebrate God's Love through easy to understand bible stories. Each story in the book includes a sweet love note from grandma and simple bible verses that kids can
memorize easily.  The Stories are just short enough to keep there attention but have enough information so that they are able to understand the scripture. Under the title of each story it gives a scripture verse which HotRod Princess loves because she can look it up in her bible.  The illustrations are so cute and beautifully done Snoopy loves to stop and talk about each picture and what is happening in it after we have read the short story.  Personally I enjoy the love notes that you find at the bottom of each page. There is a love note from grandma and one from God. They are both beautiful and give wonderful advice and inspiration.  It sells for $14.99 and can be found at several places. Click HERE for one of tyndale partner websites. I have ordered from them several times and have always received great customer service from them.


Disclaimer I received a free copy of this book from tyndale to do this review. All opinions are my own or that of my children. All photographs in this post are my own and may not be copied. 

Monday, February 24, 2014

Tommee Tippee Sipppy Cut


Introducing the Tommee Tippee limited edition sippy cup line. It's called the "Three Ring Circus" Collection. It features a new design on the brands signature spill proof Drink Cup, Sporty Bottle, Spout Cup and Straw Cup. Check out he picture to see the new designs. They are now available at Babies R Us they sell for right around $7.00 for a 2 pack and come in both boy and girl colors.
I used Tommee Tippee spill proof drink cups when the girls were younger I think I had all the styles at one time or another. I honestly loved the cups they worked great and I think the only time I ever had trouble with them leaking was when my daughter would get the lid loose.  They are great cups and they both of my girls loved them. We received a two pack of the new straw cup design and even though my girls are a tad big for spill proof cups they are in love with them. My 4 year old has drank so much water in the last week I am starting to wonder if she is going to float away.
I only have one small issue with the new straw cups we received. Some times the girls complain that they cant get anything out of it when the cup is full.  I think the girls are just sucking too hard on the straw and collapsing the soft flexible portion of it. They are older kids 6 and 4 and have more sucking power than a toddler does.
Like many spill proof cups there are a couple pieces you need to take apart when you wash. Its not a big deal for me and I found them to be simple enough to take apart and put back together.

Disclosure: I received a two pack of the Tommee Tippee Straw cup to test out for this review. All opinions are my own or that of my kids.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Protect It therapeutic Diabetic Sock

The product of the day is Protect It Therapeutic Diabetic Socks. These socks are recommended for people with diabetes, arthritis and sensitive feet. There are some key features that make these socks special: Protect It Therapeutic Diabetic Socks have a smooth-inside seamless toe, They gently hug your foot so they stay in place, They help to prevent skin injury and infection, Proven anti-bacterial, anti-odor, soft wide-stretch top and they keep feet dry. You can find them Here  they sell for around $40.77 for a pack of four. Which comes out to be about 11.99 a pair.  They have several different styles to
choose from Comfort crew, Comfort dress, and Active ankle sport. They come in either black or white.

I am not a Diabetic but my grandma was and my mom is border line which means she is still able to control it with her diet so doesn't need medicine just yet. She has been having trouble with cold feet and she also suffers from arthritis.  She was excited to hear that she was going to get a chance to try out a pair of Protect It Socks.
Things she Liked the best:
The arch support with anti slip technology, it helps to keep the sock in place without compression.
The Y heel pocket she said it cupped her heal well and made them more comfortable when wearing shoes.
She loved the soft feel of the fabric and seamless toe. She often has problems with seams rubbing so this was very nice. These are not a heavy winter sock so I was a little concerned at how they would do during our cold winter days. My mom has reported that they are keeping her feet surprisingly warm. I think this is due to the dual layer construction that wicks moisture away from your skin.


Over all she felt they were great socks and is refusing to let me try them.

Disclaimer: I received this item free of charge in order to test this product for the review. All opinions are my own or that of my Kids or in the case of this review my mom.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Rockin' Green Soap Giveaway

I was a cloth diapering mom I miss the days of cute printed diapers and inserts hanging on the line. Both of my girls used cloth diapers and I have used many different brands and styles. Every mom knows if you cloth diaper you need a good detergent. Rockin' Green was my favorite diaper detergent so when I got the opportunity to host a give away for them I had to jump on it.  Check out the details below:

We have a HUGE SURPRISE!  The Go Green in 2014 Giveaway is now live!  Enter to win 24 eco-friendly must have products for parents and kids. ONE LUCKY winner will be chosen on March 1st.  Everyone who enters will get something special as a thank you.  Enter here and the more points you earn, the bigger chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer I am just hosting the give away Rockin' Green will be selecting and sending out the products/prizes

Monday, January 27, 2014

Closer to Nature Orthodontic Pacifiers

Both of the girls were very picky on what pacifier they used.  We had a bunch of them laying around

pictures provided by tommee tippee.
that they did not like.  Tommee tippee was one that my youngest preferred. tommee tippee is announcing its new pacifier that is now available at Target, Babies R Us, and Buy Buy Baby. The new Pacifier set sells for about $6.99. The new pacifier has some great new features that I know my girls would have loved.
The new pacifiers are similar to tommee tippee's signature bottle line and use a nipple that is similar to the Mother's breast. They are specially designed for baby acceptance from the first attempt. They feature a symmetrical orthodontic shape and a traditional shield style with fun modern designs.  tommee tippee pacifiers are made from BPA and phthalate-free silicone. They are available in three sizes 0-3 months, 0-6 months an 6-18 months. The pacifiers come in both boy and girl colors and re dishwasher/sterilizer safe.

I received both a boy color and a girl color, I love the different sizes my girls used to gag on the pacifier if they were too big.  They are equally adorable I love how soft the nipple is it feels softer than some of the ones he girls had. The curved shape would fit baby's face comfortably and I love that the ring lays flat so that its not bulky.

Disclaimer: I received a couple sets of Pacifiers from tommee tippee free of charge in order to test this product for the review. All opinions are my own or that of my Kids

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Meal Measure

This week I want to talk about portion control. Like most people I should be watching my portion sizes but I don't. Its time consuming to measure everything out and I forget exactly how big a deck of cards is. When I found Meal Measure I knew I had found a great tool. Meal Measure is portion control right on your plate. Its basically a ring that has measured spots for fruits/ vegetables, starches, and meats. 
 You lay it on top of your plate, place your food in each of the labeled spots then lift it off your plate. It gives you perfect portions each and every time.  Each cutout is 1 cup and has a 1/2 cup line so you can choose how much you want to serve on each plate. Its great for those of us on diets and people like my mom who are border line diabetic and control there glucose levels with what they eat. It really helps her remember how much she should be eating of each food group. It takes the guess work out of making her plate.  Meal Measure is dietitian recommended and follows the My Plate serving sizes. Its simple and super easy to use its comes in some great colors and the holes are big enough that I can wash them easily. You can rinse it with warm soapy water or place it in the top rack of your dishwasher. You can find Meal Measure HEAR  it sells for $12.98 and comes in Blue, Red, Yellow, and White. I received the Blue one and I love the color. 

Disclaimer: I received the Meal Measure free of charge in order to test this product for the review. All opinions are my own or that of my Kids. 

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Glipit Bible

This week I received the glipit Bible I was very excited to get to try out a bible designed for kids. The
glipit Bible has a one-of-a-kind silicone cover. It was designed for kids ages 8 to 12. The silicone cover gives kids a unique way to create their own one of a kind custom Bible. Kids can spell their name, make a design, shapes, or just have fun popping the pieces on and off their Bible cover.  Each Bible comes with over 120 removable silicone pieces in four different colors including glow in the dark. The soft silicone cover is removable and washable and is easy to hang on to. It is written in NLT or New Living Translation. It has 26 pages of extra material in the front of the Bible to help kids know more about the Bible and God's Plan for their lives. The Glipit Bible comes in two colors purple and blue and it sells for about $24.99 and you can find it HEAR.
On arrival I thought this Bible is just cool. The cover looks great we received the blue one. The Glipit
is super fun to play with. I can see my self sitting in church popping these little silicone squares off an on the cover. I love the feel of the cover its soft and comfortable to hold. It has two silicone latches to hold you bible closed which is nice. My only real complaint is the print is very small. The bible is geared toward 8 to 12 year old so I expected a larger print.  I would say it is around a size 9 font kind of small for a child friendly print. Over all it is a nice bible the price is not bad. I love how easy it is to create a custom cover, and the glow in the dark pieces are very fun. So if you are in the marked for a fun bible for an older child this may be what you are looking for.

Disclaimer: I received the Glipit Bible free of charge from Tyndale in order to test this product for the review. All opinions are my own or that of my Kids. 




Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Rainbow Loom


Everyone has probably seen the Rainbow loom by now. Its been out for a while and with winter well on its way hear in Missouri I thought it would be a great beginning of winter product for the kids. You can buy the rainbow loom for around $16.99 depending where you go to get it. You can buy it directly from the Rainbow Loom site by clicking HEAR. You can also find them on Amazon, Michaels, and from several different sellers or you can get a list of retail stores from the rainbow Loom site Hear.


The basic kit comes with 600+ mixed latex free rubber bands,  the RBL hook with base opener, the Rainbow Loom and a set of directions. The box says 8years old and +  but my 6 year old is using it with adult supervision of course. They have a youtube channel where you can see videos of how to make different bracelets.  You can click HEAR if you would like to see some of demonstrations. 
The basic single pattern bracelets are fairly easy to make. Hotrod Princess picked it up fairly quickly and can now make a bracelet with just a bit of help. She has not tried to make any of the more complicated patterns. It is helping her fine motor skills and its helping her concentration. She has learned if she tries to jump around and doesn't follow the directions her bracelet will fall apart. It is also great for learning to make different types of patterns. I found that the youtube videos really help a lot with the more complicated patters. I made a ladder bracelet this morning It took me about 10 minutes to make it, watching and pausing the video along the way. Rainbow Loom  is a lot of fun. Its prefect for girls in the Tween age group. Once they start making them all their friends will want one. Its a great affordable last minute Christmas gift. 


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Disclaimer: I received a rainbow Loom and extra pack of rubber bands free of charge in order to test this product for the review. All opinions are my own or that of my Kids. 

Friday, December 13, 2013

Homeschool Helper App


As some of you know I homeschool my two girls. On challenge of home schooling is record keeping. I am lucky enough to live in a state that doesn't require a lot for record keeping. That being said I keep track of more than what my state requires mostly so that I can see there progress. We do a lot of on the go learning and hauling my laptop around is not always the best of options. I also find my self spending an hour or more every night logging lessons, time and grades for just one child. I will have a second grader and a kindergartner next year. With my current system that would mean 2 hours or more a night just for logging hours grades and assignments. Not counting the time that I will have to spend pulling together the next days work. I knew I needed an easier and faster system if I am going to survive next school year.
Home Page and super cool steaming coffee cup

I have had an android tablet for a couple years now. I mostly just use it for reading. I really don't have that many apps on it but it seems to go every where with me so I will always have a book. One day it hit me wouldn't it be great if there was a Homeschool app. Guess what I found the HomeSchool Helper App. Its available for both android and Ipad, and nook color and you can get it in the amazon store for Kindle.  It sells for only $4.99.  I immediately sent them an email and they agreed to let me review it.

The price is amazing  for less than meal at McDonalds I could get a HomeSchool app that would make my day easier. You just can beat $4.99. Its a one time cost including all updates.
Grade Calculator 
Some of the key features of the HomeSchool Helper are: the ability to track an unlimited number of students, manage students over multiple school years I love that I will be able to use this for years to come. You can duplicate students for effortless setup of similar students, record grades and track lessons for up to 14 different subjects, per student.  It has a grade calculator with (pasting ability) that makes figuring our grades so much easier. You can do a separate grading scale for each student and you can use a grade based or pass/fail based for your grading. Create lessons for any subject, the Lesson viewer provides calendar view of all lessons, with drilldown, You can auto create batches of lessons to save you time gotta love time savers. It has great lesson features that allow you to bump lessons, copy lessons and mass delete lessons. You can auto create grades from any lesson to avoid duplicate keying.  HomeSchool Helper has the ability to do lesson reports with parameters that can be emailed to students. You can also manage book list, field trips, task list. You can track daily attendance with no keying. It gives me the ability to Track time spent on each lesson with reporting this is  an important feature as it is a state requirement for us and I was very happy to see it. Reports can be viewed, saved or emailed for storage or printing. and you can do reports for just about everything (ex: report cards attendance, summary's and more)
Attendance Calender 

This app is beautiful It looks like a fancy planner when you open it. You click the steaming coffee cup for your settings. There is a sticky note for your help button. The eraser is the edit button. Click the pencil to add a new student. There is even a ticket you click for family field trips. The opening lay out is beautiful and so easy to use. I had both girls listed as new students with in minutes.
The grade calculator is probably one of my favorite features. I love that I can use it with out closing the assignment I am working on. It makes putting in grades and assignments so much easier.  I can add as many school years as I need to. There is no limit on the number of students. So I can use this baby forever. We do a lot of field trips and its great that I can log them while we are there and make notes. Being able to print off my records is also an important feature for me. I feel the need to have hard copies of everything, it makes it easy for me to print and store this years records with this years portfolio work that I am required to keep. The only feature that might be missing is the ability to create transcripts for high school students.  For us its not a big deal, there are lots of programs to help you write transcripts when the time comes.
HomeSchool Helper keeps everything together in one nice neat package. It keeps track of everything I need. Its easy to use and it looks beautiful. Best of all the price is fantastic for my classroom budget.  Below you can see the HomeSchool Helper App Trailer it shows you some of the great features of the app.

Find them on Facebook
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Buy that app on Amazon
See the website

A big thanks goes out to HomeSchool Helper for providing me with a free copy of the app to review all opinions are my own.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Double Wedding Ring



I have reviewed all sorts of products hear on my blog. What can I say I am a mom of many interest.Quilting
is one of my many hobbies. I love making baby quilts for all the new babies in the family. I have done some crazy patterns in the past but there has always been one pattern that I have been afraid to try. The Double wedding ring, it looks so complicated its got lots of tiny pieces and its all curves. My mind just keeps going back to how do I cut all those pieces and have them come out the same. I have just never been brave enough to try the pattern.  A few weeks a go Baycreek Quilting Products offered to send me a Acrylic Quilt template to review. They ask me to pick one that I would like to try. I was so excited I had never used a acrylic template this was going to be new for me. I had to flip through all the templates that they offer and decide on something.  Low and behold my dream pattern also my most feared pattern the Double Wedding Ring. I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. I let them know what template I wanted and waited for it to come in the mail.

The templates are designed to help you cut your pieces more accurately. They are made of thick acrylic so you can use your rotary cutter safely.  I love love that the writing is etched on each piece so you can identify them easily. Its etched on so it doesn't rub off like paint would. Acrylic Templates save time and fabric and make it so you can cut multiple layers at one time. Baycreek Quilting templates are made right hear in the USA. Price's vary depending on size, color and what template pattern that you order. The one I received is the 15 inch Double wedding Ring. You can find it by clicking hear . The clear 15 inch sells for $24 and is worth every penny. The quality is much better than the ones I have looked at in the quilting stores and the prices are very reasonable.

This was my first Acrylic template so I was excited to give it a try. I pulled out my big box of scraps and started cutting. Its easy to use you basically lay it on top of your fabric and use your rotary cutter to cut around it. Each piece of the template is labeled with the name of the template and a letter. It did come with some simple instructions that were easy to follow. The only thing I would suggest about the directions is maybe put the template letter on the picture that they give so if someone was new to quilting they would be able to see how to assemble it a little easier. The templates have a 1/4 in seam allowance already included and this makes for nice cutting and sewing. After I got all the pieces cut out I laid out the arches on the table to make assembling them easier and faster. Sewing on this type of curve can be a bit tricky and I had to go slow. When It was all together this is how it came out. True to the template it was 15 inches. I couldn't be more please with how it came out and how easy the template made it all. 


I wish I had known about Baycreek Quilting templates sooner. These are perfect for both beginner and advanced quilters. I now have several BayCreek templates on my Christmas list.  http://www.quilttemplates.com/

Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Dr. Scholl's Active Series

I am an active person I work out about 4 days a week. Before I had the girls I was a runner, now I do interval work outs and long walks, hikes and bike rides with the girls. About a month a go I received a complimentary set of Dr Scholl's Active Series Insoles from Influenster to review. I haven't suffered from shin splints in years but I tend to get pain in my lower back and feet so I was excited to give them a try. I haven't had a good pair of insoles in years.  The insoles sell for about $18.15 at walmart.  The price is reasonable most insoles are in that range. The active series fit my shoes well I did have to trim the length down a bit as they are a multi size insole and they are full length. I recommend trimming them a little at a time and then trying it in your shoe. I wear a size 9 but I only had to trim the insole down to a size 10. So far they have held up good and give me a decent amount of cushion when running around after the kids or knocking out a interval work out. My lower back feels better after a long day at the park or being on my feet in the shop. They give me good arch support and I like the heal cup. The active series is said to reduce shock up to 40% All in all I think the new Dr. Scholl's Active Series gives a decent bang for your buck.



Disclaimer: I received this product for testing purposes free of charge from Influenster.


Friday, November 1, 2013

Cuppow


Hear in Mo we drink our sweet tea from a Mason Jar. What can I say its just the way things are done around hear. While surfing around online one day I discovered Cuppow. If you drink from a Mason jar Cuppow products were made just for you. Cuppow makes these great mason jar drinking lids and a lunch box adapter called the BNTO that allows you to store dip right in side your wide mouth canning jar for lunches on the go. The Adapter lids allow you to turn any mason jar into a travel mug and they come in several different colors and you can get them for both wide and regular mouth jars. The adapter lids sell for $7.99 and the BNTO lunch box adapter sells for $7.99. The are all made of recycled BPA free plastic and are Made right hear in the USA and packaged with recycled material. you an find them by clicking HEAR

I received one wide mouth drinking lid and one regular mouth drinking lid and one BNTO to try out. To use the drinking lids you unscrew the jar lid replace the seal with the cuppow  screw the lid back on the jar and your done. They are reusable and have held up well with all the washing they have gone through in the last month. I only have the two lids so they get washed a lot. The hole on the drinking lid is designed so that you can used a straw in it. I don't normally drink with a straw but I tested it out just to be sure it really would fit and it worked wonderfully.  With Cuppow I don't worry about my drink getting spilled so much and its super comfortable to drink out of.





I also received a BNTO this was a totally new but I was excited to try it out. With the BNTO you will need the both the ring and seal to your jar. Take off the ring and seal put your snack in side in our case it was celery sticks. Drop the BNTO into the jar put in your dip ranch dressing for us. Replace the seal and ring and your set to go. Its completely reusable and it looks super cool and its all in one so it saves space. The girls though it was handy they kept asking what else we could put in it, one of them even suggested soup in the bottom and small soup crackers in the BNTO. Chips and cheese, Oreos and Milk the list goes on and on.


Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product