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God With Us – Review and Giveaway

Many thanks to Shepherd Press for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive the product in exchange for this review and post.

Author Jeremy Pierre and illustrator Cassandra Clark want to awaken children to a brave journey — a journey home. This world is not our home. We live east of Eden and short of Heaven. The earlier children understand this, the more sense they can make out of this sad, wonderful place. This storybook aims to share their vision of the world as a place in-between, to awaken them to the brave journey they must take toward their true home — their home with God.

This is a super cute kids book, written from the perspective of angels watching the things happening on earth. It’s simple and easy to read and perfect for a quick, evening devotion with little ones. I love how it talks about our journey to God and how he has a plan no matter what.

“God with Us delivers truth with imagination, creativity, and beautiful illustrations. The gospel message becomes clearer with every turn of the page. Like a symphony of truth that crescendos to the final fanfare, God with Us ends with a finale that connects the gospel dots and offers an invitation to believe. Bravo and well done!” —Marty Machowski, Pastor and author of The Ology, Wonderful, Long Story Short, and other gospel-centered resources for church and home.

Check out their website here. Buy here.

And, enter below for a chance to win your very own copy of “God With Us”. Keep it for yourself or gift it to a kid in your life.

 

#GodWIthUsMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

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Thanksgiving Hostess Gifts

*Sponsored Post*

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and I am excited about our Thanksgiving gathering planned for this year! Getting together to share what we’re all thankful for is always a terrific start to the winter holiday season.

But, what do you bring the Thanksgiving host? I found several super fun (and tasty) hostess gifts that you can bring to show your appreciation the moment you arrive.

Sweet Chaos

I highly recommend bringing more than one bag is you bring this as a hostess gift. It’s delicious and impossible to put down until the entire bag is gone! Black & White Sugar Cookie is my favorite, but in the interest of fully reviewing I tried all of these, and they’re all delicious!

They’re basically all drizzled kettle corns. And they’re basically all amazing. Seriously, you’ll probably want to hide a bag in your car for the trip home. They have just the right amount of sweet and salty, crunchy and gooey, and the perfect drizzle flavors to top it all off.

This hostess gift is simple, fun, and something your hostess can either share or enjoy later. Basically, perfect for Thanksgiving!

Color My Cookie

Anyone can create amazing cookies! Just check out my turkey before and after! Color My Cookie is awesome! They send you the white iced cookies, cookie “paint”, sprinkles, and everything else you need to create awesome looking cookies! The Gobble Gobble Cookie kit that they sent me is so cute!

Best of all, they taste as good as they look! Worried you might not have what it takes? Each cookie set comes with a QR code or link to watch a video tutorial. Seriously, though, these are so easy, even my 4 yr old made one!

Delysia Chocolatier

Looking for chocolates, but want something unique! Delysia Chocolatier is awesome! From unique flavors to fun shapes, they have so much chocolate to choose from that picking out the perfect hostess gift is a breeze!

Check out their Thanksgiving Hostess Truffle Collection. With flavors like sweet potato casserole – covered in chocolate, obviously – you’re sure to surprise your host with something unique and fun.

Plus, the prints are so fun and perfect for sharing with Thanksgiving guests. Because you know you want to try one!

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Zombie Chase

Thanks to PlayMonster and Tryazon for the awesome game! My kids (ranging from teen to preschooler) all love this game!

Zombie Chase by PlayMonster is so much fun for everyone.

I love how easy it is for the preschooler – he likes to get turned into a zombie as soon as possible and then chase everyone else around the board!

While my older kids are focused on collecting all the items necessary to escape and win the game while not being turned into a zombie.

We had some game time with friends as well and I had to make sure every mom knew exactly what the game was called and where to get it, because it’s now on several kid’s Christmas Gift lists!

They also sent me a game called Reign by PlayMonster. It reminds me a lot of Risk, but it’s way way faster (as in you complete an entire game in 30 to 60 minutes). My 8yr old son loves it and has been bringing it places when he knows he’ll have friends to play with. It really is the perfect game for elementary and middle school aged kids!

#tryazon, #zombiechase, #zombiegame, #playmonsterfun

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Pure Flix – Review and Giveaway

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Pure Flix is a faith based family-friendly streaming video service. Their mission is to stream inspiring and faith-affirming TV shows, movies, and original series.

One of these series is Vindication. It’s Pure Flix’s very own Cop Drama. You can check it out here.

In my efforts to review this episode, I accidentally watched episode 6 of season 1 first. Whoops! Of course, now I need to finish watching season one!

Though, comparing the episodes, I do think that season 2 is an improvement on season 1 and I’m enjoying season 2 more.

Once I finally watched “The Facade”, which is Vindication Season 2, Episode 6, I liked it. It was an interesting episode about an eccentric photographer and a suspected crime.

They did a good job of keeping it interesting all the way through and left me excited about watching the next episode.

Aside from this drama, Pure Flix also has a fun collection of classics, kids movies and shows, and comedies. Plus a lot more! Basically, there’s something for everyone in my family.

Check out Pure Flix for yourself and enter below for a chance to win a free 6 month subscription to Pure Flix!

#VindicationMIN

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Roar Like a Lion – Review and Giveaway

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive the product in exchange for this review and post.

Roar Like a Lion by Levi Lusko with Tama Fortner is a 90 day devotional book for kids.

With eye-catching art, fascinating stories and facts, Bible verses and prayers, and simple action steps, this 90-day devotional will help your kids approach both fun moments and tough times with their hearts set on God’s faithfulness.

  • Facing fears about school and friendships
  • Dealing with peer pressure and bullying
  • Handling new challenges, disappointments, and grief
  • Having courage to try something new
  • Understanding how we each fit into God’s great story

I love the fun pictures and the little extra info in the bubble at the end of each devotion . I also love how each devotion is short and perfect for reading to kids.

Each devotion starts with a verse and ends with a little prayer. And, 90 days of devotions is perfect for encouraging a daily devotion habit in my kiddos. They’re enjoying these devotions and absolutely LOVE the lion on the cover!

You can order your own copy here! And enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a copy of Roar Like a Lion!

 

#RoarLikeALionMIN #roarlikealion #tommynelsonbooks

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Vindication Season 1 – Review

*Sponsored Post*

Pure Flix is a faith based family-friendly streaming video service. They originally started as a film studio in 2005 and in 2014 launched Pure Flix. In 2020 they became part of AFFIRM Entertainment. Their mission is to stream inspiring and faith-affirming TV shows, movies, and original series.

One of these series is Vindication. It’s Pure Flix’s very own Cop Drama and it’s returning for a second season this month! (September 2021). You can check out the trailer here.

I love a good cop drama show and it was interesting to see it from a more faith based perspective. I feel like most dramas like this are very formulamatic and Vindication didn’t exactly follow the usual form.

It was kind of nice, because I didn’t exactly know what to expect next. They spent a lot of time on the character / suspect’s life and almost no time on the crime itself and I was kind of surprised when it was magically solved at the end.

And it was cool to see how the suspect, even though he had struggles, in the end, made the right decision, and that decision probably saved his life.

This first episode was a lot more like a relationship drama and not so much of a cop show. So, I am looking forward to watching the rest of the season on Pure Flix because it is a fun show that’s more about the mystery than the drama.

#VindicationMIN

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Back To School

*Sponsored Post*

It’s back to school time, and I’m loving these fun products that help make learning fun! With homeschooling multiple grades it’s super busy at times, but also so much fun to see my kids learning!

I am loving this rug from KC Cubs! I set it out in our school area for my 4yr old and eventually gave up on taking a picture of it with no toys on it. It’s his favorite place to play!

I love how he’ll play with toys and then we’ll discuss a few letters and then he’ll go back to playing. The seasons have been a favorite topic of conversation with his older siblings. They know the seasons, but seeing them laid out by month has been super interesting to them.

This rug is comfortable and doesn’t slide around on my floor. Basically, everyone loves it! It’s the preferred toy and game area in my house suddenly. And I’m loving that we can naturally have conversations about letters, seasons, and days of the week while the kids play.

And, what’s a school day without good snacks? I’m loving these fun cookies from Dick & Jane!

Not only are they tasty, they’re terrific conversation starters! We even had to look a couple presidents up because none of us remembered what they did.

I think we spend more time playing with these than eating them. Which really isn’t all that bad. It’s definitely a fun way to start or finish our school day!

And, last but not least, this super easy cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen. Because a school day isn’t successful without a tasty dinner! And I don’t always have time to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Each of these recipes really is only 5 ingredients, which makes them all super easy to make. I’m loving the addition of all these tasty and easy recipes to the end of our school day.

With only 5 ingredients, even my older kids can make us dinner! It’s a win win. Good food, and they’re learning how to cook!

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Aerobie Football

Thanks to Tryazon and Spinmaster for the awesome Aerobie Football!

This football whistles when you throw it correctly, which is pretty awesome! And it’s small and light enough that even my 4yr old can throw it!

We practice in the back yard with it at first and then took it to a play date with friends. It’s an awesome toy and perfect for the fall and playing outside.

I am encouraging lots of outside play these days because the weather is beautiful! And fresh air and sunshine are so great for everyone!

We’re all looking forward to our next playdate at the park!

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Birthday Gift Ideas for Guys

*This is a sponsored post and may contain affiliate links*

I don’t know about you, but shopping for a Birthday present for my hubby is so hard! So, instead of looking for traditional guys gifts (what are those exactly anyway?), I got him some things that he loves. Good food!

Me’s Way

I love cooking, and hubby loves spicy foods. So, for a fun Birthday Present, I made him some well flavored stir fry.

I love a good chili sauce and Me’s Way is delicious! It has lots of spice and lots of flavor. We all know how important flavor is to a good stir fry!

This hand crafted, all-natural chili sauce is inspired by the creator’s Vietnamese roots. And I’m super impressed with it!

It has the spicy kick I expect out of a good chili sauce and it also has a lot of extra flavor (must be their super secret seasonings that they add!) that I’ve not had in a chili sauce before. Basically, It’s amazing and makes all my meals with chili sauce taste amazing!

Hot N Saucy

Back to the spicy food conversation… my hubby loves spice! One of our favorite hot sauce companies seems to be having sourcing issues (seriously, I can’t get the stuff anywhere!!!).

So, we’re once again on the hunt for a good hot sauce. I wasn’t a huge fan of the beet hot sauce – because beets are basically the one food that I can’t stand the taste of – but hubby thought it was good.

For both of us though, our favorite is the sweet potato & habanero. I LOVE a good habanero sauce! And the sweet potato addition to the flavor is just amazing!

Of course, Hubby’s favorite way to eat it is mixed with a little mayo and then used as a spicy fish sauce. It’s so good!!!

The Mayonnaise Cookbook

Speaking of Mayo and fish… this mayonnaise cookbook is one of those gifts that I say is for my hubby, but… it’s really for me. He just gets the benefit of me cooking with one of my favorite condiments.

How awesome is this fish sandwich with homemade mayonnaise sauce on top!

If you get this cookbook, you’ll also want to buy a bulk size package of mayo because you’re going to want to make sure you don’t run out.

My hubby loves fish sandwiches, and he was so excited about me making a super tasty one at home!

I also tried about a bunch of the different mayonnaise themed sauces in this book and have really eaten way too much mayo this month!

All in all, a food themed Birthday for hubby this year really has been tasty and fun for both of us!

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Teen Gift Ideas

*This post contains sponsored content and affiliate links*

For me, August is the month of Birthdays. Throw in some Back to School and end of Summer stuff and it’s just pure insanity! So, in honor of having my first official teenager this year, I put together a fun gift guide for my Girl.

Soo’AE

Skincare is super important for every teen girl. And what better way to kick off her teen beauty routine than with these awesome natural, vegan, cruelty-free, eco-friendly products from Soo’AE!

The face wash, face cream, and face masks are gentle and made with clean & green ingredients. So, they’re good for my daughter’s skin and good for the environment as well. I especially love that the masks are 95% natural!

We had a fun at home spa night with the masks and enjoyed hanging out with each other for a little while.

Spooky America

My kids LOVE ghost stories! Just as much as they love s’mores around a campfire.  And while I have no issues with them hearing / reading ghost stories, I do my best to make sure that these stories are age appropriate for them.

My daughter doesn’t know yet that there are 32 of these books and not just 2 – as soon as she figures that out, her Christmas list will be 30 books long…

My girls actually swiped these the minute they arrived and I had to go hunt them down just to photograph them (while the girls supervised so I didn’t “loose” any in my bedroom).

They told me that the stories aren’t really scary, but they’re very fun. And they want more of them. They’re also unwilling to let me borrow their books because they’re afraid I’ll keep them for myself!

These are definitely on my “need to buy the whole series” list!

Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids

I may or may not have been more excited about this cookbook than my daughter was. Though, my kids have been all about Harry Potter this summer! They had a friend at summer camp ask them about it and they all realized that they’ve never seen it.

So, our Summer family movie nights were all about Harry Potter. She was super excited about her new cookbook and has handed me a grocery shopping list a mile long!

So far, we’ve tried one of the sandwich recipes and everyone was thrilled with it.

 

Fidgets

My daughter was given an Amazon gift card for her birthday and guess what she rushed to buy? Fidgets! I had not idea that these things could come in this many different shapes, but there really is a lot of variety here.

And these days, when in doubt, a fidget for someone’s Birthday is the way to go!