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July 22, 2015April 9, 2016

OxyRub Pain Relief Cream – Review and Discount

OxyRub Pain Relief cream is a rub on cream for the relief of arthritis, tense muscles, bursitis, and other strains or bruises.

I have some Carpal tunnel in my right wrist which flairs up from time to time. I received the OxyRub Pain Relief cream during a week that I was having a particularly bad time with it.

I try to relieve some of the symptoms by using my left hand more when I’m on the computer and such but I think most of the irritation comes from carrying my 35lb 2yr old around and some days not carrying him just isn’t option so I need pain relief that targets just my hand and wrist.

The OxyRub is not a strong pain relief cream so it didn’t relieve all the pain but it did reduce it a good amount so I was able to do most of my activities throughout my day without any pain – including toting around the toddler.

It performs pretty much as I expected for a Pain Relief Cream. It targets the pain right where it’s rubbed in, lasts a good amount of time (I only needed to use it once a day for the 3 days that I was having the most trouble), and does a good job of providing a good amount of pain relieve without numbing the area.

Use Code SAVEOXY2 to save 20% off your first purchase of OxyRub 1 Tube (4 oz.) sold by Healthy Directions on Amazon.com. Promotion code expires 12/31/15. Make sure you select the tube that is sold by Healthy Directions or the promo code will not work.

Don’t want to purchase from Amazon? You can also purchase OxyRub from HealthyDirections.com.

I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

July 17, 2015July 14, 2015

Food Friday – Sautéed Squash

We love Sautéed Squash at my house. It’s so quick and easy to make. I’ll whip it up for lunch or an emergency snack. It’s soft so the baby can eat it (though, he has molars now so it’s not really a problem anymore).

Sautéed Squash

1 large or 2 small squash – rinsed and sliced into rounds
1 Tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Parmesan Cheese

Place sliced squash and butter in skillet over medium heat. Add salt as desired. Cook, stirring frequently until squash is soft and lightly browned – about 15 minutes (if you use a nonstick skillet it won’t brown that much).

Remove from heat and serve topped with grated parmesan cheese.

July 16, 2015April 9, 2016

Oz Naturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum – Review

I’ve tried Oz Naturals products in the past and liked them, so I was pretty excited to try this Oz Naturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum.

What they say: “CLINICAL STRENGTH anti aging, anti wrinkle serum is proven to plump skin and fill in those fine lines and wrinkles.

THIS HYALURONIC ACID SERUM is guaranteed to give you that dewy, moisture boost needed to achieve that youthful glow and is proven to reduce skin’s fine lines and wrinkles.

Our CRUELTY FREE, Hyaluronic Acid Serum does not contain alcohol, parabens or sulfates and is safe for all skin types.

MADE IN THE USA in a state of the art FDA registered facility, OZ Naturals formulates effective anti aging products.”

Now for my opinion. First of all, I had to figure out what a Hyaluronic Acid Serum is, and how to use it. Because, I don’t know about you, but I have no idea what Hyaluronic is and Acid doesn’t sound like a good thing to put on my face.

But it has this cute little dropper in it, which makes it lots of fun to use. It’s just fun to drop stuff on your hand and put it on your face instead of having to dump the bottle into your hand or figure out how to get the stuff out of the bottle. I just love the bottle and the dropper!

So, I read the instructions – I followed the instructions as well 🙂

Step 1: Wash and dry your face as usual
Step 2: Apply Oz Naturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum and let dry (it dries really fast)
Step 3: Apply your usual facial moisturizer and makeup as usual.

Super easy.

So, what does the Oz Naturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum do you ask? Well, basically, it preps your face for your moisturizer. I’ve been using it for several days now and it allows your moisturizer to soak in better. I was worried it would make my skin more oily, but it does just the opposite. Since my moisturizer is soaking in more, that means less oil ON my face and more deep into my skin where I actually need it. Hooray!

This oil is just about odorless – I can smell a little bit of the witch hazel but it’s not strong and doesn’t smell bad so it’s not a problem. It does remind me of when I used witch hazel as a facial cleanser when I was a teen. I need something a little more moisturizing these days! And it’s made with natural ingredients.

It’s gentle on my skin, soaks in fast, and when used as instructed, helps my face stay more moisturized throughout the day.

Want a bottle for yourself? You can buy it here.

I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

July 16, 2015July 14, 2015

CSA – Week 9

Another delicious week of vegetables. There was a lot of variety this week!

Such a yummy CSA this week, starting with parsley. Because you can never have too much parsley. I love adding it to foods!

Peppers, red and yellow. My 2yr old insists on calling them apples. And he’s more than happy to just take a bite out of them!

These are called red torpedo onions and they look delicious! Every time I look at them I want to eat them.

Beets, I made another batch of pickled beets this week. My 6yr old likes them.

Green beens. You can have too many of these (if you’ve ever had too many bean plants you know what I’m talking about) but it’s really hard because they’re so delicious.

Kale – I love kale, but my family does not share my like 🙁

Celery. This organic, local celery is so flavorful. It has way more flavor than what you get at your grocery store. I’m just amazed.

July 15, 2015April 9, 2016

Gym Dandy Teeter Totter Product Review

Last fall we tried out this Gym Dandy Deluxe Teeter Totter at a friend’s house and just loved it. So, the beginning of spring I bought one for the kids.

I love the bright colors, it’s such a fun looking toy!

It’s easy for the kids (even the 2yr old) to climb on and climb off of.

And best of all, it’s extremely hard to tip over. I think it would take 2 adults intentionally trying to tip it over to actually tip it.

You can see the red base that makes it hard to tip. The yellow arms let the kids play without being able to tip too far. And the seats are comfortable and the handles are easy to grip.

We had some friends over the other day and at one point all 5 kids had piled on it without a problem – I don’t actually recommend using it with this many kids because there’s not quite enough room on the seats for 5. The seats can seat 4 kids total though if you have older kids who want to give younger kids a ride.

This has been one of my best toy purchases!

July 10, 2015July 8, 2015

Food Friday – Green Beans

I just love green beans. They’re one of my favorite vegetables, a favorite with the kids, and so easy to make.

Garlic Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans – with ends cut off and broken into 1 in pieces
Water
Salt
2 cloves garlic – crushed

Put green beans and garlic in a pan, cover with water. Add salt to taste. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 15 minutes for crisp beans or 45 minutes for softer beans. My kids will only eat green beans if they’re not chewy so I just boil them longer until they’re nice and soft.

Drain any extra water and serve hot.

July 9, 2015July 8, 2015

CSA – Week 8

Here’s my latest CSA haul.

I’m just loving this squash. It’s one of my favorite vegetables. And this squash is so tasty!

More celery, I still have half a head from last week so I need to find a recipe that uses lots of celery. I’m thinking I might make up a bunch of cream of celery soup and freeze it for later.

Green onions. I think I’ve gotten green onions every week so far. I’ve figured out how to add them to things without my husband and the kids discovering them so I’m always happy for more.

My 6yr old likes my pickled beets. I’m not a fan of beets but they’re ok pickled. So I’ll probably do that with these.

Basil, I’m loving having so much fresh basil. It’s so delicious and goes great in so many things!

Beans. I’m so excited to finally get some beans. I really love fresh beans, and these were delicious!

Greens, they didn’t tell me what kind and I just don’t know the difference between all of my greens. Unfortunately no one wants to eat them (except for me) so I’m going to have to get sneaky about it.

Tomatoes. I’m loving all these fresh tomatoes! So tasty.

July 8, 2015April 9, 2016

Lashem 3-in-1 Bright Eye Give-Away + Review

Lashems 3-in-1 Eye Bright helps diminish dark circles and fine lines as it smooths the appearance of puffiness and wrinkles. This paragon free, hyperallogenic formula is PETA Certified Cruelty Free and helps to hydrate, nourish, and condition the delicate eye-area keeping you looking and feeling your best.

With 3 little kids running around, I’m pretty much always tired. So, I jumped at the chance to try and review a product that is supposed to help me look less tired.

Pros:

This product is easy to apply – I love the consistency, it’s easy to get it right where I want it.
It rubs in quickly – no one wants to be rubbing around their eye for too long
It has no scent – I’m not a big fan of scented facial products, so I love things that don’t smell
It dries well – as in, it’s not sticky after it dries. The eye bright seems sticky when I start rubbing it in, but after it’s rubbed in, my skin feels smooth with no sticky residue.
It lightens under my eye – It does help my eyes look less tired. It’s been a busy week with lots of traveling and having something that helped me look less tired was pretty awesome.
It’s in a cute bottle that’s easy to store

Cons:

The dispenser is hard to use – I’m always getting twice as much product as I can actually use at one time, the push down sticks a little so I get a lot or none.

All in all, I really like this product. It works well and it’s easy to apply.

This product is listed for $40 on their site here.

Not sure you want to buy it yet? Enter their giveaway here for a chance to win a free 3 in 1 Eye Bright.

I received this product free for purposes of my own. All opinions are my own.

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015

Food Friday – Crockpot Vegetable Soup

I’ve been on a soup/stew kick this past couple of weeks. Mainly because we’re super busy and it’s easy to toss everything in the crockpot before heading out the door for the day. And then supper is ready when I get home!

For this vegetable soup, you can toss in just about any vegetable if you don’t like the veggies I used.

Crockpot Vegetable Soup

2 Large Tomatoes – cut in chunks
Handfull Chopped Cauliflower
4 Sliced carrots
1 Beet peeled and grated
3 Radishes sliced (I’ve noticed the spicier the raw radish, the sweeter it is cooked)
1 Cup chopped greens (I used swiss chard)
2 Cups chicken broth or chicken soup base
1 Cup cooked meat (I had some leftover hamburger and pork chops that I cut up and put in)

Put all ingredients in the crockpot. Add extra water to full cover vegetables if needed. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

July 2, 2015June 30, 2015

CSA – Week 7

This week there was another green of some sort in my CSA. Sometimes they send an email telling what everything is. This week they didn’t. I’m not entirely sure what this is, but it tastes pretty good.

Green onions. I think I’ve had them in every CSA box so far. I am figuring out how to use them up though, so they’re actually nice to have now.

Basil, I’m just loving this sweet basil. It’s great for making spaghetti sauce, or just tossing in dishes that I’m making. It adds a nice flavor to everything.

Squash and a cucumber. These things are very large! One of them can make lunch for me and the kids. Luckily, we love both of them and I’m loving having them for easy lunches.

This is the first time I’ve had cabbage in my CSA. I asked my husband what he wanted me to do with it (he doesn’t really like cabbage) and he said the only way he’ll eat it is as sauerkraut. So, I’m making some of that. It has to ferment for a couple of weeks but I can’t wait to try it when it’s done.

Red lettuce, this is my favorite lettuce type to get in my CSA. It’s actually a tad sweeter than the green lettuce and has a great overall flavor. This week, I rinsed, cut up, and dried the entire head then put it in a tupperware in the fridge. Eating salads is so much more convenient this way, and covered it’ll last almost a week after I prepare it.

Swiss chard, I’m not eating through it fast enough, because no one will eat it plain. I have no problem getting the kids to eat it if I mix it in other dishes though.