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Cubekins Review and giveaway

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

Cubekins is an award-winning, wholesome, small-town tale of a rambunctious, seven-year old boy named Kip exploring his ever-changing world, while learning more about his never-changing God.

  • New Christian “Faith-based” Show for Kids, like Veggie Tales set in Mayberry
  • New, fun, family-friendly and faith-based content for children ages 3-8!
  • Created by two homeschool dads and their families
  • Buy/Rent Cubekins Ep. 01 Invasion of the Cubecumbers on the Cubekins website (or other available streaming platforms)
  • Check out exclusive member content, like coloring books, bonus videos, and more by becoming a fan member at cubekins.com!
    Includes…

    • A link to watch/stream our 22 minute Cubekins Pilot and Bonus Songs Content
    • A digital download of our “Kip Loves God” coloring book.
    • A digital download of our full color “Kip Loves God” Reader.
    • Access to our Members Only section of the Cubekins website
    • Access to future Membership perks
  • Dove.org review: “Cubekins is a great kids show—children will be entertained while learning morals from a Christian perspective. Parents need not worry about negativity or inappropriate themes. When looking for a wholesome way to teach and occupy their children, parents can trust Cubekins to fulfill those needs.”

Check out their trailer and other bonus features here!

We got to watch the Cubekins Invasion of the Cubecumbers. My 3yr old loved it! And he was pretty upset that there was only one episode available to watch. So, needless to say, we’ll definitely be checking out the new episodes as they’re available on Amazon prime!

And…I get to give away a code to a free episode! So, enter below for your chance to win a free episode and check this out for yourself!

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Travel Products Review

*I received these items free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own*

I love a good road trip, and last year I was planning this whole series on our traveling adventures. That definitely got put on hold, but, even if we’re still staying closer to home, I plan to get in a few road trips this year!

There’s so many things I miss about them. One of my favorite activities when I’m driving is trying to figure out what happened or is happening with the vehicles (and often people) that have pulled off on the side of a highway.

Without even leaving my city, I came across a fun one the other day. I passed a hearse parked on the side of the road. And now I have so many questions. There was no driver in it when I passed it, which means someone probably came by and picked him up (or he was napping in the back while waiting for the tow truck).

But, what I really want to know, is, were they carrying anything? Funeral processions generally tend to stay off the highway, but there are a lot of exits in this area, so, was he alone or was this a massive funeral mishap.

If he was alone, was there anything in the back? Like, did they have to send another hearse to pick up everyone in the hearse? Or did a buddy in a Honda Civic just drop by and give him a lift? I’d love to hear your theories in the comments!

Of course, with traveling, keeping things clean is always a challenge, so, the first item I’m adding to my car is this super handy automatic sanitizer dispenser from Eco Freaks.

First off, this jug is huge! So, I have plenty to go around. And with 80% alcohol and a great citrus smell, this stuff sanitizes and smells good!

Here’s the fun part, the coozie shaped item is actually a case that I put the automatic sanitizer dispenser in and then it sits in the cup holder in my car without rattling around. Super awesome! And the green funnel makes it easy to refill my dispenser without spilling sanitizer everywhere. Plus it collapses down flat for easy storage.

The only down side is that my kids think this dispenser is so awesome they want to use it constantly – lol.

Pure Sky Four Piece Car Cleaner

This is awesome! You can just use water to clean. You have your purple window cloth, inside dusting cloth, and then your towels for cleaning the outside of your car. One wet and one dry. After all this salt on our roads, I was so happy for warmer weather and a chance to wash my car!

And after our latest trip, the inside of my car definitely appreciated a quick cleaning! I mean, I am constantly amazed at how sticky kids can be.

I just keep these in the back of my car with my emergency blankets (or emergency towels in the summer) and they’re available for any planned or unplanned car cleaning events.

And, last but not least. Where would we be without our masks? Wherever you travel, as mask is needed, so I keep a supply in the car for all our adventures.

I love these antibacterial performance masks from hmnKIND. They have these in a variety of sizes. XS works for my 7 and 10 yr olds and S works well for my 12 year old. The S fits me as well but a M would be more comfortable – just to give you some size references if you’re looking to buy these.

They’re more breathable than cotton masks (but actually work just as well or better than a 3-layer cotton mask), very lightweight, and 99.9% antibacterial which should help if you’re experiencing breakouts from mask wearing.

And, yes, I have actually tried my cotton mask and then this one and this one is way easier to breathe in.

They have lots of fun colors to choose from, so it’s easy to get everyone their own color so you don’t mix up masks.

I’m looking forward to some fun family road trips this summer. What are your vacation plans? Or where is one place you really want to go?

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Dolphin Island

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

Dolphin Island is available for Digital Purchase March 2nd! I got to see a preview copy of this move and you don’t want to miss it! This is such a sweet tail of a girl, friendship (both human and animal friends), love, accountability, and facing a big life challenge.

This is a fun, colorful adventure for the whole family to enjoy! My kids watched the preview with me and we all LOVE the dolphin!

Dolphin Island is Dove-approved for all ages! and Winner of Best Feature Film – Christian Film Festival 2021.

Check out their website for a FREE downloadable Family Discussion Guide to spark meaningful conversations about Courage, Forgiveness, and Faith (coming soon!)

5 OUT OF 5 STARS. RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 7 TO 18, PLUS ADULTS. IT IS FAMILY FRIENDLY AND HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY -Kids First!

A HEARTWARMING TALE OF LOVE AND ACCOUNTABILITY, WILL BE ENTERTAINING FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY – Dove Foundation

Purchase Dolphin Island after its on-demand release on Tuesday, March 2nd, and watch from the comfort of your own home!

I have 2 giveaways to share! Click Here to enter the first one.

Enter below for a chance to win a digital copy of Dolphin Island!

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Valentine Gift Guide

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

Pink Panda

With 2 grams of sugar and 90 calories I was worried that they wouldn’t taste very candy like. I was pleasantly surprised. I actually love the Astro Blasters (yellow bag), they’re sour, sweet, and chewy. And with less sugar than in my usual gummy snacks I feel a little better about eating them.

Pink Panda is cute, fun, and tasty. A terrific Valentine gift for anyone.

Well Told Design

These street map etched glasses are amazing! They sent me a mug and a pint glass to review with a map of one of my favorite cities. It’s so much fun to be able to look at the map and remember the fun things my Hubby and I experienced in this City all while drinking my morning coffee or enjoying an evening beverage.

I have a sister who collects coffee cups and this mug is the perfect Valentine gift for her! Honestly, these maps are so cool! You can give these to any Valentine.

Even my little guy had to try to steal the show!

Escape Mail

I enjoy a good mystery, and Escape Mail is super fun! The map and clues are so cool! And it took me a good amount of time to solve my envelope. It makes for a fun and unique Valentine gift for that person who is just so hard to find something unique for. And for anyone who loves a little mystery!

This is a great gift to just randomly mail directly to a friend and just let them have fun figuring it out!

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Reading for Kids

I received the below books free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own. *this post contains affiliate links*

I am absolutely loving the Read City USA challenge for 2021. They’re challenging everyone to read 20 minutes a day. You can join through your local library and then at every 10 hours mark you earn a sticker. We just stopped in our local library this week and pick up our first sticker. And my 4th grader who is all about doing things to their fullest, picked up her 10 hour and her 20 hour sticker. She’s figured out that if she reads an hour a day she can earn every single possible sticker. So, she’s been averaging 1 hour and 20 minutes of reading a day.

This challenge goes through the end of December 2021 so there’s plenty of time to get started and encourage your kids to read more! I’m on a perpetual hunt for new books for my kids and I’ve definitely struck gold with my latest 2 book reviews! Keep reading to discover a couple of our new favorites!

One book that my girls recently enjoyed is “The Friendship Fairies – Go to School“.

The Friendship Fairies by Lucy Kennedy – Illustrated by Phillip Cullen is a super cute book about 3 Fairy friends and their adventures back to school at the Magic Manor.

Faced with new challenges both in school and in their friendships, how will they make this a great back to school experience for everyone!

I love the friendly story and the fun illustrations and am happy to have my girls reading a book about the challenges of making new friends. Friendships are even harder this year and it was so good for them to read about other girls facing friendship challenges and overcoming them!

My son was super excited to help me review these books and CD from Friendly Fables by RAP DAD.

These books and the rap music are so much fun! My boys love rap music. I do not, so I have no idea what rap artists are appropriate for kids and who is not. It’s so hard for me to find raps that I actually like the boys listening to, because I’m so unfamiliar with the genre.

I was excited to try something new, and designed for kids. These do not disappoint. They’re fun, catchy, approved by me, and greatly liked by my boys. Plus, with matching books, my 2nd grader is actually excited to read, and his little brother is excited to listen to him read, because they both think that these are so cool.

Dino Rap is our current favorite, and the cd is now a permanent addition to my car!

Share with me in the comments, what’s something your child has read and loved this year! I’m going to run out of books really fast if my kids keep up this reading pace all year, and I need some new suggestions!

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Gifts for Moms

I received these products free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

I LOVE reviewing products for moms, because that means I discover some cool stuff for myself while I’m at it. Here’s 3 items for that mom or female friend on your gift list that is just impossible to shop for! They’re all unique, fun, and probably something that she doesn’t have yet!

Moxie Malas

Moxie Malas is Crystal Healing and Aromatherapy jewelry. Each piece is hand crafted in the United States using semi-precious gemstones and crystals.

Moxie Malas sent me this beautiful “I Just Can’t Even” bracelet to review.It’s a 7 inch bracelet on a stretchy band. It seems appropriate considering how difficult it is to keep my cool with the mixture of work stress, educating my children, and unusual holidays this year.

This bracelet has amethyst, aquamarine, moonstone, rose quartz, prehnite, and howlite for a mixture of courage and calming semi-precious gemstones and crystals.

The porous purple stones on this bracelet are lava stones. And, aside from being the perfect addition to this bracelet, they can be used for essential oils if I want to add a little scent to my bracelet.

A lot of Moxie Malas jewelry items have these porous lava stones for adding your favorite aromatherapy to your crystals bracelet.

They even have a monthly bracelet club if you want something new every month but are just overwhelmed by all the great options like I am, and can’t make up your mind!

Bombay Hair

I love playing with my hair, but I hate owning 50 different curling wands (well, I don’t think I actually own 50 – but I definitely own at least 10). All those power cords, sizes, etc.

So, I was excited to receive this 5 in 1 Curling Wand to Review. Basically, I have 5 curling wands, and only 1 power cord. That’s just awesome! This set comes with a rest for setting my hot curling wand on and two hair clips for helping me keep my hair where I want it while I’m curling.

This wand heats up super fast. Yay! That’s really important to me because with 4 kids, when I sit down to work on my hair, I don’t have 10 minutes to wait on my curling wand to heat up. Full disclosure here – with the exception of a couple wands that I’ve purchased for my daughters, I’m still using my curling irons from the 90s and those things take almost a decade to heat up. I think I was way overdue for an upgrade.

The different sizes are super easy to swap out, and there’s a lock switch so you can’t accidentally twist your wand off the base while you’re curling – because that would be a problem. Just make sure that your wand is completely cool before swapping ends. – which is the only down side of a 5 in 1. You can’t use multiple sizes at the same time.

My favorite is the second from the left (in the picture) that has the smaller base and larger end. I start at the scalp and wind my hair around so the end of my hair is at the end of the wand. I have long hair and it’s always frustrating when my ends curl but the top doesn’t, so being able to curl tighter where it’s more difficult and looser where it holds better makes my curls come out so much more even.

Prank-o

These gifts are amazing for that white elephant gift exchange, or for the impossible to purchase for person on your gift list.

I’m actually re-gifting these because I have a couple people on my gift list that just need a gag gift.

These call of nature mugs are funnier the longer you look at them, and the gift cards are perfect for that person who is always telling you how much they love gift cards – or the person who insists on giving everyone gift cards every year. No matter which side of the gift card fence you fall all, these are awesome!

You can actually go to the web address on the gift card (Prank-o owns those domains) and it will give you all the details about how you’ve been pranked.

Prank-o also has prank gift boxes, prank greeting cards, prank flyers, and more. All perfect for bring out the laughs however you choose to exchange gifts this holiday season.

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Holidays for Kids

I received these products free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

Hylands

I am a huge fan of Hyland’s! And these products are no exception. They work great and are still gentle enough for my toddler. It’s so nice to be able to help him out when he has a cold.

Sometimes, he older sister actually asks for Hyland’s instead of more adult medication because it really is a lot nicer. And I don’t tell her no. If she’d rather have medicine that’s more natural, like Hyland’s, I’m all about it!

These are great to have on hand for the holidays. This year, we’re not seeing a lot of people, but, most years, someone gets a cold before the end of the holiday season.

Blimey Box

This fun box is great for keeping kids entertained the entire holiday season!

It’s basically a toolbox, locked with a lock that has a puzzle for your kid to solve in order to figure out the lock combo.

Once you open that, there are 3 more tasks inside the box and 3 more locks to open the bag that has the key to the treasure chest.

Inside the treasure chest is the prize. Each box also includes a pdf document (that they e-mail to you) that contains 45 additional puzzles. Every couple of days, I’ll put something new in the treasure chest – currently, I have these gold bar chocolate candies that I’m using -, reset the locks for the new puzzle, and set it out for the kids. Whoever figures it out first gets the prize.

The kids are quite motivated to figure out math and english puzzles to get to chocolate! And, it’s a great way to make them think and keep them entertained without technology. A win win.

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Family Friendly Holiday Activities

I received these items free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

Elyptol

I know we’re all staying home for the holidays, but I still want my surfaces clean for all the fun family activities we’re doing. So, before we get started, these hard surface wipes from Elyptol are perfect for wiping down the table or counter.

With natural ingredients and a Eucalyptus clean scent, these wipes are perfect for any solid household surfaces.

Elyptol has hand sanitizer, sprays, wipes, and liquid soap. Even if I wasn’t being extra cautious about germs this year, my 3yr old son is still struggling to accurately hit the inside of the toilet, so, I’m doing a LOT of bathroom cleaning. It’s nice to do it with a product that doesn’t dry out my skin and that leaves my bathroom smelling amazing!

Use code: germ free for a 20% discount when you order.

Adventure Challenge

Now that we have a clean work surface, the first thing my kids wanted to try out was this Adventure Challenge book.

There’s a plethora of fun family activities, you scratch off one, and have to accomplish it before you can pick another one. We just finished the one where you create a sculpture out of something from your fridge. It was so much fun!

There’s tape strips by each challenge for sticking on a photo of your adventures. When we’re all done it’s going to be an awesome book full of fun memories!

It’s hard to beat having fun AND being able to look back easily and remember it.

I’m loving the randomness of the activities, this makes them so fun and unique. And I love that I have a fun activity literally at my fingertips for those days when we just can’t think of anything to do.

So much fun!!!

You’re Pulling My Leg Jr

This game is simple, you ask a question – like tell me about a time an animal tried to bite you – the answerer flips a coin and doesn’t let anyone else see it, heads is the truth and tails is a lie.

The Answerer then answers the question by telling a story with the designated truth or lie and the listeners have to guess if the story is true or not.

We started this the other night and the kids did not want to stop! It’s so much fun coming up with random stories (or true stories) and trying to trick your siblings (and parents).

We got many laughs out of this game and have plans to play it again tonight.

The best thing is, you can easily play this game with a large variety of ages and everyone can have fun tricking everyone else. I plan to pull it out for our next extended family zoom call.

Pando

So this game arrived all wrapped up, with this cool note. I liked the game before I even played it! Obviously, the creators of this game are super creative, which is everything I could hope for in a get to know you trivia game!

This game works as a couples game, a group party game, and even as a family game. It’s funny how my questions my husband and I did’t know the answers to for each other!

The kids thought it was so fun to learn random information about everyone, and there really are so hilarious questions/answers that happened while we were playing.

This is another game that is perfect for family or friend zoom calls as well as family game night.

With all these awesome activities, my kids are well entertained this holiday season, while still learning about each other, and staying safe!

 

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Tween Gift Guide

*I received free samples of these items for purposes of my review*

Tweens start getting more complicated to shop for. They want fewer toys and more personal care items. My tween loves games, beauty products, and baking! So, I’ve rounded up a few items that I know she’ll love.

Eco Lips

This fun chapstick comes in 3 very festive holiday flavors, Raspberry truffle, Candy Cane, and Gingerbread.

Eco Lips are organic and fair trade so something you can feel good about giving your child.

These are small and make terrific stocking stuffers or buy the multi pack and wrap it as a present.

The way my daughter looses lip balms, I’ll need a couple multi packs just to get her to next Christmas.

Not into holiday scents? They have lots of other flavors available. Including tinted products and bee free products. There’s something here for everyone!

America’s Test Kitchen – the Complete DIY Cookbook for Young Chefs

My daughter loves to bake! And this cookbooks is perfect for her. From making your own sprinkles, to sweet and sour dip, to ketchup, to butter, to milkshakes, to really anything you can imagine. The instructions are easy to follow. There’s lots of pictures. And everything in here is simple enough that my daughter can do it on her own – though sometimes I just can’t resist joining her.

This is the perfect gift for that kid who just loves to experiment in the kitchen!

Scenties

I feel like the 80’s are back! Well, the part I loved about the 80’s is. Scrunchies!!! And, they’re better than ever, they smell like cotton candy, cupcakes, and bubble gum. Honestly, my girls are obsessed with scrunchies. And I can’t blame them, they’re so easy and comfortable for fixing long hair, and what’s not to like about smelling like cotton candy while you’re at it.

Out of this set, the bubblegum hair bands are the favorite. We’ve been using those over and over and they smell like bubblegum every single time. It’s so much fun! Plus the little tag on them is just so cute, and honestly makes it just a little bit easier to grab onto the rubberband without grabbing my child’s hair.

And, if you really want to be all fun and 2020, they have face masks, with velcro loops that you attach the scented bands to. So you can wear a cute face mask AND sport your favorite scent at the same time. How cool is that?

My daughter has requested one of everything for Christmas!

Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle

I remember this being a thing when I was a kid. So I was super excited to check out this toy for my daughter.

It’s way more fun than I expected! This re-release of a classic toy is so well done! It’s quite sturdy and works way better than I was anticipating! All of my kids are having fun with it.

They built some ramps out of cardboard boxes and set up their own stunts in the driveway. They’re so cool! The toy is super easy to wind and use, and it balances well. We’re still working on mastering the wheelie – sometimes we can get it and sometimes we can’t. But, we’re close to figuring it out.

This toy has provided hours of fun and creative play and everyone is super excited every time we pull it out. We can’t wait to figure out what stunt Evel Knievel can do next!

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Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Truffle Shuffle invited me to review their Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. I seriously struggle with scrambling the hollandaise sauce, so I was super excited to give this a try and see if I can get it all to turn out.

Truffle Shuffle is available to order online. You can order individual items or sign up for a cooking class. I did the Eggs Benedict Cooking Class. They send you your box of supplies a couple of days before class – it’s awesome! They send you everything. No running out for a random ingredient (like white vinegar). Then, you show up for your zoom class at the scheduled time and they walk you through making the item.

It’s so much fun! You have the option to leave your camera on and show the chefs and other participants what you’re up to, or you can turn yourself off and just cook. It’s so much fun to learn something new like this!

The instructions are well written and easy to follow, and the chefs are awesome about sharing tips and tricks to making your food the best it can be.

I love that I can do this in my house. My kids can join me if they want, and we can all sit down and eat together after we finish cooking.

The salmon and caviar added a new element to eggs Benedict that I hadn’t had before. And while it’s probably not something I’ll make every day, it sure was an awesome treat!

I even have a little bit of truffle salt left over for using on other things. Their truffle salt is amazing. The truffles give it so much flavor.

I’m quite pleased with my results, and I’m happy to report that my hollandaise sauce turned out great!

And I learned something new, a little bit of vinegar in the water when I make poached eggs, and they turn out even better than usual!

They have some really awesome looking holiday themed classes coming up! Check them out and use my link to get 10% off your first order.