review – Page 10 – Chocolate 'N Children

January 18, 2016January 16, 2016

B is for Books

If you’re looking for curriculum advice, check out my 4 favorite curriculums. Here, I’m going to share some of my favorite kids books.

I love books. I love a good fiction. Right now I’m working on The Water Witch by James Fenmore Cooper. (which is free on Kindle right now). I don’t have a ton of time for reading these days, but I still manage to read a fun book now and then. It’s a great way for me to escape, relax, and grab a few minutes of “me time”.

Reading is something I want my children to enjoy as well so I try to collect my favorite childhood books and find some new ones for them as well.

Little House on the Prairie

This is a classic. I read and re-read this entire set many many times as a child. This is next on my list of books to buy my 2nd grader. I can’t wait to see what she thinks of them!

I never can decide if Little House in the Big Woods or Farmer Boy is my favorite. Maybe I’ll have to read them again!

Finley Flowers

I just discovered this set. There’s four books in this series and a craft book. They’re super cute and all about a little girl who loves to bake. My 2nd grader loves these – they’re a 3rd to 5th grade reading level so right at the upper edge of her reading ability. Perfect for her to enjoy while learning some new words!

A Series of Unfortunate Events

There’s 13 books in this series. The author truly thought of everything! I love this series. It’s fun to read because it’s just funny. There’s no way 3 kids end up in all of these situations. And the author loves to use and define rarely used words like Ersatz in Ersatz Elevator. These books are fun to read and great for improving vocabulary.

Grandma’s Attic

This is a book of short stories. Perfect for a bedtime stories. These stores are fun, funny, and have a good morale at the end. Themes like “Pride comes before a fall”, and “beauty is as beauty does”. These stories are fun to read as a family and after you’ve read all these in this book. There’s a whole bunch of other Grandma’s Attic books available.

Llama Llama

It all started with Llama Llama Red Pajama. After we read this one, we were hooked! This is a favorite with my 2yr old and since the older kids still love it he gets it read to him as often as he wants. There’s a whole set of Llama Llama books and we love every one of them.

Tell me in the comments, what’s your favorite children’s book?

This post does contain affiliate links.

January 13, 2016April 9, 2016

Pandle review and giveaway

Founded in February 2015 by Brooklyn native, Jason Yakubovich, the New York City based startup Pandle Inc. provides the world with a germ- and worry-free experience in public spaces. From public transportation, to fitness centers, to hospitals, the company’s innovative product is the simple solution to fighting off germs and avoiding sickness transmitted through contaminated surfaces.

Pandle is a wearable, reusable silicone handle with an integrated nanosilver solution that prevents the growth of germs on the device. By inserting the hand into the device before touching public surfaces, the user avoids coming in contact with germs while also improving grip through the unique rubber blend of the product.

Pandle was originally created for public transportation and is therefore exactly sized to cover standard subway poles. However, it can be used for any surface that may be tainted with germs. With its ultra-light and foldable design Pandle easily fits into every pocket and is ready to use in just a second.

The only public transportation near me is the city bus so I obviously don’t use this for public transportation, however, it is pretty handy for when I’m out and about with the kids. Things like opening bathroom doors (my kids LOVE public restrooms) or gripping other surfaces like stair handrails that have had many many people touching them. These are sized for a subway pole so they’re the perfect size for gripping things that you encounter on the go. And my kids think they’re awesome!

I love the bright colors and they fold up so tiny – I actually “lost” mine in my purse the first time I dropped in in there. Whoops!

Pandle is currently available for $6.99 on the company’s website and at selected shops throughout New York City. It comes in two different sizes and five different colors (black, green, blue, red, purple). For more information please visit their website at www.pandlehandle.com You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Or to see the Pandle in action check out their YouTube videos.

Pandle sent me one of every color of Pandle which is pretty awesome! This giveaway is for one Pandle. Winner chooses the color. I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

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December 15, 2015April 9, 2016

Billion Dollar Brows Review

A big thanks to Billion Dollar Brows for letting me test these awesome products! I was super excited to try out the Billion Dollar Brows Best Sellers Kit and the 60 Seconds To Beautiful Brows Kit. I just don’t have time for tweezing or waxing but I still want some shaping and beautiful eyebrows. So I just couldn’t wait to try these out! The 60 Seconds to Beautiful Brows kit really does only take 60 seconds. It’s super easy. Use the brush to brush on some brow powder and then use the curly end of the brush to blend the powder into your brows. Now, my hair is brown which means that my brows are brown. So, this darkened my eyebrows a tad but didn’t do a ton for me. Just for comparison I tried this out on my 7yr old who has blond hair and really light brows that you can barely see. I brushed a little on and then blended it and it was perfect. You could see her eyebrow way better but I hadn’t really changed the color of her brows (they were a little darker but not a dark brown or anything shocking). With dark brows this product didn’t do a ton for me, but if you have lighter or thin brows you’ll probably love this. In just 60 seconds you can have more noticeable and highlighted brows. The product I really loved was the Best Sellers Kit. And I figured out pretty quickly why these are best sellers. They’re awesome! I started with the brow duo pencil and highlighted my brow bone – the first time I tried this I highlighted a bit too much, but I used the blending brush and fixed it, so no problem. I love how the highlighter let me shape my brow a little big and let me make my eye area a little bigger. Really, I just love how it opened up and lightened my eye. Next, I used the universal brow pencil and darkened the brow areas that I wanted a little darker. I used the curly end of the brush to blend the color evenly into my brow. Then, I used the blending brush and blended my highlights so they’re just the way I want them. I also applied eye shadow and blended the top of my eye shadow into the highlight area for a finished look. Last, I applied the brow gel to my eyebrows. True to the description, this stuff does not flake after wearing. And, it did a great job of smoothing down any stray hairs and keeping my brow looking just the way I want it. This is a truly awesome product and I’m so happy with my results!

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

December 9, 2015April 9, 2016

League of Little Laughers Play Date

Thanks to Bright Starts for such a fun party pack! They sent a giant box of toys for me to host a “League of Little Laughers” Play Date with friends. We had a blast!

Because this was around the holidays and I hosted Thanksgiving at my house this year, I ended up hosting two smaller playdates because I just didn’t have the time for a giant playdate.

Bright Starts sent some truly awesome toys for the kids to play with.

This little guy is called a “Giggable” and he’s so cute. My 2yr old just loves him, because he loves dogs. It’s so cute it rolls, wobbles, and barks. Really it’s the perfect toy for 2 or more toddlers to roll back and forth to each other.

This Learn & Giggle Fish was very popular at both parties. Everyone had to play with it! As far as noise level goes, for a toy that plays music constantly, it’s really not bad. The buttons light up and the kids loved trying to see if they could get all the buttons to light up at the same time!

I think this Spin & Giggle Puppy is so adorable! The purple bowl spins and the puppy wobbles, tossing all the balls onto the floor. Luckily it’s a gentle toss because the kids were putting every little toy they could find in there just to see what would happen.

Oh, and see that extra pack of balls? It’s a good thing they sent extras because balls disappear at my house. I think we’ve lost half of them already!

And last but not least, the Learn & Giggle Activity Station. This is so much fun for all ages. My 2yr old just picks it up and carries it to whatever room he wants to play in. Even the babies loved this one. It’s perfect for a new sitter because they can put their feet under the toy and be close enough to the toy to reach everything.

Every page in the book provides for different songs and such from the four squares on the station so there really is 65+ sounds and activities.

These toys were so much fun at our playdates and kept babies and toddlers of all ages well entertained.

I received free products in order to host the Bright Starts sponsored Play Date. The opinions expressed here are my own.

November 9, 2015April 9, 2016

Vampirina Ballerina Review and Craft

For Picture Book Month I’m reviewing Vampirina Ballerina.

Vampirina Ballerina by Anne Marie Pace is an adorable book about a little vampire who wants to be a ballerina. It encourages being yourself, trying hard, and rejoicing in your achievements.

We had a great time reading this together and then making a little Tutu craft for the girl’s barbies.

Supplies

Rickrack or ribbon – small pieces will do

Tulle – about 1 yard

1. Start by measuring your rickrack. You want it to be about 1 foot long for a barbie doll.

2. Next cut your tulle into 1/2 inch X 2 foot strips. You can trim these later if the skirt is too long.

3. Lay your rickrack out flat and tie your tulle strips onto it making a knot in the middle of your tulle (around the rickrack) Keep adding tulle until your skirt is nice and floofy.

You want to cover about 1/3 of your rickrack in tulle. The extra ends are going to be used for putting the skirt on your doll.

Once you have all your tulle on your ribbon or rickrack wrap it around your doll and tie a bow in the back.

The girls had a blast making little tulle ballerina skirts for their dolls!

October 14, 2015April 9, 2016

Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9 – review and giveaway

I definitely earned “mommy points” for this product test. We got to watch a pre-release copy of Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9. My kids loved it.

I actually surprised them. I told them we had a new movie to watch but didn’t tell them what it was. When they figured out that it was Buck Denver they were so excited! We ended up watching it twice just because they liked it so much.

Take a look at the trailer here.

If you’re not familiar with Buck Denver, this is from VeggieTales creator PHIL VISCHER! Kids will enjoy Buck Denver’s latest adventure with his friends from What’s In the Bible? and parents will appreciate the humorous nods to Star Wars and Star Trek. More importantly, Phil Vischer’s gifted teaching delivers a clear message to kids and adults about God’s love and purpose for our lives. Galaxy Buck communicates important Biblical truths that will add to everyone’s faith foundation, whether a life-long Christian or a new creation in Christ.

Plus it combines two things my kids love, Whats In the Bible? and Star Trek.

If you’ve watched Veggie Tales and never seen What’s In the Bible? you need to find a copy of the first one and watch it. You’ll love it. Actually, you’re probably better off just buying the set because otherwise you’ll have an extra #1 like we do, because we bought #1 first and then purchased the set because we liked it so much.

Anyways, my 2 yr old actually calls the What’s in the Bible? series “Buck Denver”. The kids were so excited to watch a new movie with him.

The video was fun to watch for us and the kids, and it did a great job of communicating it’s message of trusting in God.

If you loved Veggie Tales and/or Whats In the Bible? you’ll love Galaxy Buck.

To find out more or pre-order your very own copy, visit the official Galaxy Buck website. Don’t want to wait for a DVD? You can watch it online at JellyTelly.

There’s lots of ways to follow Galaxy Buck.

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

And, just for fun, I get to give away a DVD copy of Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9, so, enter below and good luck!

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

October 7, 2015April 9, 2016

Cover your gray™ Waterproof Brush In Root Touch Up – Review

I was sent 3 Cover your gray products to try. All 3 were in medium brown, which was a great match for my hair color. I have gray that irritates me that shows only at the roots and this sounded like a great product for me!

Cover your gray sent me three of their new waterproof products. These are great for when you don’t have the time to get your hair colored or just want to save money by extending the time in between services. The new waterproof formulas are sweat-proof, rain-proof and last through three shampoos.

The first product I tried was this Cover Your Gray hair color touch-up. I’ve never used a touch-up product before so I wasn’t sure if I should do it with my hair wet or dry, so I tried it with my hair wet. This was not a good idea. Even after my hair dried, every time I touched my hair I got brown on my fingers. Yuck! I tried it again later (after shampooing once) when my hair was dry and didn’t have this problem.

So, make sure you apply your touch-up after your hair is dry.

This color blended perfectly with my hair, you can’t even tell I added a touch-up color! Well, except for the missing gray. WooHoo!

The next product they sent me was the Cover Your Gray root touch-up. This is also easy to apply. And I applied it with my hair dry – so I didn’t have any color-bleed problems. This is for heaver root application, and less all-over touch-up.

When you use the root touch-up and the hair color touch-up together you get a really good result because you can blend into your hair and get your roots well covered.

The final product they sent was a Cover Your Gray Waterproof Pencil. It’s perfect for getting anything you missed with the root touch-up and the hair color touch-up. You do have to push pretty hard to apply it so it’s not good for all over, but it’s great for those harder to reach places, like the center of your part.

It’s been raining here the past few days, and with 3 kids I’ve gotten pretty wet while running errands. Whether or not this product is waterproof has been well tested! This product does not bleed in the rain. And that’s a very good thing!

These three products together are perfect for concealing that little bit of gray that especially stands out around my roots. It blends well with my hair color, and does a great job of hiding the gray for a couple of shampoos.

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

September 30, 2015April 9, 2016

Spongellé Kid’s Sponge – Review and Discount

I received an adorable butterfly sponge to review. The girls were so excited! They love butterflies, and since which animal we got was random, they were so pleased to receive a butterfly!

This is a new product being offered by Spongelle. You can check it out and their other products on their website here.

Benefits:

Body Wash Infused Sponge Animals
Hypoallergenic & dermatologist tested
Sulfate-free, paragon-free, & cruelty-free
Proprietary infusion technology
For kids 3 & up
Gently cleans
Fruitilicious Scent
Multi-Use

This super cute sponge smells great. It’s easy to use, just wet, squeeze, and lather. There’s plenty of soap.

After the bath, just rinse the sponge and you can use it with your favorite body soap or for art projects. My 7yr old decided to use it (after her bath) to wash my dishes! So sweet of her.

After doing the dishes I cleaned the sponge and we used it for a fun art project. The 4yr old traced the butterflies, I cute them out, and everyone decorated them.

Interested in getting your own Sponge Animals Body Wash Infused Sponges by Spongelle? Visit their website, and use coupon code BBLOGGER20 for 20% off through October 19.

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

September 2, 2015April 9, 2016

Captive – Book Review and Giveaway

CAPTIVE, based on a miraculous true story that drew the attention of the entire nation, is a thrilling drama about the spiritual collision of two broken lives. When Brian Nichols – on the run as the subject of a city wide manhunt and desperate to make contact with his newborn son – takes recovering meth addict Ashley Smith hostage in her own apartment, she turns for guidance to Rick Warren’s best-selling inspirational book, The Purpose Driven Life. While reading aloud, Ashley and her would-be killer each face crossroads where despair and death intersect hope.

Captive is written by Ashley Smith with Stacy Mattingly and was previously published as Unlikely Angel.

This is a great book about hope, forgiveness, and finding your purpose even in extremely difficult circumstances. It’s amazing how God can make himself known anytime, anywhere, and to anyone. This is such a great story of how God can bring purpose and freedom through impossible circumstances.

They also have a movie, based on the book, that will be in theaters soon. The movie releases September 18th. You can find the movie trailer here.

If you like audio books, check out this audio book excerpt, read by the author Ashley Smith.

Check out their website here, and join others in sharing what held you captive, and how you found your purpose. Use #FollowYourPurpose when you share.

I have a book to giveaway! Enter below for a chance to win your own copy of CAPTIVE.

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Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

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

August 26, 2015April 9, 2016

Grace in the Middle – Book Review

Grace in the Middle – An Imperfect Journey to God’s Perfect Plan

After years of trying to get pregnant, Wendy and Scott Duke were finally going to have their first child. But when a dangerous pre-natal diagnosis followed by an even more lethal disease after their daughter’s birth threatened to immediately take their newborn away, the Dukes turned to their only hope: God. In Grace in the Middle Duke encourages readers through the amazing story of her young daughter’s victory over some of life’s most perilous afflictions.

Anxious, frustrated, and scared, Wendy and Scott braced themselves for the unknown. In Grace in the Middle, Wendy recounts how her faith was rattled throughout the pregnancy.

Grace in the Middle details the physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles Wendy and Scott faced during the pregnancy and the treatments for their daughter Savannah’s cancer. Duke reminds us that God was always there for her even when she might not have felt His presence. She continually emphasizes the importance of having the love and support of family and a church, highlighting the richness in spiritual growth that takes place through such difficult trials. The first few years of Savannah’s life were difficult—there’s no denying that. But, as Duke is attentive to remind, God is stronger and more powerful than any curveballs thrown at a believer. Grace in the Middle even includes a chapter written by Savannah, who is now almost 15 and living a normal, busy, teenage life.

I really loved this book. It’s not a feel-good kind of book. I was in tears halfway through the first chapter. Being a mom myself it’s always heart-wrenching to read or hear about another mom losing a child (multiple miscarriages in this case) or something not going quite perfectly in a pregnancy.

As sad as the book is – and I think it’s good to admit that when things like this happen, we are sad and hurting – it was also so encouraging to read about how the author found God throughout all these difficulties and about how her faith was strengthened through these trials.

It’s an encouragement to me and it’s so encouraging to see her stepping out and sharing her painful journey with others in a way that encourages and strengthens our faith and shows how God is sovereign through it all.

Whether your own faith is being challenged by trials or you just want to be encouraged and challenged yourself, you’ll be encouraged, challenged, and pushed to go deeper in your faith and to not fear what the future has in store.

If you want to find out more or purchase your own copy, Grace in the Middle is for sale on Ambassador International’s website.

You can also find out more about the author, Wendy Duke on her website, or follow her on twitter and facebook.

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