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Showing posts from September, 2014

Ladera Granola Immortal Chocolate Almond

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. If you've been reading my blog, then you know that I've been trying to make some changes, and that we are  starting our journey to healthier eating . Well, the timing for this product review couldn't have been more perfect. If you remember, I tried Ladera Granola earlier this year, and you can read that review here . I liked the granola, and when I heard about Immortal Chocolate Almond, I jumped at the chance to give it a try. Hello, you said chocolate! Well, with our new way of trying to eat real food, I'm trying to eat less processed, and if I can't pronounce the ingredients list, we are trying to stay away from that food. You want to know the ingredients in the Ladera Granola Immortal Chocolate Almond? It's WHOLE grain oats, slivered almonds, olive oil, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and salt. So basic

MagicMil Chalkboard Label And Pen Pack Review And Giveaway

I have been compensated in the form of a gift card/money/coupon and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All opinions expressed are mine and honest in nature. I'm not known for my craftiness. The fact that I made bird feeders out of milk jugs was a huge accomplishment for me when it comes to crafts. But when I saw these Chalkboard labels , I couldn't get over just how cute they were. And I thought, surely even I could could create something cute with these. First of all, there are several sizes and shapes to choose from. So the possibilities seem endless for what all you could do with these great Chalkboard labels . They are easiest to remove if you slightly bend where the label starts. And they are also re-positionable. ( I may or may not be speaking from experience ;) But they can be re-positioned up to 20 minutes. And they come with a liquid chalk pen. The liquid chalk pen is a little more watery than other markers. You can reapply to

Enough Enough Enough Guilt Already!

Enough is enough is enough is enough - what am I ranting about? Guilt over 'failed' runs, missed runs, or just running in general. No one is holding a gun to my head and saying - run or else?!? My life, my career, nothing in my life depends or hinges upon my running. For pete's sake, it used to be for FUN! So why in the world have I allowed myself to get to this point? I have felt substantial guilt for missing today's long run. I feel the need to disclose that I missed my run, then some type of justification is needed (I am super tired, sore, not motivated to do it, and have slept most of the afternoon). But after seeing a post today on someone's social media, I realized that my personal feeling about missed runs, failed runs or just working out in general needs to stop - and it needs to stop now. If you've been following my blog, or know me in personal life, then you know that I am a goal oriented person. There is nothing wrong with that, and I enjoy settin

Ecosak Nylon Nut Bag Review

I have been compensated in the form of a gift card/money/coupon and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All opinions expressed are mine and honest in nature. Well, can you believe that I am trying out a nut bag to make my own almond milk? (I'll pause a moment so that you can let the shock wear off!) I can honestly say that never in my life did I intend on making my own almond milk. But as you know, we are making some changes to our diet. So I decided I would give it a try.  And with the Ecosak I also received some recipes which really helped since I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to do. I asked Lil Man if he wanted to help me, and he was more than thrilled. Apparently making almond milk was an exciting and fun thing for him. First things first was to wash the Ecosak (easy to do) and soak the nuts. Yep, I put some raw almonds in a bowl, covered them with water and let them soak 6-8 hours or so. After they had been soaked, I

Hunger Action Month - Do Your Part By Using FoodTweeks #calories4good.

I have been compensated in the form of a gift card/money/coupon and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All opinions expressed are mine and honest in nature. September is Hunger Action Month. And it's astounding the number of people who are hungry. "1 in 6 Americans struggles with hunger." (source FeedingAmerica.org ). Wow, 1 in 6 people. And there is a way that you can help, and it's actually really simple and quite easy. It's an app called FoodTweeks . So how does it work? It actually has a dual purpose. Every time you trim calories from your food choices, those calories are donated to food banks. Say what? I know. I thought the same thing when I heard about it. But basically it's really easy. You type in the food that you going to eat. The app gives you suggestions on how to 'tweek' the calories (like a substitute or smaller portion size) and each time you 'tweek', a food bank will receive donations fr

It's Today Not Tomorrow - Living In The Moment

Lately, I keep finding myself thinking about, trying to plan or let's just face it, worrying about the future. And today, I realized I need to just stop. That's right - just stop. Focus on the moment, not the moment tomorrow, not the moment 5 minutes from now, but the moment now - this moment that I'm currently living. This feeling of needing to focus on the future stems from finances. I'm not sure why the minute your child goes to preschool that a woman feels (or feels pressured by others) to try to generate some income during those precious 2.5 hours that your kid is in school. And maybe most women don't feel that way, but I do. And I, at times , get outside pressure from others that this is what is expected of me And so I'm feeling the pressure and my stress level is rising, and I'm missing the moment because I'm worrying about what I'm going to be doing as a job a couple of years from now when Lil Man goes to school. And trust me, as I

Ageless Derma Pressed Mineral Foundation Review

I don't wear a lot of make up, and when I do it's very minimal. I've never been one to wear a lot of foundation. But because of my skin tone, and a few scars, when I do wear makeup I will wear some type of foundation (usually mineral powder or something every light). So I was looking forward to giving the  Ageless Derma Natural Pressed Mineral makeup Foundation PARABEN FREE with Vitamin A, E and Green Tea Extracts a try  My first thought was that I liked the smell. I don't normally go around smelling my makeup! But when I opened it, I couldn't help but notice the pleasant smell. Then I read the ingredients. It has green tea, and if I'm not mistaken sandlewood. It reminded me of the spa :)  The application was easy. It was pretty much just swipe and apply. It went on easy enough. It blended well. It covered but wasn't 'too much'. And it seemed to last.  Below is a before (on the left) and after (on the right).  Same room

Pilot Pens B2P, Frixion And Acroball Shoplet Review

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I can be a pen snob. If the pen 'skips', or if I have to press too hard, or if it just doesn't flow like I want it to, I will toss it.... as in toss it into the trash. So I was curious to give these Pilot Pens a try to see how they worked. Let me start with the  B2P Colors Multi ,  B2P Gel , and B2P Ball Pen . First of all, I love the concept behind these pens. They are made from 89% recycled material. Now how cool is that? Hence the name Bottle 2 Pen makes perfect sense. I love it. But loving the idea and loving the pen are two different things.  And after testing... wait for it... wait for it.. wait for it.... the B2P pens are great. The ink flows smoothly. I don't have to press too hard. There isn't any 'skipping', and the colors are awesome.

Get Organized with Smead Office Supplies

Full Disclosure: I received products free of charge for the purpose of providing a review. My opinions are completely my own based on my experience. As Lil Man gets older and more involved in different activities, I'm finding that being organized (for me) is crucial to keep up with everything. And although I use technology a lot to do this, I also find that I still have a paper trail with many things that I need to account for - school forms, medical receipts to file, tax receipts, and the list goes on and on. And although I don't keep  every little picture or project that he does in school ( ok, so maybe I did last year ), I do like to keep his things. And I'm finding that these floating pieces of paper are now scattered everywhere. And it drives me crazy. So I found a solution. Check out these great products. First up the Step Index Organizer This organizer is the perfect size. It's big enough to hold receipts or art projects or both. The way that it is di

Number One Glucosamine - Chondroitin - MSM Supplement Review

I have been compensated in the form of a gift card/money/coupon and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All opinions expressed are mine and honest in nature. Being a runner, I often have a few joint aches and pains. And lately, with the marathon training that I was doing, more days than not, I would feel my joints ache a little when I was going up and down the steps. And as I am getting older, I can also feel a few creaky joints that I haven't noticed in the past. But I'm also a little leery about taking supplements. I suppose I'm just an odd cookie because a lot of things that aren't supposed to have side effects will give me side effects. But I decided to give Number One Glucosamine - Chondroitin - MSM Supplement  a try. And I also asked Hubby if he would take it also. Because if I had side effects, I wanted at least one other person to give it an honest try. We've been taking Number One Glucosamine for about a week and a ha

Treasury Of Bible Stories Review & Giveaway

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 the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. US and Canada Residents Only  If you are looking for a great way to read Bible Stories to your kids, then I have a great book for you. The  Treasury Of Bible Stories  is bible stories in cute poetry form. I thought they were cute, but the real critic here is Lil Man. And although the first opinion isn't always his true opinion, I was curious to see his reaction. So I handed him the book.  As you c