What I Live For

Straw Rocket

2013-05-23T09:49:00.001-05:00

We just finished our school year here and I am searching high and low for activities to keep both of my boys entertained this summer…thank goodness for Pinterest, right?! Recently, we made straw rockets and my boys had a blast :). It’s taking the fun of shooting the wrappers off your straws at restaurants and repeating the fun over and over again at home.

Just cut out some rectangular pieces of paper. I don’t think it has to be precise…

Wrap the paper around a pencil and glue the end down so you have a tube…

Pinch one end of the tube closed and tape it…

Slide your rocket onto a straw and BLAST OFF! My 6 year old got the concept quickly and laughed hysterically while launching his rocket all over the place. My 4 year old had a harder time getting enough of his breath focused into the straw, but once he did, he loved it.

Thank you Curious Kangaroos for the fun idea!

I’ll be linking up to Works For Me Wednesday, Kids Get Crafty, Look What We Did, Mom’s Library, Let's Hear it For the Boy! Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Share it Saturday, Fine Craft Guild, Share Wednesdays,

Moms love Mombo™

2013-05-17T09:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Comfort and Harmony for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When my 4 year old was born, the nursing pillows were just starting to become popular with new moms, though I never got one due to expense while living on a student budget. I never realized how versatile those pillows could be from nursing to tummy time to a llittle lounge pillow for baby. It seems like a nursing pillow would be really nice to use because of it's curved shape...ideally it stays in place better than just a regular pillow, right?

Mombo is a nursing pillow with even more to love. One side of the pillow is firm, but the other side is soft, so mom and baby can have their choice of firm support while nursing, or soft comfort while resting and playing. This design is called Firm2Soft™. Every mom can customize their Mombo pillow with a variety of slip covers, and the pillow comes in Standard, Deluxe or Nude.

Also, Mombo is the only pillow with a vibration feature to soothe baby while lounging. Even a bottle fed baby can benefit from a Mombo pillow while eating or playing.

Mombo pillows are sold at Toys R Us and Babies R Us, as well as other Mombo products. You can like Comfort & Harmony on Facebook, as well as Comfort & Harmony on Twitter (@ComfortHarmony) where you can learn more about their products.

Have you used a nursing pillow? What was your experience? Would you recommend them to a new mom? Is it worth the cost/investment?

Chick-fil-A’s new salads & wraps giveaway (ends 5/21/13)

2013-05-14T06:59:00.000-05:00

Disclosure: Chick-fil-A through PartnersHub is sponsoring this giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own. I am not compensated for this post.

Is anyone else in shock that it’s May already? Where has 2013 gone?! If your New Year’s resolution to lose weight or get in shape is still hanging over you, make the change now! Chick-fil-A wants to help. They are now helping you make today #FreshMade by offering 3 new premium salads and a wrap which all come in under 430 calories.

If you would like to try the new salads, check out the #FreshMade Blog App and enter my giveaway under that! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beautify your garden with Miraclo-Gro.

2013-05-13T16:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Sometimes gardening or working outdoors can be a little overwhelming. The task of beautifying on a budget can be hard, but there are little ways we can liven up our yards without spending a fortune. When we moved into our house, we found random cinder blocks around the fence, indicating to us that the previous owners had dogs. The blocks were placed half-hazardly, so in an attempt to make our yard a little prettier, I changed things up...

All I had to do was level the cinder blocks with the holes facing up. It's on a slope so I cut "steps" out of the slope for the blocks. Then I put tulip bulbs in the holes and filled them with dirt. Personally, I think this is a million times better than staring at cinder blocks full of spiders or something gross like that :). And, it keeps our puppy from escaping under the fence. Win!

If you're looking for ideas for your garden, Miracle-Gro has started "The Gro Project" with fun garden projects (make sure to start following their Pinterest page for inspiration) ideas such as an Origami Garden or a Toyarium.
Make your garden even better with LiquaFeed All Purpose Plant Food Advance Starter Kit or other products from Miracle-Gro.

Train from a Cardboard Box

2013-05-13T06:23:00.000-05:00

Do you ever set your kids loose on Pinterest? Sometimes, I open the “kids crafts” board and let my boys pick what project they would like to do that day. One day, my 4 year old saw this train and wanted, so desperately, to make a train of his own. I don’t tend to collect toilet paper rolls, but I had a cardboard box, so we set off to make a train of our very own…

I cut each panel of the box into rectangles, folded them into “cars” and taped them together (leaving the ends open).

The engine was a shortened car, taped to a taller “box” and we taped a cylinder on top for the funnel.

We painted all of the cars and cut out wheels. My son loved mixing paint colors and learning about primary colors.

If you can convince your child that gluing the wheels on is the ONLY way, do that (it’s so much easier). But, if your child HAS to have wheels that turn, attach them with paper clips. Use pliers to bend the ends of the paper clips to keep them in place.

Punch holes in either end of your cars and attach your cars/engine by hooking paper clips through the holes.

And there you have a fun train made from things you already have on hand. This train lasted us for WEEKS and my boys made it even more fun by putting stickers all over it.

Chug-a-chug-a-CHOO-CHOO!

I’ll be linking up to: Works For Me Wednesday, Kids Get Crafty, Look What We Did, Mom’s Library, What are little boys made of? Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Share it Saturday, Fine Craft Guild, Share Wednesdays,

Soft Scrub Toilet Care Review & Giveaway (Ends 5/17/13)

2013-05-10T07:34:00.001-05:00

If you could name your number one, least favorite, cleaning job in the whole house, what would it be? For me, cleaning the toilet ranks pretty high up there, along with cleaning the bathroom floor. I would write a bunch of stuff like, how obnoxious our toilets are to clean, ya-da-ya-da-ya-da, but I think we all know the various quandaries and complaints of proper toilet care. Basically, it’s a pain. Anything that makes cleaning the toilet more bearable and requires cleaning the toilet less frequently is a blessing in my book.

Disclosure: Soft Scrub provided me with free product in exchange for this review, as well as information about the product. All opinions expressed are my own.

Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care is designed to lighten our toilet-cleaning-load. This plastic insert with four cleaning balls hangs inside the toilet to dispense long lasting cleaning and freshening. This product is supposed to be able to clean your toilet, prevent future buildup, fight toilet ring and freshens for up to 4 weeks.

I personally wanted to put the “clean you toilet” feature to the test, and I was disappointed. After a week, my toilet did not look much cleaner. But, once I scrubbed the toilet, the cleaner did help prevent future buildup and I did not feel the need to scrub my toilet as frequently. So, in my book, it’s worth it. I will say that I couldn’t stand the smell of the Alpine Fresh fragrance (I would like to try the Sapphire Waters to see if it’s any better).

So, there you have it: Soft Scrub 4-in-1 helps and costs less than $2, and lasts up to 4 weeks. Would you like to try one? I have a giveaway just below. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alphabet: J

2013-05-03T06:42:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that Halloween was months ago, my 4 year old is still obsessed with the holiday and talks about it frequently, so making our letter J into a Jack-o-lantern seemed completely appropriate :)…

Super easy, just cut out the letter J from construction paper, cut out eyes, mouth and leaves and have your little one glue them on.

Chick-fil-A® Leadercast® App & Giveaway! (Ends 5/6/13)

2013-04-30T07:29:00.001-05:00

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Chick-fil-A, and all information is provided by them. Opinions expressed are my own.
Who loves Chick-fil-A®? I don’t think I’ve met a person who didn’t. Anyhow, even if you don’t go there, you’ve probably had a good chuckle at their ads.

On May 10, 2013, Chick-fil-A® is hosting a one-day leadership event broadcast LIVE from Atlanta, GA to hundreds of locations around the world. The theme is “Simply Lead” and attendees will be able to strengthen their leadership by simplifying their lives.

Learn more about the event in the blog app below and be sure to stop by the Rafflecopter form to enter to win a Chick-fil-A® prize pack! COPY & PASTE THIS CODE (press the “HTML” button when applicable): a Rafflecopter giveaway

Denim Flower Patch

2013-04-29T06:50:00.000-05:00

I bought some pants for super cheap from Target last year, but they came with holes in the knees. The holes have only gotten bigger and started looking ridiculous, so I used denim scraps from other jeans to make flower patches on the knee. I think it turned out pretty darn cute if I say so myself…

Here’s how I did it:

I printed out a flower I liked and traced it onto Wonder Under.
I then (following the instructions on the packaging) bonded the Wonder Under to some scrap denim and cut out the flowers and flower centers.
I removed the paper backing and ironed the flowers over the holes (I put paper in the pant leg so I wouldn’t bond the pants shut). And then I bonded the flower center to the flowers.
I took thread and hand sewed the flowers to the pants so they wouldn’t fall off. The edges have frayed over time and look super cute. I used back stitch.

It took a little time, but they look so much nicer than a traditional square patch and these pants should last me quite a while longer! This would be super cute on jeans for little girls, especially if they wear holes in the knees faster than should seem humanly possible :).

Alphabet: I

2013-04-25T06:37:00.000-05:00

After much deliberation in our alphabet escapade, we decided to make our letter I into an iguana…

Just cut out a capital letter I from construction paper, add a tail and head and cut toes in the legs. Oh, and some googly eyes of course :).

Thanks goes to Totally Tots for the inspiration!

Happy Birthday Crayola!

2013-04-23T09:27:00.001-05:00

Disclosure: I am being provided with a 110th birthday pack in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are my own. Information was provided by Crayola.

We all have some sort of memory using Crayola crayons, right?! They are a part of nearly every childhood and I know that my boys spend plenty of time coloring with Crayola’s. This year, the original 8 crayons are having a birthday bash at the new fun-omenal Crayola Experience…the world’s only interactive Crayola family experience.

You can enter to win a trip for 4 to celebrate their birthday and the grand opening of the Crayola Experience in May. Just visit the Crayola Facebook page and click “enter now” to be entered in this contest (if you win, you also get a 3 night, all-expenses paid stay).

Sticker Letter Dot-to-Dot

2013-04-22T07:52:00.000-05:00

In looking for something to do with my 3 year old during the day, I knew that Dot-to-Dot Letters (from Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk) would be fun and a great way to get him practicing writing his letters…

All I had to do was use stickers to make the “dots” and have my son trace the letters. He did quite well on A and C for his first time and I think he will enjoy doing more letters over time. I just used small stickers that came in a calendar. The stickers seemed to make the task more entertaining than just printing out a tracing sheet.

Dog House from a Box

2013-04-17T07:47:00.000-05:00

If you’ve been to my house recently, you’ve probably heard a lot of barking! My boys are both in crazy doggie obsession phases and love either pretending that they are dogs or playing with their stuffed animal doggies. And now, we have a real, live puppy, so the barking level has only increased :).

So, why not make those stuffed animals their very own doghouse?!
To make our doghouse, I cut the inside flaps off the bottom of the box (the outside flaps are still taped together).

I taped the cut flaps to the flaps on the top of the box. Then I taped them together on top to make a tapered roof.
The other flaps on top were cut to the shape of the tapered roof, and the pieces I cut off were taped to the triangle shaped flaps to close off the top.
We then cut out an entrance and had some quality control testing…
Add some small pieces of cut up cardboard in bowls for the dogs’ food and water and you are all set for hours of play and accompanied barking :)
I’ll be linking up to Works For Me Wednesday, Kids Get Crafty, Look What We Did, Mom’s Library, What are little boys made of? Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Share it Saturday, Fine Craft Guild, Share Wednesdays,

Purex Natural Elements Review & Giveaway (Ends 4/23/13)

2013-04-16T09:13:00.001-05:00

I am so ready for spring! My tulips are finally blooming, my garden is planted and we spend a lot more time outside lately. I love the smells of outside and can’t help holding my boys close after they’ve been outside and breathing in the smell of sunshine that’s always on them when they come back in. For some reason, my brain associates spring and tropical scents together…maybe it’s just the life and beauty of spring, as well as the pictures of tropical locations I always see. We are not going anywhere tropical this year, so enjoying the beauty of spring is about as close as I will get…along with my Purex® Natural Elements® Tropical Splash detergent :).

Disclosure: Purex® brand provided me with a sample of this detergent in exchange for a product review. However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.

When I used Purex Natural Elements, it made my clothes smell wonderful. I loved smelling the detergent and love how the smell lasts. Just like all the other Purex® detergents I’ve reviewed, this detergent works in regular or HE washing machines. It is also hypoallergenic, and dye-free for sensitive skin. Purex Natural Elements has “Dirt Lift Action®” to help remove stains.

I’ve gone down the laundry aisle recently and have been quite impressed with how affordable Purex is compared to other brands of liquid laundry soap, and there are so many varieties that would be good for any family. This detergent comes in 50oz, 75oz and 100oz sizes.

Now for the fun part…a giveaway! Enter in the Rafflecopter form below :) a Rafflecopter giveaway

Take care of Yourself with Provella™ (Giveaway ends 4/18/13)

2013-04-12T19:04:00.001-05:00

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Provella™. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I think moms all have the same problem…we are the last ones we tend to take care of. Even during the day when I’m making sure my boys are getting fruits and veggies, and limiting the amount of sweets they eat, I tend to snack on unhealthy things and do not get anywhere near the amount of healthy food that I need. My other big problem is that I don’t drink enough water…EVER! I run myself ragged until I’m stressed, aching and exhausted far too often. Is anyone else like this?! And I think the worst part of it all is that everyone in our family suffers when this happens.

For me, I try to get outside. When I’m outside gardening or taking our new puppy on a walk, my body feels refreshed. I don’t get outside nearly enough and am trying to work on that, especially now that the weather is warmer. I’ve noticed recently how quickly my body can respond to healthier foods and sometimes my body just craves something healthy, which feels cleansing to me if I’ve eaten too much junk food.

Provella™ is a probiotic designed to help promote digestive, feminine and immune health for women. There has been a lot of publicity on probiotics and how they can help women be healthier…by providing our bodies with good bacteria. I never realized until the last few years that there is good bacteria that we actually want in our bodies! One fact I found interesting is that Provella™ is specially formulated to help that good bacteria get past your stomach acid and make it to your intestines where it is needed. To learn more about Provella™, watch the video below or visit Provella.com (where you can get a $6 off coupon!).

Provella™ is available at pharmacies behind the pharmacist counter and at drugstore.com.

I have the opportunity to give away a 30 day supply of Provella™ to 5 readers…just enter in the Rafflecopter form below… a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clothespin Airplanes

2013-04-10T07:31:00.000-05:00

Make cute, simple airplanes with your kids using things you likely have on hand already…

All you need is a clothespin and 3 popsicle sticks.

Cut 1/2 inch off of the end of one of the popsicle sticks and cut the rounded end off the other side. Have your kids paint the popsicle sticks and clothespin.

Hot glue the two whole popsicle sticks near the opening of the clothespin to form the wings. Glue the shorter rectangular popsicle stick on the back and if your kids really, really, really have to have a tail with the part standing up, glue the 1/2 inch piece on standing up.

This is a perfect craft when you’re stuck indoors due to rain, snow, or extreme summer heat! Thank you iCraftGifts for the fun idea.

I’ll be linking up to Kids Get Crafty, Works for Me Wednesday, Look What We Did, Mom’s Library, What are little boys made of? Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Share it Saturday, and Fine Craft Guild.

Woolzies Review

2013-04-09T10:22:00.001-05:00

I’ve been going through all sorts of thoughts/issues regarding my laundry lately such as:

Using dyer sheets instead of foil balls because I abhor static, and the foil balls just weren’t cutting it!
Wondering if dryer sheets are really worth the lack of static because of all the chemicals they put on our clothes/inside our dryer.
Getting super frustrated that the bed sheets just won’t dry and end up in a big, soggy, tangled ball
Standing in the laundry aisle at the store, wondering if a plastic/rubber dryer ball would really solve all my problems.

Anyhow, when I got the opportunity to try out Woolzies XL Dryer Balls, I was excited to put dryer balls to the test. Why should you use Woolzies Dryer Balls in your dryer? Because they can reduce drying time 25%, saving on energy and your time. The rubber/plastic dryer balls you may have seen in stores/on tv can wear down leaving chemicals on your clothes and in your dryer. Woolzies are obviously made of wool and don’t have those chemicals in them. They also last at least 1000 loads!

My review? Well, there is still a lot of static in my loads which drives me bonkers! It’s a little bit of a hassle trying to keep track of all 6 balls after every load…they like to hide in the clothes and I always feel like I’m losing them. But, I washed and dried a load of twin sheets, and later a load of queen size sheets and both loads were completely dry after one cycle!!! No bunchy, soggy sheet corners. This one fact makes using the dryer balls totally worth it for me :).

Disclosure: I received Woolzies Dryer Balls for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

Race Car Cake

2013-04-08T06:31:00.000-05:00

My little boy turned 4 recently and he is totally into cars right now. When we accelerate quicker than normal while driving, he squeals with glee and begs us to drive like a race car again ;). So, for his birthday cake, race cars seemed fitting…

I just made a 9x13 strawberry cake (because his favorite color is pink right now). I leveled the top of the cake, made a road out of chocolate frosting, used white frosting to draw the lanes & finish line, and added grass.

My husband saw it and laughed because it’s another green and brown cake, much like this one, this one and this one, but C loved it and kept trying to drive the cars to the finish line :).

I’m so excited to see what C accomplishes as a 4 year old!

I’m linking up to Works for Me Wednesday, Kids Get Crafty, What are little boys made of? Mom’s Library, Look What We Did, Fantastic Thursday,

No-Mess Finger Painting

2013-04-05T06:50:00.000-05:00

After I saw Hippie Housewife’s mess free finger painting, I knew I would have to try it…and it was so much fun!

My 3 year old played for ages, running his fingers across the bag, mixing the colors. Eventually he got his cars and made tracks driving through the paint. But the best part?! No mess!

Just put a few blobs of paint inside a plastic bag, tape it to the table and set your kids to work mixing and drawing with their fingers.

This was the perfect opportunity for us to talk about primary colors, and how to make different colors.

Paper Airplane Golf

2013-04-03T07:07:00.000-05:00

If you’re looking for a fun family activity to do with young children, make a paper airplane for each member of the family and play airplane golf!

Use a hula hoop, box, or laundry basket to make the goal or hole that you’re aiming your airplanes for and take turns throwing your planes. Use the same rules as golf (furthest plane goes next, etc).

If you play this outside on a windy day it really evens out the playing field and gives (almost) everyone in the family a fair chance at winning. Have fun!

I’ll be linking up to Works for Me Wednesday, Kids Get Crafty, What are little boys made of?, We Made That Wednesday, Mom’s Library, Look What We Did,

Fiber One Review & Giveaway (Ends 4/8/13)

2013-04-01T07:09:00.000-05:00

Apparently, 9 out of 10 Americans don’t get the recommended amount of fiber every day. I’m probably one of those 9, but I get frustrated trying to keep up with everything I’m “supposed” to eat, and how many or what I’m supposed to have every day. Anyhow, if you are lacking in your daily fiber, try Fiber One!
Fiber One now has a great variety of bars, and while they will never be an adequate replacement for candy bars or other scrumptious treats in my opinion, they are pretty darn good for a granola bar. My favorites were the Oats & Chocolate and Caramel Nut Protein bars.
Just so you know…

Oats & Chocolate has 35% of your daily fiber, as does Chewy Trail Mix.
Caramel Nut Protein & Coconut Almost Protein have 7 g of protein plus 20% of your daily fiber.

I had to hide my Fiber One bars so my kids wouldn’t try to eat them all…thankfully they’re no where near tall enough to reach the top of the fridge :). I even thought the Coconut Almond Protein bar was good, despite the coconut. All in all, the bars were all tasty and made for great afternoon snacks for me to tide over until dinner.

Now for the fun part; one winner will receive a gift package of one of each of the Fiber One bars above and a $25 Publix gift card! Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure: The information, products and gift pack were provided by General Mills and Publix ® through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cooking Dried Beans in the Crock Pot

2013-03-29T06:41:00.000-05:00

After seeing A Year of Slow Cooking’s method for cooking dried beans, I knew I wanted to try it, and it was SO EASY! All you need is a crock pot and you can have cooked beans instead of forking over a small fortune for canned beans.

Here’s how:

Rinse your beans and pick out any shriveled/broken/gross beans.
Dump your beans in the crock pot and fill your crock pot with water. DON’T turn it on. Let your beans soak for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Dump out the soak water and rinse your beans.
Return beans to the crock pot and cover with water plus an additional 2-3 inches above the top of the beans.
Cook in the crock pot on low for 8 hours or until the beans are bite-tender.
Drain.
You’re done! Now you can use those beans in your favorite recipes or put them in freezer bags…1 2/3 cup is the equivalent of a can of beans.

Easy and cheap :).

“Unstoppable” Book Review

2013-03-28T07:01:00.000-05:00

Nick Vujicic has overcome incredible odds to become the man he is today. Now, he is saying that it is not despite his disabilities, but because of his disabilities. Nick was born without arms or legs but has been able to use his differences to inspire people all over the world. He has done it through his organization, through motivational speeches, through his first book Life Without Limits, and now through his second book…

In his book, Unstoppable, Nick explains to the reader how they can overcome trials such as health issues, addictions, loss of a loved one, etc. Anyone who reads this book will walk away with a new perspective and new tools to help them cope and deal with the struggles of everyday life, as well as the hardships we may not have faced yet.

Nick is inspirational because of everything he has achieved. In this book, we learn of his recent marriage, of his travels throughout the world, and of struggles he has faced as a business owner.

While I find all that Nick has accomplished to be extraordinary, my favorite part of his book is the stories he shares of other people he has encountered that have overcome their challenges, or others who have used their skills to change the world around them for the better.

I did find this book to be a little “preachy” but overall, I greatly enjoyed learning more about how Nick has learned to live such an amazing life.

Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Stained Glass Deviled Eggs

2013-03-27T06:14:00.000-05:00

If you’re hosting Easter dinner this weekend, or taking deviled eggs to dinner at someone else’s house, liven them up a bit with a beautiful stained glass effect…
To learn how to make your own stained glass deviled eggs, visit my tutorial.
I’m linking up to Someday Crafts, Making it with Allie, Get Your Brag On, Get Your Craft On, Crafty Soiree, Thrilling Thursday, and Show off Your Stuff.

Spirits Lifted

2013-03-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

Recently, my cousin and his friends complained on Facebook about being stuck behind women who coupon at the grocery store check-out. I had heard criticism before about couponers and how long they take, etc., but it had never been by someone I know. I instantly became more self-conscious each time I went shopping.

Recently, a shopping trip was not going right for me. Between my cart full of food, price-matching, coupons, and repeatedly picking up the toy my son kept dropping, the process was taking FOREVER to check out. I became more & more aware of the line of people waiting behind me. My ears started to burn with embarrassment and I kept hoping the cashier could make the process go faster.

Right as I started to pay, my son dropped his toy again and I tell him it will have to wait just a minute so I can finish. The lady behind me in line walked up and picked up my son’s toy for him. As she passed me to go back to her spot she leaned over to me and said “Your husband must be very proud…you are a smart shopper.” With those simple words, my day was instantly changed. Instead of complaining about the inconvenience I was, she gave me the courage to press on.

Thank you, kind woman in the grocery store, who had the patience and frame of mind to help encourage a young mother who’s just trying to make the most of what I have while being as little of a burden on others as possible.