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Stainless Steel Lunch Box #Review #LunchPalHealthyLunchBox

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 06:54:00 +0000

My family goes a lot of places in the warm months. We go to the beach, playgrounds, parks, relative's houses, sports events... we're everywhere. It makes sense that we should bring our own lunches because eating out every day is pretty expensive. If we don't plan right, it takes up a lot of our gas budget and makes us have to cut back on things we want to do.

So I've been collecting lots of lunch containers that I can bring with us this year on our adventures. One of my most recent boxes is this healthy bento lunch box by LunchPal. There's a few things I love about it and a few things I don't so much, so let me tell you about it:

First of all, it's really cute. It's rounded and has an adorable two part fold out handle that's really comfortable to hold and adds to the look when folded down. I love that it has a handle, most lunch boxes don't.

I also love the pressure lock on the top. It holds the lid on tight when pressed down, and releases the lid when popped up. It helps keep it leak-proof and creates less opportunities for splatter when opening the lid while hot foods are in it.

One thing I'm on the fence about is the stainless steel part. Although it's healthy and easy to clean, it eliminates the possibility of microwaving, which is a pretty big con I think since the container itself doesn't keep foods hot. I placed hot food in it and an hour later it was barely warmer than luke warm. It was a bummer for sure. And since the outside is plastic, you can't place it in an oven either. So you're pretty screwed on that part.

Another bummer was that the lid never seemed to go on perfectly the first time. In order to lock it, I often have to adjust it just so, which can be a pain. But if you like cold lunches and are in the market for a new box, this one could be a great one for you.
To learn more, check out LunchPal on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Suspension Strap Set #Review #FitnessAnswered

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 06:54:00 +0000

February is here, folks! And if I hadn't lost the W2's, I might be well on my way to a new treadmill by now. Sadly, I need to fins them before I can get the treadmill and run my way to health. But there's no reason that I can't get started on fitness in the meantime. Especially now that I have this cool new suspension strap set from Fitness Answered Training Products.

I do have a wall mount for suspension straps, but what I love about this set is that you don't need one. It makes it so that you can practice anywhere that has a door. As long as you can shut that door, you can work out.

That's because it comes with a neat device that keeps the strap from slipping through the crack of the door jam. you just place the straps over the door while it's attached to that device and it will stay in place.

Tall door? Wall mount secured high up on the wall or even on the ceiling? No problem! It also comes with an extender for when you need some extra length. Not to mention, the straps themselves are adjustable.

The handles are two part handles with both a harder rubber handle for the hands and a lower soft loop for the feet. These straps let you do so much, you can exercise basically any part of your body with your choice of easy or hard work outs.

I am definitely recommending these straps, I love them. To learn more, visit F.A.T. on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Chalkboard Vinyl Contact Paper #Review #CreateWithKassa

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 06:32:00 +0000

I am not good at organization. It's one of my biggest downfalls. I'm bad at record keeping and list making, calendar keeping, and deadlines. I'm just not good. So many times I realize that I st at home while something important was going on that I was supposed to be at, sometimes I realize something is due with only a couple hours to spare, and sometimes I go to cook dinner just to get half way done and fine that a key ingredient has run out and I'd forgotten to grab more. Anyone else? I can't be the only one...

Well luckily on that last one, I have a helper. It's my new Chalkboard Vinyl Contact Paper form Kassa. It's easy to install, a breeze to remove, and can help keep track of what groceries we've run out of. Now, it may not help me remember to pick that item up on my next store run, but I can remember to check the list before starting dinner to make sure my key ingredients aren't on the list of needed items.

It comes in a pretty thick roll that's actually 6 whole feet across by a foot and a half tall. That's enough for a good sized chalkboard inside each of my upper cupboards and one for my fridge to boot! The cupboard boards can help me keep track of easy dinner ideas, like "1 can onion soup, 1 can cream of chicken, meat", or something like that. By the way, that makes an excellent "stroganoff" sauce when that meat is hamburg.

It can be used for pretty much anything though. You can use it for a ton of labels or for the top of a TV tray, the wall of a playroom, etc. Chalkboard is everywhere right now, you can get away with putting it practically anywhere!

The paper came with 5 chalks. I'll be honest and say that two of mine were broken. I won't use them nearly as often as I will use chalk markers anyway, so that didn't matter much to me. What I liked was how the inside of the paper has a grid that makes it really easy to cut straight and to the right size.

To install, you just stick the center of the area to the surface first and then smooth outward toward the edges, getting rid of any bubbles along the way. The curl of the paper made this part a little hard, but not too bad. When done right, it comes out nice and smooth.
I love this paper and I'm glad to have it. to learn more, check out Kassa on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#MXbrand HP 61XL Black Ink #Review

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 05:40:00 +0000

Boogie loves to trace letters and color pictures. He uses up a lot of my ink. It's not just him either, it's all of the girls wanting to color Elsa or Gummy Bear. It can get pretty expensive always replacing the ink when it runs out. Black alone is $15 for a normal sized cartridge and color is about $21 last I checked. For both it's over $30. And if I want XL cartridges so they actually last... the cost is unreal. I can't afford that!

Luckily you can find ink being sold by companies that don't make a big profit from selling you half-cartridges that are easily accessible. One such brand is MX, their inks can be bought online. They don't come on the shelf at your local big box store, so they aim to please. And so far, I'm liking what I see!

I just got their HP 61XL Black ink cartridge for my HP Deskjet 1010. I noticed right away that it was a smidge bigger than my regular HP 61, which makes sense because it's an XL. It fit into my printer perfectly regardless and it printed just fine from the very first page.

When the first page printed, I did get a warning from my computer that the cartridge was "previously used". I assume that means that the cartridge has been refilled, which is fine by me because it avoids waste. Despite the warning, it still printed and didn't give me any issues.

The best part is that this cartridge was $15 for an XL. That definitely beats the price at the store I usually go to. On Amazon, there isn;t tax and if you have Prime, there isn;t shipping or gas money to get to the store. So it's JUST $15. I love that.

I would recommend this to anyone with a Deskjet 1010 or other printer that takes an HP 61 style cartridge.
To learn more, check out MX on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Anti-fog, Shatterproof, UV Protective Swimming Goggles #Review #AegendGoggles

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 02:59:00 +0000

I have been so cold these past few weeks that I find myself often wondering if Spring will ever get here at all. I can't wait for warm weather and dry ground, sun shining bright... and the beach. Man, do I love the beach! We're already preparing for it with things like our new culinary torch for roasting marshmallows.

And one of those cool new things we got for the beach is this awesome new pair of swimming goggles by Aegend. They are UV protective, Anti-fog, water-tight, and come in a hard protective case with a locking clasp.

They are really comfortable and don't rub on the side of the head or against the ears. The band is fully adjustable to fit any sized head and they unclip with the press of one button.

The lenses curve into the vision field and can be a bit dizzying until you get used to it. Around the lenses is a silicone suction barrier to prevent water from getting into the eyes. It does create some pressure, but it doesn't feel so strong that you feel like your eyes might get pulled out of your head or anything.

The goggles look pretty nice and we're definitely going to be using them every day at the beach this year. I would recommend them. To learn more, check out Aegend on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#ChampionsVitality 65 cm Anti-Burst Yoga Ball #Review

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 06:35:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago, my dog popped my exercise ball. He didn't mean to I suppose, but it was a pretty big bummer. I'd barely had a chance to use it. I had so many plans for it. I was going to go through the whole Stack 52 deck with it. I even matched all my exercise equipment to that ball. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Not with that one anyway. I did get a new ball. It's a 65cm Anti-Burst Yoga Ball from Champion's Vitality. It's a beautiful blue ball and it comes with a measuring tape to make sure you fill it to just the right size, as well as the pump and an extra plug.

It was really easy to blow up. You just take it out and unfold it, then let it sit for a couple hours at room temperature. Then you inflate to 75cm, then deflate to 65. To be honest, it is a bit big for my body, 55 is probably ideal for me, but there was only the one size option. Still, I can make it work.

The material is a nice quality material that seems like it would definitely be resistant to bursting, though not puncturing, so I will definitely need to keep this one away from the dog. It is nice and firm when you sit on it, but still has give.

The outside of the ball is lined with ridges to prevent slipping and to help you grip the ball. I think that's a nice feature, especially for exercises that involve holding the ball with your feet. I definitely like this ball and I would recommend it.
To learn more, check out Champion's Vitality on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Moldable Plastic Pellets #Review #PollyPlastics

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 05:22:00 +0000

My family and I are always doing crafts and art. These past weeks we have been working on a pirate ship board game. It's going to be an educational game that teaches and also entertains. I must say, it's coming out pretty awesome. It has crow's nests and rigging, a cannon, sails, and 2 upper decks... and of course a plank.

It still has a lot of work left. I still need to make the came cards and the gold coins. To be honest, I still have to figure out how it will really be played out. But i did have some trouble in creating one crucial element, the stairs to go from the lower deck to the upper.

So I decided to use wooden dowels and wrap them in plastic, then create steps using the wrapping technique as well. The plastic I used is called Polly Plastics. It's a moldable plastic pellet kit. It comes with 10 oz. of white pellets that melt clear and six baggies filled with color pellets that you can use to customize your plastic's color however you wish.

On my first attempt, I ended up using 1 TBSP white, 10 gold pellets, and 4 black. This is what it looked like after it sat in hot water for a minute and was played with. The water has to be really hot. I used my electric kettle to keep it at a nice temperature.

It took a little getting used to, trying to find that balance between too soft and too hard and getting the plastic to mold together well. But after some trial and error it went smoother and I was able to do mostly what I wanted.

I think this has so much potential. I'll be using it to create hairdos for my wooden peg people for use in future board games, as well as other cool artworks. My kids especially loved seeing what you could do. My favorite part is that you can use and reuse it.
I would definitely recommend it for any crafty family. To learn more, check out Polly Plastics on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#XChef Manual Can Opener #Review

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 06:52:00 +0000

My electric can opener isn't all I thought it would be. I mean, it beats using a manual one on every can, but it definitely has it's flaws. For instance, it wont open big cans. It grabs a hold of a big can, tears through it for all it's worth for a whole 2 seconds, then stops like, "Nuh uh, I'm done!" Every time. I end up having to repeat the process 20 times.

So it's about time I got a manual can opener to assist. This one is from X-Chef. I love X-Chef. It looks just like other X-Chef gadgets, which is awesome because it matches my peeler and a few other items I have.

It seems pretty rugged as far as the handles and rotating part goes. It's got a nice set of loops to hang it if you'd like. I personally love hanging things in my kitchen.

It opens a can very easily with no catching or grinding to a halt. It did leave a small part unopened, likely because I removed it early and messed up the lid before reattaching it and trying to finish it off. It served it's purpose though and the can was opened.

It wasn't hard to place the opener on the can, sometimes with can openers that's an issue, but this one went on very slick. The wheel was easy to turn and I was done in no time. I am very happy with the can opener and I would recommend it.
To learn more, check out X-Chef on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Cooking Utensil Set with Carousel #Review #ModernKitchen

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 06:30:00 +0000

After being in limbo for a while with kitchen plans, I finally know what I want to do. It means that I'm going to have to sand and repaint the bottom cupboards that I already painted black... but it will be worth it for the nice bright feeling the kitchen will have. I want to go for a color feel similar to the kitchen above, just maybe a little less saturated.

But I do want color in my kitchen, bright an vibrant colors, little pops here and there. And one of those "pops" is going to be my new cooking utensil set. Isn't it beautiful? I love how much color it has and that no two have the same one.

It takes up about as much counter space as a large empty flower vase, saving a ton of drawer space that the utensils would normally take up. The carousel spins and does so easily. The items are easy to take off and put on.

The utensils each have a stand built right into the spoon to keep them still when you set them down, the stand also acts as a tool to keep them in a nice position while hanging and also to keep them lifted when in a pot. The utensils are pretty unique looking and do their job well. Maybe a little too well, my husband thought they were a little too non-stick.

I just love this carousel and I absolutely recommend it for anyone wanting to add a little color to their kitchen. To learn more, check out Momentum Home on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Simply Coding JavaScript #Coding Course #Review #Simplycode

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 05:59:00 +0000

My nephew is an amazing little guy. He's all of 10 and knows how to change scripts and create mods for his video games. No one taught him, he just picked it up. He's so smart. He inspired The Big One to want to learn coding so that she could better understand how games work.

So we decided to check out coding courses and Simply Coding was nice enough to let us test out one of theirs. We went with the JavaScript course, it shows you the basics of creating simple video games using Java Script.

In the lessons, you first learn about the different parts of html, then you branch into what goes between the tags inside that html. We learned about functions, variables, types, and methods. We learned what each of those does and how to write them out correctly. We learned how to make objects bounce, disappear, randomize, and change.

The first game we did was Pong, basically ping pong in digital form. It was easy to customize the objects and text in the game. I used digital scrapping elements for the ball and paddles.

We learned how to make objects interact with each other. For instance, in the Fish game that we did next, we learned how to make it so that the big fish could eat smaller fish and grow. We were also able to customize that one fairly easily. We used a more decorative background and changed the fish up a little. We controlled the big yellow fish you see up above. It changed direction when we changed the arrow we were pressing. In this second game we did come across the first flaw of the program. We had to copy and paste the images from the Fish Image folder to the Pong Image folder because the code didn't work otherwise. It was an easy fix and anyone with a good understanding of how computer things work could have figured it out, so I don't consider it a big downfall.

The program does come with all the files you need for creating the games, including audio. It comes in a downloadable WinZip file. What's nice is that the program also comes with a cool 8 GB flash drive that looks similar to a key. It's one of the coolest USB drives I have ever seen and it's a nice size storage too.

Now, this is where I'm brutally honest. I really don't think my daughter would be able to handle this course. It's not that she's not smart, she's so incredibly smart... it's that the coding needs to be exact, you need to focus and memorize... I think my nephew could do it. He has a head for this sort of thing. I think The Big One might be more interested in html and website design. This course is definitely for kids who are okay with techy speak, a sample code would be something like this:

enemy.scaleSize(.5 + Math.random() * 1.2);

   enemy.moveTo(-enemy.getWidth(), Math.random()*(enemy.getClamp().y))

I'm glad to have it though, it makes for a really fun time. It was interesting to see what happened when I made small changes to things like friction, acceleration, etc.
To learn more, check out Simply Coding on Facebook, Blogger, Instagram, Amazon, or on their website at SimplyCoding.org.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Cobalt Blue Essential Oil #RollerBottles #Review

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 05:32:00 +0000

I love my essential oils. I use them to help my anxiety, I use them to wake me up, help me sleep or even to just smell nice. They're good for cleaners and Febreeze style fresheners. The only thing I'm not big on is that they aren't super portable unless you get the smaller bottles. Most of my bottles are the larger 4 oz. glass ones, so they aren't exactly going with me.

So when I found out that such a thing existed as essential oil roller bottles, I was so excited. These ones in particular are cobalt blue glass vials with roller balls at the top. you basically just fill it with whatever oils you want and pop the top in, that's it!

I decided to go with a combination of Jasmine and Bergamot. Jasmine for anxiety and help sleeping (I've had a bit of insomnia lately), and also because it smells nice enough to pass as perfume. I filled the bottle half way with each.

At first the roller ball seemed a bit stiff, but after sitting for a few days, it rolled much easier. It works exactly as I had hoped it would and leaves a wonderful smell behind.

I would definitely recommend these bottles for whoever might want to be able to bring their oils around with them.
To learn more, check out 2PM Essentials.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Professional Water Flosser #Review #WaterFlosser

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 05:28:00 +0000

My dental hygiene habits are not great. I blame it on my childhood... can I do that? I do remember being asked to brush my teeth once in a while and I remember in high school, I brushed almost every morning and tried to get myself in better habits. But to be honest, I am terrible at anything that's "routine". My teeth are so bad now, brushing hurts and I hate flossing. I've always hated flossing. the picks don't bother me too bad, but the string turns my fingers blue and slips off my finger tips. I hate everything about it.

Until now. Why? Well, because I have a water flosser. It's a device that creates a very strong stream of water that blasts through the gaps between your teeth and essentially flosses your teeth for you. It's amazing. I'll be honest here and say that if the water isn't warm, it hurts my teeth. So although I do try to keep the flosser by my bed to remind myself, I can't use it without going to get warm water... room temp water is too cold.

The flosser doesn't run on batteries like you might expect. It runs on an internal battery that you recharge by plugging it into the wall, much like your cell phone does. I haven't charged mine once and I've used it for at least a week on the charge it came with!

The flosser has three modes. It has a normal mode, a soft mode, and a pulse for massage. More brutal honesty, the normal mode actually made my gums bleed a little. It's a powerful stream of water. My gums are very unhealthy though, so it's no real surprise. The soft was fine and I should use it until my gums are more healthy. The pulse was interesting. I prefer a more steady stream, personally.

It holds the water in a removable water tank. you can either fill it up by taking the water tank off or just flipping up the cover on the top of the machine and using that. Both work just as well, it's all just a preference thing.

I would absolutely recommend this flosser. It even comes with an extra tip for couples and they have separate colors so you can tell them apart. To learn more, check out Gurin on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Adjustable Wooden Trivet Coaster #Review #NOVART

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 05:20:00 +0000

I'm always looking to save space in my kitchen. I've replaced almost all my 'tupperware' lids with silicone fit-all lids, and I'm swapping out all the cheap plastic measuring cups and spoons that I bought extras of (in case they break) with solid stainless steel cups and spoons. I'm replacing all my extra cookie sheets with rol-up baking mats and replacing my muffin tins with space saving silicone ones. I'm hoping this new year will bring lots of changes in the organization area.

One of those new space saving items are my new trivets. I used to have bulky wooden ones that I LOVE, but they took almost the whole back splash area by my stove just to hang up. And forget storing them in a drawer. Now I have a couple silicone ones that can go almost anywhere and this neat little adjustable trivet from Novart. You can change it from a round flower shaped piece to a squarish style one. Or if you only need to protect a small area, you can leave the leaf parts close together.

I love that it's so adaptable to what you need. If I have just made bread and I need a long rectangle shaped trivet, I can leave the leaves aligned and just separate them. I can think of at least five different combinations to make different shapes and sizes.

The way it works is pretty simple. You have lots of these "leaves" all on one silicone rope. You can choose to connect the two rope ends together with it's ball and socket style lock or leave it open ended to create the smaller or rectangle style trivets.

It's made of lightweight bamboo and has been pressure tested. It's made to be handy, space saving, and versatile and it certainly is all of the above. I would recommend this trivet for anyone who prepares meals. It's definitely going to get used in this house!
To learn more, check out Novart on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Ivation 1.7 Liter Precision-Temp Electric Kettle #Review #IvationKettle

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 04:03:00 +0000

"So, what you're saying is that you're making it so you never have to leave the bedroom again." That was my husband's reaction when I told him my purpose for my new electric kettle. That's because with my new electric kettle I can cook noodles, rice, and oatmeal, but best of all, I can make tea, cocoa, and coffee. It holds 1.7 liters of water and heats to temperature in about a minute. Wanna see?

Isn't she a beauty? You pretty much just plug her in and let her go. There are buttons on the handle that allow you to set a temperature, turn it on, and even ask it to keep the water warm. The buttons light up as you press them so you don't have to double guess if you pressed them hard enough or pressed the right one.

After about half a minute you will hear a boiling sound coming from the kettle so you know it's heating up. When the sounds stops and the lights go out, the water is ready. No high pitched whistle or anything, you can use this with roommates or sleeping kids without worrying about waking them up.

What's great is that you get the luxury of having steaming hot water whenever you want with no stove necessary, but you also get it in large amounts, unlike the Keurig. It stays hot for quite some time and it's such a handy thing. Especially in the winter when we mostly stay camped in my room with the space heater on and don't particularly care to go into the colder areas of the house. This is why my husband makes fun of me... we literally just stay in my room all day and have cup-o-noodles and oatmeal. We watch movies, play on our phones, and do artwork, read, etc.

I haven't come across a single thing about this kettle that I don't absolutely love. From the simple base plate that plugs in, to the big kettle with water measuring marks on the side so you know when it needs to be filled... this thing is amazing. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's thought of getting a kettle.

To learn more, check out Ivation on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Glow in the Dark Star Stickers #Review #GetChildish

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 03:53:00 +0000

My kids are scaredy cats. I mean that nicely enough. But if I'm being honest, they really are. They're scared to sleep in their own beds, scared to go down the hallway alone, scared to go out after dusk, scared of basically anything in and around the house... I do remember being scared sometimes as a kid. I lived on the second floor with a window facing the front of the house and I remember thinking that someone could climb up to the roofing below my window and try to kidnap me. That was my mom's constant telling of horror stories provoking that I think. I have suspicions for why my kids are so scared.

One thing we are doing to combat this is to set up night lights and the like. In Streaker's room, she has a bouquet of floral lights and we have plans for a beautiful Paris painting with white led lights for the stars. In Punk's room, she has a night light and she also has a rechargeable clip on light she can put on her bed side shelf. In The Big One's room, she has a TV with that awesome built in blue screen night light. Where Boog sleeps, there was nothing really.

Luckily Boyfriend now has his very own set of Glow in the dark space stickers. They aren't your normal glow in the dark set though. Most are usually either plastic and green with a gummy paste that sticks them to the wall or ceiling, or they are paper and even sometimes just peeling them from their backing causes rips. These are the best of both worlds. You get the self-stick adhesive backing with the rugged durability of the stiffer style.

These glow in the dark star stickers from Get Childish come in a pack of 100. There are 50 small stars, 35 big stars, 5 rockets, 5 planets (with rings), and 5 large crescent moons. The size of them are great. They aren't super small like a lot of stickers I've had and they aren't the real big ones like others I've had. These are a nice medium.

The back has a peel off cover for the adhesive backing. It peels off really easily, I had no frustrations with trying to get it to peel up or anything. The stickiness behind the film was sufficient to keep it on the walls. I don't think any of these will be falling off the walls like the paste stuck stars do.

On the front of the stickers, there is a second film that protects the shiny surface until it's in place. Then you can peel it off and the stickers will shine when the room is lit and glow when it's not, it also tends to reflect whatever light is in the room.

They really did take the best of both kinds and wrap it all into one. I would recommend these over any other star themed stickers I've ever owned. If you want to learn more, check out Get Childish on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

APEX SELECT Manual Coffee Grinder #Review #ApexCoffee

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 16:11:00 +0000

My sister is a big coffee fan, we both are really. But she likes to put more effort into her coffees, she's got a more sensitive palette when it comes to that. With me, as long as it isn't burnt and has some cream and sugar, I'm usually good. Although, since drinking it more often and getting accustomed to a certain way, it is getting harder for me to appreciate it being made differently. Maybe it's something that just comes with time.

A couple years ago my sister was going through her storage and she found her electric coffee grinder and gave it to me. She had a newer one that she preferred and had no need for it. I found uses in it beyond coffee and I will continue to use it for things such as spices that have hardened, creating spice blends, making powdered sugar, etc. But for coffee I find that I can't get quite the right size ground. I prefer my grounds to be medium sized, not chunky, but not powder as I sometimes get with the electric grinder.
I know it can be a problem with any electric grinder, so for Christmas I got her a manual coffee grinder to add to her ever growing in-home cafe. It's from APEX SELECT and it comes with a detachable winder handle. Check this thing out!

The handle comes unattached and simply slides onto the nut on top of the grinder and stays in place with it's hexagon shaped hole. It's pretty brilliant, actually. It means that this doesn't create an awkward storing issue, simply remove the handle and place in a drawer. TADA!
Okay, here are some of it's features:

First of all, it's manual. So you can have coffee even if you don't have a free plug. I know one issue in my kitchen is having enough plugs or plugs that are in convenient spots. One set of plugs is hard for a shortie like me to reach because it's kind of far back in the corner of the counter area. The other is right over the stove, so cords need to be long. The other is behind the fridge. So as you can imagine, it's kind of like being in the middle of the ocean and dying of thirst. The manual feature is awesome in this instance.
This also means that it's great to take camping. You can enjoy fresh ground coffee even in the wilderness. Yes, please!

Secondly, you can control the coarseness of the grounds. If you like fine, set it to fine, if you like coarse then set it to coarse. It's that simple. And to make it even better, the conical burrs that it grinds with are ceramic so they will never rust. To clean it out, just wash with warm soapy water and rinse.

When you are done grinding the coffee, the grounds all fall into an attached storage cup and you can see the grounds as they fall in through the window in the side. I think that's a great feature. You can fill the grinder and only grind what you need at the time without having to keep checking to see if you have enough.

This grinder works great and took little time. The grounds came out nice and made excellent coffee. I would recommend this grinder to anyone looking for a manual one. It works on things such as peppercorns and poppy seeds too!
To learn more, check out APEX SELECT on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

A Little Shoutout to Yesterday

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 14:30:00 +0000

Yesterday wasn't perfect, days in this house rarely are. It had it's ups and downs for sure. But it was a good day in general, you know... overall. So since it's a bit early to do a Joy Dare for today, I will do one for yesterday. Yesterday's Joy Dare was to find a gift sweet, sour, and just right. Here goes, folks!

Sweet - My coffee. I could have found others, but my coffee was much needed yesterday. Some days I can go most of the day without it, yesterday I couldn't. I was falling asleep at my computer and chugging coffee in the small moments that I would wake up in hopes that while I nodded back off it might kick in. It did. It kept me up, truth be told, but that's okay. It gave me inspiration for an amazingly wonderful idea that I hope to share with you in the coming weeks. It was good. And the dairy didn't even make me sick this time! Woot!

Sour - Gotta look on the bright side of things for this one. The only thing that comes to mind when I think of sour is Streaker's attitude. But that's never a gift, really. Although, she had none yesterday for the most part, which is a gift. So I suppose I will go with that. The lack of temper and sass was much appreciated. It lead to a wonderful day filled with lots of time together.

Just right - The temperature of the house was just right. Usually it's too cold and I want to cover up and do nothing all day. Sometimes my kids blast the space heater, unbeknownst to me, and I get moody without realizing the issue (I don't feel hot, ever. It could be and has been 80 degrees in the house and I won't notice. But my mood notices, I get irritable, snappy, and overwhelmed). But yesterday it was nice. I felt like I could get out of bed and do things and only once noticed that it was too warm. For the most part it was peaceful and calm, thanks to the temperature.

Well there! Thank you, Joy Dare for helping me start the day out right! I hope to be back tonight or tomorrow with today's dare. Hopefully I will remember. Until then, I'll be getting at least 10 different packages in the mail today, so I will be letting you know how I feel about some pretty neat things. Next up is a manual coffee grinder from Apex. I'll see you soon!

Silicone Cooking Set #Review #SiliconeSavings

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 13:57:00 +0000

I'm getting a little obsessed. With silicone, that it. Not that I've jumped the silicone wedding ring wagon or anything (no, thanks!). But in the kitchen, it's replacing everything. It's replacing my utensils, it's replacing my muffin pans, it's replacing my pot holders, and now even my trivets! What's so great? Well, if you haven't tried it, let me open your eyes to the wonder of silicone.

Okay, so at first I was scared to use anything silicone. It was thin and soft, it worried me. I just knew that it would melt or allow me to get burned. But I also knew Kitchen silicone is all the rage and that many people can't be wrong, so I got a pair of silicone gloves for family for Christmas and tested them out before hand. I loved them so much that I kept them, here's why:

First and foremost, you will not burn. Silicone gloves barely let any warmth through to your hands. You mostly feel nothing. You can reach in and grab the oven rack directly and pull it out and feel mild warmth on your hands. It's incredible!

Secondly, it doesn't melt. It feels so unnatural to put soft rubber onto a frying pan or into the oven, but it really doesn't melt! I've let my silicone spatula just sit in the pan and nothing happens. No smell, no burning, no deformation... nothing!

And also, it's really terribly difficult to damage. I suppose you could take scissors to them, but in normal use it would be very hard. Since they don't melt with normal cooking temperatures and they don't tear, you would have to cut it to damage it.

So I'm a little obsessed, I've always been terrified of taking hot things out of the oven and these erase that fear... mostly, it's a bit of an irrational fear. Anyways, I'm collecting. And I just came across this silicone cooking set that not only gave me two more gloves, but also two double-duty pot holder/trivets. Here's what I thought of them:

The gloves are a lot like other gloves I have seen and tried. They are red though, which is different. They have a really sweet heart design all over them on the outside. They are smooth on the inside and fit me well, but will also work well for my husband who has much larger hands.

The trivets are great. The design isn't the same, but it's the same color, so it matches just fine. It has a big hole to hang from, which I like. A big hole is pretty high on my list of kitchen-worthy criteria because I hang a lot of my things.

It's made from the same awesome silicone that the gloves are. This stuff will protect your counter tops, protect your hands, and anything else. They are a nice size, big enough for even the big pans. You can double them up to protect your table form cookie sheets or roasters. They're just awesome.

If you haven't taken the plunge and tried silicone yet, I highly recommend it. It's easy to clean and looks great too. I think the only downfall at all is that it tends to stick to hair/fur, and the like. So even rubbing against your shirt could cause it to need rinsing. But it's the only downfall. I will never go back.
To learn more, check out Zevuo on Amazon.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

God Give Us #ChristianHomes by Jim Faughn Book #Review and #Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 05:31:00 +0000

Oh man... I struggle. I struggle with a lot of things, the top on the list being the kids. They make me so proud and so angry, so excited and so sad all in the same day. Each one of them. My emotions are all over the place each and every day and sometimes I get so overwhelmed. When all of them are making me angry at once, oh boy! Or when I feel like everywhere I turn I am being ignored, like I'm not even there, like I'm not even a person... I hate that! Or when they all are being loud all day and it seems like it's all echoing off every wall in the house, it's maddening! I sure do struggle.

I'm not gonna lie, I've said things I can never take back, things I regret. I've done things too. I've snapped and blamed, and cursed when things get to be too much. One day, truth be told, I ran away. It was just for the day, but I did. And do you know what happened? It was a Sunday, the last day of a super long weekend and I was driving through town, barely able to see through my tears and when I passed the church this overwhelming urge came over me to stop, like all I needed in the world right then was to go in. I didn't know anybody and it didn't matter, I was being called. I needed to go in. I didn't.
But I did go on medication, which only made things worse for a while, because then people had a reason to point at me like I was losing my mind. It was no longer a situation that was causing me to be buried in despair, it was a "condition". Man, did that only make me more mad, made me feel like any chance I had at things getting better was gone. It made me feel even more hopeless. I just kept thinking that no parent should ever feel how I was feeling, no parent should hate their life and dread their kids. I love my kids, don't get me wrong. It's because I love them so deeply with everything I have that their actions and words hurt me the way they do.

I know, I know, they're just kids. They are just kids, but they're my kids and they're a reflection of me. My reflection shouldn't make me so upset, you know?
I don't know what God's plan is. Sometimes I think I see clear paths and sometimes I feel completely abandoned. But when my Memere died a couple months after that day and the funeral was led by the pastor of that very church that I passed... I knew I was meant to go there. Of all the churches in all the towns, of all the pastors that preach... he preached at the one I was compelled to stop at, an easy half hour away from where my Memere lived, at least.

My aunt happened to be pretty close to the pastor's wife and introduced me and The Big One to her. And even though everything in me wanted to bolt out the door and avoid new people, I let it happen. I even took it upon myself to seek my aunt out when it looked like she'd forgotten. Again, I was compelled. And you know what? I went. I didn't know a single person in that congregation except for a woman I'd barely just met. Truth be told, don't tell her I told you, but when she saw me come into the church and was all excited to see me and gave me a big hug... I didn't even recognize her. That's how little I knew the only person that I knew. But I went. Me... the shyest person I've ever known.
And it was my children's first experience with a church. We went weekly for a long time. We made friends and went to events, it was life changing for me. And now? We don't go so much. Things happened and circumstances got in the way of us going for a while. And though those circumstances have since changed, I haven't dared to start bringing them back yet. Here's why:

My kids publicly humiliate me on a daily basis. In fact, losing my vehicle may have been the best thing to happen to my will to live in years. And here's the thing, I'm not the kind of person who can laugh it off and bounce back. Nope, I'm that timid little girl who wrung her hands when she had to be on stage and nearly cried as she mouthed the words so no one would hear her sing... that's me. Now picture everyone else on that stage and in that audience pointing and laughing... that's how my kids make me feel. They used to be so good for me in public. We'd have a very serious discussion before entering the store about acceptable behavior and such, and leave the store in practically one piece emotionally, treat in hand for reward. They weren't perfect, but good. Now? Well, every other trip to the store ends in tears for me. And it's not like I can afford a second trip, so I have to finish what I'm getting or go without for the week.

I know what you're thinking, maybe I don't discipline them enough, maybe I'm not consistent, maybe I spoil them. I can assure, you I discipline them enough. I feel like I am always disciplining them, sometimes I worry I am too strict. I especially feel that way when I see other parents who never raise their voice, have the patience of a monk, and kids that seem to practically raise themselves. I try to be consistent, as consistent as my memory allows. There were a couple times I forgot a kid was supposed to be in time out and they snuck away, or when I've forgotten a kid was grounded and they got away with video games for the day. But for the most part, I've done the best I can. I can't snap my fingers and have a better memory, so it is what it is. As far as spoiled, maybe you have a point there. I did try my best over the summer to make sure that every day had so much free fun jammed in it that we'd pass out by day's end. And we did definitely have a blast. Maybe they are having a hard time grasping the reality of the school year being back in full swing. But we're half way through the year, so you know... time to shape up and be grateful for the months that we had.

Point is, taking them to church would pretty much be the icing on the cake for me, it would be like "Hey fellow gentle people, look at my poorly raised children cause a ruckus in your quiet place of worship, and watch me cry as I wrangle them up with the speed and grace of a two legged tortoise. We'll see you next week when we host our very own sibling brawl in pew no. 3!"

I've done my best to raise them, I really have. There were times when I should have protected them better, defended them better, had more patience, had more strength. But no human is perfect and I certainly have my weaknesses. Time to try what I haven't tried. Time to be a better role model myself and set a better, more Christianly example.
It's my biggest resolution this year, to build a happier home that's more peaceful and Word-oriented. I know that my kids and I can get there, it's just a matter of taking the steps. And right there to help us on our way is the perfect guide, God Give Us Christian Homes, a book by Jim Faughn.

This book has so many wonderful insights and truths from times long gone and also from the present. It really brings you to see things that you didn't see before. I feel like I'm not alone when I'm reading this book. I feel like there's been thousands of years of parents going thorough the exact struggles that I am... and that's because there have been.
From Adam and Eve and all the way up through there have been struggles just as I'm having. Different, sure. Kids even a hundred years ago never heard, "No electronics for a week". But the disrespect, the bad manners and sibling rivalry, it's always been there. This book gives help with finding the purpose in discipline and what's meant to be gained from it, including respect, among many other useful things.

I'll be using this book to find a better normal for my kids and myself. And since I was sent a second book by mistake, I'm offering you that same chance. Don't worry, I was told to give it away. So here's the thing, just enter with this neat little Rafflecopter tool below and that's it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Eight

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 18:57:00 +0000

*Property of A Holy Land Experience

     That's how many days in the year have presented themselves to me and I am just now sitting down with the notion that I should be grateful. I think sometimes that it occurs to me more often to do a Joy Dare when I am in need of one, when I'm feeling overwhelmed, angry, and depressed and I need to remember what I have to be happy about. It doesn't often occur to me to do one when I am genuinely already feeling that way. But there sure is a lot to be happy about, so here I go with my first Joy Dare of the year! I won't get around to the dare every day because I am awful at routine, but feel free to join me and comment what you are joyful for, or head on over to A Holy Land Experience to download it for yourself and do it with your family or yourself. It makes for a great journal entry each day.
     Anyway, here we go!
     January 8th - Dusky Light, Surprising Reflection, Lovely Shadow.

..... Reeeeaaally? I finally sit down to do one and I get a puzzle. Okay, let's make the best of this...

1. Dusky Light - Last night I had a product that needed to be tested before sundown. I wasn't super eager to go outside and set it up because it's winter and I hate the cold. But Punk was looking to get favor points to earn her phone back, so I took advantage and snagged her company. She made it more enjoyable and even though it was getting to be dusk and she's terrified of the dark, she didn't complain at all, not once. And later, she even went out in the dark to help her grandmother bring in groceries. She angers me like nothing else, but yesterday she did good and I'm glad for it.

2. Surprising Reflection - *sigh* So this one is hard. I'm not for big words and this one stumps me a little bit. So I'm gonna go with this, and I'm not sure if it's more of a reflection or a realization, but I took some extra time and effort into last week. I didn't allow myself any down time, I was up until 5 some mornings doing testing on different products I had gotten. I did this so I could have more time to work on the house. But what I ended up doing with my spare time (for the most part) was spend it with the kids. Technically I was still on the computer for most of it, but I wasn't "busy". We played Scene It, played a pop-up Cinderella game, watched movies, we did lots of things that I am usually too busy to do. I usually get stressed and overwhelmed.

While reflecting on all this, I've realized that I really need to stop working when the kids get home because I do actually LIKE hanging out with them. I need to just get things done while most of them are in school and hang out in the afternoons. This week has been less of a burden and more of a blessing, so I am thankful for that.

3. Lovely Shadow - Again, I'm stretching the meaning of the word, but whatevs. See that girl up there? I sometimes call her Girlfriend, but her official alias here is Baby Bee. She is indeed lovely, very lovely. Of all my kids, this one is the angel, she's the good one. She almost never misbehaves, calls names, is mean... she's a perfect little peanut. She's exactly like I was when I was a kid. For that I am grateful. I worry, mind you... it's not easy being so shy and reserved, but she has a fire in her that I didn't have, so I think she'll be alright. But I'm grateful in the sense that when I had kids, I really didn't expect it to be the way it is. I assumed that because I was a kid once, I knew what kids were like and raising them wouldn't be so bad.

WRONG! I was a very abnormal kid, I'm coming to find. I'm not saying I did nothing wrong. I went through a lying phase when I was 7 or so, I once put tacks on my sister's bed when I was mad at her, and I sneaked a drink here and there in high school. But generally speaking, I didn't do much to merit punishment of any kind. And my little shadow, she's just like that. She's what I imagined my kids would be like. I am soooooo thankful for her. She is always making me feel better. When I'm mad and yelling, she ALWAYS says "I love you, Mom" and turns me around. When I cry, she lays down and snuggles with me until I'm better. Just one hug from her and my cares literally melt away, like sugar in water. Of course I love hugs from all my kids. But there's something magic in her hugs and I'm grateful for that magic.

So that's my dare today. I do have a bit more work to do that will be done while the kids are home, mostly reading. Hopefully they get along tonight and I can still find time to play that board game with Baby Bee that she's been wanting to play. I'll be back later today with a giveaway, so stay tuned!

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

AStorePlus Set of 8 Nail Art Brushes #Review #NailArtBrush

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 23:23:00 +0000

My sister has found a new hobby, It's nail art. Every time I see her she has a new beautiful design on her nails. Whether it be a new flower print for Spring, fireworks for Independence Day, stitches for Halloween, or some cool geometric design, it's always something new and fun.

So for Christmas we got her a set of nail polishes and some nail art brushes to go with them. This particular set of brushes is found on Amazon for a little over $5. They comes in eight different different shapes and sizes, including one metal tipped dotting pen.

The brushes are pretty cute, they are white all over with black swirls wrapping around the handles. The handles are thick on the base and narrow out toward the tip. They would fit well in any typical make-up brush bag.

The brushes are made to make thin designs or cover larger areas, some are made to be more pointed whereas others make more blunt shaped marks. The dotting pen does just as it sounds like, it creates dots.

The only thing that I found less than desirable about these brushes was that one of them fell apart when I took the rubber cover off. So it does make me a little worried that more might break. I'm sure it would be very easy to fix with some super glue though, and the price is nice. So that's just one of those things that you have to weigh and decide for yourself if it's worth it. It's also possible that I got a dud, which can happen with any product you get.

While I don't necessarily think that this set is anything overly special compared to other sets out there, it is an option and it's not a bad option. So if you're interested, you can find more info by checking out AStorePlus on Amazon.
Do you do any nail art?

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Straight Edge Innovations Faucet Extenders #Review #FaucetExtender

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 03:36:00 +0000

My kids are short, most of them will always be short. And that's okay. Personally, I do wish things (specifically store shelves) were designed with short people in mind. Like seriously, how awesome would it be to have a step run the whole length of the aisle, so use short people could MAYBE reach the soda... just saying. Things will always be challenging for us. Reaching the pedals, kitchen cupboards, bathroom mirrors, all things we struggle with. And for kids, it's worse. They can't even reach things like the middle shelf on a bookcase or the TV buttons without help. Poor little guys.

One thing in my home though, is about to become a little less harder. That thing is reaching the water when the faucet is on. Poor Baby Bee... when she goes to brush her teeth at our sink, she has to come in from the side of the sink and reach for all she's worth to get her brush wet. I feel for her. Luckily we have a set of faucet extenders now, What are they?

They're cute little creature like pouts that attach to the end of the faucet and propel the water forward so kids can reach the water stream. It's pretty nifty I think.
The creature's head and ears are made from silicone, so it's soft and won't hurt your faucet. It's also grippy, so it won't move much or come loose and fall off. It's a different color than the spout.

     The spout is made of a harder plastic and helps guide the water to a place further forward, closer to the front of the sink. This is helpful in lots of situations.
     Obviously if a child can't reach the faucet, they can't reach to turn the sink on, but when you are standing at the sink with them, when siblings are, when another parent is... this has lots of applications. For instance, Baby Bee and Boogie brush their teeth when I do, so if they can reach the water by themselves, that's a lot less work for me. No more grabbing their brush and wetting it two or three times each, they can do it themselves now!
     Check out this video of how it works:

     Pretty neat, huh? I would recommend this extender for anyone with smaller kids. To learn more, check out Straught Edge Innovations on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Pack of Six 8 Oz Food Pouches #Review #SportsPouch

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 04:26:00 +0000

I miss my van. My van was awesome. We've had so many adventures in that van... now the motor is gone and I don't know if I'll be getting it back. Broofy wants me to have his van, but I've told him that I would only have it for a month tops before we all die in some horrific accident. He'd be all alone, regretting the decision to make me drive it. I can't drive it... it's like driving on ice, it terrifies me. I don't think he believes me when I tell him that van will kill us. I want MY van back. My van that handles like a dream, has built-in car seats and a DVD player. My family van... the one with a working glove box, factory stereo, and stickers on the windows that scare me half to death every time to look over my shoulder to change lanes. The van with a cigarette outlet, dashboard that tells me which door the kids left ajar, and grey interior with custom denim flooring. We did everything in it, we lived in it. I miss my van.

I miss being able to go places whenever the mood struck. We went soooo many places last summer. We went to playground, beaches, parks, tracks, trails, events, and stores. We went wherever the roads took us. We had so much fun. We ate new foods, explored new places, and tried new things. One of our favorite things was also one that was pretty practical for our on-the-go lifestyle.

They're these pretty nifty food pouches that really help with taking food with you. They were pretty essential if we didn't want to pay out the nose for fast food or have sandwiches every day. There's no worry about who got more than the other, containers tipping over in the car, or the kids not quite shutting the container properly. We used it to eat mashed potatoes in the van, dress our salads at the beach... we could even fill it with hot soup, provided the soup didn't have large chunks. They were perfect for yogurt, baked beans, syrup drink mix, you name it.

These ones by Basics Best are 8 oz. each, which is on the bigger end of things. It holds enough food to fill babies and toddlers up and to hold over big kids and adults. It's perfect for my family. For Boogie and Baby Bee, I can fill a pouch with mashed potatoes, baked beans, oatmeal, or cheesy alphabet noodles. They can feed themselves, even traditionally messy foods, without making a mess in my van. It's a great way to know exactly what's in your baby's food and make sure they are eating well or avoiding allergens.

For the big kids and myself, I can bring along bread, a can of ham patties, and fill a pouch with mayo. Or maybe bring chips and fill one with nacho cheese and one with chili... whatever will go with what we're having that day. Or I could just hold us over with whatever the little kids are having, maybe add some bread sticks and chopped veggies to it to make it more filling for all of us. No knives or other dishes needed, nothing to clean up until you get home!

To fill the pouches, you open the bottom zip lock area when the cap is on securely. Then use a funnel, spoon, or pour spout to fill it (leaving enough room to compensate for when it's closed), then zip very carefully and very firmly. Turn upright over a sink or bowl to be sure it's locked well, then wipe clean and that's it! You can bring them in a plastic food storage container, in a lunch bag, small cooler or such.

There's a few cool features worth mentioning. One is that it has an area on the pouch for you to write what food is in it and when it was made. Or if you know you're only going to use it that one day, you could write who's it is.

Another pretty cool feature is that the box comes with a nice recipe on the side. It's the little things, you know? This recipe is for Pumpkin Puree. Yum! It also has a link to other awesome recipes for you to try and where you can also find ideas for adult food to put in it. Yes, please!

These pouches come in several designs, are BPA and PVC free, Phthalate and Lead free, Dishwasher and Freezer safe, and reusable! Do you have a really busy week coming up? Maybe a week that you're dreading because you have lots of appointments or a trip to take and you don't know how you'll manage it all? Make ahead and freeze! Cold breakfasts like smoothies, chai pudding, applesauce, etc. Or even warm breakfasts... the night before, thaw them out. The morning of, just place them in a bowl of very hot water to warm them up while you get dressed. Breakfast can be had in the car with no need of rushing the kids or cleaning up the table!

I can honestly see a neverending list of uses for these and they are all helpful to a busy mom like me. To learn more, check out Basics Best on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, or on their website at BasicsBest.com.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Keeva Organics Argan Oil Shampoo #Review #TeaTreeOilShampoo

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 09:02:00 +0000

This is me a week or so ago. My hair was horrible, I had almost given up on it. In fact, I had asked my husband if I could shave it off. Every time I turned my head, it seemed like the area at the nape of my neck would snarl right up. Of course that's the most painful area to brush and every morning my hair was a rat's nest all over again. If I didn't brush my hair for the day, I'd wake up the next morning with actual mats. If I did brush, it was painful, took forever, and was for naught. It was AWFUL. The worst condition my hair has ever been in in my adult life was what you see in that photo above. Messy ponies were it for me. All hope was lost.

Well, through my job I get to try out some pretty interesting things. This week I tried out a revitalizing shampoo from Keeva (LOVE them... remember them from before?) with Argan Oil, Coconut oil and Tea Tree Oil. To be honest, just the word "oil" in a shampoo seemed unnatural to me. Isn't the point of shampoo to REMOVE oils? My hair gets oily fast, but I do love coconut oil and tea tree oil... so I gave it a try.

Oh. My. Golly gosh, gee whiz. This stuff... there's no words that could do it justice. My hair is silk. When I woke up the morning after using it, I could brush my fingers through the underside of my hair without a single snag. Not a single one! My hair has been completely transformed with just one washing!

Okay, so it comes out white and lathers only a little. It feels amazing. I used it just like regular shampoo, just lather, rinse, condition. Same old conditioner as always, nothing special. I have this insanely huge gallon jug and I've been using it for months, so the change definitely came from the shampoo. After my hair dried and I brushed it, it wasn't puffy, wasn't frizzy, wasn't hard to brush, wasn't dry or stringy, it was just hair. Beautiful, silk, soft hair.

What's even better about this shampoo is that it comes in a big 28.2 oz/ 800ml bottle. It's a brown bottle to protect the oils, in case you were wondering 'Why brown?' It has a pump top and you don't need to pump it a million times, just a few. I find the pump tops to be really helpful. I hate closing covers with soapy or full hands.

I just can't say enough about this shampoo. It's a game changer. No other shampoo will ever live up to it. Ever. Is it the Argan Oil? The Tea Tree? The Coconut? I don't know. And I almost don't care, so long as Keeva keeps manufacturing it.
Oh, and it's organic. To learn more, check out Keeva Organics on Amazon or on their new website. Also, check out their sister company, Essential Oils Informer.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

#SoulArtStudio Acrylic Paint Set of 12 #Review

noreply@blogger.com (SAKT Homestead) — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 07:10:00 +0000

My kids love art. In fact, I'm pretty happy to say that everyone in my family enjoys art. We enjoy looking at it and making it. Mostly making it. We do scrapbooking, sculpting, sewing, drawing, crafting, painting... we just LOVE doing art. It's who we are. I'm so glad my kids all have that love.

So in our home, I like to try to keep lots of art supplies on hand. I don;t want the kids' creativeness stifled because they don't have a means to create. They have things that I never had access to when I was a kid... chalk markers, pastels, canvas, charcoal, paint... things I would have dreamed of having at their age.

One of Punk's newest supplies is an acrylic paint set by Soul Art Studio. I feel like she's big enough now to be able to use them without making a big mess. So she has an easel, a canvas, and paints. Brushes are kept and given by me when needed. But she has all the other essentials at her disposal.

These paints are a perfect size for a beginner artist. They aren't the full size you'd get if you were used to doing lots of large canvases, but they are quite bigger than other tubes that you get in art sets. As you can see in the photo above, they are pretty nice sized, more than big enough to create many masterpieces and to get a real feel for how the paints work.

This set came with 12 colors. The colors range from primaries to secondaries and even hues that have no real "color". I honestly would have loved to see a second green in there, a lighter one perhaps. But the colors that are in it are beautiful when put on paper, or anything else really.

One thing I did notice is that the white isn't actually white, it's more like a very light grey called "Chinese White". It helps it to stand out on a white canvas and it's pretty close to white, so when it's in a painting you won't be able to tell it's not white. I just thought it was interesting.

We tried this out on cardboard and wooden objects and found that they cover nicely. They did a good job and not too much was needed. Those streaks you see was due to my terrible choice in brushes. This is my "Dracula Snowman" that Punk made for me *HEART*
We enjoyed these and I would get them again if I needed paints. To learn more, click the link above or check out Soul Art Studio on their website, MyKarmaSoul.com.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.