Cute Site

One thing that I want to work harder at this school year is including Bible themes in our learning.  I know, it should be easy, right?  I still need a lot of leading in this area so I love coming across fun sites that are full of ideas!

I think these little Bible Friends are so cute, don't you?  They'll be a fun addition to any Bible lessons that we do!

Camping!

So we had the great idea to go camping this past weekend.... a weekend that i'm pretty  sure saw record high temps.  When we got to the site on Friday afternoon the temp was around 86, but the humidity was outrageous!!!  We were sweating so badly, and it really did feel like I was back in MS!  

The kids were more hands-on with getting the tent set up this time, which they both enjoyed!

Mason spent most of his time playing in the dirt and mulch! 

Then our friends got there and the fun really began!  The kids ran and played and had a blast!

We were soooo hot...almost to the point of not being able to enjoy ourselves (I said almost!!).  None of us slept wonderfully that night, and I was so relieved that everyone was in agreement that a second night camping just wasn't going to happen!!

Snikiddy Snacks Review

We have three young kids in our house, and one thing that we can never have enough of is snack foods.  A few years ago we started working to cut food dyes from our diet, and it was unreal how many of our favorite snacks had to go!! 

That is a reason why I'm thankful for products like those from Snikiddy.  This is what their website has to say about Snikiddy snacks--

A healthy, tasty alternative to typical fried snacks like potato chips, making them a favorite for families seeking healthy snack options-

• All Natural
• Gluten-free
• Wheat-free
• No corn syrup
• Peanut-free
• No preservatives
• No trans fats
• No hydrogenated oils
• 50% less fat than potato chips 

I know what you're thinking--they can't taste very good without all of that "stuff", right?  WRONG!!  We were sent a bag of the Cheddar Baked Fries to try, and they were so yummy!  I almost opened them on my way from the mailbox but decided to share them with the kids.  These were not lacking in taste at all...and I never would have known that they were a healthy snack if I hadn't known!  My oldest even turned up the bag to finish off the crumbs!

Go HERE to see a list of retailers that sell Snikiddy products.  A great place to purchase them is Alice.com.  If you've never shopped Alice.com then click the link on our sidebar or HERE.  Snikiddy snacks retail for $1.79 and shipping is always FREE! 
There are plenty of varieties to choose from!




You can go HERE to download a coupon to be used at your local retailer! 


Snikiddy is also hosting a fun sweepstakes on their facebook page.  Go HERE to become a fan and read more about it!



Thanks to Snikiddy for providing this yummy snack for our family to review!  


*This is a review for Mama Buzz.  This product was provided free for review purposes.

School Planning

I have started looking around the net at different blogs and such, getting ideas for the coming school year...there is so much out there, and I love to see what other families do and use!

I get excited and am ready to revamp the school room and get started--but I know that we need to enjoy some more summer time before jumping into a new school year...at least my kids think so!

I thought I'd list a few of my favorite blogs for anyone interested.  I'm always finding new blogs that I love, most often b/c I keep clicking on links through comments and such!  I think I linked to most of these on my sidebar.  Tell me some of yours if you have any!

Totally Tots 

1+1+1=1

The two above are written/co-written by a girl who is just awesome.  Her love for Jesus and for teaching her children is amazing...I have found so much encouragement over the past two years from her sites!

Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Homeschool Creations (she has a facebook group and co-writes Totally Tots)

The Homeschool Lounge 

this is a great forum and resource site--I even met some local moms on there!

 Ramblings Of A Crazy Woman great for craft ideas

 Raising Olives she has a giveaway for a Sonlight GC going on now

The Homeschool Classroom

Vacation!!

A few weeks ago Ben came home from work and told me he was taking two weeks off sometime soon.  My response?  "Sure, hon...whatever".  It took me a while (as in a few days) to realize he wasn't kidding!  Apparently he is in between projects and can take time off without being too distracted about what is going on at work.

We still haven't decided what we'll be doing, but he has lots of fishing planned.  Our house gets painted this week (finally!) and we plan to camp once or twice.  We may even take a day trip.  And, if we get really lucky, Grammy might show up with the MS cousins for a visit!!

Thu, 15 Jul

So Happy!

I added a small policy "under" our homeowner's insurance a few months ago...$8 a month to cover any spill or drop damage to my laptop and camera.  I am so thankful I did!  I'm even more thankful that I had an awesome agent who went ahead and processed my claim today, and i'll be getting $300 more than originally told to replace my laptop!!  Isn't that awesome??  I sure think so!

Pocket Purifier Review

Not long ago I was given the opportunity to try out a handy product called Pocket Purifier.


This is what the website has to say about it:

Handheld germ eliminating light uses UV (ultraviolet light) to sanitize surfaces (keyboards, cell phones, computer keyboards, kitchen countertops, sinks, public bathrooms & transportation, toys, pacifiers, bottoms/interior of purses & diaper bags, etc) UV nanotechnology kills 99.9% of germs that cause colds & flu, plus e-coli, salmonella, mold, fungus, and MRSA (staph) without chemicals. I don't like germs. Who does, right? I was anxious to get this and get to work sanitizing!

It's a great size, perfect for keeping in the diaper bag or purse. You flip on the UV light and hold it near a surface for 10-15 seconds to kill 99.9% of the germs. It also has a little stand so that you can set it up to shine on something for longer periods of time, ensuring that you get the item as clean as possible!

I have no idea how to know if this actually happens, so i'll just trust the company when they say it works! What I can tell you is that it's easy to use, lightweight, and even has a flashlight on the end!  
I plan to keep this handy during flu season so that I can sanitize shopping carts! It would also be great for cleaning the binky that gets thrown on the floor when you are out shopping!

I do like that the Pocket Purifier provides a way to clean and sanitize surfaces without the use of chemicals, but I don't see me using it around the house much. Most likely it will stay in the car or diaper bag, ready to use while we are out and about!

The Pocket Purifier retails for $29.95 and can be ordered here. Be sure to click on this code, as it will allow you to receive 25% off your order! This excludes Purely UV germicidal replacement bulbs.

Purely Products also sent me a neat product called SunMate.

This is a small handheld device that allows you to check the intensity of UV rays.  It is super easy to use and would be great for fishing, swimming, camping, park days with the kids--any time you are outside!  SunMate retails for $19.95.

.  SunMate™ arms you with a read-out of the sun's UV ray intensity, so you aren't guessing what those cloudy skies might mean to your skin. Knowledge is power, so you can act. Take your "mate" wherever you go. 

 

Thanks to Purely Products for giving me the opportunity to review these products for you!  I also want to add in this information from their website--I love to support companies that give back!

Helping children is our passion at Purely, so we love the bottom line, literally. Purely Products donates a percentage of all company sales to support diaperLove™, a non-profit organization founded to provide diapers and hygiene products to children in need. With every Purely Products purchase, you can take small steps that make a big difference towards clean, healthy living and at the same time, make a big difference to a child.

Disclaimer:  This is a Mama Buzz review, and all products were provided by Purely Products in exchange for my review.

Yikes!

I often joke that the cashiers in Food Lion see me coming with my coupon binder and want to lock the doors....if they didn't dislike me before, they probably do now.

We walked into the store today and Natalie PUKED!!!  All over the floor!!!  Fortunately we made it behind the registers before this happened, but oh my goodness.  I felt so bad for her!  I offered to clean it, but this sweet teenager promised he didn't mind--he had a great machine so he didn't even have to touch anything!

Maybe next time when she tells me that she feels really sick, I'll head home instead of telling her that we have to stop real quick because the sale ends today!

RIP my pretty pink laptop!

3.5 years ago my mom bought me a bright pink laptop...I love everything pink so it was just perfect!  On Friday, it was killed.  By a root beer.  I'm now on the hunt for a new computer, but i'm going to take my time.

You see, that pink laptop was becoming a problem.  I spent too much time on it.  Bargain-hunting, blog-reading, and facebooking....I knew it was time to cut back.  Yet I didn't....

Now I have to!  I'm almost enjoying the break in feeling like I have "so much to do" online.  No editing pics from forever ago, printing coupons (although I DO miss that quite a bit), and reading all sorts of useless blogs!

Now if I could just put down the iphone!

Popsicle

I got a set of these really neat popsicle makers on clearance last year, and today we made some using lemonade!  You pour a liquid in (juice, soda, yogurt, anything) and freeze them, then it makes a 'twist-up' popsicle!  

They are fun and you can see that Mason really likes them!

The New Blog!

Hey Friends!

I have wanted to move our family blog for quite some time, and since it has been forever since I updated the other site I decided to start fresh!  I hope you like the new look, and be sure to bookmark this site...i'll be setting the the other one to private sometime soon!

I had been thinking about a new address for this blog, and there are two things in our house that are consistent...laundry and poop!  I decided laundry was more 'inviting'!  I'll be updating as much as I can--when I'm able to peek out from under the mountain of laundry!