Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Keep Your Hands and Feet Warm (review)

There is nothing that I dislike more that cold hands and feet. It seems the older that I get the colder my hands and feet get and going outside with the daycare kiddos to play in the snow is just no fun if your extremities are freezing.


So Jennifer from HandWarmers.net and FootWarmers.org sent me some awesome things to try out. She sent me some Toasti-toes, insole warmers, HotHands-2 Hand warmers and Foot Warm-ups. Oh it was so nice to have these to go outside with. My hands and feet were so warm and cozy. Heck, I even used them when I came back inside to keep my feet warm. The kiddos loved them too. When they came in they asked if they could use them to warm their hands. They all
thought that they were really neat. Kids are funny that way.

A little info from the company:
The best place on the web to find Hand warmers, Foot warmers, toe warmers and body warmers! Many people find that when the weather turns cold, no matter what they do they have a very difficult time keeping warm. No matter how many layers they put on they still can not beat the chill factor, but the good news is now there is a way! Our hand warmers are 100% natural which means no harmful chemicals or batteries. Composed of iron, water, salt, wood fiber and activated charcoal these all natural products make our hand warmers, safe and environmentally friendly. Once the warmer is removed from its package, it is air activated to produce a warming all natural heat keeping your hands warm for up to ten hours. Our hand warmers are perfect for the hunter, fisher, skier or snowboarder, the snowmobiling enthusiast or anyone who enjoys enjoying the great outdoors regardless of the temperature. Because of their air activation they are easy to open and activate, even with gloves on! They are perfect for sticking in your pockets for some added warmth. However, most people find when their hands are cold, so are their feet. That is why we carry our line of Insole Warmers, and our heated insole Toasti Toe Foot Warmers! These products are the perfect compliment to our Heatmax hand warmers. Made out of the same ingredients as our hand warmers, our foot warmers and toe warmers have special adhesive to stick in your boots and enjoy warm feet all day! Our larger size pad body warmers are great for all over warmth, or to helps soothe back and joint pain. Heat is a known relief from a sore back or aching joints and these body warmers do just the trick. They have a special adhesive that easily attaches to wherever the pain is for immediate, 10 hour relief. So whether you are looking to spend some time on the slopes, on the river, need some heat relief, or are just sick of having cold feet and hands, try our hand warmers, foot warmers, toe warmers, and body warmers and do not let the cold bother you anymore!

Now, back to what I think:
At first I was worried about the Insole Foot Warmer being too bulky but it wasn't. It was nothing more than having an insert in your shoe.

They are self activating, which means you just open the package and expose to air. What could be more simple than that? Another wonderful thing about them is that they stay warm for hours. What I am saying is that some items stay warm for up to 6 hours, but the Hand and Body warmer stays warm up to 18 hours. Another good thing about these products are that they are cheap, oh and you can buy them by the case.

I am giving some of what I received to my daughter who is 21 and is driving about 45 minutes to work in a two wheel drive car and has to leave at about 5:30am. I gave them to her to put in her car just in case she would get stranded in the snow and freezing weather we have been having here in Ohio.

If you know anyone that has to be out in the elements, whether it is to work or play, I recommend that you get them some of these to keep them warm.




I was not paid in anyway for this review, however I did receive the item free in order to complete this review. I do honest reviews and the opinions are mine and only mine. If I do not like an item that I am doing a review on, I will let you know.


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Monday, December 27, 2010

Doctor in Petticoats ~ Sophie's Daughters Book One - Book Review


Author: Mary Connealy
Title: Doctor in Peticoats
Subtitle: Sophie's Daughters Book One
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Publish date: 07/01/2010


About this book:

Doctor Alex Buchanan is a wanted man--a deserter from the army stalked by a bounty hunter--but he'd rather be dead than inflict any more pain on his patients. Beth McClellan is idealistic, believing the nursing training she received will be enough to help her serve as doctor to her home town in West Texas. When Alex and Beth meet in a stagecoach accident, they find that they work well together. But are his demons and her dreams too deeply rooted for either of them to pay the price required for a future together?

What I think about this book:

First off, I have loved every book that Mary Connealy has written that I have read so far. I loved this one from the first page and I loved even more how some of the characters in this book are from her other series called, Montana Marriages, but you do not have to read that series first to get the whole story.

Beth is a very strong individual while Alex is very complicated and has excess baggage that comes with him. Beth comes from a family that is very well put together and each individual is more than strong enough to stand on their own. I love the fact that there is actually two stories running together in this book that includes Beth's sister, Mandy and her new husband, which I am not to fond of. He is quite a fool in my mind. There are times in this book that you will be holding your breath wondering what is going to happen next.

Mary Connealy is definitely an author that writes books that you just can't put down. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.



You can buy this book at:


Images and excerpt are from NetGalley and Amazon.com.
I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book in return for the review from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Win a Nintedo DS or Littlest Pet Shop 3 ~ Twitter party

There is an awesome twitter party going on this Friday night and you don't want to miss it.
It will be over at My Four Monkeys!

My Four Monkeys





So here's the rundown ...

WHAT: Kids & Video Games Twitter Party
WHEN: Friday, December 17th, 8 PM - 10 PM EST
HASHTAG: #LPS3
PRIZES: 10 copies of Littlest Pet Shop 3 and one pink Nintendo DS (You must be present and RSVP to win.)
HOSTS: @MyFourMonkeys and @EAPlay


You must to RSVP over at My Four Monkeys to be eligible to win!

You can read my review about Littlest PetShop 3: Biggest Stars, Team Pink here and you can read the review posted by My Four Monkeys here.

Help spread the word by tweeting the message below and you can have an extra entry in every current giveaway over at My Four Monkeys (good thru 12/17)!

Join @MyFourMonkeys and @EAPlay 12/17 (8-10 PM EST) to chat about kids & video games - win a Nintendo DS! RSVP at http://bit.ly/g9OXgL #LPS3



This information was received from My Four Monkeys and Caitlin at RocketXL.


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Monday, December 13, 2010

Cookies In a Jar ~ Tutorial

I have made these with the daycare kiddos are they are a great idea for gift giving.



You can check out more videos by VanillaJoy over on YouTube.


Vanilla Joy


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How To Tie a Christmas Bow

I just wanted to share this video with you on how to tie a Christmas Bow.


You can check out more videos by VanillaJoy over on YouTube.


Vanilla Joy



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Friday, December 10, 2010

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball ~ Book Review


Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball

A Novella

Written by Donita K. Paul

  • Format: Hardcover
  • Other Formats: eBook
  • On Sale: Oct 5, 2010
  • ISBN: 9780307458995
  • Categories: Fiction - Christian - Romance


About This Book

Can mysterious matchmaking booksellers bring two lonely hearts together in time for Christmas?

In a sleepy, snow-covered city, Cora Crowder is busy preparing for the holiday season. Searching for a perfect gift, a fortuitous trip to Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad’s (a most unusual bookshop) leads to an unexpected encounter with co-worker Simon Derrick. And the surprise discovery of a ticket for a truly one-of-a-kind Christmas Ball.

Every year, the matchmaking booksellers of the Sage Street bookshop host an enchanting, old-fashioned Christmas Ball for the romantic matches they’ve decided to bring together.

This year, will Simon and Cora discover a perfect chemistry in their opposite personalities and shared faith? Or will the matchmakers’ best laid plans end up ruining everything this holiday?


What I thought about this book


This was a fast reading book. Right from the beginning it had me hooked. Then it took a little turn for me when it started talking about the booksellers. For about a chapter I was wondering if I wanted to continue reading. But I did and I have to say that I am glad that I did.

This book really kept me interested in everything that was going on. I loved how the author, Donita K. Paul kept you wondering what was going to happen next and and how she brought the whole story together towards the end. Cora is the main character and she has come from a family of non-believers and has some baggage that she has to work through. Simon, who she works with has an amazing family, which is completely different from the family she comes from. Simon's sister, Candy Sandy is a huge part of Simon's life and he would do anything to make her life happy.

I absolutely loved the last chapter of this book. There were so many things said that makes perfectly wonderful since. I would love to share the whole last chapter with you because that would ruin the whole book for you but I will share this part, "No matter who your earthly family is or how they failed you, your heavenly Father will never deny you nor forsake you."

I have to admit that this is only the second Christmas book that I have read but I am sure that I will be reading more of them.

You can download Chapter One of this book now, just to check it out and see if you like it. If you have read it let me know what you thought of the book.


I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for the sole purpose of reading and doing this review.





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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Vaseline Intensive Rescue

Dry skin

Now, if you visit Everyday Health you can get a free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue for you and one for friends.

My thoughts:

I have issues with lotions because they seem to make me itch worse than the dry skin itself does but this seems to be doing okay on my skin. So far so good. I like the softness it gives my skin and the non-greasy feeling. I am not big on the greasy feeling that you get from some lotions. I don't want to feel like applied lotion and it's actually been a few hours. I am excited about continuing to use this throughout the winter months.



This information was received from Everyday Health and Rocket XL.

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Friday, December 3, 2010

GIVEAWAY ~ $20 SCENTSY Gift Certificate

Small Town Girl

Sarah, over at Small Town Girl is new into blogging and she is doing reviews and giveaways. She is having her very first giveaway and it is for a $20 gift certificate to Scentsy. If you all don't know what Scentsy is you can check it out here. But let me tell you what I think.

Since I am In-Home Childcare Provider, we are not allowed to have candles burning anytime we have children in our homes. Well, I happen to love the smell of candles and since I am not allowed to burn them I started to using the Glade Plug-Ins and such.

Then along came Sarah, with her Scentsy. Scentsy is a paraffin wax that melts over a warmer and the smell is awesome! They do not get hot and the warmers are beautiful. I do have to think my dear Hubby for getting me my first warmers and scentsy bars. Ahh, the smell of fresh Apple Pie, yummy! They have tons of wonderful scents, too many to mention that is for sure.

Now, this is what Sarah says Scentsy is:

Scentsy consist of beautiful warmers that warm scented paraffin wax. Now these are not the typical ‘wax tart’ burners that use a tea light to melt the wax; these warmers us a low watt light bulb to melt the paraffin. You can actually stick our fingers in the melted paraffin and it wont burn you! Scentsy also has other great products including Scent Circles, Travel Tins, Scent Paks, Room Spray, Anti-Bacterial Fragrance Foam, and Adorable Scentsy Buddies.




Now, hop on over to SMALL TOWN GIRL and enter to win that $20 gift certificate so you can enjoy some of their wonderful scents of Scentsy!





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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

What is the FRESH AIR fund??



FACTS ABOUT THE FRESH AIR FUND

THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877.

Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2010, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.

FRESH AIR CHILDREN
Children are selected to participate in The Fresh Air Fund’s programs based on financial need. Children are from low-income communities. Fresh Air youngsters are registered by more than 90 social service and community organizations in all five boroughs of New York City.

Listen to Brandon's story:





Summer may seem far away, but NYC children are currently participating in Fresh Air programs, from weekly tutoring sessions to job shadowings to weekend retreats at Fund camps in upstate New York! Our Career Awareness Program serves more than 300 youngsters in middle and high school. We also have new leadership programs for young women to develop their “can-do” attitudes!
No matter the season, Fresh Air children remain involved, excited and forward-thinking. We need loyal friends like you to continue serving thousands of New York City children throughout the year. Thank you!


To make a donation, please click here.

Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun – and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities.

Whether it's a two-week trip to the country to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of our fund camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories – and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities.

  • Just $10 will send one child on a bus ride to his or her Friendly Town host family.

  • $24 provides a child with a week of swimming lessons.

  • $42 provides a day of Career Awareness classes.

  • A gift of $50 can fund a camp counselor for a day.

  • If you can give as much as $91, you provide a child at camp with meals for a week.
We are a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations from people like you to keep our vital programs flourishing.






All information for this is from FreshAir.org and Sara at the FreshAirFund.


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GIVEAWAY ~ KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer at 3KidsandUs

3 Kids and Us Mom Blog

3 Kids and Us and KitchenAid want to make your holiday wish come true and offer you the chance to win a brand new KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, in your choice of over 20 colors, valued at $349.99!


kitchenaid artisan stand mixer giveaway


Enter the KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway and check out the Homemade Holiday Feast recipes that show all the ways the KitchenAid Stand Mixer and attachments can be used to create unique family dishes and save you counter space with one appliance that can be converted to meet your every need.







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