Little Mountain book review

I love the country and I love mountains, which led me to choose this book, Little Mountain by Eva M. Monroy

This story is about a little mountain in the midst of all the large mountains in a little village of Happiness. He gets picked on by the bigger mountains, but the children from the village love him. The big mountains later learn a hard lesson by not listening to Little Mountain.

Since the book is directed at children, you have to keep in mind a simply story line. I found it a bit, well, I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. Strange really, I guess. And a bit of a gruesome punishment in the end that I wasn't the biggest fan of for my children's age, but maybe with older children it won't be so bad.

You can get your copy of Little Mountain from Dorrance Publishing for $8, here.

*I received this book for free in exchange for my review from Dorrance Publishing.*

What's Eating Your Child book review

As a parent, there are constantly times my kiddos complain of something hurting, or being hungry after eating a full meal, or having reactions or crazy symptoms that you are just baffled by. Well there is a great book out there written by a nutritionist that's a great handbook for parents that answers lots of questions! Heck, it's even a good as a reference for adults.

What's Eating Your Child by Kelly Dorfman is a great tool to use for your child's nutritional needs and mysteries.

I have found many solutions to my daughter's tummy aches, back aches, lack of attention, attitudes...I definitely think this book is a must in your home.

Excerpt from What's Eating My Child?

from Chapter 1: How Important Is Nutrition, Really?

Few parents start out with the goal of feeding their children toaster pastries for breakfast and peanut butter crackers for lunch, yet an astonishing number (if my practice is any indication) end up there. How many exactly? Hard to say, because so many of them are hiding in shame. These are not uneducated people. They are doctors, lawyers, and professionals. One high-powered executive with a master's degree in business came to speak to me about her son whose diet consisted almost entirely of candy bars and pretzels. He was, no surprise, not functioning in school or at home, and the many medications they had tried were not working. She felt so guilty and was so defensive that I could not find a neutral area where we could have a conversation about how to help him. She heard every suggestion, no matter how mild, as a referendum on her mothering skills. "He won't do it!" she insisted. "I have tried."

The scenario of a typical diet gone bad starts at age two when a sleep-starved mother hands her red-faced, screaming toddler a cracker or cookie so he will just shut up. The action is not seen as a long-term solution but a rare treat for a bad day. But little crackers and cookies work like a charm for toddlers. They melt in the mouth, can be held in the hand (for maximum control)—they are like toddler crack. The baby is happy! He stopped fussing at church. At Grandma's birthday party everyone remarked on how well behaved he was.

Yes, he refused to eat lunch, but that was a special occasion, and aren't all toddlers picky? No, they are not. If you give them only the good food you want them to eat, they will eat good food. However, once salty or sweet food is introduced and the child is at an age when it's developmentally appropriate to assume some control over what he puts in his mouth, then a bad habit will unwittingly begin, and things will go downhill from there. If the snack food is in the house, the child quickly learns that he can refuse dinner and scream until the preferred food appears. Few of us have the energy or patience at six-thirty at night to deal with a hysterical child. Besides, the rest of the family is trying to eat dinner, and isn't it better for the baby to eat something—even if it is junky—than nothing? A good mother does not let her child go hungry, right?

The final mental argument is that fighting about food causes eating disorders. Isn't this back-and-forth arguing about what to eat harmful to a child? This is how good moms and dads, under the guise of not let- ting their child go hungry and avoiding food fights, lay the foundation for bad eating. The two-year-old, under the chemical influence of highly flavored food and heady with new-found personal power, self-selects his own diet from this time forward.

Radical solution: Don't have anything in the house you do not want your child to eat.

Fascinating Fact

The picky eating epidemic may be reducing children’s capacity to learn. Forty percent of the diet of American children is made up of empty-calorie foods. A study of twins found the fussy eaters tended to have lower IQs then their sibling who ate better.\

You can learn so much from this book, What's Eating Your Child. I have already read through my copy and learned so much about my children's diets!!! You can pick up your paperback copy from this link, http://www.workman.com/products/9780761161196/ at Workman for only $13.95(US).

*This was not a paid review. I received this book for free in exchange for my review. Thank you to the sponsors for providing this item.*

Snapware review

I am so tired of my tupperware. You with me? I don't like plastic containers, my husband NEVER brings them back and when he does, they need to be thrown away. The lids come off or they leak. They are all mis-matched in my cupboard. It's a battle.
I was super excited to find GLASS Snapware!! I was sent a set of 4 for review. Each container comes with its own snapping lid!! My husband says they feel like such good dishes he feels obligated to bring them home from work the same day. Plus, even if he forgot, they are glass so they are non porous! I love them!!!

They don't leak, they work great for air tight storage, and my husband can use them in the microwave at work. (Cautiously as glass gets very hot and easily breakable if changing temperatures too quickly.) Plus, being glass they are really easy to clean with soap and warm water, maybe just a good soak for those stubborn foods.

I really can't see myself using any other storage containers,....ever! I'm really hoping to expend my collection soon as 4 containers really isn't enough considering my husband takes at least 2 to work each day, 5 days a week.

When I checked at www.snapware.com though, I couldn't find the same glass set. But they still have lots of other nice snapware. If you don't mind plastic, they have snapping lids for those too.

A few other sets I like that are also bake ware/storage;

 Here is the set I recieved for review. I love the locking lids!

Unfortunatley I cannot find the same set that I was sent for review on their website, nor have I had a response back from my sponsors in 2 months about a giveaway or location of their product I reviewed, but I enjoyed the product so much I still thought I would share.

I did however find the same Snapware Glasslock for sale on Amazon and Bing Shopping!

*Thank you to Snapware for providing these products for free in exchange for this review. This review is my honest opinion. This review was not paid for.*

Natural Skin MD review

Dry skin? Need help? Try out Natural Skin MD.

A shielding lotion does the real work to prevent dry skin in two ways. 

First, it assists the inner layers of skin to absorb moisture. The humectant (an ingredient that attracts moisture) used in Skin MD Natural is unique to it and has been laboratory tested to be 6 times more effective than any other you will find in common creams.

Second, a shielding lotion enhances the power of the top layer of the skin to resist environmental irritants while protecting the inner natural moisture.

This can be a big benefit for those who cook, wash dishes and garden because Skin MD Natural helps skin retain its natural moisture and oils in the face of all those irritating soaps and chemicals.

The manufacturer's website www.skinmdnatural.com has hundreds of dermatologist and user reviews including many addressing severe dry skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis. People with sensitive skin -- and those of us who like to live as naturally as possible -- will appreciate that Skin MD Natural is hypoallergenic, free of fragrances, parabens and colorants. It is made with more than 90% natural ingredients and 100% food-grade ingredients that are on the FDA's "most safe" list. 

You can read here how and why a shielding lotion works, http://www.skinmdnatural.com/shielding-lotion/how-it-works/

You can find the list of ingredients Skin MD uses here; http://www.skinmdnatural.com/shielding-lotion/ingredients.html

  Skin MD is a great skin care product to help lock in moisture! They do have a few ingredients I am not the most keen on, but this lotion works great, without leaving that "greasy" feeling on your skin after applying. 

I can't say that we have any skin problems in our home. We did over the winter months with skin drying out and cracking like crazy! It was ridiculous. We also don't struggle with eczema or any other skin problems. So for us, using Skin MD was more of a preventative measure than a curative measure. 

They have some great customer reviews here; http://www.skinmdnatural.com/dry-skin-care/rave-reviews.html

I also appreciated there new lotion with SPF 15 in it! I am extremely white (being a redhead) and don't like to apply a whole lot of sun lotion on my face because it feels so greasy and I like to get a little bit of sun on it. 15 SPF is just the right amount!


You can order your own lotion today! Just head over to Skin MD.  They sell individual 4oz bottles, sample packets, gallon jugs, or cases of 12.

Skoy Cloth Winner

I've had a few requests to announce the winner on the blog as well as Facebook, twitter and by email. SO...without further adieu...

Our SKOY CLOTH winner is.....Kristen Robinson. You have 48 hours to reply to my email with your address to accept your prize. Thank you!!!

Remember to share the blog with friends and family!!!

Birthday Bash Celebration winners

 Thank you everyone for participating in our giveaway on my facebook fan page, TNS Family Value[s] Here is the list of winners for prizes from our wonderful sponsors. Make sure to give them lots of <3 and thank you's for their sponsorship!!

Names in bold have not yet claimed their prize. You have 48 hours to respond before new winners are drawn! Thank you.

Baby's butt cream from Earthly Remedies by Erin is...Tammy Leanne Naylor.

25% off any one item from Inspired By Amara is.....LaDonna Hutchins

$10 gift certificate to Aliyah's Hope Chest on etsy is...Betsy Thibaudeau

Free beaded pair of socks from Lil' Sweeties Creations is...Mandy Hatch Agnello

15% off Mark. Fashion and Beauty With Elizabeth is....Mary McMenamy (won on Facebook as it had no entries)


Tube Top from Megan's Sewing Creations is...Mary Mcmenamy

35% off their order from Green Bumpkin is....Darlene Arnold


Kat's Kreations $5 off $25 or more...no entries. Giving away on facebook, waiting to hear from first comment.

All About Baby Boutique Baby Leg Warmers is...Ang Alford

~Skoy Cloth Review and Giveaway~ **CLOSED**

Tired of wasting paper towel? (2.5 million tons thrown away annually). Maybe you aren't a "green" person so that doesn't matter to you. How about unraveling paper after paper? Rip, wipe, toss. Some don't absorb much or help you clean in any way without getting soggy fast, or ripping apart as you use them.Well try Skoy cloth!

About Skoy Cloth *Copied from their website*
'The idea originated when Michelle was living in Europe in the late 90’s. She discovered a product that was similar to the SKOY cloth and it was just amazing. Over time she found the cloth to be indispensible. When she moved back to the US, she realized that the use of a sponge was inadequate and the excessive use of paper towels, wasteful. Michelle searched and searched for a similar cloth and nothing even compared; nothing was of the same caliber. This is when Michelle introduced the cloth to Karen. She immediately fell in love with it and could not imagine cleaning with anything else.’

The original word is actually a Swedish word Skoj, pronounced skoy, that means "just for fun". The creators wants to make a product that you could love and have fun using!

One Skoy cloth saves up to 15 rolls of paper towel! They are 100% biodegradable and natural. They are reusable and machine washable.They also absorb 15 times their own weight.It is non-toxic, chlorine free, and made using water-based colors and inks. They are made from a natural cotton and wood-based cellulose pulp.

Use and Care *copied from their site*
USE

• Wet your SKOY cloth before using. Be sure to squeeze out the excess water for optimal absorption. It can be used with popular household cleaners, but works just as well with water.
• Note: Rinse cloth very well when combined with dish soap in order not to leave residue.
• We recommend that after your SKOY cloth has passed its prime, it can be used as a rag for heavier cleaning. Chlorine-use is not recommended.

CARE:

• The SKOY can be cleaned in your dishwasher and is washer and dryer safe up to 90°C (190°F).
• Another option to keep your SKOY cloth germ-free is to microwave it daily when damp for 1-2 minutes. This will also remove possible bad smell that is caused by bacteria. Remember your SKOY cloth must be wet when microwaving for best effect and to avoid risk for fires. The SKOY cloth will be extremely hot when removing from the microwave so please use caution and wait a moment. Immediately run under cool water to rinse.
• Note: Make sure the SKOY cloth is wet when microwaving to avoid fires.
• Warning: The SKOY cloth can be extremely hot when removing from the microwave. 

I do not us a microwave or dishwasher, so to disinfect mine, I have to use my washer/dryer. But they don't hold bacteria as bad as sponges or wash clothes or old paper towels. Which is so nice! It's a pet peeve of mine to have smelly hands. Ugh. Worst thing ever. Skoy Cloth is one of my favorite finds because it's not only budget friendly (you can find the pricing here; http://www.skoycloth.com/index_files/shopping.htm), they are reusable and earth friendly. We have to take our garbage to the dump every 3 days so the less pile up the better for us! Plus they come in cute patterns with flowers, or sayings, or holiday prints. You can also subscribe to receive regular shipments of skoy cloth.

It's like a light weight wash cloth. Works great for any kitchen need! Here I used it to clean my counters, and it held up well to all the scrubbing. It dries super fast and holds up to a wash for disinfecting.

BUY IT: You can buy small sets, or get monthly subscriptions here; http://www.skoycloth.com/index_files/shopping.htm
WIN IT: Skoy has given me a second set of 4 cloths to give away to one of my lucky readers! The white flower pack pictured above. To US residents only please. Giveaway will end 5/12/11. This giveaway is mobile user friendly this time. :-) There will be no mandatory entry, but you must complete one, or all of the following for entries. PLEASE comment separately for each entry, include your name and email address in your comments.


ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog via google friend connect (1 entry)
2. Follow TNS on facebook (1 entry)
3. Follow TNS on twitter (1 entry)
4. Subscribe to my blog via email (1 entry)
5. Follow SKOY on facebook (1 entry)
6. Share this giveaway on facebook (2 entries) Tag us!
7. Tweet about this giveaway (2 entries) Tag us!

Helpful Links:
Skoy Cloth Website
Skoy Cloth on Facebook

TNS Family Value[s] on Facebook

TNS Family Value[s] on Twitter

*This is not a paid review. I received these items for free in exchange for this review.*

Sock 'n Boots book review

I received for review this adorable book called Sock 'n Boots Share.

It's a fun little story of a sock and an army boot that are best friends and learn what sharing is. They start off with a question and end the story with a question about sharing to evoke the young reader to carefully consider the story and why sharing is good.

You can watch an animated trailer of sock and boots with this youtube video.

These stories are very well animated, simple enough to read with young readers and provide a good life lesson as well as cause thoughtful consideration. I'm excited for the next 2 in the series to be released for my kids and I to read together!!!!

*Copied from their website*
The Sock ‘n Boots franchise of stories was created to not only teach young children valuable life lessons, but also to stimulate positive thinking while building a bond between parents and children or teachers and students.

The goal of the books is to transform story time into an interactive bonding time.

Each Sock n’ Boots story begins with a question, then through the antics of the characters a lesson is taught that answers the question. Once the story is finished the question is posed again which opens the way for discussion and interaction.

We hope that children and parents alike will grow to love the Sock and Boots characters while building a bond through discussing the lessons that the stories present.
You can find them on facebook here; http://www.facebook.com/SockandBoots

You can purchase this series on Amazon.com here; http://www.amazon.com/Sock-Boots-Share-D-K-Smith/dp/0557526140/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t or here on LuLu; http://stores.lulu.com/socknboots

A Treasury of Modern Mother Goose Rhymes Book Review

I chose "A Treasury of Modern Mother Goose Rhymes" by Lillian Rose Jensen for review from Dorrance Publishing.

About the Author: Lillian Jensen is a native of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, fifteen miles from both Stone Lake and Hayward, and attended the Janesville School for the Visually Handicapped in Janesville. She enjoys writing tongue twisters and poetry of her own as well as knitting rugs. She lives with her husband on the Lac Courte Reservation, where they have raised three children, Theresa, Michael, and Melody.

Thanks to Lillian, some of our favorite Mother Goose nursery rhyme characters have been modernized, brought to our world for us to enjoy.

Examples: "Remember the old woman who lived in a shoe?
She remodeled her house and painted it blue.
She had the old shoe wired with electricity.
She bought a stove, refrigerator, and a TV......"

"The king of hearts
Wished to bake tarts.
But the king of hearts was in a terrible fix.
The king of hearts
Couldn't bake tarts.
He couldn't find the right cake mix."

It's great to have a collection of rhymes to read with my kids. They are her own creation, so it shows kids they can create their own rhymes and how rhyming works. Filled with 51 different rhymes, it's great for the imagination

My only 2 disappointments are that there are no pictures for the kids while you read it to them, and it is an extreme waste of paper!!

You can buy your own copy of A Treasury of Modern Mother Goose Rhymes from Dorrance Publishing for $9.

Thank you to Dorrance Publishing for providing this copy for free in exchange for this review.

World Without Fish Book Review

I was sent "World Without Fish" by Mark Kurlansky for free from Workman Publishing for review.

About the Author:
Mark Kurlansky is a former commercial fisherman and New York Times bestselling author of Cod, Salt, The Big Oyster, and other books. He’s won numerous awards, including the James A. Beard Award, ALA Notable Book Award, and New York Public Library Best Books of the Year Award. He lives with his wife and daughter in New York City and Gloucester, Massachusetts. His website is www.markkurlansky.com.

The book is suppose to be about how we can change the way we live to help save our fish population, which has estimatedly dropped over 90% in the last 50 years.

His 10 year old daughter helped him write this book in order for it to be interesting for all ages, which is a great idea.

Unfortunately, I can not recommend this book. Within the first few chapters the book talks about evolution and millions of years old. A theory proved wrong, and formed with round reasoning. I could not bring myself to enjoy reading this book when it is suppose to be a factual book and already starts with a wrong theory. I cannot recommend this book to any of my readers as I don't think it's worth the read.

A few good things this does book contain;

—A seafood lover’s guide to safe and sustainable menu options and where to find them

—The cool children’s pick of the season that includes an 11-page full-color comic interwoven

     throughout the book

—A timely look at the impact of oil spills on the ocean environment (the anniversary of the Gulf

    Oil Spill is 4/20, two days after publication)

—An engaging history of fishing

—An inspiring, user-friendly handbook filled with things we all can do to help save fish

And some fun facts in the book are:

Some Fun Facts from WORLD WITHOUT FISH:

1. There is no such thing as a true Chilean Sea Bass. The fish we know as the Chilean Sea Bass is actually a Patagonian Toothfish, which is not a bass at all, and, for that matter, not necessarily from Chile. Since a “Patagonian Toothfish” doesn’t sound very appetizing, the alternate name was created to market the fish internationally 
2. Mammals usually give birth to one to six babies. A bird will lay this many eggs. A fish will lay millions of eggs. For years, people assumed that this meant that fish have millions of babies. Only recently have scientists come to understand that a fish will usually have only one to six surviving babies, just like a mammal or a bird.
3. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest known concentration of floating trash in the world. Located in the north central Pacific Ocean (the area between Japan and the United States), the Patch is alternately estimated to be from one-eighth to twice the size of the United States.

Thank you to Workman for prividing this book for free for a review.

Spring cleaning day 5

Man, it is so easy to just say "okay, clothes are sorted, I'm all good". But my motivation to continue is my daughters birthday party coming up. I would like the house to at least be clean for that!! It went back to cold weather and more snow here so it is hard to want to keep up my "spring attitude"!

Today I am washing and sorting all my kids toys. Anything missing pieces, or chewed up (by the puppies not the kids!) Gets thrown in a box to donate or throw away. Any toys not played with in a long time get donated or added to my rummage sale boxes.

Washing them helps is get rid of all the cold and flu germs either my kids, friends, or family have left behind on them. Plus the dirt and grime from baby drool and the great out doors. Toys that you forgot your baby dropped at the store and meant to wash but forgot, yeah, those get washed too. I have some toy wipes left from my Dapple product review so all my baby toys too big to wash, like the swing and the exersaucer, are getting wiped down with those. Sometimes I am amazed at the dirt and dust that collect on those!

Don't forget about the bath toys! Any toys that suck in water like some rubber ducks, unless you clean them out with a little bleach water on a regular basis and you've had them over 6 months, they might nerd to be replaced. Bath toys don't fully dry and mold starts growing inside of them.

I've also got a tote just for baby stuff I am keeping "just in case" of another baby that my kids have out grown playing with.

Now its easier to decide where to put all these toys once I realized how many we really don't need. So we have toys for storage, toys for rummaged sale, toys to pass on to friends in need, and toys to donate. Our house is going to be hundreds of pounds lighter after all of this! Haha.

Besides your average Goodwill and St Vinnie's (and storage, passing toys on, etc.) there are some great sites for toy donation. Like, http://www.secondchancetoys.org/ or http://www.donationtown.org/news/donate-toys.html

Hope you are enjoying your spring cleaning!
Teresa

Day 4 of Spring Cleaning

It's my daughter's 2nd birthday today! So I picked something a bit easier today...kind of...so I don't have to spend as much time cleaning. Today I vacuumed all our carpeting...again moving all the furniture this time getting rid of all those dust bunnies! (And I mean ALL my furniture. Anything on the carpeting.) My husband got me a new vacuum for Christmas and I LOVE it! I'm always vacuuming and in disbelief at how much dust is in the bucket when I empty it!

If you need yourself a good vacuum and can't afford a Kirby (which are GREAT vacuums), try the Eureka Air Speed. It is a bagless vacuum though, for those with allergies, so not the best for emptying. It's amazing. I vacuumed with my old vacuum then went over it with the Eureka and the bucket was F-U-L-L of dust and hair and lint...and...oh I felt aweful letting my baby play on the floor after that! I have cream carpeting too, and they looked clean before I vacuum. I mean, I just can't get over it.

I also need to vacuum to get my daughters room all cleaned up so we can put in her new birthday gift! It's a Thomas the Train table set with drawers, and a chest and TONS of track we found on www.craigslist.org! You'd be amazed the deals you can find there. Our table is well over $700 new with everything that is included and we got it almost a quarter of that!! Check it out for some great deals in your area. Also a great place to sell your used items.

Have a fantastic day and happy cleaning! (PS...SNOW STORMS here again the past two days *sigh* but I continued my spring cleaning...hubby thinks I'm crazy..but hey!)

Teresa

~FuzziBunz Review and Giveaway!!!!~

When you think cloth diaper, any specific brands come to mind? I know ALLOT of people who say the first brand is FuzziBunz. Whether they use them or not, almost everyone in the cloth diapering community has heard of them.

What are Fuzzibunz? Well here's a little excerpt I copied from their page, here: 
FuzziBunz® are innovative diapers for the new Millenium. Yes, it is a "cloth diaper" but there is nothing to remind you of the pins and plastic pants of the past.
FuzziBunz® are a diaper that offer parents a leak free, rash free and disposal free way of diapering. FuzziBunz® are easy to clean, care for and use unlike traditional cloth diapers.

FuzziBunz® are made from one layer of soft waterproof fabric and one layer of lightweight 100% breathable poly fleece. The two layers form a pocket to place an insert or a pre-folded (old fashioned) diaper into. This ensures that ALL wetness is kept away from your baby`s tender skin. FuzziBunz® fasten with plastic snaps and are very adjustable to fit your baby`s growing needs. FuzziBunz® are professionally made with only the highest quality materials. FuzziBunz® are trim fitting and virtually leak proof. What more could you want in a diaper??


So I guess not much more is needed to explain WHAT a FuzziBunz is, BUT I CAN tell you how it worked for ME!

One new thing about FuzziBunz is that they have switched their manufacturer from China to Turkey giving us a different fabric for our diapers and the sizes run a little bit larger. I had the opportunity to use some old FuzziBunz a while back and I was a bit turned off. The fabric was coarse, the fittings ran small, and it just seemed a little bit awkward (for my kids anyways!).

FuzziBunz sent me one of their new OS diapers in Choco Truffle! (I LOVE natural colors!)

They also sent me their diaper with a new organic hemp jersey contoured insert I don't know if you are familiar with hemp in diapers but, not only is hemp super absorbent, it is naturally anti-bacterial and unbleached. The hemp jersey is the trimmest of the hemp fabrics, recommended for heavier wetters. (It's naturally more absorbent than micro fiber or most other inserts).

The hemp insert has a smooth surface with 6 layers of hemp jersey. These inserts are 55% hemp and 45% cotton jersey.

Unlike their diapers, FuzziBunz Hemp Jersey Inserts are made in the USA by Cloth Diapers, Inc.

My Opinion?
I love the color selection they carry. A wide variety of solid prints. You can see the colors here. They have a one size diaper, which grows with your baby or a perfect size diaper made to fit perfectly. I was sent, and prefer using the one size diaper. It can grow with your child from birth to potty training, which is a big money saver, BUT you CAN lose the trimness of a diaper but not having it in their exact size.

Their one size are a bit different than what you expect. Most cloth diapers have snaps on the front you can fold down to adjust the size for todler or smaller baby. FuzziBunz have an elastic band in each leg with a small button to size up or down to fit your child, and a band at the waist. You have much more options for sizing with these diapers and less bulk when you size down since the diaper isn't folded over.

They even provide a chart for sizing to help you out!

I am a bit more use to the sizing of snaps so this took some time to adjust to. It's still not my favorite OS style, but it works well and fits much trimmer than all my other OS diapers. You are suppose to tuck in the elastic tab to hide it after adjusting. I found this a little hard to do when adjusting it to fit my 6 month old since there was so much elastic left over. They did send extra elastic adjusters, which is very nice since we all know it can wear out after a while!

The hemp insert works GREAT to absorb. I have heavy wetter so it was a great product for me to try out. No leaks at all yet. The only down side to hemp is, because of it's ability to absorb moisture, it takes longer to dry after washing. That should make you feel good about it whisking away moisture on your tiny one's bottom.

Overall I think FuzziBunz are a great diaper. I have not had a single leak problem when using it. It's breathable and lightweight. It's cute and it's a one size diaper. No complaints here! I would highly recommend these diapers to my cloth diapering momma's.


BUY IT: You can buy your own OS Fuzzibunz here for $19.95. You can buy these diapers in packs of 3 or more for savings. They also sell their perfect size, which are about $17.95 a diaper, here. Also sold in packs for mroe saving. FuzziBunz also sells lots of other great products. You can check them out by going to their website, http://www.fuzzibunzstore.com

WIN IT: FuzziBunz has offered oneof my fans their very own one size diaper with a hemp insert! Simply fill out the form below. For US Residents only, per sponsors request. Giveaway will end 4/27/11

Helpful Links:
FuzziBunz Website
FuzziBunz on Facebook at Cloth Diaper, Inc.
FuzziBunz on Twitter at Cloth Diaper, Inc.

TNS Family Value[s] on Facebook

TNS Family Value[s] on Twitter

Make sure you TAG us on facebook if you share using the @symbol then typing our name (no space).
Sample phrase to tweet: @TNSFamilyValues is giving away a #cloth diaper from @FuzziBunz on her blog, www.tnsfamilyvalues.blogspot.com 

Spring Cleaning Day 3

I am spending today on what would appear to be an easier task. Sweeping and mopping ALL my hard floors today. I say appears easy, because it's something I do regularly. Only difference is today I am actually MOVING furniture and scrubbing under them as well getting rid of all those allergens, like dust bunnies.

I have moved a couch and recliners, desks, EVEN THE FRIDGE AND STOVE! Cleaning under the fridge can prevent mold growth since your fridge releases moisture in your home.

My house FEELS better with every nook and cranny scrubbed!

Happy cleaning!
Teresa

Spring Cleaning Day 2

Today is a busy day sorting through CLOTHES! My kids are growing like crazy so I have to decide what is good enough to keep if I have another baby, what to set aside for a rummage sale, what to donate, and what to pass on to family and friends with children that would fit into their old clothes. (Our family is big on the clothing rotations for children. Throw out the old, add in your new, pass it on. You'd be surprised how much money this saves!)

Totes are out for clothes I want to keep. I have a box filled with rummage sale clothes. Boxes and bags labeled for friends and family to use. Older style clothes to donate to our local Vinnie's. And clothes that are too stained or too holey even for play clothes are thrown away. It takes a while, our kids have so many clothes! A majority of them hand me downs from their cousins. Allot could not survive another child!

As for our clothes, that's a little harder. My husband keeps his shirts with holes and stained for side work and getting dirty. He's an Auto Tech so his clothes are quite often stained with grease anyways. But my rule of thumb with his shirts, if there is more skin showing than fabric, it's time to throw it away (same with his jeans). Or if there are more stains than original shirt color, it's time to go. If any important body parts start showing, including his nipples, it's a goner for sure.

Any clothes he hasn't worn in over a year or two get added to the rummage sale pile. As with any clothes too small. (He started working out so some of his shirts don't fit anymore). :-)

If you don't have enough clothes to start throwing clothes away, just make a mental check lest of everything that WILL be going as soon as you get new clothes! Rummage sales start soon and second hand stores are full of good replacement clothes for a good price, if you shop around enough.

For my clothes, womens clothing is allot harder. Sometimes you keep those pair of jeans you USE to fit into just in case. Well....here's the deal. If you have some jeans or skirts or even dresses in your closet that are more than 2 sizes too small. Feel free to put them in a tote if you REALLY want to keep them JUST IN CASE. If you need a pair out for motivation, hand it right in the front of your closet so it's the first thing you see. But going down 2 sizes in a year is a challenge for any woman.  So no need to clutter your closet. Anything you absolutely won't wear, donate or add to your rummage pile. Old, dirty, stained, pitch it, unless you need some good gardening/play clothes. And for your maternity clothes, if you are NOT pregnant or had a baby within the past 2 months,...it's time to store them, donate them, give them away, sell them...but it's time to let them go. Same with nursing clothes. If you are not pregnant or nursing anymore, it's time to move on!

If you use to be a size 5 and had kids...it's okay to be a size 8 or 10 now. It's realistic. You have the mommy hips. So don't beat yourself up if you can't fit into your old clothes. Life happens. No one is perfect. Just love yourself the way you are, so long as you aren't unhealthy. If that's the case, then just get some motivation and try, try again!

Now for the unmentionables. You know...undies..bras...that sort of stuff. If they are stained, have more than the normal amount of holes, are threading, loosing buttons, you can't tell if it said JOE BOXER or not at some point, lost it's decals (like flowers or ribbons), or lost elasticity, it's time to throw them away. It is recommended to replace your underwear every 6 months. If you can't do it THAT often, just make sure you aren't keeping anything fitting the descriptions above. For both men and womens underwear. 

Bras usually last a little longer, they say every few years to replace. Just make sure you are wearing the right size! Get rid of those poking ones, wires coming out, clasps not holding, wrong sized, malformed bras. No point holding on to something uncomfortable or non fitting. If you are still wearing nursing bras and have not nursed in a while, its time to put them away. 

I guess you can say socks fit the same previous under garment descriptions!

I DO NOT however recommend replacing these items from rummage sales or second hand stores. :-)

You should by now have QUITE the load for donations, rummage sales, storage, and to pass on. If you can't get rid of them yet, you should at least have a list compiled of all the new clothes you NEED to get and an idea which ones are going when you do get the new ones!

Here is an article from www.howtogetridofstuff.com on what to do with your old clothes. http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/living/how-to-get-rid-of-old-clothes/

Happy cleaning! :-)

P.S. This is also a GREAT time to throw out any damaged hangers and go through your dresser drawers, cleaning them out. You'd be amazed what little things you can find in dressers you forgot you set in there for safe keeping, or a toddler tossed in there once when you grabbed some clothes! And putting away winter clothes would be a great way to un-clutter now if you don't have any more winter weather forecasted...unlike us...

~TextHook Review and Giveaway~

The Text Hook is a patent pending design that allows your smart phone to attach to anything with a bar basically. You can use it while shopping, exercising, pushing a stroller, riding a bike....anything really it can strap on to.

The Text Hook has a velcro strap that makes it super easy to attach. It's also super light so it doesn't set your bike handle bars off balance! It also rotates 180* so you can view your phone at any angle. For more features check out their site here.

Text Hook fits a wide range of smart phones listed here.

Our thoughts:
The Text Hook is a great product for moms! At times it isn't worth the effort to take out of the diaper bag and set it all up on a shopping cart if its just a quick outing. But it is great for going on walks and having your phone at a convenient level, able to view and text without having to stop and dig it out.

If you keep your grocery list on your phone, it also works great to keep that list in full view while grabbing groceries and watching children.

It's also perfect for using during workouts if you keep your music on your phone. Some bikes or machines don't have any where to set your phone, and you don't want to keep it in your pocket, and you don't always have an arm band to wear. Plus, you can still text while working out!

The only thing I found a bit inconvenient, besides those times where it isn't necessary to set up, like short trips, was the fact that my phone blacks out after so many seconds of non use and the only way to turn it back on was to push a button on the top of my phone (it's an HTC EVO). But I found if I pressed just right on the plastic covering the top, it worked well enough.

What an HTC Evo looks like.

One other thing, it also couldn't fit my phone, in it's case (an otter box). So I would be a little nervous of dropping it. Hopefully just keep a good screen protector on it though and you should be fine!

*Just remember that using this device in motion CAN result in injury!

BUY IT: You can buy your own Text Hook for $25.99 here in either black or white. There is also a list of other stores selling this product listed here.

WIN IT: Text Hook has offered one of my readers their very own! Use the form below to enter. Giveaway will end 4/22/11. Continental US readers only please. Thank you.


Text hook has ALSO offered a 15% off code for all my fans! Use TNS15 at checkout!

Helpful links:
Text Hook Website

TNS Family Value[s] on Facebook

TNS Family Value[s] on Twitter



*This is not a paid review. I received these items for free in exchange for this review. Sponsors are liable for all prizes sent and received.*

RE-starting my spring cleaning!! Day 1.

I tried a few weeks ago to start my spring cleaning only to be deterred by 17 inches (!!??!!??!!) of snow! So instead of sweeping and mopping, I was shoveling or brushing off vehicles. All of which were, obviously, stuck in our driveway. *sigh*

Hopefully THIS time it will not happen! I mean, it's the middle of April!! Right?? Well, no stopping this time. My daughter's 2nd birthday party is at the end of the month and I'm hopping to have a clean house by then!

I just barged right in head on last time tackling a massive amount of things at a time. This time, I'm going to take things a little slower and hopefully you can follow me as I spring clean. I will try to give you some tips and tricks and help you decide what stays and what goes!

My spring cleaning has to be started off with a general house pick up. Putting toys where they belong, books get put away,...etc..all those little things laying around that will get in the way over the next couple of weeks as I get down and dirty cleaning house. (Make sure to check in your couch cushions and under furniture for some hidden treasures! I am ALWAYS finding toys in our cushions.) I HAVE to start with this because we have had a few hectic weeks and my house looks like the tornadoes that went by our town last week actually came through my house! Well, a few little ones did....my DD and DS....even my DH contributed. (LOVE YOU BABE!)

So, be prepared to scrub, scrub, scrub and throwing things away!! (you might need some more garbage bags). Some storage totes are a good idea too!! Maybe even some boxes for donation.

Have a fantastic day and happy cleaning!
Teresa

Life Without Limits Book Review

Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic is a wonderful, compelling the reader to take hold of their circumstance, no matter what the difficulty, and realize God has a purpose for their lives. God can use you no matter what situation your life is in. It drives you to realize all is not lost.

Reading through Nick's life story and reading his encouraging words, knowing how much he has struggled in his life gives courage to those without hope. He is a funny, driven, courageous man who lives an amazing life, even without arms and legs.

You can purchase this book from  WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group  for $19.99.

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

~No Throw Review and Giveaway~**CLOSED**

This is my children's thought process: "Mommy gave me this sippy cup. I must throw it down. Ok look! Mommy is picking it back up. She gave it back to me! I MUST throw it again! She picked it back up again. This is so fun! I wonder how long I can keep this up?" Five minutes later....mommy is a bit tired of this game. Be it toys or sippy cup. What is the worst, is during walk times. Walking on the side of the road, not able to see what their little hands are doing, only to go over a bump, look down and realize I ran over a toy or sippy cup.

Pacifiers have the nice little clips to hook to their shirt or car seat to prevent dropping it on the floor (awesome invention). Did you know they have on for sippy cups too?? It's called the No Throw.

No Throws are made with cute fabric choices, shown here. Their product is designed for 3+ months with a velcro strap, designed to hold tight a bottle or sippy cup. The No Throw's leash styled handle can be slipped over the seat belt on your child's car seat, stroller, high chair, bike seat, baby-backpack,....etc....

I chose to review 2 cute patterns I knew my kids would love.

and

My kids love the fabrics! My son likes to chew on his. I guess that's to be expected form a 6 month old! Hehe.

I LOVE the fact that I no longer have a battle with chasing and picking up sippy cups that are rolling away while out shopping or on a walk. Plus they don't touch the germy floor in public places. I can attach it to the high chair in restaurants so my daughter can's throw it under the table. I use them for toy holders for my son since he doesn't use a bottle and is too little for sippy cups. It works great for most toys too. It's a little big to hold them but if they are a ring toy it does the trick!

About the creators: *Copied from their website*

We are Karla and Karen, twin sisters, from Chicago. When our
sons were still babies, we lived within a mile of each other and
were able to enjoy taking walks to the park with our children or
being able to drop in on each other for a cup of coffee. Early in
2001 Karla and her family moved to Detroit. As a result of Karla's
move, we found ourselves traveling back and forth between the two
states much more than we ever imagined. During those trips
Karla's son Danny kept throwing his bottle around the plane
and Karen's son Alex kept throwing his sippy cup all over the car.
After one particularly embarrassing flight Karla called Karen
and said "there has got to be something out there to stop this
embarrassment". That was 8 year ago!

The Nothrow
(as in DANNY/ALEX! NO THROW YOUR BOTTLE/CUP),
is our answer.


BUY IT: You can buy your own No Throw,  here for only $5

WIN IT: No Throw has offered one of my readers 2 free No Throws! Use the form below to enter. Giveaway ends 4/21/11. Giveaway open internationally!

Helpful Links:
No Throw website
No Throw on Facebook
No Throw on Twitter

TNS Family Value[s] on Facebook

TNS Family Value[s] on Twitter




*All prizes are responsibility of sponsor to send and receive. This is not a paid review. I received these items for free in exchange for my review.*

~Teething Bling Review and Giveaway~ **CLOSED**

It's so hard to find jewelry to wear with a teething, nursing infant. They always pull at your necklaces and chew on them or snap them off! How awesome would it be to have a necklace you can wear to add a little color to your outfit, that is baby safe?? Well, I found out there is such a thing! From Smart Mom Jewelry, called Teething Bling.

I chose to review the Jade colored pendant since I'm more of a natural colors (brown and green) kind of girl. They have a large variety of solid colors to chose from as well as ones with patterns.

These necklaces are a 2x2 donut shaped pendant designed for mom to wear (NOT baby). They are made from a food-safe, phthalate-free, federally-approved silicone.

My Opinion?

I think it is an adorable concept. I get to basically carry around a teething toy on my neck! It's perfect. If I ever forget to bring a toy somewhere or my baby boy is bored, I just show him the necklace on my neck and he's amused and loves to chew on it.

It's also super easy to wash since it is silicone. So if you drop it, wash and dry and it's ready to be chewed on once again.

It's not exactly my type of jewelry. I prefer smaller pieces, but of course those are not baby safe. So it's not super "fashionable" to me. But I know allot of moms out there love this kind of bling! I really don't mind wearing it for the benefit of a toy. Couldn't get my husband to wear it though, hehe.

Remeber, this is for MOM to wear not baby. Even when he is holding it (in the first picture) and it is not on my neck, he is under CONSTANT super vision so as not to choke with the string.

BUY IT: You can buy your own Teething Bling at www.smartmomjewelry.com 

WIN IT: You can win your own Teething Bling  by entering, using the form below! Giveaway to end 4/18/11. Open Internationally.

Helpful Links:

Smart Mom Jewelry Website

Teething Bling on Facebook

Teething Bling on Twitter

TNS Family Value[s] on Facebook

TNS Family Value[s] on Twitter





*All prizes sent and received are the responsibility of the Sponsor. I was not paid for this review. I received this item for free in exchange for honest opinion.*