***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***
I have a confession to make. I am a fragrance junkie. I have so many bottles of perfume, body spray, and lotions that my husband calls me a "Smell good stuff hoarder". Honestly, it's not THAT severe an addiction. I'm not taking over the whole house with my lotions and potions....Just 2 bathrooms and a pantry. That's fair, right?
Anyway, a few years ago, my favorite fragrance was discontinued. I was absolutely heartbroken, since I always got compliments on how good I smelled, no matter where I went. Men complimented me, women complimented me, and even children said I smelled "yummy". So of course, I was devastated when I realized I could no longer purchase my "signature scent". In fact, I've been looking for a new favorite scent ever since. So naturally, when I received the opportunity to check out JLust by JLo, the brand new fragrance from Jennifer Lopez, I couldn't wait to try it. I am already a HUGE fan of JLo's previous fragrance, Glow, so I had very high hopes for this new addition to her lineup!
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Hidden Garden Foods Cookies Offer A Delicious Way to Get Kids to Eat Their Veggies #Partner4/17/2016 ***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.*** Do your kids get enough veggies in their diet?
For some families, this is a never-ending battle. My 6 year old, Sophie, LOVES veggies, so getting her to eat a nice serving is no problem at all. My 5 year old, Xander, though? Well, that's a different story entirely. He often refuses vegetables, and will put up quite the stink when they're served to him. Thankfully, I have some sneaky ways to help incorporate veggies into our daily meals. For one, I often slip some pureed veggies into our meals. For example, I add butternut squash to our Mac and Cheese, and the kids are none the wiser. I also add loads of veggies to smoothies. Xander never even realizes they're there! Another way I ensure my kiddos are getting the right amount of veggies in their daily diets is by giving them cookies! Yes. I just said I give my children cookies to ensure they are getting their veggies. I know, I know...Cookies and veggies don't typically belong in the same sentence. Until now, that is! Thanks to Hidden Garden Foods, cookies and veggies are the perfect combination! ***Disclosure: I received this product for free from Smiley360 in exchange for my honest review. You can join Smiley360 here!.*** See that dapper fellow below? That's my 16 year old, Kyle. He just played a role recently in his high school's production of "The Sound of Music". (I have concealed his friend's identity because I don't know her parents, and they may not want her likeness on my blog. Better safe than sorry, right?) In preparation for the play, Kyle had to attend rehearsals several times per week, and these included lots of choreography. Between the heat of the stage lighting and dancing his bootie off, he'd come home really, really sweaty some days. Okay. Most days. Teenage boys and sweat create an unmistakable funk that I'm sure most Moms can relate to. Must be those darn hormones! Anyway, ever since Kyle began coming of age, he's been doing his own laundry. That way, I don't have to smell anything rancid or come across anything to make me gag, such as ancient food spills that have solidified into something almost unrecognizable. Plus, he's almost grown, so he needs to learn these life skills somehow.
***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***
As a mom and a woman in general, I find myself stressed out more often than I'd care to admit. I'm sure plenty of you can relate!
Some days, like today, for example, it seems that there's one thing after another that requires my time and attention. Between homeschooling my daughter Sophie, caring for the kids and home, blogging, and being a wife, I often feel that there's more on my proverbial plate than I can easily handle. By the time I go to bed at night, my mind is racing and I find it hard to fall asleep. That in itself is stressful, too! It leads to a vicious cycle of stress, stress, and more stress. That's no way to live, if you ask me! Of course I try to live a healthy lifestyle, which is super-important when dealing with stress. I eat well-balanced meals, I do my best to exercise regularly, even if it is just chasing the kids around, and I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Note that I said TRY....It's not always that easy! Thankfully, I have a secret weapon that helps me cope with the challenges of everyday stress. I rely on Superior Source MicroLingual Supplements to help me get through my day, as well as get a good night's rest. ***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my post. All opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***
Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8th. That's right! It's right around the corner!
If you're anything like me, you're probably still looking for that one perfect gift to show the Moms in your life how loved and appreciated they are. However, not all gifts are created equal. Sure, you can never go wrong with flowers or chocolates or even privacy and "alone time" so Mom can take a bath in peace. But if you really want to wow her, personalized, unique gifts are definitely the way to go. If that gift includes jewelry, even better! After all, what woman doesn't love something that sparkles and shines? I'd love to share a wonderful Mother's Day gift idea that's sure to bring a smile to Mom's face this Mother's Day. PicturesOnGold.com offers plenty of beautiful, customizable jewelry, just in time for Mother's Day! PicturesOnGold.com specializes in stunning, high-quality jewelry that can be completely customized to fit the personality of the recipient. Does mom love gold? Check out their Gold Lockets! They offer choices in Rose Gold, Yellow Gold, and White Gold, too! If gold isn't Mom's cup of tea, PicturesOnGold.com also offers stunning Silver Lockets, too! You can choose your locket style, add clip art, photos, and even text! Design Your Own Locket here.
I have a confession to make. One that as a cat lover, I'm not proud to make. My confession is that I have spent the vast majority of my life disliking cats. The cats we had growing up tended to be on the feisty side, and I remember getting clawed to shreds by a kitty named Mimi when I was a kid. Add to that the fact that I suffer from allergies, and you can see why I chose to steer clear of felines for so long. When we moved to Ohio, we were cat-free. As the weather turned cold, we noticed something scurrying in our pantry. Much to my absolute horror, we discovered that MICE were somehow getting into the house! I didn't want to use poison, as we had kids and a dog, and peppermint oil wasn't doing the job. After seeing one mouse too many and completely losing my cool, I called Dan at work and said three words that would change our lives forever: We need a CAT. A natural born hunter. A mouse assassin extraordinaire. So we got a cat. The mice? Well, let's just say they've vacated the premises. Fast forward several years....I now have multiple cats, all of which were rescue kitties. The kitty seen above is Pringles. She was a "Death Row" kitty who was scheduled to die in mere hours at a high-kill shelter in NYC. She had a New Hope Only rating, which typically doesn't bode well for cats. Thankfully, with the help of a wonderful rescue, we were able to save her in the nick of time, and she's happy, healthy, and thriving here in Ohio. She's actually the Queen Bee here in our home, and is even in charge of the dog, it seems! Recently, I learned about a great new line of cat toys that were created with your cat's hunting instincts in mind. The Jackson Galaxy™ Collection by Petmate® was designed by a renowned cat behavior expert, and brings out the natural hunter in your kitty. (Trust me, this is a good thing! Staying active and stimulated can help minimize issues like scratching the furniture, etc.) An active, engaged kitty is a well-behaved kitty. At least in my home this rings true. We received a generous assortment of Jackson Galaxy cat toys to try out with our feline family members. Included were:
Pringles was the culprit! She literally hopped into the shipping box and stole this toy shortly after our Jackson Galaxy toys arrived. I found her rolling around with delight, clutching the toy and purring loudly. She even curled up and took a nap with it. I think it's safe to say that the Jackson Galaxy Mixed Twisted Refillable Kicker Cat Toy is the ultimate favorite in my house. Pringles has claimed it as her own, though, so the other kitties don't get to enjoy it much. Noodles thought twice about snagging it, actually.... And then she thought twice, and went for the Air Prey Wand, instead. Smart kitty. You don't mess with Pringles! To avoid nighttime cat fights, we store all of our cat toys in the Vault Marinater. Not only does it conveniently store all of our toys in one secure place, it also infused the toys with the smell of catnip. Yep. I have some happy, happy kitties come morning! HOW TO CONNECT : The Jackson Galaxy™ Collection by Petmate® is available at PetSmart. You can also follow Petmate on Facebook, on twitter, and on Instagram to stay on top of their latest products and promotions! ENTER TO WIN: I am thrilled to announce that one lucky reader will receive a Jackson Galaxy Cat Toy Prize Package like the one I received to review! This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ until 11:59PM EST on April 29, 2016. Winner will be drawn using Rafflecopter's Random Number Generator. All entries will be verified, so play fair! I will notify winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to reply before I am forced to redraw winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. This contest is not affiliated with Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram in any way. Participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. If you have any questions, please contact Brandy at newlycrunchymamaof3@gmail.com Thanks for entering, and Good Luck! This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PetMate. The opinions and text are all mine. ***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***
With Mother's Day right around the corner, a lot of us are thinking a lot about the meaning of family. Family means a lot of different things...They're our ride or dies, our soft place to fall when the world feels cold. No matter how you think of family, it all boils down to one thing: Love. Since we love our families, we want to make sure they're well cared for, happy, and healthy.
91% of all Americans (think moms, dads, babies, kids, grannies, and the in-laws) are deficient in omega-3s! It is also a fact that omega-3 deficiency is the 8th leading cause of preventable death in the US. But what does all that mean exactly? Being deficient in omega-3s means that your body is deficient in a nutrient that can help support many vital health functions. Omega-3s are made up of the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA, and are considered essential because they are required for optimal health. Because they cannot be produced by the body, they must be obtained through diet and supplementation. There are over 8,000 clinical studies conducted on omega-3s all pointing to the fact that omega-3s are good for your health. What is a mama or a papa to do? Nurturing the family with love and providing them with a pure and tasty omega-3 supplement, together with including wholesome good food in the daily diet, is the easiest and most effective way to ensure mom and her beloved family are not part of this statistic. As we all know, it is often mom that guides the health decisions in the family and Nordic Naturals would like to celebrate moms all over the world!
Welcome to the Therafit Shoes Giveaway
Sponsored by Therafit Shoes
Hosted by Life With Kathy
Life With Kathy did a review on these Therafit shoes. You can check out her review HERE. This giveaway is for a pair of Ginger Women's Printed Mesh Athletic shoes from Therafit Shoes. The winner will be able to choose which color shoes they'd like. This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and will run from 4-14/4-28. You can enter below for your chance to win. Good luck to everyone! Disclosure: Life With Kathy and all other participating bloggers are not responsible for prize shipment. The giveaway is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by or associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or any other social media. The winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is drawn. I received this product in exchange for a review. The opinions are all 100% my own and may differ from yours.
We have teamed up Bloggin' Mamas and Gugu Guru to share The Ultimate Gugu Guru Eco-Registry Picks Giveaway! Gugu Guru is your very own personalized baby registry.
Gugu Guru is an online personalized baby registry that finds and delivers perfect matched products based on a mom’s unique lifestyle and personal style. With thousands of baby products on the market it can get extremely overwhelming trying to figure out your baby registry. The last thing any mom-to-be needs is stress! Gugu Guru’s team of baby gear experts and in the know moms created Gugu Guru to help define your lifestyle needs with the very best products you’ll need for your baby’s first year of life. Their edited list of baby must-haves is tailor made to your lifestyle—not your best friend’s. Think of them as your very own personal shoppers for your baby registry. Kick up your (swollen) heels and let Gugu Guru do the heavy lifting.
How is Gugu Guru different?
What’s your baby registry style? Discover it with Gugu Guru! No more walking around stores drowning in a sea of baby products or spending hours researching online. Gugu Guru is a new baby registry website that makes personalized product recommendations based on your unique lifestyle and personal style. Take a quiz and tell Gugu Guru about your lifestyle, the clothing and décor styles that appeal to you, along with your product preferences and Gugu Guru will deliver "perfect match" product recommendations so you can build your own highly personalized baby registry. Products recommended range from the classic brands to new and undiscovered favorites.
All Gugu Guru recommendations are always completely unbiased; based on ratings from industry experts and fellow moms in the know. You can browse recommendations, add products to your registry and then mark items as “Must Have” or “Nice to Have” to help your friends and family decide what to purchase first. Have something in mind not in your recommendations? Gugu Guru allows you to add a product from any website. When you're all done with your registry, select the option to have a Gugu Guru team member review before publishing or just go ahead and publish it to share with your friends and family so they can start shopping. It's fast, easy and fun!
There’s three easy steps to your personalized registry on Gugu Guru. Step 1- Discover Your Registry Style Answer some questions about your lifestyle, personal fashion sense and product preferences. It’s fun. We promise. Step 2- Get Product Recommendations Gugu Guru will crosscheck your answers with their database of product ratings from industry experts and fellow moms in the know and then deliver you their unbiased, personalized registry suggestions. Say “bye bye!” to the products you just don’t need. Step 3- Build Your Registry Add products to your registry and select the option to have a Gugu Guru team member review before publishing or go ahead and publish it to share with your friends and family so they can start shopping. Sit back and enjoy receiving amazing gifts for you and your new baby!
In honor of Earth Day, the team at Gugu Guru is sharing some of their favorite Eco-Registry Picks and you can enter to win them all in one huge prize pack here.
Here's what's included in the prize pack: - Zoocchini- $11.99 at Zoocchini – These fun new animals: elephant, giraffe, whale, owl, and turtle, are soft, shakable friends - all packaged with recycled materials. - Babyganics- Dryer balls $19.99 for 3, 35oz detergent $9.00- both at Target- Each natural wool dryer ball can be used for 1000 washes and reduces drying time by up to 25%. Wool naturally softens fabrics and reduces static, an earth-friendly alternative to traditional fabric softener sheets. - Lulujo- Lulujo organic face cloths $9.99 for 4 at lulujo.com - Newlie- Gail Satchel Diaper Bag- $106 at newlie.com- vegan leather and complete with 1 exterior pocket and 7 interior pockets, and a roomy additional interior center pocket divider. Our signature insulated pocket is perfect for bottles during the diaper years and then to snacks during the toddler years. - Comotomo- $23.99 for the 8oz 2 Pack at Buy Buy Baby. - Finn + Emma- ($50 GiftCard) Organic baby clothes, playgyms, teethers, toys & playmats made from organic cotton & wood. Eco-friendly, Non-Toxic & Fair-Trade. - Lorena Canals Rug- (1 Rug: $200+ value) Most rugs on the market are made with toxic chemicals and environmental hazards. Lorena Canals Rugs are happy eco-rugs for your floors, free of toxic compounds and chemicals. Stylish and handmade in India, they are washable, all-natural, hypo-allergenic and functional. - DockATot- ($180 value) The ultimate baby registry item. Baby-lounger and co-sleeper handmade in Europe with 100% Okeo-Tex Certified materials and cotton with fair trade practices. - ShopBinxy- ($50 value) The perfect shopping companion for your organic grocery trips to Wholefoods, etc. - Bambo Nature- $75 Value - One case of eco-friendly diapers. Super-soft and absorbent diapers are produced with sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing processes, while ensuring they are free of harmful chemicals and perfumes to minimize the risk of allergies and diaper rash. - Baby K'Tan- $59.95 - The Baby K’tan ORGANIC Baby Carrier is made of a soft 100% natural GOTS certified cotton, keeping baby close to your heart comfortably and naturally without any wrapping or buckling. - Naturepedic- $399 - Crib Mattress. Naturepedic provides Safe Healthy Sleep (TM) by offering organic mattresses and accessories made without questionable chemicals, flame retardants, or polyurethane foams. Made with healthier materials like organic cotton and food-grade polyethylene (without any flame retardants), the Ultra Breathable 2-Stage Crib Mattress is designed to maximize airflow around your baby for safety and comfort
Now for the giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a prize pack worth approximately $1200! Open to US Only Must be 18+ One entry per household, per IP address Winner will be chosen randomly by the entry-form, winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen Giveaway begins 4/13/2016 at 9pm ET and ends 5/4/2016 at 11:59pm ET
Disclosure: This blog didn't receive any compensation for the posting of this giveaway. Bloggin’ Mamas is not responsible for prize fulfillment or shipment, neither are any of the bloggers involved in this giveaway. This giveaway is in no way affiliated, endorsed, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or any other social media outlet.
***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.*** As a homeschooling Mom, I like to provide as much opportunity for learning as possible. Education doesn't end when the lesson is over in my home. We further enrich the kids' learning during playtime, too. Oh, and of course we have plenty of reading time as well. What kid doesn't love spending time getting lost in a book, after all?
One of our favorite children's book companies is Hands-on-Prints. These beautifully created, Montessori style books offer a creative, visually stunning, multi-cultural approach towards learning that Sophie and Xander both love. (Check out our previous review of select Hands-on-Prints books to see even more titles!) Hands-on-Prints has a couple of great new books available that focus on numbers. Early math skills are incredibly important, since math is used in so many aspects of our daily lives, from measuring ingredients to cook with to budgeting to fixing a broken vehicle. Math truly is everywhere. Luckily, Hands-on-Prints makes the introduction of numbers a fun and enriching experience. |
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I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com Links We Love :Archives
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