Tuesday, December 31, 2013

WW: New Sweaters {Linky}




Then the hair pulling happened!


Mica, "I'm going to get you back! Don't mess with me Isaak!"


My little models





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Monday, December 30, 2013

Cheez-It Grooves Review

We had a surprise come to our house last weekend. Awhile ago I was contacted by Cheez-It. They asked if I'd like to try out some of their products. I said, "Yes please!"

They sent a card with a key in it, letting me know that I'd be able to unlock the box when it arrives. I had no clue, but I'm glad I kept the key.

Daddy said, "There's a package on the porch."

I said, "Mica can you go get the package?"

He of course wanted to get the package. He came in and said, "I can't pick that package up! It's too heavy, and it won't budge!"

That's unlike Mica. He's Mr. I Can Lift Anything. I went to get the package. He was right, it was heavy. A trunk was in that box! Printed on the trunk is:

Cheez-It 
Grooves 
The Best of Cheez-It and a Chip in One."


This is where the key came in handy. I had to find it among the other Christmas clutter.

Inside the trunk were the softest shirts. There were 4 of them, all different sizes. I'm not exaggerating when I say, "Soft".



Below the shirts were boxes of Cheez-It's. Four Sharp White Cheddar boxes, and four Zesty Cheddar Ranch boxes.


We're taking some to go see Grandma and Grandpa Apel, and maybe we'll have a party after that. In the mean time we had left over Chili with Sharp White Cheddar crunched on top of it. The boys were in heaven!


What kind of Cheez-It's would you like better: Sharp White Cheddar, or Zesty Cheddar Ranch?

Like Cheeze-It on Facebook.
Follow Cheeze-It on Twitter.

I'm bound to like Cheez-It's. When my mom went into labor with me, she had to yell at my Dad to put the Cheez-It's down. He wouldn't stop eating them.  

Cheez-It Grooves!


Disclaimer: The opinions on the post are my personal take on the product. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review. I did get products to help with the review.

 
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Packing Up the Tree

This weekend I packed up the tree. I was just looking around, and there is STUFF everywhere. Legos are taking over my house. The tree had to go earlier than normal.

I made had Mica help me pack things away, while Daddy built a Lego Spider-Man set with Isaak. Isaak can do the sets, but he does better when Daddy helps. Mica wants to jump the gun, and do it for him.

I was happy because I found out that all those Hallmark ornament boxes actually have a spot for two ornaments to put in each box. I did just that, and saved tons of space. If I can consolidate, I do just that.





After the tree was packed up I decided it was a good time to wash ALL the bedding, and drapes. I sprinkled the mattresses down with baking soda, and vacuumed them good. I saw that it's a good idea to sprinkle your mattresses with baking soda and vacuum them because it gets rid of dust mites. Dust mites are everywhere. Even if you wash your bedding often.


Then I sprinkled the inside of our couches down with baking soda, and vacuumed them to.


Now many things are cleaner, but while I was doing that the boys got out all kinds of toys. There is still just STUFF all over.


Do you have any good hidden cleaning tips?

Caramel MATCHAccino Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. I think I'm hooked to Red Leaf Tea. They sent me a Caramel MATCHAccino to review. Oh my goodness it's good!

Make sure while you are visiting the website to check out a few other great teas.


You can purchase Caramel MATCHAccino on Red Leaf Tea's website. The small 5 oz 10 servings is $13.99 $6.99, or their large 16 oz 30 servings is $29.99 $14.99. You can also find the large size on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Caramel-Matchaccino-Latte-frappe-Mix/dp/B00CDBI7PY for $29.99.

Caramel MATCHAccino is a flavored green tea matcha latte that is decedent, delicious, and full of caramel flavor. Some say that the flavor matches that of a crème brûlée, or caramelized sugar. Others are reminded of the old fashioned caramel candies their grandparents savored.

The large size saves you $3 over Starbucks per cup. It's healthier than the average coffee place. You can see all the perks below. I like all the No's: No Food Coloring, No MSG, No Artificial Sweeteners, and No Preservatives.


How did I have it?

I had it cold. When I think about it I can taste the caramel flavor. Just like all their other drinks, you can have it warm to. Sometimes I'm in a warm drink mood. It's great that there is the option of drinking it both cold, or warm. There are a lot of substitutions where you could change your drink up. Try different types of milk, have it with water, add coconut oil, add vanilla, and so on.

I don't know that this is something I'll drink everyday. It is something I'll drink when I'm craving something on the sweet side.

I like it with 1/2 a frozen banana, 6 to 8 oz of unsweetened almond milk, and one scoop of MATCHAccino. Blend and bam it was good to go.




Do you like cold, or warm drinks? 

I have a giveaway going on for another Red Leaf Product. Go here to enter.

  
Check Red Leaf Tea on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclaimer: The opinions on the post are my personal take on the product. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review. I did get products to help with the review.  

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Lost Civilizations: 10 Societies that Vanished Without a Trace Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. I like mystery and history. The book Lost Civilizations: 10 Societies that Vanished Without a Trace By: Michael Rank is fascinating to me.


Where to Purchase the Book:

You can purchase the book on Amazon by getting a paperback for $7.19, or Kindle for $2.99. I'm still old school with books, and prefer a hard copy.

Who is This For:

Anyone that is into in history. I really enjoy art history. Lost art really is interesting to me. I know Daddy and Grandpa will really get into this book. I wanted to make sure I read it first to review it. Grandpa is glued to the History Channel much of the time.

Lost Civilizations 10 Societies That Vanished Without a Trace Description on the Back of the Book:

From the #1 bestselling author of History's Greatest Generals comes an exciting new book on the greatest societies in history that vanished without a trace, and why their disappearance still haunts us today.

Whether it is Plato's lost city of Atlantis, a technological advanced utopia that sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune"; the colony of Roanoke, whose early American settlers were swallowed up in the wild forest lands of the unexplored continent, or the Ancient American Explorers, who managed to arrive to the New World 2,000 years before Columbus, the disappearance of these societies is as cryptic as it is implausible.

This book will look at cultures of the 10 greatest lost civilizations in history. Some were millenia ahead their neighbors, such as the Indus Valley Civilization, which had better city planning in 3,000 B.C. than any European capital in the 18th century. Others left behind baffling mysteries, such as the Ancient Pueblo Peoples (formerly known as the Anasazi), whose cliff-dwelling houses were so inaccessible that every member of society would have to be an expert-level rock climber.

It will also at explanations as to how massive societies that lasted for centuries can disappear without a trace. Did the builders of the pyramids handy craftsmen whose method of transporting massive stones are still unexplainable simply disappear or were they part of an advanced alien race, as conspiracy theorists assert? Was the Kingdom of Aksum really the keeper of the Ark of the Covenant, and did this lead to their downfall?

Whatever the nature of their disappearance, these lost civilizations offer many lessons for us today -- even the greatest of societies can disappear, and that includes us. 

Table of Contents:
  • How Does a Civilization Disappear?
  • Atlantis (9000 B.C.): Recovering Plato's Dream of the Fabled Lost City
  • The Cucuteni-Trypillian Culture (4800-3000 B.C.): Building a Better Society Through Creative Destruction
  • The Indus Valley Civilization ( 3300-1300 B.C.): A Civil Engineer's Dream, Lost to the Ages
  • The Pyramid Builders (2700-1700 B.C.): Skilled Craftsmen to Some, Visitors from Another Planet to Others
  • Mycena (1900-1100 B.C.): The Nemesis of Troy and Forerunner to Classical Greek Civilization
  • Ancient American Explorers (500 B.C.-1500 A.D.): The Unknown Adventurers Who Arrived a Millennium Before Columbus
  • The Ancient Pueblo Peoples (1200 B.C.): The Ancient Rock Climbers of the American Southwest
  • The Nabataeans (37-100 A.D.): The Lost Civilization That Mystified Indiana Jones
  • The Kingdom of Aksum (100-940 A.D.): The Trade Empire That Hid a Lost Tribe of Israel and Guarded the Ark of the Covenant
  • The Roanoke Colony (1585-?): The Ghosts of Colonial America
  • Some Closing Chapters
My Thoughts on Lost Civilizations 10 Societies That Vanished Without a Trace:

It's an easy read. I like that it's not too long. It's 97 pages. For some reason after having kids I just have trouble reading long books. I guess I just have a lot going on in my life. This book was the perfect length.

I took many years of Art History. To be truthful I found most of it to be boring. Slide after slide with monotonous talking didn't interest me when I was a young college student. Then when I moved to Savannah, Georgia for a few years I was hooked with history. They have so much history there. I think I just needed to live in a spot that was filled with it, to be into it.

I loved the chapters on The Pyramid Builders and The Nabataeans. I just find it fascinating that pyramids could be built so long ago. They didn't have much of the equipment that we do today. There was/is so much detail in pyramids. It crazy that some still stand today. The Nabataeans were interesting to me because I'm an Indiana Jones lover.

What about you? Do you get interested in history?

Disclaimer: The opinions on the post are my personal take on the product. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review. I did get products to help with the review.


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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sometimes I Worry...

about our boys growing into adults, and not being close.

Mica is very independent. He's the type that thinks he can handle everything on his own. Except when it comes to getting food. Then he's like, "I'm hungry. Can you get me something to eat?"

Isaak likes a buddy. Isaak has cried a few times because he didn't want to be "alone" when he grows up. He wants to live with us the rest of his life. At this point in his life it's ok to think that in my book. He'll change his mind later.

Isaak wrote this letter for Mica before Christmas:


"frim" = "from"

Isaak handed it to Mica. I heard Mica accept it. Then later Isaak handed me the letter and said, "Mica doesn't want this. Do you?" I took it.

It melted my heart. Family is so important to me. I want them to be close forever and always. They are their only siblings.

Daddy's not close with his sister, but I'm really close with mine.

It breaks my heart that Daddy is not close with his only sibling. It's not like the fight. They just don't communicate. It is what it is.

Some people only want to hang with who is in their life at that moment of time. All others are not bad, just simply not part of their life. They push them away.

Sure there are times I don't see eye to eye with my sisters. We always make a mends. Soon after we argued about something, we're back to laughing. We're not perfect. No one is.

My Dad (Grandpa to the boys) grew up with a Dad (Great Grandpa to the boys) that wouldn't talk to his brother (Great Uncle to the boys). The two grown men fought over farm land. My Dad would go and visit each one separately clear into adulthood. He wouldn't talk about seeing one, with the other.

My Grandpa was a Christian Scientist. They don't believe in going to the doctor. My Grandma died shortly after having my Dad. When she passed away, a police man was called because someone knew her parents would want my Grandpa harmed at that funeral. If he took her to the hospital she may not of died. At a young age my Dad would take the bus to go see his Mother's side of the family. He was so young, and he had many stops before he got to his destination. His Mother's family didn't even know he was coming, or what he looked like. They accepted him. They had nothing good to say about my Grandpa.

We've had our family feuds.

My only hope is that Mica and Isaak will see how very important family is to me. They will have that common link. I hope for them to stay close as they get older. I know all kids bicker. Many change as they age.

It seems like society progresses in some ways, and degresses in others. I feel like the newish generation is more open minded than ever. Sometime other things get in the way that tear people apart (drugs, depression, steeling and so on). Those outside demands can break up relationships.

I'm hoping my children don't fight over something silly. I hope they realize how important they are to one another. Life is too short to let distance, or fighting over farm land to get in the way.

Do you get along with your family?

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Sing, Sing a Song Saturday

Sing, Sing a Song Saturday is all about me discovering something that is different to post. I don't want to post things that you and I have more than likely heard before. I want to find something different. It could be from another country, someone singing from the streets of NY, and more.

This week I'm posting about a fluke video I saw on YouTube. Have you ever heard of Lucia Maria Popescu? She seems to have a very big following. I've never heard of her.

She's an 18 year old Romanian singer, song writer. You can read her stories here. Her voice is pretty! I love her whimsical videos. They have a sophisticated, youthful look to them. She taught herself how to play a keyboard. She recorded her first song singing on her parent's apartment balcony. It was just her voice, and her keyboard. She posted the cover on the original band's facebook page, and they wanted to help her make a video out of it.

Source
Days


Hide (Like the Stars)

16 year old David Thibault of Quebec, Canada
16 year old David Thibault of Quebec, Canada
16 year old David Thibault of Quebec, Canada
16 year old David Thibault of Quebec, Canada.
16 year old David Thibault of Quebec, Canada.
16 year old David Thibault of Quebec, Canada.

Me Over You Acoustic and Live



Connect with Lucia on Facebook.
Like her on Twitter.
Follow Lucia on YouTube.

Disclaimer

The opinions on this blog are my personal take on products and topics relating to motherhood. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.

I am not compensated to provide opinions on a variety of topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are my own. If I claim to show knowledge of certain topic or product I will only endorse products or services that I feel, based on my expertise, are worthy of such endorsement.

If you have any questions about this blog, or want to get in contact with me please email me at: anapeladay@gmail.com