Saturday, August 13, 2016

Rock N Learn Early Childhood Book Collection #Giveaway #BackToSchool

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received the books mentioned in exchange for this review. All opinions are mine.

I love books and movies that are educational. Rock N Learn has a great collection for kids all through elementary. Mica likes their multiplication DVD, and Isaak learned so much from their DVD on sight words. The company focuses on learning.


Rock N Learn sent me 2 board books to review. I love board books for kids because they last so much longer. Both books are 30 pages, which I think is a perfect length. They are for ages 1 and up. They are going to be gifts for my nephews for Christmas, but in the meantime Isaak has read them. I even spotted Mica picking them up for a quick read. 



Animals - Point & Name With 44 Rhymes


This book brings the reader in with its pretty pictures of animals. There are 44 creatures from the forest, farm, and other animals around the world.

There are fun rhymes throughout the book.

Isaak read this a few times because he loves the pictures.



Letter Sounds Silly Sentences - Early Phonics Skills


This book helps with learning how to read in a fun way. It builds pre-literacy skills. There are 26 letters in the book, and silly sentences that help with learning to read.

Isaak said, "Hey I know these characters!" He saw the characters in the videos that we have. He was intrigued with the book right away.


The Polly Porcupine page cracked the boys up!


Giveaway

I have both of these books to giveaway to 1 US reader. The giveaway ends 8/28. The winner chosen will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

If you'd like to get 25% off your order use the coupon code: KR8822.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AutoRight SteamMachine #Giveaway

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a AutoRight SteamMachine in exchange for this review. All opinions are mine.

I've loved every single product I've gotten from HomeRight. 



Their new AutoRight SteamMachine is certainly a product that did not disappoint my family. In fact both of my boys were fighting over who got to use it. They both got turns to use it under careful supervision. We had talks about not getting too close to the heat.

You can get the same steamer I got to review on Amazon.




It's been awhile since I've cleaned out my car both on the inside and on the outside, so I put my boys and I to work. We used the AutoRight SteamMachine to clean the mats off. They were dirty for sure!


Before and After

We only cleaned 1/2 the mat. The front of the mat was cleaned, where the back wasn't yet. Can you tell the difference?


The 290° F steam is powerful enough to disinfect surfaces from germs and bacteria. It's also gentle as to not to damage fabric and leather. 

How to Use:

  1. AutoRight SteamMachine is easy to use. There is a plug, which I happen to like more than battery operated machinery. 

  2. Fill it with water. They have a cup and funnel included.


  3. Push the button on. I did have trouble seeing in the sunlight. At first I thought it wasn't working. I cupped my hand over the power light, and saw that it was in fact on. When we finished up, I still had water in it. I took it inside to clean parts of my shower. The water has to be used up, or it needs to be dumped out. I had no problem seeing the power light inside, where the sun wasn't so bright. It only takes a total of 8 minutes to charge up! That's not long at all. 

  4. Before using it, add an attachment. There are a lot of attachments stored in the front of the machine. The cup, funnel and squeegee are all too big to fit inside the steamer. The squeegee is used to clean shower doors, and windows. There are wire bristle cleaners for grills, and stoves. We used the soft nylon bristle cleaners for the car mats.

    Tool List: 8-foot long reach hose, 8-foot power cord, 1 jet nozzle, 1 large rigid black nylon brush, 1 small rigid black nylon brush, 1 large brass brush, 1 small brass brush, 1 small soft grey nylon brush, 1 large soft grey nylon brush, 1 microfiber towel, 1 squeegee with terrycloth bonnet, 1 accessory adaptor, 1 crevice tool, 1 funnel and a measuring cup to fill the 40 ounce steam canister. AutoRight products are backed by an industry-leading 2-year warranty.  

All the Things I Love About the AutoRight SteamMachine:

  • You can use it for just a few minutes by putting less water in it, or up to 30 minutes with a full cup of water.
  • I love the how many different things the steamer can clean! It just has so many tools. It's really versatile. 
  • The wait time of 8 minutes isn't bad at all. 
  • I think it's easy to carry around. It's not heavy, and it's sweet that it has a handle. 
  • This is kind of an odd like, but I love that it's red! Red's my favorite color.
Giveaway:

Who wants to win there own HomeRight - AutoRight SteamMachine? That's a $129 value! Open to the US. The winner will have 48 hours to respond after the giveaway has ended, and I've contacted the winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, August 12, 2016

Random Tid Bits

  1. Mica lately starts off breakfast saying asking like, "Mom what do you think it's like after someone dies?" or "Mom do you believe in ghosts? What do you think they look like?"

    I'm totally ok with his questions, but it's too early and time crunching for me to get into deep discussions. 

  2. Mica's questions reminded me of a artist that lives in NY. His name is Marshall Arisman. He has a CD of stories, which I play for my Illustration class every year.

    Source
    His name may not be familiar to you, but he's well know in the illustration field. He's done work for Time, Playboy, album covers, and more. He also teaches in the master's program at School of Visual Arts in NY.

    One story is about how he always has a kid in class that demands to know how to get a perfect line his drawings like another artist has in the past.

    Marshall got sick of his questions, and knew his student wouldn't stop until the he answered something.

    He made up a story about how the artist they were looking at got his hand blown up during WWII. They put a wooden hand on in replace of his damaged hand. In the wooden hand they drilled different sized holes to put paint brushes, and pencils. He just inserted the utensil, and swung his hand to get that perfect line.

    The student bought it! Their sole bought it! It cracks me up every time. 

  3. Source

  4. Mica and Isaak went to a camp this summer that had brothers in it named Micah and Zeeke. We even call Isaak "Zeek" for short. 

  5. I thought it was hilarious when I saw that my nephew Edison had dug up dirt, while my sister was going to the bathroom. What was even more hilarious was that Emerson was laughing about it.


    When I stopped by Edison (age 2) had his trike all torn apart. 

  6. Mica and Isaak pretty much liked all their camps. Mica did complain about having so many. On weekends when we had very little plans (which is rare) he's asked every hour, "So what can I do? Do we have any plans?" I reminded him that, that is exactly why he is in camps during the summer. Instead of saying, "Well, why don't you play with this?" or "Let's go do _____." I'd give him chores to do. 

  7. I was totally pleased with the camps; minus 2 things: Mica's toe nail fungus (that's no one's fault really), but it's annoying for sure! and the last session of their evening camp they didn't feed the kids dinner. I so would have fed them, had I known. They told us up front that the kids get dinner there. All they got that night was 1 slice of cake. The camp went from 6:30 to 10:30, so they were starving when they got home. It just so happened that Isaak got picked on that last session as well. The kids were playing keep away from Isaak with the ball. For a Leadership Camp I wasn't impressed with hearing that news.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Save Money with Groupon Coupons!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.


Has anyone started Christmas shopping yet? 

If your answer is, "Heck no I haven't even started to think about Christmas!" then chances are your mind is on back to school sales. I have actually gotten a few things for Christmas. I just buy a little bit here and there, until Christmas comes. That little saying stores put up, "Christmas in July" enters my head. I start watching out for sales. 

My husband can't give every family member a folded up origami dollar bill for Christmas. I have to be creative when I shop. 

Groupon Coupons is a great place to get deals!

Here are just some of the places you can get hot purchases through Groupon Coupons:

  • Vitacost.com for the food
  • Nike for the shoes
  • Calvin Klein for the perfume
  • Petco for the pet
  • Rue21 for the clothes
  • Edible Arrangements for the center piece
  • ToysRUs for the toys
  • Lowes for the hardware
  • Starbucks for the coffee
  • Bed Bath and Beyond for the home
They literally have something for everyone! They even have coupons for rental car places, and hotels. 

I haven't used Groupon Coupons very much. Now that I see what all they have to offer - I'm going to be paying them a lot of visits! Have you used Groupon Coupons in the past? If you have, what coupons did you get from them?

Follow Groupon Coupons on Facebook and Twitter.


Salbakos 2 pk Oversized Cotton-Silk Bath Towels Review

We have 2 colors of towels: Grey and Yellow. They go with our rug in there. Some of our towels were looking kind of drab. I got Salbakos 2 pk Oversized Cotton-Silk Bath Towels to review.

They Come in 4 Different Colors:
  • Gray 
  • White
  • Taupe
  • Ivory
I picked gray. I have had white, ivory, and yellow towels in the past. They tend to show their ware faster than gray in my opinion.


Fabric:

They are a luxury 95% Turkish cotton-5% Italian silk bath towel. I've already washed them. I wash clothes, sheets, and towels before using them. They stayed super soft. I did dry them with wool balls that had drops of lavender and lemon essential oils on them to give the towels a nice scent.

They are made with no harmful chemicals, no pesticides, and are eco-friendly. With all the allergies in our house I love that the company American Pillowcase is environmentally friendly.



Size:

30x60, which is a nice big size. 
Cost: 

2 for $99.99, but on sale for $49.99.



Thoughts:

I'm glad I got this set. They work well in our bathroom. Most importantly the towels cover my body after a shower.

You could take these towels to the beach, swimming, to a gym, to a spa, and more.

Disclaimer: I received this product for a discount in exchange for an honest review. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Dear Mica,

You turn eleven tomorrow! It's hard to believe I have an 11 year old.

Your birthday kind of snuck up on me this year.


I haven't gone to take photos of you yet. That is unless you count the photos I took of you in our yard.


I said when you turned 11 you couldn't have a friend party. It's just a family party this year. Over the weekend we'll have to see if a friend can go do something though.

We already went out to a nice restaurant for your special day. Per your request I made you a special ice cream cake that looks oh so yummy! It's chocolate cake with mint chocolate ice cream on top, and chocolate mint cookies on top of that. Very sinful indeed!

Since your class doesn't have birthday treats I bought bookmarks and pencils that match. Yay for back to school deals!

You got a brand new office chair for an early present, and a Lego set: Poe's X-Wing Fighter. I included the receipt if you choose to pick out something different. You're getting at that hard age to buy for.

Source
You argued with me this year about how your birthday had to be on Sunday because it was last year. Sorry it's on a Wednesday this year. 


You make silly faces, which is about the only thing that gets you smiling/laughing for photos!




 


Things you're into:

  • Eating - You keep growing up and up
  • Playing on your Kindle - We have to limit that
  • Playing with Legos
  • Reading
  • Talking about ghost like stuff
  • Watching The Wonder Years

Things you dislike:

  • Eggs
  • Spiders, Bees and Wasps
  • Isaak hanging on you
You're pretty easy going.



I hope you have a great day!

Love,

Mom

WW: Gifford Farm {Linky}

A farm in our area invited teachers to come visit for free. I asked if college teachers could go? They said, "Yes." We went.

On our way we picked up Chick Fil-a. We don't have one right by our house, so it was a nice treat.


The burros got a lot of attention from our family.


They had on special slippers.


This one looked like it had a cow's body, a horse's head, and donkey ears to me.


A cute burro!



Some horses had on eye covers, so the flies wouldn't get to them. The farmers insisted they could still see.




Pretty scenes on the farm:






We saw goats and sheep, but the spot they were in was fairly dark. They pig acts much like a dog. We weren't supposed to touch him, but a worker came over to let us.


 
What's your favorite animal on the farm? I think I like the sheep the best. They just feel so cool to pet.

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