Get Growin'

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

How many of us have made that dreadful mistake of over plucking eyebrows? I sure did.  I remember 8th grade, super thin just like my big sister. I swear it was one hair connected to the next, connecting to the next. What was I thinking?

Of course it resulted in some poor looking eyebrows that I would have to suffer with through the rest of my life... or would I?

I hate attempting to draw or fill in my eyebrows. And my shape is completely off.  I do what I can, which isn't much, and then I pray. And these days, the beauty trend has eyebrows back to being full.  Not that I can actually agree to letting mine become a thick bush on the face (I will not get into that side of brows today), I can agree that slightly fuller can be better.

New York Biology was awesome enough to let me give this product a shot for free!  It is primarily promoted as a lash serum but if you read the label and directions, you will see that it is for eyebrows too! And so my journey begins...

I have been using it for just over a week, and while my brows are not full and gorgeous yet, I imagine with time they could be.  The serum is a liquid with a quick drying formula and easy applicator brush.  No smell, no color.  Directions say apply once per day.  I usually do it before I put on my makeup.  I would do it at night instead, but let's be real, some days I put the kids down, and end up passing out before they do in the toddler-sized bed! 

Let me show you my comparisons.

Before:

After:

Let me start by asking for a pardon on the mess that they are. As I mentioned before, I am not great with eyebrows and I am a constant work in progress. Plus I just returned from a road trip vacation and hotel mirrors are not all that awesome for up close plucking.

Secondly, I attempted to brush them in the same manner so they would be in similar and so that you could see my bare area, but you know eyebrows can have a mind of their own.  I did not want anyone to sit there and look at my picture and say, look she simply shifted her hairs to make it look like a miracle. If you look closely, it seems like I have maybe some fine hairs coming into the empty area, and perhaps it also includes growth in the shorter ones that were already present.

And so I will continue to use this product, as 1) it is possible that I am seeing small improvements, 2) it has been easy to use, 3) I tried researching comparisons, as I did not want one of the products that would mess with my skin, eyes, color of both of them, etc. and luckily, I have yet to see anything that says these will be negative side effects.  So in the end, does it work? It is early to tell, but it is quite possible.  I think the review time that I had was quick so I would definitely think that with more time, I may be able to say more definitively yay or nay.

In the end, I hope that New York Biology is onto something and I hope that this product can help those of us that made these silly beauty mistakes in our past.  I plan to continue using it for my eyebrows and add it to my lashes as well.  Perhaps I will see improvement there too.  Who knows, beautiful brows and lashes could be in my future!

Anti-Aging Help for My Tired Eyes

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

So as a full-time working mom of two kids and three dogs, a wife, and student, it is inevitable that I look tired.  Constantly.  When given the opportunity to try out a anti-aging product, I was all over that!  Possible fountain of youth, right?

New York Biology offered to send me this product called Eye Gel so that I could review it.  Described as intensive anti-wrinkle formula, lifting, firming, and hydrating, I figured it was worth a shot.  You see, being a contact wearer as well (for most of my life so far) I know that my eyes look older than they should. Touching them each day between contacts on, contacts off, putting on make up, allergies, and out right rubbing tired eyes - I know they could use some serious help.

So I have used this product for a few days now.  First, I loved the size of this product!  I mean, it is a great size.  It was not one of those products where you get it in the mail and it is a bottle smaller than your thumb.  This has a good amount of it, so bonus points for this company really understanding the value of our hard-earned money and offering enough product to last more than a few days.

I was not sure what kind of texture, color, etc. this would be so I took a picture of it.  Plus, I am a nerd and I love the cool pump it has to release the gel.  As you can see it is just a plain translucent gel which I like.  I love this pump because I can push easily, it comes out in the center of the holder, I swipe and apply.  Each pump gives a generous amount, so don't feel like you need to pump multiple times.  Sometimes I give just a small push and it is a good amount.

I use it around my eyes and directed and it is very smooth to rub in.  It will glide over the skin easily, so you don't have to rub hard to spread.

Now for the results... I have to be honest. I haven't seen them yet. I have only been using for a few days, and as per my promise, I am writing my review.  However, I feel like I need more time to be able to say whether this is really doing much for my skin and how well the anti-aging promise is working.  

I will say that I like the way it feels when applied.  I find it as a nice moisturizer to put on right before I put my make up on.  I find that my make-up still goes on smoothly with it. I can also say my skin feels soft underneath to my touch, even as I sit hear make-up free today and I touch under my eye, my skin feels very smooth.  

So whether this is taking away my early wrinkles, I am not sure. But I am definitely appreciating the hydrating effect and ability to be proactive in my aging process.

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

Have a History Lesson at Home

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**


Definitely excited to try out another book from Carole P. Roman.  I loved her previous book so when I saw an opportunity to grab another I could not resist.  I love building a library of books and educational items for my children.  I know they love it too.

#colonialamerica

I waited patiently for its arrival and when I opened it I was pleasantly surprised.  Right off the top, I saw the illustrations and I had to inspect the book for more.  I have to say, Sarah Wright did a great job with illustrating Roman's story.  The images are big and bold. The color is at times what I consider to be near monochromatic in its hues, with brown and beige, or dark blue and gray throughout the pages. It gives a great representation of the simplistic time period of America during the colonial times,.  The people she drew and the way she displayed the events or lifestyles make the story come alive with the historical value.

#colonialamerica

Overall, I like the purpose of this book.  It offers the opportunity to educate while making reading fun.  Shoot, I learned a few things I have forgotten from school history lessons, and I am sure some of this information was just plain new to me as well.  Off the top, this book throws information at you and questions you.  I think that the questions offer a lot, especially if you were using this in the classroom setting because that is when the teacher pauses and lets the kids share out.  I wish there had been more questions throughout the book because I could see this being a great conversation/discussion starter for classes.  The book offers factual information including information on historical figures, events, and highlights on vocabulary that was unique to colonial times.  Roman offers readers pronunciation help and definitions within the story to ensure they understand the content.  My favorite part to the whole book is at the end, she includes a section with information on influential individuals during that time period and provides a glossary.  I may be a nerd, but that information is so helpful for young readers, to clarify or review what they read.

#colonialamerica

Unfortunately the book is not without flaws.  I felt that the font used throughout a majority of the book not a best choice.  It has narrow areas, making it blend into the dark backgrounds on the pages and may become hard to focus on.  I wish the font has been either bold or a different one that is thicker.  At times, the font runs too far into pictures or on top of pictures and an occasional typo exists.  The paragraphs are much longer than I would have expected. I think self-readers will get lost in the length of the paragraph if they are not slow and patient.  The wording is simple for the most part, but I think in an effort to simplify and give a thorough explanation to the reader, the writing came off as too wordy or awkwardly stated on a few pages.  In the end, those small issues will not deter the reader, as the quality of the story and the information it contains is far more beneficial, and the actual quality of the book material (paper, ink, cover, etc) are top notch.

Overall this is a great book for middle to late elementary students who are interested in learning about history or simply enjoys to read a good book.  I truly think this would also be a great addition to a classroom, where the teacher can use it, or supplement from it, in his or her lesson.  In the end, Roman has done it again, providing quality fun and educational reading material to young ones and I am appreciative that I had the chance to read it, enjoy it and review it.

I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy reading this to your child and learning with them. Happy reading!!

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

Great Book for Princesses with Big Dreams

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

So, this cute book headed my way a few days ago - "Can a Princess be a Firefighter?" by Carole P. Roman. I was very happy to receive it, as when I was offered the opportunity to review it, I jumped at it. When you have a four year old daughter who loves her books and this one is talking about being a princess and a firefighter, I knew I could not pass it up.

It arrived and of course her eyes lit up when I gave her the new book. And when we read it, she enjoyed it even more. Books are totally her thing.  And a happy daughter is, of course, one of the best things in the world!

Looking through the book briefly, it seems to be a long story based on page, but I have to say that the book isn't really that long of a read.  The story is created by short rhyming phrases among the illustrations. It is not one of those books that you will try to hide or make excuses for not reading some nights because they go on forever! So we got through the book and here are a few things that you should know...

While the title is about being a firefighter and a princess, the story does not go into that in detail. The entire purpose of the story is to teach little girls they can be whatever they want to be. The story goes through numerous professions that a girl can take into consideration as she determines what she wants to be when she grows up.  We enjoyed reading it, although I will say that some of the words, or professions, used may be a bit much for small children. The professions the author picked are numerous and cover a wide range of interests - teacher, reporter, biologist, judge, just to name a few. Be prepared because you may have to explain some of them if your baby girl is too young to know the words already, and be ready to answer questions about them from those that are old enough to be curious.  It definitely sparks their interest!

The only downside in my opinion was the illustrations. I was not a fan of the pictures throughout. I tried. I really tried. I looked at them over and over. I tried to appreciate the colorful aspect and the visual stimulation it could offer, but it didn't work. While I understand there are many variations of art, and that the style in this book is obviously preferred by the author and illustrator, it just was not appealing to me. Truthfully it appears to be blurry. When I saw the outside, right away I had to look at it a couple of times to determine what was wrong with the pictures. Made me wonder if this was a real rough draft of the book.  I almost wondered if my eyes were failing me. To best describe it, think about when you take a picture or image and enlarge it on your computer to the point that is loses its crisp edges and becomes a big blur of pixels... that is what the illustrations remind me of. To be honest, my daughter did not complain so I know she was fine with the pictures while we read. And she always takes time to look back through the books after I read to her, and this book was no different. She still enjoy every piece of it. So, to end on a positive note with the illustrations, I appreciate that the pictures and colorful aspect do span entire pages, left to right, leaving nothing plain, nothing boring. And my daughter did not seem turned off by them, so it must have just been me.

Overall, I would have to say that the writing and story were well done, and it was an easy and fun read to my little girl. I imagine we will be reading this lots so that she can tell me all about what she wants to be when she grows up. I recommend "Can a Princess be a Firefighter?" simply because I can look past the image quality and still hear the true message of empowering girls and letting them know they can be anything they put their heart and mind to, and that is the most important thing I can do for my daughter.

I hope you find this book a good read and enjoy your time with your daughter, granddaughter, or niece.  Happy Reading!

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

ThinkFun Yoga Cards Review

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

So I recently received yoga cards to try out.  I thought it was an interesting concept to turn yoga into a game. Why shouldn’t becoming physically fit be fun?  Wouldn’t more people do it if it was more play and less work?

So, I took these cards and decided it was time to give it a try.  Well, who is going to play a yoga game with me? My husband? Ha! My one year old? Nope.  Ah, yes – my reliable and active 4 year old who is also a ballerina!  She is, of course, in that phase of what are you doing and can I do it too?  Got to keep the wheels in those curious young minds going so why not let her join me and practice her core work too!

First off, let me explain the game per the manufacturer –

In the box is 48 cards with poses, 6 mission cards and 1 help card.  The goal is to be the first player to meet both goals listed on your mission card.  In the set up - each player takes 7 pose cards and 1 mission card.  The first person takes their first pose card and has the option to 1) play it and perform the pose for 10 seconds, 2) play the card in a “discard pile",  perform that pose for 10 seconds, or 3) discard one of the cards and take a new card to pose. The goal is to hold the pose successfully while meeting your goals set in the mission card. If you are not successful, you have to keep the card. If you are successful, you get to put the card in a personal “collection pile”.  The next player goes and has the same three options. It continues until someone successfully collects 7 cards in their “collection pile”.

Now – I will not lie, the directions are not as clear as I would have hoped.  Where the mission card and the pose join was not clear to me.  It is initially confusing so be ready to act it out, practice in a sense, to see how it works.  I think you have to completely play it as outlined to get the full effect. 

Since I did not like the mission aspect to the game - I had to modify it. The missions seemed to throw off the main set of directions, in my opinion. Maybe if the mission cards were a type of bonus challenge or alternative version, it may fit better. What we did is whatever card we picked, we had to hold that pose.  So we simply worked with the main instructions. Easy peasy from there!  Not exactly a challenging version, but something fun to play with my daughter. We enjoyed it because it was a quick physical game that we did together.

I think this type of game is very much aimed to those that need a different or new way to yoga; otherwise, it may not be your cup of tea.  I do believe this could be great way to introduce yoga to kids, to have kids be active for a period of time as they step away from electronics, or even for kids or adults to practice specific poses on their own time.  I find it hard to see a group of adults playing this game in their free time.  So if you are in the mood for a game with your yoga friends or with your kids, give it a shot and see how it goes! I think you will be pleasantly surprised how to incorporate it into your life.

Educents Makes Sense

Have little ones that have curious little minds and are grasping to learn about anything or everything?  Is it a toddler that just wants to be "in the know"? Or a 6 year old that has mastered blocks, dinosaurs, and coloring and needs more?  Maybe you are an educator that wants new materials to spruce up your curriculum?

I found this site called Educents.  It is a really cool site.  If you like those daily boutiques that sell clothes, jewelry, and home goods, then you will love this site for all their educational items.  It has everything from pre-k to college.  Books, activities, worksheets, toys, and downloads to name a few.

Just recently I ordered my son a cute little farm house book.  It was a wooden book, great quality and an easy toy for him.  I also got my daughter some Clifford phonics books for us to work on her reading skills.  They also have excellent curriculum items that are downloadable to your computer.  This offers so much to the parent preparing their child for school, the parent facilitating their school-aged child, or the parent that is able to home school.  I highly recommend taking a look at their site to see if there is anything your little learners may benefit from in their journey of learning.

If you check it out, please feel free to use my referral link here - as then we can both benefit from all that Educents has to offer!

Mmm... Blue Apron

So I am not the most dedicated person to the culinary arts. I mean, if I try, I can whip up a good meal but truth be told, I am just not a big fan of the kitchen.   I am blessed with a spouse that can handle the kitchen duties better than me.  He is the type to put a dash of this, a sprinkle of that, never use a measuring cup or follow step by step directions - and everything turns out perfect.  Me - I can follow the box directions step by step and still manage to need a Burger King run for dinner.  Just not my thing I guess...

Well... we were starting to slack off on cooking good, healthy meals.  Eating the same repetitive things over and over, week after week.  We were not doing well of making sure we had a balance.  I mean - after a long day of work, rushing home with two kids and trying to create a good meal was getting tough.  Then we found Blue Apron...

Heard about it a while back - but wasn't in our area when I first researched it.  Heard about it some more and luckily the second time around it was available.  Blue Apron has seriously made a huge impact on our diet.

So - here is the deal.  It is a company that basically plans out meals for you, they provide a full detailed set of instructions on how to cook the meal (with pictures!), and they send you all the ingredients.  And I mean - they send everything!  Most we ever have to add to our meals is the oil to cook with and salt and pepper.  Everything else is included, and it is premeasured!

In the box they send, you will find that the meals contain fresh produce, dairy products, meat and seafood products, spices, herbs, and so much more.  No more running to the store and no more trying to locate those unique items when you find a recipe you want to try.  It is pretty amazing.  I have to say - being a working mom, student and wife - at the end of the day, coming home and finding the box at my door makes for a great end to the day.  And just to let you know, everything inside is sealed and enclosed in large ice packs, so the food stays cold the entire time it travels from them to you. 

I love that I am not spending my time going down aisle after aisle, looking for ingredients, racking my brain on what to possibly make, and taking the easy way out and going for the easy microwave meal.  This means more time for family and less stress on what to eat, or what fast food to pick up at the end of the day.  The prep is detailed yet easy overall.  With practice, we have gotten faster at preparing the meals so eventually you become a Blue Apron Pro.  A good set of knives is helpful to get that chopping down and if you keep up, other small kitchen gadgets can help along the way. 

These days, preparing dinner is a family task.  My babies help with preparing our meals every evening.  We do the cutting and cooking, but they help with simple things like dumping the contents into a bowl, mixing the ingredients, and of course - taste testing along the way.  So, not only am I making sure they are eating healthy, but I am teaching them to cook.  Win-Win!

Plans vary on how many you are feeding and how often you want delivery.  Price is comparable to purchasing items in store, and you have to remember the uniqueness of some of the ingredients would almost make it more time consuming to find locally.  Don't forget you are saving time and gas by having it sent.

I have to say thank you to Blue Apron - they have seriously helped us make some positive changes.  We prepare and eat food I would have never imagined, food I have never heard of, and food I thought I did not like.  I am teaching my kids to try new things and enjoy a variety of cuisines.  We are using the time together wisely, cooking together and having better meals at the dinner table. 

Here is the website for Blue Apron - in case you want to check it out.  The link is not associated to my account and I am not receiving anything in return if you decide it is for you.  Just sharing my opinion and trying to help other families out that may be in a situation similar to mine.  I highly recommend you give it a shot if it appeals to your schedule, needs, and taste buds.

Giftcards Galore

So I have been MIA for quite a while.
Big changes happened over the last four months and it has kept me busier than I could ever imagine.

I wish I could say that I will keep this blog completely up to date, but let's be realistic - full time job, mommy, wife and student.  Life is about to get even crazier.

But in the mean time, I wanted to share with you all a little gift I gave to my kids daycare teachers.  You know, holidays come and each time I am sitting there thinking - what the heck do I give them?  If I was on their receiving end, what would I like to receive?

And so here is what I made -

So I bought a variety of gift cards, wrapped them individually, and created this Christmas tree.  I left instructions for the teachers and staff members to select one rectangle from the tree.  When they unwrapped it, they each got a gift card.

Now, I know it can get pricey so I selected reasonable places with cards in a $10-15 dollar range and they were for local restaurants.  And I am sure you are thinking, 14 giftcards?! Well, they have a quite a few employees - some part-time and some full time and the reality of it is, they all take care of my children.  I will say that at our daycare, they truly mix and mingle among the rooms.  The kids interact with not only their main full time teacher, but part time assistant teachers as well.  I think this has been beneficial because my children are constantly learning how to interact with a variety of adults, and not cling to just one in the daycare setting.  Plus I could not forget the cafeteria or office staff.  Each and every one of them have taken the time to know and love my babies, so it was the least I could do for them.

The nice thing about this was that I did not pick what went to each person, it was a surprise. And they didn't know what they were receiving, especially since it was a mixture of places.

I think something like this makes for an easy gift, and a usable gift.  Don't get me wrong, cute mugs and pretty pens are nice, but when it is something that they can take back and use on their family, or for their daily lunch run, then I think they may appreciate it differently.  Plus, it eliminated me stressing over what to buy each individual.

I think - if the cost is an issue - this is also something that can be done in a group with other parents.  Such as everyone chipping in an set amount so that enough gift cards can be purchased.

I hope that something like this allowed them to take their family or friends out to enjoy a small meal, coffee, or dessert - and all they had to worry about was picking out what would satisfy their craving - since the purchase was on us!

Making Crayons for Toddlers

So majority of us have seen on Pinterest and beyond how we can take broken crayons and melt them into new crayons.  But how many of you have actually tried it?  Well I did... Just for fun.

My son wants to color when my daughter does, but then the crayon easily finds its way into his mouth and I take it away and of course he becomes upset.  I try to look for any and all small broken pieces each time to ensure he isn't letting his curiosity get him into trouble, but I hate to throw out crayons that still have potential that my daughter is using.  I know I can buy larger, thickers crayons for him, but he also likes to use what big sister is using.  So when a Pinterest find showed a possible solution, why not give it a try?  While you see many bloggers make cute shapes like hearts and stars, I was looking to make a large basic crayon that works for a curious toddler.

Thanks to Intimate Weddings, they had easy instructions and great pictures to go along.  Because of this, I am not going to put all the steps or pictures as well.  In their case, they were making them for favors at a wedding or for the children's table, but for me, I just wanted to make a giant crayon that my son could not put in his mouth all at once.

I used a large muffin pan like theirs, and because of my OCD tendencies, I did not group or mix a hundred different colors into each hole.  I grouped them generically - reds, blues, greens, etc.

I set the oven to 250 degrees, but quickly learned that is not hot enough for melting them in this size pan and with that many crayons per hole.  I found 275 degrees worked much better for me and I melted them for about 12 minutes, keeping a close eye the entire time.

Once I removed them, I let them cool for a bit and then placed them into the freezer.  In my opinion, that was a mistake I made, as a few of mine cracked.  My other mistake was that I did not make them thick enough.  While I had a lot of little pieces to use, I did not have enough of each color grouping to make them thick.  In the end, I found mine way too thin for a one-year old, who will surely drop them on the tile.

So I took the newly formed crayons that I had made, put them back in the tray and this time, I placed one color on the bottom but a different color on top.  For example, I put the yellow crayons wafer back into the muffin pan and then put the green wafer on top, so they would melt together into a thicker crayon.  I figured that this will make them super thick.

Again, 275 for about 12 minutes.  This worked perfectly.  Cooled them first and then used the refrigerator instead. Here are some photos of my super thick crayons that are easy for my one year old son to grasp and use, plus when they hit the floor they don't crack!

I hope you find this helpful if you have a small one that wants to color like the big kids, but also has those everything-goes-in-the-mouth and butter-finger tendencies.  Even my daughter liked using these, as I rolled out a large piece of paper on the floor and let them color to their hearts content.
So next time you have those small chunks of random crayons, give them a second chance and try melting your own!

$#!+... It is Time for Swimsuit Shopping

Yes... It may be late summer, but I am finally doing my summer swimsuit shopping.  Why now, you may ask.  Well, because Kohl's has 30% off and free shipping for cardholders, and then I have Kohl's cash to use.  Yep - I can completely justify my purchase now. Oh yeah - and don't forget Ebates! (If you are going to shop, might as well save some money and earn some money when you can.)

So, shopping for a new swimsuit stems from an experience about a two months ago.  I went on a weekend vacation, where I packed probably like four or five of my swimsuits.  Do you want to know how many I wore?  One.  Because the others all shrank! Can you believe it? Who the heck does quality control for these swimsuit companies??  Okay, okay... well I have to be honest.  Sadly, some of my bathing suits were from the college days and pre-marriage days, and since I don't pull them out often, they just sit in my drawer taking up space.  I had no idea which may or may not fit.  So the one that actually did fit, was the one that I had purchased post-first baby but before second baby.  Which makes complete sense right?  For my bottom, I had already squeezed my widened hips into those bad boys, and I purchased a top appropriate for my post-breastfeeding "lovely lady lumps".  Anywho, of course I was disappointed that I couldn't squeeze these childbearing hips into my old bikinis but I have to be realistic.  I own a post-two beautiful babies body and I am in my thirties.  What was I really expecting?

So here I am tonight... shopping for swimsuits and it sucks.  It is sucking the life out of me.  Sucking the motivation out of me.  And making me want to walk to the kitchen and grab a few chocolate chip cookies to help me through the rest of the shopping experience.  And while it would be easier to just walk into the store tomorrow and try them on and make my purchase, I'd much rather have them sent to the safety of my home where I can try them on in my personal mirror and not have any sales associates hear my wails of terror when I look at myself.

Now, don't think I am ashamed of my body.  Fully clothed, it looks pretty dang good! It's just that I am still coming to accept the under-my-clothes changes that come with age, babies, stress, etc.  And the fact that I am not exactly getting to the gym to get fit, I have to adjust to what my body is going to do with what I give it.  Now let me tell you, throughout the summer, I have read some beautiful blogs about swimsuits and body images.  And how mothers should not be afraid to wear them.  And how we should have confidence and be proud.  And I have raised my head up high while reading those and internally shouted "Hell yeah!".  But the reality of it is, it is easier to put those words and ideas in writing rather than into action for some of us moms.

So, I shall continue to peruse the swimsuit selection tonight.  Maybe I will manage to find something appealing and get it for a great deal.  Or maybe I will just fill my shopping cart with some new bathroom rugs I have been eyeing...

Amazon Prime Day... Delight or Disappointment

Yes, so everyone is talking about it.  It had hype going into it - bigger than Black Friday - they said.  And I, like many of my friends, created wishlists to keep my shopping thoughts organized prior to the big event.

And this morning, when I woke up, I was at first upset I had not woke up earlier and then I was excited to see all the deals... the plethora of savings... a true Christmas in July!!

And then, like most people, I wished I had slept in longer as what I had hoped for was not what I found.

And throughout the day, I browsed.  Surely they were building up to the big event.  An event where everything on my wishlist would be on sale, right?  An event where they would put out a code for 50% off your entire cart.  An event where items were discounted and buy one, get one.  A girl can dream right?

It made me wonder, how did they pick these specific products that were on sale all day.  Was it simply items that they have enough of a markup that they can deeply discount, while throwing in more reasonable yet less discounted must-haves?  Because I am over cheap Iphone cases and lightning cords that fail after a week.  Was it really taking into account what people want - such that, did they skim through people's Amazon wishlists to determine what the people wanted to see? Because apparently no one else wants what is on my wishlist, like toys for kids, home decor, and pet supplies.

So did Amazon make money off of me today?  Yes.  I actually found one deal that worked.  Turned out they were offering 25% off baby items, and I had been watching prices on some of the carseats.  So 25% off a carseat was an good deal.  Good deal? You are probably thinking I should be praising the Prime-Gods.  Well actually, I bought one a few weeks ago with a 20% off promo code on Amazon.  Of course, I was not sure if we were going to like it, so I didn't buy the two seats at that time.  When I decided we did like the chair, the promotion was over.  I was watching for promos and price drops to purchase the second seat for our second vehicle and today was my lucky day.  Not the biggest savings, but hey, saving something is better than saving nothing.

So for me, Prime day was not a complete disappointment.  For others, I will keep my fingers crossed that their Black Friday and Cyber Monday offer you all that you wished and hoped for in their Prime day.

Ever Heard of Swag.. Swagbucks That Is.

So I have been home lately, and I try to do little things that allow me to bring a little bit extra home.  Bring extra home? What does that mean?

So I will do things like sign up for free samples, take surveys, watch videos, etc. that allow me to earn points.  Then those points can be transferred later into products, gift cards, or money.  Have you ever had interest in just doing small things to help out.  What I see in some of these programs is an opportunity to earn so that I can spend the prize money or points on small things like Christmas or birthdays.  Now I am not saying you will be able to do a few tasks and be able to pay off all the toys you want to for your kids, or make big purchases instantly, but I am saying when you earn here and there, it adds up to buy some of the stuff.

So right now I am using this site called Swagbucks the most.  There is a variety of things you can do to earn.  I prefer to attempt the surveys because you can see the time allotment you will need and how many points you will earn.  I have also had the opportunity to do little things like sample products, give reviews, and share my opinion from those surveys.  Now surveys are confidential, so you will sometimes see products or items that the company wants an honest opinion, but does not want you to blab about it. I also do the daily tasks of a daily poll, a daily no obligation offer, and if I have time to, I will stream videos throughout the day.  You will also get messages in your Swagbuck account, where they will send you links to do things like watch a short slideshow, answer a few questions, or view a special video

So if you have any interest in it... give Swagbucks at try. You may surprise yourself and earn that little it extra to help out later or just to have for fun.

Shop, Shop, Shop

So I know we all love to do a little bit of shopping here and there. And I know that I am always looking out for great deals.  I wanted to leave you with some of my go-to sites incase you have yet to discover how wonderful they are and how useful they can be - whether you are looking for something as a gift, something for yourself, or something for the house.

Ebates - This is an awesome site because you simply log into your account, use their links to shop at different retailers, and earn cash back.  I was a skeptic at first, and then I received my checks.  They even help you find promotions to use on your purchases.  SOLD!

Sassy Steals - If you have not looked at this online retailer, you are missing out!  This is one of my favorites to shop.  I discovered it just around Christmas time, and gave me some awesome gift ideas with some pretty amazing prices.  Now I look to it for birthdays, holidays, or personal "wants" and "needs".  If you don't mind, my referral code is 2638020, just incase something catches your eye!

MyHabit - Early morning shopping make your day? At 9 AM (PT), MyHabit posts sales for a variety of categories - men, women, kids, home, etc.  These event's last 72 hours or unless they sell out faster.  Lots to browse through, even

FYI - I have linked all the following to referral URLs that can (hopefully) give me credit(s) for helping spread the word about these retailers and inspire some shoppers.  Once you join, you can benefit as well as you spread the word to your friends and family about your new discoveries!

Lovin' Lasagna

So this past week I got into the cooking mood. Gasp!  So I am not much of a cook, unless it comes in a box with step by step directions.  Taking on new recipes always takes more time than it probably should for me, but I still try it occasionally.  This time around, I felt that some healthy lasagna was calling my name.

I followed these directions from this recipe I used once before, and the hubby and daughter loved it.  Since it turned out well the first time, I am doing it a second time to see if I can give it the  “Superwoman” stamp of approval.

Of course, I will eventually invest in all the right tools to make this.  Until then, I make do with what I have.

FYI-

If you don’t have a mandolin, I have managed to use a paddle cheese grater to slice the zuchinni.  

I push the zuchinni against the large flat area between the grater and the metal stand.  Once you get the hang of it you will know how much pressure to put and what thickness works.   Sometimes you get too thin and sometimes took thick, but really isn’t a big deal because its delicious no matter what!

The first time I did this, it was completely experimental.  This time I was more confident in my faux "mandolin" skills.

Thanks to SkinnyTaste, the instructions were easy to follow.  Follow the link for the full instructions for this delicious zucchini lasagna.

Here are some pictures I wanted to share with you.

I know my presentation is not all that - but it fed the family, it was healthy, and they loved it! Mission accomplished!

I hope you give it a try and I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did.