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.