~Drink for Healthy~ Lakibole Water Bottle Review

I have been through numerous water bottles, always finding fault in each one in one form or another. This water bottle has many good things going for it and only one thing I was disappointed in.

I loved that it was pink, my all time favorite color.

It also has a strap on it that makes it easy to put on your wrist and carry it around with you. I like to take it everywhere I go! It also comes with a carabiner on it so you can easily attach it to a backpack.

There is also a nice straining piece that can be put into it to prevent ice from coming through the spout when you drink out of it. It can easily be removed if you don’t want to use it. I forgot to put it in the bottle one day and I regretted that decision lol! I like to keep my ice in the bottle and not having it choke me as I take a big drink!

The lid comes with a nice locking latch which can be used or not. Most of the time I don’t use the latch unless if I am putting it in a bag. It does have a button on it to pop it open which is nice, because then you have double prevention of not spilling it.

My most favorite part of this bottle is the fact that it has times on the side of it. It has it broken down into how much I should be drinking by a certain time of day. I love this, I have seen these types of bottles before but this is the first one I have ever owned. I love it and can’t see myself using a bottle without this feature on it ever again! It keeps me on track and more motivated to get to that time mark! It’s a nice challenge and I love that it’s on there.

The only bad thing about this bottle is the fact that it is not double insulated. If you don’t drink it fast enough the water does get lukewarm and the ice melts quickly. This stinks for me because there are some days that I’m lagging on my drinking goals and I have to go refill it with ice which messes up the amount that I have actually drank. I like a good swig of ice cold water. When I do keep up with the drinking times it is not such a big deal but I have to make sure I am drinking it quickly which is sometimes difficult being a teacher.

Overall, I do really like this product and I do recommend it. I think it is a great way to keep up on your water intake for the day. Only two of these full bottles is your recommended amount of water for the day. If you want to check it out you can find it on Amazon.

 

 

“Still: 7 Ways To find Calm In The Chaos” ~Jenny L. Donnelly~ Review

Synopsis:

Do you worry a lot? Is it common for you to dread upcoming events? Does pressure or stress trigger outbursts of anger, isolation, depression, or feelings of failure? Do you have a hard time finishing what you start? Do you find it impossible to work in the middle of chaos? Do you wonder if God is really going to come through for you in difficult times?
In Still, Jenny Donnelly teaches you how to experience true, life-giving rest even in the midst of chaos. While most of us think of rest as something we do, Jenny shares how rest is a place from which we live and work. Sharing her own personal story of struggling with life’s pressures and spiritual exhaustion, she introduces you to the source of peace and rest: Jesus. She shows you the steps to take to access rest anytime, anyplace, under any conditions. And she reveals how operating from a place of stillness powers your identity, creativity, relationships, and so much more.
If you’ve been stressed and anxious, operating on autopilot as life whizzes by, it’s time you discovered the resting place God designed for you

Author:

Jenny L. Donnelly is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Her Voice Movement, a national community gathered for the purpose of equipping and empowering women to live and lead biblical truth. She is a cofounder, with her husband, of The Collective Church in Portland, Oregon, and also founded Tetelestai Ministries, which exists to develop biblical leaders. She and her husband, Bob, live in Oregon with their five children.

Review:

Omg! This book is definitely one to put on your TBR list! It is so good! 😊 I’m not a huge fan of self help books because I feel like they can be preachy. I have read some great ones but I’ve also started several that are like if you don’t do this a certain way, then shame on you. I don’t like those lol. Those are ones that I shut quickly and return to the library! 😂

This book is not like that at all. The author is sincere and tells her own story to match the points she is trying to get across. I love that she is real with the reader. She puts her own stresses, failures and anxiety out there so that she can explain how she got better. She took the emotional bull by the horns and showed it who was boss.

This book is one that I was really excited about getting my hands on. I have heard amazing things about the author! Also I’m a super stressed person, and I’m trying to change! ☺

I started this new year with only one resolution and it was take care of me. I have to find a way to make my life less stressed and just all around better. This book was my “how-to” to start this journey to a less stressed life. I loved it! It truly is a great book and she has so many great pointers in there!

I highly recommend this book to everyone! ❤️

Find it here on AMAZON

SUMPRI Barbecue Grill Basket~ Review

AHHH!!!! I love barbecue season, and honestly for us that would be year round! Whether it is snowy, rainy or the sun is shining we love to grill! Grilling is the time my husband takes over, I get to sit back and enjoy the break. I love when he cooks us dinner! There are so many things that you can grill and honestly I never get tired of it. The cleanup is easier and the house stays cleaner.

We are always on the lookout for a grilling product. Something to make life even easier and grilling more fun. My husband loves to grill fish but sometimes it can be tricky so when I seen this special grill basket that is advertised as a great way to make fish I had to try it out. This grill basket set comes with heat-resistant gloves, the basket with long handles and a basting brush. What more could you ask for???

We have only used it a couple of times but we were impressed with how well it works and how much it holds. It is great for vegetables and for cooking delicate items such as fish. The handles are nice and long so you can easily flip it and the heat-resistant gloves make it safe to flip with out getting burnt. The heat-resistant gloves come in handy too even when not grilling! I used them to take something out of my oven the other day because I couldn’t find a hot pad lol! Whatever works, am I right?!?!

The basting brush is nice to use also, I love a good brush and it makes the food even more moist and delicious. The slats in the grill basket are also large enough that you can still baste the items after you put them in the basket without having to constantly open and shut it.

Overall, I really like this product and we use it a lot so it was definitely worth the money. I would recommend this product if you are like us and love to grill! 🙂

Check it out here on AMAZON!

 

Felt Letter Board~ Review

 

 

I have always wanted a felt letter board but I just never took the time to research the best ones and purchase it. Plus there are so many shapes, sizes and sets to choose from it makes buying one daunting lol at least for me anyways. I hate trying to pick things like this out online and I have yet to find a great set in a store. But I finally got around to getting one off of Amazon and I absolutely love it! I was nervous about how big or small this might be and if it would work in the space that I wanted it, in our kitchen. Our kitchen is on the smaller side and we always have stuff on the cabinets lol.

It was a hard decision on which type of felt board to get, because there were a ton of different options out there! This one though came with the most items and for the best price. This one is super cute and compact, yet big enough to write a great message! I love the ability to change the quotes or message anytime that I want to! 🙂 It comes with so many letters neatly arranged within a carrying case which makes it easy to locate the letters quickly and easily. It also comes with already pre-made words like CELEBRATE, GRATEFUL, LOVE, HOME, and FAMILY. Emojis are even included within this set. So many options for creativity and fun!!

 

The thing that I liked the most about this set is the fact that you an either hang it up on the wall or set it on the little easel that it comes with. So with my messy kitchen I have opted for hanging it up, I just don’t have the room for it on my cabinets. Hanging it up also protects it from my three rowdy boys lol! They mean well but oh my damn they are accidents waiting to happen!

 

I absolutely love this set and I highly recommend it if you are looking into buying one! It is the perfect size and the availability of so many letters and emojis makes it worth the buy! You can buy it here on AMAZON.

 

 

Stay Green Digestion Bites~ Review

 

I have four dogs and they are the sweetest bunch of furbabies ever. So obviously they are spoiled rotten! We love Chewy.com and shop there for a variety of items for our babies. I love this store! They are such a great company and they strive for excellence! Something wrong with your product? They help you immediately. Can’t find what you want on there website? Chat with the nice people! They love their customers and you can tell! High quality products, great prices and a staff that is amazing…

Sorry , I got on my soap box again lol! But truly an amazing company, I highly recommend ordering any of your doggy items on their website! I have tried numerous treats before, some good and some bad but my dogs ALWAYS love the Zesty Paws bites line that you find on Chewy.com.

This time I tried the digestion treats, it helps with urinary health and helps to  prevent the brown spots on your lawn from their urine. Our lawn looks horrendous, even in the springtime when the grass tries to grow they kill it with their pee. It’s frustrating! I would love to have my yard back to normal. The digestion treats have great reviews and they all point towards YES, IT DOES WORK! So, I am super hopeful by starting the treats now, that by the time springtime rolls around, the grass will stay green despite their furry efforts.

So far they all have liked the treats, which is a good sign! My boxer never likes to take pills, so I was unsure how she would do with these but she loved them. They smell like the beggin bacon strips you can buy so they must taste like bacon right?!

Here is what my doggos think of them:

Odin, King of Asgard “Little slices of heaven wrapped into a tiny heart”

Harley Quinn “Scrumptious!”

Princess Fiona “It’s bacon!”

Don Diago De La Vega “The only sin would be to deny what your heart truly feels, my heart feels like I need more treats!”

Find them on CHEWY

“My Favorite Husband” ~Pam McCutcheon~ Review

Synopsis:

Widow Kelly Vincent is stunned when her husband, a fearless adventurer who has been missing for years and recently declared legally dead, returns on the day of his memorial service, which also happens to be the day of her second wedding.

 

Author:

Biography from Amazon:

I’ve been a reader all my life, starting out with fairy tales and graduating to reading everything in the house when I grew older, including my parents’ romances, mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, and action/adventure.

If a writer can combine romance and humor with a fantasy, science fiction, or paranormal element, I’m hooked. Add action/adventure, and it’s even better!

Since I couldn’t find quite enough books that combine these elements, I sat down to write some of my own. Read more about my books on http://www.pammc.com

I now live in Colorado with my rescue dogs.

 

Review:

OMG! This book is AMAZING!!! I seriously couldn’t put it down! I found this gem on Amazon Prime and was able to snag it for free but I totally would have purchased it!! I bought the next book in the series last night. Her style of writing has me hooked. The book was so much fun! I laughed so many times at the main character’s brother Scott, he was hilarious and endearing.

The main character Kelly has been dealing with the loss of her husband with the help of her boss Spencer over the past 5 years. Chaz her husband got lost in the Amazon and was presumed dead. Five years have gone by and Kelly has finally decided to declare him dead, have a memorial service and get married to Spencer all on the same day. Things don’t go according to plan and Chaz, the hunky Indiana Jones type, shows up at his memorial service and causes a huge ruckus!

Now that Chaz is back in her life Kelly can’t decide who she will choose!! She just married Spencer and was supposed to be on her honeymoon but now she is checking into an elegant hotel with her 1st husband and brother in tow. It gets worse as the book progresses. Kelly’s mother shows up to throw her two cents in and then Candace the woman in love with Spencer comes to steal him back from Kelly.

There is so many characters, which I normally don’t like but this book it didn’t matter. Each character was well developed and an integral part of the overall story. This book takes you on a wild adventurous ride over a balcony more than once at the hands of a devilishly good looking Casanova. Who will she choose? The choice is obvious to everyone but her. It takes her a lot of looking inward to decide how she wants to spend the rest of her life and with whom.

I love how this story played out. It is adorable, fun and steamy in places. The author does a fantastic job and highly recommend getting this book to read! It is such a wonderful story!!

Do yourself  favor and go get it!!!!!!!

Find it on Amazon

“Christmas Shopaholic” ~Sophie Kinsella~ Review

Synopsis:

’Tis the season for change and Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is embracing it, returning from the States to live in the charming village of Letherby and working with her best friend, Suze, in the gift shop of Suze’s stately home. Life is good, especially now that Becky takes time every day for mindfulness—even if that only means listening to a meditation tape while hunting down online bargains.

But Becky still adores the traditions of Christmas: Her parents hosting, carols playing on repeat, her mother pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the neighbors coming ’round for sherry in their terrible holiday sweaters. Things are looking cheerier than ever, until Becky’s parents announce they’re moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch—unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocados—and ask Becky if she’ll host this year. What could possibly go wrong?

Becky’s sister demands a vegan turkey, her husband insists that he just wants aftershave (again), and little Minnie needs a very specific picnic hamper: Surely Becky can manage all this, as well as the surprise appearance of an old boyfriend–turned–rock star and his pushy new girlfriend, whose motives are far from clear. But as the countdown to Christmas begins and her bighearted plans take an unexpected turn toward disaster, Becky wonders if chaos will ensue, or if she’ll manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas after all.

Author:

Sophie Kinsella is the author of the bestselling Shopaholic series as well as the novels Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, My Not So Perfect Life, Surprise Me, and, most recently, I Owe You One. She lives in the UK with her family.

Review:

I am a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella! Not only is her Shopaholic series amazing but all of her books have been fantastic. She is an amazing author and her characters are endearing and memorable. I get super excited when I see that she has a new book out, so when I seen this book last month in our local library I new I had to read it. And I did read it, over a month ago lol! But that is my life lately, I am super behind on everything. This book however is still in my brain and I just had to share with you how much I loved it! Just like every other book of hers, it is amazing! The story is quirky and fun while being serious and sweet.

Becky is her usual kooky self in this book and some of her antics just makes you roll your eyes but she is a fun loving character. You can’t help but wonder how Brandon puts up with her crazy overspending, because OMG she spends so much money! But he loves her so much and that’s the point of marriage right, to love each other no matter the circumstance. They are an adorable couple and I mean really couple goals right there. You can’t help but love them and their story (if you have kept up with them over the years). I love their story and I am happy to see her continuing this series.

Her family is just as crazy as Becky is, which makes the series even more hilarious. Her parents are on a new life track and are trying their darnedest to keep up with a younger hippie crowd. This in turn makes everyone uncomfortable and made me laugh numerous times! Becky’s ex-boyfriend shows up and things get super weird lol. There are some strange vibes going around and Becky mistakes his reappearance in her life for a long lost lust. Things happen and hilarity ensues.

There are many different story lines that bring this story together and so many characters dealing with their own struggles. She makes you laugh, makes you second guess a few characters and makes you fall in love with them all at the same time. It is the perfect wholesome book that everyone needs to read! If you haven’t read the previous Shopaholic books you should do that first! This is a series and should be read in order for the best comprehension! All of them are great books, but this one is definitely my favorite. It’s a great Christmasy story that is sure to put a smile on your face!

 

You can find it on AMAZON

Zapzapmath School App Review

We have used several different educational apps for my 3 boys and they usually get bored with them, choosing to play a game such as minecraft or whatever will rot their brains. Just for the record we do not let the boys play on their ipads until all chores are finished for the week. Then they get an hour, 2 at the max depending on how many chores they did! 😂 I’m that mean mom…

But anyways, zapzapmath has been great for them. They enjoy playing it and fought over who would be the first to try it out. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect but the reviews on it were stellar. I was excited to be able to review it. It’s a great app for all ages. My 6, 8 and 10 year-old boys love it. It’s fun and entertaining, yet they learn a lot.

There are several different games on the app and they level up to harder games once they pass whatever game they are playing. I watched my 6 year old play and it was shapes and counting, with each passing level it asked him to sort with a harder criteria. It made him stop and think.

My only problem with the app is the fact that I had to read the questions tot 6 year old. He can’t read yet and had a hard time with knowing what they wanted since it didn’t talk to him hence the reason I set with him while he played. He still enjoyed it and I think the app is great but if it is for kindergarten they need to make it be able to read the questions to him. My other two can read so there was no issues with them playing the game and they both enjoyed it!

Overall, I recommend this app. It’s a great tool for learning and it is better than junky brain rotting games. Definitely go check it out! I plan on looking into their other apps!

Find it here: https://www.zapzapmath.com/school

SoCoo Water Jug Review

I am always on the look out for a new sports water bottle, not only for myself but for my kids. We are an active family and we use water bottles like they are going out of style. I may or may not have an obsession with reusable water bottles, cups, mugs, etc. It’s a problem lol!

I received this water jug for a fair and honest review, and honestly I love it! It keeps the water cold for long periods of time AND it holds 72 oz of water! This lasts awhile when we are on the go! I love the color of it and the fact that it has a carrying handle! It makes it easy to hold on to and is super portable. The spout does not lock but it does have a tight latch on it. My youngest accidentally dropped it with it full of water and there was no leaking or breaking of the sides. I was honestly surprised! It held up to a 6 year old being rough with it! This would be great for camping or hiking as well as sports!

I was a little concerned on how well it would keep the water cold because it is not a heavy duty plastic. But it did a great job and the water stayed cold for a good 4-5 hours. I filled it up for my sons when they were out playing football one afternoon and by evening time it was still cold and they were still drinking out of it.

Overall, a good product for a great price! Only 8.99 plus shipping if you don’t have Amazon prime! I will definitely be purchasing more of these for my boys!

You can find it on Amazon.

 

The mommy flu?

We all know about the man flu.

You know the time when your husband is dying because of a simple stuffy nose?

Yea.. The man flu.. They are at death’s door and can’t. move. a. muscle or they might not live to see…… another……. second.

Well I am 100% positive their should be a thing called the MOM FLU. This doesn’t have to mean you have the flu. This means that anytime you are sick as a  mom you still get shit done.

I don’t know how many times I have been sick and still had to take care of kids or continue to work or transport my boys wherever they need to go.

MOMFLU

The good thing is most of the time I have help from my husband but he works over an hour away and sometimes isn’t around when I get sick (luckily, I don’t get sick often).

So here I am fighting off some viral crap that my 10 year old gave me and I’m driving them to a Cubscout meeting. Where I am the leader. Then I have yoga afterwards. No time for dinner or a sniffly nose or a cough.

MOMFLU

Shit has to get done and no one can take my place and do those jobs for me.

I am woman, hear me cough… I mean roar… I am dragging ass but I still am fulfilling my commitments not only as a scout leader, yoga instructor, and para but also as a parent.

MOMFLU..it’s not a bad thing. We are rockstars!

Yes, I should probably be resting… I can hear you picky germaphobes all the way across the internet… I shouldn’t be exposing other people to this junk, whatever it might be.

But I have a job to do and things that have to get done.

MOMFLU

So pardon my sickly, probably incoherent rant but I just want to say kudos to all those moms out there that are killing it day by day, rain or shine,  in sickness and in health! 🙂 You guys are the true rockstars!!

What happens when you are sick? Do you have help? Backup?

How do you take care of yourself and your family during this time? I would love to know! 🙂

Found this gem of a meme on google! It is so true! Mom’s are the best things out there, we take care of everyone!