3/27/15

Jojoba Company Australia Beauty Products - Review

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Oh for the days when my skin was beautiful simply because of my youth. Now that youth has escaped me, I rely on seeking out the best products to bring back that glow. Jojoba Company Australia beauty products are made with 100% natural Australian jojoba that is grown and harvested on their own farms in New South Wales. Jojoba is often mistaken for an oil, when actually it's a wax ester, a key component in healthy, young human skin. Since skin recognizes jojoba as its own, it allows it to absorb deeply for greater hydrating benefits. For me, this translates to softer, smoother, younger-looking skin.
I received three products from Jojoba Company Australia, the first of which is the Botanical Hydrating Face Mask. Combining jojoba with ivory clay, green tea, marine collagen, gingko biloba, and silk amino acids gives this product a rich consistency that smooths onto skin easily. It contains no harmful detergents, no mineral oil, no sodium lauryl sulfate, and contains no animal products. I left it on my face for about 20 minutes before rinsing and was amazed at how much it really hydrated my skin. It's like getting a spa facial in the comfort of my home (and for a fraction of the price)!
The Intense Overnight Renewal Cream is for all skin types. It combines jojoba with CoQ10 an antioxidant, marine collagen, beta glucan which stimulates my skin's own collagen production, vitamins A and E, wild yam, hyaluronic acid for skin plumping, and argan oil. This product is 97% natural and helps to restore skin while the body is at rest. I rarely use night creams, so this product made a big difference in my skin in just one night. It's my favorite of the three products I received.
The bottle of 100% Natural Australian Jojoba is a multi-use product and one of their best sellers. The variety of uses for this product is incredible. It works as a natural face moisturizer, body moisturizer, skin soother, makeup remover, hair conditioner, scalp conditioner, a hand and cuticle conditioner, and even helps to smooth lines, wrinkles, and stretch marks. I've been using it on my hair by putting a few drops in my hands, rubbing it all over them, then running my hands through my hair. I have curly, flyaway hair and this product has helped to smooth out my frizzies. I've also been using it at night all over my feet, since this time of year is when I start showing my feet again in public. It's softened up my toenail cuticles and really smoothed out the rough spots around my heels. These products are all excellent quality and would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift!

Visit www.thejojobacompany.com for more information and shop online for these beauty products at www.stpwellness.com!

3/26/15

UrthBox Monthly Snack Subscription - NonGMO, Organic, All Natural

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
When I go to the grocery store each week, I literally spend two hours looking for the food choices that are better for my family. The groupings of organic produce make that food section easy, but everything else is scattered throughout the store and I have to hunt for it. I just received the UrthBox for the month of March and I'm dancing over here!
UrthBox is a monthly subscription that ships right to your door and it's jam-packed with amazing food choices that are nonGMO, organic, and all natural. Talk about saving me time! UrthBox offers over 20 different box choices, including Classic (which I received), Gluten Free, Vegan, and Diet.
It's a great way to discover healthy new snacks and beverages! My UrthBox included snacks like chips, popcorn, cheese puffs, seeds, snack mixes, which will definitely satisfy our desire for salty snacks.
There are also great items to satisfy a sweet tooth, like citrus gummy bears, candy bars, fruit snacks, and even a giant fudge cookie. I love that I can still enjoy these types of snacks but still feel good that I'm eating foods that have been carefully curated to meet the standards of UrthBox.
I also found a coupon card and gift card in my UrthBox that will save me money when I shop for some of the brands that were in the box. Many of these products are new to me and some of them are familiar to me. Everything in the box was a full size product!
UrthBox is a fabulous monthly subscription box with delicious, healthy choices galore. I highly recommend UrthBox and although we haven't eaten everything in the box yet, what we have eaten was high quality and scrumptious!
An UrthBox subscription is a wonderful gift idea for anyone! Go sign up for your first UrthBox at www.urthbox.com and choose the box that works for you, your family, or even your office. I can't wait to see what next month's box contains!
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3/25/15

Belli Skincare for Expectant Moms and New Moms

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Although Belli Skincare can be used by all females, it's specially formulated with expectant moms and new moms. This skin care line is formulated by physicians with a focus on ingredient safety. These products are screened to ensure there are no chemical, synthetic, or natural ingredients (teratogens) that have been linked to birth defects or miscarriage. All Belli products are allergy tested and they are free of parabens, BPA, phthalates, and artificial dyes.
Belli Anit-Blemish Facial Wash that contains lactic acid, green tea, and cucumber. It foams up nicely and provides a very clean feeling without drying out my skin. The Belli Healthy Glow Facial Hydrator pairs up wonderfully with the facial wash. This light moisturizer can be used daily and contains vitamin C, grapeseed oil, and chamomile. I love the light citrus scent!
Belli Skincare products are available at BelliSkincare.com as well as fine retailers nationwide. These products are a fabulous gift idea for new moms and expectant moms. Mother's Day is coming up very soon and she'll be glad to receive a gift that is safe, effective, and just for her!

Grab Bag Reusable Shopping Bags - Review

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Here in Texas, there are a number of cities, such as Austin, that have banned plastic grocery bags. It's required that shoppers bring their own bags to carry home groceries. Although my little town doesn't yet require it, I prefer to use them anyway because it's better for the environment. The new Grab Bag reusable shopping bags have features I've not seen on any other bags.
Grab Bags come in sets of two and fold up completely flat for easy storage. In fact, they fit into the pocket behind the driver's seat in my car. A velcro tab keeps them closed and you can either tuck the handles inside the folds or you can leave them hanging out for handy carrying into the store.
The earth-friendly material cleans easily with just a quick wipe with a damp cloth. I like to add a bit of soap to my cloth to make sure they are truly clean because I buy lots of produce. Each bag will hold up to 40 pounds of items!
Each Grab Bag features two black bars that run along the top of the bag. Those black bars have clips at both ends to clip directly onto the shopping cart. They hug the shopping cart securely, even if the bag isn't touching the bottom of the inside of the cart. The elastic along the top of the other two sides stretches open to fit (then later closes to keep all my stuff inside).
I like to open mine up as soon as I get to the grocery store and put my items in the bags, because there's no way to tell if there are germs in the carts. Yes, I also use a disinfecting wipe across the cart handle. I guess I have a bit of a germ phobia, but I can blame that on a nasty flu virus I once caught. Grab Bags are extremely well-made and perform perfectly for me every time.
Grab Bags open up to hold bunches of grocery items! One bag will hold the equivalent of about six of those cheap, flimsy plastic grocery bags. When I get to the checkout, I take my stuff out of the bags so the cashier can ring it all up, then put them right back in the bags. The big opening makes it very quick and easy to bag when I'm done paying my bill.
Those velcro tabs I mentioned earlier have another use! Once the bag is full, the velcro folds over to close the Grab Bag for easy carrying. The bags don't tip over in the car because they are wide and flat on the bottom. What used to take me five trips back and forth to carry groceries into my house, now takes me one trip with one Grab Bag in each hand. There's even a big pocket in front to hold all my coupons, my wallet, and my phone.
Grab your Grab Bags at www.grabbag.com. Customers ordering today will receive 2 Grab Bags for just $14.99 with free shipping . As a special bonus, you'll have the option to also order an Insulated Bag for hot/cold items for a separate charge of $14.99 and your entire order will ship for FREE, a savings of $7.99.

3/24/15

Weekly Giveaway Linky - Wednesday Wealth (March 25-31)

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Thanks for stopping by today!

Giveaway! Magic Glowing Duvet Cover Cures Fear Of The Dark #GlowAway

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
A fear of the dark is very real for children. Visions of monsters lurking in the dark can terrify young children. I'm so excited to tell you about Glow Away, a beautifully-designed duvet cover set that magically glows in the dark!
Glow Away comes in a sweet keepsake box, with a duvet cover, a pillow case, and a book about a friend named Boo. Available in blue or pink, the duvet cover allows parents to turn any existing twin-size comforter or blanket into a magical shield against all the scary things in the night.
The book is a darling story that includes a poem for children to recite before turning off the lights: "Higgledy, Wiggledy, Piggledy, Woo, Gone for good when I say BOO!" When the lights are turned off, the duvet cover glows with the poem (after soaking up the light all day long).
I think Glow Away is a fabulous product! It helps children find the courage to face their fears of the dark with a friend named Boo. Reading the book together each night is a wonderful way to set a bedtime routine for your child that helps them settle into a peaceful sleep.
 
Check out the Kickstarter HERE 
and check out the official Glow Away website HERE!
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Enter to win a Glow Away set in blue!
To enter, fill in the giveaway form below. Giveaway is open to US readers, ages 18 and older. One winner will receive the Glow Away set in blue. Giveaway ends on 3/30/2015. Good luck!

Enter my other giveaways HERE.
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Madame Irma Children's Watch

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Young children are quite challenged when it comes to telling time. Three year olds definitely don't understand what parents mean by "snack time is at 9:30" but with the Madame Irma Children's Watch, children will know exactly what parents mean by "when you see the brown cat, it's snack time."
This fun new way to tell time is designed for children ages 3-6. The Madame Irma way of reading this watch will help young children begin to better understand the concept of time in a way their young minds can understand. Even naptime will be more fun when a "red bunny" says it's time to snuggle up and rest!
The Madame Irma watch is designed for the ruggedness of young children too! The band is resistant and smooth, with double slots to secure it even through lots of outdoor play. The band features a sturdy metal closure clasp and several holes so the watch can grow with your child.
As an early childhood teacher for 25 years, I think this idea is a wonderful way to help children understand time concepts in a fun way. Our daily schedule was always posted on the wall in pictures to help the children at least understand what happens next, but this watch takes that idea a huge step forward!
Madame Irma offers five beautiful childlike prints for the watch band, plus a wall clock to get the entire family into the fun and learning. This is a wonderful gift idea for any young child! Shop online at www.irmatime.com today!

Jesus Sees Us Doll and Book #JesusSeesUs

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
As a Christian parent, it has always been important to me that my children know that Jesus is always with them. We attended services and Sunday school at church. We worked together to show charity to others. We sang Christian children's songs together at home. I believe we can never provide our children with too many opportunities to "be Jesus" to others. That's why I love the Jesus Sees Us Doll and Book set!
Designed for ages 2 and up and created by mothers, Jesus Sees Us is a wonderful way to help young children better understand Jesus and His teachings. The Jesus book is a beautiful hardbound book that shares with children the many ways that children can "be Jesus" such as showing love to others, sharing with others, and forgiving others. By providing children with a Jesus doll, they can easily re-enact the stories on their own.
If your child is the type to carry a special doll around, wouldn't you want it to be Jesus? What better way to impress upon their hearts and minds that Jesus is always with them! The Jesus doll is the perfect size for little hands and His outstretched arms are always ready for a hug. I absolutely love this idea and think the Jesus Sees Us Doll and Book is a set that should be in every young Christian's hands. When the seeds of faith are planted early in a child's life, they carry it into adulthood. This would make a wonderful Easter gift for the children in your life!

3/23/15

Per-fekt Skin Perfection Gel - Review

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Per-Fekt Skin Perfection Gel is a multi-tasking gel mousse that can replace your traditional foundation, primer, color corrector and powder. It's sweat-resistant, water-resistant, and transfer-resistant. It contains antioxidants, Alpha Lipoic Acid And Vitamins A And E to help protect your skin from free radicals. Its Smart Color Technology adjusts to your skin tone, so you can create your perfect color match.
Per-fekt improves and evens skin tone, helps maintain skin hydration, and reduces the appearance of pores, fine lines, redness and shine, leaving your skin with a smooth, airbrushed finish. It glides onto skin easily and smooths out beautifully. It feels very lightweight on my skin and I love the way it blends in and balances out my skin color. Per-fekt is available in four rich colors, plus translucent. It's a wonderful, fresh look for spring! It would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift too!
Per-fekt is available now at www.beautybrands.com

Spring Home Collection at Kohl's

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
Don't miss the delightful spring home collection at Kohl's! I love this time of year because I get to decorate not just the inside of my house, but the outside too. While the flowers are beginning to bloom and the birds are nesting in the budding trees, I am adding my own touches of beauty with these home decor finds from Kohl's.
This long-legged, graceful flamingo is also a watering can! The bright pink metal adds a splash of color to my front patio. She stands ready to greet guests at my front door, waiting for her next chance to water my vegetable garden.
This bright blue glass mason jar is also a solar lantern. During the daytime, the mason jar lid soaks up solar energy to glow during the night. I love that it comes with a metal hook so I can hang it up on my back patio rafters.
This pair of chickens is a Salt and Pepper set, perfect for bringing some personality to the picnic table for meals outside. Now that barbecue time has come around again, it's time to find ways to brighten up your patio and yard. You can find all kinds of wonderful things at Kohl's and Kohls.com!

HOUSEWITCH‏ by Katie Schickel - Review and Excerpt

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
What would you do if you found out your neighbor was a witch? I'm not talking about a cranky, snarky neighbor with a nasty attitude. I'm talking about a real witch that can cast spells and transform things. What would you do if you found out YOU were the witch? Allison Darling is married with three children, living in a lovely town, when she discovers she is a witch. Not only is she a witch, but so was her mother and her two aunts. Can you imagine the implications? HOUSEWITCH by Katie Schickel is a magical story of a modern-day housewife whose life takes a wild turn. Allison Darling tries to keep her secret close, but events around her keep threatening to reveal her true identity. This book is enchanting and I highly recommend it! Get it HERE!

Excerpt:

CHAPTER 1

For every evil under the sun
There is a remedy or there is none.
If there be one, seek till you find it;
If there be none, never mind it.
—MOTHER GOOSE

Misery Shoal, Massachusetts • 1945

“Where’s Papa?” Aurora asked as the sisters made their way across the mudflats and into the marsh.

“Papa’s gone,” Freya said, swatting at cattails, scattering their velvety seeds into the air.

A dense fog had rolled in from the sea. It shrouded Misery Shoal in a coat of gray, and brought with it the smell of winter.

“Where’s he gone to?” Aurora asked.

“Never mind. He’s just gone.” Freya’s red hair shined like a flame against the brittle landscape. She was the middle child, and the most beautiful of the sisters.

Somewhere a ship’s horn belched through the stillness, and this made the girls alert, for they were unaccustomed to the sounds of Commoners at the shoal.

The oldest sister, Wilhemena, lifted the cauldron with both hands, tucking her elbows into her sides for leverage. It reminded Freya of the way she’d seen her father lift the cod and haddock to measure at the Derby Street Pier. Those fish could weigh up to fifty pounds and stand as tall as Freya herself. Even a strong man like her father had a hard time raising the hand scale high enough to clear the tails off the ground. His biceps, the tendons in his forearms, straining under the weight, his face pinched in anticipation while the fishmonger read the scale.

“When’s he coming back?” Aurora asked.

“He ain’t,” Freya said.

“Never?”

“Never.”

“Hush now. That’s just more of your nonsense,” Wilhemena said.

Aurora frowned. Although Papa was often at sea, she couldn’t imagine never seeing him ever again. She turned to Wilhemena’s wisdom on the matter. “Is it true? Is Papa never comin’ home?”

“Of course it isn’t true,” Wilhemena said. She braced the cauldron against her stomach to keep the water from spilling out. “Let’s hurry on home. Before the tide turns.”

Misery Shoal was a spit of land shaped like a crow’s claw, formed by centuries of longshore waves dragging sand and sediment southward. At high tide the neck of the shoal slunk underwater, making it impassable. Nautical maps warned sailors of its shifting nature with a black “XXX.” Only the Ellylydan family called it home.

Freya and Aurora skipped after Wilhemena, stopping now and then to inspect a mud crab or pry open a clam in search of pearls. Aurora had heard stories of the pearl divers in Japan and found exquisite possibilities in an unopened mollusk.

“Freya, hurry up,” Wilhemena called. “Come along now, Aurora.”

Freya ignored her. She had captured a pickerel frog and was teasing it with a thatch of goldenrod. She shoved the frog into the pocket of her apron and squeezed, the poor creature clambering up the thin cotton, only to be squashed by Freya’s fingers each time.

Up ahead, Wilhemena slowed her pace and clucked her tongue. There was work to be done. And even though her sisters were younger and more easily distracted by childish things, she expected them to at least try and work as hard as she.

Wilhemena yelled to Freya, who was crouching by a rock, “Watch the baby for me. I’m going up ahead.”

“She ain’t a baby anymore,” Freya said. “Why are you always treating her like a little baby?”

“Mind your tongue,” Wilhemena snapped. “Just watch after her.”

Freya rolled her eyes and went back to torturing her frog.

As Wilhemena disappeared through the reeds, Aurora, who at four really wasn’t a baby anymore and felt no more like a baby than her sisters, tromped barefoot into the spongy grass to get a better look at a water beetle.

“There’s snakes in there,” Freya called out. “Look. There’s some moving the grass.”

Aurora feared nothing of earthly creatures. Hexes, yes. Enchantments, definitely. For those were real. Snakes were far too interesting to be feared. She watched the reeds part and snap back to their vertical postures. “Just a muskrat,” Aurora said, to which Freya replied, “It’ll eat you up with its big fangs.”

Aurora stopped to consider that scenario. She wasn’t sure if Freya, being a whole year older and wiser to the world, might know something about muskrats that she had yet to discover. As far as she had seen, muskrats ate marsh plants and mussels and left little girls alone.

“You sure?” Aurora asked.

“Oh yes,” Freya answered. “They start with your nose and work down. A girl was eaten by a muskrat just last week. All’s they found left was her skull.”

Aurora decided to resolve the matter with Wilhemena, who at eight, was even wiser to the world than Freya. She started walking, but as the thought of the little-girl-eating muskrat took shape in her mind, she quickened her pace until she was running as fast as she could through the marsh. By the time she made it to the creek, her doom seemed inevitable and she didn’t notice the thistle patch until she ran right through it, taking a whipping against bare legs. She cried out.

Wilhemena ran to her, scooping Aurora into her arms. “It’s okay, little one. I’ll fix you up.” Wilhemena pulled the burrs out of Aurora’s skin. She found some bright green ribwort and chewed it into a pulp, then applied the salve onto Aurora’s leg. Later that night she would make a poultice of soaked burdock leaves to draw out any infection.

When Freya caught up to them, she crossed her arms, a smile on her lips.

“Can a muskrat eat me up?” Aurora asked.

“Nonsense,” Wilhemena said. There was no doubt about who would put such a thought in a little girl’s head. “Freya, don’t be so hateful.”

When Wilhemena turned around to lift the cauldron, Freya took the opportunity to pinch Aurora on the arm. Aurora screeched, thinking at first that the muskrat had bitten her, but it was only Freya. Crying, she knew, would invite more punishment.

Rather, she pulled out the heavy artillery. “I’ll tell Papa on you.”

“Papa will wring your neck if he hears that you’re scaring your little sister,” Wilhemena said.

“You needn’t worry about Papa,” Freya replied, a look of contempt crossing her face.

Wilhemena opened her mouth to argue but there was work to be done. “Follow me,” she said and led her sisters along the creek bed to the beach where they could find firewood.

The three girls gathered driftwood, fragments of lobster traps, boards from battered ships. Tucked behind a washed-up slab of concrete they spotted a patch of wild raspberries still clinging to thorny branches, miraculously undetected by birds. They dropped their wood and feasted on the last of the season’s berries. When they had picked the bush bare, Wilhemena broke off a few branches and bundled them up with the wood. Red raspberry was known to aid in digestion and to keep malevolent spirits at bay.

The whole excursion had taken close to an hour and in the fog and ebbing light, the line between sky and sea had all but disappeared.

* * *

TriDerma Medical Strength Skin Healing Products

Disclosure: I received product at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
TriDerma offers a line of true healing skin care products made with Certified Genuine Virgin Organic Aloe and other carefully selected botanicals. These medical strength skin healing products help provide fast healing and even faster relief for specific skin irritations. Their customized formulas are highly effective and target specific skin conditions without cortisone, steroids, or parabens, so they are safe for the whole family. TriDerma products are trusted by doctors!
Their Intense Fast Healing Cream is one of their best sellers. It is a multi-purpose cream that provides fast healing for damaged skin and hard-to-heal skin irritations. It works on cuts, rashes, scrapes, bug bites, athlete's foot, and dry damaged hands. It's even great for pets who have sores, dry elbows, hot spots, and itchy skin. I found it to be very effective for the itchy, dry spots I get on my arms.
TriDerma Kitchen 911 provides quick relief for burns, cuts, and scalds in the kitchen. It also helps to heal dishpan hands. It is a creamy lotion that absorbs quickly. I love the pump dispenser design too. The kitchen can be a very dangerous place and when accidents happen, my Kitchen 911 is right there on my counter for fast and soothing relief.
The TriDerma Extra Pure Healing Gel also comes in a pump dispenser bottle. This aloe gel contains natural botanicals to soothe and help heal sensitive or irritated skin. It cleanses away impurities, tightens pores, relieves itching, acts as a mini face lift and leaves skin silky soft without an oily residue. It's a great shaving gel for men and women to help prevent razor burn and bumps. It can also be used as a facial cleanser and a make-up remover. It leaves my skin smooth, soft and hydrated. I recommend all three of these TriDerma products. They also offer products for Eczema, Psoriasis, Diabetic Care, Baby Care, Foot Care, Acne, and Post Surgical. Visit www.triderma.com today!