Zipzicles review and giveaway!

We recently gave zipzicles a try and loved them!  Now I get to do a review and giveaway for them.

What are they?

 -They are a long(ish) narrow plastic bag with a zipper top.   They are about what you would expect of a freezer weight zipper bag.

Why would you use them?

-Most kids enjoy frozen treats, especially during the summer.  Mine are no different.  I like to make my own treats for them whenever I can, so I know what is in them.  Additionally, because of various food intolerances most store bought frozen treats just do not work for my family.

How do you use them?

-Just mix up any (liquid/semi liquid) filling you want, pour in, freeze!  It's that easy!  My 13 year old mixed up blueberry smoothie, chocolate pudding and a layered fruit mix.  They make a great snack anytime!  They are great for on the go as well, since they are disposable.

Advice...

Don't over fill, when you close it filling will come out the top if you do.

The site says that these can be reusable.  I believe it, but have not tried it.  I bought these because they were fairly inexpensive and disposable.  I've heard they can last for 2-3 more uses.

You can order these directly from www.zipzicles.com Amazon sells them and the zipzicles web site also list retailers that sell them.

Now for the giveaway!  You can enter by following this blog through google friend connect (to the left on the sidebar) and leaving a comment.  You can also enter by leaving suggestions/recipes for great filling ideas.  Please do a separate comment for each entry.  I'll draw a winner on June 20th!

HappyBaby Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to KatiO who won the giveaway!

I was recently given the chance to review some of HappyBaby's toddler foods, and I'm excited to get to post this review along with a giveaway!

I normally make baby food for my little ones.  However I will generally buy baby foods when we are going on a trip or have something planned where the convenience is important, but I still need something healthy for baby to eat.  That is how I ended up trying HappyBaby in the first place....We were out running errands, I realized I had forgotten to pack lunch for baby (and a spoon too).  I figured one of those new baby food pouches would be the best bet.  The HappyBaby one caught my eye because of the fruit/veggie combination, then the price, AND it was organic!  My baby loved it, and had fun eating from the pouch too (and it was so much easier than a dish and spoon while out).

I wrote to HappyBaby and they offered to let me review some of their HappyTot products.  Since I have two "tots" I had both of them try each of the products.

The HappyTot Plus pouches were a big hit with both my 10 month old and my 2 1/2 year old.  The pouches were intended for the baby, but my toddler kept trying to sweet talk the baby into giving it to her.  If you are wanting to get more veggies into your toddler, or just want a quick easy meal on the go this is a great choice.  I love that they are organic and that there is (little to) no mess with these!  My kids loved every flavor.


We also tried the Toddler Meal Bowls.  I was happy to see real chunks of veggies (mostly peas and carrots) in the bowls and my baby was happy to eat these meals.  The portions were more than enough for my 10 month old.  My two year old on the other hand was not interested.  I can't say that I'm surprised, she has been eating table food for over a year and did not seem to find these meals novel enough to excite her into eating them like the pouches did.  My baby's favorite?  He LOVED the Vegetable Ravioli, but it wasn't exactly a convenience/on the go meal with the mess he made.

The results from my review?  The HappyTot pouches have made it into my cart since the review and will be something I go to for trips and other times when we are out and about (or recently when little ones were sick).  The little ones loved them and I'm happy that they are getting a healthy meal on the go.  The Toddler Meal Bowls were good (or so my baby seemed to think), but not as likely to make it into my cart (mostly because they just don't fill a need for our family).  Thank you HappyBaby for letting us do this review!  Now to the fun...

I get to give away the same package I reviewed!  If you win you will receive coupons in the mail for free products (4 toddler meal bowls, 3 HappyTot plus pouches). To enter the Giveaway you can....

1.Follow Happy Family on Twitter @HappySuperFoods

2. Go to the HappyFamily facebook page and answer one of the questions on the page.

3. Sign up for Generation Happy


*Besides receiving the product to review I was not compensated in any way for this review. 

Uncle Eric books review and giveaway!

I'm so excited to get to do a review and giveaway for some of our favorite books!  While books on the economy, justice and politics may not sound like the most exciting read alouds or a good fit for a family with all young children; just the opposite is true.

Last year our family enjoyed reading "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy" together, and we all enjoyed it.  It is a book on economy in the form of letters from an uncle to his nephew.  The book goes through the history of economy and money and really helps the reader understand what is happening now and why.  We all learned from this book, right down to the six year old (maybe the 3 year old picked up a bit too?).  Something else I loved about this book was hearing my kids asking daddy to read more from a book on economics!  Who would have thought that would happen?  It also opened up many discussions for us to have as a family.

We started reading "Whatever Happened to Justice" recently and I'm seeing the same things happening with this book as well.  My husband and I are learning so much from it, but at the same time my children are being drawn in and are interested.  We've had so many chances to discuss law and justice and we're only a few chapters in!  We are looking forward to purchasing more of the books in this series.

Blue Stocking press has very generously offered to giveaway the Uncle Eric book "Are You Liberal? Conservative? or Confused" Which is a very timely book to study given the upcoming elections.  I know it is one that is on our list!

There are a few ways to enter this giveaway (please leave a separate comment for each entry and make sure I'll be able to contact you if you win!)

1. Follow this blog through google

2.Head over to Blue Stocking Press and take a look around.  Tell me what books you found that interest you.

3. What are some of your favorite family books that inspire your family to think and discus?

This giveaway is open to US residents only, Thank you!

*The views in these book seem to be consistent with our Christian worldview.  However, my husband finds it interesting that he cant actually tell if the author is writing from a Christian worldview or an atheistic Ayn Rand worldview because the facts on economics and justice are so cleanly presented.

Sugar scrubs and a giveaway!

Congratulations to Crystal! Comment #5 was chosen by random number generator as the winner for this giveaway!

My friend Stacy K over at A Delightful Home wrote an e-book called Simple Scrubs to Make and Give full of great recipes. She sent me a copy and I've enjoyed looking through the recipes, making up some scrubs, and using them!

The first scrub we tried was the basic sugar scrub. My 11 year old daughter mixed it up; it was easy to make and called for ingredients we normally have in our home. We both gave it a try and I gave a jar to my mom too. We've all enjoyed using it.

The second scrub I tried was the Lavender Vanilla sugar scrub. It took me about 10 minutes to gather the ingredients, measure them out, mix, and transfer to a jar...all with a baby on my hip! Yea, these are so easy. I loved how this one smells and after using it my skin feels smooth and moisturized without feeling oily.

I also made up the Chocolate, coffee, and Lemon-lime sugar scrubs and gave them to family. I loved that most of the ingredients are ones I have in our home anyways, which make these fairly inexpensive to make up and can be done on a whim. I did order some essential oils I don't normally keep around to make the lime sugar scrub, and I'm glad I did.

 

I love to make my own beauty products and special gifts for family and friends. I like knowing what is going into the product and what is going onto my skin. Stacy's book is well written explaining everything from the whys and hows to where to get the ingredients (most are easily accesible and may already be in your home) making it so easy to make my own scrubs.

Stacy is going to giveaway a copy of her e-book to one of my readers, and she is also offering a discount on her e-book; the discount code is happyday and I believe it is good through the end of this month.

To win a copy of Simple Scrubs to make and Give book I'll give you a few ways to enter. Please leave a comment for each entry and make sure I'll be able to contact you either through your blog or by leaving an e-mail address.

1. Follow this blog through Google Friend Connect

2. Tell me your favorite beauty/hygiene/medicinal product that you make or would like to make

3. Go over to A Delightful Home and take a look around. Tell me something you found over there that caught your eye.

4. Follow A Delightful Home on Facebook

 

Large Family Movie give away!

UPDATE; Congratulations to Audrey Griffis, you won this giveaway!  Thanks for entering!

Last week our family had the pleasure of attending the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (Day 1, Day 2).  While there we were able to watch some wonderful feature films, documentaries, and shorts.  We were also able to meet the makers of some great movies and they were kind enough to give us some of their movies to give away on this blog.  These movies are made by large families, working together they have made films that honor God, and honor family.  I think one of the reasons we enjoy these movies is that we can relate to their lives, and the lives they portray in the movies.  We have been blessed by these movies and are excited to be able to pass on the blessing.

We enjoyed meeting members of the Moore family who had made The Widow's Might.  This is a favorite in our home.  This movie deals with some political issues and challenges to make the right choices despite those opposing them.  While it does deal with some very real issues, it does so in a way that is appropriate for the whole family with plenty of humor thrown in.

The "Dad the Hero" movies are both great, and we are so excited that we get to give both of them away.  The earlier movie is a western about standing up against evil, protecting family, and following God where He leads.  The second (and the one we saw first, at the film festival) is about the family going on vacation.  Dad needed to get a better handle on his priorities, slow down and enjoy his family and live in the moments that God gives.

We are also including a short documentary called Divorcing God, which addresses the pattern of decline in great nations in history. "Is this happening to America?" Unlike the movies included in the giveaway, this one is not appropriate for family viewing.

I'm going to give these movies out as a bundle pack.  Here are a few ways you can win this bundle.

Remember to leave a comment for each entry and to be sure I can contact you either through your own blog or by leaving your e-mail address in one of the comments.

1. Be a follower of this blog (1 entry)

2. Be a follower of my other blog Gabes Babes (1 entry)

3. Link to this giveaway on Facebook (1 entry)

4. Tell me what one of your favorite, God honoring, family movies is. (1 entry)

5. Go check out Christian Cinema, look around and tell me about one of the movies you found. (1 entry)

6. Sign up for Christian Cinema through my link; on the sidebar under "links" (3 entries)
*We are affiliates of Christian Cinema, I will get a commission if you sign up through my link.  We are affiliates simply because we think this is a great company and have been blessed by their resources.  This is not a big money maker for us. ;)


I'll end this giveaway on March 10.

Pantry Challenge and a giveaway!

Well, its the last week of December.  Is your refrigerator full of leftovers? Your budget on empty? It seems that no matter how well we plan, things come up and December seems to be the month that busts our budgets. January is the month for setting goals and getting back on track! This week leading up to January and the new year I'll be doing a pantry challenge (trying to cook with what I have and buying as little as possible this week). Keep reading for the challenge that will start next week and the giveaway!

With my fridge full of not only Christmas leftovers, but a weeks worth of leftovers from wonderful meals that some awesome friends have been delivering this week we may not have to cook all week!

Our Menu for the week (I've filled in some of the meals, and I'll update the rest throughout the week)

Monday-

Breakfast- Pie/Christmas desert (this is a tradition in our house, the morning after the big holiday we feast on leftover desert!)

Lunch- Christmas Leftovers/sandwiches

Dinner-Christmas Leftovers

Tuesday-

Breakfast- We still have plenty of left over Christmas goodies/breakfast!

Lunch- Yep, still left overs!

Dinner- 

Wednesday-

Breakfast- Umm, I think we over did the goodies!  We're still working on them!

Lunch-

Dinner- Sausages, vegetables (found in the freezer, I'll steam them), bread

Thursday-

Breakfast- Baked Oatmeal

Lunch-

Dinner-Pasta and meatballs and salad

 

Friday-

Breakfast-

Lunch-

Dinner-

Saturday-

Breakfast- Pancakes

Lunch-

Dinner- Family Movie Night! Homemade Pizza with whatever toppings we have around, salad.  I'll make homemade microwave carmel corn tonight too!

Last year I was given the book Family Feasts for $75 a Week and really enjoyed it. I learned some great new tips for keeping my budget down and some wonderful new recipes as well. So...

For the challenge I'm going to try to stick as close to $75 a week as I can for our family of 9 in the month of January. I'll blog about my weekly shopping and my menu plan to keep myself accountable ;)

I'm wondering if anyone wants to join me in this challenge? Would you be interested in doing a link up if I put one up?

Now for the giveaway- I get to give away a copy of the Family Feasts for $75 a Week!  Mary Ostyn is going to give a copy of her book to one of you!

-Be a follower of this blog by google friend connect. (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

-Facebook about this challenge and giveaway (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

-Tweet this challenge and giveaway (1 entry, leave 1 comment)

-Blog about this challenge and giveaway (3 entries, leave 3 comments)

I'll draw the winner on Saturday morning.

I'm linking to Menu Plan Monday.

Starbucks giveaway-CLOSED

Congratulations to Astrid Vargas the winner of the giveaway!

About six years ago I accidentally got my family addicted to Starbucks...

I had to give up dairy for my baby who was nursing and had dairy problems. This was an act of love. I love dairy, but I love my babies even more! To get myself through that time and get a "dairy fix" I would go to Starbucks to get a SOY peppermint Mocha. My kids would ask for a taste, soon they were asking for their own. My then two year old was soon able to order his own "short, decaf, peppermint mocha" Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins thought he was so cute and soon started sending him and his siblings their own gift cards!

*This picture was taken about six years ago, when our addiction started!

 

Starbucks has become a special place for our family. Sometimes we go as a family and enjoy a treat. Sometimes we go visit my cousin there at work (when we are in town visiting!), and sometimes we will take one or two children that just need some special time with mommy or daddy (we even go on quick dates there sometimes when we have someone over visiting that does not mind us ducking out for a bit!). We've enjoyed getting to know some of the barristas as well. While we enjoy the yummy treats, I think it is the relationship part that we enjoy most. It is fun to have the neighborhood coffee shop to stop in at, and usually they make an effort to get to know us and even our children. More than that though it is just so relaxing to sit with one of our kids, sip on a hot drink and visit. I've even started keeping the VIA (instant) starbucks at home so that I can make up a quick drink to share with a child or two for a warm cozy time together!

This year I once again have a baby with dairy issues, so I'm finding myself at Starbucks more often again. It has been a struggle to give up dairy, but it is so very worth it for my little guy. He is happier and is no longer having tummy issues. I can also tell that he is recovering slowly as when I slip up he no longer seems to react! I'll be adding dairy to my diet slowly over the next weeks/months, but I hope to be able to have just a bit of all of my favorites for Christmas!

During this time of rushing and business I thought I'd give away a Starbucks gift card ($10) and a package of the Christmas Blend VIA to one of my readers. The hope is that it will give someone a chance to slowdown a bit and enjoy some special time with a loved one. I'll give you a few ways to enter this giveaway.

1. Be a follower of this blog (1 entry;leave one comment)

2. Facebook this giveaway (1 entry; leave one comment)

3. Tweet this giveaway (1 entry; leave one comment)

4. Blog about this giveaway with a link back here (3 entries; leave 3 comments)

*This is NOT a sponsored giveaway. I just thought I'd pass on a fun gift to someone!

I'm linking to Making your home sing Monday and Raising Homemakers.

Peppermint give away!

We've been making some peppermint goodies around here the last couple of weeks. I thought it would be fun to share some as a "thank you" for reading the blog and I figure winning would bring some extra Christmas cheer to someone!

I'm giving away a round bar of homemade peppermint soap and a chocolate peppermint hard lotion that my daughter and I made.

Just be a follower of this blog and leave a comment below and you'll be entered to win. Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas to you!