mommy's reviews

Sooo, I am a huge fan of the Hallmark Channel. It seems that just about every movie they roll out is family friendly and I never have to worry about raunchy movies. When I was growing up, my mom was VERY careful about what we watched and alot of the movies she let us watch were Hallmark movies. Even today, there are good movies being produced by Hallmark and for that, I am grateful. I have learned about a new movie coming out from Hallmark called Space Warriors and it sounds like a very exciting film for the entire family! Here is a bit more about this movie and its premier on May 31st... Watch Space Warriors on Hallmark Channel May 31st at 8/7C for your chance to win a trip for the whole family to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center's Space Camp!  Keep an eye out for the secret keyword for a chance to go on location where Space Warriors was filmed and train like a real astronaut! Six highly skilled teenagers are handpicked to be part of a summer space camp competition at t...

When I was a teenager one of my most favorite hobbies was riding my bike. Before I had my driver's license it was the only way for me to get to work on my own and it was also a wonderful way to unwind after a busy day. I grew up in the country and riding the country roads is sooo wonderful. My first job was at a u-pick fruit farm down the road from where I  lived and so I would ride my bicycle there for work and also to go get ice cream or whatever.  Biking was also a huge activity for my entire family...especially when we would go camping. We would pile all the bikes on top  of the camper (and it was a hysterical sight only because we had 8 people in our family which meant TONS of bikes!) and head off on vacation. One thing that I always worried about though was someone stealing my bike. I had a nice mountain bike that I had purchased with my own money and it would have devastated me if someone took it. So, my dad bought a bike chain and combination lock for me so I...

Wow, so we are just about into June here and I am sooo excited for June to get here! Several reasons why...my son is going to be celebrating his 3rd birthday and it brings back so many memories when I think back to his birthday. He was my very first VBAC and although it was a difficult labor, every minute with him since has been wonderful. The other reason I am excited for June is because my brother is getting married!! He is marrying his childhood sweetheart and our entire family is just thrilled to death that they are finally getting married. I was talking to my future sister-in-law and she told me that when they were children, everyone said that one day they would get married but they just didn't believe it. I actually have a picture of the two of them when they were like 5 and they are walking down a road holding hands. Awww, I always knew they would get married someday. So, wedding season is in full swing and I recently saw a friend post on Facebook about how there was a w...

I am all about taking supplements. In fact, some people's jaws have dropped when they see all the vitamins and supplements I take on a daily basis. You see, I have Lupus and this is why I am so adamant about taking supplements. Medications were not the route I wanted to take when it came to my health and so as soon as I found out I had Lupus, I started to research appropriate vitamins, minerals and other helpful supplements. In my years of taking vitamins, I have noticed that the products that help me the most are the ones made out of fish and seed oils. Lupus, for me, is a joint and arthritic type of condition so taking oil-based supplements really helps to lubricate my joints and keeps my joints pretty much pain-free. Today, I am going to introduce you to a dietary supplement from Everest Health and this supplement is made from the oil of Krill...which are packed full of Omega-3's! Here is a bit more about Krill Oil and some of it's benefits... Everest Nutrition’s...

When I was growing up, I had a serious problem leaving home. I guess you could say I had chronic homesickness sickness...if there is such a thing. Sooo, while I was a homebody, my brother was usually away at camp. My parents were very picky about  summer camps for teens so he usually only went to 1-2 week long summer camps. It never really bothered me that I didn't go because I honestly just enjoyed staying home. We had a pool at home, just like they did at camp so I wasn't missing much there. Plus I was not an athletic type of girl so those types of activities didn't interest me at all. When my brother came home with stories of how much fun he had and how many friends he made, I was happy for him but certainly, not jealous. Well, summer is upon us once again and parents will beginning their search for a good summer camp to send their kids to. I for one won't be looking for a summer camp because my children are still too you. I live relatively close to a pretty larg...

I have never considered myself to be very adventurous in the kitchen however, I was recently inspired. Back when I had just given birth to Jacob, a family in my church brought over a delicious meal and in that meal was a jar of Dandelion Jelly. I had never heard of Dandelion Jelly before and was mesmerized by this little jar of sweet, golden colored jelly. When I tried it, I was addicted...and the jar lasted maybe a day. It was that good!! To me, it tasted like honey and that first taste was forever in my mind. Well, the lawn at our new house has an amazing ability to grow dandelions and as soon as I saw those pesky weeds shooting up out of my lawn I had an idea. I went to visit my favorite  addiction  site Pinterest and began to look for recipes for Dandelion Jelly. It didn't take me long before I had found a relatively easy-looking recipe and I vowed to make some this year. The perfect day came and I had extra helpers (I was babysitting some older children) so I sen...

Summer time snacking has begun!! Today I went outside and mowed the entire lawn. By the time I was finished, I seriously needed a snack. I wasn't starving, but I was craving something and having just mown our entire lawn, I needed something semi-healthy. With the warmer weather comes many opportunities to sit out on the back deck in my lawn chair with an ice cold lemonade, the iPad and something to snack on. My children love to play outside and I love to sit and watch them from the comfort of my deck. I am a crunchy-snack lover and will take just about anything that is sweet, crunchy and satisfying.  Recently, I was introduced to a company that makes gourmet cookies that are crunchy, all-natural free of cholesterol and no added fat or salt. Oh, and these cookies are only 30 calories each! Almondina is owned and operated by  Yuval Zaliouk , a world renowned musical conductor and his company has been in business for the past 20 years. Here is a bit more about Almondi...

So as promised, my plates that my daughter and I designed from MakIt have arrived and I wanted to share the finished product with all of you! I took pictures of each plate individually so you could see that the plate designs are EXACTLY what was drawn on the templates. By the way, these plates are dishwasher safe which is great. :) Here they are!  Pictured above...my favorite Bible verses! This is the plate view from the side. It is a good sized plate that can actually be used for food purposes! What a great way to preserve memories that will be used on a daily basis. I would also like to mention that I chose to have the shipping expedited so I received my plates very quickly after sending in the templates. I love that they came so fast.  Just a quick reminder that I do have a MakIt Prepaid Art Plate Kit giveaway going on right now so you can head over to that post by clicking HERE and get your entries in. Also, if you would like to b...

My children LOVE to play. Recently, I have discovered that they just love to play with puppets and better yet, they love to see me make a puppet move and talk. I find that using a puppet helps with home school and my daughter really enjoys taking instruction from a puppet rather than mom. Go figure. It is odd, but works well and helps take the monotony out of our school day. Sometimes, using a puppet helps my children do simple chores...encouragement from a puppet is much more motivating and they will do anything to please a cute puppet! Several weeks ago I was made aware of the fact that Cate & Levi (an online store that carries toys, clothing and accessories for children) had come out with some new hand puppets! I was so excited about these puppets simply because I know how much fun they are for my children and how great it is to use them for tools of encouragement. Before I continue though, here is a little bit more about Cate & Levi...a Canadian based company... ...