mommy's reviews

Back in August, we decided that we really needed to find a new house. Our current home is roughly 900 square feet and with three little ones (two running through the house and one crawling) our living space feels like it is shrinking. Realistically, purchasing a home through santa monica ca real estate would not be practical because it is on the other side of the country for us but having been to California, it would be a spectacular state to live in!! So, after having our house for sale by owner for a few weeks, we decided to step things up a bit and list with an agent. This definitely was the way to go. Within the week of listing our home, we had numerous showings. Sadly though, no one put in offers. While we were disappointed, we knew that the right person would come along at the right time. So, we waited. While we were waiting, we also knew that we needed to find a new house too. This was a process that we were very excited about and I just loved going to different houses that...

I am a girl who just loves all things soap. Hand soap , body wash, scrubs, you name it - I love it! My favorite right now has to be handmade soaps though. You just cannot beat the look, smell and feel of soap that is crafted by hand. During this wonderful time of year, it is amazing how many varieties of hand made soaps are  popping up around the market. I love the store-bought soaps but my favorites have to be those that are made by small companies who pride themselves in quality rather than quantity. Today, I am going to introduce you to a company that I have never heard of before but am so thrilled to have met. Wink Soap is a company that was founded by a woman named Mindi. She began her adventure in soap making when she discovered that her sensitive skin needed more TLC than she was getting from store-bought brands. Here is more of Mindi's story... "After using my first bar of handmade soap, I was hooked! Not only did it do a great job of removing dirt, ...

As you all may or may not know, I am currently in my first year of homeschooling. My daughter is in Pre-K right now and I cannot even begin to tell you what a wonderful privilege it is to be able to teach my own child. I am shocked at how quickly she is learning things and how well she retains the information. At first, homeschooling was difficult because Hannah is VERY smart but doesn't want you to think she is smart. So, she made things a bit challenging at first. If you are new to homeschooling (like me), or you are a veteran homeschooler then I have a wonderful website to tell you about today! SchoolhouseTeachers.com  (a division of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine ) is an online resource for teachers that can aid in finding a great curriculum or help give your child "busywork". I have a two year old who wants to be involved in everything...especially when he sees his sister being taught fun things. So, right now trying to keep him busy and out of my hair while ...

My two oldest children are at the age where they are learning to play board games. Often, I find that most games are way over their heads and too complicated. At 4 and 2, they need easy and simple to understand games that are right on their level. Hubby and I thought Candy Land would be a fantastic game for them but it has proven to be a bit too difficult for them to comprehend. We have put that one away for future enjoyment. :) Recently, I attended the Chicago Toy & Game fair and had a BLAST. If you saw my post on that trip then you know what we did and how much fun we had there. Well, I visited the Endless Games booth there and was sooo excited to find that they make a game that is perfect for little ones! I was thrilled to be able to receive one of their children's games to include in my Holiday Gift Guide. It is not always easy to find good game gifts for children but this one is simply amazing! Cupcake Race is a board game that is geared towards children ag...

Well, the cold weather is upon us and winter is about to begin officially. I cannot believe that we are out of fall, past Thanksgiving and 2 1/2 WEEKS AWAY from CHRISTMAS!! This has been a really nice season for us here in NY and we have been enjoying some warmer days. Just the other day I was outside with my two older children and we were cleaning up the outdoor toys in the backyard...it was gorgeous. There were no heavy coats needed, just sweatshirts and that was wonderful!! Well, as always, I am having some issues with seasonal congestion and in the past, I have just suffered through it. Not any more...I am sticking up for myself against this icky congestion! Today, I am going to take just a few minutes to tell you about Afrin No Drip ...a nasal decongestant that works really well to clear and relieve cold and allergy congestion. As a BzzAgent , I have been given the opportunity to review this product and share it with you! Hopefully it will be of interest to you and will...

I am a huge fan of lip gloss...not so much lipstick because it can be dry and hard to apply. Trying new beauty products is something that I love and because I am a BzzAgent , I get the opportunity to try some of these amazing products. I have always loved giving lipstick-type gifts for people as stocking stuffers because they are small and compact and fit nicely into small crevices for those of us who have odd-shaped stockings. :) Growing up, we had stockings that looked like the full-body long johns, with sleeves and footies. My mom was able to put all sorts of odd shaped gifts into our stockings because of this and chapstick was always a must (typically I found mine in the arm or foot of my stocking). Today, I am going to introduce you to a wonderful lipstick from COVERGIRL that is going to amaze and impress you. Blast Flipsticks enable you to wear two colors of lipstick at once and each color is meant to blend nicely. I had never heard of these prior to this campa...

I am not a computer geek at all. My hubby, on the other hand is my "tech support" when I have issues with my computer or have questions about things computer-related. It is sooo nice to be married to a guy who knows his stuff when it comes to technology! He has a Bachelor of Technology degree and boy does it come in handy being married to me! I always feel like such an idiot sometimes because I ask him questions that seem silly to me...but I know they aren't silly at all. I especially feel silly when he sits in front of me and quickly, efficiently and correctly works out my problem. I have always wanted to understand my computer and how it works, but there is so much to it and I am such an amateur. Maybe one day I will understand a little bit but for now, I will be thankful that I have a wonderful hubby who can help me. :) I was contacted about a month ago and was asked if I was interested in reviewing a program called System Mechanic 1 1, which was recent...