Blogger's Challenge -- Favorite Guilty Pleasure!

So, one of the challenges was asking what, other than blogging, was my favorite guilty pleasure


I have a lot of vices, some of which I have shared with you. But a "Guilty Pleasure" is something that I believe to be fun, and enjoyable, that don't hurt or harm anyone, including myself. My vices really aren't that.

My most "guilty" pleasure though is the kinds of things I enjoy on television.. There's a huge range there. For example: I actually ENJOY watching iCarly and Victorious on Nickelodeon. I have caught myself watching these shows while my daughter is asleep on more occasions than I'd choose to admit.

I also have one soap opera that I watch on a daily basis. Days of our Lives. I started watching this show with my grandmother well over 20 years ago, and it has just stuck. I record and watch it pretty religiously. Very rarely do I not see a show.

And finally, I also really like the "strange" documentary/reality types of shows. Shows like Intervention, and Hoarders, but also shows like My Strange Addiction and Strange Sex. All of those things seem to peak my interest for some reason. My husband thinks I'm crazy sometimes, but, I guess maybe he's a little right.

Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Juppy Giveaway!!!

Oh My goodies with the Fun & Oh My Goodies are teaming up with a few other bloggers

 and

 The Juppy baby walker , 

for a GIVEAWAY! 

What you will receive is your choice of Pink or blue

(as pictured below)

With the choice of 1 word embroidered.

This item was reviewed by Oh My Goodies which you can read the review ~> HERE <~

a Rafflecopter giveaway Oh My Goodies with the fun , Oh My Goodies, The Mom Show, are NOT responsible for the delivery of The Juppy. Item will be mailed out by The Juppy Baby Walker company  once the winner is picked! In order to win you must enter! 

Disclaimer:This is a partnership with another Blogger This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Blogger's Challenge -- Picture of something that makes you happy

Another Blogger's Challenge Post -- A Picture of Something that Makes You Happy



I spent a LOT of time looking through pictures. I started out by looking through pictures of my daughter. She obviously makes me really happy.

I looked through pictures that I have of my husband. He makes me really happy.

I looked at pictures of other family members and friends, who also contribute to my happiness.

I even looked through some of my pictures of sunsets and nature. I didn't want to do something obvious. I spent a LOT of time looking through all of the pictures that I have in my home and on my Facebook. I found a picture, that, upon first looking at it, will appear to be a completely random photo, but while thinking about it, I decided that it incorporated a LOT of things that truly make me happy.



Let me explain! Obviously, I like to eat sweet things, but that's honestly not why I chose this picture.

I love the holidays! There is just not a happier time! I love when I am given great reasons to reflect on my blessings. Plus, Christmas is the birth of the Lord!

I love doing things with my daughter. I love activities where we're making something. I love the proud look in her eyes when she's doing it and once she's done. I love teaching her new things and seeing her figure them out. This was from my daughter's second Christmas. She was just starting to be old enough to help me with things like this (albeit only a small bit), and we had a blast! In fact, when I saw this picture, the first memory that came to mind, was after it was finished and serving as a centerpiece, catching my little one sneaking numerous chocolate chips off of the roof, and the mischievous look on her face when she got caught, and the sly smile she got immediately after not getting in trouble!


I love doing crafts, and I love baking! These are two really enjoyable activities that I love doing!

So, yes, to you, it is a random picture, but for me, it brought back memories of the day we did this and the small amount of extra enjoyment that it added to our wonderful holidays!

Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Blogger Challenge -- Nicknames and why you have them.

As an adult, I really don't have any "nicknames" per se, however, there are things aside from April that I am called on a daily basis. In fact, sometimes I think I might forget what my actual name is, because I am so rarely actually called it.

As a stay at home parent, my husband and daughter are the two people that talk to and address me more than anyone else.

The first one, is obviously mommy. I am actually called mommy more often than I'm called this more than anything else. It's really my favorite "nickname" because of the sound of the beautiful voice saying it. There are so many meanings behind this name that are so very near and dear to my heart and touch the core of my soul. I am her mom, her caregiver, friend, teacher, mentor, chef, doctor, planner and so much more. I truly love the name mommy, and I put my heart into deserving this name.

My husband rarely uses my first name as well. To him, I have a few names, and April is very rarely one of them. Schatzi, baby, babe and cutie, are the most common.
Schatzi is the most common. It is a German term of endearment that he learned from a married couple that he used to spend a lot of time with (she is German, and he served in Germany with the Army, and for a long time, him and my husband were very close friends.), before we were married, he started calling me this, and in an effort to be flirty (and a little annoying) he told me that I had to find out what it meant myself. Well, once I found out what it was (I believe it originated from the German word Schatz, which means Treasure, and Schatzi is basically like an American "Sweety" or "dear". If there are German speaking readers out there, please absolutely feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

I am sure in my younger years, that I have had more nicknames, none of which followed me into adulthood, or are even memorable to me now, but those are the two names that I carry, other than my own, that I love and will always be with me. 
 Disclaimer:  My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Anniversary Ideas!

Last night, I posted on Facebook, asking all of you what you would like to read about today. One of you answered saying that your Anniversary was coming up (A early wish for a very Happy Anniversary to you and your husband! I hope that you find a way to enjoy your day, and that maybe this post will help a little!)

Our Anniversaries are obviously a day that you want to at least recognize.  It is a day meant for celebrating the day that you got married and began your lives together.  If finding a babysitter is an issue for you, I posted something that we did when I wanted a date but didn't have a sitter HERE.

Here are some other ideas that I have come up with to create a special time with your spouse!

There are some simple and little things that you can do that might bring some good smiles and memories your way, such as watching your wedding video, looking at your wedding photos, and listening and dancing to your wedding song.  These are little things that you can do to bring back the romantic feel of that day, just using your memories.

If you have a small amount of money and someone to watch children for you, there are a lot of websites that can help you to find discounted romance packages at hotels.  My husband and I did this for our fifth.  It was really our first milestone anniversary, and I wanted to do something special, so I found a friend to watch our daughter for free under the understanding that I would do the same for her another night.  I got us a hotel room with a romance package (wine, flowers, candles, etc) at a hotel in a room with a jacuzzi tub for only $120!

If you have an Anniversary that falls during the school year, then you have the option of playing hooky from work and just spending the day together doing whatever you want! (the aspect of playing hooky in itself just seems exciting and fun to me!)

Research different  massage techniques, and then try them on each other.  I have done this for my husband (he loves getting his feet rubbed, so lately I've been doing a lot of reflexology research and am implementing those things for him).  Erotic or romantic massage, reflexology, deep tissue, rom Google can be a really helpful tool here. Get some aromatherapy candles and some oil or even lotion, do your research during the day, and then in the evening,  excitedly show him what you've learned!

I know it sounds old fashioned and maybe a little corny, but back when my husband and I were dating, I made him a mix tape.  Perhaps a CD with both of your favorite songs, wedding songs, etc might be a nice, cheap, easy and sentimental gift!

One year, for a gift on a bit of a budget, (though it did take a LONG time!) I made a scrapbook for my husband, using photos of all of our time together. If you're not feeling crafty, a simple photo album would be nice also.

These are just a few ideas, feel free to share your own in the comments if you'd like!

I am definitely a romantic at heart so I love when the opportunity to write about these things presents itself!








Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Alli's Everlasting Floral Arrangements

I was approached a while ago and asked to do a product review for Alli's Everlasting Floral Arrangements.  Upon seeing some pictures, and, probably more importantly, reading the story behind them, I was thrilled with the opportunity to do the review of this product.

First of all, they're all home and handmade arrangements.  They are beautifully put together.  They were kind enough to provide the photographs so that you could see a couple of their pieces of art.  They are beautiful and fancy, and really very cute!

But, the story behind them is part of what makes me want to stand behind them even more.  Alli, or Allison was an up and coming fashion designer who was just beginning to live out her dreams when she was tragically taken from her family and all who love her in the summer of last year.  My heart goes out to her mother, Renee. She has had to endure a grief that no parent ever should ever have to experience.  Which is why the fact that she used that and put it toward something so positive is amazing to me.  I have a lot of respect for the fact that instead of letting her mourning and sadness overcome her completely, has used her time and energy to memorialize her daughter by creating beautiful floral arrangements.

Check out their website HERE.  They put some of their proceeds toward a fashion scholarship fund that they created in honor of their daughter, to the school from which she graduated.

In addition to floral arrangements, they also offer pins, headbands, hairclips and ponytail holders.

I highly suggest checking them out and seeing if any of their products speak to you!



 Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

My Hikes Product Review!

My Hikes Product Review:


My Hikes are little plastic clips that help you to shorten the pants of your children. Here are a few pictures from the company to show you how they work.

See, here's how they work,  They really look like a large paperclip almost, but they really do help to hold up pant legs quite well.  My daughter seems to grow in a way, where her pants are always either too big around her waist and bottom, or too long in the beginning, so this product really helps with that.



 


Not only that, but when her pants all fit the way they're supposed to and she isn't wearing any that are too long, we have used them to put pictures on her easel, and other fun things with them.  They work perfectly for their intended purpose, but there are also other fun and practical things that you can do with them.


Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

CollageIt Review

Now, when I take pictures, I typically take them, upload them to Facebook, and then call my parents and in laws to let them know that their granddaughter has more pictures online for them to look at. You see, we live far from them unfortunately, and this has been the best way for them to watch her grow with us so far.

I have recently come across a way that might enable me to share all of those beautiful photos with my family in a new and creative way.



This software essentially allows and helps you to make quick, easy, and attractive photo collages with your mac or windows computer. They make it a simple process. The collages are customizable, and can be shared anywhere (so I can still share my photos on Facebook, they can just look more awesome now!)

I have said from the beginning that I will always be honest in my reviews. So one negative thing that I will say, though, is that this company has been EXTREMELY confusing to work with.  On their website, you can use a trial version of the software, which is all I've been able to access, as they never sent me the code to get the full version.  They offered to allow me a giveaway for you guys, but working with them has been so confusing, that I really don't know if I feel comfortable passing that same complication on to any of you, so unless I get some confusion cleared up, there probably won't be one. Sorry about that!  However, you can do what I did and go here to get the free trial!

Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Costume Discounters

I had the pleasure of being part of  a group of reviewers who had the opportunity to do  a review for Costume Discounters!  My daughter absolutely loves playing dress up so I always jump at the opportunity to do costume reviews for her!

First of all, their website is really easy to navigate and has some of the cutest costumes! They sell costumes for babies/toddlers, children, teens, women, and men. They also have plus size and sexy costumes, as well as makeup, wigs and accessories.

This is my second or third review for a costume company, but this one is by far my favorite.  Here's the costume that I got:





This is a picture from their website, but I was surprised at how accurate the picture is.  It really does look JUST like the picture.  My daughter absolutely fell in love with this costume.  The quality is wonderful! The material is strong and durable.

One of the best things about it, is the fact that it comes with everything in the picture. There are so many costume stores and websites that sell just the dress, and the belt and boot covers are to be purchased separately.  This is just not the case, this costume came with the dress, belt, boot covers and cape.  I was thrilled with this part. I ended up spending double what I would have for Halloween for my daughter last year because I bought the shoes, tights, etc for her costume (she was Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, it was adorable). 

Their prices are also pretty reasonable, and competitive.  One more great thing is their return policy, not that you want to have to do this, but if you ever had to return your costume for any reason, they make it really easy, and that impressed me also.  With the way children grow, it's sometimes difficult to purchase something like this online and be 100% confident that it will fit, and then, to have to deal with a difficult return/exchange policy would be frustrating.  This is not the case (This is just based on what I've read about the company, fortunately, I have not had to do this.) 

Long story, short, my daughter and I both loved this costume, and I would highly recommend this company to others looking to enhance their dress up collection.




Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

5 Ways of Encouraging Your Kids to Take an Interest in Art

5 Ways of Encouraging Your Kids to Take an Interest in Art


[Photo by Todd Sanders]

Art provides children with a medium through which they can explore and respond to their world. Here are five ways to encourage your kids to take an interest in art.
1. Art Exhibitions and Activities

Taking your child to art exhibits can be a wonderful way to encourage an appreciation for art. Many exhibitions, art fairs and museums have special tours and activities that are particularly geared towards children.

Child-friendly activities are likely to encourage an engagement with art, allowing the child to touch and to respond to what they're seeing. Pay attention to what your child is particularly interested in and try to find relevant artistic activities.

If your child shows a particular interest in art and in learning new skills and techniques, then it could be time to enroll them in an after-school art class.

2. Arty Television Programs and Books

Programs such as Art Attack (which moved from ITV to the Disney Junior channel last year) are generally very popular with children, encouraging them to develop their creativity and teaching them different crafts. There are also a wide range of ‘how to’ artistic books available for children. Buying your child books that inspire and encourage creativity is a good way to not only help with artistic techniques but also to learn how to use art for self-expression.
3. Fun Art Materials

Provide your child with a variety of fun art materials. Let them experiment with paints, crayons, chalks and colored pencils. Painting by numbers (with a picture relevant to the child's interests) can be a fun way to encourage a child to start painting.

You don’t have to just stick to canvas or paper when painting; ceramic painting can be a great way to add color to household objects like mugs, bowls and pots.
4. Artistic Space

Once they've got the material to engage in art, children benefit from having the space to create. That space could mean providing a specific area (such as a table) where artistic activities can take place. It could also involve exhibiting your child's creations somewhere where they are likely to be seen and admired.
5. Be positive and encourage individuality!

Allow your child to experiment, to make a mess and to enjoy the creative process from start to finish. From the age of about five children can become quite critical of their art. Encourage them to continue to try out new ideas, but be careful not to criticize them yourself in the process.

As they start to develop their own personal tastes, they may be different from yours. Learn to appreciate and validate your child's tastes, rather than impose your own. This in turn will encourage your child to appreciate different artistic perspectives.

James Christie writes for Baker Ross who has a great range of art supplies for kids.

 Disclaimer:This is a sponsored post, in which I received compensation to share with you.  The opinions, statements and photography is not my own.

Platypus Swimwear Giveaway!

 Miss Jackie's Views is sharing her awesome swimwear review and giveaway with us!  Read about it and enter below!


Platypus Australia based in Australia produces UV protective swimwear for babies and children. All Platypus swimwear offers maximum sun protection blocking out 97.5% of harmful ultraviolet radiation. The company's mission is to educate parents, children and industry representatives about the importance of protection against the damaging rays of the sun.  For information about UV Protection and Sun Protection Facts read the Platypus Australia article HERE.

           Josh modeling his new board shorts, rash guard and bucket hat Platypus Australia offers short sleeve and long sleeve sunshirts, board shorts, swim skirts, boyleg pants, bike shorts, skirts, girls one piece and kini suits, boys sunsuits, sun jackets and hats in sizes ranging from 6 months to 14. The patterns and colors of Platypus swimwear are vibrant and tasteful. Platypus Australia is giving away one outfit (shirt and shorts or suit) and hat of the winner's choice through a review/giveaway coordinated by the blog Miss Jackie's Views. To read the full review of Platypus Australia visit Miss Jackie's Views HERE. Entry is easy in the Rafflecopter form below. You can complete as many or as few entries as you like, of course the more entries you complete the better your chances of winning! This giveaway is open to the US and Canada only. Giveaway ends at midnight June 29th. a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Short Term Goals for the Next Month -- Blogger's Challenge

I have had so many other things going on lately, that I have been COMPLETELY neglecting this challenge. I am changing that today, so you will see a LOT of posts about this.

What are my short term goals?  That's a really great question.  I don't know if anyone out there can relate, but since I have been staying at home, it's been harder to keep myself goal oriented, so thinking about this is always a great thing.  In fact, this blog, period has really helped me to remain focused on a goal. 

Over the month of June, there were a few big goals accomplished.  The first major one was potty training for my daughter. She has gone enough days (during the day) without any accidents that I have actually lost count.. We're still working on nighttime, but I'm not as worried about that, because she does, indeed wake up MOST mornings dry and clean.

This month, I also feel like we have gotten my blog to a place where I'm starting to feel a lot more successful. I had a lot of help with the layout from a fellow blogger, I've continued working on it, my page views are going up, and I'm really happy with the progress that I've made.

The reason that I shared our recent accomplishments, is because a lot of them seep over into my future goals for the next 30 days or so.

I want to continue growing my blog, and am going to do the things that I need to do in order to do so.  I want more people to come and read, which means I have to make sure that I am producing content that people WANT to come and read.  I also want to try, in some way, to add more interaction to this site as well.  I really want to hear from all of you about everything!  I want to take things that I hear from you and use them to add even more content that I know you want to read because it's come from you!

Another goal I have, (and I've already started accomplishing this over the next week or so), is to start generating a little bit of an income from this site.  Now, before anyone thinks that I'm doing this for the wrong reasons, because I am not, however, the opportunity for it is there, so I want to take advantage of that.

Obviously I want my daughter to be completely potty trained,  night and day, with minimal reminder.  We're close, but I want to be complete.

I want to work on my own time management, hopefully enabling me to do as much work on my blog as I have been doing, maybe more, and still keep up with the laundry and housework that I've been neglecting a little more than I should in the process.

Thank you for reading.  Do you have any goals that you want to share?  Feel free to comment!

Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

The Meaning Behind The Mom Show -- Blogger Challenge

The Mom Show is the name of my site, and one of the Summer Blogger's Challenges was to write up a post about the meaning about our site name.

I don't really have some grand story behind choosing this name, so this post may not be the most exciting.

 When I first started this blog, just like now (It has only been three months, afterall), I was a full time mom.

Becoming a parent really kind of takes over all aspects of your life, and I have always figured that most of my writings would always be about my parenting. I also knew that, like a television show, I would have a lot of different topics within that main "genre" (I mean, there really are a lot of aspects of parenting, aren't there?) I have the occasional ad, affiliate, or sponsored/paid post, so like a television show, there are ads, commercials, if you will. So, like a sitcom, every time I write, it's about something new (usually, but if not, even sitcoms run reruns sometimes.).

It's revolving around my life as a mom. It's not just about my child, but also about me, the mom. There is a little bit of romance here and there, a good amount of kids stuff, but a healthy amount of "me". I know that there are people who can relate to the fact that, as a mom, there really isn't much out there that's "about me" anymore. I knew this when we first decided to expand our family, but it's nice to have this outlet of something that I'm writing for me, and for you. This is something that revolves around my family, only in that I write about them a lot, but that I'm doing for me.  I hope that if you were ever wondering, that this will clear it up a little, but if not, feel free to comment with questions!


 Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products.

For College Students and Their Parents!

I am writing tonight about a great resource for college students and/or their parents!


College was only 7 years ago for me, and I remember vividly what a huge expense text books were.  I really didn't have much money at the time (because, really, what college student does?!) and these expenses weren't covered under the scholarships that I received, so buying books really ate up my small income at the time.

What if I told you that there was a reputable way to rent your text books?   At Campus book rentals, you can do just that, and save a ton of money while doing it!  Here is an example of one of the many books available! Campus Book Rentals has rented to over a million college students, at over 5500 campuses!

Some other great things about this company:

-You can save 80-90% renting from this site verses buying your books new.  If you find the book for cheaper, they will do their best to beat a competitor's price.
- The company pays shipping BOTH ways! When you receive your book, they also send a postage paid package for sending your books back!
-They allow you to  respectfully highlight when needed in their books. Of course, they ask that you keep in mind that others will be using this book after you.
-They have flexible rental time periods as well.
-One last great thing about this company, is that they donate some of their proceeds in every rental to an organization called "Operation Smile", which is a charity to help children with cleft palates, which can sometimes render a child unable to smile, speak or even eat normally.

I really and truly wish that I had known about this site when I was in school, as it would have saved me a lot of time, energy and MONEY that could definitely have been used otherwise!


Disclaimer: I received compensation for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Saving Dinner's Menu Mailer -- Awesome!

I found this website a few days ago, and was so excited about the awesome things that they offer, that I ended up emailing them and asking them if they'd work with my blog. When I found them, I knew right away that they offered so much that all of you would love! Upon hearing back from them, I learned even more!

They offer what they call a "Menu-Mailer" and this is AWESOME!  It literally takes every single ounce of guesswork out of what to make for dinner.  You get an email that gives you a menu for each day, which answers the question of "what am I going to make for dinner?"  Then, there are recipes for everything that requires preparation.  As if that's not enough, it also includes a shopping list that includes everything that you need in each of the recipes!  Having this help with dinner is something that can benefit busy parents so much, but that's not all.  Breakfast and lunch are also included on your menu and your shopping list!  Never worry about buying too much or too little for all of your meals again with this awesome service!! 

I remember asking all of you once, what day of the week that you normally go grocery shopping for your family.  The vast majority of you said that you go on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, or, in the middle of the week.  Saving Dinner's Menu Mailer shows up in your inbox every Tuesday and is ready for you to save, print, and bring with you to the grocery store! 

Now, if you're like me, you're probably wondering how much a service like this costs, right?  You can get it for as little as less than $4.00 a month if you sign up for 12 months of service!  You can choose to get three months of service for $15, or 12 months of service for only $47!

If you want more information on this awesome service please check them out at

http://savingdinnershop.com/menu-mailer-3/regular-menu-mailer-membership/!  I bet you will find it as great as I do.  I am definitely considering signing up for this service for my own family!

Disclaimer: I received compensation for review of this website. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Fit Moms For Life -- Book Review and GIVEAWAY!

I was approached with the opportunity to do a review on this man's book, and I jumped on the opportunity. I actually fully intend on trying his program out.



His name is Dustin Maher, and he is not only an author, but beginning a whole movement for moms to take better care of themselves, feel better, have more energy, and really improve the overall quality of their lives. As a mom who desperately needs to figure out a way to have that time for myself, to get in shape, and improve my energy, I was so excited to read this book and participate in his program. What I found initially inspiring, was the fact that this man got all of his inspiration from his own mother, who he feels sacrificed so much of herself, while teaching her four children healthy eating habits. He knew at a young age that he wanted to be a personal trainer specifically for mothers. After receiving the email asking me to review this book and program, I jokingly emailed back "only if I can attend one of his boot camps!" Of course, he's located too far away for me to do that, but that's how excited I was to learn more about this program!




Here's the book I was talking about. I really enjoyed reading this book, as it taught me ways that I can improve myself. I like that, while diet and exercise are the main focus in this book, but it covers so much more. Cutting time out for myself, sleeping enough, and most importantly, believing that I am worth it!

 

If you want a little bit of inspiration, and learn more about this book from Dustin Maher himself, check out this video!


The "Mindset" part of this book really spoke to me, about why diets haven't ever worked for me before. The "environment" part was important too. I learned that when I'm dieting and exercising, I'm not necessarily doing that wrong, but my mindset and environment isn't what it necessarily needs to be.


As if the information in the book isn't enough, the inspiration of all of the success stories is phenomenal.

In fact, if you go to his website HERE, you can see tons of testimonials that look like this:



I thoroughly intend on following this program in hopes that I might see some of the results that some of the people in the book and website have seen!

The best news is that one of you can win the opportunity to also! I have an additional copy of the book to giveaway! This will start 6/18 at midnight, and end on midnight of 6\25 Enter Below!  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Happy Father's Day

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of the families who read The Mom Show a really wonderful Father's Day.

It takes a really wonderful man to really be a Father. There are a lot of men with children who are not, but a man who interacts and is there for his children is really a wonderful blessing! I am so blessed to have a man who takes his role as husband and father very seriously, and I thank God for him every day.

If you have one of these men in your life, cherish him. He is doing you, and more importantly, your children a great service.

A great dad is teaching his son how to grow into a good man, a loving, caring, firm and respectable man. He is a shining example for his daughter, of the kind of man she should someday want to be with. He is giving her standards for her future, and showing her what to someday expect for her and her own children.

My husband works hard, and long. Between driving, and his shifts, he is gone for about 15 hours every day. He works all night. Then he comes home, and takes the time before going right to sleep, and has breakfast with his family. Then, a lot of days, when he wakes up, we have our late family lunch together (this is why sometimes on Facebook, I will ask what you're all having for dinner at around noon, because that's when I start planning to cook for my own family). If there's time (sometimes there is, and sometimes there isn't, which, given his schedule and the fact that he needs to sleep, is more than understandable) we will either go out in the yard and play Frisbee or throw a ball around before he leaves for work, and on his days off (he typically gets 3-4 days off in a week.), a great deal of his time is devoted to us, as family time.

I've written before about this quote here: "The place to take the true measure of a man is not in the darkest place or in the amen corner, not the cornfield, but by his own fireside. There he lays aside his mask and you may learn whether he is an imp or an angel, cur or King, hero or humbug. I care not what the world says of him: whether it crowns him boss or pelts him with bad eggs. I care not a copper what his reputation or his religion may be: if his babies dread his homecoming and his better half swallows her heart every time she has to ask for a five dollar bill, he is a fraud of the first water, even though he prays every night and morning until he is black in the face....But if his children rush to the front door to meet him and love's sunshine illuminates the face of his wife every time she hears his footfall, you can take it for granted that he is pure, for his home is a heaven...I can forgive much in that fellow mortal who would rather make men swear than women weep; who would rather have the hate of the whole world than the contempt of his wife; who would rather call anger to the eyes of a king than fear to the face of a child."

 It just holds so true, and it makes me thing of all of the great men that I know, but mainly, it makes me think of my husband.  The happiness that I feel when he is around, and the light in my daughter's eyes when she sees him come home.

 I think that if you are striving to make the most of your family life, that taking this quote to heart is a great start.

I just want to wish you all a Happy Father's Day.  I know that there are a lot of single moms out there that are doing this all alone.  You are the provider, the mother and the father, the everything. You are the parent.  I honestly don't know how you do it, and my hat is off to you. 

I just wanted to share my genuine appreciation to the fathers in this world who take their role seriously.  Of course, I wanted to acknowledge my own husband, as he is definitely one of those men also, and seeing him as a father has made me fall more in love with him than I was before.

Happy Father's Day!!














Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Couponchief.com

I would like to tell you about this really great site for online shopping and discounts! If you're like me, sometimes, it's just easier to get gifts and other things that I would like by sitting at my computer and ordering it, and waiting for it to show up on my doorstep (if you get a lot of packages, like me, then you know, that it's basically like your birthday when you're checking to see exactly what it is that you've gotten!)

If you are, indeed like me in this respect, then you are probably already aware of the fact that there are a ton of sites out there that share coupon codes.  What you may not know, however, is that there is one site that will actually PAY YOU to share the online coupon codes!

The site is called Coupon Chief, and they offer coupon codes from hundreds, if not thousands of stores!  I have only recently been made aware of this site, but I can guarantee you that I will be using it from now on when shopping online!

As if that weren't enough, they also have a program called "Pays 2 Share".  If you share the coupons you've uploaded with others, you make money whenever they use them!  You can get a two percent commission for every coupon that you shared and was then used!

Sometimes, when I find a really good deal, I like to share it with my readers, family and friends, so for me, personally this is a perfect opportunity that I'm really looking forward to diving into!  I hope you all will enjoy it too!  To find out more information on this site, please fan CouponChief on Facebook!


Disclaimer: I received compensation to write about this website. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Hot June Dad's Giveaway!

Awesome June Dad's Giveaway!

  Since a lot of Bloggers are doing giveaways for Father's Day, I decided to do mine for the second half of the month.  I am working with some awesome compaines:  Thompson's Watersealant, Author, Daris Howard,   and Disaster Survival Skills, and some awesome bloggers:  The Mom Show, Acadiana's Thrifty Mom,  Mom of One and Having Fun, The Frugal Dietitian, and 7 Kids and Us have all teamed up to bring you this great Giveaway!  

There will be FIVE winners!  The prizes are:  

 



One lucky winner will be awarded with $120 worth of products from Thompson's Watersealant! Read my review about them here!




Another winner will win these two products from Disaster Survival Skills! Read my review about this product here!





Another winner will win this and another book written by Daris Howard! Read my review about them here!


I don't have a review or picture for it yet, but another winner will win a Men's Entertaining Cookbook!

One more winner will win $5 PayPal Cash!

Enter below for a chance at one of these FIVE awesome prizes!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Potty Cover Review

Have you ever taken your small, newly potty trained child into a store, restaurant or other establishment to find bathrooms with large toilets that they still have to hold onto to use (which is actually most toilets for my little one, she has a tiny butt!)
We have found a pretty awesome product. It's portable, compact, durable, and easy to use. They're called Potty Covers.



They are made out of durable fabric with a plastic liner. They don't slip around on the toilet, and they leave the toilet completely covered so I'm not quite so grossed out when she has to hold onto the seat while she's using it.



Check out this product at their website!
It is really affordable at only $5.99, and can also be found at Amazon, ebay, Buy Buy Baby, and at some Bed Bath and Beyond

 Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Cook'n Review

Tomoson and Cook'n worked together to bring bloggers a review of Cook'n Recipe Organizer software.

As someone who loves using various recipes (and varied versions of them) to learn new things to cook, I was really excited about this opportunity.

This software really offers so much, from finding, preparing and organizing recipes, you will find help for all of these things with this awesome software!



This product is really perfect for someone who is still somewhat new to the cooking world but who loves it (like me! I'm not new per se, but I've been married for seven years, and I never cooked before we were married, and for the first two or three years we were eating out constantly, I just now feel like I'm finally starting to get better at cooking. (That's what people I cook for tell me anyway -- haha)

Check out this video showing what you can do with this!




With Cook'n, you are able to search for recipes, input your own recipes, get help with your shopping list, gain nutritional information and so much more!


Check out their website for more information!

Also, on their Facebook page, they also do weekly prize giveaways so make sure to check that out!
Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

15 Tips to Get Through Life

So, I got behind (more behind than I already was!) on my Bloggers Challenge, so today, you will see a few posts from that from me.  Yesterday's prompt was to give my readers 15 tips to get through life.  This one is a little challenging because I, by no means whatsoever, consider myself to be any sort of expert on "life" (I mean, who is, really?)

So, that brings me to my first one:

1.) Always remember that life, in general, is a learning experience.
2.) Take time for yourself, at least a little, every day.
3.) Remember how much you love the people that you care about, even when you're angry.
4.) Take time often to act like your children. Be silly with them.  You're only as young as you feel, right? So this has to help!
5.) Pray, hard and often.
6.) Run around and play outside with your kids.  It's good for you in so many ways!
7.) Remember all of the things that you love about your spouse, even when life isn't as easy as it used to be.
8.) Something that seems so simple, but I am still terrible at, "clean as you go", it makes a difference in how long it takes you to clean your house later (like I said, I am bad about this... working on it though.)
9.) When they're old enough, definitely give your kids chores! I can't wait until my little one can do a little more!
10.) Take plenty of time for snuggling!
11.) Keep a journal.  You'd be amazed at how much better you feel when you're able to get anything off of your chest, at any time, even if you can't or don't want to talk about it.
12.) Take lots of time for adult conversation and interaction.
13.) Get plenty of sleep!! (this is a challenge for me too!)
14.)  Do your best, always, but also give yourself a break once in a while and don't be too hard on/critical of yourself.
15.) Do whatever it is, that you feel you need to do to love yourself.  Try to see yourself in your child and spouse's eyes, because they obviously think you're great!









Disclaimer:This post may contain affiliate links.

Disaster Survival Skills First Aid Kit Review

I was given the opportunity to try and review two products from disasterskills.com. They gave me the Real First Aid kit.

This first aid kit comes in a fairly small bag (not like the bigger boxes that I am used to) so it doesn't take a lot of space, and it's really portable.
For the size of the bag, I was so surprised at how much was inside.

Included in the kit, were a first aid guide, gauze rolls, gauze pads, combine pads, bandaids, rubber gloves, sanitizing wipes, antiseptic wipes, medical scissors, medical tape, thermal wrap, bandaids, slings, tweezers,  a CPR iso-shield, ice pack, and even eight 4 oz. bags of emergency drinking water!

Having not had one previously, I now feel covered to deal with numerous things that none of us ever want to think about happening.  It's all packaged in an organized and compact manner in a bag that makes it easy to grab and go when needed.




Another thing that was included in my review, was this Burn Free pain relieving gel.  It promises to "cool, soothe and moisten" and it honestly does all of these things.  Now, I love blogging, and take this very seriously, however, I would definitely never hurt myself for the sake of a product review.  However, it just so happens that while I was cooking a few days ago, I had a little bit of hot oil splash on my forearm (I've posted about doing this before, if you're read that, you're probably thinking that I'm pretty bad in the kitchen at this point.  I promise you, it doesn't really happen that often!) But it just so happens that a couple of days earlier, I had received this product for review, so obviously, I tried it.  It really does make it feel a little better.  It also works really great for Sunburns!

If you're interested in any products or classes in disaster preparedness, please check out their website HERE.

Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Ageless Perfume Giveaway

Have you ever heard of or smelled Ageless Perfume? I read some wonderful things about it in this review. I have to tell you, after reading, I would actually really like to try this myself.  Now, if you've read this and thought the same thing, you're in luck, because the writer of the review above, Crafts and Things, is also offering a giveaway of this product, and is letting me share it with you as well!  The best part is, not just one person will win this giveaway. She is doing a giveaway for TEN WINNERS!!  If you love perfume, want to give it as a gift, or just want to try this particular brand, enter below!  Good luck! Let me know if any of you win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

How do you see yourself by the end of the year? Blogger's Challenge

 Today's post in the Blogging challenge asks where I see myself at the end of this year.  


Before I say that, I should probably share my New Year's Resolution, which, in all honesty, I haven't been doing a great job at really.  If you read this post, yesterday, you read about a few of my insecurities among other things.  

My resolution this year, was to do things to like myself more.  That consisted of a lot of things that I wanted to change about myself.  

I want to quit smoking (I have decided to go the cutting down gradually route on that by the way, but I am doing alright, I'm doing it less and less, I will be quit by the end of the year definitely.). 

I have a lot of weight that I want to lose (this is a battle that I'm doing good and bad at.. it depends on my day, it's bad..).

I want to spend time reading my bible each day (I may not do it every day, but I am reading it a LOT more frequently than I was, and my goal is that by the end of the day, I will be spending some time with it every day.  God most definitely deserves to come first, and I need to be better about making sure that happens).  

I wanted to get involved in my community, and start doing good things to help others. I am trying to find the perfect opportunity in which to do this, that works around my family and their schedule. 


I started out this year determined to take more time and do more things just for me.  This is something that I certainly haven't done a good job with. It truly is something that I need to work on.  I need to find things that I want to do, and need to do, that April (not wife, not mom, but April) wants and enjoys.  But at the end of the day, wife and mom always take over, and April is frequently pushed into a corner somewhere (I am sure a lot of you can relate to this at least a little), and that's what I have really wanted to change.


Now, the question wasn't how was I hoping to be able to see myself at the end of the year, it was how DO I see myself at the end of the year.  Unfortunately, for me, these are really two different things.  

I see myself not smoking anymore.  This just HAS to be a reality for me.  I told myself from the beginning of the year, that by the end, I would be a non smoker, so this is still not a failure and even if I am fully quit at the end of December, I will be quit. No ifs, ands or buts for me on this one. It really has to be done.


I can see myself having lost some weight (I have already lost a little, but not much, and I have a terrible yo-yo effect going on), but not nearly as much as I would have liked to.  It's too late for me to reach the goal that I set for myself in a healthy way, but the sooner I start really working well on it the closer I will get to my goal, and, well, that's going to have to be ok.


I see myself gaining a lot out of the reading in my Bible.  I also see myself continuing to grow in my faith.  


I am hoping to have worked in some sort of charitable environment once I find one.  My goal is to take one day off a month at the very least at a food bank, shelter, or maybe even a nursing home.  Something that I could bring my daughter with me to would be even better.  Please feel free to suggest something in the comments!


There's a big part of me that tells me there are certain things about myself that I may never change, and part of the point of my resolutions at the beginning of the year, was to try and prove myself wrong.  


I, however, am unable to see the future, so I can't tell you for sure how, who, what or where I will be at the end of the year, but all I can do is hope and try to make some of my goals above a reality.














Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

Book Reviews -- Daris Howard

I was given the privilege of receiving and reading two books written by Daris Howard for my review.  I have to say, that both of these books were a blessing to read.

The first one was When The World Goes Crazy Life's Outtakes Year One 52 Humerous and Inspirational Short Stories.  I have to say, this book was really a blessing.  There were stories that made me laugh, and some that had me choking up with tears in my eyes, and some that did both.  This book is actually where I got the quote that I wrote about in this blog post. Just about all of the stories in this book were easy to relate to.  I don't want to tell you too much about it in case you decide to read it (or win the Dad's Giveaway that starts on Saturday, because both books in this review are two of the prizes being offered!), but an example of how I was moved by and relating to this book, one of the stories was about a man and wife who were expecting, went into early labor, and lost their child right before Christmas.  I miscarried a few months before getting pregnant with my daughter, so this story hit really close in my own life and had me in tears.  But then the next story made me smile, there were stories that made me think about things (like the one that prompted the blog post linked above).  If you're looking for a really inspirational book, I highly suggest this book.






This is the other book I had the pleasure to read. It's a wonderful story about a little boy named Tommy. From the very beginning I had a very vivid picture in my mind of the life this boy and his family lived. I felt what his family was like, and the experiences that are portrayed are written descriptively.   This is one of those stories that made me laugh, and cry, sometimes at the same time.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and following Tommy's trials and tribulations through the story, and seeing the world, for a little while, through the eyes of a young boy.  He definitely goes through his fair share of struggles.

Daris Howard is a great writer.  His writing style is fairly easy to read, while still being really descriptive.  He paints a vivid picture in his writing without being long and drawn out.  I really enjoyed both of these books, and would highly recommend them.

As I said before, this Saturday, my Dad's Giveaway will be going live, two of the featured prizes are these books!

The Mommy Island also did a review for this book!  Go here to read it!!



 Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Blogger's Challenge. 15 Facts about me

Summer Blog Challenge: Catch Up:

15 Facts about myself:

 

One thing I'm noticing about this challenge, is that it's challenging me to think about and look at myself a little more than I might normally, and if I'm going to be completely honest, I like it. I have to try to think up 15 facts, interesting, no less, about myself.

1.) Before I was married, I was a jazz and contemporary music student.  I played jazz trombone. I had dreams of being a professional musician.
2.) My husband and I had a "quickie" courthouse wedding a few months before our actual "real" wedding (which is the anniversary that we celebrate, and our recognized wedding day)
3.)I suffered from Post Partum Depression after my daughter was born.  I don't know that it ever really completely went away.
4.) I am extremely insecure.
5.) I completely recognize and know, that I take care of my family, and almost completely neglect myself.  I need to work on this, and I am really not quite sure how.
6.) This summer, I realized how much fun fishing is, and now I love to go fishing!  I am actually competing with my husband to see who can catch the most fish, and so far, I'm winning!
7.) I am seriously considering taking up jogging.  (I have been for a while.. but... see #5.)
8.) I am so way beyond terrified of spiders, bees, snakes and other creepy crawlies.  Six months ago, we moved into a brand new home, that used to just be woods. So there are a TON of them!
9.) I love watching Days of our Lives.  I used to watch it with my grandmother when I was young, and now watching it makes me think of her.  But I would watch it anyway, because I like my daily dose of drama!
10.) I LOVE writing. I like writing prompts and challenges. My writing style makes writing professionally something that I don't know that I can't really do.
11.) I am really not good at it, but I LOVE to sing.  I absolutely love singing along to songs that I'm listening, and when I'm alone, I really pretend that I'm good at it!
12.) I'm really a TERRIBLE house keeper.  I do my best to pretend, but I'm just not your typical housewife I guess.
13.) This is probably the most I've shared about myself in a long time.
14.) I dislike winter and rainy days, purely and simply because I can't wear flip flops. I LOVE my flip flops and wear them on every day that it's physically possible.
15.) Back in 2010, I started developing my relationship with God. I read the Bible frequently to learn more about Him, and I'm trying to bring myself to live more in the way that He wants me to.













Disclaimer:This post may contain affiliate links.

Summer Blog Challenge: Worst Injury I've ever had

 Summer Blog Challenge

Worst Injury I've ever Had:

The worst injury that I have ever had is a tough one. I had a lot of serious injuries, both as a child, and as an adult.  As a kid, I have fell down stairs, and I even put my whole arm through a glass door once.  As an adult, I have burned myself cooking, sprained ankles, I broke my hand in a car accident once, and once I sprained my thumb breaking up lettuce for a salad (yep, figure that one out!).

Today, I am going to write about a time, when I got second degree burns by splashing hot oil out of a skillet and onto my fingers.  I have to tell you, this was definitely one of the most painful injuries that I have endured yet. 

What happened, was, while I was cooking dinner one night, (I was trying to make spaghetti with sauce.) I apparently put too much (WAY too much) olive oil into the pan to heat before putting the meat in.  I was in a hurry, dinner was really late.  I plopped the meat into the pan really quickly, and at least a quarter cup of hot oil splashed up onto my ring and little finger.  It burned immediately, and my initial reaction was "hey, towel!" so I tried to wipe it off (if you are ever in a similar situation, don't do this!).  That HURT terribly.  Then, as I was trying to run my hand under cold water and cook my ground beef at the same time, which wasn't working very well.  Finally, my husband arrived, looked at my finger, got me some medicine to put on them, helped me take my rings off (my fingers swelled up pretty badly), calmed me down, and took over dinner.

I don't know how much detail you want to read about the extent of my injuries, but I will suffice it to say that the healing process was fairly long, and that the skin on those fingers is mostly new, and now a little scarred.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

Potty-Patrol Review and Giveaway

I have been struggling with potty training my daughter for over a year now! It has been a really long struggle, and it's something that she fought me on every single step of the way. That is, until I found this product. I saw it, and thought it might be a great inspiration for my daughter. It's called Potty-Patrol. They are diapers, with a sensor, and an alarm. You put the alarm on each new diaper, and as soon as it's wet, an alarm goes off. Now, the original purpose of this product, was to teach children cause and effect in order to speed up the potty training process. Since we are behind the curve, and it's been a struggle, we approached it a different way. We explained that she wanted to do her best to use the potty so that she didn't hear the alarm go off. We also bribe her with a quarter every time she goes. The first day, she had two accidents, but she was really receptive to it and tried her best. The next day, she fought me on it so we added the stipulation that when she had an accident she would have to give one of the quarters back. That put her right back on track, and I am happy to report, that today, we are completely accident free! So, tomorrow, we're starting underwear during the day, and I'm going to save the rest of the diapers for when we start pushing night time training.


But, enough about us, I'm sure you are excited to read about this awesome product that seems to be working so well for us! They are SO easy to use, and they work so well. When I first read about this product, I really didn't think that a sensor like that would work as well as it does, but it has worked every single time she's had an accident. They are so simple to use also!:







It's that easy! Now, like I said, we took a different approach only because we've been working on potty training previously, but that just shows you that this is a great product for both new and seasoned trainers. I am actually going to use them to night train her as well. I am looking forward to that, and will make another post once we start doing that, probably in a week or so if things keep going this well.

Now, Potty-Patrol was also gracious enough to offer a giveaway as well. Two lucky winners will receive the starter kits, equipped with the alarm, and a training guide, fully explaining what the product does. There will be one Boy's Starter Kit, and one Girl's starter kit. I am SO excited about this product, and I'm sure that you will love it also!



a Rafflecopter giveaway



Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.