Circle Time Homeschool Review -TOS #hsreviews

How do you start your homeschool day?  Do you start your kids all together doing the same thing or send them off to do their individual works?  Do you have little kids?  I personally have several little kids and it can be difficult to start the school day off right.  Recently we've started beginning our school day with Circle Time.

Circle Time is a new concept in the form of an e-book that I recently reviewed from Preschoolers and Peace.  I love the sub-heading on the Preschoolers and Peace page of "....Little Ones Underfoot".  It really does feel like little ones are underfoot a lot of the time, probably because the little ones do tend to be right there as I'm walking hanging onto my legs or sitting on my feet while I'm carrying the baby!

Since reading the e-book I have switched up our Circle Time a bit.  Before I knew about Circle Time I would have all my kiddos sit at the table together for our Bible reading and prayer time.  Now we all sit together for that still but we also have some time singing fun songs and a hymn.  I had wanted my kids to learn hymns but never seemed to have time at the end of the day to help them memorize those songs.  It seemed all I could do to get them to memorize their memory verses let alone add in more!

But now, my kids look forward to their Circle Time or Family time together.  They finish their breakfast, clear their dishes from the table, help wash the table, and grab their books and chairs.  I'm normally still trying to finish my coffee!  They are excited about starting school now and make me excited to teach them.

This e-book will help you:

Plan a Circle Time that is Right for your Family

Strategies for a Peaceful Time Together

How to Get Your Kids on Board

Questions From Moms

Answers and Insight From Moms who do Circle Time

Resources, Activities, and Ideas

Printable Planner Sheets

I personally loved reading how the idea of Circle Time began for Kendra Fletcher.  It felt so much like my story except for the fact that my 9 children are all much closer in age then her 8 children are.  I too had enjoyed having all my children around me while teaching but did not want to have them as a distraction.  So, we started doing a time at the beginning of our school much like theirs that included all ages.  For me those ages are now 8 years old down to 2 months old.

Everyone has a different way to start their day, and Circle Time may not be what does it for everyone, but for us it is wonderful and works perfectly with our day.  It helps to start our day off right and get us going.  Of course, how I start my day personally before the kids get up has a lot to do with how our day and even our Circle Time goes, but that's a story for another post!

Another great resource for your Circle Time can be found HERE which includes devotionals, resources, memory helpers, and things for Mom and Dad as well.  I loved this little page and wanted to make sure to share it!

In closing here is a short run down of how we do our Circle Time:

We Pray.  Sounds simple enough and really it is.  I start out praying, then each child takes a turn.  Even my two year old takes a turn praying.  Then I close the prayer.  It doesn't take long but it's a great way to start the day with my kiddos.

We read our Bible verses.  We have certain verses to read each day in correlation with our curriculum and we do them during this time so I have everyone's attention and focus.

We recite our Memory verse. Yes not everyone is old enough to memorize their memory verse, but you'd be surprised how much of it a 2 year old picks up just hearing it several times a day!

Now we sing a fun and silly song.  Sometimes it's a song from Veggie Tales, sometimes it's an old classic like BaaBaa Black Sheep, but it's always something fun that we can get up and do actions or dance around to.

Now we sing a more serious song.  We sing a hymn.  I'm trying to help my children memorize these so we'll do one a week.  I will also read the verse associated with the hymn if there is one.

And last but not least we do a short little art project.  Nothing structured like a curriculum, but more me saying something to the concept of, "If we went to the zoo and went into the jungle, what animal would you see?"  This way each child is not necessarily drawing the same thing, and it helps them remember past science lessons of who lives where or what animals are mammals/reptiles/etc. 

Make sure you also check out the Main Crew Blog so that you can read what other Crew members thought of Circle Time and how they conduct their Circle time at their homes!

Good Eatin' Recipe Hop 7/30 #GoodEatinPL

 

Welcome to the Good Eatin' Recipe Hop

hosted by

The 'Pitch List' Bloggers

Every Tuesday you can join us to share great recipes.........

There are no specific themes. 
Add your recipe of choice to the linky.

No Giveaways Please...all giveaways will be removed.

We Love Comments! Please Share!

Announcement: Lilla Rose Needs You!!

That's right!  Lilla Rose a great company with awesome hair products(often called jewelry for your hair) need you to sign up and become a consultant.  Okay, so maybe I just really want you to sign up and become a Lilla Rose consultant. I personally did and would love to share this with you.

Right now for the rest of July all consultant kits ship free.  That's right absolutely free.  You're saving money by signing up now!

This neat little graphic shows you how much you save by signing up by the end of the month.  The best deal to sign up for is the Fast start kit plus either the party or show kit.  If you are planning on doing a lot of shows to sell then you will want that kit. I chose the party kit as it includes 5 flexi clips and this is one of the major selling points for me.

The Fast Start kit is the kit I recommend for several reasons.  You get $1100 worth of flexi clips or Lilla Rose hair products(this depends on if you choose the mixed lot of the flexi only lot) that you can either horde all for yourself and your family, give as gifts, or sell.  You are instantly qualified to earn bonuses and you haven't missed out on this great start to your business.  Once you sign up you will not get another chance to purchase the Fast Start kit.  The only down side is that unfortunately you can't decide which clips will be included in your kit.

I personally am in love with the flexi clips.  They work in fine hair, thick hair, coarse hair, long hair, short hair, etc. I have long hair, it used to be a lot longer though and when I got my first clip it was at the longer thicker lenght.  At that time an x-large was the only size that seemed to fit to put all my hair up.  I later learned there was one size bigger but did not have it to work with.  Now I use a large to keep all my hair up on top of my head.  If I want half my hair up the medium is perfect.  These clips are unique in their one of a kind design as well as in the fact that if the size you have doesn't fit just right you can bend or flex it to get it to a better fit!

Oh and that's not all!  The flexi's work in little girl hair too.  The smallest size is the mini and let me tell you it is so tiny and so cute!  It works perfectly in my little two year olds hair.  She really doesn't have much hair at all and it is hard to put a ponytail in what she does have.  The mini allows us to pull back just a little bit and make her feel like she has beautiful hair just like mommy and her older sisters.  In our house we have 7 girls if you count me and the only one who cannot fit a flexi from my stash is our little two month old baby girl who really has no hair!

Lilla Rose is a great company to work with.  I've only been a member for a short time, but the support and advice I have received has been overwhelming.  These ladies are wonderful and will go out of their way to help you succeed as well as make you feel welcome.  Since Lilla Rose is still a fairly new company, it is also wonderful to work with them as there is not as much competition.  You are one of a select few!  This company has potential to grow to wonderful heights with their unique hair jewelry.

Make sure to take a look at the vast products page while you're browsing my new website.  In addition to the flexi's you can find bobby pins, u pins, o rings, hair sticks, and headbands.  I have to say that I have tried out the flexi's, headbands, and hair sticks personally and love them all.  I was one of those doubting Thomas sorts thinking that two little sticks would never hold up my head of hair. . . but they did!  And the headbands are some of the few that don't slip and don't give me headaches!

Make sure to check out my website for your Lilla Rose needs.  If you're interested in becoming a consultant please go HERE to sign up!  If you sign up before the end of the month with the free shipping offer I will send you a FREE item from my kit!  Hurry as this great deal is almost gone!  Or if you can't commit to becoming a consultant now please consider hosting a party with Lilla Rose.  It can be online, catalog, or even in your home if you live in my area!

Back to signing up as a consultant before the free shipping is gone!  You have no minimums you must sell or buy per month which is what has stopped me from joining things like this before.  I don't like the pressure of knowing I have to sell so much per month.  With Lilla Rose the only requirement is that you must sell or buy $29 to remain as a consultant.  This is the price of two flexi clips and I think we can all buy or sell that!  After all everyone needs a birthday present and what better present than  a flexi clip!

**This post contains affiliate links.  If you purchase from one of these links I will receive a commission; however, that is not affecting the content of this post.  All thoughts and opinions are genuine and my own experience.**

Forever Pure Mineral Makeup Review -The Pitch List

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm careful of both what I put into my body and what I put on it. I know lots of "health conscious" people who put commercial products on their body that are FULL of chemicals and things that are horrible for you!  Things that you would never consider eating.  Why is that?  Why do so many people want to put stuff on their body that they would never consider putting in them?

It's pretty simple.  It's all for beauty.  We are a very vane society and want to be beautiful.  Unfortunatly, most people think that to be beautiful they have to use those name brand cosmetics and body washes etc that are so laden with chemicals.  I'm here to say NOT TRUE!  I have been chemical free in my makeup, deodorant, and everything else for a few years now.

What you say?  How can you wear makeup that isn't full of chemicals?  No, the answer isn't that I don't wear any but rather that I wear mineral makeup!  In fact, I've just discovered a new brand of mineral makeup and facial care called Forever Pure, Beauty Inspired by Nature.

A bit about Forever Pure.  They are a faith based company dedicated to helping women feel beautiful inside and out!  Their products are 100% pure, all mineral, all natural, and gluten free while also being chemical, toxin, and paraben free.  They offer a powder mineral foundation or a cream mineral foundation as well as several eye shadows, liners, primers, blushes, bronzers, and so much more.  In additional to their makeup line they also have a skin care and anti aging line.  I don't feel I need the anti-aging yet, but maybe I should start with it now.  Nine kids have a way of making you age faster!

I received a super cute pocket mirror.  Seriously, this is so adorable and I cannot express how much I adore it!  Love the rose shape too.  Now to the actual review items.  I tried out two eye shadow colors(pewter and sea turtle), mineral powder foundation in neutral ivory, and oil control powder primer.

I love, love, loved the feel of this stuff on my face!  I hate makeups that make you feel like you have a bunch of gunk on your face or seem to devour every piece of moisture off your face leaving you feeling dried out and looking weathery.  I have semi oily skin.  It's really only oily in spots so it is really hard for me to find a foundation that works with me and doesn't make me look oily or make my skin feel super dry at the end of the day.  I was a bit hesitant to try the oil control primer powder, but knew that I would need some form of oil control as the powder foundation did not include any.  My concern of course was that with the oil control powder I would get all dried out and without it I would look like someone had poured coconut oil over my head!  Okay so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm sure you giggled at that mental picture(I know I did).

I loved the effect of the oil control primer combined with the foundation.  I first applied the oil control primer as you would a normal primer just lightly brushing over my face with a bit extra in my trouble spots.  Next(with a different brush) I applied the foundation.  After the foundation I used a neutral beige type eye shadow that I have on hand at all times as it's  a favorite of mine and then applied whichever eye shadow I wanted to wear for the day.  I am a lover of blues and greens and do not buy into the fact that people out of middle school should not wear the colors!  If applied right they look gorgeous and bring out your eye colors.  After my second eye shadow I would apply my pencil eye liner as I have never gotten the hang of using your eye shadow as a liner and my mascara.  I've always been an eye type of girl so I use more time on them  than I do my face!

I am happy to say that I can whole heartedly recommend this wonderful faith based company on to my friends, family, and wonderful blog readers so make sure you check out their website and show them some love from my blog.  You can also check out other testimonials while you are there and find out why everyone else is loving this up and coming company!

You can learn more about them by visiting their facebook, website, and don't forget to sign up for their newsletter!

For the Love of Shopping- My Every Need (Sponsored Post)

Do you love to shop?   I know I do, of course my checkbook doesn't always like to shop but that's a different story!  Would you like to uncover a new way to shop?

Good news!  There is now a brand new way to shop!  A totally revolutionary new way to shop called My Every Need.

This new way to shop involves you in your pajamas, or dressed, with or without makeup.  Confused yet?  No need to be!  It's a place to shop online where you can find everything you need to make your entire outfit!  Yes you heard me right, get everything in one spot plus fashion advice!  I know the fashion advice is much needed by some(like myself) who really have no clue what the current fashions are!

The video below tells you about a promotion being done RIGHT NOW by My Every Need in which you could win $10,000 in a new wardrobe!  That would be so awesome, at least for me.

 
Whitney USA Competition MyEveryNeed from MyEveryNeed on Vimeo.

This is launching soon so make sure to follow them on facebook, twitter, pinterest, google +, and instagram so you can hear the latest news and not miss out on their grand revealing and those awesome prizes!  This makes me wish I had an instagram account so I could enter to win in the photo contest for a new wardrobe!

Make sure to go ahead and join up on their website to know when it launches immediately!  I'm super excited to see what they are going to have and know you are too!


**I am being compensated for this post; however, this post is all my own thoughts and personal writing.  I am not receiving any ongoing compensation or review items.**

The Best Gluten Free Sandwich Bread Recipe

A friend gave me an awesome bread recipe that was gluten free.  I was so excited to have one I wouldn't have to fiddle with!  Well, I did fiddle with it but not to make it gluten free.

It is a super easy bread that works well both in the bread machine or by hand.  My family loves it and can easily eat 2 loaves at a time.  That might have something to do with having such a large family though.

Here is the recipe!

1 cup fresh ground brown rice flour

1/2 cup fresh ground oat flour(can sub quinoa for oat if sensitive)

3/4 cup millet flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup flax seed meal

1/3 cup sweet rice flour

1/3 cup potato starch/corn starch/ or arrowroot starch

1 Tb guar gum

1-1/4 cup hot water

1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3 eggs or 3 chia eggs(or equivalent egg replacer)

1 Tb bread machine yeast

For bread machine:

Place the following in the bread machine pan.

Wet ingredients first!

Measure out the 1-1/4 cup hot water, add 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar.

Love how the apple cider vinegar settles to the bottom of this!

Pour the wet ingredients into the bread machine pan.

Into the bread machine pan  it goes

Crack the eggs, scramble them up, and add them into the bread machine pan.

Farm fresh eggs

scramble them up and add them in

Now mix all the flours, guar gum, and flax meal together.

Add to bread machine pan.

Make a well and add the yeast.  Now simply program your machine.  Mine has a gluten free setting which is wonderful for us!

Remove from machine when done.  Take out of pan and let cool.  We like to eat ours still slightly warm so the butter/coconut manna melts in.  Delicious!

Use GoWallet to Organize Gift Cards -Sponsored post

Gift Cards Give A Gift To The Giver too!

If you're like me, there are some friends that are just plain hard to buy for. Rather than getting them something they may not like I love to give them gift cards to stores or restaurants or even for a spa day to just relax. After all, 73% of people would rather get a gift card so they can pick out what they really want!

I know for me a gift card is great!  I'd love to go out to eat with my husband every so often but we can't fit that in our budget right now.  That's why I love gift cards and wish my family would take the hint and give us these for gifts!

The infographic from Gowallet below gives a lot of great tips about how you can make gift cards even more useful for the person receiving the gift card AND the person giving it. 

For example:

Watch for discounts on gift cards from your favorite retailers and restaurants and think about buying a few. You can often get a big discount by buying them at the same time.
Buy gift cards at the grocery store and earn gas reward points to save as much as $1 a gallon on gas at major stations. Like this deal Safeway has right now that offers you 4X points when you buy gift cards there!   http://www.safeway.com/ShopStores/RewardPoints.page

Got a gift card you didn't use or don't want? You can trade them in or exchange them at sites like CardPool.comhttp://cardpool.com or sell them at a discount. How awesome is that?

Got a lot of gift cards and can't keep track of them? Use GoWallet.com http://gowallet.com  to organize and track your balances, and even get discount offers.

Take a look at the infographic below to learn more. Enjoy!

Christi the Coupon Coach Review -Molly Crew Review

 

 If you know my blog and me, you know that we have a large family.  A large growing family that loves to eat!  Our oldest is only 8 but I swear all nine of my kids are going through growth spurts at the same time and require large amounts of food.  Friends tell me to wait until they hit puberty!  I'm not sure if I want to think about that right now, not just because at some point I will have at least eight teenagers at the same time but also because of the horror stories of how much food teenage boys and girls can consume.

So, when I got the chance to review Couponing Made Simple from Christi the Coupon Coach I knew I needed this book!  I had to have this review and find ways to save money, because if I start doing it now it will be second habit by the time the kids are all older and consuming more food.

We do have some things that make it hard to save money on food.  First, we have to work around food allergies.  We have allergies in our house to soy, dairy, and gluten(wheat, barley, rye, etc) which means a lot of the foods you find coupons for, I can't use.  I also tend to buy almost everything all natural or organic which means even less that I can use coupons for!

As you can imagine the above made me a bit dissapointed before even trying to coupon.  But I soon learned after reading the book that even I can save money using coupons!  I can find coupons for non food items such as toilet paper, shampoo, etc to use.  I can even find some coupons for meat products, condiments, and sugar that I can use.  You actually can find some coupons for organic items too if you look in the right places!

 

In her book she shares certain websites that also will help you find great deals.  I find that I save lots more than normal simply by checking the weekly sales ads for the stores I normally go to the week I do my monthly grocery shopping trip.  I buy those things in bulk and freeze them.  Or if it's something you can't freeze on it's own I use it up quickly in things that you can freeze.  I'm a huge fan of freezer meals which saves you money since you can buy in bulk and prepare ahead of time saving you from buying something "quick" from the store.

No she does say on the book cover(above) that you can learn to save 80%.  I do not save that much.  I do have a very low monthly grocery and household budget so I am not spending as much as a lot of people with my family size(or even smaller do) but I'm still not saving 80% of what I was spending before reading the book.  I don't know the actual percentage, but I'd say I save around 25% off what I used to spend.  This to me is still a huge amount considering the size of our family and our allergies/lifestyle choices.

My personal opinion is that this is a very well written guide to saving money. If you take the time to read the book you will find ways to save money.  If you have a more "normal" family(is there such a thing as normal) you will be able to save more if you apply yourself!  I promise you will at least learn something from this book that can help you save!'

Make sure you check out her book on her website today and read other testimonials.  You can also visit the main Crew blog post to see what other Crew members though of the book when they reviewed it.  The book comes in two forms:  Paperback and Kindle.  The paperback is currently selling for $18.00 while the Kindle version is currently $4.99.

I definitely think this book would be worth the price.  It's a great deal for Kindle!  If I had not received it for review and heard about this book I would probably get the Kindle version for myself.  Don't have a Kindle?  Well the good news is there is also an application you can download for your computer so you can read Kindle books there as well!

Glass Dharma Straws Event Giveaway ends 8-6 Open to US/CAN

Welcome to the Glass Dharma Straws Event!

Sip the World Make a Difference with Glass Dharma Straws

Sponsored by: Glass Dharma

Hosted by: Mom Powered Media, Powered by Mom, Mom to Bed by 8, Baby Costcutters &; Mom Does Reviews

Read Powered by Mom's Review of the Glass Dharma Straws HERE

You may have noticed from reading my blog that I like to be a bit ecofriendly and try to use things that we don't have to throw away.  I always hated those throw away straws.  I mean really, the kids would use one throw it away and get another and the cost would add up!  Plus I really don't like plastics being anywhere near my children's food or drinks.  So, you can imagine how happy I was to learn of Glass Dharma!

About Glass Dharma Drinking Straws They are the brainchild of creator David Leonhardt a lampworker (glassblower) for over 15 years. When he and his wife moved to the Mendocino Coast he noticed when he was doing some work for a local glass shop in town that they had glass drinking straws. He had never seen them before but that what a unique and elegant idea that could help be a solution to reducing the plastics that are wasted and end up in our garbage! Did you know that according to McDonald's own website as of 2008 they serve an average of 52 million meals PER DAY! Which makes you wonder how many of those meals had a plastic straw come with it? Hmm yes it's a big problem but Glass Dharma has given has a beautiful item to be part of the solution! Here's why we should use glass straws

• Glass straws don’t leach toxins into your food as you drink.
• Each time you use your glass straw equals one less plastic straw ending up in your landfill.
• One glass straw replaces thousands of plastic straws. (How many times will you use a straw the rest of your life?)
• Using your glass drinking straw adds a feeling of beauty to your day.
• Great for hot or cold drinks, microwave and dishwasher safe!!
• Covered with their unbelievable Lifetime Guarantee Against Breakage. Means that if they ever break, they’ll replace them – Free

Glass Dharma has straws in different sizes for regular beverages, smoothies, bubble tea, decorative dot ones in different colors and beautiful bends there is a straw for everyone! Glass Dharma is going to give 3 winners EACH a $50 Gift Code so they too can stop putting plastic straws into our landfills and enjoy these elegant glass straws with their favorite drinks! Enter on the rafflecopter below and GOOD LUCK!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Disclaimer: The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. We are not associated with any of the companies named above. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received Open to US & Canada, 18+ only. Confirmed Winner(s) (by Random.org) will be contacted by email. Winner(s) have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this giveaway. My blog is not responsible for product shipment/delivery. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Ornaments and More Giveaway ends 7-31

Welcome to the Ornaments & More Giveaway! It’s Christmas in July at Ornamants & More and they’re celebrating by giving one of our readers a $100 gift certificate to their online store.

For over 20 years, Ornaments & More has been providing their loyal customers with meaningful and fun ways to share their family history on their Christmas tree. With a wide selection of 6,000+ ornaments, over 500 new ornaments for 2013 alone, they make it easy for you to create keepsakes that commemorate life's meaningful events.  

Ornaments & More is running their biggest sale of the year right now - Christmas in July! From now through July 31st you can use code SANTA20 to save 20% off your entire order.

 

You can enter to win this awesome prize by using the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway  ends 7/31 at 11:59 PM EST and is open to the US only. Ornaments & More is responsible for prize fulfillment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Eatin' Recipe Hop 7/23 #GoodEatinPL

 

Welcome to the Good Eatin' Recipe Hop

hosted by

The 'Pitch List' Bloggers

Every Tuesday you can join us to share great recipes.........

There are no specific themes. 
Add your recipe of choice to the linky.

No Giveaways Please...all giveaways will be removed.

We Love Comments! Please Share!

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar -CFBA Review

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Harvest of Gold River North; New Edition edition (July 1, 2013) by Tessa Afshar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TESSA AFSHAR was voted "New Author of the Year" by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran, and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She moved to England where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last thirteen years in full-time Christian work.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The scribe Sarah married Darius, and at times she feels as if she has married the Persian aristocracy, too. There is another point she did not count on in her marriage-Sarah has grown to love her husband. Sarah has wealth, property, honor, and power, but her husband's love still seems unattainable.

Although his mother was an Israelite, Darius remains skeptical that his Jewish wife is the right choice for him, particularly when she conspires with her cousin Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Ordered to assist in the effort, the couple begins a journey to the homeland of his mother's people. Will the road filled with danger, conflict, and surprising memories, help Darius to see the hand of God at work in his life-and even in his marriage?

A hidden message, treachery, opposition, and a God-given success, will lead to an unlikely bounty.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Harvest of Gold, go HERE.

My thoughts:  I was a bit skeptical of this book at first.  I mean, I'd read about this period in the Bible and what was she going to say that would be different.  How well would it follow biblical?  Anyway. . . .I read the book.  I loved the book.  I had not heard of the twin part in humans but had a horse that did that!  My horse who had the twins recently died and so that was very sad.  But this book was not sad!  It was a joyful uplifting book!  All the trials going on and they kept the faith, shared the faith, and right wins in the end.  Loved the mystery and mystique of the book.  I don't want  to give away surprises, but the tattooed head was brilliant!

Proper Nutrition for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

**affiliate links are in this post**

Did you know that proper nutrition is important not only while pregnant but also while breastfeeding?

I know this seems like a no brainer to most people but you'd be surprised the number of people who don't have proper nutrition while pregnant let alone breastfeeding!  My key to making sure I'm getting proper nutrition to keep myself and baby healthy and happy is to taking a good prenatal.  I've tried several over the years and have finally found the one that I adore and am never without.

I have been pregnant or breastfeeding or both for over 9 years now.  With my first pregnancy I tried so many different prenatals and regular vitamins that just didn't seem to work.  They'd make me sick, give me heartburn, or the pills were so big I couldn't swallow them!  I felt so run down by the time I was pregnant with my second while still breastfeeding my first and going to college!  I didn't know what I was going to do but knew I needed a new prenatal.  That's when I found it!

Rainbow Light Prenatal Organic Multivitamin is my go to for proper nutrition for me!  It has so much stuff packed into those pills that even if you don't eat completely healthy that day you're still covered.  Of course, eating healthy should always be a part of your diet so don't think you can quit eating while taking these!

Reasons why these are my favorites:

no nasty aftertaste and no burping!  (yes I've had that problem with others before)

energy!  There is an energy complex in these vitamins and I can attest that they do really help give you more energy!

antioxidants
enzymes/probiotics

liver and digestive support
allergen free: contains no shellfish, fish, nuts, eggs, milk, yeast, soy or gluten
free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, and additives

These vitamins are made solely of organic all natural whole foods.  This to me is key in the development of our sweet little babies.  Would you really want to feed your little one things that could have toxic pesticides on them?  I know I wouldn't!  Yes I am a bit radical.  I have been called a freak for the stand I take on all natural and organic for my family, but it is what I believe.  I am not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I'm not going to make fun of them or be mean to them for how they want to eat.  If you want to eat GMO's and pesticide laden things then I'm not going to browbeat you either, but since this is my blog and my post I am going to say what I believe so please don't take offense.  If you don't agree you don't have to read this, I'm simply stating my beliefs and what I like.

Now that that is all out of the way(sorry but I had to say that to hopefully avoid nasty comments).  Let's talk some more about these great vitamins. Liver support is very important for us whether we're pregnant, breastfeeding, or just simply being a person on your own!  It is something that we truly don't think about and don't incorporate in our diet on purpose.  It's not until we have a problem that we start to look into what we can do to help our liver. I prefer to help my liver before it needs help!

Not only do these vitamins provide the much needed folic acid, they also contain red raspberry leaf to tone the uterus and help make childbirth easier and help you bounce back faster.  It also has enzymes which are essential for us in breaking down our foods and maintaining a healthy happy body.  I know that when I forget to take my vitamins I feel it.  In these you also find some probiotics , but I recommend taking additional probiotics as well.  I'll talk about my favorite probiotics as well in a separate post.

Oh and did I mention they contain ginger which helps to control nausea and vommitting in early pregnancy?  These to me are worth their weight in gold and then some!  It is recommended that you take 2-4 capsules daily and I always take 4 in the morning with a large glass of water when I get up before eating breakfast.

Shared:  Modest Mondays,

**This post does contain affiliate links.  If you click on those links and purchase something I will get a small commission.  This will be a blessing for our family and I would thank you; however, that is not the intent of this post.  I have written this post to hopefully help someone find better nutrition or the proper nutrition for them**

Win a Gift From your Wishlist Giveaway ends 8-9

Welcome to the Win a Gift from Your Wishlist Giveaway!

MyPerfectGift.com helps you give (or get) the perfect gift

How to be Eligible to Win

Create a registry with at least 3 gifts or add to an existing registry. {you can sign-up with one click using your Facebook info}

When you sign up please use “Wishlist” in the “Referred By” box.

One lucky winner will receive an item from their wishlist (up to $150)!!

Organized by: Branch Pro Promotions, LLC

Hosted by: Baby Costcutters, Giveaway Booster, FYI by Tina, and Savory Savings

Giveaway ends August 9th at 11:59pm, open to US residents, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: To be eligible to win this giveaway you must create an account and add at least three items in your registry. If you have an existing account add three new items to your registry.
I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. For Him and My Family is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. This event was organized by Branch Pro Promotions, LLC please contact Tina at branchpropromotions@gmail.com with questions or to see your business or blog featured on the next big event!

Easy Homemade No Bake Granola Cereal

**affiliate links are in this post**

Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

8 cups quick oats

1 cup chia seeds

2 cups dried banana chips

1 cup dried pineapple chunks

4 cups coconut flakes

Homemade Granola all ready to get put in bowls.

 Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl stirring well.  It's now ready to serve!  Yes it is that super easy to make!  I stored ours in a jar in the refrigerator, though it only lasted a few days as my family loved this stuff!  Make sure as with all baking that your ingredients are all gluten free.

One serving of Homemade Granola.  I used 1/2 cup size.

Make sure to use plenty of milk on the homemade granola as it will absorb it!

**This post does contain affiliate links.  If you click on those links and purchase something I will get a small commission.  This will be a blessing for our family and I would thank you; however, that is not the intent of this post.  I have written this post to hopefully help someone find better nutrition or the proper nutrition for them**

Sock Panda Giveaway ends 7-27 US only

Welcome to the Sock Panda Giveaway! I’ve joined some fabulous bloggers to give our readers the chance to win a six-month Sock Panda subscription - a $70 value!

ABOUT SOCK PANDA

Sock Panda is the best way to get funky, cool socks delivered straight to your doorstep every month. They search all over the world for interesting, expressive pairs and bring them to their subscribers for just $11a month!

Both men + women can sign up to get awesome socks in the mail every month. You can choose from bold socks (fun and wild designs that really stand out) or cool socks (designs that get noticed, but nothing too crazy. Which would you choose?

Sock Panda makes it easy for you to sign up for yourself or give a subscription as a gift, which would pretty much make you the coolest friend ever.

Enter for your chance to win a six-month Sock Panda subscription using the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends July 27th and is open to the US only. Sock Panda is responsible for prize fulfillment. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thirty One Bag Sale! Annual Outlet Sale! ends 7-20

Do you like Thirty-One Bags?

Take advantage of their 

ANNUAL OUTLET SALE!

Bags up to 70% off!

OUTLET SALE begins Thursday July 18th at 9am EST and Ends 3am EST on Saturday July 20th

Gain entrance to the OUTLET SALE!

 Go to https://www.mythirtyone.com/dawnwallace/ for the direct link to the OUTLET SALE

Items sell FAST!  SHOP EARLY!!!

Important OUTLET SALE info: 

* No personalization is available during this outlet sale

* You may purchase up to 31 of each item

* All SALES are FINAL

* Shipping by FedX to be shipped by August 3rd, 2013 - 

Flat Shipping rate of $8.00 for entire order Continental USA

$25.00 Hawaii - Alaska - Puerto Rico

Make sure to take advantage of this wonderful sale that I'm sharing for a friend!  I love these bags and use one as my diaper bag even!  I simply adore my freezer bags I got from them too!  

I am receiving no compensation for this post.  I am not the seller of these bags, simply sharing some blogging love!

New Eyeglass Styles from Firmoo! #sponsoredpost

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A perfect combination of modern fashion trends and retro look create a different formation that speaks much about the fashion and latest fashion trends.

(The above model photos are all derived from Firmoo+.)

New Customers, check more products for your first free pair at Firmoo right now! You just need to pay shipping. First come, first served!

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Firmoo is the World's Most Popular Online Eyeglasses Store. We have always been committed ourselves to offering customers the best quality products at the most affordable prices which start at 8 dollars- 80%-90% lower compared to that in local store.