Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Cute Irish Tees

 
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Details: Kelly Green 100% cotton t-shirt with the screen printed image of a bubble shamrock and words "Kiss my I'm Irish". Kiss My Shamrock T-Shirt company has a great selection of funny Irish t-shirts for men and women just in time for St. Patrick's Day.  Types of shirts they offer for men: Standard Men's Tee, Long Sleeve Tee, Men's Tall Tee, Men's Tank and Men's Sleeveless, Men's Slim fit Tee, Hoodie.  Types of shirts they offer for women: Girly Tee, Baby Doll, Girly Tank, Spaghetti Strap Tee.  They offer fair prices for good quality products and printed images.  Their products ship 3-8 days.  They do have a return policy.

Disclaimer: 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.

My Review:  I love wearing green, it brings out the green flecks in my hazel eyes.  I also love celebrating St. Patrick's Day.  Its so fun to wear green, eat green food, and play fun games with friends and family and especially my kids.  Even though what I got was a men's t-shirt, after the first washing it shrank enough for me to wear it.  I love it.  Its comfy, a tag-less tee, and soft.  I love the bright colors of the orange, white and kelly green.  The bubble text and images of this t-shirt, to me don't look like men's designs, but rather a women's design.  My husband when he saw it, was hoping to get a t-shirt out of my hard work, but when he saw the images he didn't want it because it didn't look manly.  So I'm very happy to get a cool holiday t-shirt!  I have worn this a lot since getting it and have washed and dried it already.  What I have noticed is that the ink is started to crack or rub off in a few areas of the t-shirt.  I believe this is happening because the ink is so thick.  Thinner applied ink from some of the company's other designs shouldn't have this issue.

Pros: great product, love the colors, soft and comfortable, breathes

Cons: imagery isn't really manly, ink is starting to crack/ rub off

My Rating: Thumbs up

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Armpit Stain Remover

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.


Details: Raise Armpit stain remover: eliminates tough underarm stains.  Raise is a powerful formula specifically designed to dissolve and lift yellow sweat stains from clothing.  12 fl oz bottles available.  Works best on stains that have not been treated with bleach.  Directions: wear household rubber gloves, lay garment on cloth towel, apply to effected area rub together, left garment sit for 15-20 minutes, launder according to garment specifications.  WARNING: do not use on metal, glass, marble or glazed tile when applying raise stain remover to garments.  Made in USA.

Disclaimer: 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.

My Review:  I got this product to test, try and review.  After carefully reading the directions and warnings I was ready to test this product on white clothing.  My test garments are: a boy's t-shirt that is stained yellow from play sand, a woman's white t-shirt that has armpit stains, and a man's t-shirt that has armpit stains.  I put on my rubber gloves, then just to be safe (and because I have little counter space in the laundry room) I put 2 "rag" towels down then the garments, then I poured some of the stain remover on each garment and its stain.  I took before the stain remover was poured on, and then after the stain remover was poured on, and then after the garment was washed and dried pictures for you to see what worked or didn't work.  After using this stain remover on my 3 test garments, I also used it on every white garment in that load that needed stains removed.  I figured I would put my faith in this product working, and test it out.  Well, I let them sit for 20 minutes then washed them, and dried them according to how these garments needed to be washed and dried.  But when I pulled the garments out of the drier and was folding them and putting them away, I saw that for the boy's t-shirt no stains came out.  I also had mold on the t-shirt because of the humidity and it being stuck in the bottom of my white pile for a while, as I waited weeks for this product to be shipped.  On the women's t-shirt I saw the armpit stains still there, but they were lighter.  I also saw the armpit stains still on the man's t-shirt but again, they were lighter.  So even though the stains didn't come out at all, they lightened just a little bit.  Not what I was hoping for, not what I was expecting, but now that I have these results, I'm  thinking that I won't be using this product anymore, and keep looking around.  I don't want the stain to take a while to officially come out, but rather have it out as soon as it comes out of the wash the first time.  I do not recommend this product since it doesn't do what it claims.
before stain remover

after stain remover

after washed and dried


Pros: it lighted the stains

Cons: stains didn't come out fully, some stains didn't lighten at all.

Giveaway/ Contest: This company wants to offer anyone a chance to win a complimentary bottle of their Raise Stain Remover.  Rules: open to USA only, 18 yrs older, must PM me on facebook to win, first to reply wins, as this is a product that I am not recommending, I'm letting you choose if you want it or not.

My Rating: thumbs down for not working

Great Lash: Emerald Green Mascara






I love this mascara because it makes my hazel eyes more green when I wear it.  Sorry for the funny faces, I'm trying to show you that my eye lashes are green.  This brand comes in black, brown, red, pink, blue and purple as well.  I can't wait to try the purple.  Its one of my new favorite eye colors.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Manicure Monday: Disney Princess 2

To continue to show my Disney Side for my Disney Side Home Celebration party I get to host sponsored by Disney, I have been busy working on Disney Princess nail art.  ~Nails with Zing
Esmeralda from Hunch Back of Notre Dame








From Enchanted






Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Home School Field Trip: Chocolate Factory

We have been with our current home school group into our second year now.  Its really fun to have a group that has your same values, beliefs, caring and understanding, and joy in planning great activities for each grade/ age of child participating.  Every other Friday throughout the whole year our home school group gets together and will do any of the following:

  • go on a field trip
  • celebrate a holiday with a party
  • have an educational presentation meeting
  • craft day
Our latest field trip was to a Chocolate Factory in the down town Capital of North Carolina.  Let me just say, though it was neat, it wasn't what I expected, and my kids grew restless really quickly.  We did the free tour, but lets be honest, would you have paid to do what we did for free?  The tour consisted of walking into the store, seeing the display counter, the hot coffee and hot chocolate counter, and the back part of the factory where they make their chocolates.  For the back part of the factory you walk around reading 6 different signs, and then you get to check out 2 of their employees working (one making truffles, one making bars), and then some of their equipment.  Then lastly you go back to the front counter for 1 morsel of a sample (large chocolate chip size) of each of their chocolates (6 I think).  When you walk back outside by their front door the mulch is actually the bean husks they recycle back into nature.

Videri Chocolate Factory down town Raleigh NC
Front counter sign!

They buy their organic supplies in bulk, here is a sample of their bulk items
They framed one of their organic cocoa bean bags
this is from 1960ish

Here is a sample of their truffles, we didn't get to try these, but they look good

My kids loved getting samples at the end.  We tried some of their hot chocolate and sipping chocolate but the kids didn't like it.  Because the chocolate beans, and sugar, and other ingrediants are organic the chocolate doesn't taste like Hersheys chocolate, or Swiss Miss Hot chocolate which my kids are used to.  I however loved the organic chocolate!


Monday, January 20, 2014

Manicure Monday: Sinful Colors Brand

Sinful Colors is one of my favorite brands of nail polish.  They have a wide variety of nail polish.  From neon, to glitter, to pearly, to matte finish, to cream, and shimmer.  Its all there.  Here is my collection, with my latest find!
Glitter Polish

Pearl colors

Matte Finish Colors

Shimmer Colors

Neon Colors

Full Collection
Sinful Colors Shimmer Polish: Rich in Heart color.  A beautiful deep rich red peeping out of a dark polish base!


Invisible Witness Book Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
Details: Elizabeth Nelson has written an autobiographical book about witnessing her father's abuse to her mother and other siblings on several occasions during her early childhood.  In this book the abuse is just a backdrop for the rest of her story, as she discusses the multiple devastating effects that seeing abuse, and being in a home where abuse was an every day dealing has had on her as she became an adult.  She talks about each issue, and then traces it back to its origin in order to understand and release it.  While this type of book may be hard to read, this book's sole design is to help others learn some proven ways that they too can come to cope with problems related to witnessing domestic violence as a child and eventually moving forwards in life with confidence and light instead of fear and darkness.  Ms. Nelson relays her story very straightforwards so that readers may feel like they are really just visiting with a new friend, someone who really does understand and can relate to their issues.

Quote: "Adults who witnessed violence between their parents when they were children often carry emotional scars that last a lifetime. The trauma to their developing brains can be so great that some psychologists have compared it to what soldiers experience in war. Like soldiers, children from violent homes are hyper-alert and expect to see danger at every turn. Since they don't possess the skills to process what they have witnessed, these children often suppress the memories well into adulthood. It often takes employment and relationship problems, a mental health diagnosis, addictions, and other serious life issues for them to make the connection between the events of their painful upbringing to what they are experiencing in the present."

Disclaimer: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.

My Review: I requested this book on behalf of me 1. being the spouse to someone who has been abused and seen abuse throughout childhood. 2. I am a youth counselor at our church and want to be prepared to help and support and comfort any of my youth who may be in unkind family situations.  3. because I am finding more and more that abuse is strong in the world and the world needs more people to over come and help others to do the same.
So when the Author sent me the ebook Kindle version of this book, I was thrilled.  I read it in 2 days.  I couldn't put it down.  It was well written, I wasn't grossed out, or emotionally torn to shreds from the horror that has happened to Ms. Nelson and her family.  Autobiographies are a genre of book that I haven't read much, but every one that I have read has been very interesting, and intriguing.  This book I really felt that it was an open close case, in the sense that for every issues she brought up, she had a solution that worked for her.  She told facts, and details that were important, she didn't just "woe is me, I was in a horrible situation, I can't help who I am now" attitude.  She found ways to make her life better.  This is actually a very inspiring story, and I hope that she and her family will continue to move forwards in forgiveness and love.  Ms. Nelson is an inspiration, and a very great author and writer.
My husband grew up in an abusive home, and to what extent I will never know, but as we continue to improve our marriage, and be better parents we have learned to over come the bad influences, and unpleasant father figures he's had in his life.  He is an amazing man, the best husband I could ever have.  When we parent we don't touch our children, because he's too worried that his past will become his future.  He can calmly sit down and talk to our kids about what choices they make, why they were a wrong choice, who Satan is, and why he tries so hard to make people be bad etc.  He's my best friend, and even though we have an amazing life together, I have had the unpleasant experience to have people, even extended family, accuse him of being a horrible influence, of being a bad husband and father, etc.  Ms. Nelson has taught me that you can over come negative influences.  You can be happy with who you are, despite what situations you have grown up in.  You can become positive, filled with love, light, and happiness.  For these things I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read, need a lift me up, wants to know more about abuse and its causes and how to over come its causes.

Pros: well written, amazing, inspiring

Cons: none

My Rating: Thumbs Up

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Phase 3: Jobs and Charts

This is our last phase of our Job Charts for our kids.  This whole process took much longer than I had hoped, but we were in the process of getting ready to move, and then found out it was pushed back an extra month.  So that's why it took so long.  But here is the final step.

Dollar Tree piggy Banks: 3 per child

I used NailRitz nail polish pens to write Joseph's name on his 
sorry this is sidways, I couldn't get it to change:
 I used Nailritz nail polish pens to write Dallen's name on his

Once everything was dry for Joseph's stuff

Once everything was dry for Dallen's stuff
The reason we did 3 banks per child is for this reason.  One bank is for Savings, one for Spending and one for Tithing.  Our beliefs in our church is that we are tithed 10% of everything we earn, and we give that money back to the Lord via his leaders.  Here is a link explaining more about Tithing.  Anyways, so since our kids can get up to $5.50 a month (rounding), what we do is give them their money into their Savings bank.  Then at the end of each month the 10% will go to the Tithing bank and we'll have them give that to the church.  Then half of whatever is left will go into spending.  Until we can come up with a better plan this is what we're going to use.  If it changes we'll let you know.  Enjoy!