Kindle Sale on Amazon - Today Only!

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If you have been considering purchasing a Kindle Fire, then today is your lucky day! Certified refurbushed Kindle Fires are on sale for 25% off!  The 16GB regular retail price is $239 and is on  sale today for $179 and the 32Gb regularly retails for $269 but is on sale today for $199!!  Buy Here!

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Hallmark: Making Memories and Encouraging Kids Review and Giveaway

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The kids are back to school in 5 days! (The exclamation point is my excitement, not theirs). Even though my kids are not looking forward to the end of summer, the first day of school does get them pumped. They have brand new accessories, get to see their friends they have missed all summer, and get to feel a little cooler than the younger kids. Because the start of a school year can be a whirlwind for everyone, Hallmark wants to help you pause and capture those special moments and celebrate kids as they head back to class with new gift and greetings designed to create lasting memories and share an extra boost of encouragement throughout the school year. They offer the following great products to help celebrate the return of school:

o   Pics ‘n’ Props School Days Activity Kit: Capture a child’s first day of school in a creative way with the snap of a camera and Hallmark’s Pics ‘N’ Props School Days Activity Kit. The kit includes chalkboards and a frame to document the first day each year — from kindergarten to senior year! Add your photos to the included “My First Day!” photo album to create a lasting memory that can be admired throughout the years.

o   SO SO Happy™ Greetings: Hallmark’s new line of SO SO Happy greetings help moms connect with their kids in a way they understand and appreciate. From Taco to Tribe, a variety of adorable characters inspire and celebrate positivity, acceptance and love — attributes especially important during the school year. Cards even include fun surprises for kids like shoelaces, key chains and more.

o   Kids Encouragement Greetings: Whether it’s a new social situation, a test, first game of the year or any day of the week, sometimes kids need a confidence boost. These cards feature kid-appropriate topics to help encourage the special kiddos in your life.

o   Back-to-School Greetings: The newest back-to-school greetings feature furry friends to help you say “Go get ‘em!” to the kiddos in your life.

Review: Our back-to-school tradition is to take 1st day photos on our front porch every year. It is a great way to see how they grow from year to year. However, my kids wear uniforms and their appearances don't change as drastically anymore so I thought the concept of the Pics 'n' Props School Days Activity Kit was brilliant! Not only is it a great idea to have a photo prop to indicate the grade they are going into, it is also a great place to store all those back to school photos and keep track of yearly events and statistics. The chalkboard comes with inserts that are beautifully written but it is also a real chalkboard with chalk so you can make any message you want. The red frame, white lettering, and black chalkboard is a striking presentation and it looks great in photos.

The card selection I received was great as well. My kids love getting cards and this is a great assortment of cards to be given "just because", when they are having a rough time, and, of course, to celebrate back-to-school. The cards are bright and cheery and really appeal to children. The SO SO Happy cards were great and my kids, especially my daughter, loved the surprises inside - especially the sparkly pink shoelaces!  Not that I am surprised, but Hallmark has outdone itself yet again! 

Buy it here: Products can be be purchased from your local Hallmark store, from Hallmark.com, or your nearest retailer who sells Hallmark products.

Win it here: 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned products for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Nourish Skin Tight Body Firming Lotion Review

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Nourish Skin Tight Body Firming Lotion combines healing butters (Omega blend and green tea) to help shed cells and create new, healthy skin that will become much more collagen abundant. The result of longer collagen and elastic fibers is younger looking, tighter skin. It is formulated to smooth out wrinkling, sagging, and looseness from weight loss or natural aging to leave your body feeling and looking younger and healthier. 

Review: I just celebrated by fifth 29th birthday this year (it is just too difficult to admit I am in my mid-30s) and I have been using just about any anti-aging product I can get my hands on so I can maintain my youthful appearance as long as possible.  One thing I tend to notice in older individuals is the lack of firmness on their neck skin and I have been just about obsessed with using products on my neck to prolong the inevitable sagging that happens with aging so I was looking forward to trying out the Skin Tight lotion. 

I received the Original Scent which had a light scent that reminded  me of cocoa butter. The lotion is on the thicker side, but it rub nicely into your skin and leaves it feeling amazingly smooth almost instantaneously. At first I started using the product on my stomach region but I could not tell any difference so I moved on to my neck. It seemed to do a good job in this area and my skin did feel tighter after use.  The results were not drastic, but my neck skin is still fairly firm to begin with. I am definitely planning on continuing use because, if nothing else, my skin feels amazing after use!

Buy it here: You can purchase Nourish Skin Tight from a variety of online markets to include Amazon.

*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.

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Free Country Swimsuit Review

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Summer is not quite over yet so there is still time to swim - hurray! With the fun and relaxation of swimming also comes the horror of putting on a swimsuit. I have two kids and my body is not even close to what it once was so swimsuit shopping is one of my most dreaded trips to the mall. I can try on dozens before I eventually settle so I never thought that I would ever select a suit online without a chance to try it on. However, when Free Country contacted me about doing a review I thought now was as good of time as ever to get a suit online - yikes! 

After much internal deliberation (mixed with anxiety), I ultimately decided on the Pink Steel Butterfly Loop Buckle Tankini Top and Shirred Swim Skirt.  The Tankini Top was very flattering and I was surprised to have a bathing suit top that I actually liked right away! It may have had something to do with the fact that the belt under the chest created a slimming effect to my waste while completely accentuating my bust. My husband's eyes just about popped out of his head and he could not believe how, um, voluptuous, the top made me look. It was a very comfortable fit and I loved the bright colors.  

I haven't had a swim skirt since I was in grade school  but I figured, what the heck. I thought I would feel a little ridiculous wearing a swim skirt, but I actually felt the opposite. I was way less self conscious because the skirt did a great job of hiding my problem areas while highlighting my best asset - my legs. I felt way less vulnerable in the skirt and even felt comfortable hanging out by the pool in this suit without a cover-up on - a first in years!  

I really, really love this suit and it is very well made so I am sure that I will have it for years to come. The only change I would have made would be to get a black skirt rather than the pink. I think the darker color would have been that much more slimming and would have accentuated the darker colors in the top nicely. That being said, I am very happy (not happy enough with my body, however, to post a picture of myself in a swimsuit on the internet, lol) and would definitely recommend trying Free Country out. Buy now for next year if you live in a state with four seasons - their current prices can't be beat! 

Buy it here: You can shop for these and other great pieces on the Free Country website. They also have some fabulous coats if you have started your fall shopping.

*I received the above mentioned product for  the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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Be Pawsitive Review and Giveaway

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Do you eat healthy, organic foods? Maybe you do, maybe you don't - but chances are you want what is best for your pets. Be Pawsitive is a monthly organic treat box program for your favorite four-legged friend. The company is dedicated to helping animals who are in shelters awaiting adoption and has a "Buy One, Give One" philosophy: for every box purchased, Be Pawsitive donates another box to an animal shelter or rescue organization. The customer can recommend a shelter or rescue organization to be added to the list of recipients at checkout. The treats are not only a healthy snack, but they also help sheltered dogs with obedience training to get them ready for new homes and can also be a nice way for a new owner to help the dog warm up to them.

Be Pawsitive strives to provide the highest quality, all natural, organic treats for all dogs. Treats are not massed produced, but rather baked in smaller batches for quality control. Each month, pet parents and shelter dogs receive a new flavor of dog treat (approximately 55 biscuits), fun dog goodies, and/or a gift card/discount code for other dog products.

Be Pawsitive Review: I received a treat box to review and my dogs were excited.  They can usually smell treats inside packages when I do dog product reviews so they acted like kids at Christmas when I opened it up. The box contained Be Pawsitive Power Berry Treats, a CrunchKins Crunch Card, a Dog Paws Lotion Bar sample, and a voucher for a free pet ID tag from Just4MyPet. 

My Boxer, Butch, is a real "treat snob".  He likes very few treats and typically drops them out of his mouth and walks away when I try to give him any. However, when I gave him the Be Pawsitive treats he went ballistic. He kept following me around the house, mildly whining,  and would not stop until I gave him more! I have NEVER had this experience with Butch before and I was so happy to not only find a treat that he loves, but also thrilled that the treats were healthy! 

I thought the CrunchKins edible card was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. It even came with an envelope! However, both of my dogs were really confused by it and despite my best efforts, would not eat it. My Bulldog, Buttercup, licked it a bit but they just did not understand that it was edible. After I left it out for a day, she finally figured it out and then ate it up completely! The Dog Paws lotion was a great idea as well. It is meant to moisturize their paws and although had a very confused look on their faces when I applied it, they seemed to enjoy it! 

Buy it here: You can choose from one of three monthly subscription options for as low as $18 per month. Subscription plans are as follows: monthly plan at $24/month, $66 for three months ($22/month) or $108 for six months ($18/month).

Win it here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Tastefully Simple: My Mug Cake Review and Giveaway!

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Tastefully Simple is introducing My Mug Cake that makes a single-serve cake in a minute. Simply fill the provided ceramic mug to the line with water, add one of Tastefully Simple’s My Mug Cake mixes and microwave for one minute. Perfect for for that occasional, portion-controlled indulgence! The My Mug Cake set retails for $19.95 and includes the ceramic mug and two Tastefully Simple cake varieties: Raspberry Chocolate Streusel Cake Mix and Cinnamon Streusel Cake Mix. Cake mixes also come in three packs for $9.95.

My Mug Cake Review:  The Mug Cake came in a cute little box that made it perfect for gift giving. I was really excited to try these out. The fill lines right on the inside of the mug allow you add water easily without having to dig for a measuring spoon. I have had mug cakes before but the tended to taste artificial and the consistency was too spongy. I tried the Raspberry Chocolate Streusel Cake first and it was so delicious! The chocolate and raspberry mixture blended perfectly together and the two flavors were evident in every bite. The Cinnamon Streusel Cake was also extremely flavorful  and the taste reminded me of autumn (one of my favorite times of year to bake!).  Both cakes had a bit of that spongy consistency that I came to expect with mug cakes; however, the strong flavors were so delicious that the taste sensation along with the crunchiness of the streusel completely overwhelmed the spongy texture. These were by far the best mug cakes I have ever tried. These would make a great care package for a college student or a fun way to welcome a younger child home from their first day of school. Or in my case, these would be great to have on hand for those PMS emergencies! The best part is you can have a delicious treat in just 3 minutes (1 minute cook time and 2 minutes for cooling). You can't go wrong.

Buy My Mug Cake: You can purchase My Mug Cakes from Tastefully Simple beginning August 29th! 

Win My Mug Cake from Tastefully Simple:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Citrus Clear Review

 

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Citrus Clear is a natural and holistic treatment for acne, sensitive skin, and all skin types. The company offers natural acne products which include face wash, acne moisturizer, and acne treatments designed to meet the needs of teenagers and adults looking to remove acne. They are known for being the most "natural acne treatment". They value each of our unique formulas, and ensure that only the most potent citrus juices, extracts, tinctures and peels are used in our acne products. 

Review: As my son starts to creep toward pre-teen status, his skin has been very acne prone. I don't want him to have to deal with the embarrassment of acne and have been searching for products that can help him maintain good skin without all the harsh chemicals that I have in my skincare routine. So, I was really excited to see how the Citrus Clear Gentle Cleanser would work for him. When he began using it, he had a decent breakout on his brow and chin. I had him use this product exclusively for two weeks and was so thrilled when his acne quickly cleared up! 

The scent is citrus, but is gender neutral so he had no problem using it. It was easy to apply and washed off easily without any filmy residue leftover. It was a bit drying so using a moisturizer is a must but this is typical of almost every anti-acne cleanser I have ever used. The only problem I had was the design of the bottle. The tube for the pump was too long and when it was assembled, it was squished in which bent the tube.  This rendered the pump useless so my son ended up having to pull the pump out and pouring the soap onto his hand. 

Buy it here: You can purchase Citrus Clear from the company's website.

Connect here: https://www.facebook.com/CitrusClear
https://twitter.com/CitrusClear
https://plus.google.com/105524678627115875950/posts

*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.

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