Reviewsio: A New Way to Review Amazon Products

Are you someone who likes to get products for free or at a heavy discount?  If so, then you should check out Reviewsio! 

Reviewsio is a new site that is launching on October 1st. You can sign up now and be ready to start reviewing products when the site launches. At Reviewsio, you will get products for free or at a discount in exchange for an honest, unbiased review on that product via Amazon.

Thank you for taking the time to read this quick blog post!  I hope to see you all joining me at Reviewsio!

Happy 2015!

Hello everyone!  Happy 2015!  Can you believe that Christmas and the holidays are over and that another year is upon us? I am amazed daily at just how fast time flies these days. 2015 has me making a lot of changes in my life. I am down to the wire at college with only 3 semesters left (including the one I'm starting next week)! I have been more focused on budgeting and meal planning for this year, in hopes that it will save our family both time and money in the long run. We are also participating in the loose change challenge that many of you have probably seen all over social media. If not, it's a challenge to put all of your loose change into a jar, container, whatever you may have, from January 1st through November 1st. Then, you can use that money for Christmas, to pay a bill, whatever you want to use it for. We haven't decided what ours will be used for yet, but we started the challenge a little earlier, about mid-December.

There will also be a lot of new changes coming toward the blog. In mid February, I will be using WordPress as my host and will have my own "official" blog. I guess that's what you would call it. The name will be changing, the layout will be different, and there will also be a YouTube channel to go along with the new blog. I have been extremely inspired by Mrs. Kisha over at KJaggers to become a blogger and YouTuber. I know that it will take a lot of work on my part, but another goal this year is better time management. Hopefully, this can help with that aspect as well.

I hope that all of you are having an amazing year so far! I am currently working on a meal plan and will try to have it posted by the end of the week for those who may need some ideas to get them started menu planning. Our youngest godson is turning 8 this week (time flies!) so we are celebrating this weekend.

Talk soon!
Blessings.

Labor Day Weekend 2014

Hello, everyone!  I hope that each of you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend with your family and friends.  This blog is going up a little later than I had wanted it to, but hey, life happens!

Disclaimer:  As a member of Crowdtap, I was selected for a hosted party, from #KingsfordCrew and to make it a #TailgateForOurTroops.  As a part of this party, I was sent products to use in return for my opinion. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own.

Cookbook and coupon for a free bag of charcoal

Included was an apron (I'm obsessed with aprons so I loved this)

Kingsford has always been our go-to brand for charcoal, so I was so excited to be selected to host this party. We spend most holiday weekends behind the grill (except in winter) and the Saturday of Labor Day weekend was a gorgeous day outside.  We grilled out at my parent's house.  You will see both my mother & step-father behind the grill.  We decided on hamburgers, hot dogs, and some chicken breasts that we cut into smaller pieces and seasoned with a chicken rub. We didn't try any of the recipes out of the cookbook this time, but some of them we will definitely be trying in the future. The cookbook included recipes for beverages, meats, and even rubs to use on the meats!  We had a great time spending the day with family, and the food was so flavorful coming off of the grill. I will never understand how people use gas grills!  There is NO flavor to the food!

Chicken on the grill

Adding more seasoning to the chicken

Some may call this burnt, I call it delicious!

Hamburgers and hot dogs in abundance

Review: SweetLeaf Sweet Drops

Disclaimer:  I    received    this    product    for    free    from    the    sponsor    of    the    Moms    Meet    program,    May    Media    Group    LLC,    who    received    it    directly    from    the    manufacturer.    As    a    Moms    Meets    blogger,    I    agreed    to    use    this    product    and    post    my    opinion    on    my    blog.    My    opinions    do    not    necessarily    reflect    the    opinions    of    May    Media    Group    LLC    or    the    manufacturer    of    the    product.   

Facts about SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia Drops Cola:

• healthy alternative to traditional diet sodas!
• All you have to do is add two drops of Cola Sweet Drops to your glass for every ounce of sparkling water (or to taste) and you get delicious cola taste without the bitterness.
• Cola    Sweet    Drops    are    portable,    convenient,    and    a    great    value    at    just    5¢    per    serving. 
• SweetLeaf    Sweet    Drops    contain    no    carbohydrates,    calories,    sugar    alcohols,    methanol,    aspartame    or    sucralose.    They    are    all    natural    and    gluten-free. 
• Like    all    SweetLeaf    products,    Cola    Sweet    Drops    is    made    with    USDA    certified    organic    stevia. 
• The    retail    price    for    SweetLeaf    Sweet    Drops    Cola    is    $4.39    for    37  servings,    or    $14.99    for    100    servings.    
• Pricing    may    vary    based    on    retailer.

I am an avid soda drinker (I know it's unhealthy!) and I have been wanting to get cut down on sodas slowly. I had hoped that I could easily switch to diet sodas instead. I was excited to try this product, in hopes that it would have the diet soda taste without all of the harmful ingredients.

When I decided to sample the product, I was a little worried.  It says to use two drops for each ounce of sparkling water. I put a little sparkling water in a cup, and added a couple drops. It tasted like sparkling water. I ended up having to use half of the sample bottle just to get a hint of cola taste.

You can see here the amount of water I used.

I am not pleased with the product at all. I could not imagine how much would have to be added to a full glass of water, if it takes half of this for only the small amount I put in my cup.  I would not purchase this product (again, this is just my opinion. Some of you may love it!) I would much rather purchase bottled water and use something to flavor it with, or just drink sparkling fruit water.

Bottoms Up!

I will leave a few links for those who would like to learn more about the SweetLeaf brand and what they have to offer.

SweetLeaf official website

Shop!

SweetLeaf Facebook Page

SweetLeaf on Twitter

Pinterest

Moms Meet

Until next time, Be blessed!

Meal Plan: Week of July 28, 2014

We have been so busy this past week that we had to move our meal plan from last week over to this week.  Here's the menu plan for this week.  Our week's start on Mondays and run to Sunday.

Monday, July 28th:  We ordered Papa John's for lunch, so had the leftovers for dinner.
Tuesday, July 29th:  Hashbrown Casserole with biscuits
Wednesday, July 30th:  Taco Soup, Salad, Cornbread
Thursday, July 31st: Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti, Italian Bread
Friday, August 1st:  We will probably go out since it's my dad's birthday
Saturday, August 2nd: Burritos
Sunday, August 3rd: BBQ Beef Roast, Italian Bread

REVIEW: Ideal Balance dog products

As a member of #crowdtap, I was selected to try #IdealBalance as part of the #PetFoodCrew.  The following is my personal opinions, and I do not get paid to review these products.

What we received in the #IdealBalance #PetFoodCrew package

Rocky is VERY picky about what he eats, and would much rather have human food than dog food.  However, he LOVES treats!!  All you have to do is say the word, or move the bag and he is there, tail wagging!

This bag of treats only lasted about 3 days!  He loved them.  I was a little skeptical about the flavor, Duck and Pumpkin.  I wasn't sure that he would like them, but boy was I wrong!

Patiently waiting for Mama to give him a treat!

 

 He hasn't tried the dry food yet, but that is because he doesn't eat a lot of dry food.  He only eats a little bit of dry food every few days, and until his bowl is not that full, we don't fill it up.

That moment he had been waiting for.

 

 The only problem we had with these products, was the canned food.  It was a salmon flavor and he would not touch it!  I was very shocked, because he loves fish!  I'm not sure if it was just that it was salmon, or what.  All he did was smell of it then walk off.

We did enjoy this #Crowdtap experience, and Rocky was beyond thrilled to get mail, especially those treats!  As you'll be able to see in the following pictures, he LOVED those treats!

If you would like to join Crowdtap, you can go HERE to become a member!

My precious baby boy, getting his treat!

Finally got him to look at me while he was eating!

 

Stepfathers: The Unsung Hero

As we wind down this Father's Day, I wanted to just make a post honoring the dads!  First off, Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, the grandpas, uncles, step-dads, brothers, single dads, and the moms who have to play both roles!

This post may get a little emotional and sappy at times, but this has been weighing on my heart this year, and even more so today. 

I was six months old when my parents got married. Logically, I can't even see why they did but at that age, it wasn't like I could do anything about it! My childhood was a great one.  I knew that I could always count on my mom to help me, teach me, and most importantly, love me.  Yes, I said my mom!  Growing up, and the older I got, the more I realized how much she played both parenting roles in our family, even though my dad was "around."  My mother was the one who helped me with my homework and worked her butt off to put me through school, who made my boo-boos all better, and who showed me unconditional love and support in everything I did.

Fast forward to early 2000, when I was 13.  My mother's co-worker called to inform her that my dad had been spotted with another woman multiple times.  Right there showed me what kind of man he was, breaking wedding vows...and the Ten Commandments!  Needless to say, my mother kicked him out and filed for divorce.  Just a few weeks later, my aunt gave my mom the phone number of her childhood sweetheart (who she had only seen once since the age of 15).  As a teenager, I was hurt at first.  I mean, that was my "dad", regardless of what he had done but once she started talking to her childhood sweetheart, I could see how happy she had become in just a matter of days.

Fast forward to the spring of 2000, the man who I now call my dad, stepped in and became what a father should be.  I was in the 7th grade at the time that him and my mother rekindled their romance.  He was there for the awards days, the 8th grade graduation, every big event I had in high school, prom, and high school graduation.  He was the one who helped me with school projects when I needed something big to be done (even that Geometry project about the barn!)

He is the man who took me to job interviews, who was there for me through every triumph and tragedy I've faced in the last 14 years. He's the man who STILL helps me with things around my house, who STILL makes sure I have what I need when times are hard, and even after all these years, is still loving my mother, and making her the happiest I've ever seen.  There is nothing greater than that.

So, with that being said, today, honor the men in your life who have made all the difference, whether that be a stepdad, grandfather, or even a friends dad.  My "dad" may still be a part of my life, but by no means has he ever shown me what a true father should be. Money can't buy love.  Love has to be proven through actions.