Whistling Tea Kettle

Everyone in our family seems to have different tastes. My youngest daughter loves hot chocolate only, my middle daughter loves all hot beverages, my son likes tea and coffee best, dad only likes hot tea, and I like it all. Because of this, it is difficult to satisfy everyone's cravings and likes every time.

Now I have that magical ability with my new Whistling Tea Kettle.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017GBADNY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XzS8fAWz8Y&t=10s

After putting some water into it, turning on the burner, and waiting for the stainless steel cap to whistle from the steam, I am able to make everyone's wishes come true making the beverages of their choices in their own individual cups. The tea kettle holds plenty of water so I am able to make steaming cups for all five of the members of my family with water to spare. I love the silicone handle that allows me to lift the kettle straight from the burner after the whistle sounds without burning my hands. #ChefsLimitedTeaKettle



I received the kettle free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

The tea kettle pairs nicely with my new pour over coffee cup that I recently also received for review in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. These would make the perfect pair to gift to any busy mom!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YLjRswnmdo

Easy & Quick Decorating

Christmas has long been one of my favorite times of year. I love to see the children's enthusiasm as we celebrate different traditions. We usually purchase and decorate our tree the weekend after Christmas. This year since the weather was unseasonably warm, we decided to decorate outside of our house early.

We placed lights and bows on the lamp post, bushes, and railings. We were saved from crawling up a ladder to place lights on the house however thanks to our new laser light projector.

http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Waterproof-laser-lights-Decoration/dp/B01IDAQY5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&keywords=christmas+laser+lights

 After much thought and consideration, we found our favorite spot for the light projector in our yard. We did need an extension cord to connect the light to power because the cord attached was much too short to reach any outdoor outlets.

The projector attaches to a stake that can be placed into the ground. A screw with a teeth-like grooved connection allows you to angle the light to the desired height and then secure it.

Once night came and the light was powered up, hundreds of little red and green dots covered our home without all the ugly cords of string lights and without the headache of climbing on a ladder and untangling lights as you installed them.

Without much effort at all, our home is ready to be a neighborhood hit this Christmas season.  #christmaslaserlights

I received these lights at a reduced rate in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Unlock the Weird!

My Sweet youngest daughter continues to keep life interesting with her overwhelming love and fascination with anything odd, unusual, or different. Last year, I got her Ripley's Believe It or Not's book of oddities which she treasured and spent much time perusing.

That's why when they offered this year's volume, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Unlock the Weird!, I jumped on the chance to get it for her.

 
https://www.amazon.com/…/ref=sr_1_2ie=UTF8&qid=1477941498&s…

With all the colorful pages, unusual stories and pictures, and incredible feats, I know she is going to love it!

Who wouldn't want to read about an island that is full of cats?

Or a bridge made from vines?

Or artwork made from old car parts?

The intriguing unique oddities of this world are endless! She is going to love adding this to her collection!
  #UnlockTheWeird

I received the book free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

You CAN do it!

One phrase that we hear often as mothers is "I can't!" This phrase is one that I very much dislike to hear out of my children's mouths although I have been guilty of uttering it many times in my past as well. They say, "I can't do my homework because I can't read the directions." "I can't clean my room because I don't know what to do with the some of the clutter." "I can't wash my hair because the water is too hot." "I can't mow the lawn because my knee hurts today." All of these are actual phrases that the children have uttered and make me cringe each and every time.

Recently, I have been inspired by my 87-year old neighbor. I can only hope at 87 years old that I am as determined and hard-working as he is today. I went into our back yard to take the dogs out and see him in his yard up an extension ladder cutting down the dead tree that is in his yard. The tree is probably 30-40 feet tall, and he is slowly and methodically moving upper branch to upper branch carefully sawing each branch to bring it safely to the ground. If it had been in my back yard, I probably would have said the hated words "I can't" instead of even trying. His determination inspires me to stop saying "I can't" so much and give that difficult task a try! If an 87-year old man can cut down a dead tree, then I should be able to do the same. No excuses!

Sometimes this "I can't" feeling can be brought on from people in our past. Many times the voices from our past ring loudly with "You can't do that." "You are no good at that." "That is not for you. You show no talent in that regard." I have been guilty of letting these opinions of other people rule how I live and what I enjoy.

As you all know, I do product reviews as a sort of hobby in my spare time. I enjoy it very much. In February of this year, I received a sketch book and sketch pencils for review. In creating my reviews, I discovered that I LOVE sketching.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RCXQ7RE5LJ7DZ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00PG8916A

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2HDGZEEVFWLNH/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00PWCQSV6

In the past, I had been told over and over that I was not the artist of the family, that I could not draw, that I should not draw, and that art and drawing was not for me. I know I'm not a professional artist, but I have found that I CAN draw, I enjoy sketching, and my sketches are not all that bad. I am so happy that I had the chance to review the sketching items and find that I can do it and it relaxes me and makes me happy.

Here are some of my sketches:

As a parent, I do not ever want to make my child feel that they are no good at something. I do not ever want to allow a teacher, a coach, a theater director, or anyone else for that matter to make my child feel substandard and not good enough. Maybe her first drawing won't look like Picasso's last, but if she is encouraged and continues, who knows what her last drawing may be. Maybe she can't stand still for her first theater performance, but if trained well and taught to perform which she already enjoys, maybe she will someday be on Broadway. It isn't my place or anyone's place to tell her what she can and cannot do.

We should all be encouraging each other to be the best we can and enjoy life.

I CAN do it! You CAN do it!

Hobby Time

Back before I had children or back when I had only one child, I used to spend a lot of time on hobbies. I enjoyed sewing curtains, sewing aprons, making coasters for beverages, crocheting, and making soap among many other past-times. Back when I made soap, I used to love shaping and scenting the soap and making it extra special for my family.

Now that I have no time with working full time and having children running all over my house most days leaving messes for me to clean up, I have found that I have to buy my soap instead of making it. Recently, I received a free 4 oz bar of handmade soap from Subtle Body Essentials in exchange for my hones and unbiased opinion. This may just be my new favorite soap. Since I don't have time to make it myself, it is nice to find a handmade soap that cleans so well while incorporating so many natural and organic ingredients.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0184MUSES

The 85% organic soap bar sample which I received is Lavender Lite. The ingredient list includes: "Saponified oils of sunflower* and/or safflower*, coconut* and palm* (with retained glycerin), essential oils of lavender and lavandin, alkanet root, comfrey root & rosemary extract. *Ingredients are certified organic."

The scent of the soap is very relaxing and comforting. The lather of the soap easily covered my hands and lifted away the grime. The feel of my hands after rinsing the soap is clean and refreshed. This is a quality handmade soap and well worth adding to your household or giving as a gift to someone you love - Mom, Grandmother, or close friend.

Since I don't have time right now for my favorite hobbies, soap making included, this is a wonderful substitute for the homemade soap that I loved.

#handmadesoap

Pulling Teeth

Ever have one of those weeks when nothing comes easy? Where every tiny detail of the week makes you feel like you are pulling teeth? Where nothing seems to go right?

This has been our week before Christmas! One highlight of the week though has been teeth. Chris, my son, decided that he wanted to try a teeth whitening kit. In exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion, Dr. Whitening agreed to allow me try their teeth whitening kit for free. We started our 7-day trial picture with this set of teeth last Friday.

Then our hellish week began. On Monday, my girls were home from school with a stomach virus. On Monday night, I sprained my back. On Tuesday, Chris had the stomach virus plus I had to be taken to the hospital because I couldn't even sit up on my own. On Wednesday, we thought the week was getting better, but Wednesday night, I caught the stomach virus and Chris got a second round of it. His lasted into today, Friday.  Because of his virus and all the craziness of our household due to viruses, injuries, and the holiday prep in general, Chris forgot to use the teeth whitener a couple of days.

However, his teeth did come out cleaner by today, Friday, the seventh day. Here is his after picture:

I truly believe that if we had a good week and had used the product each of the seven days as instructed that the smile would have been even brighter! You can see some improvements though with the time that we did use it. 

I would recommend it if you are wanting to gain a brighter smile. For more information, you can go to http://www.drwhitening.net . #DrWhitening

Relaxing on Sunday

No matter what happens during the week or how busy it gets, I do my best to make Sunday a day to rest, relax, and enjoy myself. Sometimes life throws some curves, and I have to pick another day or time to relax. However, for the most part, Sunday is THE day.

This week, I had a chance to relax with my new adult coloring book among other things.
#EnchantedForestAdultColoringBook
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0163M0W38

Adult coloring books have come to life recently as many adults look for new ways to relax while still sparking and getting in touch with their creative sides. I first heard of this new concept through my local library. They actually have one night each week that adults may come into the library and spend time together coloring. With children overrunning my home most nights, I don't know if I will ever get an evening to spend there, but I did find time on this Sunday to begin coloring in my new adult coloring book that I received free or at a discounted rate in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I decided to start with the title page.

This page was full of leaves everywhere. I picked up one of the two green colored pencils that I had on hand and got to coloring. Soon, I was satisfied that I had the first color complete.

Then I moved on to the next shade of green and the brown tree and limbs.

I finished off with a little pop of color for the two flowers, snail, and owl. The two rabbits became dark gray to finish off the page.

While this coloring in detail was very time consuming, I did enjoy coloring and completing the page. It felt very relaxing and satisfying.

Although this may not be an every week occurrence, I will color again in the future. I feel it so important for Moms to take time for ourselves to do things that we love. Enjoying my own hobbies and likes keeps me in touch with who I am as a mother, improves my mood, and my own self-esteem.

Do what you love as a Mom and make time to relax and be you!