Kitchen Knives

Since we are usually a paycheck-to-paycheck sort of family, our kitchen utensils have usually never been great. We cannot usually afford to spend money on new kitchen gadgets when we struggle each week and month to put food on the table and clothes on our back. I am not saying this to complain just explaining another reason why I started reviewing items for companies and how wonderful I think it is that these companies allow folks like us a privilege like this that we would not otherwise have.

This past week, we received free or at a discounted price this knife sharpener from Priority Chef in exchange for our honest and unbiased opinion.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LD196EQ?ref_=cm_cr-mr-title

We desperately needed this items as most of our kitchen knives were as dull the surface of a bowling ball! The sharpener worked great and in no time, we had all of our knives sharp and ready to cut through meat, vegetables, or whatever we decided to eat for the next meals.

The directions told us to put really dull knives through the larger slot on the left of the sharpener to take off the rough edges. It cautioned us to be careful because this side of the sharpener would take off chunks of metal.

Next the directions said to run the knives through the smaller slot on the right to finely sharpen the knives for use. Notice my hand model above sharpens this knife in no time! It took him less than 30 minutes to sharpen all of the knives in our kitchen and his pocket knife.

My teenage son wants to use it next to sharpen his pocket knife collection and his camping knives. Now we never again have to cut our meals with dull knives.

#prioritychef

Tasty Meals

Each night, I try to make meals that my whole family will enjoy. This is difficult since God made us all with different taste buds. One child loves vegetables and very little meat. One child loves meat and pasta but hardly touches vegetables. Another eats just like a typical teenage boy wanting burgers and pizza most of the time. We adults like a variety of course, a well-balanced diet. One aspect of the meals that we can agree on though is that we all like well-seasoned food.

We even enjoy the seasoning in different amounts however. Recently our family purchased the salt and pepper grinder/shakers shown above to ensure that we all can get the amount of seasonings we enjoy the best and also so that we can enjoy the freshest of seasonings. Regular table salt and store ground pepper just does not compare to grinding the pepper corns and the sea salt on your own!

<a href="http://www.tomoson.com/?code=TOP0a23b1a1113dac6ea4f7093f1a434569" rel="nofollow"><img style="display: none" src="http://www.tomoson.com/images/front/pixel.png" /></a>

These salt and pepper grinder/shakers by Moments Kitchenware are easy to fill, adjust, and use. After picking your favorite seasonings at the store, simply unscrew the tops. Notice the grinders in each top.

 

Once the seasoning has been added and the tops replaced, remove the caps to adjust. The center can be turned to adjust to a finer or coarser grind.

Then you easily can grind the salt or pepper onto your food.

The simple sleek design makes these grinder / shakers a nice choice for your holiday table or even for every day use.

We received these grinders free or at a reduced price in exchange for our honest and unbiased opinion, and we have found them to be easy to use and wonderful at grinding our fresh seasonings. Love them!

#momentskitchenware

Personality!

Everyone is different. Everyone is made special in the eyes of God.

The same is true with children. All three of my children have totally different personalities.

My oldest has a strong outgoing personality, but at the same time, he desperately needs time alone to keep him happy and functioning. He loves to tell jokes but does not do well if he is the butt of someone else's joke. He puts on a strong front but is sometimes fragile inside. Everyone initially loves him though!

My middle child has a quiet, sweet, reserved personality. She loves to sing, dance, draw, and write. She is very much into anything that would be considered artsy. She is my girly girl. She likes lacy clothing, pastel colors, fancy materials and fabrics, jewelry, make up, nail polish, and perfectly combed silky shiny long hair. She is the peacemaker whether it be at school or at home. If she is arguing over a toy with her sister's nine times out of ten, she will just give the toy to her sister instead of continue fighting. She has learned that you can have fun without fighting and that these fights are worthless. She is good at being a mediator when other children are fighting as well.

Then comes my youngest child. My youngest child has a very dynamic personality! If anything is strange and unusual whether it be a toy, animal, movie, or anything, she will inevitably love it! For this reason, Summer is getting for Christmas this year Ripley's Believe It or Not! Eye-Popping Oddities!

I look forward to seeing her face when she opens up this gem full of all the eye-popping oddities that she can imagine. She is still building on her reading skills, but I know this book is really going to draw her in with its unique pictures, colors, and different ideas about art and lift. I'm sure we will have many nights spent reading all the different sections.

Summer has always loved animals. She almost always picks library books about animals. She loves to bring home full documentary style books to read together about all sorts of different animals.  The fact that this book has a whole section on animals is going to enthrall this child.

Here is a picture of the Table of Contents. As you can see the book has many sections for hours of entertainment. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to review this book for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

 

 
Here is one example of stories that you can read. Sorry the Monster Earthworm picture is kind of on the dark side.

So if you have a child that embraces the oddities of life like my child does, why not get them their own copy of this fabulous book and join us in our zany bedtime readings?

http://www.amazon.com/Ripleys-Believe-Eye-Popping-Oddities-ANNUAL/dp/1609911369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447445708&sr=8-1&keywords=ripley%27s+believe+it+or+not+eye-popping+oddities

P.S. The eyes look 3D on the actual cover. They really catch your eye!

#Ripleys

Dancing Divas? Not yet...

My two girls have both been involved in dance as early as three years old. At Limelight Studios in Wyomissing, PA, Candace currently takes Musical Theater classes, and Summer is taking a Jazz/Tap class. They both have taken many tap and ballet classes as well.

Recently when we were asked to review Ball Room dance and Beginning Social dance DVDs for free in exchange for our honest and unbiased opinion, we could hard wait to get the videos and begin!

One thing that we have definitely learned after receiving these videos is that WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN!

BUT, that's OK because our instructors, Eldon and Alison, slowly break down each step to help learn the moves, AND since the lessons are on DVD, we can easily repeat areas that we struggle through and perfect those areas before moving on to the next steps. Although they are only 6 years old and 9 years old, my girls look forward to practicing and learning these dances in order for them to use them as they try out for plays, dances, and musicals at school and in the community. This weekend both girls will be auditioning for parts in Cinderella Kids and Matchmaker Jr performed by Genesius Theater in Reading, PA.  In two weeks, they will be dancing in the Christmas Parade in downtown Reading. They are always putting on plays for Dad and me as well!

Now they can learn dances that they might not have otherwise had a chance to learn, and I can learn right along with them. Although they have much to master, here is a short video of my girls learning the first steps of swing dancing. Hope you enjoy! #dancelessons

This video was taken while using the
Dance Lessons Starter Kit - Swing Dancing, Salsa Classes, Merengue & Bachata (4 DVDs)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S7155KY?ref_=cm_cr-mr-title

We are using a second set of videos that we received for review as well to teach us Ballroom Dance.  My girls always comment on the beautiful dances in the ballroom scenes of their favorite princess movies. Now they can learn to perform these dances as well.  Here are some photos of them trying to master the stance and the first steps of the foxtrot. #ballroomdancing

Ballroom Dance Mastery System: 

Step by Step Progressive Dance Lessons

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OU27QSS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

Again, we have a ton of work to do to master these steps, but we look forward to trying! So proud of my girls and their determination and hard work!

Pool Water Destroys Hair

Our family went on a a two day / one night mini vacation this weekend. We decided to stay in a hotel with a pool and hot tub this time.  The children all had a blast jumping between the ice cold pool and the steamy hot tub.  The pool however was loaded with bleach and chemicals.  These chemicals wreak havoc on us girls with long hair; they horribly damage it!

When we arrived home from our mini vacation however, we found in the mail a bottle of Evassence's 100% Organic Argan Oil which we had ordered at a discounted rate for our honest and unbiased review.  I sent Candace up to shower and wash her hair, but beforehand I took some pictures of her hair.  Here is what her hair looked like before...

After she washed it and towel dried it, we put some of our new product in it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0156TNVHI?ref_=pdp_new_dp_review
The oil did not have a strong scent like many Argan oils.  I massaged the product through her hair until I could no longer feel the oil on my hands.  My hands did not feel oily at all but felt clean and light instead again unlike others that we have used.  I did not feel I needed to wash my hands, but I did so instead just out of habit.  Then we combed through and dried her hair.  Here was the finished results...

Her hair came out so slick and beautiful!  We look forward to trying it on her sister and me next!
#arganoilskincare

Ups and Downs

Every parent experiences ups and downs.

One of the ups of this week was receiving a set of 4 reusable drinking straws with cleaners included.  My children and I anxiously awaited their arrival for review free of charge in exchange for our honest opinion.  When I opened the package, my older daughter (age 9) could barely wait for me to rinse and clean the straws before she had one ready for use.  This "up" was followed immediately by a "down."  Candace fell while going for her cup for her drink and the metal steel straw embedded into the roof of her mouth and into her hand.  As a mom, I felt horrible.  While I feel it was a complete accident and do not hold Wise Ole Owl responsible, I do feel that other parents should be warned.  These straws are not a good idea for young children.  The straws themselves were a wonderful idea.  The sturdy design makes them great for use after use.  The pipe cleaners included help insure that they can be thoroughly cleaned between uses.  The idea also aids in keeping hundreds and hundreds of plastic straws out of landfills. The product and design concept deserve to be praised. #WiseOleOwl  I just won't let the children use them again.


Now on to more "Ups!"

I received an e-mail this week from my younger daughter's teacher that began as follows, "I want to tell you how much I enjoy working with Summer!  She is the highlight of every day for me.  She is so enthusiastic and always gives me 100% in reading."  The e-mail goes on to say that they want to take Summer to be observed by other teachers as she reads and is instructed to show how successful the program can be and to look for other ways to help Summer and other students.  I am bursting-at-the-seams proud of course and just had to share.

Candace, my older daughter, participates in the Girls on the Run program.  Yesterday, she received the "hero's cape" to wear at the end of practice for her hard work in the program.  I am so proud of her as well.

Making Memories

The highlights of my weeks are the special times that I am able to spend with my three children.  I absolutely love early mornings when my two girls crawl into bed with me and cuddle until we absolutely have to get up and start our days.  Listening to their excitement and anticipation over the activities of that day or the coming activities of the week gives me such contentment.

This week one of my favorite times was making strawberry cupcakes with them on Sunday.  This one was a box cake instead of homemade, but we were all excited because we were able to make them with our new silicone baking cupcake forms from Bella Rona ( #BellaRona ).  Bella Rona had sent them to us free of charge to test and review.

We couldn't get the plunger to work properly to insert the batter into the molds, but we loved the colorful molds.  The girls took turns adding ingredients and stirring the batter.  They put the molds into our cupcake tin to make it easy to place and remove them from the oven.  I filled the molds and placed them in the oven.  They love that the molds came out of the oven cool which helped the cupcakes to cool quickly.  We were able to remove them easily from the molds - no sticking.  In no time at all, we could frost our sweet treats and enjoy them.  Yum!  The molds were also extremely easy to clean with soapy water and a dish cloth.  They are ready for the next use; no more buying the paper ones to which the cupcakes tend to stick!

Monday, we changed our way of thinking and decided to go enjoy a crisp fall day outdoors together!  We packed a lunch and headed off to Gring's Mill in Wyomissing, PA.  The temperature was around 60 degrees when we got there and not a cloud in the blue sky.  The leaves on the trees were changing and all around us were so many colors.  The leaves danced in greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and browns.  The flowers nodded in blues, pinks, purples, yellows, and whites.  The sound of my children's laughter was especially delightful.  Seeing their enthusiasm at the site of squirrels, chipmunks, frogs, turtles, and even a distant snake gave me the sense that this adventure had been the right choice for our day.  We were determined to make it to the end of the trail, six miles round trip.  By the end of our journey, we were contently worn out!  After a brief rest, dinner, and clean up, we spent the rest of the evening cuddled up on the sofa reading and watching a movie together.

We look forward to our next adventure... pumpkin carving in the next week.  Stay tuned!