Yonanas Review

*Disclaimer: I received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity..

I admit it, ice cream is one of my weaknesses, especially while pregnant. Unfortunately, ice cream is chalk full of sugars and fat. I am happy to announce, however, this exciting alternative that allows you to have your ice cream and stay healthy too! It's called Yonanas.

Now, you may have seen Dole's Yonanas on TV or in stores and wondered what it was. Basically, Yonanas is an ice cream maker/juicer that makes "soft serve ice cream" out of frozen Dole bananas and other fruits! This is a great option for those of you who are lactose intolerant or have children whom you don't want having too much sugar as it is made out of just fruit (though you can always add peanut butter and toppings are always an option as well to spruce it up.) So how does it work? First, you will need to freeze over-ripened, cheetah spotted bananas (you know, the ones that are still yellow but have brown speckles all over them,) NOT bananas that are green, perfectly yellow or all the way black. Why is this you ask? Cheetah spotted bananas are supposed to be the sweetest and have the perfect consistency for making sweet, creamy Yonanas ice cream. Keep in mind that bananas take about a week to reach cheetah spotted status, and you will need to peel and freeze the bananas at least 24 hours ahead of time then when you are ready for some Yonanas, just thaw your fruits (bananas and any other fruits you would like to mix in) for about 10-15 minutes (when using fruits besides bananas, thaw for only 7-10 minutes or until they begin to sweat for a gelato-like consistency.) Be sure not to over or under thaw as it will turn into either melted goo or will be too cold to properly pulverize. You can also add room temperature peanut butter (I also tried a spoon of Cool Whip.) You can try all types of frozen fruits in Yonanas, however, do not use nuts, fruit with pits, or ice cubes in the machine. Once your fruits are thawed, turn on the machine and start making your Yonanas ice cream! Simply stick in a banana to start and push it down the chute (applying even pressure) with the plunger. You can use all bananas or alternate between bananas and other frozen fruits. The first time I tried my Dole Yonanas machine I did not like the consistency, it seemed a bit loud, and the plunger seemed to vibrate too much so my hand went numb. Each time since, my experience has gotten better, however, and the consistency is smoother, the vibrating is not as big a deal now that I "plunge" it correctly and the loudness is about the same of a blender so as long as my son isn't napping I have no problems with it! I tried the original Yonanas machine, but they now offer a Yonanas Elite machine that is quieter as well. My Yonanas dessert tastes better and better with each use as well! I also like how easy it is to clean my Yonanas. As long as you rinse it off right away with warm water, you will not have to scrub to get off food. It separates into 5 pieces to clean every nook and cranny and easily. I do not personally use a dishwasher, except for a drying rack, but if you are like most and do, Yonanas is top-rack dishwasher-safe! Each box comes with a recipe book as well and you can find more Yonanas recipes online. Check out the recipes I posted over on my blog Arts & Crackers, including Yonanas Pineapple, Banana, Orange Punch, Chocolate-Covered Cherry Bon Bons, and Yonanas Foster.

You can also try making peanut butter cookies and adding straight up banana Yonanas in the center and freezing to harden for a twist on peanut butter and banana sandwiches and frozen ice cream cookie sandwiches! This will be a fun activity to do with your kids! Dole Yonanas machines can be purchased starting at $50 from several retailers listed here. If you choose to order online from any of the retailers, be sure to check out Ebates to see if your order qualifies for cash back! Check out Yonanas on Facebook and look for them on Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram (all links are listed on their website.)

Fels Naptha Review and Giveaway

Purex Fels-Naptha has been around since 1894 treating your tough laundry stains. I had never heard of it until just recently, but when discussing the product with my mom and grandma, they told me how it has been around for over 100 years! My mom doesn't recall ever having used it, but my grandma said she used to use it. Well, Fels-Naptha is making a comeback!

I was able to try Fels-Naptha thanks to Purex and I have to say, I love it! This laundry soap bar pretreats your stains (dirt, grease, rings around the collar, and more) and works more effectively than spray stain removers. It's safe on colors too! Just wet your stain, rub it on, let it set a few minutes then throw it in the wash! I tried this product on a few different types of stains. The older stains (most of which have been on there longer than months and have been through several washes) didn't really show any change, but the newer stains were pretty much erased! The most recent stain that I worked on was a chocolate stain from a week ago (note to self: it doesn't matter how tired you are, do NOT let your toddler have things with tiny chocolate pieces in your bed!) I could tell where the stain was before because you could see a faint stain still, but it was almost completely taken out of my sheets! While this is no miracle product, it sure works wonders!

Before

After

Since Purex Fels-Naptha worked well for my laundry stains, I figured why not try it on some other surfaces!
I tried it on a countertop stain (the stain from a wooden plate stand got on the counter and nothing had worked to clean it up):

Before

After

I tried it on some carpet stains on the living room floor and stairs, both of which we had tried cleaning up with a steamer and a carpet cleaner:

Stairs before

Stairs after

Floor before

Floor after

I even tried it on a skid mark that was on our linoleum flooring when we moved in, but I guess that stain was a bit too old. There are so many surfaces that you could use Fels-Naptha on though! This is a very versatile product! You can even use Fels-Naptha to make your own laundry soap. Check out the recipe below that I found online!

With babies, toddlers, husbands and pets, stains are inevitable. Treat them with Purex Fels-Naptha!

Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe (from thefamilyhomestead.com)

• 1/3 bar Fels-Naptha laundry soap, grated
• 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda...this can be found usually in the laundry aisle)
• 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax powder
• 2 gallon bucket

Directions: Place grated soap in a sauce pan, add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved then remove from heat. Pour 4 cups of hot water then add the soap mix and stir. Add another 1 gallon + 6 cups of water and stir. Let sit for 24 hours to gel. You will use 1/2 cup of the finished mixture per load of laundry.

Enter below for your chance to win a free bar of Fels-Naptha (coupon) PLUS I will include a coupon for a free box of 20 Mule Team Borax for the first prize winner! Giveaway opened to US residents only.

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Disclaimer: I am a Purex Insider and received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity. 

Purex Fabric Softener Sheets Review and Giveaway

Have you seen Purex Fabric Softener Sheets on she shelves in the store? You can find these at your local Walmart in Mountain Breeze and Sweet Lavender scents. They add a fresh scent to your clothing while reducing static and repelling pet hair and lint.

Purex has added 3X the fragrance to leave the scent lasting longer. These sheets should have a warning label that says "WARNING: May cause random strangers to smell your outfit." This has happened to my husband several times with Purex's great scents. Try sticking Purex Fabric Softener Sheets in your stinky shoes, trash cans, drawers, diaper pails to freshen them up...or rub them on your pantyhose to reduce the static or on a love letter before you put it in the envelope for a special touch!

Purex Fabric Softener Sheets smell amazing, but unfortunately amazing smells kick in my allergies really bad so I was unable to personally try these. Instead, I sent them on over to a friend to get her opinion on them! She uses fabric softener sheets all the time but had never tried these Purex ones before. I sent her the Sweet Lavender scent which she simply loved. She tried them in her dryer load immediately once she received them and said there are no cons, only pros for this product. They smell even better than the ones she usually uses and the scent really lasts while really helping cut down on that static cling issue that dryers can cause. She also loves that there are so many different uses for these fabric softener sheets other than just sticking them in the dryer.

FABRIC SOFTENER SHEET FLOWERS

Another fun way to use Purex Fabric Softener Sheets is to make scented flowers with them! You can do this before they are used for extra scent or with used sheets for a lighter scent. Check out my DIY instructions from my Arts & Crackers blog here.





Be sure to follow the giveaway directions completely or your entries will not count. US residents only.
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Disclaimer: I am a Purex Insider and received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity. 

Ameda Purely Yours Ultra Breast Pump Review

As a mom who plans to solely breastfeed, I understand the importance of having a pump. With my first child, the pump that I had did not work properly so I was unable to pump and let other people feed him a bottle so I could take a break. I also could not relieve any pressure when he wasn't ready to eat or have a bottle ready when we were out and about. I had a manual pump as well, but with my carpal tunnel and tendonitis pumping this way was far too painful. This time I am trying the Ameda Purely Yours Ultra Double Electric Breast Pump!

The Purely Yours Ultra breast pump is a single-user pump with professional performance and hospital trusted. This pump will work great for every day pumping and is for working moms and moms on the go. As a military spouse with a husband who will be deployed after the baby is born, this pump will work wonders for me when I am out-and-about, especially when I travel back home for Christmas. The device is very lightweight and comes in a stylish faux leather carry bag making it easy to tote the pump around with you. Inside there are pockets and compartments as well as another pocket on the outside making it easy to organize your tote. You even have the option of three different power sources on the pump: AC adapter, car adapter or 6 AA batteries. My kit came with both the AC adapter and the car adapter but not all models include the car adapter.

With this particular kit, you will get three sizes of CustomFit Flanges (the cup part of the pump) in sizes 25.0mm, 28.5mm and 30.5mm so you can find the size that fits properly for you. Finding the correctly-sized flange for you can make all the difference in pumping comfort and success. If the cup is too small or too big, you may not get out as much milk as you should or it could cause you a lot of pain. The pump comes with instructions to help you find the correct size for you.

Every mom is different. Some prefer quick pumping while others prefer slow. Some need more suction than others. Ameda's Purely Yours Ultra pump is perfect for this because you can adjust the speed and suction to what is comfortable for you. Although I cannot physically pump yet (since I am still pregnant so that would not be wise,) I tested out the suction and speed options against my leg. Comparing to my last pump, I can tell this one will be far more comfortable. The pumping is smooth and gentle thanks to the silicone diaphragm inside the upper chamber of the HygieniKit milk collection system.

As I mentioned, this is a double pump (however, you can adjust to a single pump if you choose.) Double pumping may increase your milk supply as well according to studies (as mentioned on the Ameda site.) I know that with my first baby I would notice a lot better results when I double-pumped. The Purely Yours Ultra kit also provides the necessary parts for a manual pump if you choose to use that!

Ameda aims to provide purity, comfort and ease. For purity, the HygieniKit Proven Airlock Protection to prevent air flow between the pump and the milk (bacteria and other issues can arise when the milk gets into the pump through the tubes so preventing this is very important.) The entire pump kit is also BPA free! For comfort, Ameda provides you with three flange sizes right off the bat. If you still do not fit any of these, you are able to purchase other sizes that will fit into these. Finally, for ease is the CustomControl knobs which allow you to adjust your pumping experience for the best milk flow and comfort as mentioned earlier.

This kit includes:
(1) Purely Yours Breast Pump
(1) Dual HygieniKit Milk Collection System (without BPA and DEHP)
(1) Ultra Suede/Faux Leather Stylish Tote
(2) 30.5mm CustomFit Flanges
(2) 28.5mm BreastFlange inserts
(6) 4 oz./120mL milk collection bottles with lock-tight sealing lids
(1) Cool ‘N Carry™ Milk Storage Tote with 3 cooling element, for milk storage
(1) One-Hand Breast Pump adapter, for manual pumping
(1) Milk storage guidelines card
(1) AC power adapter
(1) Car adapter
(1) Instructions for use

Comfortable, easy, flexible, safe...I LOVE this pump! I am so excited to use this when our baby boy arrives in a few months. Ameda is a brand I really trust; WIC and the hospital/insurance often provide the Ameda manual set to new moms. Ameda even has multi-user hospital-grade pumps that are available!

Find where to buy here.

Want more information? Check out the Ameda Facebook page.






Disclaimer: I received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity..

Sound Beginnings Review and Giveaway

 

I am sure that you have heard that it is beneficial to play music to Baby when he or she is in the womb. Good music can stimulate the baby's brain as it forms. I found a neat and innovative product that allows you to safely play music and more to your baby. It's called Sound Beginnings.

Babies begin hearing around 20 weeks and begin to remember sounds around the beginning of the third trimester. It is suggested that you begin using Sound Beginnings around week 24. According to studies, babies can retain these memories for up to 12 weeks after birth. Sound Delivery has even been used to turn breech babies.

Sound Beginnings connects to any MP3 player and has a splitter that allows you to plug in some headphones and listen on in with Baby while keeping the sounds to the safest volume for your precious peanut. My MP3 player did not fit the splitter quite right as mine has a little plastic knob directly next to where you plug it in, but the splitter should work on most devices. Because Sound Beginnings connects to your MP3 player, you are able to download your own audio files to choose which music you would like your little one to listen to. They also have a program called Sound Delivery that allows you and loved ones to record messages securely over the phone and you will be given an MP3 file of that recording to add to your player! Each Sound Beginnings comes with five free minutes of Sound Delivery recording.

The Sound Beginnings pre-natal sound delivery device runs in size B (pre-pregnancy pants size 2, 4, 6,) size C (pre-pregnancy pants size 8, 10, 12) and size D (pre-pregnancy pants size 14, 16, 18) plus they are working on more sizes. The fabric is a combination of 86% nylon and 14% lycra and is very comfortable, light and stretchy. This is great if you go for walks. The product is machine washable and there are no batteries required, just your MP3 player! Sound Beginnings also comes in three colors: white, black, and nude. Currently Sound Delivery offers English recording, however, they are working on a Spanish line as well.

We have been using the Sound Beginnings device's Sound Delivery system to record and play my deployed husband's voice to our baby. Since my husband will be way from now until well after our little boy is born, this is a great way to familiarize our baby with his daddy's voice so that my husband will not be a totally stranger to his son when he returns home. I love so much that he is able to call in from wherever he is and record the message and that I am able to listen in on it to hear his voice as well. This is one of the most special opportunities we could have right now as a military family. Besides this, we are also far from family so they are able to call in and record messages as well! Sound Delivery even has a registry where you can request minutes and your family and friends can buy you talk time! This is one of my most highly-recommended products whether you are a military family, live far from a close relative or just want your baby to begin enjoying sounds early.

Sound Beginnings seeks to reach out to military families through donating to non-profit organizations like Operation Shower and hopes to get one to every military family. I love this idea and I love this company! As a military spouse expecting while my husband is deployed and family is distant, this is one of the greatest innovations ever. Check them out!

PRICING:
Sound Beginnings is $50 on their website. You can always watch for deals online as well! They offer a 1 year limited warranty and a 100% satisfaction money-back guarantee for 30 days after your order date. You are able to purchase Sound Delivery minutes starting at $2.50 for 5 minutes.

PLACES TO BUY:
You can purchase Sound Beginnings on their website or at any of these retailers.

Enter below to win a Sound Beginnings device for yourself!

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Disclaimer: I received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity.   

Premama Essentials Review

 

I have done a review before for my favorite prenatal vitamin brand, Premama, and they just recently came out with a brand new product, Premama Essentials for pregnant or lactating moms! Premama really hit the nail on the head when they came up with a vitamin that you can drink and not taste as opposed to a horse pill that tastes like the smell of my hamster's food. With my first, I did not get much nausea, but when I did it was after taking my giant, smelly prenatals. I have not had any nausea since taking Premama!

Premama Essentials has an advanced "Quatrefolic" folate form which is an new form of folate (folic acid) that absorbs more easily. Folic acid/folate is important to Baby's brain development during pregnancy. This prenatal formula also contains Ferrochel iron which helps with the ever-so-irritating prenatal constipation, Vitamin B6 to prevent nausea, and Vitamin B12 to provide energy and better metabolism. Premama does not have gluten, eggs, fish, nuts, shellfish, sulfites, tree nuts or wheat and is 100% vegetarion and GMO free with no artificial coloring or additives! Below are the Supplement Facts showing how much of which vitamins and minerals are in Premama Essentials:

Personally, I love the new Premama Essentials even more than I did the original Premama prenatal vitamin mix. Why? Because it is easier to use! The packets are a taste-free once-a-day packet (though I did like the option on the original vitamins to split it into two servings, though often I would forget to take the second half.) They have a "tear here" on them so you can open the packets on the go without a pair of scissors, something that would have worked great on our vacation! The new powder is even finer than the original mix too and blends very quickly and very well into the drink you put it in. I still enjoy putting the supplement into my orange or grapefruit juice, but I have also thrown together smoothies with it and they tasted great and I couldn't even tell there were vitamins in it! I do suggest, however, that you do drink your drink fairly quickly after adding the prenatal supplement as letting your drink sit too long can cause the power to settle to the bottom and even stirring it after this long you will still have a changed texture. I did this one time where I forgot about my drink and went back to it and I learned my lesson! Used properly, you will not have this issue at all and will not even be able to tell that you have added so many essential vitamins and minerals to your drink or soft food.

Premama also has Premama Plus which is an orange-flavored variety with Omega 3s, CoQ10 and Choline. While I did not test this one, if you enjoy orange-flavored drinks I am sure this one is great as well. I could picture putting it in my regular orange juice, a pineapple-mango smoothie, with a vanilla milkshake and more! Need different vitamins and minerals in your diet? Check out my Premama [original] Prenatal Vitamins review and compare the Supplement Facts. While you may be tempted to use both varieties to get all of the nutrients you can, do not mix these supplements as an excess of certain vitamins or minerals can be toxic. Prenatal vitamins are meant to be used individually, not with other prenatal multivitamins.

Premama Essentials and Premama Plus are coming soon as well as a revamped Premama website. You can pre-order on Amazon.com here.



Disclaimer: I received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity.

LEGOLAND Review

 

Have you heard of LEGOLAND in Florida? It is fairly new so I hadn't heard of it until recently. LEGOLAND Florida has an amusement and waterpark for the whole family to enjoy! We recently visited on a family vacation and although I could not do much as I am pregnant, my husband and son had a blast. Even from the moment you enter, everything is fun even to look at. You will see large sculptures made with LEGOs, one actually shooting water which my son found exciting, as well as some fun shops.

The park is laid out in different categories such as LEGO Technic, DUPLO Village, LEGO Kingdoms, Pirates' Cove and more! This makes the park extra fun for the younger kids who have a specific theme that they love. My son loved anything with cars. LEGOLAND has rollercoasters, boat rides, a water show, 4D movies...the list goes on! We found that most of the park was geared for children 12 and younger and that was the age of most of the guests, but they have things that LEGO lovers of all ages can enjoy. If your child is under 3, they will also give you a special list with which rides your youngster will be allowed on so you can plan where to take the little ones beforehand! I loved this as we have gone to other amusement parks and found out after there were only a couple rides he could go on for his age and height. LEGOLAND has several different rides and fun activities for the younger ones as well so they won't feel left out.

My husband and I really enjoyed Minland USA which was an expansive section of cities, movies and major monuments such as New York City, Daytona Beach NASCAR, D.C., and Star Wars all made out of LEGOs! Many of  the little sections had buttons you could press that would make the LEGOs interactive whether it was a truck driving along the road, the marching band playing in formation or a fire engine spraying water at you. You will want to spend hours in this section alone just enjoying all the details and the time put into these pieces of LEGO art.

My 2-year-old had the best time on the DUPLO Farm playground where they had sections for the little ones to enjoy slides and LEGO building. My son could have stayed in there the whole day just going up and down and pretending to drive the tractors and building towers.




 
My husband and son also got a kick out of the "punny" pirate water show that played at Pirates' Cove. This was an interactive show that had skiing LEGO men, there were pyrotechnics, and the kids in the front rows were sprayed with water (which was wonderful on a very hot, sunny day!)

LEGOLAND has some places to get food and places to shop which was also a lot of fun. We found a place to get discounted Legos and were able to get a LEGO Duplo Disney Cars set for our son's birthday at a very affordable price! A stop to get a slush and over to get some apple fries (delicious!) and a fresh green apple really helped our famished family. We even found a small garden center to walk through and see all the plants! There was so much to do at LEGOLAND that we couldn't possibly fit it all in one day. We would love to go back some time and explore everything we didn't get to see before. If you decide to go, I highly recommend getting the package for a couple days at least!

Lego lovers big and small, LEGOLAND Florida is a great place to spend your vacation! Whether you like discounted LEGOs, water rides, water shows or roller coasters, there is something for everyone.

Check out a park map HERE and see all of the fun adventures that await you! Once you've decided to plan your trip, you can buy your tickets HERE. Are you Active Duty military? If so, throughout 2013 you can get a FREE day admission! Be sure to bring your military I.D. Dependents also get a special military discount and all children under 3 get free admission.




Disclaimer: I received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity. 

Nursery Fresh Diaper Pail Refills Giveaway

Have you heard of Nursery Fresh diaper pail refills? They fit Diaper Genie pails. Cost-wise, Nursery Fresh refills are only $4.99 and hold 272 diapers as opposed to the Diaper Genie refills at $7.49 and holding 270 diapers. Nursery Fresh refills have 7 layers to keep the stink inside the bags. You can purchase these from Munchkin.com, Amazon.com and major retails all over the US starting this summer. Look below to see what pails fit the Nursery Fresh refills:

• Diaper Genie Elite
• Diaper Genie II Elite
• Diaper Genie Essentials
• Diaper Genie II

**DOES NOT FIT MUNCHKIN'S ARM & HAMMER DIAPER PAIL**

Enter to win some below!

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*This giveaway is sponsored by Munchkin and they will be completing the prize fulfillment.

CraftCuts Review and Giveaway

CraftCuts.com sent me some of their wooden letter cut-outs to review. Since I got to choose which, I chose to try some of their different styles and woods so that you all could see more of what they have!
I chose the unpainted letters so we could choose custom colors, however, they have the option of pre-painted letters to save you time. They also have shape cut-outs like animals, transportation, maps, military and more as well as Greek letters, vinyl letters and monograms! There are also so many letter options! I chose the Baltic Birch wood letters, Connected letters, and MDF wood letters, but they also have Holiday wood letters (great for pictures!) and Wood Wall Tile Letters (they look like Scrabble pieces,) Outdoor letters, Hanging letters...the list goes on! You will have to check out CraftCuts.com for yourself!
You can completely customize your letters by choosing the height, width, color, font and wood type which is something that I absolutely love being very into design. Because you can choose exactly CraftCuts.com never has letters in stock. Instead, they custom make each just for your order! You can view shipping details here. Your order will be shipped in a large box with a lot of padding so you don't have to worry about your shipment getting ruined. The shipped letters do not come with anything to hang them, but you can order special mounting tape or spray adhesive with your order. We chose to go with some old craft mounting tape that I found in my craft box and that worked great so you can always find your favorite wall mounting tape elsewhere as well. Another option would be to attach a ribbon or wire to the back and hang your letters or nail in picture mounting brackets depending on the letter size and the number of letters you are hanging. You can even order self-standing letters if you would rather stick them on a shelf to avoid hanging them.
how you want your letters,



Baltic Birch

As I mentioned before, I chose to try a few different types of letters so you can see some of the different products they have and some different things you can do with them.

Here are the Baltic Birch wood letters we ordered. My husband simply used spray paint to paint them because it would be consistent and quicker with the amount that needed to be painted. These ones are
1/8 inch thick so they pop just a little bit off the wall and they are 3 inches high so we could fit them in the clock. These letters, how I set them up, cost $1.35 each regular price. If you would like to see a how-to for the clock, just click the picture and it will take you to my blog post on Arts & Crackers!



Connected

These are the Connected letters that I ordered to decorate the frames in our "Air Force" corner. They are 1/8 inch thick and 4 inches tall and we chose the letter connection, but you can also choose to have the letters connected at the base so it looks like they are underlined. We have this simply resting atop one of the frames, but you could always mount this, order it thicker so it stands on its own, or
mount it inside of a glass-less frame to accent it. At the height and width I chose, these letters cost $3.03 each (punctuation does count so you can always leave that out to save on cost.) My husband used spray paint for this as well, though with this one he chose a metallic blue meant for cars. Using this spray paint, he needed to use a few coats, but it made it look shiny and close to Air Force Blue.




MDF Wooden

The last type of letters that I chose were the MDF wooden letters which I thought would look best in a child's room. These are 1/4 inch thick and 6 inches tall so they really stand out. The edges were burnt wood and I thought it looked neat so we only painted the top of the letters, this way they look a bit more like letters from a comic strip. Because I was able to customize the font, I chose Comic Sans to add a little more of that comic strip look I was going for. I could have chosen my son's name in letters, however, since we are expecting another little one and do not have the gender and name yet, I chose to keep it a word that goes with the theme of the room. These letters were painted with paint specifically for woods, metals, etc and we used a small roller to keep it smoother and keep the paint just on the top. At the height and width I chose, these letters were $4.00 each regular price. If you would like to see the how-tos for how we decorated my son's room, click the picture and it will take you to my blog post on Arts & Crackers. Keep an eye out on that blog, however, as there are many different items that require a how-to so not all of the posts will be up right away. You can keep up-to-date as I post them by liking Arts & Crackers on Facebook.

You can get discounts on your order right now by sharing your order on social media and you can always search online for discount codes and can get 4% cash back on your order when you order through my link if you are signed up and signed into ShopAtHome (sign up here and mention the email mokalyssamd@aol.com.) Want to WIN a $30 credit to CraftCuts.com? Enter the giveaway below!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO EVERYWHERE, JUST UNDERSTAND YOU MAY PAY MORE FOR SHIPPING IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.

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Disclaimer: I received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Tea Review and Giveaway

Even though I am pregnant, I love and crave herbal tea. Sadly, herbal teas like chamomile are supposed to be avoided for the most part during pregnancy because most brands use chemicals and the tea leaves can then carry diseases and harmful substances for unborn babies. When I was at the store, I noticed a line of herbal teas just for women who are expecting or nursing and I just had to try it! Earth Mama Angel Baby sent me their Organic Heartburn Tea and their Organic Milkmaid Tea.

Both of these Earth Mama Angel Baby 100% organic teas are USDA certified, zero toxin, and researched and promised to be safe and effective for expectant mommies. There are also tea varieties of Morning Wellness Tea, Peaceful Mama Tea, Third Trimester Tea, Monthly Comfort Tea, and No More Milk Tea.

The tea that I just tried, Organic Heartburn Tea, is meant for all stages or pregnancy as well as postpartum. Caffeine free, the Soothing Mellow Mint flavor is very calming and delicious. Ingredients include spearmint leaf, chamomile, lemon balm leaf, marshmallow and red raspberry leaf. The marshmallow root is a natural plant used for comforting the soreness of gastrointestinal irritations by coating the mouth, throat, belly and colon. I frequently get bad heartburn while pregnant and the Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Heartburn Tea really did a lot to soothe the burn and it tasted wonderful! I really enjoy drinking this before bed, after a "big" dinner or during a calming bath.

The tea I did not try on for taste yet, Organic Milkmaid Tea, is meant for postpartum breastfeeding. Since I have not yet had my baby and this is NOT FOR USE DURING PREGNANCY, I decided not to increase my milk supply already but I will be very excited to try it in a few months once the baby is here as I plan to breastfeed. I did, however, get a whiff of the tea which helps me to picture what the tea will taste like. The Fragrant Fennel Herb smell was unique, somewhat savory, and delightful. This tea contains fenugreek seed, fennel seed, red raspberry leaf, stinging nettle leaf, milk thistle seed, orange peel, anise seed, caraway seed and alfalfa leaf. (Large amounts of this tea may lower blood sugar, so limit to when needed.) The Organic Milkmaid Tea will have a distinct licorice flavor as it contains both anise and fennel seed. Fennel helps with issues of the gastrointestinal system and to increase milk supply for nursing mothers (it is a "galacagogue" meaning it increases breast milk.) The fenugreek, milk thistle seed, anise seed and caraway seed also all help to increase your supply while the nettle and red raspberry leaf provide many needed vitamins and minerals that will help (along with your prenatal vitamins) to keep your breast milk as nutritious for Baby as possible. This tea is also caffeine free.

I am so happy to have found a calming, healthy, safe herbal tea to drink while pregnant as well as a tea that will help to increase my milk supply for my likely very-hungry baby boy due in November.

You can find Earth Mama Angel Baby retailers here and don't forget to print your coupon! Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Enter to win a box of Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Heartburn Tea and Organic Milkmaid Tea for yourself! This giveaway is open to residents of the United States AND Canada!

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Disclaimer: I received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity.

Soft Scrub Mold & Mildew Stain Remover Gel Review and Giveaway

Our bathroom is not made the best so we have some terrible mold and mildew problems in our bathtub. We have tiling in the bathtub and the cracks always turn brown--it is gross. Since I am allergic to cleaning chemicals, we can't just go bleach it to keep it clean so I was happy we could try out something a little less potent that my husband could use while I was still downstairs.

Before

Soft Scrub Mold & Mildew Stain Remover gel has no harsh fumes and the tip sprays where you want it and not all over the place. Because it is a spray, it actually sticks to the stains and mold rather than just sliding off the top so when you wipe you get all of it, not just the cleaner. "Tough on stains, Gentle on surfaces," Soft Scrub Mold & Mildew Stain Remover is great for many different surfaces including tile, grout, tubs and showers. This product does have bleach in it, but it is nowhere near as strong smelling as straight up bleach.

After

My husband followed the directions on the container (however I do not believe he scrubs very much haha) and he said it worked ok. Of course, we did not achieve the stark white, super clean tile and grout we were hoping for, but it did help to clean up a bit. Our bath went quickly back to the yucky moldy tub it was before, but I think it would have done a little better had my husband cleaned up the mold first and then treated the stains or had we used this a few times in a row. Either way, if you need something to quickly take the edge off your moldy bathroom, Soft Scrub Mold & Mildew Stain Remover gel will do the job.

Check out Soft Scrub on Facebook, get a coupon here, and enter to win a free product below!

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Disclaimer: I am a Purex Insider and received a free product for my review! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity.