American Girl Isabelle Doll – Must have Gift for Girls

December 18, 2014 by Danielle 2 Comments

Disclosure: The Isabelle American Girl Doll mentioned below was provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

My girls absolutely love babies and dolls. They have always been big fans of babies but are now truly starting to love the big girl dolls. They have been a fan of the American Girl Dolls for awhile, but nothing can tell you about the excitement level in my house when they opened up their Isabelle Doll from American Girl.

About American Girl:

At American Girl, they celebrate girls and all that they can be. That’s why they develop products and experiences that help girls grow up in a wholesome way, while encouraging them to enjoy girlhood through fun and enchanting play.

They have a wide variety of products that they offer which include:

American Girl Characters
My American Girl dolls
Bitty Baby
American Girl magazine
American Girl Retail Stores
Books
e-books

They hope that their stories, characters, and more speak to girls everywhere, helping them become all that they can be.

About Isabelle Doll:

Meet Isabelle, the 2014 Girl of the Year. She’s an inspired dancer who discovers her own way to shine. The 18″ Isabelle doll has sparkling hazel eyes that open and close, and long blond hair styled in double twists for dance class. Your girl can even add a pop of color with special pink-tipped highlights that she can attach to Isabelle’s hair.

Isabelle comes with:

A sequined coral tee–a glittery ballerina graphic
Metallic denim pants with knit cuffs

Stocking Stuffers for Dad

December 7, 2014 by Samantha 1 Comment

Looking for a few little “somethings” to stuff in dad’s stocking this year? Check out these fun books that are sure to make him laugh- and be fun (and even useful) as well.

World Bottled Beers: 50 Classic Brews to Sip and Savour

This is actually what the book looks like- a bottle of beer 🙂

“A delightful gift for any discerning beer drinker, this shaped book features 50 of the world’s best brews from Adams Broadside in the UK to US classics such as Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot and the unmissable German lagers and wheat beers that include Ayinger Celebrator and Schneider Weisse. For each beer, a shaped bottle image is accompanied by detailed tasting notes and a list of other similar beers to try. Beers range from best bitters and IPAs to stouts and porters, Trappist ales and oak-aged brown ales to lagers and wheat beers. The author, Adrian Tierney-Jones, is an award-winning beer writer.” The book is available for $10.72 at Barnes and Nobel.com.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, Holiday Gift Guide, review Tagged With: book, books, Holiday Gift Guide 2014, men

BLACK FRIDAY DEALS From Cricket Magazine

November 27, 2014 by Samantha Leave a Comment

BLACK FRIDAY DEALS

As a special offer, I wanted to share Cricket’s great deal for Black Friday/Cyber Monday this weekend!

A 12-month gift subscription to Cricket Magazine, filled with stories and activities that will make kids smile and foster a lifelong love of reading, is just $20, with the special #GiftofReading Black Friday/Cyber Monday Promotion code that saves shoppers 40% (subscriptions are regularly $33.95). That includes both a print subscription delivered to kids’ mailboxes monthly and a digital subscription too.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, family, kids, review Tagged With: cricket, magazine, reading

Belfry’s Christmas Gift – Children’s Book

November 26, 2014 by Samantha 2 Comments

If you are looking for a sweet book to add to your Christmas collection this year, Let me suggest “Belfry‘s Christmas Gift“, the second book in the ‘Tales of Little Overhill’ series. Written by Mike Joens, this adorable tale revolves around Belfry, a cute woodland animal who is trying to think of the perfect gift to give to Theo for Christmas. Along the way, he comes across the village curmudgeon, who he tries to befriend.

According to my son (7 years old), he says that in the book, “it shows just because you look mean on the outside, doesn’t mean that you are really a bad guy. And God loves you how you are, no matter what.”

Belfry’s Christmas Gift is a really great book for kids of all ages, to tell the true meaning of Christmas. The book is also fun for them to hear, and the animals are always a good touch for children (what child doesn’t love animals?). The book is beautifully illustrated by Len Simon, with the images and expressions just right for kids. The animals are cute and cuddly (well, most of them!) and the scenery is pretty- we all know that we are visual creatures, and that the illustrations for kids especially are nearly as important as the story to keep them interested. They will love both the pictures and the story here, and it’s available now in time for the holidays for just under $15.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, Holiday Gift Guide, holidays, kids, review Tagged With: books, Christmas, kids books

Sparkup Reader–Outstanding Toy for Kids

November 13, 2014 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Disclosure: The SparkUp Reader mentioned below were provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

I absolutely love reading to my children. Occasionally I am gone at bedtime or have to be out of town. I always want to still be able to read with my children as they are going to bed. I know that it isn’t always possible, but it would be great if it was. SparkUp Reader has made it possible to read a variety of books to your child at anytime.

About SparkUp Reader:

Sparkup is a privately-held company based in Israel. It is managed by young parents who understand first-hand the challenges facing children’s reading and playtime experiences in a digital era. The investors and management team are passionate abou enhancing the lives of children and their families.

The SparkUp Magical Book Reader is a revolutionary devices that clips directly on to any picture book and reads it aloud in your voice. You can record the book yourself, in any language, and add your own personal touches, or download professionally recorded stories, complete with sound effects, directly from the Sparkup website. While recording, Sparkup’s tiny camera takes a picture of the book’s front cover and each page. later on, when a child connects Sparkup to the book, Sparkup immediately recognizes its front cover. Sparkup follows the child’s place and reads aloud as he or she turns the pages – even out of order.

Southern Living- “What’s For Supper” 5-Ingredient Weeknight Meals cookbook review

September 17, 2014 by Samantha 1 Comment

I am not a creative cook. At all. What I am is good at following directions.

I live by my cookbooks- but some of them like to get all “fancy” on me, and during the week, who has time for that? Really. Not your average mom with kids, not your working parents- not many people. Sure, you bust out the fancy cooking now and again, but for regular nights- you need something that is fast, easy, and that everyone will eat (but still has nutritional value and is good for them).

That’s why I love this particular cookbook- Southern Living’s new “What’s For Supper” 5-Ingredient Weeknight Meals compiles fast and easy meals for those busy weeknights spend doing homework, driving the kids hither and yon, and getting home from work later then we really wanted to (or in my case and the case of those who work at home, not getting it all done as fast as I had hoped to), and still trying to get the laundry done. This really is a “must have” for busy parents- yes, you can always play on pinterest or get your google on, but this is just so easy to have it all in one place for easy access- and the meals are so easy to prepare without having to have a culinary degree to make. (Those books just make me nuts…I don’t have time to learn cutting techniques, I just want to get dinner on the table.)

If you are in the market for a new cookbook, want to try out some new recipes to shake up your dinners (hey, we all get in ruts), or just love to cook- try this one out, it has become a favorite in my house. (It really is fast!) Pick yours up on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, cooking, review Tagged With: book, book review, cookbook, cookbook review

Messy Beautiful Love- a book review

September 17, 2014 by Samantha 2 Comments

All of us who are (or have been) married know that there are times when we wonder if we are “going to make it”. We hit those spots, those impasses, and we don’t know if we can get through them- or if we even want to anymore. This book is about one couple’s road to recovery, and why this wife feels there is hope for any marriage.

This book is very, very Christian- as a Christian myself, it was pushing the lines of my own personal beliefs. The author has very strong beliefs that I personally do not share, and for this reason, the book was not my “cup of tea” so to speak. It offered good advice, and if you do share the beliefs of the author, you might find that you are able to get more out of it then I was.

Here is more information about the book-

Messy Beautiful Love: Hope and Redemption for Today’s Marriages.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, review Tagged With: book, book review

The Walk-In Closet by Abdi Nazemian

August 2, 2014 by Samantha Leave a Comment

A great summer book, this story is a fun, quick read. The heroine of the story, so to speak, is in a very close relationship with her homosexual male best friend. So close, in fact, that most of his family and friends believe they are dating seriously and will be married. He is closeted with them, and afraid to tell them who he really is for fear of rejection and because they have roots outside the country. Her relationship with him is so close that it hampers her having any others besides a few close female friends who know what the “real story” is.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: book review Tagged With: book, book review