Missing in Action

Well, as you can tell I've not posted for almost a month now. Life has been busy with appointments and just stuff going on. So many things on the agenda and never enough time. Hubby and boys had their annual camping trip last weekend up north. A few of them came back sick. I happened to catch the stomach bug that someone got and am still feeling rather blah. Poor hubby though got into some poison ivy and it got into a cut. He ended up at urgent care and on a few meds that will hopefully get rid of the swelling and infection soon or he may end up getting iv or shot of antibiotics.

So, I will be back in action hopefully by the weekend. I have lots to share and some photos to post just need to take care of the family first. :o)

Orville Redenbacher's Ready-to-Eat Gourmet Popcorn

We are big popcorn fans at our house so I was excited when we were recently sent a bag of Orville Redenbacher's new Ready-to-Eat Gourmet Popcorn. We got to sample the Classic Kettle Korn flavor. The bag had lots of big fluffy kernels with the perfect mix of sweet and salty goodness. The kernels were fresh and oh so yummy! I had planned on taking a photo so you could see how nice the popcorn looked but as you'll see below that didn't happen. :o)

This is our bag before it was opened.

This is what it looked like after about 5 mins and 6 sets of hands in there!

I guess you'll have to go buy a bag yourself to see what I'm talking about! They come in 4 flavors: Sharp White Cheddar, Classic Kettle Korn, Farmhouse Cheddar and Signature BBQ. I am sure there is one for you. These are just hitting the store shelves and would be a great snack to take along to the beach or on a summer road trip. Of course sitting out on the deck in your own backyard is a perfectly good spot to snack on it too!

You can find out more by visiting Orville Redenbacher's website here or their facebook page here.

* I was given this sample free to review courtesy of The Dish and ConAgra Foods. Opinions are my own.

Filippo Berio Olive Oil

I have been a member of BzzAgent for many years now and I am currently on a campaign for Filippo Berio Olive Oil. I use olive oil all the time and was so excited to participate in this campaign.

Olive Oil has so many health benefits and it's tasty too. Olive oil is naturally free of cholesterol, trans fat, salt, sugar, and gluten. It's also very versatile.You can use it for sauteing, as a marinade, and as a dressing for salads just to name a few.

Here I used it for sauteing zucchini & onions and also some carrots.

You can find more about the healthy benefits of olive oil here.  You can also find out more about Filippo products there too.

*I was given a free bottle of Filippo Olive Oil to sample as part of this campaign from BzzAgent. You can find out more about BzzAgent at their website http://www.bzzagent.com/

 

Crowdtap & Old Navy Bottoms Bonanza Party

I was recently picked to do an Old Navy Bottoms Bonanza Party from Crowdtap. This was my first party/sample share so I was just thrilled when I found I was chosen. I received coupons for 3 friends and myself to pick out a pair of bottoms and shoes from Old Navy. What could be more fun than shopping with the girls!

The closest Old Navy was at the local outlet mall so of course we had to visit a few other stores once we picked out our pieces from Old Navy. :o)

There were so many great pieces to chose from. We could pick from shorts, jeans, capris, and skirts. Oh, the decisions! We found so many we liked.

Once the bottoms were picked out we went to tackle the shoes. They had so many to choose from. All types from cute wedges to pretty flats. Lots of color to be found. We all decided on comfy espadrilles and fun flip flops.

Of course we picked the right day to go becasue they also had some cute t-shirts on sale for $5 so we couldn't pass those up. We had such a fun time thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap!

If you'd like to find out more about Crowdtap go here. You can earn rewards by taking polls and participating in these type of sample parties. :o)



Nature's Sleep Memory Foam Slippers Review

I was recently offered the opportunity to do a review for a pair of Nature's Sleep Memory Foam Slippers. I was so happy because I wear slippers year round. My feet are always cold and I'm always looking for something comfy for my feet!

Open toe in mocha color.

They currently offer two styles- open toe or closed and a variety of colors for each. The slippers come in S,M,L,XL. They say for women to go a size down because they are unisex slippers. I am a size 9 and went with a medium. They were a little tight at first and my heel does touch the end but after wearing them for about 2 weeks they seem just fine. If you like your slipper to be on the bigger side then I would suggest going with your regular size.

These slippers are soft, comfortable, and have rubber soles on the bottom so I don't have to worry about slipping on my tile floors. They keep my feet warm but not too hot. Tile floors tend to be cold and I don't like cold feet! They are also great because I can run outside if I need to and I don't have to worry about ruining them.

If you'd like to try out a pair yourself you can check out their website www.naturessleep.com . Use code BEARS50 and they will give you 50% off any purchase you make from their site. Of course they don't just offer slippers but they also have memory foam mattresses, pillows, and even pet beds! So everyone in your house can get a good night's sleep!

You can also visit their facebook page and enter to win a mattress! Just look for the "Win a Mattress" tab on their page. They can also be found on twitter.

* Nature's Sleep gave this pair of slippers free of charge to me in exchange for a review. Opinions are my own.

Squishy Body

We are currently studying the human body for science. My boys have been waiting for forever to take out this lovely Squishy Body I found. It's just been calling their name ever since I ordered it. We were finally discussing the organs and it was time to take it out and explore.

It came with a book with details about each of the parts and also how to put them back in the right order. This is a great addition to our Apologia Science we are currently using. I love hands on stuff. I also ordered a squishy brain from this same company so when we get a little more into the brain we'll take it out.

You can find these lovely Squishy Body in many places but I purchased mine from SmartLab Toys. They are also on facebook. If you sign up for their newsletter you can get a discount. They also do giveaways on facebook for different items from their website.

* I purchased this product with the discount when I signed up for their newsletter. I am not being compensated for this post. I just wanted to share the fun "toy" I found. I did however win a Weird & Wacky Contraption Lab from their giveaway a few months back. It's how I found out about their fun products.

MACHE conference

This past Friday and Saturday I attended the annual MACHE homeschool conference. This year it was held in St. Paul. This was my 7th year attending and I look forward to it each year. It rotates between St. Paul, Rochester, and Duluth.

There are 3 sessions each day and somewhere around 10-12 topics  each session. Sometimes it so hard to pick which ones to attend. Although there is generally 1 session that nothing really jumps out at me and I do some shopping. There is always a used book sale and then the large area of vendors.

I love being able to talk to the vendors and check out all the curriculum that's out there. Plus there is usually a good discount or the nice bonus of not having to pay for shipping.

Normally a few of my mom friends and I make a weekend of it and stay at a hotel and get some girl time in too. This year my good friend Julie and I just drove down and back each day. We still had a great time visiting and enjoying all there is at the conference.

They did a great job with lunch this year. It was a sort of one time through buffet. They had Chinese, Italian, and soup/sandwich stations. I was impressed for sure! Although I about had a heart attack when I saw that my can of Diet Coke was $2. Yikes!

I came away encouraged as always and brought home some great learning materials for our homeschool!