Moms- Win a $10,000 Scholarship

Is going back to school on your dream list? Balancing life, family, and your career can be overwhelming. Give yourself the tools you need and go back to school and take control of your future. 

Enter to win before December 13th by clicking on the picture above or use this link. Please note- this is an affiliate link which means I may be compensated if you choose to sign up. I am only sharing this offer because I feel that it is of value to my readers. 

If going back to school is a goal for you in 2014- click on over to Scholarship4Moms.net today and Good Luck!

Disclosure:  This post contains an affiliate link which means I may be compensated if you choose to sign up. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A Whole Lot of Shaking going on with Ice Cream Magic

Have you ever made your own Ice Cream? I have fond memories of picnics at my Aunt’s house where they would slow churn perfect peach ice cream, so when Idea Village asked me if they could send me a free Ice Cream Magic to review I said yes. Of course I knew nothing would compare to my Aunt’s Ice Cream, but hey- this product sounded like just the type of fun my daughters and I would love. 

About Ice Cream Magic:

“Ice Cream Magic- A personal Ice Cream Maker makes fresh, soft-serve ice cream in about 3 minutes of continuous shaking. Any flavor you like. Just shake it and make it!”  

 That sounds easy enough.

Our Review:

  Ice Cream Magic’s pamphlet has yummy sounding recipes on the back so the girls were eager to get started.  We washed and dried our cute little cup and spoon and got out our ingredients. We didn’t have heavy cream, only half and half, but we figured it would work just fine. 

I let the girls take point on this project, so the first attempt was messy good fun that tasted like a yummy Peppermint milkshake. 

They perfected their recipe and method and made some wonderful tasting Vanilla soft serve ice cream the next go around. We didn’t achieve store bought soft serve consistency though, but that may have been because we didn’t use heavy cream like the recipes called for. I’ll pick some up the next time I’m at the store so we can try again.

Our Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream

Helpful Tips:

• Moms- be warned: this is a messy endeavor, so prep your table or counter first. The lids do not stay sealed very well while you are shaking. And 3 minutes of continuous shaking may not sound like a lot- but once you set the timer and the kids start shaking, you may very well have to take over the task before the timer goes off.  I did with my 10 year old. If you have little ones, I would suggest taking turns.
• We found that if you put a hand on the top of the container and try to shake up and down only – not sideways at all, there was less mess.

All in all we were happy with the results we got with Ice Cream Magic. It’s not as easy as Prepare, Shake, and Enjoy like their advertising says- but it was fun and if you are like me, having fun in the kitchen with your kids is awesome. 

Ice Cream Magic would be a great gift or stocking stuffer and is affordably priced. I found one listed at Amazon for $11.35. *Please note* This is my affiliate link and I receive a small commission if you buy from it.

I hope you found this review helpful. Tell me, do you make your own ice cream, or remember a time when you ate homemade ice cream? Share your story in comments!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Almost Wordless Wednesday- Waiting on Winter

When December rolls around we Kinsman's want to drink this:

 

And bundle up and walk around the local town square on a crisp December night to enjoy these:

Come on Mother Nature, stop toying with us here in middle Tennessee with your 72 degree days!

We need a little Christmas Now! 

What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? 

Get Your Holiday Cards Done Quick and Easy at #Cardstore (sponsored)

Happy Cyber Monday! Have you been enjoying all the excellent cyber deals today? Well I’ve got one more to share with you and I know you are going to like this deal because it is a time and money saver! I'm happy to be participating in this campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Cardstore. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating however all opinions are my own.

Let’s talk about Greeting cards folks! Are you one of those great people that enjoy the whole process, or are you like me and procrastinate until the last minute and then you find yourself rushing to get them postmarked on time?   

Cardstore can help us!

About Cardstore: 

“Cardstore is an innovative online resource, removes the hassle from mailing out holiday cards. Once you create your custom cards with personalized pictures, messages, and signature, Cardstore will print, stamp and send the cards for you – helping to take one huge item off your already full holiday to-do list.”

Salvation!

Cardstore wants us to be able to own the top of the mantel this holiday season by sending beautiful and thoughtful Seasons Greetings to friends and family members. 

I really like this card.

Source

The Savings:

Go visit Cardstore today 12/2/13 for their Cyber Monday Deal – $0.99 flat cards! Saving time, money and making helping us #ownthetopofthemantel? Thank you Cardstore!

I hope you will find this deal as helpful as I did. As always, thanks for reading and Happy Holidays! 

Disclosure: I participated in this campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Cardstore. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Supporting Small Business Saturday

Later today my family and I will be shopping at several small businesses to do our part in supporting our community. My husband and I are small business owners and while his business isn't holiday sales driven - unless you are in the market for custom furniture and cabinets, my small business is. As an Avon Lady- Holiday sales make up much of my 4th quarter revenue.  I invite you to shop with me and Avon today!

We have sales galore and are offering FREE shipping through December 2nd! Just go to my website HERE and enter coupon code : CODEBLACK at checkout.

Here are a few of my favorites all on sale! 

Glimmersticks

Ever Lasting Foundation

Skin So Soft

Avon Jewelry!

I thank you in advance for your support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I wish you a happy Saturday full of fun and bargains. 

Do you have a favorite Avon product? Please share in comments! 

Disclosure: I am an active Avon Lady who will earn a commission on sales should you shop with me via the links provided above. I very much appreciate your support!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Simple

Source

From Our Home To Yours. 

Things to remember to be Thankful For:

Source

And I am Thankful for you! 

Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

1 Girl Nation CD Giveaway

Got a tween or pre-tween in your life? Do you want to encourage them to listen to uplifting music that is Christian based with clean lyrics?

Yes?

Then you are going to want to enter my Giveaway for the 1GN CD, which is being sponsored by FlyBy Promotions. FlyBy sent me a free CD to listen to with my daughters and all opinions expressed below are ours and may differ from yours. Before we get to our review or giveaway, I'd like to share a little bit about them. 

About 1 Girl Nation:  

“Landing in the space where One Direction meets Toby Mac, 1 girl nation is an exciting blend of upbeat pop music, with lyrics that are focused on living for God, even while you’re young.” 

Their current single While We’re Young is getting a lot of radio play, so you may have already heard them. You can learn all about 1 Girl Nation by visiting their website, following them on Facebook and Twitter or watching them on YouTube.

Our Review:

Talk about a trendy looking all girl group! The 5 young ladies in 1GN have trendy covered.  They may dress to impress (what tween doesn’t like sparkles?) but what these 5 girls really want to share is their passion for Christ through their music. And they do that on each track on this CD. 

Their lyrics are heartfelt, if not a little predictable and I found myself humming along to a track or two. On the flip side- some songs are sung in such a way that I want to leave the room. These ladies have gusto and talent. 

My daughters liked this CD much more than me- which is the point after all. Teens and Tweens are their target audience.  Having said that, both my daughters agreed, a little 1GN is all you need so they play one or two songs at a time, not the whole CD. This CD would make a perfect stocking stuffer!

The Giveaway:

One reader will win the 1 Girl Nation CD which has a mini-size poster on the back side of the lyrics. 

Entering is easy using the Rafflecopter form below. Just do the first task on the form and then other options will open up for you to do. No purchase necessary. Open to US residents 18+.  My WAHM Plan is not responsible for prize shipment. See full terms available on Rafflecopter form.

Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

#TBT- Blogger Style

Happy Thursday, or as I like to say- Happy Friday Eve Dear readers! As you may or may not have noticed, I've been real quite this week. The reason is quite simple- cold and flu season is here and the girls brought home something gnarly and shared the love. 

When I got the idea to do a throw back Thursday post- I laughed and went into a coughing fit when I searched my archives and saw what I was talking about this time last year. Oh- the irony of it!

It was a review for Halo oral Antiseptic Spray. 

Why oh why didn't I remember this product and the great review I gave it? 

Do I suffer from short term memory loss? Was I too sick to remember this stuff helped me not get sick last year?? It could have saved us from this funk- which wasn't the flu thankfully- but still, made us all feel really bad. 

The answer to these questions are in fact a mystery- but having Halo at the ready is not. I've got some now and will spray each family member as they come through the door this afternoon and evening. 

You may want to click on over to my review here and see if Halo may be a good fit for your family too.  If you do decide you'd like to give Halo a try- visit their website first and print yourself a $4.00 off coupon. 

Saving and staying well. How's that for a cool #TBT post?

Disclosure- I wasn't compensated to share this information and no affiliate links are included in this post. Just helpful information. 

Helpful Homemaking- Baking Prep

It’s getting close to total de-clutter and clean time here at my house in preparation of the Holidays, so before I share some of my sanity saver tips on de-cluttering, I wanted to share a tip sure to please all you bakers out there, which includes yours truly. :)

A Handy use for Lemons past their prime:

Source

 Okay, so the pretty Lemons above certainly aren't past their prime- but I just couldn't bring myself to snap a picture of my old Lemons and put them here on the blog- so you'll just have to go into your kitchen and find your own old Lemon and before you chuck it- cut it up instead and use it to clean! 

My Tip:

Quickly get odors out of wooden bowls, cutting boards and rolling pins by  rubbing them with a piece of lemon. Don’t rinse off the juice! The wood will absorb the lemon juice. And you are good to go. Easy-Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.

The kitchen will smell so good; your family may think you’ve made lemon bars! Mmm… lemon bars. I just may whip some up. Do you have a great lemon bar recipe to share with me? Let me know in comments!

Happy Holidays!

November Finds Me- Many Things

Happy Friday Eve! This has been a growing sort of month for me and I wanted to share a little of it here with you in my monthly “feelings” post.

November finds me:

I know some of you are thinking that these feelings aren’t news worthy, or maybe even post worthy since practically everybody who has an online account on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest are sharing their hearts out. You could be right- maybe this type of sharing is being done too much- but today, this is where my heart is because of recent interactions with friends, family, acquaintances and complete strangers.

1. I have so much to be thankful for that I couldn’t possibly list them all here, but today I am especially thankful for: My own car that runs anytime I need it. This week I’ve chatted with a lady who doesn’t own her own car (or her own home for that matter) and has to schedule her day around others to get around. Another lady, who is a stay at home Mom is a one car family, so she’s stuck at home all day- everyday while her husband goes to work.

2. I’m happy that my life is an amalgamation of domestic know -how and business savvy which allows me to continue being a work at home Mom.  I don’t earn a whole lot of money- but I save us a lot!  With the rising cost of childcare- I am so very happy I can be at home for my kids and family.  

Look at these startling stats:

In 31 states plus D.C., the cost of center-based care for an infant is higher than a year's tuition at a four-year public university.- The average annual cost for two children (an infant and a 4-year-old) in a childcare center ranged from about $10,000 in Mississippi to nearly $30,000 in Massachusetts! You can read the full report here. 

3. I’m peace with my age and stage in life. I’m officially a Tween! I’ve moved past having children and I’m nowhere near ready to be a Grandma- so I’m a tween right along with my tween. 

4. I’m hopeful for what next year will bring. We are on the cusp of good, good things.  I can feel it.

5. I am blessed with the ability to be me. I’ve gone throw some growing pains this year and my wonderful husband- my best friend for well over 20 years, has remained my constant and true biggest fan, as have my daughters. To be honest- this blog would not still be here if not for their unwavering support. Blogging is a creative endeavor with a whole lot of moving parts. Growing a blog is like gardening, it is never ending, but with each season you see fruits of your labor. Some seasons are sweeter and more bountiful than others.  

6. I am loved. And I know it. I am secure in it. If all the material things our society seems to covet fell away and I had to face my tomorrows with nothing but this love I have and those that bestow it, I would be A-Okay.  

So as we edge ever closer to the end of November, I ask you – how does November find you?