Veggie Tales - Celery Night Fever!

"Broccoli! Celery! Gotta be...

Veggie Tales!"

I can't even express to all of you how excited I was when I opened up that email and learned that I was chosen to do a review of Veggie Tales - Celery Night Fever! I had grown up watching Veggie Tales and just hearing the theme song brought back fond memories of Bob and Larry and Vacation Bible School. The Pirates That Don't Do Anything has always been my favorite but they're all so good in their own way. Fifteen plus years later though, I have a son and I am so excited to let him watch this with my niece and nephew. The amazing part about this though, is that I was just as excited to watch it as they were! Veggie Tales is and always has been really good at really good at making movies interesting for the entire family.

In 1993, Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki created Veggie Tales through their company Big Idea Productions. Since then, they have created 45 Veggie Tales episodes, 13 compilations, and three feature length movies. Their work is now available on Netflix and in stores on DVD and Blu-ray as well as on cable TV like NBC. Veggie Tales has always been so good at taking real-life situations and teaching children about them and how to deal with them in a kind and Godly way. At the end, Bob and Larry always talk about a scripture that portrays to the lesson and taught children so much about the Bible and the stories inside it. Celery Night Fever is their newest creation and, I must admit, I absolutely loved it!

While I obviously wasn't around in the 70's, I can thoroughly appreciate the groovy music and psychedelic suits. The entire story is all about forgiveness, from Laura Carrot and Junior Asparagus having to forgive each other to The Groovy Brothers having to get past their old grudge and forgive each other and Bruce Onion, voiced by Terry Crews (yay!!), even learns a few lessons. At the end of the movie, we learn that God has forgiven us and we need to be able to forgive each other too because, in the end, forgiveness helps everyone.

After we had finished the movie and enjoyed the bonus features like the sing-alongs and checked out the downloadable activities, my niece and nephew said they loved it and asked when they could watch it again. I have a feeling this will be a family favorite for a while! I am excited to let you all know though that your families will have a chance to win your very own copy! I will be hosting a giveaway in the (very!) near future where you will have a chance to win your own copy of Veggie Tales - Celery Night Fever! Be on the lookout!

Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway, which may contain affiliate links. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I received a DVD in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.



Mr. Pete, Where Are Your Feet (Review)

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to review a very cute looking book, little did I know though that it would be one of the best books my son and I have read together.




Mr Pete Cover Page

Mr. Pete, Where Are Your Feet by Katherine Bartlett is such a cute book about a little blue parakeet who sees his mother every day and each day she asks him, "Mr. Pete, where are your feet?" He soon realizes that he is missing a toe and tries to figure out where he has left it. Soon, different types of birds try to help him figure out where his toe has been placed, but he soon learns something much bigger. When his mother comes to see him again, he is worried that she will not love him as much because he cannot find his toe, but she reassures him that he was born this way and she loves him just the way he is, with or without the toe.

This is such an important lesson for children to learn. As children grow, they become more and more aware of the differences that they have from other children and differences that other children have from them. With so much diversity in our world, it is vital that children learn early on that they will be loved and respected, regardless of how they look. Instead of Pete's mother pretending he was the same as the other birds, she acknowledged the difference head-on and explained that she loved him just the same as she loved the others. This helped Mr. Pete understand and accept the fact that he was different and learn to love it. This is exactly what children need and the sooner they can learn this, the better!

As a preschool teacher, I strive to teach children about differences and loving diversity every day and I know they would absolutely love this book. Along with the bright, bold picture and learning about different types of birds, this would be a wonderful way to teach them to loves with own differences and the differences that others possess. I look forward to purchasing a copy of this book and reading it again with my son and with my students!

 



Click HERE to go to the Amazon.com page for Mr. Pete, Where Are Your Feet so you can read more about the book and purchase your own copy!

** All thoughts, opinions, and words in this post are my own **

Smile Brilliant Giveaway

Welcome to the

Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening Tray Giveaway!

The giveaway is sponsored by Smile Brilliant and hosted by Merlot Mommy.

I'm so excited to bring this giveaway to all of you! Your smile is one of the first things people notice when meeting someone new and no one wants to be self conscious about their smile. This product is absolutely amazing and I wish you all luck!

With all of the foods we eat, even with great dental hygiene our teeth can become stained and yellowed over time. Want to learn more about a great home teeth whitening system from Smile Brilliant with professional quality results?Merlot Mommy had a chance to try out the system and loved it. You can read the full review from Merlot Mommy.

Enter to win your own Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening Trays Kit (ARV $148.95) by using the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entry is optional. All entries will be verified. Open to continental U.S. residents ages 18 and older. One entrant per household. Neither Merlot Mommy nor any of the other participating blogs are responsible for prize fulfillment.

New Baby Needs Giveaway!

 

New Baby Needs Event Is HERE!! We Are Excited To Be Celebrating These New Additions!!

Joy Of Momma Joyner and This Mama's Life have just added new babies to their families! To celebrate, they have teamed up with an awesome group of bloggers and wonderful sponsors to bring you great products that a New Baby Needs! ONE WINNER will walk away with this whole prize package worth over $1250! The Prize Package includes items from these sponsors:

Halo – SleepSack – $29

Pish Posh Baby – Baby Jogger Vue Stroller – $199

Undercover Mama – Nursing Tank Top – $35

Fairhaven Health –

Making Mama’s Milk Cookies – 1 Month Supply Of Cookies – $48

Avent –

Tiny Love – NEW Tummy Time Fun: Under The Sea – $30

Applecheeks – Applecheeks Bundle – $30

Tommee Tippee – Colorful Bottle 3-pack – $24

Little Toader - Teether - $10

Baby Shusher - Baby Shusher - $35

Buncha Farmers - stain remover, 3 varieties of our hand made manuka honey soaps, hand sanitizer, body and facial skin cream - $39

Buttons Diapers - 3 Diaper Covers and 3 Daytime Inserts - $43

Baby Box Company - Baby Box - $150

Clever Relish - Wipes Case Cover - $15

Levana - Oma+ Powered by Snuza - $99

Bobee - Diaper and Wipes Dispenser - $40

Hairbow Company - Outfit - $20

Aden + Anais - Dream Blanket - $50

Mixie Baby - Mixie Bottle - $20

PediPed - 1 Pair of Originals - $35

MAM - Cooler Teether and Oral Care Rabbit - $12

BabyBjörn - Bouncer Balance Soft - $199

Chewbeads - Jane Necklace - $30

Ciinolin - Swaddles and Baby Steps Cards - $55

GlowBug Cloth Diapers - Diaper and Insert - $13

PRK Products - Baby Food Organizer - $25

So, what do you think? Ready to enter? It’s simple! Just fill out the Giveaway Tools Form below. There are plenty of entry options, and the more you do, the better your chances of winning are! The New Baby Needs Event Prize Package is open to all legal residents of the United States who are 18-years-old or older. This event will run from 12:00am EST Sunday, June 1, 2014 through 11:59pm EST Sunday, June 22, 2014. Best Of Luck!

Entry-Form

Disclaimer: Joy Of Momma Joyner, This Mama's Life, and all the participating blogs are not responsible for the fulfillment of the prizes. The sponsors will send the prizes directly to the winner. We are also not responsible for any unfortunate accidents that may result from the use of any of these products.

Make your own Disney Family Decal

He ya'll!

I found something that I think you will ALL love! The Build Your Disney Side website is letting everyone make their very own Disney themed family decal right now FOR FREE! Yes, 100% free, no shipping costs or anything! Have fun with this, there are so many different options for clothes, accessories, and even backgrounds. The site has been known to run a little slowly, so be patient because this is totally worth the time and effort!

Take care and TTYL <3

Click here to start making your own Disney Family Decal

 



My UniVoxBox from Influenster

A few months ago, I was fortunate to stumble across a website called Influenster. It is a fabulous site where you can review and share your opinion about products as well as read what other people say about them. I've also used it a few times to ask questions about products and see what others may say about something I've thought about trying but wasn't too sure. Along with the product reviewing, there is also a really fun part of Influenster where you can unlock Expert and Lifestyle badges to earn more points. I personally think it's really fun because there is a to-do list where you can find out what you still need to.

If you're fortunate enough, you can get an email from Influenster saying you're being considered for the upcoming VoxBox. VoxBoxes are AMAZING! Like, seriously... Amazing! A VoxBox is a box filled with products either from one brand or a few different brands. They can contain either a wide variety of products from various companies or it can have a few different products from one company. You can qualify for one by unlocking those badges I was just talking about,  you'll get another email saying you've been approved for the box and that you'll receive it in a few weeks. The day I went to the post office and got that yellow card saying I had a box waiting for me made me feel like a little girl that had just won a prize! It was all I could do to not skip all the way back to my truck with my little UniVoxBox!

Once I got home, I immediately sat down and started opening my box. The first thing I pulled out was the NYC New York Color Expert Last Lipstick . WOW! Can anyone say "PINK!" I received the lip color in "Forever Fuchsia" and the color pops so well. It's also super-moisturizing and the color stays put instead of smearing everywhere. I did the whole "put the lipstick on and then buy a coffee at Starbucks and take a big long drink" test and it totally passed! My only recommendation, because I prefer a little more of a shine, is topping off with a tiny bit of a clear gloss to give it that extra oomph. Now here's the kicker... It's only $1.99 at most drugstores (prices vary, of course!) and you can't beat that! It's comes in 19 other shades so I can't wait to see what other beautiful shades I can find this in!

Next was the Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation. I have such a hard time finding a foundation that doesn't irritate my skin so I was a little skeptical about this one, but it totally worked for me! It went on smoothly and didn't have the oily, greasy feel that most foundations unfortunately possess. It was nice and light and didn't clog my pores either, which was a nice surprise. It was a bit on the light side for my complexion though, so I'll definitely be buying this foundation, but I'll be on the lookout for a darker shade next time.

Next was the Broadway Nails imPRESS Manicures. I got the "Chic Mystique" print and oh my goodness... ADORABLE! It was such a cute print and they went on surprisingly smoothly. These definitely aren't the fake nails that I used to put on when I was a little girl. You get quite a few different sizes so you're all but guaranteed to find the size you need for your nails and they come in prints, colors, and glitter for a total of 36 styles so there's something for everyone! You can find these in most drugstores and supermarkets for $5.99 for colors and $7.99 for prints, so they're also reasonably prices. I am sad to say though, that while these are supposed to be able to last up to a week, these gave me four hours worth of cute nails. So while I wouldn't say to wear these on a weekend getaway, they would work real well for a party or get-together!

The Pilot Acroball Pure White is my new favorite pen! When I pulled it out of my box, I thought it would be just another pen, nothing special. But this is called a "hybrid" pen because it has the smooth writing and glossy color of a gel pen combined with the quick drying of a ballpoint pen so I was intrigued. I had a research paper to write for my Art History class and I decided to give this pen a shot and it was great! Usually, by the time you write an entire page, you have ink on the side of your hand and a few smudges around the page but not with this pen! It wrote smoothly, didn't blot or have any breaks in the ink, and it was comfortable in my hand the entire time. The pen comes in a pack of four for about $4.99 and is worth every penny in my opinion!

Red Rose Real Tea Premium Water Enhancers... YUMMY! I got the Black Tea Water Enhancer in my UniVoxBox and I loved it for a few different reasons. There are no colors or dyes added, just real brewed tea that has been lightly sweetened. There are 24 servings per bottle, but you can make the water as strong or as light as you would like so that varies a bit. The bottle is small and compact so you can bring it wherever you would like, which helped me start drinking more water while I was out. There is caffeine in the Black Tea, so I had to be careful with how much I was drinking since I breastfeed, but most people wouldn't have a problem with it. I haven't been able to find this in stores,  but I found it for $4.99 on www.redrosetea.com

The last thing in my UniVoxBox was a box of Playtex Sport Fresh Balance. Now, I'll be completely honest with this one... I haven't been able to use these. Yet. Nothing against the product, I just haven't had the chance to use them. What I can tell you though, is that it has 360 degree protection which, as any girl that has ever used a tampon can tell you, is very important! You don't want any spotting... Ever. There is also an Odor Shield, which is also very important. You want to be as comfortable as possible when "Aunt Flow" comes to visit, you don't want to worry about having an unpleasant smell lingering around.

All in all, I am very happy I had the chance to receive the UniVoxBox from Influenster and do a review of the wonderful products! I got an email recently saying I was also approved to do a review of two more VoxBoxes, one virtual and one that I'll be receiving in the mail soon, so be on the lookout for more blogs on great products!

Take care and TTYL!

Sara ;)
** I received all of these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes **

I'm Baaaaack!!

Hi everyone! If you haven't noticed, I've had to take a bit of a break from blogging. There's been almost three months of love, loss, personal development, and learning.

Back on February 28th, I celebrated my 25th birthday. This is no big deal to most people, but for me, it was a bit huge. I am (roughly) a quarter of the way through my life and I'm here thinking, "What have I done with my life?!" Now, I know I've met the man of my dreams, given birth to the two most beautiful boys EVER, and have started an amazing career with my Child Development education, but what else have I done? Have I, in my 25 years, made any bit of a difference to anyone? Have I done anything on my bucket list that I can brag about? I've only left the country twice and that was just going to Mexico! I want to go to Italy, I want to see a giraffe in it's natural habitat, I want to know I've made a difference in the world, even if its just a small one. I want to read Oprah's book list, stare in amazement at the beauty of the Northern Lights, and witness a miracle. I have a bucket list with over 100 things on it, and my new goal for the next five years, along with finally getting my degree, is to check off a few of those things.


In March, my family and I unfortunately went through A LOT! March 3rd, I started a new job working as an aide in a special needs preschool. I thought I was prepared for it because I'm familiar with children with special needs, but I had no idea what I was getting into! Its so amazing though and I feel so fortunate to be able to work with those children and the other teachers in the classroom. I wasn't planning on working until Aaron was at least a year old, but this is only for five hours a day, four days a week, so it's great. Early March, my beautiful Great-Grandmother Eileen was hospitalized after having numerous strokes back to back. She had had a lot of health issues so a few people in my family weren't too concerned because she was always able to bounce back, but something just told me this wasn't going to end well. That was something I would gladly have been wrong about. Mid-March, we got the phone call we were hoping wouldn't come. She had passed away. Because she lived out in Wisconsin and we live in California, we weren't able to attend the funeral, but we were definitely there in spirit. A few days later, my uncle was then hospitalized after having a heart attack. He had a few other health problems as well but we all expected him to come through. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and we had to say goodbye. I was incredibly close to him and this was so hard on me. We went down to Southern California to visit my aunt and let her know we were all there to support her and it felt so strange going out to dinner and not seeing my uncle. Just a few months before that, we were all together and introducing him to our son, and now all we had left were memories. After losing Edward, loss has manage to hit me incredibly hard, so March was a ridiculously hard month for me. I had to take care of Aaron, work and take care of the children there, continue with my schooling, all the while keeping it together after the two losses.


April was a bit more enjoyable, while still insanely busy! I had a week off of from college classes, just in time for a crazy busy week at work. Then, I was able to help my future brother-in-law plan his proposal to my sister! I've never seen her happier than when she is with him so I was more than happy to help him and it was such a beautiful moment! The surprise was almost ruined a few times, but we pulled it together and my sister is now proudly sporting a gorgeous engagement ring!


May is now here (WOW!) and I am so happy to be back doing what I love! While I am still a full time mommy and wife, a student avidly working on that degree, and a preschool aide, I am once again in a great place in my life and am here blogging. I have three blogs that I can't wait to bring you all and much more in the works!

I'm back, and I have so much in store for you all!