Sunday, March 10, 2013

Book Review: Unholy Hunger

About Unholy Hunger

Evelyn Barrett wants to die. As long as her daughter's murderer dies with her, she is ready to go. Why did this man--this stranger--destroy her family? Why has he not been brought to justice? Why is she forced to live a life of anger and grief? Amid a million questions she cannot answer, Evelyn knows one thing for sure: this murderer must be punished for his crime.
Before it all, she was a successful attorney who won all the hard cases. Now that the case is personal, Evelyn will stop at nothing to seek her own version of justice. When another girl goes missing, Evelyn plows forward, ignoring the warnings from police detectives, the pleas of her grief-stricken husband, and the strange, almost supernatural tingles that tug at her. But as she follows the stench of evil, Evelyn learns that the hardest thing she will have to face may not be the death of her child after all. Perhaps the harder lesson is this: the ultimate truth--of crime and verdict, of life and death--cannot be swayed by a mother's revenge.
In this first book of a new, page-turning series, a woman will be brought to her limits before she finally recognizes the movement of the Holy Spirit and reconnects with the source of true peace.

My thoughts about Unholy Hunger

I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a child, especially in such a way as Evelyn Barrett did.  I have seen and heard that when a child dies, often, the parents marriage dissolves soon afterward.  After watching friends go through the loss of their daughter, and reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that one reason so many marriages end afterward, is due to the different ways people grieve and the inability to see that even though they may be grieving differently, they are both hurting.  In Unholy Hunger, I had a difficult time relating to Evelyn, mostly because I tend to grieve more like how her husband grieves.  While I did not "click" with Evelyn, I really enjoyed the characters of her husband and the police officers that were investigating her daughter's murder.  I found Evelyn to be annoying to me, in that she insisted to do what she wanted, with no regard for others, and against the advice of her husband, the police and the Holy Spirit.  Having said that, I can completely understand her motives.



The story moves quickly and has a lot of action scenes throughout.  The story line moves along very well, and the reader can come up with possible conclusions, but not with a comfortable level of certainty.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy crime shows, particularly those like Law and Order: SVU.
Disclaimer
Thank you to Kregel Publications and the author for the above book to facilitate my review.  All opinions are my own. 

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Product review: Nuby SoundBite


Nuby SoundBite

 

About Nuby SoundBite


Nûby™ soft tip Sound Bite™ weaning spoons are designed to make mealtimes fun. The soft tip spoon is perfect for delicate gums and the deep bowl allows mom to get just the right amount of food on the spoon. The Train, Cars & Airplane designs come with their own great sounds to help you keep your baby’s attention for longer while feeding.  You can find these at bestbabygear.com.

My thoughts on Nuby SoundBite 

Do you remember pretending that the spoon was a car, or airplane, or train getting ready to drive into a tunnel as you moved it towards the baby's mouth?  This is the same idea, but these come complete with a small replica of the vehicle and makes the matching sounds.  I got to try the red and blue race car with Sam and he seemed to enjoy it. These are also available in a pink and purple VW Bug-like car, a green and blue train and a green and yellow airplane. I also like that he can easily handle the spoon himself, so when he is ready to fully feed himself, he can still use these spoons.  In fact, my 4-year old always tries to use this spoon when he chooses his own spoon.  It comes as a set of 2 spoons, with 1 sound-making vehicle that easily, but securely, slides onto the spoon when you want to use it.  I simply removed the car when we were ready to wash the spoons and put the spoons in the dishwasher and wiped down the car, if it needed it.  I am not sure how long the sound maker will work and do not see a way to change a battery, but even if the sound eventually goes (it is not showing any signs of going in the near future), you still have 2 high quality spoons and a cute little car that you can then make the noises for.

Disclaimer
I received the above product in exchange for my honest review.




  
Be sure to follow Nuby on facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
 

Friday, March 8, 2013

Get $15 free from Educents

educents


Are you a homeschooler, teacher, and/or a parent, or someone who is otherwise interested in educational products? If so, you will want to be sure to sign up for Educents.  They work with suppliers of educational products to secure group discounts that they offer for a short time on their website. This is similar to sites like Groupon and Living Social.  To celebrate their upcoming website launch, they are offering a $15 voucher for their site to those who sign up before the April 2, 2013 launch date.

Product Review: Nuby SoftFlex Infafeeder



About the product 

 Just as your baby gets used to feeding from a nipple they now have to move to first solids. The SoftFlex™ Infafeeder™ offers a fully interchangeable solution with your bottles and can be used to introduce babies to their first foods. The SoftFlex™ bottle allows you to squeeze the right amount of baby food onto the silicone spoon, which is soft on sensitive gums.  

You can find the SoftFlex Infafeeder at BuyBabyDirect.com, Kohls.com, and Diapers.com

My thoughts 

I found this to be great for when my older kids wanted to feed Sam. As you can see in the picture above, my 10-year old daughter could easily feed him, while she was holding him.  My husband also likes using it because it is less work than continuously dipping the spoon back in the bowl.  The food flows easily from the bottle to the spoon and Sam had no issues with the spoon part.  The only downside I found, was that if the spoon part is not screwed on correctly, the food will come out at the bottle neck when you squeeze.  This is easily avoidable by ensuring the two parts are properly joined. 

I recommend this to those who are caring for babies that are eating smoother foods.  Obviously, as the food chunks get bigger, they will stop fitting through the hole in the spoon.

Disclaimer
I received the above product in exchange for my honest review.
    Be sure to follow Nuby on facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Product Review: Nuby Easy Go Suction Bowl and Spoon

Nuby Easy Go Suction Bowl and Spoon
About the product
The Nuby Suction Bowl with Spoon and Lid is perfect for daycare, travel, or any on-the-go occasion. The bowl is conveniently sized just right for dry cereal or other baby foods and features a suctioned base that keeps the bowl firmly in place during feeding. It also features a lid that seals tightly to keep food fresh during storage. The spoon makes a perfect travel companion because it snaps onto the lid of the bowl for easy storage. And because they are made from break resistant plastics, they are dishwasher/microwave safe and can stand up to the rigors of everyday use. You can buy this product at amazon.com, diapers.com, cookieskids.com, Burlington Coat Factory, Ross and Buy Buy Baby.

My thoughts
This is my very favorite bowl to feed my little guy from and as he grows to feed himself, I think it will still be my favorite bowl.  The strength of the suction is great, even after using it for several weeks, yet it can be easily removed by an adult, via the tab at the bottom.  The top stays sealed and the spoon fits perfectly on the lid, with the "business" end safely covered.  In addition to being leak-proof, it also can hold an unopened jar of Stage 2 baby food inside the sealed bowl. This allows you to carry along food that is prepared at home, or unopened in the jar, making it great to bring along when traveling or to throw in the diaper bag for meals on the go. 

Here is a picture showing that the bowl is leak-proof.  I filled it half-full of water and added some blue food dye.  I then shook it a bit and sealed the lid.  Then I held it on its side so you could see that there was not even one drop that came out.

Nuby Easy Go Suction Bowl and Spoon

I highly recommend this bowl to anybody who cares for small children, from 6 months on up, both those who only eat at home and those who need to bring their food with them.

Disclaimer
I received the above product in order to facilitate my review. As always, my opinion is my own.

Be sure to follow Nuby on facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Review: L'Oréal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

beauty cream

About the product
This product gives the sheer coverage needed to create a natural bare skin finish, while delivering built-in skincare benefits. With four beautifying actions, this all-in-one innovation primes and smoothes, perfects to hide flaws, hydrates all-day, and corrects and evens skin. The product is infused with skincare ingredients like Panthenol, Vitamin E and Glycerin for 24-hour moisturization.

To apply, simply dot on and blend with fingertips. Self-adjusting beads will instantly transform and blend to your skin tone.

L'Oréal Paris Magic BB Cream retails for $10.95 for 1 fl oz. It is available in four shades and is sold at mass food and drug retailers nationwide. Click here to find out more.

My thoughts
To say that I love this, is an understatement.  I do not typically wear make up for several reasons:
  • Takes too long to apply and using just 1 or 2 products never looks "done" to me
  • I can never get the look just right
  • I like to let my natural looks come through
  • I tend to break out with some products 
I am happy to say that  L'Oréal Paris Magic BB Cream satisfies all those concerns.  I can apply it in a matter of seconds, and because it contains moisturizers, which I do typically apply, it does not take any longer than my current routine. The self-adjusting beads, work quickly to give me a clear, natural look.  It covers minor imperfections, leaving me with a fresh face and I have not had any problems with break-outs since I started using it.

The cost is more than I would typically pay for a cosmetic, but because it contains a moisturizer as well, it really works out to be comparable to the items I have bought in the past.

Join the Twitter Party!
We'll be chatting about L'Oréal Paris Magic BB Cream and more beauty secrets at our Twitter Party! Be sure to tell your friends.
When: Thursday, March 7th at 9pm ET
TweetGrid: http://bit.ly/TwZyJS
RSVP: http://bit.ly/loprsvp
Hashtag: #MagicBBCream


Disclaimer
I received a free sample of the above product to facilitate my review.  However, my opinions are always my own.

24 hour sale at Nature's Sleep- 65% off storewide!!!



Springtime is here and Nature's Sleep is celebrating with a March Madness Sale! Everything on their site is 65% off.
The sale starts at 12:01AM EST March 6, 2013 and ends at March 6 at 11:59 EST. That is a whole 24 hours to get 65% OFF memory foam mattresses, memory foam pillows, memory foam toppers, memory foam slippers and even dog beds!
Just use the code: MARCHMADDNESS

*Disclaimer*
This post contains affiliate links.