My Story Series Review & Giveaway!

If you're looking for a classic Bible story to share with your child in a fun new way than the My Story series from Tommy Nelson will be perfect for you!  These books are an interactive way to share some of these well known Bible stories with your kids.

Kids are used to hearing stories about their favorite Bible heroes—but what about from the perspective of the heroes themselves? In this My Story series from Make Believe Ideas, heroes come to life as they tell kids their life stories from a first-person perspective. At the end of each book is a “Sticker Journal”. Kids can place these 64 story-themed stickers into the stories, adding another element of fun!  I know my son LOVES any kind of sticker, so the kids will love this aspect of the book.

With his coat of many colors and abundant faith, Joseph is a favorite character of many children.  In My Story: Joseph, the hero tells of his amazing life and story that children treasure from the Bible. Kids will learn from Joseph’s story to always trust God, no matter what the circumstance, because He will see them through.

Children have long heard the story of David and Goliath, but they’ve never heard it straight from the young hero’s mouth. In My Story: David, the young shepherd with enormous faith tells kids about his decision to fight the Philistine soldier mocking the tribes of Israel. Children will learn that trust in God helps them to do great things, no matter their size! 

Giveaway ends 1/13 at 11:59 p.m. EST
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Christmas ornament crafts with Oriental Trading Company

Oriental Trading Company is your go-to place for FUN inspiration!  They are the nation's largest direct merchant of value-priced party supplies, arts and crafts, toys and novelties, and a leading provider of school supplies and affordable home décor and gift ware.  They serve tons of customers through colorful catalogs and the Internet and offer more than 40,000 products to meet the needs of all kinds of businesses, not-for-profit organizations, individuals, schools, churches and teachers.

Oriental Trading Company has so much awesome and affordable Christmas related products!  They have everything you could possibly need to celebrate the holidays- decorations, crafts, candy, toys and stocking stuffers, party supplies, ornaments, and advent calendars.  I said everything and I really meant it!  I regularly shop at Oriental Trading Company for so many different things that I use at school as a teacher and at home as a mom!

I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to review a couple of the ornament crafts from Oriental Trading Company.  Pretty much every year I use at least one ornament craft with my students during our winter holiday party.  This year I chose for them to make Blue Snowflake Layered Christmas Ornament Craft Kit and the Peace, Hope, & Joy Ornament Craft.

These ornaments were prefect for my 2nd graders!  They had a blast making these during our holiday party centers.  Each ornament crafts comes individually packaged with all of the supplies needed to make the ornament and directions.  This is great for class projects or even for girl scout crafts or to do as a little party craft with your kids and their friends.

 

The layered felt snowflake ornaments were gorgeous and perfect for a winter themed party if you aren't celebrating a specific Christmas theme.  My students were able to make these completely on their own with just a little help folding the pipe cleaner in the beginning and tying the string on at the end.

These were bigger than I expected (about 8") and turned out beautifully.  The kids absolutely loved them!

The Hope, Peace, & Joy ornament crafts were also a hit! 

Each piece on this foam ornament is self- adhesive- including the jewels.  As a teacher I love this because that means there's no messy glue to deal with and every piece will actually stick when the kids put these together and not fall off 30 minutes later.   My students made these their own by deciding exactly where they were going to put each jewel.  I did hot glue the hanging string to each of their ornaments when they were finished to make sure the string would stick.

Right now is the perfect time to pick up some ornament crafts for next year since a lot of them are up to 65% off!  You can connect with Oriental Trading Company by liking them on Facebook or following them on Twitter or Pinterest.

Disclaimer:  I received these ornament crafts for free in exchange for a review of my honest opinion.

Teach My Preschooler Kit Giveaway!

  Hosted by:  Momma Lew's Blog  Sponsored by:  Teach My  Thank you to Squishable Baby & From ABC's to ACT's for Co-Hosting this Giveaway! My Life According to Pinterest and a group of great bloggers are excited to bring you this great giveaway!  Teach My Preschooler is an award-winning all-in-one learning kit for children ages 3 through 6.  
Read Momma Lew's full review here to find out more about this great kit!     One lucky reader will win their own Teach My Preschooler kit (ARV: $39.99).  To enter, follow the steps in the Rafflecopter below.  Giveaway is open to US residents, 18+, one entry per household.  Winners have 48 hours to claim their prize and all winning entries will be verified.     Giveaway will end on 1/1 at 11:59pm EST. a Rafflecopter giveaway   Good luck & Thank you for entering!

Holiday Wishes with Pear Tree Greetings

Spread the holiday love with Pear Tree Greetings, offering a unique collection of high-quality cards and stationery.

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Pear Tree Greetings offers a ton of items from their Holiday collection, including a spinning picture wheel, stand-up frame card, and trend-forward designs such as vintage polka dots, sparkles and more. The air may be chilly but our hearts are warm!  Whether you're looking to spend a little or a lot this year on your Christmas cards this year Pear Tree Greeting has you covered with wonderful personalized card options.  These are just a few of the tons of options they have available for you to choose from this year for your holiday cards.

I received a $30 credit towards any card I wanted to purchase from Pear Tree Greetings.  I did a little holiday photo session with Little Guy in my backyard and I knew exactly what photo I wanted for whatever card I picked out.  

How cute does he look here?

So, after some editing I perused Pear Tree Greetings holiday and Christmas cards to decide which design I wanted this year.  I didn't want to overspend on cards since I knew I needed a lot.  Plus, I wanted a simple design to highlight Little Guy's adorableness!  

After a lot of debate (with myself), I chose the Photo Paper Favorites Carols Vertical.  

I loved that this was a nice big 5x7 size and printed on high quality photo paper with a semi-gloss finish. With this card you can choose from three different Christmas carol lyrics (Merry and Bright, Deck the Halls, or Oh What Fun) to add some fun to your card.  I chose Merry and Bright and added our name and the year.  The design process on the website was super easy and user friendly!  And, in no time I had my photo cards ordered.

When they arrived I was in LOVE!  They are super cute and simple.  I love that, if family wanted to, they could even frame the top part of this photo to keep year round.  Grandma even commented on the fact that she loved the 5x7 size of his card.  These lovely photo cards were also totally affordable.  I ordered 75 with envelopes for $30.00!  That's even less than 75 traditional holiday cards would cost!

We've got our card up on our fridge now and it looks fantastic! 

Now all I have to do is stick the rest of them in the mail!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. 

Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

25 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for your 1 Year Old

Little Guy will be 15 months this Christmas.  I was struggling with what to fill his stocking with this year, so I did a little research and came up with these 25 stocking stuffers that would be perfect for a one year old.

1.  Playdoh
2.  Little books or bath books
3.  Fruit pouches
4.  Finger Puppets
5.  Little People characters
6.  Sippy Cup
7.  Toothbrush/Toothpaste
8.  Socks
9.  Bath Toys
10.  Balls
11.  Maracas or Egg Shakers
12.  Fun Magnets (shapes, numbers, letters, family photos, animals)
13.  Box of Animal Crackers
14.  Toddler Silverware
15.  Pacifiers
16.  Animal Figurines
17.  Bubbles
18.  Big Crayons/ Markers
19.  BabyLegs Leggings
20.  Harmonica
21.  Stickers
22.  Character Band-aids
23.  Hair accessories
24.  Teethers
25.  Beanie Baby or small stuffed toy

Hope this helps with your stocking stuffing this year!  Anything else we should add to the list?

Create one of a kind photos with iCaughtSanta.com!

Liven up your holiday photos this year with http://iCaughtSanta.com!

You can add Santa or Rudolph to a family photo to create a cool Christmas eGreeting Card, share the image with friends and family, scrapbook it or use it to create a fun button photo for you to wear. Choose from a variety of Santa poses and themes - sleeping Santa is a favorite. And don't forget to add Santa to a pic in front of your Christmas tree - just imagine the look of wonder and surprise on the faces of little ones when they see proof that Big Red is real!

Here's a couple of photos I created with iCaughtSanta.com.  The first one is my Christmas tree from last year- now Santa's right in front of it!  In the second photo I have Santa playing with my little guy in the family room.  So much fun!

Just visit iCaughtSanta.com and create your special photo.  Then use the code SantaShare and you'll get your photos totally for FREE!  This code expires December 10, 2013 so and you can use it as many times as you like!   

Disclosure:  I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Easy Cranberry Holiday Tablescape {Sharing is Caring Blog Hop}

 

Today I decided to share with you this super easy holiday table centerpiece I made this week!

As I've been browsing Pinterest the last few weeks I saw a ton of cute ideas using cranberries.  Well, at Publix last week, in honor of Thanksgiving, cranberries were BOGO, so I picked up two bags.  I simply found 3 different glass vases that I had already and filled them with fresh cranberries.  That's it! 

I used this for Thanksgiving dinner with my fall colored tablecloth and then was easily able to make it work for my Christmas decor by changing the tablecloth and adding the tree in the center of the table.  I really love the look of the whole arrangement and the color of the cranberries is perfect for fall and transitioning into the Christmas season.

This post is part of the Sharing is Caring Christmas Blog Hop hosted by Life With Lovebugs,  Powerful Mothering and Pam’s Party & Practical Tips!

All of the blogs listed below are sharing Christmas themed posts as part of this event, so click on one or all of the links below to find some great recipes, tutorials, crafts and more!

Lässig Glam City Diaper Bag {Review & Giveaway} #santashelper

Welcome to the Santa's Little Helper Giveaway Hop!

Hosted by Viva Veltoro and So Easy Being Green

We all know that everyone could use a little help around the Holidays, so for this Event I've teamed up with over 50 other bloggers to be your Santa's Little Helper... giving away prizes that anyone would want to see under the tree! You might find the perfect gift for a little one on your list - or even for yourself, so hop around to all the blogs, including the GRAND PRIZE, on the linky at the bottom of this post!

Happy Holidays!

Today, I'm giving away a Lässig Glam City Tote Bag!

Lässig is a German based company where “Live Lässig” is not only their motto, but a lifestyle for the whole family. The Lässig philosophy, from their employees to their products, is that of living with spirit and style. They design beautiful and functional products and make and manufacture them sustainably using nontoxic and environmentally-friendly components.  All of their  products are super stylish, durable, comfortable and easy to take care of. Lässig even uses organic and recycled materials in many of our products. You can be sure that your products from Lässig have no PVC, azo dyes, phthalates, nickel or cadmium in any items!

I was so excited to review a gorgeous bag from Lässig!  I was sent the Glam City Tote in Brown.  I was really looking for a functional diaper bag that could also pass as a regular purse.  I've had a couple of different diaper bags and have yet to find the one that I also felt could totally replace my purse, so I was always carrying around two bags.  Well, my search is over!  The Glam City Tote is perfect.  It's functional and stylish!

This diaper bag comes with everything you'll need including: shoulder strap, stroller straps, changing pad, thermal bottle holder, and a small zippered pouch.  Inside the bag there are tons of pockets for all the the things you know you always have to carry around.  It's a baby friendly and mommy friendly bag! There's a cell phone pocket, several elasticized pockets, make up pocket, zippered pockets, and even a insulated pocket for the snacks you may need to keep hot or cold! There even a key holder- hook your keys to the key ring and from then on you can hook them to your bag.  No more lost keys or digging for your keys at the bottom of your purse!  I love this feature since I have one to many panic moments each week when it takes me a little too long to find my keys when I'm out and about.

The Glam City Tote is so roomy!  You will definitely be able to fit absolutely everything you need in it. In fact, this past weekend when I went to Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house, I was able to fit all my normal diaper bag essentials plus a crocheted blanket and my little guy's Sleep Sheep!  Now, I didn't have it zipped, but it was so nice that I could stick in my bag and leave my hands free to carry all the other stuff that had to come in (booster chair, baby, etc...)

The fabric bag is 100% polyester with sassy faux-leather trim and closes completely at the top with a long zipper that keeps everything easily accessible, yet tucked safely inside.  It can hook to your stroller, which is so convenient.  I never had a diaper bag that had the stroller straps and I did not know what I was missing!  I love when you use these that your bag is high up so that you can easily reach right inside while you're walking around.  Makes getting those snacks and sippy cups that much easier.

I love my Lässig Glam City Tote and I definitely recommend it for any moms out there looking for a stylish and functional diaper bag!

Giveaway open to U.S. only and ends at 11:59 p.m. on 12/16.

Entry-Form

 

The Hosts of this Hop have put together a Grand Prize Package for a lucky little one! This Santa's Little Helper is going to deliver to one lucky reader... a $100 Gift Card to jrfashionista.com and a $100 Gift Card to Pediped.com to get that little one styling, a $75 Gift Card to Hearthsong.com and a $50 GC to Build-a-Bear to satisfy their Toy List, and a Crane USA Adorable Cool Mist Humidifier and Nightlight so they can sleep soundly waiting on St. Nick!

Enter the Grand Prize Here.

So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Santa’s Little Helper participating bloggers 
are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

 

Christmas Gift Guide Giveaway Event!

Welcome to the 2013 Christmas Gift Guide Giveaway Event!

A celebration by Ashley Suzanne

It's the start of the giveaway event that I've been waiting and preparing for for months-the Christmas Gift Guide bash in honor of my favorite holiday of the year! Ashley Suzanne is giving away TWO fabulous prize packs to celebrate! All these giveaways items will be perfect for those on your Christmas list! I'm so excited to start off this awesome event!

The first Prize Pack is open to

US and CA

and includes:

Little Green Pouch Starter Kit - ARV$38 Simple and Stunning Gift Certificate - ARV $40 Halo SleepSack Wearable Blanket - ARV $27 Cole Haan Mini Johnny Strap - ARV $44 Jack and Lily Footwear Choice - ARV $30-$38 Smart One 3.0 Diaper - ARV $25 Raspberry AI2 Shell and pack of AI2 inserts - ARV $$21.90 3-Pack Pick and Draw cards - ARV$30 Pick and Draw Activity Book - ARV $12.89 Frecklebox $30 electronic gift card - ARV $30 The Legend of Ranger Book - AVR $11.66 Copy of book: The Sparkle Box - ARV $19.99 Chicken Soup for the Soul: It's Christmas! - ARV $15 Wreath of choice - ARV $25 Stock-It-Pockets - ARV $24.95 Complete set of Baby Santa books - ARV $45 Oh Deer Pouch - ARV $20 Pick Your Plum Box - ARV $25 Thermal-Aid Blue Bear - ARV $15 PetiteLemon.com gift card - ARV $25 Single Growth Chart of Your Choice - ARV$115 The Big Top Circus Mystery - ARV $12.99 Digby Differs - ARV$17.99 Hank Finds an Egg - ARV $16.99 Mystery at the Museum - ARV $12.99 Simpson's Sheep Won't Go to Sleep! - ARV $16.99 One free year subscription to ABCmouse.com - ARV $79 Giant Microbes Gift Set - ARV $61.79 Ripley's Believe It or Not! Gift Set - $69.90 Personalized Birthday Crown - ARV $20 Tovolo Breakfast Gift Pack - ARV $51 The DaddySwag Gift Set - ARV $89.95 Mountain Green Baby F & C Gift Set - ARV $24 Mountain Green Cleaning Gift Set - ARV $29.91 Harlequin Book Gift Set - ARV $80 Light Gray Cable Knit Poncho - ARV $85 Galerie Anais Three 8x10" Prints - ARV $46 Rolly Polly Ball - ARV $35 Kinderfeets Balance Bike - ARV $100 GlassDharma Gift Card - ARV $100 Daddy Diaper Pack & Bag O' Books - ARV $119 Charlie Diaper Bag - Cocoa Brown - ARV $159.99 A Family pack of Headphones - ARV $90 THEBOSSI STUDDED black bag - ARV $199

Total Value - $2157.88

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  The second {and final} Prize Pack is open to

US ONLY

and includes: Baby Handprint Kit - ARV $8.00 Onesie Extenders - ARV $15 Simon & Schuster Book Gift Set - ARV $33.95 Outfit of Choice from Rock Me - ARV $52 Live Clean (Baby) Gift Set - ARV $30 2 in 1 Deluxe Baby Beduga Diaper with insert - ARV $15 Nappy and T-Shirt Gift Set - ARV $30 Balboa Baby Stroller Liner - ARV $35 Pliers + 100 White Snaps - ARV $25 Little Love Buns Detergent - ARV $15 WubbaNub Little Lion - ARV $16 SoftBums Velcro Omni Shell+One Size Dry Touch Super Pod - ARV $30 One-size Buttons Diaper Cover & 2 Daytime diaper inserts - ARV $18 Kungpoo Diaper + Insert - ARV $15 Baltic Amber Teething Necklace - ARV $18.99 7oz Wide Mouth Thermal Baby Grows Up Kit - ARV $29.99 Rumparooz G2 - ARV $25.95 Witch Littles: Magic in the Garden 5 Copies - ARV $74.75 Now Write! Screenwriting - ARV $14.95 DolphinOlogy 10 Copies - ARV $49.50 BAILEY BERRY Shoes - ARV$28 Random House Children's Books Gift Set - ARV $38.97 Twas The Night Before Christmas Book - ARV $14.95 2 pack of KleenSlate's Double Sided Hand-held Whiteboard - ARV $15.99 Too Scoops Kids/ milkPOP t-shirt - ARV $45 Precious Pink Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener - ARV $24.99 Vamplet Doll & Bottle of Blood - ARV $20 Happy Napper - ARV $24.95 DreamWorks Holiday Collection - ARV $19.98 Paige & Paxton Book Series - ARV $28 The Adventures of Lily Lapp (three-book set) - ARV $39 Zoo Babies TOOB - ARV $11.99 Gift Code to Chic Canvas - ARV $50 Three-Pack of Cotton Diabetic Socks - ARV $26.85 1 DOZEN COOKIES - ARV $25 5' LoopRope including two 3.5" LoopClips - ARV $23.95 EatSmart Precision Elite Digital Kitchen Scale - ARV $49.95 Small Bronze Neater Feeder with leg extensions - ARV $37.98 Budget Sock Monkey Kit - ARV $13 5 Keeki Pure & Simple Non-Toxic Nail Polishes - ARV $50 Black & White Chevron Turban Twist Headband - ARV $12 Houndstooth Button Earrings - ARV $4.50 Thermal Tote - ARV $18 GiftCard.com Gift Card - ARV $25 Planet Wise Sports Bag - ARV $24.99 WallsNeedLove Gift Card - ARV $50 'Anomaly' by Krista McGee 2 Copies - ARV $20 White or Cinn-Swirl BreadCat Pillow - ARV $32 Scented Scoops Ice Cream Playset - ARV $30 Sweet Creations Cupcake Carrier - ARV $29.99 Polka Tots Baby Gift Set - ARV $78.89 Freshly Picked Moccasins - ARV $60 Follow Me Fred - ARV $24.99 Starry Night Mobile - ARV $59.99 Happy Family Just for Baby Gift Set - ARV $75 Little Pim Language Discovery Set - ARV $59.99 Summer Infant RestingUp Napper - ARV $59.99 Baby Magic Gift Set - ARV $55 Sunny Spot Studio Gift Card - ARV $50 Personalized Puzzle - ARV $29.95 8"x10" Canvas Print - ARV $44.71 16x20 Canvas Print - ARV $78.99 LynchCreekWreaths.com Gift Certificate - ARV $25 Vicks Germ Free Cool Mist Humidifier - ARV $79.99 Red Wine Aerator - ARV $29.95 White Wine Aerator - ARV $29.95 Spirit Aerator - ARV $29.95 Trucker's Friend - ARV $59.99 BB Blocks - ARV $40 "KEY TO MY HEART" Key Calendar Necklace with Swarovski Crystal - ARV $80 Statement Necklace - ARV $34 Zipz Shoes - ARV $55 Dare You To by Katie McGarry - ARV $18 Savvy Dealz Gift Set - ARV $100 Erin Condren Design Gift Card - ARV $50 24oz Bohemian Flower Wrap Tervis - ARV $19 6 Genie Bra's - ARV $90 Tree Hut Gift Set - ARV $50 Chevron Cast Iron Paper Towel Holder+Chevron Cast Iron Spoon Rest - ARV$60 BNTO lunchbox adaptor+Wide Mouth Cuppow - ARV $16 Nature's Baby Organics Gift Set - ARV $125 Baby's First Book - ARV $72 SimpleSnug AI2 w/Stay Dry Insert - ARV $22 NUK Gift Set - ARV $100 2 Poopsies - ARV $70 Original & Urban Bundleme - ARV $90 Boppy® Gift Set - ARV $120 Lorex Sweet Peek Video Baby Monitor - ARV $180 6 Grovia NB AIOs & 30 Cloth Wipes - ARV $105.70 2 Glow Bug Cloth Diapers - ARV $25 Janiebee Quilted Nap Mat - ARV $119 Newman's Own Organics Gift Set - ARV $100 Sampler Pack of Proteins & Milk Gift Set - ARV $70 A Year's Supply of Laundry Detergent (4 bottles) - ARV $85 Cuisinart 4 Quart Cook Central - ARV $129 Honeywell True HEPA Tower Allergen Remover - ARV $189.99 6.5' Full Pre-Lit Brighton Fir Tree - ARV $519 State Heart - $29 Pink Lining Diaper Bag - $125 Pebbles Jones Gift Certificate - ARV $50 Elena Double Bangle by Isabelle Grace Jewelry - ARV $118 Colors of Africa Bracelet & Earring Set - ARV $100 Mod Gift Card – ARV $25 Giraffe Bath and Body Wand – ARV $29.99 “Colors For Your Every Mood” Pack – ARV $109 Whitening Lightning Dial A Smile – ARV $399 Core Bamboo Serving Set – ARV $123

Total Value - $6161.27

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Disclosure: The winners will receive their prizes from the sponsors above. Ashley Suzanne and other participating bloggers are not responsible for prize shipment and fulfillment. Please allow up to 12 weeks for all prizes to be processed and shipped.