Mama Mirages Reviews and Giveaways

And the winner is...

2011-06-01T08:25:00.000-06:00

Bet you thought I forgot, didn't you? ;) Ahem well okay maybe I did... *blush* but I have a very good reason for it! *grin* My baby brother got married for one thing and we were out of town at his wedding! It was so beautiful and the bride and groom just radiated joy! Then while we were still away from home I began to get very sick- morning sick. All day except the mornings. Of course. The bun in the oven has been making life pretty icky feeling lately. It was getting really bad. I got help in the form of a prescription last night so hopefully I will be able to function for the rest of the queasy period now. Said bun in the oven is doing great btw. :)
Alrighty now on to the giveaway. Wow three whole entries. Guess I've been out of the giveaway loop for too long! ;)

Congratulations to Stephanie!

Hope everyone has a great Father's Day!

CLOSED A Mother's Day Giveaway and an Announcement!

2011-05-08T15:33:00.002-06:00

Hello to all those who are moms, those who have a mom, want to be a mom, are married to a mom, adoptive moms, pregnant moms, and anyone else possibly not covered who is in some way connected to a mom! ;) I know I promised a giveaway in time for Mother's Day and I did not get that put up before now. I found out that I'M EXPECTING (!! *happy dance* !!) another little blessing and the morning sickness combined with a flu and seasonal allergies has had me pretty much sidelined lately. Also my own mama is fighting cancer and it seems like she may not have many more days or weeks with us so this Mother's Day with her still here is something to celebrate indeed.
As for the giveaway, I had planned a very mom sort of book for the prize but things did not work out; everything not "I'm pregnant!" related totally flew the coop for a while there! Nevertheless I promised a giveaway and a giveaway you shall have!

A while back, I was blessed to be chosen to receive one of Best For Babes' fundraiser packages (thank you Earth Mama Angel Baby!!!!) and in it there were gobs of awesome goodies! You should seriously check these supersized breastfeeding goodie boxes out. Valued at hundreds of dollars more than they are being sold for, these fundraiser packages include products from Stokke, GroVia, My Brest Friend, Moby, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Halo, Melinda G, Milkies, Motherlove, and more! In this amazing package that Earth Mama Angel Baby most generously gave me was a gift certificate for $15 to A Mother's Boutique which I am going to put up as the giveaway prize here starting today.

Before entering, please read my Discloseure post! If you would like to win the $15 gift certificate, here's what how to enter:
1. FIRST before any other entries you must be a follower of either this blog or my personal blog. I will check. Leave a comment on this post telling me which blog you follow and include your email addy so I can contact you if you should win.
After that you may do any of the following in any order for extra entries, as specified:
2. Tweet with a link to this giveaway up to once a day. Please put the link to your tweet in a comment on this post so I can check! One entry per daily tweet.
3. Blog about this giveaway up to once a day, again please leave a link in the comments as proof. One entry per daily blog post.
4. Post about this giveaway on Facebook once a day. Again, link please! And again, one entry per daily post.
5. Tell a friend about this giveaway! Limit one unproveable verbal spreading of the word per entrant. ;) One entry per entrant.

Giveaway will run today, Mother's Day, 5/8/11, until 2 weeks from today on Sunday, May 22nd.
This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada.
Prize is a $15 gift cert to A Mother's Boutique which I currently own. (I own the GC not the boutique... hehe...)
I have not been paid or compensated to mention Best For Babes, Earth Mama Angel Baby, A Mother's Boutique, or any other entity mentioned herein. I am doing this giveaway on my own, not in association with any other person or company.
By entering this giveaway you affirm that you have read and agree to my Giveaway Guidelines in my Discloseure post!

Online Curriculum REVIEW: The Factor Tree (math K-6)

2011-04-14T21:10:00.003-06:00

The Factor Tree is an online state testing inspired math curriculum for K-6th grade. I tried out this curriculum with my 4 year old daughter and am writing this review as part of a word of mouth campaign for BzzAgent.com. My opinions are 100% uncoached and honest. I got a free trial and I'm telling you about this product to either warn you about how much I hated it or rave about how much I loved it! ;)

My 4 year old really enjoyed this curriculum. She wanted to do more than the daily work every time. I will admit that I wound up being without a computer for the last 3 weeks of my 1 month review trial so I only got to use it with her for about a week. During the week I was able to use it though, she was totally crazy about it and I could really see her counting skills improving every day. Her 2 year old brother was getting excited about it and wanted to do it too! Please note that the 4 year old is my oldest child and I cannot say if the program is as fun or effective for the higher grades as it was for the Kindergarten level, or moreso.

The benefits we found from using Factor Tree are
-my daughter loves it and constantly begged to do more,
-the graphics the kids are supposed to count are cute and brightly colored; interesting and easy to see,
-the tests would be easy for a child older than my daughter to do alone and correct themselves,
-I could see daily improvement in her math skills.

The things we did not like about the program are
-The site is a bit confusing to navigate,
-The detailed parent reports were not helpful to me; I wanted graphs, charts, and lists of what numbers she was having the most trouble with counting up to and past. I didn't want to have to search through each page and make notes of her score on each one and then compile my own statistics based on the data. I wanted that done for me. I don't want the ability to check each page manually taken away because it could be helpful in some cases, but I DO want the reports to be broken down for me into charts and graphs ALSO.
-My daughter would push Enter to get to the next page and her unsteady toddler hand would shake or hold a fraction of a second too long and accidentally wind up skipping multiple pages. A blank score on these pages was counted as a wrong answer and neither her nor I even knew these pages had been skipped or how to tell for a long time. When I finally DID figure out how to tell if the previous page was "wrong" [in our case it was 95% of the time that my daughter's hand had shaken on the Enter and accidentally skipped (a) page(s) rather than that she had actually counted wrong], I realized that even when we did go back and fix the accidentally skipped pages, the accidental skipping had already "ruined" her howevermany-in-a-row-correct streak.

Overall this site was very enjoyable and helpful for my 4 year old. I did not find the parent dashboard to be helpful for me, possibly because my child requires my supervision to use the program so I was there with her seeing everything I could have seen on the parent interface anyway. I am considering subscribing to The Factor Tree for my daughter's math curriculum this year (we homeschool). I have confidence the developers will work out the kinks and this site will become more user-friendly, which was my only issue with it.

If you would like a 2 week free trial to see for yourself if The Factor Tree is right for your kids, please go to http://www.thefactortree.com/ and sign up with the code "BZF" - no credit card is required for your free trial. If you choose to subscribe after your trial, it's $20 per month per student.
If you have any questions about my experience with this product, feel free to ask in the comments and I will respond as quickly as I can! :)

A big thanks to BzzAgent and The Factor Tree for giving me the chance to try this out! :)

BOOK REVIEW: "Journey To Riverbend" by Henry McLaughlin (Tyndale)

2011-04-03T01:54:00.002-06:00

TITLE: Journey To Riverbend

AUTHOR: Henry McLaughlin

GENRE: Christian Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-4143-3942-9
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: "Michael Archer is nothing if not a man of his word. Though he was unable to save Ben Carstairs, Michael is determined to carry out Ben’s dying wish: to be reconciled with his father. Unfortunately, Sam Carstairs, one of the most ruthless businessmen on the frontier, has no use for his own son, much less a man of God seeking reconciliation.
Soon after arriving in Riverbend, Michael meets and falls for the stunning Rachel Stone while waiting for Sam to return from a business trip. Beautiful yet guarded, Rachel seems to be running from a past as dark as Michael’s.

When word reaches town that Sam has been kidnapped on the stagecoach home, Michael offers to join the search party formed by the local sheriff. With a budding romance behind him and a dangerous rescue ahead of him, he sets out on the trail, determined to complete his journey no matter the cost."

MY REVIEW:

Well, it has been a very long time since I've been impressed by a work of Christian fiction and I was thus quite surprised to find myself enjoying this book very much!

There are three main characters in this book. Sam Carstairs is all set to be the villain of the tale and winds up a victim of the consequences of his own evil choices. I flip-flopped between detesting him, and pitying him, and even occasionally admiring him. Rachel Stone struggles to continue being a new creation in Christ after being rescued from a life of prostitution. Caught in the middle between the townsfolk's unforgiveness of her past and the Redeemer's forgiveness, she strives to keep a right perspective. Michael Archer has a difficult past of his own but now he's on a mission to make amends with stranger Sam Carstairs on behalf of his estranged and now-deceased son Ben Carstairs. Michael arrives in Riverbend to find that Sam is out of town, and while he's passing the time until Sam returns he falls in love with Rachel. Rachel isn't sure if she has it in her to ever love and trust a man again. Sam doesn't arrive home on the stage- he's been kidnapped! Michael joins the search for Sam and the book takes a turn for the sinister and suspenseful...
As I said I was quite impressed with this book. It keeps it's Christian focus. I find alot of Christian fiction novels throw God in there as an afterthought but this book does not. The main characters were a little less defined than I like and the who's who was a tad hard to follow at times. The story was gripping and I was up until 3am trying to finish this book because I couldn't put it down. There were a few parts that were a bit too descriptive and/or unnecessarily gruesome for me so I would not recommend this book for immature readers. Overall I liked it very much and give it 5 stars out of 5.

I reviewed this book for Tyndale publishers in exchange for a free review copy of the book. No other compensation was received and I was not told what to say. My opinions, good and bad, are my own and have not been coached or influenced in any way.

You can read the first chapter HERE.

Giveaway Highlight - Pedipeds @ Piece Of Me

2011-03-29T14:45:00.000-06:00

Hop on over to Piece Of Me to enter to win a pair of Pedipeds baby/kid shoes! I really liked these:
http://www.pediped.com/Product/ProductInfo.aspx?id=19
Wouldn't they be great for Easter?? :)

BOOK REVIEW: "Tithing - test me in this" by Douglas LeBlanc

2011-03-10T11:11:00.001-07:00

TITLE: Tithing; test me in this
AUTHOR: Douglas LeBlanc
GENRE: Spiritual Growth & Christian Thought
ISBN: 978-0-8499-4608-0

PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: "Stories of people who live a generous and happy life (and why you'll want to live that way too.) Journalist Douglas LeBlanc travels the nation to talk with believers whose lives have been enriched by the ancient spiritual discipline of tithing. He discovers people along the way who do not understand the practice as an onerous law but as God’s call to a life of generosity and compassion. The effect on their lives is dramatic. LeBlanc talks with a variety of believers—from a pastor in the south side of Chicago to progressive Episcopalians, from an Orthodox rabbi to an Eastern Orthodox priest and his wife. By holding their gifts with open hands, they are drawn deeper into a life of joy and sharing that begins in the very heart of God. A volume in the eight book classic series, The Ancient Practices, with a foreword by Phyllis Tickle, General Editor."

I hate doing negative reviews but I believe a review isn't worth anything if it's not honest so: I was hoping that somewhere in this book it would talk about the history of tithing in depth. How and why it started. How it became such a taboo in our culture. I was hoping for all this in addition to real life examples of people who have been blessed by tithing. But all I found were the stories. And they were disorganized, difficult to read. Sometimes hearing the story in the person's own words loses something when it's put into print. Especially if the author interrupts the story with back story and other relevant and irrelevant factoids at certain points during the telling. I found myself having to read that last sentence or paragraph that I just read over and over again until I finally got it. Add to that the increased confusion of an ordinary Christian with Baptist and Mennonite background trying to comprehend Episcopal terminology, and it was a very difficult read. Some chapters I re-read as many as 4 times trying to follow them but my mind kept wandering and just wouldn't seem to track the story.
Not all the stories were difficult to track though. Some were just plain creepy. Like the doctrine of the interviewee is scewed and contrary to scripture and they are preaching it like it's gospel and reading that just gave me the shivers. One or 2 of the stories toward the end were actually interesting enough for me to stay focused and get something out of. All in all it was not an impressive read. I kept waiting for a final chapter to touch on those pesky historical and cultural questions I opened with, but none was forthcoming. I think the answers to some may have been scattered throughout the book but the lack of fluidity and understandability confounded any ability I may have had to mentally tie them together into a complete thought.
Cons: This book was very hard to focus on, difficult to understand, hopping around, breaking up, and scattered. Difficult to get anything out of except an irritation over the time I spent trying to get into it and failing miserably.
Pros: A couple of the people interviewed had some good things to say about tithing and our current culture.
Bottom line? I'd give it 1 out of 5. I wouldn't read it again, I wouldn't recommend it to others, but I may flip through it and read the few good quotes again. Reading it felt like hiking up a mountain to see the view, it turns out to be a difficult climb rather than a hike, and when you finally get to the top, there is no view at all.

*This book was reviewed for Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze blogger review program. I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. No other compensation was received. My opinions are my own and have not been edited or influenced by the publisher in any way.

Upcoming Reviews and a Giveaway...

2011-03-09T14:24:00.003-07:00

Hi all! I have a couple book reviews coming up, in the Christian Living and Fiction categories. I will be reviewing "Tithing" for Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze in about a week here or as soon as I can get it typed up between mom-ing, and "Journey to the Riverbend" for Tyndale in about a month.
Also coming in about a month is a product review and a 1 month free trial for my readers for The Factor Tree that I'm doing for BzzAgent.com.

I'm plotting a giveaway for Mother's Day too so stay tuned for that! I have a few ideas in mind for the "prize." One idea I have is a wonderful book for mothers that I use every day. I'm mentioning the giveaway before I've decided on what it will be because I will be offering extra entries if you have commented on any of my reviews BEFORE THE START of the giveaway (limited to 2011 comments). I am not sure yet if I will allow multiple comments to count or just one - most likely just one, and it will have to be a polite well-thought comment and not a rude or 2-word one in order for it to count. Still working out the particulars. So keep checking back! I hope to hear from you in the comment section of a recent or upcoming post. :)

BOOK REVIEW: "Unto The Hills; A daily devotional" by Billy Graham

2010-12-28T13:51:00.001-07:00

TITLE: Unto The Hills; A Daily Devotional
AUTHOR: Billy Graham
GENRE: Christian devotional
ISBN: 978-0-8499-4621-9
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: "For peace, for strength, for courage and inspiration, look UNTO THE HILLS. Day by day, you can join the nation's most beloved spiritual leader for a moment of quiet and reflection - a Scripture, a thought, and a prayer. The author draws from his lifetime of study and ministry to offer this devotional classic, featuring 365 meditations to calm you and point you toward the One who can always help."

First off I want to say that the summary from the back cover is just awful. It makes it sound like some pious guide to religion by some religious leader who is worshipped as God Himself is. Really unappealing.
The first few days of this devotional were equally unappealing to me. They were generic, spiritual babyfood. I wanted some meat to chew over, not platitudes I learned in Sunday School when I was 6. If I flipped this devotional open in a store and read the first few days, I would most definately not buy it.
BUT after a few weeks of readings I felt like the topics got more and more thought-provoking. A little more meat to chew on for those who are more spiritually mature. Granted, the book never got to the depth I would have liked, but it did get much more interesting and thought-provoking as the readings went on. Topics focused on angels, marriage, persecution, suffering, and more. I think this would be a good devotional for a new-ish Christian. I think I will use it as a conversation starter for our family devotions. My kids are 4, 2 and newborn and my oldest could understand some of the concepts in this simply worded devotional. Perhaps this would make a good family devotional for some families with younger children, although some topics may not be appropriate and may require simplifying or substituting a more age-appropriate lesson for that day's reading.
Cons: Not enough meat. Not deep enough.
Pros: Easy to understand. Short readings. Seems doctrinally sound.
Bottom line? I'd give it 3.5 out of 5. Not something that I would buy for me or my family, but I would recommend it to others for whom it may be more appropriate.

*This book was reviewed for Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze blogger review program. I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. My opinions are my own and have not been edited or influenced by the publisher in any way.

WINNER! Pillsbury prize pack...

2010-09-12T16:35:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to the winner of the Pillsbury Prize Pack!

You have 24 hours to respond to my email or a new winner will be selected.

"One Hand, Two Hands" by Max Lucado (Children's Book review)

2010-09-10T07:00:00.035-06:00

"One Hand, Two Hands" by Max Lucado

Synopsis: "Written in rhyming text and illustrated with the charming art of Gaby Hansen, this simple message of God's blessing of hands not only entertains . . . as it teaches what wonderful things our hands can do from scratching, latching, and petting a pup to washing dishes with mommy and putting toys in a box . . . but it also conveys the important message: We can use God's gift of hands to show our love for Him by helping others. The book ends tenderly with a prayer of thanks to God for hands and asks Him to use them again:

One hand, two hands,
Five fingers, ten.
God, thanks, for my hands.
Please, use them again."

My Review:
A very simple cute book for the little ones. Pros are that it has adorable illustrations that my kids loved, and enforces the idea that our hands are for doing good things. Cons are that the book really only mentions God at the end there as quoted in the Amazon writeup and the book is a bit long for the attention spans of the intellectual level that would get the most out of the simple rhyming text. I think that my almost 4 year old will after a few readings begin to grasp that the book is saying we should use our hands to do good and kind things, without further explanation. She might need help connecting the one mention of God using our hands to the reason why we do good things with them, simply because God is so obscure in the book. But then again maybe not... kids pick up on things sometimes that we wouldn't think they would. My 2 year old however will probably not grasp this concept right away even with further explanation. I will have to own this book longer, I think, to be able to see what their little minds do with it. :) And every child is different so perhaps what is not immediately obvious to my tots will be to yours, or vice versa.
Over all a good sweet simple book. I enjoy reading it with my littles. I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars - not 5 simply because I'd like God to be a little more obvious in the text but other than that it's great!

This book was provided to me for review by Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program. Opionions expressed are my own.

"My Sweet Sunday Moment" Pillsbury Sweet Roll (Review & Giveaway) ENDED

2010-08-28T22:28:00.003-06:00

I've been given the opportunity to try out Pillsbury Sweet Rolls with my family and share the experience with my readers! MyBlogSpark and Pillsbury generously sent me a coupon for the rolls and a "Sweet Sunday Moment" prize pack. In addition, one lucky reader will win a Pillsbury "Sweet Sunday Moment" prize pack just like the one I got! Keep reading to find out how you can enter to win the prize pack, or a family vacation, or both!

{Pillsbury "My Sweet Sunday Moment" prize pack which includes a Pillsbury Doughboy Giggle Doll, blue silicon spatula, blue silicon pot holder and dishcloths.}

When the box arrived with my "My Sweet Sunday Moment" prize pack it was standing on it's side on my front porch. I went to pick it up and it made a sound- the trademark pillsbury Doughboy giggle. It took me a minute to figure out why my box was making that sound but then I smiled big when I realized what it was! Chicklet was so excited that when I went to snap the following picture:

a certain little girl reached in and started to run off with that doughboy... ;) I had to snap fast and let her have it because she was pretty much bouncing off the walls with excitement. I was excited about the rest of the goodies and checked them all out while she hugged that doughboy 50 times. We decided we'd be having us some yummy cinnamon rolls sometime in the next week! Seemed like a great family activity to help pass the last dragging days of this pregnancy.

Okay so it wasn't a Sunday when my little helpers and I decided to make our Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, but it sure was sweet! :) We all had to wear our aprons because of course, it's more fun to cook when you're wearing an apron, right? ;) And over our pajamas to boot. Because baking cinnamon rolls in your jammies is more fun. Hey and it was getting close to bedtime so we were just chilling around in our jammies anyway.

Yeah my daughter's cornrows look slept in. Because they are. So there. And my kitchen has baby-related boxes all over it. And my kitchen table is sewing central. Now that you've seen my junk, let's pretend it away and concentrate on the yummy cinnamon rolls and cute kids!

Getting ready to start! Can't make cinnamon rolls without our doughboy, right? I never use canned biscuit type things so I had no idea how to open the can and hubby kindly informed me how. Lol!

Cute little hams aren't they? :D

Chop chop! He's got a butter knife and is prepared to use it.

Thinking super sugary sweet daydream thoughts?

Arranging the sweetness.

The kids were excited. Neither had ever had a cinnamon roll before!

Helping Mommy put the cinnamon rolls in the oven! Careful, it's hot! :)

Our assistant, Mr. Doughboy, with some of the prize pack goodies.

Chicklet trying out one of the dishcloths from the prize pack. She's a little zoned out- it's actually bedtime when I took this so staying up late and baking cinnamon rolls was a double special treat.

Buggie's examining the picture of the finished product and carrying on a monologue about it, which I understood about 10% of. Sometimes when he gets to going on excitedly it's a bit hard to translate... Hehe...

Taking the tasty treat out of the oven! That funky potholder thing from the prize pack actually worked. I was surprised, wondering how something like that would work to protect me from getting burned, but surprisingly it did.

Frosting?! They have FROSTING?! Can I PLEEEEEEEASE taste some FROSTING?! PLEASE!!!!

Yep, it's edible. Can I lick the frosting container out too?

Dishing out the deliciousness...

Hmmm let's see if this is as tasty as it looks...

Thinking...

I asked but they just kept chewing. Hello? Guys? Is it yummy?

Does the rapidly vanishing bites of sweet roll in these pics answer whether or not they were delicious?

Hubby and I had some too and we decided that they were really yummy! We contemplated eating the leftovers after the kids went to bed but decided to behave ourselves and save them to share after lunch the following day instead. ;)

The cinnamon rolls and prize pack for this review, and it's accompanying "My Sweet Sunday Moment" prize pack giveaway, were provided by

through

**Now it's your turn to join in the fun!! There are 2 things to enter so read on to find out the what, where, and how:

-Go HERE to enter Pillsbury's "My Sweet Sunday Moment" contest for a chance to win a family vacation package! In addition, when you enter the "My Sweety Sunday Moment" contest, you will have a chance to print out a coupon for Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls!
{In an effort to recapture Sunday mornings as the ideal occasion to reconnect with family and loved ones, Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls is teaming up with Melissa Joan Hart, star of the new ABC Family sitcom "Melissa & Joey," for the My Sweet Sunday Moment contest, where you and your family have a chance to win a seven-day "week of Sundays" vacation to California, including a visit to area theme parks and Melissa Joan Hart´s sweet shop, SweetHarts! Enter today by visiting Pillsbury.com/SweetSunday and telling Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls why your family loves Sunday and why you want more of them for a chance to win.} HURRY and enter before September 2nd!!

-"My Sweet Sunday Moment" prize pack GIVEAWAY rules:
To enter to win a "My Sweet Sunday Moment" prize pack of your own, you must first
♥ Leave a reply comment on this post telling me what Sunday traditions your family has and what Sunday traditions you'd like to add. LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDY SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!
If you don't leave an email address and your number comes up you forfeit the prize and a new winner will be drawn, courtesy of Random.org. If you do not complete the mandatory primary entry this also disqualifies you. If you accidentally make a duplicate entry, it looks more honorable if you delete the duplicate(s) so I don't think you were trying to cheat. After completing the mandatory primary entry as stated above, you qualify for bonus entries. You may do as many as you like from the list below- each thing only one time unless specified. Please leave your email address in at least all daily tweets and in your primary entry so I can find it easily should you win. Please leave one comment per entry or they will not all get counted.
Bonus entries:
♥ Enter Pillsbury's "My Sweet Sunday Moment" contest (Enter before September 2nd!) and then come back here and tell me why your family loves Sunday's and wants more of them. Worth 2 entries- leave 2 comments.
♥ Leave a comment telling me your favorite Pillsbury product. Worth 1 entry.
♥ Leave a comment telling me about a good Sunday memory you have. (Something more specific than the primary entry of what your traditions are.) Worth 1 entry.
♥ Blog about this giveaway with a link back to it. Comment here with the link so I can check. To count you must say in your blog post why you would like to win this giveaway. Worth 3 entries- leave 3 comments.
♥ Follow @PillsburyTreats on Twitter and then comment back here telling me. Worth 1 entry.
♥ Tweet the following up to once per day:
Enter @MamaMirage reviews to win a Pillsbury "My Sweet Sunday Moment" prize pack! Ends 9/8 http://tinyurl.com/miragereviews #myblogspark
Worth one entry per tweet/day. Don't forget to leave the tweet link here and don't forget your email addy in each tweet post!

Giveaway ends September 8th, 2010. Winner will be selected at random. By entering this or any of my giveaways, you acknowlege that you have read and agree with my Giveaway Rules and Liability Policy /Disclosure(as updated 6/12/10) .

Coming soon!

2010-08-19T12:58:00.005-06:00

Giveaways:

August - Pillsbury Sweet Rolls "Sweet Sunday Moments" (Review and Giveaway)

-Go HERE to enter Pillsbury's "My Sweet Sunday Moment" contest for a chance to win a family vacation package!
-Then stay tuned here at Mirage's Reviews for a Pillsbury Sweet Rolls review and prize pack giveaway courtesy of MyBlogSpark! This will be happening ~~sometime in the next week so keep checking back~~! Today August 28th! I'll be posting this later today, unless I find out I'm having a baby today of course! ;)

Reviews:

September 10th - "One Hand, Two Hands" (Children's Book review)

Giveaway Links (End 7-01)

2010-07-01T00:00:00.001-06:00

Giveaways Ending July 1st 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on July 1st and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on July 1st and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

I won!

2010-06-30T10:19:00.000-06:00

On the 14th of June I won a Snack Taxi reuseable Produce Bag on Familylicious Reviews & Giveaways!

Giveaway Links (End 7/1-7/07)

2010-06-15T00:00:00.006-06:00

Giveaways Ending July 1st-7th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

4th:
NEW! ♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a toddler Gripables cuttlery set from The Pencil Grip, Inc.! My little Bugster has some trouble hanging onto his fork so this might be just the thing for him! This giveaway ends on July 4th and can be found HERE!

5th:
NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a Noah's Ark child's table & chairs from Guidecraft! When I was little I would have LOVED my own table & chairs! I know my tots would adore having a mini table & chairs just for them also. This giveaway ends on July 5th and can be found HERE! DT

7th:
NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a Tuffo Water-Resistant Blanket in the print of their choice! And there are so many nice prints to choose from that I had trouble deciding which one I liked best. :) This giveaway ends on July 7th and can be found HERE! DT

8th:
NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a 4-Pack of Classic Swaddles from aden + anais! Can you ever have too many adorable lightweight blankets that are big enough to swaddle with? IMHO you cannot! :) This giveaway ends on July 8th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Review: Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh

2010-06-13T00:21:00.001-06:00

Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh
Hardcover, 288 pages, genre Christian Living

Publisher's Description:
"Do you ever question God’s ability to catch you when you fall?
Do shame, fear, and brokenness keep you from fully trusting God?
Do you secretly believe your dreams are unreachable?
You are not alone.
Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God is all about trust. How we fight it. How we learn to do it. How it transforms us.
Life is not safe. That reality slips over us as we grow. Our response to the Father in that reality allows us either to swing higher and higher with the trust of a child . . . or fearfully shrink back from the swing set altogether.
As we weigh that choice, God whispers: Trust me.
In a remarkably transparent account, author and speaker Shelia Walsh opens wide her lifelong battle with trust and the moment-by-moment choices she made to follow where God led.
Shelia has lived a life ruled by “hidden places” of insecurity and brokenness and knows the overwhelming beauty of a life wholly handed over to Christ. As you encounter her struggles and triumphs, you also meet ten of the Bible’s transformed—Tabitha, David, Paul, and others—who teach us that in spite of overwhelming circumstances, just one trusting encounter with Christ sets beautiful things in motion.
It can resurrect dreams, instill purpose, and ignite hope.
Discover what beautiful things can happen when you trust God."

My Review:
A good read. If you've ever struggled with depression and anxiety this book will speak to you. Sheila's struggles and the triumph of God in her life are a beautiful picture that illustrates how much God cares about each one of us. I loved the way she brought the characters to life in her retellings of Biblical stories to illustrate points in this book, but at the same time I felt like she bordered on being a little bit too free with her interpretations at times. So that was both my favorite and least favorite part about the book. :) I teared up while reading it 2 or 3 times when a point hit home. I would recommend this to any Christian mature enough to take the Biblical interpretations with a grain of salt (and having a desire to study the Word and see what parts fit with the real story and what was purely added for effect), especially if they've ever struggled with depression, anxiety, or trust issues. I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

This book was reviewed for Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blog reviewer program. I received a free copy to read and review. The opinions expressed herein are mine and only mine and have not been prompted or censored by the publisher or anyone else but me and God. ;)

Giveaway Links (End 6-29)

2010-06-01T14:00:00.001-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 29th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a Tote and Tee of choice from CafePress! I want one that says "Due in September!" or maybe one of the ones that says "YES we know what causes it, and NO we aren't done!" ;) This giveaway ends on June 29th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-27)

2010-06-01T13:00:00.008-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 27th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a Wilton 50 Piece Tool Caddy Decorating Set! This would be totally awesome to have! My sister and I took cake decorating in 4-H and shared supplies so when we got married and moved out, we had to split the few things we had. I would love to have such a nice kit! This giveaway ends on June 27th and can be found HERE! DT

NEW! ♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away an Apple and Bee Carry All Traveller in Turtle Dove Red! This would be super handy to have for our trips to visit family. It's a 6 hour drive each way on a good clear day- or 8 hours in the winter or with a newborn. I've had lids vibrate open on that long drive and spill soap or worse all over the place and therefore currently use the ziplock baggie trick for all our toiletries. This giveaway ends on June 27th and can be found HERE! DT

NEW! ♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away an OOMPA toy tractor with cart! I would love to win this for Buggie as he's got a birthday coming up and loves to drive his toys around my floor. :) This giveaway ends on June 27th and can be found HERE! DT

NEW! ♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away an ERGObaby doll carrier! I would love to win this for Chicklet for her 4th birthday! She has a cheapo doll carrier that is too hard for her to use and the dolls fall out of it so this would thrill her to no end. :) This giveaway ends on June 27th and can be found HERE! DT

♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a Medela Swing Breast Pump! I would love to win this, because my wonderful (but little-known) breast pump I had before was barely hanging on with my son and I doubt it will make it through baby #3 due in September! I've already pretty much chalked it up as a gonner. :( The company that made my previous pump went out of business so now I need to find a new pump to love and I've heard great things about Medela! This giveaway ends on June 27th and can be found HERE! DT

♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away an adorable Envibum cloth diaper! My little one is due to make her appearance in a few months here and, although I've done some cloth with both my previous babies, I would really love to make the jump to all cloth this time. That means I need to start building up my stash, pronto! :) You know I love BumGenius, but they are definately hard for me to have on a newborn. These Envibums look like they would adjust to fit a newborn so much better! I would love to try and see! This giveaway ends on June 27th and can be found HERE! DT

♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a Bailey Medical Breast Pump! I really really need a new breast pump for baby #3 due in September! The company that made my previous pump went out of business so now I need to find a new pump to love and this looks like a great one! This giveaway ends on June 27th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-25)

2010-06-01T12:00:00.005-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 25th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a Contours Classique 3-in-1 Bassinet from Kolcraft! I'm getting ready for baby #3 and the closest I've ever had to a bassinet is a Pack-n-Play. A bassinet would take up less room in my tiny bedroom and still be within reach for those midnight feedings! This giveaway ends on June 25th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-24)

2010-06-01T11:30:00.000-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 24th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ The Children's Nook is giving away a copy of "Bedtime For Mommy" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal! This giveaway ends on June 24th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-23)

2010-06-01T11:00:00.010-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 23rd 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away an Excelle Elite Non-Stick 12 Cup Muffin Pan and a Cupcakes 'N More 38 Count Large Dessert Stand from Wilton! This would be perfect for any party where kids are involved. :) This giveaway ends on June 23rd and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-22)

2010-06-01T10:30:00.005-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 22nd 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a $25 gift certificate to Pink Princess! Beautiful dresses any princess could be proud of! This giveaway ends on June 22nd and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-20)

2010-06-01T09:30:00.012-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 20th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a set of THREE Indestructibles Books! Wow a book that my toddlers can't chew up or break?! Sounds too good to be true! This giveaway ends on June 20th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-18)

2010-06-01T08:30:00.007-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 18th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a $100 worth of clothing from My Vintage Baby Direct! Wow such cute clothes- I would love to get sweet little matching outfits for Chicklet and her coming baby sister! This giveaway ends on June 18th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-17)

2010-06-01T08:00:00.007-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 17th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a Personalized BBQ Gift Set for Father's Day from Things Remembered! I would love to be able to give this to my awesome hubby. :) This giveaway ends on June 17th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-15)

2010-06-01T07:00:00.010-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 15th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Piece Of Me is giving away a rhinestone studded "It's a Boy!" or "It's a Girl!" tank from Moody Mama's Maternity! I would love to win the girl one to announce to the general public how stoked I am about another little princess! :) This giveaway ends on June 15th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-13)

2010-06-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 13th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a Bumbino cloth diaper from Bum Essentials! I would love to win and get to try out a new type of cloth diaper. I've got to figure out what kind(s) I want and start stocking up- baby #3 will be here in just a few months! This giveaway ends on June 13th and can be found HERE! DT
♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a pair of lighted slippers from Brightfeet! I would love to win these for my Mom! She's had breast cancer for over 8 years and her circulation is not doing much for keeping her warm. They live up in the mountains and it gets super cold at night. These would be awesome for her! This giveaway ends on June 13th and can be found HERE! DT

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-11)

2010-06-01T05:00:00.002-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 11th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ At The Fence is giving away a home soda maker from SodaStreamUSA! I must admit I keep entering these things hoping I'll win one and never have. Maybe this will be my lucky day? Or maybe it will be yours! This giveaway ends on June 11th and can be found HERE! (DT)

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-10)

2010-06-01T04:30:00.004-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 10th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ Raising Olives is giving away your choice of 2 CD's from Jamie Soles! This giveaway ends on June 10th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-09)

2010-06-01T04:00:00.001-06:00

Giveaway Links (End 6-08)

2010-06-01T03:30:00.003-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 8th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ Raising Homemakers is giving away a 9-MP3 mentoring course called “Evenings with Victoria Botkin“ from Western Conservatory! This giveaway ends on June 8th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-07)

2010-06-01T03:00:00.001-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 7th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on June 1st and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-06)

2010-06-01T02:30:00.004-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 6th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on June 1st and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-05)

2010-06-01T02:00:00.006-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 5th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on June 1st and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-04)

2010-06-01T01:30:00.007-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 4th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ Raising Homemakers is giving away a 4-book prize pack including 3 Beautiful Girlhood titles and Polished Cornerstones to kick off their launch! This giveaway ends on June 4th and can be found HERE!
♥ Raising Homemakers is giving away the entire 10-pack of Homestead Blessings DVD's! This super giveaway ends on June 4th and can be found HERE!
♥ Raising Homemakers is giving away a copy of Raising Maidens Of Virtue! This giveaway ends June 4th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 6-01)

2010-06-01T00:00:00.001-06:00

Giveaways Ending June 1st 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means they don't email the winner so you have to Check Back on the host blog to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on June 1st and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on June 1st and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Skin MD Natural WINNER!

2010-02-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to comment #11 - the winner of the Skin MD Natural Sheilding Lotion!

bison61 I have just emailed you, you have 48 hours, until this time Friday evening, to respond to claim your lotion.

A big THANK YOU to Skin MD Natural for sponsoring this giveaway and to all who entered!

Dollar Tree GC WINNER!

2010-02-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Dollar Tree gift card giveaway has been announced here!

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion - Review & Giveaway! [ENDED]

2010-02-01T15:15:00.003-07:00

"Skin MD Natural is a shielding lotion that helps the skin restore its integrity and enhance its protective functions so that the skin is able to heal naturally and regain its youthful appearance. Skin MD Natural works by bonding with cells of the skin's outermost layer to form an invisible shield. This layer of protection prevents environmental irritants and pollutants from penetrating the skin, while locking in the skin's own natural oils and moisture, helping heal dry skin, leaving skin feeling silky and smooth. It is dermatologist recommended and hypo-allergenic. It is also fragrance, colorant and paraben free, so it is safe to use for the whole family."

I have eczema, and those of you with similar skin conditions can vouch for the fact that it's really hard to find a lotion that doesn't make it WORSE, let alone helps much at all! I personally have to really be careful of what my skin comes into contact with. Regular dish detergent, if in contact with my skin for multiple or prolonged time, causes my skin to blister, ooze, and scab. Many lotions make me itch so bad it could drive a person insane. When I was in my late teens/early twenties, I worked in food service. My tender wrists became so damaged from the cleaning substances used to keep the place sanitary that I wound up wearing extensive bandaging on my wrists with rubber gloves over top and customers began to wonder what I'd done to myself. The boss forbade me from washing dishes to limit my exposure to the dish detergent, and I was using a prescription steroid cream to try to reverse the damage to my skin. To this day I have a faint oval scar on one wrist and the other has a large patch of skin that looks about 5 years older and wrinklier than the skin around it.
When I was contacted to try out and review Skin MD Natural's Shielding Lotion, I was skeptical at first. After reading through more of the plethora of information on their website, my curiousity was piqued! I really wanted to know if this lotion was as different as it claims to be. Having tried hundreds of lotions over the years, I think I would have settled for a lotion that didn't make me itch. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Shielding Lotion works so well, beyond what I had imagined, that I don't want to ever use regular lotion again! My face is really weird. It has patches of dry flaking skin and patches so oily it's gross, all on the same face at the same time right next to each other. It drives me INSANE because face lotions either make the greasy spots greasier, or the dry patches peel, or both, or makes me break out... Face lotion is such a nightmare. So I got this new lotion and put it on after a shower and left it on for several days without soaping it. I wanted to know how long it would take before my skin got so oily I couldn't stand it or I started breaking out. To my complete shock, my dry patches were smooth and non-flakey, my oily places stayed non-greasy, and my face stayed looking amazingly smooth and blemish-free for 3 days. It was the freakiest thing I've ever seen! No kidding! So now I'm totally sold on this stuff. Like I don't think I could ever go back. It's AWESOME. :D

I am completely sold on this lotion! And anyone who knows me knows that I'm a real skeptic when it comes to lotions. And facial lotions are a nightmare, trying to find something that balances the oily spots and the dry spots without breakouts... I literally am still in shock when I see how well this lotion works. I'm like, "This has to be some optical illusion becuase it can't possibly really work this well!" Lol! And it isn't even specifically a lotion FOR the face! It's for hands, face, body... everywhere. After putting it on my hands and the old-eczema-skin patches on my wrists my skin feels sooo soft! I am putting it on my belly over my Stretch Oil to help seal in the moisture and prevent stretch marks. :) Then my 3 year old wants to pet mama's soft belly skin... which is kinda weird but sweet. And lets me know my moisturizing routine is working!
WIN IT!
Skin MD Natural has generously offered a giveaway! One lucky entrant will win a bottle of Skin MD Natural's Shielding Lotion to fall in love with for themselves.

TO ENTER:
You must do entry #1 before you qualify for any other entries. All entries after that are optional; you may do some, none, or all. You MUST leave your email address in your primary entry AND in each of your daily Tweet link comments so I don't have to hunt too hard for it if you win. If you make a mistake, don't add-on an extra comment to fix; Delete your mistake comment and then replace it with the corrected version so I do not think you are trying to cheat! Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on Wednesday, the 17th of February 2010, at NOON Mountain Standard Time. Winner will be emailed, has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is picked, and will be announced in a post on here as soon as they are confirmed. By entering this or any of my giveaways, you acknowlege that you have read and agree with my Giveaway Rules and Liability Policy /Disclosure(as updated 1/9/10) . Please read each entry qualification carefully;

#1. Primary entry, READ CAREFULLY: Visit Skin MD Natural's website, then come back here and tell me something you learned that I did not mention in my review. Don't forget to leave your email address in your comment.

#2. Bonus entry: Leave a thoughtful comment on any of the most recent 7 posts on my main blog Every Precious Joy and then come back here and tell me which post you commented.
#4. Bonus entry: Leave a thoughtful comment on any of my reviews on this blog, then comment on this post saying which review you commented.
#4. Bonus entry: Tweet (up to once a day if you wish) and then comment here with the tweet link and your email again. Don't forget to comment here afterward so it counts! You may make up your own tweet or use my suggestion below, but make sure it contains @MamaMirage so I can see it, and the link to this giveaway.
#Giveaway Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion @MamaMirage Ends 2/17 http://bit.ly/aKksMM
#5. Bonus entry: Snag one of my buttons (you'll see them in the sidebar) and put it on your blog, then leave me a link letting me know where to see it!
#6. Bonus entry: Blog about this giveaway with a link to this giveaway and to Skin MD Natural in your post, and then come back here and leave me the link to where you blogged it so I can see! {worth 3 entries-comment here 3 times}

___________________
The opinions expressed in this review are my own. Results may vary for others. I was provided a free product to try out for my review, and the opportunity to host a giveaway. No other form of compensation was received.

Book Review: "This is Your Brain in Love" by Dr. Earl Henslin

2010-02-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Book Review:
"This is Your Brain in Love
New Scientific Breakthroughs for a More Passionate and Emotionally Healthy Marriage"
By Dr. Earl Henslin

MY REVIEW:

I flip flopped back and forth while reading this book. First I thought,
"Well, yeah great intimacy is all well and good to talk about how we should have it, but are you gonna give any helpful info?"
Then I was thinking, "Uh oh, is he going to be shoving drugs down all our throats? Please tell me this book doesn't imply that most people need prescription drugs to have a happy marriage!"
THEN I was thinking, "Uh-oh, it looks like he's excusing people's bad behavior saying that if you've had a brain injury it's not your fault if you act like a total jerk!"
But, by the end, instead of reading with furrowed eyebrows, I was nodding with a smile! He wrapped up my wonderings, did not excuse people from taking responsibility for their actions, and provided ideas for diet and natural supplements to help balance the most important organ in your body- the brain.
I also wondered how a brain/intimacy book could be a Christian book. Usually scientific minded authors who claim Christianity seem to put God in as an afterthought. I appreciated that Dr. Henslin did not crowd God out with "science." I did not find the religious references to feel out of place or awkward.
This book does talk about intimate relations and is therefore not appropriate for all readers.
A surprisingly helpful and very informative book for married couples.
______________
This book was reviewed for Thomas Nelson.

I was provided a free copy of the book for review purposes. I was not paid or told what to say. My opinion is my own and may not be the same as yours or the author's or publisher's.

Giveaway Links (End 2-1)

2010-02-01T00:05:00.002-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 1st 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Sage and Savvy is giving away a no-wrap wrap baby carrier from MyBabyNest! This giveaway ends on February 1st and can be found HERE!
NEW! ♥ Sugarpop Ribbons is giving away a teething necklace and bracelet set from Chewable Jewels! This giveaway ends on February 1st and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Dollar Tree $10 giveaway!

2010-01-25T09:50:00.002-07:00

I'm giving away a $10 gift card to Dollar Tree on my main blog HERE! Check it out! :)

In case you don't read my main blog...

2010-01-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

In case you don't read my main blog and have therefore not seen the big announcement, here is the reason why I have been a bit sporadic in my posting the last few weeks.

Pregnancy Tickers

Yes, that's right, I'm pregnant! Fighting the morning sickness and mostly just being so excited but not being able to tell anyone yet so I couldn't think of anything to post that wouldn't give it away! Lol! :D

Girly Stuff Winner!

2010-01-20T23:13:00.004-07:00

Congratulations to

COMMENT # 18:
pixie13 said...
Julie doesn't have a blog, it looks like. Your welcome, Julie!
tweet
http://twitter.com/pixie13sweeps/status/7796438702

Congratulations Pixie13! Winner is confirmed!

Sorry!

2010-01-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I've pulled a vanishing act for the past couple days! If you are around on Sunday I'll be able to explain it then. In the meantime, my current giveaway ends tomorrow evening so if you haven't entered it yet and want to, better do that before it ends! Look in the sidebar for the link or scroll down.

Thank you!

2010-01-14T09:03:00.001-07:00

Thank you to the sponsor Adirondack Stone Works for the wonderful giveaway that just ended! :)

Thank you to those who entered my baby boy stuff giveaway for all the ideas! :)

Giveaway Winners!

2010-01-13T22:25:00.002-07:00

The winner of the Adirondack Stone Works giveaway, chosen by Random.Org, is...

Congratulations Eileen! :)
:) The winner has been confirmed!

_____________________________________

And the winner of the Baby Boy stuff giveaway, chosen by Random.org, is...

Congratulations Marie!
:) The winner has been confirmed!

Giveaway links 1-12-2010

2010-01-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Some nice giveaways I found today!

♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a $50 gift card to Amon Maternity! Amon has smooth comfortable looking maternity belly supports, plus a postpartum belly shaper, all of which I would love to try out! ENTER HERE! ENDS JAN 23rd!

♥ Familylicious Reviews is giving away a Hygeia breast pump! What I love about it is that it has a recording feature so you can record your baby's sounds to help with let-down. I wish I'd had this with my first when getting let-down for the pump was so difficult! This giveaway ends on February 14th and can be found HERE!

Giveaway: Girly Stuff (again)! :) [ENDED]

2010-01-09T00:01:00.001-07:00

Another giveaway for some girly goodies!

Prize includes a shopping list pad with magnet strip on back - has m&m design; a moisturizing bar soap - green tea scented; and a 6-color eyeshadow palette in shades of pink and pale beige. I also happen to have some Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment samples leftover from a BzzCampaign and will be happy to throw one in when I mail the prize, if the winner should desire and specify to me that they would like one.

TO ENTER:
You must do entry #1 before you qualify for any other entries. All entries after that are optional; you may do some, none, or all. You MUST leave your email address in your primary entry AND in each of your daily Tweet link comments so I don't have to hunt too hard for it if you win. Giveaway is open to residents of the US and ends next Wednesday, the 20th of January 2010, at NOON Mountain Standard Time. Winner will be emailed, has 24 hours to respond before a new winner is picked, and will be announced in a post on here as soon as they are confirmed. By entering this or any of my giveaways, you acknowlege that you have read and agree with my Giveaway Rules and Liability Policy / Disclosure (as updated 1/9/10) . Please read each entry qualification carefully;

#1. Primary entry, READ CAREFULLY: Visit the blog of the person who commented directly above you, then come back here and tell me something you like about the person or their blog. If your blog is not appropriate for children to view, please state that in your comments so the following commenter knows. If the person above you doesn't have a blog, or if their blog is not family friendly and you do not wish to view it, you may visit MY main blog instead. This goes for the first commenter also- the person above you is nobody so you may visit my blog instead. Don't forget to leave your email address in your comment.

#2. Bonus entry: Enter my Adirondack Stone Works giveaway. Comment here saying you have.
#3. Bonus entry: Tweet (up to once a day if you wish) and then comment here with the tweet link and your email again. Don't forget to comment here afterward so it counts! You may make up your own tweet or use my suggestion below, but make sure it contains @MamaMirage so I can see it, and the link to this giveaway.
#Giveaway for some girly fun stuff including a 6-color eyeshadow, green tea bar soap, and m&m list pad @MamaMirage http://bit.ly/7udsbT
#4. Bonus entry: Leave a thoughtful comment on any of my reviews on this blog, then comment on this post saying which review you commented.
#5. Bonus entry: Leave a thoughtful comment on any of the most recent 7 posts on my main blog Every Precious Joy and then come back here and tell me which post you commented.
#6. Bonus entry: Do one of the following and then comment back here saying what and where:
-Mention and link to this giveaway in a post on your blog
-Mention and link to Every Precious Joy or Mama Mirage's Reviews and Giveaways in a post on your blog
#7. Bonus entry: Vote in my poll in the sidebar. If you've already voted previously that counts too. Comment saying whether your vote is new or you voted previously.

That should keep you busy for a while. ;)
___________________
This giveaway is not sponsored. I paid for it myself and receive nothing in return for it except having you nice folks visit my blogs. Which I consider an honor. So thanks for stopping by! :)

UPDATED POLICY

2010-01-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

This is to let you know that I have updated my Liability Policy & Discloseure, valid starting January 9th, 2010. Please CLICK HERE and read up, especially if you are entering any giveaways on my blog which require you to have read it and agree before entering. Thank you!

Baby Boy Goodies Giveaway! [ENDED]

2010-01-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

This giveaway has ended! Congratulations to winning comment #7!
__________________________

Just for kicks! A little giveaway for a brand new baby boy! :)

Included is a sheet of baby boy scrapbooking stickers and a NB Carter's baby boy hat!

TO ENTER:
You must do entry #1 before you qualify for any other entries. All entries after that are optional; you may do some, none, or all. You MUST leave your email address in your primary entry AND in each of your daily Tweet link comments so I don't have to hunt too hard for it if you win. Giveaway is open to residents of the US and ends next Wednesday, the 13th of January 2010, at 9:00pm Mountain Standard Time. Winner will be emailed, has 24 hours to respond, and will be announced in a post on here as soon as they are confirmed.

#1. Primary entry: Leave me a suggestion for a future giveaway on this blog, or for a future post on my main blog. Don't forget your email address.

#2. Bonus entry: Enter my Adirondack Stone Works giveaway. Comment here saying you have.
#3. Bonus entry: Tweet (up to once a day if you wish) and then comment here with the tweet link and your email again. Don't forget to comment here afterward so it counts! You may make up your own tweet or use my suggestion below, but make sure it contains @MamaMirage so I can see it, and the link to this giveaway.
#Giveaway Win baby boy scrapbook stickers & hat @MamaMirage http://mamamiragesreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/giveaway-baby-boy-goodies.html
#4. Bonus entry: Leave a thoughtful comment on any of my reviews on this blog, then comment on this post saying which review you commented.
#5. Bonus entry: Leave a thoughtful comment on any of the most recent 7 posts on my main blog Every Precious Joy and then come back here and tell me which post you commented.
#6. Bonus entry: Do one of the following and then comment back here saying what and where:
-Mention and link to this giveaway in a post on your blog
-Mention and link to Every Precious Joy or Mama Mirage's Reviews & Giveaways in a post on your blog
#7. Bonus entry: Vote in my poll in the sidebar. If you've already voted previously that counts too. Comment saying whether your vote is new or you voted previously.

That should keep you busy for a while. ;)
___________________
This giveaway is not sponsored. I paid for it myself and receive nothing in return for it except having you nice folks visit my blogs. Which I consider an honor. So thanks for stopping by! :)
Keep an eye out for another giveaway coming this weekend! It's gonna be another "girly stuff" one for us big-kids! ;)

Giveaway Links (End 2-18)

2010-01-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 18th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 18th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 18th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-17)

2010-01-01T01:25:00.000-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 17th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 17th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 17th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-16)

2010-01-01T01:20:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 16th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 16th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 16th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-15)

2010-01-01T01:15:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 15th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 15th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 15th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-14)

2010-01-01T01:10:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 14th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 14th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 14th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-13)

2010-01-01T01:05:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 13th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 13th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 13th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-12)

2010-01-01T01:00:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 12th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 12th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 12th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-11)

2010-01-01T00:55:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 11th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 11th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 11th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-10)

2010-01-01T00:50:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 10th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 10th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 10th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-9)

2010-01-01T00:45:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 9th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 9th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 9th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-8)

2010-01-01T00:40:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 8th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 8th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 8th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-7)

2010-01-01T00:35:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 7th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 7th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 7th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-6)

2010-01-01T00:30:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 6th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 6th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 6th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-5)

2010-01-01T00:25:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 5th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 5th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 5th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-4)

2010-01-01T00:20:00.002-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 4th 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ Cakeblast is giving away a sippy cup strap from Sippy Stuff! This giveaway ends on February 4th and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 4th and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-3)

2010-01-01T00:15:00.001-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 3rd 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 3rd and can be found HERE!

♥ blog is giving away _______ from company! This giveaway ends on February 3rd and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 2-2)

2010-01-01T00:10:00.003-07:00

Giveaways Ending February 2nd 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ The Buzz is giving away A February Sampler Box from OutOfTheBoxSampler.com! This giveaway ends on February 2nd and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

Giveaway Links (End 1-31)

2010-01-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Giveaways Ending January 31st 2010
A few giveaways I have found! Check back frequently as I will be removing the ones that are over and adding new giveaway links as I find them!
Green NEW! - added during my previous log-on,
Blue NEW! - added during my most recent log-on.
(CB) means you have to Check Back to see if you won,
(DT) means "Daily Tweet"- you can Tweet once per day for extra entries!

NEW! ♥ The Whimsical Gourmet is giving away some awesome realistic felt play food as seen on Etsy! This giveaway ends on January 31st and can be found HERE!
NEW! ♥ Moneyhood is giving away a White Rodgers 70 Series Programmable Thermostat (5/2 day) and a Reusable Canvas Bag! This giveaway ends on January 31st and can be found HERE!
NEW! ♥ In A Kid's World is giving away a Yoplait Frozen Smoothie Mix and Hamilton Beach Single-serving blender! This giveaway ends on January 31st and can be found HERE!

To return to the master list and select a different end date, CLICK HERE!

"Green" by Ted Dekker [Book Review]

2009-12-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

This review is for those who LIKE extra details and a longer review. If you are someone who does NOT like spoilers and just wants to know the basics and opinion so as not to ruin any surprises, please click HERE for a shorter review.
I am a person who likes longer and deeper reviews better so I decided to post both a shorter spoiler-free version, and also a seprate longer review for those like me who enjoy knowing more than usual about a movie or book before delving in. ;) So here's your extra juicy double cream filled review for my kindred spirits out there! ;)

This is the Publisher's Summary of Green:
At Last . . . The Circle Reborn
The story of how Thomas Hunter first entered the Black Forest and forever changed our history began at a time when armies were gathered for a final battle in the valley of Migdon. Green is a story of love, betrayal, and sweeping reversals set within the apocalypse. It is the beginning: the truth behind a saga that has captured the imagination of more than a million readers with the Books of History Chronicles.
But even more, Green brings full meaning to the Circle Series as a whole, reading as both prequel to Black and sequel to White, completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers . . . and the perfect climax for the countless fans who’ve experienced Black, Red, and White.

"Green" was my first review ever for Thomas Nelson Publishing. They actually sent me the book about 3 months ago and it's taken me this long to read it (for which I do feel bad!) Let me back up a bit...

I love to read. I love love love fiction. SciFi is awesomely awesome. I DEVOUR books. I read Frank Peretti's "The Oath" (a seriously big fat piece of Christian SciFi genius for those who don't know) in about a week - when I was 16 or 17 years old. I can read a regular paperback novel in a few hours if it's the weekend when Dada can be the kids' go-to man so Mama can get some reading done. ;) So for it to take me longer than a day or two, a week tops, to read a book... well it means it was a super busy time for me (when ISN'T it now that I have kids though) or I was not able to "get into" the book. Such was part of the case with "Green." Which brings me to my review:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
"Green" is advertised as being both the beginning and the end, functioning as both a prequel and a finale to Dekker's "Black," "Red," and "White" books. So when I began reading it, having never read any of the other three before, I went into it expecting that it would indeed work as a prequel as promised. It did not. I was lost for the first 1/3 of the book and am even still confused on alot of points. Advertising this book as being one you could either begin or end the series with, was in my opinion, a mistake. Having begun with this book I now have zero desire to try on "Black," "Red," or "White." It's extremely difficult to stay interested in a book when it leaves you confused far into the book. There has to be the right balance of mystery and revelation and, while it may have had the right balance for a finale, "Green" tipped the scales into frustration as a prequel.

NOTEWORTHY CHARACTERS:
The time-travelling "Thomas of Hunter" is eluded to being the hero of "Black," "Red," and "White" but in "Green" he comes across as flighty, easily shaken, and confused, with a bit of a bad temper. It is not explained why he is this way if he is the leader of the good guys. It seems to me that someone who is portrayed as a prophet of God would have a faith that is more like a longterm believer would have than the way he comes across as an infant in the faith. This confused me as the book insinuated that Thomas was the great leader and having been fighting this battle in two worlds for most of his life. To see him acting like a brand new believer while being treated like a seasoned warrior was confusing.
(*Spoilers ahead*)
Billy/Ba'al/Bill is another character that makes me wrinkle my forehead, along with his counterpart Janae. It seems like this Billy fellow just decided to be evil out of the blue. Now I don't know the real rest of the story from the "Black," "Red," and "White" books, just what it made it seem like in this one book. And how is he both Billy in the "present" and Ba'al in the parallel-future (or whatever it is) but then he's more like two beings in one body when he visits the future, and then later two seprate beings in the same timeline who are the same only somehow are two different people? The book never really explained this. I think Bill is supposed to represent the antichrist. And Janae is the daughter of a half-demon thing and a human from present day. Or something. Yeah I just about went cross-eyed reading that back to myself so don't feel bad if you don't get it: me either!

PLOT:
To be honest I felt like the plot was missing some large important chunks that would have fleshed out the story and made it understandable and enjoyable. I imagine those tidbits would be found in "Black," "Red," and "White." Now to be clear, "Green" was not a slow book. The story was definately happening. It was that as a reader new to the series, I was bogged down by not understanding what was going on for most of the book, which made it painfully boring and difficult to read. I may have found this tolerable if it hadn't been for the fact that the spiritual elements were disturbing and misleading, but more on this later.
The jist of the plot is that Thomas is living happily ever after in the "future" (in which spiritual things are more visible and culture is quite primitive) hiding away with his merry band of "Albinos" when all of a sudden things go teribly wrong. Thomas' son turns on the faith, calls himself a prophet, and tries (disturbingly successfully) to take the entire band of Albinos down that road with him. He hooks up with Janae who promises to deliver their unsaved counterparts (crudely referred to as "scabs") into their hands to be mercilessly slaughtered by way of a virus from the advanced civilizations of the past- that would be us here in present day. Meanwhile Thomas is not there to help his out of control adult son, he's instead trapped back in history here with us in present day. After alot of swapping centuries, deception, and disturbing descriptions of occultic rituals, it's the end of time and Thomas' son didn't make it to the other side. Thomas begs to be allowed to go back in time and try to save his son. "Elyon" agrees on one condition; Thomas will be starting over with no memories of his previous ending. And so the story begins again where it apparently began the first time in the "Black," "Red," and "White" books.

SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS and CONCLUSION:
I found alot of the spiritual and moral elements in this book to be misleading and disturbing.
The character "Teeleh" seems to be representative of Satan. The head demons are referred to as "queens" and the rest are "shataiki" which are in the form of black bats.
Angels are portrayed as cute fuzzy little white bats called "roush." I was kind of offended at this since the Bible describes angels as giant fearsome warriors. The roush in "Green" seem to have the purpose of show up, say something cryptic and uncomforting, and then waddle off.
The character Elyon which seems to represent Jesus is described much like Peter Pan. A "mischeivous" water sprite who never grows up. This was very offensive to me. My savior is not some eternal child and "mischeif" (means stirring up trouble) is a character trait of the devil, NOT God.
Elyon has done something to the water in the lakes and rivers. The book seems to say that the waters used to be green but are now red with the blood of Elyon because was murdered in the water but that story is not explained.
Horde is the name for the unbelievers, who are easily recognized by their crusty scabbing skin which is a result of being infested with demon larvae. The Albinos are those who do not have the scabbing disease. They do not have the scabs because they have drowned themselves in the red lakes. (I think I know what symbolism Dekker was going for there.) The red waters keep the disease away.
Ba'al is described to a tee as Grima Wormtongue from LOTR, grotesque skin and fingernails and creeepy voice included. If you're having trouble imagining the scabbing disease, just remember the scene in LOTR where Gandalf exorcises the possessed King Theoden.
The Albinos, which seem to represent Christians, are nasty and spiteful. They treat Thomas' wife, a convert from the Horde, like she's STILL Horde. The majority of them are easily led and have no conviction of their own, just blow with whatever wind whispers doubt into their hearts. They, especially Thomas himself, preach love your enemies, love the Horde, but then out of the other side of their mouth treat them with as much love as you would have for a cow pie you'd just stepped in. They refer to the Horde as "Scabs" because of their disease and speak of them spitefully. Granted, the Horde are ever trying to kill the Albinos, and the Albinos live in hiding in a valley out in the desert to escape the death sentence. But they preach love the Horde and then as soon as Thomas' son suggests that they instead slaughter the Horde in the name of Elyon, the majority of the Albinos don't seem to resist the idea very hard and end up willingly carving the mark of the beast into themselves.
Then there are the Forest Guard who have characteristics of both Albiono and Horde. They claim to be on the right side like the Albinos, but they have the scabbing disease and are amassing an army to kill the Horde. They live in the forest and are also on the Horde's most wanted list with the Albinos. These are who Thomas' wayward son goes to initially with his plan to unite and slaughter the Horde. I am not sure who they are supposed to represent. Perhaps "lukewarm Christians" who claim the name but refuse to change in their hearts. This is a parallel I do appreciate the significance of. I think alot of authors leave out the middle ground because it's for God to decide who is and isn't lukewarm. I think the fact that "Green" is fictionalized leaves an opening to mention that there IS a 'middle' ground that thinks they fall on the Right side but do after all fall on the Wrong, and I'm pleased to see that Dekker took that opportunity to mention it. We need to remember that true salvation is soul deep.
One thing that was supremely disturbing was the descriptive occult ritual scenes. The first one of which described the "scab" king and queen going to the evil preist Ba'al's temple in the middle of the night. There is a sacrificed decapitated goat on the altar and the head is described as bleeding on a plate nearby. Ba'al drags his finger through the blood before enjoying a taste. Then he makes the king swear allegience to their god (who is of course the devil) by drinking a goblet full of the goat's blood. Later, the prophets of Ba'al slice themselves open repeatedly and drain their own blood on an altar to the demons. Dekker describes it in great nauseating detail. When I got to this part I had to put down the book and did a week of serious prayer before picking up the book again. I do not believe a Christian should be reading things like that and it made me feel dirty and sick inside. After a week of praying over it I decided that I would finish the book because upon signing up to review for TN I agreed that I would read the whole book in order to post an accurate and fair review. I think that's totally fair of course and I would not feel properly equipped to review a book which I had only read the first half of. So I signed the contract not thinking that I would have a moral dilemma on the very first book I selected to review. Leave it to me to unknowingly pick something controversial! Lol!
BUT I am first and foremost loyal to God so I decided therefore that I would finish the book yes, but if I encountered any more scenes where there appeared to be content to make me feel morally violated, I would just skip that scene and pick up where it ended. And so I have.

So my final word is that I would not recommend this book to anyone, Christian or not. I would not recommend it for a non-christian due to the misleading nature of some of the spiritual elements, and I could not recommend it to a Christian due to the disturbingly graphic nature of the rituals as explained above. In a 5 star rating with 5 being buy a copy for everyone I've ever met, and 1 being put it out with the trash, I would have to give "Green" by Ted Dekker a 1.5 for the merit of a fast-paced plot.

_______
This book was originally reviewed for Thomas Nelson Publishing and the original version review posted HERE. This is a lengthened version which I kept feeling the need to post because I had left alot unsaid in V1 that I felt was important. I was provided with a copy of the book for free, in exchange for an honest review. Both version 1 and version 2 of my reviews are totally my unswayed opinion, unedited by anyone but myself. I received no other compensation for my review than the copy of the book.

Adirondack Stone Works - Review and Giveaway [CLOSED]

2009-12-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Congratulations to the winning entry #12!
_______________________________________

When Jeremy of Adirondack Stone Works contacted me to do a review and giveaway I was wondering what exactly I would do with an engraved stone. But then I visited their websites (main | pet) and thought, "Wow! Those look great!" Go check them out - you'll see what I mean. :) Once you see them you're going to want one too! You may have even seen something similar at the front of someone's house with their address on it... but I will tell you I have never seen this high quality of work before and I have seen my share of engraved address stones.

Jeremy has been working with stone his whole life and has been engraving stones for almost 8 years. Adirondack Stone Works is located in rural upstate New York in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and is a small family business run by Jeremy and Tavia- a blessing, they say on their About page, because it allows them to be home with their 3 children.

Adirondack Stone Works makes custom engraved natural bluestones. You might like your address engraved on one at the front of your house, or a family name & wedding date, or a little phrase that means something special to you, or a memorial stone for a pet or loved one. You also have 3 sizes of stone to choose from!

What more could you wish for? Free shipping and your finished stone arriving in about a week from when you place your order? Wish granted if you live in the US! :)

I chose to review a Pet Memorial Stone. They were so helpful and patient with me as I got all the details straightened out and placed my order, and when my stone showed up I was blown away. I liked the look of the pictures on the websites but when it showed up and I saw my new stone in person I was really floored by how beautiful it was.

The stone is gorgeous. The engraving is exemplary. The natural look 'chipped' edges look positively terrific. There is nothing weak or shoddy about it and yet it is not bulky looking either. Honestly it's just so... well so beautiful that I just looked at it and ran my fingers over the engraving for about half an hour before I could put it down. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you it's the highest quality stonework I've ever seen. Not that I'm an expert but really it looks amazing. Did I mention I was impressed? Lol!
~*~
If you want to read about my dog Kady whom I decided to get the memorial stone for, go HERE.
~*~

GIVEAWAY!
Now that you've seen these beautiful stones I know you want one! :)
Adirondack Stone Works has generously offered a giveaway for my readers!

Prize:
The winner will receive one custom engraved stone from Adirondack Stone Works in the Medium (about 11-12" size).

How to Enter (each worth 1 entry unless specified):
1- Visit the Pet Memorial Stone site and come back here and comment me something you learned or something you like. Yes I'm gonna make you do your homework for this one. ;)
YOU MUST INCLUDE AN EMAIL ADDRESS in your comment so I can contact the winner.

After you have done the above, you may do any or all of the following for bonus entries:
2- Visit the main Adirondack Stone Works website and comment me something you learned there that is different from what you said you learned on the pet memorial site.
3- Blog about and link to this giveaway, then comment here with the link to your post so I can check!
4- UPDATED: Tweet about this giveaway as follows so I can see it
#Giveaway Enter to win a custom engraved address, etc. stone from Adirondack StoneWorks! @MamaMirage LOW ENTRIES! http://bit.ly/6mWO1l
Please comment the tweet link here after tweeting so that your tweet will count as an entry. One tweet per person PER DAY- don't forget to leave the new link here each day or it won't get counted.

THE FINE PRINT:
By entering this giveaway you agree that you have read, understand, and agree with my Giveaway Rules, and my Disclosure/Policy.
Giveaway is open to residents of the USA.
If you do not follow the entry rules you will be disqualified.
Giveaway will end on the evening of January 12th, 2010 and the winner will be announced and/or contacted on Wednesday, January 13th.

Winner: Girly stuff!

2009-11-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

**SURPRISE at the end! Keep reading!**
Hello hello! I know you've been wondering when I would post the winner today... Sorry about that. It's just been one of those days, ya know? So now that I have the littles corralled for the evening, I'm posting the winner! Thank you so much to everyone who entered!
Here's who Random.org picked:
#5

Sarah said...
I commented on the Chicklet Chicklet potty training post!
Sarah
untenuredteacher at yahoo dot com
November 9, 2009 4:38 AM

Congratulations Sarah! I have emailed you. You have 48 hours to respond.

Now for the surprise... Hehe...
There will be a small runner-up prize. If you're the runner up and you don't want the prize you can turn it down. BUT I am out of envelopes! Gotta hit Wally World this weekend and buy some more. So the runner up will not get their prize for a little longer. I will contact the runner-up via email and they will have 48 hours to respond. ;)

Safety 1st potty

2009-11-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

She started using the potty on Monday night, and by Sunday morning I wanted to throw this seat away! :( Why? Because the seat is a sponge. So guess what happens to the pee when she goes? That's right, it soaks into the sponge and WON'T COME OUT. I ring out the seat and wash the whole thing with antibacterial hand soap every single time she pees and yet the seat REEKS of urine. And her behind reeks of urine from sitting on it. Last night after her bath she sat on it but did not pee, and when she got up and I was dressing her I noticed she suddenly once again REEKED to high heaven of stale urine. JUST from sitting on that stinky seat, fresh out of a bath! Oh I am just so MAD, SAD, and feeling like I've been HAD! This thing costs nearly $20 (alot in this economy) and you get to use it for a whopping 5 days before the stench is so bad it could knock you over?!
Also, after just 3 days of use by one single child, my 3 year old daughter, there is a yellow stained ring around the inner seam of the seat.

There are way better options out there I'm sure. There's got to be. My advice is to forfeit the padded seat ones in favor of something that can be sanitized so it won't stink. They have to get used to a hard seat eventually right? Or else you'd never be able to take them anywhere with public restrooms.

Baby Mum-mums: Review

2009-11-10T00:59:00.000-07:00

Not really "Pancakes" but according to my then-2 1/2-year-old they are! When my baby boy was learning to self-feed I saw some Baby Mum-mums in the store and decided to try them. They are Gluten-free, Egg-free, and Peanut-free for peace of mind. They have no artificial colors or flavors, and they are wrapped by twos for convenience! This means you can grab one out of the box and toss it in the diaper bag- no mess, no prep.

My son loved them! So did his big sister! She asked what it was called and I told her they are "rice rusks" but she couldn't pronounce rusks so I called them baby ricecakes. She had never heard of a ricecake though and so they became the only kind of cake she knew at the time: pancake! Lol!

They come in Original, Vegetable, and Organic. In the US, you can buy them at places like WalMart and Target. They are available in Australia, America, and Europe. Mum-mums are easy for small hands to hold and dissolve easily. My kids have tried the Original and Vegetable flavors and loved both. I can't find the Organic ones anywhere here.

**I was not compensated in any way for writing this review. Opinions and results expressed herein are my own. Results may differ for others.

Have YOU tried this product? What do YOU rate it?

Girly Stuff Giveaway

2009-11-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Okay just for fun, I'm giving away some girly stuff this week! I like to browse discount/overstock stores and clearance sales and sometimes find some super cute neat stuff. I am passing on a few of my finds to you!

1 cucumber facial mask
1 bar of English Lavender scented Yardley London soap (I'm not too fond of lavender but WOW this smells so good!)
and last but not least, 1 LipLites "Champagne Frost" colored lipgloss.

TO ENTER:
To enter, go to my main blog and comment on any post on the first page. No half-hearted minimal-words comments please; put a little thought into it. Then come back here and tell me which post you commented on. Don't forget to leave your email address in your comment here so I can contact you if you win.

DISCLAIMER:
I won't be responsible for the postal system being slow or losing or destroying your prize, or anything else that happens to the package and it's contents after it leaves me. Use the prize at your own discretion. All consequences, good or bad, that arise from your use of any part of the prize, are your own responsibility. I.e. don't sue me if you wind up allergic to lavender or any other ingredient or accidentally stab yourself in the eyeball with the lipgloss wand or something. ;)

I have not been compensated in any way for this giveaway. I have not received any samples of these products, been asked to review them, or been asked to have a giveaway. I bought them and I'm now giving them away for no reason other than the fun of it.

DETAILS:
Ends sometime next Wednesday, November 11th, Veterans Day. I am not putting a specific time. It will end at whatever time on that day that I am able get on the computer and lock the comments, and then I will ask Random.org who the winner is and announce it here. So if the comments aren't locked, it's still open for entries.
This giveaway is open to residents of the US only. I wish I could afford the shipping out of the country and if at any time in the future I feel I can afford it I will open up giveaways to some global neighbors. ;)
I'm always a bit slow to get things mailed due to having 2 toddlers and the whole two toddlers thing not mixing so well with getting to the post office before they close. Forgive me if I'm slow. I promise to do my best to get the prize sent in a timely manner.

Giveaway winner! (Ferdinand children's book)

2009-10-31T22:58:00.000-06:00

I have just put the entries into Random.org's list randomizer! Do you want to know who the winner is? Do you?

I will be having another giveaway soon. My giveaways usually run Wednesday to Wednesday. They will be on one of my blogs or the other. If not this one then check the main one. If life gets crazy I might skip a week but as a general rule, check in on Wednesdays for a new giveaway and the winner of the previous one.
And now I guess I should put you out of your misery and end the suspense eh? ;) Randon.org's winning choice for "The Story of Ferdinand" children's book is...

Kelly! Congratulations Kelly! :)

GIVEAWAY! The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf! {CLOSED}

2009-10-21T05:16:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to present a giveaway of one of my favorite childhood books! "The Story of Ferdinand" by Munro Leaf. The winner will receive 1 new paperback reprint of this 1936 classic children's book. To read my review on this book, please scroll down or click HERE. :)

Giveaway is open to the US only. I'm not being compensated in any way for this review and giveaway. The book came out of my own pocket as will the shipping. So I am very sorry to those in other countries- I really wish I could afford the shipping! But I cannot so I must restrict this to residents of the US. Thank you for understanding.

HOW TO ENTER
Mandatory Entry
♥- Leave a comment telling me the name of your favorite childhood book AND where (name the blog or site) you found the link for this giveaway! Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. (worth 1 entry)

Bonus Entries- Please make a new post for each entry. Leave your email address with each one or make sure it's imbedded in your profile so I can contact the winner. None of these will count if you have not done the mandatory entry first. If you accidentally forget your email address (or somehow else make a mistake), please don't just add another comment to correct it: delete the comment that is lacking it and repost it with all the corrections so I don't think that you are trying to cheat and get more entries. You may do any or all of the following bonus opportunities in any order:
♥-Become a follower of this blog and comment letting me know. If you're already a follower this counts too, just leave a comment saying you are. (worth 1 entry)
♥-Take my poll in the column to the right. Don't forget to leave a comment saying you did. I will count voters to make sure you did. (worth 1 entry)
♥-Comment on any of the reviews on this blog. (Even old ones.) Leave a comment here telling me which review you commented on so I can go read your comment. You may comment on multiple reviews for more entries, but commenting more than once on the same review still only counts as one entry. Comments must be real comments, thoughtful, more than just, "Neat" or "wow that's cool" KWIM? (worth 1 entry per review which you have commented on)
♥-Visit my main blog http://everypreciousjoy.blogspot.com/ and comment on any post on the first page. Leave a comment here telling me which post you commented so I can check. You may comment on multiple posts for more entries, but commenting more than once on the same post still only counts as one entry. Comments must be real comments, thoughtful, more than just, "Neat" or "wow that's cool" KWIM? Only comments on the most recent blog posts (what's on the front page at the time of your comment) count. Comments on old posts do not. (worth 1 entry per post which you have commented on)
♥-Blog about this giveaway. Leave me a link to the post so I can see it! (worth 2 entries -post once for each entry like "Blogged it #1" and "Blogged it #2". Don't forget the link.)
♥-If you see that another entrant has found this giveaway through a link that YOU posted about this giveaway, you may make another post per referral to claim it as a bonus entry. These will not automatically be credited so if you want to make use of them you will have to check back and claim them. ;) (worth 1 entry per refered entrant)

Giveaway entry starts now and lasts until (extended until Saturday, 10/31 at dark), when the winner will be randomly selected by random.org and posted here. I will try to email the winner but sometimes my email glitches so the safest way to find out in time if you've won is to check back here this weekend! The winner will have until dark on Monday night to respond to me with their mailing address before I chose a new winner.

Please understand I'm a mother of 2 toddlers and getting to the post office is about as daunting as going to the moon sometimes, so it may take a week or two for me to get the book in the mail after receiving the winner's mailing address. I will of course be aiming for the next day but please understand if it takes a bit longer.

For more nifty giveaways check out

Review: "The Story of Ferdinand" by Munro Leaf

2009-10-21T04:57:00.000-06:00

Review of Children's Book "The Story of Ferdinand" by Munro Leaf.

I RATE IT: A beloved childhood favorite! 5/5!

GENRE: Children's

SUB-GENRE: Classic from 1936

TITLE: The Story of Ferdinand

AUTHOR: Munro Leaf

ILLUSTRATOR: Robert Lawson

PUBLISHER: Picture Puffin (Penguin)
ISBN: 9780140502343 (0140502343)
PRICE: $7.99(US), $9.00(CAN)
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: "Published over 50 years ago, The Story of Ferdinand is one of the bestselling children's books of all time, and the bull who preferred sitting under the cork tree and smelling flowers to fighting has become a hero to generations of children."

MY REVIEW: I remember my Nana reading me a tattered old copy of this book 20 years ago when I was a child, and she probably read this 1936 classic to my mom and her 3 older siblings when they were children! I loved the unique detailed line drawing illustrations and the fun story.

My favorite parts were where Ferdinand sat on a bee and went crazy, so the scouts mistook him for a wild fighting bull, then later he just sat in the arena smelling the flowers instead of trying to fight which made the matador so mad he cried because he could not show off. Lol! It does talk in one place about sticking the bull to make him mad enough to fight, and the bulls stick each other with thier horns in play- you see funny little bandaids on them as they are huddled around the bullfight poster dreaming of being the rowdiest so they would be chosen to fight.

That is not really something that I dwelt on or noticed as a child. I just took it in stride that that is how it was back then and Ferdinand was not harmed and lived happily ever after in the end so I was not disturbed by it. You know your child and if they are too sensitive for that. The overal moral of the story seems to be peace and nonviolence as our hero, Ferdinand, "wouldn't fight and be fierce no matter what they did" and therefore was taken home to live happily ever after smelling flowers under his favorite tree.

This is a treasured classic that I'm thrilled to now own for my own children!

You can purchase this book HERE or to enter to win it click HERE!

Little Elephant's Listening Ears - by Susan Hood

2009-10-14T10:21:00.000-06:00

I RATE IT: 1/5 for cute illustrations but the text does more harm than good.
GENRE: Children's
SUB-GENRE: Pop-up, pull-tab, flap activity book.
TITLE: Little Elephant's Listening Ears
AUTHOR: Susan Hood
ILLUSTRATOR: Barbara Nascimbeni
PUBLISHER: Readers Digest
ISBN: 0794412300
PRICE: $12.99(US)
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: "A young elephant has big ears, but he also has a big problem -- he doesn't listen! So when Mom tells him to bundle up for the weather outside, he puts on his favorite pair of shorts. When he's reminded not to blow too hard on his soup, he forgets and ends up with noodles everywhere. Featuring pull-tabs, touch-and-feel elements, fun flaps, and more, this story will have kids giggling -- and recognizing themselves -- on every spread."

MY REVIEW: This book is terrible! My MIL picked it up for the kids and of course I was not smart about previewing it before I sat right down to read it to them. The little elephant in the story, Elliot, is a disobedient little brat with selective hearing. Every time his mother tells him to do something, he does not do it. She tells him to dress warmly so he dresses in shorts. She tells him to clean up his toys so they can go to the store, so he totally ignores her and keeps playing. She tells him not to play with the cart, so he piles it high with groceries until it avalanches and gleefully shouts "Earthquake!" She tells him not to play with his soup and not to splash in the tub, both of which end up with liquids purposely sloshed far and wide. The whole book I was holding out hope for a lesson learned in the end to sort of redeem all the bad. Well I was dissappointed in the end when not only was there no consequences for Elliot's day of willful disobedience, but worse, his mother simply took him from yet another disobedient act (jumping on the bed) to sit down and read him a bedtime story, which of course was the only time in the whole book which Elliot listened to his mom. This little elephant teaches kids that if you don't 'hear' what Mom is telling you to do, then it's not disobedience. So you can pretend all the day long that anything you don't want to do, you just didn't hear Mom say it. Then you won't get in trouble because after all, you can't punish someone for not hearing you! Right? What a terrible book! I was very upset after reading it and had to go back and reread it to the kids, ad-libbing in appropriate disciplinary actions for the bratty elephant after every disobedience. Of course that won't work once my kids can read for themselves, so I've opted for a more long term solution. The book is in the trash waiting to be taken out. So if you're in the minority looking for a book with a bad role model, no consequences, but some fun illustrations and pop-ups, then this is the book for you. The rest of us prefer not to waste our money.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?EAN=9780794412302

"Little Mommy" Children's Book by Sharon Kane

2009-10-02T23:28:00.000-06:00

I RATE IT: Precious! Adorable! We love it! 5/5!
GENRE: Children's
SUB-GENRE: Little girls, Classic from 1967
TITLE: Little Mommy
AUTHOR: Sharon Kane
ILLUSTRATOR: Sharon Kane
PUBLISHER: Little Golden Books (Random House)
ISBN: 978-0-375-84820-9 (0-375-84820-7)
PRICE: $2.99(US), $3.99(CAN)
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: "THE “LITTLE MOMMY” in this story is an adorable little girl. We spend the day in her charming company as she cares for her dolls, treats their ills, gives them a tea party, feeds them dinner, and puts them to bed. Beautifully illustrated, this book has a timeless feel."

MY REVIEW:

This is the most adorable children's book I have stumbled across in a very long time. Maybe in my life... Seriously I adore it! It has a lovely innocent childlike tone and is written in sing-song rhyme that is engaging. If that weren't enough the precious illustrations call up nostalgia and the beauty of a time when little girls were actually allowed and encouraged to be little girls rather than made to feel like such things were a prison and mind control and taught instead that perpetual dress-up and rowdiness equal true femininity. The child in the story narrates her day with her three dollies; "This is my house and I am the mommy. My children are Annabelle, Betsy, and Bonny (Bonnie)..." the book begins. Throughout the 22 page story we see the child and her dolls playing house, baking, laundering doll clothes, and cleaning. She interacts with other children, having a tea party with the neighbor and cooking supper for a little boy who appears briefly playing the role of daddy to the dollies. The little girl must call Dr. Dan (another little boy) when one of the dollies takes ill. "She'll be well as quick as a wink. It's just the mumbledy bumps, I think." A precious book that exhudes the sweet, busy, innocent, feminine spirit that I want my daughter to emulate! And what does my 3 year old daughter think? It's one of her favorite books to read at bedtime. :)

To purchase a copy of this book online, please visit http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/catalog/display.pperl?view=oonline&isbn=9780375848209
or to look for it in the children's book section of your favorite grocery or department store. Ours was purchased at the local bulk foods grocery; WinCo.

Porter's Salve

2009-10-02T22:48:00.000-06:00

My number one most important thing EVER to have in the medicine chest is Porter's salve!

It's been around for just about forever... My grandma used it as a kid and now generations later I use it on my kids. It smells strongly of camphor but it works better than anything else in the world that I have tried.

Firstly it doesn't allow the wound to get infected and fights the infection off if it's already infected. It draws so it can be used on splinters. It pulls out the PAIN starting immediately on application! It is BETTER than Neosporin at reducing scarring!! In fact, it works so much better than Neosporin, it makes Neosporin look like plain Vaseline in comparison.

When I was a kid, about 11, I was running with the wheelbarrow and I lifted the handles too high... The front piece that goes in front of the wheel caught on a rock and it flipped, me too. I landed on my knees on the underside of it and one of those giant bolts that holds the legs on punctured my shin. It just cut through a perfect circle like a paper punch and pushed that circle of skin in about 1/4 inch. Into my shin bone. Mom packed it with Porter's Salve and put a band-aid on it. The Salve made it start feeling better almost instantly and within an hour I felt no more pain at all. We just kept it packed with salve, with a bandage, until it healed.

Another time, I was in the barn and the door to the milk room was stuck. When I yanked on it to unstick it, it suddenly came loose and swung into me. A rusty nasty old nail stabbed me right in the knee. Went inside and Mom helped me pour Peroxide on it and then put a band aid with Porter's Salve on it and then I went back to the barn to milk the goats. I don't even have a scar left from that one anymore!
My dad cut his finger half off once. Actually I think it was his thumb. He was using an electric saw of some sort. Not sure if it was the table saw or the little one... but somehow he sliced his thumb but good. Right into the side of the bone. Well he didn't want to go to the doctor so Mom put salve all over the wound and bandaged it up tight with a popsicle stick to keep the fragile bone secure. He has full use of that finger today and you can barely see the scar. Not saying I advocate not going to the ER when you chop your finger half off... Yikes! I'd have at least let a doc stitch me up first. But my parents were very very poor and did not have any sort of insurance or government help so a trip to the ER would have cost them the house so that's why they didn't go I guess.
When I was a teenager, 16, I was playing freeze tag in the Church downstairs with the youth group and tripped over my own feet or some imaginary rough spot in the air (yes I am that clumsy, and it's getting worse! Lol!) and fell into the window. My top half went through the window but I had caught myself on the side of the window and shoved enough to push myself back into the room where I fell into the shattered glass on the floor, unconcious. I had sliced my knee open about 2 inches long side-to-side, deep to the bone, and a big flap of flesh on my wrist was just flopping there. If I had not had my watch on, the piece of glass that sliced that flap could have done some lethal damage. I was taken to the ER and had more than 18 stitches total. I declined to have a tetanus shot. I was on some serious pain meds for the damage and kept my stitches bandaged with Porter's Salve on them 24-7. Today you would probably not notice the knee scar if my knee is bent, and nobody even notices the wrist one unless I point it out. Needless to say nothing got infected.
My sweet calico cat got attacked by some sort of predatory bird once. We found her hiding in a ditch covered in mud and unable to walk. Both her front legs were broken, snapped clear in half, at the top near her shoulders. She had 3 very deep HUGE talon holes, on in the back of her head and 2 more in her shoulders. Our best guess was an Eagle or Owl had gotten her and carried her off and she, being the brave little kitty-girl she was, would have curled her back legs up and fought for her life. And when it dropped her mid-flight, from however high it was up there, she would have landed on her front legs, snapping them both in half. Then she dragged herself to the ditch than ran the length of the property and dragged herself through the mud with her hind legs until she came to the house where my mom found her. We found out that cats don't like ACE bandages so we just had to let her heal without any support. We packed the talon holes with salve though. Her broken legs healed overlapping and she had a very short front half for the last 5 years of her life. She looked like she had her behind up the air all the time! Lol! But the talon holes... well they never got infected and healed so well you couldn't find the scars if you tried.
I used Porter's salve on my daughter's belly where the cord fell off leaving a sore-looking open hole. My husband has used it on wounds he got from sliding playing softball. I've used it on hemmorrhoids and where I tore giving birth. (Sorry, TMI! LOL!)
Last month my husband had a minor surgery to remove a cyst from his back. We kept Porter's salve on the stitches and they healed up in record time. The stitches are supposed to stay in 10-14 days but they were ready to come out at 7 or 8 days so by the time 10 days came around, the nurse was amazed it had only been 10 days.
Works great on minor things too. When the kids get ouchies I use it on them. I've used it on sunburn, cat scratches, picked skeeter bites, and bleeding hangnails. I put it on their toes at birth where they got pricked for the blood test.

The other day I got burned. Severely burned. I was carrying a pot of greasy boiling water to the sink and it splashed on my belly, instantly boiling off some of the skin it touched and leaving the rest inflamed and blistered. I had dropped the pot in the sink and ripped my shirt off in seconds and when I looked down I saw shreds of skin hanging off where it had been boiled off, leaving just the few fragile base layers of skin raw and exposed. The area it covered was about 6"x4" and I immediately thought, "I need to go to the ER!" Which if you know me is VERY unlike me. I don't go to the doctor unless it's very very serious. Well it was late and the kids were in bed and I didn't want to drive somewhere with tired kids and a bag of frozen peas on my belly so I just treated it myself. I held a wet paper towel on it for about half an hour and then slathered it in Porter's Salve with a paper towel over that and held a bag of frozen peas on it for over an hour, after which I bandaged it up with gobs of salve and took tylenol. By 12 hours later, more than 50% of the burned area was barely tender and to the naked eye looked totally healthy and back to normal! All that remained were the blisters and skinless spots. The swelling was gone and the redness except in the stripe of most seriously burned area. Well today was day 3 and I have not gone to the doctor, only kept it bandaged with the salve. I left the blistered parts unbandaged for part of the daytoday for the first time to let them get some air, but the skinless parts I have kept bandaged the whole time to prevent infection. I change the bandages and apply more salve twice a day. It is looking wonderful! At first I thought I would have scars on half my belly, but now it is looking like the scarring will be very minimal, perhaps only the skinless spots. I am glad I did not go to the ER after all because of how amazingly well the salve is working.
So, what I'm trying to say here is that Porter's Salve is the best thing in the world for wounds. Everyone should have this in their medicine cabinet instead of Neosporin IMO! Lol!

The only downside is that you have to order it by mail from the company. You have to print out an order form and snail-mail it in! But trust me it is so worth it to have this stuff, even though you have to mail order it!

Click the pic to visit the Porter's Salve website for more information and ordering instructions:

*I do not advise not going to the doctor in the cases of serious injuries or illnesses. My decision and my family and friends' decisions to decline to make use of modern medicine and doctors are our own decisions and you should not blindly base your decisions on ours. You should do your research and make an educated choice for yourself.
**Disclaimer: All reviews on this site are my own opinion from my own personal experience. What works for me may not work for another and vice versa, and while I may have had a good/bad experience with a product, someone else may have the opposite result. Purchase and use any of my reviewed products at your own discretion. Responsibility for your use of any item and any consequences from use belongs solely to you.

____________________________
Have YOU tried this product? What would you rate it?

Liability Disclosures and Policy

2009-10-02T00:15:00.003-06:00

This statement is valid from 4 May 2011 forward
This statement is primarily directed at my readers and giveaway entrants but information contained herein may be useful for companies/PR reps as well. If you are looking for my PR info specifically, please see THIS page.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me, "Mirage," for the purpose of reviewing books and products and posting giveaways. For questions about this blog, please contact me via email: mamamirage (at) yahoo (dot) com.
This blog does not currently accept any form of cash advertising or paid topic insertions. However, I will and do accept and keep free products or services from companies and organizations in exchange for writing an honest review. The compensation received will never influence the content of posts made in this blog. Currently only a small percentage of my reviews are compensated and the compensation is the use of the product which I am reviewing. (For example I am provided a free book from a publisher in return for reading and reviewing said book.) Most of my reviews are independant and receive no trial offer/product or compensation whatsoever. I review because I think my experience might be useful to someone else in their decision to use or not use a product.

I am compensated in the form of a trial of product to provide opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I may receive compensation for some of my reviews, I will always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own and those of any guests whom I may quote or interview. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. What works for one person may not work for another and vice versa, and while the writer may have had a good/bad experience with a product, someone else may have the opposite result. Purchase and/or use any of my reviewed/mentioned products at your own discretion. Responsibility for your use of any item and any consequences from use belongs solely to you.

The following relates to Giveaways specifically:
Giveaway winnings fall into one of two categories.
1) A giveaway I have paid for out of my own pocket and will be shipping to the winner myself. Entrants agree that if you are the winner you receive and use the product at your own risk. Entrants agree that I will not be held accountable for anything that happens to it, that it's used for, or that happens in correlation with or as a result of using the product. I agree to ship it in an envelope/box appropriate for the object(s) and that I will mail it as soon as I am able after the winner is confirmed. Please understand that I am a mother of a nearly 3 year old and a nearly 6 year old as well as an 8 month old baby and am pregnant with a fourth, so getting to the post office is like juggling while riding a unicycle blindfolded. Please forgive me if it takes a week, or even two, to mail it. I promise however to aim for next-day shipping, just please be understanding if it winds up being delayed a bit! The entrant agrees that if they win that I am not responsible for the prize after it is turned over to the Post Office. If the P.O. damages it or loses it, I cannot be held liable. As I said, I will endeavor to package it appropriately so this does not happen. Even if my packaging is faulty, the winner agrees that I packaged it in good faith and I will not be held liable.
2) A giveaway that is sponsored by a company or individual other than myself. In this case, the winner willl likely be put in touch with the company for the purpose of claiming their prize. In some cases I may be a mediator and winner will not have contact with the company, in that case if there is a problem the winner will be put in touch with the company to work it out. Anything that happens after winning a sponsored giveaway is bewtween the winner and the company and falls under the company's own policies. I would never ever knowingly accept sponsorship from a company that is dishonest or has bad customer service, but in the rare case that the company does not follow through on their end of the deal, doesn't send the winner's prize, or any other mishap, miscommunication, rudeness, accident, natural disaster, act of God, etc. happens... you guessed it, I'm not to be held liable. The WINNER must work it out with the company. (HOWEVER if you have problems with a company I would really appreciate it if you'd let me know because I wouldn't want to continue a partenership with a dishonest company.)
In the very rare case that a giveaway is sponsored, BUT the sponsor has turned the prize over to ME to mail on to the winner, this may fall under the rules and liabilities of either or both of the above two categories, depending on the situation.

Entrants agree to abide by the requirements, guidelines, and/or rules posted here and in each giveaway. If the rules are not followed or qualifications are not met, you agree that I have the right to delete unqualified comments/entries at my discretion.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/

Okay now that all that boring stuff is out of the way, go enter some giveaways! Have fun! And thank you so much for honoring me by visiting my little blog! :)

blah blah blah

2009-10-01T21:47:00.000-06:00

testing testing testing

PR Welcome!

2009-10-01T11:01:00.002-06:00

PR Friendly! Etsy welcome! I will consider all proposals. Details below...

SHORT VERSION:
I love reviews and giveaways! Pitch me! I will do my best to give a thorough and fair review of your product. Reviews will be dual-posted on both my blogs- see below for what that means in detail. I reserve the right to turn down anything at any time for any reason. You are in charge of getting the winnings to the winner in giveaway posts. We have 3 kids from infant up to 4 1/2 years old (we hope God blesses us with more children), 0 pets, 1 mommy and one daddy at your reviewing disposal. We ♥ natural stuff, attachment parenting stuff, made in USA stuff, WAHM stuff, organic stuff, time and money saving stuff, and cooking stuff. We have sensitive skin. We hold very conservative values. We homeschool. No conflicts of interest. Tell me what you need and I'll do my best to accomodate. Email me! :) mamamirage (at) yahoo (.) com

DETAILED (long) VERSION:
REVIEWS and GIVEAWAYS:
I would LOVE to review your product and/or host a giveaway sponsored by you! You may choose to have me do a review and giveaway OR just a review. I only write HONEST reviews of my personal opinion/experience and will not use anyone's words/opinion/salespitch/photos that I do not agree with in my review. I will only review products my family is actually interested in and can really use. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing reviews but I do require a free product to test and keep for reviewing purposes. Consumable products must be full-sized for me to be able to do an accurate review on because I want to really try it out properly! :) The giveaway item/code must be shipped or emailed by your company directly to the prize winner. Please specify prior to the giveaway being published where you will ship to (US, Canada, etc)- i.e. what countries the giveaway will be open to. I require it to be open to at least the continental US. Please specify if it will be open to the entire US or just continental states, and which, if any, other countries it will be open to.

I will give the pros and cons in my reviews as I see them and I will be totally honest about my opinion of the product, good or bad. I will decline to review anything that I notice is outright offensive to me morally: I am a conservative Christian so there are some things I find to be against my moral/religious convictions and if I see that to be the case with your product before I begin to review it, I will turn down the offer to review it, nicely and without malice of course- I'm not going to be preachy or nasty about it so have no fear. I may also refuse if I think for any other reason that I will be unable to complete my review properly by the deadline you need it done. This is because I want to give the necessary attention to reviewing YOUR product in the fairest possible way! I hate doing a halfhearted job so this is my way of saying that if I can't do it right I will have to regretably decline or take a rain check in trying to give your product the respect it deserves.

My review will include pictures from your company/website. My review will also if possible include a minimum of one photo of my family using your product. My review may also even include a video of us using or talking about your product. I will have my readers visit your website (or a vendor website of your choice for your product) as part of the entry process for giveaways. If your website carries products other than the one I am giving away, I may (at your request) award multiple bonus entries to entrants who make a purchase from your website during the giveaway. This will be possible only if there is a way to check each purchase claim with your company so that nobody cheats. If you want these options included, please bring them up with me before the giveaway begins so I can accomodate you. I will try to ask about these things but I'm human and forget things sometimes. ;) I advertise my giveaways on several other blogs' linky lists to draw more traffic.

TESTERS:
Males;
Daddy (late 20's) - outdoorsy guy, loves hunting, camping, rock crawling, and fixing things I break.
Bug (2 1/2) - potty training, loves trains, climbs or takes apart everything he can get his hands on.
Females;
Mommy (that's me- late 20's) - addicted to chocolate and paper products, love anything that makes motherhood easier, somewhat crunchy, don't wear makeup anymore and rarely pants.
Chicklet (4 1/2) - loves shoes, dolls, playing dress up, art, learning to read, and helping me mother the younger two! ;-/
Cricket/Babykins (6 months) - starting babyfood, learning to sit, loves being worn in my homemade woven wrap, wears both cloth and disposeable diapers, breastfed, can't find shoes that fit her tiny chubby feet anywhere!
Other;
We do not currently have any pets.
Any or all of these occupants are available to help test products.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:
I have a BIL who works for a large west-coast chain sporting goods store. Nobody in my immediate family works for a large company or chain so I do not have any conflicting loyalties. If you still have questions about any loyalty to certain companies or fields then just ask.

CONTACT:
If you are interested in having me write a review, and optionally also sponsoring a giveaway of your product, you can contact me at the email address mamamirage (at) yahoo (dot) com with the details of your proposal. I need to know what you'll be providing me with, if you're also sponsoring a giveaway and what product it will be if different than my review product, what countries the giveaway will be open to, and if there is a specific date you need the review and/or giveaway completed on or by. Please state any special requests or considerations. Don't forget to specify which countries this should be open to (which you will ship to). Please make sure to bring up any aspects or requirements that you have an opinion or specific need for. As previously stated I try to ask all these things but I'm a human with "mommy-brain" so sometimes I forget. ;)

Unless you request otherwise, my giveaways will run 1-3 weeks from a Wednesday to a Wednesday. We can discuss this and decide together what's best, or I can make a judgement call myself if you have no preference. Winners will be chosen by random.org, or based on a requirement specified in the entry rules. Winners will have 1-2 days (as specified in individual entry rules) to contact me on completion of the giveaway and if they do not, they forfeit and a new winner will be chosen. If this doesn't work for you please bring it up- I can accomodate most requests!

ADVERTISING:
Sponsored Reviews will be posted in full on both my Review and Giveaway Blog, and on my Main Blog (my personal blog).
Sponsored Giveaways will be posted at the bottom of the coordinating review on my Review and Giveaway Blog, and I will link to them from the review for the product on my Main Blog to draw traffic from my readership. Depending on the length of the giveaway, I will post reminders every so often on the main blog for those who are new or missed it before.
In addition to this, I advertise my giveaways frequently on at least half a dozen popular giveaway blogs and blogs that host a weekly/monthly/perpetual giveaway listing to draw in new traffic. I sometimes link to my main blog on facebook as well and also use word of mouth to spread the news regarding products I'm enthusiastic about.

BLOG RANK/STATUS:
My two blogs, my primary one http://everypreciousjoy.blogspot.com/ and my giveaway one http://mamamiragesreviews.blogspot.com/ are LINKED. Very much linked. The review blog is newer but I wanted a way to keep all my reviews and giveaways in one place without having them completely take over the front page of my main blog. So I have buttons on my main blog that link to posts on the review blog, and vice versa. So they are essentially two halves of the same whole. My review blog is too new to have a page rank yet. You can view my main blog Page Rank and Sitemeter buttons by going there http://everypreciousjoy.blogspot.com/ and scrolling down to the bottom of the lefthand column. At the time I write this I'm page rank 1.

SPECIAL INTERESTS:
We ♥ natural stuff, attachment parenting stuff, made in USA stuff, WAHM stuff, organic stuff, time and money saving stuff, and cooking stuff. I am very interested in reviewing anything to do with babies, as we always seem to have one around here! ;) Baby carriers / slings / wraps, cloth diapers, babyfood / babyfood making supplies, pregnancy products and maternity clothing, wooden / natural toys, playmats, items that promote better baby sleep habits, books on large family parenting and homemaking... These are by far not my only interests- remember, I will read and consider all proposals before accepting or declining.
If your business benefits any charities I would like to know so that I have the option of mentioning them in my review. Many people will spend a little more to buy from a company that donates to something they believe in so if you do that then my mentioning it is good advertising for you.

Please feel free to send me an email with any questions or proposals. I look forward to getting to know you and reviewing something for you! I am happy to work with you on any specifications or details regarding a giveaway as well- please just let me know what you need and we'll work it out. Thank you for your interest! Have a wonderful day! :)

**This PR Policy has been updated 4/4/11**
I reserve the right to update and change my policies at any time. Policy that applies to each review/giveaway is the one in effect at the time I accept said review/giveaway proposal.