I really enjoyed reading the Month of Meals e-book.  Unless my husband is working late, we always have dinner together as a family.  It would make our evenings run way behind if I waited for him to get home to prepare our meals.  To make my meal prep and afternoons go smoother, I always try to plan our meals out and have everything necessary for it ahead of time.  I'm the type of person who shops the sales and likes to buy things when I have a coupon for it.  So, waiting till the last minute is not my style.  However, with this e-book, I think it makes it easier for someone who is pressed for time, needs some new ideas for dinner (or just needs somewhere to start), is not into shopping sales or using coupons to have a plan and still save money.  This book gives you a great foundation for planning your meals and to know exactly what you need when you go the store.  I found that even if there were some meals that I thought did not fit into my family, I could easily swap it out for one of our regular meals in its place.  I found some helpful tips and suggestions in this e-book as well.  The cost of this e-book is very inexpensive and would defintely pay for itself the first time you used it.   Once again, this is one of those things I wish I had when my husband and I first got married.  We could have been making delicious, affordable, homemade meals from the start.  For more tips and interesting things check out the author's blog as well. Note: This e-book Month of Meals was given to me by the author

A Month of Meals E-book. This book was more than I expected and very useful. The text is easy to read and the language is simple, easy to understand and follow.  The lists are concise and straightforward.  I look forward to modifying and implementing her plan for my family.

Although I live in Canada and a lot of the prices don't apply, the principles do.  She has a list of produce that cost under 20 dollars.  I haven't priced it out but I'm sure it would be a lot more here, especially during the winter months.  And she has a number of chicken recipes and unless I can find a friend to get a chicken from chicken is really expensive and hard to find in our small town store.

I currently do not have an oven and some of the recipes given are baked.  I will either have to change these to another recipe or figure out a way to cook the food in a crockpot, on a griddle or in the bbq.  The author has done a lot of the work for me.  The substitutions will be easy - just a meal here and there.  Using her plan I will be able to integrate our favorites with some new ideas presented in her plan!

I love the section on meals to make ahead of time.  I really need to do this; she makes it look so easy.  The meals to make ahead are easy and enjoyed by my family already.  The author focuses on healthy eating and exercise.  There is a link to a different food pyramid.  I plan to go examine more; a different take that may just "speak my language".  There are other charts and lists and helps too.  The author has done her research and has an easy to follow plan.

Disclosure: This e-book was graciously sent to me by the author.

  If you are looking for peace of mind when dealing with unused outlets, then look no further.  The Cover Plug is the answer to your problems.  We are blessed to have many outlets in our house.  In my daughters rooms however, I hate having so many outlets.  I always have to make sure every outlet has safety plugs in them and remember to check them perodically, which is not always at the top of my mind.  With the Cover Plug, they do not even pay attention to the outlet.  The cover comes white, but it has a paintable surface.  This is a plus because most kids room are usually painted some other color besides white.  We have purple in one of our bedrooms, so having the option of matching the plate not only helps the kid not notice it, but also keeps the overall decorative style going.  Installation of the cover plug is easy and only requires a screwdriver for the existing screws in our outlet.  Pop the cover on and your all set.   These covers would be a unique gift to add to a new moms baby shower gift.  Check out the CoverPlug website for information about this product and how to order. Note: This product was provided by the company that makes CoverPlug

  Peek-A-Boo I love you is a very cute book.  We have red lots of flap books, but this one would be at the top of my list.  From the attention getting cover, featuring a dog with a big puffy heart to the oversized flaps, this is a great book for kids all ages.  All three of my girls ages 5, 2, & 1 have enjoyed looking at some part of  this book.  This story is great for my 5 year old because it has rhyming, my 2 year old because of the sturdy, easy to lift flaps, and my one year old for animal identification.  If you are looking for a cute Valentine's Day gift for you little one, I would suggest you snag this book right up. Note: This book was provided by the publisher

  The Peek-A-Boob Strips are a great little invention.  Funny how something so simple and small can make a big difference in our day to day fashion wardrobe.  I haven't had to much problem with my shirts gapping.  Mostly because I've been nursing or pregnant for the last couple of years.  Button up shirts have not been at the front of my closet for a while.  However, once I heard about these I could not wait to try them on my wrap sweaters.  I have one sweater that I have had for a really long time.  I love wearing it, but I constantly have to unwrap and fix and then rewrap it.  I placed one of these strips at the top of the sweater where I seem to have the most problems and it stayed all day no problem.  This sweater is very lightweight, so of course I had to try it on something heavy duty to give it a real test.  I have another sweater that's similar, however this sweater is very heavy and very thick.  I could not decide if I should try two of the strips or just stick to one single strip to see how well they really worked.  One single strip worked just fine.  Got me thru the day no problem.  When I tore these off at the end of the day, I had no problem taking them off, nor did they a bunch of material with it.  It's nice to find a product to solve this problem.  We have a relative getting married in a few months.  I plan on passing her a few to have just in case she has any last minute wardrobe glitches.  But, she can only have a few.  If she needs more than that, she'll have to plan ahead and order her own package because the rest are mine! Note: This product was provided by The Peek-A-Boob Strips company

I have used dove deodorant products in the past, so I was excited to try one of their new Clinical Strength deodorant products.  I received the cool essentials and was very happy with it.  I have liked dove deodorant products in the past because they leave your underarm area feeling soft.  When I started using this product I was weaning my youngest from nursing.  In the past I have had trouble with my deodorants working during a hormonal change in my body, particularly with nursing.  Not sure if it was the product or that I gradually weaned my daughter, but I did not have any problems this time with the deodorant not working.  So, if you are a nursing mom and have trouble like I have had in the past with a deodorant keeping up with you, I would give this a try.  Also, I usually stick to solids when it comes to deodorant.  I do not like sprays, roll on, or gels and this deodorant was a cross between a solid and a gel.  I did not mind that this product had somewhat of a gel consistency.  My only complaint about this deodorant is that I had to turn it alot to get product started in the beginning.  It took more then a few turns of the dial.  Also, at different times I noticed that the product did not always come out evenly.  Other than that, I could see myself purchasing and using this product again.

 Note: This product was provided by Dove

  The Chalkboard Tee is one of the neatest t-shirts I have seen in a long time.  I received this tshirt shortly before Christmas.  So, I used it as one of my 5 year old Christmas gift.  When she first opened it, she thought the shirt looked interesting, but after I showed her what she could do with it she was very excited.  We got the tshirt in pink with a butterfly.  My daughter enjoyed chalking all over every spot on the butterfly.  The tshirt washed very well in the washing machine and I let it air dry like instructed.  This will defintely be on her show and tell list for school.  The tshirt was great for my daughter, but I also could defintely see this catering to an older crowd.  I think kids in jr. high as well as high school would get a kick out of this type of shirt.  If someone is looking for a unique gift, this would defintely be something to consider.  It's cost more then your standard tshirt, but you are getting more for that extra money. Note: This product was provided by the Chalkboard Tee Company

  I'm one of those people who would  rather go out of my way to use a favorite item, then use one that is already clean and sitting in front of me.  The Shi Shu blanket will definitely be one of those items.  I was very excited to receive this blanket in pink.  It was folded in a nice neat square, with a simple piece of ribbon (not sure if that's the correct name), and folded inside the blanket was signature tissue paper.  If I had purchased this blanket as a gift, it would be very easy to slip this into a gift bag for the recipient.  The  blanket speaks for itself and no extra work on presentation would be necessary.  The blanket washed very nice and kept its shape.  Its sizing is perfect for my little ones to cuddle up with on the couch or to use as a blanket in the crib or on the toddler bed.  This blanket is reserved for my youngest daughter.  In the next couple of months we'll transition to sleeping with a blanket and this defintely will be the one I reach for.  Check out the site and see the other sizes and colors available.  I would love to put the Classic Weave Throw on my list.  If its any thing like the blanket, I would be in for a real treat! Note: This blanket was provided by the Shi Shu Company

  Three Steps to Clever Cleaning is part of 1-2-3..Get Organized Mini-Book Series.  When I received these I was expecting a mini book, but was really surprised how mini they were.  These books are super easy reads.  Rather then taking you room by room, it gives you suggestions for what you need to do most of your cleaning as well as some different methods of cleaning.   While reading through this book, I thought this would be the perfect gift for a bride or a newly SAHM.  When my husband and I got married we both moved out of our parents home into an apartment.  I would love to have had this kind of book as we started our new home together.  With the holiday's approaching, this book (as well as the other ones available) would be a perfect stocking stuffer.  Of the whole book, my favorite section is the chapter on periodic cleaning.  Each month has a task that needs to be done once or twice a year.  Some of these jobs are easy to overlook, but with this schedule its easy to keep up with them and makes it less likely that you would forget or overlook them.  Check this book out if you need a place to start your cleaning or just want some tips to help maximize the cleaning time you have available. Note: This book was provided by the author

 

 

 

Our own Kim has created a great recipe & a video showing it off as her entry in the Meijer “My Meal Box Moment” Video Recipe Contest. Judges are currently reviewing the entries. 20 finalists will be chosen and voting will begin on Saturday.  You can view her video & recipe by going to the contest site & looking for Kim / Easy Chile Recipe.  Keep your fingers crossed for Kim!!