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Wisk, Stain Spectrum Technology Versus the Protein Stain!

Posted by: Brandy | Comments (0)

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Can I just tell you that I am thoroughly impressed right now? Last night we did a little Summer Science with Wisk. I even video taped it and will post it below. Be sure to watch it, it features my little ones and I didn’t edit anything out, so there are more than a few funny moments!

In my first post about Wisk I just gave you some basic info, I hadn’t used it yet. You can read that first post about how Wisk is bringing science to stain fighting with an upgraded formula featuring Stain Spectrum™ Technology by clicking here.

Wisk sent us a package in the mail with the tools to perform our little experiment. Those tools included the following:

Protein Stained Swatch
Plastic Beaker
Lab Coat
Dropping Pipette (A.K.A Squeezer)
Goggles
Bottle of Wisk Laundry Detergent

Please watch and see what happened!

This post is sponsored by Wisk. I received monetary compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are 100% my own.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

I love that summer is winding down. The days are so much more pleasant and you an actually do stuff outside…in the middle of the day even!! Last night we even took a long family walk, it was wonderful!

We spend a lot of time in the front yard. We have an awesome front yard with the softest grass ever. The lawn was filled with stickers at our last house and we couldn’t do things like lie in the grass.

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Butt Paste, Mama Tip!

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Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember the first time I seen Boudreaux’s Butt Paste at the store. The name alone was a enough to make me want to buy it. Seriously, how could you not buy something for diaper rash that was called Butt Paste. It’s brilliant!

When my girls were little they would never get just a mild rash…if they got a rash it was the real, raw deal. Bourdreaux’s Butt Paste was my diaper caddy companion. It was there on hand to save my wee ones from the horrible pains of diaper rash. If I used it at the first sign of the rash, it usually knocked it out pretty quickly.

I’ve always included a tube of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste with baby shower gifts I have given. Especially for new, first time parents. It’s a brand that I trust and I know works. I have tried them all and this one was the nicest, thickest, creamiest without being to greasy and oily.

You can find Bourdreaux’s Butt Paste just about anywhere. You can even get it in convenient foil packs that are great for the diaper bag! It also comes in 1oz, 2oz, 3oz, 4 oz tubes and 16oz jar.

You can get a free sample of Bourdreaux’s Butt Paste by visiting the link above.

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I’m Teaching a Photo Editing Class!

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Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

I’m super excited to share some of the skills I have taught myself with some other moms and teens. Being able to edit photos is a skill that I think everyone can appreciate. Even just minor edits like exposures and cropping.

An awesome mom that opens her home to everyone all the time is hosting it at her house. She is the same person where the girls go to swim and have the horsemanship classes.

So far it looks like a bunch of people are interested in the class…we may have to have more than one!!!

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Pentel, Back to School!

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Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

One of my favorite parts of getting ready for the new school years is getting supplies. I load up on pens in every color. The girls all prefer to write with pens and only use pencils in their work books. Lauren even draws with pens, takes after her mama.

I’m sure you could see how we would go through a lot of pens in one school year. I was excited when I received an assortment of pens and mechanical pencils from Pentel to review. Wooohooo for cool new pens!

The first package that caught my eye was pretty pretty pink…

This pen writes so smooth and was a quick favorite. Not only is it an awesome pink color and writes smoother than you can imagine, but a portion of the proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research. It comes with a pen, hi-lighter and mechanical pencil all in the same package.

the rest of the pens. mechanical pencils and hi-lighters were just as awesome.

I love using green pens to make notes on things the girls do. The Click Twist-Erase mechanical pencils come with lead and eraser refills so that you are prepared. The Oh-Gel pens are retractable Gel pens that come 5 to a package and are Latex-Free! My other favorite of the bunch (after my pink one) is the R.S.V.P. RT Colors set. This is a pack of 4 retractable Ball Point Pens.

Pentel has all of your writing back to school needs covered. Quality pens do make a difference. I have tried cheap pens and am always frustrated by the clumping and skipping that comes along with trying to save a buck. This ends up being a huge waste of money because those are not the pens that you are going to pick up and use.

I received a sample pack of Pentel Pens, Mechanical Pencils and Hi-Lighters to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and no monetary compensation was received.

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Update on Me…

Posted by: Brandy | Comments (7)

Monday, August 30th, 2010

I have a rhuematologist appointment on Friday…I think so anyhow. I get really forgetful, I have it written down somewhere though…just have to remember where.

I’m currently taking Neurontin, which is an anti-seizure medication. this is being increased gradually. The idea behind this is that eventually it kind of turns off the pain singles to my brain. I am also taking Robaxin, which is a muscle relaxer. They put me on this when it became difficult for me to walk. It seems to be helping a little bit, but not that much. I taken Melatonin to help me sleep better. For months I was living off 1-2 hours of sleep tops. This increases the pain and neuro issues a lot! I have to have sleep and the Melatonin does help.

I am not on pain pills. This is something I am trying very hard not to have to fall in to. I suck it up. Last thing I need is to become some kind of pain pill junkie and end up in a Drug abuse rehab…I know how easily that can happen to people. Thank god there are places to help those people out, I’ve personally had family that had to use these services. I do have a prescription of Tramadol and I only take it when I am in so much pain that it makes me unable to function.

As for my surgery, I am recovering well. I still have pain from where nerve endings are waking up. My periods seem to be leveling out as well. I was having one every 2 weeks on the dot…talk about hell. I can run and jump and it gets a little sore, but I am getting there!

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Update on Baby Darby!

Posted by: Brandy | Comments (7)

Monday, August 30th, 2010

This is a guest post from my friend Janna, mother of Baby Darby…

Hello everyone! I’m long overdue in posting an update about Darby, but as in most cases, no news is good news!

I’ll start with the back story that many of you already know. Darby was born healthy but jaundiced. At 11 weeks of age, she was diagnosed with biliary atresia, which is a rare liver disease, and she received the Kasai procedure to buy time until her inevitable liver transplant. You also may recall she had a life-threatening bleed repaired following the first surgery. At Darby’s age, the surgery was unusually successful in restoring bile flow! This is why Darby is no longer yellow, as most babies with liver disease are. Too much damage and scarring (cirrhosis) had already been done to Darby’s liver, so she developed portal hypertension, which causes a build up of fluid in the abdomen (ascites.) We also discovered she has severe allergies to milk and eggs. Many BA babies will need nutritional assistance through a feeding tube, and in March, almost 6 months ago, Darby went back into surgery to drain significant ascites and get a g-tube.

Since my last update, Darby was referred to the transplant team in Dallas. She underwent an extensive evaluation, and they unanimously decided to actively list her on the transplant waiting list. During the testing, they discovered she had a few heart conditions that will only be monitored, not treated. Currently, she is being followed and receiving lab draws monthly. She has a low score, but could receive the call any day. The g-tube has had a few complications, but has allowed her to gain weight and grow very well! She is allowed to eat as many solids as she can. Six weeks ago, Darby began crawling and now she’s cruising and getting ready to walk. Things are going great for us right now, and I pray that she will continue to stay strong and healthy until she receives her perfect gift. Thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes for Baby Darby!

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Passing Time, Creating Memories…

Posted by: Brandy | Comments (4)

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

When we have nothing to do, the girls dress up like princess’s and fairies and run in the grass while I happily snap away capturing the beautiful memories they are creating. I plan on encouraging them as long as I can to dream everyday!

I love my kids and I love my Nikon. Photography has always been more than a hobby to me, to me it’s the chance to capture emotions and have them forever.

My favorite photos are those natural photos of life. sadness, anger, happiness, sickness, worry….it’s all there. Life is not about poses and fake smiles. It’s real emotion and that is my goal with photography.

I hope you like Lauren’s princess photos…she was truly in a land of make believe…

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Morgan is a Girl!

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Thursday, August 26th, 2010

This past year Morgan has gotten so girlie! She still loves to play sports and be outdoors with animals, now she just does it with makeup on and her hair done.

Her appearance is very important to her these days. So much more than it was to me at that age. Thankfully she is good at doing her makeup. She does it very tastefully. She wears heavier eye makeup, but it works for her since she wears glasses.

Her hair is the biggest deal now! She keeps borrowing my Flat Iron. So much so that I have to search for it when I need it! So I guess it is time for her to have her own. She has been wanting her own for awhile now and is always showing me Flat Iron Reviews almost daily! I guess I’m going to have to give in! I did wait long enough to be sure this was a need and not a phase. She fixes herself up daily, so it’s time.

She is wanting the Karmin G3 Salon Pro Flat Iron, the kid isn’t messing around! I have to agree that pro Flat Irons are so much better than the cheapies that you get at the local store. The difference is insane! So, I can see the need for her to get a nice one…but she’s going to have to wait for Christmas!

Moms of girls, when did your daughters get more into being a girl?

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Banquet Fruit Pies!

Posted by: Brandy | Comments (1)

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

I’ve mentioned before I am not a baker. Morgan is the baker of the family. She makes beautiful breads, cakes and pies. I ruin those things. I forget about them and over cook them. Baking is not my thing.

I sure do love a tasty pie though.

I just realized that Banquet made fruit pies. I had no idea!

When I think of Banquet I think of hanging out at my grandmas eating a Turkey or Salisbury Steak T.V. Dinner. Banquet has come a long way since those days and remains a freezer staple in most American homes.

The Fruit Pies resemble their traditional Pot Pies. They are perfectly sized individual pies. We picked up some of these a few days ago. We picked Apple and Peach. I tried a little of both and was pleasantly surprised! The Apple was awesome! I love Apple pie! The Peach was pretty darn tasty too and was lil Miss. Emma’s favorite.

As with the pot pies, you can either bake them in the oven or the microwave. Well, since this is Texas and it is so hot I am not turning my oven on unless I absolutely have too. I mentioned a few months ago that I did not own a microwave. We have since broke down and bought one. I realized this summer that we really did need to have one. The heat caused by the oven was just too much and left overs were being wasted…so to make better use of what we have I broke down and gave in. So yea, we prepared ours in the microwave and they were still super yummy! I do think that oven preparation would make them even better though!

This is something that I think I will keep in my freezer for special nights and those cravings that tend to hit at the oddest hours. I recommend you giving them a try. The price is right for these little pies!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Banquet and received free coupons to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Join the Movement!

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Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

By Movement I mean the Home Farming Movement! I think it is so awesome that even city dwellers are starting to get more into growing their own! When we had a lot of land I had a pretty good size garden. A garden that produced enough for my own family as well as extended family and friends. Now that we don’t have that area I have been looking at the different ways to still have a garden. People refer to this as urban gardening.

Triscuit is working with Urban Farming, a non-profit organization, to create 50 new community-based home farms throughout the United States. As part of the Home Farming Movement, Triscuit has included plantable herb seed cards in 4 million boxes of Triscuits to help encourage people to grow their own vegetables and herbs!

Triscuit sent my family two of these boxes and a giftcard to cover the supplies to plant them. I figured it would be a great project for my girls!

As you can tell, they were quit excited!

The girls had such a good time and enjoyed watching them sprout over the following days. We keep the planter on our kitchen table near the sliding glass door there. It’s really nice to be able to cook with things you grew yourself. No worries about chemicals or where your food is coming from!

Be sure to check out the Triscuit Home Farming Site for more information!

We received two boxes of Triscuits and a gift card to help with the expenses. No compensation was received.

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I’m All About Some Savings!

Posted by: Brandy | Comments (2)

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

That is why I shop at Sam’s Club. I used to be a major coupon clipper and then other things took priority. Now, don’t get me wrong…I still clip some coupons but I am not in the game they way I used to be. It got to the point where I would show up to the store and I had forgotten my handy dandy coupon binder…yes, I said binder! As soon as I get my head back running correctly I will once again be a coupon binder girl!

So what does that have to do with Sam’s Club? Well, eValues! I told you about eValues a long time ago and I am still loving the convenience! I can’t forget my eValues! These are like having special coupons without clipping and without having to remember to bring them along. If you are a Sam’s Club Plus Member then eValues are there for you, whether you remember them or not! They are loaded directly on your Membership card and redeemed electronically at the register.

With Labor Day coming up, Sam’s Club has you covered with eValues! Click here to check it out! There will be over $300 in extra savings loaded onto your card from September 1st-6th, 2010! It’s always nice to see those discounts popping up in surprising places. I know one time I saved quite a bit on the family pack of ground beef I picked up at an already great price. Sure was a nice surprise seeing even more savings coming in for my family!