Superfood Review: Raw Organic Chocolate

These Certified Organic energy nuggets are made with raw ingredients that will help you to stay energized without the artificial additives. They are little balls of raw chocolate mixed with other ingredients. They come in 4 flavors; Chocolate Goji Treats, Green Chocolate Dream, Brazilian Chocolate Ecstasy, and Chocolate Cherry Qi.

I was excited to try these, because I absolutely LOVE chocolate. I also loved that they were supposed to give natural energy. The packages were very colorful and looked like coffee bags.

I opened them up one by one and took a smell test- they ALL did smell like raw chocolate. It also smelled sort of like raw coffee grounds or something.

I picked them up and they felt like a mushy cookie dough ball with a grainy texture. I took a bite and immediately spit it out. I didn’t like it at all. I thought maybe it was because I had never eaten raw chocolate or gluten free anything.

The taste was horrible. I felt like I was eating coffee crumbles, and the texture was horribly grainy. I had a horrible taste in my mouth after eating it. I ended up having one of my friends try this- she is more into the whole-food gluten free stuff, and she said the same thing- it’s too grainy and has a nasty aftertaste.

I will NOT be eating this again in the future. I don’t think I would eat it unless that’s the only thing I HAD to eat on a desert island or stranded somewhere, which I probably wouldn’t have them with me anyway.

About  Superfood Snacks
Raw Chocolate Energy Nuggets, each featuring a different assortment of SuperFoods and Raw Chocolate!

• Brazilian Chocolate Ecstasy, our tropical blend
• Chocolate Goji Treats, the flavor that started it all – the 5 element blend
• Green Chocolate Dream, our Green Super Food Blend
• Chocolate Cherry Qi, our Cherry Clarity blend.

About the Company
We are a sustainable superfood company from the island of Kauai.  Our focus is on creating cutting edge organic products using raw ancient superfoods and specialty ingredients from around the world..

We source the highest quality organic & wildcrafted fair trade ingredients for all of our recipes.  We use a unique 5 element food combining based on ancient techniques to balance our recipes with all 5 tastes and deliver amazing healthy products for your whole family.

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

Thanks for dropping by,

Jessica

$50 Old Navy GIft Card Giveaway

Would a $50 Old Navy eGift Card come in very handy right now?! Whether you are purchasing back-to-school clothes, baby clothes, or items for yourself $50 would come in handy.

Hosted by: Baby Costcutters

About our sponsor: CouponChief.com

CouponChief offers online savings!! Who does not want that right? They make it very user-friendly to find the coupon codes you need for your online shopping. In fact if you do win this gift card make sure to search for Old Navy to see what coupons codes you could use along with it! If you are looking for categories to shop rather than just a particular store you can search by tags. The tags box is very easy to find at the top right-hand-side on the home page.....for example is you are looking for shoes or baby items just click on the tag. You also will not have to go through several coupon codes to find one that works. CouponChief invites its members to comment, rate, and validate coupons. Plus, expired coupons are removed! So you always have the most current up to date coupons available to use. Now this is what makes CouponChief different from other coupon code sites...... they pay you with their Pays-to-Share Program when you sign-up {for free} to their site and then upload coupon codes! How many of you get those post cards in the mail or receive magazines with the coupon codes in then for everyone to use? Share them and every time someone uses a coupon you've uploaded, Coupon Chief will give you 2% of the sales!

One lucky person will win a $50 Old Navy eGift Card!!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Made.By.Jess is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.  

Must be 18 years + to enter. Ends Aug 30, 2012 at 11:59pm est.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Daddy & Son Sharing Traditions

When I was a little girl, I’m pretty sure I only owned matchbox cars, footballs, baseballs, and army men. I could be found outside digging in the dirt, making roads for my cars to drive on.

That’s right- I was a tomboy! Even when I got older- I would rather ride 4 wheelers or go horseback riding then hang out at the mall after school. I have always liked watching baseball as well as playing it.

When I was in 5th or 6th grades, the boys on the team (just during recess) doubted my abilities because I was petite. Boy did I sure show THEM! They were amazed at how well I could catch and how fast I could run! I was like the wind!

When I got into middle school and high school, I loved going to games and watching. It’s the excitement, the fun, the “team” aspect of it. It just excites me. Did I mention that I was half crazy during these games?

I definitely did! You could see me in the stands, all decked out in my baseball apparel- shirt the color of the team, face paintings, and all. Then when I was a junior- I met Adam.

He and I started going to games together when we could. He introduced me to fitted hats, which I am now addicted to. Adam hates wearing a hat that isn’t fitted- it hurts his head.

I didn’t like wearing non-fitted hats because my head is small and I’d have to practically hold them on to keep them from completely falling off. Every time he and I go hat shopping- you’ll see him head straight for the fitted section.

If he gets a non-fitted hat for Christmas- he will NOT wear it. Now that we have a son, he has passed this on to Aidan. Aidan LOVES hats. He will put them on and pretend to be “Daddy”. He will walk into the room and say “I’m not Aidan, I’m daddy”. It cracks me up.

I really like the fitted hats because now Aidan can share hats with Adam. It makes him feel Oh-so-special and puts a smile on my face…

Thanks for dropping by,

Jessica

I’ve been with him for seven years this year

Review: Geeks Mobile USA

Geeks Mobile USA provided me with a free “computer clean up” or PC optimization, in exchange for a review of the clean-up. Computer help has such an amazing clean up service because they offer 24/7 United States based tech support and services.


I don’t know how many times I’ve been blogging late at night and had issues with my computer. I’d have to wait until morning to be able to contact someone, and I’d be out of getting anything done ALL night. Not only was it frustrating, but it put me SO far behind that it was almost too much to catch up on.

For me, as a freelance writer and blogger- I use my computer daily- more hours then not, and when I can’t access anything- I get very irritated. I have deadlines that I have to meet, and when I can’t meet them, I may miss out on money that I desperately need to raise my family.

Mostly- they would either want me to bring it up to have it worked on, and I’d have to leave it for a week or so. OR they wanted me to mail it to them which would probably take a month or more. NO- that wasn’t and isn’t an option for me.

I had to take my computer and leave it at the store- get a loaner- and be without all my pictures, files, and information for more than a month! Every since THAT experience, I decided a remote technical support that is available 24/7 is definitely WAY better.

Not only can you reach them on their website, but you can call them while in the middle of the computer messing up, tell them what problems your having, and they will help you figure out what is going wrong.
My computer has been very slow and not letting me download any updates at all, no matter what it is- even if it was just Adobe Reader updates. Once in connection with Computer Help, I didn’t have anything else further to do.

They just wanted me to keep the computer plugged in while they worked on it from their site, so they had constant access to it. It was awesome yo be able to look at the computer screen and seeing them work, being able to tell what they were deleting, and seeing the mouse moving up and down.The procedure took about an hour, but it was absolutely worth it; without a DOUBT!

They call you and let you know when the job is finished and the updates on what was wrong with the computer in the first place.

Here is what they got off of my computer:
9 needed updates to critical programs
7 programs that needed to be uninstalled because they were slowing down the computer.
There were also tons of temporary internet files that were slowing it down that were removed.
And they had to speed it up, there were programs starting up when I turned on my computer that didn't really need to start up.

Now I can just click on them when I need them, instead of them starting up automatically.

After they were done, I started up my computer and could instantly tell that my computer was back to new. The speed of the computer was 100x better. There was absolutely NO waiting for programs to load. Everything is operating quickly, more efficient, and with ease.

No more problematic pop-ups that drive me insane. There were tons of pop-ups telling me that my computer wasn't up to speed. Now it hasn't popped up since they did their magic.

Now YOU can have your computer up and operating without even leaving the comfort of your house. No more driving through town looking for an open computer store and then being charged an arm and a leg. With Computer Help Today, you don’t even have to change out of your pajamas. =)

The best thing about it is, you don’t have to listen to an automated service that ends up taking you back to the main menu a thousand times because you didn’t hear the option you wanted.

You’ll talk to a REAL live person- any time during the day or night. Call them at 888-855-1805.

If you have a small business, you can also get computer support for it with Computer Help Today's sister site ALL IT Supported

Thanks for dropping by,
Jessica

An Auto Insurance Checkup To Keep Your Costs Low

Who wouldn’t want to open their auto insurance bill and see that the cost of coverage has gone down? Well, that’s an easy one to answer. Everyone would want to save some money on their auto insurance costs. Well, just because you’ve had the same policy with the same auto insurance company for years doesn’t mean you can’t still save some money. What you need is an auto insurance check-up. Getting an auto insurance check-up is easy, and may turn out to be something that saves you some money in the process.

Comparison Shopping

The first step in getting your auto insurance check-up is to do a little comparison shopping. Get yourself no fewer than 6 auto insurance quotes to compare with what you’re currently paying for auto insurance coverage. It’s important, however, to make sure each quote is for identical coverage of what you already have. Getting quotes on differing amounts and types of coverage won’t give you an accurate picture of what’s your best buy. Once you’ve got the quotes compare them to see which one gives you the most savings.

Deductibles

You should also consider having a higher deductible. Did you know that the higher your deductible, the lower your annual premium costs are? That sounds risky, but most people drive their entire lives without getting in an accident. Even if you are unfortunately involved in an auto accident, that higher deductible may still end up being less than what you would have paid by paying higher premiums over the years. It’s definitely something to consider.

Coverage

The next step in your auto insurance check-up is to make sure you’ve got adequate coverage. Sometimes not having enough coverage can wind up costing you more in the long run, than if you had good coverage from the start. Consult with your auto insurance provider and review what your current coverage is, and consider what additional coverage you may want to obtain.

Discounts!

Finally, this auto insurance check-up wouldn’t be complete without seeing if you qualify for auto insurance discounts. Most auto insurance companies will offer consumers a number of various discounts. A good driving record, defensive driving training, multiple policies or multiple vehicles on the same policy and many other policy discounts may be something you quality for. Be sure to ask about all the discounts available through your insurance provider.

There are many ways to personally tweak your auto insurance to ensure that you get the best possible deal for you. For more helpful resources, start with the articles at gapinsurancequotes.org

This is a Guest Post Brought to you by Gap Insurance.

Thanks for dropping by,
Jessica

Toysplash.com's Best of the Best Pool & Toy Accessories

Book Review: Enlightenment for Nitwits

 

Shepherd Hoodwin has been channeling since 1986, and specializes in the fascinating Michael teachings, about how we set up our lifetimes. He is an intuitive, workshop leader, and teacher. He also does healing, mediumship, past-life readings and therapy, counseling, and channeling coaching (teaching others to channel). His most recent book is the humorous “Enlightenment for Nitwits: The Complete Guide to 2012 & Beyond!” Shepherd lives in Laguna Niguel, California, and graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in music.

Make sure you follow Shepherd on Facebook & Twitter, as well as his website!

Now for the book:

Enlightenment for Nitwits: The Complete Guide to 2012 & Beyond.

This is the first metaphysical/self-help humor collection. It is full of hilarious one-liners and mind-bending pieces on a wide range of subjects:

• Announcement from the Mayan Calendar Committee
• My Toilet Runneth Over,
• A Lesson in Impatience
• Breatharians & Sun Gazers
• Bed Death & Beyond
• Outsourcing & UFOs
• This Just in from God:
• It’s Not Easy Being An Old Soul
• The Tao Travel Agency
• Politics & Naked Shopping
• Lipstick on Pig Splotches
• Poetry Slammed
• Potty Training Your Inner Child
• Self-Confidence for Total Losers
• Do-It-Yourself Near-Death Experiences

 

My Thoughts*

This book contains 45 short chapters  which contain all the above and more. What really lured me in and made me want to read this book was I thought it was going to be a fun type fact book.

This wasn’t the self help book that I expected it to be, instead it is a book about ridicule and satire of human life. If you're put off by debatable  topics that are the heat of controversy; sexual preferences, religion etc. this is NOT the book for you- OR maybe it IS you just don’t know it yet.

This book cracks me up with “I’m not overweight, I’m under-height”. Could you imagine someone really being as tall as they think they should be to manage out their weight. I’m pretty sure we’d have to re-do houses and office buildings =) Especially here in the south where everything seems to be deep-fried with extra extra butter.

Discussing any more of the topics will surely give it away, and you should definitely read it for yourself..

About the Author - a brilliant and witty writer Shepherd Hoodwin who has also written "Loving from your Soul" and another of my favourites "Meditations for Self-Discovery" is now presenting another masterpiece "Enlightenment for Nitwits"

You can buy this book on Amazon; both in paperback and kindle version. It is also available @ Barnes & Noble.

Follow the rest of the book tour:

Follow Our Book Tour

1. 
Monday 6th August - Ramblings of a Frugal Mother of Four

2. 
Tuesday 7th August - Couponing with Boys!

3. 
Thursday 9th August - Lynchburg Coupon Mama

4. 
Thursday 9th August - Selena Thinking Out Loud With Purpose

5. 
Friday 10th August - Living Frugal with Erika

6. 
Saturday 11th August - Central Bargains and Giveaways

7. 
Sunday 12th August - Pretty Opinionated

8. 
Monday 13th August - Mommy Coupon Swappers

9. 
Tuesday 14th August - Made.By.Jess

10. 
Wednesday 15th August - A Gluten Free Journey

11. 
Thursday 16th August - Dixieland Product Reviews

12. 
Friday 17th August - My 4 Little Monsters and Me

13. 
Saturday 18th Aug - My Cozie Corner

14. 
Sunday 19th August - Read, Rate and Reviews

15. 
Monday 20th August - icefairy’s Treasure Chest

16. 
Tuesday 21st August - Hobbies on a Budget

17. 
Wednesday 22nd August - Mama’s Got Flair

18. 
Thursday 23rd August - More From Mom

19. 
Friday 24th August - Mommy and We

20. 
Saturday 25th August - Single Mom Inspirations

21. 
Sunday 26th August - Life as Leels

22. 
Monday 27th August - Libby's Library

23. 
Tuesday 28th August - MumbleBeeInc Deals and Steals

24. 
Wednesday 29th August - JadeLouise Designs

25. 
Thursday 30th August - NaturalHairLatina

26. 
Friday 31st August - The Kids are Grown, Now What?

27. 
Saturday 1st September - Beck Valley Books

28. 
Sunday 2nd September - ** GIVEAWAY LIVE DATE **

Disclosure:This book was provided to me for review purposes only. This isn’t a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.

 

Thanks for dropping by,

Jessica

Ecowell Dog Shampoo & Spray Review

Dirty & Hairy Shampoo with
Citronella

*Removes Deep Down Dirt

*Neutralizes Foul Odors

*Light, Fresh Scent is long lasting'

*natural alternate

For the outdoor dog! To use: Massage onto wet coat. Rinse. Follow with love and praise

Go ahead, let your dog play in the mud, frolic in the forest and hike in the mountains. It’s what dogs love to do. Dirty and Hairy is formulated for just such a dog. This gentle, fresh-smelling shampoo will clean, condition and protect with citronella oil but it will not strip essential oils from your pet’s skin. There are no detergents or pyrenthrin based pesticides. The natural, human grade ingredients are perfectly safe for puppies, people and their pets.

My Thoughts*

Cheyenne can get really dirty, very quickly. She is an outside dog that is chained up practically in the dirtiest spot in the yard. It’s basically the only spot with a large tree to keep her shaded in the summer though.

Where she is an Alaskan Malamute, her hair is really really thick- so it takes an extra special shampoo to get all those knots and tangles as well as the dirt out.

My mom helped me out with this one, because there was no way that I could wash her AND take pictures. She doesn’t like baths too well, so she was practically shaking her fur the entire time.. lol.

This dog shampoo is specifically designed to get the deep down dirt and kill the odor that come with it. Cheyenne’s fur was matted pretty bad before using this shampoo.

After we started washing her, (AND brushing) the knots were coming right out. She has a problem with rolling around in mud, so the knots were also crusted with mud.

At first my mom thought that we were going to have to cut her hair just to get them out- we didn’t though. The shampoo smelled really good on her as well. It smelled like a mixture of green tea and lime.

I was amazed that her coat was still looking extremely healthy, vibrant, and shiny after a week and a half- which was when we gave her yet another bath. This gentle, fresh-smelling shampoo will not strip essential oils from your pet's skin, and will not wash out spot-on flea and tick products.

You can buy the shampoo for $9.99 for 16 oz. flip top bottle

I was amazed with this shampoo- I can’t wait to use it on our new baby pit bull Apollo.

 

Outdoor Spray with Citronella

*Neutralizes odor

*Quickly freshens a smelly dog

*Long Lasting Scent

Use Dirty & Hairy's refreshing spray between adventures to keep your dog smelling fresh while protecting from the great outdoors. This spray contains a proprietary odor-eating ingredient that neutralizes odors to keep your pet and house odor-free. Your can also spray on bedding, carpets and upholstery. The natural human-grade ingredients are safe for people, puppies and pets. This product is perfect for those days when there's just not enough time to bathe the dog!

Natural pet spray contains ingredients that provide outdoor protection while neutralizing bad smells. It can also be used on bedding, carpets, and furniture.

I used this on Apollo because he is still so very small, and I was scared to give him an actual bath. He despises the water something awful. So- all we had to do was spray this on his coat and he was good as new.

He smelled good for awhile before we had to use it again. I love that they carry both shampoos AND sprays. It was so much easier just to spray Apollo then give him an entire bath because he jumps everywhere and tries to get out of the baby pool something fierce.

I didn’t have to fight with him about the spray though. I didn’t even have to hold him down. I just called him to me, grabbed his collar and went to spraying. SO much easier.

You can purchase both of these items from their website

Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post, products were sent for review purposes only. The opinions in this post are 100% mine and completely honest.

Thanks for dropping by,

Jessica

Kenra Hair Care Review

I had the chance to work with Kenra hair care. Not only did I get to review 3 items, but they were all from the platinum line. I chose the review the Blow-Dry Spray, the recovery polish, and the recovery mask.

When the mailman brought this box to me, I was excited to open it. The bottles are so elegant and stylish and make my bathroom counter look so sophisticated. I’ve never seen any hair products with the platinum look. They are beautiful.

Platinum Blow-dry Spray

 

This is an amazing blow-dry spray. Not only does this protect against heat styling tools, but it also dramatically reduces the time it takes to blow dry hair.

This is so many things in one. It smooths, detangles, AND helps to keep the humidity OUT while preventing frizz. I had been having problems with my hair becoming damaged from blow-drying and straightening it too much, so I wanted to find something to help me out with this.

You wash and condition your hair as usual, towel-dry it until it’s damp and then spritz this all over your hair. Wait a second for your hair to absorb it, and then comb from your roots to the ends.

Then you can either go straight to blow-drying your hair. I wait 5 minutes before blow-drying it though. The longer you wait to blow-dry it, the less damaged it will become.

This bottle isn’t like a hair spray spritz though, it feels more like a body spray nozzle- that way you aren’t getting an aerosol spray. You can spritz as much or as little as you need to and get amazing results.

I have been using this now for about 2-3 weeks, and I am happy with the results. I am absolutely HOOKED on this spray. My hair is extremely soft and manageable, while it doesn’t even take me 10 minutes to blow-dry my extremely long medium thickness hair.

Before using Kenra- it would take me possibly 25-30 minutes to not have one wet spot on my head. AND my hair would poof right up, so I would have to straighten it right after blow-drying it. This is what led to the damage in the first place.

I have definitely noticed a change in how my hair looks after it’s blow-dried. It is smooth, silky to the touch, and there isn’t any frizz AT ALL. It smells amazing, and helps eliminate the coarse split ends without weighing it down and making it look oily.

You can buy this product in 3 different sizes. $13.00 for 1.7 fl. oz. , $22.00 for 3.4 oz., or $33.00 for 6.8 oz.

 

Platinum Recovery Polish

You rub this silky cream into the palm of your hands until it becomes clear. You can rub this all over your hair, or just at the ends, depending on where you need it.

This is an ultra lightweight leave in treatment. This is amazing at recovering hair from it’s dry damaged state. It also keeps humidity from frizzing hair for 20 hours!

You can reapply this as needed, so it’s great that it is a thin bottle. I can toss this into my purse and take it with me to the waterpark (chlorine can be horrible for hair). So after I get out, I rub some in (all over my hair) and don’t have to worry about the damage from the chlorine or exposure to the sun.

I used this in damp hair and used it on dry hair. When I got out of the shower one night and was too tired to do anything but crash- I woke up the next morning and rubbed some of this into my hair before straightening it.

It was amazing because my hair was twice as shiny and smooth as it would have been if I’d just straightened it regularly. It kept the tiny little hairs that poke up everywhere down. My hair looked so amazing and felt so strong, not (almost) brittle as it was becoming! AND this product smells amazing!

It is made with essential vitamins and minerals to fight dehydration in the hair and smooth the damaged cuticle layer (outside) of hair to give it a natural beautiful silky smooth shine with natural movement. There was absolutely no oiliness, greasiness, or frizz!

You can buy this product for $22 for 1.7 oz. bottle.

 

Platinum Recovery Mask

If you have dry, damaged hair and are currently looking for a mask to help those dry, dehydrated locks- YOU’VE found it. I was totally amazed at this mask. Usually masks leave my hair looking like I haven’t had a bath in months.

Not this one- it revitalized and restored my hair without one BIT of greasiness at all. I am in LOVE. My hair has made a 100% turn around with these three products. I couldn’t have made a better choice when choosing something to help me out.

My hair looks like it wasn’t even damaged in the first place. My hair looks thicker, has more shine, and even more volume. The reason this product helps so much better than the other brands is because it’s infused with proteins that fortify, repair, and protect the hair shaft.

It helps to reduce the amount of breakage that hair has, which has made my hair look so healthy. It gets down to the deepest parts of the hair strands with the natural oils that are in it.. so it isn’t just making me think it’s working- it’s actually doing it’s job!

It also helps scalp problems. I have really dry scalp which can turn extremely itchy and irritating. When I put this in my hair, I made sure to rub it all the way down to the root into the scalp.

You leave this in for 3-5 minutes (after shampooing) and then rinse with warm water. You can use this daily, weekly, or bi-weekly depending on how damaged your hair is. My hair was pretty bad off because I wasn’t only blow-drying it, but I was straightening it right after- which led to my non-split end hair becoming full of split ends and looking horribly damaged.

This can be used for any and all hair types. Whether you just need some extra TLC, you straighten and blow-dry it, you’ve permed it, or colored it- this is like the milk to the cookies. This is exactly what my hair needed to retain moisture, lock in softness while locking out frizz.

It also has color care complex ingredients in it, so if you HAVE colored your hair- this will help hold your hair color longer. So you aren’t having to dye it even more than you should have to.

Very awesome product all the way around! This has been a terrific hair (and life) saving treatment for me. Being in the south with all the humidity and heat hasn’t made an impact at all on what this amazingly magic mask can do!

 

About Kenra:

Classic. Extensive experience.

For more than 50 years, Kenra has been formulating and producing hair care products using only the finest ingredients. Kenra is a privately held company, and we take great pride in our approach to doing business. While we are constantly moving our research and development into the future and working to discover innovative ingredients and results, our approach to doing business has not changed: We provide personalized support to our customers, we treat every customer with the highest regard, we create and formulate high performance hair care products, and we execute programs for salons that build customer loyalty.

Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post, products were sent for review purposes only. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

 

Thanks for dropping by,

 

Jessica

Ahava Dermud Enriched Intensive Foot Cream Review

Winter, summer, spring or fall, this soothing foot cream acts deeply to alleviate the itchiness, redness and scaling of dry feet. Dermud's special blend of Dead Sea mud, minerals and plant derivatives moisturizes as it soothes and repairs, restoring youthful vitality to your feet.

How to Use: Don’t be shy: Massage a generous amount into your soles, toes, and ankles until fully absorbed. You’ll have happier feet instantly.

Ahava Dermud Enriched Intensive Foot Cream

The Dermud line is amazing at relieving dry, cracked feet. I have been in love with this foot lotion since the first time I used it. It is formulated from Dead sea mud which helps to relieve itchiness, redness, as well as scaling & peeling of dry feet.

This is a thick- rich in moisture lotion which is great for relieving the dryness. It’s spectacular because it doesn’t contain ANY greasiness at all. It is made with Aloe Vera & Shea Butter, Coconut and Jojoba oils, and Provitamin B5 and Vitamin E. It is a slight brown color that does LOOK like mud =)

The Aloe Vera & Shea Butter help to smooth and soften very dry skin, The coconut and Jojoba oils lock in moisture for all day comfort. and the Provitamin B5 and Vitamin E protect from becoming dry and rejuvenate the skin.

Having dry feet in the summer is a no, no for me. I am constantly wearing sandals or flip flops and I don’t want dry, cracked skin showing while I’m at the beach, the zoo, or just hanging out the house.

This has really made an impact on the dryness as well as the scaling I was having on my heals. It does take away the itchiness that comes with wearing socks and sweating in them. I love this foot lotion.

It doesn’t have a fragrance like most foot lotions do. I didn’t like using foot creams or lotions that smell like mint because it is overwhelming. I can use this, and know that my feet aren’t going to smell like I’ve blasted my feet with peppermint.

It rubs right in without any problems at all. Ahava does recommend that you wait 15 minutes before putting on socks to that your feet can soak up as much as it can.

After 2 weeks of using this- my feet feel and look amazing. I love this more than any other foot lotion or cream I’ve ever tried.

About Ahava:

Founded in 1988, AHAVA Dead Sea Laboratories is driven by a deep passion to unearth the secrets of the revitalizing effects of minerals on the skin. The only cosmetics company indigenous to the Dead Sea region, the company employs a truly singular scientific approach in its environmentally-conscious research activities. Over the years, this has culminated in the development of a series of premier skincare product lines, renowned internationally for their superior efficacy. AHAVA harvests and formulates the rich natural resources of this magical region in strict compliance with recognized international standards.

Connect with Ahava:

Facebook & Twitter

Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post, products were sent for review purposes only. All opinions in this post are 100% mine and completely honest.

Thanks for dropping by,

Jessica

Rubbermaid LunchBlox Review

School time is here.. So if you’re looking for some awesome stackable lunch containers to fit inside your kid’s lunch box then head on over Rubbermaid to get your very own Rubbermaid Lunch Blox Sandwhich Kit.

Product Features

• Designed to work together to save space and stay organized in a lunch bag
• Can be configured to fit various lunch bag shapes and sizes
• Perfectly sized for common foods taken on the go
• Durable and Leak-Proof
• Microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe, bpa free

You might just end up stealing it for yourself, or your husband might—because this thing IS really nifty. It has already gotten tons of use at our home. I’ve used it to send Aidan’s lunch in, when they are having something that I know he will not eat.

On days that I know he will eat the lunch the school serves, I use one of these containers to send him a snack in. They stack and lock on top of each other so that it not only helps eliminate the containers falling over- but it also helps to keep them cool with them being able to be stacked on the ice pack.

There are two ways that the containers can stack on top of the ice pack. They can be stacked with the larger container on bottom, icepack, then the smaller containers. OR you can put the ice pack on the bottom, then the large container- and the smaller containers on top.

It is really cool AND really cheap. This lunch blox is only $12.99 on the Rubbermaid website. It comes with 2 snack containers, 1 side container, 1 Blue ice, and the sandwich container.

These containers are dishwasher, microwave, and freezer safe. So you never have to worry about how your going to heat up your lunch at work- or ruining these amazing little containers. They are HERE to stay! AND because they are so cheap- you can afford to buy some not only for your children, but for hubby or yourself as well.

There are tons of places that these containers can be bought, so if you’re wondering- here is the list- Of course you can always but them on the website www.rubbermaid.com,

But you can also buy them at Target, Kmart, Kroger, Safeway, Bi-Lo, Winn-Dixie, and select Wal-marts will also have these.

Taking lunch to school or work has never been easier OR cheaper. These containers are part of the new Rubbermaid Lunch Blox series. The series is designed to save space, so they can be used in various types of lunch boxes.

The sandwich container can be used with regular bread OR rectangular bread. The snack containers are perfect for small snacks such as carrots, cookies, or pudding. The bigger side is perfect for potato salad, tuna salad, ravioli, or chicken soup.

Of course, you can add whatever you want- this is just what I make for Aidan to take to lunch =)

Adam has already tried to steal this for his lunchbox for work.. lol. I let him take it when there is something at school that I know Aidan will eat, so he could use it as well.

Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post, products were sent for review purposes only. The opinions in this post are my own and 100% honest.

 

Thanks for dropping by,

Jessica

Etsy Review: Your Title Here Premade Sidebar Title

 

If you look to the right of my blog, you’ll see my newly made Sidebar Titles. Aren’t they amazing? I think so. I enjoyed working with the creator; Lauren. She is an amazing, friendly person.

I was looking through her site and couldn’t believe how much talent this woman has! I even design blog stuff, but had never tried to design my own blog sidebar.

The best thing about these are the colors. She has tons of colors to choose from, and she will even customize the colors for you if you send her a link to your blog.

I HAD to get the lime green (My favorite color) So I switched around my blog background just so I COULD have it.. lol. The banners are only $5. She is brilliant and cheap to work with.

Unlike the designers who want to charge an arm and a leg for something. NOW an even up and coming blogger can get their sidebar banners for extremely cheap and love looking at their blog every time it loads.

I have had tons of different sidebar banners through my blogging career, but these are hands down my absolute FAVE! They are so cleverly and beautifully designed. WHO could resist?

She has every single type of social media banners that you could possibly think of. These colorful little circles look so graffiti =)

Look at these little banners. She will even customize the colors on the banners, so they perfectly match your blog!

She will even design blog headers for $7- YES I said $7. 

To see an entire list of her designs you can go to her Etsy website.

Connect with Your Title Here:

Follow her blog &  facebook

Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post, she made me some really awesome sidebar banners and I wanted to show all of you how awesome SHE works! I am in love with the designs and couldn’t help spreading the word.

Thanks for dropping by,

Jessica

Green Virgin Cleaning Products Review

I am excited to tell you about a new GREEN cleaning company. Green Virgin Products. This company is an online company that offers cleaning products that are totally chemical free.

I am not going to sit here and say that I am totally “GREEN.” I have been tweaking and adding stuff to my cleaning habits this year to make my home as chemical free as I can.

I have been learning a TON this year about different products and how harmful chemicals can be not only in bathing products, makeup, and home products but ALSO cleaning products.

I used to think that something that could clean that well couldn’t harm my family or me because it IS cleaning.. right? WRONG- Oh, how wrong was I.

Green Virgin Products has just about everything that anyone needs to clean their home.

The Soap Nuts

They carry all natural soap nuts Soap Nuts are the fruit of the Chinese Soap Berry Tree. These soap nuts are harvested and then dried in the sun- SO all natural!

This can be used for tons of items. They sent a little piece of paper with the soap nuts to explain how to use them and what ways they could be used IN. I thought “WOW”.

The soap nut contains saponin, which has cleaning abilities equal to those chemical induced cleaners that we are all used to. The first thing that was said to use this for is laundry detergent.

"Did you know that chemical laundry detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets should be avoided at all cost? Yikes! These products contain chemicals classified under federal law as carcinogens, toxic and hazardous. Some are on the EPA hazardous waste list. The list of health hazards associated with the chemicals in laundry products is staggering and extremely serious. There are known carcinogens in nationally advertised brands of laundry detergents, fabric softener and dryer sheets.”

The soap nuts come in whole nuts, so you break them down (which is easy to do by hand) and place 5-7 broken up nuts into the smaller bag and throw them in the washer AND dryer with your clothes. These nuts are completely organic, green, AND hypo-allergenic. Which means that there will be NO rashes, no redness, and no itchiness. You can even use this on delicates and baby clothes.

Saving money is also a big plus with switching to Green Virgin. Most organic cleaning products cost MORE than regular cleaning products, which is why it’s harder for some people to make the switch. Not with Green Virgin. These Soap nuts are both Laundry detergent AND dryer sheets, so think of the money you’re saving.

This is amazing because you can REUSE these many times before they disintegrate and you need more. I really liked them. At first- I was kind of iffy about using them. I had never used a soap nut as a laundry detergent before and didn’t really know if my clothes would be clean OR smell clean.

They did though. The dirt was gone from the kids clothes and the coffee I spilled on my shirt earlier that day was gone. I was impressed and excited to have found such a unique alternate to chemically processed detergent.

This can also be boiled down and used as an everyday cleaner. It can be used as a soap to wash your car, your pets, dishes, or even use it to wash your vegetables before eating them.

I got a pump action bottle with this to try with the soap nuts- I washed anything and everything in my house with this. I used it on my counters, on my refrigerator, walls, bathroom, and stove. THIS was amazing for cleaning everything.

Nothing had streaks or left behind gunk. I really liked using this and will continue to purchase this for my family. It was so unique and really worked on everything.

• · By using soap nuts, your clothes will be soft without the use of a fabric softener
• · Soap nuts cost 2.5 times less than leading national brands (1 kilo bag of soap nuts costs $26.95 and washes up to 330 loads of laundry)
• · Using soap nuts doesn’t pollute our valuable water supply like toxic name brands do
• · Soap nuts have been used for thousands of years
• · They are completely sustainable!  They grow on trees, drop to the ground, are cracked open then dried naturally in the sun.

 

• 

Natural Deodorant Stone

I also received an all natural deodorant stone. It is 100% pure Mineral Salts Deodorant Stone that contains no aluminum, carcinogens or toxic chemicals which are typically found in commercial brands.

You can also use this on smelly feet. All you do is get the stone wet and apply it under your arms or on your feet. I used this on the hottest days of the year this year- it was 107 here in July and it was absolutely horrible heat. I couldn’t walk outside without breaking into a sweat.

Of course, we didn’t even have the pool put up until it started cooling down- so I didn’t get any relief there. My kids were BEGGING and PLEADING to go outside. SO- I decided to give the stone a whirl and see if it really worked as well as it said.

This stone can last up to one YEAR! Isn’t that amazing? Not having to buy deodorant for a year. The most awesome thing about this is that you can throw it in your beach bag and take it with you swimming and it doesn’t melt and get all gooey like the other “commercial” deodorants.

This worked amazingly! Even with it sweltering outside, I couldn’t smell even a slight hint of sweat.

GVP Formula 433 All Purpose Cleaner is an amazing cleaner. You can dilute this with water at a ration 5:1 and use it for medium duty cleaning around the house; washing the car, dish soap, cleaning the counters, and more.

I even sprayed this on the floor and used it to mop up some spills that my kids made. It worked awesomely. This cleaned way better than any of the commercial products could.

I’m pretty sure I sprayed this on practically every surface of my house, and I was never disappointed. I even sprayed this in the toilet and in the shower—WITH amazing results.

I even used this an an oven and stove cleaner. It worked fabulously. I didn’t have to let this soak forever before wiping it up. There was no greasy residue left behind. There was no problems at all with any surface I used this on. Everything was clean, smelling wonderful, and germ free without all the toxins.

I AM definitely adding these products to my cleaning cabinet now. Thank YOU Green Virgin!

You can dilute this 10:1 to use it as a cleaner for your babies/kid room as well. Wash the crib, the mattress, or anything else that needs washing or dusting!!

 

Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post, products were sent for review purposes only. Opinions are my own and completely honest.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Jessica