Elysium Training Pants Review and ***LIVE*** Giveaway CLOSED!!!

Because everyone has been so super patient and wonderful with me.. I thought I would throw in some fun today!! So here is my review of the Elysium Trainer that I received, following this review is ***LIVE*** Giveaway of a CUSTOM trainer from Elysium! This trainer is super trim, fits Putters just like underwear, but has a great little absorbent strip for “accidents”. And it’s totally adorable in it’s princess print!! Check it out!

Between being gone while Putter’s works on her potty training, and leaving my camera at the new house, I do not have a photo of Putters IN her adorable trainer. But I can tell you that is fits super well, she can easily pull it up and down on her own and she loves the pretty print. In fact she said it was “too toot”. Her words for ‘too cute! ‘ I have a second trainer on it’s way because I just love these so much. They are trim enough to put on under a pair of cute jeans, or even her leggings. And cute enough to just go with only them when it’s warm outside.  They go adorably with a pair of Baby legs and are absorbent enough to contain an accident.

And now for the FUN!! Elysium generously has offered a CUSTOM trainer to one reader! This will be a ***LIVE*** Giveaway.. this means that after the Mandatory Entry of being a blog subscriber and liking Elysium on Facebook, and telling me what you would like from her Etsy store, you can enter as many times as you wish!! You may comment on anything that you wish as long as it is family friendly! You can ask about cloth diapers, tell everyone what your having for dinner, sing the ABC’s, or bemoan that Hubs accidentally washed your diapers in a full scoop of Tide detergent, when you normally use 1 TBS of Peaceful Housewife Detergent.. :O)  This giveaway will ONLY be open for 24 HOURS… that means at 4 pm July 1st it’s closed! So have fun… talk alot… and good luck!

Mandatory Entry:

Be a blog subscriber, like Elysium on FB and tell me one product you would LOVE to have from her Etsy Shop.

(HAS TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE YOU CAN MAKE ANY OTHER COMMENTS. Tell me in ONE comment that you suscribe, like and love, and include your email address please so I can contact the winner! Email address is required in the winning comment or I will pick a new winner! THANKS)

Now comment as many times as you like, on anything you like as long as it’s family friendly! Don’t forget your email address in EVERY comment! This giveaway ends July 1st at 4 PM PST. Enjoy and Good Luck! If  you have questions ask me on FB and I will answer as soon as I can!

Be Blessed…

~Katie

“I’m not responsible if you are not mailed your winnings by the sponsor”

This policy is valid from 15 October 2010

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Elysium Mimzi Hugs Mama Cloth Review and Giveaway! CLOSED

Today I have a great review! I absolutely LOVE this product! In fact I jumped up and down and yelled and woke up Putters when I won a gift certificate to get more of these mama cloth’s from Elysium! The Mimzi Hugs Mama Cloth is the most absorbent, soft, comfortable pad I have EVER used. Mama cloth is kinda a new thing for me. Right after I started using it I became pregnant, so I didn’t get to use any for several months. Then after the pregnancy turned out to be false, I still didn’t get to use them for several months. Then I had an IUD put in, and I have gotten to use them A LOT.. and I have to tell you, the Mimzi hug is the one mama cloth I hand wash and toss in the dryer so I will get it back quicker! Not only is it super absorbent, soft and comfy it is so pretty! Who doesn’t need a bit of pretty at that time of the month! Here is the Mimzi Hugs mama cloth that I received for review…

Isn’t that pretty?!

And this great little product wraps up in a pretty little package to toss in a purse or diaper bag or even in a pocket.

The seams are expertly sewn, the snaps are very strong, and it looks like something you would find in a store, not at all what you might expect from an Etsy shop!  I have found that a lot of my expectations are WAY too low when it comes to most handmade/home made items from WAHMS… but this product continues to amaze me in the fact that it looks so professionally made! The back view...

Elysium has very generously offered my readers the chance to win TWO Mimzi Hugz!! Winner’s choice of size, Elysium picks print.

Thank you so much Carisa!!

THIS GIVEAWAY ENDS  JULY 14th, AT 4:00 P.M. PST

Mandatory Entry:
You must be a subscriber to this blog, (NOT the blogger blog)  either by using the subscribe button at the top if you have a wordpress account, or by email (Right hand side half way down the page!)

LEAVE  YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN EVERY COMMENT PLEASE!!

EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Like Elysium on Facebook, and thank her for this giveaway! +1

2. Favorite Elysium on Etsy, and tell me your favorite item in her store! +2
3. Fan Misadventures Of A Family Of 8 on FB. +1
4. Grab my button, place on your blog, and leave me your blog link so I can find it! +1
5. Follow me via Networked Blogs. +1
6. Post about this giveaway in your FB status, using the link for this giveaway and tagging Elysium and Misadventures! +1 (Can be done daily)
7. Follow me on Twitter. +1

8. Enter another one of my open giveaways, and tell me which one.
+1 for each open giveaway you enter.

“I’m not responsible if you are not mailed your winnings by the sponsor”

This policy is valid from 15 October 2010

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

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

Green Bumkin Winner!!

Sorry it’s been so long everyone!! Life has been insanely crazy with moving and painting and all that! I am now back at the beach packing and cleaning and renting a u haul while Hubs works back in the Valley. I am going to attempt to pack and clean and get out of here by Saturday. There is still some painting etc that needs to be done in the new home but almost 3 weeks away from my other 4 kids is driving me crazy enough to think that I will be able to finish all that with them all there! :O) This should be interesting… I will most likely  be painted etc late at night while Putter’s sleeps… Haha.

And now that I have a little time I am picking a LONG overdue winner of the Green Bumkin Crayon Roll… Congrats # 2 Linda!! I will be emailing you soon and you will have 48 hours to respond to claim your prize! If you do not respond a new winner will be picked.. :O)

Thanks everyone else for playing, and Green Bumkin for your awesome review item  and giveaway… it’s a daily favorite at our house now.. I will be needing a couple more for birthday gifts in the coming months as all my kids want their own! :O) AND I am very sorry I am so behind in everything! Thanks everyone for all your understanding, encouragements, and love!! It really means a lot!

 

i like green bumkin on fb.

Be Blessed…

~Katie

Dickinson Custom Furnture WINNER!

I only have like 6 minutes to write cause I am on a library computer and they don’t give you alot of time!! #9 ~Ronda Tucker you won! The owner of Dickinson Custom Furniture will be contacting you for you shipping address and all that! Congrats!! :O) Gotta go! Miss you all!!

Be Blessed…

~Katie

Tshirtprinting.net Review!

Looking for some new shirts? Can’t find any that everyone isn’t already wearing? A couple of weeks ago Hubs was sent this adorable (can I say that?!) tshirt with cute (there it is again!) monkey print on it from Tshirtprinting.net through Tomoson.com. He loves anything with monkeys, so I made sure it came in a size for him. Even though the monkey is hot pink, it fits him well, and looks great! I have washed it several times, and the screen print is still attached with no signs of it pulling away from the shirt. I hate getting a new shirt with a nice print on it, washing it once or twice and having the print start to peel off, so I am glad that this shirt is not showing signs of that happening! Here it is on Hubs…

Tshirtprinting.net also carries hoodies, shirts for men, women and children, hats, and ladies tank tops. So if your looking for a special item, check them out! The shipping was fast and the tee shirt itself is of good quality. Very soft, and thick. The seams are well sewn and I couldn’t find any dropped stitching or holes anywhere!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

How Do I… Feed My Family Of 8 On $40 A Day #3

I also wanted to share a little about how we SERVE the meals I make.. this is a very important part of saving money around here too.

I try to waste as little food as possible. To do that I have to know my kids! I have to know how much they will eat, what they will eat, and whether or not they have had a big day or are suddenly eating more then usual. I also serve everyone! This prevents a child from filling a plate with a food they will take one bite of and say they are full! My kids are allowed to choose one or two foods that they absolutely HATE, such as brussel sprouts, this one food I never make them eat, but everything else is not up for debate. We all have foods we don’t eat, even as adults, so I can’t expect them to not have a hated food item too!

For the toddler I serve about 1 TBS of each food item. For the Mini’s (boys that are 5 and 7) they get about 2 TBS of each food item, for the older kids, I do 3-4 TBS of each food item. I just eyeball, I don’t actually get out measuring spoons. If they eat EVERYTHING on their plate and want more then they can have seconds. Leftovers get put in containers and saved for lunches for another day. Two or three times a week we have smorgasborg lunches… every leftover in the fridge get’s brought out and eaten up. If it’s all gone and someone is still hungry, they can make a sandwich.

I also do a One A Day rule… Once a day I serve milk, and once a day I serve juice. If you don’t want the milk or juice when I serve it, you don’t get it until tomorrow. I had kids saying they wanted milk or juice and haven’t had any yet, when I was sure they had, so I established that rule. We buy good quality 100% juice, frozen juice, usually calcium fortified, and organic whole milk. When both are about $5 a gallon, I can’t afford for them to drink a gallon each a day, and they would if I let them! For the rest of the day they get water. I recently got them each a good quality stainless water bottle. I found them on sale for $3 each because they had little dings in them. I even managed to find the Mini’s some with flip lids, they just push a button and the lid flips up. They play with the lids so much they wind up drinking an entire two to three bottles of water a day. Very important for little guys that spend a lot of time playing and using up their water supply!

I serve a fruit for one meal and a snack every day, and a veggie for two meals and a snack every day, so they get plenty of  fruits and veggies, and don’t need the fruit juice to supply a serving for them, so now juice becomes an extra goodie not a necessity! Since the juice I serve is usually calcium fortified, I don’t have to worry about them getting enough calcium in only one cup of milk a day. We also eat a lot of Mexican, Italian and Indian foods, so I cook with a lot of cheese and milk products. They get calcium in most meals too that way. Plus those foods are cheap, fast and easy to to make.

I also require my kids to eat everything I serve them the first time. I don’t give them much to start with so asking them to finish it is not asking a lot. If I know one child hasn’t been feeling well, I put very little on their plate the first time around.

Most of what I make is from scratch, even items like taco seasoning etc. Not only does this save money, I know that there are no allergens that will cause problems if I make it myself. I take about half an hour at the beginning of the week to make any items like this that we will need, and then it’s ready to go when I need it.

And that is pretty much how I feed my family of 8 on $40 a day. If I missed something you are wondering about, feel free to ask, and I will do my best to answer!

Be Blessed…

~Katie

How Do I… Feed My Family Of 8 On $40 A Day …#2

After I make (Or print out from an online menu site) my menu and shopping list, I head 30 miles away to a discount grocery store called Grocery Outlet. There they sell items like milk, eggs, cheese, bread, tortillas, coffee, juice, rice,  beans, olive oil, spices, broths, condiments, and more for less then regular grocery stores. If I got everything that we need there, I would spend way less then we do. But I can’t buy everything there, as I have to get most of our groceries organic/natural due to allergies. I get as much as I can there on my list, this usually includes oil, cheese, sometimes coffee, depending on what they have, a few spices, condiments, spaghetti sauces, and broths. I buy a case of both beef and chicken a month, yes I know I should make my own.. but I don’t.

From there I head to the nearby Fred Meyer, where there is a health food section. This is where I get our organic milk, eggs, whole grain flour, organic sugar, vanilla, and bulks foods like natural m and m’s, craisins, yogurt covered raisins, granola and such. I also buy pasta here.

From there I head home, where I buy our meat. I shop for meat locally because we are friends with the butcher, and I know that the meat is fresher, and better quality. He will also alert me to any good deals, and on more then one occasion, I have found a meat I just asked about and discovered costs too much, suddenly in the reduced section. Make friends with your local grocers and make sure they know you have a lot of mouths to feed. It doesn’t hurt!

I plan meals that are flavorful, don’t take a lot of preparation or cooking time (one reason I love the menufortheweek, the meals taste great, even the ones that sound funny, take little prep time, short cooking times, usually 30 minutes start to finish) this way I am in and out of the kitchen, most are easy enough the kids can help with, or even do most of the prepping and cooking. When kids help cook a meal they are more likely to eat it! Look for one more post on this tomorrow!

Be Blessed…

~Katie

How Do I… Feed My Family Of 8 On $40 A Day #1

I was recently asked HOW I feed my family of 8 with $1000 a month on the face book page, and since I practically wrote a blog post about it there, I decided I may as well write one on here…When I was done writing, it came out to over 1300 words… so I will be breaking it up into a couple posts! The things I do for y’all 🙂

So $1000 a month. To some that may seem like A LOT… and actually this month it’s more like $1200 since Hubs is buying his own food in the Valley. So I got out my calculator, and if my late night calculations are correct, $1200 for a family of 8 comes out to about $150 per person for the month. WOW that is a scary number! Then I made it worse… I figured out how much I have to spend per person per day… $5. $5 per person per day to feed a family.. that number up there doesn’t look so big anymore does it? Granted that is $40 per day for our family. BUT that is three meals, two snacks and three-four times a week a dessert and includes coffee, coffee creamer,  and sugar for my commited coffee relationship, milk, juice, sodas once a week for the kids, daily for Hubs and now and then for me. We also buy our drinking water, because the water here tastes funny, and its a really old apartment building so I worry about lead. We go through 5 gallons every other day. I fill our five gallon jug for $1.75. Half of that is my coffee consumption. Shhh, don’t tell Hubs I drink that much coffee…

And if you think about it Rachel Ray can barely feed just HERSELF for that much a day!! Take away the $200 Hubs got this month and it turns to $125 per person, or $4.16 per person per day!  And no, we don’t eat beans and rice every day.. in fact we rarely do! Although we DO eat a lot of Mexican, Italian and Indian foods. They have a lot of flavor, are usually quick and easy to make, and are cheaper then most foods from other countries or even our own.

So how do I do it? First off  I use the website, http://www.menufortheweek.com. For a $30 six month membership (this comes out to about $1 per week! Well worth it just in the time it saves!) I am emailed weekly menus and shopping lists for 5-6 dinners, and at least one breakfast/brunch meal. It almost always includes a crock pot meal for busy days. On my shopping list I add things I will need for other meals, milk, eggs, yogurt, cereal, bread, peanut butter, jelly. Etc. In the five weeks now that I have been using this menu plan, not a single meal was disliked by my family. That alone saves money. Then a couple times a week we have leftovers for lunch and finish off anything that didn’t get eaten for dinner the last few days.

My kids are NOT allowed to be picky… I allow them each one  maybe two foods they REALLY dislike, such as brussel sprouts, and those they can opt out of eating, but everything else is not  up for debate. I do not make more then one meal at a time. If you don’t want to eat what is served  you can wait for the next meal. Look for the rest of this post tomorrow!

Be Blessed…

~Katie

Little Hearts Books, Book Review! CLOSED!!

I love to read,  I love for my kids to read and I love to read TO my kids. But it gets harder and harder to find books that not only teach them something of value, but that corresponds with our beliefs. I was blessed to be sent the book, “Petey’s Listening Ears” for review by Little Hearts Books. Not only is it an adorable book, with very colorful and cute illustrations, it teaches the benefits of listening and how it helps and keeps us safe and out of trouble to listen. While this may seem kinda boring, I can assure you my kids all LOVED this story! It made listening fun, through putting on listening ears and just being funny.

With this book you will follow Petey through his day where he is continually getting into trouble because he is not listening. This book could of been writing about Clown! It has become one of his favorite books to read too! At the end when he learns to put on his listening ears the story ties together the fact that not only will his day be much better if he listens, but he will feel better too!

L.R.Knost is an award winning Christian author and homeschooling mother of six. Her works include a children’s writing curriculum, children’s church curriculum, and devotional guide. Her children’s book series, Wisdom For Little Hearts, is designed to entertain little ones ages two to six while equipping parents, teachers, and caregivers with Gentle Parenting techniques.

If you go to the website, there are downloadable coloring pages and resources to go with the book and you can also find tee shirts and tote bags and watch for the release of the next book in the series, called “Addie’s Inside Voice.”  These books are great Gentle Parenting Resources.

You can buy your own copy of Petey’s Listening Ears for $12.99.

OR you can WIN one!!

THIS GIVEAWAY ENDS  JUNE 30th, AT 4:00 P.M. PST

Mandatory Entry:
You must be a subscriber to this blog, (NOT the blogger blog)  either by using the subscribe button at the top if you have a wordpress account, or by email (Right hand side half way down the page!)

LEAVE  YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN EVERY COMMENT PLEASE!!

EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Like Little Hearts Bookson Facebook, and thank them for this giveaway! +1
2. Fan Misadventures Of A Family Of 8 on FB. +1
3. Grab my button, place on your blog, and leave me your blog link so I can find it! +1
4. Follow me via Networked Blogs. +1
5. Post about this giveaway in your FB status, using the link for this giveaway and tagging Little Hearts and Misadventures! +1 (Can be done daily)
6. Follow me on Twitter. +1

7. Follow @LR Knost on Twitter+1

8. Enter another one of my open giveaways, and tell me which one.
+1 for each open giveaway you enter.

This policy is valid from 15 October 2010

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Enough said..

~Katie