Review: Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock

As some of you know, my kids and I spend alot of time at the pool. I don't particularly like dirt but my kids need exercise so the pool is our compromise. Since my husband is Puerto Rican, my kids don't burn easily but I was not blessed with golden brown skin that loves the sun. I get sunburned if I drive too much in the middle of the day. So, I was ecstatic to try Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock. The bottles I received were SPF 70 which is perfect for my fair skin. I use it anytime I know we will be outside for any length of time and it is easy to put on all of us before leaving the house. It's very light and dries quickly. I used it under makeup with no problems. This sunscreen has become a part of my daily routine. Even after swimming in chlorine, my skin felt great.

Neutrogena UltraSheer Sunblock is created with Helioplex technology protecting the skin from UVA (those causing aging) and UVB (those that cause burning) rays. It is also PABA-free, waterproof, sweatproof, and won't clog pores. I can honestly say this sunblock does all it is advertised to do. I was very impressed! The best part is you can get a $2 off coupon to try it yourself!

Disclosure: I received this sunblock from Tidal Labs in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no other compensation for this review.

Review and Great Deal: Zarbee's Cough Syrup

I was recently sent a sample of Zarbee's Cough Syrup  to review. I was thrilled because both of my kids get weird quick illnesses and I'm always looking for natural solutions to ease their discomfort. A few days after I got the sample, my 4 year old developed a cough. I gave him Claritin because he was sneezing, too. He coughed through dinner and into bedtime. So, I thought I would give Zarbee's a try. Within minutes, his hours long cough was gone. Since he does have allergies, his throat gets itchy which makes him cough more. Zarbee's is made from honey, vitamins (one does contains a daily serving of vitamin C!), and natural ingredients. It has no alcohol!

Zarbee's comes in cherry or lemon flavors. We received cherry. I tried it (for research purposes) and it was very good. My son typically likes medicine and he liked this. He said it tasted like waffles. I guess he meant it tasted like syrup and I would agree, it has a sweet taste because of the honey.

I highly recommend Zarbee's for all children 12 months and older. I am going to make sure we always have some on hand.

Right now, you can buy either flavor in a 4 oz bottle for $2 using code USA. This deal is good through July 5th and there is no limit to how many bottles you can buy at that price!! Shipping is free, as well!

UPDATE: From Facebook, "We had a HUGE response from the coupon. We unfortunately had to cut it short. We WILL be running more so stay tuned and get your friends and family to join our facebook page!!" So...if you want to get $2 cough syrup, like their Facebook page!

DVD Review: Hermie - Who is in Charge Anyway?

I have read many of Max Lucado's books, both for kids and adults. My very favorite are the Punchinello and Wemmicks books. I bought two of them before I even had kids because the story and message resonated with me. That being said, I had not read or seen any of the Hermie and Friends series.

Who is in Charge Anyway? is the story of Freddie Flea, a seemingly average repairbug. While fixing the Ladybug family's TV, he overhears a conversation between the little ladybugs and their mother, who says Freddie is special because he is their friend. This makes Freddie sad because he feels like all of his friends have a special talent like being strong or brave but he doesn't. After a long conversation with God in the garden where Freddie lives, he realizes many other bugs are useful in spite of their "flaws."

Here is my son's review.
Me: "What did you think of the Hermie movie?"
Him: "I really really liked it but it wasn't that funny. And like, those people, they didn't concentrate on what they were doing. They looked around and didn't watch where they were going."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Him: "Let me tell you. Hermie didn't watch where he was going. He looks around too much."
Me: "What was your favorite part?"
Him: "When the boat started sinking. When the water came up high."
Me: "Would you tell your friends to watch this movie?"
Him: "Yeah."
Me: "Ok, thanks, you can go back to playing cars."
Him: "But I need to say more. There's this thing that doesn't like to, like somehow, it's not very cool and it's called a bee. It isn't cool and doesn't like anything so I don't know what it likes."

So, there you have it. The raw opinion of a 4 year old. I do agree, Hermie was a little shifty eyed. The boat scene was one of the memories Freddie was having about Hermie. God told Hermie to build a boat so he did and saved all of his friends because their garden become flooded after days of rain. The bee was another of Freddie's friends. He wasn't cool and was bullied by the cool bee until he saved him from a venus flytrap.

As a mom, I liked this movie because I can let them watch it without worrying about what they will hear or what kind of commercials they will see. It teaches God's truth so it makes me happy. Plus, it's an hour long and my kids actually watched it!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this DVD from booksneeze.com to review. I did not receive monetary compensation for my opinion and I was not required to write a positive review. .

Book Review: I am Hutterite

I am Hutterite by Mary Ann Kirkby

First of all, I need to admit to a minor (major) obsession I had when I was a child (in high school and college.) I wanted to be Amish. I didn't just want to learn about their culture or read everything I could about them, which I did, but I wanted to actually BE Amish. I even had a brown dress that I called my Amish dress and spent an entire day at a youth convention telling people I was Amish.

So, when I was sent this book to read, I was thrilled. While Hutterites are not Amish (the biggest difference being that Hutterites do not claim ownership to anything), they live a very simple life. In 1528, Jacob Hutter, an Austrian hatmaker, led a group of refugees to the Czechoslovakia. He placed a blanket on the ground and they put all of their combined possession on the blanket. This is how the Hutterites began. The lived together, worked together, and shared everything. They based their lifestyle on Acts 2:44-45 which says, "And all that believed were together, and had all things in common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." 

The first Hutterite Colony was established in the United States in South Dakota in 1874. Mary Ann Kirkby's story begins in Western Canada in 1952 when her father came to the colony where her mother lived. Her mother, Mary, told her friend, "He's mine" as soon as she saw him.

This is the story of a girl raised with one ideal and way of life drastically different than the rest of the world but then moving, with her family, away from her early years to create a new life. This book is part history, part coming of age, and part journal. While I loved the story, it was, at times, very dry reading. I felt like there were moments when the author felt she HAD to write the book. It read like it was her mission to get the story out of her head, but not necessarily intended for others to read. That did, however, give the book a raw openness that I appreciated. I did enjoy reading about a people group of whom I had no previous experience.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from booksneeze.com to review. I did not receive monetary compensation for my opinion.

Review: YouShave Shave Box

Every year 2 million razors are thrown away. One person generates, on average, 11 pounds of garbage in razors each year! That is a staggering amount of trash that just sits in landfills. This is why YouShave! created the Shave Box and All Natural Razor Blade Lubricant. Using this product keeps your razors cleaner so the blades shave smoothly months after use.

I asked my husband to put his razor in the box and to give me his opinion on the product. He has used the same razor for five weeks and after shaving almost every day, he loves how sharp the blade has stayed. He also said it does reduce irritation when he shaves because the lubricant is already on the blade. He also liked that the box can be attached to the shower wall or mirror with the provided suction cups.

The only downside to the Shave Box is that the moisturizing strip that is built into most disposable razors has dissolved from spending all day in the Shave Box. He is using a Gillette Fusion razor. With the Lubricant and Shave Box, that strip is rendered unnecessary anyway but it was annoying to him.

How to Buy:

You can buy the Shave Box with Lubricant directly from YouShave! The complete kit is $14.99 with free priority shipping. Considering this really does extend the life of your razors, it's a great deal!


Disclaimer: I was sent this product from Business2Blogger in exchange for my honest opinion. I did not receive compensation for this review. 

Free Baby Diner!

Baby Diner is a really great product for anyone who has kids who throw plates when eating. My 18 month old son does this to tell us he is done and we make him clean the floor every night in an attempt to break him of this habit. If you want to read a review from a real mom, A Mom's Balancing Act was sent a Baby Diner to test out on her 2.5 year old.

If you go to the Baby Diner website, you can get one for free! You just have to pay shipping (it was $7.99 for me, but that is well worth it!) If you order 2, you get free shipping AND the third one free. They are normally $11.50. I can't wait to try this at our house!

Handmade Pacifier Clips

I won this sweet paci clip in a giveaway on Mommy Saves Money last week. I got it in the mail today and I love it! It was made by C and C Originals. I am not pregnant but we are definitely having a few more babies so I got it in neutral colors and the V is for our last name. My little sensory boy has been chewy alot lately so I'm going to see if he will chew on a pacifier and this is perfect to have on hand. Maybe it'll help him stop chewing on people!

Visit C and C to check out the very reasonable custom paci clips. It would be perfect for a baby shower, too. I highly recommend this store!

Soft Scrub Total Kitchen

Some of you may remember the post I did about Soft Scrub Total Bathroom I did a few months ago. Well, now I want to tell you about Soft Scrub Total Kitchen! It has all the features of the bathroom version, my favorite being that it has a fancy little screen you can flip to turn the spray into a foam for really nasty messes. You can literally use this from floor to ceiling in your kitchen. Microwave, stove, tile, cabinets, and countertops...they will all get so clean with this. We have faux granite countertops and lots of products, including organic or all natural cleaners, leave streaks. Soft Scrub Total is the ONLY cleaner I've used which doesn't do that. It highly recommend the Soft Scrub Total line.

Join the Soft Scrub Club for coupons so you can try it out for yourself!

Cover Girl Review

I was sent two Cover Girl products from the Blast collection to review. I wear make up everyday and love trying new things so I was really excited about this. I received Shine Blast lip gloss and Smoky Shadow Blast eye shadow.

I got lip gloss pictured above and I love it! It's incredibly smooth, not too shiny or pink, and it lasts a long time. The ShineSculpt applicator is one of the reasons this is different than any other lip gloss. It hugs the lips so the gloss is right where you want it. Shine Blast lip gloss comes in 16 shades and is by far, my new favorite lip gloss.

I was also sent the Smoky Shadow Blast in Citrus Flair (the green/rust combo.) This product makes the smoky eye look super easy to recreate. It took me about 30 seconds per eye and I was done. It's fool proof. It comes in 6 color combinations.

While the concept is great, I think this eye shadow combo needs more time in the testing stage. About 20 seconds after I put it on (and after I got one picture), my eyes started burning and tearing up so bad, I had to wash my face and rinse my eyes. I doubt this is a common reaction but for me, it did not work. I followed the application instructions exactly and, as I said, I wear makeup every day. I was really excited about this eye shadow so I was disappointed in the results.

Overall, I think Cover Girl has created a simple, every day solution to perfect makeup with the Blast Collection. You can go to covergirl.com/blast to discover your favorite color combinations.


Disclosure: I was sent these products by BzzAgent on behalf of CoverGirl to review and share my opinion.