March 24, 2016 by Stephanie

Muffins to Hide Veggies

I did receive Country Crock products complimentary for the review from Influenster, and these thoughts are my own.

In the last six months George has gotten extremely picky about vegetables. He will eat sweet potatoes and that is about it. Otherwise he gets his veggie intake from vegetable and fruit squeeze packets. I have no qualms about giving him squeeze packets, but eventually I would like to get off that. I am hoping that this is just a phase, and he will someday love vegetables again. In the meantime, I need to find ways to hide those greens.

When Influenster sent me the Country Crock box, I knew I wanted to focus on finding breads to hide George’s most hated food group.

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Bread is really the most common use for butter spreads, at least it is the first food I think about! Here are five recipes that will help get some veggies into my carb loving little mister.

Popeye Muffins-We made these, and they are super good! George just eats them up, and there is spinach galore in these.
Strawberry Zucchini Muffins-These look so good, and we have done zucchini bread before so I am sure he would eat these up. There are tons of zucchini bread recipes out there, and I haven’t found one that I don’t hate yet!
Green Monster Muffins-These are another spinach packed muffin but with applesauce instead of bananas like the one above.
Carrot Apple Muffins-These look delicious! Behind zucchini, carrots seem to be the next secret weapon to hide in things.
Kid Friendly Veggie Muffins-This recipe would be great to have on hand because you can use any vegetable puree.

We have some serious baking to do!

We have loved the Country Crock Original Spread. Here are just a few things that we have used it on:

waffles
mashed potatoes
banana bread
sauteing vegetables
flavoring couscous
pancakes

Tom’s three food groups are sweet, salty and savory. This spread definitely covers the bill for savory.

It’s easily spreadable and gives just the right yummy factor. There is just something about butter that takes things like banana bread to the next level! As a mom, I love that they are simplifying their ingredients as well. For us, the new recipe didn’t take away from the taste at all. The melt in your mouth flavor was a win for us!

If you are interested in getting an Influenster box (you don’t have to be a blogger), just let me know, and I can send you an invite. They are a fun surprise! The community is also really easy to navigate. The more you interact, the more they will be able to find boxes that fit your style and needs. It is really versatile, and you can use it a lot or hardly at all. I have really enjoyed it so far!

Have you made any of these muffins? Do you know a picky eater? Have you tried Country Crock?

September 17, 2015 by Stephanie

Wellness VoxBox

I did receive these products complimentary for the review from Influenster, and these thoughts are my own.

I am one of those people who will buy the same thing over and over again. I don’t do well with trying new products. My thought is, I don’t want to waste my money if I am not sure I will like it. I also don’t use a lot of products, and think of myself as pretty low maintenance. So if I find something that I like and it works, I will continue using it for a long time.

I was really excited about this box because it will allow me to try some new things and maybe fall in love with some new products that I can use daily.

So what did I think?

ATTITUDE Shampoo & Body Wash: Tom and I both used this. I was impressed. Generally with more natural shampoos you get less suds. This one still had sufficient suds! I am very particular about my shampoos and the ingredients in them, and this one was great. I will definitely be looking to purchase this product again. ATTITUDE has a great deal going on! Right now you can get 40% off of your first order on ATTITUDEliving.com using the code FIRSTFREE40.

Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer: This was ok. I am pretty vigilant about putting on lotion when I get out of the shower, so this wasn’t anything extra special to me. I felt like I had to use a lot to get the coverage though. The bottle is almost empty after a couple weeks of use. I was also worried about it leaving my hands greasy, but it never did. My legs were greasier than just using normal lotion, but the rest of my body was fine though and not greasy. I don’t think this saved me any time like the commercials say, but again, I am on it about my lotion after the shower anyway. I do not think I will buy this again solely because I can buy a bottle of lotion cheaper and it lasts much longer than a month.

Olay Active Botanicals: I really like this face wash. I have shared that I have some weird acne prone skin, so this is the one product that I do experiment on to try to find one that works. This is a gel cleanser, so it is thick when you are scrubbing your face. It left my skin feeling squeaky clean, but a little more on the drier side. I probably wouldn’t use this in the winter, but it would be a great summer wash. It is in my travel suitcase because I like to be minimal on my trips and this I feel gets all the dirt off that I need on those short trips. I will be looking more into this line for a possible purchase again.

Colgate Enamel Health mouthwash: We loved this mouthwash. It does not have a harsh taste, and my teeth feel clean afterwards. I also like that it focuses on protecting your enamel because I eat a LOT of fruits and veggies which can be harmful to your teeth in large quantities because of the acidity. We will add this to our mouthwash list to buy in the future.

ATTITUDE dish-washing liquid: This is another ATTITUDE product. I did some research, and they have a wide range of day to day products including pet products. I have been using this specifically for George’s sippy cups. I think it works great! It doesn’t leave a residue and gets them clean, which is obviously important. Again, I will be looking into these products because they seem to be more intentional about what is going in the bottles.

There were two products that I did not use. There was a free download of Yaye which is a social fitness app. I didn’t think it was something I would use nor would I know anyone to socialize with my workouts. And the second is the Urgent RX fast powders. We generally don’t take a lot of medicine in our household, and I haven’t had any pains that warranted taking medication. I am not just going to take the powder to take it. I think that defeats the purpose of trying it out for it’s intended use.

This was a great box that introduced me to some new products I would not have picked up otherwise.

Have you tried these products? Are you particular about your hair products?

February 10, 2015 by Stephanie

Vicks CoolMist Humidifier

I did receive this humidifier complimentary for the review from Influenster, and these thoughts are my own.

Tom and I have been talking about getting a humidifier for a long time. We were registered for one, but it was not one of the gifts we received. Nor did we think it was a priority in the summer when we did the big discounted trip to round out our registry.

Now that we have a moved to MO, where the winters are as dry as they come, we desperately needed one.

We got this humidifier thanks to Influenster right in time to sway off more sickness.

Tom and I both got sick, and we prayed that George would not get our crud. George is now at the stage where he can start catching bugs. (Although I am fairly certain mine was mastitis so I am not sure he can catch that.)

So we wanted to heed it off if we could. We have had this in his room for the last week. So far it has been great. He has had a runny noise, but nothing too major. And really we aren’t always sure it isn’t just a whole bunch of slobber that has pooled behind his pacy.

Anyway back to the humidifier.

This thing is super easy to use folks. And as a mom whose time is precious, that is a must. My only complaint about the use is that I haven’t figured out how to take the top off without some water spilling out. But compared to the one we had growing up, this one is much easier to put water in. I might just need to let it completely go through a whole tank before filling it up again, but we don’t always go through one before the next bedtime. Or I need to just flip it over and untwist the top…Bottom line, I am clumsy so I would probably spill water no matter what.

Since I leave it on the floor the switch is really easy to click on and off with my foot. You can either have it on low or vary the level as high as you need.

It is easy to carry and will fit pretty much anywhere. It also is a pretty sleek design that happens to match George’s room, so that was a bonus.

The other thing that is really important is that the mist that comes out is not hot. So if George or the dogs get to close, it wont affect them. All three like to explore without understanding the consequences all the time, so I am really happy it won’t hurt them.

I really recommend this if you live in a dry area like us. We have only been using it a week but I can tell a difference!

December 4, 2014 by Stephanie

Clearproof Box

I received this box thanks to Influenster. If you haven’t gotten on this bandwagon, come join me.

As a teenager, I never really had problems with acne. Then I started birth control due to my crazy periods, which I believe helped stave off any acne issues I would have had otherwise in college.

Then come to the time when I got off BC in my late 20s to try to start having babies. Holy moly am I becoming a normal 16 year old? The acne was insane for me.

Then it proceeded to get even worse when I was pregnant. Pregnancy hormones plus deciding not to use my normal face regimen to be more natural=acne nightmare.

Coconut oil and baking soda worked alright for me as a natural remedy, but it did not stave off the acne as much as the internet said. Lies.

So when I was asked to preview this box, I said sure. Let’s see if it can work it’s magic.

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I do not have before and after photos because well to be honest I was too self-concision to take them. I do mostly have hormonal acne since it is around my mouth and chin, but I also get some on my high cheekbones (probably because I sleep on my hands a lot which can cause the irritation.)

I also have a lot of acne scars from over the past few years as well. I honestly hate these more than a new breakout. Devil acne.

I have been using this line up of Clearproof products from Mary Kay for a month now.

I will be honest that I am indifferent about it.

My acne has gone down since I have started using it, but it has not gone away. Instead of the massive daily crop up I had, I am only experiencing maybe one a week. So I guess that is better! I started back on a low dosage birth control at the same time. So there is that.

It has not done anything about my acne scars, which it didn’t claim it would. I was just hoping for it.

All in all, I guess I do like the product. The wash isn’t too soapy and a little goes a long way. The spot treatment did seem to help with the breakouts so they weren’t so scary, so I appreciated that. The moisturizer though I did love. This is another that a little goes a long way. It is not overly thick and it soaks in very quickly. I have been using it a few times a day.

I did like that it was a complete set. When you are at the store trying to pick out facial products, there are not many that have a wash, toner, and moisturizer combo. Usually it is the toner that is no where to be found. I am not a fan of mixing different lines, so I liked that this had it all. A+ for that!

I did experience some dryness right at the beginning, but this could also be due to the face when I started this was when it got cold here. My skin basically has no moisture in the winter months.

Does this product work? I think so.

Does this product fix all my acne issues? No, but it did seem to lessen it. I think it is comparable to other lines.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. As I said it is not a cure all, and I feel that I have had similar results from other products I can get a drugstore.

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I did receive all of this set complimentary for the review, and these thoughts are my own.

If you are interested in getting a box (you don’t have to be a blogger), just let me know, and I can send you an invite. They are a fun surprise! The community is also really easy to navigate. The more you interact, the more they will be able to find boxes that fit your style and needs. It is really versatile, and you can use it a lot or hardly at all. I have really enjoyed it so far!

Have you tried Clearproof? What are your best acne fighters?

July 7, 2014 by Stephanie

SurfsUpVoxBox

I recently received my second complimentary box from Influenster.

I really enjoy being part of this community because it gives me a chance to try new products and items that I may not otherwise look twice at. The last box encouraged me to switch my eye shadow, so I was excited to see if there was anything that would change my routine this go around.

Here is what I received:

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1. Jamba Juice Smoothie Kit coupons: I was really pumped to see this in my box because I have a smoothie every single morning on my way to work. I thought it would be good to try this brand to see if it was better than my other frozen fruit options. The bags are normally about $3 and say they are a 2-4 serving. I used a whole bag for one morning. There was nothing special about this bag, and I think you can get more out of your money buying the large store brand bags. It literally was just frozen fruit in a small bag. Mind you it was still good, but I don’t think the price is worth it considering the other options I have.

2. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun: I don’t normally get sun-burned so I was a little skeptical about this product working. Plus, since being pregnant my skin hasn’t seen a lot of sun, so I wasn’t sure if this would be used any time soon. I did end up joining my family for some pool time on July 4th and was able to get some adequate rays. Just to safe guard against any sun affects, I used this that same night. I wasn’t really impressed. It was a thick gel that was kind of sticky going on. It also wasn’t very refreshing as I feel most after sun products are. Not so much a fan.

3. First Aid Shot Therapy: I did not try this purely because I am pregnant. I have been trying to stay away from any medications if I can, so this just went into one of our camping prep bags for emergency use later on. I feel like it would be really handy on long races though.

4. Sinful Colors Professional Nail Polish: I am glad this was in the box. I am always skeptical buying new polish and trying different colors. I haven’t used it yet because I haven’t had the time to sit and do my nails in the past week, but I am sure that this will go to good use. I feel like it is a color that you could use any time of year too.

5. COVERGIRL Bombshell Curvaceous by Lashblast Mascara: I love CoverGirl! They were my first make-up product when I was 13, and I have been hooked ever since. Mascara is also that one make-up item that I rarely leave the house without. So naturally this was the item I was most pumped about! It is a combo mascara with two different applicators that you layer on each other for a real pop factor. CoverGirl mascara is my favorite mascara by far, and rarely (if ever) have I been disappointed. Until I used this. It really isn’t that bad of a product, but it is really difficult to apply. The casing is really bulky, and I can’t get the wand into the corners of my eye very easily because the base runs into my cheeks. I feel like it causes a real uneven layering because I have to position the wand in weird ways to reach all of my lashes, whereas other wands I can hit all the lashes in one direction. I think this is what has caused some clumping, I think if the body of the casing wasn’t so thick I wouldn’t have any issues. The other qualm I have is that it is really hard to clean off. I normally wear waterproof mascara, which is traditionally difficult to get off. I have no problem getting that off, but this product I had to clean my eyes, wash my face, then clean my eyes again, and then I would still wake up with some mascara left under my eyes. So sadly, even after trying to make it work for a week, I was not a fan. I will be sticking to my other Lashblast mascara.

While this box was kind of a bust for me, I still really enjoyed getting the box. It enables me to try some new things, as well as appreciate products that I have been using for years.

I did receive all of these complimentary for the review, and these thoughts are my own. If you are interested in getting a box (you don’t have to be a blogger), just let me know, and I can send you an invite. They are a fun surprise! The community is also really easy to navigate. The more you interact the more they will be able to find boxes that fit your style and needs. It is really versatile, and you can use it a lot or hardly at all. I have really enjoyed it so far!

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