Sunday, November 03, 2013

Give a gift that gives back! WorldVision.org

As you begin your holiday shopping, you may be turned off by a lot of the commercialism. Through the years I have cut back - focusing less on buying and more on the experience. That said, we still do exchange gifts on Christmas and it is also my middle daughter's birthday. I love the idea of buying a gift that also helps contribute to a charitable cause. WorldVision.org rel="nofollow"has a charitable gift catalog or simply the means to allow you to donate directly to the cause.

Who is WorldVision?  WorldVision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. Working in nearly 100 countries around the world, they serve all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

When you purchase from WorldVision.org you have several options
- donate directly for Americans
- donate directly where most needed globally
- donate for Emergency Aid
- donate to a specific cause, including Animals (livestock), Clean Water, Housing and Shelter, Education, Hunger, Medical Care, Orphans and Widows.
- Purchase a handcrafted item that goes towards a specific cause.

I received the lovely Colors of Africa Bracelet and Earring Set.

Help where it's needed most ... AND get a gift for yourself or someone you care about! With your gift of $100 or more to where most needed — which provides for the unique needs of children and families worldwide — you will receive this gorgeous Zakale bracelet and earring set from Nairobi. Zakale crafts are made from recycled materials by Kenyan artisans, who received a loan from World Vision to grow their business and lift themselves out of poverty.

Approximate sizes: bracelet 8" long, earrings 2" long. Each is unique - size and color may vary slightly.

When requesting the jewelry set, please note your gift is tax-deductible less the fair market value of $20.


The quality on this set is impressive.  Even more impressive is that you are helping a great cause while giving a gift to a friend or loved one!

I encourage you to take a look at the website to see how you can help!  For more info, please refer to the video below.




Disclosure - I received the set for review purposes.  I did not receive any compensation for this post.

 

Gorton's Wicked Good Seafood - Review and Giveaway

I was given the opportunity to work with Gorton's Seafood. Gorton's is a household name and one I have been familair with for years. When the girls were little, fish sticks were one of the few foods that they would regularly eat with no fuss so we served them often. Now that they are older, they are open to more foods but they still love fish sticks!

 One time my husband purchased generic fish sticks. All I can say is that we tried them and then discarded the rest of the bag. I am not one of those people who thinks that you always need to buy the "name brand" but I do have a short list of items that I will not eat or use UNLESS it is a name brand. Frozen seafood is now one of the items on that list....


When I received coupons from Gorton's, I went and selected the items I thought the girls would enjoy best.  We ended up with the Fish Sticks and the Crunchy Battered Fish Fillets.  These are so great year round, but for us, especially during the traditional school year when we have after-school activities.   Time for dinner preparation is minimal - what is great about using Gorton's is that it is easy to prepare.  Simply warm up the oven, place on a baking sheet and cook.  My kids, husband and I love this.  We do not have a fryer so bake everything at home.  This is a great way to have a "fish fry" at home.  
My husband loves that if I am unable to cook dinner, he can throw this in the oven and turn out a great dinner in under half an hour. The kids love that they are having a decent dinner :)




Crunchy Battered Fish Fillets:
Flaky, whole white fish fillets in classic crunchy coating made from daily baked bread. A delicious family-pleasing meal ready from the oven in under 20 minutes. Plus, Gorton’s Crunchy Breaded Fish Fillets are available in a stand-up releasable bag for added freshness and convenience! Breadcrumbs made from daily baked bread
- 100% Real Fish, No Fillers
- No MSG, artificial colors or flavors
- Natural Omega-3

This product also offered in 7.6, 11.4, and 64 ounces. Please see specific packages for slight nutritional differences.







Fish Sticks:
A classic family favorite, Gorton’s Fish Sticks are a great way to introduce your kids to eating seafood – and leave them asking for more! The crunchy golden breading makes them perfect for dipping. Try them with ketchup or your favorite sauce. Plus, Gorton’s Crunchy Breaded Fish Sticks are available in a stand-up releasable bag for added freshness and convenience!
- Great for Kids!
- 100% Real Fish
- No Fillers No MSG
- No artificial colors or flavors Natural Omega-3


One winner will win the following:
Three $2 off product coupons, 1 Gorton’s-branded ship wheel keychain, an assortment of Gorton’s recipe cards and beautiful seaside/Gorton’s postcards.

To enter simply comment per the instructions on the rafflecopter form and fill out the form for each entry requirement that you meet.  One randomly selected entrant will win.  Ends next Sunday - Good luck to all!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I received a prize pack for review purposes. All information and products were provided by Gorton's. I did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions expressed are my own.

Shopping source and gift ideas for Paleo enthusiasts

If you are like me, there are always one or two people on your list that you struggle to find gifts for.  If you have someone that is especially difficult to buy for and is on a Whole-30 or Paleo diet, Tropical Traditions may be a good source of items.   (If you are unsure of what Paleo is, please check out my post HERE).

Many items for a Paleo diet are difficult to find in the stores.  It is easy to find foods such as fresh fruits, veggies, eggs, meat, pork, poultry, seafood, and almonds are easy to find.  What is more challenging are things like unsweetened coconut, coconut oil, nut butters (NOT peanut), etc.  These items need to be purchased at a specialty retailer or organic/natural foods grocery

Here are some of the Paleo friendly items available from Tropical Traditions - they have a great selection of specialty foods:

Tropical Traditions' specialty is their Virgin Coconut Oil - you can see my original review HERE.  We use this for making popcorn (non-Paleo), stir fry, as flavoring in beverages and even as a treatment for very dry skin.  This is such a versatile and useful product!

Other items that are Paleo friendly:
- Organic Raw Honey (some state that Honey is acceptable on a Paleo or similar diet but others do not)
- Dried Coconut rel="nofollow" (shredded, flakes and chips)
- Coconut Flour rel="nofollow"
- Tomato Sauces
- Poultry
- Turkey
- Lamb
- Bison
- Alaskan Fish (Salmon, Halibut and Cod)
- Soy free eggs
- Olive Oil
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Pumpkin Puree
- Sesame Oil
- Spices


Tropical Traditions also has recipes posted on site.  Although not all of these are Paleo friendly, you should be able to get some good ideas for other uses for their products.  Whether for yourself, or as a gift, Tropical Traditions is a great source for quality food products.  In addition to their wide array of  food products, they offer cooking appliances and cookbooks.  Sign up for their newsletter to be notified for specials.  You can also check their weekly specials out HERE.

Check out the video below for other ideas and more info!


Disclosure:  I received a sample of the Virgin Coconut Oil for review purposes.  I did not receive any compensation for this blog post.



Stocking Stuffers! (review) Special Edition Holiday Chapstick Tins, Ornaments and Singles.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to review ChapStick's® Cupcake Creations  You can see my original review HERE.  My kids loved the special edition ChapStick® so much that they STILL talk about it.  We have gone through countless lip balms but they loved the fun flavors of these.


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It is holiday time and I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to review the special edition ChapStick® Seasonal Selections.  To say my kids were excited is an understatement.  Now these are intended to be stocking stuffers, but there was no way once the girls saw the box that I would have been able to hold onto these until x-mas!

A seasonal favorite Candy Cane, is back by popular demand and preps lips for those special holiday kisses.  This was MY favorite.  I love the peppermint scent and tingle when I apply.  There is also a new selection this year that the kids are sure to love - Gingerbread Kiss.  Both the Candy Cane AND the ChapStick® seasonal varieties are now available as singles for a limited time nationwide.  You can find these in the cough and cold aisle at food, drug and mass retailers for the SRP of $1.01 to $1.99.


This year the following option is available for the ornaments (pictured above) Available in three festive ornament designs   each tin contains three ChapStick® Candy Cane seasonal varieties.  ChapStick® Collector’s Edition Ornament Tins are available for a limited time exclusively at Target in the seasonal aisle for a SRP of $4.99.

- Red, White & Sparkle
- Candy Cane Swirl
- Red, White & Blue Candy Cane



Ideal stocking stuffers, ChapStick® Holiday Tins contain sticks that will moisturize lips all year long. ChapStick® Holiday Tins come in eight colorful and fashionable designs and are a great gift to use year round, to store your ChapStick®, or anything else!

This year there are different Holdiay Tins (pictured above)
- Gold Pattern, Purple & Gold Lace and Pink Sparkle tins containing Strawberry, Cherry and Spearmint Classic ChapStick® varieties are available exclusively at Target for the SRP of $4.99 each  (My oldest loved the Spearmint best and my middle daughter preferred the cherry flavor)

- Plaid and Snowflake tins containing Strawberry, Cherry and Spearmint Classic ChapStick® varieties and the Diagonal Candy Cane Stripe tin containing limited-edition Candy Cane are available exclusively at Walmart for the SRP of $4.99 each.

- The Candy Cane Swirl tin containing the limited-edition Candy Cane variety is available exclusively at Walgreens for the SRP of $5.


Good News!  These limited-edition holiday-inspired varieties and collector’s edition ornament and holiday tins are available now at retailers nationwide!   Get yours before they run out :)



Disclosure: The ChapStick® product and information have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.  I was provided with products to review.  I did not receive monetary compensation for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Cover Your Hair - Review and Giveaway

I have worked with CoverYourHair.com a few times in the past., reviewing items and hosting giveaways.  One of the things that I love most about this site is the variety of items that they offer.   My girls love the Women's Headbands and the Headband Bandanas so the items we selected for review were the All Around Wide Headband in brown (for Miss C.), The studded head wrap in pink (for Miss E.) and the Zipper Headband in orange (for Miss N.).


Here are some pictures of the items we received.


Studded Hair Wraps:

















Zipper Headband




















Brown All Around Pre-Tied Headband

















As you can see, the three girls have very different tastes so a site that offers so many different items in various materials, colors and finishes is ideal for us. It is a one stop shop for hair accessories.  What tastes do you have?



One thing to keep in mind is that these are high quality products. We have always been pleased with the items we have received from CoverYourHair.com I cannot think of any retail store that offers as comprehensive a selection as CoverMyHair.com does. Other available items from CoverYourHair.com include:
Hair Clips
Hair Accessories
Baby Hats
Baby Headbands
Snoods
Head Scarves

Thanks to CoverYourHair.com, one of my readers will win a box of assorted products worth $25!   To enter please fill out the rafflecopter form below the embedded video.





a Rafflecopter giveaway






Disclosure:  I was provided with products for review purposes.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.  CoverYourHair.com is providing a gift box to one winner.  All opinions expressed are my own.


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