DIAL GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!!

The winner of the Dial Body Wash Coupons has been emailed. Congrats "midlifemom".

The winners of the Dial Hand Soap coupons are: Lena and Bkittie! 

Winners have until Tuesday to respond to their email or a new winner will be picked! 

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Day 3

I have decided to follow along with Money Saving Mom on her 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home series, starting today. I have been feeling like we have way too much stuff and this will be the perfect opportunity to declutter and NOT be overwhelmed. Each day, she lists assignments that will help you to organize your home and not be overwhelmed. So I have decided to join in.....

Today's assignments were:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bedroom

Clean out your freezer.

Find 7 items to get rid of today. 

So, how did I do??

I got dressed in a pair of black dress pants, black dress shoes and a teal sweater. It felt nice to dress up. 

I have not made a morning routine...but am thinking about it.

I did a quick 15 minute clean up of our bedroom. 

I cleaned out the freezer above the refrigerator and our stand alone freezer...Each is now organized and I have enough food to last a couple weeks at the least in dinner meals.

And I found 12 ITEMS to get rid of....I put pot holders, cutting boards, an apron, straws, etc into the bag for Goodwill. I am now up to 49 items gone!  

So I think day 3 went really well....Hopefully I can continue the momentum as the days go on!

Reminder: 2 Giveaways ending this FRIDAY!

Just a friendly reminder that I have 2 giveaways ending this Friday on the blog....

DIAL DEEP CLEANSING HAND SOAP COUPON GIVEAWAY

DIAL VITAMIN BOOST BODY WASH COUPON GIVEAWAY

GO ENTER TO WIN (MUST ENTER ON ORIGINAL POST TO WIN)!! GOOD LUCK!!!

Lent and Me

Today is Ash Wednesday, which for Catholics and many other Christians, marks the beginning of Lent-- the time of sacrifice and preparation heading to Easter Sunday. It is a tradition in the Catholic Church to give something up for Lent. We do this to help mirror the great Sacrifice that Jesus gave for all of us.

Because we are Catholics, we give things up for Lent.

As a family, we are giving up fast food. After not having it all of the month of January, with our no-spend month, we went way overboard with it in February. It was just too easy to do and to make excuses to get it. So we are giving up fast food as a family. The kids understand and are on board with it.

Something else that I will be doing for the family is not buying any more snack foods for Lent. We have plenty of snacks for the kids in our pantry, so I will let them eat those. This does not include snacks like fruit. This is snacks like goldfish crackers, cookies, etc. I want to use up what we have. I am hoping to have a low grocery month this month, as our freezer and pantry are full. Use up what we have.

As for myself..... I am giving things up and going to add things....

I am giving things up that are taking away from my health and well-being. Along with giving up fast food with my family, I am also personally giving up: chocolate in all forms and all pop. If you know anything about me, chocolate is my weakness. I love it in all forms and I eat way too much of it. So it will go away. I also find that I drink way too much pop, so I am going to go cold turkey on that as well. I don't anticipate having caffeine withdrawal as I typically only drink caffeine free pops.

I am going to add things that will better myself as a whole. I will be adding exercise at least 5 days a week. I have a plan in place that hopefully I can follow. I will also be adding in reading time daily as this is something that I enjoy and don't make time for. And I am going to be following along with Money Saving Mom's 4 weeks to a more organized home so that I can better my family's daily environment.

Some of these things are going to be really hard...like giving up chocolate!....but I know that it small compared to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us. I can do this and I hope to be a better person at the end of Lent and am hoping to use this as a springboard to bettering my life in the long run.

Do you give things up for Lent? 

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Day 2

I have decided to follow along with Money Saving Mom on her 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home series, starting today. I have been feeling like we have way too much stuff and this will be the perfect opportunity to declutter and NOT be overwhelmed. Each day, she lists assignments that will help you to organize your home and not be overwhelmed. So I have decided to join in.....

Today's assignments were:

• Get dressed in something that makes you feel great
• Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
• Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}
• Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your kitchen: wash the dishes/load the dishwasher, clear off the countertops, and, if you have time, wipe down the countertops and the outside of the cupboards with wet rag or cleaning cloth.
• Clean out your refrigerator.
• Find 7 items to get rid of today. 

So, how did I do??

I got dressed in a pair of jeans and a purple shirt originally. Then Benjamin and Jacob decided to come give me hugs after lunch and they smeared ketchup and chocolate chip cookie crumbs on my shirt. So I changed into a blue sweater set, jeans and brown flats for work.

I have not made a morning routine...but am thinking about it.

I cleaned up the kitchen in a 15 minute session after dinner.

I cleaned out the refrigerator...

And I found 12 ITEMS to get rid of....I put baby spoons, ice cream spoons, sippy cup stoppers and a random spatula into the bag for Goodwill. I am now up to 37 items gone!  

So I think day 2 went really well....Hopefully I can continue the momentum as the days go on! 

Dial Deep Cleansing hand soaps: review and A QUICK GIVEAWAY! UPDATED!!!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THE WINNERS ARE: LENA AND BKITTIE!!! YOU BOTH HAVE BEEN EMAILED!!

I received more happy mail in the mail the other day! As a Purex Insider, I was the lucky recipient of a box of 2 new Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soaps to try out! 

The New Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soaps are the latest Dial Brand hand soap bringing luxury to your hand washing experience. These premium soaps feature vibrant scents, a gentle micro scrubber formula that smooths and moisturizes the skin, and a completely new design that adds personal style to your home. 

I received: Dial Water Blossoms Deep Cleansing Moisturizing Hand Soap and Dial Yellow Raspberry and Black Sugar Deep Cleansing Moisturizing Hand Soap. 

My Oh My do these soaps smell wonderful! For me, I have to have a good smelling soap or I won't use a certain brand. Well the new Dial Deep Moisturizing Hand Soaps fit the bill. They are not overwhelming in their smell....they are just right. Personally, I think that the Dial Yellow Raspberry and Black Sugar smells divine! 

These soaps are great for the whole family. We are working with Jacob, my 4 year old, on washing his hand every time he goes to the bathroom. He loved being able to use the new soap. He liked the Dial Water Blossoms soap because "it smells good and it is blue!" I like that the micro-scrubbers allow for a better clean. 

I would highly recommend these soaps to everyone! 

Want to try one out on your own? 

Well Purex and Dial have sent me Free Product coupons  for a free bottle of their new deep cleansing hand soap to giveaway to 2 lucky readers. If you would like to win, just leave a comment saying which scent you would like to try and your email address. Contest ends Friday March 7, 2014 at 11:59PM EST. Open to USA residents only. Winner will be chosen using random.org and notified by email and will have 2 days to respond before new winner will be chosen. 

Please note this giveaway only runs through this Friday March 7, 2014 at 11:59PM EST as the coupons do have an expiration date of 3/31/14 and I would like to make sure the winners have a chance to receive and use them. 

Thanks so much and good luck! 

Disclaimer: I received a free product to try and free coupons for a giveaway from Purex insiders and the manufacturer in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own. 

The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers

The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers

DESCRIPTION:

Children love the soothing sound of rhyme! And now they can enjoy ten classic Bible stories retold in delightful read-aloud rhyme in The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers. From the story of creation ("In the beginning God made the light. The light was for day. The dark was for night.") to the resurrection of Jesus ("All his friends were happy then. Jesus was alive again!"), this is the perfect choice for parents who want to introduce their toddlers to the Word of God. Newly updated illustrations and classic stories told in vivid verse make this padded cover board book a sure favorite that will entertain young ones and teach them biblical lessons that last a lifetime.

MY THOUGHTS: 

I LOVED this Bible version. I have been looking for a fun Bible for Benjamin, who will be 2 in April. He loves to be read to, but he is still at the age where paper books are not strong enough to withstand the hand of a 23 month old. Enter The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers by L.J. Sattgast. I love that this is in a sturdy board book format that is perfect for the youngest. The included Bible stories, 10 in all, are beautifully illustrated and are short and sweetly presented so as to keep the interest of the young intended audience. Benjamin loves hearing the stories and just flipping through the book looking at the pictures. I am glad that I now have a great Bible book to share with him. This is a great first Bible! 

DISCLAIMER: 

I received this book free from the publisher and Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.