Friday, April 29

A Woman Who Helped Me

Growing up I was always interested in science and math. The school I attended in grade school and even later in high school encouraged girls to get and education but not in math or science. I was not really discouraged it is just that it was not in the realm of their possibility. My mom is very smart but science and math are not her strengths. Despite her not understanding math or science she always encouraged me to pursue my strengths. My mom believed that I could be anything and she pushed others to see it too. She was always trying to get me classes in science and higher math. She eventually got honors science and math classes offered at my high school. of course it was to late for me but those girls after me were able to participate. My mom not only pushed my schools to offer more she found ways to help me gain more scientific knowledge. My mom was consistently taking us to the library and we would do our own experiments. We also spent a lot of time baking which really has lots of math involved. I was always helping my mom figure out how change recipes such as cutting them in half, it really is a bit of a calculation to figure out how to cut 1/3 in half (I know it is 1/6 but have you even seen a measuring cup for 1/6).

Would like to be the one to help someone else? Right now you can purchase a Mother's Day gift (or any gift) from the HOH (Heart of Haiti) collection at Macy's. I even have a special code (CLEVERGIRLS) which will give you a discount of 15% off Heart of Haiti and Rwanda Path to Peace products (the code is good 5/3 - 5/8).



I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.

Friday, April 8

TShirtPrinting.net Review

Isn't this monkey so cute? TShirtPrinting.net sent a a t-shirt with their mascot, Cheeky Monkey. The t-shirt is very comfortable. I was sent a small which was a little big on me, I mainly use it for sleeping.
TShirtPrinting.net also offers screen printing for personalised T shirts, hooded tops, sweatshirts and workwear. The minimum quanity for personalized printing is 12. I love that you can print as little as 12 shirts. The company has over 20 years of printing experience so you know they will know what they are doing. They also carry some organic shirts.
You can explore their site or even order their free catalog.
This post was written for Family Review Network & TShirtPrinting.net who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thursday, April 7

Cinderella Ballet

For our anniversary my darling husband bought tickets for all of us to attend the ballet. I think the girls liked the gift almost more than I did and I loved it!!
The girls love dressing up and of course posing in front of the ballet statues.
It was a lovely ballet and so much fun to watch. I knew the girls would love it as it is the story of Cinderella, Princess A's favorite, and a ballet. We see the nutcracker every year and last year we also saw Coppelia.

Tuesday, April 5

Friendship Bread (Book Review)‏

Have you ever received one of those baggies full of some beige looking Friendship Bread batter? Two years ago Amish Friendship bread was making the rounds where I live. I got my bag from my daughter's then kindergarten teacher. I was helping that day and she was trying to find someone to take a bag since no one else, who worked at the school, wanted some. I was so excited because I had never heard of Amish Friendship bread and we had a taste and it was so yummy. I faithfully tried to hand out three bags 10 days later, with partial success. After that I figured out that I could freeze it so I did not have to find new people to hand the bags out too. My family loves eating Amish Friendship bread and since I keep the batter in the freezer I can make it whenever we want to instead of just every ten days. Needless to say I was very excited when I heard about a Friendship Bread novel. As soon as I started reading I was sucked into the story. I made the mistake of starting the book near my bedtime which I missed by over an hour. I loved all of the characters and they all seemed so real. I could easily see all of those things happening in real life. Sometimes in books things just come together to easily or too many bad things can happen. I felt as though I was reading about people I could know in my life. I had to laugh too about how the Friendship Bread batter was loved or in some case people would turn the other way when they saw the baggies coming their way. I liked how the simple gift of friendship (with the bread as a starting point) can change peoples lives for the better. In the beginning of the book the main character is struggling just to get through the day. The Friendship Bread is a gateway to new and old friendships that change her live and others for the better. Besides the wonderful story which my mom can't wait to read next are the recipes located at the back of the book. There are many recipes using the friendship batter instead of just baking the regular bread. My friendship bread recipe is a exactly the same as the recipe included in the book (now if I lose my original recipe I can get it from the book!) I really want to try the brownie recipe. I have been making the Friendship Bread for over two years and I must say I never thought to make anything else besides the bread, of course that bread is so yummy!! I highly recommend Friendship Bread, a Novel, not just for the great story (I can't wait for the rumored sequel) but also for the great recipes. As you can see in my picture I made some Friendship Bread (my family already ate that much) to go with the novel, next time I will have to try the brownie recipe! Now this book is being released today so head down to your local bookstore (or online) and get a copy!
This post was written for Family Review Network & Random House who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Monday, April 4

Kiddie Catch-All Review

Even though my girls are getting bigger they are still in a car seat or booster. My older daughter is now 8 and can easily reach most of the stuff she wants if it is on the seat next to her. The Kiddie Catch-All worked great for her because even though I am a very safe driver stuff still shifts during a car trip. She does not have to ask me to try and reach for something on the floor at stoplights (they know not to ask when when the car is moving.) Now my younger daughter (age 5) is still in a 5-point harness so she does not have as large of an area she can reach. Usually she would ask her sister to get something for her. Now she has it all right there where she can reach it. Of course it mostly has become a seat for Hippo (her favorite stuffed animal). According to Princess A Hippo likes his car seat because is is so comfy. Princess G likes it because she can snack or play on the DS and Hippo can watch without getting in the way. When I was first was sent the Kiddie Catch-All I was not sure if it would be worth getting when my kids are not toddlers anymore but it really came in handy. I will say as useful as it was for us it would have been even more useful when they were little. I can remember times when they wanted something and since I was driving I could not get it or at least not fast enough before they were upset. The Kiddie Catch-All is so simple but the best ideas usually are.

The Perfect Accessory For Your Car, Truck or Minivan This post was written for Family Review Network & Kiddie Catch-All who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.