BYOU Magazine Review & Subscription Giveaway

I was given the opportunity to review a magazine aimed at young girls… tweens, and share my thoughts.  It was a no brainer for me to accept this opportunity when they told me it was a magazine focused on trying to empower young girls and build their confidence in just being themselves.



Young girls seem to have worldly views thrown at them from every direction and it’s so hard in those critical tween years to decipher good from bad.  It’s hard to know when you’re giving in to peer pressure and when you’re standing on your own to feet.  All of it seems to run together. 

I remember those years and wanting so badly to fit in, have more friends, be popular…  I don’t that I could have told you who I was.  Most of my rough times came during the early teen years but I think if I had been confident enough in myself before the teens hit, I could have fared much better. 

Anthony and I try really hard to help our impressionable daughters understand that everyone is different.  Everyone is gifted and carries different talents.  Sometimes those talents are hard to recognize in ourselves.  I think we’ve done an ok job, thus far, at helping our kids recognize their own abilities where they excel but sometimes having an outside source is extremely helpful. 

Enter, BYOU! 



It’s a cute little magazine with some really great stories.  I asked each of the girls what parts they really liked after reading it.  A really liked the Q and A sections.  K liked stories (especially the one with Olivia Holt).  We don’t actually know who she is because I don’t allow much TV.  Sorry to all you Disney lovers… I’m not a huge fan.  However, her story was fun to read.  She was bullied a bit through school but persevered. 

H is still a little young to fully enjoy the magazine.  She was still able to enjoy bits of it here and there.



There are fun little sections on how to run a business, quizzes to take (those were always my favorite part of any magazine growing up), and even a ‘Dear Abby’-ish section.  Questions are answered by two different people so the kids get two different perspectives. 

Now, if I’m being honest (which I am!) I would have to say that the price is a little hefty for my liking.  There are 6 issues per year.  You can check out their website, here for pricing and more info.  But I will say that I enjoy the magazine for what it is intended for… Being YOU!  I think it sends a great message in a way that young girls can really relate to.

Here’s the fun part!!  They are allowing me to give away a 1-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to a reader.  There are plenty of ways to enter.  Good LUCK!

 
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Winner! ABCmouse.com Giveaway

Congratulations to Marissa N. for winning the ABCmouse.com full year subscription. 

Thanks so much to all that entered to win. 

ABCmouse.com Review & Giveaway!!

We try not to allow too much screen time at our house.  I think a little bit is good but we’ve noticed that too much causes C to act out more than usual.  It makes him mean. 

But let’s face it… I’m as big as a hippo right now (seriously, I’m huge… people are surprised when I tell them I still have over a month and a half to go), I can’t keep up with the boys at this point (I no longer walk, I waddle… and my left hip is killing me!), and quite frankly I am a big fan of screen time and movies at the moment.  It’s the only way to keep those little boys of mine still for any length of time. 

I’ve seen the commercials for ABCmouse.com from time to time and thought it sounded fun.  So, I was excited to be contacted by Michelle who offered to let us try it in exchange for a review (all opinions expressed are my own).  I’d much rather they be doing something educational than just mindlessly watching the TV.  This was a great opportunity to help them get some basics down in a fun way. 

And guess what…

She’s letting me give one of YOU a subscription also… good for a WHOLE YEAR!! 

That’s a value of $79!!

We’ve been using our subscription for over a week and half now and have absolutely LOVED it!  C was able to create an avatar that looks just. like. him. 

Uncanny, no?

And I admit, even the girls (*ahem* and I) have enjoyed ourselves a little ABCmouse.com.  My favorite?… the fun songs!  That’s B’s favorite, too.  C really likes any time that he earns tickets.  He thinks it’s pretty cool and yells every time, “Mom!  I got some tickets!” 

There are so many different rooms and places to visit from the farm, the zoo, the classroom, and more that even C doesn’t get bored.  He’s usually all over the place with the computer because he gets bored easily.

 

I enjoy the fact that he really is learning.  B is still a little too young to do much of it on his own but C is able to maneuver his way through without any help at all.  He likes the puzzles, the lessons (of which I was able to choose the level at which to start him out at), and visiting the zoo. 

So, now it’s your turn!  There are several ways to enter to win a year long subscription.  Make sure to check back by Sunday, the 14th, to see if you won!!

 

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MyMemories Suite Winner!

Congratulations to Dana who won the MyMemories Suite giveaway!  I will be emailing you (Dana) the info you need to download your own copy of the program. 

Sorry I didn’t post this earlier.  Today was a bit chaotic and I just didn’t get a chance. 

My Memories Suite Giveaway

Alright, so I know I’m like way behind the times and I’m probably the only scrapbooker in history that hadn’t taken the digital software plunge.  But seriously, you’re talking about, Brooke… the same Brooke that finally sent her first text like last week.  Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration but it really wasn’t more than just a couple of months ago.  I’m awesome!

And really I don’t know that you could really call me a scrapbooker given that I have never completed one.  I’ve started them many times and have SOME pages finished but the reality is, most of my pages are half done.  Most don’t even have any pictures on them.  Sad, I know.  They’re just completed pages and I’ve been too lazy to actually put pics on them. 

Sigh… what can I say?

Well, imagine my excitement when Liz from My Memories Suite contacted me to do a review and giveaway of their digital scrapbooking software.  HECK YEAH!  I’ll do it!  Now maybe all of my children will feel loved…. K is the only one that has even somewhat of a scrapbook right now.  And she’s only made it to barely a year old in it.  I’m only ten years behind or so.  No big deal… YIKES!

Now please remember that I am completely new at this and had absolutely no clue what I would in for.  Surprisingly, the software is pretty easy to use and you can really do so much with it.  Being a beginner, I’m very basic and boring…. this page does not do justice whatsoever to the possibilities of this program! 



I thought it turned out alright for my first attempt!  Actually that was more like my fifth or sixth but who’s counting?  You don’t get to see the very first ones because I’m trying to improve them… maybe you’ll see them later.

I haven’t had a chance to really play with the program as much as I would like but I have already fallen in love with this whole idea of digital scrapbook software!  And you can really do so much with it!  I’ve seen people make subway art with it, calendars, blog banners, gift tags, and much more.  And one nice thing is that you can upload (or is it download?) digital scrapbooking kits from just about anywhere on the web.  Not to mention, My Memories has a whole gallery of kits for purchase and many of them for FREE to add to your collection.  How cool is that?  Papers, embellishments, borders, etc. 

Now, who wants to scrapbook digital style?  Would you like to be the one to win this fabulous software?  I can promise you, it is so fun and so worth it!  And your pages will be far more beautiful than my basic boring one.  It would probably help if I were computer savvy but I’m not.  Someday…

You have a few ways to enter.  Visiting MyMemories site and choosing a favorite kit is mandatory, everything else is optional.  You can ‘like’ MyMemories on Facebook, and/or tweet, facebook or blog about this giveaway. 

And hey, if you don’t win or just can’t wait to get your hands on this software, here’s a code you can use to receive $10 off AND $10 credit to use in the MyMemories store.  Just copy and paste to avoid errors when ordering.

The code is:  STMMMS62057

And now let’s get on with the giveaway… good luck!  Giveaway will be open for one week.  Winner will be announced March 10th!  (And please forgive me if I don't know what I'm doing with this rafflecopter giveaway widget.  Never used it before.)

 


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Hand Vibes–Review and Giveaway

Have you ever heard of Hand Vibes?  They’re bound to become the next craze for kids.  They come in several different colors and have over 30 different sayings on them. 

They are little rings with fun things on them such as BFF, {thumbs up}LIKE, Bro, Fresh, Epic, Dude, Boo-yah, and much much more. 

I have to be honest, I was glad we didn’t get the one that says OMG.  To me that means Oh My Goodness but I know for many people it means something else that would require taking and speaking a very sacred name in vain. 

Aside from that, I think they are so fun. 

They come packaged in sets of three.  Two are visible and one is hidden…. a ‘mystery ring’!  PLUS… one out of every six ring packs will include a ring with a fun, collectible emoticon design.  There are 10 different emoticons to collect.  Hard to find but certainly not impossible ;)

We were not lucky enough to find an emoticon ring.

They come in one size only which means they don’t quite fit little ones such as my C and B and they also don’t fit Anthony.  They were just a little tight on him.  He was disappointed… he wanted to be ‘cool’ like us girls! 

These fun rings can be found in Target, Toys R Us, and other stores. 

But YOU could win some right now!  They would make fun stocking stuffers for the kiddos.  The nice people at Hand Vibes have agreed to give TWO sets of Hand Vibes to ONE lucky winner.  That’s a total of 6 rings!!!  Winner will be chosen this Friday. 

There are four ways to enter.  Be sure to leave a separate comment here on this post for each entry. 

1. Leave a comment telling me the best thing Santa’s ever left in your stocking.
2. Follow my blog via GFC (over on the right) or become a subscriber – leave a comment.
3. Like my facebook page – leave a comment HERE to let me know you did.
4. Tell your friends about this giveaway via Twitter, Facebook or your own blog – leave a comment HERE!

I received no compensation for this post.  I was sent free product in order to write an honest review and host a giveaway.  All opinions expressed herein are my own.

 

Math Blaster Winner!!

Are you ready for this?  The winner is comment #2!

MINDY-- You win!!

Mindy, please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize via email at babblinbrooke 22 (at) gmail (dot) com

CONGRATULATIONS!

 

Math Blaster: Review and Giveaway

“Disclosure: I was provided with a membership good for Math Blaster and Knowledge Adventure at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”

A couple weeks ago, I was contacted by Michelle from Math Blaster.  She asked if I would like to review Math Blaster, an online ‘world’ of math games and activities, and host a giveaway.   

Of course I was happy to oblige and the fact that it’s all sci-fi oriented was totally awesome for my kids. They are completely into Star Wars and anything to do with aliens.  But I let her know that I would only be willing if I were able to give a completely open and honest review.  If I didn’t like it, I would tell you so.  She was completely ok with that and so we went forward with it.

The first thing I have to tell you, and you’ll probably think less of me, is that if you’re a mom, you’ll never figure this thing out!  Or maybe I should say ‘If you’re me, you’ll never figure this thing out.’  I sat down to give it a go before letting my kids have at it… just to be sure that it really was appropriate for them.  I was on the blasted computer for over an hour and never got to any math games.  Yes, I’m serious! 

This is coming from the mom who has never even sent a text before so… yeah, I really am that awesome!

Anyway, my first thought was Well, this is dumb!  It’s called Math Blaster but you can’t even find any math.  My kids will think this is dumb too, I’m sure. 

But as always, they proved me wrong.  I got them all set up, each child was registered and ready to go.  H was first.  She created her alien avatar and chose a name (the girls really liked creating those) and then she was ready to play.  I asked the kids to let me know when they came to any math games so that I could really decide whether this game was appropriately named.  Fully expecting it to take quite a while, I walked away.  Not even 3 minutes into her turn, I heard squeals of delight and calls for “MOM” coming from the office. 

Her first math game! 

Seriously?  I couldn’t find ANY in the whole hour plus that I was on there.  It had to be a fluke.  I asked them to let me know once again when they came to another game.  Just a few minutes later, more squeals from the office. 

H played for about half hour then let A have a turn.  She also had no problem finding math games.  K went and still, no hiccups in the math finding.  I was the only one to have issues. 

It just goes to show that us old folks just don’t have what it takes… **sigh** 

The great part about the math games is that they can choose what style of math they would like to do.  Addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.  I asked them to choose something that challenges them so they could really use this as a learning tool.  Otherwise, it’s just a game. 

Here are the kids’ reviews:

K says:  I like everything about Math Blaster!  I really like the Alien Wrangler game.  And I really like the Mutts too.  The mutts are fun. 

A says:  I really like the mutts and how you take care of them.  And I like the math game that you shoot the things.  It’s this big humungous guy (alien) that gives you math questions.  You try to get him to go to sleep.  Then you get to go to the next level.

H says:  Um, I say that I like the part where I can go in this new game and I like when I get a mutt.  And I like to see things and play games.  I like to swim in Math Blaster.  (Snatch It game)

So, in short, the kids absolutely love playing MathBlaster!  They ask to play it every day.  It’s fun and they really enjoy the sci-fi side of it and they actually really enjoy the math games.  I definitely recommend this if you have a child that doesn’t enjoy math unless it’s in the form of fun.  Luckily, all my kids enjoy math anyway, but if you have a math resistant child, this may work to get them excited about it.  It’s recommended for ages 6-12.  You can add up to six kids to your account and each child will have his own avatars, mutts, etc.  

Math Blaster memberships also come with access to JumpStart!  Another online world of games (not math) for kids ages 3-10.  My kids have enjoyed that as well.

There’s also a Math Blaster Blog that gives updates on new games (and more) as needed.  It’s fun to see what is coming out and when.  

And now for the GIVEAWAY!!!

Michelle has agreed to set one lucky winner up with a 3 month membership to Math Blaster.  Your child(ren) can enjoy the online Math Blaster world along with mine!  How great is that?

So, how you do you enter?  There will be three different ways in which you can enter.  You’ll need to leave a separate comment here on this post for each one.  I will have random.org choose the winner next Monday morning.  I will take entries through Sunday, October 2nd at 11:59 pm, MST. 

Remember, leave separate comments for each entry…

1. 
   
   Leave a comment letting me know that you would like to win (simple, right?)


2. 
   
   Like MathBlaster on facebook and leave a comment here to let me know.


3. 
   
   Tell your friends about this giveaway via facebook, your own blog or Twitter.  Be sure to leave me a comment to let me know you did!

 

 

 

What is Clean Eating? - INTRODUCTION

So sorry!  My Saturday kind of got away from me.  And this morning was church, then lunch, then family chats, and now we're watching a movie.  Which means I can finally tell you what clean eating is! 

But before I do, I am just curious..... who's doing the challenge with me?  LeShel, you still in?  It's not scary. 

Tell you what, if you're planning to take the Clean Eating Challenge, leave a comment and at the end I want to do a give-away.  But only if you really are going to try the challenge.  Or, if you want to leave a comment anyway, how the heck am I going to know you're not taking the challenge?  I mean, really, I can't check up on you.  ;)

This is how the challenge will work:

Each Monday I will present a new step.  Baby steps are what it's all about.  Going cold turkey could be disastrous to your progress.  It's true!  I don't know what it is about baby steps.  I just know that they work.  So, check every Monday morning for the new step of the week.  And what is it about Mondays?  Every goal or diet or plan or whatnot always starts on Monday.  I may not understand it but it seems to be the way to go so we're going with it.  

Now time for the disclaimer:

Please remember that I am not a physician, physicians assistant, nurse, nutritionist, dietician, fitness expert or anything of the sort.  I don't know what your particular diet needs are.  I am only presenting this challenge because it is what has worked for my family and has really prepared us for a life of better health and increased energy.  That is not to say that we will never encounter illnesses or physical ailments.  I just know that we feel better, look better, and have way more energy than we did even just six short months ago.  That said, we never realized how poor our diet was until discovering how to eat real, whole foods and eliminate highly processed foods and refined sugars.  It was then that our diets took a major turn for the better and we can definitely tell when we've eaten something yucky.  But more on that later...

Also, I am NOT an expert.  I am a beginner and am definitely learning more about eating clean every day.  My diet is FAR from perfect, just a work in progress.  This challenge is a way for me to keep myself accountable. 

Now on to the question you're all dying to know the answer to.  I know you are!  Well, maybe not but we're going to venture there anyway.  What is clean eating?  Here's the part where you are anticipating a clear, educated, extremely thought-out, detailed answer.  And here's the part where I highly disappoint you by telling you that I can't answer that for you.  It's a loaded question with more answers than I care to count.  Why?  Because it's different for every person.  

Remember the three cookbooks I got for Mother's Day?  They are all clean eating cookbooks but they all contradict each other.  Sounds funny, I know.  I was as surprised as you are.  Or maybe you're not surprised at all but I sure was. 

Here's an example of the contradictions.  Let's use MILK!  (The opinions and conclusions I've drawn from each of the following are my own.  These are only my interpretations.)

The Diet Rebel's Cookbook:  The authors of this book tend to believe that milk and all milk products should be in whole, raw form.  Raw, meaning unpasteurized and not homogenized, milk straight from the source.  That is not easy to find, mind you.  I know that there's a store here in Utah called Real Foods Market that is the only licensed market here to carry raw milk.  I personally have never been there since there isn't one in my area but I am hoping they open one up closer to me.  I'm intrigued by this idea of raw milk.  Are you?  Here's a blog post I found about the benefits of raw milk. 

These authors also believe that cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, cheese, cream, butter etc. should be in it's whole, raw form.  No skim, no lowfat, just whole and raw. 

And a note on meats-- They like the lean cuts of beef, chicken, fish, turkey, pork, etc.  All in moderation. 

The Eat Clean Diet for Families and Kids:  Tosca Reno, the author, tends to believe that dairy products should be lowfat and/or skim.  Reduced fat cheeses (very minimal), skim milk, lowfat cottage cheese and yogurt, etc.  This is not necessarily fact but I've gathered that she's not a fan of cream cheeses, butter, or sour cream.  Too much fat maybe?  I don't know for sure. 

Meats-- Same as the book listed above but she also really likes Bison.  It's leaner than beef.  Ever tried it?  I had a bison burger recently and didn't even know until Anthony told me.  I thought it was beef with a slightly different texture than normal. 

Clean Food:  Terry Walters is the author of this one and she is VEGAN!  I was really looking forward to this book for this reason.  My family looooves meat.  In fact, I don't really know how to make a dinner without it.  I'm a steak and potatoes gal!  Every meal I know how to make has meat as a main staple whether it's ground beef, chicken, turkey, or whatever else.  Meat is a staple at our house.  However, I've wanted to cut back on the amount of meats we eat.  The Word of Wisdom says to eat meats sparingly and I feel that we have a long way to go before we can say we are following those guidelines. 

Anyway, forgive the tangent above... I've learned from this book that along with all dairy products and eggs, even honey is out on a vegan diet.  It's an animal product so I shouldn't have been surprised by that but I was.  Did you realize that honey is un-vegan (not a word, I know!)? 

I've also learned that there are a gazillion ingredients out there that I've never heard of and normal grocery stores apparently haven't either.  So, it's back to Whole Foods again.  They carry more of the not-so-normal ingredients.  Hopefully they don't remember me from my last visit! 

Well, we already know her take on meats... NONE! 

Do you see why it's so frustrating to try and define exactly what clean eating is?  **Sigh**  All I can do is give you a few guidelines and you get to decide from there what's right for you and your family.  I'll let you know what my family has been doing along the way.  That will help define what clean eating is for US!  It may differ from your idea of clean eating. 

OH!  That reminds me, another way they differ is on the subject of SOY!  How do you feel about soy?  My family has never really integrated soy into our diets so I tend to side with book number one above on this subject.  They believe it to be too highly processed not good for our bodies anyway so they avoid all soy products.  Book number two uses some soy, and book number three seems to LOVE it.  There are still plenty of recipes without soy but as a whole, she seems to love it. 

Another thing we'll discuss in the future is sprouting.  I can honestly say that I have never sprouted anything.  Not wheat, nuts, quinoa, buckwheat, nothin'.  But I'm tellin' you, it seems to be the one common theme among all three of the books.  So, that's a subject for later... perhaps MUCH later.  We'll see how long it takes me to successfully sprout something.  Then, and only then, we'll discuss.  Have you ever sprouted anything?  I could definitely use a pointer or two.  Maybe ten. 

The only basic definition of clean eating I can give you is that it means no processed foods, no refined sugars, eat what God gave you!  Basically, if God made it, you can eat it.  If man made it, DON'T!  I realize that's vague but we'll figure it all out together.  And hey, there are exceptions.  There are ALWAYS exceptions... to everything. 

Well, I guess that's it for our intro.  Confused?  Don't be.  I'll help you out with the process as we get going.  Check in tomorrow morning for Step 1 of The Clean Eating Challenge.  See you then!  I promise not to be a day late.  It'll be up first thing in the morning. :)

Oh, and don't forget to comment and let me know that you'll be doing the challenge with us.  LeShel, if you end up being the only one, I guess you win!  ;)  I'm going to give away one of the books listed above.  The winner gets to choose which one is the most appealing to them.  It doesn't matter when you decide to join... now, a week from now, three weeks in, whatever.  Just let me know you are taking the challenge and at the end, a winner will be chosen!