Fun ideas for Christmas with Children

I thought I would share some of the cute ideas I have seen online this year.

Kids Activities Blog- here is a cute idea for kids Christmas. Its printable letter to Santa for them to color in and write their letters on. 

Coffee Cups and Crayons - a random acts of kindness Advent calendar for children 

Nest of Posies - make hand print ornaments. I am making these this year with all my grandbabies.

Cupcake Diaries- show you how to make grinch drinks. These would be awesome when the family is watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Nourishing Minimalism- Grinch Kabobs to go with your grinch drinks.

36th Avenue- Christmas Scriptures for Every day

Ricola® Revitalizing Herb Drops

For over 80 years, Ricola has been one of the most modern and innovative manufacturers of herb drops in the world. All herbs used in their products are organically cultivated in the Swiss mountains. Ricola®’s selection of products includes about 50 different herb specialty flavors and now they're looking at their Chrüterchrafters to get to try their newest creation, Ricola® Revitalizing Herb Drops!

Naturally Effective®

• With B Vitamins
• Helps Restore Energy*
• Effervescent Center

Ricola® Lemon Zest Revitalizing Drops provide B vitamins, in combination with a mixture of Swiss alpine herbs and ginseng, in a natural and refreshing way. 

Two drops provide 20% of the Adult Daily Value of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.

Product of Switzerland

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Well winter has hit the US with a huge blast of snow and cold air. Cold and flu season are upon us. Naturally I already have a cold. I am trying to keep it just as a cold so using all means available. Thankfully, I got a free bag of Ricola Reviatlizing Herb Drops from #swissherbs and #crowdtappers to try out. Some of you may recall that last winter I got sick the first week of November and was sick until May. I can't tell you how many drs I saw or drugs they gave me. 

I loved the lemony zip of these. If you don't like lemon meringue pie than you won't like these but who doesn't love lemon pie? When you get to the center there is a suprise powder inside.  The fizzing reminds me a candy I use to eat as a child. I like that these taste so good because I have had some throat drops that burned my mouth or tasted so nasty that the cold was preferable. I have a cold and I really can tell that I am not as tired feeling as I usually am with a cold. They really helped my sore throat a lot. It was hard to share them as they taste so good but I was nice and shared with a few friends :). I loved these and will buy them to have on hand for sore throats and colds. 

and if you want to try to win a bag, Ricola is having a little contest on their page. 

Disclosure: I received FREE Ricola® Revitalizing Herb Drops Samples courtesy from Ricola and Crowdtap in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.  My opinions are always my own! . Thank you! #Crowdtap and #Swissherbs

Zep Cleaning Samples #ZepCleansters

Are you ready to clean like a pro with Zep? It's time to fight germs and messes this flu season with two of Zep's newest cleaning secret weapons, Zep Quick Clean Disinfectant AND the Zep All-Around Oxy Cleaner and Degreaser.

It is cold and flu season here in southern WV and I have a cold. Perfect time to try out the Zep Quick Clean Disinfectant so that everyone in the house doesn't get sick. I hate when the babies are sick. I cleaned doors, phone, and everything touchable with the disinfectant. I use the All around oxy cleaner and degreaser to clean the kitchen. Check out how shiny my sink is now.Its shinier than this picture looks. The puppies chewed up my camera usb cord so I had to use my cheap cell phone to take pics and its not the greatest. Thankfully my camera cord has shipped and I can get back to picture taking again soon.

Disclosure: I received FREE Zep Cleanster Samples courtesy from Zep and Crowdtap in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.  My opinions are always my own! . Thank you! #ZepCleanster, #Crowdtap 

FREE 2015 Roadsides In Bloom Calendar

FREE 2015 Roadsides In Bloom Calendar - Request your very own FREE 2015 Roadsides in Bloom Calendar! This calendar features great photographs of flowers. Your free calendar will be shipped out in December!
https://apps.dep.wv.gov/reap/calendarsignup.cfm

This is from the beautiful state I live in (West Virginia) but you don't have to live in WV to request it.

Monday's Weekly Sweeps to Enter

Lost quite a few of my weekly sweeps last week so I had to find some more for this week.

Allstate College Football- various weekly prizes but the grand prize is $100000.00 and who can't use a hundred thousand lol Ends Dec 7th 2014

TDS for TVS - ONE LUCKY FAN WILL WIN A VIZIO M-SERIES TV EVERY WEEK SAN FRANCISCO
PLAYS. WHEN STEVIE JOHNSON SCORES, WE'RE UPGRADING THE WEEKLY PRIZE
TO A VIZIO P-SERIES ULTRA HD TV. Ends Dec 27th 2014

Rayovac Fan Friday- I have no clue what the weekly prizes are but there are 10 winners a week. You have to enter via Facebook and like the Rayovac page. Ends Dec 31, 2014

John Grisham Gray Mountain- one winner a week for an autographed copy of John's newest book Gray Mountain. There will be one grand prize winner of an entire collection of Grisham's books. Ends Dec 31st 2014

Sea Cuisine Upgrade your Taco-  10 weekly prizes are  two Sea Cuisine® VIP coupons, each redeemable for one High Liner® Sea Cuisine® frozen seafood product, up to $6.99; and a $25.00 Visa gift card. Ends January 5th 2015


Disclaimer: I may get bonus entries into some of these contests from your entry. 

Rebel Series Kindle Blast Giveaway

Titles: The Rebel Within / Rebels Divided / The Rebel Trap

Series: The Rebel Series

Author: Lance Erlick

Publication Dates: March 25, 2013 / June 12, 2013 / October 1, 2014

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Synopsis

The Rebel Within

Sixteen-year-old Annabelle Scott lives under the iron rule of a female-dominated régime that forces males to fight to the death to train the military elite. When pressed into service as a mechanized warrior to capture escaped boys, Annabelle stays true to herself by helping some escape. Her defiance endangers everyone she loves and thrusts her to a place of impossible life and death decisions.

Rebels Divided

Nineteen-year-old Mechanized Warrior Annabelle Scott should kill rebel Geo Shaw during a military operation. Instead, she lets him escape, which mystifies them both. With the nation divided into a female-dominated Federal Union and an Outland wilderness, the Outland warlord and Federal governor conclude a secret deal. It pledges Annabelle to the warlord to provide heirs, and puts a bounty on Geo and his father.

When Annabelle refuses, the warlord kidnaps her and her beloved sister, but underestimates her resourcefulness. Betrayed by their own people, Geo’s plans to bust loose from his impoverished Outland glen and Annabelle’s attempts to escape and enlist his help backfire, and bring them into conflict with military on both sides of the border. Can Geo and Annabelle overcome mutual distrust and work together to rescue her sister and gain justice for his father’s murder? And will their feelings for each other derail or further their goals?

The Rebel Trap 

Voices in 16-year-old Annabelle Scott’s head aren’t God or signs she’s going mad—yet. Despite being a Mech Warrior recruit, she rebels against her post-Second Civil War society by not only refusing to kill Morgan, a boy she’s attracted to, but also helping him to escape. After officially kicking her out of the program, Commander Samantha Hernandez gives Annabelle auditory implants and contact cams for an undercover assignment to investigate her corrupt police captain. Morgan hacks the implants to plead for her help in freeing his brother from a heavily guarded geek institute.

Unable to get either her commander or Morgan out of her head, Annabelle can’t confide in her adoptive mom, her beloved sister, or anyone else. While this rift tears at her bond to her sister, circumstance prevents her from searching for her birth mother or who tried to assassinate her adoptive mom.

As a pawn in a bigger game, who and what can Annabelle trust, including whether her mission is the commander’s vendetta? Can she find a way to help Morgan and discover the link between the attempted assassination, the geek institute, and her corrupt police captain without leading Morgan into a trap, being exiled and separated from her family, or getting herself and those she cares about killed?

The Rebel Trap was written as a standalone story, but also follows Annabelle’s adventures from The Rebel Within.

Find the Entire Series Online 

Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Goodreads

Author Bio

Lance Erlick grew up in various parts of the United States and Europe. He took to stories as his anchor and was inspired by his father’s engineering work on cutting-edge aerospace projects to look to the future. He studied creative writing at Northwestern University and University of Iowa.

He writes science fiction, dystopian and young adult stories and likes to explore the future implications of social and technological trends. He’s the author of The Rebel Within, The Rebel Trap, and Rebels Divided, three books in the Rebel series. In those stories, he flips traditional exploitation to explore the effects of a world that discriminates against males and the consequences of following conscience for those coming of age.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

EXCERPT–First Chapter of The Rebel Trap

I won. I lost. I’m out. I’m in. I cannot tell a soul. It was enough to spin my head, to make me wish I was back in that zoo of a high school I just left.

My thoughts darkened with the implications of what I’d done and the commitment I’d just made. I hurried out of Commander Hernandez’s sparse office; even the khaki-colored corridors looked darker than I remembered only an hour before. The drab lobby of the Tenn-tucky Mechanized Warrior compound brimmed with sister warriors, a gauntlet I had to squeeze through on my way out. Yet, I could no longer call them “sister” anything.

“Loser!” someone yelled. It sounded like one of Dara’s girls. Defeating the amazon bully in the mech tournament final hadn’t silenced her, or her posse.

“Hey, Annabelle,” Dara yelled, “how’s it feel to wash out?” She stood a head taller than the other girls like some ruling monarch.

Joke’s on you. I took deep, steady breaths while I marched toward the exit. Don’t get into a fight, I reminded myself. That was what she wanted, bringing up how, after the tournament, I’d refused to kill my male opponent in the separate arena final.

Hot, locker-room bodies surrounded me, sweat-soaked from their own arena fights to the death against boys pumped up with steroids and chemical enhancers to make the challenge even tougher. Some two dozen male corpses lay in the arena morgue, testament to the training and bravery of these recruits. Unlike them, I couldn’t bring myself to kill Morgan for sport, even when I had him pinned in a chokehold. For that failure, they took my title and kicked me out of the Mech Corps. Well, to hell with them.

Things weren’t that simple, though. They never were for me.

“You don’t have what it takes,” Dara shouted. The amazon’s large face tightened like a monstrous fist. She growled, “Weakness finally caught up with you.”

“They’ll strip away your title,” scrawny Margarite said from behind Dara.

I inched forward through the crowd, my eyes fixed on the tinted, bulletproof door that promised freedom. Don’t fight. Only a few more feet.

Dara stepped in front of me to block my exit. “You know what that means? I’ll have the title that’s rightfully mine. All that work for nothing. Sucks, doesn’t it?”

Not like getting a title you didn’t earn.

Brandy, my closest mech friend, cowered in the corner, face hidden beneath auburn curls. She brushed the hair aside and glanced up, eyes pleading. I hated letting her down. During training, she’d latched onto me as her lifeline. I sensed she wanted to talk, to get answers, but I was a pariah. I embarrassed the entire program by winning the tournament and the arena contests, yet disqualifying myself on a technicality.

I wanted to reassure Brandy, and thank her for being a good friend, but that would make her life hell with her sister recruits. I couldn’t do that to her. I looked for a path around Dara, one I could take without stirring a fight with one who needed no provoking.

“What ya do, fall in love with that redhead?” Rox yelled. The dark-complexioned loner must have decided to align herself with Dara now that I was out.

The jibe bit hard. Yeah, I’d like to get to know Red—Morgan. Even if I didn’t, I won’t kill for sport. Maybe if I hadn’t saved him several times before the arena match, I might have acted differently, but that wasn’t it.

For the past six weeks as a mech trainee, I’d counted these girls as friends, with the exception of Dara. Now, their scornful looks reminded me of high school. Escaping at 16 had been a gift. Now I longed to return to a cage I understood.

I held my head high, squeezed between Dara and Margarite, and pushed the weaker girl out of the way. I ached to yell out the truth, but Commander Hernandez had been clear and insistent: “Tell no one you’re still in the program.”

Instead, I kept moving and endured jabs to my arms, already inflamed from my fight. Morgan had been a tougher competitor than Dara, and almost killed me twice. Yet, I couldn’t hurt him. Stay calm.

Dara grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “I’m not finished with you.”

“Yes, you are.” I yanked free and pushed through the glass door into sticky heat. Haze drifted in from Knoxville. I was tempted to take my mech-cycle and race to the Outland border to make sure Morgan crossed safely. Then the mechs would follow me and catch him for sure. Patience, Annabelle. Besides, the commander took my electric cycle when she officially kicked me out of the program.

The forest-camouflage guardhouse across the concrete clearing seemed miles away. My adoptive mom and her electric sedan weren’t waiting for me outside the gate, where the commander had arranged for her to pick me up. Nor was Mom’s car among the line of other cars and buses leaving the arena parking lot. Sweat soaked my neck and beaded up on my forehead.

On unsteady legs, I moved toward the gate. It felt like nightmares where I reach for my birth mother while mech-warriors tear me from her arms and send her to prison for trying to help my dad escape. That happened when I was three. Yet the horrid ache returned to me nightly as a fresh wound. To spare me from an institution Mom adopted me and raised me as her own.

I picked up my pace to get away from the taunts that echoed from Dara and her crew on the steps behind me. I had to get outside the compound, which reminded me of a prison with its high concrete walls, concertina wire, and hidden cams.

Still shaken by the mess I’d gotten myself into, I also reeled over having just witnessed someone try to assassinate Tenn-tucky State Senator Cora Scott, my adoptive mom, in the middle of my life-and-death struggle with Morgan. What a cluster. I prayed no one would connect his escape to Mom or me.

She still wasn’t outside the gate.

While getting out of here sounded great, I couldn’t face Mom’s disappointment at my failure or relief that I was out of the mech program. I wasn’t out. Yet. But I couldn’t tell her. I didn’t need Janine’s probing questions either, or her attempts to comfort me as if I were the younger sister. At least with me officially out of the program, she wouldn’t feel the need to join the mechs to follow me.

Where are you, Mom?

I reached the guardhouse. Still no car.

The stocky guard with coal-black hair stepped out of the shadows and blocked my exit. Though shorter, she had the commander’s solid build and looked ready to take my head off—me, the true winner of the Spring Mech Tournament. She probably could. Even though I’d gone through grueling mech qualifications, I hadn’t completed my training yet.

I hung my head. “Sorry, Sandy.”

She grabbed my arm and spun me around to face the building. “You will be. Commander wants you back in her office.” She pushed me toward the mech building and that gauntlet of angry recruits.

“What’s going on?” I looked behind and still couldn’t see Mom’s car.

“Don’t cause me any grief,” Sandy said. Her thick fingers dug into my forearm, making me gasp.

She pushed me back to the building. “Whatever it is, I suggest you humble yourself. The commander has never recalled a washed-out recruit before.”

“Come on, Sandy, give me something.”

Dara, Rox, and Margarite glowered at me from the top step. They blocked the door.

“I don’t know, but good luck,” Sandy said. “For the record, I had my money on you.”

She pushed me up the steps. “Everyone out of the way.”

Dara looked like a giant next to Sandy, but the great amazon stepped aside. Sandy dragged me along the khaki-colored corridor back toward the commander’s office. My eyes watered. It was like getting a pardon from prison, only to have the judge reverse her decision.

“Haven’t you had enough?” Dara yelled after me. “Had to come back for more?”

I dropped my gaze to the concrete floor. Moving toward freedom had given me courage. Now, as my nerve bled away, I could only imagine what had gone wrong.

a muted bass voice said directly into my skull.

You know how when someone says think fast, you can’t? My brain scrambled to make sense of this male voice deep inside my head, given that I’d never heard a masculine tone until six weeks ago.

Sandy tugged me forward. “Don’t keep the commander waiting.”

I pulled back. Morgan, what are you doing in my head? It felt like the mech com-link that allowed you to hear another’s projected thoughts. I couldn’t imagine how to turn the blasted thing off, or how to talk to him without Sandy overhearing. I couldn’t let her or the commander think I was crazy on top of everything else. I considered that possibility.

Morgan said.

I froze. I wanted to see Morgan’s face. Yet I didn’t trust all this craziness inside me, as if I wanted more than just to see him. His tone did sound comforting, though, the only really friendly voice since I ran the gauntlet.

Sandy yanked me forward.

Morgan said somewhere inside my skull.

I followed Sandy, shook my head, and mouthed, “No.” As if somehow, he could see that. I’d done my bit. I’d tried to help him escape.

The gravity of my situation sank in. Had Commander Hernandez caught the nurse helping the boys, or connected the escape to Mom? The entire idea had been stupid, a rushed effort because I really liked Morgan, despite having to fight him. I should have had a better plan, but I was not a planner.

Giveaway:http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ff6a4f1f94/

Monday Sweeps to Enter

Lost quite a few of my weekly sweeps last week so I had to find some more for this week.

Krusteaz Flatbread Instant Win- Grand prize is Weber Spirit Gas Grill, and a year supply of Krusteaz Flatbread Mix! Ends Nov 8th 2014

Musselman's Growing a Healthy family $100 Amazon gift card weekly on  October 2, October 9, October 16, October 23, October 20, November 6, and November 13, 2014. One entry per week. Ends November 10th 2014

Warner Brothes and Batman Win a trip for 2 to LA for a studio tour of WB and a drive in the Batmobile. Ends Nov 14th 2014

Allstate College Football- various weekly prizes but the grand prize is $100000.00 and who can't use a hundred thousand lol Ends Dec 7th 2014

TDS for TVS - ONE LUCKY FAN WILL WIN A VIZIO M-SERIES TV EVERY WEEK SAN FRANCISCO
PLAYS. WHEN STEVIE JOHNSON SCORES, WE'RE UPGRADING THE WEEKLY PRIZE
TO A VIZIO P-SERIES ULTRA HD TV. Ends Dec 27th 2014

Rayovac Fan Friday- I have no clue what the weekly prizes are but there are 10 winners a week. You have to enter via Facebook and like the Rayovac page. Ends Dec 31, 2014

John Grisham Gray Mountain- one winner a week for an autographed copy of John's newest book Gray Mountain. There will be one grand prize winner of an entire collection of Grisham's books. Ends Dec 31st 2014

Sea Cuisine Upgrade your Taco-  10 weekly prizes are  two Sea Cuisine® VIP coupons, each redeemable for one High Liner® Sea Cuisine® frozen seafood product, up to $6.99; and a $25.00 Visa gift card. Ends January 5th 2015


Disclaimer: I may get bonus entries into some of these contests from your entry. 

Blogger Op

Hosted By:

Mommy's Favorite Things & Mama's Baby Cupcakes
"Gifts of Love"
This Blog Hop is Gifts of Love. Prizes for Valentine's Day. Any family friendly item that you would give as a gift is acceptable for this giveaway hop. There are lots of options for finding a prize for this wonderful event. Your only mission is to find the perfect prize pack for your blog!
Because this is a blog hop, each blog will be responsible for securing their own prize on their own blog. Each prize must be a Minimum of $25. The Prize can be sponsored OR you can self sponsor. Each blog can have more than 1 winner, but each winner must win at least $25 in prizes. 
Joining this Blog Hop is FREE as long as you share the announcement in some way. It takes 2 seconds to do this!! Tweet, pin, or share on FB. 
When: 1/5-1/19
Who: Anybody with a blog can sign up for this one!
Sign ups close 12/29
Add yourself to the Linky Below! You MUST share this announcement in order to participate in this hop. You can also join the Facebook Group for our events here

#PopSecretTMNT

We got a bag of the white cheddar #PopSecretTMNT  popcorn as a perk from Klout. Awesome taste and best of all non GMO.

Here is Peyton rocking the mask while chowing down on the popcorn.

#Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Review

I was so thrilled to get my new Influenster  Vox Box with a free bottle of #Vaseline Intensive Care advnced repair fragrance free lotion to try out.  I have always loved Vaseline products and this lotion didn't let me down. I love the way it goes on and isn't oily and for once something that says fragrance free really is. I don't like smelling overly perfumed and some days odors seem to give me headaches but this lotion really had no fragrance to it.

I hate dry skin. My hands really aren't as dry as this picture makes them look. Not sure why my hands look so cracked. :) Honestly, I am like a drug addict go through withdraw when my skin is dry. I get twitchy and fidgety and my hands get to hurting. I have to use lotion all the time. Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair was wonderful. It is rich and thick so its not runny. I buy a lot of lotion and I can't abide runny lotion. After rubbing the lotion in, my hands aren't greasy. I could immediately type and answer the phone without making a mess everywhere. This is perfect for work and home.


Vaseline on Facebook

Vaseline on Twitter

Vaseline on Youtube


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Influenster. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Monday's Weekly Sweeps to Enter

Lost quite a few of my weekly sweeps last week so I had to find some more for this week.

Musselman's Growing a Healthy family $100 Amazon gift card weekly on  October 2, October 9, October 16, October 23, October 20, November 6, and November 13, 2014. One entry per week. Ends November 10th 2014

Warner Brothes and Batman Win a trip for 2 to LA for a studio tour of WB and a drive in the Batmobile. Ends Nov 14th 2014

Allstate College Football- various weekly prizes but the grand prize is $100000.00 and who can't use a hundred thousand lol Ends Dec 7th 2014

TDS for TVS - ONE LUCKY FAN WILL WIN A VIZIO M-SERIES TV EVERY WEEK SAN FRANCISCO
PLAYS. WHEN STEVIE JOHNSON SCORES, WE'RE UPGRADING THE WEEKLY PRIZE
TO A VIZIO P-SERIES ULTRA HD TV. Ends Dec 27th 2014

Rayovac Fan Friday- I have no clue what the weekly prizes are but there are 10 winners a week. You have to enter via Facebook and like the Rayovac page. Ends Dec 31, 2014

John Grisham Gray Mountain- one winner a week for an autographed copy of John's newest book Gray Mountain. There will be one grand prize winner of an entire collection of Grisham's books. Ends Dec 31st 2014

Sea Cuisine Upgrade your Taco-  10 weekly prizes are  two Sea Cuisine® VIP coupons, each redeemable for one High Liner® Sea Cuisine® frozen seafood product, up to $6.99; and a $25.00 Visa gift card. Ends January 5th 2015


Disclaimer: I may get bonus entries into some of these contests from your entry. 

End of October Recap

October was not a good month for me. The engine blew up in my car and I had to have it totaled :(. So far I have not be able to find another car I can drive. I was able to keep working thanks to my awesome supervisor and her husband. They came to get me a few days and then loaned me a truck for the last half the month. I was able to pick up a few extra days at work so hopefully will be able to afford something soon.

I had a total of 10 posts for the month. I had one giveaway this month and it had  #374 entries. I won 15 giveaways. Seemed like a slow month to me for winnings, of course there are some who don't win 15 giveaways a year so I am grateful for what I won.

I did a bit better on posting more reviews. I helped a friend get signed up for a few review programs. She just lost her job and is going crazy home and looking for something to do. I did finally find a nice Dodge Caravan to buy but I can't pick it up until the 11th of November.