Archives for 2017

Vitafive: Custom Gummy Vitamin Packs for Adults and Kids Review @vitafivegummies

August 6, 2017 By Marijean

*This post contains an affiliate link

I am not the best at remembering to take my vitamins. I dislike taking large vitamin pills, and I also dislike chewable ones because they always taste horrible. I have tried gummy vitamins however I have not found one yet that tastes good. Most have the artificial taste. I have finally found a delicious gummy vitamin that I actually look forward to taking each day.

I was recently contacted by a company called Vitafive. What is Vitafive? Vitafive offers personalized gummy vitamin packs sent right to your door every 4 weeks. With Vitafive, your vitamins are all prepackaged into one convenient pack for each day of the week. You can take them anywhere with you, no more worrying each morning putting them in a little ziplock bag to take with you or forgetting about the bottle that is in your medicine cabinet. These are so convenient to take to work, school or even on vacation! The biggest pro? THEY TASTE AMAZING!!

The vitamins that Vitafive offers are:

Probiotic
Vitamin D3
Vitamin C
Multivitamin
Calcium and D3
Biotin
Melatonin
Omega 3

You can customize your own vitamin packs with up to five vitamin choices. The more vitamins you add the more savings you will receive. Add a minimum of 3 gummies and you will receive free shipping. If you do not wish to customize, Vitafive offers vitamin health packs for adults and children. Adult packs start at $24 and Kids packs start at $19. Below is the price chart for customizing your own vitamin packs.

Great things about Vitafive:

Gluten Free
Vegetarian
Kosher & Halal
Made in the USA
Vitamins are safe from melting in temperatures of up to 140 degrees
Dietitian approved
3rd party tested

I was able to choose 3 vitamin choices to try out and review. I picked a Multivitamin, Vitamin C and a Probiotic. A 28 day supply arrived quickly. Each daily dose is packaged and ready to take on the go! Each pack has my name on it (this is great if you are buying vitamins for different members of your family) and shows what kind of vitamins are in the package. They each also have a best by date. I love that I can keep these vitamins in my purse or even at my desk at work so I never forget to take them. The best part is they are really delicious!! They are not sticky like other gummy vitamins and they have no artificial taste. They really taste like fruit to me. I love that they are made in the USA as well. Each vitamin is a different color, so you always know which one you are taking. The children’s packs are perfect for my kids since in the mornings they can just grab a pack themselves open and eat them. So easy for kids!

In conclusion, these vitamins are not only super convenient with their packaging, but also delicious and very affordable !! I actually look forward to taking my vitamins each day now!

I know you will be as satisfied as I am with your new vitamin packs, and the convenience they offer, but if for some reason you aren’t, you can cancel your subscription at anytime with no hassle.

Use coupon code 25mhtw to enjoy 25% off your first month with Vita Five. Click here to order.

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*I received a complimentary supply of vitafive in exchange for this review. All thoughts are my own. This post also contains an affiliate link.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Caring For Your Child: 3 Special Occasions

August 5, 2017 By Anne

Pic Source

If you are a parent, you will already be well aware of just how much care it takes to effectively look after a child. But even so, there are certain occasions in life when it is likely that you will need to provide some additional support to your child. These are, more often than not, times of upheaval, periods during which there are significant changes to your family’s life, and it is up to you to ensure that you can provide the necessary support at those times, when it is most needed. In this post, we are going to have a look at some of those situations in a little more detail, so you can know what to prepare for.

The First Day Of School

It is something of a sad time for everyone involved when your child needs to start going to school. In all likelihood, you have not been looking forward to not having your child at home with you all day. Similarly, it is very likely that they will be quite upset when you drop them off, and you might be surprised at the level of emotion between the two of you. When this happens, you should try your hardest not to make too much of it. If it seems that they are particularly upset, obviously you want to comfort them, and you should. But try not to draw out the goodbyes for too long. Most people find that this actually only makes it worse, and confirms that it is something to be hugely upset about. The first day is difficult, but remind yourself (and your child) that it will get much easier. See http://www.thejournal.ie/tips-for-parents-on-first-day-of-school-574162-Aug2012/ for more on this.

Moving House

From time to time, it is necessary to move home. This is particularly true if you have something of a growing family! When it is time to move home, you might actually be surprised by how much emotion there is in the family. It can always be stressful carrying out the actual move itself, for a start. What’s more, there are many other factors which might make your child upset. They might be worried about having to make new friends, for example. The first thing is to make sure that you make the move as stress-free as possible by getting help – take a look at www.mybekins.com for more on this – but you should also be sure to comfort your family as well throughout the move. Once you are all settled in, it will be much easier for everyone.

Pic Source

Leaving Home

When they are older, there will come a time when they need to leave home. When this happens, it will be something of a marker for when you can offload some of your parental duties somewhat. However, every parent knows that this is never fully the case, and during this time you will find yourself wanting to comfort and help them anyway. By all means do so, but also give them the opportunity to grow as an individual.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Traveling to Asheville, NC

August 3, 2017 By Heather Little

Don’t get me wrong…I love the beach. But when the Florida heat gets to be too much, it’s time to head to higher ground and cooler temperatures. My oldest daughter went to camp in North Carolina this summer, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to spend some time in Asheville after picking her up. Although still warm in the summer, the higher elevation brings cooler nights and mornings, and much less humidity.

Asheville is located in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and is known for its vibrant arts scene and historic architecture, and of course, the Biltmore Estate. We knew this was where we wanted to spend most of our time, so we booked a hotel right in the heart of the Biltmore property at the Village Hotel. Located in Antler Hill Village, we walked right out the hotel door to find the Biltmore winery, restaurants, historic barn, ice cream shop, live music, and beautiful views. You could easily spend the day just in the village – my girls loved visiting the farmyard animals, enjoying root beer floats on the village green, exploring the old barn on the property, and sampling “real” homemade grape juice while the adults took advantage of the complimentary wine tasting at the winery.

No visit to Asheville is complete without a tour of the magnificent Biltmore House. The home was built by George Washington Vanderbilt II in 1895 and is the largest privately owned home in the country. To say it is huge is an understatement! As a huge Downton Abbey fan, I found the tour to be fascinating. I was also surprised at how much my kids loved it as well. We opted to purchase the audio tour device (there was a special audio tour just for kids) and I would definitely recommend it when touring the home. After the tour, we had a delicious lunch at the estate’s Stable Cafe, where guests of the Vanderbilt’s kept their horses while visiting over 100 years ago.

The Biltmore Estate is a sprawling 8,000 acres and there are so many activities on the property – from Segway tours to horseback riding, biking to fly fishing – visitors could easily spend a week there and still not see and do everything the estate has to offer. Christmas time is especially popular when the home is decorated with lights and more than 70 Christmas trees!

For more information on visiting the Biltmore Estate, check out www.biltmore.com.

Heather Little

My name is Heather Little and my husband and I have two sweet girls and one crazy dog. We moved to Florida 6 years ago and have loved every minute of it! I enjoy crafting, good food, shopping, and of course travel!

Rapunzel Disney Princess Subscription Box Review from Pley

August 1, 2017 By Marijean

*This post contains an affiliate link

I received the Rapunzel themed subscription box from Pley.com and I am so excited to share with all of you. My daughter absolutely LOVED this box, and 5 days later she is still playing with all of the goodies that came in the box!

Do you have a little girl you know that loves Disney Princesses? I have found the perfect gift to give that little girl in your life. A Disney Princess Subscription Box from Pley.com! It is filled with Disney Princess themed goodies that any little Disney fan will love!

What is a Disney Princess Subscription Box?

You receive a box every 2 months that contains 4-8 official Disney Princess toys, activities and fashion accessories. Items are all different and each box is themed around 1 specific princess. My 9 year old daughter received “Rapunzel” from Tangled themed box this month! Each box is $24.99 plus $5 shipping and is delivered right to your door. The more boxes you purchase, the more money you save!

This box was a huge hit with my daughter! It included a light up wand, a Rapunzel art set, pieces to build Rapunzel’s tower, an activity book and a Tangled 6 piece figurine play set! Her favorite part was the art set which included no mess paint already in the brushes. Each item in the box she truly loved and was thrilled with everything!

My daughter was super happy with this subscription box. This box would make a great birthday gift, anytime gift, or the holidays will be quickly approaching!

Click here to order your box!

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*I am a member of Pley’s VIP Influencer Program. All thoughts are my own.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

How to Run a Green Household on a Budget

July 27, 2017 By Anne

*This is a guest post.

More and more people nowadays are getting into the green movement. They are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and save the environment. But even in these times, some people think going green entails spending a lot of money. But that’s far from the case. If you are one of those homeowners who want to run an environmentally friendly home without spending more than you can afford, the following are some budget-friendly tips you can follow:

Switch to a programmable thermostat. You don’t need to heat your home during the hours that you and your family are not there. Upgrade to a thermostat that you can easily program so you can choose when to heat your house and when not to.
Unplug all electrical appliances when they’re not in use. These appliances and devices still use up energy even when they’re not powered up, so make sure you remind all your family members to unplug them when they’re not using them.
Learn how to compost. Not all your household waste needs to be collected by the local garbage collection company. You can use your biodegradable waste and to create a compost, which is useful for conditioning and fertilizing your garden or backyard. Some examples are leftover food and even your fireplace ashes.
Go paperless. If you subscribe to a local newspaper, cancel your subscription and go online instead to update yourself with the news. Do the same for your magazine subscriptions. You can use your old newspapers and magazines for your compost or donate them to organizations that collect used goods.
Buy and display house plants. Plants are useful for enhancing the air quality in your house as they absorb dust and pollutants emitted by electrical devices, furniture, and the like.
Repair any leaky faucets you have around the house and install low-flow faucets for your bathroom and kitchen sinks. You don’t need to have water flow that has the strength of a fire hydrant just to wash your dishes or clean your face.
Store your own water. Make use of the resources that nature gives us and store rainwater in containers that you can buy from Rain Water Tanks. You can use your stored water for chores such as watering your garden and even as a backup supply.
If you and your family have hoarded a lot of unnecessary stuff or things that you no longer need, this is your opportunity to get rid of them by organizing a yard sale. Not only have you earned a bit of money out of the endeavor but you’ve also made your home more spacious.
Make the switch to non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaners instead of traditional cleaners that have a variety of harmful chemicals that wreak havoc not only on your family’s well-being but also on the environment.

With the costs of food and utilities increasing, as someone who runs a household, you have to find creative but effective ways on how to make your home more environmentally friendly without going beyond your budget. You just need to educate yourself and practice the value of resourcefulness.