Slap Koozies {review}

Let me start by telling you that the slap koozie is an AMAZING product that EVERYONE should have... you should have one in your house, in your car and at work.  They are perfect to keep your hand from the cold (or hot) of your drink, fit pretty much any size beverage, and you can even write on them!!

I was lucky enough to get sent a pink camo slap koozie which was super cool... 

The SlapKooler™ band is a banded 'slap koozie' beverage insulator that you can 'slap' on your can, bottle, arm, leg, friends, or people you just meet. Many people call it a 'slap koozie' or a 'slap wrap', but we call the SlapKooler the next generation of awesome. Dual metal recoiling bands slap the neoprene koozie insulator around your can or bottle, just as it's appeal wraps itself around your heart!

Perfect for high visibility memorable marketing of your business, brand or event! The SlapKooler is a one-of-a-kind promotional product that will elevate your brand to a new level! Watch the grins go from ear-to-ear as your customers and clients slap a koozie on their favorite beverage!

\

The slap koozie will fit your bottle, can or cup.  You can bring it to Starbucks and put it on your drink, bring it to the ballpark and put it around your drink.  It's super flexible, and easy to store.  You can lay it flat or store it curled up.

This is by far one of my favorite products this year... I'll be getting myself and my family some of these for sure!!!

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

Blue Ocean Bob {review} and #giveaway

The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob - A Journey Begins 

by
Brooks Olbrys

Book Description:
Embark on an oceanic quest with Blue Ocean Bob as he goes in search of his true purpose... and makes many new friends along the way.



Despite his idyllic island life, young Bob yearns for a greater sense of fulfillment. With his guardian, Xena the hummingbird, at his side, Bob sets out to seek guidance from the wise and happy creatures of the sea.

From the joyful secrets of Al the dolphin to the insightful advice of Doc the turtle, Earl the clam, and Wallace the walrus, Bob uncovers great wisdom. But to complete his journey, he'll need to overcome his fears - and Xena's doubts - and prove himself to Mary Marine, the Island of Roses's leading marine biologist.

The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob: A Journey Begins is the first episode of a colorful, early chapter book series that provides children with an introduction to timeless principles of achievement derived from the teachings of Bob Proctor, Earl Nightingale, Napoleon Hill, Wallace D. Wattles, and others.



My Review:

Blue Ocean Bob has a great moral of continuing what you started, even when things look hopeless.

The book was a little long for my son to sit through in one sitting, enjoyed it.

The book's prose is beautiful and has a very interesting way of describing the characters and dilemmas.

My son and I really enjoyed reading this book.  I loved how intense Xena's feelings got
"What if you fail, Bob?
Just what if you blow it?
This ocean's much bigger than you, and you know it!"

But even with Xena's worrying, Bob still felt confident.  I love the teachings in this, and it was super great for my son, who has really bad anxiety.

The illustrations are amazingly beautiful and serene.  Makes me want to move to the Island of Roses!!  Kevin Keele did a wonderful job illustrating.

Want a copy for yourself?  Enter the giveaway!!!

This book get's 

Disclosure:  I recieved a complimentary copy for my honest review.  I did receive further compensation for the post, but the opinions expressed are 100% my own.  I was not paid for a positive review.

Influenster Sugar and Spice VoxBox 2013- The First Impression

So Just in case you didn't know, I'm a member of Influenster.  It's a great site that allows you access to some of the newest, greatest and best products, ahead of, well, everyone.  If you're an influencer and want to join, go to the comment tab above and let me know!  Be sure to leave your email, and I'll send you an invite!  I only have 2 invites left!!!
The VoxBox is coveted...  I mean COVETED!  Everyone wants them, but select few get them.  This month, I was one of those few.  I was SOOOOO excited to see that email in my inbox...
And even more excited to receive my VoxBox in the mail.  (it's cute to hear my son say it.. boxbox..hehe)

So here's what was inside....

COLGATE!!!  Inside was a full size package of each of the following: 
Colgate Optic White Toothpaste, Mouthwash, and Toothbrush. According to Colgate, using each for just 5 days will give you a whiter smile... Let's see!!

Next on the list was Dickinson's® Original Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes.  Let me say, I loved these!!  I immediately grabbed one out (had to close the box for the picture I was so excited!) and wiped my face.  It was a great clean, without that dry feeling...  You know that feeling....  I love that they removed the dirt & oil (just got off work) and left me feeling fresh!

Now, I've not been much for sweeteners, but I do love sweet, so I'm excited to try these next ones...
Splenda's Nectresse.  They say it tastes just like sugar, but has ZERO calories per serving!!  100% all natural... it's primarily made from monk fruit & natural sweeteners.  (going to google now to look up monk fruit!)

Next out of the box were belVita's Breakfast Biscuit. They are a good source of Fiber and B-vitamins, contain no high fructose corn syrup, and have 18-20 grams of whole grain per 50 gram serving.  I remembered to take the picture before I opened them up... then I dove in.  Now, let me say, I was not expecting much... perhaps that's because I'm not really a health-food nut, but they did NOT taste like the cardboard things of the past!!!  These were amazingly good.  So good, in fact, that I ate them sitting at McDonalds...while my husband and child ate a burger!!  (I LOVE burgers!!!)  They were delicious!!!

Oh... Right now, Safeway has them on sale!!!  I'm heading there tomorrow to buy more!

Last, but NOT least, Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture® is a continuous spray lotion that moisturizes and absorbs in seconds. Skin feels instantly soft – not sticky or greasy. 

So I immediatly sprayed it on my husband's hands.  My husband is African American, so, with very dark hands, if he doesn't lotion often, he get's that "ashy" look, and you can TELL.  I had him try it out, and you could see the difference.  The first thing he said, was that it did not have the 'greasy' feeling that many lotions have, that lead him to discard them within minutes.  He was really excited about the fact that his hands weren't greasy.  I can't wait to try this on my jeans...you know the pair... the one's you need a forklift & jackhammer to squeeze into... well with this, you shouldn't!

So... I'll let you know how they go.. In the meanwhile... Have you tried any of these?  What do you think?

Disclosure:  I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  Are you an influencer?  Do you like trying new things?  I've got 3 invites left (Influenster is invite only!!!)   If you think you have what it takes, go to the 'comment' tab above, and tell me... be sure to leave your contact information, and I'll send you a special invite!!

Avenged {review}

Avenged Review

This 390 page book is written by retired Long Beach police officer Janice Cantore.

 

Book Description

When Officer Carly Edwards finds three young gangbangers shot execution style, she and her husband, Sergeant Nick Anderson, head of the gang unit, fear Las Playas may be on the verge of a gang war. The Las Playas PD is put on high alert as tensions escalate between rival gangs, especially after Carly confiscates weapons from a gang leader and learns they were stolen from a military base along with explosive devices.

But something isn’t adding up, and Carly suspects there might be more going on. As she prepares to testify at a major trial, Carly’s reputation is shredded by a reporter apparently trying to discredit her professionally. Facing pressure on all fronts, Carly must rely on faith and trust God in a deeper way during one of the biggest struggles of her career.

My Review

This book is a must read for any crime & justice fans.

One thing, for me, when reading a book (or for that matter watching a movie) is when something is in there that DOES NOT happen in real life…  For example, when a person walks in off the street into a crime scene filled with police, and takes the murder weapon… Or a police officer walking in and grabbing a book without gloves (barring rookies…lol)

You know what I mean, right?  It’s like, I’ve seen enough to know that the writers DON’T know what they’re doing!!

Well that’s one reason that I liked this book.  While the book is fiction, IT COULD HAPPEN.  What’s in it COULD happen.  The writer (an ex-police officer, remember) knows policy and procedure, and it shows in the book.

The book is full of twists and turns, making it hard to predict the next move.  This was difficult for me, because I LOVE to predict… it just goes to show that Cantore has a great mind for the unsolvable…

The characters are full of depth and there is a great amount of detailed backstory, so we know plenty about them.

In all, I give this book 

Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was provided, and no agreement was made for anything other than my 100% honest opinion. 

Visit the Phillipines In Pictures... {review}

Randall J. Morris is a lucky man...  He has done something that I only dream of doing... visiting the country where my grandfather, Eddie Ramos, was born and raised... the Phillipines.

Morris takes us on an amazing photographic adventure of his travels through the Phillipines, in his book,

Traveling Asia: The Philippines

From pictures of the beautiful rice paddies (seen from the sky, assumably) to native animals, and even a (HUGE) spider you would NOT want to meet, Morris covers it from every amazing angle.

I love that every picture is so beautiful.  Randall does a great job of making the Phillipines look like the most amazing place on the planet.

There is so many great photos... honestly, if you've never been there, you HAVE to see them... I wish I could share more, but there's just no way to do it without sharing them all...and that just won't work!! 

The only thing I would have loved seeing is a little more about the people...

where the live, how they live.

I'm very interested in seeing the reality of the Phillipines... perhaps the next book.

That said, just because I want more, does NOT mean it wasn't an amazing journey, through his eyes.

It gets a WELL DESERVED

Intersted in reading it yourself?  I know you do... my pictures are a teaser...he's got TONS of other pictures in the book!!

You can check it out on Amazon.

I hope that one day Randall Morris goes to Italy... I'm really looking forward to seeing that!

In the meanwhile, be sure to check out him out... you won't be sorry!!!

You can also find his Amazon author page here, and lastly, Goodreads!!

You can find him on his blog, on Twitter or Facebook.

Noxicare Pain Relief Capsules {review}

As someone that has quite a bit of pain, who is married to someone with even more pain, when I got the chance to review Noxicare's Pain Relief Capsules... well, let's say I jumped at the chance. (not literally...that would have hurt!)

I have previously done a review for them on their pain relief cream, which, for a natural product, worked great.  I will be honest, I didn't really know if a natural pain relief capsule would be as effective.

Noxicare's forumla is physician formulated, for joint, nerve and musculoskeletal pain.
Here's how it works:



How does it work?

Other products might reduce inflammation, lessen muscle aches or increase blood flow to ease painful nerve endings.

Noxicare relaxes the muscle and reduces inflammation to alleviate pain, while working to increase blood flow to calm painful nerve endings.

How is it different?

Noxicare™ is different than any other natural pain relief formula you may have tried. It's not simply a mixture of natural painkillers, but a proprietary blend of proven painkillers in precise amounts that:

enable each ingredient to effectively alleviate a specific type of pain on its own
AND
cause each ingredient to act as a catalyst to the others, actually BOOSTING the effectiveness of the ingredients as a whole.

I decided since they sent a one month supply, and for a review of medical products like this, you should give them a MINIMUM of 2 weeks (3 is much better, 4 is ideal) to try them out.  You can't give a good review on one or two days trial!  I went ahead and tried them, since my husband's medical issues require surgery, I wanted to give them a fair shot. 

I suffer from Fibromyalgia, back pain, knee pain, wrist/ankle pain, neck & shoulder pain... need I go on?

After a little over a week, I noticed that my back pain was lessened when I woke up in the morning.  This was one of my biggest problems, since getting up requires my back.  Also, when I wake up, I can barely make a fist... big problem for a blogger.

After the second week, that was not a problem anymore.  To say I'm surprised is an understatement.

I went ahead and kept using them, wondering what else would get better.  While my neck/shoulder pain lessened a little, it didn't go away as I'd hoped...

In all, about 60% of my most miserable pains were lessened or diminshed greatly.  For that, it's earned 5 stars.

Because of financial constraints, I probably am not likely to continue use, but at less than $30 for a one month supply ($1/day for pain relief!!!)  If I had the money, I'd surely do it.

Noxicare just informed me that right now, they're offering their Natural Pain Relief cream at Buy One Get One Free!!!  Simply visit this link and enter the following PROMO code:  FCTMSN
Oh, and it's free shipping!  Can't beat that!!!

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

Last Chance For This Great Deal!

Will your child be in Summer Camp???

Think back to last Summer... What did your child NOT come home with?

Their coat? Check

Their lunchbox? Check

Both Gloves?  oops...

Their waterbottle... that's gone too...

You say to yourself... Jeez... my kid lost a bunch of stuff...

It happens... and not just at summer camp!

Do a google search of "lost and found" and you'll find HUNDREDS of schools that have "come visit our lost and found" on their websites...
That's because SO many parents assume their kids will come home with their stuff, but the

reality is, that kids loose things.  If the item isn't labeled, then guess what, if you don't diligently stop by the school often, your child's clothes stay there.. and one of 2 things happen.

They get donated SOMEWHERE

or

Another kid ends up wearing it!

From now until 3/31, you can get  a great discount on their Ultimate Camp Pack simply by joining their awesome newsletter. That's it!  No hoops, no red tape.

No first born.

I've done plenty of research on labels, because I have a boy.  Not just any boy, but a boy's boy... the kind of boy who comes home in a new pair of pants with a giant hole in the knee..

the kind of boy who's shoes get scuffed before they make it out of the box.

In my searching, I've found plenty of companies who provide a similar service.

So I'm here to tell you WHY Lovable Labels is better

Let's look at the Ultimate Camp Packs.

$39.95 for 150+ dishwasher and microwave safe, washer and dryersafe, bleach safe, uv resistant,sunscreen safe, and waterproof

or

$38.88 for 108 sunblock and waterproof 

It's obvious to me!!!

THAT is why this is a great deal!!!

Want to get in on this great deal? Of course you do!
All you have to do is sign up for the Lovable Labels newsletter.
You'll automatically be notified of their newest products & promotions, and be eligible for these amazing discounts!!!

What is the Ultimate Camp Pack?

It's a label for everything!!

The Ultimate Camp Pack includes:

15 Sticker Labels

These are PERFECT for labeling lunch containers, water bottles, baby bottles, sports equipment, school binders, etc
------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Slimline Labels
These labels are ideal for thinner items, like your child's special pencil (my son's Transformer's pencil is labeled with one of these!!!)
You can also use them on toothbrushes, pens/pencils, hairbrushes, toys, school supplies, electronics, travel items, etc. Older kids and adults love these!
------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Shoe Labels
------------------------------------------------------------------
72 Press n' Stick Clothing DOTS™
No more shirts, pants, gloves, hats, coats or scarfs gone missing!!!
These are made from high quality, durable material with the added protection of abrasion guard and are colorful for easy identification. ------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Mini-Metal Tag 
Made from a lightweight aluminum and come with complimentary ball chains. These tags are ideal for back-packs, duffle bags, diaper bags and luggage.

------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Square Labels
Use them on everything from toys, video games, books and binders to water bottles or a laptop! ------------------------------------------------------------------

ONE MORE THING...  For my readers, you can save 10% off your order, by using my special code

MarianneLB1

That's right...10%!

So don't wait... This great offer ends on March 31st...Go sign up for their newsletter now!!