Mom’s Family Calendar 2017

Are you looking for a calendar for 2017 still?   Well look no further because the Mom’s Family Calendar by Sandra Boynton is the best one for your family.   Why?  Simply because you will have a quick glance on a daily basis for all the activities that goes around in your family.

I will admit that I am a bit biased for this calendar.   It has been part of our lives for many years now but every year I make sure that I get the new one because – well it is simply fabulous.  There are five columns on this calendar where you can write the names of the people in your family.  For ours Mom & Dad share a column and each of our kids has his/hers own column.   That way I know exactly who has an appoint or worship practice and so on.  When all the kids share a same activity, I make sure that the words spread on all the columns.  For example, on Wednesday swimming is on the schedule for three of our kids – so the word swimming is spread on their columns. 

This calendar is an absolutely must for families with numerous children.  Nothing stops you to put more than one child on a column if needed be.   Having the calendar hung in the kitchen also makes it very useful because anyone can access the information rapidly.

The calendar comes with it’s usual 2 sheets of stickers which are very useful for brightening up some days.   But this year, you will also find 9 fridge magnets that are just the cutest thing.   They are adorable and will be useful to hold specific notes on our fridge.

So here you go, if you are still looking for a calendar for the new year, why not considering the Mom’s Family Calendar by Sandra Boynton.   It will make your life much easier when 2017 comes around.

The Mom’s Family Calendar is available for purchase at your favorite store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned books for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

NERF Rebelle Flipside Bow

After numerous NERF blasters that I have reviewed in the past few years, it was a breath of fresh air to receive a NERF toy that is especially designed with a girly flair.   The NERF Rebelle Flipside Bow is perfect for the girl in your house who desire to fight with her brothers with a bow that is absolutely stylish.  This bow will keep your daughter busy by flipping the barrels which can contain 5 darts each.   Yes she will have to refill the drums once they are all gone but it will keep her busy for a little while.  

The bow is easy to use.  First you will have to pull the bowstring toward you.  Second, release the bowstring in order to shoot a dart to your “enemy”.  Third, flip the barrels in order to have a new dart ready to be used.  Voilà! You can start having a blast with friends or siblings anytime you want.

The Elite darts that are included in the package can go up to 24 meters (80 ft).   There are 10 darts included with the bow.   More darts can be purchase in stores.

This bow can be fun to use in event like a NERF Night Challenge for youth.   Our boys are going to such an event numerous times during the year at our church.  Our daughter is looking forward to be able to join them when she is in grade 6.  She still has a couple of years to wait but in the meantime she can practice at home.

The NERF Rebelle Flipside Bow is available for purchase at your favorite toy store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Painterly Days–Watercoloring Books for Adults

I received two stunning watercoloring books for adults titled Painterly Days – one on Flowers and one on Woodland.   Both are especially designed for  artist wannabe in your if you desire to explore coloring with watercolors.   The images are printed on luxe watercolor paper and are ready to be painted on at a moment’s notice.

These two books are great help you take some time to relax after a busy day or a stressful event.   I find that coloring help me to slow down and remove the weight that might have stacked over my shoulders at times.   No wonder that the niche of adult coloring books is still very much active and growing!

The Flowers book has 25 floral sketches while the Woodland book offers 25 woodland sketches.  Each of the sketches are printed on lovely watercolor paper which invites artistic experimentation with only a brush and paint.   The page is double-sided, offering the opportunity to paint the same page in different ways.

The author shares painting tips for each sketch and advice for discovering the artist within. Also included is a painting tutorial and handy color wheel. Each book is small enough to carry anywhere and simple to use. Creativity is an escape, and this book offers a delightful way to make art regardless of skill level.

Bottom line, if you desire to unwind and have a bit of personal time you should consider taking up some coloring books for adults.   It is amazing how much good it does on you…  Consider getting some this Christmas season for yourself or for family and friends who likes to color.

Three other Painterly Days titles are also available: Pattern, Kristy’s Spring Cutting Garden and Kristy’s Summer Cutting Garden.  You can also get the 12 colored pencils as well as the 18 watercolors and paintbrush.

These beautiful books are available at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned books for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

DeLonghi Electric Milk Frother

My kids enjoy having a warm cup of cocoa every once in a while during the winter time.  However, I dislike the taste of hot chocolate made with water and much prefer making it with warm milk.  But putting mugs in the microwave sometimes cause spills when the milk bubbles too much.  A solution would be to have a milk frother and I am quite please with the opportunity to review the DeLonghi Electric Milk Frother.

This kitchen appliance resembles to a miniature kettle.   I would say it is about half the size of a kettle.  It could be store easily in your armoire or left on the counter top.   Using this particular milk frother is very easy – even a child could do it.

You pour milk in it, put back the top over it and the little spinning tool will do it’s magic while frothing the milk.   You can decide to make hot chocolate or simply pour the milk in your coffee if you desire.   

This is how the milk looks like when the frothing is finished.

And it makes a fabulous hot chocolate that is completely divine!

What is particularly interesting with this specific milk frother is that you will have the possibility to froth cold milk as well so that you can have ice cappuccinos.  

As I mentioned, the milk frother is easy to use and even a child could use it.  However, the jug cannot go into the water so it would be preferable that an adult or a responsible child clean it up after use.    You can only wipe a damp sponge or cloth in it in order to remove the residues of the milk you have used.   Apart from that making frothed milk was a breeze.   The appliance is very quiet and it will take about 1 minute or 2 before you get your frothed milk.  

This would make a great gift for someone who desire to have frothed milk in their coffee without spending a fortune on a machine.    It makes delicious hot chocolate that my kids have enjoyed to the last drop.    Quick and easy frothed milk at your disposition anytime you desire.

The Delonghi Electric Milk Frother is available for purchase at your favorite store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: This product has been provided courtesy of Amazon.ca Vine Voices for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by Amazon.ca or the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Disney Moana Musical Moana of Oceania

As you might know already a new Disney princess is coming to a theater near you – Moana.  She is from Oceania which includes Australia, New Zealand and all the islands surrounding this area.  

Hasbro has released numeroud toys based on the characters of this new movie.   Needless to say that Moana will be a popular toy this year I think.    She is absolutely charming and quite different than any other princesses we already know.    I have received the Disney Moana Musical Moana of Oceania for this review.

The doll is quite sturdy and possesses long curly hair.   She comes with accessories like a anklet, hairband and a bracelet for her upper arm.   Her knees and elbows do not bed but the doll can be placed at a sitting position.  At her neck she has a necklace made out of a seashell that is embedded in her body.  When you press the seashell, the doll will sing "How Far I'll Go" featured in the Disney's Moana movie. 

The doll comes with three A76 batteries.  Eventually, you will have to change the batteries.  I wonder why they have chosen this type of battery for the doll.  Would it be too bulky to have an AAA battery instead?  I wonder.   You can change the batteries in her back by simply removing the screw and opening the section where the batteries are located.  Also you will find a little switch in the middle of her back to go from demo mode to singing mode.   The switch is automatically placed on demo mode when the doll is in stores.

Disney Moana Musical Moana of Oceania is not easy to find in Canada.   Amazon.ca has it for a very ridiculous price and I have not found it on ToysRUs Canada or Wal-Mart Canada either.   The doll can be purchase for a more reasonable price on amazon.com.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Philips Avance Masticating Juicer

I recently received the Philips Avance Masticating Juicer from Amazon Vine Voices in order to review it.   I was curious about it and was looking forward to try it out.   I received the box earlier this week.  The box was somewhat banged a bit and I hoped the product inside would be in perfect condition.  After opening it, I realized that it looked like ok.   What I didn’t know it that the tray which is located under the machine and serves to receive the pulp of the fruit had sustained some damaged.   You see on the tray itself there is a little part that seems to pop out of it.  I had found this pointy part to be detached from the tray itself.  I decided to keep the plastic part for unknown reasons and proceeded to unpack the machine in order to try it out.

The machine is quite somewhat small and will fit beautifully on a counter top.   I would suggest to wash all the parts before making any juice with it.   After washing all the parts and installing them on the machine, I started cutting my apples.  I was making a juice with apples, cranberries and pineapple.  Once I was ready to use the Philips Avance Masticating Juicer, it wouldn’t work.  It was plugged in but the machine would not start.  I was confused at first but then I started checking the area behind the container that was broken and there is was …  a small little black dot on the base of the juicer.   Could it be that this small plastic dot that was broken on the container would make the machine start?  So I slid the plastic piece pushing the black dot and the machine came to life.   OK now I needed to find a way to making this work.   My good old scotch tape did the trick.  After asking my son’s help to hold the container while I tape the piece in place, the juicer was ready to use.

Using the juicer is quite easy, simply cut your fruits or vegetable, insert them in the top area and push with the tool that came with it.   And voilà, juice is being made.   The micro masticating of the juicer will guarantee that up to 90% of the fruit is used for making juice.   You can even include all the leaves, the greens and nuts in your drinks.   The recipe book that comes with with juicer has about 15 recipes from which you can choose.  I wish the recipe book would be a bit bigger but this gives you a great launching pad into juicing.    You can even make your own almond milk or soy milk with it or frozen yogourt.  The juice was delicious and packed with all the goodness of the fruits I have used.   Everyone in the family found it delicious – four kids and two adults. 

The juicer also comes with an innovative drip stop which would keep your counter top clean.   It is perfect for when you desire to make juice directly in glasses.  However, the juicer also comes with a special container in which you can make the juice in and store in the refrigerator.  

Cleaning the part is as easy as saying your ABCs.   You can detach all the parts and rinsed clean without any other kitchen tool.  The part where the juice comes out it the trickiest one of all the parts of clean.  But it was easy to remove the little bit of pulp that has ventured in that area. 

Now let’s go back to my broken pulp container – I was a bit disappointing that it was damaged.   So I decided to call Philips and see if I could receive a brand new one.  The customer service person was very nice and will be sending me a new pulp container for the juicer.   I am quite pleased with the service obviously.

Now when I was making my juice, I found that there was a lot of pulp falling in the container.   I mean a lot of pulp…  more than I would have wished to come out of it.  The person at the customer service said that it is great for compost.   But we do not have a garden yet – though it is something that I wish I can have in the future.   What could I do with all the pulp I got from the juicer???  Then I had an idea.  Why not incorporating them into muffins.   And I did just that this morning.  The muffins turned out great and are packed with delicious pulp from apples, cranberries and pineapple.  Couldn’t ask for a better muffin than that!

Having said this, if you do not own a kitchen appliance that can make juice (whether a juicer or a high quality blender), I think you would be quite satisfied with the Philips Avance Masticating Juicer.  Knowing how important it is to consume fruits and vegetables for your health makes it a decision that is easy to take when you are debating about getting this kind of small appliance.

The Philips Avance Masticating Juicer would make a great Christmas gift to anyone desiring to make their own juice.  There are plenty of fun recipes to discover on the internet and it has been proven that it could help you in having a better health too.  

The Philips Avance Masticating Juicer is available for purchase at your favorite small appliances store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

Disclaimer: This product has been provided courtesy of Amazon.ca Vine Voices for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by Amazon.ca or the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

More LEGO Fan books from Fan Boutique at DK Canada

DK Canada still have a stunning Fan Boutique up on their website and you will find numerous titles available whether you like LEGO, Marvel, DC, Star Wars and many other things.

I had the privilege to be able to receive numerous titles from this specific boutique and would like to present them to you

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes Character Encyclopedia

The LEGO® DC Comics™ Character Encyclopedia is a comprehensive visual guide to the full range of LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes minifigures that has been released so far.   Whether friends or foes you will find them all in this book. 

The reader will learn little-known facts and figures about all the characters from the LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes universe including Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, the Joker, and Wonder Woman.   The book d details the various sets and where each minifigure appears, as well as their special weapons, cool gadgets, and amazing vehicles. 

The book also contains an exclusive mini figure of Batman that you will not be able to find anywhere else.   This book is definitely the perfect book for a Lego DC Comics fan in your family as it will highlight all the particularities on mini figures or sets in this special line of LEGO products.

LEGO Star Wars Chronicles of the Force

It is a well known fact that Star Wars LEGO products are very popular.    The LEGO Star Wars: Chronicles of the Force will provide a fun and informative guide to a LEGO galaxy far, far away. . . . to any fan of this line of LEGO products.  

A must-have for fans of the live-action Star Wars saga and its LEGO incarnation alike, this is the most up-to-date companion to LEGO Star Wars, with detailed information about the latest sets and mini figures and illustrated with extensive photography.

The book also contain an exclusive new LEGO Star Wars minifigure that you will not be able to find anywhere else.  LEGO Star Wars: Chronicles of the Force follows the same format as DK's LEGO Star Wars: The Dark Side and LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles.  This book is perfect to introduce your children to a beloved galaxy where good and evil after trying to control.  

LEGO NEXO Knights – The Book of Knights

If there is a LEGO line that I am not familiar with it is definitely the NEXO Knights line.   This book will allow you to enter the world of Knighton, a futuristic realm apparently filled with epic quests, scary monsters, and true technical wizardry.

This latest LEGO theme introduces a new world of young trainee knights and their fiery foes. This particular book will chronicle these heroes and their adventures.  It also highlights the upgrades and enhancements from a virtual wizard.  Young fans of this special theme will be able to learn more about their favorite characters and their weapons, vehicles, powers, and more.

The book also contain an exclusive minifigure and access to online content.    Also you will find a fold-out poster which provide a detailed map of the area.

These fun books could make a great gift for Lego fans and encourage reading as well.  

These three great books are available at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for allowing me to promote these books. I was not monetarily compensated for this post . Please note that the post was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Build Your Own Adventure with LEGO

For the past few years, DK Canada often publish some Build Your Own Adventure LEGO products.  This year, they have released two new Build Your OWN Adventure LEGO – one for Star Wars and one for CITY.

Build Your Own Adventure LEGO Star Wars

This specific product contains a book and a box with all the LEGO pieces you will need to build the adventures in it.    In all you will find fifty ideas for building a great story starter to any Star Wars adventure. 

Initially, when you open the book you will discover the mini figure included in the book and learn how to build its Y-Wing.  Then the book is divided into five chapters where you can imagine new adventures happening for your mini figure.  

In the first chapter, you will learn how to build a pilotès bunk, mission control, base transport, rebel hangar, and mission launch.  In chapter two, you will be challenge to build a snowscape, enemy forces, Imperial outpost, recreation area, and an icy escape.  Chapter three has an emphasis on Tatooine with a landing, a Jawa Junk shop, a Jawa junkyard, podracers, a track and a finish line.   Chapter four moves along to Cloud City where you will build a landing pad, a dangerous dining, a freeze chamber, a prison rescue and the surface of the city.   Finally, you will visit Endor while building the Forest Moon, the deep woods, the walker trap, and the Imperial bunker.

Note that there is no step-by-step instructions in the book for the chapters but the images are pretty clear so a child could easily replicate the items shown.

Build Your Own Adventure LEGO City

The Build Your Own Adventure LEGO City will follow Ed the firefighter on a typical day.   This product contains a book as well as a box with LEGO bricks that will help you to build the things shown inside.

Ed always start his day at the station and to do so you will first build his bed, a shower, the alarm of the station as well as his garage.   In the second chapter of the book, you will learn to build things that are necessary in a city like traffic lights, roadworks, pedestrian crossing, a market, roadblocks, other vehicles as well as a kitchen.  In chapter three, you will go to a park in order to deal with a fire there.  You will learn to build a play area, a fountain,  picnic area, and a ranger’s hut.   In chapter four, Ed will have to perform a water rescue.  You will also learn how to build a recreation room. a wooden raft, a crane,  an helicopter nd a fuel station.  Finally, the day concludes at the Pizza Pandemonium area where you will learn to build an hardware store, a pizza oven, a pizza parlor, and a crime scene.  

Again there are over 50 building ideas that can be done with this kit.  

As I mentioned above, instructions are not provided for the ideas here but the images are pretty much self-explanatory and a child can easily do it.

These two Build Your Own Adventure LEGO is a great gift for kids who enjoy building with the blocks.   The price is quite reasonable and the value is fabulous.  The Star Wars kit possess over 73 pieces of LEGO while the City kit has 99 pieces.

These two products Build Your Own Adventure LEGO are available at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for allowing me to promote this book. I was not monetarily compensated for this post . Please note that the post was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

NIV Journal the Word Bible

It is no secret to people around me that I like to do art journaling on a regular basis.  I wish I could do more of it sometimes but if I feel low one day doing some bible art journaling has a way to lift up my spirit.   When I started doing bible art journaling I was doing it in a regular bible that had some small blank spaces in it because I couldn’t afford a journaling bible at that time.  Then I purchased a ESV journaling bible because a Christian book store was closing its door and there was a very good reduction on it.   Since then I never looked back.  The only thing that was a bit disappointing was that my journaling Bible was an ESV and not an NIV like I am use to read.

But recently I have receive the opportunity to blog about the new NIV Journal the Word Bible which is published at Zondervan.  Seeing that my ESV possess numerous drawings in it, I saw an opportunity to finally get my own NIV Journal the Word Bible.   I didn’t know what to expect.  I had seen the presentation of the jacket but I wasn’t sure what the bible would look like.

I AM SPEECHLESS.

This beautiful hardcover bible is wrapped into a material that is simply stunning.  The background is soft pink and a multitude of beautiful field flowers are designed on it.  The spine itself is purple color.

When you open the bible you will see that there are lined margins on the side for notes and reflections as well as for art journaling.    The paper is cream colored and semi-thick.   I say semi-thick because some specific types of pens/markers or other tools that people might use for bible journaling may bleed and mark the back of the page.   I would strongly suggest that you do your research before embarking in bible art journaling.   Personally I use Prismacolor, Derwent Inktense Blocks and Pencils, as well as Sakura Micron pens.   I had purchased the Koi Watercolor Brush pens but quickly learned that these were not the best for bible art journaling as it bled on the other side of the page in my ESV Journaling Bible.    So keep in mind that some products might cause issues.

Here’s an example of a drawing I have made for Joshua 1:9.   When I spend some time to do art journaling, I initially sketch my drawing in pencil softly and then I use a Sakura black pen to go over it.   Once it is inked, I take either my colored pencils or my Inktense products to add colors.  In this specific case I have use the Inktense Blocks with water and brush.   Note that the page will crinkle one it dries up because I like to let it dry from the air.   Some people would use a blow dryer to speed up the process.   And some will prep the page before painting of it.  The product to prep the page is somewhat expensive for me so I skip that part.  That’s why I like the Derwent Inktense products.  

Now if you notice I did indeed colored over the text but I always make sure that the text is not hidden and still can be read by whoever take the bible.   I do this because I want my bible to be an heirloom and passed down to other generation.   Other people doing this have taken the habit to paint over the words in order to highlight a specific scripture.  There is much debate about this and I do not want to pour gasoline on an already strong fire within the community.  Consequently I will say to you that if you sense that God is okay with whatever bible art journaling you do to simply continue doing what you do.   I just want to offer various options to whoever is considering doing bible art journaling.

Whether you are strong in art or just discovering it, I think that bible art journaling is something that is very powerful as it lift our spirits and help us to memorize and visualize the scripture better.   It would be a great way for young and old to spend time together.  In the various facebook groups dedicated to this style of art, you will see women – and a few men – who share their drawings.   People encourage each other and we are all inspired to pursue this form of art.  My own drawings are sometimes inspired by what I have stumbled upon on Pinterest, the facebook groups, as well as Instagram.   I have also designed my own art through the pages of my ESV.   With this new bible I can start afresh and do new design on pages I have already illustrated in my previous bible.   I find it exciting because already from the pages of my first journaling bible I can see a progress in my drawings.   They have become more sophisticated with time.

The NIV Journal the Word Bible would make a great gift for someone in your life this Christmas season.   It is a fabulous bible to jolt down notes and thoughts or to illustrate a specific verse that has touch you.  It comes with various covers – for those of you who would prefer a less flowery cover.  This bible is published by Zondervan.

The NIV Journal the Word Bible is available at your favorite Christian stores or bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

The bible is also available with other type of covers including a leather version.