LimByLim

Desert Essence Restored My Hair #momsmeet #desertessence

June 20, 2018 No Comments

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

Desert Essence is a line of body, skin, and hair care products that has been around since 1978. Their hair care products are made from natural ingredients such as Jojoba and coconut oils, aloe, and saw palmetto.

The Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner contains a special formula of Keratin and Pro-Vitamin B5 to fortify each strand and minimize the breakage that causes split ends.

I recently dyed my hair for the very first time because my grays were really beginning to multiply. I like the color of the balayage, but I notice that now my hair can tend to look and feel frizzy and brittle. The Desert Essence hair products that I tried restored my hair’s shine and moisture!

To find Desert Essence Shampoo and Conditioner in your area, visit: desertessence.com/store-locator. Get 20% off Anti-Breakage and Smoothing Hair Care Products on desertessence.com with the promo code DELovesMomsMeet

Food, Giveaways, Sponsored

Snacks My Kids Can Freely Eat: FreeYumm Review + Giveaway

June 19, 2018 52 Comments

Disclosure: I received free products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

One of the most exciting discoveries for me at Expo West was the number of companies dedicated to nut-free foods. Both of my kids are allergic to tree nuts and peanuts, so we are always on the lookout for snacks that they can safely eat.

One of the brands I found is FreeYumm, a company that has a bakery dedicated to producing bars and cookies without the following allergens:

Milk (all dairy)
Eggs
Peanuts
Tree Nuts
Wheat/Gluten
Soy
Fish
Shellfish
Sulphites
Sesame

I have taught my kids to always check food labels. It seems like so many companies produce products that do not contain nuts listed as an ingredient, yet they add the disclaimer “may contain nuts” which is so frustrating.

It is nice to be able to have peace of mind about these snacks.

FreeYumm offers several types of goodies:

Honey Apple Oat Bars
Blueberry Oat Bars
Raspberry Chia Bars
Chocolate Chip Oat Bars
Double Chocolate Cookies
Ginger Cookies
Banana Maple Cookies

We tried a few of the varieties. They are “kid-size” and have just the right amount of sweetness. My kids liked the Honey Apple Oat Bars the best.

These bars and cookies do not contain any fillers, refined sugars, or preservatives–yes!

I also like that the bars and cookies are individually wrapped. FreeYumm bars would be a fun and allergy-friendly treat to include in a kids’ birthday party favor bag.

Even if your own kids do not have allergies, they are a good healthy snack to have on hand for school lunches, after sports practices/games, etc.

FreeYumm products are available at certain retail outlets (I hope they are able to expand soon!) and can be ordered on Amazon in the United States. Use promo code: YUMMGF20 for 20% off at checkout.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

If you are in Canada, you can go to Well.ca and use promo code: FreeYumm20 for 20% off your first FreeYumm order.

FreeYumm is generously offering my readers a chance to win 3 boxes of their allergen-friendly bars (varieties may vary).

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Book Review, Sponsored

Navigating Relationships: A Teen’s Guide to the 5 Love Languages Review

June 18, 2018 No Comments

Note: I received this book as a Moody Newsroom Blogger. All opinions are my own.

I have read a good number of relationship books, but few have made as lasting an impression as Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages. I cannot remember if the first time I read the book was before our marriage or in the early years in our marriage, but it made an impact. The concept of people primarily responding to and expressing love in one of the five love languages (Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gifts, Acts of Service, & Physical Touch) made so much sense. I related to the examples and recognized the similarities and differences between me and D. Because D is also familiar with the book, we both try to make a conscious effort to speak each other’s love language and our marriage is stronger as a result.

Therefore, I was excited to find out that Gary Chapman has also written A Teen’s Guide to the 5 Love Languages. The basic concepts are the same, but it is written in a manner that is more relevant to teens. The book talks about all of a teen’s relationships: family, friends, and dating. I was not sure how much this book would focus on the dating part (and if it is too early to share it with my 11 year old daughter) but I found it age-appropriate (with maybe the exception of one page in the “Touch” chapter). The first five chapter are each dedicated to one of the five love languages. The other five chapters delve more deeply into certain relational issues. At the end of the book is an easy quiz to help you determine your primary love language profile. This is a quick read (126 pages) that would help all young people navigate the relationships in their life, both now and in the future.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Giveaways, Reviews, Sponsored

Screen-Free Playtime With #GoliathGames + Giveaway

June 15, 2018 48 Comments

Disclosure: Product provided in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When my kids get bored, it is natural for them to gravitate toward the iPad, a tablet or our Xbox for entertainment. While I think that is fine in moderation, I have been trying to encourage them to play screen-free games as well. Goliath Games is a company I have found that has a wide variety of “traditional” games that appeal to kids of all ages. Today I am reviewing two of their most popular games.

The first game is Pop the Pig:

n has speech therapy at school to help him say his “r” sounds. His speech teacher incorporates a lot of games into his group sessions, and this is one of them. He was excited to play this game at home with k.

It looks like k was excited too! To play, players take turns rolling the die. Then you pop “hamburgers” into the pig’s mouth and push down on his head. The more you pump, the more the pig’s belly grows until it suddenly pops! Pop the Pig is designed for ages 4 and up, 2-6 players.

The second fun game is Catch the Fox:

First you roll the die to see how many chickens to add into the fox’s pockets. Then, you push his head one time. Like magic, the fox’s pants disappear and the chickens will roll everywhere!

Once the fox’s pants drop, it is a mad dash to pick up the chickens one by one and place them in the coop.

A victory dance! Catch the Fox is for 2 to 4 players; ages 4 and up.

Both of these games are available on Amazon:

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

I am excited to announce that Goliath Games is offering one of my readers the opportunity to win both Pop the Pig and Catch the Fox!

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Crafts, Food

Baby Shower Pretzel Rods

June 14, 2018 No Comments

It has been a while since I have been to a baby shower. However, I was happy to attend one last month for n’s teacher that he had in first grade (one of his favorites!) When I asked if there was anything I could bring, the suggestion was decorated pretzel rods. n was eager to help!

First, I bought the supplies. The pretzels were from Target. I checked all of the bags to find the one with the least broken rods! I bought the candy melts and sprinkles at Michaels. I ended up needing about 1.75 bags of candy melts to cover one bag of pretzel rods.

I followed the directions on the candy melts bag and microwaved them in a tall coffee mug. The most difficult part was probably figuring out how to do 50% power on my microwave! (This is an important step, as another teacher told me that her white candy melts did not melt properly when she tried to use full power).

Next, we dipped the pretzel rods into the melted candy melts and let the excess drip back into the mug. Using a tall mug made it easier to cover most of the pretzel rod.

We then put the rods on a cookie sheet covered with foil and put the sprinkles on before the candy melts hardened.

Yep, it’s a girl!

Don’t they look nice on the dessert buffet table?

Reviews, Sponsored

A Fun Way to Develop Fine Motor Skills: Giggle Wiggle Review #GoliathGames

June 12, 2018 No Comments

Disclosure: Product provided in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I work as a special needs paraeducator at my children’s school, and I have witnessed firsthand how games can be used to develop certain skills. Giggle Wiggle is an example of a game my school uses that makes working on fine motor skills fun!

The concept is really simple:

Players race to place their colored marbles on the caterpillar’s hands while it sways to the music and spins.
The first player to get all their marbles on in a row wins!

It is nice that it comes with 7 marbles for each color, even though only 6 are needed. The marbles really roll around, so it might be best to play on a carpeted area. Also, the marbles look like candy, so make sure toddlers who still put things in their mouths are not in the vicinity. The game requires 3 AA batteries, not included.

The music and giggling is cute, but I do wish there was a volume control–ha! This game is designed for 2-4 players, ages 4+. However, as you can see, my son enjoyed the challenge of placing the marbles on the caterpillar’s hands all by himself, too!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Celebrations, k

k’s Fifth Grade Promotion

June 11, 2018 No Comments

Last week k had her fifth grade promotion ceremony on the morning of the last day of school. D and I attended, along with my parents. n was in class, but he participated in the “clap-out” at the end.

The ceremony was held in the lunch table area. I did not think there would be enough room, but it was ok. I think a few people had to stand in the back. It was an overcast morning, and we were under the shade, so it was nice.

The principal handed out certificates and awards and some of the students gave speeches of their elementary school “memoirs”. I did not expect to be teary, but when k’s teacher sang an emotional version of Elton John’s “Your Song” as a tribute to his students and his parents, it was on.

That night we had a little dinner party at our house to celebrate.

I had fun making a playlist on Spotify for our gathering. It is amazing how much music provides an emotional connection to my past. Maybe k feel will feel the same way about these songs (at least some of them, anyway!)

Reviews, Sponsored

Fast-Paced Fun: Color Smash Review #GoliathGames

June 9, 2018 No Comments

Disclosure: Product provided in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Summer vacation is here, and that means the kids will be looking for things to do at home.

Color Smash is a fast-paced, simple game. You flip the cards, and if the color word on the card matches the color of the card, you slap it and you collect the stack. If there is no color word, you leave the pile alone, and if the color name does not match the color of the card, you do not slap it. If you accidentally slap a card, you place five of your cards back into the pile.

This is an easy game to teach to young kids, and it is small and portable. Screen-free entertainment is always a good thing!

Color Smash is recommended for ages 5 and up, and 2-6 players.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, k, n

Scouting Recognitions

June 8, 2018 No Comments

This past weekend we celebrated both k and n in their scouting endeavors. k received the Bronze Award with her troop. They sewed pillowcases and donated them to a hospital for their project.

We did not realize people would arrive so early, and we ended up in the very back row. k did a nice job reading a short blurb about their project. It was a large crowd!

k’s troop has nine girls, but only four could make it to the ceremony. She will be moving on to Cadettes next year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjlCCZmFNfN/?taken-by=derek.cal

n bridged from Wolves to Webelos for Cub Scouts. The dads build this bridge every year for the boys to cross. For the past couple of years the ceremony has been at Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center in Irvine Regional Park.

After the boys cross the bridge, they put on their new neckerchief, slide, and hat.

So proud of both of our scouts and so appreciative for their leaders! Looking forward to many more adventures.

Book Review, Sponsored

Summer Reading Series: How To Survive As A Shark Review

June 6, 2018 1 Comment

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My son really likes to learn about animals. It all started with watching a few episodes of Wild Kratts–ha! I am always on the lookout for books about animals for him to read. How to Survive as a Shark is a fun book for the young animal lover in your life.

First of all, it is a beautiful book. The illustrations are so bright and colorful and really draw the reader in.

The story is about a grown up pirate shark teaching baby sharks about themselves. This pirate shark has a sense of humor! There are also a ton of facts about sharks interwoven in the story, as well as in separate “fact bubbles” that pop up throughout.

I work in a kindergarten class, and I thought this book would be perfect for the teacher’s sea animal book collection. Doesn’t it fit right in?

D recently bought us a hammock for our backyard. I envision many reading sessions occurring here this summer! Do you have any animal book recommendations?

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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