LimByLim

Playdate Idea in Irvine: Adventure Playground

May 24, 2018 1 Comment

In the summer of 2016, I started a little blog series reviewing local parks. One park that we did not have a chance to visit was Irvine Adventure Playground. Yesterday we invited one of k’s friends and one of n’s friends to join us in checking it out.

This is a public park run by the city of Irvine. Admission is free, but there are employees manning the front desk and you list the names and a phone number for you and your guests.

The posted code of conduct.

The playground structure was unique enough to be fun for these 8-11 year olds.

The boys started to build a house, but they did not get very far.

Overheard: “I feel like a construction worker!”

The concrete slide was a hit with everyone!

Pretending to do the luge.

Bringing a piece of cardboard came in handy once again!

There are also water pumps* and a muddy ditch, but thankfully our group was not too interested in that part! It would be a good idea to bring towels and to wear old clothes if you think your kids would be the type to dive right in! *Water pumps are closed for maintenance every Monday.

Adventure Playground
1 Beech Tree Lane
Irvine, CA 92612
Phone: 949-724-6818

March-October
10 a.m.-6 p.m. (daily)
November-February
10 a.m.-Dusk (daily)

Holiday Closures (all day):
Easter Sunday
Thanksgiving
Christmas Day
New Year’s Day

Early Closures (closing at 3 p.m.):
Independence Day
New Year’s Eve

Giveaways, Sponsored

My Husband’s Experience With Professional At-Home Teeth Whitening + Giveaway

May 23, 2018 4 Comments

Disclosure: Smile Brilliant provided me with a free kit in exchange for an honest review and I will receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have tried the teeth whitening strips that you can find at the drugstore in the past and have had varying success. I always wondered what difference a professional whitening system could do, but the cost made me think twice. Plus, extra trips to the dentist did not sound appealing.

Smile Brilliant is an at-home teeth whitening system that comes straight from a dental lab through the mail. The company offered me a chance to try it out, but I was not eager to have close-ups of my mouth on the internet. However, my husband D is a good sport, and volunteered to try it out!

This is the kit that was sent to us in the mail.

‘The first step is to make impressions of both your upper and lower teeth using the provided paste and impression trays.

The process was fairly simple with the step-by-step instructions that were provided. I then mailed the molds off to the lab in the provided pre-paid envelope. About a week later, D received his custom-fitted trays. I received an e-mail when the lab received the molds, and a notification when the trays were done and ready to be shipped to our home.

D followed the directions and wore the trays with the gel for a couple of hours for two weeks at night.

Look at the results:

Before… …After!

We were both impressed with the results. D only experienced a little gum/tooth sensitivity after the second application. Other than that, it was a painless and seamless process.

I am happy to announce that my readers can receive 20% off by using this coupon code: limbylim20

Smile Brilliant is also generously providing a giveaway for a $149 Smile Brilliant credit. It is open to USA, UK, Australia and Canadian residents. Visit www.smilebrilliant.com/g/limbylim to enter. Hurry, this giveaway ends May 30, 2018!

Tooth Whitening Gel

Food, Giveaways, Sponsored

Rise of Healthy Junk Food: Rise Buddy Review + Giveaway

May 17, 2018 70 Comments

In my seemingly never-ending quest to find healthier-for-you snacks, I discovered Rise Buddy baked brown rice chips at Expo West.

I appreciate how these chips are oven-baked, and not fried.

They have a very light and crispy texture. Each serving has 170 calories, 3-4 grams of fat, and 1-2 grams of fiber.

These baked rice snacks come in four different flavors:

Sea Salt
Pizza
BBQ
Sour Cream & Onion

My kids’ favorite flavor is the Sour Cream & Onion. I like all of them!

Enjoy 15% Off Rise Buddy on Amazon orders with code 232AKAFC through May 31, 2018!

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.

Rise Buddy has generously agreed to send a 12 ct. variety pack to FIVE of my readers so you can try these snacks out for yourself!

Enter the giveaway below:

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Very Versatile: Dr. Jacobs Naturals Castile Soap Review

May 15, 2018 No Comments

I received free products in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

In addition to trying to eat food with better-for-you ingredients, our family has been trying out personal hygiene products with “cleaner” ingredients. You have probably heard about the research that shows that our bodies absorb the chemicals that are in typical soaps, facial cleansers, and body washes and that many of them have been shown to be endocrine disrupters or even carcinogenic.

Recently we had the opportunity to try out some products from Dr. Jacobs Naturals. The products we tried were:

Almond Honey Castile Liquid Soap
Lucious Lavender Loofah Exfoliating Castile Soap
Eucalyptus Castile Liquid Soap

My absolute favorite was the Almond Honey Castile Liquid Soap. The fragrance is so nice when used in the shower, or as hand soap.

TIP: An easy, environmentally-friendly and economical way to make your own foaming hand soap is to buy a foaming soap dispenser pump and fill it 4/5 of the way with water. Add a couple of Tablespoons of Dr. Jacobs Castile Liquid Soap, shake it and voila!

Dr. Jacobs Naturals is 100% natural. Dr. Jacobs Naturals castile liquid soap does NOT have any artificial ingredients, synthetic fragrances, colors, parabens, phthalate, propylene glycol, lauryl/laureth sulfates, and triclosan.

I also like that Castile soap is very versatile, as well. It can be used as a household cleaner, laundry detergent, dish soap, and to wash pets!

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.

Food, Running, Sponsored

Fuel For Fire When You’re On The Go

May 14, 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.

Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day and all that moms do for their families. As a mom, it is easy to be so caught up in caring for your family that you forget to care for yourself. Fuel For Fire is a Fruit + Protein Smoothie that is portable and can give you a natural boost of energy anytime or anywhere. Each serving has 10+ grams of protein, along with gluten-free complex carbs, real fruits, essential vitamins, minerals, and soluble fiber.

The available flavors are: Strawberry Banana; Sweet Potato Apple; Tropical; Banana Cocoa and Coffee. My kids liked the Strawberry Banana and I liked the Banana Cocoa the best.

I liked the convenient packaging–very easy to throw in a bag or lunch box. Although no refrigeration is needed, they taste best cold. Fuel For Fire Fruit + Protein Smoothies are available to purchase at fuelforfire.com, Amazon, and select retail stores. To find Fuel For Fire in your area, visit fuelforfire.com/apps/store-locator for the full list of locations.

Get 40% off and free shipping on any purchase on fuelforfire.com with the discount code SAVE40. Offer expires July 31, 2018.

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.

Food, Sponsored

Mother’s Day Treat: Once Again Hazelnut-Chocolate-Strawberry Crepes #MomsMeet

May 8, 2018 1 Comment

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.

Mother’s Day is around the corner, and it is always fun to celebrate with a sweet treat. The Once Again Nut Butter line includes an Amoré Hazelnut Spread that makes it easy to fancy up any dessert.

For my experiment, I put some of the Once Again Amore Hazelnut Spread in a squeeze bottle and drizzled it on top of some homemade crepes and strawberries. (I used this easy recipe for the crepes, and they turned out great!) The hazelnut spread poured easily from the jar to the bottle, and from the bottle to the crepes at room temperature. So easy!

Looks pretty fancy, right? The hazelnut also adds an extra flavor dimension that plain chocolate lacks. I could see drizzling this spread on ice cream, a piece of pound cake, cream puffs…so many possibilities! More recipe ideas can be found here.

There may be a few other hazelnut chocolate spreads on the market, but the Once Again label is Certified Organic and is made without artificial flavors, colors or hydrogenated oils. It is also Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten Free Certified, and Fair Trade Certified.

Once Again Nut Butter Amoré Hazelnut Spread is available to purchase
at natural food stores nationwide. To find Once Again Nut Butter Amoré
Hazelnut Spread in your area, visit: onceagainnutbutter.com/retail-store-locator

Once Again Nut Butter is hosting a sweepstakes. You can enter here for a chance to win a free case of product and a toy raccoon. Hurry, the sweepstakes is only open through May 9 and the winners will be announced during the Once Again Nut Butter Facebook Live on May 10.

DROP IT Like It’s…Fun! #Kosmosgames #Tryazon

May 6, 2018 No Comments

If you are looking for a game that is fun for the whole family, I found one. It’s called Drop It, by Thames & Kosmos.

The concept is simple–take turns dropping in shapes, but make sure like colors and shapes are not touching. Oh, and make sure it is a color or shape that is allowed in the corresponding zone. Earn points based on where the shape lands.

There are variations in play that make it challenging and keep it interesting. I can see how it develops spatial and strategic thinking.

A group of us parents tried it out while waiting for our food at k’s post-basketball game dinner.

Without me even noticing, the brothers grabbed the game they finished eating and started playing by themselves.

It was nice to see them playing the game together instead of being on their electronics.

Recommended for ages 8 and up, 2-4 players or 2 teams.

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.

Book Review, Sponsored

A.W. Tozer’s Three Spiritual Classics Review

May 3, 2018 No Comments

Although the works of A.W. Tozer have been around for a while (he lived from 1897-1963), it seems like just recently I have been hearing more people mention his books. Tozer’s books are considered Christian classics, and now three of them have been combined into one volume: The Knowledge of the Holy, The Pursuit of God, and God’s Pursuit of Man. This was my first time reading Tozer, and I can see why he is considered one of the greatest Christian authors of the twentieth century.

Let me say upfront that this is not “light” reading. The spiritual truths that he explores are weighty and profound. It is simply amazing that he is a “self-taught theologian” without formal training. Although some of his prose could be considered old-fashioned, the subjects he covers in these books are timeless. For example, in The Pursuit of God, Tozer addresses the busyness of life and urges us to be still in order to personally experience God. This 471 page book would be a valuable addition to every Christian library.

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

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.

Pressman Toys 6 in 1 Travel Magnetic Games Review

May 2, 2018 No Comments

Goliath Games provided us with this product for free. All opinions are my own.

Longtime readers will know that we do a LOT of road trips. Fortunately, the kids take after D, and not me, in that they do not experience motion sickness. They have the freedom to read, draw, play games and watch DVDs while we drive for hours on end–lucky!

The kids and I were so excited when Goliath Games contacted us to see if we wanted to try some of their toys out. This 6-in-1 Travel Magnetic Games set immediately intrigued me. The six games included are:

Checkers
Chess
Backgammon
Pahrcheesi
Chinese Checkers
Snakes and Ladders

The pieces are very tiny, and the magnets are not the strongest, so it might actually be best not to play with this in the car. I do like how there are so many games in one compact toy, though. I could see it being useful to play with while camping or in a hotel room.

n did a video review to show you how it works. Please subscribe to our new YouTube channel here!

Also, be sure to enter our giveaway for a Goliath Games Paint-Sation Easel set, which ends tomorrow!

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.

Book Review, Giveaways

50 Life Lessons for Grads Review + Giveaway

May 1, 2018 34 Comments

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.

It is May, which means that graduation season is upon us. My own daughter will be graduating from elementary school next month, and I can’t believe it. Each graduation is a celebration of achievements and accomplishing goals, but it is also a time to look forward to what the future has in store. In 50 Life Lessons for Grads, Surprising Advice from Recent Graduates, Janet Holm McHenry put together a book that is filled with sage advice for graduates, from graduates, about navigating life and its challenges.

Each life lesson is only a couple of pages, so it makes for easy reading. There is also a corresponding Bible verse and practical suggestions for implementing each lesson in your everyday life. I found many of the lessons applicable to my own life (e.g. Education is a lifelong process, Interruptions can be opportunities) even though I graduated many years ago!

Enter to win a copy of this book, along with a $5 Starbucks gift card. This would make a practical and fun gift for a graduate in your life!

Entry -Form

Welcome to the Imagine. Believe. Achieve. Giveaway Hop brought to you by The Hopping Bloggers!

Hosted By: Mama’s Geeky & Women and Their Pretties

Each giveaway has a value of a minimum of $15, however some are worth much more. Be sure to enter to win all of them because there is no limit to how many you can win. GOOD LUCK!

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