Winter Skin Protection With NO-AD Sunscreen {Review & Giveaway}

As I sit here in my dining room I can see that snow is beginning to fall. All over the news there are snow warnings for our area tonight through Thanksgiving day and OH how I LOVE snow!! For those of you who dislike snow, well, we are going to get a bunch of it here and if you live in the area - you will get some too! JOY! Seriously though, I do love winter and also love the snow. Before hubby and I were married, he took me skiing. I had never been before and was very excited about getting to try it out. All of my coworkers were wishing me luck and telling me not to break anything and it was a huge joke that I would come back from skiing in a body cast. Well, skiing was nothing like I thought it would be and I didn't wipe out too much. One thing that really surprised me was how hot I became when skiing. The sun reflecting off the snow proved to be pretty unforgiving too as I had a mild sunburn when we got home that day. Who would have thought I would have a sunburn in the middle of winter???

So, as you prepare to enjoy these next few winter months I wanted to take a minute and remind you that even though it is not summer time anymore, you can still get sunburned and need to take every precaution to protect your skin. This is where NO-AD Sunscreen comes in. This very popular sunscreen brand just celebrated 50 years of protecting skin and they are one of the oldest sun care companies in the U.S! So neat. Anyway, NO-AD wanted to remind you about some important tips to keep your skin protected this winter season.

• Limit sun exposure, particularly between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.  when the sun's harmful UV rays are the strongest and most damaging to your skin
• Use a water-resistant, broad-spectrum SPF sunscreen with a value of 30 or higher
• Liberally apply sun protection 15 minutes before sun exposure
• Reapply every hour as needed, particularly after swimming or perspiring
• Your lips need protection, too—use an SPF 15 or higher lip balm

Those are great tips...I always try to be careful around those times of the day as the sun truly is very hot - whether it is summer or winter. I also really agree with the lip balm tip as well...my lips get so parched in the winter, I carry balm every where I go. 

So, for this review I was sent three products from NO-AD that are guaranteed to keep mine and my children's skin protected this winter while we are outdoors enjoying the snow. I was sent: Kid's Continuous Spray Sunscreen, Kid's Sunscreen Lotion and Sunscreen Lotion. 

Both of the Kid's Sunscreens water resistant and fragrance free, which is nice. My children have sensitive skin and sometimes using perfumed products on them causes some irritation. The lotion sunscreens are smooth and creamy and absorb nicely into the skin. The non-kids version smells really nice and I have actually used it before! It always works well for me. 

My favorite of these three products was the  Kid's Continuous Spray Sunscreen. I love this for many reasons: it is easy to apply and applies evenly. It is not messy at all. Sometimes the lotion is hard to use on little ones because it gets EVERYWHERE. This spray is wonderful. It is also hypo-allergenic, non-comedogenic and fragrance-free! I will definitely be using this when the kids go outdoors to play in the next few months and then in the summer too! This particular sunscreen retails for $9.99 for a 10 oz can. 

So, this winter please be sure you check out these and all of NO-AD's other products at food, drug and mass retailers throughout the United States. You can also find NO-AD on Facebook, Twitter and also on Pinterest so be sure to visit them there. 

NO-AD has offered to giveaway a can of Kid's Continuous Spray Sunscreen to one of you! Here are your entry options...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for this post. I did receive free products for review purposes. All quotes and stock photos are from the sponsor's website and email. Prize is being provided and shipped by the sponsor. This blog is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged prizes. All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.

God's World News: God's Big World Magazine Review

As a parent of three small children, I am VERY careful about the books and magazines that they read. Because books are so interesting to them, I try to have a nice variety on hand to keep them stimulated and entertained. Something that has become important to me over the past few years is making sure my children's books are educational. My oldest just turned five in August and she is an absolute sponge...everything she hears she remembers and it works the same way for what she reads. She is in Kindergarten and honestly, she is a wonderful pupil primarily because her retention ability is wonderful. So, now that she is getting older I am trying to find age-appropriate reading material for her.

I was thrilled with the opportunity to conduct a review for God's World News and more specifically, their magazine that is geared towards the Pre-K & K crowd. This particular edition of their magazine is called God's Big World. This magazine is totally appropriate for my five year old and when it arrived in the mail, we were all very excited to check it out.

So, for the purpose of this review I was sent three issues of God's World News: God's Big World, a full year online membership to the website and also a large, colorful wall map for use with the magazines.

The first thing I noticed is that there are two covers to the magazine...one that would have your shipping info on it and another inside that actually has the title cover for whichever magazine you choose to receive. Speaking of which, you can pick from six different magazines which cover age ranges from Pre-K to High School. As you can see above, this is the actual cover for God's Big World. I just love the colorful and detailed photos...it is very eye-catching for the young reader!

Some of the highlights of what this magazine includes are age-appropriate stories that help children relate to the current events that are circulating through the news, simple concepts, large and beautiful pictures, activities and puzzles as well as coloring pages. For example, one of our editions covered the recent birth of the newest Prince in England! This was a fun event for me to follow and it was really fun to show and explain it to my daughter. Babies are always SO fun and she enjoyed learning about him.

My daughter has really been enjoying doing the activities found throughout the magazine as well. Always in full color, these activities have actually been coinciding with what we are doing in school...learning opposites, learning first, second and third (which is what the photo above depicts) and other things. She never really liked to color much but I have "caught" her on several occasions with her crayons working diligently on coloring pages from the magazine. :) So cute.

Personally, I am LOVING the 20" X 30" world map...it is very colorful and easy to read. We haven't done much with geography yet as we are just in the early months of Kindergarten but I am enjoying the idea of being able to introduce Hannah to the map. Using this map along with the magazines is so much fun...here's why: 

On the bottom right hand corner of the map, there are directions on how to use this map. News stories within the magazine have a "MAP-IT" logo to help you find the location that is being talked about in the story! I think this is so good for children to have because it helps them to locate the story area on the map and understand better what is going on.  

In these two photos, the news story is in the left hand picture...it gives you the coordinates on the map and when I went to the map, I found the story that is being reported is located in Namibia. With older children, it could be so simple and highly educational for them to look up on the map the specific locations. 

My daughter absolutely loves these magazines. I have both read them to her and have let her peruse through them on her own. She calls them HER magazines and I just love watching her read. Check out her focus! :) One other thing I thought I would mention is that the news stories found in this magazine have a christian perspective to them, which is nice. I did notice that the Bible passages that are given throughout the magazine are not KJV, which is the version that I prefer so if that is something that I would have liked to see done differently. I know that the publishers cannot please everyone but personally, I do prefer to give my children materials that use the KJV Bible. It is so nice though to read news stories with a christian slant to them!

God's World News retails for $28 for a one-year subscription, which would be 10 issues delivered monthly, except May and December. They also have a new membership program through which you can access online magazines with your print subscription. You can also access fun history, science and creation articles to read with your children as well as find some really great activities to do online. This feature has been a really awesome addition to God's World News and I am looking forward to showing my daughter some of the activities and articles.

So, be sure you check out this magazine if you have children in your home...it can help to educate them on current events as well as give them some fun activities to do. We are loving our subscription here and would definitely recommend it to anyone! Check out what other bloggers had to say about God's World News by clicking the banner below.

Vitalah ~ Children's Oxylent Multi Vitamin Supplement Drink for Children Review

School has been in session for about a month now and with that, comes a lot of coughs, sniffles and bugs. I do not recall being sick much when I was in school, primarily because I was homeschooled and we weren't exposed to tons of germs outside of our house. We went to weekly homeschool group meetings and rarely did people come sick to that. Germs make me paranoid. I am not a "germaphobe", but I am definitely protective of my children and who they are exposed to, especially during this time of year. Flu season has not officially hit yet but when it does, you can bet I will be watching for those icky bugs. We do attend church two days a week and I know that sometimes, people come to church sick and inevitably, my children will catch things. So, to protect our little ones this school season, I am going to introduce you to a product that can help keep things in check.

Vitalah is a company that makes Daily Multivitamin Supplement Drinks for both adults and children. This drink is called Oxylent and it is designed to provide nutrition through a powdered drink mix...tasty and appealing to even the smallest of palates! Here is a bit more about Children's Oxylent...

Kids love taking their vitamins when their daily supplement is Children's Oxylent. They love the taste of the natural flavors of Bubbly Berry Punch. It's a fun, great-tasting, nutritious drink, sweetened with stevia only!

Nurtures: A balance of the highest-quality nutrients supports your child's development and well-being. Vitamin A supports growth, vitamins E and B support developing nervous systems, and zinc supports brain function.

Strengthens: Vitamin D3, calcium, and magnesium support the health of growing bones and muscles.9–11 Recent research shows that even kids in sunny climates don't get enough vitamin D.

Protects: Vitamins A, C, and D, and the mineral zinc promote the health and function of your child's immune system. Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, is important to replenish daily.

I am all for having my children take vitamins and they do on a daily basis. From the time they are infants, they are on vitamin drops and when they get older, they get a chewable vitamin. Having a vitamin supplement that they can DRINK is phenomenal and as a mom, I am so excited about the potential of them drinking their vitamins and minerals.

So, for this review I was sent some Oxylent products to review and of course, my children loved being a part of this review! :) I was sent a box of Oxylent Sparkling Blackberry Pomegranate Supplement Drink packets, a small bag of miscellaneous items (chapstick, various flavored drink mixes, etc.) and a box of Children's Oxylent Daily Multivitamin Supplement Drink Stick Packets in the Bubbly Berry Punch flavor. Sounds yummy doesn't it?

The first product I had my children try was the Oxylent. This is geared more towards adults but they truly enjoyed it. It is a peachy color and really needs to be mixed well or you have particles in the bottom of the glass.

I think the flavor was wonderful and my husband in particular enjoyed the taste. He saw it on the counter and right away wanted to know if it was for him. Ha! I love all the good things that are packed into this drink mix...so great! You only really need 1/2 a packet per 4-6 ounce glass of water so a little goes a long way.

The Children's Oxylent comes in handy sleeve-type packages and are super easy to open. I love how the edges at the end are already perforated...I cannot tell you just how many times I have tried to open a package and have ended up getting a pair of scissors because the "easy to open top" won't open. These are soooo easy!

This drink is a pretty pink/salmon color and when it is mixed up, has a nice foamy top to it. My children always like beverages that look fun. Flavor wise, it is very appealing to my children as it is a Bubbly Berry Punch flavor. My husband also tried this one and loved it too. 

Did it pass my taste testers? Oh yes. Both of my older children LOVED this drink and I plan on giving them each a packet every day. We have a cold going around our house right now so the extra vitamins and immune system boost is going to be really helpful. So far, two out of my three children have the cold so hopefully we can keep the third one healthy. Hopefully. :)

So, to purchase Vitalah's Oxylent products simply visit their website. One box of Children's Oxylent retails for $24.95 and a Travel Pack of Sparkling Berries Oxylent retails for $8.95. When it comes to our family's health, wellness and nutrition I think that these prices are totally reasonable. I would definitely recommend Oxylent to anyone looking to improve their immune system this flu and cold season. Be sure to check out Oxylent on Facebook and also on Twitter. Hope you find them to be a help to you and your family!

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for this post. I did receive free Vitalah products for review purposes. All quotes and stock photos are from the Vitalah website and email.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.

Check Out Kidorable's Product Improvements and Price Changes! PLUS Umbrella Review

Kidorable is a huge favorite around here. Whenever we get a new Kidorable item in the house, my children fight over it and I end up having to put it away for a few days. Yes, it is that bad. However, each child now has their own Kidorable item so there is not near as much fighting as there used to be. :)

I was recently made aware of some fun changes taking place over at Kidorable and wanted to share these new improvements with you all today. The design team at Kidorable is always busy looking for ways to make their adorable products better for us. They have tackled many different items and I wanted to give you a brief update as to what they have been doing. Here is a brief summary of the changes, including price changes...

• Kidorable Coats are changing from PVC to a lined PU (same quality and materials as our Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob coats) and will be available to ship starting September 2nd.   The price for these new coats is $39.00
• These are lighter, more comfortable and more attractive than PVC.  Everyone loves these coats.  100% of people we tested much prefer these to our regular coats. 
• The addition of a printed pattern liner makes our coats very special.  We chose a nylon liner for the raincoat because nylon is water proof and matches the feel of the PU.  Our PU+nylon is much lighter, easy to fold, and carry to go. 
• More than just a raincoat, these can be worn every day, all spring and fall. 

• Kidorable Umbrellas now all have a fun custom handle, setting Kidorable apart from all others. The new handles will be gradually phased in over the next few months.  The new price, effective September 2, is $13.95

• Kidorable Boots now have a custom printed lining, adding to perceived value.  Together with our custom sole, this lifts Kidorable boots above anything else on the market.  No other company has a fun custom sole and printed lining.   The new price, effective September 2, is $29.95

The boots have gone up in price but only by $.95 so you are really getting a good deal there. I love the idea of putting a printed liner inside the rain coats...I think it will be more comfortable than the old design. I am also loving the idea of a new umbrella handle that will match the theme of the umbrella. What a great idea!

I was given the opportunity to review a new and improved umbrella and so for this review, I was sent the Ladybug Umbrella. We used to have a Ladybug Umbrella that someone had given to us however, it tragically broke when it was accidentally folded up in the stroller. Oh, that was a sad, SAD day for us. We were so happy to have another Ladybug Umbrella!! One of our favorite features of this umbrella is the cute pair of eyes on top...isn't it cute?!?

I love the new handle design. It is 3D in appearance and really gives my children something better to hang on to. It is cute and matches the design of the entire umbrella, which is nice.

I think Hannah is thrilled with her new umbrella. I will say though that as a parent, you need to be very careful when your child opens and closes the umbrella. Hannah pinched her finger today because the release is really tight...I had pinched my finger the other day too so maybe this might be something Kidorable could look into adding as an improvement in the future. Her little accident was partially my fault for not helping her with it but it still is something to be careful of when using the umbrella. Once it is open though, it is a BLAST!

I think it is safe to say that this umbrella is getting ALOT of use. It was raining the other day when we came home from grocery shopping and right away, Hannah NEEDED to get her umbrella and stand in the rain. Don't ask me why, but she did and she had so much fun in the rain! :)

So, the Kidorable Umbrellas retail for $13.95 and you seriously need to check out the new handle designs...they are so great! For all your child's outdoor outfitting needs, Kidorable has you completely covered...from head to toe.

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for this post. I did receive free Kidorable products for review purposes. All quotes and stock photos are from the Kidorable website and email.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.

Logic Of English ~ Foundations A Curriculum Review

We have just begun our second year of home school with Hannah and she is now in Kindergarten. I realize when I am working with her just how much she has grown up the past year. So much has been learned and she has retained a lot of the information. We are only on day two and she already seems to be learning so much...hopefully school will still be fun for her in three months. Learning how to read and write has been key for her. The preschool curriculum I used was very intense and by the time she finished with Pre-K, she could read (very roughly) small, 5 page books, count to 100, knew her ABC's forwards and backwards and could write her entire name. She really hit some major milestones...I was thrilled today when we were at the doctor for her physical and they asked her if she knew her whole name and she did. :) It is nice to see that retention of what you teach pays off.

Today, I am going to introduce you to a curriculum that uses a multi-sensory approach to learning how to read, write and spell and this curriculum is called Logic of English. They offer programs for different grade levels and Foundations A was the set that interested me the most, because it is geared towards children ages 4-7 years of age. This curriculum is based on 74 basic phonograms and 30 spelling rules (really, the English language is a tough one to learn!!) that explain 98% of English words. I always hated English when I was in school and now I know why. :) Logic of English was founded by Denise Eide when she saw her own children struggling with reading and writing and I love companies that are formed out of a mother's desire to help her children. Here is a bit more information about Denise, taken from Logic of English's website...

Denise Eide

Denise Eide is the author of the multiple award-winning book, Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common Sense Approach to Reading, Spelling, and Literacy, and The Logic of English series of curriculum and learning materials. She is passionate about changing how reading is taught for ALL students.Though she studied for her masters degree at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, has taught EFL at the University of Pereslavl, Russia, and taught adult literacy in the United States, it was when her own children struggled with learning to read that she discovered the rules and phonograms developed by Dr. Orton. She immediately recognized how this vital information would have revolutionized learning to read and spell for her adult students and watched it transform the lives of her own children. In order to spread the great news that English is not riddled with exceptions, she put together a short presentation called the Logic of English and began speaking to teachers and parents. It was at this time that she put her hand on the heartbeat of the literacy crisis.

I was very excited when I was given the opportunity to review the Logic of English Foundations A curriculum and was even more excited to see how Hannah did with the material.

So, for this review I was sent the following items...

• Foundations A Teachers Manual ($38)
• Manuscript Workbook ($18)
• The Rhythm of Handwriting Manuscript Chart ($9)
• Basic Phonogram Flash Cards ($16.20)
• Manuscript Tactile Cards ($25.20)
• Red Manuscript Phonogram Game Cards ($9)
• Blue Bookface Phonogram Game Cards ($9)
• Student Whiteboard ($10.80)
• I also received the Phonograms App ($2.99)

When I first saw all that was included, I was immediately overwhelmed...it seemed like alot to handle so I just took it day by day to see what my daughter's interest level would be. I don't push her, but I do make her do things she doesn't enjoy because school is not always fun...this curriculum looked like something Hannah would enjoy.

The student workbook is full of colorful drawn pictures as well as photographs. I think that using real photos can really help to draw a child in and connect them to what they are learning. I loved thumbing through the book and looking at these colorful pages. I also like the simplicity of the lessons...Hannah was really good at learning and saying the compound words. 

I found that The Rhythm of Handwriting Manuscript Chart was very helpful to me because it gave me a way to properly explain how a letter is formed when written. This is something I struggle with...being able to articulate to Hannah how to do things. If it isn't spelled out, I am not creative enough to come up with my own explanation in a way that Hannah will understand. I love this chart for that reason. Within this chart you will find instructions on how to write both upper and lower case letters, as well as a plethora of other letter "styles" (slash letters, roll letters, kick letters, etc.) I had never heard of these other styles before Logic of English so this was totally new for me.

I wish you could have heard me open the package of Manuscript Tactile Cards...I was totally into these! What these cards do is give your child an extra sensory tool to learn how letters "feel" when properly written. The red letters feel like sand paper! So, when explaining how to write a letter, I took Hannah's hand in mine and had her finger-trace each letter. She would grin from ear to ear when we would do this and I knew it was sooo good for her to have this. I had a homeschool friend visit the other day and she was floored when she saw these...she told me that she had made her own once upon a time! That is how effective these cards are. Hannah definitely loved these and I am excited to use these with my son when he is in school as he is more of a sensory learner than Hannah. Being able to TOUCH the letters and FEEL the strokes is a huge benefit. 

The Teacher's Manual is laid out beautifully. Again, I need structure when I teach and this book gives me just what I need to properly instruct my child. The beginning of each lesson has an objective and also tells you what you will need for the day's lesson. I love how there are clear phrases that I say to my daughter and how the book gives me answers that she may give me back...it also tells me what the correct answer will be so I won't have to wonder if she was right or not. 

There are also tips and hints found on different areas of the pages so if you get stuck or have a child who seems to be having trouble with certain things, you can refer to these little colored blocks and find solutions. I really liked this because it helped me to go a bit further in some areas with Hannah. 

One thing this curriculum really uses to aid in writing is the use of strokes. I will admit that these were very difficult for Hannah. To her, it was just doodling...I am not sure if that was the goal when this method was developed but some of the strokes have to look just so and when Hannah was done with her practice, many of her strokes looked nothing like they should have. 

Nonetheless, she practiced her little heart out and tried to get it right. When the strokes began to look like stick people, we moved on to the next part of the lesson. :) I LOVE the whiteboard too, the lines are nice and big and she can really work easily without paying alot of attention to detail. This really comes in handy. 

There was one part of this curriculum that I cannot say enough good about...learning about "voiced" and "unvoiced" sounds/letters. A voiced sound is when you say a sound and can feel the vibration of the sound in your voice box. When we did this part, I would have Hannah put her hand on my throat to feel the difference. Unvoiced sounds would cause the voice box to be still...no vibrations. She also learned how to describe to me what her mouth does when she says the letter "P" and "T", among other letters. One of the tools you use to teach this is a small, hand-held mirror. I think this was Hannah's favorite part of the entire lesson. 

The Phonograms App is a nice tool to have in addition to the student workbook as it helps you to actually hear the sounds that you are trying to teach. There are also games that the student can play to help them identify the correct sound that the phonogram makes. Hearing, seeing and then touching the phonogram makes the entire learning process much more fun and I think I used this app more than Hannah did! Understanding the proper way to pronounce phonograms is important and this app comes highly recommended if you are doing the Foundations courses from Logic of English.

So, all in all we have been enjoying using Foundations A from Logic of English. I think that there is a lot to this curriculum but that is only because they give you everything you need to properly and effectively teach your child. The price is a bit steep for me but for someone who has a child that is really struggling to grasp English, it would definitely be a wonderful teaching tool that I would recommend. The Logic of English can be found on Facebook as well as on Twitter so if you are interested in investigating more about this company, you certainly have some wonderful options available to you. Be sure to check out other reviews from my other Crew mates who have also had the opportunity to review Logic of English...click the banner below to see these additional reviews.