All Pro Dad by Mark Merrill - A review

I received the book "All Pro Dad" from Booksneeze.com to review on my blog. My husband read it, which in itself is an accomplishment, since he is not an avid reader. He is a member of the All Pro Dad website, however so I thought he would enjoy this book.

While my husband did say he liked the book, he wasn't super excited about it, talking about it like he normally would a book that he was inspired by.

When I asked his opinion on the book, he said it had too many quotes, that it felt like he was reading a quote book rather than an original manuscript. He is very involved in bettering his fathering skills, so this book appealed to that aspect of his character. The simple fact that he finished the book causes me to be compelled to give this book a positive review. I think the fact that it is written with a sports perspective in mind was a definite advantage.

Below is a description of the book:
"An NFL player becomes an All-Pro by relentlessly focusing on the fundamentals and executing them with sheer determination. The same is true to become an All Pro Dad. This book not only highlights the fundamentals of fatherhood, but also gives dads a winning game plan to do their most important job well.” –Tony Dungy, Super Bowl winning coach and NBC Sports commentator

While I think this book could have done more to hold the reader captive, it is a book that is worth reading, with valuable biblical truths and sage advice.

Influenster VoxBox!

So...I'm one of those weird people who love checking their mail. Not because I never get bills, or because I have all the money necessary to pay those bills, but because of the fun stuff I get in the mail; either for free or very cheap! One of those free things I got in the mail yesterday was a VoxBox.

What is a VoxBox you ask? It is a box full of goodies that companies want me to try and review. This one is called a Cosmo VoxBox. While I didn't really see any relation to the Cosmo magazine, it was packed full of girlie stuff. The box has two FriXion by Pilot pens, which are gel ink pens that completely erase! And when I say completely, I mean completely! They are incredibly smooth, not skippy, like a lot of erasable pens are. And yes, skippy is a technical term!

There is a bottle of of Forever Red Eau de Parfume from Bath and Body Works, a $10.00 value. It is a little fruity for my taste, but a great size to stick in my purse for when I forget to put perfume on!

A full size Ghiradelli Gourmet Milk Sea Salt Escape Bar. Yummy! I love Ghiradelli chocolate! I was kinda bummed that it has almonds in it, because I am not a big fan of nuts, but it will be great for someone's stocking!

The box also has a Venus razor and refill. The refill is a Venus-Olay refill, and I can't wait to try it! I love Venus razors, and they are kind of out of my price range, so I usually purchase a cheaper brand. Getting things like this in the mail makes all the bills I get that I can't pay easier to handle, gives me great gift ideas, and helps offset some household costs (such as razors!)  If you would like an invite to Influenster, comment below or email me at ejandcjsmom@gmail.com

Legos and Bread

So...I'm at home, baking bread and vacuuming under my couch cushions (which doesn't happen very often by the way) when I step on a necklace of my daughters made of hard plastic stars.  It goes into my foot..yes, I said into.  OW!  It reminded me of the pain of stepping on a lego, except the toy wento into my foot.  Seeing a necklace dangling out of my foot freaked me out a bit, but I managed to keep my cool.  As I went into the kitchen I could smell the baking bread in my bread machine, its smell filling the whole house with its yummy goodness.  It made me think, I bet hell is filled with baking bread no one can eat, and a carpet of legos.  Just a thought....whadya think?

CoverGirl&Olay Foundation and Powder Review

I recently started using CoverGirl and Oil of Olay's foundation and powder. I really like the way it sits on my face. The first day I used it, I used too much, and was disappointed. I could tell I had makeup on, and I don't like that look. The second day I used it I used less and was very happy with the results. I like the powder, it really gives me a finished look. I am not really brand specific, I have used many different foundations, but this is one I really like. It makes my face feel good, not dirty or weighed down at the end of the day.


 **I received foundation and powder as part of a BZZ campaign to review and share my opinion with other. I was not paid for this blog except for receiving free product to review.**

 

Power Based Life Review

The power based life is a book that is a christian self help book, using football and scriptures throughout. While it has good information and uses scripture, I found the book to be a bit dry and had a hard time with it. I appreciate the personal experiences used throughout the book, but I may not be in the right place in my life for this book. Or it could be that the book is written for someone else. I did let a friend borrow it, and he had a similar experience although he did seem to get more out of it than me. A good book, just written for a specific audience. It is very difficult to write a book that pleases everyone, and this cannot be expected from every book we pick up. I realize that there are many out there that this book is suited for, and that are in the right place in their life for this book. I understand that this is also a requirement, as if we aren't in the right place in our life to receive something, the gift will be in vain.

Shoes for Orphan Souls

In a society where we have an abundance it is important to remember those less fortunate. Our church is doing just that by supporting a program called Shoes for Orphaned Souls. You can help us by donating new shoes and or socks. You can donate directly through the website or send them to me and I will forward them on. We will be doing this through September, so there is still time.   While to some shoes are a hobby or a collection, others have never owned a pair in their life.  An illustration of our abundance was found while heading home from my childhood home, out in the middle of nowhere in Northern California. Its called the "shoe tree."
If you would like more information about this program, please feel free to email me or comment below.

Book Giveaway and Review: The Get Yourself Organized Project

I know its been a long time since I posted, but I had decided I wasn't going to post again until I graduate from college. I still have a month left, but wanted to take a moment to tell you about one of my favorite speaker and authors new book. Kathi Lipp has come out with a new book The-Get-Yourself-Organized-Project.

This is the next in Kathi's series of "projects" and is one of my favorites!  While getting organized can seem like a daunting task too big to take on, Kathi breaks it down into 21 smaller projects,  described with snippets from other women's experiences and advice as well as her own.  This is for the woman who isn't Martha Stewart, but just wants to live in a house that has the peace of having a place for everything and everything (or almost everything!) in its place.

Kathi writes with such an air of humor and understanding.  I love reading her work.  I am lucky enough to have a book to giveaway, so I'm going to do my first official giveaway. 

Kathi's bio follows:

 

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker and the of The Husband Project: 21 Days to Loving Your Man—on Purpose and with a Plan, The Marriage Project: 21 Days to More Love and Laughter, and The Me Project: 21 Days to Living the Life You’ve Always Wanted and The “What’s for Dinner?” Solution. She is a frequent guest on Focus on the Family and dozens of other radio programs.

Church leaders and women’s ministry directors rely on Kathi to help women move from living out of obligation to enjoying godly passion. She speaks to thousands of women across the US and Canada every year.

Kathi and her husband, Roger, are the parents of four young adults and live in San Jose, California. Find out more about Kathi at www.kathilipp.com

HOW TO ENTER:

Comment below with which area of your house most needs to be organized, and I will use random.org to choose a winner tomorrow by noon.
 

Drowning in Coupons!

Gloomy day out. I took that as an opportunity to get caught up on coupon clipping. I haven't done it in quite a while, and we plan on grocery shopping tonight, so I felt like it was the perfect time....not thinking it would take me over two hours! OMG! Here is a pic of my organized chaos...

My  kids have spent the day in their jammies, don't judge, they don't do it every day, and its kinda nice once in a while!  Anyway, I have everything organized now, now I just have to get my shopping list done!  Why does shopping for groceries have to be such hard work?  I have to admit, I love the feeling of saving a buck though!

Medicare Supplemental Insurance

Medicare can be such a difficult thing to understand, and yet so necessary. If you are looking for senior Medicare supplemental plans the search can be confusing.  Sites like the one  here  can be very helpful in the search for the correct necessary health care insurance.  While the search can be confusing, the results are worth it.  This site is a very helpful one in the process.

My company

This is a guest post. It is brought to you by your friends at http://www.expertsatellite.com/ .  When I first moved here I got Loveland direct tv and boy has it been a lifesaver. Ever since my son got sick I’m home all the time with him and he’s just sleeping all day so it’s not like I’ve got anything to do once I make all the meals and clean the house and stuff. I’ve found the ultimate escape in that show “The Rachel Zoe Project” – it’s the most over the top and absurd version of real life I’ve ever seen. These people have so much money they don’t know what to do with it and they’re so into fashion which is something I not only know nothing about but have no hand in whatsoever. It’s a small town and people here care more about just not being covered in mud than what kind of fuzzy boots are in season! I don’t know, there are definitely things about the show I can’t stand but all in all it really holds my attention for an hour at a time, especially when there are celebrity guests.