Glade Expressions Collection Review

With three kiddos, two of them being male, sometimes my house just plain stinks. I like to burn candles, but I worry about the flames with the children.  Scentsy is awesome, but really expensive.  Plus, my hubby doesn't really like have the thing plugged in and on all the time.  Therefore, I am pretty open to trying new "air freshener".   Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out the New Glade Expressions Collection for being a Bzz Agent...woo hoo! 

I was given two coupons to try out some great products:  The Glade Expressions Diffuser and the Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist.

 One of the main problem areas when it comes to smell in my household is the bathroom.  I admit, sometimes it just plain stinks like a gas station urinal.  Gross, I know.  But seriously, I have two little boys peeing all over the toilet...and pretty much the entire floor surrounding it.  While, I do try to clean and freshen it up at least once a week, it is nice to have a little air freshener.  I decided that this was the room that I could use the diffuser.   My bathroom has somewhat of a "beachy"  theme, so I choose to stick with the Pineapple & Mangosteen scent.  I loved the look of the natural wood.

The smell coming from the diffuser was quite pleasant. It worked really well for about a week.  I did not notice the usual smells because this wonderful fragrance masked it.  Then, slowly the fragrance went away.  Now, to actually smell the Pineapple & Mangosteen I have to pick it up and basically hold it to my nose.  I really liked the small, so I am a bit disappointed that it didn't last longer.  However, if I get a great deal on the refills, I will likely purchase more.

When it came to the fragrance mist, I chose to use my coupon on the Fuji Apple& Cardamom Spice.  I love the smell of fall, and apple spice sounded like it would fit perfectly with my other fall candles that I love to burn this time of year.  

I really liked the fragrance.  It wasn't too overwhelming, yet it got the job done and made my house smell better.   I keep this in our living room and kitchen area.  These actually come as a two part, a refillable holder and the refill.  I like this because it is a little more eco friendly.  Not as much waste.  The only big complaint I have about these is that you have to squeeze the sides of it to get it to spray and sometimes it isn't that easy.  It's not very smooth and sometimes drips out instead of spraying.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the scents.  I wish they would last a little longer.  If I ever find a good deal on them, I will probably snatch them up.  I do have a few coupons to spare, so hit me up!

Remember, I was given these to try for free as a Bzz Agent.  I was not in any way paid for these review.  All opinions are truly my own.  

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life Review & Deal

Discipline?  What's that?  Lately I have been slowly sliding...My house is getting cluttered.  Stacks of papers are piling up.  Laundry is taking over the house.  Coupons are scattered here and there.  My "to do" list just keeps going and going.  You might just say that I am in a funk.  I need to be more disciplined.  Last week, Crystal from MoneySavingMom announced that she was launching her new ebook 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.  Is this God's way of putting the smack down? I questioned whether I really needed someone to "tell" me how to get my act together, but I went to her website and read about the book. I ended up snagging a free copy of it to review right away. Seriously...I read the section on Who is this Book for?  and thoroughly believe it was meant for me.  Let me share...

Who is This Book For?

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life is for you if:

• You have trouble following through.
• You get overwhelmed by huge projects.
• You start strong, but your passion fizzles out.
• You are super-disciplined in a few areas of your life, but you have one or two pet areas that you just can’t get under control.
• You check out 10 different books on discipline and organization from the library, but return all of them late. 

Check, check, check. check. Right now, I have a $9 late fee at the library...guess it's not free if you don't return things on time. Check.

I started reading the ebook this past weekend and I am starting my 21 days!  I really like Crystal's approach.  She does not pretend like she knows it all and we must follow her guidelines, but instead she admits her faults and gives practical advice on how to make positive changes in your life.  I really like how she gives a daily application to the reading.  It's not overwhelming, but the little tasks are helping me make progress without burning out.  She is also a mother of young children, so I can relate to her.  I am looking forward to each new day and how each one is benefiting my life.

 

Right now Crystal is offering her new ebook 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life for only $0.99.  This special is only good until October 26th.  You do not have to have a Kindle or Nook to read it. I just downloaded it on my computer desktop.  I would love to have a partner in this journey to a more disciplined life!  Let me know if you join me and we can support each other.

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book to review.  I would not recommend this to you if it was not a positive influence for me.  I did not get paid to review it, and all opinions are true. However, the links to purchase this book are my referral links. 

Whatcha Eatin'? Monday, October 22nd

Well, I skipped out on menu planning last week, which resulted in running out and buying Avanti's one night and Mcdonald's the next.  We also enjoyed frozen pizza.  This week, I am back to planning.  I don't really like feeling so unorganized.

A couple of weeks ago, we tried out four new recipes, so I thought I better give our opinion on them before I share this week's menu.   We tried out Lasagna Soup, Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki Sandwiches, Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole, and Easy Mexican Casserole.  We ended up adding two of them to the list of recipes to rotate.  We enjoyed the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches.  My boys devoured them, so it was a success.  I really enjoyed the Cheesy Chicken & Rice and the entire family ate it up.  I really liked how completely from scratch it was.  My kids got all their vegetables in without any complaining. It was a keeper!  Lasagna soup was okay, but boys would rather just have Lasagna Casserole.  The Mexican Casserole was good, but hubby said he'd rather just have tacos.  Tacos are so easy, so Tacos it is!

Now on to this week's menu...

Monday:  Sour Cream Ritz Chicken, Oven Potatoes, Green Beans

Tuesday:  Angela's Awesome Enchiladas, Rice, Mixed Fruit

Wednesday:  Tortellini, Meat Sauce, Dinner Salad, Corn, Garlic Mozzarella Sticks 

Thursday:  Chop Suey Casserole, Dinner Salad, Rolls 

Friday:  Homemade Pizza, Chips, Veggies & Dip

Saturday:  Chicken Strips, French Fries

Sunday:  StirFry 

What are you enjoying this week?  Link up with me at Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday...or in my case Menu Plan Tuesday!

Have a wonderful week!  

The Best Lunch Date. Ever.

Sometimes it's the little things that matter most.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to help out with Big Bro's preschool class.  My mother was watching the other two munchkins, so I decided that I would surprise Big Brother with a Mommy & Me lunch date. I had to stop by Menard's to pick up a couple of things, so I thought we'd slip into Wendy's afterwards.  When we pulled into the parking lot, his sweet little face lit up, and he asked  "Are we going to eat INSIDE?" Our "eating out" usually consists of a drive thru visit and eating at home, so this was extra special for him.  It truly was priceless.  He was so excited to get whatever he wanted.  He even picked out the high top table to sit at.  He beamed the entire time.  It was so awesome to be able to spend some one-on-one time with him.  We enjoyed some "big kid" conversation and had a special Frosty for dessert.  Big Brother felt extra-special which made me feel like the best mom ever.  I so need to do this more often.   Such a little thing, but such a big thing for him.

75 More Days...Have you made your list?

  Photo credit:  http://www.youwall.com/index.php?ver=Mjg4MQ== 

Christmas is right around the corner, and I am getting ready.  Today, I decided to make my list.  No, not my wish list, but the list of people who we like to buy presents for.  I have found that I tend to go a little overboard, so I decided this year I would make a budget and stick with it!  I wanted to share with you a great Gift Budget Sheet from Real Simple magazine that I found helpful when making this budget.  Here the author gives great tips to keep in mind when creating your budget....

"Step 1: Set a limit  
Come up with an overall number in early December (I would do this sooner!). It should include the amount you think you can spend on gifts without going broke by January. A good rule of thumb is 1.5 percent of your (pretax) annual household income. For a family making $65,000 a year, that’s about $1,000. Be realistic, though.You need to take into account what you actually have. Look at your current savings and conservatively factor in any money coming, such as a holiday bonus. To get an idea of what you spent last year, dig out your credit-card statements from the previous year. If you had unforeseen expenses this year and your checking account is running low, you might want to shrink your list or come up with more-modest gift ideas."

"Step 2: Divvy up the money 
 Create a detailed gift list that includes family, friends, neighbors, even the babysitter. Then decide how much you want to spend, keeping the bottom line in mind.When you make a purchase, note the cost. Periodically tally up your spending to see if you’re on track.You can, of course, reallocate your money as you go along, so try to buy in order of importance to you. The kids, your husband, and your mom might go first, for example. Include gift wrap and shipping."

I would encourage you to start thinking about your budget now so you can have a stress-free Christmas season! 
 

Perfect Day for the ZOO!

Okay, so many days I feel like I live in a zoo, but today we decided that it would be more fun to go to an actual zoo.  My mom, my aunt, and a few of my sister-in-laws & nieces and nephews spent a wonderful morning at the Peoria Zoo.  Despite it's outrageous admission prices and the cool weather, we had a great time!

 The whole zoo was decorated for Halloween, and the kiddos loved them!

Baby Sis loved the pumpkins!  

It was so beautiful out that the lions were basking in the sun.  Big Bro called these the "beautiful beasts". 

 

 This by far was the coolest...a BLUE frog!  At first, I thought it was fake and then it started to hop away. 

 Little Bro was pretty entertained with the fish.

 This little monkey was so cute...it kept making funny noises at us. 

 

Ewww!  Snakes!  The boys loved looking at them.  Yuck!  

 This little stinker didn't want to ride in her stroller. 

 Thank goodness for big cousins there to help out!  

A good time was had by all!  I am so thankful for great days like this.

How did you spend your day with your kids?

Whatcha Eatin'? October 8th Edition

Wow!  I am loving this fall weather.  Last week we enjoyed chili for the first time this fall, and it was delicious.   I wanted to find some other great soup recipes this week and came across this Lasagna Soup recipe.  My hubby has been getting a bit burned out on the lasagna casserole that I usually make, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I decided to look for a few more recipes and I found several that I wanted to try.  Therefore, the  majority of this week we will be trying out new recipes.  I will have to share which ones will be keepers next week.  Here is what our week looks like:

Monday:  Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole, Dinner Rolls, Apples & Caramel Dip 
Tuesday:  Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches, Veggies & Dip, Chips 
Wednesday:  Lasagna Soup, French Bread, Dinner Salad
Thursday:  Easy Mexican Casserole, Corn, Mixed Fruit
Friday:  Dinner Out or Frozen Pizza
Saturday:  Chicken Patties, French Fries (Hunting Season is here...that means its me & the kiddos on Saturday evening until the time change) 
Sunday:  Grillin' Out 

What are you munching on this week?  Join me and link up at Organizing Junkie's Blog.