Sodura Modern Kids Furniture: Made in America Spotlight

I remember when my kids were little and how much I wanted them to have a sweet chair and table set. Back then it never occurred to me that I should get something not only made in America, but also eco friendly.
Sodura takes care of both of those! Their furniture is absolutely stunning and elegant! It’s modern yet not so futuristic that it can't fit any style! Their furniture is very strong and durable.  Most adults can sit on it with no problem!

Made is USA

Eco friendly water based finishes - (We are really excited about the new finishes that we are using that are made from whey - here is some more info about that)  http://www.sodura.com/how-green-is-green/

No formaldehyde glues

Easy to assemble

Bright new colors available soon

Solid wood construction About Sodura:
Their furniture is made in Louisville, KY, USA. The company was created in 2011 so they’re pretty new! Some of what they create is done by hand!! Amazing in this day and age! They do use CNC routers and computer controlled machines, but they’re set up in a way that allows them to do quick changes to meet customer needs!
“We use eco-friendly products in all of our furniture, so you won’t find any lead based paint in our product. We use all water-based finishes, so they are low in VOC’s, non-flammable and non-toxic. Our wood is formaldehyde free and so is our glue, which means there won’t be any harmful fumes coming from our product over time.”
One of my favorite aspects about Sodura is that they’ll custom make your furniture! Want a special color or a certain size? They can do that in about 4-6 weeks!
Now my lovely followers, when it comes time for our Made in America event, Sodura is going to be giving away a table and stool!! Be sure to follow them ahead of time:

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*I have not been compensated or given any product for this review. The opinions expressed are from visiting their website and learning about their company.

T-Mobile SpringBoard Giveaway

Summer here it’s great to know that with T-Mobile you can keep your kids safe with their awesome services and 4G devices!

I have two boys home for the summer, both wanting to be connected all the time and have apps up the wazoo! Of course, as a single mom, it’s extremely important for me to be careful with my budget and also to make sure my kids are safe!

This is where T-Mobile has hit the nail on the head and made their services invaluable!

Here are some great services T-Mobile has for families:

T-Mobile FamilyWhere® helps give parents peace of mind by letting them know where their kids are by using the location of their phone. The service also allows parents to set up scheduled alerts, for example, to provide an update when a child is expected to arrive at school or an elderly parent should be arriving home safely after an appointment.

Web Guard is a free optional add-on feature, which restricts access to websites on your phone when you use the T-Mobile network. There are Child, Teen and Young Adult settings so the content that is restricted can change as your children grow. There is no charge to turn this feature on or off.

Family Allowances® makes it easy for parents to set up-front limits on family plan text messages, minutes and money spent on game and app downloads. Family Allowances keeps you in control and helps you avoid unexpected overage charges on your bill.

T-Mobile and Cozi, the No. 1 online and mobile family calendar and organization service, have partnered to offer MobileLife® Family Organizer – an application and online service that makes managing busy family schedules a snap with a shared family calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists, family journal and more.

T-Mobile has partnered with Lookout Inc., the leader in mobile security, to arm the carrier’s Android devices with Lookout™ Mobile Security. In addition to providing award winning antivirus and malware protection, Lookout and T-Mobile have partnered to create a unique way to find your phone even when the ringer is off with custom SCREAM™ Tones.

As you can see, T-Mobile has you and your family covered when it comes to protecting your information!

One lucky winner will be receiving a T-Mobile SpringBoard

*I have been compensated for this giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own.

My Green Thumb

I think there are two kinds of green thumbs:

OUTSIDE
and
INSIDE

When it comes to inside, in all my life, I’ve been able to keep one sad little plant alive that my grandma gave me. I’ve wavered back and forth as to whether I even want to keep the thing going. It suffers so badly under my care. Inside I’d consider myself to have a black thumb.

Now, head to the outside and I’m whistlin’ Dixie!! I started flower gardening about 16 yrs ago when I lived in Washington. My roommate let me dig up a garden in front of the house one year and I’ve never looked back.

I’m a perennial gardener. I like a few annuals, but I hate spending money on the same plants every year. I’ve added to the list of my perennial flowers every year. This year I planted two more peonies.

Oh how I heart those flowers!!

I’m also an occasional vegetable gardener. I don’t feel like I have as much time to dedicate to them anymore. I plant something every year just in case I find time to weed and do some upkeep. This year…I’m pretty sure in the month I’ve had them, nothing has grown! I’ve got peppers, tomatoes and squash. Oh, and Doodle brought home a cabbage plant from school.

Come on little tomato plant you can do it!!

Behind the veggies are my June bearing strawberries that tanked this year. Bunnies and birds got to them before me and they were super small this year. The raspberries at the end of the garden are looking more promising!! We’ll see how it goes by the end of July!

 
My son’s cabbage plant no one will eat…ever

And let’s be honest here. The main reason I’m a pretty green thumb outside? The plants pretty much take care of themselves. I do deadhead and weed. In fact, I love weeding. It’s relaxing and a great way to work through any frustrations!

Do you have a green thumb? What do you like to grow (or kill)?

 

Writing Prompts:

1.) Share what you were blogging about last year at this time…what has changed?

2.) What do childhood rhymes even mean?  Write something that includes a rhyme you used to sing or say when you were a child. (inspired by writingfix.com)

3.) Do you have a green thumb? Tell us what kind of gardener you are!

4.) This one time I was sleeping and…

5.) List the 6 best things about being an adult.

Best Buy Upgrades Your Shopping Experience Five $25 Gift Card Giveaway #NewBestBuy

I was so excited to try out the new shopping experience at Best Buy in Richfield, MN. I had actually never been in this one, but have shopped at many others so I know how they are usually set up.
When my boys and I walked in I could see a difference right away. You could see across the entire store! And man, there were SO many displays for hands on experiences! We played with some iPads and iPods, Doodle played a new game for the Wii, and I walked around drooling over all the things I couldn’t take home with me!
A few changes you’ll notice with the new layout include:


· A personalized shopping experience with one-on-one support throughout the store, and the addition of a Geek Squad Solution Central at the center of the store to help you learn about, and get the most out of your gadgets


· Eye-level displays creating more opportunities to play with and discover the technology you want – and need

· New in-store digital displays that update you on the latest deals, in-store activities, and information on all your favorite brands

· Registers located throughout the store to streamline the check-out process so you can get in and out faster than ever
Shopping at Best Buy was really nice. I’ve always been helped by employees there, but this day was wonderful! Everyone was extremely helpful and they were constantly making sure we were doing ok. Not in some hovering “hey you gonna buy this” or “how about this”. They checked with us and if I was fine, moved on. It was a breath of fresh air!

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company!

Lifetime Products Kayak: Made in America Spotlight

You know how you go all your life without ever trying something and then when you do, you wonder how you lived without it for so long? That’s me and our new Lifetime Monterey™ Kayak!
Being that we’re in MN we go to the lakes a lot. At great grams we have a canoe, a boat and a pontoon (not “us” but the family). So, I’ve ridden in those for years. The canoe was actually a lot of fun.
Here at home though, we don’t have anything to go out on the lakes with. When Lifetime offered to let me review their newest Kayak I pretty much became hysterically happy. Seriously though, who wouldn’t?
I was on pins and needles waiting for a couple of months for it to be ready. When delivery was confirmed I was actually bummed I was going to be at work. Guess what it was delivered in? lol An 18 wheeler! I think my boys were pretty impressed.
When I got home I ripped the plastic off and just sat in it. Yep, right there in my entry way. Then I proceeded to watch it rain pretty much every day this past week! I finally had Friday off, no rain and I told the boys to grab the life jackets cuz we were christening the kayak!
Doodle was maybe more stoked than me to try. He had the life jacket on before we even go to the water. He hopped in, I got the backrest snug around him and he paddle off…ok, not too far off because, well, if he tipped over I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having to swim out to the middle of the lake to get him!
I could tell he was loving it!! And he was doing such a great job paddling. He figured out how to control it pretty much right away! I think he’s a natural.
Buddy seemed to want to go, but when he got ready to get in, he decided he wasn’t in the mood. =/ I was bummed, but what do you do?
 
I got in next and as soon as Doodle shoved me from shore…I was in heaven. I swear I found my bliss right there on the lake. Serene is the only word that would come close to justifying how it felt. It was early in the morning, there was only one family on the lake, and me in the peace and quiet of the lake in the kayak. Sigh…life is good!

I came back to shore and let Doodle go out again. One thing we will definitely have to practice is what happens if you fall out or are tipped over by a swell. Let’s be real here. On the lakes people can be pretty crazy fast with their boats and the waves could easily tip someone over. So, practicing will be the practical and safe thing to do.
No, let me tell you about the kayak itself.
The Lifetime Monterey™ Kayak is 8’ long. The back rest is adjustable and it fit me and Doodle perfectly. I loved how it wrapped snuggly around me. It has a nice padding that makes it comfortable!

I like the “foot rests” that vary in length. I put mine in the second spot while Doodle had his in the one closest to him. Up in that same spot you can somewhat see the paddle molds so you can rest it up there! I forgot to bring mine out to the lake, but there’s also a cup holder right at the first foot rest.
It’s only 38lbs so Buddy was even able to carry it a short distance! There’s a handle molded into the side for easy of carrying.

Inside the kayak there are holes called Scupper Holes to drain cockpit area, which definitely gets water in it! The lake was pretty choppy while we were out that morning!
I also love that if I want to carry anything with me while I’m out kayaking, I have a nice, large area behind the seat with shock cord straps to secure loose items. Who knows what I could imagine up to take out on the lake with me!
The Lifetime Monterey Kayak is UV-Protected – will not fade, crack, or peel! Hello durability and long lasting!! My goal is to make this baby last a LONG time!! It also comes with a 1 yr warranty!
Since this is brand spanking new, they’re still getting them out for sale!! What the kayak DOES come with, but mine didn’t is a sail kit! Yep, you read that right! On a nice windy day you can be seriously crusin’ along with the sail high!

Whenever you are in the water, please always do so responsibly. Never use a kayak, or any water craft, without a proper fitting life jacket!
Lifetime Products has been headquartered and manufacturing in Clearfield, Utah for over 25 years. Please be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and their blog!
*I received the kayak for review. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company.

Wordless Wednesday: Back to the 50s Car Show

Make sure to visit Full Time Mama too!

Make-A-Ball Review

We are a baseball loving family! My boys play every Spring/Summer. We love going to Twins games. Actually, my boys love all kinds of sports. Winter has them playing basketball. This year they’re considering football! My daughter also plays tennis in college!

So, what would be more appropriate for a memento or a gift than a personalized ball from Make-A-Ball? Specifically for my boys, a baseball?Since baseball just started I had to go back and find pictures from last year. I found one of Buddy playing baseball and one of Doodle at the Twins game with the Twin’s mascot, TC.

The process of creating a Make-A-Ball was relatively easy.

The first thing you need to do is pick a sport. I chose baseball since the weather was turning nice and I was excited for the boys’ seasons to start.

Then you get to choose your panels! The more panels, the more photos you can add! For a couple bucks more I love adding more graphics or photos! You have the option of a pre-designed layout and all you do is add a photo or you can design your own.

Let me warn you, lol, this may be the hardest step. In the pre-design option, there are a ton of fantastic related backgrounds. You can pick these first and put a photo on top of them.

As you go along in the process, you can make some cool edits like rotating, changing dimensions and the transparency. The tools make creating your original ball(s) a piece of cake! In this same step you can add your text with a great selection of fonts!

I was so thrilled to see our balls. The boys each have their own balls. I made it clear to the boys these are NOT to be taken outside and used. Thankfully they both liked different ones and they can have them on their shelves!

If you’re looking for a great, thoughtful gift Make-A-Ball is stellar for the sports enthusiast!

Be sure to follow Make-A-Ball on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest

*I received these balls in exchange for my post. The opinions expressed are my own and never influenced by the company!

Willow House Photo Display Giveaway

Willow House embodies grace, warmth, and a bit of magic. Like the namesake willow, they sway back and forth with the trends but are not overwhelmed by them. Will House designs are strong, responsive to the seasons, and always beautiful. Willow House believes strongly in a philosophy of simply good design! A well-designed product is something that will last, passing from one generation to the next. And it should make you happy each time you use it – in fact, each time you look at it. Good design should be accessible and affordable, because the days of fussy and overpriced products are gone forever.

The Willow House Decorative Card and Photo Display can be used as an organization piece for coupons, baby announcements and recipe cards, or to display special mementos. Diamonds can hang separately. Hanging hardware included; hangs on wall or over a door. Set includes two diamonds, a connector and an over-the-door hanger. (19” x 52 3/4” tall).

-Every Monday you can find the weekly & mystery deals at random--these are all posted on the Willow House Facebook Page.

-ANY customer that spends $39.96 or more, gets an item under $40 for 1/2 price, just enter Host: Hannah Murry at checkout!

Purchase It: You can purchase the Decorative Card and Photo Display for 42.92 from WillowHouse.com! or by contacting Hannah Murry, Independent WillowHouse Consultant at (870) 995-7572 or hmurry@suddenlink.net!

Win It: One lucky reader will win their own Decorative Card and PhotoDecorative Card and PhotoDisplay Display from Hannah Murray Willow House! Please make sure you read the Giveaway Rules before entering. This giveaway is brought to you by Hannah Murray and Real Mom Reviews. YOUR BLOG NAME HERE is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Giveaway ends on 07/05 at 11:59PM and is open to US only.