"Go Ahead & Like It"

disclaimer:  I received the following book for free from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest opinions.  All opinions remain my own.

  "Go Ahead & Like It"

by Jacqueline Suskin

  In the technologically advanced culture we live in the word "like" takes on a whole new meaning.    People go crazy liking this and liking that, sometimes you wonder how a person can like so many things.

  Well in "Go Ahead & Like It" the author shows us how to make lists of our likes.  Ones that take just a little bit of thought and may actually help us recall some of our past that has begun to be forgotten.

  Jacqueline not only shows us some of her own lists but also explains how to write them and when.

  Mommy in PA:  What a clever idea for a book.  Amazingly one of my likes is lists so that puts this book on my list of likes.

  I love how the author explains that how using lists can actually make a unsatisfactory situation seem better, even if just for a moment.  Making a list is a great use of your time when you are stuck in traffic or a doctor's waiting room.  Making a list can, at the least, take your mind of the situation for a little while.

  I like how she said she has lists everywhere.  This sounds like the sticky notes at my house : )  

  I have always had fondness for lists.  Grocery lists, to-do lists, lists in books are my favorite.  I love when information is compiled into lists.  It makes everything quicker to read and to the point.

  One exercise she recommends is making a list and then choosing a few of those things to reflect upon and explain why they made it on the list.  This is one of the ways you can help refresh lost memories.  Just imagine a special day in your life as a child and begin jotting down things based on all of your senses.  Then as you recall them you may be surprised what you will remember.

Keep in mind that this is a rather short book, took me about half an hour to read the whole thing.  But the concept is simple and there isn't a lot that needs explained.  Just enjoy it for what it is.

  Since I have reviewed this book I feel as though I too should write my list of likes:

1.  monarch butterflies

2. rainbows

3.  how the wind picks up before a thunderstorm

4.  tiny smooth pebbles

5.  the smell of peonies

6.  the smell of gasoline

7.  the smell of wood shavings

8.  almost any kind of music

9.  the moment when my kids actually find something that they can play together

10.  fishing

11.  oh yeah....and this book.

"Bella's Gift"

disclaimer:  I received the following book for free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest opinions.  All opinions remain my own.

"Bella's Gift"

by Rick & Karen Santorum with Elizabeth Santorum

  "Bella's Gift" is the heroic journey of one family's ability to challenge the system to keep their daughter alive even when others seemed to want the exact opposite.  Hear the emotion right from the people who experienced it.  

  Bella was born with Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome.  What that means is that she had an extra eighteenth chromosome in every cell of her body.  It is a rare condition and one of which many doctors will tell you is "incompatible with life".  Of the 90 percent of Trisomy 18 babies who make it through birth only 10 percent will make it to their first birthday.  

  How can this family beat the odds, will their strength as a family and their Christian faith be able to overcome these odds?  

  Mommy in PA:  This story hits close to home in a couple of aspects.  As some of you I'm sure are aware, the Santorums are from Pennsylvania...like me.  And they have a child with special needs.  My son also has special needs (Type 1 Diabetes) but it is nowhere close to the life or death struggle they face everyday with Bella.

  This book has a lot of ups and downs.  You can feel the emotion as if you are there with them.  When the doctor didn't want to send them home with oxygen you want to be able to fight along with them.  You can also feel the extreme amount of love they have for Bella and the way Bella loves them back.  This is one of those families that everyone dreams to be a part of.  The close knit, siblings love one another kind.  

  The only thing that I really didn't care for in the book was some of the chapters about Rick's political campaigns seemed to drag on a little longer than my mind could stay focused.  Some of it was certainly pertinent to the story, but I feel that they just went a little too into detail in parts where it wasn't really needed.  

  I love how it feels like you know them, like really know them, like been family friends for years with them.  They don't hold anything back, you can really feel the honesty, even if it's something they were not proud about...they will tell you anyway.  That's what makes a great book.

  

And the Winner is...

  The Winner of the Scarology three-piece set is...

Laurie E.

  Congratulations Laurie!!!  Be sure to check your email for a message from us along with instructions on how to claim your prize : )  Thanks for entering everybody!

Washing Wednesday - Citric Acid (Taking orange sunblock stains out of clothing)

disclaimer:  We received nothing in exchange for this post.

Citric Acid  

  Summer is almost here but the temps have already reached high enough to break out the swimming suits and most definitely the sun block.  Speaking of sun block we had quite a bad experience with some on Memorial Day weekend.

  Mommy in PA and her family decided to go out fishing and were making sure they applied and reapplied their sun block throughout the day as it was a scorcher and being out on the open water only seems to make it that much worse.  It was a beautiful day, we caught lots of fish, we went down to the in-laws for a cookout afterwards, it was great.

  Then the next day I went to put our clothes in the laundry and I noticed that my son and I had orange stains all over our clothes.  We have the occasional iron issue with our water here but these hadn't even made it in the washing machine yet.  And then I realized that where the stains were was where the sunblock had been touching : (

  I was so bummed...I had only wore the shirt that one time, and now it was ruined...or was it?!?!  I did a search online and found others had the same problem, some sunblocks will do this to clothing, I never had this issue before so I read on and on until I happened upon a post about citric acid.

  Citric Acid is what canners use when canning tomatoes in place of lemon juice.  And another thing...this lady said it would take away the orange stains.  Sign me up!!!

  So that evening we went to the store and picked up some citric acid (you can find it in the canning department).  And another great thing...it was under $3!!!

  I got it home and first attempted to make a paste with it and applied it to the shirt directly and rubbed it in...nothing.  I knew I should have read more about it but instead decided to just wing it and make a solution to soak it in.  I put a couple of tablespoons of the citric acid in a bowl of warm water and submerged the shirt.  I am very impatient when it comes to these kind of things and was beginning to think it was a failure when I noticed about ten minutes in that the water was starting to get a yellowish look.  I rung the shirt out and resubmerged it and left it in awhile longer.  After about 30 minutes the water was definitely yellow and the stains were starting to disappear.  I continued the process for quite awhile, not sure exactly how long but it worked.

  This got me thinking about a tank top I had that was originally white with gray polka dots that now had orange spots because of the iron in our water.  This shirt was surely doomed due to the fact it had already been through the wash and dry cycles many times as I used it only under other shirts.  But I decided to give it a try anyway and got very good results with it as well.  Now there were a couple spots where it didn't come out completely but enough that I would not be worried about wearing it alone.

  I am pretty sure my family thought I was crazy that night because I kept looking for more clothes to try this on.  We have used it on probably ten shirts now with very good results.  Keep in mind that it is not exactly a miracle and not all orange stains will totally go away but they definitely seem to get lighter anyway.

  Here are pictures of my most recent endeavor (this tshirt has been orangeish from our water issues for years):

Above is the t-shirt before the Citric Acid bath.  As you can see the iron in our water really messes up whites when the water softener isn't working properly : (

You will need a bowl/bucket (depending on the size of the item) of warm water, Citric Acid (I use about two to three tablespoons), and your item...in this case, the orangeish t-shirt.

This was after just ten minutes of soaking.  You can see how yellow the water is turning already. 

I left this particular shirt soak over night due to how orange it was but most items you just keep checking until the orange stain is gone or in some cases almost gone.  This shirt didn't come totally orange free but it is a lot better than it was : )

Best in Baby Biz Giveaway!!!

disclaimer:  We are receiving nothing in exchange for this post.  Just notifying our readers of a giveaway opportunity.

Best in Baby Biz Giveaway!!!

BIG GIVEAWAY!  @Best in Baby Biz & Kids Magazine named us a favorite blogger!  Get your free copy of this amazing magazine and enter for a chance to win 63 gifts for mom, baby & child! If you are excited to win LIKE this post and COMMENT to share your exciting plans for this summer! #BIBBMagazine 

Head over to our facebook page to find out how to get your free copy.

Giveaway Alert!!!

disclaimer:  We are receiving nothing in exchange for this post.  This post is only to offer our readers a chance to win the following product.

Scarology

  Do you have any scars or maybe stretch marks that drive you crazy because they just don't go away.  Well the folks over at Scarology are offering one of our lucky readers the Scarology three-step at home scar treatment.

  This three-step system includes a natural fruit acid exfoliator, ultimate scar cream, and silicone scar sheets.  It is a three month supply valued at $89.99.

  For your chance to win please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  Good luck!!!

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We Are Back!!!

  Wow!!!  It has been forever since we've posted, just doesn't seem like it has been almost four months : (  We owe you, our readers, a huge apology and an explanation.  So here goes...Mommy in GA welcomed our newest product tester into the world on March 8th (10 pounds 2 ounces of cuteness), needless to say it was a rough pregnancy (gallbladder removal and a diagnosis of diabetes), a rough delivery, and a long recovery.  We can't wait to get back to posting and hope that ya'll haven't given up on us.  We are going to try to get back to our original format with the daily categories and maybe we will have a surprise or two in store for you in bits of daily wisdom and humor.

  Thank you to all that have continued to check back here from time to time we really appreciate it : )  And for those of you who are new to our blog, Welcome from GA to PA and everywhere in between : )