Lipton Pure Leaf Tea Review
March 31, 2014

Lipton Pure Leaf Tea Review

Pure Leaf Tea I have always been a fan of Lipton tea and remember drinking it throughout my childhood. When I was in third grade, my parents purchased their farm. It has 80 acres of land. There was a lot that needed to be done on the property and we would go out for a couple of hours to help cut down trees, pick up trash, etc. When we were done with the chores, my dad or mom would make a big gallon pot of Lipton tea. I remember this fondly and think of it whenever I taste the classic flavor of Lipton Tea. The farm For this campaign, I was asked to sample the Lipton Pure Leaf Iced Tea in the raspberry flavor. This tea is a black tea with raspberry flavors added. It has no added color or preservatives. It is sold in a 18.5 ounce container. This tea is sold near me in many places and is easy to find. Is Pure Leaf Tea healthy? The tea has 180 calories for the 18.5 ounce container. It has 57 milligrams of caffeine. I usually try to limit the added sugar in my beverages so I w

Oceanlily Maternity Activewear Review
March 31, 2014

Oceanlily Maternity Activewear Review

Oceanlily is a company that sells maternity activewear. They have a variety of products including tops, bottoms, swimsuits and jackets. For my review, the company sent me a few pieces to try out. I was sent the "Mommy in Training" shirt which is made of bamboo, cotton and spandex. This top is very stretchy and will fit my growing belly well (these pictures were taken at 13 weeks pregnant). I was also sent some of the yoga capris which are so comfortable. They have a panel that can be folded down or it can be worn up over your belly. Both ways feel great. I have worn these walking a few times and love them. Finally, I was sent the Insert Waist shorts which fit good as well and I think that they will be able to fit my expanding belly. The company also has some cute swimsuits available such as this Twist Front Maternity Tankini: All of these items are very comfortable and seem to be well made. Many items are on sale for quite a good price if any of you mommies

Nordic Naturals and Oxylent Review
March 30, 2014

Nordic Naturals and Oxylent Review

During pregnancy, optimal nutrition is very important to help grow a healthy baby. Before I was pregnant, I read about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for mom and baby. I recently found Nordic Naturals which is a company that sells omega-3 supplements. For my review, I was sent a few kinds of omega-3 supplements to try. Right now, I am taking the Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA. This is supposed to be especially beneficial during prenancy and lactation. It comes in soft gels and I take them after a meal with my prenatal vitamin. I was also sent the arctic cod liver oil and the baby's DHA with vitamin D3. Omega-3 fatty acids helps to support brain growth and development during pregnancy- very important! While it is healthy to eat fish, pregnant women have to worry about the amount of mercury that they are consuming. With supplements, you get the amount of omega-3 that you need without the mercury. I was also sent a Prenatal Oxylent drink to try. It is a multivitamin in

Rishi Tea Review
March 29, 2014

Rishi Tea Review

I was recently sent some sample of Rishi Tea to try and enjoyed trying these unique flavors. Some of the kinds that I chose were the raspberry green tea, apple ginseng, Tropical hibiscus, plum oolong, scarlet and cinnamon plum. The first tea that I tried was the plum oolong. I have always been a fan of anything plum or prune flavored and love oolong tea. This tea was fruity and flavorful. I have been noticing that loose leaf tea has a lot more flavor than bagged tea. The next tea that I tried was the apple ginseng. This tea is decaf which I liked drinking in the evening. This tea has a milder flavor but was still tasty. The Tropical hibiscus comes in tea bags and is organic. It is described as exotic and fruity with a hint of spice. I liked all of the different tropical flavors in this tea. The cinnamon plum was another favorite with Saigon cinnamon, currants, hibiscus and plum. It is full bodied and tasty. This is another decaf tea which is perfect for me.  I enj

Buffalo Gourmet Review
March 28, 2014

Buffalo Gourmet Review

The company that I am writing about today, Buffalo Gourmet, has some must try products. I was recently sent some salsas and tortilla chips to try from Buffalo Gourmet. They offer some fun kinds of salsa including fire hot salsa with habanero peppers, roasted chile with black beans and corn and roasted pueblo chile and cilantro. This chips come in some fun flavors as well. This was a review that my husband was very excited for. He loves chips and salsa and was looking forward to trying these new-to-us flavors. The first time we tried Buffalo Gourmet, we brought a bag of the thin white corn chips and the hot salsa over to my parent's house to try. We all really liked this flavor of chips and salsa. The chips are quite low in sodium compared to other brands of tortilla chips which I really appreciated. This kind was very thin and crisp which we loved. The salsa was very flavorful but a bit too hot for me to eat a ton of. My favorite of the salsas has to be the medium sals

Jus by Julie Review and Giveaway
March 27, 2014

Jus by Julie Review and Giveaway

In the past, I have tried juices from juice cleanses and never really liked them. I read some great reviews about Jus by Julie and wanted to try their fresh, blended juices for myself. The flavors sounded great and I stuck with the more fruity blends. I have very much enjoyed trying the Jus by Julie juices and have liked every single one of them. I really like the Sweet Spin which is a blend of spinach, kale, pineapple, banana and mango. In the past, I did not like green juices but love this one. You honestly cannot taste the greens at all. My husband hates green smoothies but I had him try a sip of this one and he actually really enjoyed it. With every single one of these juices, once I started to drink them, I could not stop sipping! Another favorite was the pineapple mint which is pineapple, mint leaves and apple. It is very fresh tasting and delicious. Overall, I do not believe in juice cleanses but do think that fresh juices are a great addition to your diet to get some n

Milan Maternity Review and Giveaway
March 26, 2014

Milan Maternity Review and Giveaway

13 weeks, 3 days I recently found a company called Milan Maternity that makes beautiful, functional maternity clothes. Of course I do not need maternity clothes full time yet but I wanted to start to build a collection of clothes that fit me so I do not have to buy them all at once. Milan Maternity allowed me to pick out a top to review. For my review, I chose the Gisella top in coral. I love the fun color of coral for the springtime. This top is fitted enough to fit me now but long enough to where I hope it will fit me through my whole pregnancy. The top is stretchy which is great. This top is very affordable at only $23 on sale. I know that I will be able to get a lot of use out of this top through my pregnancy. It is good quality and fits nicely. Here are some of my other favorites from Milan Maternity: Giveaway: The giveaway will be for your choice of top from Milan Maternity.

The Pink Monogram Review
March 25, 2014

The Pink Monogram Review

I was recently sent an awesome monogrammed jacket to review from The Pink Monogram. This company offers all kinds of monogrammed items including clothes, accessories, home décor, jewelry, stationary and more. When I saw this jacket, I knew that it would be great for the fall and the springtime when the weather is not too freezing. You have a lot of options when it comes to designing an item from The Pink Monogram . First you choose the item, then the color and then the font and color of the monogram you want. For my jacket, I went with the magnet grey/black jacket with hot pink writing and Sidney font. I got my initials on there (ACH). This jacket is great! I love the way that the monogram looks. The pink stands out really nicely against the grey. The jacket has a hood which will be great for spring rain showers. The price of the monogrammed jacket is $80. This does not seem too bad since it is personalized. This jacket is called the monogrammed hooded soft shell rain j

WellnessMats Review and Giveaway
March 24, 2014

WellnessMats Review and Giveaway

Awhile ago, I had the opportunity to review a mat for my kitchen which I had never had before. It made standing in the kitchen so much more comfortable and I still love it. I was recently contacted by WellnessMats to try one of their fitness mats. It is thick like one of the mats in your kitchen but looks more like a yoga mat. I had never heard of one of these for fitness before so I was very interested. Some of my favorite exercises to do on a mat are planks, side planks and a few weight lifting exercises. I put my fitness mat in the basement to try out next to my treadmill. I have been using the mat to do my workouts and I have to say, it is so much more comfortable than on a yoga mat. This mat is 5/8” thick. My basement floor is tile so it is very hard and cold. This mat makes it a lot easier for me to exercise without having a painful back while lying on my back for weights or hands while doing my planks. The only think that I would change about this mat is that i

Raygun T-shirt Review
March 23, 2014

Raygun T-shirt Review

I was recently sent a few pieces of clothing from a company called Raygun to try out. They are an Iowa based company and have many shirts about Iowa if you are from that state. For my review, I had fun browsing through their items and picking out a few for myself. I love the Firefly tee seen above with a Ball jar and fireflies. It is so cute for the summer. I plan to wear this to my parent's farm for a bonfire this summer. The shirt is super soft and retails for $25. Hello 12 week baby bump peeking out! I was also sent this t-shirt that says "I'm not a player, I just blog a lot". Of course I thought it was perfect for the blog! This tee is $21 and fits true to size. I love how comfortable these shirts are which makes them great for lounging. I chose the windmills v-neck for my husband. I like the v-neck design of this shirt and the bright green color. This shirt is unisex and retails for $21. Raygun has so many different shirts and drinkware to c

Kevala Review
March 22, 2014

Kevala Review

Kevala is a company that sells superfoods, nut butters, spices and more. I love to try every brand of nut butters that I can find so I was excited to try this new-to-me brand. For my review, I was sent the Kevala organic coconut butter, almond butter, cashew butter and organic black sesame seeds. When I got the package, I decided to try the two nut butters right away. The lovely thing about my pregnancy right now is that I want every food, all the time. Everything sounds awesome and I had to try these nut butters right away. I was happy to see that the almond butter is roasted since that gives it so much more flavor. Dry roasted almonds are the only ingredient. It has no added salt, sugar or oils. The nut butter is delicious! I love how creamy it is. It is easily one of my favorite almond butters. I will use this in my oatmeal, on a banana, on toast and more. The cashew butter is very tasty as well. The only ingredient in this is dry roasted cashews. It has a bit less calories

Noonday Collection Review and Giveaway
March 21, 2014

Noonday Collection Review and Giveaway

The first time that I heard about Noonday Collection , I read about their beautiful scarves. They have all different patterns which are beautiful. For my review, I fell in love with this necklace and decided to try that out. I was sent the Tushabe Layered Necklace for my review. It featured 7 necklaces all combined into one. This necklace makes quite a statement! It has handcrafted paper beads, seed beads and horn. The necklace is made in Uganda . The name Tushabe comes from one of the Uganda artisans. I really like this necklace. I paired it with a simple top since the necklace is so detailed. I think that you could wear this to any occasion including work, a date, casual lounging, etc. I will get a lot of wear out of this beautiful necklace this summer! Giveaway The giveaway will be for the Tushabe Layered Necklace from Noonday Collections (valued at $84.00).

13 Sunday Night Dinners
March 20, 2014

13 Sunday Night Dinners

In my family, we love to have nice meals together. They are not always on a Sunday but I know that Sunday night dinners are very popular with others. In my family, we enjoy getting together any day of the week for a nice dinner since we live very close. When my husband and I moved to the same city as my parents did, my parent's gave us a gift for "Tuesday Night Barbecues" as a reminder that we can get together anytime. When we get together for a dinner, we rarely ever eat the same meal twice. My mom loves to cook, I love to cook, my dad loves to cook. We also love to try all different kinds of foods. I created this Foodie collection of recipes that we may try. Chicken piccata is a longtime family favorite and white lasagna is a new favorite that my dad recently made. My parents have been making stuffed shells for years. As a child, I did not like them very much. Now, I crave them all the time. Also, chicken cacciatore is a favorite as well. These recipes come

Wedding and Wedding Party Dresses
March 20, 2014

Wedding and Wedding Party Dresses

I ’ve recently spoken about my love for formal dresses. There is something about picking out a beautiful dress and getting all dressed up. My family and I really love finding different events where we can dress up and go out together. I have mentioned this before but have not talked about it too much until now. My brother is getting married in 3 months! His wedding date is June 14 th and we are all very excited. I was asked to stand up as a bridesmaid which is great and my husband is going to be my husband’s best man.   For the wedding, the bridesmaids are wearing a beautiful, knee length mint colored strapless dress. When we went to try on dresses, this dress looked good on everyone in the wedding party. I ordered my dress a couple of sizes up and hope that it will fit my pregnant belly. We all cannot wait to get all dressed up and celebrate this very special day all together. JJs House is a website that sells different prom dresses, wedding dresses, wedding party d

Modere Review
March 20, 2014

Modere Review

I participated in a Blogger Activation on behalf of   Mom Central Consulting   for   Modere   I received a promotional item to facilitate my review and to thank me for my participation. Finding great household products always makes cleaning my house a little bit easier. I was recently provided with a gift card from Modere to try out their products. For my review, I chose the laundry detergent powder and dishwasherpods to try out. They also have health and wellness, personal care items and of course household products. Modere has some of the safest products on the market. They perform to high standards and are inspired by nature, delivered by science. Now that I am pregnant, safe products are especially important to me. I stopped using any strong chemicals. For example, I had my husband clean our shower instead of me since the chemical was too strong. I am constantly on the lookout for eco-friendly products. I was excited to try out the dishwasher pods and laundry dete

Kuhn Rikon Review and Giveaway
March 20, 2014

Kuhn Rikon Review and Giveaway

I had reviewed Kuhn Rikon in the past and really like their products. For my review, I was sent the julienne peeler, a mini cheese cleaver and a pairing knife to try. In the last year or so, my husband and I have agreed that the best kitchen tool is an excellent knife. I love ceramic knives for cutting really hard foods such as squash and sweet potatoes. The mini cheese cleaver is great for cutting cheese. It is sharp and I love the apple green color.   The pairing knife is great for cutting up small fruits and vegetables. I just used it to finely dice garlic. Both of these knives are sharp and helped to make my cooking easier. I have wanted to try a julienne peeler for a long time now. This one from Kuhn Rikon is perfect. It is sold on Amazon.com for about $16. I actually almost bought this same one around Christmas and decided to wait. The first vegetable that I tried this on was a cucumber. It is easy to use and created tiny strips of cucumber for my salad. I

Chic Tweak Review and Giveaway
March 19, 2014

Chic Tweak Review and Giveaway

This winter, scarves have been my best friend. This has been the coldest winter of my life and wearing scarves has helped to keep me warm. I recently found a company called Chic Tweak which sells all kinds of beautiful scarves and accessories. For my review, I chose the Lulla Pebbles scarf. The scarf is made of 100% wool and is very warm. I love infinity scarves and this one is perfect. The purple and blue colors match with grey, white, black, blue, purple, etc. I can wear this scarf to work, on a date, to church, etc. It feels like it is very well made too. It also comes in a mustard color and retails for $80.00. I loved checking out the different scarves that Chic Tweak has to offer. Here are some of my other favorites from Chic Tweak: Giveaway The giveaway will be for one Chic Tweak scarf from the Bindya or Lulla line of your choice.