Playdough, Park, and Hermie

Wednesday was a spontaneous fun-filled day for us. In the morning my little girls were getting into everything while we were trying to get our chores done, so we pulled out all our Playdough gear. We haven't played with Playdough in awhile so that kept them occupied long enough for us to get some work done. I think the older kids have just has much fun with Playdough as the younger ones. :)

I haven't been feeling well the past 2 weeks, either due to allergies or pregnancy or combination of both--- but I just feel blah all the time. I knew that we just needed to get out of the house and have some fun. Since the temperature was nice, I thought a day at the park would be the perfect outing. We called some friends to see if they could meet us, packed a lunch and drove to the next town to play on their playsets.

For the car-ride home we put in our new video from Tommy Nelson called "Hermie: Who Is In Charge Anyway? A Lesson in Growing Up With God." I received this DVD as part of the BookSneeze program and was looking forward to seeing this new movie since my girls love Flo and Hermie. (I listened to it while driving and then watched it at home) ;)

Who is in Charge Anyway? is about a little flea who learns that God didn't make anyone by accident and that he's not finished with us yet. The lesson is based on Psalm 90:16 "Show your servants the wonderful things you do; show your greatness to their children."

I love that Tommy Nelson has wholesome videos my children can watch. This video flipped back and forth between older snippets from previous movies and the current storyline. This was to show Freddie how God worked in the other characters' lives. My 8yr. old was able to follow the flipping back and forth because she remembered seeing the original movies. My 3yr. and almost 2yr. old had a hard time paying attention to the movie. It seemed a little slow and confusing for them to follow. I was a little disappointed that it didn't hold their attention as well as their favorite Flo movie. Still, the message was good and I think if they were a little older they would have been able to follow along better. This DVD has several other features added such as a trivia game, behind the scenes and sing-along. My 8yr. old enjoyed seeing and using these features. I would probably recommend this video for kids 4 and up. 

So sometimes unplanned days have fun events unfold!




Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Eco-Fingerpaint : Review & Giveaway

 Over the past year, my family has been trying to incorporate more eco-friendly and organic products into our lifestyle. I was thrilled when I found the EcoMom website and store. Here is part of their vision statement:

Founded to address the connection between the health of our environment and the health of our children, EcoMom is committed to making eco-conscious living easy, affordable, and rewarding. By helping women begin to take better care of themselves and their families – with education, support, tools and products - we empower them to take the all important first steps toward a healthier, more balanced, and sustainable lifestyle.

There are so many things in the EcoMom store that have caught my eye--mainly their organic/eco-friendly baby supplies, toys and cleaning products. They have recently started a new program called EcoPass, which allows you to get 15% discount plus free shipping on every order if you purchase an annual membership.

After getting in touch with EcoMom, they generously sent me some of their Gluten Free Eco-Fingerpaints to try with my 3yr. old daughter. These paints are made with all natural ingredients including fruit, plant, and vegetable extracts. The product contains 6 powdered paints and extra containers to mix the paint colors.

These fingerpaints are very different than the gel-like fingerpaints sold in most craft stores. Since there are no artificial dyes, the colors have a nice earthy, muted tone. The texture of the paint tends to be a little gritty and the paint does dry fast on little fingers leaving a powdered residue. My daughter asked to have a towel nearby so she could wipe her fingers as needed. Once she got use to the feel of the paint, she enjoyed creating her little masterpieces.

What I liked:
* I liked knowing the paints are made with all natural ingredients. Knowing these paints are safe to use with children who have gluten allergies is also a big plus.

* I liked that I could mix smaller amounts of paint to kind of help control some of the waste we usually have with fingerpainting. (My daughter likes to have blobs of fingerpaint on plates which lead to waste). Since each color has its own mixing cup, I can make as much as I need.

* I liked that I could make the paints thinner or thicker by changing the mix/water ratio. I like thicker paints, my daughter likes the paint to be a little runny. It was easy to customize preferences.


EcoMom has offered to give a set of these paints away to one of you! And since they want all of you to be winners, they have also allowed me to share a special 15% discount code for your first order. Just use SBBL195 to redeem this discount. (good through April 30, 2010)



Ways to Win:
1. Mandatory: Go to the EcoMom website and tell me one product that catches your eye and post it in the comment section below.

Optional Ways: (You need to leave a separate comment for each option since I use Random.org to pick winners.)

2. Follow me on Twitter
3. Follow EcoMomCEO on Twitter.
4  Become a fan of EcoMom on Facebook
5. Join EcoMom's newsletter


You have until Tues. April 13 to enter!  The winner will be posted on Wed. April 14. Giveaway is now closed!

*I was given the product for review purpose only.. Opinions on this product are mine.