OutdoorsmanLab is founded with a scientific spirit and a lofty mission: to offer innovative, well-made, and high performance outdoor gear at a revolutionary price.
Open to US entrants only and must be 18+ to enter.
Giveaway Dates ~ 9/10 12:01 AM EST through 9/30 11:59PM EST
Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winners will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winners have 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.
Hey folks! I've not done many
gardening posts this year (have I done any?) because, well, I'm burnt
out on it already. Well, at least this year...Under the
circumstances. Huh?
First of all, I tried to talk everyone
into putting down cardboard, something, anything, to help keep
the weeds controlled because we don't really like having to use
pesticides. Oh. And by “everyone” I'm referring to my husband and
his parents, who planted some stuff in our garden because they don't
really have any good spots for one. Actually, I think they planted
the majority of the stuff, at least in the garden closest to the
house. Anyways...
Naturally, no one listened to me. On
top of that, I got pregnant in June and had the worst morning
sickness and lethargy out of any of my pregnancies, so that put a
real damper on the summer in general.
Last, but not least, I have two kids
already. We have lots of garden areas. If we're going to actually
keep up with them all, I cannot and do not have the time or energy to
take care of all the weeding by myself. It's just not feasible.
So, perhaps we should probably just
cut back on how much we plant. That would make too much sense, right?
We do like having fresh veggies, especially the ones we refuse to buy
from the store because homegrown ones taste sooo much better, like
spaghetti squash. But, I had a thought recently. Unless hubby and
the gang get some form of weed control system in place next year (I
keep insisting he use the “new” wood chipper and mulch the
garden), I would rather set up a trade system or utilize our local
online farmer's market group and trade someone extra fruits and
berries for veggies. I don't mind taking care of the berry bushes
and fruit trees. Maybe it's just because we have less of them, but
they're a helluva lot easier to take care of! Plus, to be honest, I
like fruits better than veggies. Who doesn't?
I never did choose a “niche” for
my blog because 1) It's my blog. I'll write about whatever I damn
well please. 2) I'm interested in far too many things to choose just
one or two, so maybe I'll make up for it on our farm and specialize
in fruits and berries. (Who am I kidding? I would love to have a
pumpkin patch too!) Wouldn't it be kind of fun to have a U-Pick? And
make delicious desserts and jellies out of berries and fruits? I
would love, love, love, to get more bushes and trees whenever we have
the extra money. It's something I get excited about. I don't feel the
same when it comes to, well, “all that other stuff”.
You know what else I get excited about
and don't mind doing? Taking care of animals! I've been kind of
missing the rabbits since they got attacked and killed one night.
Miss Gabby, our American Guinea Hog, should be having piglets in a
month or so, and I'm pretty excited about that too! We just finished
their new pasture, so that's a relief that I will be able to separate
her from Mr.Bruce when the time comes, just in case. Oh. And I guess
the chickens are ok too. ;)
What about you? Did you
decide to specialize in anything after you started farming or
homesteading?
A PlasmaCar in winner's choice of in-stock color! A $69.99 RV!
PlasmaCar is a ride-on toy that uses the natural forces of inertia, centrifugal force, friction, and of course, all that power your child has stored inside. I really appreciate that you don't need any batteries to operate this car. You also don't have to mess around with gears or pedals. Your child can sit back on their patented safety seat and enjoy their fun ride! You can use this indoors or outdoors, but it's best (no matter where you use it), to be on a flat surface. Great for ages 3+ and up to 220 lbs! That's right, if mom and dad want to give it a go, no worries! I know I did!!
Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.
Hey folks! With the (surprising)
popularity of my last homeschool post, I thought, “Hey! Maybe this
is something you guys are interested in. Maybe it will be helpful or
fun if I share a list of my own pros and cons of homeschooling
preschool.” ...In case some of you might be thinking about it
yourself. Keep in mind, we are just starting “for real” this
year, so I'm sure this list will change over time!
Pros
*Wake up whenever we want. This is a major bonus for us because none
of us are early risers!
*No hectic pick up and drop offs at school. We are regularly late to
places. I can't even imagine rushing to get to school in time...only
to wait in line. Not to mention, I'm pretty sure Myka would try to
get in the wrong car...Several times...
*No emotional first days! I'm sure some people still get a little sad
that “their baby” is starting school, but I'm not much of a
crier.
*We can go at our (her) own pace. If we want to spend two weeks
learning about weather, we can. Plus, Myka gets really into her work
sometimes. For example, the other day she probably took close to an
hour just to decorate a windsock we made. She would never be allowed
that much time to work on something at a regular school!
*We can go on field trips or outings anytime we want. For me, this is
a big perk. Admittedly, Myka still mentions wanting to go to “real
school” sometimes. When she brings this up, usually my first and
only response is about the fact that we wouldn't be able to go do fun
stuff, like going to the park, bouncy place, etc., whenever we want.
That she would be stuck inside a building all day long.
*We can do school work whenever we want. Since we get up whenever,
usually eat twice in the morning, and have farm chores to do, we
usually don't get down to the “nitty gritty” stuff until the
afternoon while the little one is napping. Hey. It works for us!
*Since we are able to have such one-on-one, individualized time, I am
able to cater our school work to her unique learning style. While she
would probably be ok in preschool and kindergarten, Myka is very much
a visual and hands-on learner. She needs lots of hands-on and whole
body activities to keep her interest.
Cons
*I don't get NEARLY as much personal time. I am a big fan of alone
time. In fact, being an introvert, I need it. However, this
was a sacrifice I knew I would have to make going into this. I'm a
night owl, so I tend to stay up late for my much needed alone time.
*Myka is not getting as much social interaction as she would be at
school. I will admit, I do think she would benefit from this in ways.
However, don't be fooled. Homeschoolers have plenty of opportunities
to socialize, from library programs to public classes to homeschool
groups/co-ops. And more!
*If you happen to use one, curriculums are pricey! We have a nature
curriculum that we use some, but we got it free for review a few
years ago. Other than that, especially at this age, it's way easier
and more cost effective to come up with your own “plans”.
Do you homeschool? What would you add to this list?
Hey folks! Have you ever shopped for
glasses online? Even if you require prescription eyeglasses,
it's actually not as daunting or scary as it might seem.
GlassesShop.com makes it super easy (and affordable)!
First of all, there are tons of frames
to choose from, for both men and women. Once you find a style you
like, you can even try them on! Simply upload a picture of yourself
and “try on” as many as you like from the comfort of your own
home. No pushy salesman trying to talk you into the most expensive
frames.
Once you've found the perfect pair,
checkout is a breeze as well. Now is the time you will enter your
prescription information (which is super easy to obtain from your
optometrist's office ahead of time) and choose your package. Even the
basic package is a great deal as you receive single vision lenses,
anti-scratch coating, a protective case, and microfiber cleaning
cloth. There are also options if you need multi-focal lenses or just
want/need “fashion” glasses. Different lens types and coatings
are available as well.
I recently had the opportunity to try
out some of GlassesShop.com's prescription sunglasses.
I've never really heard from anyone that has been happy with their
transition lenses, so I opted for some prescription glasses with the
clip on shades. My husband has some and he seems pretty happy with
them, so I figured “why not?”
I have not worn contacts in years nor
have I had any kind of clip on sunglasses for my regular glasses, so
it was really nice to have some relief from the sun finally! After
all, protecting our eyes is just as important as protecting our skin
from the sun. Here are my thoughts in a nutshell on the Lambert Rectangle Clip On Glasses.
*Feel
very sturdy with the metal frame. (Much sturdier than my other
glasses.)
*Clip
on shade slides on easily and held in place by strong magnets at each
end. They stayed on a lot better than I expected! It would be hard
for the shade to come off on accident.
*Since
they come as a set, the shade works perfectly with the eyeglasses.
*The
shade seems just right in that it's not too dark or light.
*Having
sunglasses again has come in so handy for so many things, like
driving and working outdoors. I'm not squinting constantly now,
giving myself headaches.
*The
eyeglasses are attractive by themselves as well.
*The
only issue I have had with these is that the vision seems a little
off. It's no fault of GlassesShop.com,
though. I knew these were men glasses, therefore larger than any of
the ones I already have. I find some of mine to be on the smaller
side, though, so I thought it would be alright.
I
have the exact same prescription in these as my previous pair from
GlassesShop.com that
I received only a few months ago, so my theory is that they are too
large and it's throwing the vision off. OR it's because I'm pregnant
and your vision can change during that time. But, as you can see in
the pictures, they do look a little big on me, don't they?
Again,
not their fault, just make sure you're getting the appropriate size!
Each pair of glasses has specific dimensions listed.
So
what do you think? Are you ready to give online eyeglass shopping and
GlassesShop.com a
try? As I mentioned at the beginning, they really are affordable. My
pair of prescription glasses retails for only $39.95.
Yes, that includes the prescription and yes, that includes all the
basics I listed above as well! And, just in case you need a little
more incentive, here is a coupon code to use at checkout to receive
50% off your order! GSHOT50 (*Please note that sale frames are excluded in this offer.)
Hey folks! It's been quite awhile
since I've had a farm post. To be honest, we've majorly slacked on
the gardens this year. A lot of it got overran by weeds. Such is
life. That's a whole other story, perhaps for a different blog post.
I did want to share some photos with your today just for fun,
though. :)
Sunflowers are one of my favorites. I
got the idea for this sunflower circle at our nature school group. I
just got the darn thing weeded finally, so the kids have only played
in it once. :/ They seemed to enjoy it, though, and that's all that
matters.
I also got some pics of the sunflowers
before the goldfinches eat them all up. We planted a few rows in
hopes to use them in our chicken/bird feed this winter, but they are
already dead/dying! I was wondering what was wrong with them, but
upon further inspection, I think the sneaky birds just got to them
quickly!
We gave the piggies some extra love
over the weekend. I'll admit that I'm bad about giving them much
extra attention when it's hot or cold out. So they got some grass
clippings (which we've been getting into the habit of doing whenever
we mow anyways because we really need to move them!) and back
scratchins. ;) I had some little helpers too. (Don't worry. The fence
was turned off.)
Our regular raspberries and grapes are
just about ready! I checked on the peach trees the other day when I
was weed-eating and was super pissed to find that something had taken
off with the 4 peaches we had on one tree! I don't know why, but I
have been craving peaches really bad lately. I got my fix from a
roadside produce stand on my way home from the doctor, so I'm
planning on canning those tonight. Yum!
Homeschooling is hard, y'all.
Homeschooling a preschooler is ever harder than I thought too. It's
hard teaching a little person things that you take for granted
because you've been doing them so long and come as second nature to
you, such as telling time, counting, learning and writing letters.
Even writing that out it sounds so easy, but it's not!
Maybe it's just my student. In case I
haven't mentioned it a million times, she's very stubborn and
head-strong. (Can't imagine where she gets it from. We're both
guilty, John and I.) She seems to learn more like my husband, which
makes things infinitely harder on me. They like to know why and how
things work. I'm the type of person who could care less about that as
long as whatever it is works.
She's also like my husband in the
sense that she likes to “watch the world burn”. On more than one
occasion, she will choose the wrong answer (for example, if we're
working on our Reading Eggs program online) when I damn well know she
knows the right answer, just to see what happens. -_- Do you know how
insanely frustrating that is?! Especially in the instances where I'm
really not sure whether she knows the right answer or not!
Makes it very difficult to gauge what she really knows.
Wow...With that being said, we are
starting a (somewhat) more official school year this year. She won't
be 5 until October, so we're still doing preschool. Plus, in Indiana,
you don't have to have your child enrolled in any form of
kindergarten until they are 7, at the most. So really, I could give
myself TWO more free years, if I wanted to. But anyways...
With the new baby coming next
March-ish, I figured we really need to start getting into a routine,
both in general and for school. I've been meaning to do this for the
longest time, but I have put it off and put it off and put it off.
Why? Because I am not a routine person. I am a “fly by the
seat of my pants” type of person. I am hoping a routine will help
with Myka's attitude problems and, you know, the whole asking every
night, “What we doin' tomorrow?” issue. So yah. I am literally
just doing this for her. I hope I don't go insane!
The first day went better than
expected. I jotted down a rough idea of what I wanted to get done
when. For example, start off by reading some books in the morning,
feed the animals and play outside for a bit, eat and have “free
time”, and have music time. We, surprisingly, got through all that
before noon and there was only one meltdown when I turned the tv off
after we were finished eating breakfast.
In the afternoon, we ate lunch,
cleaned up the sunroom so we could use it for doing school stuff like
craft projects, and worked on said craft projects, which were letter
and theme related. (We're working on letter “T” and somewhat
still studying birds.) Oh. And I also managed to squeeze some letter
learning in there too, even though my husband got home early. I was a
little disappointed we didn't get to play outside more before the
mosquitoes got bad, but you can't win them all. I think playing
outside is just as important as learning the alphabet...Plus, I'm
pretty sure neither of my kids would stand for not having outdoor
time.
The second day got off to a bad start.
Nothing went like the first day. Myka had seen the tractor craft I
printed out the night before, so that was the first thing she wanted
to do. Letting her do craft projects in the morning was not a good
idea. I try to give her options, but in this case, it didn't end
well. After the tractor, she traced some numbers on a dry erase
board. Then she helped me cut out some pieces for a train craft we
were going to do...Then started getting an attitude and wanted me
to glue the whole thing together for her. Um, no. So, that was all
the school work we got done that day.
I'm planning on using Thursday as a
catch up day since sometimes we go to the library, sometimes we
don't, depending on whether they have any of their kids programs
going on that day. I will definitely be reinforcing the routine from
the first day because it seemed to have worked so well...Besides me
feeling like I didn't spend enough time with Ripley. :( I know we
will figure out what works for us eventually, but routines in general
are just hard for me to stick with and it's so easy to get
discouraged on bad days too, isn't it?
How long did it take you to find a
routine that worked for your family, whether just a general
day-to-day routine or homeschooling?
Hey folks! I really hadn't intended on
publishing one of these every week, but it's just sort of worked out
that way so far. BUT, don't be surprised if the trend doesn't
continue.
Sooo, crazy shit happening this week.
Even though this is my third pregnancy and I realize you tend to show
sooner with subsequent pregnancies, I hadn't expected to notice any
changes any time soon because, well, I'm fluffy. I didn't really feel
like I looked even remotely pregnant with Ripley until I was about 15
weeks. Needless to say, I was more than surprised to notice some
changes going on this week!
As of writing this, I am 11 weeks and
3 days pregnant. I am NOT going to say how tall (short, rather) I am
or how much I weigh, but again, I am fluffy (hear me roar). While I'm
still not showing, I did discover this week that when I am laying
down, my belly button is already starting to “flatten” out and I
can definitely feel the difference in firmness between where my
uterus is and the rest of my stomach/gut region. This just seems so
crazy to me! I hope this doesn't mean I'm going to be huge by the
end. :/ I don't remember my belly button disappearing until well over
halfway with Ripley!
In other news, I have my 1 hour
glucose test in a couple of weeks. Oh boy. Since I had gestational
diabetes last time, I have to take the standard test sooner. Lucky
me. I know I'm more lucky to have it this time, but I'm still really
hoping I won't. It's such a pain in the ass...And I didn't even have
to take insulin! I can't imagine being a full-time diabetic.
Ok. So I realize I'm a freak, but I
can't be the only one out there that actually kind of looks forward
to giving birth, can I? I have a tendency to scour the community
boards on Babycenter at the beginning and end of pregnancies. To be
honest, it's more for entertainment value than anything most of the
time. Anyways, I've noticed an inordinate amount of people already
posting about how they're, like, scared to death of giving birth.
Sorry, but that's part of it. Perhaps you should have thought the
whole “getting pregnant” thing out some more beforehand? I know,
I know, everyone is different, I just don't understand it.
I mean, if you're afraid of the pain,
medication is always an option. Plenty of women go for the epidural.
If you're afraid of something going wrong, well, I hate to tell you,
but that kind of thinking is literally just going to drive you nuts!
And if you're afraid of all the uncertainty, you gotta let that shit
go! Because thinking about all the what-ifs will drive you crazy
too...And there's not a damn thing you can do for unexpected
circumstances other than try to be prepared and knowledgeable about
your choices, if any.
Ok, sorry. I didn't mean to get on a
soapbox. Not sure where that came from! Take away message: There is
enough to worry about when you're pregnant. Don't make it harder on
yourself!
Hey folks! I think we can all agree
that the age of self-publishing has both advantages, but some major
disadvantages as well. Mostly for the reader. With so many books
floating out there now, it can be even harder to find one worth
reading!
Not that he is self-published, but you
don't have to worry about whether Brent Jones' books are worth
reading. I assure you they are. You will definitely want to check
them out and I'll tell you why!
I recently had the opportunity to
review both of Mr.Jones' books, more recently his brand new release
Fender. (Available today! Be sure to follow the links at the
end to purchase your own copy!) Let me tell you, it was an emotional
roller coaster from start to finish!
Nothing could have prepared Brennan Glover for the car crash that
claimed the lives of his wife and six-year-old daughter. Stricken
with grief, the only things that get him through each day are
breaking his sobriety and clinging to Fender—the family dog and the
sole survivor of the crash.
Desperate to distance Brennan from
tragedy, his two closest friends take him on the cross-country road
trip they had always talked about. But what begins as an effort to
mend his broken heart ends up unraveling a secret that changes
everything he thought he knew about his family. Can a journey of six
thousand miles lead Brennan to acceptance and new beginnings?
From
finding the good in an often cruel world to learning to say goodbye
to those we love most, this sophomore release from author Brent Jones
is sure to leave readers longing for home, wherever that may be.
First off,
although I greatly enjoyed his first novel, The Fifteenth of June, I wasn't sure I would be as into this story. I mean, 3
dudes on a cross-country road trip, with a central focus on a dog? (A
“yappy” breed at that. Have I ever mentioned I don't care for
small dogs much? Hate me all you want.) But, as with the first novel,
I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised!
It was much
more...emotional, than I had expected. Let's just say I cried at
least once in the first 60 pages. At first I thought maybe it was
just my crazy pregnancy hormones talking, but evidently I was not
alone in this thinking! As you can read on Mr.Jones' blog post,
several other reviewers got “the feels” too.
With that being
said, I think this is one of those rare books that a man or
woman would enjoy. Sure, it has plenty of sad moments, but there are
a lot of life lessons and wisdom to be gained from it as well. Plus,
who doesn't love a good “bro-mance” story?
As with his first
novel, I found this to be a very easy read (because it's so good!)
and very engaging. It will be a great vacation read or a “the kids
are back in school and I actually have some free time!” read. I
think it will appeal to a broad age-range too.
You can purchase
your own copy of Fender on Amazon. If you enjoy it, I'm
sure Mr.Jones would greatly appreciate your feedback on both Amazon
and Goodreads. Happy reading!
I received an ARC of this book in
order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received.
All opinions are my own.
