July Reading Challenge #1 - The Olympics

The Olympics are in London this Month!! I don't know about you, but I love watching the Olympics.  I am so freakin excited.  In celebration I will be participating in a reading Challenge on one of my Goodreads groups.  The Challenge is simple enough, but fun as well.  Only 5 books are needed

1. Host Country: Set in London or has a British main character
2. Opening Ceremonies: Athlete (from any sporting event) as main character
3. Events: Sports theme that is also a Summer Olympic Event
4. Medal Ceremony: Cover is Bronze, Silver, or Gold or has Bronze, Gold or Silver in the Title
5. Go Home Team: Book set in your own country/character from own country

Here are my choices (again not all of these are family friendly)

1. Host Country About Last Night Ruthie Knox

2. Opening Ceremonies Taking a Shot Jaci Burton

3. Events Ride with Me Ruthie Knox

(too bad they took Baseball out of the games, or I would have had a lot more choices)

4. Medal Ceremony (working on this one) maybe Game of Thrones George RR Martin

5. Go Home Team Heaven, Texas Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Note: I was not compensated in any way for these books. I purchased them all on my own for my Kindle after finding them on Goodreads.com

AP Codes - Amazon.com Discount Finder!

It is no secret that I LOVE Amazon.com... seriously I go to them for almost anything and everything.  One of the things I love most about Amazon is that you can find a good deal on most things.  One of the things that frustrates me about amazon is that you often miss out on the really GOOD deals because the site is so huge you just can't find all the deals and steals, especially if you are in a hurry.



APcodes.com aims to alleviate some that frustration by offering you a straightforward way to find Amazon.com discounts.  You can use the website interface, sign up for email alerts, or they even have a toolbar!

If they happen to miss one, you can submit them as well.



 

I will certainly be adding APcodes to my deal finding sites.

 

 

Note: This post is a sponsored post.

 

What I'm Reading - June Spell it Out Challenge

So since my hands have forsaken me and knitting is more of a challenge than a pleasure of late, I have gotten back into reading... a LOT.  I LOVE to read and am currently stuck on cheesy romance novels.  I don't know why they appeal to me at the moment, they never really have in the past... I think it is the fact that they all end with a happily ever after (HEA).  Actually I started reading them after I finished the Hunger Games trilogy and just felt spent.  I needed something with an HEA and got hooked.  Generally, they are light reads and fairly fast for me.

I joined a reading challenge on Goodreads (Love that site by the way.. feel free to friend me the link is in the sidebar).  It is a simple enough challenge... Pick a word that describes June to you and find a book to match each letter.  I chose Showers.  I know April is known for Showers, but here in Houston (in a non-drought year) we typically get a afternoon shower more often than not in June (and July).

So without further ado... Here is my list.  Please note not all of these titles are "family friendly" as a matter of fact the last 4 are far from it.  But I am an adult, if you aren't don't read them ;)

S - Summer Desserts (Great Chefs, #1) by Nora Roberts
H - The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
O - One Summer by Nora Roberts
W - Worth the Scandal by Karen Erickson
E - Effortless by SC Stevens
R - Running with the Devil by Lorelei James
S - Sylvain Reynard Gabriel's Inferno

So what is on your reading list for the month?

You Can Do It Pack Potty Pack ~ Review and Giveaway ~

If you asked me what my least favorite part of being a parent is, I wouldn't hesitate... Potty training.  I hate it with a passion.  Not that I want my kids in diapers forever, but I just HATE the act of potty training.  Maybe it is because my almost 5 year old is still having problems, maybe it is because my oldest and middle child were each ready to potty train just about the time their younger sibling was born.  But for whatever reason, I have not be able to find the magic combination to get my kids 100% "there".  They both know what the potty is, they both use it when told, it is the getting them to go and use it without mommy and daddy telling them it is time that gives us trouble.



I was recently given the opportunity to try the "You can do it" potty training pack from Potty Time (from the makers of Signing Time).  The pack consists of a Board Book, DVD, CD, Potty Timer Watch, and a stuffed Hopkins (the little froggy dude).  My kids love the Hopkins and take him to go potty quite frequently.  My daughter likes watching the DVD, like seriously she REQUESTS it and my son REQUESTS we read the book.  My favorite part of the pack, however, is the Potty Timer watch.  I like it so much, in fact, I bought a second one so my 4 and 2 year olds could each have there own.



The potty Timer watch is easy for mommy or daddy to set, but hard for little hands to unset.  You can set it for 30, 60, or 90 minutes.  At the given interval it plays one of 3 songs.  I like that because unlike the kitchen timer I had used in the past, it doesn't wake up the baby every time it goes off!  Also, unlike the kitchen timer, the potty watch has a patent pending timer that automatically resets itself and starts counting down again.  If you need for your child to stay on the potty longer, you can also move the watch to "PLAY" mode and just play the music (motivational Potty lyrics included).

The DVD uses song and visuals to motivate kids to take charge of the potty.  The accompanying CD gives you tunes to make potty time fun.  I have read a number of potty training books, geared toward kids, and I really like the Potty Time book.  It it simple enough to get the point across without being so simple as to miss the point entirely (I know that makes no sense, but trust me on this).  Hopkin gives the child a potty companion and the parent a teaching tool.  Combined with the Potty Timer Watch, you really do have the complete package.

If you are looking for one of the best ways to potty train, I suggest you check out the Potty Time You Can Do It Pack.

Place to find Potty Time: Twitter, Facebook, and the Website

You can win your own You Can Do It pack below.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Mom Blog Society Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers

Filippo Berio® Olive Oil ~ BzzAgent Review ~

Growing up in the South, we fry everything. I always joked that if we could find a way to fry a stick of butter and eat it we would... sadly that joke became a reality and some of the recent Texas State Fairs (where vendors literally compete for fry the most outrageous and unhealthy things and get people to eat them, but I digress). All that said, I did not grow up using olive oil. We always had Vegetable oil because that fries stuff better and Butter because that browns better (and lets face it Buter makes anything taste better).  As I grew up and ventured on my own, I learned healthier ways of cooking, including pan frying and stir frying.  I also discovered the wonders of olive oil.  Along the way I also discovered that, unlike vegetable oil, when it comes to Olive Oil, quality really does matter.  Filippo Berio EVOO comes from 150 of Tuscan tradition and offers a rich, full bodied flavor for whatever you use it for.

I recently tried Filippo Berio^® Extra Virgin Olive Oil in my every day cooking.  Granted I have not been cooking as much as I would like, but when I do I am trying very hard to reach for my EVOO in place of my Veggy Oil or Butter.  You can use it anywhere you would have used veggy oil or butter in the past as well as in marinades, dressings, dips, and more.

Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a heart healthy addition to your diet.  It provides the following benefits:

• All Natural


• High in monounsaturated fats (also known as "good fat")


• Has no trans fat or cholesterol


• Has no sugar, salt, or gluten


• Can help reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as help control blood pressure and blood sugar levels

 

Note: I received the product in question as part of a BzzAgent Campaign. All Opinions are my own.

Picaboo Classic Photo Book ~ Review ~

As a photographer I am always looking for ways to use and display all the pretty pictures I take (not trying to be cocky, that is just the term I use when I am going to go take pics).   Whether the pics are beautiful nature shots commemorating a fun day or weekend, or fun candids of my kids, I like to actually do more with my photos that store them away hidden on my hard drive.  That being said, I am NOT NOT NOT a scrapbooker.  I just can't get into it. I can't even get up the motivation to TRY to like it, it is just not me.  Give me a camera, some knitting needles, or a sewing machine any day... give me scissors, fancy paper, stickers, and a book... nope not my thing in the slightest.  But There are times I still like to gather a set of pictures together for whatever reason, whether for myself or as a gift, Photo Books are a perfect solution for the scrapbooking challenged such as myself (they are great for those that can scrap as well ;) ).

I have used a number of different online services to create said photo books.  I was recently introduced to Picaboo's Photo Book service.  Unlike many of the services, they have a downloaded stand-alone application you can use to create your masterpiece.  I really thought this made the service more user friendly, faster, and easier.   There are over 20,000 backgrounds to choose from and you can do as little or as much work as you would like.  I chose kind of a middle ground, I used one of their built in themes and them rearranged the pages as I saw fit. One of the features I liked best about the Picaboo Photo Book was the full color photographic cover.  Below you will see a picture of the cover of my 8x10 hard cover Photo Book.



Don't forget to sign up for Picaboo's

Find Picaboo on the Web, Facebook, their blog, Twitter, and Pinterest

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.