As a mother of four boys I know there are times I just don't relate to them. When my teen girls come to me in tears for no reason I can relate, but when the boys face struggles and make choices that seem "wrong" to me I'm often at a loss. As a single mother I don't have a husband to turn to in these situations so I have to wing it and do my best.

I was recently given a copy of a new book to review. Mother and Son, the Respect Effect, by Emerson Eggerichs, PhD, explores the relationships mothers and sons have, and the needs sons have for respect from their mothers. The book teaches that boys need their mother's respect even when they're misbehaving. While girls and women are more apt to  crave love during times of stress and conflict boys and men are more likely to seek respect. The key to this book is that mother's need to respect their sons and sons need to know they are respected by their mothers.

Having a son who can present some real discipline challenges I was eager to find new ideas in dealing with him, to help him find ways to grow into a happy, adjusted young man prepared to love himself and corral his own emotions.

After reading the majority of the book I realized that the information presented provided a very new-to-me point of view and that I didn't necessarily agree with everything in it. However, I was able to try a few different strategies the book presented and while I'm not yet sure how successful these strategies will be, but I think they're certainly worth trying. I did appreciate the author's point of view and he certainly gave me some things to think about.

The book, Mother and Son, is available through Love and Respect as is a sneak peek of the book.

To get your own free copy leave a comment on this post sharing a parenting joy and a winner will be randomly chosen for a free copy of this insightful book. Good luck!

*The Purex brand provided me with a sample of Purex plus Clorox 2 detergent in exchange for a product review. However, all opinions expressed here are my own.

My son Ian graduated from high school at the beginning of May (go Ian!). The evening before his high school graduation he graduated from college with his AA degree (go Ian!!). Icing the cake, he graduated near the top of his class with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He's a smart cookie.


In addition to celebrating Ian's graduation I wanted to use the opportunity that event provided to take a family picture with my parents. Of course, that meant dressing the children in decent clothes when 90% of their wardrobe is swimwear and the other 10% is casual clothes (at least that's how it feels to me). Anyhoo ... dress clothes meant shopping. New clothes were purchased for Adam and Kaden, including a nice solid white polo shirt. Oh, and aren't those neckties fantastic?


After graduation and pictures we went out for pizza. Guess who wore pizza sauce? Yes, the boy in the white polo shirt.

After washing the shirt in my regular detergent the stain was still there.

I was given a bottle of Purex plus Clorox 2 detergent to try and review, with specific instructions to take a before and after picture of a stain. Up for a challenge, this shirt presented either a perfect opportunity to do that before/after picture or a perfect opportunity to tell you the detergent didn't work - after all,  this was an already washed shirt and the stains hadn't budged.

So we have a before shot (sorry for the really bad picture, yikes!):


I pre-soaked with a tiny bit of the bleach free detergent, then about 5 minutes later tossed the shirt into the washer with the rest of the laundry load.


After:


I'm not kidding. It worked great. I had to find my before pictures to figure out where the stain had been to take the "after" picture.

Overall, my whites got whiter with the detergent and it removed set in stains. I couldn't be more impressed and, because it's Purex, the price is right too. As if that weren't enough it smells good and two scents are available - Sunny Linen and Original Fresh.

I'm loving this new detergent and what it's done for our clothes.

Convinced? Want to try it yourself? Enter to win your own bottle by entering below! Good luck!

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Many of my kids are voracious readers and love finding new books to read. We've found, though, especially with the boys, that once you get past the Hardy Boys and Harry Potter you enter an adult world of books which often have a little more romance and graphic violence than middle school kids need or can really relate to.

I was recently introduced to Brian Wells' new novel The League and the Lantern, and I have to say it really fits the bill for middle school boys (and Moms ... I really enjoyed this book) by being entertaining, suspenseful, age appropriate, and a whole lot of fun.



I'll be the first to admit that when I heard it was for middle school boys I was, as is my usual, very skeptical. I was expecting a bit of brain candy with no real substance. Before opening the package I told my son, Kaden, that I needed him to read the book, but inside I was cringing a bit thinking I was giving him something he'd feel was beneath his abilities and maturity.

My bad. This book nails it. It begins with adventure and adventure happens on every page of the book. The words aren't small and simple, with the top 140 works middle schoolers need to know subtly blended into the text, and neither is the plot, full of twists and surprises. The book is very, very engaging, and even I was hooked from the first page.

The book begins when we meet Jake, a seventh grader starting a new school, who is in the midst of recovering from a near drowning in a local fountain. Jake doesn't have the best of luck in social situations and being the new kid doesn't help. But he perseveres as best he can. He and his 7th grade class are having a sleepover which is invaded by a dangerous organization. What follows is 48 hours of excitement as Jake and his new classmates TJ and Lucy fight to survive on the streets of Chicago with new adventures meeting them at every turn of the page. The three unlikely companions learn to work together and develop a strong bond and friendship through understanding, humor, and compassion.

Brian Wells wrote The League and the Lantern to fill a void, seeing a need for great engaging entertainment options for his own kids. To get the book to print and distributed he created a Kickstarter campaign to raise $10,000. That goal was met in the first four hours and amount raised in 30 days was a crazy $62,000.

Kaden, 13, gives the book a thumbs-up, and he's already looking forward to a sequel. He really devoured the book and is excited to have River read it when he's old enough.

You can get your own copy of this book from LeagueandLandern.com, $16.99 plus shipping for the hardcover book and $7.99 for the e-book. The book is written for ages 9-14, but will appeal to older kids/adults as well. You can also find a preview of the first six chapters of the book at that site.

I'm really excited to share that I have a copy of the book to give away! Just leave a comment below (any comment at all - makes no difference what it says, but something fun would be great!) to be entered to win and I'll choose a winner next Saturday morning, May 21st. Good luck!!

When I was given the opportunity to review the movie edition of the book "90 Minutes in Heaven, a True Story of Life and Death" I might have rolled my eyes a little bit, initially thinking it was just another book about a guy who died and went to Heaven. And then I read a little more - while Don Piper, the author of this 245 page paperback book, did die and go to Heaven, he was not happy to have been come back to life, which really sets the story apart and makes it quite interesting and well worth reading.

Don, a pastor, was involved in a serious car accident. Paramedics and rescue workers declared him dead and lay a tarp over his severely mangled body. 90 minutes later, after experiencing the joy, love, and peace of Heaven, while being prayed for by a priest who happened on the accident scene Don begrudgingly came back to life to face the immense pain and agony of his recovery.

Don Piper very honestly shares his story, including his anger, depression, and pain during the year he was hospitalized. He discusses his faith and why he believes God returned him to earth and why he had to go through all the agony that he did, what he gained from his experience, and what he feels his calling is post-accident.

I found this to be a very enjoyable book. It's an easy read, and interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. While it's impossible to fully understand what Don has gone through he did a good job describing his experience, allowing the reader to be immersed in the story.

What was most interesting to me was how many people I know who've read the book. As soon as I'd mention that I was reading it other people would share their take on it.

The new movie "90 Minutes in Heaven" is being released nationwide September 11th. The movie stars Hayden Christensen, Kate Bosworth, Michael W. Smith, Fred Thompson, Dwight Yoakam, and Jason Kennedy. The movie is rated PG-13 because of the intense accident scenes (once you read the book you'll understand).

I'm thrilled to be giving away a copy of the movie edition of the book "90 Minutes in Heaven". Just enter using the rafflecopter below and good luck! If you have read the book, read the book, or see the movie please share your thoughts on it in the comments.

(Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.)

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Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
 

Have you heard of new Renuzit Pearl Scents?

The long-lasting scented odor-neutralizing gel-type balls are encased in an attractive, decorative container with a slotted lid to release the fresh, gentle air freshener. They blend in well with home decor, so they don't have to be hidden in a secret corner.

I placed my container of Renuzit Pearl Scents near my downstairs bathroom, which is also home to the dreaded, stinky litterbox. The Sparkling Rain scent has been much preferred over the cat box smells, which has been minimized as a result of the odor neutralizers in the formula. Definitely an improvement!

Would you like to win your own container of Renuzit Pearl Scents? Of course! Enter below for your chance to win 2, yes two, coupons for free Renuzit Pearl Scents. Good luck!

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Sweet, gentle Dial Baby Body + Hair Wash for newborn to 2 year olds. This wash very gently removes dirt with an odor-free formula. Perfect for extra soft, sensitive baby skin.

New Dial Kids Foaming Hand Wash with a watermelon scent. River loves the smell of this hand wash and so do I, but for different reasons. He just thinks it's a great scent, but I like it because it's so easy to tell if his hands are clean by the nice, sweet, watermelon scent. He also likes the foaming and how easily it washes off, and that he knows his hands are clean when he doesn't see any more bubbles.


Both of these washes were developed by pediatric dermatologists, with the resources of Dial's 67 years of product development, so they are super gentle and cleansing. Both products are hypoallergenic with no artificial parabens or dyes, and are pH balanced.

Would you like to try your own bottles of either Dial Baby Body and Hair Wash or Dial Kids Foaming Hand Wash - or even one of each? Enter below to win two coupons for your choice of either of these new Dial products. Good luck!

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The Dial brand provided me with a sample of Dial Baby Body and Hair Wash and Dial Kids Foaming Hand Soap in exchange for a product review. All the opinions expressed here are my own. 

In addition to the Dial Miracle Oil Body Wash I reviewed recently, Dial has also introduced new Miracle Oil Hand Soap infused with Marula Oil. As much as I like the body wash, I was super excited to get to try the hand soap and I was not disappointed.


The soap is super gentle on skin and the marula oil keeps hands soft even with frequent washing by nourishing while protecting skin from damaging free radicals. At the same time, the miracle oil has deep cleaning power to remove dirt. What a perfect combination!


I liked the feel and lathering of this hand soap. True to it's word, my hands felt clean and fresh after washing, without feeling super dry.

Would you like your own bottle of Dial Miracle Oil Hand Soap? Enter below to win two free bottles of this wonderful hand soap. Good luck!

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The Dial brand provided me with a sample of Dial Miracle Oil Hand Soap in exchange for a product review. However, all the opinions expressed here are my own. 

Congratulations to Amy, winner of the Purex Crystals ScentSplash in wash fabric scent booster.


Stay tuned for a new giveaway offer coming up very soon!

Congratulations to Cheryl, winner of the Dial Boutique Collection Hand Soap.

Another wonderful giveaway has started for Purex Crystals ScentSplash, be sure to enter now and often!

Once or twice I've mentioned my happy infatuation with Purex Crystals and how I like to use it in every wash load. I love, love, love the long lasting fresh scent the Purex Crystals provide.

Stinky socks ... no problem, they come out of the wash smelling better than new. Towels left on the floor smell fresh and clean after washing, instead of having a mildew odor. T-shirts in a drawer for weeks smell wonderful.

Well, we ran out and I've been waiting, impatiently, for a BOGO to buy more. In the meantime, our laundry is not smelling anywhere near as super awesome as it used to. When I was given a chance to try and review new Purex Crystals ScentSplash I was thrilled!

ScentSplash is new to the market, becoming available April of 2015. This is a liquid in-wash fragrance booster, different than the previous shake-in crystals. Three scents are available; Fresh Spring Waters, Fresh Lavender Blossom, and Fresh Mountain Breeze.

I was given the Fresh Spring Waters scent to try. For the first load I used about half a cap full, probably about 3 tablespoons worth, in a full load of laundry. That, for me, turned out to be way too much. The scent was a little flowerier than I'm comfortable with and was very strong. For the next load I used just a tablespoon or so of the product. Perfection. The clean laundry smells great, is a much more comfortable amount of scent, and using less took the scent from "flowery" to clean and refreshing. Using such a small amount means this a bottle of this will go a very long way.

It's very easy when folding the laundry to tell which items were washed with the liquid crystals. Even with a fabric softener sheet in the dryer, the clothes washed with the crystals smell fresher and cleaner.

Would you like to try Purex Crystals ScentSplash for yourself? Well, you're in luck! Enter below to win coupons for two free bottles of Purex Crystals. Good luck!

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The Purex brand provided me with a sample of Purex Crystals ScentSplash in exchange for a product review. However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.

Check this out!

Dial is introducing a new hand soap - Boutique Collection Sugar Cane Husk Scrub. The soap is very luxurious, with gentle micro-scrubbers built into the formula, leaving hands and skin clean and healthy. Gentle conditioners moisturize skin and visibly improve dryness. As much as we do, and should, wash our hands this is wonderful news.

With a calming, sugar cane inspired scent this soap is terrific for the entire family, while still feeling like a luxurious indulgence.


I happen to know, based on personal experience and information I've gathered, that boys and men are generally not notorious hand washers. Less than 80% of men wash their hands regularly without being reminded and, in this house, at least 50% of the boys have to be reminded all the time. Well, I'm determined to have my sons be a part of the all-the-time hand washing group! This hand soap, with it's micro-scrubbers, cleans deeply, making it easy for the boys to get the nooks and crannies of their hands clean and the pump bottle is so easy to use there are no excuses for not washing. The hope is that a soap as convenient and effective as this will help enforce that washing habit.

How about a bottle or two to try for yourself? Great! I've got two coupons for free bottles of hand soap to give to one lucky winner! Good luck.

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Splurge. 

Marula Oil is a wonderful beauty ingredient, an all-natural, moisture rich, highly nutritious, light textured oil that hydrates and refreshes skin with nutrient rich anti-oxidents. With new Dial Miracle Oil Body Wash with caring Marula oil you can now splurge on this wonderful oil without spending a small fortune.

I was given a sample of this body wash to try for myself and to try on the family. The scent is gentle, not girly at all, and the kids had no hesitation in using the body wash. Micro Oil Technology creates a luxurious clean-rinsing lather that feels just right and leaves skin feel soft and smooth.

While I did let the kids try this I banned them from the rest of the bottle once I'd used it so I wouldn't have to share! The body wsah felt great and left my skin feel refreshed, clean, soft, and healthy.


Enter below to win two bottles of Dial Miracle Oil Body Wash. One winner will receive two coupons, each for a free bottle of body wash. While most of the entries are one-time deals you are welcome to come back every day to tweet about the giveaway for more entries. Good luck!

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The Dial brand provided me with a sample of Dial Miracle Oil Body Wash in exchange for a product review. However, all the opinions expressed are my own. 

Easter!

My kids and I love candy, baskets, eggs, and the Easter bunny as much as anyone else and we look forward to celebrating with all of that at our house each year. It's a lot of fun to wake up Easter morning with a basket full of bright, spring colored goodies, isn't it?

However, as fun as that is it's not the only thing I want my kids to take away from Easter. I want them to know that there is much more to Easter than sugar and chocolate and more sugar, that the true meaning of Easter is far more important.

Easter Stories, Classic Tales of the Holy Season, helps to share the true meaning of Easter with read-aloud stories for the family. Not only are the stories Easter and Holy Week centered but they are also very well written, high quality, easy to read classics. The stories contain suspense and drama, perfect for capturing the attention of young listeners.


The 374 page softcover book contains 27 stories from authors such as Oscar Wilde, Leo Tolstoy, and The Brothers Grimm.


The book is illustrated with beautiful original woodcuts.

River and I have really enjoyed these stories. We haven't yet read through all of them (reading out loud makes me yawn, what's up with that?) but have enjoyed the ones we have read, and I look forward to sharing more with him.

More information about Easter Stories can be found here at Plough.com. Easter Stories: Classic Tales for the Holy Season is available at Amazon. com for $13.34, regularly $18. The book can also be found at Barnes and Noble and Indie Bound.


 Enter below to win your own copy of Easter Stories. Good luck!

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/Fly By Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

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Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and are not influenced by compensation. I did receive a sample of the book in exchange for this review and post.

Congratulations to Amy, winner of the 23 Blast DVD.

More giveaways coming soon, check back often, add us to your feed reader, or subscribe to our e-mail list so you don't miss any of our awesome sales, giveaways and tie happenings.

Congratulations to Andrea, the winner of the Nourish book given away recently reviewed and given away.

There's still a day left to enter to win the 23 Blast DVD. Good luck to you.

"One kid who thought he could do nothing ended up doing more than most people. This affects me because it tells people not to give up." - Adam Sanders


Travis Freeman was a high school football star with a perfect cheerleader girlfriend and a seemingly perfect, right on track, life. He had the world at his fingertips until an infection left him suddenly, irreversibly blind.

23 Blast tells his story, how he overcame incredible odds to do what no one, especially himself, believed he could do.

Be sure to enter the giveaway for your own copy of 23 Blast at the bottom of this post.

This movie is based on the real life story of Travis Freeman, an educator and minister who became blind as a child and did, truly, play football.

When the kids and I were given the opportunity to review this movie I jumped at the chance, thinking that this type of amazing success story would be a great lesson for the kids and, because it's about a football player, would keep them entertained. It seemed like a really good fit for this home full of boys.

We gathered together, popcorn at the ready, and, in no time at all, were hooked on this film. Very good family entertainment. We laughed, mostly at scenes between Travis and his best friend, Jerry Baker. Jerry is a bit of a troublemaker and clearly likes to have a good time - going as far as to let Travis, blind, drive his truck, which left us laughing so hard we couldn't stop. I cried a tear or two. And we cheered Travis on as he learned to live with his new found blindness and thrive doing the things he loved.


The real-life Travis Freeman has a cameo in the movie, playing a preacher speaking in church to the character Travis Freeman. The kids liked that, it gave them a "real person" to put with the movie and added a lot of credibility to the movie for them.

Other actors of the movie include Alexa Vega, Mark Hapka, Max Adler, Fred Thompson, Kim Zimmer, and Timothy Busfield (not going to lie, I've had a little crush on him since thirtysomething).

The movie is rated PG-13, because of a scene depicting underage drinking. Personally, I didn't even notice this at the time and it certainly didn't seem like anything that isn't on regular tv; and the drinking wasn't glamorized in any way, it was clear that Travis didn't have respect for that type of thing.

The kids and I really liked this movie and recommend it a heartfelt family movie. The movie is currently out on video and can be found where movies are sold, and online at amazon.com. Or you could be the one lucky winner who wins their own copy of 23 Blast here! Just enter below and good luck.

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Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winner and opinions are 100% my own and not influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a copy of the movie, 23 Blast, in exchange for this review and post.

" ... a Full Night's Sleep ... " ... that got my interest.

This book is definitely geared towards the women in the audience - those of us who do as much as we possibly can, and then a little more. Those of us who are tired, stressed, and feeling less than 100% because our lives just don't flow as smoothly as a Leave it to Beaver episode. This book is for us.

~ Be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post after reading the review. ~

Nourished is written by a mother and daughter team, Becky Johnson and Rachel Randolph. Both women are bloggers, Becky at Laugh, Cry, Cook, and Rachel at The Nourished Mama. While the two are related they have very different points of view in most areas, allowing them to present and conquer different challenges from a variety of angles.

As I've mentioned recently and you can see by looking around, this blog is going through some updates and changes. It's a pretty major make-over that will include new logos, new site, new marketing, a shop of my very own (in addition to the Etsy shop, it's not going anywhere!), new focus ... all in all, a pretty big task for a woman who majored in Marketing when brick-and-mortar businesses were the way of the world and internet based businesses didn't exist. I'm learning a lot but have so far to go. This book, offering a respite from this crazy life, came at a perfect time (though finding moments to read it weren't easy to come by - thank goodness for those rare moments during the school day) and has helped me to stay grounded in the midst of this craziness.

The book begins by explaining the problem: we women need to recognize our stressors, and, bit by bit, find ways to make our lives work for us and our families in ways that are more nourishing. The authors list what they feel are women's top ten stressors: chaotic surroundings, too much to do, negative body image, negative self talk, fitness, marriage, friendship, parenting, food issues, and spiritual issues.

After listing those stressors the remainder of the book offers suggestions for minimizing personal conflict in those areas, beginning with getting the house in order and ending with spiritual development.

I'm kind of a neat-nick when it comes to my house, I don't like clutter at all. With this crew and our schedules we really need order so that chaos doesn't win and I firmly believe that begins with a clean house. Even still, there were things I took away from that particular chapter as I was reminded that I didn't do a deep cleaning when the kids were gone last summer (we were busy laying the wood floors) and am due for one next summer.

Each chapter provides valuable suggestions accompanied by Becky and Rachel's "real life" experiences. Just as it's much easier to relate to and learn from a friend's personal experiences the same holds true in this book, there were plenty of "oh, I've been there" moments in the book.

A take-away from the book was the idea of "stable misery"; avoiding making radical adjustments for the better because the discomfort and uncertainty of change is more frightening than the current misery we've grown comfortable with. I am not plagued by this, but there are some areas in my life in which I could use a motivating kick in the rear - I don't think we consciously choose to be less than happy, often it doesn't even cross our minds that change is an option (how often do we spend 5 minutes fixing something broken in our homes and wonder why we didn't fix it years ago? Or is that just me?).

This softcover book, Nourished: A Search for Health, Happiness, and a Full Night's Sleep,  is 253 pages long and available at major retailers. More information about the book can be found at Laugh, Cry, Cook and at The Nourished Mama.

Enter below to win your copy of this refreshingly delightful book. Good luck!

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So simple a pre-teen boy can do it.

That pretty well sums up my experience with this new detergent, Purex PowerShot Liquid.. Well, that and it's super easy to use with a perfect measure every time and no spilling, it has a nice, not girly, "Mountain Breeze" scent that lasts, and it gets clothes clean.


Be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post after reading the review. (ended)

The key to this brand new, hitting the market in February, Purex detergent is the PowerShot feature.

Flip the bottle upside down,


right it and see the detergent in the holder at the top,


open the cap,


and pour into the washer.


The detergent stop pouring after one full dose, even if you don't right the bottle immediately. Once you've used it once the dose container will refill automatically and will be ready to go next use.

Fool proof laundry dispensing with easy,  no-guesswork measuring and no spills.

If your load is large or extra dirty give it two flips.

For spot and stain removal you can open the cap and slowly pour the detergent directly onto stains.

I've been asked at what age my kids start doing laundry. To answer: all my kids are very capable of sorting laundry, and all but River load the washer and run the dryer (because River can't reach the knobs). They start running the dryer at about age 8 and the washer around age 10.

River and I are the folders. River is the towel folder, he began with small dish clothes a few years ago, when he was 3 or so, and has worked his way up to bath towels, with some shorts, socks, and tees thrown in on occasion.

Ironing is also a task they all learn as they get a little older. The teenagers do all their own ironing, especially the ones with retail jobs. Most of them started by ironing neckties and bow ties and worked up to shirts and pants as their need arose.

So ... now you know.


Enter below to win your own bottle of Purex PowerShot. I'll be giving 2 winners each 1 coupon for a free bottle of detergent. Good luck! (ended)

Congratulations to Rochelle and Kathe, the winners of this wonderful giveaway.

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The Purex brand provided me with a sample of Purex PowerShot detergent in exchange for a product review. However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.

The other night the kids and I enjoyed a fun family movie night with a good, clean family movie, The Identical.

First a bit of trivia: Elvis was a twin. His brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was stillborn.

The Identical begins with a bit of a "what if" scenerio ... suppose Elvis' brother Jesse hadn't been stillborn but the family, very poor, couldn't afford at that time to raise two children.Would Jesse be a musician too? How would Elvis' life be different in a different family?

In The Identical twins Ryan and Drexel, born into a poor, but loving, family are unknowingly separated at birth. Drexel stays with his birthparents while Ryan is raised by a charismatic, intense minister and his wife who are unable to have children of their own. Drexel grows up to be a big rock star while Ryan spends much of his life conflicted by his love for rock and roll and his duty to his family and church, leaving him uncertain of what direction to go with his life. As Ryan becomes an adult he can't ignore the calling of the music and sets out on a rock and roll career, as a cover artist for Drexel. Eventually Ryan discovers the truth about his birth and he and his family face the unavoidable emotions that come with learning such monumental news.

This movie, which was released in theaters September 5, 2014, has some big names to it's credit - Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Seth Green, and Blake Rayne.




Adam, Kaden, and River liked the movie. It's the story of a young man who likes cars and music ... they were pretty well hooked from the beginning. It is a good, clean family movie. There's smoking in the movie and a little bit of alcohol but nothing that I wasn't comfortable with them seeing.

The Identical will be available on DVD and Blue-Ray on January 13, 2015 but I have a copy for you to win right now! Included with the 107 minute long movie are over 85 minutes of bonus content including "Making the Identical", Behind the Scenes, and Deleted Scenes.

Enter below for your chance to win and good luck! If you don't win Family Christian if offering the movie DVD for $5 off until the end of January. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

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"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 I received tickets to Busch Gardens Tampa from Sea World Parks and Entertainment in exchange for writing a review on this blog.


The other morning, bright and early, we - Adam, Kaden, River, me, and a family friend - headed up to Tampa for another visit to Busch Gardens.

Before leaving the house I checked the weather report - partly sunny and 75. Not "hot" to us (please don't throw things at me), but warm enough that we all thought we'd be fine in shorts and tees. By the time we got to Tampa it was drizzly and about 63 but still the forecast said 70's, so we pressed forward. As soon as we got out of the car I started digging for a sweater or jacket; it was chilly! As soon as we got into the park I bought River a sweatshirt (for just $12.50 - very reasonable for a very nice comfy, warm sweatshirt). By the end of the day I'd bought Adam and Kaden sweatshirts as well. It never got over 65 and it rained until after 3 pm.



I opted to visit Busch Gardens in December so we could see all the Christmas decorations and lights. Busch Gardens celebrates the holidays with Christmas Town, evenings of lights and activities throughout December. We happened to visit on a day that the park closed at 6 pm and Christmas Town wasn't open, I'd like very much to go back and enjoy the events and lights sometime as the employees we talked to said it was wonderful and well worth seeing. Even without Christmas Town the decorations were stunning. It was a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit.

On our last visit to Busch Gardens we made a counter-clockwise circle from the entrance but ran out of time and were hampered by rain before seeing and doing everything we wanted to so for this visit we traveled clockwise.


Our first stop was the Bird Gardens and Walkabout Way, a wonderful kangaroo habitat. The kangaroos were like adorable, loving puppies, begging for chin scratches. We listened to one of the animal caretakers tell about the kangaroos and also watched him give a few of them bottles of apple juice.


After leaving that area we heard music, followed it, and found a show going on at Sesame Street Safari of Fun. River enjoyed the Sesame Street Christmas Show, Elmo's Christmas Wish, and all three boys liked the climbing treehouse and play elements. Had there not been roller coasters beckoning I think we may have stayed there all day.


The roller coaster riders among us, Kaden and a family friend, couldn't wait any longer so we moved forth to Stanleyville and Sheikra, the Stanley Falls Flume, and the Tidal Wave. River and I rode the log flume, which was the highlight of the day for me. He's a funny kid and he made it clear he wasn't overjoyed that there were two drops, one of which was kind of big, that no one had warned him about, as much as I wasn't too sure about the big drop either I was way too busy laughing to worry (and he's agreed to go on it again next time).

Next we visited the tigers in Jungala, as well as the Treetop Trails. When River was a baby he and I would spend hours in the tot water play area while the big kids played in Treetop Trails, this time he was off with the big kids. I couldn't help but reminisce about all the fun we've had at Busch Gardens over the years.

Adam always requests the Bumper Cars. Always. We spent a long time there, as always. The roller coaster riders ran off to ride Kumba a few times (again, no lines) while Adam and River practiced their crashing skills. I can say, without a doubt, that the roads will never be safe with them on them.


Lunch was next, in the Pantopia Grill. We managed to time lunch perfectly and caught the Christmas Celebration show, with singing, dancing, Santa, and gigantic inflatables. Lunch itself was really good, the kids had kids turkey sandwiches which came with fries and applesauce, and I had no problem substituting steamed veggies for fries for the non-fry eater. The kids meals were about $6 each and included a drink.

Falcon's Fury followed. Kaden decided to pass on this one, even though he'd been talking about it for months and the ride is new since our last visit. Our friend went on it alone and lived, which was all the proof Kaden needed ... he rode it and loved it. Falcon's Fury is the tallest free-falling drop in the United States and, apparently, it's a lot of fun because the guys went on it again. And lived to tell about it, again. I'm pretty sure they'd have done it a few more times if we hadn't been moving on.


Off to see the animals! My favorite part of Busch Gardens.


The animals were followed by a relaxing train ride around the park, traveling through the Serengeti Plain. The round trip train ride lasts about 35 minutes and is a great time to get a little rest and "reboot" for the rest of the day. Our "conductor" was a lot of fun and his commentary made the ride even better. As you can see from the image above, the boys were ready for a little down time; they were then ready to go again at full speed as soon as we got off the train.


After completing our train adventure the roller coaster riders rode a few more and then we took in the Christmas on Ice show, which was beautiful. There were some amazing skaters in the show, including a young girl, and the show was really well done, with pretty costumes and lighting.


Our last stop for the day was one more show, Christmas from the Heart, a very spiritual, moving show and a perfect way to end our visit at Busch Gardens.


One thing we noticed throughout the park and in all the shows was the Christian aspect of Christmas that was presented. There was a nativity scene crafted from living plants and each show contained at least one song about the birth of Christ. We noticed other little touches as well, and we appreciated and respected the park's desire to share a little faith-based Christmas love and to be true to what they believe.


The Christmas from the Heart show brought us back to the beginning of the park. We were able to do everything we wanted to do throughout the entire park and we were able to ride every ride at least twice and we saw four shows. I don't think we could have possibly asked for any more than that! The kids had a great day and are are asking if we can go back NOW.

The only negative, from any of us and it was from me, was that Christmas Town wasn't open and we didn't get to see the Christmas lights. I've heard such wonderful things about it and it sounds perfectly magical. Of course, we have until the end of this year to go back for that and we just might have to!


Right now the Busch Gardens 2015 Fun Card is available and is good today through December, 2015, giving you the rest of this month for free (and a chance to visit Christmas Town).

Have you been to Busch Gardens Tampa lately? Have you ridden Falcon's Fury? Have you visited Christmas Town? I'd love to hear about your Busch Gardens visits and experiences.

Oh, and by the way, I'm on the nice list. :)