Enjoying Silk Iced Latte And Good Weather #TasteSilk #spon

Both of my daughters started having some dietary issues a few years ago. They weren't sure if it was allergies, a change in diet, or what. My oldest saw a doctor a couple of times and from what I could tell, she didn't really get a lot of answers. When she started cutting out dairy I think she saw a marked improvement.

She had to go lactose free which was something very new to this dairy loving mom. We had to start searching for something she'd like that didn't taste awful.

Then, when my boys and I moved to VA, I found out that my mom was drinking Silk instead of dairy milk. I had no idea she had cut dairy milk out of her diet! You learn so much about a person when you live with them. =)

One thing I am is a fan of making my own coffees at home. First, I'd have to drive a minimum of 20 minutes to get a barista to make me a drink and second, I'd then have to pay for said drink. Yea, I'm not a fan of spending money needlessly!

This is where the Silk Iced Coffee has come in deliciously handy! First, it's dairy free so I can enjoy it with my mom if she ever wants some. Second, I can be my own barista. And third, I save money on gas and an individual drink! The last may be my favorite!

In this day and age, I'm happy to see things like "No Artificial Colors, Non-GMO Ingredients, and No High-Fructose Corn Syrup". Really, you can't beat that in a drink you thoroughly love.

And while our old home in MN is still wrestling with snow at the end of April, here in VA we've been enjoying warmer weather! With baseball games in full swing, I want my Iced Latte to take with me for the game!


This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Wordless Wednesday: Mission Trip

So, last week it was made official. I’m going on my first mission trip this summer…to Peru! I’ll be writing a blog post on it, but I’m excited and nervous all at the same time!

On my way home from MN I opened they SkyMall Magazine and this was what I turned to, when I was trying to decide if this trip was going to be a reality! Ha!

Be sure to visit Full Time Mama!

Thor: The Dark World Poster

My oldest son, Buddy and I are HUGE fans of Thor and neither of us can contain our excitement about the movie release in November…November. It’s like torture having to wait! lol

Also make sure you watch the trailer on Tuesday exclusively on iTunes Movie Trailers!

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/

Like THOR on Facebook: Facebook.com/Thor

Follow THOR on Twitter: Twitter.com/ThorMovies

THOR: THE DARK WORLD releases in theaters on November 8, 2013!

*I haven’t received anything by sharing this except the happiness I have by sharing it. You’re welcome!

Request for Kohls and Getting On My Soap Box

Let’s start off with the good, shall we?

I like Kohl’s. I’d have to say 95% of our clothing comes from there. They’re affordable, have a great selection for me and my kids and I love their Kohl’s Cash. In fact, I have $50 in Kohl’s Cash to spend this week because I’ve gone shopping there 2x this past week.

Unfortunately, when I was at our local Kohl’s a few days ago to get clothing for my boys, I ran across something I found inappropriate in the boys section:

And when I say “boys section” you can see that it’s in the size 4-7 for boys.

Two different t-shirts promoting Call of Duty.

I went back tonight to double check that I wasn’t losing my mind because I tweeted out to them asking them to pull those shirts off the floor. I know, a bit of a stretch considering all of the money they’d lose even if it were the right thing to do.

I even spoke to the cashier about it saying I knew it had nothing to do with her, but that Kohl’s had made a poor choice marketing that brand to boys.

Now, let’s be clear, the shirts are S-L (and probably XL) in the boys section, so it could go up to a 14 yr old boy size. Do you KNOW what age Call of Duty is marketed to? The audience of “M”. I’m sorry, but my 9 yo doesn’t fall into that age range. He’s a Medium and I’d probably say 7-8 year olds wear the Small.

Here are some facts about Call of Duty. It’s Rated M so that means it’s for people 17+. Here’s WHY it received that rating:

• Intense Violence
• Strong Language
• Suggestive Themes
• Use of Drugs
• Blood and Gore

Now, will a t-shirt cause violence? Obviously not. Is the shirt in and of itself “bad”? No. It can’t actually DO anything to cause someone to be violent.

What I believe it does is a number of things.

First of all, it’s another way to numb kids to things around them. Heck if they start wearing the apparel and any other gear, when they can get the game, they’ll already have in their mind a “coolness” to it.

Second, it gets their minds pointed to this game. Yes, it’s out there, it’s available everywhere, but at Kohl’s? No. The shirts are sold along with Angry Bird, Star Wars and Batman t-shirts. In a way, it lumps them together. Let’s just say for the record, Call of Duty is no Angry Birds. Not even close.

Third, I wonder who even thought that this would even be ok. Who’s choosing what goes on these shirts? Do they not have common sense to say, “Hey lets print these on MEN’S shirts not ones for boys”? How did this make it through the idea phase? Are there no parents on the team that approves the products they sell? And if there are, are they too numb to it as well?

I wonder how the people on the Board of Kohl’s Cares feels about this. On their home page it says this, “When it comes to kids, Kohl's cares.” What if, for their Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program, the winner showed up to accept their award in this t-shirt? You think they’d be impressed or do you think they’d question their own judgment on who they chose? No a t-shirt doesn’t make a person. I’m just trying to get a point across.

Oh, and this is a soap box issue for me! Always has been. It has nothing to do with what’s happened this past week. Ask my daughter who’s 21. She’ll tell you this kind of stuff being fed to our kids as “ok” is something I’m 100% against.

I’m only one mom. I can’t force Kohl’s to take a double take at what they’ve done and admit they’ve made a poor choice, but what I can do is ask parents NOT to buy those tshirts. Get Lego Ninjago, Angry Birds, etc but not Call of Duty. Please don’t get your young son thinking that Call of Duty is a game he should be interested in. Not now. Not at this age. Please?

I will now step off my box. At least until I get upset again.

Babyliss Tourmaline Curling Iron #spon

When you see me, you’ll typically see me with my hair curled. Not in ringlets, although I’d love them! My hair is stick straight and thin. Getting a curl to stay in my hair is pretty close to impossible, but what I usually want is to just round my hair. lol Does that even make sense?

My curling irons have usually been 1 1/2” barrels because it gives me a tighter curl. The only problem with that is sometimes the curl is more than any other part on my hair. I had always wanted a larger barrel curling iron, I just felt like it was an expense I couldn’t justify.

When I had the chance to review this Babyliss Tourmaline curling iron, I was pretty thrilled. I realize sometimes the expense of a product ends up paying for itself in more way than one.

The temperature guide pops out and pops in to adjust the temperature. That way while you’re doing your hair it doesn’t accidentally move on it’s own or by swiping your finger by it as you’re doing your hair.

The only issue I had while doing my hair was that sometimes when I held the curling iron a certain way in my hand, I’d accidentally turn it off because of where the on/off button is located.

First, let me say, for the record, since I’ve started using this curling iron, I haven’t gotten back to my old curling iron. The curls this gives me are soft and round. I’ve never had the chance to have gentle curls. lol It’s always been sort of a race to curl my hair long enough to give it the curl, but not so long that it becomes a ring.

Halfway through the process you can see the difference from one side to the other. And that’s exactly the look I’m always going for. If my hair is going to be straight, then I want to use my straightener and for it to look nice and smooth, but the “straight, blah” look is not what I’m ever going for. I’d have to say 95% of the time, I like a curl or a wave of some sort.

My next goal is to find product that will help keep these waves/curls in my hair. I’ve tried different mousse and hair spray, but so far, by the end of the day…lol sometimes by the time I leave the bathroom, my hair has lost much of the curl. I just got my hair cut while in MN and my hair has kept the curl all day! Obviously that matters as well!

It all comes together! =) And I know, I have ZERO make-up on, but meh, such is life. lol

How many curling irons do you have? Are they different sizes? What do you do keep the curl in your hair all day?