Crayon Rocks

http://crayonrocks.net/

Although my kids are older, they still love to draw, color, and make huge messes with their creations! So when I found Crayon Rocks I figured we would give them a shot. Are these not the cutest little crayons ever? These Crayon rocks are made from pure natural waxes made from American soy beans.  The shape and size of them are also perfect for younger children to prepare their fingers and hands for pen and pencil use.  What a neat little tool to help develop fine motor skills. 

Crayon Rocks was developed by a special needs teacher after 23 years of experience.  Barbara’s teaching history made her realize just how important it was for children to develop a tripod grip and that is how the shape of Crayon Rocks were developed.  A tripod grip is using a your first and second finger and thumb, which is essentially how you hold a pencil so you can also understand how your childs hand writing skills will depend on this technique later on in life.  My personal thought, why didn’t someone think of this when I was a kid, my handwriting stinks!

These non-toxic soy wax crayon rocks are made right here in the United States, Kentucky to be more exact.  Please check out their website for more information and how you can get your own Crayon Rocks.  I plan on getting a few more sets for Easter, wouldn’t these be the cutest basket stuffer?   

8 Pastel Crayon rocks in Spring Green Bag

I received one or more of the products mentioned above free for review purposes. Regardless, I will only recommend products that I have personally tested/tried and believe will be a good fit for my readers.

BunnySlippers.com

As I have gotten older, I have found more and more traditional items in my home.  I forgot how much fun a pair of slippers could be!! Check these out, I picked out the Black Bear Paw slippers because of how different they were and I have to admit they are extremely warm and comfortable!  Why haven’t I tried these sooner?

BunnySlippers.Com has so many different kinds of slippers from animal slippers, novelty, and character slippers, I was amazed with the different selection.  I also found microwaveable slippers, light slippers, and sock slippers on Bunnyslippers.com. I can’t wait to try the microwaveable slippers, my feet are always cold and I pretty much wear slippers any time I’m home. 

I also really liked the quality of the slippers.  Although they ship internationally for orders, Portland OR is their home, so these are not going to be your cheap slippers that fall apart right after you get them.

If you want to do some shopping for the whole family, I suggest checking out Bunnyslippers.com.  There is really the perfect fit for everyone from cute and cuddly and then back to traditional slippers.  Even Jen snuck in on some Bunny Slipper action!

Bunny Slippers Website

 Bunny Slippers Facebook

Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.
We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.  

ToiletTree Toiletry Bag

I like to think that we travel a lot, and although it’s not as much as we used to it’s still nice to have everything handy and ready to go.  So we keep soaps, toothbrushes, and our toiletries in the suitcase waiting to go. What’s the problem?  Well they are all thrown in the top of the suitcase (you know that zipper flappy area) which is completely not organized and can be a real battle to get anything out of.  That’s why I knew the ToliletTree toiletry bag was perfect for hubby for this Fathers Day.

Now everything is kept in one handy heavy duty bag that has everything perfectly organized and held into place for easy access.  The bag is lined with a water resistant interior which also provides as an excellent quality in material.  The bag even has a separate compartment for storing all of our accessories, (yes I have hair bands in there already!). 

Another great feature is the TSA approved travel bottles!  They are even already marked for Shampoo, Conditioner and Body Wash.  Plus there is a toothbrush case and a collapsible cup.  

This bag is a great addition to our Fathers Day Gift Guide or something just for him.  However, I am really tempted and trying to be the “good wife” and not steal it for my make up.  I guess I have make up bags and he doesn’t have a travel bag, so I’ll let him keep it (for now *wink* wink*).

Be sure to check this out at the following links;

Website    Amazon

Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.


We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.   

From the Garden

With all of the discussion of what is or is not in our food the safest way to know exactly what you are eating is make it yourself.  My husband and I have had our own garden now for a few years and we can everything including his amazing salsa! So it’s no surprise Ball Canning supplies are very common in our house.

Every year I look for something to help make the process just a little bit easier, a little less messy, and more inexpensive.  Plus, if I am making my own sauces and veggies, then that is just that much less I have to buy through the year.  This year I came across Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit which I found very nifty and convenient to use. 

Even though the kit is for beginners and comes with a beginner’s guide, hubby was glued to it the second it arrived and he has years of experience with canning. 

The Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit includes 3 jars for fresh preserving that even include the bands and lids, the Beginners Guide to Canning and Recipe Booklet, and this really great Canning rack with lifter.  I do believe the Canning rack with the lifter is my favorite part because every year hubby burns his fingers and this is the perfect solution.  I especially like the bottom of the canning rack because it has little lips that hold the jars in place for you rather than them rocking, spilling, or knocking into each other. 

But, if you have all of your canning supplies and are well experienced and thinking to yourself right now, what more could I possibly need, then I suggest you at the very least check out the Ball Blue Book which is a guide to preserving.  Not only is there pages and pages of instructions, different methods and tips but there are so many amazing recipes that I can’t wait to try! There are even tips on dehydrating and a problem solver guide.  For example if your food turns a darker color at the top of the jar. 

I love Ball products and they have been around for years so they have to be doing something right!  Our garden is planted and already growing like crazy.  I can’t wait to let you know which recipes we try out of the Ball Blue Book first.

Be sure to check out all of the amazing Ball products at the following links;

Website     Blue Book   Discovery Canning Kit      

Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.

We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.   

Getting your pool ready?

Ahhhh… That moment when you realize it’s finally time to actually open up the pool so you can enjoy the refreshing water all summer long.  But wait, there’s a lot of work into opening the pool including all the cleaning and chemical testing. 

A few years ago we switched to a Salt Generated Chlorine Pool and I love it!  It was the best choice we had ever made. I ordered the Hayward Aqua-Rite Chlorine Generator from InTheSwim.com and have been a lifetime customer ever since.  The generator automatically senses the pools chemical components to let you know what you need to add and with a touch of a button you can increase the chlorine flow.  That feature is great for the days we have 15 or 20 people swimming.  My favorite and most used feature though is it tells me exactly what the temperature of the water is before I jump in! What we spent on the Hayward Aqua-Rite Chlorine Generator was about half of what we were spending in chemicals for the summer, so this for us was a very amazing purchase!

Another order from Intheswim.com this year is the very new SaltDip Digital Pool Chemistry Tester.  This little gadget is so easy to use and it even comes with the batteries.  The large LCD Screen and the two simple buttons make it really easy to use.  The tester measures not only the salt content but the total dissolved solids and the water temperature in one easy spot.  There is never any calibration needed so even I can use it.  I love this thing especially compared to the old colored dip sticks that you really had to guess and compare because this is easy as the numbers are very simply displayed.   Another great feature and one I have been taking advantage of is the memory function because it stores the previous measurement.  This made it really easy to tell if we were making progress or not.

So... to all my friends and family, the pool is almost ready.  According the the SaltDip we needed to add two more bags of salt this year and we did that last night.  Everything should be ready to go in a few days, so come swim!

InTheSwim.com is my place to go for all of my pool needs!  A few friends and I even order our toys from them and they always seem to last a long longer plus the prices are amazing!  Be sure to check them out at the following links;

Website    Facebook   

SaltDip Digital Pool Chemistry Tester

Hayward Aqua Rite Chlorine Generator

Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.

We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.   

Getting Rid of Snakes

How fast can your kids run? Well mine can run pretty darn fast when one of them reaches down to pull weeds and pulls a snake out instead.  Oh my goodness I heard a squeal and by the time I turned around they were from the far side of the pool to in the house, I swear in 2 seconds flat!  Of course I had to laugh so hard, but in all reality I know without a doubt I would have done the same thing!

Around Easter we found that a family of snakes had made a home in an old tree stump right outside the pool yard.  YUCK YUCK YUCK!!! My sweet little neighbor lady told me to order Snake-A-Way. 5 Minutes later I was on the Snake-A-Way Website requesting my bag! Like I said, I HATE SNAKES!!! YUCK YUCK YUCK! Plus I told hubby that I wasn’t mowing this year until they were gone!!

I got the bag of Snake-A-Way and it was so simple to spread all over the yard, but of course the instructions helped.  It’s been a few days now and I have walked through the yard where we found all the snakes several times without seeing a single one.  This is a huge difference from seeing at least a few everyday.  YAY!!!  I guess I have to mow now but that’s ok because I like to anyways.  Oh and this means I can have the boys pull weeds again! YAY!

Thank you Snake-A-Way you are my hero! And thank you to my sweet neighbor for telling me about you guys because otherwise I would have spent the entire summer locked up in the house.

Be sure you check out Snake-A-Way at the following links;

Website


Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.


We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.   

TruKid Rocks!

Yesterday was a beautiful 80 Degree bright sunny day and boy did the kids enjoy the fresh air.  They played for hours and hours outside and I was so worried about the first true day of sun exposure.  But we made it home without any burnt cheeks or arms thanks to TruKid Sunny Days Sunscreen. 

This Mineral, non-chemical sunscreen rocks!  I have to admit I love everything about it!  I was a little worried that SPF 30 wasn’t going to be enough for the baby but sure enough everyone came home without sunburn.  The fruity orange smell is great to!  It’s just a hint of orange burst that is delightful without being overbearing and that is rare for sunscreen.

My favorite part about the TruKid Sunscreen is even this momma put it on because it made my skin feel great!  Once I rubbed it in, I couldn’t even tell I had it on.  It was like a lotion rather than sunscreen.  There was no shine or oily residue left over. 

TruKid sunscreen will be in our house all summer long!  With the all natural products, and the lack of oils it will be great for the pool and family outings. 

Another great TruKid product we received is the Hero Stick.  This little thing is like pure magic!  First the name is more comforting to the kiddos than “peroxide or medicine” and you can use it for burns, eczema, bites and other ouchies.  My kids are always wanting a Band-Aid or medicine when there really isn’t anything there to put it on but in the bad cases when they really actually need one it’s a nightmare to get anything on them.  The hero stick name alone will save the day because how can a kid be afraid of a hero?  What a neat little product!  We love this one as well!

Be sure to check out TruKid at the following links and use coupon code SUNNYMOM for a FREE Sunny  Days Face & Body Stick on orders over $30. 

TruKid website   Facebook   Twitter      Pinterest

Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.


We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.   

I received one or more of the products mentioned above free for review purposes. Regardless, I will only recommend products that I have personally tested/tried and believe will be a good fit for my readers. AlyGators is not responsible for any Giveaway items. All giveaway items will be shipped directly from the company that sponsors our giveaway.

Another great Aerobie Toy

A few months ago I told you about Aerobie Skylighter Flying Disc and now we have once again had the opportunity to review another Aerobie Toy. I knew this would be a great opportunity because the boys still play with the Flying disc all the time and the quality has really proved tough holding up against the boys.   (read that reviewhere)

Well now we have the opportunity to play with another Aerobie toy, the Aerobie Squidgie Ball.  This is a cute little ball that all the boys have been playing with all week long, even the one year old.  Its tough enough to last through the torture of the 9 year old but soft enough and easy to hold for the one year old. 

I have even found that they snuck it off to their bedroom one night at bedtime because it glows in the dark.  What silly boys! I can’t wait until the pool warms up and we can take it out for night swim because it also floats in the water!

Thank you Aerobie for another great toy that even the big kids can play with! 

Be sure to check out all their great toys at the following links!

Aerobie Toys

Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.


We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.   

Organic Lollipops

Snacks snacks snacks right? Here we go again but this time I have found Yum Earths

Organic Lollipops. Oh and my kids love lollipops but I hate the processed sugar in them, especially since kids teeth are just developing that sugar can be so harmful!

Well YumEarths Organics has produced a Lollipop that’s made with real fruit extracts and has 100% of their Daily needed Vitamins all while being certified organic. But shhh don’t tell my kids, because I gave all 4 of them one a little bit ago, and none of them knew the difference! YAY! 

Here is a list of reasons to check out Yum Earths Organics Lollipops

Certified Organic            No Artifical Dyes             Tree Nut-Free                Real Fruit Extracts

100% Natural Flavors    100% Vegan                 Gluten Free                  Peanut Free

Soy Free                      Dairy Free                        Fat Free                       No MSG

No high Fructose Corn Syrup

 Facebook          Website

Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.


We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.   

Baby Magic Soft Cotton Blooms

Ahhh the sweet smell of baby shampoo sure does bring back memories from when the boys were little.  But a lot has changed over the years including different scents!  So with a new baby in the house I was thrilled to try something new including Baby Magic Soft Cotton Blooms. 

Baby Magic remains tear free and dye free plus hypoallergenic for that very special sensitive skin. But the Soft Cotton Blooms is a totally new scent for their Hair and Body Wash and Baby Lotion.  I love the Soft Cotton Blooms because it has a hint of sweet lily and jasmine plus its perfect for our wonderful little baby boy rather than the traditional baby lotion scent. 

Baby Magic still works just as great as I remember!  It lathers up really well and still rinses away easily making bath time less work and a lot more enjoyable.  I squirted a little in the tub before filling up for some extra bubbles and he loved it!!!  I’m so glad we have a baby who loves bath time!

Of course a bath wouldn’t be the same with out a little lotion! Little man loves spoil time where he gets lotion all over his hands, feet, back and belly.  And with Baby Magic, I know there is no harm in him putting his hands in his mouth afterwards because they strive on safety and quality baby products.

 The Baby Magic brand was always a favorite of mine when the boys were growing up and I am so grateful I have the opportunity to once again enjoy their products.

Be sure to check out Baby Magic on the following links;

Website   Facebook   Twitter

Disclaimer: Some of our post may contain affiliate links which provides us with a small compensation for sharing their programs and companies. By clicking these links you allow us to keep providing you great deals including our giveaways and freebies.
We received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for an honest and non-biased review. While we have been compensated for our review with the product, our reviews our our own opinion based on our personal experience and realize our experiences may be different than our readers.