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Friday, October 29, 2021

Lala Horse Box - Our Favorite Horse-Themed Subscription Box! October 2021

 *DISCLOSURE* Thank you to LaLa Horse for providing product samples in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own. 

Do you have a horse-loving daughter or granddaughter?  Check out LaLa Horse, the monthly subscription box for horse-lovers!


LaLa Horse creates a box full of fun, inspiring, educational gifts and products for kids who love horses. For just $39.95 monthly, your horse-lover will receive a box that includes various horse-themed items. Items vary each month and could include jewelry, socks, books, puzzles, bags, pillow cases, wall art, keychains, and more!  LaLa Horse also has a monthly subscription option that's just $12.95/month...The Equine Fashionista Surprise!  With this subscription, your horse-loving young lady will receive a special package each month containing one or two sweet horse-themed items, such as a bracelet, necklace, ring, keyring, earrings, and more.

Check out the items in our October LaLa Horse box:

Kiss Cut Sticker Pack 8.99

Arabian Sticker  2.49

"Lila" Snaffle Bit Pashmina Scarf 21.99


Skeleton Shirt 21.99


A really enjoyed her LaLa Horse box!  She especially loved the Dia de Los Muertos style shirt and the scarf...both just in time for fall!

All around, we think LaLa Horse would make an excellent subscription box for young horse lovers!


Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

#HolidayGiftGuide - Fun Gifts For Curious Kids from Excavating Adventures!

 *DISCLOSURE* Thank you to Excavating Adventures for providing product samples in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own. 


If your kiddos love exploring, today's gift idea is sure to be a hit!  Check out Excavating Adventures:


Excavating Adventures is a creative company that sends excavating kits that kiddos can explore at home. They come in a variety of themes and can be purchased as single kits or a monthly subscription.  We were sent the Gemstone Journey kit and D really enjoyed it.


10+ gemstones are hidden in a tin and you must use the provided tools to chip away at them archaeologist style to unearth them.  


The kit comes with everything you'll need to identify your ten new rocks, minerals, fossils, seashells and more each month, plus the Excavating Adventure card to help you learn awesome facts and information about your collection.


Store your specimens in the super cool collector's box and display your ten trading cards in the provided binder sheet. Your collections of cards and specimens will grow each month!


Dinosaur Discovery, Underwater Expedition, Outrageous Rocks, and Marvelous Mysteries are just a few of the monthly adventures your explorer will experience on their quest to collect all 120 specimens and informative trading cards. 


A mystery item, passport sticker, and Excavating Adventures sticker are some of the other fun things you will discover in each Excavating Adventures monthly kit.  



Give the gift that keeps on giving to your young explorer this holiday season with a subscription to Excavating Adventures!



Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

#HolidayGiftGuide - Habit Nest Planners, the Perfect Gift for Pretty Much Anyone!

 *DISCLOSURE* Thank you to Habit Nest for providing product samples in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own. 

I am a natural born listmaker.  I find I get waaay more accomplished each day if I have a written plan to go by.  I recently found a really cool daily planner that makes it super simple to organize all of my to-dos and keeps me motivated to stay on track towards meeting my goals.  Let me introduce, The Daily Planner from Habit Nest!
 

The Habit Nest Daily Planner is a unique, undated, 6 month-long daily planner that offers a fresh design and layout not only for scheduling your day, but also for starting your day with intention, making the most of each day, and ending each day with positivity and reflection.


The journal has 3 primary sections:

1. Optional morning self-care
Every morning, you'll get 2 optional morning self-care ideas.  Each recommended action takes just a few minutes to complete.  The goal of this section is to help you start the day on the right note physically, mentally, and emotionally with super small, quick actions to help ensure you don't forget about yourself amid the hustle and bustle of daily life.

2. Daily Planning
This section is separated further into three subcategories:
❗ Must-Do's: The first section of daily planning is for your 'Must-Do' tasks. These are your top priority tasks that absolutely NEED your time and attention that day.
⌛ 5-Minute Tasks: This space is meant to help remember the quick daily tasks we needlessly forget about or push off for days or weeks. It's meant to help us not only remember the small tasks we need to get done, but to help stop procrastinating on them.
📖 Daily Planning: This section is the meat of the page - the complete space you need to plan your day. The space allows you to chronologically write down your tasks or events, plan a time frame, and record the status of those tasks at the end of the day.

3. Evening reflection 
Each evening, you'll get a thought-provoking question to help you tune in and reflect on your day in positive, constructive ways.  The thinking questions come with images of fingerprints on each side of the page to place your thumbs on. The goal of this is to help you truly reflect on the question without any distractions.  Reflecting on your days consistently without any distractions will provide you time and space to connect with yourself on a more intimate level every night, which will enhance your ability to plan your day and actually execute on your daily plan.


Every task you write in your daily planner will have a 'status' circle next to it. It isn't enough to just write your tasks down. To stay on track with everything, you'll be designating whether:
✓ The task was completed
→ The task is going to be deferred to the next day (or a later date)
✗ The task is no longer necessary and thus should be deleted
The simple system will help you keep on track with the variety of different aspects of your life taking place.

The 31-Day Habit Tracker is another awesome feature of this planner.  It makes it easy to see your progress for each healthy habit to are trying to build into your daily life.  Just mark the day as you complete the task every day for 31 days and implement those changes!



Habit Nest journals are built with a beautifully crafted 100% vegan cover and the inside pages are a buttery smooth 100 GSM that perfectly support fountain pens while keeping the journal light and portable. This journal runs about 8.5" x 6.0” x 1.0” and fits easily in most bags.  It is classy enough to make a lovely gift that is sure to be appreciated by anyone, especially Type A personalities like me! 

Check out Habit Nest for gorgeously giftable journals that can help anyone achieve their fitness and habit building goals in 2022!



Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Halloween Reads for Middle Graders and Young Adults from Scholastic!

 *DISCLOSURE* Thank you to Scholastic for providing product samples in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own. 

Take a look at what we are reading to get into the spooky spirit this October:

Living Ghosts and Mischievous Monsters
Chilling American Indian Stories

By Dan SaSuWeh Jones  Illustrator Weshoyot Alvitre

Dark figures in the night. Cries on the wind. Monsters watching from the edge of the wood.
While some of these creatures are simply mischievous, many of them are the stuff of nightmares. From timeless tales to sightings that could have happened yesterday, prepare for terrifying accounts of restless spirits, walking dolls, and the wendigo, shape-shifters, and hungry skeletons.
Ghost stories remain among the most treasured tales passed from generation to generation in American Indian cultures. Through time, communities have told and continue to tell stories to share origins of the world and tribal history, to carry messages and to teach, and of course to entertain. Dan SaSuWeh Jones, Ponca Nation, has compiled some of his favorites with contributions from storytellers across the US and Canada, accompanied by haunting illustrations by Weshoyot Alvitre, Tongva Nation.
So pick up a story... if you dare.

The Ash House

When Eleven-year-old Sol arrives at the Ash House, desperate for a cure for his complex pain syndrome, he finds a community of strange children long abandoned by their mysterious Headmaster.
The children at the Ash House want the new boy to love their home as much as they do. They give him a name like theirs. They show him the dorms and tell him about the wonderful oasis that the Headmaster has created for them. But the new boy already has a name. Doesn't he? At least he did before he walked through those gates...
This was supposed to be a healing refuge for children like him. Something between a school and a summer camp. With kids like him. With pain like his. But no one is allowed to get sick at the Ash House. NO ONE.
And then The Doctor arrives...
Strange things are about to happen at the mysterious Ash House. And the longer Sol spends on the mysterious grounds, the more he begins to forget who he is, the more the other children begin to distrust him, and the worse his pain becomes. But can he hold onto reality long enough to find an escape? And better yet, can he convince the others?

The Loop #2: The Block

Luka is a prisoner once again. But this time it's a fate worse than death. In the Block, he must toggle between enduring an Energy Harvest for twelve hours of the day and surviving complete immobilization. The only semblance of relief is the Sane Zone, created to keep prisoners from going completely mad. In this virtual reality, the prisoners live out their fantasies of life outside. But for Luka, it's different.
Happy is determined to find out the location of his friends, who disappeared after the Battle of Midway Park. But can Luka battle the descent into madness long enought to stop Happy's manipulation tactics and keep his friends' location safe?
Another prison break is the only chance to protect the Missing. And as reality becomes increasingly scrambled on the outside, it'll take an army to stop Galen from carrying out his plans.

Creepshow: The Cursed

A girl's fantasy of living in an earlier era becomes all too real after she buys a piece of antique jewelry...
In the woods, a pair of teens encounter a green glowing figure whose desires are as mysterious as its origins...
This brand-new terrifying collection includes two chilling novels inspired by Creepshow, Shudder's anthology TV series based on the 1982 horror comedy classic. Perfect for fans of the show as well as fans of the horror genre in general, it's the most fun you'll ever have being scared! Includes comic book art at the start of each story.

The Ghost of Midnight Lake

By Lucy Strange

It's 1899. The Earl of Gosswater has died, and twelve-year-old Agatha has been cast out of her ancestral home - the only home
she has ever known - by her cruel cousin, Clarence. In a tiny tumbledown cottage, she struggles to adjust to her new life and
the stranger who claims to be her real father. While adjusting to her new fate, she learns that the shores of Gosswater lake are
haunted, and soon comes face to face with the spirit of another young girl who's soul will not rest. Could the ghost of Gosswater
hold the key to Aggie's true identity?

The House on Hoarder Hill, Book #1

When siblings Hedy and Spencer are forced to spend time with their reclusive and eccentric grandfather, they find themselves on a quest to solve the mysterious disappearance of their grandmother decades earlier.

Searching for clues, they'll uncover dangerous secrets from their grandfather's past as a magician, because in the house of a magician you never know what - or who - you will find. Soon they will discover that, like Grandpa himself, the house possesses not only secrets, but also real magic.

Hidden in the labyrinth of his belongings are the clues to solving their family's biggest mystery: the disappearance of their Grandma Rose. Searching for clues in Grandpa's house unveils long-forgotten enchantments, surprising foes and a few unexpected friends. Using their ingenuity, bravery, and new-found belief in magic, Hedy and Spencer must search for the truth behind Rose's disappearance and attempt to heal the family rift that may finally set their grandmother free.

The Deadliest: The Deadliest Diseases Then and Now

By Deborah Hopkinson

The deadly outbreak of plague known as the Great Mortality, which struck Europe in the mid 1300s and raged for four centuries, wiped out more than 25 million people in the course of just two years. With its vicious onslaught, life changed for millions of people almost instantaneously.

Deadly pandemics have always been a part of life, from the Great Mortality of the Middle Ages, to the Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918, to the eruption of COVID-19 in our own century. Many of these diseases might have seemed like things to read about in history books-until the unthinkable happened, and our own lives were turned upside down by the emergence of the novel coronavirus.

As we learn more about COVID-19, we may be curious about pandemics of the past. Knowing how humans fought diseases long ago may help us face those of today. In this fast-paced, wide-ranging story filled with facts, pictures, and diagrams about diseases-from plague to smallpox to polio to flu-critically acclaimed Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson brings voices from the past to life in this exploration of the deadliest diseases of then and now.

Ghost Squad

By Claribel A. Ortega

For Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business.
Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd's witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely's firefly spirits before it's too late.
With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.


A Werewolf in Riverdale (Archie Horror, Book 1)

By Caleb Roehrig

Everyone knows the characters from Riverdale: popular Archie Andrews, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, angsty Jughead Jones, and the sophisticated Veronica Lodge. But this is not the Riverdale you know and love. Something twisted has awoken in the town with pep. Inspired by the iconic Archie Horror comics, this reimagined universe takes the grittiness of the TV show and adds a paranormal twist.
Someone is killing the citizens of Riverdale. And after a bloody full moon, Jughead realizes he is the killer! Jughead is a werewolf. Can he keep this secret from his friends - including werewolf-hunting Betty Cooper? Jughead has to get his dark side under control - before it is controlling him.
The Archie Horror series contains all-new, original stories that fans of horror AND fans of Riverdale will eat up!

Interview with a Vixen (Archie Horror, Book 2)

By Rebecca Barrow
Everyone knows the characters from Riverdale: popular Archie Andrews, sophisticated Veronica Lodge, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, and angsty Jughead Jones. But this is not the Riverdale you know and love. Something twisted has awoken in the town with pep. Inspired by the iconic Archie Horror comics, this reimagined universe takes the grittiness of the TV show and adds a paranormal twist.
Everyone thinks that Veronica Lodge has it all: the rich parents and the big house. The popular jock crush. The perfect best friend. But all that changes when she's bitten by an ancient vampire named Theodore Finch.
Theodore is turning all of Riverdale's most powerful citizens into vampires-including Veronica's parents. But that's only the beginning of what he has planned... Veronica escapes from becoming one of Theodore's minions, but the lives of the entire town are at stake. Veronica can't defeat him alone.
With some help from her friends, Veronica discovers how to turn everyone back to normal-including herself. All they have to do is kill Theodore. But Veronica's bloodlust is getting harder to control. Can Betty, Archie, Dilton, and Cheryl figure out how to stop Theodore-and save Veronica-before it's too late?
The Archie Horror series contains all-new, original stories that fans of horror AND fans of Riverdale will die for!

Check out Scholastic for some really awesome and scary titles for your middle and high schoolers this fall!


Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

#HolidayGiftGuide - Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, the Perfect Gift for Gardeners! #Giveaway

 *DISCLOSURE* Thank you to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for providing product samples in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own. 

Today, I am going to share one of my favorite seed companies with y'all...Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds!  If you have any gardeners on your gift giving list, Baker Creek is the perfect place to find the perfect seedy gift or gift card! 

I place countless orders to Baker Creek each year.  I keep coming back because they offer an excellent variety of seeds that I have had really good luck with.  They stock some of the more rare seeds varieties that you can't find anywhere else. Plus, they send you a free seed packet with every order and you can't beat that!


Baker Creek is America's top source for pure heirloom seeds. They offer one of the largest selections of 19th century heirloom seeds from Europe and Asia, and their gorgeous catalogs feature about 1,000 stunning heirloom varieties.


From beautiful flowers to plentiful veggies and fruits, Baker Creek has and abundance of fantastic seeds to choose from and with most packs ranging from $2-$4, they are super affordable.


Working with non-profit organizations, a significant portion of Baker Creek's annual profits goes toward providing food, emergency aid, sustainable development and education to people in the U.S. and abroad. They also provide free seeds to hundreds of community and educational groups each year, because they believe that everyone should have access to nutrient-dense, delicious food, season after season.


Each pack of seeds comes with extensive planting instructions, information and tips to help you get the greatest yield from each pack.  I also love the customer review section for each variety.  Customers are very excited to share what worked well and what didn't and I always read the reviews on the seeds I order to gain valuable insight from Baker Creek's extraordinarily knowledgeable customer base.


At bBaker Creek, shipping is free and they offer two catalogs each year, both are stunning libraries of seeds and one is even free!  The website offers a wonderful recipe section to help you out once you harvest your garden.  If you are ever in Mansfield, Missouri, you should definitely check out their storefront!




The folks at Baker Creek have generously offered up a $30 gift card to one lucky reader! That can buy quite a few packs of seeds for gifting this holiday season!! Enter below:



Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Monday, October 25, 2021

#HolidayGiftGuide - Eco-Friendly Gifts from LOTUS Sustainables!

  *DISCLOSURE* Thank you to LOTUS Sustainables for providing product samples in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own. 

We love shopping sustainably and we think products that shrink your carbon footprint make great gifts.  Some of our favorite sustainable gifts this holiday season come from LOTUS Sustainables.  LOTUS make shopping a little more green with their handy dandy Trolley Bags and Produce Bags.

Lotus Trolley Bag

This is a lovely set of 4 heavy-duty reusable bags, including an insulated cooler bag.  They are designed to help make grocery shopping easy and efficient.


LOTUS trolley bags feature removable support rods for cart and non-cart use. They fit inside most standard U.S. grocery carts. The bags all connect together to allow for easy filling and sorting as you shop.


The bags are large, but not so large that they are cumbersome when full.  They feature durable double stitching on all bags to allow you to carry 50 pounds easily.  They have velcro strips that make it easy to detach bags from the shopping system for individual use. 


The bags feature egg and wine specialty pockets and additional pockets on the inside and outside of bags.




The bags also feature mold-resistant mesh bottoms and they are machine washable.


I love that these bags rolls up into a compact, lightweight carrier that I can keep in the trunk ready for each and every shopping trip.

LOTUS also has an awesome set of Reusable Produce Bags.


Each set features three sizes perfect for pretty much any produce you need to bag up.  The bags have drawstring closures and are mesh allowing for air flow and making it easy for your cashier to read produce codes.  These bags can be used for more than produce...try them the next time you travel to keep toiletries separated or to strain homemade nutmilk!  You can even use them in the washing machine to keep your delicates safe.


LOTUS Sustainables is a family-owned small business and a proud member of 1% for the Planet, which means your purchase helps to support environmental causes dedicated to reducing plastic pollution.  Plus, thanks to their fantastic totes and bags 2.75 billion plastic bags have been eliminated.  That is fantastic!!  Gifting LOTUS products will help reduce plastic waste and it doesn't get much better than that!  


If you are looking to gift sustainably this holiday season, check out LOTUS Sustainables!



Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Friday, October 22, 2021

305 Life - Delicious and Portable Everyday Supplements For an Active Lifestyle!

 *DISCLOSURE* Thank you to 305 Life for providing product samples in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own. 

305 Life is a health and wellness lifestyle brand that celebrates the ethos of Miami and seeks to inspire consumers to get the most out of life. The line was launched October 1st and is  brought to you by none other than Mr. 305 himself, global star and singer Pitbull (Armando Perez), and Roger Yuan, an exclusive physical trainer, martial arts expert and Hollywood action sequence choreographer/director (Jason Bourne, X-Men: First Class, and upcoming Dune.) Roger works directly with Pitbull training him for touring life and initially brought the product to his attention. 


While the current supplement marketplace is overwhelmed by options, there is not one clear leader consumers can turn to making high quality, everyday products that fit consumer needs. 305 Life combines industry knowledge, science, innovative techniques and a desire to bring the best quality product and flavor to consumers. In addition, the brand is inspired by the vibrancy and outdoor lifestyle of Miami and features formulas for everyday life, recovery and energy.  



305 Life is available online and comes in easily portable, individual packs that can be mixed into water or favorite beverages. Recommended usage is 1 packet per day mixed in 12oz of either still or sparkling water. All supplements are priced at $60 per box which includes 30 packets and come in the following mixes: 

Everyday Life- Raspberry Guava

Everyday Recovery Booster - Pineapple Coconut

Everyday Energy- Acai Punch  

In addition, a portion of sales benefits Pitbull’s SLAM! Foundation, a non-profit educational organization representing 12 public charter schools across campuses serving students in grades K-12.  



305-Life is globally sourced and quality tested by 21st Century, a highly accredited production facility with over 25 years of experience in natural flavors and award winning health supplements        



At 305, they understand the need for balance, for joy and the continued push to keep moving forward. You put your all into life, now let them help keep you vitalized and energized to take on each day.





Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.