Make Your Own Candy Kits: Ecofriendly, Educational, Fun

**I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. No other compensation has been received. Giveaway is sponsored by GLEE Gum. Any opinions expressed are my own**

The holidays are over, the weather is getting even colder and the days are short. I know next week the forecast for my area of PA is calling for a high of 6 degrees. Not really weather I like to let my kids out in to play for any extended period of time. My boys are usually content to play video games, watch tv, or watch a movie but I try to limit that. For me, January and February are a challenge in keeping cabin fever away from my kids without them being sedentary.

I love GLEE Gum Make Your Own Candy Kits. There are lots of reasons for this:

1. The kits use natural ingredients.

2. Each one lets them know where the main ingredients of each candy kit come from. It give them a little education on where those ingredients are from and how they are obtained. Even gives some history on the candy. You can also find educational info on their site

3. The kids come with all the ingredients you need (aside from maybe a cup of water)

4. It’s a great hands on family activity that also allows room for creativity

I’ve had the opportunity to try all the GLEE Make Your Own Candy Kits thanks to several reviews in the past and now this one. This time we got to try the Make Your Own Gummies kit.

I honestly thought this one would be more complicated for some reason. I don’t know why. It was was actually quite easy. It has info about what make the gummies turn to gel, how families in the phillipines make a living through seaweed farming, and even has a small piece of seaweed in the kit. There is a part where they need to place that seaweed in water and it explains to them what they are seeing when the use the seaweed and more.

There were steps that everyone in the family could complete. My youngest son loves to mix so he’s usually assigned the dumping and mixing jobs, while the older ones get to do the measuring and set up. They all get to do their own creative things though.

You can complete this kit with either a stove top or microwave. We chose to use the microwave to save a few dirty dishes and so it was a little safer for my little guy. The kit comes with a molding starch. This is where the creativity comes in. They could use objects around their house or even draw their own designs in the molding starch to make the shape of their gummies. The kid suggests some things that can be used. We use some of those plastic decorative pics from cupcakes (football helmest we had) letter magnets, some gingerbread men candy molds, and even tried drawing a few designs. To be quite honest they didn’t turn out quite the way we had hoped but we did get some pretty cool designs. As I told my kids, in the end no matter what shape they are they’ll all taste the same.

We spooned our mixture into the “mold” You let it set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set and that’s really all it took. We took them out of the mold wiped them a bit with a clean damp cloth to get the molding powder off of them We them put them in a sandwich bag with the provided sour sugar coating and shook them up and they were ready to go.

These were really quite tasty. A lot of flavor to them. My youngest son was the first to taste test. After eating one he asked me for more. I tried a couple my self and so did my older boys. They got a thumbs up from everyone.

If gummies aren’t your thing they also have a Make Your Own Chocolate Kit and a Make Your Own Gum kit. With this review we have now tried all three. Each one of them gave a different experience. It’s hard to pick a favorite because they were all lots of fun and tasty. GLEE actually has a candy combo kit on their site where you can get all 3 kits for $37.67 right now. You could get the combo kit and pull one out when the kids are saying “i’m bored” over the winter. They would also make really cool and unique birthday gifts.

Also they have lots of flavors of their natural, GLEE Gum available on their site with the newest flavor, watermelon available. I will also be reviewing coming up this month. You can use the GLEE store locator to see if there are any stores near you that sell the gum or candy kits. You can also order them on their website http://gleegum.com/order.htm

You can also find GLEE Gum on the following social media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GleeGum?sk=app_190322544333196

Twitter: @gleeguy

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/gleegum/

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win

their choice of one of the GLEE Make Your Own Candy Kits

US ONLY

Entry -Form

**sponsored post**

Make Healthier Choices in the New Year: Glasstic Water Bottle

**I have worked with Glasstic in the past and received a free product for review purposes. No compensation has been received for this post. Giveaway is sponsored by Glasstic Water Bottles**

I did a review of the Glasstic Water Bottle back in October which you can read here: https://luvsavingmoney.com/2013/10/glasstic-water-bottle-benefits-of-glass-and-plastic.html

The gist of my review and the idea of the Glasstic Water Bottle is, a lot of people are turning to glass container for food and drink because of worries of things like BPA in the plastic. BUT glass isn’t always practical or even safe when you look at situations like going to the pool, running on pavement and taking your water bottle with you, or having it around kids. Glasstic Water bottles have a glass bottle insert that can be filled with water, tea, or whatever your cold drink of choice is with an outer plastic shell that is BPA free. The outer layer protects against drops and shocks making your “glass” water bottle, virtually shatterproof. BUT they do have lifetime glass replacement, should your glass bottle ever break.

The bottle comes apart to wash so I could totally see me and my clumsy self trying to wash the glass insert and dropping it. It’s nice to know that they’ll replace it though.

Glasstic Water bottles have a locking top and convenient handle as well. They still have a coupon code available for 15% off when you purchase any Glasstic Water Bottle on Amazon Use code: 9GE47TZC in the “Gift card and Promotional Code” section in your cart on Amazon to save 15%.

You can find Glasstic Water Bottles on these social media sites:

Twitter: @GlassticBottle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlassticBottle

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/glassticbottle/

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win

A Glasstic Water Bottle in choice of color: Black, White, Pink, Green, Purple, Blue

US ONLY

Entry -Form

New Fragrances for Men and Women from Mia Mariu

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I’m someone who loves to wear some type of fragrance every day. I like to have a variety of perfumes on hand depending on my mood and to complete my look. Even with having several fragrances on hand at any given time, I’m choosy about which ones I wear. I like light scents. I tend to gravitate toward fresh/clean, citrus, or light floral scents. I’m personally not a fan of anything to heavy or spicy for myself.

After reading the descriptions of the new fragrances available from Mia Mariu I was willing to give it a try. The hardest part for me was to choose if I wanted to review the women’s for myself or get one of the men’s fragrances for my hubby. (I love it when he wears fragrances too).

I decided to try the women’s fragrance called mm magia. It came in a 1.7 fl oz glass bottle. It has your typical spritz pump to dispense the perfume. This is a gorgeous scent. The description provided by Mia Mariu reads:

“enchanting, flirty, sensual…deliciously unforgettable”

This deliciously flirtatious fragrance invigorates the senses, creates a mood and sets the scene for unforgettable fun, romance and pleasure. With a medley of juicy strawberry, mandarin, peach and pear that play sweetly atop dewy blooms of jasmine, plum, magnolia and flirty frangipani; makes the perfect playmate and ideal soul mate for smooth and sensual base notes of rich vanilla, musk, tonka bean and warm and enchanting golden amber.

Of course I’m no perfume expert. When I smell it I definitely pick up the jasmine, peach, a hint of strawberry, and I can definitely pick up the citrus notes. There is just a touch of warm that blends it together smoothly. This fragrance wears well on me, or at least I think so. It’s noticeable but not overpowering. I’ve worn the fragrance on a few different days. It seems to last about 3-4 hours at a time.

The other 2 new fragrances available are men’s fragrances. And the desciptions provided by Mia Mariu read:

mm caoba EDT 1.7 oz for Men
“sophisticated, passionate, romantic….real sexy confidence”

This rugged, refreshing, strong and sensual fragrance has top notes of citron tonic, violet leaf, dew grass; middle notes are red saffron, crushed nutmeg and fresh vetiver; base notes are creamy sandalwood, vanilla absolute and vintage suede. Caoba’s modern smooth scent creates mystery and sexy confidence.

AND

mm acqua EDT 1.7 oz for Men
“rebellious, irresistible, seductive…pure masculinity”

This clean, cool and refreshing fragrance offers a sophisticated scent with its unique blend of exotic ingredients. Acqua leaves skin aromatically scented with top notes of sliced ginger, star ruby grapefruit and white pepper, middle notes of warm nutmeg, Egyptian jasmine and skin musk while balancing perfectly with bottom notes of Texas white cedar, Haitian vetiver and Bois de Encens. Acqua embodies the essence of masculinity.

For me, I think I’d like to have my husband try the mm caoba scent. It sounds like something we’d both like. My husband wears fragrance often too. I’m so glad because I definitely love some of the men’s cologne’s available.

You can find Mia Mariu on the following social media site:

Mia Mariu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miamariu

Mia Mariu Twitter: @Mia_Mariu

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/miamariu/

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win

their choice of one of the 3 new Mia Mariu fragrances (men or women)

US ONLY

Entry -Form

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

12 Pearls of Christmas: Day 12

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

We’re giving away a pearl necklace in celebration of the holidays, as well as some items from the contributors! Enter now below. The winner will be announced on January 2, 2014, at the Pearl Girls blog.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl, Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace, or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

A Teenage Pregnancy
by Robin Jones Gunn

It was early, early morning, that delicate time of day just before sunrise when it seems as if all of creation is still asleep.

In the cold, gray light she gazed at the infant in her arms. He was less than an hour old and so, so small. Instinct prompted her to draw her newborn close that he might feel the rhythm of her heart. He curled his tiny hand around her finger and she smiled. His eyes closed, and with feathered breath he gave way to the blessed sleep that follows such a long journey.

In weary awe she studied his face, his ears, his nose. He was here. He had come at last.

A single tear fell from her eye and rolled across his cheek. She kissed the tear away but could not kiss away the memories that came with the tears; memories of the day she found out she was pregnant. How exhilarated she felt and yet how terrified. She was young, and there was much she didn’t understand.

Trying to justify her condition to her parents proved more difficult than she’d hoped. But the most excruciating memory was the moment she stood guileless before the man she hoped to one day marry. She had no words to make him understand the awful truth—the child she carried was not his.

Leaving seemed to be her only option. A gracious aunt took her in and welcomed her with open arms. From the moment she arrived she was showered with motherly words of hope and sisterly touches of love. Week by week, month by month, the child inside her grew.

Was it a miracle when she returned home, her belly round, her face flushed, and found him there?

What prompted this man to take her back and make her his bride? Did he now believe what she had tried to explain all along, that none of this was her own doing?

When the time was right they left their small town together, as husband and wife, with her due date rapidly approaching. The labor began—tightening her abdomen with a force she had never before imagined. Perspiration streamed from her forehead. The contractions multiplied with a frenzied urgency until the need to push overwhelmed her young body, and the baby was born.

Nothing of the past mattered anymore. He was here. Naked, perfect, quivering in her arms. With a thrill of hope, she believed that her life, her world, would never be the same.

Now as the first silver streaks of dawn pierced through the cracks in the stable, she tenderly wrapped her sleeping babe in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger.

***

Robin Jones Gunn, bestselling author of the much-loved Christy Miller Series and the award-winning Sisterchicks® series, has had more than 4.5 million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her frequent speaking engagements have taken her around the globe. Robin and her husband live in Hawaii and have a grown son and daughter. You can learn more at Robin’s website.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Pearls of Christmas: Day 11

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!

We’re giving away a pearl necklace in celebration of the holidays, as well as some items from the contributors! Enter now below! The winner will be announced on January 2, 2014, at the Pearl Girls blog.

***

Do You Hear What I Hear?
by Cynthia Ruchti

To shepherds? Really, God? You crafted a birth announcement that was delivered first to shepherds? The story’s become so familiar to us, so easy for us to visualize because of all the Christmas pageants we’ve witnessed over the years—all the fourth-grade boys in plaid robes with a homemade shepherd staff, carrying a cloth lamb from the toy department that plays “Jesus Loves Me” if you pull the ring where an umbilical cord should be.

Theologians speculate the reason for shepherds as the audience for the holy pronouncement could be as intricate as a genetic retracing of the Baby’s heritage back through history to King David, who started his career as a shepherd.

Or it could have been simpler than that. Maybe shepherds were the only ones listening that night.

“Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night,” Luke 2:8, CEB. The biblical story tells us that the shepherds weren’t sleeping but were on guard, watching, when the news about Jesus came to them.

Distractions were few. Hills, sheep, other shepherds, a low fire, and a wide expanse of sky overhead—a dark sky that held the same stars night after night, until this one.

I wonder if any of the shepherds brought their families to the fields. I wonder if in the tent was a hardworking woman nearing the end of an exhausting day. She’d barely gotten the evening meal cleaned up when she had to start thinking about what her family and the other shepherds would need for breakfast. Soak the grains. Check the progress on the sheep’s milk cheese. And try to get those kids to settle down.

“Stop annoying your brother. Caleb! Last warning. Josh, get your fingers out of your sister’s ears. Turn down that video game. You can’t listen to the radio and watch TV at the same time. Turn one of them off. Better yet, both of them! Who’s singing? What’s that sound? Do you hear what I hear?”

What noise do I need to turn off in my life in order to hear the first notes of the angel’s song?

Another noisy Christmas party. Another trip to the department store for stocking stuffers. Another round of Christmas CDs. Another Christmas special on TV. Another Facebook post to share—the true meaning of Christmas. A text about the practice time for the Christmas program at church. Another phone call about travel plans. Brain waves clanking into each other, making a cacophony of noise.

Shutting down one layer at a time. Unplugging. Keeping even “Silent Night” low so I can silence my night and hear the downbeat of “Glory to God in the highest.”

***

Cynthia Ruchti is an author and speaker who tells stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her novels and novellas, devotions, nonfiction, and through speaking events for women and writers. Of seven books on the shelves currently, her latest releases are the novel When the Morning Glory Blooms (Abingdon Press Fiction), the nonfiction Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People’s Choices (Abingdon Press Christian Living), and several dozen of the devotions in Mornings With Jesus 2014 (Guideposts). Spring of 2014 will see the release of another novel—All My Belongings, also from Abingdon Press Fiction. You can connect with her at www.cynthiaruchti.com or on Facebook.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY

A Teenage Pregnancy by Robin Jones Gunn

Do You Hear What I Hear? by Cynthia Ruchti

A Teenage Pregnancy
by Robin Jones Gunn

Do You Hear What I Hear?
by Cynthia Ruchti