review – Page 11 – Luv Saving Money

We Attended British Soccer Camp

One of my children received free camp tuition through US Family Guide in exchange for this post. I did pay for the other child to attend because they both wanted to. Any opinions expressed are my own.

My littlest ones, ages 9 and 5, love soccer. They play in the AYSO league locally. My oldest son also had the opportunity to play indoor soccer in the fall through a different league. Anything soccer, they are into it. We had heard of Challenger Sports British Soccer Camp before but this is the first year we gave it a try.

My daughter did the “First Kicks” program geared towards learning basic soccer skills for the little ones. She had a small group with only two other little girls but she made friends with these girls and had a blast. Every day when I’d get home from work she’d ask “Is it time to go to soccer camp yet?”

First Kicks was only an hour long so it was a perfect program for 2- 5 yr olds. They got a lot of individual attention and coach Abby and Coach Jason knew them by name after the first day or so. The coaches were so good with the kids and my daughter just loved them. My daughter is very outgoing and friendly. They answered her questions, listened to her stories and goofed around with her when she would try to play.

My 9 yr old son did one of the half day camps. We chose the evening half day camp since it worked better with our schedules. My son is the opposite of my daughter personality wise in that he is rather shy and tends to keep to himself. But my son had already made a friend on the first day and he was just as excited to go back each day as my daughter.

There were more kids in my son’s age group with a mix of boys and girls. Kids from several different school districts were there so my son met a lot of new people. The older kids were also given homework. One night they had to research a country and give 5 facts about that country. They had a to pick a country in the World Cup. Another night they had to make a flag for their country they chose. So they learned a bit too.

The half day camp for the evening was 3 hours. They had so many activities, games, and skills to do with the kids that it seemed they were playing a few new ones each day. It was neat to see how the games incorporated certain skills of play.

Fun and learning at @challenger_sports British soccer camp in Johnstown, PA #usfg

A post shared by Angie Beechan (@angwith4) on Jun 27, 2018 at 1:14pm PDT

I have a video of my daughter in the First Kicks program too on Facebook:

The first day of camp was super hot for us here in Pennsylvania. It was in the low 90s. After that it rained every day so they did the rest of camp in the school’s gym that was hosting it. It didn’t seem to matter to the kids one way or the other.

At the end of camp they gave all the kids a certificate of completion with a hand written note of encouragement and it pointed out their strengths which was really nice.

Because we registered early the kids got a British soccer camp soccer ball, T-shirt, and two different soccer jerseys. They also have access to the skills app. So if you ask me if the cost of the camp is worth it. I say, definitely yes. Learning new cultures, skills, making new friends, being active for 3 hours a day at least. So many benefits.

There are still camps available. Check the site to see if there is one in your area. REGISTER FOR CAMP & GET A JERSEY, BALL, T SHIRT & NEW SKILLS APP AND 20 FREE VIDEOS!
Enroll in the most popular soccer camp in North America! British Soccer Camps have programs for all ages and abilities and feature an innovative curriculum full of skills, drills, and thrills! Register now and you will not only get your free British Soccer game jersey (value $34.95) shipped to you for free immediately, but you will also get our brand new skill development App and 20 videos to help your child practice at home. Your soccer ball, T-shirt & poster will be given out at camp. USE CODE BSC18 at check out to get free shipping.
To Enroll: https://www.challengersports.com/british-soccer/

Natren Probiotics from the “Mother of Probiotics”

I received several Natren product at no cost in order to complete this post. Any opinions expressed are my own. This post is not intended to give medical advice. Prize is sponsored by Natren.

I’ve mentioned a few times on this little blog that I have ulcerative colitis and IBS. I see a GI doctor regularly and take prescription medication to manage my diseases. I’ve had conversations with my doctor, with a dietician, and with others dealing with GI issues. I realize there is not a cure for my issues but there are things I can do to reduce symptoms and flare ups.

One thing is my diet. Eating certain foods can irritate me and prompt certain symptoms for me. Taking a probiotic can help maintain my “gut” health. There is also info out that that links GI issues to issues such as depression which I do have. So things like proper sleep, exercise, etc can help as well.

If we circle back to probiotics though, you find that there are so many on the market now. It seems a new brand is popping up all the time. How do you know which ones to trust? How do you know which ones will do what they’re meant to do? How do you know you’re not getting things added into your probiotics that you probably don’t want in there?

Natren probiotics has been around for 30 years! Natren founder, Natasha Trenev along with her father, brought the idea of probiotic yogurt and acidophilus liquid to the US. Natasha is known as the “Mother of Probiotics” in the early 1980’s she introduced the term “probiotics” to the health food industry. You guys she is literally the reason we know about probiotics in the US today! She was the first to arrange refrigerated sections in health food stores just so her family could sell their probiotic yogurts in stores.

In the 1980s and 90s Natasha actually established the entire probiotic category within the natural food industry. Natasha created many firsts in regard to probiotics. Natasha has written books on probiotics as well. Natren is one of the only probiotics that has received International cBMP certification through Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) at the pharmaceutical and medicinal food level.

You can visit the Natren site to read more about the info, history, and science behind it too. I could type it al. here but, why hear it from me when you can go straight to the source? Here’s a helpful video about Natren as well:

Today Natren offers probiotics for all ages with many different product even in chewable for for kids and products for baby.

They have options for all stages of life. With Vegan, gluten free, and dairy free options. The Healthy Tummy chewables my 9 yr old has been taking. It says they are vanilla ice cream flavored. He says they taste good. I’ve been using the Healthy Start system which is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, No GMOs, and No FOS. They all arrived to me in glass bottles.

Natren products are shipped to you cold because they do contain live probiotics. I also received a handy booklet with lots of info about Natren.

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win

a Natren probiotics prize package

US only

Natren Probiotics

Come What May and Love It Giveaway Hop: AB Doer 360

I received a product sample in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own. I’m not a fitness expert. You should always consult a doctor before starting a new exercise program. Giveaway is sponsored by SSA PR.

Hosted by MamatheFox

By the time this giveaway hops starts I’ll be only about 4 days from leaving for my beach vacation. I’m so excited. What I’m not excited about is my gut in a bathing suit. So it was perfect timing for the AB Doer 360. I used to love love love ab exercises. After having 4 kids, adding a few years on, and a few lbs I don’t love ab exercises as much as I used to. It’s harder for me to get up and down off the floor, they’re harder on my back, etc. That’s why when I was asked to try the AB Doer 360 there was no hesitation, yes!

The AB Doer 360 allows you to sit upright on a padded seat so it’s better for your back, no more getting up and down off the floor. This has been advertised on TV so you may have seen the commercials for it.

Guys this honestly looks like so much fun to me. I got mine in and took it out of the box. I was a little worried about putting it together but honestly, I did it myself in less than 15 min.

The AB Doer comes with a booklet with assembly instructions and diet recommendations to receive optimal results. It also comes with a dvd that has visual assembly instructions and 3 levels of workouts from beginner to expert. Once it was together I couldn’t wait to get started.

I decided to take some before measurements and pics so I can compare. This is hard for me to show since I’ve put on some weight over the last year

BEFORE

So my stomach is measuring at roughly 38.5 inches. The workout pants I have on used to fit me perfect, not so much anymore. But I’m hoping to change that. I plan on doing weekly update with the AB Doer 360 progress. I’m hoping by the end of the 8 week program I will have those workout pants fitting better.

There’s no better time to start than now!

I did my first day of exercise. I started with the beginner program but it didn’t challenge me enough so I went to intermediate right after completing the beginner. Definitely more challenging. I did break a sweat and the cardio picked up on my Fitbit.

Yes I said Cardio! But what’s great about the AB Doer 360 is you don’t have the impact on your joints like so many cardio programs out there. I have ulcerative colitis which can actually effect my joints to feel almost like arthritis. I’ve been walking but that take it’s toll on my my hips, knees, and ankles. This provides, cardio, core exercises, and balance training that just about anyone can do.

I had FUN doing it. I’m not kidding. It was fun. The beginner workout was quick and I thought “Really? It’s over already? I don’t want it to be over”

You can try the AB Doer 360 yourself for 30 days for just $14.95 or buy it for $199.80 with FREE shipping.

I’ll be posting my update results on instagram so be sure to follow me there!

GIVEAWAY

1 US Luv Saving Money reader will win

an AB Doer 360 ($200 value)

AB Doer 360

Now enter more great giveaways from other participating bloggers here!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Life is a Beach Giveaway Hop: Build or Boom by Goliath Games LLC

I received the below mentioned product at no cost in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own. Prize is sponsored by Goliath Games LLC

After a couple weeks into summer vacation what is one thing you hear kids saying? “I’m bored”, right? Especially if it’s thunderstorming or it’s just too hot to do much. Keeping a selection of family friendly board games is necessary in our house. We have mandatory unplug times. The kids either choose to go outside or if the weather isn’t cooperating they grab a board game.

One of the newest games from Goliath Games LLC is Build or Boom It almost immediately became the family favorite. If you’re kids are into things like LEGOs or Minecraft or they just like to build things and blow them up lol, this is the game for them.

Build or Boom is for two players. The game comes with building pieces, building platforms, and game cards. The game cards show a “blueprint” of what you are supposed to build with which pieces to use. The difficulty level of each blueprint is shown using hammers. 1 hammer is the easiest with 3 hammers being the hardest to build. With this idea it’s fairly easy to grade the game down for younger players if needed. Once the card is placed both players start building at the same time. The first one to finish their building correctly gets to “blow up” the other person’s build by using the “dynamite” attached to the other person’s platform.

There are enough pieces for both players to make each blueprint each time. It can be a pretty fast paced game. Especially when the older boys and I were playing together. We had to slow it down a bit for the littler ones but they still had fun. My kids range in age from 5 to 15 and they all enjoyed Build or Boom from Goliath Games LLC. Heck I had fun with it too!

This is the newest game in the Goliath Games line of games but there are plenty of others to choose from:

You can check out some of my social media sites to see videos of these games in action too!

Shark Bite game in action on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LuvSavingMoney/videos/2149994745014102/

Catch the Fox game in action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BfMatHJB16A/?taken-by=angwith4

You can find Build or Boom and other Goliath Games at these retailers you can also find Build or Boom on Amazon

GIVEAWAY

1 US LuvSavingMoney reader will win a Build or Boom game!

Build or Boom

Check out even more giveaways from these participating blogs:

Keep Track of Your Kids During Summer Break with MamaBear App

This post is sponsored by MamaBear App. Any opinions expressed are my own. Prize is sponsored by Mamabear app

I’m a mom of 4. I also have anxiety issue. 2 of my kids are teenage boys. They run around all summer with their friends, ride bikes, play football, and hang out with their girl friends. My boys are pretty good about checking in with me via phone every so often. Sometimes though there is a delay with replies if they’re into a football game or don’t here the text go off.

Admittedly sometimes I wonder if they really are where they say they are. If I need to get a hold of both of them I have to send them each texts or phone calls individually. For some reason, I have issues with my texts at times (I really need to talk to my carrier about that).

But there is an app called MamaBear that can help give me some piece of mind and it’s a lot more affordable than you might think.

What is MamaBear App?

It’s a family communication app. You can add your whole family to the app. Once everyone has the app downloaded you can do a lot of cool stuff with it.

Enter in safe places, like a grandparent’s house for instance, and when they stop at their house you get a notification that your child is there. On the other hand, if there are places you absolutely do not want your child to go, you can plug those in too and the app let’s you know that they are there as well.
Monitor your child’s social media. You can put in keywords for the app to monitor and if those words show up in their social media it can alert you.
Send messages to the whole family with the family messaging system. I actually find myself using this more than I thought. Even for little things like letting the family know when supper is ready.

If you have a teen of driving age you can set speed notifications. If your teen surpassed that speed you’ll get a notification. lol I actually got a notification the other day when my 14 year old son was on the bus and the bus drove past our house!

There is also text message monitoring. Unfortunately at this time it seems to only be for android users and we all have iphones.
Maps allows you to see where your child is too.
Very affordable. There is a free option for ads which everyone can use. But a paid ad-free subscription is available in monthly, 3 month, and 6 month subscription plans. 6 months is only $24.99 total. For as much as this app does and the peace of mind it can give, it’s a real bargain. More affordable than a lot of apps out there.

How can I get the MamaBear app?

MamaBear is available for both apple and android devices. Visit mamabearapp.com for more info, subscriptions, and download links.

GIVEAWAY

5 winners will get a code to unlock the premium version of the app (no ads for you!)

US only

MamaBear App Giveaway 5 winners!