Artistic Rhinolin Desk Pad Available on Shoplet.com

**I am a Shoplet.com blogger. I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. No other compensation has been received**

Before trying the Artistic Rhinolin Desk Pad (AOPLT41S) I had no idea really what the point of a desk pad was. I’m being honest, I figured it was to protect the desk but wasn’t really sure. I have an old desk and it’s seen it’s share of wear and tear. My desk top is kind of rough and has some bumps and dings so writing on it isn’t always the best. Seeing the desk pad I thought it would be good for me to serve the purpose of a smooth writing surface.

The finish on the desk pad is a low glare Black Satin. The finish helps reduce glare and eye strain. One of my favorite features of the Artisitc Rhinolin desk pad is that it has microban technology and wipes off super easy. It has a no slip backing to keep it from sliding around on your desk. I can attest to that. I’ve had it on my desk for several days filling out papers for my boys school, taking notes, etc.

The writing surface was so smooth compared to having no desk pad at all. It’s more comfortable for my wrist to as it slide along the pad as I was writing.

Shoplet.com has a huge selection of office supplies and office stationary. Everything from desk top to lunch room to cleaning needs. Keep Shoplet.com in mind for the holidays or for your promotional products as well. If you’re looking for company branded gifts for your employees or items with your website on them to hand out at events you can get small items like lanyards, pens, or koozies or larger items like jackets, promotional shirts, or duffle bags.

Shoplet.com is available in several countries including Shoplet UK.

October is SIDS Awareness Month Raise Awareness with HALO

**I received a sample of the below mentioned product in order to complete this post. No other compensation has been received**

Having a baby is such a blessing. A baby can bring so much joy. With a baby comes a lot of questions and some worries too. One question that a new parent may have is, “What is the safest way for baby to sleep?” When going through parenting classes and talking to pediatricians the subject of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) will inevitably come up. It’s a scary thing to think about. There are ways to give your baby the safest sleep you can give them. October is SIDS Awareness Month so it’s a great time to talk about a safe sleep for baby.

HALO’s website offers tips for safe sleep for baby. You can also download and print a sleep safety check off list:

ALWAYS

Place baby to sleep on his or her back at naptime and at night time.
Use a crib that meets current safety standards with a firm mattress that fits snuggly and is covered with only a tight-fitting crib sheet.
Remove all soft bedding and toys from your baby’s sleep area (this includes loose blankets, bumpers, pillows and positioners). The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests using a wearable blanket instead of loose blankets to keep your baby warm.
Offer a pacifier when putting baby to sleep. If breastfeeding, introduce pacifier after one month or after breastfeeding has been established.
Breastfeed, if possible, but when finished, put your baby back to sleep in his or her separate safe sleep area alongside your bed.

NEVER

Never put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (adult beds, sofas, chairs, water beds, quilts, sheep skins etc.)
Never dress your baby too warmly for sleep; keep room temperature 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Never allow anyone to smoke around your baby or take your baby into a room or car where someone has recently smoked.

This is something I worried about with all four of my kids and still do with my daughter. I remember the first few nights that each of them started sleeping for a few hours at a clip. I should have been enjoying the blocks of sleep but instead I just had to get up and check on them to make sure they were alright.

Here’s a scary statistic, Did you know that 80-90% of SIDS cases are due to unsafe sleep practices?

HALO sleep sacks are a comfy and adorable way to keep baby comfortable at night and not have to worry about baby getting a blanket over their head or getting tangled in a blanket. I love the HALO sleep sacks. They’re easy to take off and on and come in lots of cute designs. They offer exclusive microfleece designs at buybuybaby.com

I got to try one of the exclusive designs from buybuybaby.com, the pink zigzag bird HALO sleepsack.

Another thing I had always heard about safe sleep practices for baby is not to have toys and other loose objects in the crib. I occasionally put a couple in with her when she’s awake to keep her busy until I can get her but that’s about it. I do have that little monkey pull toy on the bar of her crib.

I love that you can easily wash the sleep sack. I also like that it’s loose enough to allow baby to kick and move a bit but not so loose I’d have to worry about her wiggling out of it. HALO Sleep Sack is something I always consider as a gift for new moms, especially first time moms who might not know about the Sleep Sacks. They also have HALO Sleep Sacks for Early Walkers and Big Kids too!

I’m going to urge you to like HALO on facebook during the month of October. For every new like they get in October they will donate $1 to SIDS awareness.

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money readers will win a

HALO Sleep Sack of their choice

US and Canada

Entry -Form

Check Out Novica.com’s New Design and Help Artisans From Around the World

**I received a gc to use on NOVICA.com for this post. No other compensation has been received**

I have been a fan of NOVICA for a long time. Before I ever did my first post for NOVICA my husband had bought me a necklace from the site. It was beautiful, unique, and was made so well. He had also bought a necklace for his mother from the site. As I explored NOVICA more I saw beautiful hand blown glass pieces I just had to have as well as expertly crafted wooden piece, baskets, and more. I really could spend a lot of money on the site if I had it to spend.

I love adding unique home decor to my house that can tell as story. It’s nice to know that the wooden mirror hanging in my foyer was crafted by an artisan in Peru. The hand blown glass pitcher and matching glasses I use for sun tea came from a skilled artisan in Mexico. NOVICA works with artisans from around the world giving them fair wages, no binding contracts, and allowing them a way to sell their goods to support their families.

NOVICA has recently relaunched their site. You can easily find what you’re looking for through categories like “gifts for mom” for instance. They have many new arrivals and they’re easy to find in the “new arrival” section. I was given a gift code to be able to choose an item from Novica myself and try out the new design.

I needed some new coasters for my living room. Strike that I needed real coasters for my living room. The ones I have are the disposable ones you get when you go to a restaurant or something like that lol. Seriously. As many times as I’ve been on NOVICA I’ve eyeballed the coasters and loved the beautiful handcrafted selection. Everything from beaded to glass to marble and more.

My living room has dark wood accents and a red carpet. After searching the site and looking at my budget I ended up opting for these coasters:

I actually bought the last set they had left. I’m so excited to get them. They are coming from India. I love when the products come and they tell you who the artisan is, a little about his life/family, and what region your product comes from.

I like the new design of the site. It’s brighter and seems less cluttered. The ordering process was a quick as it was before though I think the checkout was easier to read and figure out where the coupon codes and things go.

NOVICA’s site redesign comes just in time for convenient holiday shopping. You should definitely check out their holiday decor too: stockings, tree skirts, nativities, and more. Beautiful stuff.

You can find NOVICA on the following social networks:

Twitter: @NOVICA

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

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

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win a

$25 gc to NOVICA
US Only

Entry -Form

Where Can You Get Any Gorgeous Bouquet on the Site for $40 Shipped? The Bouqs

**I received the below mentioned Bouq in order to complete an honest review. No other compensation has been received**

Move over online florists you have some competition. There are plenty of online florists you can go to to order a bouquet for a special person for whatever reason you like. I don’t know any like The Bouqs though.

One of several unique things about The Bouqs, the flowers aren’t sitting in a warehouse somewhere waiting for you to order them. They are shipped straight from a sustainable farm in South America, cutting only what they sell. Eco-friendly florists, love it!

They have a selection of curated Bouqs so you are sure to get something wonderful for the person you want. All Bouqs on the site are $40 and that includes shipping. This is an amazing price considering the size of some of the Bouqs on the site. Take the Daybreak Bouq for instance: $40 for a single but a single includes 40 roses!! Oh and I just so happened to receive this one as a review piece (lucky me).

They arrived in a slim black box like this, they arrived via fedex.

Someone brought my box in for me (either hubby or one of my boys) no one told me that I received the box or that they had brought it in the house and actually stuffed it behind the microwave stand for whatever reason. I didn’t know it was there until I was straightening up and found it that night around 10 o’clock that night. I was a bit worried. All I could think is that they’ve been sitting there, what if they are wilted?! So I carefully opened the box.

Still not really able to see the flowers but could see they were very secure in the box. I cut the plastic binding in the middle and starting pulling away the packaging and pulled these two beauties out of the packaging.

Sitting in the box for who knows how long didn’t even phase them. Look at that gorgeous color. It’s kind of a light orange that fades into a darker orange at the top. I’ve personally never seen roses this color up close before. The color was so vibrant. They had a light rose scent but not overpowering. Sometimes I open up flowers and it smells like a floral shop in my house but these just said “Hey I’m here aren’t I pretty?” I had to take another picture just to show you the beautiful color of these roses. Every rose looked healthy, the leaves, a beautiful green. I couldn’t find one spot on any of the roses that looked less than perfect.

Aren’t they gorgeous? Even my husband commented on how nice they looked and he usually doesn’t say much about flowers. I was interested to see which Bouq from the site I was sent. I discovered that this one is the Daybreak Bouq and they say this one is for “starting a new relationship” which seems fitting to me since this is my first time working with The Bouqs. (Hopefully not my last).

Yes this Bouq is only $40, can you believe it? I’m gonna do you one better though. I have a referral link that is gonna get you $10 off your first Bouq, https://www.thebouqs.com/en/?sal=5246325720486&spop=1

You can also find The Bouqs on these social media sites:

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

Twitter: @TheBouqs

Instagram: @TheBouqs

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

With the holidays coming, wouldn’t this be an affordable way to send a gorgeous Bouq to someone you care about without breaking the bank?

Have a LEGO Fan? Keep ‘Em Busy and Save Some Money with Pleygo

**I received a 3 month subscription to Pleygo as a US Family Guide blogger. No other compensation has been received**

UPDATE: as far as I could tell, this product no longer exists

Anyone that has a LEGO fan knows that LEGOs can be a great toy for mechanical reasoning, creativity, fine motor coordination, and problem solving (sorry it’s the COTA part of me coming out). But you probably also know those little bricks can come with a big price tag. I know my 9 yr old son had a few sets on his list last Christmas that he wanted and I don’t think any of them were under $50 and most were around $80. My son can get one of those sets and have it put together in a day or two, no kidding.

Pleygo is a LEGO rental system that works something like netflix. You pay a monthly subscription with 3 different options available. Set up an account and choose 10 sets that you want in your subscription category. Then they start sending the set out. My son got his first set within a few days of setting everything up.

The sets come with the building instructions, all the parts, a small bag of extra parts (just in case) and a postage paid label to send it back when you’re ready. The first kit he received to try was the “Comanche Camp” in the Fan subscription category.

My son had this put together in about 20 minutes. His little brother was interested in watching him. They were able to play with the little set afterward too.

When you get the set you can keep it as long as you like and return it when you’re ready. One worry I had before signing up, because I know eventually it would happen, is that if they lost a part we’d end up buying the whole set. Well that’s just not true. It says right on their homepage, “No charge for lost pieces”. I guess they kind of expect that. I mean I would. I find LEGOs in my house that there just shouldn’t be LEGOs.

Another nice thing is that if you get a set that your child really likes, you can actually buy it. Just go to your account and click “buy set”, pay for it and it’s yours, you don’t have to send it back, and they send the next available set in the list to continue with your subscription.

My son really likes this service. After we sent the first set back he was asking “When do you think my next set will be here?” He came home from school today and asked “Did my Pleygo set come in today?” and I was happy to tell him it did. They send you an email when they received the kit you sent back and when they ship out the next set. It only took about 4 days between sending the other set and receiving the next set.

Here he is happily putting together the Cole’s Earth Driller set. They recommend putting the pieces in a tray while you put it together to avoid losing pieces which is a great idea. He already said “Mom I think I’m going to keep this set a little longer than the last one” and he can. Kids love getting things in the mail too. The set comes to the house with his name on it. This would be a great idea for a holiday gift or birthday gift for the LEGO lover.

You can find Pleygo on these social media sites:

Twitter: @Pleygo1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pleygo
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pleygo/