Moving Resources For Kids

I have recently purchased a few great resources for our kids to help them cope with our upcoming move.  I am a bargain shopper and found all three of these books at greatly reduced prices!

The girls each received a copy of "My New Home and Me".  It is a memory scrapbook, a great way for younger kids to deal with their emotions in a fun way.  They can include pictures, fill in the blanks, and share how they are feeling about different aspects of the move.

The "Usborne Moving House Sticker Book" is also fun.  There are picture and word stickers to put on each page, along with a search for the hidden duck.  The girls are enjoying filling up a page each day.

"We're Moving" has been read many many times already.  The story follows a girl who is sad to be moving.  She does not want to leave her friends and she doesn't want to leave the flowers that she helped plant with her Dad.  The reader follows her family as they arrive in their new home and sleep in empty rooms for the first night.  We have had many discussions about this book, from how our cats will handle the move, to getting to pick out paint colors for our new house, just like the characters in the story.

So the kids are taken of in the book department.  Now I just need to find some resources for adults....the stress some days is TOO MUCH for us to handle!

Treesponsible

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I would like to tell you a little bit about a Canadian company that is making great efforts to be responsible in its consumption of natural resources.

Many of us are trying to make efforts in becoming more "green".  By using less chemicals, by recycling, by composting, etc.

But how many of us consider going "green" when we buy our toilet paper or kleenex every month?  Afterall, when dealing with sensitive areas we want the product to be soft, not necessarily good on the environment.

Majesta has made a promise to plant 3 trees for every one that they use to produce paper products.

They call it Treesponsible.

I will admit, I was a skeptic.  But they have a Tree Planting Promise to ensure that their integrity remains strong.

I was quite happy with the brands that I currently use, so why would I consider switching?

At first I learned about the labels on any Majesta product.  These labels tell us that their product is:

• Made in Canada
• From a SFI (Sustainable Forest)
• Biodegradable and Plumbing friendly (made from natural wood fibres)
• Made without dyes or fragrances
• Whitened without clorin

Alright so they sound good, but what is the quality of their product like?

I was sent a sample of all 3 of the paper products made by Majesta.  The tissue is soft and absorbent.  The paper towel is a little thinner than I would expect, but it works well for the jobs I use it for.  However I would prefer to have the "select-a-size" option in order to have less waste.

The toilet paper is something else.....

For this review I was required to do a water bottle test.  I filled 2 water bottles with water and then added 5 squares of toilet paper to each bottle,  one with Majesta and the other with another brand (which just so happens to be the one I usually buy).

I was instructed to shake each bottle only 5 times and observe the differences.

The competitor's brand was still completely intact.  Not even slightly dissolved.  The water was very clear.

Majesta's product was already breaking down.  The water was cloudy and filled with particles of toilet paper.

Now for someone who has 2 little girls that constantly use too much toilet paper this was incredible!  Our toilet gets plugged on a regular basis and I always wrote it off to the fact that it's from the kids.  Apparently it was also because the brand I buy does not break down.

I left the water bottles out for a full day and the other brand never did break down.

So next time I buy toilet paper, I will absolutely be looking for Majesta!  The water bottle test really sold me on their product.

As part of the Treesponsible campaign, Majesta is working towards a goal of planting 1 million trees this year.  They are almost halfway there already!  When you purchase their products, you can be assured that you are assisting them in this amazing effort.

Majesta is also holding a contest for $15,000 towards green home project, whether it be for landscaping or home improvements like energy-efficient appliances or new windows.

You can enter this contest daily until June 27, 2010.

***I received the Majesta products as part of a blog tour with Mom Central Canada.  Although I was not required to post a positive review I was compensated for my time with a gift card as well***

Busy

I don't have much to report as I'm in the middle of finals this week.

I just finished writing my Psychology exam tonight and I am happy to say that I will never EVER take a stupid class like that one again!  I absolutely hated it!!

Now to work on my "take-home" exams, which consist of all essay questions.

(Sigh)

Oh, and our appraiser isn't coming until next week so we can't even list our house until then.

(Another sigh)

This is taking forever.

Too Close To Home: a review

Too Close To Home

by:  Lynette Eason

When missing teens begin turning up dead in a small Southern town, the FBI sends in Special Agent Samantha Cash to help crack the case. Her methods are invisible, and she never quits until the case is closed.

Homicide detective Connor Wolfe has his hands full. His relationship with his headstrong daughter is in a tailspin, and the string of unsolved murders has the town demanding answers. Connor is running out of ideas--and time.

Samantha joins Connor in a race against the clock to save the next victim. And the killer starts to get personal.

Too Close to Home ratchets up the suspense with each page even as love blossoms in the face of danger. Read this one with the lights on!


Lynette Eason is the author of Too Close to Home and three other romantic suspense novels. She is a member of American Fiction Christian Writers and Romance Writers of America. A homeschooling mother of two, she has a master's degree in education from Converse College. She lives in South Carolina.

My Review:  I was instantly drawn to this book when I saw the front cover endorsement from Dee Henderson, a wonderful author that I enjoy.  The story is action-packed and realistic as it deals with the dangers of online predators, something that scares me as a parent of two young daughters.  The characters were believable and engaging.  I am looking forward to the other books coming out in the "Women of Justice" series.  

***Available now at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

What's Next?

Alright so I thought I would briefly address the RCMP move here for those of you who are curious!

There are hundreds of pages of information, so it can get overwhelming for those of us who haven't experienced a move with them before.

Sure we did the move when John graduated from Depot, but the process for new recruits is very different from those who are already employed with them.  The biggest difference is cost.  Last time we had to pay for realty fees, legal fees etc.

This time, we really pay for nothing, although the funds come from 3 different sections.

And it's only fair since they make us move every 5 or so years!

Later on when it comes time to pack up this house, we don't have to lift a finger.  They pack it all and deliver it all.  Very convenient, although they will refuse to move anything with liquids (think cooking ingredients like cooking oil and vinegar, or cleaning products) or anything that could be flammable.  So our van will be very full with stuff that we have to take on our own.

We are just waiting to hear from the Relocation people to have our current house appraised.  Once this is completed then we can list our house for sale.

When the sale is completed (all conditions removed), then we are authorized to go on a "House Hunting Trip".

I am getting fairly anxious to get everything underway.  Several people have commented that our house shouldn't take long to sell, and I'm really hoping this is the case.  I want to know where we are going to live next!

I have never been to the town we are moving to, so I would like to drive around and see the sites.  Hopefully we are successful in finding another great house to live in too.

Do you have any other questions about our move?  Let me know and I can try to answer them for you!

Take It From The Top: a review

It’s back to the basics in Take It from the Top, the long-anticipated 51st album of Adventures in Odyssey! Enter Whit’s new invention, the Inspiration Station, and find out why Connie wants to spend so much time in it. Solve mysteries with local sleuth Emily Jones, and learn why 10-year-old Matthew Parker doesn’t think being “target of the week” is such a good thing. 
Catch up with Whit, Connie, Eugene, and Wooton, and meet two new families, as they learn lessons about responsibility, revenge, and God-given inspiration. Whether on a baseball field, at home, or at Whit’s End, there’s never a dull moment in the town of Odyssey!

List Price:

24.99 

ISBN:

978-1-58997-490-6 

4 CDs 

Release:

March 2010 

My Review:  These stories deal with some good issues that younger kids face.  I also really liked the brief discussion that follows the end of the story.  It helps to explain the moral of the story in a way that kids will understand.  It's not preachy but it does use a bible verse to help with the explanation as this is a christian resource.

The kids are having a blast listening to one of these stories every day!  I honestly thought Ella would be too young to appreciate an audio book at age 4, but she is loving it just as much as her older sister.  We listened to one on the way to a friends' house the other day and we were able to listen to all 3 chapters of one of the stories in those 20 minutes.  So it can easily be broken down into smaller sections for kids who don't sit still for long.  I have been pleasantly surprised by how much the girls are enjoying this.  I will definitely be on the lookout for more Adventures in Odyssey audio books for my kids.

***I received a complementary copy of "Take it From the Top" from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my review***

Photo Ops

For several years now I have taken pictures of the girls sitting on the front step by our house.  

Quite often they have enjoyed a tasty snack while sitting there.  

Most likely it was to get them to sit still long enough for me to take some pictures!

But my, how they have grown!

And a few days ago...

I think they are getting tired of taking pictures in this same location!

Moving

Well our transfer is now official.  (Check out Facebook for the details!)

Someday in the near future, this house will belong to someone else.

Later on I will allow myself more time to grieve this change and the fact that I have to say goodbye to some dear people, but for now I am excited.

Excited at the possibilities that lie ahead of us in our new destination.

Now begins the process of dealing with the Relocation people through the RCMP.  The details are lengthy (110+ pages of information) but it will be nice to get our first transfer done so that we understand how this all works.

Right now it is fairly confusing.

Several people have asked me for details about how the moving process works with the RCMP but I won't bore you all with the details.  (unless you want to know more)

For now, we will just celebrate that we know for sure where we are headed next!

Marco! Polo! Labels

Mabel's Labels has come up with a great new product!
I have definitely never heard of voice-activated labels before.












Actually they really HAVE made a new product.

The Date Mates can be used again and again.

Write a date for refrigerated, frozen or pantry items.

Baby food, canned goods, homemade wine, files,
whatever you want to label.

Simply wash it with soap and water and write on your label again.

Try them out now and save $5 with the coupon code listed above!