J'adore Vox Box

I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

My FREE J'adore VoxBox from Influenster came earlier this week! Based off of the clues on the Influenster Facebook page and images that I stalked on Instagram, I was really excited to open this box! Usually it takes forever for me to receive these boxes, especially in Hawaii, but I received this one before some of my mainland friends. Once it arrived, I was not disappointed, except for one thing. I was hoping to get something in the box for Hubster, but that was only for select members. Inside of the J'adore VoxBox were a bunch of great products.

Inside my VoxBox there was: Boots Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask, Hershey's Kisses (preggo size), Frizz Easy 3-Day Straight Flat Iron Spray, Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes, and Red Rose Simply Indulgent Teas.

So far, the only product that I've had a chance to try is the Kisses. That bag was opened before I even started taking pictures. Oops. I'm looking forward to testing out everything else out, since they're all products that I think I'll enjoy.

If you'd like to become an Influenster member, leave your email, and I'll send you an invitation.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a giveaway from Happy Family. 

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POND's BB+ [Review]

I received this product complimentary for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

A while back I received an awesome package from Influenster. It was a huge box of POND's BB+ Cream. To be completely honest, I had no idea what BB cream even was. I'm still not entirely positive either. Who the hell made up BB cream without cluing everyone else in on what it is?!

Prior to receiving my POND's BB+, my go-to default makeup of choice was a tinted moisturizer. It provided light coverage, while keeping my skin in tip top condition.

Since then, I've started using this POND's BB+ cream an I totally love it! It's light, while also providing amazing coverage. My skin tone is more even and appears nearly flawless.

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Introducing Zinio & Free Magazines!

Recently, I received an email asking me to help spread the word about Zinio, a magazine subscription site that allows you to purchase magazines for viewing on your electronic devises. Zinio has a ton of the magazines that you would normally subscribe to or pick up at a store all at your fingertips. You can browse and purchase full subscriptions or single issues instantly.

A cool feature that Zinio has is the Explore section, which allows you to read thousands of articles without even having a subscription.

From now until July 26, Zinio is offering five subscriptions for $5. You can click here to see which magazines are available. Some options are Cosmo, Elle, and Food Network Magazine. There's also Z-Pass which allows you to get three magazines for $5 every month.

In an effort to familiarize everyone with this really cool (and green) subscription option, I am giving away NINE (9) free subscriptions. There were 10, but I'm keeping one for myself. (: If you're interested in claiming one, go to Zinio, let me know which of their magazines you'd like. I'll also need your first and last name along with email address.

Check out my fantastic sponsor:

My Favorite Apps for Making Money

Being that I'm a stay at home mom, I don't exactly have a source of income. When celebrations like anniversaries or Husbter's birthday (which is in a few weeks) come up, I find it kind of weird to give him gifts purchased with the money he earned. Even though I have a pretty sweet blog, pennies a day aren't cutting.  Thanks to a friend, I discovered some really awesome apps that I'm so excited to share with you guys!! In about a month I've made a nice small amount of money, but every little bit helps, right?

• Gympact - about $8 in a month: I've shared this one before. It rewards you for meeting your gym goals each week. For each day you complete, you make some money. Lately, the rewards have been $0.45-0.55 for each day. If you don't work out, it charges you a predetermined amount. I have mine set to charge me $5, and thankfully that hasn't happened yet. You can either use the app by checking into your gym, or like me, keeping it on you while you're moving for at least 30 minutes. Once you've earned over $10 it's easy to transfer to PayPal.
• iPoll - $31.58 in less than a month: This one is my favorite by far! It's been so easy to earn a ton of money. Just two days ago, I had a $10 mission to go into Walmart, take a photo of an aisle, and then answer some questions about it. Yesterday I did a similar mission for $5. Not bad, huh? There are also a ton of surveys that you can take that earn you a pretty decent amount. Think $1-$5 per survey. Not the $.25 that I'm used to with other survey sites, plus it seems a lot easier to qualify. The downside to this app is that you need to use the website to cash in. They have options for all sorts of gift cards, magazine subscriptions, and PayPal.
• Field Agent - $3.00 in a week: Field Agent is great because it offers much higher paying jobs, but they're also a bit more difficult. There are some surveys, but the bulk of this app, or at least the best paying part, is taking pictures of store displays and product placement. It's been a little bit difficult for me to make a ton of money using this app because the selection at our Walmart isn't the largest. Often times the mission asks for an image of a bar code of a product that I can't find. 
• Shopkick - 394 kicks this month: This app is perfect for those of you whole live in larger cities. You can earn "kicks" to use towards gift cards simply by checking into stores. I've used this when visiting St. Louis and it was great! After checking into Macy's I got around 200 kicks as well as a 15% off coupon. Not a bad deal. I've also been able to earn kicks the the local Walmart by scanning products and then answering a few questions about the product. 

Shopkick

Obviously, this won't be replacing the income that the military provides, but it's a nice little extra each month that I can spend guilt free. 

Do you have some favorite money making apps that I didn't mention here? I'd love to try out some other ones!

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Olay Fresh Effects Review

I say it all the time; I love Influenster. I've been fortunate enough to receive several VoxBoxes from them. What's a VoxBox you ask? A VoxBox is a box of goodies and (normally) full-sized samples sent to you from Influenster for you to reviewand spread the word about. Most recently, I received the SweetHeart VoxBox which had four great products inside. My favorite product in the box ended up being the Olay® Fresh Effects {Va-Va-Vivid!} Powered Contour Cleansing System.

What I noticed about the Fresh Effects Cleaning System, was its size and shape. The Va-Va-Vivid Powered Contour Cleaning System is essentially the size of my palm, but it packs quite the punch. You can really feel the gentle vibrations getting deep into your skin to clean all the yuckies out.

The shapde of the brush, is also different from any other facial cleaner I've ever seen. Most cleaning systems use a circular head, and Olay decided to go with a triangle. I have to admit that the triangle is the way to go. It fits up perfectly to the sides of your nose, and it's easy to maneuver around your eyes to avoid being blinded by soap. The cleaning head is made of a soft rubbery material, that is firm but delicate. 

The face soap that was included in the package was pretty unique also. It's this really cool metallic silver color. Just a little cleanser and a little water was required to get a good latter. Between the vibrations and you moving the cleanser around your face, you're able to work up a good lather pretty quickly.

One of the great (well, maybe not great for Olay) things about this system is that if you don't like the soap, you can use one of your liking. I found the provided soap to be slightly drying. Olay has other soaps available that might be a better option for you. Shine, Shine, Go Away might work really well for you if you have oily skin though.

Overall, this would be a product that I would recommend. It's in the $12 price range, which makes it affordable for almost everyone. Unlike other systems, you don't have to buy replacement heads or pads. It takes one AAA battery, which is included in the package. It took me a minute to figure out, but to replace the battery just twist the bottom and it will pop out of the top.

I received this item complimentary from Influenster for review purposes.

Influenster Sweetheart VoxBox

After much anticipation, my Influenster SweetHeart VoxBox finally came last Monday. I saw tons of pictures and posts about the box last week, so I was beyond excited to get mine. In the past, my VoxBox's have been pretty good, but this one was perfect. I was actually looking forward to trying out every single product in my box.

Although there were only four items in this VoxBox, Influenster definitely went with the quality, not quantity approach this time. The four items in the most recent SweetHeart VoxBox were:

Olay® Fresh Effects Cleaning System
Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response Deodorant
Not Your Mother's® She's a Tease Volumizing Hairspray
SkinnyGirl Daily On-the-Go-Bars

I've used a face cleansing machine-thing similar to the Olay one, but what's cool about this one is that you don't have to replace the little scrubhead, and you can simply add your own soap. The head of the cleaner also has soft brush-like bristles which should do a great job exfoliating.

Secret Clinical Strength deodorant is the only type I use, since I sweat a ton and no other deodorant can handle me. I have noticed that even with the clinical strength, from time to when I do get stressed, I can feel the sweat. I'm hoping that this stress response deodorant, it'll take care of that minor issue.

I got a Not Your Mother's hair product in my last VoxBox which I was mildly impressed by. I wished I would have received the other version of the hairspray that was sent out since my hair already has plenty of volume, but I am hopeful that this spray will help me control the volume that I have.

And finally SkinnyGirl On-the-Go-Bars. I've always wanted to try a SkinnyGirl drink, but I just never actually pick them up at the store. I'm surprised to see how far the SkinnyGirl brand has branched out. It started out as just a premixed margarita on the Real Housewives of New York, and now Bethany is making snack foods. The flavor that I got is blueberry, which I don't mind, but it can be hit or miss.

Once the Brand Challenges come out, I'm sure I'll be posting more in depth about each product I've tried. I have high hopes for these items!

I received this box complementary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Welcome Home Banner - A Little Something Extra

While Hubs was deployed, I did my best to make sure that he was getting the prettiest themed care packages with the best stuff in them. It was just something small that I could do to show my love from a distance and make him feel special. According to him, there was some jealousy in the office regarding his packages.

When it was time for Hubs to come home I was a little sad that I wouldn't get to work on anymore little special projects for him. I did have one last little idea that was virtually free and unlike anything I had ever seen before on Pinterest or anything.

If you're a military spouse, surely you've heard of Buildasign.com's free Welcome Home banner offer. They provide you with a free 2x4 foot or 3x5 foot banner to help welcome home your service member. All you have to do is pay for shipping. I ordered the larger size and had the grommets put in for an extra $9.49. I would without a doubt recommend getting the grommets put in.

I made a trip home for Thanksgiving and decided to bring the welcome home banner with me. I dropped it off at Hubster's fraternity house with one of his little brothers who took care of having all the guys sign it at one of their meetings. I met with other friends and family to have them sign it as well.

When we pulled into the drive, Hubs kind of did a double take. He was completely surprised by the extras on the banner. It was nice to be able to go and read all of the messages. Kind of like a welcome home card, but better.

Influenster Blogger Beauty VoxBox

I got my Beauty Bloggers VoxBox from Influenster last week! I've just been soo busy that I haven't had time to blog about it. After seeing posts by others who had received their boxes on their Facebook page, I was anxious to get my own box. There are a bunch of great things included in this box that I can incorporate into my everyday routine. I even managed to use four of the products at the same time yesterday for our Battalion Fall Fest.

The items in my VoxBox were: 

• Kiss Ever PRO Lash Starter Kit
• Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin
• Bath & Body Works Mini Candle
• Not Your Mother's Hair Cream
• NYC New York Color Individual Eyes Custom Compact
• EBoost
• No.7 Lotion

The Battalion Fall Fest was a Halloween party without the name. Kids dressed up and did their trick-or-treating at a variety of army vehicles. I put the girls in their princess costumes, but since I'm a boring mom, I didn't really dress up. I did put on the eyelashes with some smokey eye makeup.

I used the hair pins (which I've actually been wanting to buy for a while) to secure my hair while it completely dried with the Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves in it. My hair was a tiny bit short for the pins, so some of it stuck out. Not a big deal though. I always put my hair in a bun after washing it, to keep it from frizzing as it dries. The combination of the hair cream and pins worked perfectly!

The Bath and Body Works candle was sitting in my car. Seriously. Because V wanted to take it with us in the morning. The warmth from the sun plus the candle created a yummy festive scent in the car.

I probably should have used the EBoost drink when I started my day. I went eight hours nonstop doing setup stuff and manning the booth, in addition to my super intense CrossFit workout in the morning. Plus, I have a runny nose thanks to the babies being in daycare all day.

This is definitely my favorite Influenster VoxBox to date. The products are all great things that I have and can use on a regular basis. In the next couple of weeks I'll be doing more in depth reviews of some of the products bill also be blogging about the Fall Fest when I do my Halloween post.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Cleava Snap-To-Bra Cami [Review + Giveaway]

You know that one item that is your go-to fashion secret? Well, I have found mine! Cleava Snap-To-Bra Cami is small piece of fabric that snaps onto your bra, simulating a tank top and covering your chest. Let me tell you, Cleava came in super handy with all of the creepers in Myrtle Beach last weekend. The ladies and I were shocked at the amount of weirdos that we passed as we strolled on a touristy strip. Thankfully, the ta-tas were covered to avoid any further creepage.

Cleava works by snapping around your bra, to keep you covered without causing any damage to your bra or clothing. It's seriously as simple as strap, middle, strap. That's it! Removing Cleava is just as easy and allows you to go from work attire to happy hour attire in a matter of seconds. Since it's a lightweight piece of fabric, you can easily remove Cleava and toss it in your purse.

Another advantage that Cleava offers over a tank top is that it gives you the ability to create a layered looked without the added bulk of a second layer. For those of you in the sweltering south, you know that sometimes wearing more than one layer is just not an option. Plus, if you have a top that shows off your back, you don't want a tank ruining the affect. They are made in a variety of colors and styles, including lace.

Something that moms might appreciate is the ease of breastfeeding when wearing a Cleava. When Baby A was exclusively breastfed, I would wear low-cut shirts to make feeding her away from home, less of a hassle. Cleava is perfect for this scenario. Just unsnap it from one side, and you're ready to nurse! Now that I'm trying to wean Baby A, Cleava has helped to avoid wardrobe malfunctions caused by her trying to strip me in public.

My only complaint about Cleava is that since I have a smaller frame and not-so-large chest, the "one size fits most" was a tiny bit big. The only issue caused was that sometimes the Cleava would bunch up in one area, but its easily corrected and something that a normal tank top does at times also.

With the holidays coming up, Cleavas are on sale for $10 off. Cleava makes a great gift for any reason or season, and for a limited time, my readers can get free shipping (with purchase of $50 or more) using the promo code: FSAWM (offer expires: Oct 31). Click here to order!

The makers of Cleava are also offering my blog readers a chance to win a free Cleava in the sponsor's choice of style/color. Enter below for your chance to win! The contest is only available to USA and Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a complimentary Cleava for reviewing purposes.

Pay It Forward!

Hey bloggy friends!! Last week I was lucky enough to be the third person to comment on this post, by Myranda at Pretty Living PDX. So now it's my turn to pay it forward, and hopefully your chance to be one of my lucky recipients. All you have to do is be one of the first three people to comment on this post.

Here is how it works:

• Within a year I’ll create something unique to share with the first three people to comment on this post.
• In order to receive your present you have to play along. Spread the love on your own blog promising to send a little special something to the first three people who comment on your post.
• You get 72 hours (that's 3 days people) to re-post, or I’ll have to move on to the next person.
• Please only comment if you’re willing to pay it forward!

If you're up for the challenge, comment away! I'm excited to connect with a few of my awesome followers!

Sponsor Swap?

Hey all! I'm looking to reach out to more fellow mommy or military wife bloggers by doing a sponsor swap. It's easy! I'll put your 125x125 button on my page if you put mine on yours! It's completely free and easy to do through Passionfruit. Enter the promo code "SWAP" below to and you won't have to pay anything.

I look forward to helping out and meeting new bloggers! (:

United Through Reading - Staying Connected Through Deployment

When I got home yesterday evening there was a large USPS flat rate box waiting for me at the door. I thought it was a bit odd since my mom usually lets me know when she is sending a package. Could it have been one of Hubster's care packages that got returned? As I walked up the walkway, I noticed that it wasn't one of the boxes that I sent since I usually put a little decoration on the outside. It was a care package for me from my Hubs! When I get packages from Hubster the first thing I always do is see what the customs form says. This one said "children's books", which could only mean one thing... United Through Reading!!!

Crappy picture, I know.. I need to upload the stuff from my camera

United Through Reading is a program in partnership with the USO that allows service members to record themselves reading a book and then send that recording and the book back home. I love love love this program! Especially since Hubs was always the big reader in the house and would always read to the girls. V loves to watch "papa's movies" and I love being able to watch my hubba bubba anytime I want. Especially since it's been a very long time since we've been able to Skype.


I was first made aware of this program through another spouse in Hubster's unit who had used it while she was deployed to Iraq. Immediately I started looking into and trying to find out more info. This program is already available at several overseas locations as well as at sea homeports and land-based USO locations. It turns out that they didn't have it at the FOB that Hubs was going to. Well, let me tell you, they were going to have it by the time he got there..!

I got with Hubs' commander so that we could work towards making it happen. It was actually a pretty easy process. The boss man did most of the work and I found an FRG volunteer to take over as a liaison. The USO provides all of the materials (camera, DVDs, books, mailing package) and it's completely free! It took a little while for the unit to get everything set up over there because of space/locations and all that but it happened!

And here is a tip for those of you who may be using this program in the near future.. The disk records for half an hour. If your Soldier finishes reading before that, they can keep talking and send personal messages home.

My Influenster Mom VoxBox is Here!

My Influenster VoxBox just came in the mail! I've been stalking the mailman since last week to see if he had any goodies for me and they're finally here! The items in this box are geared towards moms. I can't wait to try them out.

 

In this box we have..:

• Ivory Bar Soap
• DenTek Comfort Clean & Fun Flossers
• Stash Tea Superfruits Tea Sampler 
• Nektar Sweetener
• Quaker Soft Baked Cookie
• imPRESS Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails

I received all of these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

Army Wives and Other Randomness

Shannon slept over last night so that we could watch Army Wives together and then she could just leave here to go to work this morning. For the past four years, I've always forced Hubster to watch with me. Last night I felt like I was him making comments about uniforms being wrong and those type of things. Shannon and I enjoyed the episode although I felt that it was a tad predictable.

For some reason, last night Shannon and I were talking about traveling so I checked the rate for the cruise that Hubs and I are taking over R&R and the military rate finally dropped! I submitted my price drop form. Hopefully I hear back today about it. That's what I love about Carnival. If you book far enough in advance,  you can use the Early Saver rate which gives you on-board credit in the amount of the difference even after final payment.

I should be receiving my Influenster Mom VoxBox today! I've already had a chance to see what's inside and I am looking forward to testing those products out. If you aren't a part of Influenster, make sure to check it out. They send out FREE products for you to test on a regular basis.

Donate Phone Minutes To The Troops! For Free!!

Up until this deployment started, I never realized how much the USO does for the military and their families. Thanks to the USO I've been able to talk to Hubster for free on several occasions and recently, I sent him a photo book at zero cost to me. We've received a stuffed animal and other small goodies in the mail to help the girls deal with their daddy being gone for a year.

Because of our involvement with fraternities and sororities throughout college, Hubster and I are relatively familiar with donating time and money to various charitable organizations. We decided that going forward, we would do our best to make the USO one of the causes that we'd support. AOL has made it easy for everyone to do the same without ever even having to open their wallets.

The only thing you have to do in order to contribute to the cause is set AOL to your internet homepage. In addition, you can play a game or send a message to send even more minutes. You can click the link below for more info and to start donating!

AOL's Homepage for Heroes

Earning Money Online!

As a stay at home mom I am often searching for ways to contribute to the household other than the usual cooking, cleaning and taking care of the kids. Taking surveys online is a great way to easily make some extra money. However, I often find that I don't qualify to take the survey and when I do, they often take an upwards of 15 minutes for a mere 50 cents.

A while ago I discovered a couple websites that allow you to make money in a couple of different ways other than taking surveys. The links below are the three websites that I use. All three websites also reward your for referring your friends. So click away!

I use SendEarnings to earn money by reading emails. Each day I get somewhere around 5 emails a day that I simply have to open and click the link in the email to confirm that I opened it. They also send daily surveys. You have the ability to signup for other email offers and programs which will earn you more money.




Swagbucks is another great website for earning prizes. Just like SendEarnings, you are able to complete offers for Swagbucks. The best part about Swagbucks is that you can watch videos. My favorite video section is the Homes & Gardens section. There are tons of videos with DIY ideas for around the house. You can even use it as a search engine and earn Swagbucks like that! Once you've earned enough points, you can trade them for prizes or even gift cards.



The last website that I use is InboxPays. This one is pretty similar to SendEarnings. You have the ability to take surveys and complete offers as well as click on emails for cash.

Free Photo Book for Deployed Troops

Through this deployment, Hubster and I have come to realize how lucky we are to have organizations like the VFW and USO supporting our troops and their families. We've received things like care packages, doll and stuffed animals for the kids, and phone calls all for free from these organizations along with various others.

During the girls' nap time today, I took a little while to put together a photo book that will be shipped directly to Hubs. He loves little surprises like this so hopefully it'll be a huge moral booster for him since I know he's been very busy lately.

The photo books offered by RocketLife and the USO is the perfect size to fit into a pocket. You get 20 pages with the ability to purchase additional ones for $.20 each. RocketLife covers the cost of the book and the USO pays for the shipping to any APO/FPO/MPO address.

If you'd like to send a book of your own, check it out here. Pay attention to the directions for shipping since it may be a bit confusing.