Earth Day 2012

Do you celebrate Earth Day?  Small steps made by each one of us can help make a big impact on our environment for years to come.  Do you reduce, re-use, recycle?  If not I encourage you to do so.  Most communities have a local recycling program.    Terracycle is a great way to turn unused items into usable items and earn money for your local school.  You can sign up easily online to send items to Terracycle and choose the school to have the funds sent directly to.  Terracycle accepts many items that local community recycling centers don't.  Shipping is free!  You can download a shipping label then simply drop your boxed items off to the nearest UPS and your done.  

Happy Earth Day!

Numi Organic Tea Available at Shoplet.com

I enjoy herbal teas so was thrilled when Shoplet.com approached me about doing a review for Numi Organic Tea.  I had never heard of Numi Tea before and was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of tea.

I received a Numi Organic Tea Sampler Containing 8 Flavored tea bags.  Take a look at the description on the box.  Notice that Numi uses only natural ingredients.  Numi does not use flavored oils or fillers.  Also notice the certified organic and kosher seals.

The flavors included:

• Aged Earl Grey
• Berry Black
• Breakfast Blend
• Gunpowder Green
• Jasmine Green
• White Orange Spice
• Moroccan Mint
• Chamomile Lemon

One of my favorite herbal teas is mint tea so the first flavor I tried was Numi Moroccan Mint Tea.  Moroccan Mint was refreshing and had a full mint flavor.  Numi Orange Spice Tea was a full flavored blend with the great taste of real oranges.  I have tried various Chamomile teas but have never tried Numi Chamomile Lemon Tea.  This blend has a delightful lemon taste and full flavor of Chamomile.  The Lemon Chamomile was the only tea in this assortment that is caffeine free.  The Numi Aged Earl Grey Tea had a great Earl Grey flavor although I left the tea bag in my cup while I enjoyed this blend and found it a bit bitter at the bottom.  For best flavor with any tea you should remove the bag after steeping however when I brew a cup on the run I commonly leave it in my cup and only rarely have issues with bitterness.  The next time I enjoy Numi's Aged Earl Grey I will definitely follow the rules to avoid any bitterness.

In my opinion Numi offers quality full flavored natural herbal teas.  I would recommend Numi flavored teas to anyone who loves natural full flavored teas.  As an added bonus Numi supports fair trade and environmental responsibility.   Don't forget to pick up Numi Tea while shopping for office supplies at Shoplet.

*Disclosure:  I was provided with a Sampler of Numi Organic Tea through Shoplet for review purposes.   I was then able to choose a flavor of my choice for a complimentary box.  (I chose Numi Lemon Chamomile Tea) The  opinions expressed are my own.  I received no compensation for this post.

Sale ~ Duracell Batteries As Low As .44 Each!

Hurry over to Amazon.com for a sale on Duracell Batteries!

Amazon.com currently has select varieties of Duracell batteries on sale for an additional 15% off with their subscribe and save program and if you click the coupon on the page you can save an additional .75. Don't forget to click to "clip this coupon" before adding the item to your cart to receive the discount.

For those of you who are not familiar with Amazon's subscribe and save program, you will get the biggest savings by signing up to have the product shipped at scheduled times.  However, Amazon allows you to cancel the subscription at any time.  If you want to cancel your subscription wait until your order has shipped then visit your account page on Amazon then go under your subscriptions to cancel at any time.  If you do not cancel your subscription please keep in mind that when your next scheduled shipment time arrives the product will ship at the price Amazon is offering the product at the time of each subsequent shipment.(unfortunately, original price is NOT locked in)

Current Sales:

20 Count AAA $7.62 (via subscribe and save)

additional .75 cents off with coupon

Final Price $6.87

20 Count AA $8.47

additional .75 cents off with coupon

Final Price $7.72

8 Count C $9.55

additional .75 cents off with coupon

Final Price $8.80

8 Count D $9.34

additional .75 cents off with coupon

Final Price $ 8.59

To take advantage of this special offer click here.

I Used to Think I Was Normal But Now I Take Pills for That by J.L. Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars ( See Goodreads ★ Rating System below)

The title I Used to Think I Was Normal But Now I Take Pills for That had me laughing but I had no idea the amount of laughs that were tucked into the pages of this book. If we are honest I think we can all relate to the chapters in J.L. Black's book. We either know someone or have experienced first hand the topics that she brings to light using humor. Laughter is the best medicine. I can tell you I laughed out loud several times throughout this book. This is a quick read for those who are on the go and may not have a lot of time for reading.
I will warn that I typically review Children's and Christian books and this is neither. This book does include foul language and adult subject matter.
Support a self published author and pick up this book for some laughs.
Available in Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1463762...
Available for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005V5K...

View all my reviews

Review imported from Goodreads.com.
Goodreads Rating System

★ Didn't like it
★★ It was OK
★★★ Liked it
★★★ Really liked it
★★★★ It was amazing

*Disclaimer:  I received a copy of I Used to Think I was Normal but Now I Take Pills for That by J.L. Black for the purpose of this review.  The review is in my own words and honest opinion.  No compensation was received for this post.

Avery Office Supplies From Shoplet

Love office supplies?  I do.  I'm not sure why but I love office supplies and trying new ways to organize my home office.  This week I tried three new products from Avery.

Avery Heavy Duty Ring Reference Binder is a great improvement in the office staple.  The binder's look and feel is not much different than the other Avery binders on the market.  My favorite feature is the easy open rings.  This is the first one touch open that is actually a one touch open without fear of breaking a nail or injuring your fingers.  The rings open like magic with only a slight touch.  Thumbs up for this great feature.   I also like that in contrast to traditional binders that have one inner pocket on the inside of each cover this binder features two inner pockets per inside cover.

Avery Custom Binder Spine Inserts are a product that made me say, where have these been during the many times I have tried to cut to fit and customize my own spine labels?  The labels consist of 5 1/2" labels on cardstock type paper.  The weight gives them the right amount of stiffness to easily slide into the spine of your ring binder without bending. I also like that you can go to http://avery.com/print and use their templates including pictures/icons for FREE.  I played around with a couple of different designs.  The program provided by Avery was extremely user friendly.  My only complaint is because of the format you must print the entire sheet/5 labels at once.  I was able to put all 5 to good use by also making a couple of label's for my daughter's school binder (also by Avery).  

What do you think?

The binder labels were so easy to print and slide into the spine of the 3 ring binder.

Avery Note Tabs are a extremely handy way to organize your binder, files and more.  The binder tab is an easy way to organize and keep important pages easily accessible.  I like that the binder tabs are sturdy and very easy to write on without smearing and easy to place where needed.  The binder tabs allow you to turn any page into a divider or organizing tool.  

I would like to say a huge Thank You! to Shoplet for allowing me to review these three very handy products from Avery.  If you don't already shop with Shoplet I would encourage you to check them out.  You may always find them by using the Shoplet button in the sidebar of this blog or visit them at: http://www.shoplet.com/

I
SHOP GREEN

*Disclosure:  I received the three office supplies mentioned in this review free of charge in exchange for sharing this review with my readers.  The review is my honest opinion.  The pictures are actual pictures of the products I received and reviewed.  No other compensation was received.

Winner~Purex Crystals and Jockey Sports Bra Giveaway!

Congratulations to Ty who is the winner of the Purex Crystals and Jockey Sports Bra Giveaway.

Make sure to check out her winning comment which was a great laundry tip.  Hydrogen peroxide is great at removing blood.

Thanks to all who entered and congratulations again to Ty.

TyJan 31, 2012 06:13 AM

My stain tip: Pour hydrogen peroxide on blood and rinse with cold water. If some blood remains, repeat.

Purex Crystals and Jockey Sports Bra Giveaway!

Purex has teamed up with Jockey to kick off the release of  Purex Crystals.  What are Purex Crystals?  They are one of the newest products in the Purex line.  The Purex Crystals are 92% natural crystals that you add to your wash load at the beginning with your detergent to infuse your laundry with a fresh scent.  Purex Crystals are an answer to one of my laundry woes.  My husband and daughter are both runners participating in 5k and marathons.  Today's running gear is made to wick moisture but is not made to be used with fabric softener leaving it with a high stink factor.  I was constantly frustrated by having to watch the loads that I could use fabric softener with as they constantly have exercise gear in the laundry.  Purex Crystals is here to help me defeat the stink factor without erasing the moisture-wicking  qualities of exercise clothing.  Purex Crystals do not contain oil so they are safe to be used on athletic wear, towels, sleepwear & everything else.  I was surprised to see one of the main ingredients is sucralose.  Sweet!  (pun intended).  I was able to test Purex Crystals in Tropical Splash.  The scent leave laundry smelling fresh with a scent that lingers past the dryer.

Do you want to put Purex Crystals to the test?  Purex has teamed up with Jockey to offer one lucky StuffSmart reader a full size bottle of crystals and Jockey is adding a Sports bra so you can see for yourself how the products works.  The Jockey Tech Terry Performance moisture-wicking sports bra has a convenient key pocket, reflective logo and breathable bottom band for support.

This will be a quick giveaway.  The winner will be drawn at noon EST Tues. January 31, 2012 and have until 3:00pm EST to reply with their contact information or another winner will be chosen.  Contest is open to US residents only.  Quick and easy entry below.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Purex and tell me something you learned about Purex Crystals.  That's it very easy!

Optional extra entries: (Please leave a comment for each that you do in order to get extra chances to win)

1. Follow StuffSmart via Google Friend Connect.
2. Follow @StuffSmart on Twitter and leave your twitter name in your comment.
3. Follow StuffSmart's Blog on Facebook and leave your facebook name (may leave first name and last initial)
4. Tweet about this giveaway and come back leaving a link to your tweet.

Optional Super Entry:  Since this is a quick giveaway after the mandatory entry is completed you may leave a laundry tip for one additional entry per tip.  Leave a separate comment to get a separate entry per comment.  The only catch is please allow at least 10 minutes between tip comments.  (Comments are Moderated.  Please do not spam.  Leave serious tips only).

Thank you.  Good Luck!

*Disclosure:  As a Purex Insider I was provided a full sized bottle of Purex Crystals and a Jockey sports bra in exchange for posting product information.  The opinions expressed in the post were my honest opinion.  

Homeschool Supplies and More at Christianbook.com

Do you homeschool or know someone who does?  I've recently become familiar with Christianbook.com and wanted to share them with my readers who are homeschoolers.  Christianbook.com carries thousands of Christian products at deep discount prices.  They currently carry the following Homeschool curriculum:

• Alpha Omega
• Switched-On Schoolhouse
• BJU Press
• Apologia
• Saxon Math
• ACE/PACE

And more!

A complete listing of curriculum please visit the Homeschool product homepage.






*Disclosure This is not a paid post however, I am an affiliate with Christianbook.com so purchases through the links in this post help to support this blogger.  Thank you.

New Look!

If you are visiting and thinking that something looks a bit different, I am in the process of updating and changing the blog's template and layout.  I am very open to comments.  Do you like or dislike the new layout?  Why or why not?  Please let me know for example if the font and colors are hard to read.  I access blogger via pc or laptop so I haven't seen the changes via smartphone, tablet etc.  Please feel free to let me know what you think.

I look forward to reading your comments.  Thank you.

How Do You Feed a Hungry Giant?: A Munch-and-Sip Pop-Up Book by Caitlin Friedman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


How Do You Feed A Hungry Giant is a large pop-up and lift a flap book. I liked this book. The story line, illustrations and activities were fun. I shared it with my five year old niece who loved opening the little flaps and extras. I found a larger story inside this book as we need to be aware to the "Giant" called hunger and help to feed it. Even one person can make a difference.

My only concern is for durability as with the first reading my niece split one of the lift a flap layers with her finger nail in effort to open it. A tab for the lift a flaps would have been helpful.  With that being said, I would still recommend this book!

View all my reviews

*Disclosure:  I was provided with a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes.  The review itself is my own words and honest opinion.
**Review was linked from Goodreads.com

Looking to purchase this book?  Check it out on Amazon.com.