Primp and Pampering before Back To School

We love the products that Smitco has available. They make great gifts, are affordable, and the kids love them. Each time my daughter has a hard time making a choice which one she likes best. This time she chose the Pedicure Party set  from Hot Focus which includes:

3 Peel-Off Nail Polishes 

1 Pair of Fuzzy Socks 

Hand or Foot Cream

4 sided nail file & buffer

Eye Mask 

Glitter Toe Separators

A nice set to give my daughter for a little pampering before School Starts in September.

Below are just a few of the items they have available to choose from. Quality, affordable gifts for girls ages 2 to 12. SmitCo has several different diaries with lock and keys and diary sets for girls in Emoji and Diva themes, as well as light up diaries to provide hours of fun.

SmitCo sells all kinds of practical products as well which includes the following:

5 star Exfoliating gloves
5 star Bamboo baby towel set
Various glue and epoxy adhesives for use in and around the house and car
4. 5 star wood wine glass racks for under cabinet installation

But Wait! My readers get to save!


Get 20% Off Entire Cart Of Gifts! Go to: http://amzn.to/2a3d3v8 and use coupon code N3CQD6AE 
on checkout









Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Pictures in Lights

I really love lights like this one from Aostar. I have several sets from different companies but so far this is the first one that I have that has 40 clips on one string and comes with remote control. So easy to use just pop in 3 AAA batteries and you are ready to go. We have used sets like this one for displaying pictures, holiday cards through out the year, as well as birthday cards, and art projects. Our favorite is to use them to display photos of our family. 

One of the ideas we have this year is to attach this to our Christmas tree, clipping on photos, holiday cards, and gift cards for our family. Of course if you would like to see this please check out my instagram around Christmas for pictures. These are also great for parties for both lighting and to hang up pictures of those who are invited or remembering. They can be used inside and outside if covered, say under a tent. The span is 16.4 feet. Great for many arts & craft ideas.

What would you use these for? 

Below is video review done for me by my husband who didn't see the remote control included.



AOSTAR 40 LEDs Photo Clips String Lights (16.4ft, Warm White) Remote Control Fairy String Lights for Bedroom Hanging Photos, Cards and Artworks







Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Gift idea for the breastfeeding Mom

Having breastfed 5 children of my own, while encouraging others to try before giving up. I am pro breastfeeding. I do understand that some can not do it for obvious reasons such as taking medication, can't product milk, etc. I also understand those who could breastfeed before and not with their second or vice versa.

I would have loved this electric pump back in the day. I had a hand pump which was hard to use. This one is electric, can do two breasts at a time. Talk about time saving. It also has a massage function. Oh My Goodness. Where was this when I needed it.

There is a big difference from a child suckling and a machine pumping milk, but the massage function makes it more bearable. This is great for new moms, seasoned moms, and those who continue to keep their milk production up to donate their milk to babies in need.

Check out more information below.

A little more detail about pump.

Two-mode Technology After turning on, massage mode will keep 120s, then switch to suction mode. The massage mode acts as a warming-up phase to get breasts ready to initiate milk flow by continuously stimulating the breasts in a rapid pumping rhythm. After that, in suction phase, the pumping rhythm becomes slower to maximize the milk flow.9 Adjustable Suction Levels There are 9 suction levels to adjust, from level 1 to level 9, the suction is rising. Users can choose the most comfortable level and the level mostly fit her baby’s feeding pattern. Moreover, the intelligent breast pump has a memory function which automatically switches to the optimum suction level (current setting) after the massage.Isolated System A hygienic isolated system ensures the milk won’t go backward to tubing or motor and protect the main machine. It also prevents bacteria and mold from breeding and let the baby drink clean and hygienic milk.Measurable Milk Production Moms are not sure about whether the amount of their breast milk is enough for their babies when feeding them. Using Gland breast pumps, you can clearly see how much breast milk you produce with the scale on the bottle. 

Check out my un-boxing below.



This breast pump can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Monkey Drum

Looking for a new to us instrument we settled on the Monkey Drum which reminds us all of a Karate' movie from years ago.

You can play it with two or one hand. My grand daughter had a ball with this one. Every time I use it the look on my face seems like it scares me but it doesn't. It is funny how our bodies react to different things that we come in contact with.

The size of this is quite nice with it being 6 inches in diameter. I do suggest if you have children to make sure you are near by just in case one of the beads or strings come loose. You just never know what a child may try to put in their mouths.

We are happy with this and my daughter plans to take this to school this year as part of show and tell. The Monkey Drum can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Sketching

I am blessed to have children who like to create things. Some of my children take after their father for creating art so we are always buying paper, pads, pens, markers, paints, etc.

My daughter who is entering 10th grade this year needed not for school but her creative side at home some sketch pads.

Thankfully Lasten has some great products like this double pack of pads. My oldest took the large one as I had bought her a small one to take to school for her ideas, and her younger sister took the smaller for her art projects.

I love that both of these are made from quality paper with 48 sheets in each as well as double spiral bound and carry handles on each for portability. The 2 pack of Lasten Pads can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Missing Spoons

Apparently having children means replacing silverware over and over again because they just seem to disappear. Personally I think it is when the kids scrape their dishes off and it falls in the trash and they just leave it there instead of fishing it out. Either way we are always on the prowl for silverware, either free, or for sale. 

These stainless steel spoons we just received are what my mom and dad called Tablespoons. Our family calls them the Ogre spoons because they are the large spoons we use for serving smaller items at the table and the kind my husband uses to eat his cereal. 

I really like the plain look of these spoons because they will go with any decor. We used to have fancy decorated silverware but it just wasn't worth the cost with how often we had to replace them so we learned to use what we had or could find for an affordable price. 

Do you deal with missing items you often have to replace? 

These stainless steel spoons can be found below. 

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Organizing Tiny Messes

Having a family means organizing lots of things big and small. My husband used to have a really nice way to store his tools but now that we have moved it is a whole new ball game.

Recently while unpacking. Yes 4 months later we are still making a dent into unpacking and found this bucket of mixed screws, nuts, nails, washers, and other doodads.

Having little totes like this one from Lasten on hand really helps make sense of tiny messes. These storage boxes are also great for use in tiny toy collections, hair beads, jewelry making, etc.

As you can see the after is looking a whole lot more neater and there is plenty of room for more items to be sorted. My husband is happy he doesn't have to dig anymore for what he needs and I am happy not to have to worry about the bucket tipping over and having to clean it up. What is great about this particular one is that you can change the sizes of the areas to accommodate different items.

This Storage box from Lasten can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Passing the Torch

As a child I played the tambourine during church music service with my friend the Pastor's daughter and other church members. I continued to do it into adult hood. I enjoyed it very much. Somewhere along the line and moves I lost my tambourine.

When we were looking for new instruments to add to our collection one of the items we got was a 10 inch Tambourine so that the kids now they are growing can learn on a full size version.

Personally I like tambourines with double rows of cymbals but this is still great for beginners or those who like single row cymbals.

As you can see my daughter was really getting into playing it. Very easy and something she will learn in percussion. Currently she plays the flute but would love to be in Jazz band in the coming years so she has named a few instruments she would like to play some we already have and others to add to the mix. Music is such an awesome thing that can cut through boundaries and touch peoples lives in ways other things can not do.







This Tambourine can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Protect That Noggin

As a mom when my children go out to play I like them to be safe as well as prepared for what lies ahead. With skating there will be falls, scrapes, and maybe even breaks. So far the latter has not happened. Being prepared for these things means as a mom you outfit your child with Helmet, and Pads. It was really a no brainier for me. I can't promise she will always wear them. Kids are kids, but I can have them available to her, while encouraging her to use them each time she goes out. 

I was able to find a really nice set from Jifar while looking for skates for my daughter. The set comes in several colors black, blue, and pink. Everything came in a really nice bag for storage which is nice when you are trying to keep things organized when not in use and easy to find when you need it.

We chose the set in pink as it was closest to my daughters favorite color purple. The helmet has a matte finish so you can paint, decorate, or leave plain. You get the helmet, knee, elbow, and wrist pads plus the bag. The pads fit my daughter but just barely where the helmet has plenty of room for growth. The helmet is easy to adjust which is just what I like. Some helmets are so hard to fit to your child's head.

I love that once we adjusted the helmet and showed my daughter how to use the pads she was able to get ready to use her skates without help. As a reminder please make sure you check your child's helmet often for fit as well as wear and tear.

The Jifar Helmet and pad set can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Rolling Around

When we moved we left behind our old skates from our older children so when we settled and our youngest wanted to skate we had nothing for her. As a mom I wanted a nice skate that would last her a few years which meant I needed one that had adjustable sizes. 

After looking at several different skates both online and in store I settled on these skates from Jifar. They do everything I wanted in a skate and them made them in fun colors for children as well as having light up wheels which are great for when they are skating at rolling rinks. 

These are my daughters first in-line skates so she was a little apprehensive about learning but I told her soon enough she would be skating on these just like she does on quads.

I chose Purple for my daughter and Pink for my Grand daughter. We love how sturdy they are as well as how easy they are to change between sizes. They do come with carry bags which we found were a bit a waste since the straps ripped off but for the price they are still a comparable bargain to others that don't have bags included. 

Both my daughter and grand daughter were really excited about the lights and can't wait to get them out on the rolling rink this month. Right now they have been just getting used to working with them in the house and yard. The sizes available are below and they are available in Blue, Pink, Purple, and Red.

The Jifar skates can be found below.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Get 300 bonus SB when you sign up for Swagbucks in August

All throughout August you can earn large bonuses when sign up as my referral on Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching the web, watching videos, shopping, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, or PayPal cash. 

When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a 300 SB bonus! Here's how: 

1. Sign up using this link 

2. Earn 300 SB before September 1st, 2018 and you will get a 300 SB bonus for it! 

3. That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it pretty much everyday, and I've earned $676.67 worth of SB that I have traded in for Amazon, Paypal, and Wal-Mart gift cards but they have so many more options like  iTunes, Target, Visa, Sams Club, Home Depot, Dunkin Donuts, Kohl's, etc. There are so many options of what you can cash in for. Check them all out when you sign up!