The kiddy farm grows

So my 8 year old only had one request for Christmas...a goat. After a long, as I mean long, search I found her two! We are now proud owners of Nanny and Billy, two Pygmy goats. She does not know she has them yet. They were delivered to my house last night while she was at her dads house. The kids will be on their way home today. I think I will make her a scavenger hunt to find them. 

She had been helping build the shelter for them but I told her it was for some new chickens. She will be completely surprised!! I think I will make a scavenger hunt for her to find them. They are locked up in the shelter and she won't be able to see them when she comes home.

Christmas is about life that was given to us so what better way than give life for er to comfort and care for. So much better than an expensive toy that will fall to the bottom of the toy box or get broke in a couple days. Something she will get to keep learning from and growing into a responsible adult! Not to mention mom is aweful fond of them as well.

Peekapak Review

Peekapak is a monthly story adventure delivered to you. These adventure sets are geared towards kids 4-8 years old.  Each set comes with a story book and props that they children can use to be able to retell the story on their own. Or there is a digital version you can choose.

The book I reviewed was The Peekapak Pals & The Value of Friendship - Printable eBook + Activity and the Coloring eBook. This book talked about friendship and the value it plays.  During the reading of the book there are engaging activities and questions to go along with the story.

At the end of the digital book you will find a "Note to Grown-Ups" which explains what to look for and ask for in he kids.  Then there is a "Digital Peekapak Age Guide", this shows you how to use it with each age range of child. Lastly you have the printable version of the play props and the background. The coloring book allowed the child to color and do activities as well as make their own props.

This was a fun way to have story time with the kids and still be learning and interacting with them.  It was really great to see them replay the story to see what they really remembered and the things that caught onto. I think it gives us as parents a way to see inside our child's head to see how their thought process works. I have a child that has a hard time wanting to be with others and this kind of made me see why he feels that way through the way he reenacted the story himself.

Being able to use props and such lets their imagination flow free.  I loved in the coloring book that they could make their own props.  My kids wanted to make some of them so they could add them into the story as well. Also what kid wouldn't love to get something monthly that is just for them?  You should really try it.

To order the Peekapak you can choose an annual subscription for $19.99 all the way down to a monthly subscription for $24.99.

Order your Peekapak today!

Disclosure: I received a free digital Peekapak in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own, and I was not compensated in any other way.

Homesteading tastes good!

We have been butchering our meet chickens this week. 

My kids have never done it an I only got one to actually help! 

They sure did all enjoy eating it though!

Product Review: Baby Banana Brushes

100% silicone teething toothbrushes for infants through 2 years old. The family owned and operated company strives to make brushing fun (and safer) with their flagship product, the Baby Banana Brush, and their brand new product the Cornelius Teething Toothbrush! Baby Banana Brushes have been wildly popular online (currently the #1 baby product on Amazon) and your readers will be excited to learn more about the inventive teethers available for their little ones. Makes a great stocking stuffer for the Holidays!

The teether is soft yet has a great texture that makes holding onto it easy.  My 1 year old thought it was wonderful to chew on.  He is teething and has had it in his mouth constantly.  I think its become more than a brush for us.  The whole thing is soft so I didn't fear him walking around with it and falling. 

The whole thing is pretty much one part.  This means for easy cleaning.  When it got gross then I was able to wash it hot soapy water and it was good as new. It can even be put in the dishwasher to be cleaned.  Also they work well in the freezer to help teething as well.

Overall we were very impressed with the Banana Brush and were so happy to get it.

*Disclaimer-I received this product in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mrs. Cavanaugh's Chocolates Review and Promo Code

The reputation for these chocolates are not wrong! 

Mrs. Cavanaugh's chocolates come shipped priority mail.  Everything is packed in perfectly and none of the candies were harmed during shipping.  HAHA, we know how important chocolate is right? The chocolates come with a little picture coded identifier. This was great because I used to poke holes in all of the ones to see what they were.  I can say their was not one that I did not like out of this box. The chocolates tasted fresh and were nice and creamy. There was even a chunk of plain caramel, which I have never gotten in a box of chocolates.  Now these would make an amazing Holiday gift for anyone. 

AND....

My readers receive Buy 1 lb Get 1 lb FREE of Mrs. Cavanaugh's Chocolates use promo code: usfamily2014 http://www.mrscavanaughs.com/

It doesn't get much better than that!

Bulu Box Coupon

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Bulu Box - Use code WOWZA 

http://usfamilycoupons.com/coupon.php?regionid=75&bid=11865&dealid=1825

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Sea Life Aquarium Kansas City Review

Where: Sea Life Aquarium Kansas City

Price: 2 and under FREE

Tickets start at $15.45 for everyone else

Age: Fun for all ages

First thing I would like to note is that upon arrival there is a parking garage that you park in. I was not aware of this so I passed the place and and to turn around and go back. I am not a city girl so maybe most people are aware of this type of thing, oops. Anyways I did not notice how much parking was but on weekends parking is FREE so I did not need to worry about it.

Once we arrived we went to the front desk, which is a split desk paired with LEGOLAND Discovery Center. If you booked your tickets online you need your ID in order for them to pull up your reservation. If not you will be given your option for tickets. They make this easy to choose by having big screens behind the desks that gives the pricing options to choose from.

Once you enter you may stay as long as you like. I think this is what makes you feel better about the cost. There is so much to do as well that if you didn't take your time and see everything you would really miss out on some cool things.

When you first walk in you are greeted with a couple fun pictures that are available to purchase at the end of your journey through the aquarium. These turned out really neat.  They also offer other products made with your picture on it as well.

There are so many cool things to see while here.  They give each child a stamp book.  There are different stations around the aquarium with fun facts and a stamp to stamp your book with.  This helps make sure you have visited all of the aquarium as well as learn some cool things.  If you get all the stamps by the end they give you a neat little necklace.

There is a really awesome touch tank that has someone there to help explain all of the things inside the tank as well as how to properly handle each creature.  My kids thought this was the best part of course. There is such a huge array of fish to see!  The aquarium is not just a simple one either.  There is a huge one that each turn you make you see a different part of.  There are even some that you can stick your head in a bubble so you kinda swimming with the fish :).

I highly recommend going here and enjoying the day with all the fun fish.  It would make a great home school field trip as well to track the different fish seen. Very friendly staff as well.  They were very helpful in making sure you were getting around well and seeing all you wanted to.

The best part is there was a play area at the end that allowed the kids to get wiggles out before heading home.  There is seating for parents as well. I was able to sit and check my email for the day while the kids burned some energy from the visit.

We will be going again and I hope you will too!

*Disclaimer-I received four free tickets in exchange for my honest review.

Simply Christmas

There is so much commercialism in Christmas these days. You look in the magazines and the commercials where you only see the perfect decorations and the perfect trees. The true meaning of Christmas is a whole other topic in itself, but let's focus on the simple part of Christmas. 

There are always traditions that families like to make. I have a hard time following the same thing every year though. With my kids being small still they always surprise me with a new thing they want to do, or to tell me how much they hate doing others. So in reality we have not made a solid tradition that we have done each year. 

Now I love Christmas! I love the lights, the decorations, and the tree. Oh the tree!! I remember my first home, I put my tree up in September! Why? Because I could, and more so because it is beautiful. There is only a few things I feel are calming to just look at. The sun set, the ocean, and the glisten of Christmas lights. 

This has been a rough year for me. College is sucking, lots of sickness in the family, and much more. I had not even had a chance to even think about Christmas let alone begin to decorate. I was really getting bummed because I wanted a tree too. They are so expensive though, even for a real one. So I have just put it to the back of my head and moved on.

Yesterday I was working on cleaning the house while my kids were playing outside. They normally do not like to go out when it is cold so I was thankful for some quiet while they played. After a bit I sit down on the couch and there is a big sliding glass door in the front of the house to which I see my son pulling a tree behind him! 

I opened the door for him and asked him what the heck they did. They said they took the hand saw and the hand ax and chopped down the tree. "It took a long time and we kept having to switch tools" they said. They pulled it into the house and set it in a bucket with rocks all alone. 

I can't say that this was a pretty tree, or even a typical pick of Christmas tree but that is where some simplicity comes in. My children went out on a secret mission with their hearts full of love and found a tree that they could provide for us in our back yard. The tree was free, it goes to my ceiling and it is bear...but it is full of my children's love and heart. 

They even decorated it all alone lights and all. I couldn't be more happy with my tree this year! Made me really stop and see that there is more here than perfection and outside beauty. It is what is in the heart and what gets done by heart!