Garden Update

It is time again for an update on my garden for The Homeschool Village's Garden Challenge. If you remember from my last post I had started a ton of plants for my garden. Well plans have changed and since we are moving and I do not know how long I am going to be at this house and I don't know if I will have any time once my hubby moves in a week and a half, I have given all the plants to my mom. All that is left is this planter of jalepanos (I figured that I could probably take care of them and then bring them with me to the new house if need be).

I am planning on getting all of her new plants in the ground within the week. But my front garden is the nicest it has ever looked (probably since I am moving- I finally got all the bulbs in that I have wanted to plant for the last few year, and now I have to leave them! These are my brand new planters I bought to spruce up the house yesterday (I hope that these don't convey with the house because I really like them)

Here is part of the front garden, I have tulips, daylillies, columbines, a bleeding heart and some annuals that I planted a couple weeks ago.

This is my favorite plant, I will be sad to leave it. I thought I killed it last year during the drought we had, but it came back up this year. I am hoping I can get another bleeding heart for my new house next year.

I have not done much in the way of garden activities since the last post. I did a lot of the activities with my two older ones and we have read lots of books about bugs and went to the zoo two weeks ago (our zoo plants tens of thousands of new tulip bulbs every year for zoo blooms). We have taken the kids to the garden section of the local home improvement store (does that count?) To visit The Homeschool Village's Garden Challenge click here. You will see other garden updates as well as activities to do with your kids!

My Favorite Burritos- Allergy Friendly Recipe

Where I grew-up we had this great fast food burrito restaurant that made the biggest burritos I have ever seen. They had two sizes regular and large (and the large was so big that you pretty much had to share it!), now they carry three sizes: Big Daddy, Regular and Little Brother. This is my take on their burritos.

Ingredients:
Pot Roast (I cook my pot roast all day in the slow cooker)
Rice
Black Beans
Salsa
Spinach (opinional) this needs to be cooked spinach. I cook my spinach in a boiling pot of water and then as soon as it wilts I take it out and shock it.
Monteray Jack cheese or Cheddar cheese (shredded)- omit if you have a dairy allergy
Burrito sized flour torillas

Combine all ingredients on your flour tortilla.

Here is the burrito I ate last night. I did not use the spinach because when I opened the bag I discovered it had gone bad.

KC Capes Review and Giveaway

KC Capes is an Etsy shop run by Katie, a stay at home mom to a little boy and a wife to a busy med student. She needed to find something to do with her time while her son was sleeping and her husband was studying. She found an old cape her grandmother had made her brother over 25 years ago and realized making capes would be a great idea to keep her busy! Katie is also partnering with another Etsy seller to create original Halloween costumes for preschool aged children. She will make the cape portion of the costumes, while the other seller will make the accessories.

Katie's superhero capes are so original. Most shops on Etsy sell a standard cape that attached at the neck and is only worn on the back. Katie's capes are worn in the back but also include a front panel that bears the logo of the superhero. She sells capes for both boys and girls. Custom orders are also welcome and capes can be designed for your own child superhero! Here are some of the capes that she offers:

Spiderman Cape

Princess Cape

Superman Cape

Cat Woman Cape

Robin Cape

I was sent a Batman cape for my review. When I received it I immediately tried it on my 4 1/2 year old. He absolutely loved it! He is just starting to like superheroes and it was right up his alley. I loved that the cape does not tie around his neck and that it has the emblem on the front, that way he can see it. Katie's capes attach with Velcro, which makes them easier to take on and off and my 4 year old can remove it if he needs to (but he probably won't take it off himself because I cannot get him to take it off!). We love the capes from KC Capes and recommend them!

Buy It! You can purchase capes from KC Capes on Etsy. Katie is also offering my readers a discount code for 10% off your cape purchase with the code 2blessed until June 26, 2011.

Win It! KC Capes is giving away a cape to one of my followers! This giveaway will end on Tuesday, May 10th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator and once notified will have 48 hours to respond with their address or another winner will be chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. Residents. Please leave a comment for each entry.

Mandatory:

You must be a follower of Too Blessed to be Stressed and visit KC Capes and tell me in your comment which cape is your favorite.

Extra Entries:

Like Too Blessed to be Stressed on Facebook

Heart KC Capes on Etsy

Write a blog post about this giveaway (please leave the link)

Post about this giveaway on Facebook (please leave the link)

I was not compensated for this post. All opinions on this post are my own. I was provided with a cape for my review.

PetCakes Giveaway ends tomorrow!

Don't forget to enter the PetCakes giveaway. The giveaway ends tomorrow night so click here to enter!

Mother's Day Giveaway from Tales from the Motherhood

Tales from the Motherhood is my favorite mom blog, it is run by Wendy Hagen. Wendy is a stay at home mom to three adorable kids and is a former child star. She shares hilarious stories about her life with her kids and stories from her own childhood as a child star. Wendy is holding a huge Mother's Day Giveaway. To enter you must answer four of five questions about your mom and then link your answers (or if you don't run your own blog post them in your comment). I love my mom and she is the greatest woman I know. Here are my answers to Wendy's questions:

1. What is your best childhood memory with your mom?

One of my favorite memories with my mom was a tradition she had with me and my sister every Christmas. We would help her make and decorate Christmas cookies and a full-sized gingerbread house every year. She is the best cook and we always had a great time helping her in the kitchen!

2. Was she consistent with discipline?

Yes, my mom was consistent with her discipline. I felt she disciplined us harder than my dad (I hope you are not reading this dad, but you know that this is the truth) and we always asked her not to punish us but to let dad punish us!

4. Do you remember any special things your mom did for you?

My mom is so thoughtful. I remember when I went away to college she made a box filled with little presents. She told me that everytime I got lonely to open one of the gifts and think of her.

5. Did she teach you anything significant?

My mom taught me a lot. She taught me about God, and why we need a personal relationship with him, she taught me to cook and how to treat others. My mom is the sweetest, friendliest person I know (we joke about how she would become best friends with the person she is sitting next to on an airplane!)

I love you mom- thanks for being the best mom ever!!

If you would like to enter Wendy's giveaway please click here.

Mama's Felt Cafe Review and Giveaway!

Mama's Felt Cafe is an Etsy shop run by Brittany, a stay at home mom of a very cute little boy! Her shop sells original felt food sets and other felt toys. I love her felt foods they are so cute and very creative. Here are some of the food sets that she sells in her store:

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche with Side Salad

Cocoa Mug and Doughnut

Deluxe Pancake Breakfast

Grilled Cheese Sanwich and Tomato Basil Soup

She also sells other felt toys. The Personalized Shopping Bag is great for playing store (or if your children are like mine carrying their prized possessions around!)

Personalized Felt Grocery Shopping Bag

This adorable memory game is also great for teaching shapes and colors. Felt is great because you do not have to worry about bending or breaking this game.

Felt Memory Card Game for Toddlers

Brittany also runs a blog called Mama's Felt Cafe Blog where she posts lots of tutorials on how to make felt food and other felt toys.

I was sent an adorable Asian-inspired felt food set. The set that she sent me was sesame chicken with veggies (including the adorable pea pods), low mein and a fortune cookie. I love this set and the best part about it is that it is allergy friendly for my kids! Her felt food is great and I don't have to worry about it breaking or the paint getting chipped off like the plastic and wooden toy foods that you can purchase at the toy store. Brittany has also created a tutorial for her peapods on her blog. I also have two great sesame chicken recipe that is very allergy friendly. One is very similar to the felt food set. Click here for the recipe. I have also posted another sesame chicken recipe that does not include all the veggies and is slightly different. Her felt food is great and she has such original food ideas.



Buy It! You can purchase felt toys at Mama's Felt Cafe on Etsy


Win It! Brittany is giving away a $20 gift certificate to her Etsy store! This giveaway closes on Thursday, May 5th at 11:59 pm EST and is open to U.S. residents. Winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator. The winner will have 48 hours to email me their contact information or a new winner will be chosen. Please leave a seperate comment for each entry.



Mandatory:

You must be a follower of Too Blessed to be Stressed and visit Mama's Felt Cafe and tell me you favorite item. (1 entry)

Additional Entries: (1 entry for each)

Heart Mama's Felt Cafe on Etsy

Like Too Blessed to be Stressed on Facebook

Like Mama's Felt Cafe on Facebook

Follow Mama's Felt Cafe blog

Write a blog post about this giveaway (please include the link)


All opinions on this post are my own. I was not compensated for the posting. I was provided the stated product for review by Mama's Felt Cafe.

Allergy Friendly Sesame Chicken

I have not made this recipe for a while, but it is a favorite of my husband. It is also really easy, like most of my other recipes. Sorry that there is no picture. With all the moving preparation it has been totally crazy here!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breat, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter or margarine (Fleishmann's makes a soy margarine that is dairy-free)
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Coat the chicken pieces in melted margarine. Combine flour, salt and sesame seeds. Coat the chicken in the flour-sesame mixture. Heat a pan and put oil in the pan. Cook the chicken in the pan on all sides until cooked through.

Glory Glass Magnets Review and Giveaway

Glory Glass Magnets is an Etsy shop run by Martje. She makes glass magnets, paperweights, crayon rolls and original art notecards. Many of her products include original art she has created.

Her magnets are not only for the fridge, but they she also carries Alphabet Magnet sets for children. Each set includes the entire alphabet, three larger magnets with words and a great case to hold them which inlcudes additional words for your child to practice spelling.

Alphabet Magnet Set

She also carries adorable magnets. They come as in sets or individual magnets.

It's a Bugs Life magnet set

I also really like her Scripture themed magnets. This set includes three magnets, two with verses and one with a lamb. She has several Scripture themed magnets available.

The Lord is My Shepherd magnet set

Her paperweights would make great teachers gifts. This one is my favorite:

Glass Paperweight for the Teacher

She also sells notecards with her original artwork. They are created with ink, watercolors and pen printed on linen cardstock. She sells both mini card sets and standard sized notecards.

Six Mini Notecards with a Large Magnet

The shop also sells push pins. They are 3/4" and have a atrong thumbtack affixed to the back.

Zoo Animals Thumbtack set

I think that she has many great gift ideas. Two other items she carries are her Message in a Bottle and her Sentiment Stones. The Message in a Bottle is personalized and contains your own message and an image of your choice. The Sentiment Stones are glass "peebles" backed with words of encouragement.

Message in a Bottle

Sentiment Stones

I was sent an Alphabet Magnet set for my review. I was so excited to recieve them since my son is just learning to read and we are currently working with our three year old on her alphabet. The magnets come packaged in a great little box, which is perfect for keeping them all together.

The set comes with one magnet for each letter in the alphabet (plus an extra e, l and p), three larger picture magnets, and the bottom of the box has a picture for each letter in the alphabet and the corresponding word written out. I gave them to my son to play with them along with my husband. He loved them. They worked on words for a while, then when my husband went to do something else he left the box with my son. My son proceeded to put all the letters in alphabetical order. Then he placed them in his box he has been carrying around for the last couple days. His box includes his current favorite things and I think he has decided that they are his! I love these magnets. I think that they are great for teaching the alphabet, reading and spelling. My children love to use hands-on items for learning and I think that these would be perfect for hands-on learners.

Buy It! You can purchase items from Glory Glass Magnets on Martje's Etsy site.

Win It! Glory Glass Magnets is giving away an Alphabet Magnet set to one of my followers! This giveaway will end on Tuesday, May 3rd at 11:59 pm EST and is open to U.S. residents. The winner will be selected via Random Number Generator. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email with their mailing address or another winner will be selected. Please leave a seperate comment for each entry.

Mandatory:

You must be a follower of Too Blessed to be Stressed and visit Glory Glass Magnets and tell me your favorite item from her shop.

Additional Entries:

Heart Glory Glass Magnets on Etsy

Like Too Blessed to be Stressed on Facebook

Like Glory Glass Magnets on Facebook

Write a blog post on your blog about this giveaway (please include the link)

Post on your Facebook page about this giveaway (please include the link)

All opinions on this post are my own. I was not compensated for this post but was provided with an item for review.

We are Moving!!

Last week my husband recieved two job offers, one about an hour away and the other is 10 hours away. With a lot of prayer, thought and discussion we have decided he should take the job that is 10 hours away, which means a huge relocation. Our plan is to get the house on the market by next week (gasp) and we have a ton of work ahead of us. We spoke with a realtor last week and she suggested that if we want to sell our house faster we needed to paint almost the entire house (including a two story entry way and two story family room), steam clean all the floors and pack most of our belongings. My husband and I moved five years ago when it was only the two of us and when we had a lot less stuff. It is amazing how much you can accumulate in five years (we probably have more than twice as much stuff since we had three kids since we moved in). So we have been organizing, donating, giving away and throwing away a lot.

We started painting on Wednesday night and we are close to being done! We painted everything except our master, the upstairs hallway and our little guys room. I am hoping to be totally done by Wednesday night and then we can work on packing up the rest of the stuff in the unfinished rooms. I am really nervous about selling the house and hoping that it sells quickly since my husband will be moving in two weeks and I will be with the kids myself. Luckily we have a lot of family that lives close and can give me a break if I need it. If you have any suggestions about moving with children I could really use them!

Giveaways Ending Soon!

Don't forget to enter the Mary Zoom giveaway. It ends on Tuesday and the giveaway is for a Mommy and Me Wrist Cuff Set. Click here to enter.

The Go Headband giveaway ends on Thursday. The prize is your choice of headband from Go Headband. Click here to enter.

Discount Codes Reminder

Two of my giveaway sponsors have discount codes that will expire soon:

Cuddles and Love- 15% off (coupon code: blessed) expires 4/15/2011

Apples n Amos- 10% off (coupon code: BLESSED 10) expires 4/30/2011

Food Allergy Status Update

If you have been following my blog you know that all three of my children have food allergies. Our food allergy journey began about 4 years ago when my oldest child was diagnosed with severe eczema and had an allergic reaction to milk. In the last month and a half we have been in and out of the allergist's office and trying new foods.

My oldest son was diagnosed with food allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts at 13 months. He went to the allergist's office about a month ago for testing and we discovered that his food allergy levels to milk, egg and peanut were very low and milk and egg were in the category of possibly being a false positive and peanut was likely to be negative (he is definitely still allergic to almonds and pecans). So we went an did a food challenge to baked in egg and milk. He had no reaction so we have been slowly trying new foods with him. He has been eating pizza with real cheese (which is so exciting) and it is now his favorite food. He has also been eating chocolate, yogurt and a new favorite popcorn shrimp! We are so happy that these new doors have opened for him.

My daughter also had allergy testing. She was previously diagnosed with egg, peanut and tree nut allergies. Her test came out totally negative to egg and peanuts, but is still allergic to cashews and pistachios. The doctor told us since she her test was so negative she did not even need a food challenge, she could try the foods at home. She came home that day and tried a scrambled egg and had no problem. That night she also tried a Resses Peanut Butter cup (she did not like it) and a few days ago tried peanut M&M's (which she of course loved!)

We are so excited for our kids. We must still be careful with the foods that they are allergic to, but I am happy that have grown out of their other allergies. We are still praying that our little guy will grown out of his multiple food allergies (milk, egg, peanuts and treenuts) but we are very grateful that our two older ones have made so much progress!

Grilled Chicken and Pasta- Allergy Friendly!

This recipe is free of all the top eight allergens (except wheat, but it could very well be made with rice or corn pasta). We had this for dinner last night and not only was it totally delicious, but so quick and easy!

Ingredients:
Half box of ziti or choice of pasta
Two grilled chicken breast cut into strips
One bag of spinach (or a box of frozen spinach defrosted)
One package of sun dried tomatoes (cut into smaller pieces)
One heaping teaspoon of diced garlic About 1/4 cup of olive oil Salt to taste Optional- Kalamata Olives (I did not use them but I think that they would be delicious in this dish!)

Cook pasta as directed on box. Boil a second pot of water and boil spinach fo about a minute, then remove them from the pot and drain as much water as you can. Pour oil into a pan until it is hot and then add all other ingredients. Mix until they are all integrated and heat until all ingredients are hot.

PetCakes Review and Giveaway

PetCakes are adorable stuffed animals made by the Well Made Toy Company. Each PetCake stuffed animal sits in a fabric cupake holder and the top of their head has a cute frosting hat topped with a cherry. They are currently both selling both series one and two on their website. Series one consists of four different stuffed cupcake dogs. The toys in series one are Randy Candy, Coco Coconut, Blueberry Buddy and Twinkle Sprinkles.

Series One Blueberry Buddy

Series two stuffed animals are different animals Bamboo Berry (a panda), Honey Cakes (a bear), Nutty Nicky (a squirrel) and Roco Coco (a racoon).

Series Two Bamboo Berry

In addition to the stuffed animals they also have minis, which are small figurines of series one.

Series I Minis

My kids loved them. I knew my daughter would love them, but my 4 1/2 year old son also loved his. He has had them for over two weeks now and he still wants to play with it every day and takes it with him to his grandparents house. I think that they are the cutest stuffed animals that I have ever seen!

Buy It! PetCakes can be purchase online on their site,on Amazon.com or Toysrus.com.

Win It! PetCakes is giving away two series one PetCakes stuffed toys. Giveaway ends Tuesday, April 26th at 11:59 pm EST, to U.S. Followers. Winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator. Once the winner has been selected they will have 48 hours to contact me with their address or another winner will be selected. Please post a seperate comment for each entry.

Mandatory:

To enter you must be a follower of Too Blessed to be Stressed through
Google Friend Connect (GFC) and visit PetCakes site and leave me a comment telling me which PetCake is your favorite.

Extra Enties (each are worth one entry):

Like PetCakes on Facebook

Like Too Blessed to be Stressed on Facebook

Write a post about this giveaway on your blog (please post the link in your comment)

Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page (please post the link in your comment)

Garden Lesson Ideas for Preschoolers

This week we are on spring break and since I have all three little ones home with me this week I have prepared a few extra activities to keep them busy. This month we are using our Garden Sensory Box so the activities I have planned this week all relate to the garden.

It actually worked our nicely since we had a wonderful day yesterday and my husband and I were able to mulch the front garden and plant a few annuals and are kids dug in the garden. I have also printed several of the worksheets from Homeschool Creation's Garden Pack. We are also using the following books this month:

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

Spring is Here by Will Hillenbrand

Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres

Winnie the Pooh How Does Your Garden Grow by Barbara Layman

How Does Your Garden Grow by Pat Patterson

Target Dollar Spot Books:

Strange and Amazing Insects by Kathryn Knight

Butterflies and Moths by Kathryn Knight

Slimy Slugs and Grubby Bugs by Kathryn Knight

We have also borrowed the Reading Rainbow: Bugs DVD from the library and we will be repurposing our yogurt cups and planting chives this week.

Go Headband Review and Giveaway

Go Headband is a company run by a single mom named Kat. Kat is a long distance runner, she has run five marathons and one ultra marathon. She started running three years ago (and like me) is addicted! She has been through a lot in the last few years and running is her therapy. Kat started Go Headband last year. She runs 15-20 miles on Saturdays and sweats a lot, even in cold weather so she developed her headbands. They are made from a mositure-wicking fabric and there is also a small plastic strip sewed onto the front of the headband to prevent it from slipping. Go Headband works with the American Cancer Society and created "cancer sucks" headbands for the Chicago marathon runners. She also works with other charities including the American Heart Association. She does custom orders for run clubs and soccer teams.

Go Headband carries several types of headbands and running products. The headbands that she carries are bandanas, narrow style, winter headbands and the regular style. The headbands come in various colors and in solid or screen printed. They are also for both men and women. They can also be cleaned by washing them in the washing machine.

13.1 Light Brown Screen Printed Headband

Navy Blue Solid Headband

Blue Narrow Headband Just Finish

Slate Blue Polartec Winter Headband

Bandana Headband Forest Green

Go Headband also carries Hydration Packs. Hydration Packs are handheld and carry a water bottle. They have a padded handle and a small side pocket. The Hydration Packs are machine washable and when they are empty can be used as a sweat rag.

Handheld Hydro Pack- Brown Scrolls

I was sent a regular headband in blue with "Runner Mom" screened printed on the front. I wore it for my last long run on Saturday. I ran eight miles in 35 degree weather. Believe it or not I did sweat even in the cold weather. My head started sweating about two miles into my run. I felt the sweat but it did not bother me because it was caught in the headband and it did not get in my eyes. The headband worked great and it did not slip. I have tried other headbands before, but none have ever worked for me. The cloth headbands that I have used before have always slipped off and the plastic headbands are just not comfortable and give me headbands (plus they do nothing for sweat). I really liked using the headband and would recommend it to other runners or for just working out.

Buy It! You can purchase Go Headband products on their site. Click here to be directed to their website.

Win It! Go Headband has generously offered a headband to one of my followers! This giveaway is open to U.S. followers of this blog. The giveaway will end Thursday, April 21st at 11:59 pm. The winner will be selected via the Random Number Generator. Once the winner has been notified they will have 48 hours to email me with their contact information or another winner will be selected. Please leave a comment for every entry.

Mandatory:

You must be a follower of this blog and visit Go Headband and tell me what headband is your favorite.

Extra Entries:

Like Go Headband on Facebook

Like Too Blessed to be Stressed on Facebook

Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page (please leave the link in your comment)

Post about this giveaway on your blog (please leave the link in your comment)

I was not compensated for this post. All opinions about the products are my own. Go Headband provided me with a headband for review.

Tips for Running a Race

Picture from Boston.com

I love to run. I have been running for over ten years and in that time I have missed about a total of six weeks worth of days of running. I ran up until the day before I gave birth to all three of my children (I would have run the day I gave birth, but I was in the hospital). Last October I ran my first half marathon. Once I ran it I was hooked. I cannot wait to run my next half marathon in May. If you are interested in running a race here are some of my tips to training.

Wear appropriate clothing- I hate to be uncomfortable when I run. When I train for either of the half marathons in my area I am either training in in the winter or summer. In the winter I wear mulitple layers on top. For the bottom layer I like to wear a shirt that draws the mositure away from the body, since even in the winter I sweat when I run. I also recommend to wear something on your ears if it is windy. In the summer I also recommend clothing that draws mositure away from the body.

Run where you feel safe- I like to run in a very public open area. It makes me feel safer. I would recommend running with a partner if possible.

Start out small and build-up- when you are training to run a distance that is longer than you normally run start-out running a much shorter distance and build-up every week. Since I train for half marathons I add one mile onto my distance every week. I never run the entire 13.1 miles, since you should be able to run 13.1 miles if you can run 10-11 miles. There is an episode of How I Met Your Mother when one of the characters tells his friends that you don't train for a marathon you just run it. Well he woke-up the morning of the NY Marathon and just ran it. (Not a good idea!) He finished but afterward could not move his body to walk off the subway! My husband ran the half marathon with me in October. He had trained and ran a half marathon in May and was fine after the race. However, he did not train for the half marathon in October. He ran three times prior to the race. He finished more than a half hour after me and when he was finished felt very sick. He realized that not training for a race was not a good idea!

Find something to entertain you- I love to listen to music when I run. I prefer upbeat music because it keeps me going and helps me run up the hills.

Research the race you are running- I would recommend doing a little research on the race you are running. Find out if there are hills that way you can train on hills and they will not give you a problem when you run it. Find out if people tend to pass on the outside or inside. If you don't like to pass people and they pass on the outside stay towards the inside of the group.

Don't do anything new on the day of the race- Make sure you try out anything new prior to the race. I know I have to break in my shoes at least a couple of weeks prior to a race or else I will get a blister in the middle of my run and blisters on your feet while running are super painful.

If you ever wanted to run a race I highly recommend it. I love running and races are so much fun. They are also very addicting!

Cupcake Express Giveaway Ends Soon!

The Cupcake Express giveaway ends on Saturday so there is still time to enter. To enter this giveaway click here.

Ultimate Blog Party

I meant to post this on Thursday, but with attending a homeschool convention Thursday through Saturday night it just did not happen. So I am fashinably late for the party! For those of you that don't know the Ultimate Blog Party is being hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom. If you are a blogger to join in the party all you need to do is wrtie a post about the party and about your blog, link to your blog on their site and you will also want to enter to win one of their great prizes.

Here's a little bit about me and my blog...

I am a 32 year old SAHM to three incredible kids, a 4 1/2 year old son, a 3 year old daughter and a 13 month old son. We are just beginning our homeschooling adventure and I have been doing tons of homeschooling research in the past year in order to find the right cirriculum and tools to use with my kids.

All three of my children also suffer from multiple food allergies. The food allergies we have in our home are milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. They also suffer from environmental allergies. My oldest was diganosed four years ago and we have been learning to enjoy life while living with food allergies.

I am also a long distance runner. I love to run half marathons (I think that I am addicted) and work-out (I know you think I am totally nuts, but it is a great way to escape the craziness of life!)

My blog focuses on living with food allergies, homeschooling, fun activities with kids and I also do reviews and giveaways. Welcome to my blog and have a great time at the party!

MaryZoom Review and Giveaway

MaryZoom is an etsy store run by Mary Ellen that specializes in sustainable accessories for adults, kids and the home. MaryEllen lives in Western Kansas and is inspired by the pioneer women that settled the area.

She carries wrist cuffs for both children and adults. They are made from t-shirt scrapes and can hold money, keys, drivers liscence, or anything small you want to carry with you. They are also great for runners or if you just don't want to take your purse with you.

Adult- Bliss wrist cuff Bliss design

One of her favorite items in her shop is her Pioneer Spirit Quilt Necklace. This necklace is made from salvaged fabric from an authentic Great Plains quilt found in Goodland, KS.

Pioneer Qulit Necklace

She also carries eco-friendly pouches and lanyards, which are great for runners!

Eco Friendly Pouch

Eco-Friendly stationary is made of kraft card stock and a stamped t-shirt stamp. They are blank inside and include matching envelopes.

Eco-Friendly Blank Card Kindness Takes Flight

MaryZoom also carries Eco Supplies including sustainable t-shirt yarn, covered buttons and patches.

Sustainable Eco-Friendly T-Shirt Yarn- Turquoise

DIY Kits inlcuding toddler dress and tote. This item is the toddler dress and includes a pattern and the material to make the dress.

Vintage Fabric and Pattern-DIY Kit for Toddler Dress

The shop carries rose broches made from taffeta and wire ribbon. They can be used to pin on a coat, a blouse, at the waist, on a hat or purse, the uses are endless.

Beautiful Rose Corsage

My opinion of the wrist cuffs is that they are such a great idea. I am a long distance runner and when I run I take my cell phone, my key, and my liscense. I have a running belt with a pocket that I wear around my waist (it is like a fanny pack but much smaller and made especially for running). However, I had a c-section last year with my third child and if you have had a c-section wearing anything around your scar is not the most comfortable thing. That is why when I found MaryZoom's wrist cuffs I was so excited!

Trees of Kindness

I can wear the cuff around my wrist and carry the items I need when I am running and I don't have to worry about anything rubbing against my scar. I also received two kids cuffs from the store. These are perfect for my children to carry around all their little treasures that I want them to keep away from their 13 month old brother!

Kids Sized Wrist Cuff Cutie

Kids Sized Wrist Cuff Dinosaur

Buy It! You can find MaryZoom on esty. The items mentioned in this post are just a sampling of what she offers, she has a lot of different Eco-Friendly products and many come in different colors and patterns.

Win It! MaryZoom has offered a Mommy and Me wrist cuff set for our giveaway. This set is one adult wrist cuff and one child's wrist cuff in her What a Hoot print. This giveaway will end on April 19th at 11:59 pm (EST) and is open to residents of the United States. The winner will be selected via the Random Number Generator and will have 48 hours to email me with their contact information once I email them. Please leave a comment for each entry and your email address in the comment.

Mandatory:

You must be a follower of Too Blessed to be Stressed on Google Friend Connect and visit MaryZoom and tell me what item in her store is your favorite.

Extra Entries:

Heart MaryZoom on etsy

Like Too Blessed to be Stressed on Facebook

Tweet about this giveaway (please include a link in your comment)

Post about this giveaway on your blog (please include a link in your comment)

Post about this giveaway on Facebook (please include a link in your comment)

All opinions on this post are my own. I was not compensated for this review. I was sent a wrist cuff by MaryZoom.