Win!
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Gary Chapman’s Conversation Starters made my family talk {Giveaway!}
Ever sat around a supper table and literally heard crickets, because the conversation was just that non-existent? Or do you find that one child is a chatterbox, leaving no room for any of the others to share? Or do you just want to get your family or spouse talking more? You and me both, pal! Which is why I literally squealed when my friends over at Christian Art Media sent me a parcel so amazing, I’m sure I heard angels singing when I opened it. Introducing: Gary Chapmans 101 Conversation Starters. If you love board games and group games, like I do, then this is right up your alley! (Stay tuned to find out how you can win a hamper for you and your family!)
So, for those not familiar with the geniosity that is Dr Gary Chapman: He is the brilliant psychologist (with more than 30 years experience, yo!) and the author behind the highly popular New York Best Selling Five Love Languages book. Dr Chapman says that each person has their own unique language, pertaining to their own, unique personality and characteristics. We all give and receive love in different ways. He explains that by knowing your partner or children’s love language, you can finally take the mystery out of what they really want and expect. Knowing your child’s love language can help you to understand them better and will give you the “cheats” on how to get the best out of them!
According to him, the 5 Love Languages are: Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Physical Touch. For example, my love language is acts of service. When Chris washes the dishes, or gives me a food rub, I’m like “woah, this guy really loves me!” His, on the other hand, is physical touch. So, if I’m upset with him for like, a week, and avoid contact, he really feels the burn!
Anyways, so based on the amazing Love Languages series, and together with Ramon Presson, Dr Chapman has developed the 101 Conversation Starters cards. This handy tabletop resource is designed to get you, your family and your spouse talking! With 101 probing questions, 101 Conversation Starters for Families blends just the right amount of fun and thought-provoking questions, to help develop a culture of meaningful conversation in your family! I simply adore the 101 Conversation Starters for Couples cards. These offer 101 probing questions for couples, with the aim to enhance the relationship and create a deeper intimacy.
If you’re looking for an affordable way to create a fun atmosphere, at home, during the summer period, then I highly recommend these! And hey, aren’t the ‘couples’ cards a really legit way to spend a date night indoors? The 101 Conversation Starters cards and Love Languages books are available online or at your nearest CUM Books store.
We played the family game, this past week, and learnt a bunch of really interesting things about each other. For starters, Kyle wants to leave the country. But we always knew that. Chris realized that he needs a dedicated day, in the week, to spend with the family (yep, the cards told him this!) and now everyone knows that the one thing I want for Christmas is to be 16 again! That last one was meant to be funny, but only I thought it was. Oh well, you can’t win them all. And talking about winning, I want to give one of you a hamper, as part of my Christmas Crazy festivities! Woohoo!
The hamper includes both the 101 Conversation Starters for Families, 101 Conversation Starters for Couples AND the 2 accompanying Dr Chapman Love Languages books, that will help you to work on building better relationships within your family and marriage! AAAACK! I know, right?!!To enter, simply follow the rafflecopter prompts below, and check out my Facebook page on Friday, December 15th to see if you’re a winner! Yep, there are hundreds (I’m exaggerating) of ways to enter… I wanted to give you as many chances and options as possible! This prize is that good! Good luck ya’ll!
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Music Monday: Matt Redman – These Christmas Lights
For those looking for a more contemporary listen this Christmas allow me to introduce your ears to all that is Matt Redman. Matt is a 2 time Grammy award winner, worship leader and renowned singer and songwriter in the christian music circles. I mean, I am all for putting “Christ” back into Christmas… and that’s exactly what he does on his festive album, These Christmas Lights.For starters, the album is filled with a collection of original Christmas themed songs … so if you’re preconditioned to “bleugh” at the mere sound of jingle bells, this one is for you! Secondly, as I’ve mentioned Matt is a really top songwriter and as a double score, he features the vocal prowess of Chris Tomlin, Natasha Bedingfield and the great Tasha Cobbs, on this album.
Some of my favorite picks include the duet with Bedingfield. I mean, the lady has a set of pipes on her! Cobbs also does her fair share of vocal wowing, on the duet ‘Glory to you in the highest‘, where she totally does justice to an amazing song that is kinda like a reprise of the traditional Christmas tune, ‘Hark the Herald angels‘.
Matt is a story teller. He has been gifted with the amazing ability to paint pictures, with words and music and I love that he has taken something that is often completed and utterly pulverized (I’m talking about Christmas, yo) and reinvented the way it’s told, in a way that is more personal and intimate.
There’s a whole lot more that I can say about this one… and I did, over here at Gateway News. You can check out the complete review there.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!But wait… there’s more! Remember I said that I’m giving away a collection Christmas-themed albums to one of you (thanks to Christian Art Media)? Well, that’s definitely still happening! Whoot whooot! I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – Behold -
Music Monday: Top 25 Christmas Hymns compilation
I love me some Christmas music. And I’m not entirely fussy when it comes to who is doing the singing (or instrument playing), as long as it’s done with excellence. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do have my favorites. But also, I’m okay with just about any version of ‘Hark the herald angels sing’, yo! Which is why I’m so excited to tell you guys about this week’s Christmas music review, Maranatha Music’s Top 25 Christmas Hymns 2-CD set. What’s better than a Christmas album? A Christmas compilation album, duh!Christian Art Media sent me a bunch of fantastic Christmas albums to tell you guys about, but I think this one right here got me the most excited. I love that there are 25 whole festive-inspired songs for us to put on loop, during the ‘most wonderful time of the year’! At first I was like, huh, are there really that many Christmas-related songs?! Well yes, yes there are. Besides for the usuals, I was introduced to a bunch of treasures (some of them probably older than I am) that you probably won’t find on your latest pop sensations Christmas release.
My favorites are here too though. You know the faves, ‘Joy to the world’, ‘O holy night’, ‘Silent night’ and the classic ‘The first noel’. For the full review check out my article on Gateway News.
Win your own set of Christmas albums!Ahhh, I love Christmas! Do you love Christmas too? Well then, you should totally enter my Christmas music giveaway! Every Monday I review a Christmas album, and I add some of my faves to a special Christmas music hamper, which I will be giving away to one of you!
I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – BeholdMatt Redman – These Christmas lights
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Music Monday: Crowder – Oh For Joy
Christmas is officially six weeks away and I’m over here, getting my Christmas music on. Legally, I mean. Mid November is a good time to start a-caroling, right? Well, whether you carry the same sentiment or not, Crowder’s All For Joy is the type of Christmas album that would get even the scroogiest cynic tra-la-la-ing.Look, I’m not exactly the worlds biggest rock music fan. (Mariah Carey, anyone?) but there’s something about the retro Crowder that makes “edgey” seem totally and utterly suave. I love his rock meets folk vibe and that he doesn’t get too serious on this album, creating Christmas music that is totally chilled and funky.
Let’s be honest, friends, come Christmas time, one expects to hear your typical Michael Buble smooth or Whitney Houston soul filled Christmas anthems. And those are amazing, I agree. But there’s something about hearing carols produced and sung in a totally unique way, that makes me sit up and listen. Sometimes we just want to rock out. And that’s okay too.
So if you’re looking for a funky Christmas album, that tells the tale of Jesus, without making you feel as if you’re at an RnB concert, then this one is for you. For the full review, check out my detailed article over at Gateway News.
But guys, guess what, remember I said that it’s Christmas and I want to give you stuff because I’m cool like that? Well, this Crowder album will go into my super special Christmas music hamper! I’ll be adding to the hamper over the next few weeks, which gives you a ton of opportunity to enter the giveaway. I know, genius papa.I’ve changed the entry mechanism, to give everyone more of a chance. Simply complete the rafflecopter below! Giveaway closes on Tuesday, December 19th!
Find the rest of the reviews here:
Lauren Daigle – BeholdMatt Redman – These Christmas Lights
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A tale of diarrhea and Pediasure Complete {Giveaway!}
I never thought I’d ever have to supplement my toddler’s meals with formula… until the night that she pooped in my bed and the smell woke my 2 month old baby up. Yes, that’s my opening line and I’m sticking with it. It was a messy affair – one that I’m sure many moms have had to endure atleast once in their lives. But it’s even more terrible when your usually energetic child is suddenly weak and unable to eat or hold anything in. In a fortunate turn of events, Pediasure Complete had just sent me a gift that contained a tin of their nutrient-rich, lactose free powder. The supplement provides balanced nutrition for kids aged three to ten, who are experiencing growth challenges or who are not getting a balanced diet in. -
The Lunchbox packs your kids lunch for you! {Giveaway}
Imagine my extreme joy the other day when I opened a special delivery from The Lunchbox, tears streaming down my face as I behold the 21 pre-packed lunches that promised to make my mornings a little bit more tolerable. (I didn’t actually cry, but my heart was catching feelings, okay.) I don’t know about you guys, but mornings around here are not one of our favorite things to experience as a family. Let’s not forget the fact that I barely sleep anymore, anyways. So I’ll take all the help that I can get, thank you very much. The truth is that whether you have a new baby or not, time management becomes a big deal when you’re a parent! You’re always looking for ways to do things faster (and cleverer), without compromising your kids quality of life. Moms if you’re feeling me, say “preach girl!” And then reader further because you need to get your hands on The Lunchbox and I need to tell you how you can enter my giveaway! -
Want to cook like a gourmet chef with Daily Dish?
So if you follow me on social media you may have spotted my cooking frenzy last week, as I attempted to cook with Daily Dish. Well, let me start off by saying that I’ve never been a fancy meal kinda girl. In fact, if anything, I’ve always opted for easy meal ideas for my family… mainly because I don’t have the time, know-how and (let’s face it) special ingredients needed to make fancy shmancy dishes. Are you like me? Well then friend, grab a seat because I may have something special for you. -
Our newborn photo shoot with Cutepix Photography
Remember how much I bragged about Michelle over at Cutepix Photography? Well, the proof is in the pudding and this post right here is the pudding, ladies and gentleman. Well, MY pudding, to be exact… look at that face! I was so chuffed to be able to plan Jonah’s newborn photo shoot with Michelle. After seeing the amazing way she orchestrated Kari’s first birthday cake smash shoot, I knew that I would be pleased with Jo’s pics! I saw this shoot as a way to capture the beauty of our Jonah, fresh out of the oven. But it was also a way to celebrate his life and all the promise that we see over it! I’d like to celebrate with you too! I will be giving away a very special gift at the end of this post. But first… more pics! -
Autumn/Winter 2017 jacket trends
As much as I love #dressingthebump and all the stunning maternity styles that I’ve been showcasing, I’m actually looking forward to my post-preggy days when I’ll be able to squeeze into my favorite outfits again. (Operative word being “squeeze”) I think the real score is that baby Jo will be joining us at the end of May, which means that I can start shopping for Autumn and Winter gear now! I spotted some really fab Autumn/Winter 2017 jacket trends on Superbalist – six styles in all – and I have to have one of each! From puffers to bombers, super svelte parkas and military styled coats to over-sized biker jackets and elegant faux furs, there is something for everyone. Yep, even you Margaret. Check out these style ideas and you could win a Superbalist voucher to get that jacket that you’ve had your eye on! -
Sneaker LAB Premium Shoe Care Kit: review and giveaway!
When you have a gazillion children, like I do (please, love my drama, don’t hate on it) you’re always eager to find quicker and easier ways of doing things. One such thing has been the saving grace of Sneaker LAB – an innovative premium shoe care product that is helping me keep my teen (and tots) sneakers looking fresher for longer. Yes, it’s possible! Let me show you how (and give you a shoe care kit to try out for yourself!)
