By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 19th, 2012
I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since DustinNikki Mommy of Three was born! I remember when I first started blogging and being new at everything. There is so much I have learned!
It’s also been a year since I made that stressful move from Blogger to self hosted WordPress and it’s been so great! It’s been a great year and I am hoping for many more to come! Of course I expect to have another great year and it’s all because of YOU! That’s right, I said YOU!
Not only am I celebrating my blog and looking back from where I started to where I am now, it’s also a time to celebrate my readers, followers and fans. If it wasn’t for my awesome and wonderful readers, I wouldn’t be where I am today! I appreciate every single one of you and want to thank you all!
What’s in store for the future?
More giveaways, more reviews, scrapbooking ideas and scrapbook freebies, more deals I come across, more about my family, and coming soon – absolutely legit paying survey sites!
I love baking and making candy too. Would anyone like to see recipes in the future? How about crafting projects you can do with your kids? I will probably begin to post some of that in the next couple months! if there is anything you would like to see, feel free to let me know!
By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 19th, 2012
It’s that time of week again so feel free to link up your giveaways! Since you are here linking up your giveaways, feel free to check out some of mine and everyone else’s giveaways that are listed here!
You can also check out my Giveaway Linky List if you need another place to link up your giveaways. It’s still a working progress as I have been adding them as I come across them.
Make sure that you link directly to your giveaway post and please follow this format for your title: Blog name (abbreviations are fine), giveaway title, end date. My blog is a family friendly site so please only link up family friendly giveaways.
I would love it if you share this post on twitter or facebook (you can use the share button at the bottom of my post if you like) to make it aware to more people. If you link up your own giveaways, it may even be helpful to you too! This is not a requirement but I would really appreciate it if you do!
By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 19th, 2012
I’m a Gamewright fan and I think their games are really great. Here’s a great game for family game night, The Scrambled States of America Game! This is a lot of fun to play and it’s also educcational as well! This game is based off the book “The Scrambled States of America” by Laurie Keller. I love that book and the story is really cute. If you have never heard of it, the story starts with “Sam” getting ready to tell a story about our states and country and of course Ohio and Colorado want to tell it but Sam tells them that it is his job so they go back to take their places.
All the states in our country were happy as they were waking up, having their coffee and reading the morning paper and so forth – all except for Kansas of course who was unhappy because he was bored. He started talking to his best friend, Nebraska about wanting to be able to see more and of course they both agreed that they were tired of North and South Dakota bickering all the time. They decided to have a party and invite all the states to get to know each other and so forth with help from their neighbors Missouri and Iowa. All the states have fun at the party and long story short, they decided they all wanted to see more of the country so all the states decided to switch places with each other and so that’s how our country became the “scrambled states of America”. Of course the states didn’t like it much after a few days because of course Florida was freezing because he switched places with Minnesota and of course all the other states had issues too and so they all decided to go back home.
The story is really cute and of course The Scrambled States of America Game is really fun to play. I love that the illustrated parts such as the maps and cards are illustrated just like they are in the book. This game is for ages 8 years and older and is for 2-4 players. With the Deluxe version (which is what I received), you also get The Scrambled States of America book with the game too!
Front of the box
Back of the box
The game includes 4 U.S. state maps for player references, 50 state cards, and 60 scramble cards. The object of the game is to send the most states home as in reference to the story. The player that collects the most state cards win.
S0. how do you play? Here’s how! Each player gets a U.S. map that they can use as a reference if they need it. Shuffle both state and scramble cards (separately) and then each player gets 5 state cards. All players place their cards in front of them face up in a line (to create their “state line”) so that everyone can see them. Each player takes turns turning over a scramble card. They then read it aloud so that all players know the challenge and it’s a race to see who can match up one of their states with the scramble card! Each state card shows the name and picture of the state along the Capital and Nickname because these may be needed to match up with a scramble card.
The scramble cards will say something simple or something a bit more challenging. To give you a better understanding, the states are illustrated like a character with faces, are different colors, some of them show both their eyes and some only one eye. Some of them are also wearing something (like a hat or glasses). Some of the simple cards will say the state is wearing something, shows only one eye, is orange (or another color), etc.
Some of the more challenging ones will say state ends in A, state has 2 same letters in a row, state has 10 or more letters, state has 2 words, state has 4 or more syllables, border has 3 or more straight edges, or something like – Is west (or north, south, or east) of Kansas. Each player will then need to see if any of their state cards match and the player that finds one of theirs that match first, gets to send thier state “home” and start thier own pile. They will then draw a new state card and add it back to thier “state line”.
There are “go the distance” cards in the scramble cards deck as well. If a player draws one of these, they turn a state card over from the state deck and all players look at their states to find the one that is the closest neighbor to the one that was flipped over. Whoever has the state that is the closest the fastest, wins that state card and their own state card home and puts them both in their home pile. There is also a ruler on the “go the distance” cards so that players can measure on the map for those ones that are really close.
The games ends after ALL the state cards in the state deck are gone. The player with the most state cards wins!
This game is about observation and quick reflexes and some of the challenges will probably be too difficult for a child under the age recommendations. It’s not like our 6 year old son knows what a syllable is. Our 10 year old daughter LOVES this game. It’s about learning more than the basics about the states. Your children learn about where the states are on the map, what they look like at a glance, their capitals and nicknames, and geography. Not only that, they also learn language skills such as the syllables, letters, spelling, and more. Even though the age recommendations are for ages 8 years and older and I made the comment about our son, doesn’t mean kids younger than that shouldn’t play at all. When we play, he’s usually on a team with either me or his dad and he has learned a lot himself. Not only about states, language skills, etc., but other skills such as being more observant and hand-eye coordination skills!
This is such a great family game because not only is it educational in many different ways, it’s also really fun to play because it’s a mad dashing kind of game. It’s also easy to play because the scramble cards are not specific to any ONE state. Multiple states can be matched to any of the cards and most likely, multiple players will have a state to match. That’s what makes it so fun because it’s a race to check all your states to get a match first! I don’t think we have laughed so much during one of our game sessions! It’s definitely a great way to get the family together and I would recommend this game to any family!
Win It! Thanks to the company, one of my lucky DustinNikki Mommy of Three readers will win a The Scrambled States of America Game (Deluxe) for their family!
Here’s how to enter:
Use the Rafflecopter form below. It’s as simple as just clicking! You must complete the mandatory entry before extra entries are unlocked. See each instruction for each entry. You must follow DustinNikki Mommy of Three in some way (does not have to be every single way) like Google+, Facebook, NetworkedBlogs, Twitter, etc. (Google Friend Connect will no longer be available for non blogger blogs soon). Of course all the ways that you can follow us, are also extra entries too. See all ways of entries in the Rafflecopter form. Mandatory entry will require a comment on this post.
It is no longer necessary to leave your email in your comment since you have to leave your email when submitting your comment for approval. That way the only person that will see your email will be me. All entries will be checked and if there are any comments that do not count or qualify as an entry, they will not be counted.
By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 16th, 2012
I have always loved John Frieda products especially Frizz-Eaze. I have really thick frizzy hair and it’s a must have for me. My hair is so frizzy that I very rarely leave it down unless I straighten it or curl my hair afterwards because my natural curls are just not bearable. I don’t even know if you could call my natural curls, curls or not because honestly, it looks like a mass of tangled frizzed out giant cotton ball rather than curly hair. I love the John Frieda for Conair Volume Curls Curling Iron because when I curl my hair with it, my curls look amazing!
“For tousled on-trend waves, reach for theJohn Frieda® Volume Curls 1 1/2” Curling Iron, engineered with Titanium Ceramic Technology and Advanced Ionic Conditioning to seal in moisture and reduce frizz. With 11 digital heat settings offering high heat up to 400°F/205°C, it’s easy to select a safe heat level for your hair type. Designed for quick, easy styling, the John Frieda® Volume Curls 1 1/2” Curling Iron prevents dull, heat damaged hair and delivers loose, bouncy waves that shine with good health.”
“HOW TO USE: Curl hair in 1-inch wide sections, no more the ½-inch thick. Open the barrel and clamp section at the ends. Roll hair up an inch from the root then hold for ten seconds. Release the clamp on the handle and allow hair to fall into place. Repeat until desired results are achieved.”
The barrel size is perfect for creating lose curls which I think is gorgeous! I don’t like my very tight natural curls but I love that I can still have the lucious lose curls after curling my hair with this curling iron! The Titanium Ceramic Technology does great for my hair keeping my hair from becoming frizzy and I can say that my hair looks a lot healthier after using it compaired to how it looks with the other curling iron I have been using. It does help to keep the moisture in my hair after using the heated styling tool - I can feel the difference.
With the lose curls, It also creates volume to my hair which I miss out on when I straighten my hair. The curls are also bouncy and my hair feels soft and looks shiny too! I also love it because of the many different heat settings. This is great because everyone’s hair is different so you can choose the heat setting that works best for your hair, which of course also keeps your hair looking healthy.
The heat settings are important to me because I swear, my hair can predict the weather. Some days my hair looks dry or overly frizzy depending on the dampness, dryness, etc. in the weather. Therefore, I sometimes have to change heat settings I would normally use if my hair decides to act different every other day. I can also curl my hair really quickly with this iron too and the curls hold really well! For me, I only have to curl a section of my hair once with it unlike my other iron.
Another thing I found while using this curling iron is that I don’t really have to straighten my hair at all first. I can curl my unruley hair just the way it is to create my beautiful lose curls so I can go straight from tight, tiny frizzy curls to soft, silky and shiny lose curls! I couldn’t believe there was a curling iron that would do that fo me! Another thing, if I curl my hair first and decide to go straight, straighting my hair becomes much easier for me! I absolutely LOVE it!
The product(s) was sent to me for free by the company for my use and review. I was not paid to write my review and my opinions are honest and 100% my own although they may differ from others.
By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 15th, 2012
As much as I love using green and eco-friendly products, I also love using reusable shopping bags as often as I can. I think it’s great to use less plastic bags as possible or none at all. I was thrilled to receive the opportunity to work with Virescent on a review and was thrilled to write about them! They are a unique company where you can purchase their bags and sell them for what you would like to for your own eco-friendly fundraising! I think this is great for schools, companies and organizations because it’s not only a great fundrasing product, they are also eco-friendly and promotes using less plastic. These bags also appeal to anyone with all the different designs and they don’t have to only be used for shopping! I was sent one of their Mommy & Me Bundles and we love them!
You can get them in other styles too. Instead of the Como shown above, I received them in Honolooloo style. They are so cute too and like I said before, they are not only great for shopping but they are great for other things too such as using them as a tote when your heading to the beach this summer!
The larger bag is a whopping 18x16x6 inches and can hold the equivalent of two grocery bags full. The smaller bag is a 10 inch bag that matches. The handles are very durable and are long enough to carry comfortably over the shoulder. Another thing I love about this bag is that it is large enough to carry bigger items comfortably too! It also has a 5×5 inch pocket which allows for a handy carrying place for keys and such!
My daughter thinks it’s really cool to have a bag like mine for those quick trips to store when she goes with me. Our kids have also used it to carry books with them when we go somewhere so they can read in the car. Want to know something else? Not only are they great for helping to save our environment from all those plastic bags, they are also made of organic cotton! “All of our Shoppers are grown, woven and sewn in the USA.” I still can’t get over how well these bags are made. They are GREAT quality bags, made really well and VERY durable. So cute and really stylish too!
If you are planning a fundraising event soon for whatever reason, make sure to check out Virescent to get started with them! You can even have your bags of choice include your school, organization, or company logo on them! Virescent offers a great product for your fundraising. Visit their site to get started on your ec0-friendly fundraising event!
Want to WIN one? Well, you can!
Thanks to the company, one of my lucky DustinNikki Mommy of Three readers will win one of these adorable shoppers for themselves! (this excludes the Mommy & Me Bundle)
Here’s how to enter:
Use the Rafflecopter form below. It’s as simple as just clicking! You must complete the mandatory entry before extra entries are unlocked. See each instruction for each entry. You must be a Google Friend Connect follower before entering. Mandatory entry will require a comment on this post.
It is no longer necessary to leave your email in your comment since you have to leave your email when submitting your comment for approval. That way the only person that will see your email will be me. All entries will be checked and if there are any comments that do not count or qualify as an entry, they will not be counted.
By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 11th, 2012
It’s that time of week again so feel free to link up your giveaways! Since you are here linking up your giveaways, feel free to check out some of mine and everyone else’s giveaways that are listed here!
You can also check out my Giveaway Linky List if you need another place to link up your giveaways. It’s still a working progress as I have been adding them as I come across them.
Make sure that you link directly to your giveaway post and please follow this format for your title: Blog name (abbreviations are fine), giveaway title, end date. My blog is a family friendly site so please only link up family friendly giveaways.
I would love it if you share this post on twitter or facebook (you can use the share button at the bottom of my post if you like) to make it aware to more people. If you link up your own giveaways, it may even be helpful to you too! This is not a requirement but I would really appreciate it if you do!
By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 8th, 2012
This is Doolie’s homecoming ride! A year has gone by since we lost our old man Buddy and so we thought it was time to bring home another puppy. We went to the shelter last week and fell in love with a 3 month old Beagle mix. We were able to get him out, play with him and walk him and he immediately fell in love with us and our kids. We picked him up and brought him home yesterday!
He is making our home his home and is finally happy to be home. We might have rescued him but after losing our last dog, it always felt like there was something missing. Doolie just might have rescued us!
Hi everyone! My name is Doolie!
I almost forgot what it was like having a puppy! Good thing I didn’t plan on buying a new coffee table like I wanted to! He’s been chewing on everything he can get his teeth on! Nevermind all the doggy toys he’s already eaten up! He’s very playful, friendly, and a great member of our family!
After his first rambunctious day and many fun filled days to come,
By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 8th, 2012
I have always loved kaleidoscopes when I was a kid and I still love looking at them. They are so beautiful and every different pattern is so amazing. Kaleidoscopes To You offers brass kaleidoscopes, toy kaleidoscopes, you can even engrave them or get custom ones. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them because I got to review one of thier necklaces. Yep, Kaleidoscope Jewelry! I think this jewelry is absolutely unique and the Butterfly Kaleidoscope Necklace I received is absolutely beautiful!
When I opened my package and saw my necklace, I couldn’t believe how pretty is was! It’s a really pretty shiny silver kaleidoscope with a sparkly butterfly on it. It is attached to a 28 inche chain that doesn’t tangle very easy at all. The kaleidoscope is about an inch long and at the end that you look through, it is attached to the chain on a swivel loop so that you can turn it to see the “pretties” inside as my 2 1/2 year old son would say. You can also see the colorful beads at the other end.
I love the chain length. I typically don’t wear nacklaces that are that long but with the Butterfly Kaleidoscope Necklace, it fits. I actually like the long chain because if it was on a shorter chain, you wouldn’t be able to look into your kaleidoscope. Turning it is really easy just by hoding it on the swivel loop so you can turn it freely. Don’t worry about the chain getting twisted up because it won’t because of the design and how it’s made. I have never had this problem. Just look at some of the kaleidoscope colors you will be able to see!
The colors and patterns are really pretty. This necklace is stylish for women to wear and make a great accessory. It’s also great for teens or twins as well in my opinion. My almost 11 year old daughter loves wearing it too! I don’t let my youngest wear it but the long chain around my neck allows him to be able to pick it up and look through it himself. Take a look to see how it works!
It’s absolutely beautiful, pretty and fun to wear – and of course is a great jewelry piece!
Buy It! Visit Kaleidoscope To You to buy yours for $35.99! It also makes a great gift and would also make a great Valentine’s Gift!
Use the Rafflecopter form below. It’s as simple as just clicking! You must complete the mandatory entry before extra entries are unlocked. See each instruction for each entry. You must be a Google Friend Connect follower before entering. Mandatory entry will require a comment on this post.
It is no longer necessary to leave your email in your comment since you have to leave your email when submitting your comment for approval. That way the only person that will see your email will be me. All entries will be checked and if there are any comments that do not count or qualify as an entry, they will not be counted.
By Nicole @ DustinNikki Mommy of Three, on February 6th, 2012
I love Burt’s Bees products. I have been using them for a long time now and was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Burt’s Bees Essentials Kit! I was sent a kit filled with 5 different essential goodies and I love all of them! Not only are Burt’s Bees products fabulous and work as well as they claim, they are all natural – no harmful chemicals which I find very pleasing when it comes to skincare or beauty products!
Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream (0.75 oz)
Hand Salve (0.30 oz)
Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Lotion (1 oz)
Coconut Foot Cream (0.75 oz)
Beeswax Lip Balm (0.15 oz)
There you have it, all these products are definitley essentials! At least they are too me and another great thing is that they are easily carried with you in your purse or bag so they are always handy when you need them!
Let’s start with the Deep Cleansing Cream. To use this product, wet face and with your fingertips, apply and massage the cream all over your face keeping it away from your eyes. You can also use a washcloth if you would like. Then rinse thoroughly. The Deep Cleansing cream does wonders with removing make-up, dirt and excess oil from your skin. It does add moisture with Aloe and Chamomile. As soon as I applied the cream, it instantly felt like it was giong to work. It feels so good on my skin and it leaves skin feeling clean and refreshed. It feels cool – almost “minty” if that makes any sense. I love the cream because it’s thick and it doesn’t run all over your face making it easy to keep out of eyes. I was very surprised that it doesn’t dry my skin out like most facial cleansers tend to do to me. It leaves my skin feeling soft and it actually looks healthier after using it every night!
The Hand Salve comes in a little tin. This is great for when my hands get really dry and need a little more than hand lotion to do the trick. It’s made with botanical oils, herbs and beeswax. All you do is massage into your hands or even other areas of skin that are really dry. It does a great job of softening those really dry areas and is also very soothing too! The Hand Salve is great for areas that need extra moisturizing and it doesn’t take long for my skin to feel soft again!
The Naturally Nourishing Milk and Honey Body Lotion is fabulous! I love the tick, creamy lotion and it doesn’t take much at all. Skin softening milk, and natural honey is really nourishing and the scent is wonderful. I love the scent! It will keep skin moisturized up to 24 hours which I believe because most of the time, I only have to use it once a day. The lotion is absorbed quickly, and it doesn’t leave a sticky or greasy residue at all. I love how soft my skin feels afterward!
So far it all sounds really good right? Well, how about Coconut Foot Cream? I really hate saying it but I have horribly dry and sometimes cracked skin around my ankles and the bottoms of my feet. I am constantly working on the problem. Wow. Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Cream has rescued me. I thought I had everything under control with what I was curently using and was pleased with the product, but this was the first time I tried Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Cream and I immediately changed my mind – this is honestly, by far, the best foot cream product I have used. First of all, the coconut scent is absolutely amazing! Coconut oils are my best friend! You should apply overnight and cover with socks. I am serious when I say I have dry, cracked skin in those areas – sometimes it gets so bad it actually hurts. I can now say, I haven’t been as pleased with any other product! It soothes my skin and the dryness actually goes away!
Lip balm is a must for me especially in the colder months. I get chapped lips really easily and I love using Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. I have been using this lip balm for a long time now. I love the peppermint and as soon as I apply it, I can already feel it working. It may feel like somewhat of a “medicated” feeling but it makes your lips feel “cool” and you can definitely tell it’s peppermint. Immediately my lips feel so much better after applying and it really does a great job of healing and also protecting at the same time. I have found that if I use it during these problem months everyday whether I have chapped lips or not, I don’t get chapped lips that often. A lot of times I even use it under my lip gloss, lip color, or lip stick pretty often. I like doing that because it also keeps my lips moisturized even after applying my make-up!
Not only does Burt’s Bees offer really awesome products, they are natural and safe, safe for the environment, and on top if it all, their packaging is made of and is recyclable – even the plastic tubes! If you have a tin product, I think they come in handy to use for other things when the product is gone even though they are recyclable. Want to know what else? Burt’s Bees products come in sizes with the right amount of product for you to use before the expiration date so that you aren’t throwing out wasted product by the time they expire!
I really love Burt’s Bees products and what they are all about! They are really great products that do as they claim – sometimes even better than I was expecting!
Buy It: Visit Burt’s Bees website to buy your Burt’s Bees Essentials Kit for only $10.00! Be sure to check out all their other great products too! Burt’s Bees are also sold in stores so be sure to check thier store locator to find a store near you!
The product(s) was sent to me for free by the company for my use and review. I was not paid to write my review and my opinions are honest and 100% my own although they may differ from others.
You can get them in other styles too. Instead of the Como shown above, I received them in Honolooloo style. They are so cute too and like I said before, they are not only great for shopping but they are great for other things too such as using them as a tote when your heading to the beach this summer!
