A Toast!

We love our toast around here.

Of course, PB & J is the good old stand by - but only for Jeremiah at this point.

So what do these guys like on toast these days?

For Joshua it's apple butter, something I just discovered last year and fell in love with. So did Little J...


And Jeremiah's toast repertoire has just expanded with the discovery of...

Nutella. Thank you Kimmy and MckMama (who happen to live in the same state...crazy) for introducing us to this new treat. Big J, the chocolate lover, is eternally grateful.

The Ultimate Cloth!!!

This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by the makers of the Ultimate Cloth for this review. I was not compensated for this review - just asked to give an honest account of my experience with this product.

What is the Ultimate Cloth?
The Ultimate Cloth is eco-friendly solution for homes as well as a money and time saver. The Ultimate Cloth is a brand new technology – in fact, it is the only cloth to receive a new patent in the last 25 years. The Ultimate Cloth is a simple, green and effective one-step cleaning process. The Ultimate Cloth cleans any hard surface – glass, wood, granite, stainless steel and many more – with just water! No longer do you have to use harsh chemicals in your home, nor do you need spend hundreds of dollars per year buying them. The Ultimate Cloth has been lab tested to remove 96% of bacteria, without the use of chemicals. And, can cut 50% off your cleaning time. The Ultimate Cloth is truly the ultimate in green cleaning.

When you read that, what do you think?

I must say, I was very skeptical. But I figured if they were willing to send me one to try, it was worth a shot.

My Ultimate Cloth arrived in a padded envelope a few weeks ago - just a white piece of cloth - didn't look like anything special. I waited until my cleaning day to try it out.

On cleaning day, I followed the instructions - rinsed it with warm water, wrung it out really well and went to work. Not expecting much, to be honest.

I started with the bathroom sink. It tends to get a film on it from hairspray and kids splashing soap and water all over while washing hands. The cleaner I have right now is ok, but the sink never quites shines when I am done.

Until now! I think my jaw hit the floor when I saw how shiny my bathroom sink looked after wiping it down with the Ultimate Cloth! I wanted to call someone right away - why am I getting so excited over a cleaning product?!

Ok, the sink was one thing, but how about the bathroom mirror? You know the problem - streaks left on these or little pieces of lint from the rag or paper towel. When I first wiped the mirror, I was worried. I had rinsed the cloth out and squeezed out the water in between as recommended. Little beads of water formed everywhere on the mirror. Great. So I wrung it out a little more and wiped it down again. Similar effect. I was disappointed...until I looked back a few seconds later and the mirror looked gorgeous and clean! No streaks or spots!

By now, I wanted to try cleaning everything in the house with it.

So I did!

Front glass door where little hands make it all sticky looking for Daddy to come home - beautiful!
Front of the stove where food drips down every time I cook - awesome!

Even the kitchen and bathroom floors! The people at Ultimate Cloth gave me the idea to use it like you would a Swiffer pad - only you can wash it and reuse it!

And all of this with only a small to medium amount of effort! Not too much scrubbing to be honest!

By this time I was looking at how much it would cost me to get more because I want some for the cars and to give as gifts!

Cleaning took me so much less time that Friday...and the next Friday...just like it will today! And the only cleaner I got out was for the toilet bowl, the shower and dusting!

My only complaint is that even after following directions and washing it with bleach to disinfect, it still looks a little dingy. But it still cleans like magic!

I highly suggest giving one a try and here is an easy way to do it!

You can receive a FREE Ultimate Cloth!

All you need to do is follow Ultimate Cloth America on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

They will reveal how to get the free Ultimate Cloths via Twitter and Facebook.

How exciting!

But even without the free offer, I still think the Ultimate Cloth is a wise investment - only $6 a cloth and a five-year warranty! And they have bigger ones available for bigger jobs!

Check them out and let me know about your experience with them!

The Ultimate Cloth, $6

http://www.ultimateclothamerica.com/index.html

What do you think?

I know I said I'm not ready to decorate for Christmas yet, but that doesn't mean I can't start making decorations, right?

I was inspired by this post over at Mad in Crafts to make one of these...

So what do you think?

Thankful Thursday

Thanksgiving is one week from today so I thought I should start sharing with you what I am thankful for!

Someone gave me the idea to post a Facebook status everyday in November telling what I am thankful for and I have loved that! Finding something to give thanks for everyday is like a little ray of sunshine.

It's all about gratitude and attitude.

So what am I thankful for today?

*I get to see my sister in three days! Other than Skype, we haven't seen her since July so it's about time! It will be 24 hours full of dress-shopping and wedding planning and girly fun! I also get to hang out with my whole fam from Sunday until Friday and see one of my best friends while I'm there! SO EXCITED!

*One week from today is Thanksgiving which means Stephen will be done with Cardiology and relaxing with us! This is a tough unit so the days leading up to his Wednesday test will be full of studying. He can do as much as he needs to without feeling like he is missing family time because the boys and I will be at my parents until he joins us! I know he will be even more thankful than I when Wednesday afternoon hits! And we're both counting down until the Huskers play their annual day-after-Thanksgiving game against Colorado, which we always watch with his parents! Huskers and Jerry's Pizza - doesn't get much better!

*I am in love with craft blogs. Fabulous, inexpensive, beautiful decoration and gift ideas galore. Some of my favorites at this moment are Mad in Crafts, Dollar Store Crafts, and One Pretty Thing. Let me know if you have a great craft blog you follow!

*Other things I am thankful for today...my hot glue gun, fabulous finds at Hobby Lobby yesterday, peanut M&Ms, sticking in a new movie for the kiddos and most importantly the unfailing love and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ who keeps speaking this word to me this week as I stumble along my way...

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (New Living Translation)

Wordless Wednesday: Enjoying their apples!

Book Review: When Moms Pray Together

When Moms Pray Together by Fern Nichols

Published by: Tyndale

Price: $13.99

Book Info from the Tyndale site: Moms in Touch International is an organization that brings moms together to pray for their children and their children's schools. As MITI prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Fern Nichols, the founder and president, has collected some of the most inspiring and encouraging stories of God's work in answer to those prayers. When Moms Pray Together will inspire and equip mothers to pray more consistently and hopefully for their children while encouraging them through the stories from moms everywhere.

Being a member of a moms group means so much to me. That was the first thing that drew me to this book. I have seen the power of moms connecting with one another, praying with and for each other and supporting each other through everything. The title grabbed my attention.

I was not aware when I decided to read this book that this was from Moms in Touch. And as a disclaimer, all of the stories shared in this book are from real moms who were impacted by Moms in Touch. At first, this threw me off a little bit - like it was an advertisement for Moms in Touch - but as I continued to read, I found myself not caring about those mentions.

And even though I've never been a part of Moms in Touch, this book still had insight and inspiration for me. Because it doesn't matter what group you are or are not a part of - what matters is God's people coming together to lift one another up in prayer.

There are plenty of inspirational stories to pick from in this book, but the one that stuck out for me was one referring to a "calm in the storm." I really related to this mom's admission that even as a small child, her daughter was able to turn everyday life into a battle. Going through that battle right now. And it made me think about how often I take those battles to the Lord - not often enough. And often do I go to other moms seeking prayer for this? Again, not enough.

What this book did for me is over and over again emphasize the very real power of prayer and the importance of not going through motherhood alone. Of course, many of us have amazing husbands by our side while raising children, but other mothers are there to relate and pray on a level that only they can understand.

I look forward to being a part of a Moms in Touch group - or something similar - when my children reach that age!

Thank you Tyndale House for providing this dose of mothering inspiration!

Disclosure: Mama Buzz- and reviewers -received a complimentary copy of this book for blog tour purposes.

I'm still here...

I know I haven't posted in a while. My apologies.

Normally, that would drive me crazy - "Ah, I missed a Not Me! Monday!" or "I really need to get a Blog Hop post up!"

But I'm doing ok with it this time. We all need a break sometimes.

And by a break, I do NOT mean things have slowed down here at all!

I'm just enjoying my family and our activities around here and...

GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

I LOVE this time of year and it is even better now that I am home to decorate and bake and make gifts.

So here are just a few things I've been doing or plan on doing this holiday season...

DIY Jingle Bell Swag (I need cheap silver bells - anybody?!?!)

DIY Holiday Glass Hurricane

Quick and Easy Decal Art

Jingle Bell Vase Filler and Frames

Star or Flower Cardboard Roll Ornaments (we painted ours red to make poinsettias!)

How are you getting ready for the holidays? Any great cheap DIY projects?