All posts by Kaycee

Hi all! My name is Kaycee. I live in Arkansas with my husband of almost ten years. We have a 21 year old daughter who has grown up, got married on us and a had a little one who is less than a year old. Just love being Nonna! We also have two great Chihuahuas and a Great Dane, along with several fish. My educational background is in Psychology and Child Development but my heart is in ministry, crafts, fun, reviews and my website, My Crafty Zoo. I look forward to continuing to share my life through word and pictures with you and love hearing your feedback! Thank you for taking the time to read and allowing me to share!
Thoughts & Such

This Time It’s For Her: A Guest Post for Dads

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I’ve got nothing against fathers but I do believe that our Moms are the more superior parent.  They are not second rate and they are not weak. Moms are the reason for the miracle of birth. They keep up with the daily pressures of life, dealing with the demands of children, maintaining a good relationship with her husband, and often working a full time job on top of all that. These would definitely drive many men to their grave. But us women? We can all do that and still get our mani and pedi done at the end of the day.

What’s bothering is that most of the times, people forget the importance of their mothers. In accordance with the International women’s day and the upcoming mother’s day, here’s an article to remind you guys out there on how to show a woman that you truly care – especially the most important woman in a person’s life –mothers.
1.  Invest in her Happiness. From time to time, buy her something. A box of chocolate maybe. A dress. Or a gift card to her favorite spa. Don’t tell me your busy to go to the mall or what (if women are too busy, then there’s a chance that you are not even here in the world).  Flowers same day delivery

are also available online so you can easily send her a bouquet of flower without any stress.2.  Pay attention to her. Every time she is speaking to you, make an effort to look her in the eyes. If you don’t understand something she says, tell her instead of playing along. This will show her that you’re listening and want to really understand what she has to say.
3.  Spend quality time with her. She wants to be your friend too and not just your mother. Simply making time to switch off the TV, sit down, and talk with her will show that you care. Shopping at the mall. Or helping her with the groceries or in cooking would really mean a lot to her.
4.  Take her advice into consideration. Whether she shares her thoughts on an everyday matter or a life-changing episode, showing her that you value her input will mean a lot to her. Nowadays, people often go to their friends for advice and neglects their mom, but like the old mantra says “Mother knows best”
5.  Never lose contact for an unreasonable length of time. When people grew up, they go to college, have their work or even live at their own houses, leaving their parents alone. Whether you are in college or you already have your own family, it’s just fair enough to not lose contact with your mother. Show her that although you’re apart, she’s on your mind. A simple short call everyday would make her feel appreciated.

In our mother’s heart, it’s always been us, we always comes first. This time it’s for her. With international day and mother’s day just around the corner, let us show some love to all the noble women and mothers out there.

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Originally posted 2013-03-16 05:00:00.

Parenting & Monkeys!, Thoughts & Such

Six Ideas for Effective Time with Kids: A Guest Post

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Time with kids is important.  In our post-economic crash world, parents have to work very hard to provide for their families, potentially leaving less time to spend with their children. Today I’d like to share six ideas for making the time we do have with our children more effective.
Six Ideas for Effective Time with the Kids

Greetings! I’m in the somewhat unusual position of being a man writing for a middle-grade audience. I love the freedom of being able to be childish when I write while still using a real vocabulary and hopefully making kids think a little as they enjoy a story!  Time with kids is the most important investment a parent or any other adult can invest.  After all, they are the future! Who knows what payoff time with kids now will have in the years to come!

Effective Time With Kids

1. Whatever you’re doing, bring the kids and give them a job as part of it. Even if it’s a trip to the grocery store, or almost any errand, they can have a list of things to find or do. Having shared responsibility builds bonds and teaches them to be self-sufficient.  Quality is important, but time with kids can start with quantity!
2. Get involved in their computer and video games. This has the side benefit of letting you screen out the bad ones. Do they love Minecraft? Play it with them. Play an Xbox game with them. You don’t have to do it for long, and they’ll probably annihilate you, but this is OK. They’ll love being better than you at something and you will then be able to talk more intelligently with them about it. I think most parents have given up long ago trying to entirely ban these, so turn it into a positive. Showing interest in their things builds a common base for communication that will pay dividends when they’re older, making it easier to “slide” onto more difficult topics.
3. Volunteer to help with class activities, their team sports, or other activities. You’re missing an opportunity to be part of their activities if you don’t volunteer. All organizations need help and you get the extra advantage of your children seeing you doing service. Plus it makes the activity come more alive to them compared to a “drop-off” activity. And you’re helping the kids whose parents weren’t able to be there.
4. Do schoolwork with them. There is no question a child will do better and learn more if you can find time even infrequently to do their schoolwork with them. This is the very definition of “quality time.” Learning together (you may not remember what they’re learning about!) creates bonds and far from taking away the initiative and learning opportunity, helps them learn more and helps them understand how important schoolwork is because it’s important enough for you to spend time with them on.
5. A hug works better than a fight. Every time. Even if they’re entirely at fault and throwing a tantrum. Hard lesson (for me) to learn, but nearly 100% effective. I know, spare the rod, spoil the child, and this doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be consequences (there should be), but if you start with the hug, you may realize it was all just overblown. Our time with kids is so short that wasting it fighting with them usually just isn’t worth it. And what an example if they see a loved one returning love in spite of their anger!  Check out this post on the Benefits of Hugs!
6. Read their books. Take away TV and computer time and replace it with reading assignments. And since you’ve read the book first, you can talk about it deeply afterwards. They will grumble, but weeks later, they won’t remember the TV show or game, but will remember the book, and since you have also read the book, it can be a source of conversation.  This makes time with kids a lot easier: after a while, they’ll be begging you to read the new book they are interested in!
In case you didn’t pick up on it, the key to time with kids is building common ground, then using that common ground to build a relationship to prepare for those teenage years where they will go biologically and hormonally insane.

 

 

Jon Thomason

 

Author of Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud, a middle-grade fantasy novel

Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud

Max has anger management issues. But she has a secret, too. She can make things happen. Like magic. She almost killed a loser skate punk and nearly used it on her stuck up older sister. The question is, can she do anything other than blow things up? Can she learn to control it? And is it really possible that an obscure teenage girl is the key to keeping all of humanity safe?

Philip just got his ring back. He got it taken away for messing with his teacher’s mind so he can cheat on a test. Now that he has his ring, he thinks he should be able to use his power to make his life better. A lot better. The problem is that people want him to be responsible. But if you could do magic, wouldn’t you use it to escape work in any way possible?

Aaron wants to be a soldier. He knows there are lots of people who would try to take over, and he’s determined to stop them. The problem is that there’s this new girl. And she might be not be on the right side of things. She’s really talented and pretty, but she might be able to destroy everything he believes in. Whatever the case, he knows he needs to learn to be world class with the magic sword while he figures out what to do.

Brynn never gets out. Her grandfather won’t permit it. Her only access to the outside world are high fashion magazines, so she has an unusual idea what she should wear. She’s dying to get out and travel. And adopt animals. Any kind of animal. Is she a lonely future granny with cats or are her ridiculous clothes actually the next fashion craze? What possible role could she play in the destiny of the world?

Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud is a fast-paced fantasy adventure for all ages (10 and up) and is the first of a planned trilogy. Fans of magic, swordplay, secret agents, and conspiracies set in a modern everyday world will not be able to put the book down. Jon Thomason is a debut author and paints a vivid world of magic right under our noses and delivers rapid-fire action that keeps the pages turning.

Praise

“Impressively inventive and enjoyable…vivid storytelling and exceptional characterization…Max’s personality is layered and complex…conveyed flawlessly…keeping readers intrigued and engaged…writing style is smooth, and a subtle sense of humor comes through…narrative tension builds at a good pace and easily flows toward a satisfying and exciting conclusion…parents are likely to both approve of the story and enjoy reading it themselves…talented writer…sure to find an appreciative audience that will eagerly anticipate the next book in the series.” — ForeWord Clarion Review

“Thomason shines in his heroine’s characterization…magical” –blueink Review

Author Jon Thomason

Jon Thomason lives with his family in San Diego, after many years living in the beautiful Seattle area. He has a successful career in high tech where he’s been fortunate enough to participate in many big-name industry releases.

Storytelling permeates everything he does. In the moments when Jon is not helping build the story of the tech world, he can almost always be found working on a project: writing, photography, videography, graphics design, or 3D art.

And he’s always careful to conceal his jinni magic abilities, though perhaps might slip one day and be discovered…

 
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Originally posted 2013-03-14 05:00:00.

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Thirty-One Convertible Belt Bag Giveaway!

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Thirty-One Convertible Belt Bag Giveaway! @Craftyzoo @SMGurusNetwork #VDAY19

Welcome to the Thirty-One Convertible Belt Bag Giveaway!

1 Winner

This giveaway is part of our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

Host is Michigan Saving and More

My co-hosts for this giveaway are Deliciously Savvy, SaraLee’s Deals Steals & Giveaways

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Convertible Belt Bag in new Rose Blush

$48.00 rv

See the review HERE.

~~~~~~

THE GIVEAWAY

This giveaway/sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid to United States residents only, Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 2/12/19.

The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to las93063 at gmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The giveaway is not valid where prohibited! By entering you are authorizing us to collect the information on the form below, this information is used only to contact the winner!

No purchase necessary, Void where prohibited by law, and the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners are chosen randomly by the Giveaway Tools program. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes.

No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Laura Smith at las930 (at)gmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! Don’t forget to stop by for your daily bonus entries.

Enter below and Good Luck!

 

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Wordless Wednesdays

Here’s your Sign: Real Life Comedy

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Now, I don’t know if you see the humor right off the bat, so let me help you with it as the thought seriously cracked me up.  
I saw this sign in Arkansas as I turned down a side road.  The reason it cracked me up is that in order to have a NEED for this sign, there had to be a multitude of people who thought it was perfectly safe to drive over a road that was under water.  In my head, a couple of inches of water doesn’t really qualify to need something like this.  Given that on either side were flat fields, I can imagine that it gets up occasionally, and some intelligent person decided to drive their truck, car or whatever across a couple feet of water.  Hence the sign.  Cracked me up when I saw it.  
Hope it makes you smile too!
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Originally posted 2013-03-13 05:00:00.

Food

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review

16 Comments
 

 

Hi, my name is Angie O.  I have had the fun opportunity to try Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil.  First of all…. I love coconut anything!!!!! I like the flakes, I like the milk, I even like the flavoring you can find in the baking aisle.  So it was not a very hard stretch for me to try something new in the coconut category, namely coconut oil.  If you look up coconut oil on swagbucks or any other search engine, you are going to literally find thousands of references.  Every one and their cat and monkey’s uncle is talking about coconut oil, its uses and the health benefits of it.
So whats the big deal? Why should you try it? My very first motivation was that this is 100% natural. There is not a person out there that is going to tell you that synthetic ingredients is good for you. One of the easiest ways to make healthy food for you and your family is to replace any fake food (AKA the ingredients you can’t pronounce) and replace them with food that is real. So this week I replaced some of the shady oil for coconut oil, and discovered that my family loves it!!! I used it in making popcorn, sauteing chicken, even making a few baked goods. The exchange I have found is one to one. If you would use one Tablespoon of butter…then use one Tablespoon of coconut oil. The oil itself has a mild tropical flavor that is easily hidden by other foods that have stronger flavors. That is….if you don’t like the flavor of coconuts! :o) Another benefit of using coconut oil is that there are apparently unending health improvements that can be had. Of course, as with anything, the more pure and unprocessed you go, the better it is for you.  So splurging for Extra Virgin is going to get you more bang for your buck.  I have not been using it long enough to really test out these claims….but even if half were true, it would be a great add to your diet!  One neat thing I thought about this product from Tropical Traditions is that it is all small batch.  Which means that the quality control is top notch.
So over all I would say this is a great product.  It has a smooth light taste that will not bother you unless you don’t like coconut flavor.  Even then you can easily hide it with other stronger flavors.  This seems worth it, seeing as how incorporating this into your diet would only serve to improve the health of you and your family!

I would like to say a personal thank you to Angie for her awesome help with the coconut oil!  As you can see, her beautiful girls enjoyed it as well!  They may be the best little models seen yet!  Angie is an amazing Mom of 3 beautiful girls and one little one on the way!  I am super amazed that she not only found time to write this, but also that she was able to test it out so much!!!  Much love to my wonderful friend!  —The Zoo Keeper
You can get Gold Label Coconut Oil in portions of 16 oz all the way up to 5 gallons from their awesome site!  They also carry many other natural products that will have you addicted!
Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil - 32 oz.
Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!
Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?
Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.
Open to US and Canada!
Note for Canadian bloggers: Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge for your sample or your readers’ prize.
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Originally posted 2013-03-08 06:00:00.

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Mrs Renfro’s So Many Ways To Salsa Giveaway @MrsRenfros @SMGurusNetwork

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Mrs Renfro’s So Many Ways To Salsa Giveaway ~ 3 Winners! End 2/14 @MrsRenfros @SMGurusNetwork

Mrs Renfro's So Many Ways To Salsa Giveaway @MrsRenfros @SMGurusNetwork

 Welcome to The Mrs Renfro’s So Many Ways To Salsa Giveaway!

3 Winners

This giveaway is part of our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

Host is Deliciously Savvy

My co-hosts for this giveaway are Michigan Saving and More, My Silly Little Gang, Sweet Southern Savings, & Amy & Aron’s Real Life Reviews

Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.

 This giveaway’s Sponsor is:

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3 Lucky Winners will receive two Mrs. Renfro’s products of the winners choice delivered straight to their door!

See the review HERE.

This giveaway/sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid to United States residents only, Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 2/14/19. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to mcushing7 at hotmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The giveaway is not valid where prohibited! By entering you are authorizing us to collect the information on the form below, this information is used only to contact the winner! No purchase necessary, Void where prohibited by law, and the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners are chosen randomly by the Giveaway Tools program. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contest are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Melissa Cushing at mcushing7 (at)hotmail(dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! Don’t forget to stop by for your daily bonus entries.

Enter below and Good Luck!

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Broad Street Roasters Gourmet Coffee Giveaway!

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Broad Street Roasters Gourmet Coffee Giveaway! #VDAY19

Welcome to the Broad Street Roasters Gourmet Coffee Giveaway!

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This giveaway is part of our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

The host that put together this giveaway is:
My Silly Little Gang
My co-host for this giveaway is:
Deliciously Savvy

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Continue reading Broad Street Roasters Gourmet Coffee Giveaway! →

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Chicken

CrockPot Chicken Enchiladas

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Ingredients:
Corn tortillas, 16
Green Taco Sauce, 2 bottles
Black Olives, i can
Onion, 1/2 cup chopped
Cheese, 2 cups
Chicken, large can
Optional:
Shredded lettuce
Tomato, chopped
Feeds 8-10
In the crockpot, layer the bottom with about 8 corn tortillas. Pour a bottle of green taco sauce on the tortillas. Add 1/2 large can of white chicken, broken apart in smaller pieces. Add 1/2 can of black olives. Add 1/4 cup chopped onion. Sprinkle with a cup of cheese. Next, add another layer of tortillas, a bottle of green taco sauce, 1/2 can of chicken, 1/2 can of black olives, 1/4 cup chopped onion. Finish by sprinkling a cup of cheese on top.
Cook on low 4 hours or on high for 2 hours, until the cheese is melted.
Serve with tortilla chips and spread shredded lettuce and tomatoes on top, if desired.
Family Dinners and Family Unity
My family loves this recipe. I try to find family-friendly recipes my kids enjoy because I believe that family dinners are very important. Vitally important, in fact, to create family unity.
A society is only as strong as its families. Today, in our fast-paced, technologically-saturated lives, we seem to spend more time in front of a computer screen, Smartphone, or TV instead of building relationships with our families.
Our lives are filled with activities and many of us find ourselves rushing from one activity or event to the next with barely a thought for dinner. We may pick up fast food on the way to a game or between kids’ ballet classes. We may come home, exhausted from running so fast, and let everyone find his or her own food for dinner, thus missing an opportunity to spend time with the most important people in our lives.
When asked what helped him best prepare to leave home and begin his adult life, my oldest son answered that having family dinners together had had a great influence on him and his choices. I had never realized how important that time can be to develop and maintain family relationships and establish family unity.
We make family dinner a priority and generally have dinner together almost every night. As we sit together and eat our meal, we discuss what happened at school, what the kids learned that day, how an activity went, even current events. We have also used that time to try to teach our kids things like manners. Of course, discussions about why we shouldn’t produce body noises at the table are usually met with plenty of burps and toots, but family dinnertime at least gives us the illusion of a teaching opportunity. 🙂
The most important relationships we’ll establish in our lives will be within our families. Dinner is a perfect time to ask questions, tell funny stories, and relate the day’s happenings. I have learned with my family of ten children, that kids want time with parents and siblings. Lots of time.
We often hear, a family who prays together, stays together, but I’d like to suggest that in addition to that, a family that eats together, and more often meets together to build relationships, stays together. Family unity doesn’t happen on its own, it takes time and effort, but the time we invest in our families today, will pay off in dividends for years to come. When we invest time in our families, we create strong bonds that last. Family dinners are one of the best ways to invest in our families and create those long-lasting bonds.
Rebecca Talley
Fiction Inspired by Life
http://www.rebeccatalley.com
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Originally posted 2013-03-07 06:00:00.

Books

Roma Downey’s Little Angels Prayers for Every Day Review and #Giveaway #RealRomaDowney

38 Comments
Praying is such a personal thing, our own personal talk with God where we know He is listening to us, the Bible says he hears our cries.  I know that praying is something I’ve always done, but I don’t remember being taught how to do it.  I am fairly certain that I probably learned at the table with my parents and grandparents, as well as by watching my Pa-Pa, who is a preacher, pray every Sunday.   Regardless of how I learned, I am so very thankful that I learned how to do so.  I’ve spent many times crying out to God in prayer!
Roma Downey has written an adorable children’s book of prayers, “Roma Downey’s Little Angels Prayers for Every Day.”  It is amazingly adorable and full of short little prayers that can be the beginning of teaching little ones to pray, not just for mealtime and bedtime, but also for other times.  The book includes prayers for praise, guidance, help and more.  They are short and sweet and a great beginning to helping your little one learn to talk to God.  I really think it is adorable!
The book has over  50 rhyming prayers covering a variety of worries for children.  There are also Bible verses throughout the book.
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Originally posted 2013-03-07 02:42:00.

Uncategorized

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