I was recently asked to review the movie CAPTIVE for you guys.  Based on a true and local story, I eagerly accepted!  My local readers will most likely recognize the name Brian Nichols.  He was an inmate who escaped from the Fulton County Courthouse in 2005 and killed a judge, court stenographer, deputy, and federal agent.

The movie CAPTIVE is based on a true story of the woman Brian Nichols held captive during his murderous escape.  Fearing for her life and desperately hoping to see her daughter again, she turns to Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life for guidance.  Ashley and her captor face a crossroads where they discover hope and light in the midst of despair.

My husband and I sat down and watched CAPTIVE together.  We both think it was very well done and we will likely watch it again.  I appreciated the fact that the faith aspect was very subtle and so it would be a great movie to share with non-believers without being overly “preachy”.  I don’t want to tell too much, but it follows the real events as close as possible.

Interested in winning a copy?  Fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance:

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Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

A couple weeks ago, we decided to take a spur of the moment trip to the Biltmore House in North Carolina to surprise my mother.  She was riding with us on our trip, so in my SUV every single seat was filled.  The back of my truck doesn’t have much room for luggage and I was a little bit worried if everything would fit.  Fortunately my friends at Thirty-One Gifts had recently sent me the Fold-Over Weekender to check out.

This bag looks small and didn’t take up much space, but it held all of mine and my husband’s clothing for our overnight trip!  We had even taken swimsuits for the hotel and I had extra clothes just in case the baby spit up or pooped on me.  Hey, it happens.  Even with all of our clothes, we still had room inside!  I was quite impressed with the storage and how it didn’t take up much room in the back of my truck.  Definitely think I’l be getting another one of these soon!  It was perfect to carry up to our hotel room with the convenient and removable shoulder strap.

The Thirty-One Gifts Fold-Over Weekender is the perfect size for a weekend getaway or a carry on bag for flying.  It currently retails for $80.  The size is approximately 19.25” H (unfolded) x 18.75” L (top opening width) x 9.5”D.  Currently available in 4 fun prints, however I hear that more prints are soon to be added!  I can’t wait to see what they are!

Interested in winning your very own Thirty-One Gifts Fold Over Weekender?  Simply fill out the Rafflecopter for your chance to win!  You’ll get your choice of pattern and even embroidery if desired!  Huge thanks to our friends at Thirty-One Gifts for this great giveaway!

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My kids always look forward to seeing what PEEPS® will have in the stores during the holiday seasons,  For Winter, PEEPS® is offering Christmas trees, Gingerbread Men, Snowmen, and more!  For the Minion fans, PEEPS® is offering those as well! As a special treat, my kids love adding a fun shaped marshmallow PEEPS® to their hot cocoa when they come in from playing outside.  This makes the season all the more fun!  Check out all the goodies that the PEEPS® company is offering! Through December 31, you can use code SWEETINGS15  on the PEEPS & Company® website to save 20% off your next purchase, no minimum required!  Here are some of the goodies that you will find:

• PEEPS® Large Banana Crème Flavored Minion: PEEPS® introduces a new banana crème flavored marshmallow in honor of the beloved Minions characters. Three varieties of the individually packed large Minions include the likeness of Kevin, Stuart and Bob – stars of the Minions movie available on DVD this holiday season. Available only for a limited time!
• PEEPS® Vanilla Crème Chicks Pop: Fans can celebrate holiday traditions with these four classic Vanilla Crème flavored marshmallow Chicks on a stick.
• PEEPS® Marshmallow Minions: To celebrate the DVD release of the Minions Movie, PEEPS® created a Minion-shaped marshmallow reflecting their fun PEEPSONALITY®. The original marshmallow Minions are sure to please admirers of all ages. Available for a limited time only!
• PEEPS® Candy Cane Flavored Marshmallow Chicks: Those who prefer their Candy Canes chicks without the chocolate can indulge in the peppermint-goodness of Candy Cane favored chicks!
• PEEPS® Large Marshmallow Snowmen: Large, fluffy PEEPS® Brand Snowmen are fun to eat and to share! Available in one count stocking-stuffer size packages, and three count share size.
• PEEPS® Gingerbread-Flavored Marshmallow Gingerbread Men: Now you can get the gingerbread flavor you crave all year long in something other than a cookie with PEEPS® gingerbread flavored marshmallow gingerbread men.
• PEEPS® Marshmallow Trees: It wouldn’t be the holiday season without seeing a Christmas tree! Enjoy green PEEPS® tree-shaped marshmallow decorated with red, yellow and blue garland and topped with a star.
• PEEPS® Marshmallow Snowmen: PEEPS® traditional sized snowmen! PEEPS® Marshmallow Snowmen are adorned with a top hat and candy cane decorations with a nostalgic look.
• PEEPS® Chocolate Mousse-Flavored Marshmallow Reindeer: These reindeer shaped marshmallow PEEPS® are chocolate-mousse flavored and oh so delicious!
• PEEPS® Holiday Pop: This delicious marshmallow flavored pop comes with four assorted Chicks representing the holiday colors: green, red and white.

Guess what!?  One lucky reader will win their own PEEPS® prize pack!  Fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance:

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PEEPS® and PEEPS & COMPANY® provided me with the information, samples and discount code for the post. All opinions are my own.

I’m always on the lookout for good material to help share the Gospel with my children.  I was recently asked to check out the book The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden.

The first thing that I noticed is the amazing illustrations.  They are so bright and colorful and really draw you in to the story.  As you read The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden, you will be connecting the dots from the garden of Eden to Christ’s death on the cross to the new heaven and new earth.  It gently flows from one topic to another and follows the Bible.

Geared toward kids ages 5-11, it fit perfectly in our family.  My kids have greatly enjoyed this book and seeing how everything relates to each other in the Bible.  I’m finding them more and more often picking up the book and reading or looking at the pictures.  Even I find myself being drawn into the pictures and stories.

About the Authors:

• Kevin DeYoung is senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan.  He blogs at the Gospel Coalition and has authored or coauthored numerous well-known books, including Just Do Something, The Hole in Our Holiness, Crazy Busy, and Taking God At His Word.  He lives with his wife and their 6 children in Central Michigan.
• Don Clark is an artist and the cofounder of Invisible Creature, a widely respected and award-winning design studio in Seattle that has worked with clients such as Target, Nike, LEGO, and WIRED magazine.  He lives with his wife and their 3 children, 4 goats, 12 chickens, and 1 crazy dog on a farm just outside the city limits.

For more information, you can view the promotional video to see more in depth.  You can also purchase The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden on Amazon.

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“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

As you all know, I had my little guy about 2 weeks ago.  He’s growing like a weed and is a thriving nursling.  With 5 kids, things can get quite busy around here and often I forget to stop and take my vitamins.  With Premama Lactation, I know that I am getting great nutrients to support my little man’s health and for optimum milk production.

Premama Lactation is formulated with Fennel Seed, Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle to help boost milk production.  It includes Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 and Calcium for added breast milk nutrition.

I love that Premama Lactation has a daily serving in just one packet.  These can easily be thrown in my purse to use on the go.  It has a natural berry flavor so can be added to water, juice, or a smoothie.  I added mine to juice and it tasted great!  The packets are easy to open as well, so no scissors needed.

Premama Lactation, Essentials, and Essentials + DHA are now available at CVS stores nationwide!  The Essentials and Essentials + DHA are specially formulated for expectant mommies.

Premama has generously offered to give away a box of Premama Lactation to one lucky reader!  I think you will love this product as much as I do!  To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was given samples of Premama Lactation to write this review.  All opinions are my own.

Laundry, Laundry everywhere!  In a house full of 4 children and 1 on the way, many of my days are spent doing laundry!  As a new mom, you may have many concerns. Will your little one will be allergic to the detergent that you are using?  Will it be too harsh on their precious skin?  How will I ever get these toddler food stains out of their clothes?

Dreft has the solution!  Dreft is available now in stages to cover all your needs from newborn through messy toddlerhood.

• Dreft Newborn (Stage One): Expectant and new parents can wash their little one’s fabrics with Dreft’s same beloved hypoallergenic formula, designed to be tough on stains and gentle on baby’s skin with the beloved Dreft baby scent.
• NEW Dreft Active Baby (Stage Two): Specially designed with a growing, developing baby in mind, NEW Dreft Active Baby helps to remove 99% of baby food stains and other outdoor messes with a gentle, hypoallergenic formula and fresh scent.
• NEW Dreft Blissfuls (Stage Three): NEW Dreft Blissfuls in-wash scent boosters gives families the baby fresh scent they love. Safe on all fabrics, these beads help bring back that nostalgic, amazing baby scent (and all those memories) with every wash.

As we start preparing for our newest addition, I’ve begun washing all of his clothes in Dreft.  The scent is absolutely amazing!  Baby fever is in full swing now!

Check out this video to see how other parents are enjoying their Dreft #Amazinghood

Dreft has partnered with new mom and singer Kelly Rowland to unveil the brand’s new line of laundry products that take care of family laundry needs at each life stage – from pregnancy through toddlerhood and beyond.  Join us on Tuesday, May 5th, from 9-10pmEST as we talk with Kelly about her life as a mom and how she plans to celebrate her very first Mother’s Day!  RSVP here: http://vite.io/DoubleDutyDivas

Also, make sure to download Dreft’s “Amazing Baby” app now available for FREE on the App store. This one- of-a kind app helps parents – and parents to be – capture the amazing moments of pregnancy through their baby’s first year and has recently been updated so that moms and dads can make keepsake movies from photos and videos captured within the app!

Make sure to visit Dreft on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with all the #Amazinghood news!

One lucky reader will win their own Dreft Prize Pack which includes:

• Dreft Product Line
• Little Me Receiving Blankets
• Booster Chair
• Lovey
• 5 Year Memory Book

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below:

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This review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Dreft. I was provided the featured product free of charge to facilitate my review and compensation, but all opinions are 100% mine.

We absolutely love watching Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2.  We also love the ease of making Chex Party Mix to go with every season or event.  If you’re having a party or just want to have some fun Minion food, check out this Minion Munch Chex Party Mix Recipe.  It’s super easy to make and tastes great!

Besides just sharing this fun recipe, our friends at General Mills have offered a prize pack for one of my readers to enjoy your own Minion Munch Party Mix and movie.

General Mills will send the winner a gift pack containing:
• (1) Box Honey Nut Chex
• (1) Box Chocolate Chex
• (1) Box Banana Nut Cheerios
• (1) Despicable Me 2 DVD
• (1) Minion USB

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below and good luck!
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Information and giveaway provided by General Mills through My Blog Spark.