Absolute Love - Hooray February 2015!

Disclosure: The author of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the products mentioned  in exchange of my honest  opinion which may differ from yours.  

Hooray for February, yay it is the last day today!  Before this month ends, I have to post what I received  from Beauty Box 5.  The weather is not that great this month but there are so many great things to be thankful and grateful for!

I was skeptical in using this Glam Glow Youthmud tingexfoliate treatment but was totally surprised how it made my skin felt like afterwards.  

 A couple of minutes after  applying this youth mud, I was already getting ready to rinse it off because it really made my face  have that tingling sensation but I waited and glad I did because it  was awesome.  It really absorbs the impurities without  removing the natural oil in your skin.

This Avon Big Color Eye Pencil  is very easy to use. You can just glide and go with this one.  I seldom use eye pencil  but it's nice to have.

My daughter likes this Mineral Eye shadow with Vanilla Frosting.  It's fun to use.  The iridescent mineral shadow that it creates will  make you glow literally.

 I am not good in putting make up on and I certainly don't like  thick  stuff on my face so a natural look like this is  enough for me.

My favorite  among the five  products this month is this Absolute Love  lip balm in bubble gum flavors.  Even my daughter likes to use this on her lips.  We walk going and coming home from school  even on Winter so it is important to always hydrate our skin and lips.  This lip balm certainly keeps my lips from getting chappy especially when I go for a long walk after dropping off my kids to school.

The Colorstay Nail Enamel  from Revlon in Spanish Moss color is fun to use.  I thought it compliment my skin tone but my kids  begged to differ.  They though that it made my skin looks darker.  

A relaxing  afternoon with  my family at home is a treat for me.

How did your February go?  Ours was slow due to  so much snow and  severe weather condition but everything   is great.  I am glad that my kids stays healthy despite these weather conditions.  Spring  is coming and I can't wait to  fully enjoy the outdoors again   for my fitness  routines.  I am getting tired of getting stuck at home.  Hopefully, March will be much better for all of us!

A Jackpot in Every Candle

Disclosure: The author of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the products mentioned  in exchange of my honest  opinion which may differ from yours.  

Last week was the coldest  so far this  Winter season.  The kids only had one day of school  because of the  severe  freezing temperature.  It is so hard to keep warm during  Winter.  Gladly, I received  three  candles from Jackpot Candles to review.  The arrival of the candles couldn't be more perfect for the weather condition that we had.  We really needed something that could  lift our moods and spirits.  I have worked with a candle  company similar to this before but Jackpot Candles  has so many  great features that I love compared to them because in every jar of candles that you order, you can choose if you want ring, necklace, or earrings.  

I love the fact that every jar of candle is securely packaged in its own box.  The bubble wrap really protects it from being damaged during the transit.  For the price you for each candle, it is so worth every cent of it as you will get a surprise halfway through  burning the candle.  The jewelry's  price  inside the candle varies so you never knew if you are getting a  5,000 dollars worth of  jewelry.  

The first one that we lit up is is the  Ocean Breeze Jewelry Candle .   I wanted our home to be filled with ocean breeze scent to somehow  eliminate the cold  by setting our moods with an ocean  scent.

 I chose necklace for this one.  The kids love this one as it reminds  them of our  grand time  last summer in Ocean City.  

After burning the candle for about 3 hours, I can see the foil already and I got very excited.

I used a fork to  take out the jewelry inside the candle.  I normally use my tweezers but this time I didn't.

I was a little bummed out when I opened the foil and saw that some wax went inside the  zippie bag.  The  jewelry was  coated with  it so I had to wash it.

After taking the necklace out and cleaned it, I then punched the code  to find out if I hit the jackpot or not.  The necklace is worth $30 only but it's okay.  If you think about it, I'ts such a nice surprise that you get  aside from the candle that you paid for.

My daughter said that  she will wear this  necklace during St. Patrick day at school.  She even  write "LOVE"  using the chain to express her emotion lol.

I could not wait to try the  Lilac Jewelry Candle  because  it smells so good even when its not yet lit.

I so love the lilac!  It fully reminds me of what I would be enjoying outdoors in a few months.  

I chose a pair of earrings for the lilac candle.  Imagine my excitement seeing the foil emerge from the soy candle.  Just like the first candle that I lit, the jewelry on this one is soaked too.  It made the jewelry smells so good but I really  dislike that the the zippie bag isn't  secure to  keep the candles away  from the jewelry.

The  earring is worth $19 dollars.  I love the heart-shape design of it.  The Lilac scent is my  all-time favorite. It smells so  good that it soothes my cold body.  The last one that I chose is the  Valentine Candy Hearts Jewelry Candle.  What cool about Jackpot Candles that I think  other's competitors don't have is their  option of  making the customers pick what kind of jewelry they want and not only that, you can  also determine the size of your ring before ordering.  

As I previously mentioned, I worked with another company that also  sells candles with  jewelry but theirs are all ring and there is no size option which is a bummer.  The ring that I got back then was pretty large so I could not even use it lol.  

But anyway, back to the Valentine Candy Hearts, the scent is very mild but  I still like it.  This could have been a  nice  one to light up during the heart's day but it came a little later.  This one  took me a little longer to burn before I could  get the jewelry out.

The value of the ring is $26 so if you buy the candle and paid $24.99 for it, you basically got the candle for free.  

I  love the design of this ring and it' fits perfectly on my finger because  my size is available to  their option, yay!  This ring matches the earring that I got from the other candle so I kinda hit the jackpot, didn't I?

Here are the three beautiful pieces that I got  out from the candles.

Lighting candles during winter season is such a relaxing thing you can do.  It would really warm  your soul on freezing  days.   These candles would make a great  gift for any occasion.  If there's anything that I could think of that  I did not like is the fact that  the jewelries were all covered with soy wax.  I think, they should improve their packaging of the jewelry. Maybe use a thicker foil  that would surely secure the jewelry from not getting  saturated with the soy wax.  Other than that, I love the packaging, the price, the scent, and the  options of choosing the jewelry you want and the  size of the ring.  

Valentine's Day at School and Valentine Nail Colors

The kids were excited this morning as they got FREE-dress day for Valentine's day.  They wear uniforms everyday so when they are given a chance to wear regular  clothes  or the chance to  dress up, they take it as a treat.  They do have  FREE-dress day during last day of the month and some special occasion and today was one of them.  They  were given a choice to wear color red or pink  to celebrate their Valentine's day at school.  They also  brought their treat for their friends/classmates.  

My daughter is almost as tall as me, soon, we will be wearing the same size of clothes and shoes lol.  At the age of nine (almost ten in  few months), she is already  very self-conscious on how she dress up.  We don't always agree  of the styles but we always end up  to an agreement that what's modest and presentable is the way to go.  Our son is also very particular on the clothes he wears and he is only 8.  Kids are very opinionated these days.  Anyhow, below are some of the beautiful colors  I got from Julep, a freebie from being a Swagbucks member.    I only paid for the shipping (($2.99), which  ain't too bad.

 I tried the  one with red heart-shaped and white glitters and it's not too  bad.  I think it would look better on women with  long nails.  Mine are just to short and small but I like it.  The red and  light pink are also  beautiful I tried it in my other hands but did not  take a picture.

I was going to paint my daughter's nail  last night but she got busy drawing  her classmates favorite animal as her  Valentine treat to them.  Maybe, when she comes home this afternoon, I could paint it before they go to their piano lessons.  We will see.  Here's  wishing you  the loveliest Valentine's day!

Embracing the Cold Weather Challenge

Despite the cold this morning, it was  very tolerable since it wasn't windy.  I went for a walk after attending the last half of the morning mass, right after  dropping off my kids to school.  I am determine to embrace the challenge this week of going for a short walk (maximum of thirty minutes) outdoors.  I failed to do that yesterday morning because I attended the school mass  at 9.  I was happy to be back at it again this morning. 

 Keeping fit this winter is a little  harder because I get  bored of doing my fitness routine indoors.  So even though I have a fear of  staying outdoors for a long time, I go with my kids in playing in the snow or going on a sled ride.  It's a good exercise for all of us, a great bonding as well.

Hubby said that he will train with me  when the weather  becomes nicer  and his membership to the gym expires.  I told him that we can just use the equipment we have at home and save the money he pays every month.  

When to Remove Excessive Earwax from a Child's Ears

Earwax is unsightly, uncomfortable and sometimes a little scary for parents. Safe removal is important, but getting into a child's ears without damaging them is daunting. There are specific tools for the job, but they are not what many would think. There is an old adage that a person should never stick anything smaller than his or her elbow in an ear. That is because ears are delicate organs. Medicines and medical tools made for earwax removal appreciate this and make removal much safer and less frightening for parents.

What is Earwax?

Earwax is actually a beneficial substance that keeps the skin of a child's ear canal lubricated. It also provides some protection from infection. It can even keep water out of the ear to an extent. Water being a major cause of ear problems in children, this is especially helpful. Therefore, when it comes time to decide whether to remove wax from a child's ear, be sure there is too much. Removing a healthy amount of earwax can leave the ear vulnerable.

Causes of Earwax Build-Up

Some people just produce an excessive amount of earwax. However, there are other reasons for build-up or compaction. These include hearing aids, earplugs and the use of cotton swabs. If a child uses hearing aids, their ears should be checked regularly. Cotton swabs should only be used to clean the exterior portion of the ear and should never be pushed into the ear canal.

When to Remove Excessive Earwax from a Child's Ears

When earwax builds up, it can put pressure on the inner portion of the organ, which can cause pain. Wax can also cause hearing loss. If a child is complaining of pain in the ear and there is a lot of wax in it, it may be time to remove the wax. Seeking the advice of a doctor is a good idea. If a child is dealing with hearing loss related to wax buildup, it is definitely time to remove the wax. The ears should be checked by a physician as well to rule out other causes of hearing loss.

Tools for Earwax Removal

The best tools for earwax removal irrigate the ears. They do not offer tools for insertion. They include ear irrigators, eardrops and cleansing sprays. These will remove the wax while preventing injury or further wax impaction. Click here for ear wax removal.

There are only a few simple rules to handling earwax with a child. If it is normal, let it clean itself because the body can and does handle it. If it is impacted, remove it with spray, irrigator or drops. Most importantly, never insert anything into the ear. Following these rules will take the stress out of child ear cleaning.

Winter Family Fun Day During the Superbowl

Although we watched the Superbowl game, we are not  the type of family who goes all the way and  have party for it.  We went out that day and  had so much fun  sled riding.  We had to do it  since we have been trapped inside the house  for so many days.  

Our children, does not mind the cold at all.  I guess when you have  the  energy they have as kids, you won't feel the cold either.

It was a perfect day for sled riding.   The snow was thick and you would slide so fast especially when you get some push  like Daddy did to  EJ.

Hubby and I enjoyed sled riding as well.  I normally don;'t do it but I saw them having so much fun so I did it and  the walking  up the steep hill was a great exercise.

Even our neighbor Don, joined the fun!  Thanks Don for taking our family photos!

Glad that even though we stayed out  for a long time, the kids did not get sick.