Chewy.com June Pick: American Journey Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Chewy.com is your one-stop shop for all things cat and dog! One of the fantastic products you can find at Chewy.com is from American Journey:

American Journey Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food

American Journey is full of nutritious ingredients that fuel your pet’s everyday adventures. The Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food formula features real, deboned chicken with the protein and amino acids your dog needs for leaner muscles, and the exceptional flavor she instinctively craves. Delicious sweet potatoes and chickpeas are included to give your pup energy that lasts. With wholesome fruits and veggies like carrots, dried kelp and blueberries, your dog is getting beneficial fiber, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Omega fatty acids are plentiful, including DHA, an omega-3 that supports healthy development of the brain and eyes. These omegas come from several sources like salmon oil and flaxseed, and they help keep your fellow adventurer’s skin and coat healthy. This recipe is grain-free and has no corn, wheat or soy, which makes it a great choice for dogs that are prone to food sensitivities. 

Jessie seems to enjoy this dry food.  I am a fan of dry foods that contain real meat, fruits and veggies with added vitamins and antioxidants.  American Journey has several varieites of grain-free food to choose from...something for every pup's palette!

You can find American Journey Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food exclusively at Chewy.com

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Book Review: The Child by Fiona Barton

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

The Child 

by Fiona Barton

About the book:

The author of the stunning New York Times bestseller The Widow returns with a brand-new novel of twisting psychological suspense.

As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby?

As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.

But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell…

Our thoughts:

Check out what one of Time's “Top 10 Thrillers to Read This Summer” is all about!  The Child is a gripping, edge-of-your-seat page turner that is sure to keep you entertained this summer.  Full of secrets and betrayals, this book is super entertaining and a great read for those beach days or road trips!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Unplug with PinBox 3000 this Summer!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Looking for a fun, screen-free activity for the kiddos this summer?  Check out the PinBox 3000:

Have your kids unplug for a bit and take it old school with Cardboard Teck Instantute’s PinBox 3000 – the first tabletop pinball system made of recycled cardboard! 

A DIY, fun-filled game made of die cut parts and customizable play boards, thePinBox 3000 is crafted with the goal to encourage community play, making, and engagement through kinetic, open-minded and creative platforms made of eco-friendly materials. 

Powered by rubber bands, gravity and you, PinBox 3000 helps bring the “tap-swipe” generation back to the tactile maker experience.

8 year old D and Dad had a lot of fun building the PinBox 3000 and even more fun playing it!  These pictures show the PinBox in action, but as you can see we are still working on adding color and decorative features to it.

We love that it comes with 2 cardboard inserts so you can have a couple of options to choose from for hours of pinball fun!  PinBox 3000 is a great activity for older kids this summer!

Click to find out more about PinBox 3000!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Chewy.com June Pick: Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free Canned Dog Food

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Chewy.com is your one-stop shop for all things cat and dog! One of the fantastic products you can find at Chewy.com is from Taste of the Wild:

Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free Canned Dog Food

What do dogs love more than the great taste of fowl? The great taste of fowl mixed with gravy, of course! Taste of the Wild Wetlands features duck, chicken, quail and turkey for a blend of fowl that provides optimal amino acid nutrition. This grain-free formula provides the excellent nutrition your dog needs with the taste he craves. It can be fed as your dog's sole diet or as a perfect compliment to Wetlands Dry Dog Food.

Jessie inhales this canned food!  It features big chunks of meat in gravy and she cleans her bowl in record time with each can!  I love that it is supplemented with vegetables and fruits, which means this formula delivers extra antioxidants with each serving.  Plus, it is made right here in the USA...can't beat that! 

You can find Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free Canned Dog Food at Chewy.com for just $27.48 for a case of 12 13.2 oz cans.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Crazy Cups June Flavor: Maple French Toast Single Serve Cups

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

As an ambassador for Crazy Cups, I get to review a different flavor of single serve coffee cups each month.  The flavor for June is Maple French Toast:

Crazy Cups are single serve cups that contain 13 grams of coffee in each cup for a flavorful cup of coffee.  They are compatible with all Keurig K Cups® Pods brewers and other single serve machines as well.   We use an iCoffee brewer and they fit perfectly.  Crazy Cups' coffees are gluten-free, nut-free, and contain no calories.  The cups use cool-peel-recycle technology, making them recyclable after use.  We peel ours back once they're cool, toss the grounds into our compost bin and recycle the cups, easy peasy and eco-friendly.

Flavor description:

Everyone loves coffee. Everyone loves maple french toast. Combining them seemed like a no-brainer to us.

Our thoughts:

Maple flavor pretty much always goes well with breakfast food making this Crazy Cup the perfect addition to our morning meal!  It doesn't have an overwhelming flavor...just enough to create a pleasantly rich, smooth cup of goodness.  Another hit from Crazy Cups!

Click to shop Crazy Cups

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Book Review: Code 7: Cracking the Code for an Epic Life by Bryan R. Johnson

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Code 7: Cracking the Code for an Epic Life

About the book:

From the minute they wake up in the morning, most kids are far too busy dealing with schoolwork, their activities, and their responsibilities at home. In other words, they are busy doing what they are told. But what about what our kids aspire to do? Can we do more to expose our children to a full spectrum of possibilities beyond standardized tests, dance recitals, and taking care of Fido? Entrepreneur Bryan R. Johnson believes we can!

Johnson wrote Code 7 because he believes we can help our upcoming generation take charge of their lives to better the world. Code 7 provides a roadmap for a diverse audience of children and their advocates to start early and make meaning in their lives today.

Code 7 is an inspirational short story anthology inviting middle grade readers to change the world.

 Not only are the stories in Code 7 engaging for children to read, but the book is also perfect for parents and educators to share with kids to address themes of: 

Young people making a difference / changing the world

Determining the values you want to live by 

Being empowered to follow your passions

Service learning and social entrepreneurship 

Identity, self-confidence, and self-esteem 

If you have a middle grader or are a middle grade teacher, Code 7 is a fantastic resource to share with them!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

BookCase.Club: Monthly Subscription Box for Book Lovers! June Edition

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I am a believer that if you provide a fun assortment of engaging books to your young readers (and listeners:) you are instilling a love for reading early on.

BookCase.Club helps you do just that!

BookCase.Club is a one-stop monthly subscription service for book lovers of all ages. Each case contains handpicked books based on your preferred genre.  There are six monthly categories and two quarterly categories to choose from: Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller, Children’s, Romance, Military History and Cookbooks.  The Children's category recently got a lot more exciting!  It has been turned into Bookcase.Club Kids and the categories have gotten a lot more specific.  More about that at the end of this post:)

Here is an example of the types of books you receive in a Bookcase.Club Kids box:

As you can see, our box included four really great books that my kiddos loved!

The new division of Bookcase.Club is Bookcase.Club Kids.  Each #BCCKids case comes with three handpicked children's books, chosen to ignite the imagination and inspire creativity.   Bookcase.Club Kids is broken down into 5 sub categories based on age: Newborn-2 years, 2-4 years, 4-6 years, 7-8 years and Pre-Teen.  The box we received includes titles from several age groups.  I loved that this month's box included fiction and non-fiction books.

A subscription to BookCase.Club starts at $9.99 + $5.00 s/h per month which is a pretty good deal for books specifically curated to your interests.  Plus, each month, BookCase Club partners with Books For Keeps, and donates one children's book for every active subscription.  Books For Keeps aims to place books in the hands of children who are least likely to have access. This program gives 12 books to every child served just in time for summer. The goal: to keep up their reading achievement outside of school.  

BookCase.Club is definitely our favorite book subscription service...we've never been disappointed by the variety and the quality of the books we receive:)   

Click to shop BookCase.Club!

Use the coupon code ABCD15 to get 15% off of any BookCase.Club subscription!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Bump It Off: A Multi-Purpose Wonder Gadget!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Check out this super nifty gadget that is making grooming our pup, Jessie, a breeze:

Bump It Off is a reusable silicone sleeve that fits on your hand in multiple positions, enabling you to concentrate scrubbing power in the palm of your hand or on your fingertips. 

With gentle silicone bristles on one side and smooth bumps on the other, Bump it Off has endless cleaning applications in every room of your home!

We have tried them on a couple of different household tasks, but since we used them to groom Jessie and got such good results, that is pretty much the only job for them now :)  Bump It Off really grabs the hair, but gently, and makes it easy to control Jessie's shedding.  

She doesn't typically like to sit still for traditional brushing, but any time she spies the Bump It Off, she comes running, tail wagging, ready for her "massage" :)  Using Bump It Off gets the job done and as an added bonus, keeps our hands clean...living on the coast with a sandy yard makes for some pretty dirty pups.  We are loving the Bump It Off tool and so is Jessie!

With so many great uses, Bump It Off is sure to be a handy tool in your household too!

Find out more about Bump It Off!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Teach Your Kiddos to Cook this Summer with Nellie's Free Range Eggs!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Summer is here and while “summer school” often gets a bad rap, Nellie’s Free Range Eggs wants parents and kids to get into the kitchen and prepare delicious egg-centric recipes during its own “Nellie’s Summer School” this June.

 

Nellie’s is committed to providing better lives for hens, which means better eggs for you and your family! Coming from the first Certified Humane® farm in the country, Nellie’s girls (aka hens) are never caged and have as much, or as little, access to outside as they want. 

Easy to prepare, inexpensive and nutrient dense, eggs are one of the most versatile and nutritious meal or snack options around. Plus, they’re a great first food to get kids into the kitchen and interested in cooking at an early age.

Check out some of these great recipes that are sure to get your kiddos excited to learn kitchen skills this summer:

Breakfast: Toad in a Hole

Lunch/Dinner: Veggie Egg Wrap

Dessert: Pavlova with Summer Berries

So grab some Nellie's Free Range Eggs and get cooking this summer!

Thanks to the fine folks at Nellie's, we are excited to offer one lucky reader a mini frying pan and 2 coupons for a free dozen eggs from Nellie's Free Range Eggs!

Enter below:

Last Minute Father's Day Gift Idea: Conscious Step Socks

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

We love gifts that give back around here and with Father's Day right around the corner we want to share a great gift idea...awesome socks from Conscious Step:

 Each collection contains 3 pair of stylish socks, with each one supporting a charitable cause.  This collection includes Socks That Fight Hunger, Socks That Give Clean Water, and Socks That Give Books.  Dad will love knowing that his awesome socks are supporting some really great causes and he will love the socks too!

Conscious Step has a great selection of Men's and Women's socks and you can buy them in collections which are presented in a lovely box or as single pairs of socks.  Conscious Socks are amazingly giftable so check them out today!

Click to shop Conscious Socks!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Treat Your Pups with Loving Pets! #spon

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Jessie is a huge fan of treats and Loving Pets has a couple of great new products that we got to try out recently.

Find out more about each of these tasty treats below:

ACTIVPETZ™ Chicken Jerky Hip and Joint Formula 

Promote your pet's active lifestyle with this affordable treat fortified with significant levels of veterinarian recommended supplements.

Jessie loves these mini jerky bites and I love knowing she's getting a treat that includes vet recommended supplements.

Houndations™ Bite-size Soft-Chew Salmon Dog Treats 

100% Made in the USA, these awesome tasting treats are the PERFECT training reward. They are also great for small dogs an puppies. Made with 100% all-natural ingredients, Houndations contains no grain, wheat, gluten or corn.  EVERY BAG comes with a FREE CARABINER to carry your treats for hands-free training, hiking or playing.

These tiny bite-sized treats are great for training or for use in puzzle toys.  Jessie is a huge fan of the salmon flavor!

Check out Loving Pets for more info on these great treats and others in their extensive pet treat line!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Keep the Kitchen Cool This Summer with a Rosewill Oil-Less Low Fat XL Air Fryer

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

No need to heat up the whole kitchen this summer when you have this large capacity Air Fryer from Rosewill.

Oil-Less Low Fat XL Air Fryer

RHAF-16003

An Air Fryer is the healthier way to fry, bake, grill, or roast your favorite foods.  This Rosewill RHAF-16003 XL electric air fryer has a 5.8 QT capacity to cook family sized portions of tater tots, fries, nuggets, and more. 

Get crispy results in a fraction of the time than when using your standard oven and healthier than using unhealthy amounts of oil to fry on the stove top.  It does more than just fry though. It can also grill, roast, and even bake your food, so you have more options with everything from making dinner to entertaining guests. Create anything from delicious cakes to tasty fried chicken with this Air Fryer.

Check out my favorite features:

• Fries Food Using Little to No Oil

The Rosewill Air Fryer makes it possible to enjoy healthier versions of your favorite foods by frying them with a tablespoon or less of oil and draining excess fat during cooking. Rapid Air technology circulates air around the entire unit, heating up to 400 degrees to ensure all food is cooked evenly throughout. Food becomes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with little to no oil.

• Designed for Optimal Heating

In addition to its Rapid Air technology, the fryer's unique starfish design on the bottom helps facilitate air circulation for evenly distributed heat, so your food cooks thoroughly and quickly without the need for oil.

• Control the Time and Temperature

This air fryer includes two integrated controls: one of them sets the timer up to 30 minutes, and the other sets the temperature from 170 to 400 degrees (F). You can customize these settings to cook your food exactly as you like it.

• Free recipes included

Includes 10 free recipes that will make your cooking easier. Please enjoy your cooking and don’t forget to treat yourself and your family to gourmet food with these recipes.

This Air Fryer has become a staple in our kitchen this summer and will continue to be in use since it has so many uses.  It keeps the kitchen cool, cuts down on cooking time and eliminates unhealthy frying oils.  We are sold!

Click to find out more about the Rosewill Oil-Less Low Fat XL Air Fryer

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Cricket Media's BUG CAMP 2017 Keeps Kiddos Engaged This Summer!

Research shows that just two or three hours a week of reading helps stop the "summer slide," where children lose months of academic achievement through inactivity. This summer, families everywhere are invited to discover a world of adventure and learning with Cricket Media's free BUG CAMP 2017.  Created with engaging content from Cricket Media's award-winning and ad-free magazines for children and teens, BUG CAMP offers an interactive way to get the family reading and stop the summer slide!

Launching on keepingtechincheck.com on June 5, Cricket Media's BUG CAMP 2017 will offer nine weeks of reading-focused fun, from downloadable stories and games, to recipes and easy craft ideas, and outdoor activities, all crafted by Cricket Media magazine editors for various age and grade levels.  From Day #1, kids may download the colorfully illustrated story, "A Day at the Pond" (originally published in CLICK magazine) and learn all about the animals, plants and environment in a summery pond through the week. Other weekly themes will include "My Backyard," "Travel," "Sports," "The Environment," "Fourth of July," "The Beach," "Gardening," "Art" and "Night/Camping/Hiking."  Kids, parents, and caregivers may grab great ideas to fill their summer days with engaging activities tied to each week's reading, like making a water scope to view pond life, playing a "Nature Detective Bingo" game, or making dragonflies out of pretzels.

BUG CAMP 2017 is a feature of Cricket Media's new Keeping Tech in Check initiative, launched this spring in conjunction with the Parents' Choice Foundation.  A "Random Activity Generator" at keepingtechincheck.com will lead to even more ideas for family activities this summer. With the tagline, "a balance, not a ban," Keeping Tech in Check offers a wealth of tools, tips and resources to help families find the right balance between technology and real-life experiences.                                                                                  

Also in June, Cricket Media joins with PBS Parents to help bridge the summer learning gap through PBS' annual summer learning initiative, "Summer of Adventure." Families may download Cricket Media's free "My Nature Journal" at PBS Parents' summer site: http://www.pbs.org/parents/summer/.

As a special deal to get summer reading rolling, Cricket Media is offering a "3 for 5" magazine exclusive subscription deal, available only from Cricket's online store. Families may order 3 magazines for $5, for a limited time, from https://shop.cricketmedia.com/3-for-5.

Disclosure: Info provided to me, a KTIC Ambassador, by Cricket Media.

Loved + Blessed: A Christian Faith-Based Subscription Box June Edition

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

We recently had the chance to review the June box from Loved + Blessed:

Loved + Blessed is a Christian faith-based subscription box service that delivers a box of encouragement right to your door each month.

Each box revolves around a central theme and comes with a mini poster, a sticker, a purse-sized scripture card and a gift.

The theme for the June box was Sanctuary:

The scripture card this month featured Psalm 61:3-4 NKJV "For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah"

The special gift for June was a beautiful Pashmina scarf and a copy of Encouraging Words for Women:

This box also included an encouragement kit to pass along to a friend:

I definitely think there is room for Loved + Blessed in the subscription box market and I love that their mission is to deliver encouraging products that support a fantastic message!

If that wasn't enough, Loved + Blessed gives a portion of the proceeds of each box sold to Union Rescue Mission, a charity that offers hope and healing to the homeless.  What an amazing cause!

For just $15.99/month + $4 shipping & handling in the US, you can get your Loved + Blessed box or gift someone else with this monthly dose of encouragement today!

Click to buy Loved + Blessed

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.