Global Goals For Sustainable Development

Photo Credit: Global Goals

World Leaders have committed to 17 global goals to achieve three things in the next 15 years. End extreme poverty. Fight inequality and injustice. Fix climate change.

All 17 Goals are important and everyone around the world needs to work together in order to achieve their goals. Something to us that seems so simple like clean water and sanitation is not the case in other countries. Good health and well being is important to everyone. We all know how expensive health insurance is. Even the "affordable" insurance in the market place is not cheap. Some countries don't even have a local hospital. 

I think one of the major goals like No Hunger is something that needs to be focused on more. What do people need the most to live? Water and Food. 

Which one of these goals do you strongly believe in?

Go to Global Goals for more info.

Create Your Own Fabric With Spoonflower

I recently got a fabric sample from Spoonflower. It was a small square sample of the Sport Lycra fabric they have. I love the feel of it. Plus, on Spoonflower there is so many different designs to choose from. If you are a designer or know someone who is a graphic designer this may be a really fun website for you. You can design your own fabric, wall paper, and wrapping paper. I think this could be a blast for the kids to do as well.

Photo credit: Spoonflower/ wall paper

The idea of creating a wall paper design is pretty neat. You could make the baby's nursery wall whatever you want. Sometimes it is hard to pick what the stores already have. Imagination and design coming together could result in the best baby room ever. Or even a kid's play room. I'm getting ideas for the day when we own a home. 

Photo credit: Spoonflower/ Wrapping Paper

How cute would it be if your little one created the next father's day wrapping paper? Or a loved one's birthday wrapping paper? You could upload some of your kid's art work and have a totally unique paper.

Photo credit: Spoonflower fabric

For all you sewers out there, Spoonflower offers a variety of designs. You can also design your own fabric. Fabrics come in everything from cotton to sport lycra, even minky. I think the sport lycra material is great for skater skirts or circle skirts. Plus they are fairly easy to make. 

They have something called the Emerging Designer Grant which offers design students a chance at getting store credit to design their own fabric. 

What would you create? I think I'm going to try out the wrapping paper and fabric design.

Hobbies Can Be Calming

Crochet

Have you ever had such a bad day that made you want to scream? I'm sure you have. We all have bad days from time to time. Some of us may have anxiety or depression. Some may be parents. Jobs can cause a lot of stress too. Having a hobby can help reduce stress and calm your soul. I think of hobbies

as a form of therapy. You don't have to scream or talk. You can create something, paint a picture, make some clothes, build a table, play an instrument. There are so many different activities that we can take up as a hobby. You can even collect things. My son likes to collect Pokemon and Lego Sets. Creating his own Lego or Hero Factory figure is therapeutic for him. My husband enjoys playing Star Wars The Old Republic. Many people criticize video games, but I find them to be a great form of escape. 

Needle Felting

One of my favorite hobbies is crocheting. I have a yarn problem. I'm not sure what it is but maybe the softness of the fibers. Bulky yarn is great and unwoven wool too. I think the repetitive nature of a pattern is soothing to me. Needle felting is fun too. It has a repetitive poking sensation. Don't worry, I won't be making any voodoo dolls. 

Some of my other hobbies include paper crafts, collecting cute toys, and most any other type of craft. When I was younger I enjoyed dance. Being shy and introverted, dance class would be a challenge but in the end it made me happy. 

I think hobbies are also a great way to meet new friends. But, if you are an introvert like me you may want to do your hobby alone. Being a mother of two little minions can be overwhelming. Alone time is precious. Doing something for yourself is so important. 

Do you have a hobby or a way to relax? Let me know, I would love to hear new ideas.

Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps Review And Giveaway

Disney's Frozen Fuji Apple Fruit Crisps

Brothers All Natural makes freeze dried fruit snacks. They recently came out with Disney's Frozen Fuji Apple Fruit Crisps. What a smart way to promote eating healthy. Kids love Disney themed everything. Well, I know my daughter does. Both of my kids like these fruit crisps. They like the apple crisps the best. I also enjoy snacking on the fruit crisps.

Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps

They come individually wrapped which makes it easy to put in lunch boxes and diaper bags. My son's class this year is peanut/nut free so all snacks need to be checked. The fruit crisps are peanut/nut free. These crisps are also Non GMO Verified which is a plus. 

Feel Safe with Brothers All Natural Fuji Apple Fruit Crisps:

-Non GMO verified

-Gluten Free

-No Sugar added

-Peanut/nut free

-OU Kosher

Perfect For:

-school snacks

-lunch bags

-take on the go 

-after school snacks

-movie time

-play dates

The packages are also made so that they are easy to open. They also have other types of fruit as well.

I'm kind of curious about their freeze dried mandarin orange segments. We often see the Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fruit crisps in our local grocery store. The kids always grab a few from the displays. 

Brothers All Natural is providing a giveaway for a 40-pack of the Disney Frozen apple fruit crisps. This is a great giveaway to enter. Think of all the snacks it will provide. 

Giveaway is open to US and 18+. All entries are optional. Prize will be shipped from sponsor.

Update: Congrats to the winner, Ann!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(*disclosure-I received complimentary products for this review. All opinions are my own.*)

Gourmet Gifter September Box Review

This month I received four treats from Gourmet Gifter to review. The family enjoyed them again. And of course the popcorn is always our favorite. This time there was a delicious caramel crispy bar. Who happened to eat it first? Yup, my husband did. He was happy with it.

Caramel Crispy

You can find the Caramel Crispy bar here. These would make great after school snacks. I love when snacks are individually wrapped because then I can throw them in my purse in case someone gets hangry.

PurEarth 

PurEarth bars are great for those who like nutrition bars. These are healthy and made with natural ingredients. I probably should eat more healthy but haven't really gotten into supplement bars. It's great that they come in different flavors. You can find the Cherry Chocolate Almond bar here. Its easy to throw one in your gym bag or take one to yoga class with you.

Butter Toffee Peanuts

The Butter Toffee Peanuts were a big hit with me and my husband. He took the rest to work with him and well, I never saw them again. I think these would be great for parties during the holidays. Buy a few bags and put them out in a party tray. I have a feeling everyone will enjoy them.

Cinnamon Sugar Sensation

Colby's Kettle Corn is a big hit. We are now hooked on Kettle Corn. I like the light sweet taste of the cinnamon and sugar. It isn't too sweet for me. It is a 100% natural snack. They also have different flavors if you aren't into sweet snacks. I know I've said this before but seriously put this popcorn out while you have guests over. The whole bag may be gone before you get to have some.

Gourmet Gifter has a great deal for my blog followers. 

1. Add at least $40.00 of products to your cart. Then Choose the 6-pack of kettle corn you would like to receive for free and add it to your cart. 

2. Type in discount code BAREFOOT and click the "Apply Coupon" button. You'll be able to see that the $19.95 for the 6-pack is removed.

3. Finish the checkout process and enjoy the Gourmet Gift!

This discount is good during September 29th through October 1st.

What treats would you add to your cart? Christmas and holidays are around the corner. This would be a great time to buy a gourmet gift basket for someone. And get free popcorn for yourself.

(*Disclosure-I received complimentary products for this review. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.*)

Top 3 Shows Streaming On Netflix To Catch Up On

Arrow

Fall is coming and I need to catch up on a bunch of shows. I've missed so many good shows because the kids usually get to watch what they want first. When I get a chance my top three shows to catch up on are Arrow, Bones, and The Blacklist.

Arrow is a show I never watched before this recent week. I binge watched 6 episodes in a row. And I have to say, it was great. I am hooked! It is of course based on the comic but not following the exact story line. Most comic book to TV show or movie does not always follow the original story line. I'm going to say this time, I do not care. I just really like how this show is so fluid. It has a nice quick pace that doesn't bore me. It has the action I want and an interesting story. The bow and arrow fight scenes are too cool. I can't wait to see who else joins his team. Shhh...don't tell me.

The Blacklist

The Blacklist is something I definitely need to catch up on. Come on, you had me at Spader. I've seen a few episodes from season 1 when it first came out. It is full of adventure and I don't know if Liz knows that Red is her father. That's how far behind I am. I'm glad this show is still going on. Remember James Spader in all of those great 80's flicks? One of my favorite Spader movies is Stargate. He looked so young in that one. Anyway back to The Blacklist. Season 3 starts soon, so catching up, better known as binge watching, is in order.

Bones

And last but certainly not least, Bones. Bones has been going for ten years now. Wow, that is amazing. I don't think I ever felt bored by one episode. Every time its on, from beginning to end, I'm glued to the TV. Bones and Booth are such an interesting couple. I like how they are different in many ways but come together and always solve the crime. I do miss John Francis Daily in the show. His character was so good and pulled every thing together. I'm not too sure about this new guy. Maybe that's why I put it on my virtual shelf for so long.

What shows do you need to dust off? Or will you start a new show this season?

National Care Bears #ShareYourCare Day

Share Your Care Day

September 9th, 2015 is National Care Bears #ShareYourCare Day. On that day, the Care Bears encourage sharing, caring, love and friendship. You can do something little like share with your sibling, take the trash out for your parents, or help someone in need. You can also do bigger things like plant a tree, volunteer, or donate to charity.

Care Bears 

How will you share your care? You can sign up here and tell a share your care story. This movement is important and it reinforces kindness with children. It's good to get the young kids involved. 

The Care Bears support organizations such as CARD, Operation Smile, and Zach Kaplan. Zach is a 10 year old boy with a kind heart. His mission is to gift children in need with a soft bear to hug at night. Care Bears will stand behind him and donate 400 bears to a head start program. 

I love hearing stories like this. Brands that give back and help with charities also give me the warm fuzzies.

Pedi Princess Pedicure Time

Pedi Princess

Pedi Princess is a cute flip flop with toe spreaders. These are perfect for going to the salon when you are getting a pedicure. You know those foam spreaders you get when you go to the salon? Those usually get thrown out after a few times or every time. The Pedi Princess is not only cute on your feet but saves you from using the foam spreaders.

They feel good on your feet. I'd wear these out to the beach too. I chose the black with light purple flowers which you can find in the Pedi Princess shop. 

This is such a clever design. They are sold at a good affordable price. This set is $19.00.

Pedi Princess (black with light purple flowers)

The next time you go to the salon, make sure you have a pair of these. They come in many different designs. You will have no problem finding a design fitting to your personality and fashion sense. These make a great gift for a pedicure princess in your life. 

Pedi Princess 

(disclosure-I received a product for review. All opinions are my own.)

Educational Insights Learning Through Play

Design & Drill Flower Power Studio

Before going to Blogger Bash this year, I wasn't too aware of the brand Educational Insights. I'm excited I got to see their brand and what cool toys they have on the market. My kids got to review two adorable and fun toys.

Design & Drill Flower Power Studio is a cute flower shaped toy that teaches hand and eye coordination, patterning, and problem solving. Inside there is a booklet to show you some designs that you can follow. There are 60 bolts in five different colors. It comes with a power drill too. 

Inside the Design & Drill

Here is a look at the inside. The bolts are pretty colors. Even if you don't use the drill, you can use your fingers to turn the bolts. This is good for fine motor skills. Also at one point, I told my kids "righty tighty, lefty loosey."

My daughter who is 3 got a real kick out of this toy. She carried it outside and back inside. She even made up her own designs.

Magic Moves Rainbow Jam

Magic Moves Rainbow Jam is another fun toy. We haven't had that many music toys in the home. There are two modes: instrument mode and song mode. If you are on song mode and press on a color, it will then sing that color's song. Each color has its own song. Instrument mode will let you press on the colors to make your own song or follow a song in the book. The music activity book has familiar songs such as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the Wheels on the Bus. The preset color songs are in different styles ranging from country to rock. The inventor of Rainbow Jams is Educational Insights Product Manager, James Tu. I think he did a fantastic job. His creation is smart and fun.

The holidays are coming soon. You should check out the Educational Insights website for gift ideas. 

Educational Insights on Social Media:

Facebook

Twitter

(Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review. All opinions are my own.)