Crowdtap sampling: Advil Film-Coated

We love to knit and crochet in our family and do so regularly throughout the year. But, in particular, my mother has been suffering from joint pain recently and that does put a damper on knitting and has also slowed down her plans to make some more scarves and hats for donations.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - when you love to knit and crochet, pain in your hands can be a problem

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Advil Film coated to the rescue, a collection of samples and coupons!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - mom ready to start knitting and thanks to Advil less pain!

 Through Crowdtap, we were able to sample Advil Film Coated as a means to reduce general joint pain. My mother took one pill and noticed that the pain in her hands was lessened, so now she can knit again and enjoy making scarves and hats for donating to others.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - mom at the needles, knitting again for the relatives!

We will definitely consider Advil as part of our regular medicine box in the home to ward off general joint pain and to ensure that the knitting needles are still finding good use in our home.

Disclaimer: I received a free product in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed are solely my own and have not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: Forgiving My Daughter's Killer: A True Story of Loss, Faith, and Unexpected Grace

This is a very different book from the ones I normally read. It describes maybe a parent's worst nightmare, finding out that someone they knew and trusted and invited into their home killed their daughter. In this case, the boyfriend, who grew up as part of the family, ended up shooting their daughter.
What turns out to be their worst nightmare, also turns out to make the parents stronger. Rather than despair about the loss and hate the young man, they turn that event into a growing experience and forgive the murderer. 

available on amazon.com

I found this book easy to read and the pictures added from the family album end up making the experience more personal, especially since the daughter Ann is always shown smiling into the camera. While this seemingly permanent smile makes the loss even more gut wrenching,  the smile also underscores that this daughter who seemed to always be happy most certainly did not want her parents to be mourning her death by being depressed and angry. So it is to me also a fitting memory to the daughter that the parents were able to forgive the boyfriend and in the process end up being able to live a normal life that is not all consumed by this tragic event.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed are solely my own and have not been influenced by any third party.

Crowdtap sampling: Mr. Sketch® Scented Washable Markers

Through Crowdtap and Mr. Sketch, we were able to play around with some washable markers. As a mother, I am always happy about anything that says washable because that may ensure that the house stays reasonable clean.


But in addition, these markers were also scented and not only your usual fruit scents, but they did have a licorice scented black marker. Now we are talking! I know that does sound odd, but my family loves licorice and has done so for generations. So getting to play and draw with a licorice scented marker was definite bonus on this experience. Three generations in my family played with the markers and enjoyed it, so that is saying something.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - markers come nicely packed in a plastic box

copyright Durhamonthecheap - love the vibrant colors

We found the markers were indeed washable, although we never waited very long to allow the stain to set, so that may make a difference. The scents are awesome and my kids now talk about their fruitsalat on paper, which I think is funny because it never occurred to me to come up with that kind of description for a drawing done using scented markers.
Overall, these markers are great, they are fun and as a mother, they are indeed washable!


Disclaimer: I received a free product to try out and review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Crowdtap sampling: Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer SPF15

Thanks to Crowdtap and Garnier, my mother and I as well as some of our neighbors were able to sample a new product by Garnier. The  Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer SPF15 is intended to brighten the skin and leave the skin after only one week looking more polished and rejuvenated. Both of us were eager to try out the product and my mother, as pictured below, really did see an improvement in her skin.
Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Daily Moisturizer SPF15 contains a bunch of ingredients that are good for you and for your skin, including an Antioxidant Complex of Vitamin C & E, Pine Bark Essence, and Lipo-Hydroxyl Acid. This non-greasy cream will turn your dull and rough winter skin into a skin that looks more radiant, perfect for the spring weather and wanting to go outside.
My mother acknowledged, after applying the product once a day for about 8 days, that she felt her skin looked more even in terms of skintone and also had a better texture, with some additional firmness. I had the same impression and we are both happy that we got to sample the new product by Garnier. On Amazon.com this product sells for about $12 for 2.5 fl oz.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - we both love the Garnier product and what it does for your skin, this time mom is the model

Disclaimer: I received a free product to try out and review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Product Review: fashionable clothing at very reasonable prices from Spaze Apparel.com

 I was contacted about doing a review by Spaze Apparel. I had not heard about this company, but when I looked at the website spazeapparel.com, I was impressed by the variety of products available and also the very reasonable prices. I selected two pieces that I felt would get a lot of use. I went with a sturdy pair of light gray sweatpants that have flared legs and look a little bit more put together than regular sweat pants. I also selected a navy colored T-shirt that can be combined with jeans, the sweatpants, but also worn under a blouse to work.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - The navy T-shirt is from Hanes without a tag than can show and well made

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the arm falls just right and the cut is very generous - comfy, but still fitting!

copyright Durhamonthecheal - I tried to show the flared legs that make the pants a little bit more put together

My T-shirt selection - Hanes 5680 Ladies 5.2 Oz. Comfortsoft Cotton T-Shirt - wears as shown in picture!

Gildan G184FL Heavy Blend Ladies Sweatpants - love the fit and the comfy fabric!

 Overall, the products were nicely priced. Very competitive pricing since both products costs together less than $20 and you can order in a variety of sizes and colors. I would definitely consider ordering from this company again. Especially the sweatpants are a new favorite of mine. While they still have the comfy feeling of sweatpants, the flared legs make them appear more stylish and put together and I am definitely comfortable running errands in these pants.
If you are looking for activewear or just some T-shirts or basic pants, give spazeapparel.com a try

Disclaimer: I received free products in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by Spaze Apparel.com or any other third party.

Free Product at Food Lion - Stur liquid water enhancer

If you are an MVP customer at Food Lion, head on over to their Facebook page and get free water enhancer.

Free product through Food Lion on Facebook

Book review: Pressing Pause: 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to Meet with Jesus by K Ehman and R Schwenk

This book is more religious than the books I normally read, but the title and the make up of the book sounded interesting and so I decided that this would be a good book to go through. As the title states, the book is about taking a break from a hustle of every day life and contemplating life and your own role in it. The book will be particularly welcome by mothers who juggle work and family, often with small kids, and seem to never catch a break. While this book will work not work some miracle and will allow a mother to get housework done in the half the time, it is a book that may provide a break from life for a mother by providing her brief sayings intended to convey strength, but also provide some peace of mind.

available on amazon.com

I found this book a good read. I also realized that there is a 30 day pressing pause challenge that provides regular emails over the course of a month intended to encourage the reader and provide some respite from the stress of normal life.
As I stated earlier, this book is particular helpful for women who juggle multiple priorities in life and never seem to catch a break. At times, when it seems like there is just too much going on, sitting down for 15 minutes and read one of the sayings will help. Not only do you need to focus on somethings besides all items on the to do list, but the reader is presented with very life-affirming and supportive quotes.
Each section is formatted in a similar fashion. The heading gives a thematic context in which the quote can be applied. For example Finding Solitude or Befriending the Bitter. This is followed by a brief write-up in which the authors cite a moment in their lives when the quote came to mind, followed up a brief list of guided question that allows the reader to focus on the quote. There are even some blank lines for the reader to jot down their notes when thinking about the situation and what the quote means to them. Even if reading a section takes only a couple of minutes, the example and guided question make the reader refocus on the subject and require the reader to "press pause" from the daily routine they were engaged in. I found that taking a break and looking at such a section gave me the break I needed to gather new energy and re-engage in my work much more focused afterwards.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of the book for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not been influenced by any third parties.