I was really excited about being accepted to the Provers Prayers book tour.  This is a book that I’m proud to get to share with you.  Prayer is an important part of my life that, ironically, is one of the hardest for me to budget into my schedule.  In my B. C. life (Before Children) I took time each day to meditate in prayer and deepen my relationship with Jesus.  I lost touch with that part of my life after having kids because they became my focus.  Now that the kids are getting a bit older, it’s a safe time for me to take a good look at my heart and find where those threadbare places need to be patched up.  Prayer is the balm that I need.  Proverbs Prayers instantly appealed to me because (a) it’s a thin book and (b) I like the torn edges on the pages.  Yes, I’m apparently that shallow.  But I think it makes the book look really cool!!

Once I started reading the Proverbs Prayers, though, I found that the best feature of the book is the keen specificity of the prayers.  Each day is truly a focused prayer that requires you to ask specifically and meaningfully for help in a certain area of life.  WOW , did it speak to me.   It really taught me how to ask for what I need.  For example, instead of praying something general — for God to watch over my children like I normally do, Proverbs Prayers taught me to pray with intention about the people they’ll encounter throughout the day and how I can best show my kids that I care.   It’s really a beautiful thing.  This would even make a thoughtful gift for a faithful friend.  I hope you’ll take a look at it!

The folks at Smiley Cookies are at it again..baking cute cookies to bring a smile to your face!  We tried their delicious cookies at Valentine’s Day and knew we would just love the Halloween cookies.  Each one is frosted in orange and has a kooky smile on it.  They came in a big smiley-face decorated box, and then were wrapped inside a separate paper bag.  These are baked in a nut-free facility which is a concern for parents of kids who have allergies.  These Halloween treats are a generous 2 1/2 inches each so there’s plenty of cookie goodness to enjoy.  My kids dove right into the bag and my son especially loved them.

We have several family members with birthdays in October and my husband’s niece was even born on Halloween.  I think that Smiley Cookies would be great for Halloween gifts ….or even just to enjoy around your house.  After all, who needs an excuse to eat cookies?!   These are more like sugar cookies so they travel well.  My daughter enjoyed them as a dessert in her lunchbox.  I also liked the

If you order, use code BLOG10 at checkout to get 10% of any of Smiley Cookies unwrapped Halloween cookie gifts!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Welcome to the “Happy Fall Y’all” Giveaway Hop! Brought to you by Super Events Media & Social Marketing Mom! This event runs from 12:01am September 19th till 11:59pm on October 3rd. At the bottom of this post you will find links to all of the participating blogs where you can enter to win a fun fall related prize with a value over $25! This super cool giveaway is hosted by Full Price? Never! & MyCraftyLife!

Our sponsor for this event wants to provide you with her popular Making Babies series. Available as a book and as the Making Babies DVD Series: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth the Natural Way, this set is a great resource for women who want to have a healthy pregnancy from day one.  When my husband and I were trying to conceive our first child, I read every book I could get my hands on to make sure that I was giving my body the nutrients it needed for a happy womb.   It must have paid off, because we have two beautiful children!    Although I didn’t review this set myself (only because this baby factory is closed down), it has great reviews and I feel very comfortable recommending it to you.   The set is ideal for women who are interested in natural pregnancy, home based birth, midwives, and fertility.   You can find the products, customer testimonials, and more about the series here and read this press release for more information.  The giveaway is open to US readers.

This post contains affiliate links.

Planning a Halloween party?  Keep it within budget with these cute Frankenweenie sheets.  For just the cost of ink and paper, you can print out a little packet for each child.  They are cute and fun!

Start the party by watching this new featurette. My kids are excited about seeing this movie, what about yours?

I recently had the opportunity to try Susan Brown baby products.  I received a full sized hand sanitizer and trial size lotion samples.  The hand sanitizer was really gentle and had a very pleasant scent.  It also doesn’t have that really strong alcohol fragrance that other brands can sometimes have.  It wasn’t drying like other sanitizers I have used.  Susan Brown’s hand sanitizer has these tiny little moisture beads in it that really do work to moisturize my hands.  I keep this in the car instead of other hand sanitizers because I feel like it’s safer to use on my children.

The lotion to powder sample was awesome.  It didn’t have a greasy feel yet it moisturized my hands.  I would love to get these as gifts for baby showers. If I still had little ones in diapers, this is what I would use in place of cornstarch to keep their little bums dry in the diaper!  The moisturizing lotion was great for my hands. To be honest, I hoarded both of these samples for myself!  I loved the generous size and would stash these in my diaper bag if I still carried one.   The fact that these products are more naturally derived and gentle for baby’s skin really appeals to me.

This giveaway was brought to you by the Sublime Media Connection. The participating bloggers cannot be held responsible for the delivery of this item, as that is the responsibility of the sponsor. If you have any questions regarding the delivery of the prize please email pr@sublimemediaconnection.info.

If you’ve read my book reviews before, you know that I totally judge a book by its cover. I’m not that way with people (at least, I try not to be!) but I can be totally drawn into a book just by the way the cover looks. Sometimes it’s even the font of the title! Everything about Unending Devotion drew me in. The cover was just beautiful, down to the title. I’m definitely a promoter of Christian fiction that goes beyond the typical religious mention.  Unending Devotion met my standards by far.  It made me realize what true love and devotion can demand.  How far would I go, how much would I risk and sacrifice to protect those I love most dearly?  Lily, the main character of the story, really sets a challenge to match your words with your actions.  This book was not what I expected.  Instead, it made me wonder how I could expect so little from myself.  I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more from author Jody Hedlund.

I was fortunate to be part of the book tour for Unending Devotion.

This post contains my Amazon affiliate link.

The last week of September is nationally designated as “Keep Kids Creative Week”.  While this week is often celebrated in schools with many fun activities to help stimulate kid’s creativeness, parents can also take advantage of this week to do some really fun things at home. Many parents struggle with finding time to fit creativity in but there are lots of products out there to help us with getting those creative juices flowing.  Mama-Nibbles and Life With Two Boys created this event to help you find some fun products to keep your family creative not only during “Keep Kids Creative Week” but any time of the year!

Keeping Kids Creative begins on September 17th at 12:01am EST and ends on September 30th at 11:59pm EST.  Along with the awesome prizes that each of the participating blogs are offering we also have 3 Grand Prizes thanks to our sponsors BabbaCo, Green Kid Crafts, Kelly Kits, PowerCapes, Bannor Toys, We Can Too, and Kat and Company.

Author Laura Huber is offering one lucky readers a fantastic prize pack to get mom and the kids creatively using their time.  Read Laura’s tips for sparking your child’s imagination and you’ll see what I mean!   The first prize in this pack is a copy of her book The ABC’s of Homeschooling, a great resource for parents who homeschool and for those who don’t.  This book gives excellent parenting advice and suggestions for empowering your children.  I recommend this book to anyone who wants to help kids become more independent learners.   Huber also uses her own life lessons to give you tried-and-true methods of helping your children experience success.

The Life Planner, Discovering Yourself and Achieving Your Goals is the second prize in this pack.   Think of this as a day planner on Mama Juice.  It’s full of template pages for you to organize everything you’ve got going on.  I was surprised at how thorough this book is!   Let this planner help you find success in all areas of your life by keeping you organized and disciplined.  I would love to see this book in true day-planner format…..maybe spiral bound edges that could be tucked into my purse or even in app form so that I could put it on my smartphone.

Be sure to visit Laura Huber on her website. Endorsed by several magazines, newspapers, and radio programs, Huber is an expert in providing guidance for parents and teachers.

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.  Giveaway is open to US readers of Savings in Seconds.   Winning entries will be verified.  Please use an email address that you check often since you will have just 48 hours to claim your prize.  Good luck!

Disclaimer: Please note that the Keeping Kids Creative hosts and participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prize. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation that they will fulfill their prize in a timely manner. While we are not responsible, we will make every effort to assist the winner in obtaining their prize.

If you are a Disney fan, chances are you have loads of movie codes sitting in your dvd cabinet waiting to earn you some rewards!  Be sure to sign up and redeem those points.    I’ve redeemed mine for free movies, coupons for free products, and free gift cards.  These make great stocking stuffers!

To get you started, here’s a code that is still working for 25 points, I just used it today: U13PEKSZZD

And if you have been buying Disney movies at consignment sales or thrift shops, check for the codes!  We bought a Bolt DVD at a used bookstore yesterday and the code was still in it.

Savings in Seconds welcomes author Laura Huber.  Sparking Your Child’s Imagination can be a difficult parenting issue, so Laura is sharing ideas to help you do just that.  Enjoy!

Sparking Your Child’s Imagination

By

Laura A. Huber

Ever wonder what kids did before electricity, video games and cell phones?  Chances are, to keep themselves entertained, they used something they were born with– their imagination.   Albert Einstein, one of the most intelligent and noteworthy scientists to ever live said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”  If we look at society today, the people who have the courage to put their imaginations to work are the most successful.

But many times today, parents, with the best interest of their children in mind, over schedule and over stimulate their kids.  Running to and fro, back and forth – leaving very little time for the child to just be.  To be a firefighter, an airplane pilot, a mommy, a daddy, a farmer, a doctor . . . the imagination is limitless when it comes to possibilities.  Can you imagine what the world would be like today if the Wright brothers, Walt Disney or NASA didn’t have time to use their imaginations?

So how do you get kids who are dependent on outside entertainment to use their inner power of imagination?  It’s really easier than you think.  Start by using the ideas listed below.

1. Make sure your child has no less than three hours a day of unplanned and unplugged activity.    Allow them time to play with all of those toys you bought for Christmas and birthday.  Sometimes a parent must take time to show the child how to play.  Remember the movie, Toy Story?  Get down on the floor with them and create an imaginary scenario with their toys, then let the child take over.
2. Take the child on a nature hike.  Nature is a great way to spark the imagination of children at any age.  It gives the mind a rest and naturally brings peace to even the most stressed.  This means the mind has a chance to wonder and ponder about anything.
3. Read aloud with your child.  Find a book that is so interesting for you and the child you’ll have to force yourself to stop reading.  This builds a relationship with you and your child as well as aiding in the development of his imagination.  Books take us on adventures we can only dream about.  You can go back in time, visit the future and travel to distant lands.
4. For this next idea you’ll need:   a glue stick, a blank notebook of any kind, a scissors that is age appropriate for the child and a stack of magazines.  (You don’t have to buy any, just see what is lying around your house.  Ask some friends or relatives if they have any magazines they would like to discard; ask at your local library and don’t forget to check the recycling center.)   Now have the child cut out anything that interests him and glue it in the notebook.  You should try it, too.  Let your imaginations soar.  Pretend you could be, do or have anything you wished.  What would it be?  You and your child will discover all kinds of wonderful things about yourselves.  My teenagers still love doing this, and so do I.  It never gets old.

These are just a few ideas to spark the imagination of a child.  The possibilities are only limited by our own thoughts.  Try using your imagination to ignite a child’s.  It is very therapeutic, and if you have the courage to put your imagination to work for you – can you imagine what kinds of wonderful things will happen?  And can you imagine what kinds of wonderful things will happen for your child?

Bio:  Laura Huber is the proud parent of three happy and independent teenagers.  She lives in southeastern Indiana and is the author of, The ABC’s of Homeschooling and The Life Planner-Discovering Yourself and Achieving Your Goals.  Visit her website at www.laurahuber.com.

This post is brought to you by our sponsor.  The opinions are 100% mine.

College is an exciting time in the life of a young adult. No matter which college is lucky enough to have you, there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for success. Smart use of your money is a great way to start!  Read more if you’re interested in learning more about college savings.

First of all, establish a budget for your spending. Determine how often you’ll get an income….as a work-study student, you might have a weekly paycheck. If your parents are sending you money, you might get it monthly. This is important! Make a T-chart and on the left side, list your needs and expenditures for the given period. On the right side, list the amount of money you expect to spend on each item. For example, you might start with your laundry expenses and gas money.  Even if you don’t have a car in college, your friends will probably want you to pitch in for gas if they’re going to be chauffeuring you around.

Secondly, don’t be tempted by all the gimmicks that are broadcasted to college students. That credit card might look like a great way to fund your Taco Bell addiction, but do you want to be paying the bill ten years later?   Take out student loans only if necessary.  Look for grants, scholarships, special programs, or low-cost loans (like the Perkins loan) that are much more affordable.  I know from experience how tough it can be to make it on a college student’s income (or lack thereof.)   It can be done.

Next, be sure to buy your textbooks used if possible. This is a big money-saver! Ask around to see if you can buy or borrow a book from a friend who took the same class the semester before. I even posted recently about using an online book rental service that I wish I had known about when I was in college.

Need some extra income? There are always opportunities for college students to earn the random odd job. Check the message board at the church you’re attending to see if anyone needs help with yardwork or babysitting. There might be an elderly person who needs a companion for the evening hours. Maybe you could study while he/she is napping (plus it’s just fun to get to know older people….trust me, it really is!) Work doesn’t feel like work when you have friends around, so if you don’t think you can handle the job on your own enlist some of your buds to help you with it. You can all use the extra cash and the job will go a lot quicker.

Do you have other tips for college students on a budget? 

This is a sponsored post.  The opinions are 100% mine.