Progresso Soups Coupons & Weekend Flash Giveaway!

Progresso has released a new line of Progresso Recipe Starters sauces! Get a head start with dinner on busy weeknights this Fall with coupons for Progresso Recipe Starters. Get $0.65 savings off the purchase of 1 can of Progresso® Recipe Starters Cooking Sauce with this coupon. Then be sure to visit the website for great recipes for 1, 2, or the whole family! Also be sure to enter the giveaway on the Rafflecopter form below.

In addition, visit here to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off the purchase of 4 cans of Progresso® Light soup. Progresso Light soups are a satisfying and delicious way to help control your weight. Varieties such as the Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese or the Chicken Pot Pie Style pack a flavorful punch in 100 calories!

I was recently sent both of the above soups from Progresso to try for myself and in addition I received some swag from Progresso as well! I got a water bottle, an insulated lunch bag and a microwaveable, BPA free, dishwasher safe soup cup with lid and spoon! These are sure to be helpful to my working husband, especially the soup cup. How convenient is it to have everything you need to make soup at the office?

I really enjoyed both soups, neither tasted like diet versions of the real thing. They were both creamy and filling and I felt like I could even throw in crackers or toast and a salad without maxing out my calories for lunch or dinner. The water bottle is a really neat design too. Thanks to Progresso for sending me one, I know my reader that wins this package will really enjoy the silicone pour spout and easy-to-grip bottle design.

Star Wars Jedi Adult Costume Review, Light Saber not included, neither is The Force.

WholesaleStarWarsCostumes.com recently gave our family the opportunity to review one of its costumes from the ever so timeless George Lucas Star Wars movies. We chose a Jedi costume for my husband to review since we had thought of doing a family Star Wars theme for Halloween, which is just around the corner! I can't believe summer is slipping away and fall is blowing in the back door. Pictured above is my husband, Jess, in a Jedi costume,which retails around $36 but can be bought at Wholesale Star Wars Costumes for less than $33. Light Saber sold separately. I think he looks quite handsome. I plan on going as Princess Leia with our 22 month old sporting a cute little Yoda costume. The costume is very light polyester and includes pants with attached boot tops, a tunic, and belt. While it is not the exact Luke look, it is a cool Jedi concept outfit. It could be worn for theme events, Halloween, conventions, or just the occasional Star Wars viewing party. Comment below if you've ever tried to watch them all (all 6, old and new) at once and let me know how far you got (I'm just curious!).

Rear view of the costume.

 Here is what my husband thought of his costume: The material is very thin polyester, and as someone who appreciates realistic costumes, a lightweight cotton would have been much better and closer to the movie, polyester can come off as kind of shiny. The shirt fits about as well as advertised, I am a size 42 jacket and I could easily see this fitting up to the advertised limit of size 44 Jacket. The pants seem to be for a shorter than average individual. At 5'8" I'm not exactly what anyone would call tall and the average height of an adult male in the United States is 5'9".  In order for the attached boot covers to sit on top of my shoes I would have to pull the pants pretty low on my hips, and I'm not going for a gangster look here. On top of that, I wear about a size 10 shoe, about average for a US male, and a good 3 inches of them stuck out past the boot covers.

Though the picture on the package seems to be of an average adult man, I would say that the standard size (for a 44" size jacket) is really more for a 5'5" person at the most, perhaps a preteen who may still want to go Trick-or-Treating. The costume is also available in XL and I would be interested to see if that fit better. Wholesale Star Wars Costumes has a no-hassle return policy and you have up to 10 days to return the item without a fee. You can also print a prepaid return label but they will take $5.99 off your return credit. You can ship it at your own expense for a full refund of the purchase price. I am happy that I could return or exchange it if I wished. Most temporary Halloween stores that set-up in our area usually have an all-sales-final policy.

One other note on this costume: on the package picture, it shows a long piece in the front of the shirt that hangs down almost to the knees, but on the actual shirt there is a split that starts at waist level, and there is no flap at all, so without some alteration, this costume is not exactly "family friendly" if worn by an adult man. Younger adults headed to an adult only party may not feel as self-conscious as I would at our annual trunk-or-treat at church. I feel as though I would need to find some other pants to wear and that doesn't really make me a satisfied costumer. If you are the kind of person who buys instead of makes a costume, you really prefer to be set, with the exception of shoes, upon purchasing an advertised full costume.

Jess uses "the force" to put away our clean dishes. :)

**Please note: I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review. I did however receive a sample of the product. All opinions expressed are 100% my own and were not influenced in any way.

Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA Review & Giveaway

Welcome to the Better Late Than Never Giveaway Hop hosted by Mom With a Dot Com in celebration of her one year blogging anniversary! A great group of bloggers have gathered together to give you a chance to win some amazing prizes!

Better Late Than Never will begin on September 1st and end on September 9th. As you are hopping around, I hope you will find some prizes that you love - maybe you will even win one! Each giveaway will have a prize valued at $25 or more! Our Prenatal Vitamin gift package from Nordic Naturals here at Kaeli's Kiwis is worth $34! 

As some of you know, I am expecting my second child in February 2013. Along with a proper diet and exercise, taking supplements like vitamins and DHA are a must-do for any pregnant woman. I have been pretty naseaus, so the diet and exercise part will have to come a little later, but I still make sure that along with my ginger ale and crackers, I get my vitamins and DHA every day. I am currently taking Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA which I received to review and will give away a bottle to one lucky reader!

Nordic Naturals' mission is to correct the global omega-3 deficiency. They are commited to bringing  the safest and most effective DHA to market. They have been setting standards since 1995 and third party tests show leading purity and freshness of their products. They also practice sustainability by using wild caught fish and production that protects the enviroment. Their products have been used for medical research and there have been 20 published studies in the last 4 years analyzing the use of omega-3 supplements for a variety of physical and psychological purposes. Research shows that even the healthiest western diets do not contain enough omega-3, making supplements important for everyone, so even if you aren't pregnant like me, you should still be taking DHA.

Why take Omega-3's? You've heard you need it, but you may still be wondering "what for?", what benefits are actually reaped by restoring balance to your system with omega supplements? Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) help combat diseases like arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease to name a few. EFAs help with weight management, improve vision, and sharpen your attention and focus. EFAs improve your immune system and circulation. They have shown positive results in studies with depression, dementia, autism, and aggression & anger management. Nordic Naturals has developed specialized supplements for a number of the above problems.

Prenatal DHA benefits my baby by supporting my developing child's brain, eyes, immune system, and nervous system. We all want to do what is best for our children, even from the very start, and there is nothing better at this particular stage of development than taking vitamins and DHA. We gave our son Nordic Naturals Baby DHA, and will continue to supplement both his diet and his future sibling's with Nordic Naturals Children and Junior DHA products which now include gummies. Another great thing about taking Prenatal DHA is that it not only supports my baby's health but has shown to be beneficial in promoting breast-milk production, positive mood, and well-being in the mother. It also contains vitamin D-3 which is also missing in a lot of people's diets. Nordic Naturals DHA is the official DHA of the American Pregnancy Association.

I really like using this DHA for the simplest of reasons, it is not a giant pill! It is smaller than the size of an average gel cap and even though I need to take two for the recommended serving, they go down a lot smother than the giant DHA caps I was using from another company. I have tried at least 3 brands of general or prenatal DHA and this is by far the smallest pill size. This is important to me and I am sure it is for some of my readers. Can't swallow pills at all? Nordic Naturals has both an Effervescent omega-3 product in a creamy orange flavor that is ideal for kids and adults or a flavorless powder that can be mixed with an food or drink. So now you have no excuse but to take your EFAs!

SHOP NOW: Visit the Nordic Naturals Website or purchase from a wellness retailer. I buy my son's Baby DHA drops at Whole Foods. Find a store near you!

WIN IT: Enter to win a bottle of Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA and some other goodies by filling out the Rafflecopter form below! Good Luck!

Book Review: "Abducted" by Janice Cantore, A Tyndale House Publication

I recently curled up with the latest novel by Janice Cantore, Abducted , a Tydale House publication. The book is the second in a series (Pacific Coast Justice), of which I have not read the first, but the second book stands alone just fine. I actually thought there was too much recap of the first novel that wasn't always relevant to the current story line. It was enough to spoil the outcome of the first book, so I didn't feel like I should go back and read it. I think the author could have left it a mystery, enough to make me want to go buy a copy of the first book. The second book, Abducted, revolves around police officer Carly and an investigation into the abduction of her patrol partner's infant son while dealing with her own personal life drama. After divorcing over an affair, newly found forgiveness and grace through Christ have led to the possible reconciliation between Carly and her ex-husband, Nick. Carly and Nick have both become Christians which has helped them change for the better.

The sub-plot includes a strained relationship between Carly and her roommate who doesn't know what to make of Carly's new found Christianity. There is also the new friendship between Carly and Alex, a reporter who once held all cops in a negative light, both personally and professionally. Alex may want more than a friendship which adds to the drama of Carly's reconciliation with Nick.

 Carly's relationship with God as a new Christian plays out in the book much as in any Christian's every day life. Carly prays for favorable outcomes both through inner dialogue and aloud with others. She seeks God's wisdom and turns to her bible for comfort in times of confusion and desperation. Although Christian messages like forgiveness and trust are present in the story line, they wern't spelled out in an unnecessary, hit you over the head with a bible sort of way. They were easy to recognize and the author left it at that. Even if the reader is not a Christian the author makes a good case for forgiving or even having pity on those who at first seem to be in the wrong. I thought it was a great way of reminding the reader of the humanity of all people or in this case, characters, meaning that we all fall short and sin sometimes and each character is not simply a good guy or a bad guy.

The book was a very easy read. It had short chapters and kept you wanting to continue reading from the very start. The dialogue flowed well and the plot line was well constructed. I liked the fact that I almost thought a twist ending was coming but didn't, in the main plot as well as the sub-plot, which I think the author meant to do. I was surprised when it didn't turn out as I expected and delighted because I wasn't able to predict the outcome. Although there is some satisfaction in being able to figure it all out as a reader, I prefer the surprise much more. As a former police officer the author could have filled the novel with lots of police jargon and shorthand but there wasn't too much and what was there was well explained. I feel a bit smarted now that I even know some of the short hand, it was like going for a ride along in the back of a cop car. One could easily finish this books 350+ pages in about a week, perfect for taking along on vacation and reading pool side. I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

This book is available online through Amazon.

**Please note, I did not receive any compensation for this review. I did however receive a copy of the book to review. All opinions are 100% my own and were not influenced in any way.

Noxicare Review & Giveaway

I was recently given the opportunity to try out Noxicare Natural Pain Relief. Noxicare was developed by Dr. Ghorbani, a Harvard-trained, board certified Interventional Pain Management Specialist. Noxicare is ideal for artharitis, fibromyalgia, muscle pain, tension headaches, and diabetes. It combines seven natural and potent pain relievers for lasting relief of inflammation, muscle ache, and nerve pain. There are no known side effects and a prescription is not required. It is registered with the FDA as well.

So what's in it? Tumeric and Rosemary which both act as anti-inflammatory. Willow bark which has long been used to treat low back pain and tension headaches. Ginger which relieves muscle strain and acts as a catalyst, improving the strength of the other ingredients. Holy-Basil which inhibits inflammatory enzymes to help counteract arthritis and headaches among others. Alpha Lipoic Acid is known to combat numbness, burning, and pain associated with nerve-pain. Boswellia which relieves pain and promotes healthy inflammation response, reducing joint pain. Together these ingredients improve on the strengths of the others to boost the effectiveness of the pain reliever as a whole.

I let my husband be the test dummy for this product because the Noxicare website states that it is not intended for use by pregnant women (that's me as you may have read in my previous giveaway!) but I did give it a smell test and rubbed it on my husband's muscles that he could not reach. It is odorless and goes on just like lotion with no after film or greasy residue. As the pregnant one I appreciate not having to go to bed with someone who just slathered on a pain reliever that has so much menthol it goes up my nose, what a relief! You aren't going to feel the numbness and tingling that comes with those relievers, but you are also not rubbing chemicals or lab-created pharmaceuticals into your skin either. Many other products for pain relief act only temporarily and shouldn't be used in excess. Noxicare is safe to use everyday.

My husband can't really attest to Noxicare's effects at this point, and because he doesn't suffer chronic pain, it is hard to determine if his pain relief came from Noxicare or just a restful night's sleep, but the muscle aches he had after a long workout at the gym were gone the next day. In order to determine effectiveness for lasting pain relief, Noxicare recommends daily application, 2-3 times a day, for at least two weeks. It is also available in a supplement. After learning about this product I would have no problem recommending it to a friend, such as someone I know who has fibromyalgia.

BUY IT:  Noxicare Natural Pain Relief Cream

WIN IT: Win a bottle of Noxicare and a Noxicare T-Shirt. Enter on the Rafflecopter form below, please be patient and wait for it to load.

Moms Day Off Giveaway & Blogger Event Hop

“Welcome To "Moms Day Off" For A Great Giveaway”

✣"BLOGGERS: Event Hop To Add Your Own Events"✣

Moms Day Off 

Is being Hosted By;

Debs Sit-n-Shop | MommiesPoint of View | 
Live Laugh Love To Shop | Oh! My Heartsie |

Here is your chance to pamper yourself or a beloved lady! Enter the giveaway below and then check out our giveaway for another gift for mom HERE!

✣The event run August 20th through August 27th

"One Lucky Winner Will Receive"
✣ Avon 
✣ Country Gourmet 
✣ Paparazzi Jewelry 
✣ Enchanted Candles
Sponsors Mommies Point of View + Deb's Sit Shop + Oh! My Heartsie

Please be patient and let the page load

Enter on the easy Rafflecopter Below

Next Event Taking Signups!

 Mommies Point Of View and Live Laugh Love to Shop

Hosting The $100.00 ShopBop Gift Card Event Signup Here

Upcoming Hop: Blogger Opportunity

  

Time has flew right by! As of this August, Mom with a Dot Com has been in business for a year now! She’s really excited and wants to thank her readers with a giveaway hop! Got something great to giveaway valued at at least $25? Join Mom With a Dot Com for the "Better Late Than Never" Giveaway Hop! Even though it's technically August still, the event won't take place until September... so we'll be a little late - but that makes it fun! Better Late Than Never will take place from September 1 - September 9. This event will feature a variety of giveaways. It does not need to be theme specific (just family friendly). 25 blogs are already signed up!

Details

• Host: Mom with a dot com
• Dates: September 1 - September 9, 2012
• Minimum Prize Value: $25
• Cost to join: Free (w/ a paid promotional options!) 

To Join:

• Sign up at Mom With a Dot Com