Treat Your Sunburn Homeopathically with SunBurndt After Sun Gel!

My oldest Daughter has the palest most sensitive skin I have ever encountered in my life.  On sunny days, she must wear 100 SPF, apply several times a day, and she is still likely to get burned.  It's quite sad to watch her stay in most of the time because being outside is just painful.  As you can imagine, we go through a LOT of sunscreen and after sun products.

I was thrilled when I was sent a product perfect for sunburn remedies, SunBurndt After Sun Gel to review.  This product is Homeopathic so it contains plant and animal extracts that help heal, and it is sold at Walgreens along with other retailers across the US.

  As always, Suzannah's skin had broken out after a long afternoon at school on the nature trail and she came home with burned, itchy skin.  The product helps prevent peeling, soothes the skin, and hydrates skin as well.  Suzannah said that Sunburndt After Sun Gel actually help with the itchiness and burn of her sunburn, and I personally noticed significantly less peeling with this particular burn.  I attribute this to the product we used the entire duration of the sun burn.  It is available online at Amazon for $8.99 for a 6 oz tube, so the price is comparable to what other companies charge for treatment for sunburn.  The difference in Suzannah's comfort level is what makes me choose this product.


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.

Season's Harvest-Not your Average Salsa!

It seems like every party I attend has chips and salsa.  Apparently, there is some unwritten party rule that says you MUST serve chips and salsa or it isn't a party!  Most people love salsa, it's an easy inexpensive addition to the food variety, so all is good, right?  Maybe.  I am actually a bit picky about my salsa, and it takes a lot to impress me.  I am a huge fan of the sweet and savory salsas, and anything with a ton of cilantro captivates my taste buds.

Seasons Harvest offers a gourmet line of salsas that will completely change the way you view salsa going forward.  I was blessed to try their Southern Borders Medium Heat Salsas Gift Set for review purposes.  This contains 4 jars:  Roasted Tomato, Apple Raspberry, Texas Black Bean Gourmet Salsa, and Con Queso Gourmet Salsa.

My husband was in salsa heaven, literally.  He opened 3 jars, and proceeded to taste each jar.  He found a favorite in the Texas Black Bean Gourmet Salsa, and was just a bit too sad when it was all gone!  I have found my all time favorite salsa and the one I will be eating from now on:  Apple Raspberry.  It was sweet and very pleasant tasting, but has a nice hot bite that hits the back of your throat as you swallow.  It is the perfect pairing of sweet and hot in my opinion.  Okay, so I love the way they taste, but I want to share why I really love them.

• 99% of Seasons Harvest products are Gluten-Free
• 3 year shelf life (unopened)
• No preservatives
• No Chemicals
• No Additives

Don't you love knowing that you are paying for natural products instead of added chemicals, preservatives, and other items you can't even pronounce?  I know I do, and I would recommend this to anyone.  These are great additions to your Holiday meals, parties, and they come in decorative crates and boxes so they are the perfect gift for almost anyone!

You can find many other products from Season's Harvest, gain inspiration on the Pinterest boards, and keep up with all the latest promotions on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclaimer:  I received one or more of the products listed above to facilitate my review.  All opinions are honest, my own, and completely unbiased.  Please do your own due diligence before choosing to purchase from a company.

Week 9 with Nutrisystem, and New Bras! #NSNation, #Spon

This has been a good week for me being on Nutrisystem.  I finally broke my plateau, and while I am still 1 lb away from 20 lbs weight loss, I am thrilled that I lost about a lb and a half this week!  I also finally had to break down and buy new bras which was exciting for me.  I think I have lost the bulk of my weight in my chest area.  I started this diet wearing a 44DDD bra, and now I am in a 40DD which is the perfect fit!  Now someone just tell my stomach area to get on board with this weight loss program and it will feel perfect to me. I still can't personally see a difference in my weight when I look in the mirror, but my stats are going down, I have lost almost 20 lbs, and the proof is in the brand new bra.  I haven't worn a bra this small in about 10 years!  My final weight for this week is 261.8 lbs down from 280.2!

Starting Measurements:

Upper Arms: 15.0

Chest: 49.8

Waist: 54.0

Hips: 59.0

Thighs: 23.6

Current Measurements:

Upper Arms: 13.0

Chest: 46.0

Waist: 49.0

Hips: 54

Thighs: 19

Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting Nutrisystem

*Nutrisystem is providing me with 4 months of free food and support service as part of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. In exchange, I will be posting each week with my progress. All thoughts expressed are my own, and my experience using the system may vary from that of other participants.*  

Rugs USA: Plush Comfort to Brighten Any Room!

With the Holidays approaching faster than I would like to admit, we are all in the process of deciding what to buy for each person.  Some people are easier to buy for because you know of things they need or like.  However, what do you buy for the person who has literally everything?  You want to buy them something nice, and in this case I suggest something unique.  Area rugs may not be front and center on everyone's minds during the Holiday Season but I think they not only add a warm touch to your living area, but also make a great gift!

 Rugs Usa offers a selection of over 1500 different rugs to choose from!  I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to review a rug, and I have to tell you that I have spent hours on the website browsing.  The website is super convenient to search.  You have categories such as Contemporary, Shag, Outdoor, Kids, Traditional, Natural Fibers, etc, or you can choose to search by color or even various prints.

I can say I was truly blessed to receive the Keno Floral Symphony Rug to facilitate my review.  As you know, I purchased new living room furniture this year, and it's amazing how this area rug just tied everything together.  I live in a 100 year old 2 story log house, so it's difficult to get a picture of the whole room or even the entire rug because of the how small the actual room is, but you can see the rug is gorgeous!

What I love

*Well Made-my particular rug has lots of seams, and none are fraying or shedding
*Durable-remember I have four kids, and a dog who have trampled it for a month and it is still looking great
*Super Soft
*It comes with a 30 Day return Guarantee-How can you go wrong with that!

What I should have done different

My only complaint is that I should have chosen a different rug.  I didn't realize that black picks up everything but money, and with four kids and a dog, I am vacuuming at least 3 times a day and it gets covered in dog hair quickly after.  However, this is my lack of insight, not a testament of these rugs.

I bought an area rug from a different company 3 months ago, and it literally only lasted a month before it was irrepairable, and I was bummed over the $400 I spent.  Based on how well this rug has held up, I would recommend Rugs USA to anyone!

I know you are dying to "window shop" for yourself, so check out their many styles, and you can get style inspiration at Pinterest.  Don't forget to like them on Facebook and Twitter so you don't miss any current promotions!

Disclaimer:  I received one or more of the products shown above to facilitate my review.  All opinions are honest, my own, and are completely unbiased.  Please do your own due diligence when deciding to purchase form a company.

Quality Silk Ties at Very Affordable Prices with Bows-N-Ties!

We come from a line of dressy people.  I would say it is because we are Southern, but truthfully it is because everyone goes to church several times a week.  One of the children's Grandfathers is the Pastor of a church, so he literally is in a suit and tie almost every day of the week.  He owns at least fifty ties, and I can speak from experience that a quality tie costs a LOT of money!  We believe he is worth great ties, but wouldn't it be great if it didn't hurt my pocket book as much?

Bows-N-Ties offers a great variety of ties that are handmade from the finest Jacquard woven silk.  The prices are literally half or more than what other silk ties of this quality cost because they ship direct and cut out the middle man.  I was thrilled when given the opportunity to review a tie from Bows-N-Ties.

I received a gorgeous and classic red tie with a thin black stripe within a wider white stripe.  The first thing I noticed was the tag that assures the tie is hand made.  Also, all the stitching on the tie is perfect, no flaws, and it is just so soft to touch.  The best part about these ties by Cavallieri is that they retail for $24.90 instead of $50-$60 as comparable ties cost!

Bows-N-Ties has many, many more ties in a wide range of colors to choose from, and they even offer children's ties starting at $9.90!  Anyone who purchases ties knows the true value of these ties, and this is one of those rare reviews that I can't think of anything I would improve or do differently. You can stay up to date with all the current promotions on Twitter and Facebook.



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.

A Day in the Life of a Country Housewife!

I have had people ask me before how I balance blogging which is at the very least a part time job with parenting four kids, a husband, I don't even know how many chickens (it's over 18), a dog, errands and everything else.  Well, considering that I have trouble managing just one task at a time (maybe a little ADD?) I would call it insanity, but it works for me.  However, he is a basic breakdown including some important monthly prep which makes life easier the rest of the month.

1.  We grocery shop once a month, only buying milk and fresh produce in between.  This means that only one day a month is taken up with shopping and putting away my food which frees up the rest of the month for everyday needs, and I always have on hand what I need to prepare anything our family eats.  I buy my meat in bulk from a local meat market supplied by local farms that free range the chickens, and grass feed the beef.   Everything else from frozen veggies, fruit, flour, agave, yeast, to cleaning supplies gets purchased at Costco the week they have in store sales on.  I combine this with my fresh garden veggies, fresh organic eggs, and food we preserved the rest of the year.

2.  When I get up in the mornings, at 5 am I have 3 children to get ready for the school bus.  They eat breakfast at school, but I give them a small baggy of cheerios, crackers or even a slice of toast before they leave to tide them over the hour it takes to ride to school.

3.  As they are getting ready for school, I pull the meat out of the freezer for the day.  I mostly use a crock pot, so meat goes straight into the crock pot frozen and will be done in 8 hours on low.  However, if it is baked, then it just thaws. .

3.  I start a load of laundry.  With 6 people, I must do two loads a day-more if we had a potty accident in the night-to keep up with it.  Otherwise, it's a pileup and takes an entire day to complete.  Not cool.

4.  I sit down to my first cup of coffee and my other time consuming life-my computer.  I work at my computer sorting emails until the 3 year old wakes up right at 6:50 when the kids are boarding the buses.

5.  I make breakfast for Mika, get him his milk, and settle him down in front of PBS in his gaming chair.  He is very low key until about 10-11 am every morning, so I have learned to cherish this about my last one and let him educate with Super Why and Sesame Street for a bit while I get some work done.  Seriously, you'd be shocked at how much they learn from educational shows.

6.  Now is where I do umpteen things at once.  I check email for about 15 minutes before my 16 glasses of water a day kick in.  Once I am up for a run, I do things like sweep a room, pick up toys, wash a few dishes, swap out/fold some laundry, anything I see needs done and check email randomly in between in case there is something time sensitive to handle.  I try to get my entire housework done at this time

7.  By 11 at the latest, Mika has a ton of energy so I am playing with him, reading books, outside, playing cards which is me holding up a card and he will tell me what the number is (he knows 10, 5, 2, 7, 8 and 4 by site, and we are working on site recognition of the others) until lunchtime at 12:30.  Following lunchtime is nap at 1 pm.

8.  THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME OF THE DAY:  My time.  From 1-2 I don't blog, I don't clean, I don't anything, and heaven forbid a telemarketer call!  I eat my lunch and watch my soap opera.  I am not addicted to the soap opera.  If it bores me, I watch Food Network or read a book.  The point is the ME time, not what I am doing with it.  This is crucial to sanity, and is sacred.

9.  At 2 pm it gets busy again.  Dear Husband (DH) works 12 hour night shifts so I have to prepare a meal for when he wakes up at 3:30 and two other meals to pack for his lunch since in essence it is lunch and supper I am packing.  He's a picky eater and doesn't like sandwiches more than maybe 2 times a month so I have to cook 3 different meals each day.  I try to do something where I can use the same meat, but make two completely different meals for him.

10.  3 pm my 2 middles kids are home from school so I am doing snacks, homework, getting DH's "breakfast" cooked and putting on makeup and combing my hair. Hey, even a country girl has to look good for her man.

11.  From 4-4:30 I spend time with DH and I am pretty much his "Beck and call girl" meaning whatever he needs done at the moment, I do it.  He watches a little tv while he eats which takes roughly 20 minutes and during this time we talk while I shine his duty boots.  Then I lay out his uniform, attach his stripes pins to his collar, lay out his socks, shirt, and duty belt so that he can have it all at his fingertips after he showers at 4:30.

12 While DH showers I make the bed up and freshen the room a bit before I go out and greet my 13 year old who arrived home from school at 4:30.  I get him a snack, oversee his homework, and pack my husbands lunch box.

13.  DH leaves at 5 pm, and now I cook supper for the kids.  Usually the meat is done already, so I just have to cook fresh sides and get everyone fed.  After supper, I assign jobs of cleaning up-picking up toys, washing dishes, starting showers, etc.

14.  At 7, the 3 year old and I sit down to watch Sprout's good night show with his two sisters, and my 13 year old plays his hour of PS3.  It requires use of the internet, and since we are out so far, two people can't use it at once or it goes into super slow painting mode (think days of dial up) even though we have "high speed." This means I pay very high DSL prices and receive slow at best speed.  Seriously, I can't watch a 3 minute You Tube video in less than 10 minutes.

15.  8 means the 3 older kids get 30 minutes of TV time in the living room, 3 year old is down for bedtime, and Mama is blogging!

16.  8:30 and 9 pm are bed times for the older 3.  However, I go to bed sometime around midnight knowing that I only got through 1/4 of the emails I needed to, but my blog posts are complete!

Now, my schedule gets thrown out the window at least once a week for things like Doctor's visits, a day of preserving food, or anything else that needs done.

TBox-to-go Prevents Embarrassing Moments!

Have you ever been at the check out paying your bill, reach into your bag to pull out your wallet and a tampon fall out?  How about walking across a crowded room, accidentally drop your purse, everything falls out right at the time a super handsome man walks by?

I was actually paying my bill at Walmart a while back, and discovered when I was looking for a pen to sign with and I discovered that my 3 year old had been in my purse, taken the wrappers off of all my tampons, and of course it was an unwrapped tampon I pulled out instead of my pen.  I was super embarrassed, and there is just no way of hiding or denying what I had in my hand.

TBox-to-go tampon holder will help prevent situations like the ones I mentioned above as well as other awkward situations you can't imagine until they happen.  It's a silver mirrored color with a color band around the top of it.  It not only has a compartment to hold tampons, but also has a secret pill compartment built into the bottom.  It has an easy snap on lid, and keeps the tampons secure.

It is the perfect item for girls to carry in their backpack or purse to school because it is extremely discrete.  My daughter isn't quite at that age yet; however, she does need to carry something with her in her back pack since she needs to be prepared for the moment she needs this.

I also love carrying my own personal products in this in my purse.  I can assure you with TBox-to-go, I won't be embarrassed as I was at Walmart that day!  You can find these products at TBox-to-go, and get FREE SHIPPING with the purchase of two or more products!  Stay up to date with the latest products and promotions on Facebook and Twitter!

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.

Tasty Tuesday Pt 2:Sugar Free Whole Wheat Oatmeal Scary Ghost Pancakes!

We are in super excited Halloween mode here at the My Wild Crazy Life home so we have been coming up with some fun themes for supper for this month.  The kids love helping out in the kitchen, and honestly, I have a lot of fun too.  Since yesterday was Meatless Monday, we decided that breakfast for supper in the form of pancakes was in order, and we kicked it up a notch making ghost shaped pancakes.  However, as always, you know I try to make the healthiest version of fun foods that I can so I want to share with you the recipe we use here for Pancakes.

Allyson's Sugar Free Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
3 cups of Old Fashioned or Steel Cut oatmeal pulsed into oatmeal flour
3 cups of Greek Yogurt
6 free-range eggs
6 tbs coconut oil
1 1/2 tbs Agave Nectar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

In a food processor, pulse the oatmeal until it is ground to a flour consistency.  Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  In a separate bowl beat the eggs, and add in the agave, and yogurt mixing well.  Add the wet ingredients and melted coconut oil to the dry stirring until mixed, but the batter should be a little lumpy.

Heat griddle to 350 and pour the batter into a squeeze bottle-I used a squeeze water bottle which worked just fine.  When the griddle is preheated, squeeze out ghost shapes on the griddle and insert 3 chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth.  Wait until the bubbles have formed and popped, flip the pancake, and cook until golden brown!  Serve as is, with butter, with syrup, or with fresh berries and whipped topping!

Tasty Tuesday pt 1-Allyson's Easy Roasted Red Pepper Humus

With the Holidays coming up, I wanted to share with you one of my go to recipe for a simple, healthy, yet super delicious dip/cracker topping.  This is one of my go to recipes that I not only eat on almost a daily basis, but that looks lovely at a party or on a snack buffet.

Allyson's Easy Roasted Red Pepper Humus

3 tsp minced garlic

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup of tahini (sesame paste)

1/4 cup lemon juice

8 oz  jar roasted red peppers

In a food processor blend the garlic, beans, tahini and lemon juice until smooth and well blended.  Add the roasted red pepper and blend again until smooth.  Either serve as is, or add some chopped roasted red peppers in the center of the humus for garnish and added flavor.

Jazz up Your Holidays with 34° Crisps!

At least once a month, we are entertaining guests in our home, and we always do a lot of cooking and like to offer great snacks to our company.  However, none of this compares to the way we do Holidays here at the My Wild Crazy Life home.  Between making fun Holiday themed suppers to entertaining guests for the major extended family meals we host, the food and drink products we buy are almost as important as gifts for the kids.

A mainstay of the snacks we serve buffet style are crackers, and I am always looking for tasty, unique crackers to add to our selection. I was blessed to review a selection of 34° Crisps which was named after Sydney Australia, but is made in Boulder Colorado. The company contributes to a green earth and uses packaging that is earth friendly and produced with wind energy.   They also contribute 1% of their crackers to the Food bank of The Rockies, and you know how much I love companies that give back!

  34° Crisps are so thin and crispy.  They are yummy just as they are, and also pair wonderfully with cheeses and other toppings.  My personal favorites are the Rosemary Crisps because they have the most "stand-alone" flavor.  I also topped them with Roasted Red Pepper Humus


and red pepper which was just lovely and will make a great healthy addition to our pre-meal snack table this year.

I also love that  34° Crisps has a nice selection of recipes for me to choose from to add to my Holiday Season.  So, if you are looking for something to take to a Holiday gathering or work party, these will be great topped with your favorite Hors D'Oeuvres.  Also, don't forget to follow them on Pinterest for more party ideas, and Twitter or Facebook to stay up to date with all their latest promotions!

Disclaimer:  I received one or more of the products listed above to facilitate my review.  However, all opinions listed are honest, my own, and I received no monetary compensation for this review.

Meatless Monday: #Sugar-Free #Peaches & Cream Refrigerator Oatmeal

A while back I discovered a great new way to get the kids to enjoy an old-fashioned healthy staple:  refrigerator oatmeal.  They are perfect for a quick breakfast before bundling everyone out the door for a busy day.  I also like to use them for a quick, easy, yet hearty supper on days that I am just slammed to wall busy running errands and keeping appointments.

All the recipes I was able to find online contained either sugar or honey, and we have to really limit our sugar and carb intake here to keep my son's sugar in check.  So, I did what any supermom would do-I created my own recipes, and today I am going to share one of my favorites

Sugar-Free Peaches and Cream Refrigerator Oatmeal

1/4 cup of steel cut oatmeal (do NOT use quick oatmeal)
2 tsp Agave Nectar
2 Tablespoons of chopped dried peaches
1/4 cup of Greek Yogurt
1/3 cup of skim milk

Add the oatmeal, agave nectar, yogurt and skim milk to a half pint or pint canning jar.  Cover it with the lid, and shake well to mix the ingredients.  Stir in the chopped peaches and refrigerate overnight.  This will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.