EmpowerMoms

“Be The Friend You Want To Have” on the cover of the book really caught my eye.

I have a hard time making friends and also making the time to do things with girlfriends. I work outside the home; so in the evenings and weekends I like to spend time with my 2 boys playing, doing chores, and staying at home. I also have my blogging and church responsibilities to do, and because my husband works nights, our only times together are Saturday and Sunday. Which obviously doesn’t leave me much time to go out with girls at work or church. I also struggle with a little mommy guilt with doing things during the week for myself since I’m not around my boys during the day. But with all that being said, I completely agree with the author that it’s important to seek out good women friendships and I need to do a better job with making the time.

She points out in chapter 1 that “when we expect our husbands, or any man for that matter, to fulfill all our relational needs, we are placing an enormous amount of pressure upon his shoulders. If we keep expecting him to fulfill the role of girlfriend, husband and in some cases, God, we are setting that man up for failure. It’s just not realistic nor is it fair to expect him to be able to meet every one of those needs.” I personally have got to work on this more in my marriage. I expect my husband to want to listen to my day, frustrations, feelings, all the time; and then I’m sorely disappointed every time he’s not listening or doesn’t remember what I’ve said.

I love that at the end of each chapter, Natalie has included thought provoking questions that you can discuss out loud or use for journaling.

I especially liked the forgiveness chapter (chapter 5) and Blurred Lines/Boundaries chapter (Chapter 6). I felt like those chapter really helped me the most. Because I’m a health and fitness blogger and advocate; I completely agree with “Take care of ourselves” on page 93. It’s talking about eating the right foods, exercising and spend time with those who encourage and love you for who you are.

She even has a chapter about friendship etiquette in a digital world. She shares, “Before you speak, T.H.I.N.K. Is is TRUE? If it HELPFUL? Is it INSPIRING? Is it NECESSARY? Is it KIND? These same criteria should be met when posting to social media.” She then lists the pros and cons of using technology to connect with others and gives some good advice for setting technology rules.

I found this book very thought provoking and well written. She uses personal examples and bible scriptures through out the book which I really liked.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the book:
Heart Sisters is for women who want to both be and have better friends and want a helpful guide to take them through the process.
Author Natalie Chambers Snapp uses her own and others’ stories of successes and failures to illustrate what she has learned about girlfriend relationships. Healthy boundaries, honesty, tact, sharing, and agape love all play a part in being and maintaining a circle of close confidants. She also deals with the inevitable challenges that face many relationships including how to handle conflict; life changes like a new baby, move or divorce; and when it is right to “break-up” with your friend.
Discussion questions, space to journal, photos, and quick interviews of healthy female friendships are included within each chapter.

About the author:
Natalie Chambers Snapp is first and foremost a follower of Jesus, then wife to Jason, and mom to one spunky daughter and two spirited sons with a crazy amount of energy. Choosing to follow Jesus at 27, Natalie is passionate about sharing the grace, mercy, and truth of God’s love. She lives in the Midwest with her crew and tries to keep it simple by writing about the faith found in the everyday mundane. The outpourings of her heart can be found at www.nataliesnapp.com in the fleeting moments between being a wife and mother.

You can buy it from amazon here:

Want to be a better friend and have better friends? Natalie Chambers Snapp wrote Heart Sisters just for you! She uses her own and others’ stories of successes and failures to illustrate what she has learned about girlfriend relationships. Discussion questions, space to journal, photos, and quick interviews of healthy female friendships are included within each chapter.

Help Natalie celebrate the release of her new book by entering to win goodies you’ll need for a girls’ night out with your heart sister!

• A $100 Visa cash card to put toward a nice dinner or lodging
• A copy of Heart Sisters
• A manicure kit
• A summery polish
• A disposable camera (to document your fun)
• A clutch

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 17th. Winner will be announced May 18th on Natalie’s blog.

Beyond Championships Teen Edition
A Playbook for Winning at Life
By Dru Joyce II, with Chris Morrow

I gave this book to my 13 year old so he could read it and review it for me. These are his comments:

I learned about Coach Dru’s coaching abilities and the seasons he coached Lebron James and his son Dru 3. He teaches morals about the game of basketball. Lebron James looks back on his seasons with his coach as an inspiration for his current life. This book shares Lebron’s player stats which is cool. Also personal stories about Lebron’s life growing up.

At the end of each chapter there are questions called “beyond the court” like journaling personal questions.

They also included colored pictures in the middle of the book which was really cool. And at the end of book they included state championship box scores from 2000-2003 and Lebron James high school stats.

I love basketball so this book was good to read. I really enjoyed it.

I received this book complimentary from BookLookBloggers in exchange for my honest review on my blog and social media. All opinions are my own.

Amazon Book Description:
In Beyond Championships Teen Edition, Coach Dru Joyce lays out the steps teens can follow to become winners on and off the court. Much more than a sports book, Beyond Championships Teen Edition is a blueprint for anyone looking to make better choices and reach their full potential. The book speaks to athletes aspiring to emulate LeBron’s success, as well as anyone who feels either uninspired or unable to change the direction of their lives.

In less than ten years, Coach Dru went from someone resigned to a dull-yet-stable existence to one of the highest profile basketball coaches in the country, despite having virtually no background in the sport. It was an incredible transformation, the type most people only dream of, but one Coach Dru proved can become a reality with the right combination of faith and hard work.

Beyond Championships Teen Edition focuses on the nine principles Coach Dru promotes to his players and tries to live his own life. While these principles act as the foundation on which Coach Dru has built so many successful basketball teams, their universality ensures that they can be applied to any situation.

You can buy it from Amazon here:

Vita Sciences Maxasorb Melatonin Sleep Cream 50ml, 1.7 Fluid Ounce

As a busy mom of 2 boys, working full time outside the home, and blogging; it’s important that I get enough sleep. When I get stressed or anxious, I have a hard time falling and staying asleep. For a couple of weeks last month I was having a hard time sleeping so I was very excited to try this product.

I’ve heard great things about taking Melatonin (my husband and mom take it regularly) but I’ve always been worried about taking it and then not being alert enough in the middle of the night to take care of my 4 year old if he needs me. If you’re like me in that regard, then you MUST try this cream!

It has a nice pump that is immediately ready to use once you open up the box. I made the mistake of thinking I needed to pump it a couple of times to get the lotion ready, but that is not the case with this product. You apply ONE pump of lotion to your legs or arms right before bed. I always applied it to my arms. It’s not very much lotion, but obviously enough to do the job.

I’ve been listening to soothing music and applying this lotion to my arms before bed, and I’ve been sleeping ALOT better these past several weeks than I was before. and I can still be alert in the middle of the night if I need to be.

The box says each tube has 60 doses, which would be a 2 month supply if used daily.

I received this product complimentary from the company for testing purposes, in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media. All opinions are my own.

Product Description:
*Regulate sleep due to insomnia or jet lag
*Made with all natural ingredients
*Measured pump delivers 3 mg of Melatonin
*Gentle on the skin

Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Juice, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Glycerin, Palm Stearic Acid, Emulsifying Wax, Cetyl Myristoleate, Cetyl Alcohol, Melatonin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Citric Acid.

Directions
ADULTS AND CHILDREN 18 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER: Rub a full pump (3 mg of Melatonin) into the skin not more than once per day just before going to bed.
CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE: Consult physician

You can purchase it from Amazon here:

Lunch Bag Hango™ – Set of Two Sizes (Small and Large) – Black Deluxe Insulated Bags for Adults and Children with a Beautiful Cotton Gift Bag –
by Attican

I have used both of these bags several times in the last month and they are still in great shape and very sturdy! I like to use the small one for sandwiches. It’s a perfect size for them and they don’t get smashed. The large one is great for lots of snacks, fruits, and veggies. I pack for 4 people for our Saturday sports activities and have plenty of room for everything.

Packing food for yourself and your kids is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle; not to mention cheaper than eating out every time you’re gone from home.

I have 2 boys who both are very active, play sports, love to go to the park, take walks with me, etc. so I always keep lots of food and water with me in the car for us. What do I pack? Sandwichs, bananas, apples, cashews, almonds, cheesesticks, goldfish, carrots, crackers, protein bars. And all these items fit in these two lunch bags.

If you like to carry one lunch bag, and/or have a larger bag, these 2 bags would fit perfectly inside a large one.

I also liked how this lunch bag set came packaged in a nice, cotton sack bag-perfect for an immediate gift! I wish it came in another color besides black, but black is okay since its neutral for men or women.

I received this product complimentary from the company for testing purposes, in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media. All opinions are my own.

Hango – Your Lunch Bag for everywhere. Anytime.
The first lunch bag designed for different situations.

Here are 5 reasons to choose the Hango as your Lunch Bag:
1. It is a set of TWO SIZES for different occasions.

2. It has THE BEST THERMAL INSULATION SYSTEM – your food is kept longer.

3. Zipper made of stainless steel – much more BEAUTIFUL AND DURABLE.

4. High quality material (polyester 300D with high density) and a VERY PRETTY DESIGN.

5. We are the only ones to offer LIFETIME WARRANTY (Order yours now because, literally, THERE IS NO RISK!)

The package includes:
1x Black Lunch Bag (Large) 6L x 6H x 10W (inches)

1x Black Lunch Bag (Small) 5L x 5H x 7.5W (inches)

You can buy it here:

100naturals Prostate Rite: Advanced Prostate Supplement for Healthy Urinary and Prostate Function. Proprietary Formula with 30 Plus Ingredients Including Powerful Natural DHT Blockers Saw Palmetto, Beta-sitosterol, Lycopene, Uva Ursi Extract, Stinging Nettle, and Important Minerals Zinc, Selenium and Copper.

I gave these supplements to my dad for testing purposes. The bottle was completely full and has 90 capsules in each bottle. If you take as directed, each bottle will last you one month.

My dad is a 55 year old male in pretty good health. He took Prostrate Rite as directed for 2 or 3 weeks with no other supplements so he could determine if they were helping him. He reported back that he did not like them and felt like after taking them for a couple weeks he was worse off than he was before.

I immediately told him to discontinue use and to go back using the prostrate supplement he was using before.

I received this product complimentary from the company for testing purposes, in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media. All opinions are my own.

What is a prostrate?
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the penis. The prostate is just in front of the rectum. The urethra runs through the center of the prostate, from the bladder to the penis, letting urine flow out of the body.
The prostate secretes fluid that nourishes and protects sperm. During ejaculation, the prostate squeezes this fluid into the urethra, and it’s expelled with sperm as semen.
The vasa deferentia (singular: vas deferens) bring sperm from the testes to the seminal vesicles. The seminal vesicles contribute fluid to semen during ejaculation.

Product description:
★Proprietary Prostate Supplement Formulation that Contains more than 30 handpicked natural ingredients for their synergistic benefits
★All in one formula including vitamins, mineral and herbal extract that not only support prostate health but also the general well-being.
★ Including Powerful DHT blockers Saw Palmetto, Beta-Sitosterol, Uva Ursi Extract, Stinging Nettle, Pygeum Africanum and that specifically target the root cause of abnormal prostrate function.
★ Proudly make in USA by an FDA registered cGMP certified facility with 100% natural ingredients to ensure the best quality and safety.

Indications
For those who wish to take supplement to support healthy Prostate Function and Urinary Health

Ingredients
Saw Palmetto, Plant Sterol Complex (45% Beta-sitasterol),Selenium, Pygeum Africanum, Red Raspberry, Graviola, Green Tea, Cats Claw, Brocolli, Tomato Powder, Stinging Nettle, Maitake Mushroom, Reishi Mushroom, Shiitake Mushroom, Vitamin E, Vitamin B-6, Zinc, Quercetin Dihydrate, Juniper Berry Powder, Uva Ursi Powder, Buchu Leaf Powder, Glutamic Acid, L-Alanine, L-Glycine, Calcium D-Glucarate, Pumpkin Seed Powder, Burdock Root Powder, Cayenne Pepper Powder, Goldenseal Powder, Gravel Root Powder, Marshmallow Root Powder, and Parsley Leaf Powder.

Directions
3 capsules daily preferably with meals or as directed by a healthcare professional.

You can buy it from amazon here: