Irish T-Shirt Foul Mouth Tshirt (Tomoson)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I reviewed Veritas Aequitas Irish T-Shirt from Foul Mouth T-Shirts in response to a campaign on Tomoson.

Foul Mouth T-Shirts provides crazy, funny, humorous, and adult things on t-shirts. The shirts come in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes.

Some of the other shirts, I liked included:

1. Don't annoy the crazy person
2. I tried being normal, it sucked
3. Daddy knows a lot. Mommy knows everything.  (kids t-shirt)
4. Hello, Im Adorable (kids t-shirt)
5. Diaper loading. Please wait (Kids t-shirt)

I wanted to review the shirt, after I did some research Veritas Aequitas.

What is Veritas Aequitas?

According to Your Dictionary:

"Veritas aequitas is Latin for truth and justice and is a motto that stands for personal honor and truth in actions and justice, regardless of the circumstances."

Origin of Veritas Aequitas (from your dictionary)

Veritas was the goddess of truth and was a daughter of Saturn. In Greece, Veritas was known by the name of Alatheia. She was attributed to the virtue of truthfulness. Every good citizen of the Roman Empire was expected to possess this quality.

Aequitas comes from the ancient Greek culture. It means justice. This is coupled with the fact that to deal out justice, the facts of the situation must be known.

An example of "veritas aequtias" is what someone fighting for freedom and equality might say.
An example of "veritas aequtias" were the words tatooed on the back of the hands of the two featured characters in the movie Boondock Saintswho were acting on a personal mission from God to right the wrongs done to others by the victims of their killing spree.
The shirts was inspired by the movie, The Boondock Saints, (available on Netflix). I went searching for the movie on Amazon, Netflix, and Xfinity. Netflix was the only one, who had the movie for free. I had not seen it before.

Social Media:

Facebook Fan page

MySpace

Twitter

Youtube

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.

The A-Z of C.S. Lewis by Colin Duriez (Litfuse)

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.

I read the A-Z of C.S. LewisThe A-Z of C S Lewis: A Complete Guide to His Life, Thoughts and Writings, in exchange for review from Litfuse.

About the book:

A Complete Guide to His Life, Thoughts and Writings


Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis's death, this complete guide covers all of Lewis' works, from his literary criticism to Narnia.


C. S. Lewis's work is widely known and regarded, but enthusiasts are often only aware of one part of his work-his children's stories and his popular theology; and yet he wrote so much more, including science fiction and literary criticism. This volume brings together all aspects of C S Lewis's life and thought. Arranged in alphabetical order, it begins with The Abolition of Man-written in 1943 and described as "almost my favorite"-to Wormwood, a character in The Screwtape Letters. This book will delight anyone who is interested in C. S. Lewis and wants to learn more about him, his thought, his works, and his life.

About the Author:

Colin Duriez was for many years a commissioning editor at Inter-Varsity Press UK. He has subsequently appeared as a commentator on DVDs of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, and BBC television's The Worlds of Fantasy. He is also the author ofThe Inklings Handbook (with the late David Porter), J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Story of Their Friendship, and Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, and has contributed to definitive reference works relating to Tolkien such as The Tolkien Encyclopedia (Routledge).

My Review:

I wanted to read the book because I love Chronicles of Narnia. I read the entire series over a few days. My mother is also a fan of C.S. Lewis's non-fiction books. She has a whole collection of the non-fiction, plus Narnia and the ScrewTape letters. Some of her books includes Mere Christianity, Words to Live by, A Joyful Christian and a Case for Christianity. She is awaiting me to give her this book because of her collection. 

The A-Z Guide is an encyclopedia of C.S. Lewis's books, thoughts, and writings. The book is in alphabetical order. 

Each entry provides a description of a book or writing or character in a book, etc. Some entries are related to other entries. Some entries have further reading to expand your knowledge. 

For example, I looked up Aslan. In the book, Aslan is: 

• The creator and ultimate sovereign of Naria. 
• Aslan is intended to be a symbol of Christ in Christian teaching. 
• Readers are moved to tears when Aslan dies (yep, I was sad too). 
• See Allegory ("an extended metaphor, or sustained personification. figurative narrative or description, which conveys a hidden meaning.". See also imagination, Aslan, or Allegory of love. 
• Imagination:  hard to define. fantasy is a power and product of imagination (p. 141). 

The book also contains a bibliography of Lewis's work. 

Spiritual Dreams of a Heavenly War Promo Stop (Goddess Fish Promotions)

This is a promo stop for Goddess Fish Promotions for Spiritual Dreams of a Heavenly War. The book was written by Eddie Georgonicas. This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.

BLURB:

Tony’s life has had its challenges and Johnny has always been there for him.

Two young men, inseparable and as close as any two best friends could be.

The Angels have been observing them for a long time. There is a plan in the making and they need their help.

Every rule in Heaven will be broken in order to achieve this ultimate objective. And as a result, two young friends will die well before their intended times in order to help the Angelic intent. Selfish? Maybe, but then again, Heaven gets more than what it bargained for.

And Heaven is in more trouble that it lets on. The boys will come to see this as they go deep into the land of "Fire & Brimstone"They will come to venture where no Angel dare.

Excerpt One:

Charlie Papageorgiou's alarm blared just after five a.m. Never a morning person, he struggled to get used to the early starts. Still half asleep and after an overdue visit to the toilet, Charlie walked outside his room for some fresh desert air.

Off toward the distant east, the sun had started to make its way into the horizon, intruding in on the darkness of the night. The chill from the desert night air was quick to warm to the first signs of the rising sun.

Charlie gazed across the massive dry landscape. Today, the knots in his stomach were a little more bearable than they had been in recent times. Charlie continued to pan his sights beyond the factory where there was nothing much but an uninterrupted flat of desert sand.

Off towards the horizon, the earth's floor and distant sky would seem to meet with a picturesque beauty that would remain blurred, thanks to the shimmering heat reflecting itself back up from the desert floor.
For the briefest of moments, Charlie stopped to watch the typical panoramic landscape with it's out of focus horizon.

"Another hot one," he mumbled to himself. Charlie walked a little path which led out to an open area of the working camp. From there, he could stretch out while gaining a much clearer panoramic view of the campsite. The morning ritual would normally help him get motivated for the day ahead, but in recent times, this was becoming increasingly difficult.

Directly in front of him but still a little distance away, were all the portable working offices. These
transportable buildings sat in the middle of nowhere, safely located well away from anything else in the plant. There were close to fifty storage offices, some big and some small, but all clumped together like an army barracks facility.

Access from these offices to the production facility was best done by bicycle or motorized vehicle, both of which were readily available. Charlie turned to look directly back at his room. The camp's sleeping quarters were nothing more than a small bathroom, single bedroom and a radio and study desk for company.

Charlie staggered back into his room. Last night's sleep had not been good to him. The bland furnishings and the confinement of a work camp bedroom had begun to take their toll on Charlie's morale.

He walked towards his room and stopped. There he stood in the doorway. He sighed heavily as he looked at his orange overalls. They were scrunched up and piled into one corner of the study desk, having been tossed there from the night before. Most employees came and went as per their two-week rotations. These employees were paid well for their troubles.

However, Charlie had been motivated by the money and was being paid extreme amounts to live onsite at the production plant. Only a select few worked permanently on the production site. Running late, Charlie dragged himself into the shower. It would have to be brief if he also wanted to visit the canteen for a quick breakfast before starting work.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Eddie Georgonicas was born in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, where he still lives with his wife and two daughters. His passion for writing started probably a little later than most but when it came, the story needed to be told.

With keen interests in the Paranormal, After-life, Spiritual, Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction genres, he hopes to entertain audiences for years to come.

The launch of SPIRITUAL DREAMS OF A HEAVENLY WAR is part of the trilogy "ANARCHY OF ANGELS".



He wishes you a safe journey as you join two young friends as they venture deep into the land of Hades.
www.eddiegeorgonicas.com

AMAZON:

Spiritual Dreams of a Heavenly War (Anarchy of Angels)

Pic Gif Review Pearl Mountain Technology (Tomoson)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. 

I reviewed PicGif, in exchange for honest review from Tomoson. I received a code for redemption in the App Store.

The app allows people to create animated GIFS from photos and videos on Mac OS X.

I used the program to create a few GIFS.

The process was easy. You upload your videos or pictures into the program.

For videos, the program takes the video and splits it into frames. You can remove frames you don't like. You also can add in photos, text, and music.

Next,  you can change the frame speed, add in a background color, and choose the size and layout of the GIF (portrait and landscape).

Finally, you can share your videos via email or iMessage.

The App is currently on sale for  4.99 in the App Store.

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.

Soulphisticated Ladies Book Review (Tomoson)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. I received a code for the e-book on Smashwords. This post contains Smashwords and Amazon Affiliate Links. The books also contain adult content. 




I read Soulphisticated Ladies, Episodes 1 to 4,  in exchange for honest review from Jaha Knight. The collection provides the first four books in the series.The book is also available on Amazon. Soulphisticated Ladies Season 1 (Episodes 1-4)

About the books: (from Tomoson)

Episode 1: (currently free on Smashwords)

Four Successful Women Are Struggling With the Weighty Issues of Life - Men, Love, Money & Power. Life Has Never Been More Real. In this high octane serial drama: Selah, Moria, Gennifer and Vashti are lifelong friends. But when dirty little secrets and unexpected rivalries threaten their tumultuous relationships everything they thought was real is questioned. Bonds are broken and the loyalty that was once there is gone. Will their problems overwhelm them or will they take control of their lives and start leading with their souls?

Soulphisticated Ladies: Episode 1 (Season 1) (Book is free on Amazon as well .)

Episode 2

What happens when a man can't run far enough from his past? Things become complicated...
Soulphisticated Ladies Thorne; Episode 2 (Season 1) is the flashback episode, charting the backstory of Selah, Gabriel and Thorne. Faced with some hard choices, Selah is doing the best she can to secure her future. There's something she wants and someone who's just got to have her. Tensions brew until they explode. Check out this episode of Soulphisticated Ladies, you won't want to miss it!

Episode 3

Drama is brewing with the ladies of Broad Wall. Questions are answered, secrets are revealed and someone may lose it all. What will happen with the ladies and the men they love? Who will reveal a shocking secret?

Episode 4

Fear & Anger are Powerful Motivators. How would it make you react?
Selah, Gennifer, Vashti and Moria are dealing with the most outrageous turn of events. Their lives have been turned upside down. Someone is puppeteering things in Broad Wall and the ladies are all entraped in their snare. What will happen at the end of this season of Soulphisticated Ladies?

You can buy each book separately or the boxed collection on Smashwords. The book(s) are visible if the adult filter is turned off.

My Review

The book started out with Jacinta (also known as Cin), who owned a strip club and works for an ad agency, working on a business deal. The first few lines, set the scene in a strip club. The book then moves into Jacinta's, co-worker Selah,  finding out Cin may be pitching her ideas at the business meeting.  Moria has the perfect marriage, so it seems. 

I liked the book. I had to read through some scenes quickly because of the sexual content. The stories was good and flowed from one chapter to the next. Part of Episode 1 was harder to read than the sex scenes (When Selah comes home from a spa day and her husband, Thorne, makes me see lots of red). Also, the end of chapter 7 was a powerful scene. I read the books within a few hours. great read. In the collection, the books flow continuously. 

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.

Save the Children Campaign (Social Good Moms Global Team of 200)

I am writing this post as a member of Social Good Moms Save the Children Campaign. I am part of the global team of 200. Social Good provided the report. I created the other content.

Why Newborn Health is Important to Me?

November 9, 2000: My oldest son was born. I had no issues with labor and delivery since I was induced. I was still groggy and partially blind (since I was not wearing my glasses) when I was brought into my room for the next two days. Within minutes (it felt like minutes), my mother calls me and says my grandma had died. She didn’t say when, so I thought for years, my son was born and my grandma died on the same day. When in reality, my grandma died the day before.

Within minutes after my mother called, my ex walked into the room and said Brad almost died on the table. Since he was born late, he had some of the placenta and other yucky stuff caught in his throat. He survived. When they brought my baby into the room, my glasses were still not on. I thought they brought me the wrong baby. Brad had jaundice and was white as snow. Brad was also small. 5 lbs 15 oz. very tiny. Even the premmie clothes did not fit him. We had to pack his car seat with extra blankets and pillows to support his frame.

Later on, he was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. I had a good job and he received prenatal care throughout the entire pregnancy.  Even though my former husband and I was working, we made too much money to get basic services. We was middle class broke. My insurance only paid for 1 session of speech and nothing else. They did not cover the services needed to get him treatment. Brad did not get services until he was five or six years old.

Fast forward to 2011. I found out I was pregnant again. I applied for Medicaid and it took 3 months to get approval. My youngest did not get prenatal care until the very end. I was calling for emergency Medicaid since I was over 30 and I already had one child with special needs. I had read reports that Kalen would have a high risk of having Autism because his brother has it.

Kalen was a healthy baby. He was born with 12 fingers. He also had a strange birthmark, around his heart. Looked like a black hole, with splatters surrounding it.  Kalen was also underweight until he turned two years old. He has a high risk of being short.

Kalen was diagnosed last year with a global developmental disorder. He was delayed in walking, talking, and fine motor skills. He also has an undetermined heart condition.

By this time, both kids have Medicaid. I found out about early intervention for Kalen a few months before he turned one. I was going to make sure WIC enrolled him in their early intervention program. He is currently receiving early childhood intervention. He also received physical therapy, but he graduated at 29 months, because he started walking. When Kalen turns 3, he can start preschool for developmental disabilities.

Both of my kids plus two miscarriages are why newborn health is important to me. I support prenatal care and early intervention efforts.

Save the Children Campaign

Social Good Moms (Global Team of 200) is raising awareness about newborn health.  Save the Children works in over 120 countries. According to a recent report, available on the website:

• 2 million newborn babies could be saved each year if we ended preventable newborn mortality.
• 1 million babies, who did not survive their first day in 2012.
• 2.9 million babies, who died within 28 days of birth in 2012. The number is four times higher in Africa than in Europe.
• 6.6 million children died from preventable causes before their 6th birthday in 2012. 18,000 children died daily.
• 1.2 million stillbirths in 2012.

The number of children, who died before age 5 has decreased since 1990, plenty of work needs to be done to prevent additional deaths. Some ideas include:

• Immunization
• Family Planning
• Treatment of illness
• An increase on ob/gyns, midwives, and other medical personnel. 
• Medical care for families, who can not afford to pay out of pocket.

Please check out Save The  Children’s website. If possible, please make a donation to the charity. You also can sponsor a child. Finally, you can volunteer and/or advocate for our children.

Stacie D. Wyatt

Clout by Jenni Catron Book Review (Book Sneeze)

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.

I read Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence, in exchange for honest review from Book Look Bloggers, formerly BookSneeze. . The book was written by Jenni Catron and published by Thomas Nelson.



When I first saw the title, I thought of the website, Klout, which measures your social influence. The book, Clout, measures your God-given influence.  In the introduction, Cantron said:

"Clout is the influence that God has given you and to no one else. You are specifically designed to impact the world in a way that no one else can. Discovering your clout is an essential part of unleashing your purpose."

Catron also said everyone has their own range of influence. Some people are here to influence the world, while others may just influence a small group of friends. She also said our clout has to be developed. Undeveloped clout or misdirected clout can cause mayhem.

The first part of the book focuses on the Clout Killers, while the second half focuses on the Clout Cultivators. One of the clout killers included:

• Fear: (one of my biggest ones). Catron discussed 3 levels of fear, which I deal with daily. You can fear the regular, legitimate fears, such as fear of aging.  You can have internal fears such as fear of rejection or public speaking. Finally, you 8can fear not being enough and you simply can't handle it (whatever it is) anymore. 

On a smaller note, I feared running out of diapers, wipes, and pull-ups because this meant I had to borrow money from people, which I hate doing. So, I started buying more each month so I won't run out and I don't have to ask people for money.  I fear not being able to handle my kids, especially my oldest. He is getting bigger and stronger and I fear I may not can control him, once he gets older. I fear failing. I hate to fail, especially at something I feel passionate about. Fear can have us turning back, like Lot's wife, turning into a pillar of salt, frozen into place. 

Other Clout Killers include:

• Insecurity (fear of not measuring up to other people). Comparison can make you feel inferior or superior to others (p. 21). Comparison can also lead to other sins, such as pride, greed, selfishness, envy, jealousy, and insecurity (p. 21).
• Relinquishing Control (another big one of mine)
• Pride

For me, I struggle with finding what my purpose is. The book does have discovery steps or questions/ideas  for reflection at the end of each chapter. For example, one of the questions in Chapter 2 is "for one day, write down every time you are tempted to compare yourself to others. Keep a detailed journal of the people who you compare yourself too and why?

On the other hand, some of the Clout Cultivators are:

• Discovering your identity
• Determining your passion
• Defining your mission
• Developing your confidence

Some of the tips to cultivate your clout include:

• Don't compare yourself to others. Don't be impressed with yourself (p. 116).
• Use your mistakes to help others not make the same ones. Use the mistakes to improve your future (p. 116)
• Re-arrange lives to hear from God (136)
• Be willing to confront issues, which hold you back (125)

The book is available on Amazon in hardback and kindle editions. The book is prime-eligible. 

Warm Your Home Event and Giveaway (One Little Mister Blog Promotion)

Welcome to the Warm Your Home event Giveaway!

Hosted by One Little Mister

Sponsored by:

• Artfully Walls
• SCKM
• Simple American Style
• Kizmos
• Cariloha

Create a warm, inviting space in your home with help from these awesome companies.

Enter via the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: One Little Mister and participating blogs are not responsible for prize fulfillment. One Little Mister received free products in exchange for their honest review.

Recreatable Book Review (Kregel Blog Tours)

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.

I read ReCreatable in exchange for honest review from Kregel Blog Tours.  The book was written by Kevin Scott. I wanted to read the book, based on the subtitle: When God heals the brokenness of life.

The book teaches us, while we are all broken, we can be recreated to give God the glory and praise. Only God can heal our brokenness. Sometimes, we go to other things to heal and fill voids, such as drinking, sex, drugs, food. Yet, we still feel empty and broken inside.

Video Review

The book can be used for small group discussion. At the end of each chapter, there are questions for reflection. At the back of the book, Scott provides questions for small group discussion. 

D-Nine by Magus Tor Book Review (Tomoson)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I read D-Nine in exchange for honest review from Tomoson. The book was written by Magnus Tor. The book is currently free on Smashwords.

About the book: 

What if you wake up one day and found out that you are of the opposite gender?

James is suffering from bouts of headache and the latest one gives him an experience of a life-time. He gets to become a girl but it comes with a price, his or rather her life is in constant danger as assassins hunt after her. He needs to find out who is behind this before his and her life becomes forfeited. In the midst of adventure he also needs to face with another difficult situation, love from another guy. Will he survives the conspiracy or death is a welcome solution to his forbidden love.

My Review:

The book was a good read. I wanted to review the book because the description sounded interesting. The book starts out with James having a headache and he pops a few choice pills to relieve the pain. When he awakes, he is in the hospital and bouncing back and forth in a dream state, where he is the royal highness. James is clueless to what's going on. He is in a new time with a new name and chambermaids. 

James is also changed into Princess Sarabeth. James/Sarabeth's life is in danger and he/she has to leave the kingdom quickly for protection. No one wont tell him what's going on because they think her memories will return, but James only remembers his former life as a Dr.. Then James moves back into the real word and then back into fantasy land. This provides a synopsis into the first 20 or so pages. 

I was hooked. In one world, the main character is a male physician and in another, a princess, surrounded by danger because she is next in line to ascend the throne. 

Check out the book on Smashwords

Stacie

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.

Missy Mila Volume 2: Twisted Tales Review and Giveaway (Tomoson)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I reviewed Missy Mila Volume 2: Twisted Tales, in response to a campaign on Tomoson, sponsored by Organa. Mila is a 8 year old girl, living in France, who loves to tell stories. I wanted to review the collection for my kids and great-niece. The brats need good family-oriented movies to watch, instead of the usual Sponge Bob or Jake and the Neverland Pirates or Dora. Love them but Stacie needs a break sometimes :-)

Video Review

I loved Toadette the Frog and Prince Gabo the most.

Toddler Reactions

My son and great-niece watching the movie.

The movie is 12.50 on Organa.com




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.

Bridges of Creativity by Suzy Liebermann Book Review (Tomoson)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links. 


I read BRIDGES OF CREATIVITY - THE ISLAND OF CREATIVITY (HUGO THE HAPPY STARFISH - Island Adventures 5: Educational Children's Book Collection), in exchange for honest review from Tomoson.

The book was written by Suzy Liebermann and published by Happy Language Kids.

The book is about Hugo the Happy Starfish, who arrives at the Island of Creativity. To enter the island, he must use his imagination and creativity.

The book teaches kids about imagination and creativity. The book also teaches kids to be original and not copy others.

My kids love Liebermann's books because they are short. Great for their attention span. The book took me less than 5 minutes to read.





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.

Target Busy Family Campaign (Platefull Co-Op)

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op.:
I received a Target Busy Family Pack from Platefull Co-op.

The packaged contained the following:

• 1 pouch Nature Valley® Protein Granola 
• 1 box Nature Valley® Granola Bars 
• 1 box Honey Nut Cheerios® Medley Crunch™ cereal 
• 1 box Trix® cereal 
• 1 package Quaker® Oats 
• 1 jar Jif® peanut butter 
• 1 package Nutella® mini cups 
• 1 pouch Grandma Hoerner’s® Big Slice™ apples snack

The mission was to re-invent breakfast. One of the first things I did was to create a simple breakfast of nutella and granola mix. I simply mixed the nutella, peanut butter, and granola mix in a bowl together. For another twist, I dipped the granola bars in the nutella and ate the bars for breakfast.

The kids gravitated towards the Trix and Cheerios. The boxes of cereal was gone within two days. The nutella and peanut butter was gone was well.

Next, I mixed the apples with the granola for another treat. My youngest really loved the granola to the point where he poured out the rest all over the floor. yay me.

Finally, my nephew ate the oatmeal plain. 

 

Paddy O Sheas Golf Card Game Review and Giveaway (Tomoson)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I reviewed Paddy O'Shea's Golf Card Game, in response to a campaign on Tomoson.

About the Game:

Paddy O'Shea's Golf Card Game is a new game for families. 2-6 players, ages 10 and up. The game has 9 rounds. The object of the game is to have the lowest score after 9 rounds. Each face card is worth 10 points, Ace is worth 1 point. The rest of the cards is worth card value. The game also throws in a few jokers, 0 value cards, and negative cards.

The game comes with 114 cards: including jokers, wild cards, mulligans (0 value), face cards, and the number cards. The game also comes with score sheets and instructions.

I played a 2 player game with my niece. We had two distractions stealing the cards from us. We had fun learning the rules and attempting to play the game.

How to play the game

Each player receives 9 cards, face down. The players arrange their cards in a 3 X 3 arrangement/grid, similar to sudoku. The rest of the cards are placed face down in the draw pile.

Each player turns over two cards. During each round, players can pick from the discard pile or the draw pile to replace either a face-down or face-up card. You can not look at your face down cards until it is replaced with a discard or draw card.

If a player does not like his or her card picked from the piles, they do not have to use it.

The round ends when all the cards are face-up.

Note: The face-up cards remain face-up until the round is over. My niece did not follow instructions :-). She also tried to cheat by looking at the face-down cards to determine value.

The rules are outlined in the instructions, including my favorite: it is not legal to look at a face-down card before deciding to swap the drawn card. If the game was monopoly, I would have sent my niece to jail.

The game is 9.95 plus shipping and handling.

Giveaway

Entry-Form

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.

The funeral update: Taking Special needs kids to a funeral

The funeral update: I dreaded taking both boys to a funeral. Kalen had never been to one, while I think Brad had went to one. Taking SPED kids to a funeral went better than expected. Kalen slept the whole time, while Brad played on his Nabi.

 

The funeral was packed. The directors placed the Williams family in a small room. By the time we got there, the placed was packed. Not all of the greats or my great aunt’s children and grands arrived, but it was packed. 

I created the funeral programs and a special photograph, using Canva for relatives. I was told to print out 25 programs. I went through 2 black cartridges and 2 color cartridges, plus a pack of folded cardstock and we still did not have enough. I have a backlog of relatives, who want funeral programs, once I buy some more ink next month. 

I had to sit on the front row out of necessity because the aisles was too narrow for a stroller. Brad sat behind me. I turned down the volume on his tablet. After the funeral, my niece had told me some relatives complained Brad was playing games and watching videos, but I am sure they do not want to do have to deal with a full-blown meltdown. The kids did a lot better than expected. No crying. No meltdowns. Nothing.

I had Googled Funeral social stories, but couldn’t find too many. I also asked other parents and teachers. Some folks recommended I leave the kids at home, but that was not an option. Brad’s teacher at church recommended bringing the tablets plus a set of headsets. I don’t have the bigger sets; the church uses and Brad don’t like my smaller ones. I just decided to leave the volume low and leave him be. It worked. He was quiet. I did look behind me plenty of times to make sure he was ok.

Kalen did not wake up until we arrived at the cemetery. He walked around and tried to push his stroller.