Waypoint Goods Travel Scarf Review and Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I received complimentary product from Waypoint Goods in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. 

I love to travel, but sadly I don't get to very often because living on a farm means having many responsibilities: tending animals, planting, gardening, harvesting, and keeping up the home and grounds. However, I still get to occasionally go to: hike, waterfall spot, bird watch, rockhound, mudlark, beachcomb, star gaze, and just explore nature. I also love to go to different fairs, festivals, carnivals, conventions, concerts, theatrical performances, antique shops, bazaars, flea markets, farmers' markets, open air markets, food carts, museums, and art galleries as well.

 

I am wearing the Jasmine & Jain travel scarf from Waypoint Goods.

When I do go places, I like the convenience of having my hands free to be able to do things and not to worry about my stuff being stolen. Caitlin Blythe, the owner and founder of Waypoint Goods, made the perfect travel fashion accessory to do just that and more! Besides being fashionable, this infinity scarf has a handy, inconspicuous, and unseen zipper pocket that has room enough for an iPhone+ or similar sized cell phone, passport, wallet, keys, some cash, ID, credit cards, boarding passes, facemask, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, and/or other small essentials. This means you can keep your belongings safe and secure without having to take a bulky purse or backpack with you at all times. No more worrying about pickpockets while you are taking in the culture, food, art, sights, and sounds of your next adventure because the hidden pocket blends into the wide folds of the scarf eliminating the outline of your secure essentials. Just place the pocket loop closest to your body and use the other loop to drape over the top and hide the pocket and contents.

I received a Waypoint Goods Travel Scarf from the Featured Artist Series and called Jasmine & Jain. It is one of the lightweight scarves made from all natural bamboo and cotton. This pattern was made by two women, Alison Abbott and Jane, and was inspired by the flower market in Jaipur, India and the local people there, wearing colorful geometric patterns. Marigolds, rose petals and the scent of jasmine made the painted and layered canvas spring to life. The scarf's pattern is a result of an adaption of the full canvas. I love this gorgeous scarf! The oranges, reds and purples with the layered pattern are so rich and beautiful. You can read more about the art process, here. 1% of sales of the Jasmine & Jain scarf will be donated to the nonprofit organization, CharityWater.org.

I love that the Waypoint Goods scarves are made of quality fabric and notions that is sewn well. The fabric is soft, yet durable and is meticulously stitched with a lined pocket that has an invisible zipper. The pocket is lined in Waypoint Goods patterned fabric that complements the outer fabric and is lighter in color so you can find your stuff fast.

There are two different categories of travel scarf depending upon length and fabric choice and each have 5 lovely designs per category. One category is the lightweight bamboo and cotton travel scarf which is long and narrow and great for warmer weather and petite travelers. The lightweight scarves are 18" wide by 34" long and made of  eco-friendly 70% bamboo and 30% cotton. The other category is the original travel scarf which is wide and short and is best for cooler weather and wrapping up. The original is 22" wide by 32" long and is made of buttery soft 100% polyester.

I love how versatile this travel infinity scarf is, that you can pretty much wear it anywhere, and it is easy to clean. It can be used as a scarf, shawl, blanket and worn several different ways. You can take it with you on an airplane, train, bus, boat, etc. It is great to have at crowded tourist areas, stadiums, museums, concerts, festivals, date night, out walking the dog, etc. If you don't have other pockets in your dress, jeans or jacket, this scarf is the key to that problem! Washing instructions are pretty straight forward: hand wash cold with mild detergent and lay flat to dry. If you cannot wash the recommended way you can instead machine wash on delicate cycle after placing in a garment bag and then lay flat to dry.

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Any of the Waypoint Travel Scarves would be perfect for gift giving! They are a unique and functional gift that is just as great for travel as everyday life. Great for giving at graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, or any of those special days or moments that come up. The Waypoint Goods Travel scarf comes gift ready with sleek packaging and the same attention to detail and design inspiration as the scarf itself. Sign up for their newsletter and get 10% off your first order!

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Wordless Wednesday Mother Zari Zoo Visit

Zari and I had a Mother Daughter Date at the Portland Oregon Zoo on May 18, 2018.

Here are some of the neat animals we saw.

Here is some of the awesome scenery we saw.

It was super fun!

Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA Exhibit at The Portland Art Museum is Not to Be Missed!

Since October 14th of last year The Portland Art Museum has been showcasing the awe inspiring art of stop-motion animation in their Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit. This exhibit will close on the 20th of May and, in my opinion, should not be missed.

LAIKA Studios is an animation studio that has become a local fixture of Portland Oregon since 2005. They are not just any animation studio, however. They use stop-motion animation, a technique where the animator has to physically manipulate the object so it appears to move on its own. You might have seen one of their 4 award-winning films: Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The BoxTrolls (2014), or Kubo and the Two Strings (2016). Just by watching you don't feel of the real scope of these movies, but the characters are brought to life by animators painstakingly moving them 24 times for every second of screen time. The Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit gives you an up close and first hand look at the meticulous artistry that goes into each one of their films. Visitors to this exhibit are immersed in LAIKA's wonderful imaginative world. Museum-goers get to explore production design, sets, props, puppets, costumes, and world-building that have become the studio’s hallmarks.

Here is a sneak peek at what is in store for you if you go...


My son, Jaedan, and I went to the Portland Art Museum on April 27th. We started the day out at Voodoo Doughnut. I had a Mango Tango and my son had an Apple Fritter. Then we went out to lunch at some of the food trucks in the Pearl District. Jaedan had seafood curry noodles and I had a Gyro. We just couldn't visit Portland and not partake in these delectable treats. Going to Voodoo Doughnut and eating from food carts is part of the experience of the of the City of Roses.

Eating Voodoo Doughnuts and Food Cart Food are a must while in Portland.

After our meals we headed towards the Portland Art Museum (PAM). As we had never been there before we tried to partake of what all the museum had to offer before diving into the LAIKA exhibit. We looked around first at the art that was part of the permanent and private collections. Of the Museum’s collection of 42,000 objects, we saw only a representative few, of which my favorites were: Isa Genzken's Two Orchids, Claude Monet Nymphéas (Waterlilies), Nude in Sunlit Wood by Childe Hassam, Joseph M. Raphael's Cottage Garden, Uccle, Belgium; Gabriele Münter's In The Village Chamonix, Frank Stella's Newell's Hawaiian Shearwater (Exotic Bird), Sonya Clark's Penny Loafers, and Dale Chihuly's L'arbre rouge.

Just some of the lovely art we saw at the PAM.

Then we headed to the exhibit we had been anticipating all day. When you go through the doors to the Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit you are automatically drawn to a towering skeleton puppet looming over the room. This was used for the film Kubo and the Two Strings. This piece is over 18 feet tall and the largest stop-motion puppet ever made. It is jaw dropping with its impressive lighting and glowing eyes to make it look even more menacing. It was fun to learn that LAIKA's studio is too small to house this giant beast all put together and they had to film it in two pieces: legs and torso, for Kubo. For this exhibit it is the first time this puppet has been in one piece.

Skeleton puppet used in Kubo and the Two Strings.

Beside this massive creature you can see the puppets of Beetle, Monkey, Kubo, and the Origami Samurai Warrior for reference of size. On the far wall you can see the "Wall of Faces", which features the rapid-prototype face replacement 3-D printing that LAIKA won a scientific and engineering Oscar in 2016 for. This technology, used first in ParaNorman, is astounding to me because each tiny expression and movement of the face is captured in individual faces that LAIKA snaps off and on the puppets to make them seem far more lifelike than other stop-motion animations.

Jaedan looking at Coraline's "Other World" House.

Next we migrated to a room with Coraline's "Other World" House in it. We saw first hand how LAIKA animators could go behind it so they could manipulate the puppets. This was a piece of the actual set! It was like a large doll house and it was intricately designed...all the way down to tiny plants hanging from the porch and lights that actually glow. The attention to detail is mind-boggling!

Back into the skeleton room and through a corridor of Asian art we come to the main LAIKA exhibit. Before you enter it warns, "This exhibition contains a zoetrope that produces a strobing effect and may trigger visitors with photosensitivity or epilepsy. Staff are happy to direct you to another entrance or answer questions." The room has a darker ambience and there is so much to take in and see. We saw many LAIKA artifacts, including: original sketches, small models called maquettes, puppets, sets, costumes, rigging, storyboards, etc.

Some of the LAIKA sets we saw at the exhibit.

The sets are amazing! As you go in you can see the set of Kubo's childhood home to the left with Beetle and Monkey inside. We saw some of the sets for The BoxTrolls: one scene of the verminator puppets chasing down Eggs and some BoxTrolls in the hill top town of Cheesebridge, Norvenia and another set of the ballroom dance scene. Coraline's Garden set took up almost a whole room by itself and when seen from above you can clearly see Coraline's face in the garden itself. There were also some neat sets from ParaNorman.

Jaedan looking at the Kubo and the Two Strings Giant Eye Monster.

There are also things you can touch and manipulate too! Inside there is a 11 foot Giant Eye Monster from Kubo and the Two Strings that you could go behind to see the robotic framework and then move with the same bowling ball trackball interface that they used to create the underwater scene in Kubo. We also got to manipulate the ocean waves in Kubo which were made out of paper and seemed to topple over each other like a string of dominoes.

Everything had remarkable detail. There are so many teeny-tiny handstitched outfits and props to go with the sets and puppets. These must have taken them so much time and effort to make! All of it is just so intricate and ornate and ultimately makes the films feel even more lifelike.

Snapped a photo of the Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit banner as we left.

I wish we could have taken more time to explore the Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA exhibit. We enjoyed it all so very much! We had a fabulous time visiting the Portland Art Museum and hope that LAIKA decides to come back there again at some point. I highly recommend to go see the LAIKA exhibit if you can. The last day is the 20th of May!

This exhibit is organized by the Portland Art Museum and the Northwest Film Center in collaboration with LAIKA.

Follow LAIKA on Social Media:

• Website: https://www.laika.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laikastudios
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/laikastudios
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnyjFhOn23xjsqOUW4j6OQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laikastudios
  

Follow Portland Art Museum on Social Media:

• Website: https://portlandartmuseum.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portlandartmuseum
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PDXArtMuseum
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PortlandArtMuseum
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/portlandartmuseum

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for doing this review.

Edushape Travel Brix Review

I received this product free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Travel Brix is a great travel set of 32 building blocks that interlock together with little plastic nubs. This set also comes with a board so that your child has a flat nubby surface to attach their creations to while on-the-go. These are easily washable and grip-able. You can easily store all the pieces in the box they come in. This box also comes with a handle to easily carry the pieces with you. You can take this set on: planes, trains, and automobiles. It can go with your child to the park, playground, Grandma's house or at home! Great for encouraging: creative thinking, hand-eye coordination, tactile sensory development, visual sensory development, socialization, fine motor skills, and logic & reasoning. Perfect for both boys and girls. Great for little architects, engineers, tinkers, and artists! Recommended for ages 3 and up because of some small pieces and possible choking hazard.

Edushape manufactures quality children's toys and products that promote developmental learning through play. These toys and products help build Gross Motor, Language, Musical, Social & Emotional, Fine Motor skills and much more. Their main focus is for children ages Birth to 5 years old.

What Is Included In the Travel Brix set:

• 32 Pieces: These are great for open-ended play just about anywhere. They are made from sturdy, soft, and flexible plastic. They come in bright colors of yellow, green, blue, pink, purple, and orange. These colors and details of individual pieces may vary from the illustrations.
• 1 Travel Board: Use this to assemble creations to so they won't topple. This is 6"x8" or 15x20cm. Additional boards may be purchased separately.
• 1 Booklet: This shows 9 pictures of things your child can build with the Travel Brix.
• 1 Box: Sturdy cardboard box opens up to store all the pieces in. Closes securely and has a handle for easy travel.

Teela and Zari playing with the Edushape Travel Brix.

What We Thought:
The Edushape Travel Brix set is wonderful to take on trips. We love how fast it packs up to bring wherever. The box was the perfect thing to bring them in and had extra room for more bricks too if needed.

The pieces come in a lot of different shapes, sizes, and colors. There is even some that let the blocks attached to them turn around and around. My girls made the wind mill from the picture and it really turned which was cool. There aren't just square or rectangular bricks either. My kids made the cat from the picture and it has triangle ears. Some had more surface area than others which made building a little more challenging because of how and where they interlock together. We also loved the bright colors the bricks came in.

We liked how simple these were to put together. The pieces are safe and don't poke you while playing with them. My daughters didn't get frustrated at all by building their own things. I did wish that the little booklet of design ideas, which only had pictures of finished creations, had instead step-by-step instructions of builds. The flower proved to be difficult just by looking at the picture to put together, even for me and so I made up my own. Also, since the colors of the pieces in the booklet didn't match the ones we had it proved a bit confusing for my youngest who is 6 to put together the builds from the pictures. We also found that if you stack the pieces too high or if they are top heavy, they still topple even if attached to the board. My daughters still had a lot of fun building things of their own design though with this set.

We highly recommend the Edushape Travel Brix for ages 3 and older. I like that they are easily cleaned which is a plus and that they are a fun toy to take traveling. These are also well made. I see them lasting a long time.

BUY IT
You can purchase this from Amazon.



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links can be found in this post. Thank you for your support of this blog!

The BeLOVED Life Travel Pillow Review and Giveaway

The BeLOVED Life™ by Mimi Tin is a great little online store that has travel pillows. These are great to take with you on-the-go! With seven designs you can pick from these have uplifting, encouraging messages of God's love. The fun appliquéd pictures are happy and bright. These pillows are plush, soft, and comfortable. They have an adjustable shoulder strap that comes with them to clip on to the loops of the pillow. This strap has a holder that you can place a cell/mobile phone, crayons or other small items in. The pillows have a pocket on the back to put the strap in when not in use or to hold a small stuffed animal, books, etc. Handmade Plush cover has zipper on the bottom and a soft poly insert. The pillow is size 16" x 16. Surface wash recommended. Comes with a bookmark hang tag with the verse and a short explanation, along with a "Shine" plush clip to share with a friend.

The BeLOVED Life PRINCESS Pillow

What We Thought:
We received The BeLOVED Life PRINCESS Plush Cushion Travel Pillow for Kids. This pillow is purple with a silver and white princess crown with a heart on one side and a Bible verse on the other that says, "I am WONDERFULLY MADE Psalm 139:14". I got this for my daughter Zari who is 6 years old because she loves the color purple.

Zari and her new travel pillow.

Zari immediately loved the pillow. She adored how cuddly it was and that she could put things into the pouch on the pillow. She also, of course, loved the color and the crown.

I thought The BeLOVED Life Travel Pillow was neat too. I love the inspirational Bible based message. It reminds me of how we are all Children of God and everything God created is exceptional and phenomenal. His masterpiece is you. The adjustable strap with shoulder pad is also cool because you can carry the pillow easily with it and it has a phone/small items holder. I now wish I had one of these too!

I highly recommend The BeLOVED Life Travel Pillow. These are perfect for kids, tweens, teens, and adults on-the-go! They would be great for taking to camps, field trips, sleepovers, play dates, long car/plane/train rides, Grandparent's house, etc. The messages on the pillows make everyone feel wonderful about themselves.
  
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You can purchase a kids Plush Travel Bible Verse Pillow from The BeLOVED Life™ for $34.99.

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Host: The BeLOVED Life™ and FrontGate Media.
Who Can Enter: Open to US Residents 18 years or older.

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

The Okee Dokee Brothers Saddle Up: A Western Adventure Album Review and Giveaway

We received this product free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this post. Thank you for supporting this blog.

The Okee Dokee Brothers, Justin Lansing and Joe Mailander, are wonderful outdoors men and Americana folk musicians. The duo are at it again with a new album and adventure. This new album is called Saddle Up: A Western Adventure and it is their third Adventure Album. This album, just like their first (Can You Canoe?: A Mississippi River Adventure) and their second (Through The Woods: An Appalachian Adventure) albums, has a DVD along with the CD that shares footage of their journey in the part of the USA they are trekking in and a field journal, liner notes from journals they kept.

In this album The Okee Dokee Brothers spent a month horseback riding, camping, exploring, filming, and making music (This whole CD and DVD!) on location along the Continental Divide. They met some neat people along the way that shared their stories and music with them while they took a small breather from exploring the outdoors and creating their own songs. This album is a wonderful compilation of 15 original tracks from The Okee Dokee Brothers with songs that feature some guest artists. This album features an array of instruments such as: banjo, guitar (electric, acoustic, & baritone), drums, wheelbarrow, washboard, whistling, coconuts, cardboard box, bottles, tin can, udu, rusted steel drum, trombone, electric bass, jawharp, hoots, hollers, autoharp, percussion, dobro, steel guitar, accordion, Navajo vocals and chants, harmonica, fiddle, upright bass, piano, Wurlitzer, organ, Nord keyboard, pedal steel, and vibes.

The Okee Dokee Brothers make riding horses look good :)

See the Trailer for the Saddle Up DVD here...



Track Listing on the CD:

1. Saddle Up: The title track to this CD, this song has a lot of country heart.
2. Don't Fence Me In: Upbeat song about riding in the wide open country.
3. Cow Cow Yippee: This is a funny song about being a cowboy with the cows.
4. The Great Divide: A nice song about the the Continental Divide.
5. Jackalope (with Jim Campilongo): A very silly song about a creature that might, or might not be imaginary. This song has a ballad feel to it.
6. One Horsepower: Song about trading your caddy and truck for driving cattle on a horse.
7. The Legend of Tall Talkin' Sam (with Rosie Newton): Song about a girl named Sam that likes to tell tall tails.
8. Hard Road To Travel: A very truthful song about life and that sometimes you just have to buck-up. I love the instraments in this one.
9. Shootin' Star (with Cindy Cashdollar): A song about Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, & Calamity Jane and how even the sharp shooters put down their guns and bullets for a good song and strumming the guitar.
10. Sister Moon and Brother Sun (with The Benally Family): A beautiful song with American Indian chants and the story about how the woods were made, rivers were forged, mountains were formed, days were split by the nights. I love this song so much and it is one of my favorites on the CD.
11. Good Old Times: I love the fiddle in this one...a song about reminiscing about good times in the past.
12. Lead A Horse To Water (with John Sebastian): This song has some great harmonica. It is about the spirit of the horse.
13. Somos Amigos (con Carlos Medina): This is a great upbeat song that is great to dance to. It has some Spanish and is about being friends no matter how different you are. Has some great accordion and Mexican sounding beats.
14. The Grass Is Always Greener: I love this song to dance to as well. It is upbeat and has some great fiddle and other instruments. This is a song about wishin' about stuff, but realizing that you still have it good right where you are.
15. Last Lullaby: A soft lullaby lulling a little buckaroo to sleep with a great thought to go with it. This is a great sleepy song for getting your little cowpoke to bed.

With their beards, flannel shirts, overalls and instruments The Okee Dokee Brothers are sure fun to watch perform on stage as well. You can see when their next show is here.

Like all the Adventure Albums before, this one does not disappoint! It is great to take with you to listen to on a family road trip, around a campfire or even while hiking. It is a wonderful reminder to get outside to experience and explore nature with your family and friends. Saddle Up is wonderful music for kids that resonates with adults as well. The songs on this album are serious, silly and everything in between. Some will make you want to dance and others are lullabies that will help lull you to sleep. The messages in all the songs are good and wholesome and The Okee Dokee Brothers feel like Kindred Spirits to me. If they keep making these Adventure Albums I would be thrilled! I can't wait for the next adventure album in this series to see where they will be going next, if there is one. Saddle Up is a must have for any family music collection!

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Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/okeedokeebros
Twitter - https://twitter.com/OkeeDokeeBros
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/okeedokeebros/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/OkeeDokeeBros
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/okeedokeebros
BandsInTown - http://www.bandsintown.com/TheOkeeDokeeBrothers

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Go HERE and you can buy The Okee Dokee Brothers merchandise.



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I run giveaways with Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Beth Blenz-Cluc​as of Sugar Mountain PR for sending me a free The Okee Dokee Brothers - Saddle Up: A Western Adventure Album CD/DVD to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this post. Thank you for supporting this blog.

Apologia Educational Ministries Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Apologia Educational Ministries Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal for this review to use in conjunction with my own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family. This post contains affiliate links that will benefit the blog.

Field trips are always a welcome get away for my family. I especially love the field trips that are educational, but any field trip whether for eduction or fun or both are great because they get us out of the stuffy house and let us see stuff we would have never been able to see otherwise. I also love to document my experiences by photography, sketching, scrapbooking, journaling, and blogging because they are outlets where I can be creative while writing about my adventures in life. I believe that it is easier to actually learn by doing and seeing. Field trips let us learn in this way.

The Apologia Educational Ministries Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal is a neat spiral bound book with pages to fill out. The Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal can be used for one child or the whole family. It lets you record your trips in the journal in a fun way. It has colorful pages that are appealing to children as well as adults. The pages are made from a lightweight card stock so they won't tear easily. The front and back of the cover is shiny so if there was a little bit of moisture that spills on it you can wipe it off easily, but it won't repel a lot so be careful around liquids. The book has 64 pages total and 9 different sections which are listed in the table of contents with their page numbers. This is a scrapbook, a field trip recorder, a 4H event recorder, a nature journal, and a family trip memory book wrapped up into one neat workbook.

Jaedan filling out his experiences at the Sluggerville Museum on the Field Trip Pages.

The Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal also has a lot of pages that are fun and get your creative juices flowing. In the front of the book it has a page to fill out the name of the person or family the book belongs to. Then it has the Table of Contents listed to easily find the pages you are looking for in the book. Next it has pages about Preparing For A Field Trip. These pages have great tips and things to do before you go and when you get there in checklist format. After these pages there are Field Trip Ideas. These ideas are so versatile and are in a easy to read chart. The Places I've Explored Maps are great to fill out what you've experienced around your state, around the United States, and in the World. The Field Trip Pages have you fill out things about a specific trip, like: where it was, date, a map of the place, a list of books to read about the place (that should have been read before the trip, but can be read later as well), a spot for a photo or drawing, emergency contact plan, and a list of things wanting to be seen or done on one page and then a page opposite that one where you can write a story of your day and something that you never want to forget after you have made the trip. There are 10 sets of these pages. There are also My Special Spot Pages that document a small (about 20' X 20') section of wildlife throughout all four seasons in the year. These pages have a place for a photograph of the spot during that season, a place to record: location, date, temperature, and rainfall; notes, and a grid to draw an aerial map. After these are As I See It Pages. These pages have 7 that have fun prompts and 10 pages that you can complete as you desire. These are made to capture things in sketch format instead of words.

Included in most Apologia Educational Ministries products, they have a link to a list of helpful third party websites to go along with your product. These you have to log in for to have access to with the password provided in the product. For the Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal extras they had all sorts of links to explore online about field trips and journaling, including: The Importance of Field Trips, Field Trip Ideas and Searches, Maps, Field Guides and Identification, Resources, Natural History Museums, Science Museums, Children's Museums, Aquariums and Zoos, National Parks, State Parks, Botany, Animals, Earth Science, Aeronautics and Space, Human Body/Biology, Chemistry and Physics, History and Government, Community and Municipal, Business and Industry, Culture, Additional Field Trip Websites, and Art Journaling.

How We Are Using This Journal:

My whole family has been using the Apologia Educational Ministries Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal for different things that we have explored since we got it. Here are just a few of them...

• When my son, Jaedan, and I went to Louisville Kentucky May 22nd through the 24th I brought the Apologia Educational Ministries Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal with us just in case we found the time between studying history and being with our group to fill out some pages in it. Our trip there included seeing two very cool museums. I let him fill out two sets of field trip pages for both museums because I wanted his thoughts in the book about our trip and I knew I would be writing a blog post about it later too. 
• On Memorial Day, the day after our mother son trip to Louisville, my family met my parents and my sister, Melody, and her two kids at Claggett Creek Park in Keiser Oregon. Melody had came all the way from Nevada to visit. We had a lovely Memorial Day eating picnic food at a picnic table there and watching our kids play on the playground. I filled out the field trip pages for our picnic, but included what the rest of my family thought about the trip as well. 
• We also went to Everfree Northwest in Seattle Washington, which is a My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Convention, as a family on May 30th. Even though this trip was mostly for fun we still had a blast. I filled out the field trip pages for Everfree, but included what the rest of my family thought about the trip as well.

We also love the As I See It pages where you get to draw what you see and the My Special Spot pages where you can record seasonal changes in nature out in the wild. We haven't gotten to fill out the My Special Spot pages completely because we haven't had this book for that long, but we plan on using this whole book to travel, study, explore, observe, record, document, and create memories that we can remember as a family from years to come.

I like that field trips are only limited by imagination. You can do virtual field trips or real ones. You can go just in your own backyard or across the world. It is up to you what you do with the Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal. Let your imagination go and explore!

BUY IT
You can purchase the Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal on the Apologia Educational Ministries website for only $22.00! You can download sample pages on there as well.

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Read other reviews for the Apologia Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal...

Wordless Wednesday Memorial Day at Claggett Creek Park

Memorial Day at Claggett Creek Park.

Fun on the teeter totter.

My sister, Melody, and her kids came to visit.

Memorial Day Picnic.

The Okee Dokee Brothers Through The Woods An Appalachian Adventure Album Review

We received this product free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this post. Thank you for supporting this blog.

The Okee Dokee Brothers, Justin Lansing and Joe Mailander, are wonderful outdoors men and Americana folk musicians. The duo are at it again with a new album and adventure. This new album is called Through The Woods, An Appalachian Adventure and it is their second Adventure Album. This album, just like the last one, has a DVD along with the CD and field journal that shares footage of their journey in the part of the USA they are trekking in.

In this album The Okee Dokee Brothers spent a month hiking, camping, backpacking, filming, and making music (This whole CD and DVD!) on location through the Appalachian Trail. They met some neat people along the way that shared their stories and music with them while they took a small breather from exploring the outdoors and creating their own songs. This album is a wonderful compilation of 15 original tracks from The Okee Dokee Brothers with songs that feature guest artists as well as emulating the traditional old-time Appalachian music with their sounds and styles. This album features an array of instruments such as fiddlesticks, pots, pans, auto-harp, bones, clogs, mouth bow, gut-string banjo, washboard, jaw harp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, hambone, bass harmonica and whistling.

My favorite part of the DVD: The Okee Dokee Brothers with wild ponies :)

See the Trailer for the Through The Woods DVD here...



The Okee Dokee Brother's last album, Can You Canoe?, won a GRAMMY for best children's music album in the 55th GRAMMY Awards! It was well deserved because it is a fantastic album. I also believe Through The Woods is really good and deserves the highest of accolades.

Track Listing on the CD:

1. Through The Woods: The title track to this CD, a great song about going on an adventure with friends through the woods.
2. Big Rock Candy Mountain (with Hubby Jenkins-Carolina Chocolate Drops on bones and mandolin): A fun upbeat banjo/mandolin pickin' song about a made-up place called Candy Mountain.
3. Jamboree: A great dancing song about a jamboree. I love the lyrics to this one...so perfect!
4. Evergreen: I love this song about trees. It has sweet lyrical poetry and sings the beauty of the forest.
5. Walking With Spring (with Cathy Fink, on mountain dulcimer): This song is a perfect song to go hiking with and reminds us to slow down and enjoy the scenery and beauty around us.
6. Out of Tune: This is a fun song about how it is sometimes better to live life a little bit out of tune.
7. Black Bear Mama (with David Holt-Doc Watson/O Brother, Where Art Thou? on gut-string banjo and mouth bow): Great song about a Black Bear Mama and has a fun fast part in the middle.
8. Hillbilly Willy: One of my favorites on this CD about a hillbilly and his silly wife. Fun and upbeat too.
9. Riddle & Rhyme: This is a great rhyming song to slap your knee or clap to.
10. Tiny Little Life: Upbeat fiddle song about a life of simplicity.
11. Ruby Jane: A sweet love song about a farm girl sweetheart.
12. Fiddlestick Joe (with Marcy Marxer on cello banjo): A fun fiddling upbeat dancing song.
13. Lighten Your Load: This song reminds us that it is better to pack light.
14. Echo: A yodeling love song.
15. Baby Mine (with Rosie Newton on fiddle and vocals): This is a sweet lullaby, wonderful to put kids to bed to and a gorgeous end to the CD.

With their beards, flannel shirts, overalls and instruments The Okee Dokee Brothers are sure fun to watch perform on stage as well. You can see when their next show is here. They played at the Mountain Park Recreation Center on May 4th at 7pm in Lake Oswego, Oregon. I was pretty bummed when I couldn't make that performance with my family of 6 this year. Hopefully they'll make it around here again soon.

This album is great to take with you to listen to on a family road trip, around a campfire or even while hiking. It is a wonderful reminder to get outside to experience and explore nature with your family and friends. Through The Woods is wonderful kids music that resonates with adults as well. I love The Okee Dokee Brother's adventure albums because they bring back so many good memories of the great outdoors when I was a child and remembering helps me recreate wonderful memories with my own kids. The messages in all the songs are good and wholesome and The Okee Dokee Brothers feel like Kindred Spirits to me. I can't wait for the next adventure album in this series!

FOLLOW THEM
You can friend them on Facebook or like their page. You can also follow them on Twitter.

BUY IT
Go HERE and you can buy The Okee Dokee Brothers merchandise.



DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Beth Blenz-Cluc​as of Sugar Mountain PR for sending me a free The Okee Dokee Brothers - Through The Woods An Appalachian Adventure Album CD/DVD to listen to and review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Cheap and Unusual Father's Day Fun (Infographic)

Infographic Courtesy of: CashNetUSA: It's Economic. Information about the infographic was provided free as well. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else.

Welcome to the United States of Dad! Here you can find fun and inexpensive ways to entertain your dad this Father's Day. There's no need to spend money on travel; this infographic has provided several options across the country that will keep you and your dad busy on his special day. Don't see an option close by? Use this infographic to spark an idea for fun with your dad, and do a quick online search to find affordable options near you.

This is a great infographic! I love the ideas it presents for Father's Day. You can save money and still have a great time. There are fun trip destinations to go: camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, picnicking, to the zoo, to the rodeo, to parks, skiing, golfing etc. You can also BBQ, garden, camp out, etc. in your own backyard!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Infographic and information about the infographic was provided free courtesy of: CashNetUSA: It's Economic. All other thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post other than the infographic.

My Birthday and Mother's Day: Visit to Tillamook Oregon

I decided to celebrate my birthday and Mother's Day with my family and my parents in Tillamook Oregon. My birthday was on May 10th and Mother's Day was May 12th, so we decided to go May 11th to celebrate.

My parents live in Sweet Home Oregon and we live in Rainier Oregon, so for both of us it was about a 3 hour drive give or take a little bit. My family were coming from different ways to Tillamook than my parents and so we planned on meeting at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for lunch. On their way to Tillamook...guess what...my dad got lost (He is notorious for doing so and I think a Magellan GPS might be a great present for him for Father's Day! We have one and love it!).

While we were waiting for my parents to arrive we went and to see the Cape Meares Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge along the Oregon Coast. We hiked up a trail to see the Octopus Tree first. The hike was really nice and not too much for Teela and Zari. When we got to the Octopus Tree someone offered to take a whole family shot in front of it. We all loved the scenery and spectacular views over the cape.

We then went inside to tour the Cape Meares Lighthouse. It has a delightful little gift shop inside the bottom floor and then you take some spiral stairs up to the beacon tower lantern house. We learned from the guide that this lighthouse had some vandalism in 2010 and back in 1963 while it was vacant for a number of years to the gorgeous Fresnel (pronounced "Fraynel") lens and the building itself. It is very unfortunate that people would want to harm such a wonderful historic building and I am very happy we got to see it.

After the tour we hiked up a different trail to the parking lot and we saw the Three Arch Rocks out in the distance. The Three Arch Rocks Refuge is home to Oregon's largest seabird nesting colony. We saw a number of wildlife including a Millipede the girls stopped to look at.

Finally we met up with my parents at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and by that time my tummy was growling of hunger. My parents had brought sandwiches, chips, juice, fresh fruit & veggies and deviled eggs in a cooler. We sat around a tree on park benches and ate a very nice picnic.

Then we went inside the factory to explore. They have a lot of neat things to look at and some fun stuff to pose with. While we were downstairs briefly, before we headed upstairs, my kids posed in the plywood cow and farmer cutout with their heads poking through. Teela is a very cute moo, don't you think?

Upstairs we could watch the process of packaging cheese through a viewing window and we could also see the large cheese vats that they mixed the cheese into in another viewing area. Upstairs they also had some interactive video consoles that played the history of the factory and Tillamook city. They also had some antique cheese making equipment behind glass in cabinets that you could see.

Back downstairs again we sampled some various cheeses and then headed on over to the ice cream parlor to have some delicious authentic Tillamook creamery ice cream in waffle cones. I had black cherry and it was so yummy! The kids all had mint chocolate chip and the others had different flavors. Teela and Zari had to have a bowl under theirs because it melted quickly and was dripping...I got them a couple of spoons to help them along. Then my boys goofed off in the Loaf Love Tour Bus for silly pictures.

After lunch and dessert we decided to go see the Munson Creek Falls. We were really enjoying the weather. It had held out for us and didn't rain at all while we were in Tillamook for our day trip. Unfortunately by the time we arrived Zari had fallen asleep in the van in her car seat. My husband, Brian, decided he would stay behind until she awoke because he was feeling the ill effects of all this walking in conjunction with his Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and needed to sit for a while anyway. The rest of us walked up the trail to the Munson Creek Falls and were enjoying all the lush green around us. There was this awesome gigantic tree that had large roots nearby and I got some neat pictures of it as well as the waterfalls and creek. When we got back to where we parked we noticed that Brian had taken Zari to the creek to look at rocks because she had awoke. The kids also had fun racing leaves down the water in the creek.

Next we headed to the beach to round out the day. We saw kelp, seaweed, driftwood and sea shells that had washed up onto the sand. My boys took off their shoes and immediately waded out into the ocean waves. My girls played in the sand together with their sand toys: sifting, shoveling, scooping, packing, dumping, mixing, raking and molding. What fun! Jaedan couldn't help but love it when Delbin wanted him to bury his bottom half in the sand. My mom also got out some special treats when every one was washed up, some chocolate dipped and covered strawberries! Yummy! Brian had found some neat treasures while beach combing: an agate, some whole sand dollars, mussel shells, a piece of coral (I am going to string onto a necklace) and a crab shell.

We brushed the sand off the kids as best we could, said our goodbyes to my parents and my mom gave us a cake she made for Jaedan's birthday party (his birthday is May 15th and we are celebrating with his friends on the 25th) we could freeze when we got home and a yellow butterfly shirt (that reminded me of Fluttershy, an MLP) for my birthday.

We had wanted to do other things too, but ran out of time. My husband was eying the helicopter rides and the paragliding. Maybe next time we are in the area we can do these.

We then climbed into the van for the ride home to our dog, Prince, who was being dog sat by our neighbor while we were away. We had Subway sandwiches on our way home and when we got home we climbed into bed exhausted, but happy. Our day as a family together turned out really well. I had a really nice birthday and Mother's Day outing.

How was your Mother's Day??

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: No compensation was received for this post. This post is a personal post written by me.

Milk Unleashed Giveaway and Blog App

It’s back to school time which means car pools, sports practice, recitals, field trips, and maybe a little time for mom thrown in for good measure. Having an on-the-go lifestyle can be challenging to say the least and Milk Unleashed is here to help!

With handy single-serving shelf safe milk there’s no need to ever run out! You can take it anywhere at anytime! Milk Unleashed goes wherever your family goes, whether it’s a lunchbox, a cooler, purse or a diaper bag!



WIN IT
Prize: Win a Milk Unleashed variety pack consisting of four shelf safe milks (white and chocolate) from: Hershey’s, LaLa, Horizon and Organic Valley.

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about the Milk Unleashed I am getting a free Prize Pack of my own and an additional one for my readers as a giveaway. Thanks to PartnersHub for providing me this promotion information and free product. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this blog app and giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DogVacay - Pick the Perfect Petsitter for your Pooch

August 26th is National Dog Day http://www.nationaldogday.com/ and to celebrate the occasion I wanted to let you, my readers know of an awesome online community of dog lovers called DogVacay where you can really Pick the Perfect Petsitter for your Pooch (try saying that 3 times fast). It was founded by a husband and wife team and their two puppies who wanted to create a safe happy place for your dog to stay while you're away.

Becoming a member is free and right now if you join you could possibly win a week of free dog boarding and a $250 Petco gift card!

DogVacay is a convenient, affordable, safe way to choose a quality trustworthy home away from home for your dog while you are away. DogVacay hand approves all pet-sitters, provides comprehensive protection, veterinary support, and a 100% guarantee. Choose from thousands of experienced and qualified hosts like: professional pet-sitters, retired veterinarians and experienced dog lovers.

Small downside: If you live in a small city like I do there might not be any community members in DogVacay close by you. I looked for dog-sitters close to Rainier, Oregon...where I live and the closest is about an hours drive from me to have anyone watch my dog, longer if I wanted someone in Portland. That is a lot of gas money for me and my van unless I am already there for an event. However; my readers in Portland, Oregon and many other larger cities have a nice selection of choices to pick from. It is worth the look to see if there are any sitters near you and if you are the only one...well you would probably be making a good amount of money on the dog-sitting side of things being a host for other families.

Dog Vacay even has a concierge to help you find the perfect host for your dog. Some hosts offer more than just dog boarding: dog sitting, daycare, dog walking, training, grooming, etc.

You can also sign up to be a host and make money hanging out with man's best friend. Create a free profile, set your own rates, and accept reservations today. You can also get reviews, add credentials, and add pictures as your business grows.

BUY IT
Prices start at $15 per night. Get $10 off now with code: SUMMERVACAY (Expires Sept. 5th). Also like them on Facebook because every now and then they have offers to save on there as well.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am posting about DogVacay I am getting a discount for my first boarding. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for posting this information.

Rubbermaid LunchBlox Sandwich Kit Review

The school year is just around the corner and whether you homeschool like me and take lunches on the road for field trips and car rides or pack lunches for your kids to take to school, the Rubbermaid LunchBlox food storage system makes it easy to pack and keep your lunches organized until you are ready to eat the contents. These containers snap together in several different ways so that they use the space in your lunch bag or box more efficiently. Each container is well proportioned to common lunch foods with handy measurements on the sides of each container (cups, oz, or ml). You really don't have to pack a common lunch in these though. With these you can get pretty fancy with your lunch, just use your imagination or these pinned ideas in my Bento Pinterest board! The included Guacamole Green Lids for each container shut tight and have thumb tabs for easier opening. Your lunch stays chilled with snap in Blue Ice. Rubbermaid LunchBlox containers come in kits and are also sold separately. Available kits are the LunchBlox: Sandwich Kit, Salad Kit and Entrée Kit. You can also buy Lunch Bags specifically designed for the LunchBlox containers and extra Blue Ice in small or medium as needed.

• Containers stack compactly to stay organized and snap together so won't jostle around too much in transit.
• Blue Ice keeps your lunch cool on the go
• Secure lid seal and thumb tabs for easier opening
• BPA-free
• Microwave, Dishwasher and Freezer Safe

I received the Rubbermaid LunchBlox Sandwich Kit to review for free. I noticed right away that the packaging had a sticker on it that said you could save over $5 on brand name lunch products. I opened it and sure enough there were coupons inside for products like: Starkist, French's, Sandwich Thins, Rubbermaid and LunchBlox. There was also a 1 oz (28 g) sample of French's Dijon Mustard with Chardonnay with a recipe for Dijon Chicken on the back inside. I was very happy with how well the LunchBlox Sandwich Kit fit into my lunch bag and also tried it in my daughter's in a slightly different configuration which worked well too. I love how the Blue Ice keeps everything that is right above or below it chilled. If you don't need to keep some of the items in your LunchBlox containers cool you can configure those containers on the top of the other containers so they don't touch the Blue Ice at all. These are perfect for taking on car rides, field trips, picnics, camping trips, business trips and packed lunches for school, work and other functions.

Rubbermaid LunchBlox Sandwich Kit Includes: 2 Snack Containers (.5 cup capacity), 1 Side Container (1.2 cup capacity), 1 Sandwich Container (2.6 cup capacity) and 1 Medium Blue Ice

• Snack Containers: Portions your salty or sweet snacks. You can also use them for spreads, dressings, dips or other things that might otherwise make your sandwich or snacks soggy. Great for yogurt, small or cut up fruit, chips, pretzels, crackers, cookies, etc....just to name a few.
• Side Containers: perfectly portioned for fruit, veggies, and other sides.
• Sandwich Containers: holds a sandwich, specialty bread, or other good sized meal.
• Snap In Blue Ice: lunch stays colder longer with blue ice.

BUY IT
You can purchase the Rubbermaid LunchBlox Sandwich Kit at $12.99. You can also save $1.50 on any 1 Rubbermaid LunchBlox food storage item. Rubbermaid LunchBlox containers come in kits and are also sold separately. Available kits are the LunchBlox: Sandwich Kit, Salad Kit and Entrée Kit. You can also buy Lunch Bags specifically designed for the LunchBlox containers and extra Blue Ice in small or medium as needed.

You can also print out coupons online at Pack A Lunch, Save A Bunch, find recipes for yummy lunch foods and join the Rubbermaid Club to receive: special offers by email, new product announcements and more.


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Rubbermaid for sending me product for free to review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.