Something Like Life

 TheManischewitz® Company, leader and innovator in Kosher foods,announces the beta version debut of their free Kosher Recipe App  now available for download on all Apple® and Android™ devices.  The Manischewitz Recipe & Holiday Guide app makes its debut just in time for the fall Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  Notable chefs, cookbook authors, and everyday home cooks submitted hundreds of recipes for the app which spans  many occasions including Passover, Chanukah, Thanksgiving, Shabbat, Shavuot  and more.  Other categories of recipes include gluten-free, everyday meals, lunches, side dishes, and desserts.

The contributor’s shared many recipes, some of which have been in their family for generations.  In addition to the recipes supplied by home cooks and well-known chefs, all recipes from finalists and winners from all past Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-Off Contests have been included as well.  Jamie Geller, cookbook author and found of The Joy of Kosher ma…

This week has been the best week for harvest yet! With probably 1 pound of green beans, dozens of sweet 100 tomatoes, 5 ears of corn and 3 okra we have got to enjoy plenty  of food! I didn't get pictures of all of it because it went very past but look at the amazing things we have growing for this weeks harvest.



I can't wait till next week I promise to take more pictures this week ;)

It is the sad truth that none of us are getting any younger. As time goes on I think I find more and more things that hurt. Some days I spend hours in the garden and by the end of the day I sure am feeling it in my joints. Recently I was given the chance to review a products that would not cure those joint pains but it sure does help ease the pain. Therapearl Contour Pack is perfect for sore knees, elbows, Shoulders and more. Made with the revolutionary Pearl Technology™ , which absorbs heat and cold while the soft, pliable pack stays clean and dry against your skin, it’s hypoallergenic, non-toxic and reusable. This pack was great because not only could I throw it in the freezer and use it for ice but it can be thrown in the microwave for a soothing heat. It really held the cold for a long time which was really nice. My husband even fell asleep with it on one night, it conforms so well and helped his elbow feel well enough that he didn't notice it on. If like us you have those s…

If you have been around as a fan for a while you have heard me talk many times about my pain and I have even done reviews on Noxicare before. It is time once again for a great Noxicare review, this time I was happy to be able to have my mom help me with a review. I have had great success with Noxicare helping my pain and since my mother to struggles daily with pain I thought it would be great to be able to give her a shot at reviewing this product. So I sent a tube over to her house and had her use the whole thing regularly till it was gone. Here are here thoughts on Noxicare.
"I tried Noxicare Natural Pain Relief Cream recently and loved it. I suffer from RSD/CRPS as well as nerve pain. The pain is normally accompanied with inflammation. This cream really helped reduce my inflammation; I was shocked! I've tried everything. It also helped ease my pain a bit. As an added benefit it smells wonderful and softens your skin. I can't wait to get more."
   …

Wow what a long but great day. We have slowly been getting things cleaned up and packed up around here. Putting things in boxes for the rv, storage or to sell has been a slow process. It is so hard to know what you might need and it can be really hard to get rid of the things you know you don't need. Over the years though I think we have become attached to these objects and I am really starting to hate that. I know this life is unhealthy so one by one some of these things make their way into the sell section and I am feeling more at peace. Letting go of these objects has really helped me to see who I am, a person I feel I haven't seen in a long time. We were going to sleep in the camper tonight but our house cannot support the rv long enough to cool it off using the air conditioner :( another downside to this house. We did sit and play games a while and we are going to go out in the morning and we are going to finish that game and prepare the rv just a bit more. Sunday …

Our furry friends are a very big part of our family. So it is really fun for me when I get to include them in on a review. Recently we were given the chance to review some great products from BestBullySticks.com including their 6 inch Bully Sticks, 12 inch Thick Bully Sticks and the 7-10 inch Spiral Sticks (Sparky's personal favorite fun treat).
        Having 3 dogs is a challenge in itself, with a puppy around it seems sometimes like utter destruction has hit my house. Just like a child he will really put just about anything into his mouth, even if it is not food! Needless to say having a steady supply of things that are approved for him to chew on is essential. When these treats first arrived we gave one to each of the dogs, but of course having a puppy he had to run and steal everyone else's so he had to be separated and locked up with his treat, which he was just fine with and I caught this funny video :) (I tried shooting it both ways and it still loaded sideways …

I have to admit the first couple of weeks trying to get healthy were so rough. As time has passed I have learned about more and more great products that are helping me enjoy getting healthy just a bit more. Nature's Own 100% Whole Grain Bread is one of those products that I loved from bite one. Now I will sadly admit my entire life I have been a white bread kinda gal, especially covered in butter and sugar. While I have switched my kids to a gluten free lifestyle I really have not been able to go bread free.lol Today for lunch I decided to try something new with my Nature's Own I made not just a plain sandwich, but a sandwich with a little bit of veggie kick to it!
         There are many things that I like about Nature's Own bread, first I think is the texture. A lot of whole grain breads I have tried have that really grainy taste to them, and for me that is a major down side. Trying to switched from white bread I don't want to feel like I am eating a dirt cak…

Recently I have been feeling a little bit down. I think it is hitting me that this year I will be a housewife, and honestly that is a word I never liked. So I decided that I needed to start back up Thankful Thursdays and remember what I am truly thankful for because honestly there is so much that I have that so many people do not. Most importantly I am thankful for a place to rest my head safely at night, and the food we fill our stomachs with every day. I have three beautiful children and a husband who has supported me for nearly eight years in any venture that I wanted to take on, not matter how crazy that was. This week I have something new to be thankful for that is bringing me hope. My middle son as many of you know suffers from many learning disorders and seizures. The medication they have him on seemingly doing no good I can't get the doctor to even check or change it despite his increasingly aggressive behavior. While the doctor insists that it isn't the medicatio…

As a blogger I always love reviewing some of the newest and most creative products. Wraptastic is a brand new kitchen tool that is a perfect way to organize your home. It can hold both Plastic wrap, wax paper and foil which lets face it can be so frustrating. Unfortunately we need them in order to not only store our food, but to transport it from place to place, especially during these summer months when we are having parties with our friends and family. Wraptastic helps to eliminate some of your kitchen battles by providing a safe and easy to use container for all of your wrapping materials. It contains a stainless steel blade which is recessed to protect fingers, while the rubber feet of the dispenser hold it in place while in use.    I loved the idea of this product and the design is good. I have had it just about a month and it has held up well. The only problem I have had with it, the product you put inside must be name brand, dollar store products do not seem to fit properl…

To debut the new PEEPS® summer flavors, Bubble Gum and Sweet Lemonade, The Terri & Sandy Solution has launched a social media campaign to spark excitement about the brand’s first ever summer products. The campaign created by the boutique advertising agency located in New York City showcases some of the incredible and creative ways consumers can use the new flavors in summer recipes, crafts, and other fun activities. This includes the especially popular summer treat s’mores being turned into “s’meeps” or s’more Peeps.  The goal of the social media campaign is to provide parents with fun summer-themed activities that they can share with their kids.

        The new Bubble Gum and Sweet Lemonade flavors are the first summer products to be released by the traditionally holiday-focused PEEPS brand. They were inspired by the taste of classic summer treats but have been transformed into the iconic chick shape. Additionally, each package of Sweet Lemonade PEEPS sold helps to su…

<a href=" http://totsandme.blogspot.com/search/label/Tuesday%20Giveaway%20Linky "><img alt="Tots and Me" src="http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt58/kewkewphoto/TuesdayGiveawayLinkup2.jpg" border="0" alt="num2"></a> Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @Tots and Me and Emily @ Emily Reviews

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on  Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups. 
Our co-hosts this week are Ashley from Forgetful MommaandMellissa from Something Like Life.

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.
Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it he…

I just want to take a moment and update everyone on the progress of the garden. It will be a short post today because I have a million and one things on my mind. It is hot again here but I think I have most everything strong enough to survive :) good water provided of course. Here are some pictures for the week.






      The kids also wanted to expand so after I took pictures today we planted peas, cauliflower, more sunflowers and watermelons :) Luckily the freeze doesn't hit here till late October.

As a family we have really spent a lot of time this year doing our best to get healthy. At times though it is just time to break out a breakfast that may not be the healthiest but is certainly yummy. As you may have read previously I have been honored to be doing a review of some great Mrs. Freshley's products. After a long night last night I thought today would be the perfect day to review what is probably one of my favorite products, Mrs. Freshley's Chocolate Donuts. We received a 10 ounce family bag to review, which made for a perfect breakfast for a family of 5(only 4 of us were eating them though). We divided that bag out to 5 donuts per person (1.25 servings each) and enjoyed! The kids really enjoyed these donuts and with the family size bag they were able to get enough to get their fill. As I have said these are one of my all time favorite breakfast treats so of course dipped in a nice cold glass of milk I was in heaven!
      You may have noticed that I said only …

What a much needed blessing this week was. It was filled with several inches of rain, which was much needed here in West Texas. A day off with my wonderful family. Plus the start of a great new adventure for our family. I have talked before on this blog about switching to more of a story about our life going towards going off the grid. We have decided instead to make a new page that you can follow us on our journey as we try to make our way towards a new lifestyle. Barefoot and Green will talk about things from gardening to homeschooling. With all things willing come April it will turn into our life story as survival off the grid. We would love if you followed our blog HERE and joined us on Facebook as well HERE. :)

      As my husband is once again working on this Saturday, today is much like any other.lol Back into the garden to see what I can find to harvest. It is simply amazing to watch everything grow and develop, I guess I had never actually take the time to watch them grow…

Click the picture above to help give a child a little more to look forward to.

The challenge of any parent during the summer months is keeping your children entertained. As a mother of 3 children that challenge seems to grow just as fast as they do! Recently I was given the opportunity to review a group of children's exploration toys from Backyard Safari Outfitters. When my kids first pulled their essential field gear out of the box they seemed to know right away where they would first explore!
       My oldest is nearly 11 and he didn't seem to have much interest in the items. My 8 and 5 year old though it was almost a blood bath who would get to play with what first! Finally it was settled, my middle child would go off on an exploration while my daughter played with the habitat. I really loved that while well packaged the packaging was easy to remove and folded down in to nearly nothing. I really hate when you buy a toy and all you can think is that you paid for the packaging. With tags removed my son put on his vest and binocs and grabs his buttt…

I'll have to admit when I started making these I had no intentions on making a sweet pickle.lol I was craving a dill pickle and we had only managed two small cucumbers from the garden so canning was not really a time wise plan. However these turned out really really good so I thought I would share.

Ingredients
1/2 Cup of  White Vinegar2 Tablespoons of Sugar1/2 Teaspoon of Mustard Seed1 Teaspoon of Salt1 Clove of Garlic Cracked1 Teaspoon Dill seeds1 Bay leaf2 Cups sliced pickling cucumbers3/4 Cup Water Boiling
Directions
Combine first five ingredients into a small pot and simmer until sugar is dissolved.Put cucumbers, dill seeds and bay leaf into a container that will be able to handle boiling liquids.Pour vinegar mixture into container and then add boiling water and mix well. Liquid should cover cucumbers completely :) Let sit till chilled and enjoy!
**While typing this post I discovered where I went wrong lol the original recipe called for 2 teaspoons I put 2 tablespoons :p. …

It seems like some days I just can't get away from sugar. As I have shared so much recently I struggle deeply with a sugar addiction. From a young age I remember eating a lot of it, although I am sure my mother limited it, it was always something I felt like I HAD to have! Needless to say as my family and I have dove further into a healthier life style it means taking out sugar. Did you know that the average woman should consume now more the 6 teaspoons of sugar a day. It isn't just the obvious things you think of that have sugar in them but the things you don't think about. The BBQ sauce that you put on you favorite ribs, the margarita that you close out your day with. I have discovered that these are all just empty calories that I fill my day with, sure they are very happy empty calories that I enjoy but still ;).
     Recently I received a chance to review a product that could help me keep some of those joyful products without all the empty calories involved. Ne…

Wow what a week this has been. We have been dealing with temperatures near 100 degrees ever since returning from vacation! Water, water, water seems to be all I can do ts week and even then the plants were looking a bit sad. This morning I woke up to a beautiful overcast sky to find that we got nearly and inch of rain over night! The bad thing is it still looks super dry out there :( but no fear mother nature is blessing us with a cool day and the hope of more rain to come. I am finally getting to start to harvest some  vegetables which is really exciting! I love seeing all my hard work finally paying off. While it is not a lot I have picked 5 tomatoes(sweet 100s) and another 10 beans this week. We have about 10 corn growing strong on the stalk, many more beans and tomatoes growing! The next couple weeks promise to be very productive YAY! Here are some pictures from the week.

Sweet treats are one of my biggest weaknesses, so I have spent some time adding just a little big of my favorite sweet treats into a semi healthy dessert that pleases any sweet tooth. With berries starting to come into season here in West Texas it has finally made it a bit more affordable to make a nice dessert from them. Here is my Mrs.Freshley's Berry Snack Cake Dessert:
 Making this treat is really quite simple. I made one large(the wine glass) and 3 small(the little mason jars) for a lunch time treat for my children and I. Here is how I did it!

Ingredients
7 Strawberries cut into quarters1 Cup of blurberries1 Mrs.Freshley's Dreamies snack cake cut into 1/2 inch slices1 Package(2 cakes) of Mrs.Freshley's Swiss Rolls cut into 1/2 inch slicesContainers to your likingDirections
First mix your berries together in a bowl, having a colorful blend makes it so cute and appealing.Add one slice of each snack cake to the bottom of your containers.Spoon berries over top to make a…