Product review time!

 I live in a dry area of northern Alberta and so I'm always on the lookout for products that will repair and protect my dry skin.
I recently had a great opportunity to #getinthebubble and try Hydraforce cream by Lise Watier free through the Glamsense program.
In my box I got a bottle of face cream, and a sensor to test the moisture level of my skin

Before using the cream, my skin was fairly dry

In fact, I may have had a little too much fun testing, and retesting, my skin to see what the difference would be.

After applying, I waited a little while before testing again, but my skin did show some improvement!

As far as the product itself, I found it a little heavy on my skin. I found that my skin had to be damp before applying, otherwise it was too thick. I also found that the heaviness would last all day.
You definitely don't need a lot of product.
I also only applied the cream only once a day, even though twice was recommended. Using it twice a day helped to worsen an acne breakout for my skin.
There is a bit of a scent, but it is neither unpleasant or overwhelming in my opinion.
Seeing that this is a Canadian made product made me extremely happy.

I will be taking a little more time with this product to make sure I give it a truly fair chance,
but so far I don't think I liked the HydraForce well enough to make it my new cream.

If you want to #getinthebubble take a look at the HydraForce website for yourself
https://hydraforce.lisewatier.com/en/

Points and free stuff

These are two points websites I use where you can accumulate and redeem for free stuff.
I haven't redeemed yet, so I can't make any claims as to how efficient they are, but it never hurts to try, right?
These are my personal referral links, so clicking through them will benefit me.

www.swagbucks.com/refer/Leigirl

https://www.superpoints.com/join/njoLoG9zhgVh6pEiufBUc8_SM6I



Happy collecting!

Pretty Sparkly things

So this one's been kicking around in my head for a few days, and I haven't been sure how to get it out.

I was in a shoe store with my 4 year old son looking for a pair of summer flats. Couldn't find anything I liked, but that's totally besides the point.
We went to the kids section, because he will be needing summer shoes soon. The first thing I noticed was the lack of boys selection.
Turns out that doesn't matter, cause the ones he was drawn to were flowery or pink or sparkly. Girl shoes.

This is where I completely disappointed myself.

He loved the pretty shoes. I also thought all of the shoes were pretty. I found myself, while mentally berating myself, holding up the two pairs of boy shoes. Which I then put back on the shelf, took his hand, and left.

I have two boys. My oldest is the sweetest, most sensitive child you have ever known. I've worked hard to build his confidence because I know how easily he hurts. His best friends are always girls. He loves for things to be beautiful. But he also likes his clothes to be "boys" clothes. I found myself relieved at that because I figured there's at least one thing he wont be teased about.
So when my 4yo held up a pair of pretty "girl" shoes, I panicked.
Not because I'm against pretty things. Not because I afraid how he'll turn out.

Because I'm afraid of him getting hurt.

 I work hard to make sure my boys are confident and secure in who they are. If they're happy in their clothes, I'm happy.
One kid wears his shirts backward because that's how he likes them. One wanted Vampire Red hair. Off I went to pick up dye. I did my own at the same time. They both rock their style!
But there I stood, paralyzed by my sweet boy who wanted "pretty" shoes.

I am extremely disappointed in myself.

I know my boys need to be confident in themselves. And I know there are choices and battles that need to be all their own.

So next payday I will bring my sweet little boy shoe shopping.
I will let him pick his own shoes (as long as they're practical)
I will not cringe if he chooses pretty runners.

And I will accept that I'm not a perfect human. I'm a mom.

Parents, PLEASE!

Tonight I was reading a parenting blog. A hilarious one where parents can feel like they're not alone in their misery, joy and general messiness of being a parent.Tonight it pissed me off, though. Not the blog post. That was awesome.

It was the comments section.

Usually I scroll. I'm good at scrolling. Tonight I am pissed. It may seem like a small thing. Some parents might not even realize they're doing it. No big deal.
Here's the thing. We teach our children. We teach them about their eyes, their hair, all the fingers and toes.
Heart goes here. Those are your ribs. That is an elbow.

Guess what else we teach them?

It is NOT a naughty part. It is NOT a rude spot. It is NOT your dirty place. It is NOT a front bottom.

It IS a penis. It IS a vagina.

They are parts of our anatomy like any other. They are not shameful. They are not a topic to be afraid of. We shouldn't shy away from the questions.
They perform necessary bodily functions. They can also do some pretty neat tricks (I have boys)

Let them enjoy learning about their body. Let them explore it. Ok, maybe not at the dinner table. Instead of snapping at your child to "leave it alone", suggest a private place, a safe place, and do it without shaming them.

As we get older, our genitalswill do some amazing things. Give us pleasure. Help create life!

Why is that something to be afraid of? Our children need to have respect for their body parts so that they can treat them properly. How can they have respect for something they are ashamed of?

If your child learns from a young age that they can't talk to mom and dad about all of their body, who ARE they going to talk to?

That, to me, is far more frightening than using the word "penis" where someone might hear.

Parents, please, just stop

Product review-Ooh-La-La Lavender Secret Outlast Clear Gel

I got Ooh-La-La Lavender Secret Outlast Clear Gel to try free from BzzAgent. It promises 48 hour protection, and it delivers. I put it to the test for a second day, and I stayed odour free! It promises to dry in seconds. While it's true that dries in under a minute, I didn't find it revolutionary fast. I did find it difficult to wash off in the shower, especially if it had been less than 24 hours. I'm not sure of my feelings on that much staying power.

The scent wasn't overbearing, so that was good.

I found that the top of the applicator dried over and made dispensing a little difficult.

In all, I was happy enough with the results.

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/secretCa.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=3032705547&Campaign=1657434223&Uid=1641479&token=9da79b75f39043b71cf48348c09e3c8c" alt=""/>

Product review- Monopoly Junior

I recently received Monopoly Junior  free to try and review from Influenster. Personally, game boards don't excite me, but my kids love them.
A game of Monopoly junior is quick enough that I can play a game with my kids and not get too frustrated. Even my 4 year old was able to last the whole game.
I like that the rules are easy to follow, and the money amounts are done in one dollar bills.
I love that it's teaching my kids math skills (especially my youngest) and they don't even know they're learning.
My only complaint would be that there are no slots to store the money, chance cards, and tokens. Everything was a jumbled mess the second time I opened the game as everything was shaken up in the box.

Overall, we like this game. It's quick enough to play on a school night, and it stops the kids fighting for a while :)

More words

Once again I find I've been lacking words. Winter hit full force over the weekend. From above zero to -16. Yuck.
I went to costco and returned to this christmas wonderland in my livingroom.

A little early, yes. But my kids (with my husbands help) worked really hard on it.
I think our yard is going to look like santa's workshop this year.