Giveaways and Reviews Archives

Tasty Tuesdays: No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar + Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

January 21, 2020 By Tammy Doiel 2 Comments

Last week, I shared how I received a free copy of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook for my honest review.

This week I am allowed to share a recipe from the cookbook and offer a giveaway of the cookbook. The recipe they sent me was No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar. Doesn’t it look good?

5 from 1 vote

No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar

Prep Time

15 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 110 kcal

Ingredients

1 10 oz. package frozen whole strawberries, thawed (2 cups)
1 tbsp bottled lemon juice (not from concentrate)
4 oz. Neufchâtel (light cream cheese) divided
1/2 c plain 0% fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp fruit-sweetened apricot fruit spread (jam)
1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 c Homemade Fruit-Sweetened Granola in the same cookbook on page 106 or no-sugar-added granola

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the strawberries with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Spoon into juice glasses, about 1/3 cup each.
In a large mixing bowl, add the Neufchâtel, yogurt, fruit spread, vanilla, and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Blend with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Spoon on top of the strawberries, about 3 tablespoons each.
When ready to serve, sprinkle with the granola, about 1 tablespoon each.

Here you can see what kind of recipes are included in the cookbook:

You can enter the giveaway below:

Enter to win a copy of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook. 1/21/20 - 2/3/20

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Winner must reside in the United States. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy from Creative K Kids (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Lisa from Blogghetti (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before. Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

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As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up to this party, please click HERE and add your email address to the list! I will only send you an email about linking up to this party.

Giveaway: 2 Quilting Books! (Coloring Book + How-to Book)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

December 17, 2019 By Tammy Doiel 7 Comments

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation.

Here are a couple other books that were given to me for me to review and offer as a giveaway to my readers. With how busy I have been, I have not been able to get up these review posts like I should. This giveaway will also only run for a week so that I can pick a winner on Christmas Eve and notify them before Christmas. You can go enter the Instant Pot Recipe Book giveaway HERE.

When I first got married, my mom and I made a beautiful quilt for my queen bed. It no longer is on my bed, but it is one that I will never get rid of as I think of the love that was put into that quilt. For my three oldest girls, I have made strip quilts; and I have material to do the same for my youngest two children. Eventually, I plan to make another quilt for my bed as well.

There’s something about quilting that shows someone how much you care. All of that time and thought has love sewn into it. Since I knew I wanted to do another quilt for my husband and my bed, I was very glad to get the 24-How Quilting Projects book.

The 24-How Quilting Projects book has pictures of how each of these 24 quilts will look when they are completed plus instructions on how to make each one of the quilts. In the back of the book, there is a section of general quilt-making directions. If you have never made a quilt, but you know how to use a sewing machine, you would be able to make a quilt using this book. Here are some pictures of what the inside of the book is like:

There is also a fun coloring book called Patchwork Quilt Designs Coloring Book. If you like to color, then you will like this book. It is a relaxing activity, and if you like to quilt and color, then this is the book for you. You can relax while you can color, and maybe it will help you even decide what colors of material you should put in your next quilt! Here are a couple of pictures that tell you more about this book:

You can enter the giveaway below to win a copy of both of these books!

This giveaway will end on December 23rd, so don’t wait to enter! You can also enter this giveaway which also ends on December 23rd.

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Tasty Tuesdays: The “I Love My Instant Pot” Soups, Stews, and Chilis Recipe Book Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

December 17, 2019 By Tammy Doiel 11 Comments

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I receive no monetary compensation.

Only 8 days to Christmas! Crazy!

I have a ton still to do as we are flying to be with our family for Christmas. My baking is done, but I am finishing up presents for my class at school and I have to pack and finish wrapping presents. I also have to address all my Christmas cards.

I received in the mail another “I Love My Instant Pot” recipe book. This one is The “I LOVE MY INSTANT POT” Soups, Stews, and Chilis Recipe Book. Since we are going up north for Christmas, soup and chili recipes will be great to have on hand! This book will be released on December 24.

I love soup recipes. I grew up eating soup every Wednesday for dinner. Now that I have an instant pot, it is much quicker to make those delicious and filling soup recipes. You can see a little bit of what is included in the book by looking at the picture below. There are 175 recipes included in the book!

I want to try the recipes for Egg Drop Soup and for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup. I also want to try the Cheesy Macaroni and Chili. So many great choices!

You can preorder this cookbook HERE. It includes 175 soup, stew, and chili recipes that can be made in the Instant Pot. It will be released on December 24.

If you have an Instant Pot or know of someone who does, enter the giveaway below!

This giveaway will only run for one week as I want to be able to email the winner on Christmas Eve!

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You can enter another giveaway HERE.

There will be no party next Tuesday as it is Christmas Eve. Have a wonderful Christmas!

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy from Creative K Kids (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Lisa from Blogghetti (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before. Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

<div align="center"><a href="https://creativekkids.com/category/tasty-tuesdays/" title="Creative K Kids"><img src="https://creativekkids.com/tasty tuesdays.jpg" alt="Creative K Kids" /></a></div>

As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up to this party, please click HERE and add your email address to the list! I will only send you an email about linking up to this party.

Cash for Christmas Giveaway 2019

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

November 15, 2019 By Tammy Doiel 2 Comments

I have participated in this giveaway ever since it started. I shared yesterday and in other recent posts how that blogging has taken more of a back seat in the recent years as I have had to go back to work. This is not necessarily for financial reasons, but because I am needed to teach our children in our little church school.

I almost did not participate in this giveaway, but since I haven’t given up totally on blogging — and I need to make at least enough money on ads and sponsored posts to cover the expenses of blogging — I decided to participate again. So I signed up at the last minute. That is why I am the last picture on this giveaway form instead of being one of the first ones like I have always been before.

I don’t have new Christmas recipes or posts to share, but you can go look at many of these delicious goodies I have made in past years. I will come back later (today is my oldest daughter’s 17th birthday celebration), and share some of my other fun Christmas posts.

Here are a few of my favorite Christmas desserts that I make every year!

Go >>HERE<< to see some of my favorite Christmas desserts.

It’s time for a Christmas giveaway!

Are you getting geared up for the shopping season? Do you need extra cash for Christmas?? Don’t we all!

We are so excited to be giving away $430 in cash prizes for you to use starting this Thanksgiving weekend.

Here are the prizes:

1 – $150 Amazon Gift Card
1 – $100 Target Gift Card
2 – $50 Walmart Gift Card
1 – $50 Kohls Gift Card
2 – $15 Starbucks Gift Cards

There will be 7 winners in this giveaway. Each winner will receive a gift card code to use either in the online store or in the actual store.

Now its time to meet our wonderful co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

Starting at the top row we have:

Please stop by and say hi to these wonderful ladies and their blogs.

The giveaway will end at 11:59pm on November 27th on the day before Thanksgiving. You will have 48 hours to respond to the email claiming the prize. If you respond right away, we will get you the gift card code promptly so that you can shop with it on Black Friday! If we don’t hear in 48 hours, we will have to choose another winner.

Open to anyone who can receive gift cards from Amazon, Target, Walmart, Kohls, and Starbucks

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Tasty Tuesdays: Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs + The “I Love My Instant Pot” Cookbook Review and Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

November 12, 2019 By Tammy Doiel 3 Comments

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I receive no monetary compensation.

Have you jumped on the Instant Pot band wagon?

I bought a 6 quart one a year ago, and I’ve used it a handful of times. I haven’t really fallen in love with it as I fall back to making my favorites.

So when I was asked to review The “I Love my Instant Pot” Affordable Meals Recipe Book, I was glad to do it. I received it a couple of weeks ago, and I have had fun looking through the recipes and thinking about which ones I want to try.

This cookbook was written by recipe developer and food blogger, Aileen Clark. She has her own blog called Aileen Cooks. Her mission is to connect with other moms in a way that helps make their lives easier and more fun.

Tonight I tried the Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe. Spaghetti is just as fast to make on top of the stove, but I thought it was neat that the meatballs, spaghetti, and sauce were all prepared together in the same pot.

Here is an easy Instant Pot recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs. I like how all the flavors cooked together.

The finished product tasted good! My only problem was that the noodles weren’t quite done. I did let the mixture sauté for 3 minutes at the end which helped cook them a little bit more, but next time, I will either pressure cook the mixture longer or saute it longer.

It was a very easy recipe, and it tasted good too! You can find the recipe in the book for the meatballs. However, you could probably use your favorite meatball recipe. This recipe used 1 pound of ground meat for the meatballs. I used 88/12 beef that I bought at Costco. It was a basic recipe that included some bread crumbs, milk and seasonings. After the meatballs are formed, you put them on the very bottom of the Instant Pot.

Next, take 1 pound of spaghetti and break it in half. Place it on top of the meatballs. Pour 3 cups of water over the spaghetti. Pour one 24 ounce jar of sauce over the spaghetti noodles. Pressure cook for 5 minutes. (Of course, it will take longer for 5 minutes as it takes 10 minutes or more to build up the pressure.) Then release the steam. I stirred the noodles, and they were still rather hard, so I sautéd everything for 3-4 more minutes. I probably could have done a couple more minutes.

And just like that, you have Spaghetti and Meatballs!

In this book, there are recipes for every meal of the day, including favorites like:

Ham and Egg Breakfast Burritos
Spicy Mushroom Rice
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Look HERE to find this cookbook that includes 175 easy, family-favorite meals that can all be made in an Instant Pot for under $12/meal!

You can enter a giveaway to win a copy of The “I Love My Instant Pot” Affordable Meals Recipe Book!

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PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

PLEASE follow the hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below. They will visit your post and pin it. Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy from Creative K Kids (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Audrey from That Recipe (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

**Lisa from Blogghetti (Blog)**
Pinterest/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

Please link up to three food-related posts that have never been linked up here before. Posts containing alcohol also will not be pinned.
Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site–either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

<div align="center"><a href="https://creativekkids.com/category/tasty-tuesdays/" title="Creative K Kids"><img src="https://creativekkids.com/tasty tuesdays.jpg" alt="Creative K Kids" /></a></div>

As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board. Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!
Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.
By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post. Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
If you would like to receive an email reminding you to link up to this party, please click HERE and add your email address to the list! I will only send you an email about linking up to this party.

Thoughtful Thursdays: Keeping Kids off of Devices in the Summertime

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

June 13, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

Your summer may look very different from my family’s summer.

In our family, I get to stay home with our kids. Although that is wonderful, they are not going to fun summer camps where there are field trips weekly. It is not in our finances for me to be taking our kids on weekly field trips, and I can’t drive the whole month of June because of my shoulder surgery.

Something I also had to get used to in moving to Florida is the Florida heat. Because of the heat, humidity, and rain, we don’t go outside much in the summer. When we lived in the North, the kids would ride their bikes, jump on the trampoline, go to the park, and many other outside activities. About the only thing you can do outside in Florida in the summer is swim, and we don’t have a pool (although we do have friends who have pools.)

So what are the kids going to do all summer?

Again, I am in a little bit of a different situation than many people unless they homeschool their children. I am the teacher of a little church school of only 7 children — 4 of whom are my own children. With my two youngest children, I have started science with them over the summer to take the load off of everything I have to teach next school year. I am also doing math with my youngest as she needs some extra practice in that subject.

My oldest two are still finishing up some school subjects. My oldest works about 25 hours a week, is doing Drivers Ed, and will be doing a Lifeguard Certification class. Her summer is full. My third kid would gladly read all day. But my two youngest — if I don’t keep them busy, they could be on a computer or a device all day long.

Here’s what we have found to fill our daily activities:

some school work
One daily cleaning activity — we have deep cleaned bedrooms, cleaned out some kitchen drawers, laundry, and more
swimming once a week at a friend’s house
having a couple of friends over about once a week
book study once a week
daily reading time
playing card games together

The nice thing about living in today’s world is that there are a ton of resources that are fun and educational.

Just doing a quick search on the internet will offer thousands of workbooks and other resources that can be bought. But what will hold your child’s interest? What resources are worth it?

I get emails all the time asking me to review items. Today, I’ll share just a few items that I have recently received that I found as fun and educational options that will help my kids stay off devices. All of the items I received below in exchange for an honest review. These are my own opinions and I received no additional monetary compensation.

Join the Quarto STEAM Club!

STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.

Join the club by signing up for the bi-monthly Quarto STEAM Club e-newsletter and you will receive:

Join the FREE Quarto Steam Club, and get:
-Quarto STEAM Club book and toy recommendations chosen by a panel of STEAM experts
-A discount coupon for 40% off the Quarto STEAM Club book picks on Quartoknows.com
-Free STEAM activity downloads
-Printable Quarto STEAM Club kid-member certificate
-STEAM activity videos
-Access to a dedicated private Facebook group for members to share tips and trick #quartoSTEAMclub @quartokids

Quarto STEAM Club book and toy recommendations chosen by a panel of STEAM experts
A discount coupon for 40% off the Quarto STEAM Club book picks on Quartoknows.com
Free STEAM activity downloads
Printable Quarto STEAM Club kid-member certificate
STEAM activity videos
Access to a dedicated private Facebook group for members to share tips and trick

Here are the some of the STEAM items I received from Quarto Steam Club.

You can get any of them from Quarto Knows, and as a free member of their club, you get a discount coupon for 40% off the Quarto STEAM Club book picks.

Quarto Steam Club -- free! Receive Quarto STEAM Club book and toy recommendation.
A discount coupon for 40% off the Quarto STEAM Club book picks, Free STEAM activity downloads, Printable Quarto STEAM Club kid-member certificate, STEAM activity videos, and access to a dedicated private Facebook group for members to share tips and trick
#quartoSTEAMclub @quartokids

STEAM Play & Learn: 20 Fun Projects
Creative Adventures in Cursive: 22 fun and colorful ways to use cursive
The School of Numbers: 40 lessons in understanding the basic principles of mathematics for ages 7-11. Each lesson has a practical application that makes concepts easy to understand.
Excellent Engineering: 35 fun experiments for young engineers to do at home. Includes step-by-step illustrations.
Curious Creatable Creatures: 22 projects that are customizable and can be remade again and again.
Tiny Science!: 20 precision science instruments in a custom case that you can take on-the-go.

If regular crafts are something that would interest your child, check out Quarto Knows book, 100 Things to Recycle and Make.

Summer is a perfect time to finally be able to do some crafts with your child. Or they may be able to do the crafts all by themselves if they have the materials and the book.

100 crafts that can be made out of recyclable items.

Each section in the book is dedicated to a different base object: cardboard boxes; paper plates; cardboard tubes; materials from nature; and egg cartons. There are twenty projects per section. These projects are so cute, and the directions are easy to follow.

Then there is a smaller craft book called Make in a Day: Crafts for Kids.

Review of Make in a Day: Crafts for Kids

This book includes 15 fast and easy projects. All of the projects are different from each other, so there should be something that will interest in someone.

This Watch Me Read and Grow Dinosaur book is a step by step drawing and story book that has a flip out drawing pad and over 30 stickers.

Maybe your kid isn’t a crafty kid or a STEAM kind-of kid. Then go with a book like Quarto’s Watch Me Read and Grow Dinosaur book.

It’s a step by step drawing and story book that has a flip out drawing pad and over 30 stickers! I thought it was pretty cool! You can preview it HERE.

I get to offer these last 3 books as giveaways! One winner will receive all 3 books!

Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize. Winner must reside in the Unites States. He/she will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond to the email with a mailing address or a new winner will be chosen.

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How do you keep your kids off devices in the summertime?

Come link up your thoughtful posts to Thoughtful Thursdays linky party!

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

Do NOT link up recipes, reviews, giveaways, diy, or crafts.
Link up to three posts that have not been linked up to this linky previously!
We would love it if you visited a couple other posts and left a comment or shared/pinned the post!
If you wish, please follow Creative K Kids by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on social media.

If you link up, we would love if you put this button somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, or party page) or provide a text link so that others can also find these great posts.

If you would like to receive a weekly email reminder on Thursday parties about linking up to this party, please sign up HERE.

Thoughtful Thursdays: Aly’s Fight — Choose Joy

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

June 6, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

I was able to receive the book Aly’s Fight: Beating Cancer, Battling Infertility, and Believing in Miracles and give my honest review of the book. No other monetary compensation was received.

I get asked to do reviews of products often. And often, I do not respond to the emails.

But when I received the email to review Aly’s Fight, I knew right away I wanted to read it. I had never watched the TLC show that Aly and Josh Taylor are in. I did not know anything about them. However, the email gave me enough information to let me know that this book was about a young couple who had a lot of heartbreak, many struggles; yet through all of their trials, they did not lose their faith in God.

Stories like their story needs to be shared!

I obviously am not infertile. We have five children. Yet for over 2 years, I was unable to become pregnant and was on fertility medicine. So for a brief two years, I struggled with not being able to conceive and not knowing what to do next. I won’t even pretend to say that I know what it feels like to never be able to conceive, but I had a small taste of what other couples experience.

This is a book of HOPE!

Here we see how God answers prayers against all odds — and how He gets the glory!

Josh Taylor says in the introduction:

“We live in a fallen world. So instead of praying for a simple easy life, I have chosen to embrace the troubles we go through and hold the hand of the One who has overcome them. When we do this, we are living the rich and satisfying life Jesus talks about. Joy in trial. Intimacy with Christ. Peace that surpasses understanding. Let John 16:33 be an anthem whenever you find yourself starting to dwell on the darkness in the world, ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.'”

Joy is a choice. We can only truly have joy when we run to the Author of joy! Aly and Josh Taylor share this joy in the book, Aly's Fight: Beating Cancer, Battling Infertility, and Believing in Miracles.

This book is testament to the fact that this is how Josh and Aly have chosen to live their lives — trusting that God is always good, and they have found an abundant and joyful life in Christ. They have chosen joy.

Aly’s Fight is an easy read that goes back and forth between Aly and Josh each sharing their side of the story. It shares Aly’s struggle with aggressive breast cancer at age 24, the couple’s heartache on learning they could never physically bear children, their road to adopting their first child, the miracle of finding out they were expecting, and then being able to adopt another child from the same birth mom who bore their first child. They had 3 girls in 16 months! Of course, before those 16 months, there were many terrible months through which they experienced much sadness and grief as well as the love and grace of God.

Throughout the book, Ali and Josh are honest and vulnerable with their struggles and feelings during the whole process.

Ali shared at the end of the book:

“We never let our struggles overpower our blessings, but we want to be real with others about not only the battles we’ve won but also the ones we’re still fighting.”

Some of the best advice in the book is the advice to choose joy. Here is part of what Ali says about choosing joy:

“Joy isn’t a feeling; it’s an outlook on life. Of course I want my kids to be happy, but I don’t pray for their happiness that much. Instead, I pray that they find their true unending source of joy in Jesus Christ. They have to choose Him and choose to live in the joy He gives every day, no matter what the circumstances of their lives are at any given time.

Choose Joy!

My readers can enter the following giveaway to receive their own copy of this book. Winner must reside in the United States. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email with their name and address. After 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are 2 other giveaways you can enter:

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

Do NOT link up recipes, reviews, giveaways, diy, or crafts.
Link up to three posts that have not been linked up to this linky previously!
We would love it if you visited a couple other posts and left a comment or shared/pinned the post!
If you wish, please follow Creative K Kids by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on social media.

If you link up, we would love if you put this button somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, or party page) or provide a text link so that others can also find these great posts.

If you would like to receive a weekly email reminder on Thursday parties about linking up to this party, please sign up HERE.

Wrap Buddies Review and Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

May 29, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

Many of you know that I had rotator cuff surgery two weeks ago. Right before I went into surgery, I received a set of Wrap Buddies to review. I am glad I have them as my third daughter’s birthday is this Thursday. I had to wrap her presents with basically one hand.

How to use Wrap Buddies to help you get presents.

I have a cool shoulder cradle that does allow me to use my left hand a little, but I don’t have full function of that hand or arm. With the Wrap Buddies help. I was able to wrap her presents rather easily.

Here’s how it works:

Clip Wrap Buddies to any table or counter top. Place the roll in between the Wrap Buddies and adjust the spacing to fit the length. Unroll the paper, measure, and easily cut. The built in tape dispenser stays close by so everything you need is always within reach.

What I liked best was how my wrapping paper stayed still and did not roll up on me. Without having a second hand to stabilize the paper, it was nice to not have to worry about the paper rolling up.

My dining roll table was not the perfect table as the Wrap Buddies only clipped about half way on because part of the table under the tabletop stopped it from clipping on the whole way. But it still did work. I also liked the way my regular tape dispenser with its steel serrated edge cuts tape better than the Wrap Buddies as it has plastic serrated edges. It did cut though, so it would be nice to have extra tape dispensers when wrapping a lot of presents.

I can see myself using these Wrap Buddies at Christmas. I wrap each child’s Christmas presents in a different roll of paper. I can put one roll of paper on the holder, roll out the paper, wrap all the presents for that child before I move onto the next roll of paper and the next child.

Enter to win a set of Wrap Buddies!

Winner must live in the United States. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize. Winner will be contacted with by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

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Here is 1 other giveaways you can enter:

Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook

Tasty Tuesdays: No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies + Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

May 28, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive is an instructional book sharing 8 essential strategies to eating healthy plus sharing recipes that actually implement those strategies.

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review, and after reading word for word about half of the book, I can honestly say that if I did what this book teaches, I think it would be life-changing for me.

I picked it up with the idea of just scanning over it to share with you what was in it and once I got started reading, I couldn’t put it down.

Why did I feel this way?

I don’t eat healthy (for the most part), and I partly don’t eat healthy because I don’t like many healthy foods. So I was immediately intrigued with the idea of retraining my tastebuds. Can it be done? I am a skeptic, but I want to give it a try!

I also loved it when Mareya Ibrahim said in her introduction, “No one should do anything that starts with ‘die’.”

This is not a diet book. This is a lifestyle book with a clear way to go about eating healthy that doesn’t have you counting points or calories or buying into a pyramid program to drink their drinks.

I am not knocking those aids, necessarily. I just don’t want to be tied to a program. I want to be healthy because what I put into my body is what God intended for me to put into my body.

I want to give this book a try and do what Mareya Ibrahim lays out in the 8 essential strategies to eating healthy, but I won’t be able to start until the middle of July — and I think I will be on my own in my family, although I might be able to get my husband to do it with me. With my rotator shoulder surgery, I can’t do the meal prep I would have to do to get this started and I can’t drive to get the additional groceries I need. But when I do it, I’ll let you know if I stuck to it.

Even if you choose to not do all of these 8 strategies, you would still like to get a copy of this book for the excellent recipes.

Mareya Ibrahim, nutritionist, award-winning inventor, and the signature chef and meal plan designer for the bestselling diet book The Daniel Plan, included eighty “forking delicious” recipes in her cookbook. For not being the healthiest eater, I thought I would like many of these recipes — without even having retrained my taste buds. Here are a few of them:

Zucchini Noodles with Romesco Sauce
Low-Sodium Umami Bone Broth
You Glow Smoothie
No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook — 8 essential strategies to a eating healthy

Strategy 1: Retrain your taste buds. the book includes an eight-day taste bud reconditioning meal plan.
Strategy 2: Stocking your kitchen. Not only does the book include a “steer-clear list” but it also includes a checklist called “your essential refrigerator” as well as instruction on how to organize your refrigerator.
Strategy 3: Get up on Greens — The recipes in this section included those all-important green, and they looked yummy!
Strategy 4: The Fast Break — Directions on how to do intermittent fasting. It is very doable using the plan showed in this book. You wouldn’t even feel like you were fasting!
Strategy 5: Go Gluten Free Super Grains — There is a short list you can use to know which grains are good to eat.
Strategy 6: Fat Fillers — There is good fat! Do you know the difference between good and bad fats?
Strategy 7: Be Real Dense — nutritionally dense foods that feed you to the core.
Strategy 8: The 90/10 Rule –about 3 of your meals per week can be what you want them to be. See how to decide what that 10% can be.

Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook and 8 essential strategies to a eating healthy

Here is one recipe from Eat Like You Give a Fork!

I will definitely give these No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies a try!

5 from 2 votes

No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthy no-bake cookies!

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12

Author: Mareya Ibrahim

Ingredients

1/2 c canned unsweetened full fat coconut milk
1/2 c + 2 tbsp. natural creamy peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter, for a nut-free option), at room temperature
2 tbsp. raw coconut oil
2 tsp. granulated stevia or monkfruit sweetener
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
3 c. quick-cooking oats
1/2 c. no-sugar-added dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone mat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, ½ cup of the peanut butter, and ½ cup water until smooth. Add the coconut oil, stevia, vanilla, and salt and mix until smooth.
Using a spatula, fold in the oats, making sure all the oats are well soaked. Let sit for about 10 minutes, until the mixture becomes firm. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix with a spatula to evenly distribute them.
Using an ice cream scoop, portion cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, and press down lightly to flatten them.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter and ½ teaspoon water. Drizzle the peanut butter over the tops of the cookies and let set at room temperature, about 15 minutes. Store wrapped in parchment paper to keep them fresh up to a week

Recipe Notes

Enter to win a copy of Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook!

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Here is 1 other giveaway you can enter:

1 set of Wrap Buddies

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The Perfect Birthday Present for Teens

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Go HERE for more disclaimers.

May 16, 2019 By Tammy Doiel

I have two teenagers and one tween (technically two tweens), and there is one present that they all want:

Bluetooth headphones

We all know that today is an age where almost every American kid has at least one device. It may be a Kindle Fire — that is what my tweens have. It may be a phone — my teens each have a phone. My oldest helps pay for her phone and does not use data unless it is an emergency. My second daughter got an Android phone for her birthday, and she does not call or use data unless it is an emergency. She texts me and uses Skype to talk to her cousin and friend that live far away.

What they DO do with their devices is listen to music and listen to Adventure in Odyssey stories — even the teens! And they will play the games and sometimes watch something. To listen to the stories and music, they use headphones. So they have all been asking for Bluetooth headphones, especially my second teen, as she likes to bake and practice soccer in the gym. It is much easier to listen to a story or music if your headphones can be cord-free and not attached to the phone.

When I was approached by 1MORE USA Inc. to receive the Stylish Dual BT In-Ear Headphones to review, I knew this was a product that I wanted to try out for my kids. 1MORE INC. sent me the headphones for me to write up an honest review (with no additional monetary compensation), and my daughter loved them!

The color would have been exactly the color she would have chosen, and they were very comfortable to wear. They were also extremely easy to pair with her phone.

Karis tested these headphones out.

She was able to put her phone down and listen to music as she played with her siblings. She even jumped on the trampoline while wearing them! She was so glad that I was able to review the headphones and that she’ll be able to get something that has been on her wishlist for a long time!

Here are some features of the headphones:

4 color options to match your personal preference: rose pink, platinum gold, spearmint green and midnight black. The sound chamber, cable, and ear tips all feature the same color scheme.
DUAL-DYNAMIC DRIVER
LOSSLESS BLUETOOTH AUDIO- Bluetooth v4.2 with a wireless range of up to 30 feet!
FAST CHARGE + 3C BATTERY- Fully charged, the Stylish BT Headphones are capable of 6 hours of use. Fast Charge capabilities give you 3 hours of use with only 10 minutes of charge time!
PERFECTED ERGONOMICS- A soft and flexible neckband with a skin-like silicone material offers more comfort during prolonged use. A built-in memory steel wire allows the neckband to fold for easy storage in your pocket or travel case.

Here is what is included:

Silicone Eartips (S,L,XL- 2 ea.)
Micro USB Cable
1MORE Bear Sticker
Instruction Manual
Storage Bag
Product Brochure

I loved the storage bag that will hold the headphones as well as the extra eartips, the cable, and the instruction manual. It’s attractive and functional!

You can buy these headphones and more styles that 1MORE USA Inc. offers HERE and on Amazon. Buy them for your teen — they’ll be ecstatic!

1MORE USA has sent me one more of these pairs of headphones to offer as a giveaway to my readers!

Winner must reside in the United States. Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond with their contact information before a new winner is chosen. Creative K Kids is not responsible for the fulfillment of this prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are 2 other giveaways you can enter:

1 Set of Wrap Buddies
Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook

Last week, I shared how I received a free copy of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook for my honest review.

Here you can see what kind of recipes are included in the cookbook:

You can enter the giveaway below:

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation.

You can enter the giveaway below to win a copy of both of these books!

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I receive no monetary compensation.

Only 8 days to Christmas! Crazy!

I want to try the recipes for Egg Drop Soup and for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup. I also want to try the Cheesy Macaroni and Chili. So many great choices!

If you have an Instant Pot or know of someone who does, enter the giveaway below!

You can enter another giveaway HERE.

There will be no party next Tuesday as it is Christmas Eve. Have a wonderful Christmas!

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

Go >>HERE<< to see some of my favorite Christmas desserts.

It’s time for a Christmas giveaway!

Now its time to meet our wonderful co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I receive no monetary compensation.

Have you jumped on the Instant Pot band wagon?

And just like that, you have Spaghetti and Meatballs!

In this book, there are recipes for every meal of the day, including favorites like:

You can enter a giveaway to win a copy of The “I Love My Instant Pot” Affordable Meals Recipe Book!

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

Your summer may look very different from my family’s summer.

So what are the kids going to do all summer?

Here’s what we have found to fill our daily activities:

The nice thing about living in today’s world is that there are a ton of resources that are fun and educational.

Join the Quarto STEAM Club!

Here are the some of the STEAM items I received from Quarto Steam Club.

If regular crafts are something that would interest your child, check out Quarto Knows book, 100 Things to Recycle and Make.

Then there is a smaller craft book called Make in a Day: Crafts for Kids.

Maybe your kid isn’t a crafty kid or a STEAM kind-of kid. Then go with a book like Quarto’s Watch Me Read and Grow Dinosaur book.

I get to offer these last 3 books as giveaways! One winner will receive all 3 books!

How do you keep your kids off devices in the summertime?

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

If you would like to receive a weekly email reminder on Thursday parties about linking up to this party, please sign up HERE.

I was able to receive the book Aly’s Fight: Beating Cancer, Battling Infertility, and Believing in Miracles and give my honest review of the book. No other monetary compensation was received.

I get asked to do reviews of products often. And often, I do not respond to the emails.

Stories like their story needs to be shared!

This is a book of HOPE!

Josh Taylor says in the introduction:

This book is testament to the fact that this is how Josh and Aly have chosen to live their lives — trusting that God is always good, and they have found an abundant and joyful life in Christ. They have chosen joy.

Throughout the book, Ali and Josh are honest and vulnerable with their struggles and feelings during the whole process.

Ali shared at the end of the book:

Some of the best advice in the book is the advice to choose joy. Here is part of what Ali says about choosing joy:

Choose Joy!

Here are 2 other giveaways you can enter:

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

If you would like to receive a weekly email reminder on Thursday parties about linking up to this party, please sign up HERE.

Here’s how it works:

Enter to win a set of Wrap Buddies!

Here is 1 other giveaways you can enter:

Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive is an instructional book sharing 8 essential strategies to eating healthy plus sharing recipes that actually implement those strategies.

Why did I feel this way?

I also loved it when Mareya Ibrahim said in her introduction, “No one should do anything that starts with ‘die’.”

Even if you choose to not do all of these 8 strategies, you would still like to get a copy of this book for the excellent recipes.

Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook — 8 essential strategies to a eating healthy

Here is one recipe from Eat Like You Give a Fork!

Enter to win a copy of Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive Cookbook!

Here is 1 other giveaway you can enter:

PLEASE LINK UP TO THREE FOOD POSTS TO THE TASTY TUESDAYS’ LINKY PARTY!

I have two teenagers and one tween (technically two tweens), and there is one present that they all want:

Bluetooth headphones

Karis tested these headphones out.

Here are some features of the headphones:

Here is what is included:

I loved the storage bag that will hold the headphones as well as the extra eartips, the cable, and the instruction manual. It’s attractive and functional!

1MORE USA has sent me one more of these pairs of headphones to offer as a giveaway to my readers!

Here are 2 other giveaways you can enter:

Websites where I share my giveaways:

Amazon Affiliate: