DVD Winner!!

The winner of the DVD is.....

Rondah (soccermom1)!!!!

Congratulations Rondah, I hope you enjoy watching the movie!!  Thanks to everyone who entered!

More Purex Winners!!!

The 3 winners of coupons for Purex Ultrapacks are....

Lightlovebeing kwonagain@
AngelaH  Thisisme@
Twifanheather hsemonick@

I have emailed the winners with further instructions.  Congratulations, and thanks for entering!!

Review: We Choose Virtues

Teaching my children godly character traits is very important to me.  In today's world we can only shield them so much from the negative attitudes and actions that are out there.  I was extremely excited to learn I was going to review We Choose Virtues!

We Choose Virtues was created by Heather McMillan, who was a Children's Pastor, preschool teacher, and is a Mom herself!  She was discouraged by the lack of good character skills she was seeing in the kids she worked with, and We Choose Virtues was born!

First off, let me say that this is not a big curriculum or unit study that you need hours to devote to every week.  It is a tool you can use daily all year round!  I was given several products to try out from the Kids Set (3-11 year olds).  There is also a Youth Set for Middle-High School age.  The Teacher's Handbook was very helpful.  It goes through steps on how to teach virtues, how to use each of the products, and more.  It is full color and very user-friendly. 

After reading the Teacher's Handbook, we sat down as a family and went through the Family Character Assessment, which was very interesting to hear everyone's thoughts on different areas. This will be a great tool to use every few months to watch our progress in these areas. 

My VERY FAVORITE part of the products we got to review from the We Choose Virtues line was the Virtue Clue Cards.  They are great-colorful, sturdy, and in their own plastic case with a velcro closure.  As the cards are business card size, this would be easy to throw in your purse to go over while waiting for an appointment with your child.  The characters on the Virtue Clue cards and throughout all the products are just adorable.  My son Chad, 9, was drawn to these cards immediately!  We decided to let him close his eyes and draw a new card every day until we have gone through the entire set.  The different virtues on the cards are:

I am Diligent

I am Kind

I am Helpful

I am Obedient

I am Forgiving

I am Perseverant

I am Gentle

I am Patient

I am Self-Controlled

I am Content

I am Honest

I am Attentive

Each card has a catchphrase, an antonym, a clue, and the matching character.  For example: I am Patient.  I wait, and wait, and wait with a smile.  I am NOT...pushy or controlling and I don't get frustrated or bored when others are slow!  Choose to go the whole day and not rush or push anyone.  Piggy Bank Frank knows you can do it!  I really like that the catchphrases are short enough for kids to be able to memorize. 

We also got to download the Kids of Virtueville Coloring Book, which has all the characters from the Virtue Clue cards.  This is great to use after you have gone over your Virtue Clue card, and find the matching coloring book page to go along with your card!

We had a great experience with everything we reviewed from We Choose Virtues, and there is a lot more on their website! These are good quality products! There is a great sale and clearance going on right now (the Virtue cards are only $5.99!!), and during the months of January and February The 100 Days of Virtue Poster and Stickers will be included FREE with any Homeschool Kit purchase during these months. Here are some promo codes for you (you may only use one per order):

VIRTUE15 for 15% off the shopping cart is still available

SHIPFREE for free worldwide shipping

I really hope you will go check out this great line of products! They have Homeschool Kits, Classroom Kits, Kids Church Kits, Teacher Kits, and so much more! Also, for more tips on parenting, leadership and inspiring lasting Virtue, check out and 'Like' We Choose Virtues' Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wechoosevirtues

To read other crew member's reviews of this product, click here.


*Disclaimer: I was given these products free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

Winner!! Purex Crystals and Jockey Sports Bra!

The Winner of a full-sized Purex Crystals Tropical splash and a Jockey Sports bra is...
Tanya (TMC480)!!  Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered!

~Wordless Wednesday-My Silly Boys~

Review and Giveaway~'A Mile in His Shoes' DVD

Sometimes it can be difficult to find movies the entire family can enjoy together, especially when you have younger kids who get bored easily.  It needs to be a movie that has enough of a plot/story line for the adults, but easy enough to understand for the kids.  Having a teen and a 20-year-old as well, that throws in yet another viewing group to satisfy at our house!

'A Mile in His Shoes' was perfect for our family to watch together.  It is from the director of 'Angels in the Outfield' and stars Dean Cain and Luke Shroder, who both did an excellent job portraying their characters.  Mickey is an 18-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of Autism. He also has an amazing pitching arm! He lives secluded on a farm with his parents, and is discovered by a minor league baseball coach. A Mile in His Shoes is an inspiring and educational story, based on a true story and book, 'The Legend of Mickey Tussler'. Watching this movie together started a dialogue on how to treat others who might be different-great family conversation!

To take a peek at the movie, click on this youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev2T0BFetH4


For more information, here are some links for you to check out:
Website: http://www.watchgmctv.com/video/mile-his-shoes#biography

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Mile-In-His-Shoes/270101973014772?sk=wall

Dove Foundation Review: http://www.dove.org/reviewmasterframe.asp

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
I have an extra copy of 'A Mile in His Shoes' to give away!!  There are 6 different ways you can enter:

1. Leave a comment below-make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

2. Follow me on Google Friend Connect on the right sidebar, and leave me a comment to let me know you are a follower.

3. Follow me on Twitter @athenalang and leave me a comment letting me know your twitter name.

4. Tweet about the giveaway, and leave me a link to the tweet.

5. Facebook about the giveaway, and leave me a link to the post.


6. Blog about the giveaway, and leave me a link to your blog post.

This giveaway will end on January 25th, 2012 at midnight MST. I will email and announce the winner the next day. Good luck!
“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Winners!

The 3 winners of coupons for a free full-size bottle of Purex Triple Action are:

Trista 
Debbi (debbi.diamondgrove@)
Shala_darkstone (madelinebrubaker@)

The winners were drawn at random by Random.org.  I have emailed each of the winners further instructions.  Congratulations!!

Don't forget....I have TWO other Purex giveaways going on right now!!  Click here to go to the Purex Crystals and Jockey Sports bra giveaway that ends 1/18, and click here to be taken to the Purex UltraPacks giveaway that ends 1/20-there are 3 winners for this one!

Another Purex Review & Giveaway~Purex Ultrapacks

This is my third Purex giveaway in one week!  Purex has many great products that have recently come out and are coming soon!  I was given the opportunity to try Purex UltraPacks laundry detergent, which will be available in stores next month. 

Purex UltraPacks laundry detergent are convenient pre-dosed liquid detergent packs that make doing laundry easier then ever.  I love using them because, with my spine problems, I can't lift big, heavy jugs of detergent.  All I have to do is pop one of these pre-measured packs in when I put my clothes in the washer.  So easy!

Purex laundry detergent is formulated and safe for all machines, including high-efficiency.  The UltraPacks dissolve quickly in the washer, even in cold water!  Each of the Purex UltraPacks contains powerful 2x concentrated detergent, so you are getting double the cleaning power!  Scents available are Mountain Breeze and Free and Clear.  My sample was of the Mountain Breeze scent, which I already loved from the bottled Purex Triple Action detergent.  It's a nice, fresh scent. 

Purex is definitely my choice in store-bought laundry detergent.  The cleaning power you get is the best for a great price!  I do make my own laundry detergent, but always have some backup Purex in case I run out and for extra-tough jobs. 

Beginning in mid-February 2012, http://www.freesamplepurex.com/ will be up and running again, so you can get your own free sample of Purex Ultrapacks laundry detergent!  I will post when I get the word that the link has gone live.  In the meantime, you can try to win your own full-size package of UltraPacks here!!

THE GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!
Three (3) The Loose Screw readers will each win a coupon for a full-size package of Purex UltraPacks!!  You have 7 chances to win!

1. Leave a comment below-what laundry detergent do you use most often?
2. Check out this product at www.Purex.com/UltraPacks and leave me a comment with something you learned about this new detergent or Purex.

3. Follow me on Google Friend Connect on the right sidebar, and leave me a comment to let me know you are a follower.

4. Follow me on Twitter @athenalang and leave me a comment letting me know your twitter name.

5. Tweet about the giveaway, and leave me a link to the tweet.

6. Facebook about the giveaway, and leave me a link to the post.

7. Blog about the giveaway, and leave me a link to your blog post.

This giveaway will end on January 20th, 2012 at midnight MST. I will email and announce the winners the next day. Good luck, and have fun doing that laundry!

*Disclosure: Purex provided a free sample of their UltraPacks laundry detergent so I could write a review.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Review and Giveaway-Purex + Jockey!!

Purex Crystals fabric softener and Jockey have teamed together!  As a member of Purex Insiders, I was sent a sample of Purex Crystals Tropical Splash and a Jockey sports bra.  I have done a review of Purex Crystals before, but I had never tried the Tropical Splash scent in the yellow bottle. 

These two products together are a great match!  See, the moisture wicking fabric a lot of our sports/workout clothes are now made of are damaged by the oils in liquid fabric softeners.  Purex Crystals fabric softener does not contain these oils, is 92% natural, and freshens your laundry for weeks!

The Jockey sports bra is soft and comfortable, made of 93% polyester and 7% Spandex.  It has breathable mesh panels, along with the moisture-wicking we talked about above.  I thought this was really cool-it has a little key pocket in it!  The sports bra does a great job wicking away the moisture-I put it to the test!  I then washed it using my Tropical Splash Purex Crystals fabric softener.  The scent is nice-not too strong and perfumy as some softeners can be.

If you are interested in buying your own Jockey sports bra, click here to get a 20% off coupon on your purchase!

THE GIVEAWAY!!!
I have a great giveaway for one reader of The Loose Screw: a full-size bottle of Purex Crystals Tropical Splash, and a Jockey sports bra!!

You have 6 ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment below, answering this question: What is your current favorite fabric softener?
2. Follow me on Google Friend Connect on the right sidebar, and leave me a comment to let me know you are a follower.

3. Follow me on Twitter @athenalang and leave me a comment letting me know your twitter name.

4. Tweet about the giveaway, and leave me a link to the tweet.

5. Facebook about the giveaway, and leave me a link to the post.

6. Blog about the giveaway, and leave me a link to your blog post.


This giveaway will end on January 18th, 2012 at midnight MST. I will email and announce the winners the next day. Good luck!!

*Disclosure: Purex and Jockey provided free samples so I could write a review.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Purex Triple Action Laundry Detergent~Review and Giveaway!

Its time for some giveaways! As you may remember, I am a Purex Insider, and they are letting us in early on some great new products and promotions they have going on.  In the next few weeks, I will be having THREE  separate giveaways for Purex laundry detergent!! 

My first review and giveaway is for Purex Triple Action laundry detergent.  This new formula takes the best part of Purex's current formula and combines it with new additions, to deliver even greater cleaning and improved brightening power.  Just like Purex's other detergents, Purex Triple Action works in both traditional and HE washers. 

I have been completely pleased with all the Purex products I have tried in the past, and this new Purex Triple Action was no exception.  I received the Mountain Breeze scent-it smells great!  There are several scents available, as well as a Free and Clear. 

The first time I used Purex Triple Action laundry detergent I decided I would try it on some clothes my young son had worn outside climbing trees.  I figured that would be a very tough test of how much cleaning power this detergent has!  I didn't even pre-treat anything first.  The laundry came out perfectly clean and fresh, you would never know the abuse it had taken!!  It smelled wonderful too!  Although I usually make all my own detergent, Purex Triple Action is my next choice for when I run out of my own, or have extra dirty clothes.  Also, Purex is the best value out there for the quality you are getting.

Starting in February 2012, be on the lookout for the chance to get free samples of Purex detergent at http://www.freesamplepurex.com/!  I love free samples!!  I will let you all know when the link goes live so you can get your sample. 

Now, for the GIVEAWAY!!!! (I love those too!!):

I have coupons for a full size bottle of Purex Triple Action for 3 readers!!  You have 7 different ways to get entries:

1.  Leave a comment below, answering this question: Do you smell your clean laundry as you are folding it (or putting it away, or...)?  I know, strange....but the reason I'm asking is because I do and I want to know if I'm weird for doing it!! *Clarification: I don't smell it continually, just once or twice.  Love that clean smell!

2.  Check out this product at www.Purex.com/TripleAction and leave me a comment with something you learned about this new detergent or Purex. 

3.  Follow me on Google Friend Connect on the right sidebar, and leave me a comment to let me know you are a follower. 

4.  Follow me on Twitter @athenalang and leave me a comment letting me know your twitter name.

5.  Tweet about the giveaway, and leave me a link to the tweet.

6.  Facebook about the giveaway, and leave me a link to the post.

7.  Blog about the giveaway, and leave me a link to your blog post. 

This giveaway will end on January 12th, 2012 at midnight MST.  I will email and announce the winners the next day.  Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!

*Disclosure: Purex provided a free sample of their Triple Action laundry detergent so I could write a review.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Review~Healing is A Choice

Seventeen!

    Today is my daughter's 17th birthday!  It is hard to believe that 17 years have flown by so quickly.  Alyssa was born about a month early, after a difficult pregnancy (a seizure at 6 weeks, mild contractions at only 2 months along, and full bedrest at 6 months).  It was a stormy night in San Diego, where we lived at the time.  Getting to the hospital late at night, we had to dodge tree limbs and debris while the winds howled and the rain poured.  The labor and delivery ward even had a leak in the roof!  I got an epidural soon after we arrived (my other birth was all natural), and waited for a few hours.  As we were chatting, my husband looks down and says, 'Something is coming out!' and out slipped Alyssa just in time for the nurse to catch her.  The doctor arrived soon after, and told us we all did a great job without her!  After a rough pregnancy, it was the easiest birth ever!!  Alyssa was beautiful, and I was amazed that I had a little girl of my own. 

After we got cleaned up, they wheeled us down to our room.  Jeff and my family decided to go home and get some sleep, and as I sat alone gazing down at this beautiful creation of God's, I looked out the window to see a HUGE, beautiful rainbow.  The storm had cleared. It was the most amazing moment.  I will never forget it.  I tried to think of some way I could incorporate 'rainbow' into her name, even another language's translation of it, but never found anything I liked. 

Alyssa has been a rainbow in my life for 17 years now-I couldn't be more blessed having her for a daughter.  Happy Birthday!