LOVE IT! Every Family Should Have One Of These

If you follow this blog, then you know, my Australian husband is shameless and beyond hysterical.  He is also incredibly creative and a whizz on the computer. There's no better proof of this when after years of complaining about not having a great family portrait, he made me one. 

You see, I'd been complaining about the fact that every other family has a great portrait displayed in their house. But do I? No. 

Truth be told, I had pretty much accepted that I never would. Even if I could get the Aussie and his Mini-me to dress in nice semi-matching clothes, they would NEVER:

• Sit still for a photo
• smile for real
• take it seriously. even a little bit. 
• miss the chance to embarrass me

The list goes on and on... and on...

Think I'm kidding?  Here are the last time I asked them to smile:

So, when the hubs gave me this framed masterpiece for my birthday, I was beside myself with joy.

It was PERFECT!  No way could I have fashioned a better photo of my family with an actual photographer. Each one of us is making the PERFECT expression. (Our heads were taken from three different photos.)  No way could we pull that off in real life. 

Originally, he printed it on photo paper and framed it, but it wasn't right. This masterpiece needed to be on canvas! It needed to be hung over our mantle. So, when the Canvas Factory reached out offering me a free 16"x 20'' (40x50cm) Canvas photo, I said, Yes, please!

I'd never had a photo printed on canvas before and was skeptical of how well the photo would transfer, or how real it would look.

When I unboxed the canvas photo I was floored. It came out so amazing!  So. So. So Amazing. I gave it to the Hubs as a late Father's Day present. He was just as overjoyed and blown away with the end result. It was also really cool to solidify his masterpiece in Canvas ,that I can proudly hang on the wall. 

Which, I did. In the first 10-minutes of having it. 

Click Photo To Enlarge.

The quality is so nice, no frame needed! The canvas is stretched around the wood frame, secured with nails and staples, then covered with soft felt-like tape to give the back a smooth finish. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! 


I just cannot recommend enough considering a fun family portrait that perfectly captures YOUR family. It's easier than you think with free online photo editing software that guides you through the process. Or enlist a friend with photoshop to help. 

You could also use an actual family photo and print it to canvas, but I have to say, it's so much more fun to have a silly family portrait. Not only does mine keep me laughing and proud of my family, it's a fantastic conversation starter. No one can walk past it without saying something. 

To inspire you to make your own,  I'm partnering with the Canvas Factory to offer one reader a 16"x 20'' (40x50cm) Custom Canvas print! 


Enter the giveaway below (Open to US and CA),! For more information about the Canvas Factory or to order your print now, US Residents Click here;  Canadians, Click here. I Most Def recommend Canvas Factory. GREAT Prices and fantastic quality! 

Entry-Form

**I received compensation and or product in exchange for an honest original post. All opinions are my own.

You Want Me To Stick That Where?

There are seven words all parents say, usually within the first few weeks of their child's life:

You want me. To stick that. Where? 

If you're a parent, you know exactly what I'm talking about. That cold scary probe the nurse insist must be stuck where the sun doesn't shine, to check your newborn's temperature. That's right, a thermometer.

Well, good news, parents! Family 1st™ has answered our parent prayers. It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to the first, NO CONTACT, temperature projecting, Pediatrician recommended thermometer, VisioFocus®. 

This is my new favorite parenting tool. Favorite. Just you wait... this thing is a magic wand of epic-ness.

**I've partnered with Family 1st Products, to share the AMAZING VisioFocus®,

 the first no contact projection thermometer. 

All options are my own. 

Which, here's the first one. I freaking love it!!!!!!

So. The VisioFocus®, is amazing. 

Ah. May. ZING! 

I'm sorry, I just want to gush all over it. The VisioFocus® is SO MUCH MORE than a themometer! I have been so obnoxious with this thing. I've taken the temperature of every single thing in my house. Including, but not limited to, the plants, the wall, my foot, my hand, every forehead that passes me, Professor the cat, the freezer and everything inside of it, water, ice water, the window, snow, my kid running away from me... the fun just never stops!  

Seriously, I have not set it down since I opened it a few days ago. Sometimes, I take the kid's temperature just for fun.  

Bottom line: It works. INSANELY well. In less than 20 seconds, the temperature is projected on my son's head, perfectly. I was blown away. I pointed at my head in the mirror, and sure enough, 98.6. Same thing happened with FTD. The thermometer never touched one of us, yet read our temperature perfectly. 

I think back to all the nights Ollie was a sick baby.  I must have felt his head and disturbed his sleep 50 times a night. If I had the VisioFocus®, life with a sick baby would have been much less stressful. 

Now, on to why I can't put the thing down! The VisioFocus® is not only for foreheads! It's for taking the temperature of anything and everything! It's a Six-in-One Thermometer! It's made to take the temperature of just about anything. There is a button to take the temperature of faces, and a button for everything else inside your house. 

With only three buttons, the VisioFocus® is foolproof.  To take a human temperature, push the button with the 'face' icon. To take the temperature of everything else in your home, press the button with the house icon. 

I can honestly say, I have put the VisioFocus® through the ringer! I have tested everything in my house, and in every case, VisioFocus® has given me an accurate reading. I TOTALLY get why doctors and pediatricians are recommending it. It's so easy to use, doesn't disrupt the child, sleeping or awake, and can be used for multiple things in the home. Being able to check the nursery temperature, the bottle and bath temperature and baby's temperature in a matter of minutes, with the same thing is Epic. Love it.  

At a retial price of $55, it's worth every penny. Thankfully, as an exclusive FTMAD reader, for a limited time, Family 1st™is extending a $15 off coupon! At checkout enter promo code:15OFF2016MB Get a VisioFocus®, here.

Something else Family 1st™is extending is an awesome giveaway! One lucky reader will win a VisioFocus® mini ($45). Sign up below!

The No-Chemical Head Lice Game Changer EVERY Parent + Teacher Needs!

**I've partnered with V-COMB to talk about all-natural, safe and effective ways to prevent and treat head lice. All opinions are my own.

As you may already know, I have been on a serious lice fighting rampage. When a little girl in my son's pre-k class had lice, that ended up spreading to a few other children, I lost the plot! Lice? People fleas? Wait. No. 

I was officially on a mission to find a way to prevent lice, or at least catch the little blood suckers before they took over my house. I went right to the pharmacy, and was pointed in the direction of things with "pesticides" in them! No way am I putting pesticides and chemicals I can't pronounce on my child's head. How can there not be a safer way? 

I went home and started researching all-natural chemical-free treatments to prevent and kill nits and lice.  

I found that using Essential Oils daily to pre-treat your child's head can work as a barrier to lice. Essential Oils like Tea Tree, Lavender and Rosemary are fantastic. Mix with detangler or just massage right into your child's scalp. PRO TIP: Mix a few drops of Tea Tree, Lavender and Rosemary oils with water in a spray bottle. Hose your child's coat, backpack and anything else lice like to jump on.

Since the essential oils are not 100% effective at preventing lice, it's crucial to regularly spot check your child's head. The good news is that lice start as nits, or eggs. Meaning, you have seven days before the nit becomes a louse, and a few more after that before the louse is is mature enough to lay eggs. By regularly spot checking weekly or even bi-weekly, you can prevent a full on head lice war.

Since the nits essentially super glue themselves to the hair shaft at the base of the scalp, picking them off is not so easy, and that's if you even see the teeny-tiny thing! 

ENTER: The V-COMB: A chemical-free, painless supercharged Nit and Lice comb. <Insert rays of light and singing angels>

You have to watch this video so you can see the V-COMB in action. So so so so so cool!


               

The Aussies have struck Gold again with the V-Comb. It sucks away nits and lice from a child's head safely and effectively. ZERO Chemicals needed. Zero. With Ollie's short hair, it takes less than a minute to check his head. It's easy, effective and gentle on my little guys scalp. I want to give one to every single school and parent! #Epic

If I could, I would donate one to every single school in the world! It's that great. Luckily, I was able to talk the makers of V-COMB into giving one lucky winner and their child's school a V-COMB!  That's right, One for you and one for the school!  Enter below!

The Perfect Valentines Day Gift For The Person Who Has Everything #Shuttertoons #ValentinesDay

*Today, I've partnered with Shuttertoons to talk about one of my favorite gifts to give and get, something personalized. All opinions are my own.

The older I get, and the older my friends and family get, the more I realize we pretty much have everything we want. Well, that's affordable and within reason. Which, makes it increasingly hard to find great gifts. In fact, I've completely abandoned the old idea of going to Macy's or any big box store looking for a gift for someone.

Now, when I want to give a thoughtful gift, I try to find something that is either a personal inside-joke-ish gift or something I can personalize. Even if it's just a cute family photo in a frame. It just means so much more than a silly gift card.

I know I LOVE to get personalized or hand/homemade gifts.  One of the greatest gifts we have been given since moving into our new home, is a  personalized Louisville Stoneware Nameplate for our house. I LOVE it. Every day, I come home I look at it and smile.

Recently, when Shuttertoons reached out to give my family a personalized Valentines day gift, I was more than open to the opportunity. I went through the entire inventory, and just laughed and laughed at the crazy ways I could personalize some of the offered products. After all, no way was I going to personalize something with a simple, I Love You. OH, NO, NO FREAKING WAY!

In the end, I chose to personalize a 29"x 39" blanket with a few of my favorite photos. Using the Shuttertoons editing suite, I was able to create an awesome collage, crop the photos and more.

It turned out AMAZING!

Everyone who has seen the blanket has laughed hysterically, and then asked how they can get one. Since the blanket is not very large, 29" by 39" it's best suited as a baby blanket, or a conversation piece. I'm framing ours and hanging it in the hallway.  It's that cute.

The detail is certainly worth mentioning. You can see the faces on the people in the background and even the reflection of the road and trees in my sunglasses!

Truth be told, I was torn between the blanket and a Swarovski Crystal Birthstone Charm Necklace.

I would get the first letter of our surname with my son's birthstone. SO CUTE! However, the blanket is ADORABLE! I'm glad I went with something my whole family will enjoy. For many years to come.

I love love love personalized gifts! I can't recommend them enough. Especially, for the person who has everything. If you're looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift for someone who has everything or just a fun gift for a friend, definitely think about personalizing something. Shuttertoons has a bunch of great gift and super cute Valentines Day ideas worth checking out. Oh, and did I mention you can Cartoonize yourself, too?



If you're still hurting from your recent holiday spending spree, don't worry, I've got a plan, sign up below for your chance to win YOUR CHOICE of one personalized item from Shuttertoons!

Parenting Game-Changer And $250 Giveaway!