DISCLOSURE: This review and giveaway was made possible by iConnect Influencer Management and Litehouse Foods. I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Fourth of July is almost here! For the past few years, we've been going to my sister's house for a BBQ on 4th of July. I usually bring something and I had been struggling with what to make this year. I usually bring a dessert, but I thought I'd do something a little different this time and make a side (though knowing me, I'll probably throw together some sort of dessert, too!). 

I love coleslaw, but often at stores you find just the plain cabbage and carrots slaw. I wanted to make something a little different. I remembered having a coleslaw from Harris Teeter once that was really good. It wasn't really creamy like other grocery store deli coleslaw. It was crunchy, but I coudn't remember what it had in it. I just remembered it tasting really fresh.

DISCLOSURE: As a member of the Parragon Book Buddies Program, I received free products in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Summer's here and I'm so ready to hit the beach! We're about 40 days away from our annual trip to the Outer Banks and we can't wait! So, we were pretty excited to see that the theme of our July Box from the Parragon Book Buddies Program was "Summer Fun."

This was our first box from Parragon and my 5-year-old was super excited to be getting a box of goodies just for him.

DISCLOSURE: I am a licensed, practicing optometrist. I do not have any relationships/affiliations with any sunglasses company mentioned in this post. All opinions are my own.

National Sunglasses Day is June 27. It serves as a reminder to wear sunglasses to help protect your eyes from UV radiation. Long term exposure to UV radiation can accelerate the development of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. While these conditions are usually associated with older individuals, it's important to make sure children wear sun protection, too.

Children's eyes absorb more solar radiation than adults. Most of the lifetime UV damage occurs during childhood. Though, the consequences are not usually seen until they are adults.

DISCLOSURE: I received free products from Influenster in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm only a couple years now from my 40th birthday. I've definitely noticed changes in my facial skin. It's not as bright or smooth as it used to be. My pores seem larger and my skin texture is a lot rougher. So, in response, I've been paying a lot more attention to my skincare routine.

I recently had the chance to try some samples of a couple anti-aging products from Vichy. I've only used one other product from Vichy in the past -- Vichy Idealia Life Serum. (See review here.) I really liked it, though, I never went out and bought it. This time, I had the chance to try Vichy LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme and Vichy LiftActiv Supreme.

DISCLOSURE: I received free products from Influenster in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A couple weeks ago, Zootopia was released on DVD and Blu-Ray. I had pre-ordered it from Amazon and as soon as it arrived, we did an impromptu movie night (never mind that it was 4 in the afternoon). I figured it would be the perfect chance to try the bag of Eatsmart Snacks Three Bean Tortilla Chip that I got sent in the Sprout VoxBox from Influenster.

DISCLOSURE: I was sent free products in order to host a Dunkin' Donuts Bakery Series Coffee House Party. All opinions are my own.

I love coffee. I drink at least one or two cups of coffee a day. Often, we use our Keurig to make our coffee, though, sometimes we still brew a whole pot if we know we'll be drinking more than one cup in one sitting. Recently, I had the chance to throw a party to share about Dunkin' Donuts Bakery Series Coffees. I was sent this fun package that included:

• Dunkin' Donuts Bakery Series Coffee K Cups in Chocolate Glazed Donut
• Dunkin' Donuts Bakery Series Ground Coffee in Chocolate Glazed Donut
• Coffee Mug
• Cupcake liners
• Notepads
• Pens
• A chalkboard sign
• Chalk

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.

As a family of six, we do so much laundry. If we don't do laundry at least once a day, we quickly fall behind. With so much detergent being used, I've been trying to buy more detergents that are eco-friendly as well as effective and economical. That balance can be hard to find.


Recently, I had the chance to try ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent in Magnolia & Lily scent. It has a concentrated formula that is plant-derived. It protects colors and fabrics and has a built-in fabric softener to save money. It contains no formaldehyde or dyes and is ph balanced and gentle on skin. It can be used in both standard and he washers and combines high quality ingredients with a low price.




The detergent has a mild scent. It's nice and not overpowering. My sample was enough for one load in our he washer.




Our clothes came out clean and soft. I could barely even smell the magnolia & lily scent on the clothes, so if you are sensitive to scents, this should be fine. I would definitely use this detergent again.


ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent can be found in grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores and online. You can use their Store Finder to find your local retailer. A 50-oz container retails for $7.25, a 100-oz container retails for $10.15 and a 170-oz container retails for $16.90.

For years, my husband and I have talked about starting a container garden. We thought it would be nice to grow our own herbs, fruits, and veggies. But, we never really got around to it. A few months ago, my husband told me to Google container gardens and dresser drawers. He had read about them somewhere and thought it would be something we could do.

 DISCLOSURE: I received free products from Influenster in exchange for my honest review.

It's been a long time since I last received a big VoxBox from Influenster! And the Sprout VoxBox is certainly an interesting one. I'm not even sure what it was that qualified me for it, but I'm excited to try out all of the products that came in the box. Most of the brands in the box were actually new to me. I've only heard of two of the brands and have only tried products from one of them.

Here's a little unboxing video I did for the Sprout VoxBox. I don't have fancy video editing software and recorded this myself in my room. So, it's definitely low tech. (Like I just now noticed the cords from my window blinds in the shot!)



The Sprout VoxBox has products for your hair, face, body and your tummy! As I write up the review for each product, I'll also put the link to the review down below.

Here's what came in the Sprout VoxBox:

• Orgain Organic Protein Powder in Vanilla Bean
• Ecos Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent - REVIEW
• Hair Food Moisture Collection
• Eatsmart Snacks Three Beach Tortilla Chips - REVIEW
• Curate Bars
• Vichy LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme - REVIEW
• Vichy LiftActiv Supreme - REVIEW

I'm not too sure about the protein powder, since I've never tried anything like that before. It's good to know that it's soy-free, since I'm allergic to soy. I'll probably be trying the laundry detergent first, since I have so much laundry to do!

A couple months ago, we had a chance to take a little road trip out to Natural Bridge, VA. We had visited the area about 7 years ago and had always talked about going back. While we were there, we visited the Virginia Safari Park (you can read about our visit here) and the Natural Bridge Park.