New Year’s Resolutions Are Going To The Dogs (Literally)

FEFB2682-9605-4071-A125-E4DE8D602774 With 2016 finally here, I’ve already been planning about how to make this new year the healthiest one yet. Although there are numerous ways I could improve myself and my health, what if I could also get my family involved including my furry family members, too?
Milk-Bone (the makers of my dogs’ favorite dog treats) recently conducted an original survey of 3,000 pet parents nationwide to find out which healthy habits families are pledging in the new year. Here are the results!
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Bauer is super excited to try his Milk-Bone Good Morning Daily Vitamin Treat!

Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Pets and Their Pet Parents

(% of pet parents who are interested in each pet-oriented resolution)
1.  “I will spend more time with my dog.”  52%
2.  “I will help my dog to have better health and wellness.”  42%
3.  “I will take my dog on more trips with me.”  34%
4.  “I will brush my dog’s teeth regularly.”  31%
5.  “I will help my dog get more essential vitamins, nutrients, and supplements.”  30%
6.  “I will help my dog become less anxious and stressed.”  29%
7.  “I will not feed my dog food from the dinner table.”  25%
8.  “I won’t leave my dog home alone for quite as long.”  23%
9.  “I will help my pet lose weight.”  21%
10.  “I will take my dog to dog training class.”  15%
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Of course, old habits die hard — which is why Milk-Bone has also fetched the best ways to make sure these resolutions stick.
Top Tips for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions
>> 1.  “I will spend more time with my dog.”  52%
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Mr. Monk eagerly awaiting his Milk-Bone Brushing Chews Daily Dental Treat

According to the survey, 44% of pet parents say that having a dog brings a family closer together.  Whether it’s taking Fido to a new dog park or adding a few minutes to your daily walk, you can easily increase quality time with your pup.

>> 2.  “I will help my dog to have better health and wellness.”  42%
In addition to plenty of play and exercise, consider providing your pup a daily vitamin supplement, such as Milk-Bone Good Morning Daily Vitamins, which promote well-being, longevity and overall good health.
>> 3.  “I will take my dog on more trips with me.”  34%
Taking your pup on vacation not only adds fun, but it also alleviates the worry of not knowing what’s happening wth him while you’re away. Be sure to bring his favorite toy or something he loves to keep him calm during travel.
>> 4.  “I will brush my dog’s teeth regularly.”  31%
Weary about brushing your canine’s canines? Start a new daily routine and try a dental chew, such as Milk-Bone Brushing Chews — which clean teeth, remove tartar and fight dreaded doggy breath. This daily dental treat also comes in a new ‘Fresh Breath’ flavor (in stores Feb. 2016) for an even tastier clean.
>> 5.  “I will help my dog get more essential vitamins, nutrients, and supplements.”  30%
Vitamins provide beneficial nutrients not found in regular dog food — which is why it’s a good idea for both of you to start the day off right with a daily vitamin supplement. Milk-Bone Good Morning Daily Vitamins support your dog’s immune system, brain, heart, and digestion.
>> 6.  “I will help my dog become less anxious and stressed.”  29%
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Bauer enjoying his Milk-Bone Brushing Chews Daily Dental Treat!

If you have a timid dog, the key to reducing his stress is by building his self confidence. Start by teaching him to respond to basic commands — it will make him feel more comfortable in his environment.

>> 7.  “I will not feed my dog food from the dinner table.”  25%
Every dog loves (and often begs for) tasty table scraps. Next year, resist the urge and provide tasty pet treats instead. These Milk-Bone treats are ones that not only taste good but are (actually) good for them.
>> 8.  “I won’t leave my dog home alone for quite as long.”  23%
If you can’t leave work early, consider providing a new furry companion for your pup.  Or perhaps you can arrange for a friend’s dog to make a house call.
>> 9.  “I will help my pet lose weight.”  21%
Just like us, some pups could stand to lose a few pounds. Next year, make Fido your accountability partner and commit both yourselves to eating healthier, along with plenty of play and exercise.
>> 10.  “I will take my dog to dog training class.”  15%
Experts are experts for a reason. Accredited dog trainers have tons of experience in teaching both pets (and pet parents) positive reinforcement techniques that are safe and effective.
Bauer and Mr. Monk’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2016
Of all these resolutions, the one that resonates with me is ‘brushing my dog’s teeth regularly.’ According to the survey, 40% of dog parents do this… and I’d love to do this more regularly.
Of course, brushing your dog’s teeth is one of those things that’s a lot harder than it sounds.  Thanks to Milk-Bone Brushing Chews, however, I don’t have to lift a finger.  (Well, maybe that’s all I have to lift.)  Basically, the Brushing Chew does all the manual labor in keeping my pup’s teeth clean and breath fresh.  Double win!

Readers, what resolution are you planning to make for you and your dog in 2016?

Disclosure:  I was sent complimentary samples of Milk-Bone products in exchange for this post.

Why (And How) We Use Google Voice for Birth Family Contact in Foster Care

Why (and How!) We Use Google Voice for Birth Parent Contact in Foster Care!Before we became foster parents (around this time last year), the aspect of this whole system that intimidated me the most was birth parents. Now, there’s much to be said about birth parents, and I won’t be able to say it as well as others, so I’ll just leave a few article links at the bottom of the post and you can read for yourself. But suffice to say, I was worried, even scared, about how birth parents might treat us, talk to us, and otherwise intimidate our family while we care for their children.

So far, I can say that we’ve had none of the scenarios play out that I had envisioned – no spooky encounters of people driving by our home, no situations where I’ve been cussed out over the phone, etc. And we have pretty frequent contact with our kid’s birth family – weekly visits, weekly phone calls, one of them had twice-weekly Skype.

Google Voice Logo

All of that being said, there’s one easy solution we have used to keep birth family contact within the foster care guidelines set forth by our case worker, and that is Google Voice.

If you are unfamiliar with Google Voice, it is a service offered by Google (obviously) where you can make and receive phone calls, voicemails, and texts at an anonymous number – for free! There are lots of ways you can use it, but here are the basics of how we use it as foster parents:

  1. Birth family members only get the Google Voice number – Social workers are instructed to NEVER give out my personal phone number. So far, that has worked. I’ve heard from many foster parents whose personal numbers have been given out and it hasn’t been a good experience for them, so I’m hoping Google Voice continues to help us.
  2. I have several phones set up that Google Voice will forward to. I have my phone number, my husband’s phone number, and even my mother’s phone number. That way, depending on who is watching the kids, if it’s time for a scheduled call, we are set up for calls. It just takes a few quick clicks on the mobile site to select the appropriate phone for the call to ring at.
  3. We enable Do Not Disturb on Google Voice and ONLY turn it off when a call is scheduled. THIS IS KEY. Without using Do Not Disturb, all Google Voice does is block my phone number. But using it preserves the boundaries that have been established for us with the birth family.

So that’s the HOW, here’s the quick version of the WHY:

  1. Privacy – I don’t know about you, but I don’t share my phone number with just anyone. I don’t like to get unwanted calls. This one is pretty simple. Also, we have a Connect-To-Cell phone at home (basically a cordless phone that our cell phones ring to when we are home), so anyone in our home could pick up the phone. Our kids don’t answer the phone at their ages, but if they did, I feel the need to protect them.
  2. Boundaries – Even when they are told what the “rules” are, people will still try to make contact when a phone call is not scheduled. I have no desire to receive multiple calls that I have to silence or ignore throughout a day, let alone listen to hateful voicemails. The Do Not Disturb feature lets me have a small piece of control in a system where we have very little. We preserve the relationships are asked to preserve, but we still respect and maintain the boundaries that are put into place.
  3. Cost-effective – Google Voice is F-R-E-E! Unless you need to make international calls, there’s no cost whatsoever. We started out using a TracFone in foster care, as suggested somewhere on the countless blogs, Pinterest Pins, and podcasts I scoured as we started our foster care journey, but it quickly became a hassle. Making sure we had the phone, that it was charged, that it had minutes available (and those can be $$!) – it was just too much. Having access to a semi-private/secure line from my own cell phone was a much better option.

That’s the short version of how and why Google Voice works for us in foster care. Do any of you foster parents use Google Voice or can you see it working for your family?

If you need help navigating this feature or want to learn more, here is , which should get you started!

Looking for those articles I mentioned about birth families? I’m so glad you asked! 🙂

Foster Parenting Wall

So my husband is pretty awesome, and I need to show you my Christmas present. Brandon saw that I liked a foster care quote wall hanging, and he knew I wanted a special way to remember the kids who come through our house, so he made this from a wooden pallet:

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A few months ago he interviewed me on stage during a sermon. The interview was about foster care and saying Yes to God. I used this quote in the interview.

Now here’s the extra awesome part. He took photos of our kids, including our biological kids, and added the text “I am unique. I am loved. I am His.” to each photo and then hung them under the pallet art. I put emojis over the girls’ faces to protect their privacy. 🙂

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I love it so, so much! I still want to add the two girls we had as a respite placement. It’s really cool to think about what this wall might look like in a few years!

Boy Mom Turned Girl Mom (through Foster Care)

BoyMom

About 7.5 years ago, I was pregnant for the first time. I had visions of little girls, of ribbons and dolls and all the things that come with daughters. I was completely wrapped up in the idea of having a girl, so it was understandably quite an adjustment for me to change my thinking to the idea of being a mom of BOYS when I had my gender ultrasound the first time. In a word, I was devastated. I wrote all about it on an older post, but I’ve been perfectly happy parenting only boys for almost 7 years.

Everything changed back in May, when two girls came to live with us in our new role as foster parents. I was excited by the idea of living with and shopping for girls, but honestly I was a little nervous! After all this time, I’d gotten used to superheroes and cars and wrestling. Little boys love their mamas, and I kinda loved what we had going on.

Since the first month or so was completely just survival mode (OMgosh FOUR KIDS), it took me awhile to get kinda swept up in the whole girl mom* thing. Sure, we did get my Barbies out of the garage to play with the first weekend, and we went shopping for pretty dresses for a special event in June, but in the midst of just parenting, we didn’t do a ton of girly girl stuff.

Until now. We got *A* a Journey Girls doll, which for the unfamiliar, is an 18″ doll akin to American Girl dolls, just approximately $100 cheaper. She.Was.PUMPED when she opened it on Christmas morning and I had spent hours in the previous weeks looking for DIY accessories and furniture that we could make together. I looked in dollar stores for accessories (hellooooooo adorable and perfectly-sized guitar from Dollar Tree!) and readied myself for crafting.

May I present, with commentary, some of our projects?

So first we made a tiny camping lantern (instructions here), since she got a camping accessories set (complete with tent, campfire, s’mores, etc.).

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Then I made her two little books and a teeny iPad! I got the idea from here and printed off the book cover images. We have been reading The Baby-Sitters Club books at bedtime for months.

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Then we got to work making a little couch out of a shoebox, scrapbook paper, and a piece of fabric.

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Then after going shopping today for more clothes for Olivia, her doll, we made a closet. A CLOSET, PEOPLE. How cute is that?

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We cleared off a bookshelf that previously held board games, and this is now her doll’s room. I used some scrapbook materials to make little posters for the walls.

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BRB, dying from the cuteness.

*Read: I realize I’m not their mom. So it’s kinda like “I’m not a doctor, I just play one on TV” or “I’m not a girl mom, I just play one in foster parenting.”)

Foster Parenting Update

Worst blogger ever, that’s me. Guys, life is busy! But I’m not alone in that, you all are super busy too.

But in between working full time, parenting four kids, plus all the extras that come with foster parenting (extra doctor’s appointments, therapist’s appointments, phone calls, visits, etc.) coming up with time to write has been The Impossible Dream. And to make it even worse, I’m going back to school in August to [finally!] finish my MSW!

Okay, so the long story short is that we got our first “real” placement on May 6, 2015. They’ve been with us for over 7 months now! It has been a wild roller coaster, but we really love these kids. Due to confidentiality, I can’t say much more than this, but one of the girls will be leaving our home next week, before Christmas. There’s no problem, this is a good and happy thing for her, but it’s complicated due to family dynamics. We’re thrilled for her, but sad for her half-siblings that she is leaving behind. I have lots more I could say, but…ya know…#fostercare.

We are finishing up all the pieces of paperwork for our recertification with our agency this week. We totally slacked on our training hours during the first part of the year when we didn’t have a placement, but we managed to pull it together in time.

As I reflect on 2015 (as you do, in December), I’m so grateful for our family and friends who have loved our kiddos like they’ve been with us forever. They’ve gone through background checks and paperwork, have sacrificed by drying tears and calming tantrums, and they’ve shown Jesus to our family in numerous ways. THANK YOU for loving as He does. Looking ahead, who knows what’s in store for our family? We just know that this is His plan for us and He is blessing us in amazing ways.

My Simple Trick for Disorganized, Forgetful Kids

My simple trick for disorganized and forgetful kids (especially kids in foster care)

The girls have been with us for almost three months. But if you ask them, they might say they’ve been here for 3 weeks. Or 9 months. They aren’t sure. They have a lot of trouble keeping track of time – days, minutes, hours.

They’re constantly asking us what day it is and what happens today. And it makes sense, if you look at kids in foster care as a generalized, non-specific group. Kids who have been abused or neglected (and as a reminder:  that’s why kids are in foster care. Not because of something they did.) have probably not had a super organized life. They don’t know when they’re getting their next meal, let alone which days the family does what activities. Regular snack time? Routines they can depend upon? Forget it.

Kids in care don’t change overnight and it takes time to trust that what you say is what you mean. It takes longer than a few weeks to overcome symptoms of PTSD and make sense out of disorganized chaos.

That being said, the constant forgetfulness was starting to become problematic. They were forgetting things daily, not understanding what day it was. Everyone else would be dressed for church and they’re still sitting on the couch wearing their PJs 10 minutes before departing. We tried adding a calendar to their room, but as expected, remembering to mark off days was too much to handle and they would mark off days too far in advance.

Finally I had an epiphany, one that only cost $1.00 and approximately 2 minutes of time each evening.

I started thinking about all the things that I tell the girls right before bed that they inevitably forget before morning and decided I would write them down on a $1.00 dry erase board from Dollar Tree. Um…duh! So simple, and it could change my life.

Here’s an example of what I might write down:

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The first day using the dry erase board the girls were all set for school and I noticed one of them dutifully putting the items in her backpack that I had specified on the board. Later I asked if they had seen the board and they said “YES, it was SO HELPFUL Miss Krista! Can you do that every day?” Why yes, yes I can.

Today, Saturday, it’s obviously a little different. They don’t tend to sleep in, and it’s probably just because they don’t know if they need to get ready for school or church. So today here’s what it said:

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All four kids slept in (some of them up just after 7 and some slept until closer to 8) and happily sat down to watch TV together (other than 20 minutes before school they don’t watch much TV).

I don’t know if this will be as earth shattering for you and your home as it has been (so far) for ours, but I hope it helps! Obviously not all kids in foster care will struggle with this and it’s certainly not an issue limited to kids in the system. This is a useful tool for any child who has difficulty with organization and forgetfulness.

Foster Care Wish Lists: How friends and family can help

After we announced to our friends and family that we were starting the process of opening our home as foster parents, we had several people ask how they could help. In the beginning, it’s hard to know what you might need – you have just started your classes and you probably don’t know what ages you might have in your home. What do you even start?!

fostercarewishlistsBefore I get to my list, let me just get this out of the way:  I never expected anyone’s help. This was something our family decided to do, with no intention of relying on friends and family to purchase anything for us. So while you may have strong feelings about everyone’s “responsibility” to help kids in foster care, your friends and family didn’t sign up for this, you did.

But if you have people in your life who want to help and really want direction about what you need, you might consider starting a Wish List. Some people will want to give in particular ways – maybe they make blankets and want to bless your kiddos with a blanket of their own (like my friend Angela and her sons!), or maybe they want to bring you dinner (thank you Ashlie and Ciara!). Let them! 🙂 However, some people will want you to tell them what you can use. This is where a Wish List can be really helpful.

We made a Wish List on Amazon.com, because that’s how so many people shop. And we had non-locals who sent items – friends I hadn’t seen since high school and college, a woman who I’ve never met in person! Amazing people!! So an online wish list was great for us. You can add items from Amazon.com as well as “universal items” that they could purchase anywhere.

Our Amazon Wish List was for our particular household, where we would be taking in kids in the approximate age range of 4-11. So here we go:

  • Lice treatment kits (Lice happens, y’all. Prepare yourself now.)
  • Good quality lice combs (We like the )
  • Lice Freee spray [Because let’s just go ahead and get all the lice stuff done at the top of the list]
  • Evenflo Big Kid booster seat (though we knew if we got younger kids in a 5 point harness we would need to get something different). We like these because they are lightweight for switching cars.
  • USB drives, on which we will put photos and scans of artwork, schoolwork, and photos of their stay to send with their parents
  • A Tracfone and Tracfone minutes, which is what we use for birth parent phone calls. We do NOT use it for anything other than parent calls, so we turn it on 5 minutes before a scheduled call and turn it off immediately afterward. For us, it has worked really well to separate those calls from the rest of our week. There’s no fear that they will call at a time we aren’t expecting it, and we have the only access.
  • Boxes with lids, like these Sterilite boxes. We had one in a dresser drawer when they arrived so that they could store food in their room if they wanted/needed. They haven’t used it for that, however. They use if for their hair things. Any way it goes, boxes with lids are a great thing. They are inexpensive and can be decorated and go home with the child if you wish.
  • Locking medicine cabinet, like this one by Helix. A locked container or cabinet was required for our home study, though it doesn’t have to be one specifically designed for medications [at least in our state]. I like this one because of the way it opens. I don’t store everything in this one, because it’s pretty small. I have another large container that is locked and stored elsewhere.
  • Small suitcases and duffel bags. No child deserves to carry their belongings in a trash bag. Perhaps you work with an organization who has suitcases on hand for kids, but perhaps not. When our friend Tracy bought some for us, I was happy to know that kids would never leave our home with their possessions in a Hefty bag.
  • Books about foster care (see below for affiliate links to the ones on our list!)
  • Gift cards for children’s clothing

In addition to the things listed here, we had great friends who brought over hand me downs and immediately dropped everything to get essentials for our girls’ first night in our home. If you are going to have older or younger kids, your needs will of course vary. You might need bottles and formula for a baby or toddler, toys for a preschooler, a desk for a middle schooler, etc. Think through your needs and ask around. It’s okay to not have everything, but it’s great to be prepared!

What else do you think belongs on a foster care wish list? Did you make a wish list when you opened your home?

Post contains affiliate links (below)

Review: Juniper Hill Aquatic Center (Frankfort, KY)

Juniper HillI don’t typically do local-interest reviews, but I felt like this new local attraction deserved a post. They didn’t ask me to write it, I didn’t get free tickets, I just wanted to share about our experience.

Juniper Hill Aquatic Center is a new multi-feature recreation center in Frankfort, Kentucky. It is operated by Frankfort Parks & Recreation and opened to the public on Friday, July 3rd, 2015. It has a large swimming pool with diving boards and a climbing wall, lazy river, splash pad for little ones, two large waterslides (coming soon!) and small waterslide (also coming soon!), and large shallow play and splash area. There is also a concession stand with super reasonable prices (hot dogs for $1.50!) and bathrooms/changing areas. The Aquatic Center is staffed by lifeguards in every area.

My family went to check it out today. In our group were 5 kids – my two boys (ages 5 and 6), our foster girls (ages 8 and 11), and my nephew (age 15) and the adults – my parents and myself. Because we came after I got off work at 4:00pm, we were able to get in at the Twilight Rate (available after 4pm each day), half price! So our group of 8 got in for $19.50. We had 3 hours to play, and we used our time well! Because it was later in the day, the crowd had thinned out, which was quite helpful.

11011023_926495554081881_8154775566076763284_oThe large, shallow splash area was my kids’ favorite! I bet the boys and the youngest girl went down the slide 50 times each! It has one of those giant buckets that dumps down every few minutes. We also enjoyed the lazy river, which had lots of squirty, dumpy things that soak you as you float around on a tube. The bigger kids also like the large, deep pool, though none of them were brave enough to attempt the diving boards or climbing wall. I wish the water slides had been open – I’m sure they would have been a hit, and we will need to go back once they are installed!

If I have to gripe about anything, it’s the bathrooms. They are in need of mats so that you don’t have to fear for your life on the slippery wet floors. And they could use some hooks or benches near the showers so that you have a place to put your dry clothes when changing. My advice to locals is to come with your swimsuit under your clothes and wait until you’re dry to throw something back on to leave.

11705353_613425429937_3111102589230938097_nBut there’s plenty to like, don’t get me wrong! The lifeguards, though mostly teenagers, were attentive and helpful. Things ran smoothly – things like picking up and returning your tube at the lazy river. I can certainly be prone to griping, but there wasn’t much to complain about today!

We all had a great time and are looking forward to returning to Juniper Hill Aquatic Center!

Here’s the info you need about hours of operation and daily rates:
Monday through Saturday 11:30 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday 12:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Daily Entry Fees:
Children 2 and under are Free
Children ages 3 to 10 will be $4.00
Youth ages 11 to 17 will be $5.00
Adults ages 18 to 59 will be $6.00
Senior 60 and Over will be $5.00

*Twilight Rate from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm is offered at half price

Season Passes for the Summer of 2015 Effective July 3, 2015

Child ages 3 to 10 will be $38.00
Youth ages 11 to 17 will be $45.00
Adults ages 18 to 59 will be $55.00
Seniors 60 and Over will be $38.00
Family of 4 members in same household will be $95.00

How Cozi Saved My [Foster Parenting] Sanity

HowCoziSaved

So have I mentioned that we got our first foster care placement? Probably not. ‘Cause things have been straight up bananas at our house. We got our first “real” foster placement last month. It happened in an absolute whirlwind the first week of May. I’d had that nagging feeling in the back of my mind all day – “I bet they’re gonna call today.” This has happened before, and we did get a call – they just weren’t ones we could say Yes to. In fact, they called at least a dozen times. A few times we said yes, but mostly we had to say no (for various reasons).

This time? I said yes immediately. An hour later, I was driving to pick them up!

I can’t say it has been all sunshine and rainbows. There have been moments where I thought “What have we done?!” but overall it has been great. They are sweet, polite, and just awesome kids. As with most situations in this system, we have NO IDEA how long they will be with us; we’re just loving them as if they’ve been here forever.

However, the amount of “stuff” that was suddenly added to our lives was pretty overwhelming – haCozi_Logoving to schedule 4 doctors’ appointments for each girl, therapy appointments (all kids placed through our agency receive therapy), CPS meetings, birth parent visits and phone calls – WHOA. I had to do something to keep it all straight. I’m good, but not that good.

Our family has used Cozi.com, an online family organizer, for over 5 years. We’ve used it for remembering our infrequent appointments, shopping lists, shared To Do lists, and more. But now, we needed it more than ever!

With Cozi‘s tools to organize my life, I’m able to schedule appointments from a desktop, iPad, or my phone and see all the details needed – locations, times, and who is involved. I can set reminders that will notify me on my phone (or Brandon’s phone, if he is driving). There have been days where our family of 6 was running in 3 or more separate directions!

Cozi • Calendar 2015-06-19 10-23-33Yes, I could do a paper calendar. I could write it all out. And I do still use a dry erase board on the fridge; two actually, one for notes and one that is a weekly calendar. But Cozi is my brain. Without it, I would have completely lost my foster parenting sanity in those first three weeks!

If you’re a foster parent, have a large family, or just have a lot of appointments and practices to juggle, give Cozi a try! Most of their features are totally free – others require a Gold subscription (which I do not have). See if it can help save your sanity like it did mine!

Disclosure:  This is NOT a review post where I was asked to review a product by a company or PR firm. I just really like this service and wanted to give them some love! 🙂

Review: Simple Sugars

Weather is harsh on my skin – in the winter, my skin gets incredibly dry. In the summer, it’s still dry and my poor pale complexion is so prone to sunburn! In addition, my upper arms have keratosis pilaris (basically little red dots that don’t itch). So you could say I have some skin issues.

SimpleSugarsReviewIn 2013, my husband and I were watching one of our favorite shows that we both enjoy, “Shark Tank”. We were so impressed by this young entrepreneur, Lani Lazzari, who pitched her idea for a sugar scrub to the “sharks”. Lani, who was at the time only 18 years old, started her company Simple Sugars at the age of 11 – WOW! She was composed, she was sharp, and she had a great business! Lani got a deal with Mark Cuban and Simple Sugars has experienced some incredible growth!

Simple Sugars is handmade, all-natural skincare products especially formulated for sensitive skin. They’re made with pure cane sugar and all-natural oils. It could be organic soybean oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil or sweet cherry kernel oil, depending on the particular scrub.

I was sent the new Simple Sugars Vanilla Grapefruit body scrub, a Signature Scent which is available only at BeautyBrands.com! From the website:

Simple Sugars Vanilla Grapefruit Body Scrub offers the incredibly refreshing scent of vanilla and grapefruit in a decadent body treatment. Specially formulated to treat even the most sensitive skin, this all-natural body scrub gently exfoliates skin while deeply moisturizing. You’ll get super-soft, smooth skin without using additional lotion or moisturizers. Use this exfoliating body treatment daily to simplify your skincare regimen, or offer the sweet scrub to family or friends the body scrub arrives in an adorable box with bow.

Features:
– Grapefruit and vanilla scent
– Gently exfoliates and deeply moisturizes
– Softens and smoothes
– Nourishes and firms
– Simplifies skincare routine by eliminating need for additional moisturizers
– Suitable for sensitive skin
– For daily use
– Packaged in box with bow

For this particular scrub, the ingredients are pure cane sugar, organic soybean oil, grapeseed oil, cherry kernel oil, apricot kernel oil, organic grapefruit zest, tocotrienols (Vit E), fragrance, essential oil, citric acid. It comes in a 5 oz. container for $15.00 or 8 oz. for $18.00.

I used Beauty Brands‘ exclusive Simple Sugars Vanilla Grapefruit scrub on my skin every day for a week and let me tell you – it’s incredible! You start off scrubbing it into your skin and it feels like a regular exfoliating scrub (except it smells AMAZING) but then the sugar dissolves into your skin, leaving it so moisturized and so smooth you just won’t believe it. And let’s talk for a moment about the smell – you’ll want to dig into it like a dessert, but don’t do it 🙂 Have you seen the list of scrubs at SimpleSugarsScrub.com? Coffee, Lemonade, Tangerine, Raspberry – YUM!

Vanilla GrapefruitMy husband and I just returned from a cruise to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We got pretty badly sunburned in the Bahamas and I used Simple Sugars on my chest and my face (probably not specifically recommended) and it helped SO MUCH! My face was peeling before use and it completely cleared it off. My chest was a hot, peeling mess that was all cracked and sore – after using Simple Sugars, the peeling is reduced, it’s not dry and flaky, and I’m recovering much quicker! And that’s just with the regular Body Scrub – Simple Sugars has a special Sun Scrub!

Simple Sugars has body scrubs, facial scrubs, foot scrubs, even Smooth for Men, a special line of scrubs for men! They also offer gift packages (for my family – THIS IS A HINT), from $23.95 up to $74.95 like the Variety Sampler, Pedi in a Box, and Smoothness to Go!

You can find more on Simple Sugars and Beauty Brands! Support this young entrepreneur and get your skin in shape by using Simple Sugars!

Disclosure:  I was sent a complimentary sample to facilitate my review. I was not paid for this post and was not required to write a positive review.