Geffen Baby products review

June 11, 2013 By genamayo Leave a Comment

Today I’m happy to share a review with you about a company called Geffen Baby, which sells cloth diapers, washable wipes, nursing pads, and shirts for babies and toddlers.

They contacted me a while back to see if I would review their cloth diapers. Now, I’ve done a lot of things these past 13 years that I’ve been having babies. But I’ve never used cloth diapers! So, I decided to try out the other products they sell! If you do cloth diaper, you need to check out the ones at Geffen Baby. They have improved fabrics by adding more hemp to the content, becoming the only fabric in the industry to have 60% Hemp and 40% Organic cotton. In doing so they created a performance fabric that is not only more durable, but also more absorbent! Just what you want for cloth diapering!

I tried out the nursing pads. I have breastfed for 10+ years, so I am pretty experienced with the different types of nursing pads out there. The Geffen Baby ones are sooooo soft! They’re also thin, which I loved. The only negative I could say about them is that they were a bit wrinkly after being washed and dried. But that’s the nature of cotton, and is easily taken care of by a few seconds with an iron.

E birthday Geffen Baby 033

My 2-year-old son happily tried his new t-shirt with the cute giraffe on it! He’s wearing it right now as he plays. Again, the fabric (100% cotton) is soft, yet durable. I know this shirt will last him a while. They also have adorable baby polo shirts!

E birthday Geffen Baby 027 E birthday Geffen Baby 028 E birthday Geffen Baby 029 E birthday Geffen Baby 031
(Disclosure: I received a complimentary package of Geffen Baby nursing pads and a toddler t-shirt in order to write this honest review.)

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: breastfeeding, Geffen Baby, t-shirt

Review/Giveaway of Lilla Rose Flexi Hair Clip

June 5, 2013 By genamayo 5 Comments

Last year I was first introduced to Lilla Rose–they have beautiful hair clips! I had a feeling that if I tried one, I’d love it. Well, last week I got one to try and have worn it every day since! I definitely do love it! And we have a giveaway–so read through to the end of the post!

Kristen Smith is my new Lilla Rose consultant. If you don’t already have your own consultant, please Like her Facebook page, Follow her on Twitter, subscribe to her monthly newsletter (learn about the Flexi of the Month, new releases, tips and hairstyles, and contests for discounts, too!

, and visit her website.

What’s really great about the flexi clips is that they have some stretch to them. They bend around your hair. That’s what helps them to stay in so well, even in my daughter’s very fine hair.

There are 7 different sizes of flexi hair clips, and if you need help choosing the right size, see the sizing and styling video here. By the way, mine is a Small. My daughters would need size extra-small to do the half up hairstyle, but small works for the french twist style. And I would need a medium to do a ponytail or full twist (that’s my next choice!).

In addition to flexi clips, Lilla Rose also has beautiful bobby pins, hair sticks, you-pins, O-rings, and hair bands.

Lots of homeschool families are looking for ways to boost their family income while still staying home, and Lilla Rose can be a great way to do that! They have a very affordable start-up option, and there are no minimum sales requirements. Contact Kristen to learn more (smithspirations at gmail dot com).

Kristen can also do online parties for any readers who might like to share Lilla Rose with their friends. I plan to have an online party later this summer, but if you’d like to do one yourself, let her know!

A few important things about the giveaway:

-”Independent Lilla Rose Consultant Kristen Smith” is doing the giveaway, not just Lilla Rose.

-The prize for this giveaway is a Have One On Us certificate for a free item, up to $16. These certificates can only be used once per customer and one per household, ages 18 and up, with a valid email address. Current Lilla Rose customers are not eligible to redeem the certificate, but new customers only. If a current customer or someone already registered with another consultant wins, they can have the certificate, but will have to pass it along to a friend who is new to Lilla Rose.

-Winner must not have won a Lilla Rose giveaway in the past 12 months to be eligible to win.

-Open to residents in the US, Mexico, and Canada.

Enter to win through the Rafflecopter app below. (Click through to http://ichoosejoy.org if you don’t see it.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Disclosure: I receive a small Lilla Rose Flexi Hair Clip to try out in order to write this honest review.)

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: flexi hair clip, Lilla Rose, product review

Moore Family Films: ReviewGiveaway of “ABC Say It With Me”

May 29, 2013 By genamayo 5 Comments

I’m so happy to introduce our newest sponsor here at I Choose Joy!: Moore Family Films.

I’ve been able to preview the sneak peeks of their newest film called ABC Say It With Me Bible Memory Verses. The film is for the youngest kids, preschool age (about 2-8 years old). It has a Bible memory verse for each of the letters of the alphabet. My kids and I have seen letters A-K (not J yet), and they are so cute! You can check out letter A here; it’s memory verse is “All we like sheep have gone astray.”

There are several things I really like about this video. First, it’s a great way to help our youngest children to learn and memorize Scripture. The verses are shortened and repeated often so they are easy to remember. But more than that, the visual depictions help the kids to understand and apply the verses! This is more important than just memorizing it. One example is with Letter K: ”Keep thy tongue from evil.” A young boy is playing with a ball which is taken from him by his baby sister. He chooses to cover his mouth and “keep his tongue from evil” rather than saying anything bad to her.

Another thing that’s sweet about the video is that you’ll get to feel like you “know” the Moore family members. Dad, Mom, and different children star in each of the vignettes where they tell the story of the verse.

Be sure to go here to see a preview of Letter A and the trailer to the whole video. You can also pre-order it now (it will hopefully be done this summer!) for $15.95 and will begin to receive links to each new vignette as it becomes available. And if you’d like to see which verses have been chosen so far (King James Version) see here.

And now–a GIVEAWAY! Thank you so much to Moore Family Films for offering one copy of this video to an I Choose Joy! reader. Until the film is officially released the winner will receive the sneak peeks. Then the DVD will be mailed at a later date. Enter on the Rafflecopter app below. The winner will be chosen Thursday June 6, 2013 and will have 24 hours to respond to my email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Disclosure: I received the sneak peeks for ABC Say it With Me in order to write this honest review. Moore Family Films is also sponsoring I Choose Joy! All thoughts and opinions are my own. )Linked to

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: ABC Say it With Me Bible Memory Verses, DVD, Moore Family Films

Review/Giveaway of Hermie’s “I Will Tell the Truth” DVD

April 23, 2013 By genamayo 5 Comments

This week I have a review and giveaway (see below!) of a wonderful DVD from Max Lucado: Hermie & Friends “I Will Tell the Truth” and “Be Careful What I Say”.

Recently I was at a homeschool moms meeting and the topic of lying came up–specifically that a couple of the moms were having trouble with their kids lying. Have you been there? Oh, it can be so frustrating and even scary. You get to the point where you can’t trust them. Not a good place to be with your kids!

I would recommend this DVD in helping to teach your kids why it’s wrong to lie and why it’s so important to tell the truth! The second episode talks more specifically about learning to be kind in our speech (and apologizing when we’re not). Anyone who still enjoys animated movies will enjoy these 2 episodes. Even my 11- and 12-year-old sons watched it a couple of times!

We had checked this DVD out of the library a year or so back and LOVED it! I’m so glad to own it now. We love all the Hermie series of DVDs because they are very well made, and the stories are by Max Lucado–a masterful storyteller! He even appears on the DVD talking to Hermie about the lessons learned. It’s amazing the voice talent that they have: Tim Conway is Hermie, Don Knotts is Wormie, and Vickie Lawrence is Flo the Fly!

Story descriptions: Telling the truth or saying you are sorry is not always easy, but it’s the right thing to do. These two beloved Hermie & Friends stories illustrate how God loves for us to choose our words carefully.

In Flo, the Lyin’ Fly the garden bugs grow tired of Flo’s flood of fibs. Like the little boy who cried wolf, Flo thinks it’s fun to tell stories that aren’t true. When Hermie and his friends discover they can’t trust Flo, they refuse to believe her when there’s real trouble. With all her lies catching up to her, Flo discovers the importance of always telling the truth, no matter what!

In The Flo Show Creates a Buzz, things don’t go as expected when Flo gets her very own TV talk show. She has to think about what to say, what to wear, and who to invite as guests. What she isn’t thinking about are other people’s feelings. After insulting every guest on her show and embellishing the truth to boost ratings, Flo realizes she owes them an apology. Flo learns that words are very powerful and saying you are sorry can make all the difference!

My kids also enjoyed the bonus features this DVD, including “behind the scenes” where they saw the actors doing the voices of the characters as well as learning how to draw Hermie.

You can read more about the Hermie DVDs at the Thomas Nelson site.

Now, enter the Rafflecopter giveaway to win a copy of this DVD!

(Rules: Enter the giveaway of this DVD through the Rafflecopter app. The winner will be chosen next Tuesday by random.org and will have 24 hours to respond to my email. Winner must live in U.S. and be 18+ years old. )

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this DVD in exchange for this honest review. Post contains affiliate links.)

Linked to

Filed Under: Giveaway, Product Reviews Tagged With: DVD, giveaway, Hermie & Friends, Tommy Nelson

Review/Giveaway of “On the Farm: Cocka Doodle Doo the Right Thing”

April 16, 2013 By genamayo 3 Comments

What a fun animated DVD we get to review (and Give Away!) today: ”On the Farm: Cocka Doodle Doo the Right Thing.” The main lessons taught in this DVD are to show respect for everyone and to be responsible– to do the right thing! We want to treat others the way we want to be treated: the Golden Rule.

The setting is very cute — on a farm — with the farm animals playing major roles and interacting with the humans. All my younger kids (9 and under) enjoyed watching it several times. Hopefully, they learned the lessons, too! :)

Here is the main story plot: ”All the animals at the farm are brimming with anticipation when they hear that Farmer Bob has invited a special guest for dinner. But not everything goes as planned when Hercules the Rooster doesn’t want to pitch in with the cleaning, and Sam the Ram treats the special guest like a nobody! At the end of the day, everyone learns that treating others–and their belongings–with respect is the best way to have fun!”

The DVD is mainly for ages 4-7. There are some bonus features including an activity to help boost kids’ reading skills, a read-along digital storybook, a music video featuring the letter C, and more. The theme song is sung by Randy Travis and some of the voice talent includes Amy Grant and Vince Gill.

You can read more about the DVD on the Tommy Nelson Product page.

Enter the giveaway of this DVD through the Rafflecopter app. The winner will be chosen next Monday by random.org and will have 24 hours to respond to my email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Disclosure: Thank you to Tommy Nelson Publishers for providing a copy of this DVD in exchange for this honest review. This post contains affiliate links.)

Filed Under: Giveaway, Product Reviews Tagged With: DVD, farm, kids, review

How to Start a Blog and Do Book Reviews

January 23, 2013 By genamayo Leave a Comment

A friend’s daughter contacted me recently about wanting to start her own blog. And she’d also love to do book reviews. Since I thought others might want the information, here’s a post!

When I started blogging almost 7 years ago I started at a free site called Homeschoolblogger.com. They’re still around, but the more popular sites are Blogspot and WordPress. There are benefits to both, but I’m partial to WordPress. It’s very user friendly, and I love the plugins–free, or paid, apps that allow you to do special things, such as Comment Luv if you leave a comment or the little sharing buttons you see above and below the post. So far, I haven’t paid for any plugins.

There are many blogs out there written especially to help people blog better. My favorite is BloggingWithAmy.com and following close behind are The Blog Maven and Christian Mommy Blogger. Check out this post for a tutorial on how to start your own blog! She’s got it all there, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel. :)

I would recommend spending some time reading through many of the posts at the above listed sites and making some decisions. Do you want to start out blogging for free? Or do you what to go ahead and buy your own domain name (like I did with http://ichoosejoy.org). You can get WordPress as your blogging platform whether you buy your own domain or not. Then, decide if you want to use a free framework (Twenty Eleven is what I used to use), or buy one such as Genesis. After that you can choose to buy child themes, as well, to give you even more capability to make your site your own. Another decision would be whether you want to hire a blog designer. Oh, yes, this can add up to a lot of money–but you can also be making money with your blog! I made enough last year (through affiliates–I’ll do another post on this) to pay for my website hosting, Genesis, and child theme (mine is the Adorable Theme). I haven’t made enough to hire a designer; I’m doing it all myself. I have also received many books and other products in exchange for doing reviews!

Here’s a handy guide to help you make your blog look great:

Website Hosting Choices:

Special coupon for 30% off any web hosting sign-ups with Hostgator: NEWYEAR30

Or Another great host is Hostmonster: CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP FOR HOSTMONSTER.COM

Which brings me to the next question. How do I get to do reviews?

I have signed up with several different companies who send me emails offering the books in exchange for an honest review. I always have the option to say yes or no to a book or product. They each have different guidelines to follow: specific deadlines, post a review at Amazon or another site, offer a giveaway, etc., so you just have to make sure you follow their unique guidelines.

They also each have different requirements for being accepted (a certain number of posts each week, minimum amount of Facebook likes for your public blog page, followers of your blog, etc.). I haven’t been accepted to all I’ve applied to. And I’ve decided not to be a part of others because they required more than I could give at the time.

Here are the ones I’m presently involved with:

I’ve also been contacted by companies and been offered books and products to review.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below!

(By the way, this post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link from this site and purchase something, like web hosting or a WordPress framework or theme, I’ll get a percentage of the sale. Please help support my site by clicking through from here. Thanks so much!)

Filed Under: Blogging, Book Reviews, Curriculum Reviews, Product Reviews Tagged With: Adorable, blog, blogging platforms, child themes, DIY Blog Critique, frameworks, Genesis, website hosting

Review of Focus on the Family Radio Theatre “Les Miserables”

January 17, 2013 By genamayo Leave a Comment

One of the best stories ever written, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, can be listened to in this exciting version from Focus on the Family Radio Theatre!

I love the story of Les Miserables and jumped at the chance to do this review! We listened to it in the car, and it held all my older kids and me entranced. I have always loved the story, ever since my high school did the play when I was a senior– I helped with the costumes . Later that year I saw the musical on Broadway! I went on to see the musical about 4 more times and have the entire soundtrack memorized. I’ve sung several of the songs for shows and auditions. And, of course, I saw the new movie version a few weeks ago. Baby E was very cooperative and slept practically the whole way through at the theater!

I wasn’t really sure how I’d like the Radio Theatre version, although I have enjoyed others of them. Well, this one didn’t disappoint. I give it 5 out of 5 stars! As I was driving down the road tears were running down my cheeks when it ended. Such a beautiful story of redemption, grace, and mercy. The acting is superb, and I even liked the soundtrack (although I love the music from the musical). I highly recommend this 3-CD set to all who love an exciting drama. There are some mature themes (mention of prostitute, a man commits suicide, a shooting scene related to the French Revolution where people are killed), so you may prefer to play it only for the older kids.

Click here to hear an example of the audio!

After listening to these CDs, my 12-year-old son found the book and started reading it! I tried a few years ago but didn’t get very far. Now, I’m inspired to try again!

( I received a complimentary copy of this CD-set from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for this honest review.)

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: Focus on the Family, Les Miserables, Radio Theatre

Motivated Moms Planner–Review and Giveaway

December 19, 2012 By genamayo 15 Comments

UPDATE: The winner is Lucky Number 13–Jess!

I have an exciting product to review today– the Motivated Moms Planner! I’ve been sharing about this planner for years, but today I’m doing an “official” review, as well as a giveaway. See the end of this post for details!

Motivated Moms is a printable chore planning system to help you have a clean and organized home and still have time for yourself!

Just consult the list each day, do the work, check it off, and enjoy your free time.

As we get close to 2013, I know a lot of us have a goal to get more organized. I do, as well! And Motivated Mom Planners are a great way to accomplish it! What makes the planners unique is that each chore is laid out for you–every day for the whole year. Each day of the week has different chores. And the once-in-a-while chores are sprinkled throughout the year, as well, so you don’t end up saying, ” Now when did I last. . . .?” :) You’ll finish up the year having done your “spring cleaning” but not doing it all at once! It’s a schedule we all can do, with about 5-8 special tasks each day.

Here are some of my favorites that are included. (I usually never do these or at least not as often as I should because I just don’t think of them!): Clean top of refrigerator, cut children’s nails, change furnace/AC filter, wash outside trash can, take dead leaves off of houseplants, clean computer screen and mouse, and clean front porch mat.

I received a copy of The 2013 Half-Size Chore Planner with Scheduled Bible Reading in e-book form. I decided to make a cute notebook out of it. I printed out the planner, cut the pages in half (since I ordered the half-size), and punched holes. For the cover I used cereal box cardboard. I covered the cardboard with fabric, attached with spray adhesive. I also included a ribbon to hold a pen in the inside. Now, it’s all ready to guide me in what to do each day in 2013.

One thing I love about these planners is that there is an option to get it with a read-thru-the-Bible in a year plan. Just optional, though, if you’d rather not have it included.
Motivated Moms Planners are also available as apps for iPad/iPhone/iPod or Android. Be sure to like Motivated Moms at Facebook!

Would you like to win a free e-book version of the 2013 planner? Just head over to Motivated Moms and pick out the one you like best. There are samples to check out. Then, come back here and leave a comment with your choice. A winner will be chosen next Wednesday, Dec. 26.

And for those of you who don’t win, here is a special coupon code for I Choose Joy! readers. $1 off any 2013 Planner with the code JOY, good until January 2, 2013. Tell your friends!

(I received a copy of a 2013 planner in order to write this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Post contains affiliate links.)

Linked to and

Filed Under: Organization, Product Reviews, Special Deal Tagged With: Motivated Moms Planner

Our Week: Gingerbread Cookies, Jokes, and HooRags

December 8, 2012 By genamayo 3 Comments

What God is Teaching Us:

Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

I’ve been trying to help my children know that we have a choice of what we fill our minds with. God wants us the think about things that are true, noble, and good. That leaves out quite a lot of movies, games, etc.

I just finished listening to S. M. Davis’ presentation of “What to Expect From a 12-Year-Old.” I have a new 12-year-old as of last Sunday, and have some good ideas of where to lead him. I’ll share more details in a future post.

What I’m Reading:

The Lily Series books Lily Robbins, M.D. and The Body Book (review coming in a week or two) by Nancy Rue for tween girls to help them prepare for issues during puberty.

Tabitha’s Travels: A Family Story for Advent by Arnold Ytreeride as our advent daily reading.

Exercise Update:

I’m sad to say I have only exercised 10 minutes this week. Oh, so bad! I’ve got to get back to it. I finally got the T-Tapp Total Workout and need to start learning it!

In Our Homeschool:

At our public speaking class this week the kids presented jokes. I’ll share them all in a post next week, but here were a few off my favorites.

Did you hear the one about the man who lost his left leg and arm? He’s alright now.

Why is the Christmas alphabet different than the regular alphabet? There is Noel.

Why did the orange stop in the middle of he road? It ran out of juice.

What did the porcupines say after they kissed? Ouch!

Why didn’t they play cards on the ark? Noah sat on the deck all day.

And. . .

The kids made gingerbread cookies this week!

Did you see my HooRag post?

Baby News:

She’s now rocking back and forth on her hands and knees! If she crawls by Sunday she’ll beat my oldest son’s record of crawling one day shy of 6 months old! Everyone is rooting for her–except my oldest son! I am, too! It’s harder when they crawl, but I’ve been enjoying this baby so much. I know each stage is very short-lived, so I’m really trying to savor each moment. She turns 6 months old next week, and will be starting solids. Time sure flies.

Extracurricular News:

Upward basketball practice started this week.

My oldest son did not make the musical he auditioned for, but is already trying to think of a song for the next audition. :)

Some good deals for Christmas:

20 Free Personalized Gift Tags (Just pay shipping rate of $2.25)
USE Code: FREETAGS This offer is only available to new Ink Garden customers.

50 Holiday Cards for $15, Including Shipping & Processing!

6 Free Gifts From Vistaprint:

Shipping Starting Price: Holiday Cards: starts at $5.23, Desk/Wall Photo Calendar: $5.23, Mug: $5.78, T-Shirts: $5.99, Business Cards: $5.99, Tote Bag: $5.26, Sticky Note: $4.77, Stamp: $5.99

(contains affiliate links)

Linked to
at The Homeschool Mother’s Journal

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Giveaway, Homeschooling Time, Our Week in Review, Product Reviews Tagged With: Gingerbread Cookies, Hoorag, InkGarden, Jokes, T-Tapp, Tabitha's Travels, Vistaprint

HooRag Review!

December 6, 2012 By genamayo Leave a Comment

What’s a HooRag? Well, that’s what I wanted to know. So I checked out their website and found all about them!

The HooRag company sent us one to try out and review. I’ll give you the final verdict first: After we took the pictures of us trying it on different ways, my four oldest kids each asked me if they could keep it! But I was hoping to keep it myself!

A HooRag is a tube-shaped bandana, made of a cotton/polyester microfiber material. It has no seams or labels, is lightweight, and provides sun and wind protection. It’s used by many who are in outside-type jobs or athletes. But we found quite a few ways that it can be used by people like us. :)