Personal Microderm ~ Review & Giveaway!

When I was approached by our friends at SkinCareRX to review their home microdermabrasion system, I was stoked! They are an awesome company with amazing products and great reputation. Do I want to try to uncover younger skin and diminish dark age spots and imperfections in just weeks?

HECK YA!

After a few weeks of use my skin looks younger and feels lovely. Thankfully, it is easy to use (admittedly, I was a wee bit intimidated at first but after watching the Instructions For Use CD I was good to go). I started with (and recommend) using the blue discs (for sensitive skin) and used the M2 Skin Refinish

and M2 Skin Recovery Moisturizer in conjunction with the Personal Microderm.

Check it out...



Bottom Line? I love it and highly recommend this product!

THE GIVEAWAY!!!!!

1 Personal Microderm System!! A $180 value! This is huge, y'all!! The system includes 1 personal microderm, 3 exfoliating discs (2 green and 3 blue), 1 electric cord (Standard U.S. Outlet), 1 facial cap, 1 body cap, 1 reusable filter, Instructional CD and Pamphlet.

How do you enter to win?? Lots of ways!

• Leave a comment on THIS post telling me why you must have it (1 entry per day)
• Follow us on Twitter (I'm @FullCircle_Mel they are @SkinCareRX1) and leave a comment telling me you did so (1 entry per follow)
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment (1 entry per Tweet)
• Retweet: Check Out @FullCircle_Mel's @SkinCareRX1 Personal Microderm ~ Review & Giveaway! http://goo.gl/oQho (1 entry Per R/T)
• If you have a blog, do a post about this giveaway and use the phrase “at home microdermabrasion” and link it to the Personal Microderm site (http://skincarerx.com/personal-microderm.html). Leave me a comment letting me know that you did. Please include this link in your post (5 entries).
• Tell your Facebook friends about it and leave a comment letting me know you did so (1 entry)

It's just that simple!!!

The randomly chosen winner will be announced LIVE on MomTV's Adoption Angles THIS coming Wednesday August 4th. We air at 9PM EST/6PM PST. You need not be present to win, so leave me contact info!! However, if you are present I might just throw in an extra sumpin sumpin for good measure.

LET THE FUN BEGIN!!! GOOD LUCK!!!

**I was not monitarily compensated for this review, however the product I was given to review I get to keep. These are my own, personal opinions***

Happy Anniversary!!

Honey, I love you dearly.. yesterday, today and all my years to come. Thank you for putting up with all my quirks, the tech and Internet obsessions, not minding that I put our lives "out there" via my writing and MomTV show.. and for just being you.

Like Forreset said, "..peas & carrots.."

My Awesome Guest Tonight ~ & A Giveaway Alert!!

My awesome guest tonight is Audrey RL Wyatt from hot hot hot AZ (well, this time of year, anyway!). She is an adoptee with a very interesting story and an amazing writer.

Here's a little bit about her:

"Audrey RL Wyatt is right brained to a fault. Before attacking prose, she exhibited photography in juried shows and worked in theatre; acting, teaching and creating children’s theater curricula. So it was surprising that her writing career began in the non-fiction realms of politics, environment and law.

Finally succumbing to her creative nature, Audrey now writes fiction. Her debut novel, Poles Apart, is a story of family inspired by Audrey’s childhood among Holocaust survivors in Cleveland. Whether it was their silence or the horrific stories they told, their presence left an indelible mark. It has been honored with five awards. Her essays and short fiction, often featuring strong-willed,quirky women, have been published in various forums, both print and online.

Always one to foster aspiring artists, Audrey founded Southeast Valley Fiction Writers near Phoenix, Arizona, and Bay State Writers in Southeast Massachusetts. She gives agood deal of time to area schools and also teaches MemoirWriting to seniors. She is a partner in LitSisters Publishing, aboutique house publishing women writers, as well as afounding member of LitSisters, a networking and support community for writers."

She will be sharing her journey with us this evening and reading from her works. Also, she will be giving away not one BUT TWO signed copies of her award winning novel, "Poles Apart"!!!!

You can find Audrey:

· On Facebook – Audrey RL Wyatt, Author (fan page)
· On Twitter – @AudreyRLWyatt
· Her website – http://audreyrlwyatt.com/
· Her e-mail – audrey@audreyrlwyatt.com

But how do you find us tonight? Why just ----> CLICK HERE <---- to get to MomTV's Adoption Angles at 9PM EST (6PM for all you West Besties) and join us in the fun (AND WIN YOUR BOOK!!!!).

See You There!!

Perfect Moment Monday

This is the 3rd PMM starring our friends Katie and James. The first, a few years back, when James dodged The Cancer Bullet. Then when he proposed to Katie (it rocked!). This past Saturday they wed. Two lives have come together and have created an amazing family.

It was a beautiful day full of laughter, music, tears, friends, family, food and fun. And more tears.



Perfect Harmony.

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (Maxie Style!)

Oh my my, what a great day Friday turned out to be!

Yes, a "neighbor" (broadly used--we live on acreage lots and he could've been around the corner or miles away) truly had kept him. I'm appalled (just like all of you and my Facebook friends) that a dog owner could do that to another. I can't even count how many strays we've returned to their rightful owners.. it's just what we do, right?

ANYWAY..

As soon as 5pm hit I was out the door and headed to the Humane Society. I admit there was a moment of sheer panic sitting in the waiting area.. the What-If's filled my head. What If It's Not Him made my stomach turn and I almost burst into tears. Yes, it was a glass is half empty second or two but moments later melted into absolute joy. We did the jail-walk for me to identify him (I've done this how many times in the last month now?). Many of the same dogs are still there.. unclaimed.. and I pray they get to move on to adoption and not pts.

That's when I started to tear up.

THEN.. the moment of reunion.. there Mr. Maxwell was in the very last cage.. laying there perfectly content. He looked at me and cocked his head, then stood when he heard my voice and his silly curly tail started a-waggin'. Enter gushing tears. I couldn't believe it was really him.. my darling boy.

It wasn't the two lost dog reports I had filed or the picture they had of him that aided in his quick identification.. it was his microchip. Although warned it could've deactivated or migrated away (he's had it for, like, 11 years now) it worked like a charm. I've been vigilant about keeping their info current with Home Again (phone number changes, address updates, etc) and it paid off.

HUGE.

So, at the end of the day all I can do is let go of the anger towards the other people for not turning him in immediately and focus on all the the positives. He was safe, well taken care of, they didn't let him go or give him away. They did the right thing by surrendering him (eventually). We are beyond grateful that he is home safe and sound (and so is his sister, Dakota).. take a look:




As for his big adventure, it's over for now. After exactly one month to the day of his Great Escape life is finally back to normal. I have no doubt he had a wonderful time running like the wind, diving through irrigation ditches and making new friends. He will surely spin tales for the other canines of his great journey, replaying them as he sleeps in his comfy, safe bed next to his husky sister.

Right where he belongs.

This Just In.. Regarding Maxie..

******BIG BIG BIG HUGE WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!*******

JUST GOT A CALL FROM THE HUMANE SOCIETY.. AFTER 4 WEEKS ON THE LAMB

(literally, he went missing on June 23rd)

MAXIE IS FOUND!!!

A friggin' neighbor KEPT him but he was too dominant over their dog so they surrendered him (minus his tags on his collar, of course).

THANKYOUTHANKYOU for all your good thoughts and prayers!!!!

Grab Your Cell Phone & Read This Post...

At our Red Cross Infant/Child CPR recertification earlier this week we discussed a variety of tips and topics during breaks. Here's one.. and it's simple.. that's why I love it.. Go to your phone contacts and pick out a family member or friend you would want contacted in case of an emergency. Go into that contact and add "ICE" in front of their name. First responders on accident scenes are now checking victim's cell phones and looking for "In Case of Emergency" contact info. My luck, DH (my ICE) would be in the car.. SO I have Ice1, Ice2 and Ice3.

Murphy and his dang Laws...

Hey Adoptive Mamas ~ I Need Your Input, Please!

At 8PM EST TONIGHT I'm going to be on Get Real! with beautiful Sarah discussing what biological moms should know about adoptive moms. Misconceptions, things we say that may or may not be appropriate and how we can celebrate adoptive families. How cool is THAT?!

If you are a parent via adoption and would like to share an experience you would like me to pass along tonight, please leave a comment! Also, you can join us live in chat and share your thoughts, as well! We would LOVE to have you!

BUT WAIT.. THERE'S MOOOORE...

Also tonight at 9PM EST on MomTV's Adoption Angles, my guest is lovely Sally Bacchetta from The Adoptive Parent will be joining us!
She is an adoptive mother and award-winning writer with more than a decade of experience in medical writing, magazine journalism, and corporate communications. She draws on her educational and professional background in psychology and counseling to illuminate the private thoughts of adoptive parents with sensitivity and honesty. Sally is the author of the book What I Want My Adopted Child to Know: An Adoptive Parent's Perspective. For more information about Sally and her book visit http://www.theadoptiveparent.com/.

How do you find us? Go here:

Type a chat name in and THAT'S it! You're IN!

Join us tonight at 9PM EST.. 6PM for all the west coasties TONIGHT! It's a Mel Double Header tonight on MomTV!!! Please join the fun!!

Recertified..

Or just plain certifiable will do.

We were given two thumbs up by the county, our training hours were all accounted for and the last piece of our process was completed last night... CPR recertification. We go to the same, local Red Cross Chapter every year and HIGHLY recommend it for anyone that has a child or is ever even AROUND children. EV-ER.

That pretty much covers everyone, me's thinks..

SO, we're locked and loaded for another year.. Hmmm.. I wonder what it will bring..

Perfect Moment Monday

Saturday at Momsie's lake. Family celebrating, laughing, sunning, drinking, eating, reading..



Perfect

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

What Could It Be?!?

We have a little mystery here...



(Go check it out! Sign up and find out SOON!)

:)

Hansel & Gretel..

This past week has been a wild one to say the least. One of those types that was so jam-packed it flew by in a blink. The best night (in my book) was doing respite and hanging out with Hansel (4 years old) and Gretel (his 2 1/2 year old sister).

Hansel made us mac and cheese and also served us hot dogs and carrots. He's quite the chef!


They were an absolute laugh-riot and completely adorable. He had his serious moments ("You've gotta make the noodles juuuust right, Wissa") and both had a wonderful sense of humor. It was a delight having them and I told their family we would be happy to schedule watching them a couple times a month.

They were stoked!

God is always watching and listening to our hearts. He knows deep down this was a hard week for me. Our twins (Jack & Jill--we had them for 9 months) recently had a birthday. Our little darlings are out there somewhere and they have been haunting my thoughts and dreams. I continue to pray for their safety and well being but wish I could just lay eyes on them and know for certain all is well.

It's completely out of my hands and I have to trust in Him.

Having Hansel and Gretel visit was very healing and I loved every minute of it. Our time together also confirmed that our next placement will be sibs.. close in age. As always, His timing is perfect.

It was just what I needed.

Tonight's Rad Guest On MomTV's Adoption Angles

My lovely guest this evening is Lori from the great North West! Here is a little bit about her (in her own words):

I am a chaplain's kid (preacher's kid + military brat). I was a teacher for ten years and am now a BIT (Brain Integration Technique) Practitioner. Education is very important to me. It was one of the reasons why I gave up my child for adoption at seventeen, and education is still my passion. I find circuits in the brain that have stress and remove it to open up the areas of the brain that we need to problem solve with our rational thinking brain, so we aren't stuck in the emotional or survival parts of the brain. The BIT or LEAP (Learning Enhancement Acupressure Program) protocols have an emphasis on the learning process and therefore can help students with things like ADD, ADHD; auditory, speech or language processing; reading, spelling, and math problems. BIT can also help with many other things, a few examples are allergies, emotional issues, and muscle firing. After giving up my baby, I have felt a desire to help women who go through this process find their authentic path. BIT helped me move beyond my ADD toward that goal instead of just talking about them.

As a result of my emotional and healing journey, I also feel a passion for helping prospective adoptive parents be emotionally healthy parents. I studied parenting for 20 years, hoping to do it right once given the chance again. I am now also a step-mother to two amazing children. I have a blog (2nd Thought Parenting) about making parenting decisions while taking into account other caregivers, like biological parents, step parents, foster parents, relatives, etc. It can be tricky when you are not the only primary caregiver, but I feel like being a birth/first mother gives me the benefit of an additional perspective. Also, I'm a regular guest on a radio show with my sister called "The Way of the Toddler Hour" on the "I'm Thankful Network" on Mondays at 9:00 A.M. PST.

As a result of being part of the adoption process, I appreciate every moment that I get to be involved in the care and education of children!

You can also find Lori at:
www.ascending-energy.com (website about Brain Integration Technique/s and Whole Body Vibration)
www.crossinology.com (mentor Susan McCrossin's website)
www.ileapusa.blogspot.com (articles about brain by Dr. Charles Krebs)
www.brainhealth.blog.com (brain health tips)


How do you find us? Go here:

Type a chat name in and THAT'S it! You're IN!

Join us tonight at 9PM EST.. 6PM for all the west coasties TONIGHT! See y'all there!!

Hiatus Schmiatus...

Although on foster hiatus, I'm doing my best to stay in swing of things. Last weekend I manned a booth at a local fair for our county trying to get word out about the need for foster families and respite care providers. Aside from the micro burst that about blew us to KS it was an awesome day with a great turnout. I met other foster mamas and made some new friends..

Totally cool.

I have to admit, I'm completely missing the sound of little feet, children's laughter and the chaos that has been my life this past year and a half. I'm stoked to report that tonight our home will be rockin' as we're doing respite for a local family. We'll have a 2 1/2 year old little girl and her 4 year old brother tearing up the joint. The plan of attack is to eat a nice meal then run our legs off across the property. Maybe we'll look for bunnies, pick flowers, collect rocks

..and run some more..

Can't.Wait.

Perfect Moment Monday

On an unusually cool July day last week, I had the opportunity to run an errand midday. Leave the chaos of the office? M'KAY!

With clouds boiling over the foothills I stopped, rolled down the window and took a minute to breathe. I could smell the rain coming. Eyes closed the only sound was the breeze and a cow in the distance.

Perfect calm.

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

Who's My Totally Cool Guest on MomTV's Adoption Angles?

Published author and single mommy via international adoption (TWICE).. the ever talented Dee Thompson, that's who!


Dee never dreamed as a little girl that instead of getting married and having babies, she would one day travel to Russia as a forty-something single woman, and meet her daughter in an orphanage. She never dreamed she would travel to Kazakhstan a few years later and adopt a little boy with one hand. But like the Russian proverb says, plans are silly - "IF you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans!"

Now she is a writer and single mom living in Atlanta with two teenagers, her mom, and a 10 lb. furbaby named Coco. She has written a book about her adoption adventures called Adopting Alesia: My Crusade for My Russian Daughter, as well as a children's book, Jack's New Family. She writes a daily blog called The Crab Chronicles. She tries to spread the message every day that adopting older children can be a happy experience and she will be sharing her journey with us TONIGHT!

AND..

We'll be giving away a darling Kimochis character LIVE on the show tonight!!! Have you ENTERED the contest yet?? GO HERE NOW FOR DEETS!!!
How do you find MomTV's Adoption Angles? Why, all you have to do is go here:

Type a chat name in and THAT'S it! You're IN!

Join us tonight at 9PM EST.. 6PM for all the west coasties TONIGHT! See y'all there!!

Kimochis ~ Toys With Feelings Inside ~ Review & Giveaway!!

From Kimochis™: "We all know how important social and emotional intelligence is in a young child's development. Kimochis™...toys with feelings inside, were created to assist in the development of social and emotional intelligence, child-parent communication and help in building self-esteem in children. With an already strong following, even celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Garner can't resist!

Kimochi (KEY.MO.CHEE) means "feeling" in Japanese and each 13 inch Kimochis™ character comes with 3 plush "feelings" and a how-to- Feel Guide with tips for parents on connecting with their kids during emotional moments. Feelings can be messy...Kimochis™ can help!

Using the characters and their Kimochis™, kids can get in touch with their emotions through puppetry and play. And the accompanying Feel Guide introduces the fun and quirky personalities of each character that everyone can identify with!"

But really.. Are they all that?

Why yes, yes they are.

I had the opportunity to meet Kimochis™ Cat and she comes with Happy, Cranky and Curious (three smaller plush friends with the corresponding facial expressions on the front and the name of the emotion on the back). Cat is known for being bossy and stubborn (JUNEBUG) and starting "cat fights" .. so 5 bandages to heal hurt feelings come with her, as well.

Other feelings (and characters) are sold separately.

Along with our new found friends was a 48 page "Feel Guide" to help make the most of this experience.. Not only are they darling, well made, snuggly toys they go so far beyond that. Sometimes it's hard for little ones to find their words and express how they feel. It can be downright frustrating. With these wonderful charatcers we can teach our children to communicate in positive ways in the midst of emotions. I love Kimochi Cat and will be adding more characters as more children join our home! I will also be introducing her to some of the other foster parents.. I have no doubt they will see their great value, as well.

Did I mention Kimochis™ are the brainchild of a Mommy? How cool is THAT?

THE GIVEAWAY!!

Here's the fun part.. Check out their web site (Kimochis.com) and choose your fav character (please note, Lovey Dovey is not available yet!). Please head on over to the Kimochis Facebook Page, become a fan and let them know what character you like the most. Let me know you've done so by comment, that's an entry. Tell me which one you want via comment.. that's an entry, as well! Tweet about it, another entry!

A winner will be chosen randomly and announced live on MomTV's Adoption Angles tomorrow night (Wednesday, July 7th ~ 9PM EST!)

HURRY HURRY HURRY and ENTER NOW!

**I was not paid to do this review, however, I do get to keep the product**

Perfect Moment Monday

On Friday evening the doorbell rang and DH got up to answer it. Much to his surprise, he saw a little girl (about 5-ish) running her legs off back to a car parked on the street (it's quite a run, I might add). They drove off. He looked down and found this...
Beautiful, freshly picked wild flowers, carefully wrapped together with a wet paper towel and a green bow with a little note that says, "Someone out there loves you! Hope you have a happy day! Love, The Good Deeders"

Now, we have no idea who this group is or what they're about. If they were sent by an individual or we were randomly chosen. The special gift gave DH, me and Nantie a big smile and we just love it.


It's a simply Perfect little mystery.

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

Happy July 4th, Y'all!!

Wishing you all a fun (AND SAFE!) 4th of July!! God bless America!!

You + Me = Wii!!

Last night Missy called and challenged me to a bowling match, Wii Style. What a blast. Much like the real sport, I totally stink and can't play worth a darn (but I'm over it). The upside? No icky shoe rental!

(That was a strike.. trust me..)

Nantie got home part way part way through our tournament and we forced her to play (although she insisted she just didn't want to and blah blah blah). Miss I-Can't-Figure-Out-These-Games throttled us. She proceeded to kick our booties, creaming us in a huge way (one game she bowled a 167). Remind me to never bet her cash at anything. Our Nantie is a shark!

After Missy left we played 9 holes of golf. Again, much like my true game, I over-putt, hit trees and whack the ball too hard. Unlike the real sport, I never shanked the ball or lost it in the drink. Nor did I have to spend time looking for it.

That was cool.

The votes are in.. we're totally addicted! Next up? We try out more sports and bust out Wii Fit! WooHoo!

Incredibeds Review!

Missed Bo's MomTV debut last night on Adoption Angles? Just can't wait for the archived show to be uploaded to meet him? Well, wait no more and take a gander..



Don't believe how easy they are to assemble? Check out their Assembly Video

Incredibeds Mission (From Their Web Site): Our mission is to provide fun and safe sleep environments for toddlers, children and all people young at heart. We strive to bring new creative elements into a child’s bedroom inspiring kids to explore, create and most importantly sleep in their own room. We promise never to lose focus of the impact we will have on those tiny little hands that will cross our path.

We have started our venture with our plush bed frame series. Our plush bed frames are unique charismatic characters that bring friendships, sweet dreams for children to grow up with and safety that parents can rely on. We built them out of the need for an alternative type of transition bed that accomplishes two things:

• To allow parents to safely transition their toddlers directly into a standard twin size mattress set and have
the ability to accommodate a child’s growth.

• To bring a new friendship into a child’s life to encourage imaginative play and help with a child’s fear of
sleeping alone.

We are absolutely thrilled with our Bo and Incredibeds.com and highly recommend their unique quality products. I cannot think of a more welcoming friend for our foster kiddos than Bo.

Psssstt.. make sure to check out their banner on my left sidebar and nab the $40 off coupon code!! And hey, drop me a comment or email and let me know which one you bought!!

**This was not a paid review however we do get to keep the item sent**