First Time Beard Care - Urban Beard Giveaway

A few weeks ago I found myself typing "first time beard care" into a search engine. Our family had been in self isolation for several weeks because of the pandemic and Ken had a pretty healthy "isolation beard" growing. He was happy with its growth but finding it itchy and scratchy! The time had come to learn more about how experienced beard owners take care of their hair!

Ken ordered a boar bristle brush and some beard balm online and when they arrived, we were both disappointed. The brush worked well but the balm didn't seem to do much for his beard except to make it smell terrible! It was so bad that he sent it back and I started doing research into beard brands. I came upon Urban Beard, a Canadian company based in Toronto that makes their own original, handcrafted products in-house.

We knew Ken wasn't the only dad growing his first time beard in isolation, so we got our hands on some Urban Beard products so Ken could try them and we could report back to you on his experience. This post has the details, his recommendations on products and product use, a video, and a giveaway where you could win some Urban Beard products for your own partner, as a belated Father's Day gift!

Board Games that Work Virtually

Whenever you want to visit with someone but can't get together in person, we suggest playing board games that work virtually! With a global pandemic, stay-at-home orders, social distancing, and limited social gatherings, we've been forced to find new ways to visit with friends and this is one of the best ways we've found to do it!

Today we're sharing a list of games that have worked well, and how we've tweaked them to work well over a video call.

We started by brainstorming some games we thought would work well across a video conferencing call, as long as both families had the game at home. Some of these would still work, even if only one household owns the game!

Wizard for Hire Trilogy (& Giveaway)

The third book in Obert Skye's Wizard for Hire series was recently published and Talia has just finished reading the trilogy.  She has a little teaser for you about each of the books, her thoughts on each one, and on the series overall. Then we have a giveaway- one of you will win the set!

She's put together a summary of each book, her thoughts on their pros & cons, and at the end of the post, you'll have a chance to win the triology!

Paper Hand Flowers

Spring is rolling in and we're all staying safe at home because of the pandemic, so we could use some creative ideas to celebrate together or to reach out to the friends & family we can't visit in person! It seemed the perfect time to share an activity I first posted on this blog 10 YEARS ago!! (We originally did this in February of 2010, when my kids were much smaller than they are now)

This is one of those activities we always remember, so it's a good one! All you need is some coloured paper, straws, and scissors! Then you can use these cute flowers for decoration, for fun, or a colourful surprise for friends, family, or neighbours!

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Prepare to celebrate Spring early! (you know we're all ready for it.. at least those of us who are experiencing cold weather ;)

2020 Powersheets Goal Planner - Review & Giveaway

To round out the recent focus on goal setting, today I want to share a product with you that really helps to put goal setting & achievement into action! I just started using the 2020 PowerSheets Goal Planner and I'm excited to share it with you!

Aside from how beautiful it is, and the quality of the book itself, I want to show you what makes this book incredibly useful and effective! Here's a flip-through of the book:

Family Easter Service Project Activity

Several years ago, I shared a service-oriented family night activity over on Jedi Craft Girl's blog. I've noticed that my "You've Been Egged" printable has been popular lately, so I thought I'd share that family night activity with you here on the blog today!  Jedi Craft Girl is posting the 8th year of her "Walk With Jesus" blog series this year, so be sure to check that out for some great new ideas, too!

Preparation:

You’ll need 12 plastic Eggs & the items needed to create this Easter countdown. You can find a list here as well. – Prepare some small slips of paper and something to write or draw with for each family member. – Have an empty box or bowl ready. – Print the handouts and the “You’ve Been Egged” note.

Download “You’ve Been Egged” note HERE.