Thaleia

Exercise Armbands Makes Chores Fun

December 24, 2014 By Thaleia Leave a Comment

Let’s talk about smartphones and exercise armbands. Don’t get me wrong but I am NOT a big exercise person. Yes, I do want to be more healthy and fit but do not like to pound the pavement in order to do so. With that being said you might find it odd that I agreed to review the MuvUSA Armband but bare with me. I had some reasons I jumped at getting my hands on this awesome product.

Armbands that hold your cellphone are great for chore time. You will not accidentally splash dish water on it while washing dishes. You will not run it over with a vacuum and it won’t fall into the tub or toilet during bathroom cleaning time. You will be able to listen to your favorite audiobooks or Classic Literature while you go about your day!

The MuvUSA iPhone 6 armband (4.7 inch) is designed to perform and last. The following features are quite appealing to those who exercise frequently or just want to use around the house to make boring everyday task more fun! The premium red stitching puts this armband in the best class of quality, durability and style. The superior velcro will remain intact and will ensure that the band does not slip off your arm, even in the most intense workouts. All of the openings are also reinforced and hence tear-resistant.

The ultra soft neoprene ensures full comfort and no damage to your skin. It protects your iPhone from damage and is usable in any condition because it is waterproof and sweat resistant. The touch screen protector is slim and highly sensitive, so you can use your touch screen with no hassle. The high-visibility reflector allows you to run or exercise outdoors at any time during the day or night. The key holder and the headphone jack opening at the back provide great convenience.

My top reason for wanting an armband is that smartphones are expensive and I want to protect mine while I am doing chores around the house. I saw the horrible damage that could happen if you sit on your phone while in your pocket! My sister-in-law accidentally sat on hers and the screen is a wreck. I am so happy I have a safe and convenient way to carry my phone while zipping about the house.
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Hope you stop by while we blog about all of our upcoming adventures as homeschooling, review bloggers. Keep an eye out for guest posts by Eldest and Princess coming up soon:)

Facebook – Twitter – Pinterest

Type 1 Diabetes Holiday Wishlist

December 23, 2014 By Thaleia 4 Comments

Diabetic Wishlist

Yes, this is kinda of strange and out of the blue but we have a child who was just diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Maybe you have someone on your Christmas list who is Diabetic and would like to get something to help them out. First let me start off by saying that Type 1 is totally not the same thing as Type 2. You cannot control your Type 1 Diabetes with food like non-insulin dependent Type 2 Diabetic’s can. The good thing is you can still eat your favorite foods no matter how many carbohydrates are in them. You just have to dose the correct amount of insulin for your ratio of carbs to insulin. Always be sure to check with your Endocrinologist or Dietitian or Diabetes Team Nurse if you have any questions on caring for your Diabetes.

Helpful Items for Home Care of Type 1 Diabetes

Measuring Cups or Snap Fit Measuring Spoons are very helpful for carb counting insulin dependent diabetics. The lower your carbs to insulin unit ratio the more precise you will want to be when you dose insulin to cover the carbs being eaten.

Extra batteries for Blood Glucose Meter- You do not want to run out of batteries for your blood glucose meter! Never ever ever! Swing in your local dollar store and see if they carry the “watch” batteries for your meter. I just picked up a 2 pack for $1.07! That made me happy that I didn’t have to order from Amazon the 20 pack I had my eye on, lol.

Socks are a great gift for anyone with diabetes. Just be sure to check if you can buy regular circulation socks or compression socks. Remember I am using my affiliate links which help support this blog and our family.

EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale– food scales are a must for the serious carb counter or someone with a very low carb to insulin ratio. I have my eye on this particular scale even though it seems to be larger then the small pocket scale I had bought for homeschool.

BD Alcohol Swabs are great to carry with your diabetic supplies to clean your insulin bottle and your injection site.

Helpful Items for On-the-Go Care of Type 1 Diabetes

Extra Blood Glucose Meter- having an extra meter comes in handy for anyone on the go. If you are a child that attends school or is in sports an extra meter packed in your backpack means you won’t forget it at home or school. For an adult that travels for work an extra meter means you can have peace of mind while traveling. Check out my Free Diabetes Resource post for some goodies and information.

Insulated Bag for insulin and syringes- keeping your insulin from getting too hot or too cold is critical. A nice insulated bag or re-purposed lunch bag are always a nice caring gift for a diabetic.

Collapsible Measuring Cups or Snap Fit Measuring Spoons are much more portable then full sized and make counting carbs a breeze.

Fun Things Just for Kids with Diabetes

I found lots of fun looking ID bracelets, books, and items on Amazon and just put them in a handy dandy Amazon widget for you to peruse!

Maybe you missed why Type 1 Diabetes is so important to our family. Eldest was diagnosed just before Christmas 2014. Read all about it in my 4 part post series here:

12/13/14 The ER, DKA, and Diabetes Diagnosis (Part 1)

12/13/14 The ER, DKA, and Diabetes Diagnosis (Part 2)

12/13/14 The ER, DKA, and Diabetes Diagnosis (Part 3)

12/13/14 The ER, DKA, and Diabetes Diagnosis (Part 4)

Disclosure Statement
The information on Something 2 Offer is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be substituted for the advice provided by your doctor or other health care professional. If you rely upon any programs or techniques, or use any of the products and services made available by or through the use of our website for decision making, without obtaining the advice of a physician or other health care professional, you do so at your own risk. The nutritional and other information on our website is not intended to be, and does not constitute health care or medical advice.

The views expressed on Something 2 Offer have not been reviewed or endorsed by the FDA or any other private or public entity. is an independent, privately run business separate from any other organization. Affiliate links are used within this post to provide monetary support for our blog.

Easy Family Bible Study With Theo Dvd

December 21, 2014 By Thaleia Leave a Comment

What Christian Family doesn’t want an easy way to start a family Bible Study in the new year? If you have younger children under 12 years of age I would recommend Theo God’s Truth Dvd by Whitestone Media and Child Evangelism Fellowship which is found at your local Family Christian stores or online. We were given this dvd for review which included episodes 10-12. A 5-day family devotional for each episode is included with scripture reference and activity ideas.

Who is Theo

Theo lives in a cozy corner of a quaint English village and entertains two mice, Belfry and Luther. In this fourth installment of Theo: Teaching Children About God’s Word, he discusses doctrines about sin, God’s character, the Bible, salvation and godly living with easy-to-understand illustrations that make children want to learn more about the Christian faith and particularly about God’s Truth. Each episode uses Bible stories and verses to teach children lessons about faith, obedience and forgiveness.

What does Theo teach

Episode 10: Abiding in Christ
Belfry mimics every action of Luther’s, to the point where Luther begs Theo to make him stop. Theo uses this funny behavior as a springboard for a lesson on abiding in Christ. If we want to be like Jesus, we must abide in Him. In the Shoebox Bible Theatre, he gives the biblical definition, using the life of Paul as an illustration. In all of Paul’s hardships, good times and persecutions, he maintained a proper biblical perspective because he had learned to abide in Christ.

Episode 11: Light Unto My Path
Luther and Belfry are hopelessly lost in the woods at night and Luther forgot to bring his flashlight. Theo uses his foolishness to teach about the Bible, the Word of God, which is a lamp unto our feet, even in the darkest of times. Using the story of young King Josiah in the Shoebox Bible Theatre, Theo teaches how God blessed Israel, once their godly king decided to obey the Holy Scriptures that had been hidden and forgotten for years

Episode 12: What is the Church?
Luther and Belfry have started a club, a very exclusive club with restrictive rules, secret handshakes and goofy hats! Belfry informs Theo that not even he is allowed to join. Theo uses this “club mentality” to launch into a lesson on a proper view of the Church. It is not to be a place where only people who look, talk and think alike are allowed to join. It is not a place that Christians are to neglect. The church is the all-inclusive Body of Christ and we are all members of one Body.

What We Liked About Theo:

This video was very impressive with it’s easy to follow story. It kept all of my children’s attention which is very hard to do with ages ranging from 15 months to almost 12 years!
I was also very impressed with large vocabulary words like I even learned a few things about the Life of Paul and his obedience while “Abiding in Christ”.
I really appreciated the animation of the mice and then the transition to the animated paper puppets during the main story telling time.
Theo is a really kind and gentle grandfatherly character. His manner is filled with love and great character.

Who Should Own Theo:

Any Christian family who wants to teach their children more about Christ in a kind and gentle manner. It can be very scary for young children to learn about the brutality of Christ’s followers in Bible times. This animated story talks about 40 lashings, stonings, and robbers but in an even toned and not scary manner. This opens the door to expand on the historical facts of the first church.

Fun Outside Winter Activities

December 20, 2014 By Thaleia 1 Comment

Fun Outside Winter Activities

Oh, the blustery cold weather in Winter. We had quite an abundance of snow and some sub-zero temperatures (a whole bunch last year and a few already this year). These temps won’t deter us from outside Winter activities. We are excited about the snow and cannot wait to play in it quite a bit. The last few days we’ve stayed inside bundled up preparing for nicer days outside.

We try to get outside and enjoy Winter activities as much as possible. We do keep a large supply of hats, gloves, and scarves handy since we seem to misplace them all the time. Here are a variety of ways our family enjoys colder temperatures.

Snow Angels:

How can you NOT make a Snow Angel when the snow falls? How about just running out long enough to catch a few flakes on your tongue? Come on mama let those little ones take 15 minutes to bundle up and spend 20 seconds freezing just to experience a little snowflake fun.

Sledding:

I know that sledding is an obvious Winter activity BUT I just had to include it! Now there are times we get snow and hubby is at work so we use the sidewalk to pull the little ones up and down the street. They have tons of fun and it’s right out front and safe.

Yes, we do try to make it to the local smaller sledding hill as much as the snow and weather allow. I would love to go more often once the youngest is old enough to pull his own sleigh and make it up the hill without being carried!

Nature Stroll:

I enjoy nature and sometimes convince my hubby that we do indeed need to bundle up for a stroll down the local bike bath. I tell my children to keep their eyes and ears open for new site and sounds each time we head out. Just be sure to bundle up and use your best judgement for your children and family.

Build a Snowman:

Building a snowman is lots of fun with a sibling and a parent in tow! This picture was taken almost 5 years ago but are too cute not to share.

This post is a part of Preschool Winter Fun! A Winter time blog hop found on Preschool Powol Packets as part of the KBN bloggers!

Free Resources for Diabetes December 2014

December 18, 2014 By Thaleia 1 Comment

You know me and how much I love to save money. I love freebies and now that Eldest has Type 1 Diabetes I will be watching for Diabetes resources like a hawk. (Sorry the story is going up AFTER this deal post BUT some of these free resources expire Dec 31, 2014 .) I will try to post quarterly or more often if I find deals that can be used by other’s. I have found a few that expire this month but will share them just in case someone can use them.

Diabetes Freebies:

Free Accu Chek Nano meter receive a free meter with coupon and prescription.

FREE ACCU-CHEK FastClix lancing device when you purchase 1 box of ACCU-CHEK FastClix lancets (102 ct.)

Free Prescriptions:

The Meijer pharmacy helps lower your health care costs with select free prescriptions with your doctor’s prescription, regardless of insurance or co-pay.

Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs
Most pharmaceutical companies offer financial assistance programs to persons who have trouble affording their medications and supplies.
Each program has specific criteria that must be satisfied in order for an individual to be considered eligible for a financial assistance program.

NeedyMeds is a 501(c)(3) national non-profit information resource dedicated to helping people locate assistance programs to help them afford their medications and other healthcare costs.

Helpful Resources:

American Diabetes Association-The ADA funds research, publishes scientific findings, and provides information and other services to people with diabetes, their families, healthcare professionals, and the public.

The Food and Nutrition Information Center – a leader in food and human nutrition information dissemination since 1971 – provides credible, accurate, and practical resources for nutrition and health professionals, educators, government personnel and consumers.

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF’s goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until we achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure T1D.

Kids Health– has a great area on their website all about Diabetes. Check out their Diabetes Center for more info.

National Diabetes Education Program-The NDEP is a federally-sponsored initiative to improve the treatment and outcomes for people with diabetes, to promote early diagnosis, and to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. The NDEP website includes diabetes information, and awareness campaigns.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease -The NIDDK conducts and supports research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health, including diabetes. This U.S. site includes an information dissemination service called the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)

Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD)-The mission of TCOYD is to educate and motivate people with diabetes and their loved ones to take a more active role in their condition. The site also lists TCOYD educational classes.

Maybe you missed why Type 1 Diabetes is so important to our family. Eldest was diagnosed just before Christmas 2014. Read all about it in my 4 part post series here:

12/13/14 The ER, DKA, and Diabetes Diagnosis (Part 1)

12/13/14 The ER, DKA, and Diabetes Diagnosis (Part 2)

12/13/14 The ER, DKA, and Diabetes Diagnosis (Part 3)

12/13/14 The ER, DKA, and Diabetes Diagnosis (Part 4)