Baby Banana Brush Review and Giveaway Coming Soon!

How fun are these? I can't wait to give one a try. Teddy has been teething really bad lately and I am looking forward to reviewing a safe teething toothbrush that he will be able to test out! So many things these days are so bad for your baby, so I am glad to try something that is not. Not only is it soft and safe but it comes in such cute shapes. It also helps with teething and starts your baby on the right path to brushing!

These teething toothbrushes are 100% silicone. They are for infants through 2 years old. The company is family owned and operated. They strive to make brushing fun (and safer) with this which is their flagship product. The Baby Banana Brush, and their brand new product the Cornelius Teething Toothbrush are a sure hit! Baby Banana Brushes are wildly popular online (currently the #1 baby product on Amazon) Wouldn't they make a great Stocking stuffer for your baby? I know they will for mine!

Look for my review and a GIVEAWAY coming this month!

~Giveaway~ Amazon Gift Card

Who wants to win an Amazon Gift Card? I know I do....any little bit helps this time of year. Primitive Gypsy, Mommabears Book Blog and GypsyMomma's are offering you the chance to win a $5 gift card which will be emailed to the winner. Thanks for entering and GOOD LUCK!

Entry-Form

Giveaway is open to everyone 18 and up! We will be responsible for this fulfillment of this prize. The winner will be emailed and have 48 hours to respond and claim prize.

~GIVEAWAY~ 5-Piece Mixing Bowl Set

Copy-Kids, Southern Crazed, Mommy Footprint, Mom Dishes It Out and As Told By Ocie and myself Primitive Gypsy have come together to offer you the opportunity to win this fabulous prize!

This 5-Piece Set Includes: • 4-cup bowl • 6 1/2-Cup Bowl • 9-Cup Bowl • 12-Cup Bowl • 17-Cup Bowl

This is a win with a friend event too! Don't forget to tag all your buddies! Make sure your a fan of all the facebook pages I mentioned above for bonus entries! Please share so we can offer more giveaways and prizes!

To enter Click HERE to go to the Copy-Kids Facebook Page!

Review- Hot Wheels® Street Hawk™

My kids were so excited to try out this new toy from Hot Wheels®! The Hot Wheels® Street Hawk™ is a Remote Control Flying Car that my 9 year old Thomas had been asking for this year! Wasn't he excited when we got it for free to review from Mattel and BzzAgent

The boys rushed outside to open it up, the box isn't one of those adult proof one's because they had it open in seconds! It was a pretty easy setup. You'll need a Phillips screwdriver and 6 AA batteries. BzzAgent graciously provided the batteries for us. In the box was the Flying Car, the remote Control, an instruction booklet and a USB charging cable. The instructions say to charge it for 40 minutes first, but they were so excited they just had to try it. Without charging it right away it worked for about 10 minutes.

My boys are 9 and 11. The box says for kids 8 and up. They first tried it on the grass and dirt, but it wouldn't roll well there, so then they moved over to the patio. Once there it went well. The first few tries were very amusing, they were rushing and couldn't get it to do anything but roll and flip. After about 5 minutes they had it flying. My 11 year old says the key is to slowly accelerate like if it were a real plane. Both boys could make it fly even though it was very windy outside.

I was able to leave them at it pretty much from the beginning. The both say they love it, and have it charging as we speak so they can continue to play! It takes 40 mins to charge, my favorite thing is you can charge it with the USB cord. My least favorite thing is that it only works for 5-6 minutes after charged.

It's very light and honestly when they opened it I thought it would be in pieces in 10 seconds or one crash landing, but it's tougher than it looks! Not even a scratch! All in all I would say this is a Hit!

Giveaway from CatholicMom.com Little People Nativity and Advent Books

Another wonderful giveaway happening over at CatholicMom.com Here is what they are giving away!

I know my kids would love this Little People Nativity graciously offered by Catholic Family Gifts

This bright, adorable set is a wonderful way to introduce the very young to the Christmas story and an unbreakable set for older ones to play with. The perfect size for little hands, the Little People nativity set is a toy that will be used from year without fear of breakage. The set can be placed under the Christmas tree to be played with in the weeks leading up to December 25th. Place the angel atop the stable to activate the light-up star and hear the holiday favorite “Away in a Manger” play. The stable is shallow and will hold three figures. Children can use the cart to travel with the donkey act out the Christmas Story.

Joy to the World: How Christ’s Coming Changed Everything (and Still Does) By Scott Hahn (Image Books, 2014)

What could be more familiar than the Christmas story — and yet what could be more extraordinary? The cast of characters is strange and exotic: shepherds and magicians, an emperor and a despot, angels, and a baby who is Almighty God. The strangeness calls for an explanation, and this book provides it by examining the characters and the story in light of the biblical and historical context. Bestselling author Scott Hahn who has written extensively on Scripture and the early Church, brings evidence to light, dispelling some of the mystery of the story. Yet Christmas is made familiar all over again by showing it to be a family story. Christmas, as it appears in the New Testament, is the story of a father, a mother, and a child — their relationships, their interactions, their principles, their individual lives, and their common life. To see the life of this “earthly trinity” is to gaze into heaven. – See more at: http://www.imagecatholicbooks.com/book/237954/joy-to-the-world/#sthash.7M4JQSTJ.dpuf

Let Us Adore Him: Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas By Richard Fragomeni (Franciscan Media, 2014)

Let Us Adore Him will enhance your preparation for and celebration of Christmas. From the First Sunday of Advent through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, you will find inspiration for your Advent and Christmas prayer time. Noted liturgist Fr. Richard Fragomeni weaves the Communion Antiphon from each day’s liturgy into a thoughtful, prayerful meditation.

A Eucharistic Christmas: Advent Meditations on the Presence of Christ By Editors of Servant Books (Servant Books, 2014)

During Advent we sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” We focus on the birth of Jesus, this innocent child who came into our world to be our Savior. He is Emmanuel, God with us. But Advent and the Christmas season is also the perfect time to reflect on the fact that God is with us always, and particularly in his Eucharistic presence. This book offers a simple meditation from a well-known Christian writer each day from December 1st through the twelve days after Christmas, a few thoughts to help you respond to Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament, and a prayer to help you open your heart. The meditations focus on: The Scriptural basis for understanding the Eucharist How to prepare to receive the Lord What to do when you pray before the Blessed Sacrament The difference a holy hour can make The experiences of those who have spent time in adoration During this holy season, Mary’s example as she carried Jesus in her womb can show us how Jesus takes flesh in our own lives when we receive him with reverence.

For your chance to win any one of these lovely gifts please visit CatholicMom.com

Small Business Saturday!

Please take advantage of Today and Shop Small. Our small business' depend on people just like you to keep us that way, IN BUSINESS! We so appreciate our customers! I try and only shop small esp at the Holidays! I will be offering discounts in my Etsy shoppe and my Facebook Page Store Through Monday One Etsy please use the following discounts! Link to Etsy is on the sidebar, or just click here! PrimitiveGypsy

Small Business Saturday take 20% off with Coupon Code SMALL Thru Monday take 15% off with Coupon Code GYPSY On facebook when you message me about something I will automatically give you the discount! PrimitiveGypsy on facebook

Here Piggy Piggy Piggy

I know you all are dying to hear more piggy stories but I actually have none to tell! WOOHOO, she is still in her pen..No more chasing her through the neighbors fields! She has gotten HUGE.. I will take a photo when it's not snowing and blowing so hard the house is moving! Instead I'll show you Nikolas fascinated with the snow! He just stood outside and stared and smiled! It's was so sweet that a 2 year old can see the beauty we so often forget to stop and see! Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Blogger Opps: Lock it Up in 2014 Giveaway!

Grand Prize: 

Kids Locker

$105

Runner Up Prize

Kids Mini Locker

Up to $70

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Sign-ups close 11/30

Click HERE to sign up and for more html info.

M.O.O.N. has now added several perks/discounts for frequent participation in our events but you must be a member of our Facebook group to be eligible.  Please visit the M.O.O.N. group if you are a blogger and would like more information regarding these perks and other group events.

**If you are a company and would like to see your brand advertised in a M.O.O.N. event similar to this or a Blogger interested in working with M.O.O.N. please contact MakeOurOwnNetwork@gmail.com

ESSIO Aromatherapy Shower Blogger Opportunity

ESSIO Aromatherapy Shower is opening this awesome opportunity to the first 100 bloggers. This is to review a handy item that turns your shower into a spa. Doesn't it look amazing? I know I would love to give one a try! Who wouldn't?

Please go here to ESSIO and enter the required information! Good luck!

Review- Chapstick Hydration Lock and Coupon

I received a free sample of Chapstick Hydration Lock from Smiley360 for my honest review!

Chapstick is really a great lip care product! The Hydration Lock was not greasy at all, and smells great! That was what my kids all commented on was the great smell! They each asked if we could go get them each their own and pick out their own...and yes we did! I especially loved the texture. I hate buying a new lip item and have it be greasy, taste and smell bad. None of the above was the case with the new Chapstick Hydration Lock! We love Chapstick in our house and plan to use it for years to come.

Would you like a coupon to try it yourself? If you click on my link it will take you to get a 50 cent off coupon for Chapstick Hydration lock, plus you can sign up for Smiley360 while your at the site! Smiley360 will send you samples that you qualify for to try for your honest opinion!

Click here for your Coupon or to join!

Thanks a bunch for visiting me today!

No one wants to know...

I know none of you wanted to hear this but we had to put one of the piggies down..Chopsy may you rest in peace and thank you for your meat to fill us. Chopsy is now in our freezer, because she was so young we had to butcher her. No butcher will touch a baby, because it's hard and not much meat. I think we got two roasts and a big chunk or pork though. Don and Phil did that work, I couldn't stomach it. (some farmer I'll be) Amazingly Thomas went out to watch all aspects of it, he may turn into a farm boy yet. Don't tell him though because I'm afraid if he doesn't become the next Wayne Gretsky or Sidney Crosby he may be dissapointed. The Colorado Avalanche better watch out because he may hunt them down till they say yes!

So poor Chopsy had a medical condition that costs as much to fix as the pig is worth, and may still die, and may die in a lot of pain. No one wanted to see that so figured using her for food now was better than wasting her and possibly seeing her suffer later. I can't say I was happy as those pigs have made our life funny this last week or two. Pig Chasing 101, yeah I could teach it! I know the neighbors fields as well as our own now. He raises cattle, and thankfully they didn't try and roam his whole farm. They tended to stay close by his pond, coming back during the mornings and evenings. But now we have a better pen in the Carving Barn for Hamhock! She is becoming very friendly and almost is eating out of your hand! We feed her pellets, and then give her slop (aka whatever leftovers, and things no one will eat). She really enjoys buttermilk! So here is to Chopsy!

Thermos Overnight Challenge Giveaway Winner

I just had to share....I win sweepstakes all the time and so can you! Enter, Enter, Enter and you'll win here and there! Guess what just arrived... I thought there was NO way that my OvernightCoffee Challenge from Thermos would arrive with hot coffee, because we live in rural Missouri, think 3 hours from a city! My coffee arrived at 2 pm CT and it's HOT...the lid is actually still hot to the touch! I am so impressed and the Octane Coffee they sent to try smells delicious! Thanks to Thermos for my prize! I still can't get over the coffee being hot! Very impressed with Thermos!

Wonderful Christmas Giveaway!

I love the Weekly Giveaways over at CatholicMom.com This week she is giving away three great items!

Enter here- Weekly Giveaway

The first is The church of Mercy by Pope Francis (Loyola Press, 2014)

About the book: In the year since he was elected, Pope Francis’s simple message of mercy, service, and renewal has spread to every corner of the world. Through his gentle demeanor, selfless actions, and welcoming call for service to others, Pope Francis has captured the attention of a world longing for an authentic message of hope—we want to hear what he has to say. Collected from Pope Francis’s speeches, homilies, and papers presented during the first year of his papacy, The Church of Mercy is the first Vatican-authorized book detailing his vision for the Catholic Church. From how to be citizens of the world to answering God’s call for evangelization, Pope Francis’s deep wisdom reminds us that the Church must move beyond its own walls and joyfully bring God’s mercy wherever suffering, division, or injustice exists. Named TIME Magazine’s 2013 “Person of the Year,” Pope Francis is helping the Church continue toward an authentic Christianity that is faithful to the Gospel and resonant with the world’s greatest needs. The Church of Mercy encourages each of us to ignite the flame within to help share the light of Christ and revitalize the Church.

Want to buy- Loyola Press

Second is Christmas in Harvard Square Cd, By The Boys of St. Paul’s Choir School (Aim Higher Recordings, 2014)

About the Cd-Prepare to be captivated by the angelic sounds of The Boys of St. Paul’s Choir School. Featured are 19 classic Christmas songs of both traditional and contemporary arrangements, including original arrangements by Director of Music John Robinson. Produced by AimHigher Recordings/Decca, this inspiring collection of Christmas favorites is sure to draw hearts closer to the wonder of the Nativity of Christ and the warmth of the Christmas season, now and in Christmases to come.

Want to buy- St Paul Choir School

Zealous: Following Jesus with Guidance from St. Paul By Mark Hart and Christopher Cuddy (Servant Books, 2014)

About the book:

With a clear, simple invitation, you are encouraged to delve more deeply into Scripture to find answers and discover what God’s truth means for you personally. Whether you’re new to the Bible or a seasoned student of its truth, you’ll be motivated to follow Jesus with the same kind of zeal Paul had. Join Mark Hart and Christopher Cuddy as they provide a contemporary look at the basics of spiritual life through the eyes of St. Paul.

Want to buy- Sunrise Marion

Enter Here- Catholic Mom Weekly Giveaway

New Facebook Page!

I dunno about you...but I love to win and I love to get things or free.. With this many kids you always have to be on the lookout for good deals, and the more close to free the better! A friend of mine mentioned she never can find these good deals or win anything and it made me start thinking....why not a page for her to see everything I do, what I enter, where I go, where I do paid surveys, where you can find freebies, or great coupon deals. So I talked to her and a few other friends and GypsyMomma's was born! Now there are 4 of us finding good things for our viewers! I would LOVE it if you would come like us on facebook! We hope to see you there and please invite your friends and share! Click here to join us GypsyMomma's

Hog Wrangling

I've been wanting to raise all sorts of animals for meat. I'm so tired of the processed, hormone filled garbage from the grocery store. I've been trying for awhile to convince everyone that pigs would be a good idea. They are fairly easy, eat a lot of whatever you have..leftovers, veggies from the garden that are no longer edible, basically anything we are not going to eat and then some feed. Did you know that you also get half it's weight in meat? That's better than a cow... So say you have a 600 pound pig when slaughter time comes, you would average 300 pounds of edible meat.. Can you say BACON? Actually I don't love bacon, but everyone else in the family does! So I guess they came around because one day a couple weeks ago Lizzie asked if we wanted to buy a hog. If we would buy the pig and pay for half the slaughtering, then she would buy the feed. Who wouldn't say yes? Ok I am sure plenty of you are saying um ME, are you crazy? Well yes a bit!

So Piggy day comes...and of course we are not ready...not pen, no feed, no anything. Lizzie goes off to get the pigs...and home she comes with TWO pigs.. Apparently they do better in pairs...you slaughter one for meat, and then sell the other to offset the cost of butchering. Keeps them happy, certainly makes us happy. So here are two ADORABLE pigs in the back of the truck in a kennel...and all sorts of metal and wood parts and pieces to put up. Well of course this happens to be a day when no men are home. You see where this is going right? We decide on a temporary place for them, and realize we will have to pound these stakes into the ground...and wire them...and get the pigs in, YIKES! So I back the truck up, hold the posts and Ma beats them down as much as she can...we put up the temporary wire fencing....Oh hey don't we need those hog panels and a gate? No of course not, let's just get those cutie pie piggies in so we can have fun with them...HA HA HA....and the fun begins.

We carry the kennel through the workshop and out the back door into our poorly put up wire pen?? I guess it's a pen, kinda, sorta...We didn't think about Rascal, our dog being outside. We open the kennel, out comes one pig...here comes Rascal and the barking begins....Oh man is he going at it, won't stop...we are kind of stuck in the pen...which is rather funny considering what happens next. He keeps barking and piggy number one runs right through the wire! I mean right through it, no hesitation, nothing...just straight through. My instinct is to grab for piggy number two who is still in the kennel. Well apparently his brain works quicker than my fibro mommy fog brain...and with a small grasp and slip with his back legs, a loud squeal and guess who is right through the wire?

The rest of the afternoon is spent with me trying to get around and behind the pigs to herd them back to our property.. I am running all through the neighbors farm, under tree's and bushes, in the mud around the pond...up the holler....around and around and get the pigs back to the yard, and mom comes at them and quick as you can say Pig the are back in the neighbors field booking for the pond again. I think I did this at least 6 times before I finally could no longer breathe, much less run. We decided they didn't seem to be wandering far so we'd take a break and wait for the men! They'd wander in and out of the yard, through the burn pile, back through the fence in the field, around and around. If I were the pig I'd be dizzy. I'm dizzy just watching the picture in my head.

Want to hear the really funny part? Don and Phil get home...we all go outside. Ma and Phil put some more wire around the pen to make it stronger. So off we go again...Phil goes to the neighbors pond this time...and the rest of us are spread out all over the property just waiting. Here they come, and here comes Phil right with them...slow, steady....and then Ma starts talking...Yep you guessed it, there go the pigs...Phil and Don are laughing. I'm like Nooooooooo....I am determined that these pigs are coming home...Once again Phil goes, Don with him. Here come the pigs again...this time no one talks, everyone walks very slowly and we have slop ready inside the pen with the gate open. After I dunno maybe 30 minutes of rooting and hovering finally those little suckers waltz right into the pen and Don closes them in. So apparently SLOW, slow, SLOW...that's how you get your escaped pigs!

So without further ado...here are the piggies...Ham Hock, and Chops safe in the pen!

Whew.....Back to School Blues

Sorry I haven't been blogging away...We had some company for the last two weeks. Phil's daughter Jami and her son Drayden who is just a bit over a year old. Nikolas and Dray became instant buddies and we see some fun times in their future! They spent all day every day outside pushing each other out of the car and toy grabbing, ha ha! But all in all for two kids both under two I was impressed with how well they really did get along! I think instant friends describes it perfectly! For two weeks they "mostly" shared toys, snacks and sippy cups. They patted one another when they were crying, or petted each other's heads, and handed over sippies! It was really just darn adorable.

Meanwhile my son Jimmy was here for awhile, so we took advantage of swimming and teaching him about living in the country while we had the chance. That poor kid is all city. The outdoor shower was quite the bone of contention with him! We did have so much fun though and I was sad to see him go! This was his first time meeting Teddy and he hadn't see Nikolas since he was a baby. He does so well with them that I know he will make a wonderful father when the time rolls around!

All in all we have had a wonderful summer and we were sad to see it go. School started on Weds. Thomas cried as he always does worried he would be forced to read something he couldn't. He went into 3rd grade. Emily had a panic attack..I wasn't sure she would make it on the bus she was so nervous. But she did and is on her way through 11th grade. Mickey was his usual...not worried self, the big bad 6th grader. No need for worry, they all had new friends on the first day, they love the bus driver who is a friend of my mom's and went out of his way to get them on his bus! Needless to say it went good and I think it will be a good year! Nikolas wasn't sure about where they went, but he waved goodbye to them as they left on the bus, and now it is so silent. The quiet is amazing...but I miss them.

Emily has been on a photo taking marathon so I will leave you with some of the beauty of Missouri.

Log Cabin Christmas...in July!

My hubby had been all secretive, so I followed him out to the barn one day and look what he made for me! I love it so much!

What Prim girl doesn't want a rolling log cabin? He calls it my Gypsy Wagon Cabin!

I thought you all might want to see what we have been working on for Christmas ornaments this year for Simple Goods! Some are like last year and a then a bunch of new things too! They will be for sale from now until Christmas and I will do them as necklaces also!

First we have our new Wooden Bowls and Rolling Pins...Don and Mickey (who is 11) were working these out for me! Aren't they great?

Next we have Lizzie's little Wooden Spoons and Corn Husk Brooms! The Corn husk brooms are my all time favorite. She is so talented!

Followed by Lizzie's Wooden Cutting Boards and Chestnut Roasters. I loved that idea!

I hope you like everything. There is more...little bags, and witch brooms and much more...

Outdoor Shower Project

We have an outhouse Lizzie and Phil put together, but Ma and I decided we wanted an outdoor shower. So Phil and Don moved the outhouse while Ma and I drove to the creek to get rocks. We thought how awesome would a rock floor be? So we hauled off a ton of flat rocks off a dirt road...I dropped a HUGE one on my foot that we planned on using for the outhouse step... I could hardly walk for a few days...Yikes..lucky I didn't break something.

It really turned out cute I think. Ma and I made a form, and mixed up the concrete (with Don's help) and started to lay out the stones...Smaller ones by where the water would come down so it would drain out. Bigger one's towards the back so it would drain down to the bottom and out. It was funny trying to hurry and decide where to put them as the concrete is drying. Then we realized we had to make it super smooth so no one broke a toe. So then we had to concrete around any sharp edges. Meanwhile it's drying and QUICK! It was a hoot! But all in all I think the floor turned out awesome and no stubbed toes so far. Once the floor dried Lizzie built the walls and door. Then she attached to the outhouse a small bench for changing. We haven't finished but I think it's pretty cool. We plan on putting more stones around the base of the walls (so the grass doesn't come in) and then making a wood chip and stone pathway all the way to the farmhouse! Not everyone would appreciate this but we get all manner of critters and bugs coming to visit...I guess they appreciate a good shower now and then too!

Day of Doom and Room Re-do!

We lost our Jersey Giant...still not sure how. Could be the neighbors dog, could be a wild animal. He got out and wouldn't go back in. Before we got him he was a free ranger. Ma found him one morning in the field. Normally an adult Jersey Giant will scare predators off but he was just a baby and not that big yet. We loved him and need a protector so I guess I will have to find us some more. We are considering raising them since they are rare chickens and supposed to be friendly and more like a pet. RIP Big Fella...

So days at the farm have been warming up but no matter because we have alot to get done. My older four children will be here soon after visiting their father in Kentucky, Satuday as a matter of fact! We can't wait. So this weekend and week we are working on their room. It needed a new floor. The previous owner was NOT a carpenter. So Don, Phil, Ma and I spent the weekend ripping out the floor, tearing paper off the walls to get to the wood underneath and getting really dirty! This is what it looks like now.

Aren't the boards underneath awesome? I wish we could uncover them through the whole room, but we don't want to freeze so only the interior walls can be uncovered. We plan to strip off the ugly wallpaper boarder and repaint the exterior walls. We are thinking a Navy Blue but who knows... Can you believe how bad it is. The guys have to jack up the walls, replace all the flooring...Yikes...Old Houses, can't live with them, but who wants to live without them?