Into the Woods - Coming to theaters December 25th! - New Featurette

Disclosure:  Non-Compensated post.  Just wanted to share.

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on several of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), all tied together by an original story involving a Baker and his Wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the Witch (Meryl Streep), who has put a curse on them.

Rob Marshall, the acclaimed filmmaker behind the Academy Award®-winning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” directs the film, which is based on the Tony®-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics. Produced by John DeLuca, Marshall, “Wicked” producer Marc Platt and Callum McDougall, “Into the Woods” will be released in theaters December 25, 2014.

Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine, “Into the Woods” is a humorous and heartfelt musical that follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—all tied together by an original story involving a Baker and his Wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the Witch who has put a curse on them.

Nature Made Children’s Vitamins Review

Disclosure:  I received a sample of Nature Made Children’s Vitamins for the purpose of this review. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.

Raising healthy, happy, active kids is very important to me.  When Kat started feeling a little run down, I spoke to her pediatrician to find out what she thought.  She suggested that I encourage Kat to start taking her vitamins again.  Since I try to make sure that my family eats healthy meals and snacks, I had no idea that she might have a vitamin deficiency, but she did.  After taking her vitamins daily, she has felt much better and has more energy than ever.

We were offered the opportunity to review Nature Made Kids First Vitamins and I was thrilled!  The kids had asked for some new vitamins and they were very happy to try out the gummies.  The Nature Made Kids First Gummies are made with all natural fruit flavors and are get their color from natural sources!  They have NO synthetic dyes, NO preservatives, NO yeast, and they are Gluten Free.  The flavors are very kid friendly and include orange, cherry, and mixed berry!  These vitamins were created for kids ages 4-18. The Nature Made Kids First Gummies are available in four varieties, Multivitamin, Multivitamin with Omega-3, Vitamin C, and Fiber.

If your kids don't like gummies, you can always try the Nature Made Kids First KidMelts.  No water is needed to take these vitamins, because they melt in your mouth.  The newest member of our household, Bae, actually prefers the KidMelts, and says they have a nice taste!  The KidMelts are available in two varieties, Multivitamin, which provides 12 essential nutrients for daily nutritional support, and Calcium + Vitamin D3 to support healthy bone development!  They  are made with NO artificial flavors, NO preservatives, NO yeast, NO sugar, and NO calories.   Just like their gummy counterparts, they also get their color from natural sources!

You can purchase your Nature Made Kids First vitamins at Target!

Disclosure:  I received a sample of Nature Made Children’s Vitamins for the purpose of this review. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own.

The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts - Review & Giveaway

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

About the book:
Kara Tippetts knows the ordinary days of mothering four kids, the joy of watching her children grow…and the devastating reality of stage-IV cancer. 

In The Hardest Peace, Kara invites readers to see the grace of the everyday in all seasons of life and to live well even when the living is hard. This book is an invitation to join her in moving away from fear and control and toward peace and grace. Just as the thousands of people who read her blog know, Tippetts explores the hardest questions of life with rare beauty and honesty. Most of all, she draws them back to the God who is present, in the ordinary and the suffering, and shapes every life into the best story of all.

About Kara:
Kara Tippetts and her husband, Jason, have four children and are planting a church in Colorado Springs, CO. Cancer is only part of Kara’s story. Her real fight is to truly live while facing a crushing reality. She blogs faithfully at mundanefaithfulness.com.

Follow her on Instagram: http://instagram.com/tippetts
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mother_to_many

My Thoughts:

I was initially hesitant on reading this book.  I lost my favorite aunt to breast cancer during my senior year in high school, and then when I was in my 20s, my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer.  By the grace of God, Grandma survived.  All our lives were changed forever though.  

This book is not just "another cancer book."  Kara has shown grace far beyond my comprehension.  She shares her journey with us and she has shown that underneath all the bad, you need to value all the good.  Take advantage of every moment with your family and love them.  She was going through a serious life-changing event, and she could have just shut down and blamed God.  Instead, she found a way to not only keep on going, but to truly live while dying.

This book brought me to tears more than once, and it opened my eyes to a lot of things.  I need to stop worrying about tomorrow and to enjoy and be thankful for today.  No one is promised tomorrow, and it is only by the grace of God that we have today.  God is truly in this book, and it is a blessing.

Want a chance to read it for yourself?  Flyby Promotions has generously provided a copy of Kara Tippetts' book The Hardest Peace for you to WIN! Simply enter on the Rafflecopter form below and this book could be yours!

Dream Team Pets - an innovative kid’s sleep aid

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post on behalf of USFamilyGuide.com. I will be receiving a Dream Team Pet for posting.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and are those of the Shelly's Bits & Pieces Family. 

Dream Team Pets is much more than a bedtime toy-it's an innovative kid's sleep aid that helps end the bedtime battles of trying to keep your child in bed. Developed with the help of a pediatrician, Dream Team Pets bedtime routine empowers kids as they reward their Pet with stickers and a certificate for a good night's sleep. If the child wakes up from a nightmare, there are no hard feelings because the responsibility is on their Pet, but when they successfully sleep in their own bed, the kids feel a sense of accomplishment as they reward their Dream Team Pet. What makes this unique is that the kids think they are training their Pet, but really they are sleep training themselves!

Want to get a Dream Team Pet for your child?  My Readers receive 30% Off Dream Team Pets with Promo Code: USFGUIDE.  You can purchase it by clicking HERE! 

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