EcoStatic Product Review

Who would have ever though that “static cling” would ever be a GOOD thing!!!!    I’ve always found it quite irritating.  But… for this product you will definitely love it!  I was so excited to finally be able to get into my classroom to try this product out!  J

I received the EcoStatic Inc. Beginner Kit Glue Free WhiteBoard Sheets and SlickyNote Note Pads to review.  The WhiteBoard Sheets came in a roll of 10.   I forgot to measure them but they are a nice chart size!  In order to use the whiteboard sheets, I had to completely unroll them.  However, the remainder of the sheets rolled right back up without any problem.  That is not a huge issue for me… just more work for me!  The SlickyNote Notepad comes in a pad of 95.  They come in  green, orange, yellow, and purple.  This kit caused my mind to go 90 miles an hour... How many different ways could I use this product!!!!   On flipcharts, on my easel, a bulletin board, centers, word walls, graphing, etc.  

Yesterday I was FINALLY able to get into my classroom.  As I looked around the classroom I realized that I was very limited on where I could put the WhiteBoard Sheets.   These can be put on any smooth surface such as metal, windows, or doors.  The problem in my classroom…there are only a few places that have smooth surfaces.  I tried on my cinderblock walls and this is what happened. 

Next I tried my windows.  I was able to get them to cling to the window quite nicely.  I wrote with a dry erase marker (sorry for the penmanship).  They do erase easily…but the WhiteBoard Sheets also moved quite easily, so it quickly got all kinds of bumps…but they were also easy to smooth out. 

The SlickyNote has two sides (duh)… When you write on the colored side it is permament (even if you use the dry erase marker.)   If you don’t believe me…just take a look at that happened to the sheet I wrote David on!  However, the white side is reusable (if you use dry erase markers). YEAH!!!

 SlickyNotes slide EASY!!

What I LOVE about this product:

• Sticks to the surface without leaving any residue behind
• The bright colors of the SlickyNotes
• Reusable
• Super easy to move
• Made in the USA!!!! 

What I DISLIKE about this product:

• Having to unroll all to get one sheet
• Limited on where it will stick
• The colored side is not reusable

T               I hope that you will give Shoplet.com the opportunity to fill all your needs for Office Supplies, Cleaning Supplies, Medical Supplies, and Office Furniture.  Ordering is easy and they have a wonderful assortment of products! 

***Disclosure*** I received this EcoStatic Product at no charge in exchange for my honest review of their product.  The opinions expressed here are my own and reflect what I thought about their product.

>>Reckless<< Devotion by Heidi & Rolland Baker

This devotional book is numbered and not dated, so you can easily start on any day of the year.  I’m kinda strange though... I always feel guilty when I don’t start a book at the beginning.    It didn’t take me long to get over that hurdle though because this devotional is one of the most inspiring devotionals I have ever read through!

Almost without fail, every day I was eager to get to my morning quiet time to read words that always touched my heart.  Every day challenged me to draw nearer to God and to develop a deeper relationship with Him. 

I found many days where my mind wandered back to the devotional throughout my day.   One of those days was when Heidi Baker talked about how there would be NO nonbelievers in heaven.   That wasn’t new information to me of course, but it made me really think about how important it is to be witnessing NOW and how big our mission field really is here on earth.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is wanting to develop a deeper relationship with God. This is a book that you will not want to go through just once. I love it so much that I will be rereading this same devotional next year. 

Disclosure:  I was given a free copy of Reckless Devotion in exchange for my honest review.  Thank you Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group for allowing me to review this book.

A Bride at Last by Melissa Jagears

Kate Dawson finds herself taking a position as a school teacher in Missouri when the mail-order bride advertisement she responded to did not work out to her liking.  When she is offered a position as a school teacher she decides to take it to support herself.    She is a rather strong willed young lady and soon finds herself butting heads with members of the school board.

Anthony is one of her students and because of his home situation, she finds herself quickly bonding with him.  His mother, Lucinda has become quite ill and is unable to take care of herself or her son.  Kate steps in and helps take care of Anthony as well as helps to pay for their housing.  After Lucinda's death, Anthony believes Kate (his teacher) will become his caregiver.  Unfortunately, two men came to town that had been a part of Lucinda's past and that is when his life begins to crumble.  

Richard Fitzgerald and Lucinda had a relationship with many years ago.  Anthony remembers this man and what he forced him to do many years ago and did not want to go with him.  Richard, however, is eager to claim Anthony as his own son and take him back home with him.  He wanted Anthony to pick-pocket for him and give him all the money he collected.

Silas Jonesey was Lucinda’s husband.  She was a mail-order bride and had no idea what she was walking into.  Times were tough on the farm and she was not use to such hardship and being around a man that drank.  She did not want anything to do with that lifestyle, so one day she just up and left without a word.  He had never heard a word from her until she asked him for money during her later days.  Instead of sending money, he came to see her.

There appears to be no proof of who is the biological father of Anthony.  Anthony does not want to go home with either of these men…so before the judge can determine who gets custody of Anthony... Anthony takes matters into his own hands and runs away. 

This book has many twists and turns that will leave you on the edge of your seat.  The author, Melissa Jagears covers many areas that affect the lives of these characters.  Abuse, forgiving other, alcohol addiction, being abandoned by the people you love, trusting others are just a few of the matters that are addressed throughout this book.

I absolutely loved this book.  The characters had so much going on with them and I found the book hard to put down!



Disclosure: I received this book from Bethany House through their reviewer program free of charge.  In exchange, I agreed to review A Bride at Last and give my honest opinion

Among the Fair Magnolias - Four Southern Love Stories

Among the Fair Magnolias is a book with 4 historical fiction stories that take place during the 1800's.  These sweet books are filled with a taste of the south mixed with sweet love stories.  

"A Heart So True" by Dorothy Love

Abigail’s family is busy preparing for their annual barbecue. She was excited because it meant there would be several people coming... but there was one particular young man that she was hoping would be in attendance.  This barbecue was an annual event, but this year it was of particular importance because the Governor would attending. Abby knew that it was important that she make a good impression because of her father’s political aspirations.   Abigail was shocked when at the barbecue her father suddenly made an announcement that could change the rest of her life.  She knew what she was expected to do, but she also knew that this was not what she had planned for her life.  You will need to read this storyto find out what she decides to do.   

"To Mend a Dream" by Tamera Alexander
Savannah Darby suddenly finds herself becoming the mother of her younger brother and sister after her parents die.  They had lost the family farm and now found themselves living in a widow's and children's home.  Struggling to make ends meet, she was unexpectedly given the opportunity by the new owner of the farm, Aiden Bedford to use her skills as a seamstress to return to the family farm to redecorate.  Although she was excited to have the opporunity to earn much need money, she had another motive.  Her father had supposedly hidden a box in the house sometime during the war.  She was desperate to find it and she was running out of time.  While searching for the box, she found something she wasn't expecting.  

"Love Beyond Limits" by Elizabeth Musser

Of the four stories in the book, this was my least favorite.  In fact, I had a very hard time finishing it.  Emily was a young lady that fell in love with one of the freedmen on her family's plantation.  This story took place during the Klu Klux Klan era... so her feelings toward this man could prove to be very dangerous.  

"An Outlaw's Heart" by Shelley Gray

Russell Stark returns home after spending many years living a life that he now wanted no part of.  He finds his mother very ill and the women he loved is taking care of her.  Russell wants to begin a new life but her know he has to deal with his past.  It is a sweet romance story.  

Disclosure: I received this e-book from Thomas Nelson through the NetGalley reviewer program free of charge. In exchange, I agreed to review Among the Fair Magnolias and give my honest opinion.

Ready, Set, Kindergarten by Paula Ayer

Ready, Set, Kindergarten was a different sort of book to me.  I have to admit it was difficult for me to even follow along.  Here is an example of how the words are put together in the book.  Whoosh on my jacket. Smoosh on my shoes. Dressing myself. I’m getting ready!  The book continues in this same type of dialogue throughout the entire book.  I had high expectations when I began this book... but... they were quickly smooshed! 

After reading this book SEVERAL  times I assume they were trying to let the reader know that this young girl has accomplished so many things…and next up for her is kindergarten… the title lets me know that.  lol    

I personally would have preferred a storyline that flowed while reading.  However, if you are okay with fragmented sentences to tell the story, you will probably enjoy this book.   

The illustrations are adorable though!!

Disclosure:  I recieved a Kindle version of this book from Annick Press Ltd. through the NetGalley reviewer program at no charge.  In exchange, I agreed to review Ready, Set, Kindergarten and to give them my honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines. 

  

Schneider Pens - Made in Germany!!

Until last week I had never ever heard of Schneider pens.  Have you seen or heard of them before?  If not, maybe it's because they are made in Germany.  They have been a pen manufacturer for over 75 years.  Who knew?   Stride, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Schnieder in the U.S.  They are a small, family owned busines and are women-owned and operated.  If you would like to learn more about this company click here.  Schneiders offer a wide assortment of pens and I’m going to tell you about the ones I was sent to try out.  First, I have to confess that I am hoarder of pens and can never get enough of them!!  I could summarize these pens quickly by saying simply that they are AWESOME! 
   

Let me tell you first about the Slider Memo XB ViscoGlide Ballpoint Pens. These pens came in a pack of 4 colorful pens (green, violet, pink and orange).  When I picked up one of the Slider Memo XB Pens I was pleasantly surprised on how lightweight it actually was.  The cap fits snuggly on the top of the pen while you are busy writing!  As I gripped the barrel, it felt a little bit thicker than most of the pens I normally use.  However it felt comfortable against my fingers while I wrote.  Another important thing that I noticed was that the ink dried quickly.  Yeah!!! Sadly, these pens are not refillable! 

I also received a red Slider Memo XB ViscoGlide Ballpoint Pen.  I’m not sure why, but this pen did not seem to write like the previous Slider Memo XB Pens.  Weird.  It left small dots as I wrote on the paper.  It left me curious if it would smear when I highlighted it…so of course… I tried it out.  It did smear just a tiny bit, but just where the dots were. 

The Schneider Xpress .8 Porous Point Black Pen reminded me of writing with a felt pen…but so much better.  The ink is waterproof…and I of course had to check that claim out.  Let’s just say that you could use this pen when writing the address on an envelope to send a letter and it would remain readable for its entire journey.  Wow!  Pens have come so far.  I read that you could leave the cap off for THREE days and it would NOT dry out.  I decided I didn’t want to experiment with this pen...because I really like it!! 

The Schneider Slider Basic XB Ballpoint Pen also has the new ink technology which allows the pen to glide by writing.  The ink dries very quickly and it did not smear when I highlighted.  Yeah!!  It has a ribbed rubber grip, and is feels small after using the previous pens…but still quite comfortable to hold.

The Schneider Slider Rave XB is a retractable pen.  It also has the amazing Viscoglide ink technology that is awesome.  There are some pens that I don’t feel like I have the control when I write.  This is one of them.   I’m not sure what the difference is…but there is definitely a difference for me. 

The Slider edge 1.0 Viscoglide Black Ballpoint Pen has a three-edge barrel.  Since it has the three-edge barrel it was will probably not be rolling off of your desk.  The ink dries quickly too, which is a must for me!  It drives me nuts when I smear the ink.  I love this new Viscoglide technology!!  

That’s it!  I’m done!  It is finished!  I hope you saw something that you liked.  If so, please head on over to Shoplet.  Shoplet now offers shopper over 1,000,000 products!  I'm confident that they can help you with promotional products or office stationary.  They even have a wide selection of Medical Supplies.  


***Disclosure*** I received these pens at no charge from Shoplet.com.  In exchange I agreed to write an honest review of them.  The opinions expressed here are my own.   

Worms by Bernard Priot

This book is written from the point of view of a young child.  A young boy is forced to sit through a fancy dinner with his parents and employees of his father.  They talk about things that he doesn’t understand and he becomes quite bored! 

His father asks him to bring in the salads and he is more than happy to escape from the boredom.

When he sees the salads on the cart, in the kitchen, he suddenly has a wonderful idea on how to make things more interesting at the dinner table.

This is a humorous book which will most certainly bring a smile to the reader's face.  The illustrations are simple, but they portray animation that bring this book to life.

Disclosure:  I received this e-book from Kids Can Press through the NetGalley reviewer program free of charge. In exchange, I agreed to review this book and give my honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.