Many thanks to Pure Flix for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions
are 100% my own.

About An Unlikely Angel

Janie is a workaholic who is falling apart at the thought of becoming a first-time mom. She whispers a small prayer for help and it’s answered in a very unlikely way when an angel intervenes and fast forwards her life. Will her second chance change how she approaches life? Janie is lucky enough to be given a second chance, but will she change before it’s too late?

Who is this movie for?

• Parents who are trying to do it all and need to know they aren’t alone on the journey.
• Someone who needs a reminder that it’s ok to not control every aspect of your life.
• Anyone who needs help coming back to basics in an overcomplicated world.
• The person is looking for a second chances at prioritizing what’s truly important in life.

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

An Unlikely Angel isn’t just a feel-good movie, it’s a movie that makes you re-think your priorities. A movie that reminds you that faith and family are the most important things. This movie reminds us to, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

The acting is great, the cast fits well together and I was happy to see that one of my favorites, Robert Amaya, is playing Gabe, the angel in this story. Janie prays a simple prayer for help and God sends Gabe to do just that, by being available, gentle, thoughtful, and helpful.

Watch An Unlikely Angel on Pure Flix starting August 26th!

Giveaway

I’m giving away a 3 month subscription to Pure Flix to a US based reader of this blog! The giveaway ends 9-9-22 at 12:00am. The winner will be verified-make sure you actually leave a blog comment-and then their information will be sent to the sponsor for fulfillment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About 52 Uncommon Family Adventures

Connect with your family without breaking the bank.

When you dreamed of having a family you pictured outings, adventures, laughing around the kitchen table. But then the kids actually came and most of the time you’re too busy trying to keep up to figure out how to create a magical, screen-free environment where everyone feels loved, is having fun, and can connect, I recommend you record everything that way you can post it on tiktok and get TikTok likes. That’s why 52 Uncommon Family Adventures was written, it helps you do just that, without all the hassle and stress.

Whether it’s a family pillow fight, a lip-sync competition, or Toilet Paper Olympics, give your family the gift of lifelong memories while having fun, connecting spiritually, and speaking each other’s love languages. Enjoy all the benefits of the quality time you dreamed of without all the pressure of advanced planning.

Put down the phones, turn off the TV, and start making some memories together today.

Purchase Link:  Pick up your life-saving copy of fun at:  https://amzn.to/2SyNfgM

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

I love this book! There are so many activities that I would like to do now, with my adult children! I’d love to do Early Christmas shopping pg 144, Something Borrowed pg 134, Every Day is a Holiday pg 119, and Cities to Explore pg 79 for sure. What I think takes this book to the next level are the “That reminds me” and “Love Language” sections. “That reminds me” helps you to dig a little deeper to create memories, The love language section explains which love language the activity is geared for. This is a great way to focus on a different family member’s love language for each adventure.

I’d love to see family’s doing at least 1 adventure per month! That isn’t a lot to plan and work into your busy schedule but it is enough to create amazing memories.

If you have kids at home, or know someone who does, I recommend you get a copy of 52 Uncommon Family Adventures and start planning the fun right away! But don’t just take my word for it, have a look yourself at just how easy , FUN, and helpful this book is click here for a preview.

Enter the giveaway here. Five lucky winners will receive a copy of 52 Uncommon Family Adventures.

The post 52 Uncommon Family Adventures Book Review appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Building Blocks of an Effective Morning Routine

We are all different and we all have different needs but here I am listing the basic building blocks of an effective morning routine.

Wake Up First

Sounds simple right? I find my morning routine works best when I am awake 60-90 minutes before the rest of the family. Even now with 3 adults in the house I am usually up an hour to an hour and a half before Ron and Jordan. Why? It takes time to wake up and be ready to deal with other people. Each step in your morning routine is helping you prepare for your day ahead and being awake…and pleasant is a wonderful way to greet your family each day.

Hydrate

Your body has gone at least 8 hours without much needed hydration. Start your morning with an 8oz glass of cold water BEFORE dehydrating it more with a caffeinated beverage. Water wakes up your body internally and re-starts your bodily functions.

Stretch and/or Exercise

I am not a morning exercise person but every morning I do some basic stretches to get my body moving and work out the kinks after a good night’s sleep. Some of you would rather head to the gym, jump on the treadmill, such as the under the bed treadmill, or go for a run first thing in the morning. If that is you, go for it.

Reflect and Give Thanks

I start my day with a time of Bible study and prayer. This time alone on my comfy couch with my Savior is the most important time of my day. This centers me and focuses my mind and heart on what is truly important.

Do the Hard Thing

There are a few household chores that I hate or even tend to forget, so I added them to my morning routine. I hate emptying the dishwasher. I know it only takes a few minutes but I just don’t like to do it. Now if it needs to be emptied, I do it right after my Bible study time. Then it is done and nothing will pile up in the sink because there is room in the dishwasher for them. I also do my laundry as part of my morning routine. I start a load as soon as I get up and
I move it after my Bible study time voila, laundry done for the day…and I didn’t leave it sitting in the washer for hours!

Self Care

Do you like to shower in the morning? Do it early a nice cool shower will wake you up and get you moving. Take a few extra minutes getting ready for your day. When you feel good about yourself it helps you move through your day with confidence. If you are looking to buy a self-care kit, you may visit the UnboxMe homepage for more options.

Breakfast

Whether you eat breakfast alone or this happens after the family is awake and they join you at the table, eat a protein rich breakfast to help propel you into your day.

Mom Maven’s Morning Routine

Remember, my morning routine will look different than yours. My household is myself, my 20 year old college student son and me. I have been where you are, remember, we homeschooled for 16 years, my mornings haven’t always been so “me” focused.

• 7:00am Wake-up (Mon-Friday)
• Stretch
• Start laundry if needed
• Mix up my Plexus Slim with 12 oz water, take my Accelerator and X Factor
• 30+ minute Bible Study and Prayer time
• Move laundry if needed
• Empty dishwasher if needed
• 20 minutes of reading time while enjoying a cup of hot cocoa. I usually read a Christian Living or Business book during this time.
• Breakfast-usually eggs and toast or a P96 shake while scrolling through Facebook.
• Get dressed
• 8:30am Hubby gets up, he has been watching the news in bed for about 30 minutes
• 8:30am Mon & Fri out the door to my morning chiropractor appointment. Tues, Wed, Thurs get some housework done
• 10:00am Into my office and start the work day managing my blog, my travel agent clients and my Plexus team.

I hope this post has been helpful. Another great way to prep for your day is by having an effective Evening Routine. I hope to get a post up soon about how my evening routine, which is shorter than my morning routine, is helping me sleep better and start each day off smoother. If you have any questions or comments please, I love to hear from you!

The post How to Create a Morning Routine that Works for You appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Usually, I am a very organized person but last year life got in the way of our homeschooling and it was the most unorganized year we ever had. This year I am trying the organizational website AboutOne.com.  AboutOne is a digital filing system and more. I have entered all of Jordan’s curriculum for the year, I really wish I had this 16 years ago and I could have a full record of everything we used-it would come in handy when I mentor new homeschooling moms. I can also enter his extracurricular activities, his volunteer service and even scans or photos of any projects he does.

AboutOne isn’t just for recording your kid’s school information either. On the site you can set up info for all of your family members, even your pets! You can keep track of medical histories, mailing lists, home improvement projects, even your possessions  are all stored on a secure site in one place. On AboutOne you can learn how to declutter and save all those stray papers right on the website. There are articles and videos on AboutOne that show you how to get organized using their site too.

You can get a 17 day free trial to check out AboutOne and see how it will help keep you more organized this school year. The 17 day Free Passport gives you 17 full days of usage with no expiration date (requires no credit card information). Use each of your 17 days whenever you like. Our Yearly Plan gives you a full year of access to AboutOne for the low price of $30 per year.

Also Global Influence is hosting an awesome giveaway from AboutOne.

Rules: One winner will be chosen at random from all entries across all blogs to receive the following prize: $500 AMEX gift card and an upgrade to a free subscription to AboutOne.com to 1 grand prize winner + a $250 donation to the school of their choice.  All other entries will receive an email with a code for 25% off a one year subscription to AboutOne.com.  This giveaway ends September 9th at 11:59 p.m. ET and is open to U.S. residents age 18 or older.

Mandatory contest entry: sign up for AboutOne free trial (absolutely no credit card info required). Then fill out this form

Please leave me a comment so I know you entered from my site. Good luck!

I am participating in this project as a member of Global Influence. I received a 1 year subscription to AboutOne.com and compensation for my time.

The post Back to Homeschooling with AboutOne appeared first on The Mom Maven.

We actually got to work the kid’s races. On Saturday 1500 kids from 9 months-13 years old competed in Diaper Derby, 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes and a 1 mile run. We had the best job too! We got to give the medals to the participants after they crossed the finish line! Those who are interested to bet on their favorite sports, can easily do so on sites such as sbobet88 indonesia.

We arrived at the Jostens Center at 7:30am and signed in for our shift. We received our t-shirts and a snack voucher. We changed into our t-shirts, went to the snack bar to retrieve our snacks and water and then waited for our marching orders. When all 21 event volunteers were ready we headed out to the track where we were divided up into several different jobs. The actual races began at 10am so we spent the time before that hanging the medals on the rack and then helping with pre-race crowd control.

It was so much fun to put a medal around the necks of children who had just accomplished a big goal that they had been training for. If you live in central Florida and would like to know more about voluntEARing for Disney sporting events visit their website here.

The post Volunteering at Disney Sporting Events appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Around the Table games are perfect anytime games because you can answer 1 card or 50 cards there is no start/finish line to cross. They are great to play while waiting for your food at a restaurant, on a car trip or even while waiting in line at your favorite theme park. Around the Table games are portable and even come with a carabiner so you can clip it to your purse or backpack. Families are so busy that sometimes we really don’t talk anymore. Around the Table Games will get you talking.

Around the Table Games are great for the entire family ages 3-103. They are also affordable ranging in price from $7.99-$9.99. You can purchase them from the Around the Table website or many national retailers, they even have an iPhone app! Around the Table Games make great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers for the families on your shopping list.

Around the Table Games is giving away 1 game of the winner’s choice to a reader of TheMomMaven.

Mandatory 1st Entry:Visit the Around the Table Games website and look at their products then come back here and tell me which game you would like to win and why.

Bonus Entries: Leave a separate comment for each

• Like Around the Table Games on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall that TheMomMaven sent you.
• Follow @aroundthetable and @MomMaven on Twitter
• Tweet This @MomMaven My family wants to #win @aroundthetable games for Christmas http://bit.ly/9gJhTy ” (you may do this 2x a day leave the tweet URL in your comment)
• Blog subscribers, GFC friends, Networked Blog followers and Facebook likers each get 1 entry
• Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (you may do this up to 5 times-let me know which post you commented on in each entry)

This giveaway is for US entries only and will end at 9pm ET on December 2, 2010. The winner will be chosen by Random.org. This giveaway is closed.

The post Holiday Gift Guide: Around the Table Games appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The idea is simple – find it fast and start having fun! Made for the family with children of all ages in mind, www.KraftDeliciousDays.com is mom’s #1 resource housing new content weekly with featured articles and video on what’s hot right now. Foodies, fashionistas, mountain-climbers and more will all find something that fits their flavor. Be inspired, life should always be delicious.

And there’s so much more! With the kids being back in school, get back into the routine with quick and easy tips that will be sure to get you an A+. You’ll love the lunch box ABC’s as well as money-saving grocery tips and a guide to healthy serving sizes. While you’re at Delicious Days don’t forget to enter the AOL Home for the Holidays Sweepstakes* for a chance to win $2,500! It’s the perfect prize to get your family together in time for the holiday season.

I know one of my favorite things about fall…since the leaves don’t change color here in Florida, is the yummy apples that are available in the stores. Here is a great video from Delicious Days to help you choose and store your apples for maximum freshness!

The post Kraft and AOL Team Up for Delicious Days appeared first on The Mom Maven.

FUN FACTS

• IT TAKES FIVE — The production relied on five horses to play Secretariat—four thoroughbreds and a quarterhorse. Not only did they have to perform like the champion equine, they also had to look the part. To replicate Secretariat’s white signature markings, everyday Lisa Brown (Horse Continuity) painstakingly painted the three distinctive white socks and the facial white stripe and star on to each of the horses.
• NOSE TO NOSE — Nelsan Ellis (Eddie Sweat) experienced a very close relationship with all the horses—sometimes a bit too close. During the course of production he was nuzzled, bitten in the stomach and stomped on.
• DISCOVERED — One of the horses that played Secretariat in the film, Trolley Boy, was discovered in true Hollywood fashion after winning a Secretariat Look-Alike contest held at the Secretariat Festival in Paris, Kentucky. According to Diane Lane, Trolley Boy brought his own special talent to the role. When shooting close-ups with Lane, Trolley Boy had a tendency to chew the bit loudly which often caused her to laugh and break character.
• PUZZLED — The cast and crew of “Secretariat” were addicted to crossword puzzles, especially Diane Lane, John Malkovich and Margo Martindale. Lane was such a super fan of the brain teaser; she created her own crossword puzzle during production.
• PEACHES — The fluffy blonde wig that Diane Lane wore in the film was playfully nicknamed Peaches.
• INSPIRED — Make-up artist Julie Hewett used Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as her style icon when designing the look of Penny Chenery in the film. Photographs of the former First Lady were plastered all over the walls of the make-up trailer.
• UP CLOSE — In order for the audience to get the jockey’s perspective, director of photography Dean Semler attached small, lightweight digital cameras to sticks and positioned them close to the horses as they thundered down the track. The horses got used to these cameras being in such close range, but the same was not true for the actors. When recreating Ronnie Turcotte’s famous look back during the Belmont Stakes, Otto Thorwarth peered backwards and was startled by camera.
• AUTHENTICITY — The production used the actual Triple Crown trophy, on loan from the Kentucky Derby Museum. The coveted cup was created by Cartier in 1978 after Affirmed won the Triple Crown in preparation for the next winner.  It had to be handled with gloves and was hand carried back and forth between Kentucky and Louisiana.
• DOUBLE DUTY — The head of the make-up department, Michael Mills, played a fellow golfer alongside John Malkovich’s character Lucien Laurin. Lead horse wrangler Rusty Hendrickson not only cast the horses in the film, but he also portrayed a fry cook in a diner scene.

Secretariat Stats:

• BIG HEART — Secretariat’s heart was twice the size of an average horse’s heart.
• RECORD BREAKER — Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths and still holds the record time at 2:24 for 1.5 miles.
• COVER BOY — In 1973, weekly mags Time, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek all featured Secretariat on their respective covers the same week.
• AMONG THE GREATS — Secretariat was ranked the 35^th Greatest Athlete of the 20^th Century by ESPN.
• A STAR IS BORN — During the peak of Secretariat’s career, the William Morris Agency would book the horse’s appearances the same way they would any of their other (two legged) mega celebrity clients.

The post Secretariat Movie Fun Facts appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Based on the remarkable true story, “Secretariat” chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.  Housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge.  Against all odds, Chenery—with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich)—manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.

Here is a new behind-the-scenes featurette from SECRETARIAT “Making of a Champion”.

You can like “Secretariat” on Facebook and follow the movie on Twitter. I’ll be there opening weekend…will you? Leave me a comment and let me know if you plan on seeing this movie.

The post Secretariat Comes to Theaters October 8th appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Together, We Can Make a Difference
Through the dedication of advocates, child welfare professionals, elected officials and support groups around the country, the total number of children waiting for a safe and permanent family has decreased from more than a half million to 463,000 between 2003 and the end of 2008. These numbers tell us that, together, we can make a difference for children in foster care.

But there is still so much work to be done, as there are more than 123,000 children waiting to be adopted with the help of an adoption agency. Some adopted agencies recommend the aspiring foster parents to attend a Foster Parent Licensing program.

Want to learn more about how you can get involved? Click here, and follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Join us May 27 at 2 p.m. EST on Twitter for an #AdoptUsKids one hour chat to get the message out about National Foster Care Month.

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