Review: The Dot Girl First Period Kit

Do you remember your first period? I do. I was in my second year of middle school. I remember being both scared and embarrassed. At the time, I didn’t have the chance to have the “talk” with my mom. But, what I knew about my period I had managed to learn from friends who had already started their periods, and sexual education classes. I’ll be honest I wasn’t prepared for a period or the horribly intense cramps.

My daughter is still too young to have the “talk” with since she is only two years old. Girls generally start their periods between ten and fourteen years old. (With exceptions). But, for the moms who have daughters who are nearing puberty, I highly suggest purchasing the Dot Girl First Period Kit.

Inside the stylish pink pouch is period answer book. The answer book has twenty typical questions asked by young girls about menstruation. It also answered questions about which types of pads to use, how to track your periods, how long they may bleed, and cramping. Inside of the pouch was five sanitary pads, five disposable bags, two antibacterial wipes, and a small heating pad.

The heating pad is not only re-usable, but you can use it as a cold pack as well. To activate it, you just pinch the little metal disk in the center. It gets warm enough to do the trick, but not so hot that it burns the skin. When the heat pad starts to cool off it starts to become hard. To re-use the heating pad all you have to do is boil it for ten minutes. This is a product that every parents should purchase for their tween.

The best part about the kit? It can easily slip into ones purse/backpack for school or vacations.

Reviews:

1. This is a very discreet package and something my daughter can tuck away in drawer and not worry about, The information included is frank and direct, without being overwhelming and is written in a very empowering way. "You can handle this...you really can" is the message I think it sends! Yay Dot Girl!

-Nicole (mother of six)

Wichita, Kansas

2. This kit was stylish and helpful at the same time. It is something she can drop in her book bag or purse in order to be prepared at any time.

-Mary

Williamson, Georgia

Disclosure: All opinions are that of my own. I was sent a Dot Girl First Period Kit, in order to facilitate this review.

A busy week..

Hi everyone. I know I haven't been keeping up with posts, but I have some good news.

1. I am currently an intern for another blog writing reviews on products, foods, etc. 
2. We close on our first house together on December 13th, 2011. 

Speaking of the internship, check my post out here.

Sleeping With Cats

I found this while clicking through I Can Haz Cheeseburger. Dh and I have three cats, and I can't even begin to tell you how true this is. Generally our largest cat, Unk, is the butt warmer. He is a 25 lb Maine Coon. Atticus, a siamese, takes over the pillows. And, Marley, our Japanese bobtail is the in-betweener.  Looks like we only need three more cats. JUST KIDDING! 

Apple Pie by Someones Grandma Ople

Hi everyone! I have been itching to make an Apple Pie since, well, since I bought two giant bags of apple and noticed little spots on them. (Yeah, I forgot to make an Apple Pie until the apples almost went bad. That's me. Forgetful). Since I had never made an Apple Pie before, I went to google. The first website I went to was All recipes . Anyways, I thought I would share with you all. It was super easy to make, and tasted really good. Though, I got too excited and took my pie out ten minutes too early. The apples were still a little too crunchy! Grandma Ople, I don't know who you are but you get an A+ in my book for an awesome Apple Pie recipe. Enjoy:

Ingredients

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

And, in my excitement.. I did not take any pictures. {Sigh} Maybe next time. 

How to: make bobby pins fashionable

I have so many black bobby pins. I won't lie, I usually lose them. Which, in return causes me to buy another 100 pack of plain black bobby pins. With dh and I getting ready to purchase a house, I refuse to spend $2.99 to lose them. So, I decided to test painting them with the bah-zillion different nail polish colors  I have stacked up.

Step 1. Pick out your nail polish colors. As you can tell I really like the Sinful Colors.

Step 2. Separate the bobby pins you'd like to paint.

Step 3. Let them dry. 

Step 4. Check out the final product.

If you ask me, it passed. I saved $1.99 on already colored/painted/designed bobby pins by doing it myself. I am stoked to use them. 

I feel lost and excited at the same time

This house buying business is exciting and scary times, all at the same time. So, I have been filling my spare time with pinterest projects for our new home. I know I haven't updated in a while, and all my updates have been were projects. So here is a big update: Dh and I dropped the contract on what seemed like our dream house for something I would have NEVER dreamed we could afford. So we placed a contract on said home. Our contract was excepted, and we are moving fifty times faster than the previous. So grateful. 

(This is our soon-to-be new home)

When dh and I were planning on building our home, this is the front I wanted so badly. However, it is almost a $10,000 upgrade because of all the brick. So we chose the cheapest of the cheapest, and we were still nearly $45,000 more than we could afford. However, this home (while it is sad for the previous owners) is a foreclosure. I am excited to say that, after baby G wakes up today (and eats her breakfast) we are going and turning the water on for the de-winterization process. Which ultimately means we can set up our inspection. How exciting? Do you have any advice for first time home buyers? 

Up-and-coming posts

Keep a look out for my up-and-coming posts.

• How to fix your broken powder make up.
• "" to paint bobby pins using nail polish.
• "" to make peanut butter dog bones.
• "" to make clipboards cute.
• "" to make a travel organizer.
• "" to organize bills, food plans, etc.
• "" to cut glass.
• "" to store all of those old phone chargers. 
• "" to slump glass.
• "" to make your own christmas ornaments.

I am already looking forward to...

next spring. Dh and I put a signed and submitted a contract on a beautiful four bedroom home. There is a positive and negative side to a short sale. The negative aspect... there is a lot of waiting time. The positive... with all the waiting I can come up with diy projects for the amazing backyard! Here are some pictures of the backyard:

And, here are some of the diy gardening projects I found on Pinterest. I am drooling at the thought of starting some of these.

These spoons make brilliant markers. And, the best part: you can hit your local thrift store and purchase these. Spray them with chalk paint and move them where ever they may be needed.

Old window shutter rehabbed? Great Idea. I am not sure I'd hang planters from it, but either way.. I could find a purpose for it. 

These lights would be great for entertaining.

A small diy kids toy. Baby G would love this!

Again, another thrift store find. Mason jars with tea lights to light a pathway. 

Pennies help keep slugs away. Nasty, slimy bugs.

Cut off the end of your celery. Plant it to grow your own. 

Vinegar, water, and lemon keeps the weeds away. A "green" way to keep away those nasty weeds!

For entertaining purposes; I love this. A bug "station". 

$10 raised gardens. How brilliant? I can't wait to try this out. 

Pinterest Addictions 10/19

Pinterest is a sick, but amazing addiction.

Enochs Knob Bridge in New Haven, Missouri

Since moving to Missouri, I have been more into checking out local history, hauntings, and historic buildings/bridges. Enochs (pronounced either EE-nick or EE-nock) Knob Bridge in New Haven, Missouri is one of those bridges I have read and heard a lot about. Dh and I decided on our way back from 2nd Shift, a local brewery, to check it out. (Totally off topic if you are out that way, stop by 2nd Shift. They are a great group of guys and have awesome beer && root beer!) Focus, back on topic. On our way home, we decided to take Highway 100 to Boeuf Creek Road with a sharp left onto Enochs Knob Bridge Road to find out that the road was closed on that side. It was a good hike up to the bridge, so we decided to drive around and see if we could get closer to the bridge on the opposite side. After back tracking we took 185 to Enochs Knob Bridge Road, which worried Dh because it seemed like we were on someone's property (Which we may have been since we passed older barns and a farm house). Never fear, on this side we pulled right up and parked next to said bridge. Keep in mind, at this time dh and I knew nothing about the bridge except it was old, and possibly haunted. Dan Terry, a local author and experienced ghost hunter, has had several experiences at this location. Dh and I didn't see or feel anything, but I wasn't disappointed. For having such a long, sad history... this bridge was absolutely beautiful. As I was taking pictures an older gentleman, who I am assuming was the land owner, pulled up driving a farmers cart of some sort. I had to step closer to him so I could hear what he was saying, "It's not going anywhere". But, in fact there is talk of this bridge being destroyed.. so I was a little confused. I just told him I thought it was beautiful, and left it at that. He went into tell dh that the bridge was built in 1932, two years after he was born. HOWEVER, Bridgehunter and several others clearly state this bridge was built in the early 1900's. (1902-1909).

Some of the activity on this bridge is thought to be caused by the following:

• Children falling off the sides/falling through the bridge (I won't lie I was nervous I was going to fall in since the bridge is well past it's prime).
• Cars falling off the sides
• People hanging themselves
• Parties going wrong
• People drowning in the river

I have never been honored enough to see the paranormal... but once and I didn't notice it until I got home and had the photograph blown up. Maybe it was because dh and I visited during the day? Either way, we didn't see/feel anything. Maybe a night time visit can be penciled in?

DIY Dog Costumes

Our town FINALLY got a pet store. It's a Petco (Where the pets go) but, I will take it. They are having a halloween costume contest for the pets. I entered our seven month old Golden Retriever we dubbed Mocha Latte, more commonly known as Mocha.

Dh, Dd, and myself are all going as pirates. So, I figured why not let Mocha join in the fun. I, however, do not want to spend $50+ on a costume for a puppy... that will probably just shred her costume anyways. With t

hat being said, here are some inexpensive DIY dog costumes. (One of course is a pirate costume!)

(Click on the picture to be linked directly to the blog/website I found DIY design on)

DIY Pirate

DIY Pirate by nerdstuff featuring pirate rings

Milly sheer silk blouse
$295 - net-a-porter.com

Ann Demeulemeester double breasted waistcoat
£340 - brownsfashion.com

Ralph Lauren Black Label skinny leg pants
£335 - net-a-porter.com

Vivienne Westwood Accessories black pirate boots
$769 - my-wardrobe.com

Share Spirit pirate ring
€449 - jades24.com

Club Manhattan pirate jewelry
€18 - welikefashion.com

Eyeshadow Multi
£2.99 - hm.com

Nars Semi-Matte Lipstick
£18 - asos.com

4 OPI Shatter Crackle Nail Polish RED - beauty makeup nail polish...
$23 - amazon.com

essie nail color, licorice
$8 - macys.com

Skull jewelry
bodycandy.com

Blog de l'ile de kahlan - tubes bateaux / navires
papillon1964.centerblog.net

Our entire family is going as pirates this halloween.(Aaron, Ginni, myself, and the dog) I was playing around with one of my new favorite sites, Polyvore. I was looking at the different costumes online and didn't like any of them. So, I put this one together on my own... My only problem, I could never afford this one. Anyone want to go thrifty shopping for items to get close to this costume?