Month: April 2017

April 21, 2017

Flip, Twist and Roll with Thumb Chucks!

My kids love to flip, roll and master any new trick that is out there, whether it be with their feet or hands. There is something about mastering a new trick that they just can’t get enough of.

The new Zing Thumb Chucks are one of those new toys that they couldn’t put down as they had to learn how to twist, flip and roll the chucks (rubber balls) around their thumb and fingers.

The Thumb Chucks are made up of two high bounce plastic balls held together with a ‘belt’. They are small and lightweight and would fit right into your pocket. The two balls on the end are motion sensitive LED lights, which was pretty neat when they started to light up as soon as the kids touched them (can you imagine how awesome it would look in the dark practicing your skills?!). The kids absolutely loved the way they lit up and rolled over their hands as they practiced the moves from the Thumb Chucks YouTube site.

The toy also comes with an app for your phone that you can download and it assists you with mastering your skills through tutorials. The tricks come in three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced, which is perfect for children as they work their way through the levels (nothing worse than a toy that only has tricks designed for more advanced users and then they become frustrated easily). If you are not comfortable with your child having the app (or they don’t have a phone), they can visit the Thumb Chucks website for more videos and learning tutorials.

Your children can join the Thumb Chucks community and share all of their moves on social media (or on yours) with the #ThumbChucks hashtag. They can even be rewarded with custom belts as their skills grow and they show off their skills on social media. The belts are easily changed as my son found out by accident when he pulled one of the chucks off and thought he had broken his new toy (the tears that flowed!) but it was very easy to reinsert the belt.

Thumb Chucks are sold in orange, blue, red and green colours and can be purchased at Toys R Us, Mastermind, Walmart and Amazon.

Make sure to follow Thumb Chucks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to keep up to date on new information, skills and more.

Disclosure: I received a Thumb Chucks in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

April 21, 2017

Becky Wade’s ‘True to You’ Author Chat Party

Raise your hand if you’re ready for Becky Wade’s new series! Celebrate the release of book one, True to You, with Becky and other readers on Facebook on May 4th during a fun author chat party at 8:00 PM EDT (that’s 7:00 Central, 6:00 Mountain, & 5:00 Pacific)! Becky will be chatting about the book and answering your questions about the new series, and of course, there will be plenty of fun giveaways too!

Pre-order your copy of True to You so you’re ready for a fun book discussion. Find out more about the book here.

Hope to see you on May 4 for Becky’s True to You Facebook Party!

April 17, 2017

Cynthia Ruchti’s ‘A Fragile Hope’ Blog Tour and Giveaway

When your life’s work revolves around repairing other people’s marriages, what happens when your own marriage begins to fall apart? Find out what happens to Josiah Chamberlain in Cynthia Ruchti’s new book, A Fragile Hope. Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what’s left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

Celebrate the release of A Fragile Hope by entering to win Cynthia’s Sign of Hope Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

A copy of A Fragile Hope
A metal wall scripture hanging

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on May 3. The winner will be announced May 4 on the Litfuse blog.

April 17, 2017

Middle South Book Spotlight

In Middle South, Layla is on a journey from the Southeast to the Middle East and back where she finds out a little more about herself and what she is looking for in life and in love.

About Middle South

Layla has recently moved out of her parents’ home in the Atlanta suburbs and into an apartment in the city to assert her independence. Between her job as a feature writer for a small newspaper and her social life, Layla has little time to think about marriage and children, much to the dismay of her Lebanese parents.

On a hilarious journey that takes Layla from the Southeast to the Middle East and back, she finds out a little more about herself and what she is looking for in life and in love.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and BookLogix.

About the Author

Maya Nessouli Abboushi is a Lebanese American born and raised in the United States. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children. This is her first novel. You can connect with her on her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Giveaway!

Enter to win an ebook copy of Middle South, this giveaway is open Internationally – good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

April 14, 2017

Calling all Toronto Maple Leafs Fans and their Lil’ Leafs Partners #Giveaway

Calling all Toronto Maple Leaf Fans and their Lil Partners

We are huge hockey fans in our house. This love for hockey was instilled in me by my Mom, we would spend many evenings (especially Saturday nights) watching the Toronto Maple Leafs together as a family and it was an evening full of laughs and snacks. She would take us down as often as possible to Maple Leaf Gardens for pre-season skills competitions (I believe that’s what they were called back then but I could be wrong it has been so many years!) where we could watch the current team take to the ice and show off. She also took us to several meet and greets at Canada’s Wonderland with the Maple Leafs. I still have my autographed Leaf’s book signed by Doug Gilmour and Felix Potvin, although my boys have now taken that over and proudly display the book and postcards in their room.

Parents and their children make for the best cheering combination when it comes to their favourite sports team. As a family, we buy matching jerseys, hats and t-shirts, some of them are our lucky shirts that are reserved solely for playoffs and others are for every day wear. How can you not help fall in love with children decked out supporting their hometown team, especially babies? It just melts my heart!

This is so very true with the Toronto Maple Leafs – we love our hometown team and watch with anticipation (and a bit of anxiety) every year as we get closer and closer to playoff time. This year we made it – YAY! To show support and encourage our team along (being in the playoffs was a bonus), Carter’s Oshkosh is giving away limited Edition 6 month Maple Leafs Lil’ Bodysuits. If you are in the GTA or have family in the GTA that can pick it up for you, have them register online at Carter’s Oshkosh in order to receive a certificate to redeem in store. The deadline to redeem is April 30th which is coming up fast so if you haven’t had a chance to register, head over now.

Not in the GTA? No worries! Carter’s OshKosh and I are giving you a chance to win your own Lil’ Leafs Prize Pack. My Canadian residents can enter to win a Lil’ Leafs Prize Pack containing three Lil’ bodysuits, one Toronto Maple Leafs hat and one $15 Carter’s Oshkosh gift card via the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received items in exchange for this giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own.