Bring On Lemons

I am proud to introduce you to a friend of mine. Her name is Violet Duke (at least that's her pen name) and I had the fabulous fortune of interviewing her recently (you can find the interview here: http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2013/12/interview-with-violet-duke-new-york.html) Today she released her newest book: Love, Chocolate, and Beer  I just downloaded my ebook copy and I want to buy one for YOU! Leave your comments below telling me one (or all for extra credit) of the following: 1) What do you love about my blog? How did you hear about me? 2) What is your favorite type of book to read? and why? 3) What is your favorite book by Violet Duke? Good luck in the giveaway and hugs from me to you! A winner will be chosen randomly on February 14th (yes, Valentine's Day) and will be announced in the comments of this post as well as on my business FB page: https://www.facebook.com/successwithrelax ~Crystal Synopsis Romance has met its most unlikel...

I probably chose the wrong title for today's post. My thoughts on babywearing would simply be: you won't regret doing it! This post title should probably be something catchy about which babywearing 'device' is best...but I'm not sure that is accurate either. Let me take a stab at explaining. I didn't wear the other children. I tried...but I thought my only option was the ring sling. It didn't seem to work until my second child was a toddler and then he finally decided it was cool. By then...my back decided it wasn't quite so cool. I didn't know anything about Baby Wearing International or the support groups, and I certainly didn't realize all the options when it comes to carriers. There are soft carriers, carriers with buckles, carriers with rings, and you name it it's out there. This time around I decided I had no choice but to baby wear. How else would I keep the house clean, feed calves, help older children with homework, nurse the ...

5 Stars for Rachel Ray's 10Pc Cookware Set! I've owned plenty of other cookware but keep coming back to Rachel Ray. Five years ago I owned a set and foolishly let them walk out the door (my ex got custody of the cookware...pout pout). I thought I'd replace them with a less expensive set. I was incredibly unhappy with the cheaper cookware and recently purchased another 10pc set of Rachel Ray cookware. My new set is yellow and absolutely gorgeous. I love the easy grip, cool to the touch, handles. These are absolutely non-stick and make everything from eggs and pancakes to spaghetti a breeze. I've given my Rachel Ray cookware 5 stars because they are stylish, made well, and they are a great value! Just remember - read the directions carefully...my particular set is NOT dishwasher safe. I am okay with that and don't mind washing them by hand. If you want something dishwasher safe, Rachel Ray makes those too...you just won't want to choose the colors ...

When Breccan was born I had a goal of breastfeeding him until his first birthday. I wanted him to be exclusively breast fed and I swore I wouldn't give him a bottle. Well...here we are 17 weeks later and he doesn't like to latch and though he still drinks breastmilk, my goals seem laughable as I hold him in my arms and bring the bottle to his lips. Even though he does drink from a bottle, it was important that the bottle we chose would be as close to the real deal as possible. That's where the Medela Calma comes in. Here's how it's advertised: Breastfeeding is always best for your baby, but sometimes it is not possible to breastfeed naturally. Calma is an alternative to breastfeeding for mothers wishing to feed their babies with breastmilk. Enables babies to maintain their natural feeding behaviour learned on the breast. Babies can drink, breathe and pause regularly. Supports an easy transition from the breast to the feeding solution and back. One size is ...

"I use Grammarly's  online plagiarism checker  because one of me rambling is enough and two would push too many of you over the edge!" I am often asked about my position as Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing . I thought a chilly Sunday in Wisconsin would be a great day to share a little more about what a WOW! Blog Tour is so you’d have a better idea of what it is I do. First a little background: I started doing book reviews in addition to my blog and my writing offerings through my small business (Relax Consulting). I entered a few writing contests through WOW! Women on Writing and subscribed to their email lists. They put out an advertisement for an open position as a Blog Tour Manager. I didn't exactly understand what it was, but I applied. Now I am proud to say I AM a Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing...and here is what a Blog Tour Is: Here goes! WOW! Blog tours are an effective way to publicize an author’s book to a vast, yet targ...

I recently had the opportunity to interview Laura of Oh Fancy Baby . Laura was also gracious enough to offer a free diaper in one of our recent giveaways  (check out the giveaway for my review). I fell in love with Oh Fancy Baby products when Breccan was just a few months old. I bought an outfit (pictured here) and immediately started snapping pictures, which led to tons of compliments about his outfit, which led to even more outfits! Now who says diapering can't be fun? Check out this great interview with Laura and be sure to mention this interview when you order your very own Oh Fancy Baby products! Hugs, ~Crystal Crystal: Laura, what prompted you to start your own company? Laura: When my second daughter was born she had very sensitive skin, she ended up being allergic to disposable diapers. It was actually my husband who brought up the idea of cloth diapers. I laughed at him and said I would never wash poop and that it was disgusting. After some intensive research ...

Check out this GREAT guest post by author and friend Bette Lee Crosby! Once you've read her post, enter to win a copy of Jubilee's Journey . Bette is graciously offering readers: 1 ebook copy and 1 paperback (paperback available to US Residents only). Thank you Bette! Bette Lee Crosby Shares How Jubilee's Journey Came to Be! Writing Jubilee’s Journey was somewhat of a trip down memory lane, not because of my own memories, but the memories of my mother, who so generously passed them down to me. My mom was born in Coal Fork, West Virginia; as was her sister Ruth. They were two in a family of eleven siblings.  Times were hard and the family didn’t always have the luxury of living under the same roof. Once the girls were old enough, they were sent to live with relatives who needed house help; the boys went to work in the mines or became farm hands for neighbors. When my mom was not yet twenty, she married a city boy from Charleston and moved away. Her sister Ruth m...

So I found myself (at age 36) with a baby on the way. Things had been a bit different with the older children (5,6) and I had some ideas on how I wanted to raise our new addition. This time I work from home and we own our own business so I decided cloth diapering would be a great way to save money and the environment. I knew NOTHING about cloth diapers (except they make excellent burp rags). I still don't claim to know it all...but this is what I do know: You would spend at least $2500 on disposable diapers for one child and use over 4000 diapers (2,788 of those in the first year). You only need about 25 cloth diapers to fully cloth diaper one child full time. I received some hand me down diapers, and I found some wonderful diaper shops. I traveled out of town and found diaper shops. I talked to moms. I found blogs. I read articles. I learned about the different styles of diapers. I tried some diapers and swapped them for others because I just didn’t like them. I wrote...

I can't believe it's been over a month with no posts or reviews! Where does the time go? I haven't been working on anything new writing wise ... just the few blog posts, reviews, and author interviews you may have caught on WOW! Women on Writing's blog:  http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/ Other than that...I have been completely immersed in motherhood. We are having a blast with cloth diapering and all things baby. Stay tuned for some fabulous cloth diaper reviews and maybe even a giveaway or two. I don't want to give away too much just yet, but the picture below says a lot about our favorite new diaper: