Wordless Wednesday Herman T’s

Wordless Wednesday Costume Supercenter

Costume Supercenter supplied photos to different Family Review Network Members. This is a photo of Elizabeth’s daughter from A Nut in A Nut Shell. Elizabeth is better known in the blog world as blueviolet and has been blogging since October 2008. She has quirky sense of humor, and loves to find fun and laughter in everyday moments. Through her blog, she shares her thoughts on parenting, family, life, and interesting products with her readers.

Meet the Reviewers – Toni Jensen

With the redesign of our site, every week we’ll now be featuring a different member of our review team and asking them a few questions about themselves. Please hop on over to their personal blog and leave a note!

Today I’d like you to meet Toni Jensen from Mommies Angels.  Here’s what she has to say about herself:

My name is Toni and I am a mom to 6 kids ages 11,9, 8, 6, 4, and 2 – 5 girls and one boy.  I have been married to a great guy for 4 years.  I have a degree in the medical field and plan on finished my studies in the Nursing area.  I am a photographer.  I love taking pictures.  I have medical chart that takes up a whole filing cabinet to itself which sucks, but what hasn’t killed me has made me stronger.  I love blogging and started blogging over 1 1/2 years ago and really can’t live without it.  I have met sooo many great people through blogging.  I love trying new things and sharing great things with everyone.  I am an animal lover. I have 1 cat and tons of fish.  That’s me!  Crazy, busy and caring!

Tell us a little about your blogs:

Mommies Angels is an everything blog.  We have Tasty Tuesday Recipes that are delicious, fast, and fun. We do i heart faces photos, Wordless Wednesday and Paper Mama photo challenges because I love taking pictures and showing them off.  We do tons of reviews and giveaways and fun events.  I share parenting tips and medical advice.  I do rant from time to time but not too much!  I like to share funny little things from time to time as well as money saving deals.  A little bit of everything for everyone!

How long have you been a reviewer and why do you do it?

I’ve been a reviewer for 1 1/2 years.  I like to try new things and share with others to let them know if it is really worth their hard earned money before they go out and buy something they hate and waste their money.

A few fun facts about Toni!

What is your birth order? I am the youngest.

What is your favorite TV show?
Fringe.

Let’s give a big welcome to Toni!  We’re glad to meet you and can’t wait to read your reviews!

Meet the Reviewers – Maria

With the redesign of our site, every week we’ll now be featuring a different member of our review team and asking them a few questions about themselves. Please hop on over to their personal blog and leave a note!

Today I’d like you to meet Maria from Maria’s Space.  She also writes at Chotskies.  Here’s what she has to say about herself:
SDC10058I have been married to my 5 year younger husband for 13 years and have know him for 19 years. We have two children together. A boy who I refer to as Handsome on my blog who is 7, and a girl who I refer to as Goddess who is 5.

Tell us a little about your blogs:

I started Maria’s Space in 2005 as a way of journaling and keeping my sanity as a stay-at-home mom of a tantrum throwing 2 year old with a speech delay and a screaming 18 hour a day banshee newborn. I have run 5 blogs over the past 5 years and have slowly taken it back down to two. Chotskies became my way to keep nonsense like celebrity junk and reality TV off my “mommy blog”.

Keeping Maria’s Space balanced is a conscience effort. I didn’t want it to be strictly a mommy blog or a review blog. There are plenty of other blogs out there like that and I wanted to be fair to the reason I started blogging in the first place. Maria’s Space was created to journal my life as a mom and the lives of my babies. I lost my mom at 12 years old and always wondered what she was like as a person not just a mom, wife, daughter or sister. I long to know what she loved, hated, thought, wanted, dreamed about and more. Blogging has allowed me to showcase my photos along with a description of our life so far. My children will never have to wonder what I was like if God forbid something takes me from them. They will always know how much I love them and how very proud I am of them.

Along the way, I also started a small Etsy shop selling jewelry I create. Hosting reviews and giveaways of other artists inspired me to try my hand at jewelry making and found I loved it. It is very therapeutic and relaxing. My shop is called Street Angel.

How long have you been a reviewer and why do you do it?

Maria’s Space has become a mish mash of stuff.  Since joining Kailani as a reviewer back in August of 2008 I have loved working with her ever since.  It has been amazing to watch FRN grow and expand.

Being a Reviewer has allowed me to opportunity to try so many things that I would never have been able to try. I love being able to share opportunities and giveaways with my readers and can still remember how excited I was the very first time I sent a “you are a winner” email. It’s the best feeling.

A few fun facts about Maria!

Do you have a nickname? I have so many nicknames. My dad calls me Madeuch (ahhh…possible derivative for Maria if you search for it. I have no idea). My sister’s call me, ree, ree-ree, ria. My girlfriend’s call me grandma (We roomed together and I was older by like 3 years).

How do you put your children to bed? They brush their teeth, then Daddy carries them into their room, swings them (cradle rock – 5 times) into bed, while I follow up with prayers and kisses before talking about the next day. We love routine.

Let’s give a big welcome to Maria!  We’re glad to meet you and can’t wait to read your reviews!

Meet the Reviewers – Crissa

With the redesign of our site, every week we’ll now be featuring a different member of our review team and asking them a few questions about themselves. Please hop on over to their personal blog and leave a note!

Today I’d like you to meet Crissa from Craving Chocolate and Lazy Days.  Here’s what she has to say about herself:

After growing up in all the exciting states (Kansas, Indiana, Nebraska, and Iowa) I went to school at Brigham Young University.  Just before graduating with a mom degree in Home and Family Living, I met my best friend Adam.  Three years later we were married.  We live in Happy Valley, Utah with our puppy Max.  I enjoy shopping, pampering myself, baking, exercising, and wearing high heels.  I couldn’t ask for a better life!

Tell us a little about your blog:

In September 2008, I began blogging.  It started as a way of journaling my life and keeping family members updated.  Then I fell in love with the blogosphere!  Now Craving Chocolate And Lazy Days is a mix of my life, random mumblings, hot gossip, reviews and giveaways.  New friends are always welcome!

How long have you been a reviewer and why do you do it?

Once I figured out the blogosphere I began entering giveaways and reading other’s reviews.  I always imagined how fun it would be to try out new products.  One day a blog I was following announced they were looking for people to join the team.  I figured since I was so opinionated, I could do a good job.  I applied and voile!  I became a giveaway gal at A Giveaway Everyday (now known as Real Moms Real Views).  My love for testing out new products and learning about companies grew. I thought it would be fun to share that with Craving Chocolate And Lazy Days followers.  So here I am 10 months later and still lovin’ it!

A few fun facts about Crissa!

Have you ever paid for a meal with coins only? YES!  When I was little our house frequently was toilet papered…thanks to my popular older sisters.  One night my mother came up with this great idea that we would go toilet paper a family friend’s house.  After we thoroughly covered their trees in toilet paper and poured Rice Krispies down their driveway, she treated us to Taco Bell.  Little did we know she cleaned out the change jar to do it.  We paid for all of our food in dimes, nickles, and pennies.  It was a little embarrassing, but made for a good memory!

What is your favorite TV show? In the middle of it’s fourth season, I became addicted to Desperate Housewives.  I’ve been a trusty follower ever since and have even rented the past seasons so I could make all the puzzle pieces fit together.  Before The OC went off air I was addicted to it.  I will cancel plans to watch these shows… ridiculous, I know!  But I can’t help it!

Let’s give a big welcome to Crissa!  We’re glad to meet you and can’t wait to read your reviews!

Meet the Reviewers – Cherise

With the redesign of our site, every week we’ll now be featuring a different member of our review team and asking them a few questions about themselves. Please hop on over to their personal blog and leave a note!

Today I’d like you to meet Cherise from Mama’s Money Savers, also known as Cher.  Here’s what she has to say about herself:

I am a SAHM of two boys ages 2 and 3 years old.  I love to read and watch movies with my husband.  I also love to go on day trips with my boys to museums, theme parks, movies, zoos, and playdates!

Tell us a little about your blog:

I blog at Mama’s Money Savers.  I started out my blog in August 2008, just two months after my second child was born.  I was always on the computer and looking for ways to save and make money.  My family and friends kept asking me for deals or websites so I started blogging about them so they could read it whenever they wanted.  Now my blog is mainly product reviews and giveaways, but I do slip in deals and freebies when I can!

How long have you been a reviewer and why do you do it?

I did a few product reviews in the beginning of my blog, but in the Summer of 2009, I shifted my blog to mainly all product reviews and giveaways.  I became hooked on checking out new products and sharing my opinions on them.  I am always honest and I try to include everything that I would want to know if curious about an item.  I think it is important to review products because there are so many out there that many get lost or not purchased because people have never heard of them.  I review products big and small because if I feel the product is worth it (or not) then I want to share it with my readers.

A few fun facts about Cherise!

My favorite TV show is True Blood – Eric is my favorite!  Yes I love all the vampire books and shows.  I got hooked after all the Twilight hoopla!

Have you ever paid for a meal with coins only? Yes I have!  Money is money!  I don’t care if the cashier gets irritated with me, I hate carrying around change and always use it the first chance I get!

Let’s give a big welcome to Cherise!  We’re glad to meet you and can’t wait to read your reviews!

Family Review Network Continues On….

Family Review Network ImageFamily Review Network was established by Kailani (An Island Life).  I had the opportunity to join the review team a few months ago and was ecstatic when I was told there was an opening and I could now join!  I had the opportunity to participate in reviews and giveaways for some amazing companies!

I, along with the rest of the Review Team, received an email a few days ago from Kailani saying that she could no longer perform her duties as Executive Editor for Family Review Network and it was going to close down.  I was so sad when I read this.  I had just joined and it was closing down.  I talked to my husband about it and he suggested that I talk to Kailani about taking her place as Executive Editor.

I immediately sent an email to her and asked her.  She was happy to turn it over and was happy that Family Review Network would continue on.  Once the official email went out to the former editors and reviewers, I began making a few changes here and there to the site.

You’ll notice that you can now subscribe to Family Review Network via email – located in the right sidebar at the top.  This is a great tool and something I personally use on all of the blogs I follow.  It’s easy to sign up.  Each day, you will be emailed a listing of the posts written the day before.  You can click on the title of the post and you will be directed to the post itself.

We also have a new team of editors, including Caryn (Rockin Mama), Tammi (My Organized Chaos), and myself (The Mommy-Files)!  Plus, we already have 30 reviewers!  Wow!

There will be a limited amount of time where you can sign up as an editor.  Fill out the Contact Form and provide your name, email, blog name, and blog address.

If you are a PR Rep or Company Representative, we would love to work with you!  We have several confident and enthusiastic bloggers ready and willing to try out your products and write up a review on their experiences.  Please fill out the Review Request Form!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Welcome to Family Review Network!