#Review - Back to School with Clif Crunch Bars @clifbar

I recently received a few CLIF Crunch bars to review. To be honest, I'm thrilled! I really love CLIF bars and their wide variety of flavors so I am very grateful to once again work with this company. These bars make excellent back to school lunch box options for your children. They are also a great item to keep in your desk at work for those hold me over moments. What amazed me about these bars is the taste of each one resembled a baked good with an impeccable taste that reminded me of my childhood. The only difference being the very crunchy texture of the rolled oats. The great thing about these is that they are made with healthy ingredients so there is no guilt for filling your body with garbage. CLIF Crunch bars are made with 70% Organic ingredients and do NOT contain trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors or ingredients containing GMO's.

Each package of CLIF Crunch contains 2 thin bars. Together they contains a serving of whole grains, 4 grams of protein and has 3 grams of dietary fiber. The classic peanut butter flavor of the peanut butter bar reminds me of a crunchy peanut butter cookie. I happily devoured this bar. Maybe I'm a fan of fruit flavored deliciousness but I must say, the fruity taste of the Blueberry Crisp bar really floored me. It tastes reminded me so much of my grandmothers homemade blueberry muffins. The White Chocolate Macadamia Nut bar reminds me so much of squares that I've sampled in the past at baby showers. I'm a fan of white chocolate and it really does satisfy a different craving altogether than the other two bars. The CLIF Crunch bars are also available in Chocolate Chip. You can find CLIF bars at your local Whole Foods, Bulk Barn, Choices Markets or London Drugs. They can also be found in the natural food aisle at most local grocery stories and most Health Food stores.

Disclaimer: I received a few samples of Clif Crunch bars to review on my blog. All opinions are my own and based on my own personal experience with the product.

Lake Craving and an August Rainbows

The sun is shining and the community of crows are chattering loudly among themselves. My children are droning on the living room couch and I feel it is time to install eject buttons in the sofa. I think I'm in need of a day at the lake. The hubby is out mowing the lawn, perhaps after he finishes we could go for a reward swim. It is settled, we will venture to the lake after the lawn is mowed. In the meantime, I'm tossing the children outside. They need to stop droning. It is way too nice outside for them to meld with the sofa.

Before we went to Halifax for the weekend we had a few good days of much needed rain. One afternoon, I was privileged to see this beautiful site outside my bedroom window. This is the window I so often look out of when I am seeking a perspective larger than myself to shed light on my feelings and journey.

Yemaya Natural Products for Mom and Baby

I don't have a baby in my life right now. Some of you have fresh ones or are expecting a baby delivery very soon and may be interested in this company I stumbled upon today during my online escapades. Yemena Natural Products offers a Baby Started Kit that contains 15 ml pots of diaper ointment, booboo ointment, nursing ointment, 30 ml bottle of baby massage oil, 60 ml bottle of baby shampoo and body wash, baby wash cloth. All of these products are contained in reusable containers. This kit can be purchased for $19.99 (CAN) and is a wonderful alternative to all of the chemical filled baby products on the market today. I think it would make a lovely gift.

Disclaimer: I simply stumbled upon the companies website. I have no idea what level of product quality this company provides.

#Review - Neutrogena® Rapid Clear

Occasionally, I receive a product that is not organic, natural or green; but I still want to give it a fair review. I may not agree with the ingredients used in the product but the product is still effective and it gets the job done. About a week ago, I received an All-In-1 Facial Scrub and an All-In-1 Facial Lotion as a Klout Perk. These two products are a part of the Neutrogena® Rapid Clear - All In 1 Acne Control product line. While I was not required to blog about these products, I would still like to share my opinion with everyone.

As I said in the above paragraph, I do not care for the ingredients used in this product. It does not, however, prevent the effectiveness of the product; though from my perspective long term use would equate an imbalance in the skins oil production. While I would prefer to see the company utilize more natural/organic ingredients, the product is quite effective in the short term. Meaning that the scrub effectively cleans and dries out my skin in an effort to keep any current acne and (as the product claims) future acne at bay. It has been extremely humid in coastal Nova Scotia this last week so everyone is extra oily and sticky and I barely put a dab of the scrub on my finger tip and it cleaned and cut through all of that oil. I am curious to see how effective the product would be in the winter months when my skin is a little dryer/weathered. It should be noted the primary non-medicinal ingredient in the scrub is alcohol which is noted for it's drying properties. It did not create any patches of dried skin on my face and the lotion did a terrific job at replenishing my skins moisture without leaving my skin greasy.

It is important to note that the vast majority of products I use are chemical free or contain less chemicals then what you will find in the grocery store so the amount of product needed many differ greatly for someone who perhaps doesn't care as much about what is in the ingredients they purchase as the tolerance for those chemicals is different.

Disclaimer: The Klout link above is a referral link and if you aren't a member I encourage you to join. They occasionally offer great perks to members with a high influence. If 6 more people sign up under me I can get VIP Klout which is a new feature and I have no idea what it entails. I received this product as a Klout Perk from Klout and Neutrogena. I was not obligated to write a review. 

I ♥ Garden Fresh Potatoes

I've harvested a little over a third of my potatoes. I've been away a lot this summer and when I returned from the New Glasgow Jubilee with my hubby and his band a lot of my potato plants were sun scalded. Animals had been at the exposed potatoes and the leaves had already started to whither and die because they were reaching maturity. I planted the potatoes in 3 batches this year and the first batch was ready.  So, I dug up all of the plants from batch #1 and used the remaining dirt to bury the next 2 batches of potatoes so they don't get scalded by the sun. You lose a few potatoes when that happens.

Cucumber Trellis Town is producing a wonderful yield of cucumbers. I have been fortunate enough to eat a fresh cucumber salad every day for the last week. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to keep away from the salt and as a result I am very bloated. Time to drink more water.

I'm excited to try the English Cucumbers that are growing. They were planted a couple weeks behind this variety in Trellis town but they are catching up quite nicely. I prefer the skin and crunch of the English Cucumbers. This variety I tend to peel because I dislike the texture of the skin.

There is something very satisfying about sitting next to growing things and just breathing in the beauty of this life.

Twitter Times - The Following

Here is the current list of Twitter accounts associated with the various blogs contained within the Hub.

@MusicandMommies
This account is brand new. All Music and Mommies tweets were previously tweeted from my personal/music account. It was time to make a new and independent twitter... many of them.

@MusicforMules
This account is also brand new. Music for Mules has long had a presence on Youtube and very recently we braved both the blogsphere and Facebook. Now we are establishing a presence on Twitter. Nest building all over the place.

@Crystalmporter
This is the one that everyone is most likely familiar with and it has been my personal account for a few years now. I use it to promote my music as well. I am no longer using it for blogging purposes unless it is music related or a retweet from an associated twitter.

@TheWaveofLove
This is where my heart sings. This is the home of the girl who walks in the garden, the sun baby, the earth mother.

@ReviewOrganic
This is where you will find all of my review posts. I will also post frequent giveaways, both my own and other giveaways open to Canadians. I will also post giveaways to the US if Canadians can enter, or if it is a Review Organic US only giveaways... they happen sometimes.

The Integration of Fanny Four Face

For the last few years I have been slowly working on separating all these different aspects of me. I garden, philosophize, review, create and it seemed that no matter how much I tried to mash all of these aspects of myself into an online persona it couldn't be done without certain tensions. So, instead... I did what should have been done a long time ago. I divided the masses and created separate sites and social network profiles for all of these identities. 

I frequently struggled with the name 'Music and Mommies' as representation of me, let alone as the face of this hub. What did it mean? Yes, I am a musician and a mommy but seriously. I've been so hard on myself for not putting more thought into it.... but really, that impulsive thought was simply the early workings of integration.

The real issue was my perspective. This blog had been filled with both aspects all along. The Music has always been there every time I spoke about songwriting or became completely filled with glee over an upcoming opportunity. The mommy aspects we're covered in every thought about my kids, reviews of household products, gardening or DIY feature. Everything else was just color and very much a part of me and the way I see the world. While all the sites will remain separate to appeal to their own crowds. This site will remain a hub that integrates all aspects of me in a way that is tangible. You may follow whichever aspects you like and disguard whatever you choose. 

Sometimes, we must look for a long time before we realize that what we we're looking for was in front of us the entire time.

Cucumber Town and the Buzzing Bees

I took these pictures a couple weeks ago, shortly after I began training the cucumbers to climb the trellis that I provided. I love that they are growing so well inside of a pallet. I have 8 cucumber plants, some oregano and an unexpected green pepper plant growing inside of this pallet. I'm contemplating transplanting the pepper plant however. There just isn't enough room for it to grow. Although, I really can't see it making it to maturity, it won't have a chance unless I move it.
All I hear is the buzzing of bees. My mother is quite allergic but I do not fear them, instead I am grateful that they pollinate the flowers of my garden. With love, I roam.

Home, Away From Home

There is nothing more satisfying then toiling away at something with intent purpose. The hubby and I have been diligently clearing an old piece of lakefront property and it has been a blessing. We have both been so overwhelmed with the busyness of our day to day routines. We were longing for an opportunity to bond as a couple and as a family; alone where no one can find us. Over the last month we have spent the odd day each week clearing out a walking/wheeler path and cleaning out all the dead fall that has fallen over the last couple decades.

The rock wharf (above) was built over 50 years ago and it was built up again about 25 years ago. We have plans to build it back up and have already started to collect and pile more rocks. Hopefully, I will be able to post pictures of the various stages. 

I started a small campfire to help clean up some of the dead fall. We even have a small little log pile for campfire wood. We have various piles of brush and debris that will have to dry out before we can do anything with it. It is far too green right now. I am very excited for all of the future memories that will be made here.

The Hub Times - July/August Edition

I've been away and/or swamped for the last 5 weeks so my posting slowed to a halt. I have lots to catch up on, including my emails and upcoming giveaways/reviews on Review Organic for you lovely readers. In the meantime, I present to you another issue of the Hub Times. Your direct line to all that is happening within the 'Music and Mommies' Hub.

Hub Activity - Music:

Crystal Porter Music
Lynn Hemeon's Birthday Bash Extravaganza
Seeking out the Elusive Hemeon
'Beacon' at the Red Knight
Upcoming Shows - Summer 2012
Chronicle Herald & The Harmony Bazaar
Car Trouble: Panic and Release

Music For Mules - Mule Tube
#Music - Free Writers Strike Download


Hub Activity - Mommies:

Review Organic
#Review - Raw Honey Sticks @littleguyhoney
#Review - Righteously Raw Chocolate
#Review - Lemon Lemongrass Body Moisturizer

The Wave of Love
The Garden Times - All The While We Grow
Mountainous Sprouts and a Garden Kingdom
Dead Man's Float
Homemade: Lavender Vinegar
Homemade: Lemon Chive Dressing 
When the Bugs Come Marching In
Growing Salads With Love
The Rows are Plentiful, Mr. Potato Head
Rose Bush Red
Home, Away from Home

#Review - Lemon Lemongrass Body Moisturizer

Dr. Hauschka Cosmetica is based out of Germany. They offer a wide range of natural face and body care products for all different skin types and hair types. The company was launched in 1967 by a holistic pharmaceutical company called WALA Heilmittel.

I received a bottle of Lemon Lemongrass Body Moisturizer to review. While I really enjoy the scent of the product, the scent didn't initially appeal to me as a moisturizer. It is a very fresh smelling scent that I think would be very enjoyable in a natural fabric softener, laundry detergent. It would even be wonderful in a reed diffuser in a kitchen or eating area.

The smell of the lemon hits you immediately, the lemongrass takes away some of the intensity of the lemon providing an aromatic balance. The scent was very strong when I first applied the moisturizer but after a short period of time it faded and became increasingly pleasant. As a moisturizer, it is non-greasy and lightweight and it leaves no visible residue or oils. It was quickly absorbed into my skin and I did notice that my skin felt slightly firmer where I applied the moisturizer.

Disclaimer: I received a bottle of Lemon Lemongrass Body Moisturizer from Dr. Hauschka for the purpose of this review. All of my opinions are honest and are based upon my personal experience with the product. I received no additional compensation aside from the product itself, for this review.