League of Legends Summoner School Review! {POST BY SARA}

League of Legends Summoner School Review

My background knowledge in League of Legends is above average. I’ve only been playing for a year now, but I play almost every night and joined a gaming clan to better myself. Little did I know after months and months of my boyfriend asking me to play, I would finally give in and join the ranks in the most played game in the world.

What is hard about League of Legends (LoL) is that, unlike competitive games like Chess, the game changes drastically with each update. Every new patch, a champion could get weaker, an item might lose its worth, or a new play style will surface. Not to mention, new champions are released periodically which many break awesome 5-man team comps that have worked in the past.

Australian brothers UberGiant, UberGiantsBro, and LittleUberGiant (Platinum and Diamond ranked) have spent hours playing and researching to put together a comprehensive guide on the ever-changing game. They created the Summoner School, which has a 5-day free trial available for anyone interested in trying out their methods before committing as a full-fledged student. They liken it to how a doctor goes to medical school before practicing. One must study and learn before going out into the field--In this case, the fields of justice.

Summoner School consists of four classes: pre-game, in-game, team-game, and post-game. The guides contain lengthy in-depth articles which are supplemented with videos and pictures. For someone who is a visual learner, seeing football-like plays on where to ward and position myself was very helpful. I would’ve enjoyed gameplay pictures for every section but copyright prohibited it. Aside from articles, there's a helpful glossary full of jargon for players new and old. I still catch myself not knowing lingo.

This is one of the images used in the Summoner School to show where to ward when your team decides to split push during the game.

What people don’t realize is that one of the most important parts of playing this game is to work well with your team. It sounds easy, but when you queue up with randoms and don’t have the ability to use Ventrilo or Skype, you have a higher chance of messing up due to miscommunication. Sometimes you get put on a team where people claim they don’t know a role or they build items not suitable for their champion. Aside from skill, this is all about team work and patience.

“Be able to play all roles in solo queue. It’s frustrating not having people who are flexible. By getting good at all roles, you become a better player by knowing what your teammates can best do and what your enemy is trying to do. This helps you counter your enemy.” – Summoner School

The Summoner School taught me my biggest issues with each lane. As a support, I never warded correctly. As an ADC, I wouldn’t be able to last hit every minion. As mid, I was reluctant to push the lain correctly for fear of being ganked from so many sides. And so on. Taking these classes opened up my weaknesses to me and showed me what I need to work on. Watching pros (especially now that the LCS for Season 3 is happening) will be my biggest learning lesson.

What was great about the Summoner’s classes was that the wording was very casual and friendly. I felt as if one of my friends explained these tips to me.  I feel that it will also serve as a basis for me to coach my team members during a game.

No matter what your intention is by playing LoL, what you put into it is what you get. Whether you only play against A.I.’s or aspire to get to Gold just to get that new skin from Riot, you could learn from studying LoL in an academic way.

“In all areas of life, the successful do their craft differently to a ‘normal person.’ Take for example a world-class musician. He practices at least 4 hours every day while your local trumpet player gets one lesson a week and plays no more than 5 hours a week. And then there are others who talk about wanting to learn an instrument yet do nothing about it.” – Summoner School

Before this, I didn’t know if I would be comfortable enough to play in ranked. But now I think I’m ready to play my preliminary matches now.

Find me on the NA server as: EagleSystem and sign up here for your own free 5 day trial! http://www.lolguides.com/overview

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

TotLogic Diaper Balm #review and #giveaway, part of the Bringing Home Baby Giveaway Hop!! #BHbaby US only, ends 9/23

Is there anything more precious than welcoming a new baby into your life? In celebration of the joys that come from having a new baby we are celebrating by joining the Bringing Home Baby Giveaway Hop hosted by The Frugal Greenish Mama and Life as Leels! Each blogger participating in this giveaway hop is offering a fabulous prize for Mama or Baby valued at a minimum of $25. Be sure to hop around and enter them all, including our two Grand Prize packages valued at $274 and $557!

Two of our readers will win fabulous prize packages!

The first grand prize giveaway package focuses on all things baby! Who knew something so small could need so much? This amazing package includes an Ingenuity Washable Playard with Dream Center in Sahara Burst, Boba 3G Carrier, Tiny Love Gymini Bouncer, Svan Child Totseat, Moraki Cloth Diaper, Rockin Green Laundry Soap , a pair of adorable Pediped Originals shoes, Lillie by Bebe au Lait Hooded Towel, 2 Red Hens Rooster Diaper Bag, Dolphin Organics Travel Set, MAM pacifiers and teether and a Halo Sleepsack Swaddle.

The second grand prize package focuses all on Mama! It is valued at $274 and includes a set of nursing clips from Glamourmom, a $35 Lamaze Intimates gift certificate, $25 Pink Blush Maternity Gift Certificate, a Loving Moments Nursing bra, Milk Makers & Bumpboosters cookies, Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover, Earth Mama Angel Baby Postpartum Package and a way for Mama to have a few moments free with an Automatic Bouncer from Ingenuity!

Go Enter the Grand Prize Giveaway Baby Package & Mama Package now!

I started entering baby and mama-themed giveaways when I was pregnant, and one of the first things that I won was a big tub of TotLogic Diaper Balm back in January. When I received it, I tucked it away with all of the other baby stuff I was accumulating. I ended up giving birth to my daughter this past May 29th, and she was gorgeous and beautiful and healthy (a wonderful newborn baby :) ). Unfortunately, she ended up having high bilirubin counts from Day 3 of life until she was about ~2 and a half weeks of age. It was quite a stressful, trying time for our family, as we were so worried for little Valentina. I have been breastfeeding her since she was born, so I was on order from her doctor to breastfeed her on demand.

My little girl in her going home outfit that was too big for her. 

You can see she's pretty yellow from the bilirubin :(

Of course, when you are feeding a baby on demand, your baby is making dirty diapers more often than she would if you had her on a scheduled feeding. My daughter's doctor had recommended to use petroleum jelly or Desitin cream to prevent diaper rash, but she ended up getting it anyway. We then had to utilize prescription diaper rash cream on her to help keep the rash at bay. While it did prevent it from spreading, it didn't do much to make it go away.

Valentina was about a month old when my sleep deprived brain remembered something important that was packed away in the many tubs of baby stuff in our house. The TotLogic Diaper Balm! The balm that is filled with loads of natural ingredients, is safe for sensitive skin (and although we were using disposable diapers at the time, is also cloth-diaper safe!) and has a nice scent and feel to it. I found it and immediately started using it on Valentina at every diaper change.

Well, it didn't take me and my husband long to become believers in this amazing product. It is FANTASTIC. It cleared up her diaper rash in only a couple of days and it has not come back! I can't make any claims that it actually cured the diaper rash, but I do know that her condition improved once I started using the diaper balm regularly. It goes on smooth and cleans up great, unlike the other petroleum and zinc oxide based creams that so many use on their little ones. What's also fantastic about it is that it can be used on any parts of the skin, even mamas with dry hands! I am telling you... this product is absolutely amazing.

I actually ended up writing to the owner of the company to partner with them to hopefully make another individual a true believer of this wonderful company. So TotLogic and I have teamed up to offer one lucky winner a tub of TotLogic Diaper Balm!

Enter below between now and September 23rd!!

Disclosure: The Frugal Greenish Mama, Life as Leels and the Bringing Home Baby participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.
Furthermore, while this review was based on a product that I received as part of a giveaway I won back in January, I was offered another free product from Logic Product Group as described in this post as compensation for hosting this particular giveaway.

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Arbonne Skincare Giveaway & Review! Part of "Spa for Ma" event!! Ends 9/16 #spa #relax #pamper #mom

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Spa for Ma Giveaway Hop! I have teamed up with a bunch of other bloggers and our hosts Measuring Flower and Homemaking Hacks to bring you this fun event that helps mom to kick back, relax, and WIN--just in time for the kids to be back at school!

This event is a giveaway hop which means that, after you're entered my awesome prize below, you can "hop" on to the next blog to enter their prize as well. All the prizes in this hop are worth a minimum of $25. You can find a list with links to all the other blogs towards the bottom of this post.

I am excited to announce that our grand prize sponsor for this event is KOHL'S! They're giving away a $300 gift certificate to one very fortunate reader! Click HERE to enter to win this incredible grand prize.


I had the pleasure of reviewing some awesome products from a spectacular company called Arbonne. Arbonne is a skincare company founded on botanical principles by a group of leading bio-chemists, biologists and herbalists. It originated in 1975 and its products have been available in the U.S. since 1980. They offer a wide range of products such as skincare for any type of skin, cosmetics, hair products and even holiday gift sets.

I was lucky enough to review some of their products from their FC5 product line as well as their Arbonne baby product line. First, my beautiful daughter Valentina got to be pampered with an Arbonne baby body lotion product sample. The ABC design is cute and simple, and catches the eye. The body lotion has a nice herbal smell to it that isn't too overpowering, which I liked because I like my baby to smell like well... a baby :). It has a nice thickness which moisturized her really well with only using a little bit. It didn't leave any filmy residue either, which made me happy.

I then got to review a sample of some fantastic body moisturizer from Arbonne's FC5 line. The cream smelled great as soon as I opened the package, and it instantly felt awesomely thick and luxuriously rich on my hands when I began to spread it on them. I have pretty dry skin, and have since giving birth to my daughter. I can personally attest to how great this lotion made my skin look and feel - they are definitely as soft as they look! I don't often have time to pamper myself with a 3 month old, so it felt great to use this Arbonne lotion and soften up my hands to feel silky smooth!

BUY IT: Tia's Sweeps Go 'Round readers will get 15% off orders from Donna Lotts', Independent Consultant for Arbonne's official ordering site http://www.ddlotts.myarbonne.com/ , when mentioning Tia's Sweeps Go 'Round. In addition,  if Donna receives 15 orders of $50 or more as part of this event, she will give away a Coach purse!

WIN IT: One lucky winner will win an Arbonne Shea Butter Hand & Body wash, ARV $26.00! Enter below!

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Disclosure: Measuring Flower and its writers, Homemaking Hacks and its writers, and the other bloggers participating in this hop are not responsible for any sponsor(s) who do not fulfill their prize(s).

Personalized Prepaid Debit Card from Card.com {REVIEW}

I had the pleasure recently of reviewing a personalized prepaid debit card from Card.com. Card.com is a fantastic company that offers you the opportunity to choose from hundreds of designs to grace your prepaid Visa debit card. Its site is incredibly easy to utilize and navigate. Once you select your desired card design, all you have to do is enter some of your personal information (so your name can be properly printed on the card) and you're all set! Your card will be mailed to the address you provided! The only problem you might have is deciding which of the many awesome designs to choose for your card :).

A screenshot from the Card.com Home Page. The site is so simple to navigate - and if you see a particular design you are fond of and want to tell your friends about, each card has social media buttons that make sharing a cinch!

I ended up choosing the fractal card because it's pretty groovy (just like me!), and it came in the mail relatively quickly after ordering it.The card comes pamphlet-style with tons of useful vital information. For starters, all of your funds on the card are FDIC insured and you automatically get Visa's zero liability policy fraud protection. What's super cool about this card is that you can use it for direct deposit for your paycheck. All of the instructions in how to use this card for direct deposit can be found in the pamphlet. This is particular useful if you want to put money in your paycheck away for savings and use the rest for spending on this card!

The pamphlet your card comes in is pretty cool! 

Very informative and has super easy to follow direct deposit instructions

When you active your card, you choose a PIN just like you would with any other debit card. I ended up using this card both as a debit card and as a credit card at two different locations - a local deli and a Sonic drive-thru. Using it as a debit card at my local deli was fast and simple, and it was fun to pay with a card that was personalized to my style. When I used it in the Sonic drive-thru, the cashier complimented me on how cool the card was! It definitely is an attention-getter, which is awesome because it's super cool to be able to make a statement without saying a word :).

All in all, I am super impressed at how easy it was to order the card, how quickly it came in the mail and how simple it was to use at any of the countless locations Visa is accepted. I am definitely a fan of Card.com :)!

While I was received the product in question as compensation, 

the opinions stated in this review are 100% honest and completely my own.

Island Dreams - A Motivational Photography Book {REVIEW}

I had the opportunity to recently review a beautiful coffee table book with beautiful pictures from the Islands of the Bahamas. “Island Dreams – A Motivational Photography Book” is the work of author Suzy Liebermann, which many of my readers who are parents of young children may recognize as the author of the adorable “Hugo the Starfish” series. This book is filled with gorgeous photography that truly comprise the stuff that daydreams are made of. What makes these photographs in this book so stunning is the unique perspectives offered by the author that beautifully differs from the tropical photography you may have encountered previously. From a gorgeous pair of starfish to a seemingly unknown beach cove with serene turquoise blue water, it is more than easy to picture yourself in the tranquil bliss that is displayed on these pages in the Bahamas. To me, that is the perfect definition of a relaxation book! What makes this book extra special is that each photograph is paired with a rousing motivational quote. Similarly to the aforementioned unique perspective of the photographs throughout, each quote is markedly touching without actually being cliché. You could imagine your mother, sister or best friend saying any one of these beautiful quotes to you when you might be in a rut or having a bad day. Personally, that’s exactly what I find inspiring about this book – each quote was honest and inspiring, and the photograph alongside it complimented it so well. It really makes an excellent motivational photography book. I don’t know if I will have the chance to travel to the Bahamas anytime soon to scour the Islands to see if I can locate any of the beautiful locations documented here having a newborn baby girl, but the photos have definitely given my daydreams some material to work with :). The quotes also really put a smile on my face, something a new mother who gets very little sleep every night could really use. Certainly, this is one of the better dream books I’ve ever come across. I highly recommend it. If you'd like to purchase this book, you can do so on Amazon here.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.