Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Perrigo Nutritionals Unique Baby Sweepstakes (and a Giveaway WINNER!)

Perrigo Nutritionals gave me the opportunity to give away a $30 Visa gift card to one of my readers who uses store brand formula to feed their child!  

So....

Congratulations, Heather Deitz!

Send me your mailing information and I'll get your gift card right out to you!




Disclosure:  This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

 The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

 The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

 This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Fall Blog Exchange

Happy Wednesday!  Hope everyone is have a happy, healthy mid-week day.  I just sent all the big kids back to school after being overwhelmed with a random fever virus.  It was a loooooooong day with a doctor appointment times 4...might explain the migraine I have been battling today!

I recently participated in a fun, Fall blogger swap hosted by my blogger friend Johannah and two other lovely ladies, Desiree and Bri!

I was so lucky to be paired up with Desiree over at Macke Monologues...it was so much fun getting to know her and showering her with some goodies as the seasons change and then getting surprises in return!

                                Loved getting a package with lots of little gifts inside!

Unwrapping was a blast...a sweet note pad, yummy chocolates, and a fabulous Starbucks' gift card that might have just been my favorite!


These yummy candle melts are 2 of my favorite scents...pumpkin and vanilla!


And this warm red nailpolish...gave myself a pedicure the very same day it arrived!  Perfect for my toes in the fall!


And she was so sweet to include a gift for my kiddos...they loved these pops and they kept them quiet during our pumpkin carving!  Priceless because anything done with 4 kids contains a bit of craziness!




And this little face says just how much they enjoyed their treat!


And I enjoyed getting to know a new internet friend!

Now...back to cleaning and cooking!  Tomorrow is Sassy's birthday, Papa is coming for the weekend, and we all know what Saturday is!  


Thursday, October 15, 2015

October 15th

Today, October 15th is National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy and Infant loss.
This includes all babies who have died because of miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or any other infant death.

I have 4 beautiful children that came to us very easily.  But the story few know about is the two children I lost between Tater and Bruiser.  Tater was only a little over 5 months when I was having some unexplained issues.  My doctor suggested I take a test and surprise, surprise!...there were 2 lines!  The shock and panic hit first and then the concern that I was bleeding heavily set in.  We spent that first night in the ER, waiting and checking.  The doctors determined I had lost one baby but the TWIN was still viable...oh, my gosh!  So we went home thinking how crazy our life was going to become.  The next day we met with my OB, saw a little heartbeat, and then the bleeding started again.  That night I lost the second baby...and had an immediate D&C to control the bleeding.  

I struggled with the lose.  I didn't even know I was pregnant until I was loosing the babies.  It was a sad time but at the same time I was unsure what I was grieving.  That was August 8, 2005...and that day is always a sad one for me and my husband...one that reminds us that there are 2 little ones waiting to meet us in Heaven.  I like to think that my mom has gone on ahead to love on those babies while we love on our 4 here on earth.  She wanted nothing more that to be a grandma and I feel like she gets to enjoy that for eternity.

As unexpected as that pregnancy and lose were, I'm grateful for the path our life has traveled so that we could go on the meet Bruiser, Sassy, and Bubba.  God has a plan for each of us and it was written long before we were born.


Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Rainy Day


I'm hoping to spend a lot of time doing this today!  We had a full calendar of apple picking, a hay ride, and errands...but it's drippy and dreary so we will manage the errands and cuddle at home the rest of the day!

We had a low-key holiday weekend...so low-key I didn't even take any pictures!  We did chores, rode bikes, watched a few movies, played hard and went to bed early :).  3 out of the 4 kids have fall colds so there has been a lot of sniffling, slime, and coughing...good times!

With a very full calendar for this month, I'm happy to have a slow, quiet day at home...even if I've already had to clean marker of furniture (thank God for the Magic Eraser and Crayola washable PipSqueaks!).

Monday, October 12, 2015

Perrigo Nutritionals Unique Baby Sweepstakes (and a Giveaway!)


Having had 4 children, I know the importance of good nutrition and saving money!  With our first baby (who is now almost 11!), we researched EVERYTHING and wanted to choose only the best.  The challenge we faced was that I was working part-time teaching kindergarten, my husband had just graduated graduate school, and we were looking to buy our first home.  It was tough to make choices when the media made it seem that the best choices were the priciest!  

It needs to be said that I nursed all my children and knew I was giving then best start that way.  But as we all know, there are times and circumstances when nursing isn't and option and it's necessary to use formula...which is just so expensive!  Tater, my oldest, never could control the flow of breast milk, so after 6 months of exclusively pumping, we knew we needed to switch to formula...for my sanity!  Lol!  Bruiser, the next oldest, had a lactose intolerance and continued on formula well past a year, after weaning.  And then our newest little one (in that cute picture above!), Bubba, developed a weird intolerance to dairy and needed formula to avoid rashes.  See...no baby and feeding situation is perfect :).

So back to the pricey part of feeding babies!  We felt drawn to buy the name brand formulas, because we wanted the best and real thing for our babies.  You understand, right?  Well, shortly after switching Tater to formula, we had an appointment with our pediatrician.  We were every surprised (and pleased!) when he encouraged us to switch to the store brand formula!  He shared how formula companies are strictly regulated and a completely safe and nutritional alternative.  It was a life-saver (and bank account saver!).

Read below for more information and to check out the Sweepstakes...there are great prizes to be won!  In the meantime, I have a $30 Visa gift card to give away!  Leave a comment sharing how you save money raising your little one!  I will randomly choose a winner on Friday, October 16th.  Happy sharing and good luck!

When it comes to infant formula, many factors will help make the decision of what’s best for your baby, but the name on the container should not be one of them! 
What most moms don’t know is that the FDA strictly regulates infant formula to keep little ones safe, so store brand infant formulas, like Walmart’s Parent’s Choice and Target’s Up and Up, are nutritionally comparable to national brands like Enfamil® and Similac® and meet FDA standards, at a much lower cost to your family.
So essentially, the brand of formula you use is not unique, but of course your baby is unique.
To shine the spotlight on the most important part of the formula equation: your baby, Store Brand Formula is launching a “Unique Baby” Photo Sweepstakes in which the winner will receive $5,000 AND a year supply of Store Brand Formula.
Every baby is unique. Show us how YOUR baby is unique.  We’re looking for funny, silly, odd, crazy unique baby photos.

Is your baby making a really bizarre expression?
Perhaps your baby is making an angry face?
Or maybe your baby’s hair is sticking up in a funny way.
Whatever it is, we’d love to see it.

How to Enter
To enter the Store Brand Formula Unique Baby Sweepstakes, simply visit http://bit.ly/1Fd2i6y and follow the photo submission guidelines and the on-screen instructions to complete the online entry form. All entries must be submitted between September 28, 2015 – November 5, 2015.

Limit one (1) entry per person, per day for the duration of the Sweepstakes
  
One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000 and a one (1) year supply of the winner’s choice of Store Brand Baby Formula. Five (5) First Prize winners will receive $200 and a one (1) year supply of the winner’s c choice of Store Brand Baby Formula.

For official rules click here!  

Disclosure:  This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

 The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

 The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.


 This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Bubba Day!

I was able to coordinate childcare for the three school kids so Daddy could work and I could stay with family for another week as we remembered and missed Mimi.  And even though Papa put me to work cleaning and organizing, Bubba and I found time to enjoy cousins and check out a few sights!

The local museum has a Curious George exhibit and Papa and I took Bubba and Cousin D to explore...and then we checked out the dinosaurs and the mummy!






Then we enjoyed some cousin sleepovers...


Mommy/Aunt Annie was losing control when Cousin J slept over!


And Bubba wanted to be just like big Cousin D!


And we had to act like a puppy...good thing this floor had just been scrubbed!


 Mommy and Bubba returned home just in time for Bubba to start "school".
(It's a speech therapy group through his EI program but he loves to ride in Mommy's "bus" and go to "school"!) 


Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Summer Vacation in September

When I decided to stop teaching and stay home with Bubba (and the other 3 when they aren't in school!), my one wish was to go to the shore in September.  Any teacher will totally understand the appeal...a vacation in September is unheard of when you are just starting the school year!  So we started searching for the best vacation house in our favorite location...Ocean City, New Jersey :).  And the best part of vacationing off-season?  We were able to rent a house right on the beach and in our price range!
 
We spent a relaxing week soaking in the sun and family time.  Papa and Cousin D spent the first part of the week with us and then Pop-Pop and Memaw arrived for the second half of the week.  We enjoyed slow mornings, playing on the beach by 9am (or earlier!) and late evenings watching the waves.  We dug in the sand, rode our boogie boards, and saw dolphins almost every day!  The weather was fabulous!
 




 









We ended the week a night too soon with the news that my mom, the kids' Mimi, had left on the bus to Heaven.  We were thankful for my inlaws, who stayed the last night with our sleeping children and let Daddy and I head to my family to mourn together.  Mimi had been sick for many years and her passing was a merciful thing...but we still feel like she was taken from us far too soon.  We also think she made sure we had that last week together in her favorite place...the beach!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Let's try This Again...And Life Lately :)

I had dreams that my new retired life would open up time for writing...then I realized my new "boss" is a 2-year-old!!!!  Bubba is like all three of the other children rolled into one...and it's exhausting!

Add in getting 3 kids back into the swing of things with school, a week-long beach vacation, my mother passing away (expected but not so soon)...and writing was once again forgotten.  But if the past two weeks have taught me anything, it's that you need to make time for the things and people you love.  So this little old blog will be coming back!

Stay tuned for updates, picture dumps, and a giveaway!