If you haven't noticed yet, I am not overly shy when it comes to what I am willing to talk about here. Just yesterday, I talked about my mentrual flow issues and mama cloth. While I do my best to keep everything PG rated, I will even talk about my marital relations. Another thing I frequently talk about, mainly because I have 2 babies in diapers, is poop. I'll bet if I did a site search of the word "poop" it would come back with dozens of results. As a parent, poop is something I have to deal with every single day. Let's face it: Poop is as unavoidable as death and taxes. We all do it. Some of us (like me) have the honorary title of "Poopy-Wiper-Upper". If you're a pet owner, you have to pick up and dispose of poop. You may even get it embedded into the bottom of your shoe on occasion. Poop is here to stay, people. So while this is something we all do, why is there such a taboo in talking about it? Sure, it's not the most pleasant of topics. Sure, it smells awful. But it's also a completely natural bodily function. One that can say a lot about one's overall health! Poop can be very telling. If you have runny poop, chances are you're sick. Constipation? You probably need to eat more fiber or take probiotic supplements to help stop the straining. How often you poop says a lot, too. I am not a normal pooper, apparently. Did you know that we should be taking 2-3 proper bowel movements every single day? Okay. I go MAYBE twice a week! That has been the norm for me as long as I can remember. Now my husband probably meets the 3-poop quota with ease. So does my youngest child, Xander. But me? Nope. I guess I just don't poop as much as I should.
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As a Purex Insider, life can be full of pleasant surprises. For example, last week I received a great package from Renuzit, Purex's sister company which included their NEW Fresh Accents Holiday Scents! This product is so new, it's not even on the Renuzit website yet! So naturally, I am pretty psyched about getting the chance to try these scents out before the rest of the general public. The Renuzit Fresh Accents Holiday Scents include Winter Berry, which has a wonderfully fruity scent and the Festive Snow, which reminds me of freshly cut evergreens. The Winter Berry actually smells exactly like Luden's Cherry Cough Drops. Note I said LUDEN'S, not Halls. You know the ones I mean, right? They are delicious and taste more like candy than a throat lozenge.I remember getting these as a child and feeling lucky that my throat was sore. The smell is so yummy, too! My mouth is watering right now as I think about it! So needless to say, the Winter Berry is my favorite scent, and is now placed in my foyer on an accent table. The Fresh Accents are very compact and surprisingly effective, despite their small size and even smaller price tag. At around $2.00, your house can smell fresh and inviting without breaking the bank. I also love the scent unit itself. The unit is made out of plastic, but looks metallic, like a good quality pewter. It is also completely reversible, as each side has a different snowflake themed design. It's also very easy to use. Just peel off the backing and slide the gel insert into the holder and voila! You've got an attractive, sweet smelling accent that is sure to fit into any decor! Take a look at how pretty this is! WARNING: This post contains TMI. Since I am reviewing Mama Cloth, something totally new to me, I speak openly and candidly about my period and issues I have had surrounding it. While this may be WAY more than you need to know about me, it is relevant to my review. I am very excited to announce that Charlie Banana is my next sponsor for the upcoming In Honor Of The Tatas event. I am a huge fan of Charlie Banana's line of cloth diapers. They are relatively trim fitting, very absorbent, and super duper soft. I think of my Charlie Banana diapers as a little taste of luxury for my babies' bottoms. If you've never felt a Charlie Banana diaper, I highly recommend you try one. There are even fun new prints available! But Charlie Banana is about more than just diapers. They also offer a line of "Mama Cloth"! Now I have to admit, this was something I had not tried before, despite my efforts to make greener choices one day at a time. I have been a lifelong tampon user, and the idea of using a pad of any kind just didn't sound to appealing to me. At all. I have heard of reusable pads and pantiliners, and have always shied away from trying these products. Until now, that is. When Charlie Banana offered a set of great Mama Cloth items for this event, I put my big girl panties on (literally) and decided to give them a shot. Looks like I might have to rush out and find another Monkey costume. Sophie, my crazy toddler, decided SHE wanted Xander's costume. She grabbed the feet and the hat and carried them around, "giving" them to me until I finally put it on her. She is such a goof!
Traveling with 2!
Who says you can’t go on vacation with 2 toddlers in tow? Right? This was my very mindset when I booked a vacation for 4 to a beautiful beach location on the Gulf of Mexico. This was to be our very first vacation as a family. My husband, our two toddlers (ages 2 and 3), and I would set out on what would be an 8 hour drive to our vacation destination. Had I known what was ahead of me, perhaps I would have booked a vacation for 2 to the sunny beaches of the Gulf and called in reinforcements (grandma) to watch the tots! I definitely learned a few important lessons on our first family vacation. Packed and prepared (or so I thought), we left right on time on what was supposed to be a glorious Sunday morning. The rain wasn’t going to ruin our vacation plans but oh what an impact it would have on getting there in one piece and with all the hair left in my head. Driving in the pouring rain with 2 toddlers who were yelling at the top of their lungs to get out and play wasn’t at all fun. Unfortunately, there aren’t many places to stop and play when it is raining so hard that you can barely see the road. Forget stopping at rest stops along the way! Thus, lesson #1 of the trip was learned. Be flexible with the planning. If you have to wait until the rain stops to leave, do so. Toddlers do not do well riding for long periods of time. If the weather isn’t conducive to traveling, push your vacation back a day for the sake of everyone! After traveling for what seemed like eternity through the wind and rain, we finally reached our vacation destination. The condo was beautiful and the kids enjoyed running around the wide open spaces of our oasis which overlooked the beautiful emerald green waters of the gulf. We decided we would take the kids out for their first steps in the sand and dip in the cool green waters. I was unprepared for what would happen next. My two year old absolutely refused to put his feet in the sand. How would we ever enjoy the beach if we had to carry him EVERYWHERE? Lesson #2 – Don’t expect your toddlers to love the vacation location just because you do. Be prepared to “sell” it to them. Luckily we found a fix to this situation. A wagon is a perfect mode of transportation for a kid who refuses to walk on the sandy beach. Riding in the wagon on the beach quickly became his favorite activity while we were there. We also bought a blow up floating boat, the kind meant to be used in swimming pools to float around in. We blew up the boat, made a place for it I the sand next to us, filled it will a little water from the Gulf, and voila, he had his own little place to play with toys but was in the shade and safely out of any kind of harms way. The week progressed and my little family was thoroughly enjoying our beach vacation. We had flown kites, built sandcastles, utilized the many amenities for families at our resort, and had even taken the kids out for an evening of fun on the town. The night before we were to leave, a realization came to me. Through all the fun and adventure our family was having, my husband and I had not had one second alone. The visions of the long strolls we once took (before we had kids!) came to mind. Lesson #3 was learned at this point. Don’t forget to make time for each other. Family vacations are for the two of you as well! While we didn’t get to take that much anticipated stroll on the beach together on our first family vacation, we will on our next! I’m bringing a babysitter along for the all the fun (and to help with that much needed time together) on our next getaway. A friend of mine took her mother with her on her last vacation to help wrangle the kids, and to allow her and her husband to get a little “couple time” in…brilliant! All in all, I must say that our first trip to the beach as a family was a success. We did hit a few hurdles along the way but we worked them out. Most of all, we made memories that will last life time. Olivia Nicholas is a writer, blogger and a mom. She has been writing articles and blogging for over 10 years and is a freelance writer for Storkie. My little MONKEY! Xander's Halloween costume FINALLY came in after 3 weeks of waiting. Isn't he adorable?!
I have a confession to make...While I am not wealthy, nor am I overly materialistic, I AM a "Denim Snob." What does this mean? Well, to put it simply, I am incredibly picky when it comes to the jeans I wear. Many jeans are too long for me, while others just feel overly starched, scratchy, and just plain uncomfortable. Another issue I have with a lot of denim is finding the best fit for my poor body that has gone through 3 pregnancies followed by 3 cesareans. Yep, this mama has the belly pooch. One day, after I win the lotto, I will surely have the abdominoplasty it will take to have a perfectly flat tummy. But for now, I just have to deal with it. So pair the belly pooch with the fact that I have skinny legs and no butt to speak of, and you can see why I have a difficult time finding jeans that fit properly. With so many options available, it's often hard to find the pair of jeans that is just right for my body. Too often I end up with a saggy looking backside, bagginess in the thigh area, or an overall odd appearance altogether. So because of these body issues common to moms, I often find myself either gravitating towards Jeggings or my Pajama Jeans. Or worse: My favorite jeans ever that cost almost $200.00 a pair! I don't know about any of you, but I certainly cannot afford to stock up on jeans that are that expensive, no matter how well they fit! That's why I jumped at the chance to review the new dENiZEN Jeans made by Levi's. These new jeans come in many different washes and styles, and have something for the entire family. dENiZEN Jeans are found exclusively at Target, and are priced very reasonably. At under $30.00 a pair, you can stock up on those bootcuts, skinny jeans, and more without having to answer a million questions from a wide-eyed hubby as he stares in disbelief at the bank statements. By the way, this would never happen in my home since I am the one who budgets and manages the finances. But I can see this happening in other households, and it's never fun to have to justify those splurges! dENiZEN Jeans are one of those rare, frugal finds that can always be justified. After all, everyone needs a great pair of jeans, right? And $30.00 or LESS is a steal! I have personally spent several times more than that on one pair of jeans before. Granted, that was before there were babies in the house and we had more financial wiggle room. This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of T.G.I. FRiDAY'S for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. Hi people, this is Dan. I am Brandy's goofball husband. I love the fact that she blogs. Especially on the rare occasion that I get to help review things. When she told me I would get to try the new T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One”, I have to admit, I was pretty excited. Of course I prefer my wife's cooking over any frozen meals, but sometimes I get a case of the munchies when it isn't technically meal time...Or during a football game....Or after working all day....You get the point. I have a pretty big appetite, and I love the fact that T.G.i.Friday's is now offering these single serving microwavable meals. First off, I have no cooking skills whatsoever. None. Zip. But I can microwave a meal like a champ. The best part about the Entrees For One is the fact that I don't need to even bother transferring the meal to a pot, pan or dish to prepare. These entrees actually steam in the bag making them absolutely fool-proof.
The dish steamed in its bag, and within about 5 minutes was piping hot and ready to eat. The first thing I noticed was the portion size. Honestly, I feel there wasn't really enough food to satisfy serious hunger pangs, but it was definitely a good start. Served along with a side or two, it would be perfect. The flavor was fantastic, though. The chicken chunks were tender, well-seasoned, and did not come out rubbery like some sort of odd mystery meat. The sauce was expertly seasoned, with a nice zesty citrus flavor that was beautifully paired with the sesame. The veggies and rice were also flavorful and fresh tasting. Take a look! It looks almost as delicious as it tastes! What would you expect from T.G.i.Friday's, though? Overall, I was pretty pleased with the T.G.i.Friday's Entrees For One. The flavor was spot on, even if the portion sizes seemed a bit lacking for my tastes. I could probably eat two of them in one sitting on a good day. But the flavor varieties are mouthwatering and are definitely a lot better tasting than many other frozen meals. I would absolutely buy these meals again. Be sure to go enter the Fun Freezer contest running on Facebook! Submissions have closed, but check back because the voting begins October 7th. Lots of fun prizes and giveaways going on! You won't want to miss it! T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One” can be found at grocery stores near you. Go check em out! It's no big secret that it took my husband and I YEARS to conceive our daughter due to secondary infertility. During the time we were trying to get pregnant, I actually became one of those depressed, obsessed, moody women who took every passing month of no baby as a harsh, personal blow. I couldn't handle the fact that everyone around us was having babies, and I prayed every single day that it would be our turn. It wasn't until I had literally given up and we were approved with an adoption agency that we finally and quite unexpectedly became pregnant with our daughter, Sophia. When I took that first pregnancy test on a whim, I expected it to be negative, as usual. Then there were 2 beautiful little lines that would literally change our lives forever. Our dream of expanding our family was finally coming true! I had a difficult, high-risk pregnancy, and was ordered to remain on modified bed-rest for almost the entire 9 months. So naturally, all I could do was sit around and daydream about my baby-to-be. What would the baby look like? Would he/she have my eyes? Would it have a head full of hair, or would the baby be bald like my firstborn? And of course, I obsessively wondered about the gender. (What expectant mama doesn't?!) You see, I had wanted a daughter as long as I could remember. I did all of the old wive's tests to determine gender with very mixed results. Then I heard about IntelliGender. What is IntelliGender? It's an at-home gender prediction test that is used much like a pregnancy test. You pee into a cup, mix it with a special solution found in the IntelliGender kit, and you swirl it around and then wait for your results. For a girl, one should get orange results. A boy will produce green/bluish results. I am not 100% sure what is being measured to determine gender, but I do know that you shouldn't run out and buy a layette or paint the nursery based on your results alone. Nothing takes the place of an ultrasound from a trained specialist. But if 20 weeks is just too darn long to be kept in suspense, IntelliGender is a fun way to pass the time, and might just give you the results you've been hoping for! How that the weather is cooling down and the kids are back to school, one thing is almost inevitable: People will be getting sick. Every year, once Kyle goes back to school, we ALL end up getting sick. Without fail. I suppose it's the exposure to all those extra germs all day long. With two babies in the house, getting sick is no fun at all. They're miserable, and so are Mom and Dad! But with all the various bugs that tend to be passed along during the fall and winter, there are things we as parents can do to help ensure that catching a cold or even worse, the flu, is a lot less likely for our families. These involve simple lifestyle changes and very little effort! A lot of these things can even be taught to the youngest of children. Here are some of the things I like to do to minimize our chances of getting the flu and those pesky colds that come with the seasonal change: |
PR Friendly Mama!
I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com Links We Love :Archives
June 2023
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