Sophie LOVES Pop Snax! Wow! I can't believe that November has flown by so rapidly and that Thanksgiving is just over a week away! I guess time flies when you're having fun, right? And we, as parents, all know that when you have small children in the house, there is never a dull moment to be had. (Not in my home, at least!) With Turkey Day so close, I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off over the next several days preparing for our trip to Ohio to see my Grandma and then to Maryland to spend the Holiday with my husband's father and his awesome family. I am super excited about getting away, and I absolutely love seeing the best Grandma in the history of the world. This is a woman who would stay up with us till 2:00AM playing Trivial Pursuit or Scrabble, would let us watch MTV all night long, back when they actually played music videos. (Did I just give away my age?) She is also my shoulder to cry on, always willing to listen when I need someone to talk to, and she makes the BEST chicken burgers ever. I talk to her almost every single day, and I am so glad that my babies will get to spend a few days with her! While I am thrilled to take our road trip to Ohio, there is one thing I am more than a little nervous about: An 8 hour car ride with a preteen, a baby, and a toddler. Not to mention the fact that my husband will be driving. If you happen to know my hubby, you'll understand what I mean.Oh. My. Goodness. I'm not sure I will be able to survive the road with my sanity intact! All kidding aside, traveling with kids can be tough. My oldest will undoubtedly pester me with a litany of "Are we there yet?" and my baby and my toddler might decide they hate being in the car that long and get cranky. We will be driving through the mountains, and there aren't many places to stop for food. And if you have kids, you know as well as I do that they WILL get hungry, right after you pass the last rest stop for 150 miles. Now THAT part of the trip I have covered, thanks to Earth's Best!
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I have some very lucky winners to announce! Without further ado, here are my winners!
Langston's: Jan M. Chuggington: D Schmidt Master Lock: Angella Sandbox Lane: Holly W. Tropical Traditions: Holly W. Rafflecopter likes you today!!! Juppy: Melissa H. You have all been e-mailed and have 48 hours to respond and claim your prizes. Thanks to everyone who entered and be sure to check back for more giveaways VERY soon! And I have some GREAT ones coming up! Speaking of, make sure to grab your early entries for my Holiday Gift Guide event! I don't know about you, but I think that sometimes when it comes to fashion, less is more. Even when it comes to baby clothes! Sure, I buy some over the top, elaborate clothing for my daughter. After all, Sophie has a larger than life personality, and she loves wild prints and colors to help bring out the animal in her. However, Sophie can also be quite girly and lady-like when she puts her little mind to it. So I also love to balance out her wardrobe with classically simple, beautiful pieces that allow her to look like a proper little girl. This Thanksgiving, we will be traveling to see my Grandparents and other relatives. I want Sophie to make a lasting impression, and in this case, hot pink and zebra stripes just aren't going to cut it. I wanted to find something more demure. Something beautiful and simple that will allow my little girl to be the center of attention, rather than her clothing. I wanted to find something that would make her look like the beautiful little baby that she is. That's why I was so excited when I stumbled across Paige Lauren Baby. Paige Lauren is a fantastic company that provides timeless looks for baby that are made from luxurious fabrics and will never go out of style. Instead of over-decorating their garments, they rely on great attention to detail, simple styling, careful tailoring, and using the highest quality materials available. The result? Beautiful, soft clothing that is perfect for any occasion...Even a road trip to see Great-Grandparents! I absolutely love the new Rodeo Collection featured in the Paige Lauren Fall/Winter line. Rich colors like Sapphire, Amethyst, Ruby and Emerald are enough to bring cheer on even the coldest of days this Holiday season, and the designs are beautiful in their simplicity. Take a look at some of my favorite items from Paige Lauren Baby! I know my Holiday Gift Guide event doesn't start for another couple of weeks, but I wanted to give you all a sneak peek of one of my amazing prizes and get you all in the mood for the Holiday Season! So while this prize package will be featured on my Gift Guide page, I am cheating and starting this particular giveaway a wee bit early! It will run from now until the close of the event! I am very excited about this prize package for so many reasons. First of all, my kids LOVE VeggieTales! These colorful, fun characters always send a positive message and help to teach valuable life lessons in a way that little people can understand. They also have great music that gets my toddler dancing around! The other reason I am excited about this giveaway is because the Christmas Classics DVD set includes all of the timeless, classic Christmas stories I remember watching on television when I was growing up. Remember Frosty the Snowman? Check! Or maybe Rudolph? Check! There's even Santa Claus Is Coming To Town! And there's MORE, too! These great Holiday DVD's would make the perfect gift for the little ones in your life this Holiday season! This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
So I was browsing online for some entertaining things to do, and I came across the Puppies vs. Babies online contest. Now, since the beginning of time, peoples' hearts have been melted by the images of fluffly little puppies as well as by the sweet smiles of babies. I remember when I saw my dog, Mojo, for the very first time. He has sadly passed away, but he was MY dog, through and through. He was an adorable Shih-Tzu, and he looked like a little "moo-cow", with black and white coloring and a cute little white puff on his head. I used to carry him around and even put ridiculous little doggie sweaters on him in the winter time. He was the most adorable dog I had ever seen, and he is sorely missed. However, even my Mojo-Man couldn't hold a candle to my babies. My babies are absolutely adorable. My daughter has big, brown eyes and a beautiful smile that lights her whole face up. She also has hair that is always a mess, no matter what I do. It grows every which way, and while it's a pain in my butt at times, it's still cute. She inherited that from her Daddy! (The hair...not the pain in the butt aspect, although sometimes, that's questionable!) She also has a larger than life personality. Who else would grab fistfuls of chocolate cheesecake at a family gathering and run around saying "Good Choc-Choc" while shoving it into her mouth? A puppy can't do THAT!
Not to mention, my 10 month old, Xander is pretty darn cute, too! He has a jolly, happy face and the chubbiest little chipmunk cheeks. He also has a head full of dark hair, complete with the little Alfalfa-esque cowlick. He is the happiest, most laid back kid. He is always relaxed, smiling, and can charm the pants off of anyone he meets. He has just started clapping, saying Mama and Dada, and he even walks alongside the furniture. Now show me a puppy who can do that!
But the main arguments for why babies beat puppies any day of the week? Well, I have a few of them. First, babies smell good. There is nothing better than the smell of a freshly washed baby. I could inhale that scent for the rest of my life and be happy. Dogs? Well....They smell. Bad. I am not a big fan of that unmistakable dog smell. Not to mention dog breath! Eww! The next argument: Babies will eventually learn to wipe their own butts and never poop on my floor. I cannot handle poop on my floor. Or pee. It grosses me out. Sure, I change diapers all day long. I do it gladly. Why? Because my babies will eventually be able to do it for themselves. And if they should have accidents, it will be in their pants or in their beds. Not on my floor! Also, when my babies follow me around, it's cute. They talk and babble and do interesting things. My dog following me around? Well, that's annoying at times. Maybe it's just me, but it can get irritating having a smelly, panting dog waiting for me outside the bathroom door when I do my business. That's obnoxious. It seems my dog can never chill out and just lay down somewhere. She is constantly following me. This drives me insane! But when my kids do it, it doesn't bother me at all. Babies don't chew or destroy my furniture. Dogs do. Babies also do not lick their butts and genitalia. Dogs do. I'm sorry, but there is nothing worse than seeing a dog lick its own rectum and then have them try to lick my face afterwards. Eww! Dog germs! Yuck! Babies also don't shed. Dogs do, and I am horribly allergic to most breeds. Pet fur makes me break out in hives, get all stuffed up, and I start wheezing and cannot breathe. Not to mention itchy, watery eyes! I am not allergic to babies! But most of all, my dog will never look at me, smile, and say : " I love you, Mommy." Yep. Babies win, hands down!
Seriously, though. I love my dog and I love my babies. Sure, I am talking some smack here, but it's all in good fun. But look at this little face and tell me this isn't cuter than any dog you've seen! (Yes, she really WAS shoving fistfuls of chocolate cheesecake in her mouth!)
Who do you think is cuter, puppies or babies? Why? I'd love to hear your opinions! In the meantime, I'd also love to encourage you to go cast your votes for the cutest baby or puppy in the Puppies vs. Babies contest! Voting is open until November 23, 2011, and the winning Baby...or puppy will win a whopping $5000.00! Be sure to have your say by clicking the following link: So Xander has decided that ANY time a camera is pointed at him, THIS is the face he's going to make. What a little ham!
If you're a parent, I am sure that Melissa & Doug is a household name. I know it is in my home! They have some of the best dramatic play and educational toys around! Well in preparation for the Holidays, the nice folks over at Melissa & Doug have a special offer just for you! Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting! How cool is that?! Just click the photo below to take advantage of these special savings and cast your vote for the best toy!
***WARNING: THIS IS A RANT. IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED OR FIND THIS SUBJECT MATTER TOO SENSITIVE, DO NOT READ ON. THESE ARE MY PERSONAL OPINIONS AND ARE NOT MEANT TO OFFEND ANYONE. SOMETHING OBSCENE WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION, AND I FELT THAT IT MAY BE SOMETHING OTHER MOMS SHOULD BE AWARE OF.***
I don't usually do too many personal posts, as I am back-logged with reviews and giveaways that need to be written. However, work is taking a spot on the back-burner for a moment, since there is something I feel I need to address with parents out here. Something that has me very upset and afraid for the future of our kids. My 11 year old, 6th grade son came home today and told me something alarming: A child in his grade was found selling a wide variety of narcotic pain-killers. The child in question is a 12 year old boy. The child will more than likely be expelled, thank goodness. It just shocked me to learn that things like Oxycontin, Percocet, and Vicodin were even accessible to a child of that age. Let me clarify something here: I was no angel growing up at all. I hung out with older kids and had access to a lot of different things that I shouldn't have. No, I didn't experiment with the vast majority of these things, but I knew lots of kids who did. Heck, many of them were my "friends". I didn't hang out with the best crowd, that's for sure. I had a pretty crappy childhood and gravitated towards those in similar situations. But one thing I NEVER saw were prescription drugs. Sure, I saw kids drinking underage, smoking, even experimenting with marijuana, LSD and shrooms. But never any pills. That was just something you did not see when I was a kid. Luckily, even though I was a pretty reckless teen in a lot of ways, I was always too fearful to do anything that could kill me. I have an irrational fear of death, and that probably did me quite a few favors. So while I understand peer pressure and what kids can fall into, I always thought that the drug dealers were the real danger to kids...Apparently, this has taken a back seat to the medicine cabinet. And to be blunt, as a mom, this scares the shit out of me. Yes, I know...I just said shit. I never cuss on here, but right now, I am irate and afraid. Prescription pain-killers are no laughing matter. They ruin lives. They destroy what could be happy families. They turn people into pathetic shells of their former selves. These pills KILL. I have seen it happen so many times both in the media (think Michael Jackson and his drug issues) as well as to people I know. Prescription meds are highly addictive, and definitely lethal. They have devastating effects on those who abuse them and the people around them. My question is this: WHY IN THE HELL ARE THESE DRUGS AVAILABLE TO MY 11 YEAR OLD CHILD?! How does this even HAPPEN?! I am going to go out on a limb here and blame irresponsible parenting. Why on Earth would any rational adult leave these toxic medications where a child could get into them? I would venture as far to say they need to be locked away in a safe that the children cannot access, and that is IF it's even necessary to have them in the home at all. I have always had a specific issue with narcotic pain-killers for personal reasons I won't discuss. I do not take pills. Period. I had 3 cesarean and discarded 98% of the Percocet I was prescribed because I did not wan to take any chances at dependency. (The first 24 hours, I DID take the pills, although very, very sparingly. After that I took Tylenol and Ibuprofen.) I do not believe in taking any pill I can become hooked on, or any pill that can potentially kill me. Life is too damn precious. My KIDS are too damn precious. They deserve to have a mother. That's just my stance on this issue. Your opinions may differ, and I am not criticizing anyone who thinks differently. That leads me to my second point: A large number of people abusing these types of drugs DO NOT TRULY NEED THEM. They become so dependent on them that they become a crutch. People convince themselves that they "need" these pills to function. It changes them over time, from their personality to their ability to deal with people they once loved and it even alters their appearances.To me, this is sad because it is a slow form of suicide. And there are crack-head doctors out there who are still willing to dole them out like candy. These doctors should lose their medical licenses and be held liable for the lives they are helping to destroy. They should be imprisoned for their unethical practices in medicine. A couple of the first things a doctor must promise upon taking the Hippocratic Oath are these: "I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone." "I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan" I'm sorry, but handing out Morphine or Oxycontin to someone who is not terminally ill is the equivalent to handing an addict heroin. These particular medications basically are just that: Synthetic heroin. When a user shoots heroin, once it hits the bloodstream it is converted into morphine. WHY IS THIS IN MY CHILD'S MIDDLE SCHOOL?! Now don't get me wrong. I know there are chronic, terminal conditions out there when patients DO need these drugs. I get that. I am not implying that everyone who takes pain-killers is a junkie. But you know what? MANY of them are, and in their own pattern of addiction and self-destruction, these pills are being left where kids can access them. Kids can take them. Kids can become addicts. Or dealers. KIDS CAN DIE FROM THIS. So please, parents. Be very mindful about what drugs are in your medicine cabinets. If your kids stay overnight or even visit other homes, be aware of what they may be exposed to. Make certain that any and ALL drugs are kept physically locked up. If people laugh at you or call you paranoid and refuse to secure such drugs, don't let your kids into their homes. Prescription drugs should be treated a lot like a loaded firearm. There is no such thing as being to careful when it comes to the life of your child. Lucky for me, my son is VERY anti-drug and was pretty upset about this incident himself. I am proud of him for trusting me enough to have an open and honest conversation with me about the pressure that occurs in his school. Not all kids are that open with their parents. Please, just be aware that the drug dealer on the corner isn't the biggest threat to our kids nowadays. The real threat might be right there in your medicine cabinet. And these same drugs are being made available, even to kids as young as mine. Help raise awareness to this growing problem. Not one life should be lost. Rant over. Thanks for "listening." See the picture to the left? If you didn't know already, these are my two little stinkers, Sophia, who will turn 2 on New Year's Eve, and Xander, who will be 1 in January. Yep, they're a mere 12 months apart! Well, 12 months and change, but who's keeping track? As the proud mama of these wonderful little guys, I am always looking for the absolute best products for my growing babies. Especially when it comes to their foods! I like making my own baby food, but that's not always practical. I don't always have the time, nor do I always have all of the ingredients on hand. So I do rely on jarred baby foods quite often, as well as prepackaged toddler snacks. But with so many products available on the shelves, it can be overwhelming for a new parent. Which brands are best? How do I know I am getting the absolute best nutrition for my baby? Are these foods full of preservatives or worse? Parents have a lot to worry about when it comes to their little ones, and food shouldn't have to be one of those worries. That's why I am a firm believer that organic and natural products are best for growing children and buy accordingly whenever possible. I like to know what's in my children's meals, and if I can't pronounce half of the ingredients, chances are, those very ingredients do not belong in my babies' bodies. When I read a label, I always look to see if the food is certified organic. Buying organic and natural foods gives me peace of mind as a mom, and I know that my babies will be receiving the best possible nutrition for their developmental stages. That's why I am proud to be an Earth's Best Blogger. I have bought and loved their products ever since my oldest son, Kyle, was born almost 12 years ago, and I believe in what this company stands for. Over the years Earth's Best has grown to offer more than 100 products including organic infant formula, organic infant and toddler foods, baby care products including chlorine free diapers and wipes and a line of all-natural cleaning products. Their unwavering commitment to purity, backed by 25 years of experience, helps Earth’s Best parents nurture their babies in a way that offers peace of mind. Pre-Holiday Sale on Eyeglasses It's close to the holiday season which means you're probably feeling the pressure to get your Thanksgiving plans organized and then move on to holiday shopping, right? Buying eyeglasses is probably the last thing on your mind ... even if you haven't bought a new pair of glasses in over two years. |
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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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