Summer Blog Challenge Day 30! {My Style!}

I can't believe we are already 30 days into this challenge! It's been so fun! Today's topic is: Post a photo of something that is your style or something that you wish was your style. 


This is my typical style:

This is what I wish my style was but unfortunately I have nowhere to go in something like this: 

(Pictures found on Pinterest)

Summer Blog Challenge Day 29! {How To Get Rid of the Hiccups!}

Today we have to write a HOW-TO blog post so I am explaining How To Get Rid of the Hiccups! 


This works for me EVERY time I have the hiccups!


All you need is a tall glass of water! 

Now the first thing you do is hold your breath for at least 10 seconds! More if you can! Then BEFORE you breathe again start gulping the glass of water! Gulp as much as you can before you need to breathe again! Then breathe once you're done! Your hiccups should be gone! Like I said, works for me every time! 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 28! {My Laundry Routine!}

Laundry-one of my least favorite words ever. I hate doing laundry. I used to enjoy diaper laundry but I don't even enjoy that anymore. You should see what my laundry room looks like right now!  But this is how I do our typical laundry.

1. Separate lights, darks, and delicates.
2. Run water into the machine, while running add detergent. (I only use about 2 tablespoons of detergent for most loads!)
3. Run load.
4. Dry
5. Fold (maybe lol)

Pretty easy ...I try not to complicate it too much since I already hate doing it!

Summer Blog Challenge Day 27! {Best Gift You've Ever Received!}

The best gift I've ever recieved? Hmmm ...do my sweet babies count?! I have God and my awesome husband to thank for them!

If I had to choose a gift given to me on a special occasion I think I would choose a necklace my husband gave me a few years ago on Valentine's Day. I think I have told ya'll before hubby is not romantic in the least so this was pretty special for me. The necklace is silver with a small purple butterfly charm. I love it and it meant a lot to me for him to get me something sweet like that on Valentine's Day. I love that man. :)

Summer Blog Challenge Day 26! {My Sweet Hubby!}

Today's Topic: What does your significant other do that melts you heart? 


Wow, where do I start?! There are a lot of things my sweet hubby does to melt my heart! He's not a very romantic guy. He doesn't show up with roses much or surprise me with a date or anything like that. But he does little things that remind me of why I fell in love with him and make me fall in love with him even more each day. 


I truly believe Brian would do anything for me or the boys. His main priority in life is providing for us and keeping us happy. He is constantly trying to better himself for his family and that melts my heart. 


Brian is an amazing dad. He's very hands on and VERY helpful! For example, just yesterday, he went to work at 3am and had to be at work at 4am this morning but Isaac was having a fit and wouldn't sleep because his top teeth are coming in and he's miserable. So at 8pm last night Brian went to the store to get some teething tablets and then came home and helped me get Isaac to sleep. Even though I know he had to be exhausted and ready for bed! He plays with the boys and loves them and helps in any way he can with them. That melts my heart. 


When he shows me that he still finds me attractive and beautiful by either telling me or doing things like winking at me or just randomly kissing me, that makes my heart melt. 


I sure do love this guy...

A Happy Green Life Natural Laundry Wash Review & Giveaway! {US Only}

I love trying out new natural detergents! So when I heard about A Happy Green Life natural laundry wash I knew I wanted to try it out! 


A Happy Green Life is a newer business that was just started this year! It was started by two moms who wanted to show people how easy and frugal it is to live a green life! They started out making a laundry wash because they wanted something that they could use on their cloth diapers AND their regular laundry! Now, A Happy Green Life not only carries laundry wash, but  kitchen soap, dryer balls, cloth wipes, and more! 

A Happy Green Life Laundry Wash is made to be gentle on cloth diapers but strong enough for regular laundry including towels and uniforms and to remove stains. It is free of chemicals that are bad for the environment. The laundry wash comes in so many great scents too that are made from 100% natural essential oils and synthetic fragrance oils. The scents are highly concentrated though so it only makes up about .05% of the laundry wash. I received the scent "Pink Sugar" and I absolutely love it! It smells like something I'd want to eat instead of wash my clothes with! 

When I received my laundry wash I also received a scoop. So I was getting ready to wash my diapers and I read the directions. It said to use add one scoop to washer and only a 1/2 school for HE machines! I was shocked! I thought there was no way that only one scoop would get my diapers clean! So I washed my diapers with one scoop and sure enough they came out clean!! Not only were they clean, but they smelled extremely fresh too! Not the Pink Sugar smell but just a fresh, clean smell. My diapers weren't stinky at all. Just clean! A week into using this detergent my diapers started leaking! I was so worried that it was the detergent and didn't know how I was going to do a review on a detergent that caused my diapers to leak! But after stripping and doing a little investigating it turns out it was a false alarm! See, little dude has become quite mobile and has grown quite a bit taller in the last month or so. So his chunky little legs weren't AS chunky as before and so my sized diapers were leaking! So yay! It was not the detergent! 

I've had nothing but success with this laundry wash! It's gentle enough for my diapers and baby clothes but gets stains out of my clothes too! It smells awesome but the smell doesn't linger in the clothing! It lasts a really long time because you only need one scoop per load! It is both frugal and green and for me, that is a huge win! 

Buy It!

You can purchase A Happy Green Life Laundry Wash for only $9 a bag at www.ahappygreenlife.com. 

Win It!

One lucky reader will win a bag of A Happy Green Life Laundry Wash in their choice of available scent!

Summer Blog Challenge Day 25! {Ideal "ME" Day!}

Today's Topic is What would be your ideal day of "Me Time"? 


I have seriously thought about this before! Ha, is that awful?! The first thing I would do is sleep in without any guilt! Sometimes the hubby will let me sleep in and get up with the boys, but I always feel guilty about all the things I need to get done for the day that I usually only sleep for an hour or so later. So on my day of Me Time I'd sleep in with no guilt as late as I want to!


Then I would get up and get ready and pick up my girlfriends and we'd all go shopping and get long relaxing pedicures! We'd talk and laugh and completely enjoy ourselves without having to worry about our babes at home! 


Then I'd go home and get dressed up super cute and pretty and go on a fun date with my hubby! We'd go out to dinner somewhere nice and then maybe go see a movie or go bowling or dancing! Or maybe all 3! 


Then I would come home and hug my babies and snuggle with them because although a "Me" day sounds amazing I know I would miss my babes the whole day! 

Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop!

Are you a Mommy blogger?

Do you blog about your kids?

Do you blog about great things for Mommies?

Do you wanna meet other Mom Bloggers?

To participate in the Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop, the rules are super simple! All we ask is that you follow the 3 Co-Hosts: The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom, Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green… the first three blogs on the linky! Then follow Spot #4 which is the featured blog of the week! After that, follow as many Mommy Blogs on the linky as you want... remember, the more you visit, the more visits you'll receive in return!

Remember: If you have a Self-Hosted Wordpress blog and are unable to connect with GFC, please detail, in your Title on the Linky, how you prefer other bloggers to connect with you!

We would LOVE it if you’d grab our button and put it somewhere on your blog or in a blog post! This would help us spread the word. However, you aren’t required to. This week's featured blog is... Stacy Uncorked After 20+ years in the Corporate World and years of infertility, I welcomed a Miracle Baby, became a SAHM and love every minute of it. We have an eclectic mix of pets which include dogs, cats, birds and fish. I love to cook and try new techniques to turn ordinary into extraordinary. Crafty by nature, I tend to take on a lot of unique projects and enjoy seeing the end result. My favorite, of course, is making my own wine. I blog about the joys of parenting, family, friends, life, love and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Summer Blog Challenge Day 24! {Favorite Eco-Friendly Thing To Do!}

This one is easy! My favorite eco-friendly thing to do is:

Cloth Diaper!!

Summer Blog Challenge Day 23! {Favorite Blog Post Before This Challenge!}

I'm a little late today but I'm finally getting a chance to sit and blog!

Today we have to share our favorite blog post before this challenge. I have quite a few that I love but I would probably say my favorite is a post I wrote on cloth diapers called "Cloth Diapers-Where to Begin?!" It's an informative post that I wrote not long after I started cloth diapering Noah when he was a baby. I always send it to my friends who are asking me about cloth diapering because it gives some good information!

Summer Blog Challenge Day 22! {When I Grow Up!}

Today we are to write about what we wanted to be when we grew up. 

The question for me is more like what did I NOT want to be?! I remember changing my mind about a million times growing up! The few that I stuck with for more than a week included being a lawyer, a surgeon, and a teacher. (I think I watched too much tv lol). I remember thinking I would be a good lawyer because I liked to argue. And then I wanted to be a brain surgeon for reasons I am not quite sure! My grandfather always called me his little scientist so maybe I thought surgeon was a good compromise! 


Then my plans moved to teacher. I would still love to be a teacher one day! I would love to go back to school and then start teaching around the time both my boys are in school! It's been a dream of mine for quite a while! Hopefully it will come true! 


What did you want to be when you grew up? 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 21! {Recent Words of Wisdom That Have Stuck With You}

My Mother-in-law shared this with me on Facebook and I think it is so right! Sometimes it's good to just let the house be messy and cuddle with our sweet family! 

Baby Babu One-Size Pocket Diaper Giveaway!! {US Only!}

It's time for my monthly Baby Babu giveaway! Yep, you read that right..Baby Babu is giving away one pocket diaper a month on my blog! How awesome is that?! If you haven't checked out my review of the Baby Babu one-size cloth diaper check it out HERE!

Buy It!

http://babybabu.com/

Win It!

One lucky reader will win a Baby Babu one-size pocket diaper in their choice of available color or print! 

Just fill out the easy Rafflecopter form below to enter! Do one entry or all!

Summer Blog Challenge Day 20! {A Photo of You As A Child!}

Here I am at on my first birthday!

Here I am at 16 years old right before my Junior Prom!

Summer Blog Challenge Day 19! {Some Things You are Proud of From the Last Few Days!}

Today's Topic: Name some things you are proud of from the last few days.

Ok, so this may sound extremely pathetic, but it makes me proud. I am a stay-at-home mom and have been since Noah was born. BUT Brian has also only worked weekends (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) since Noah was about 2 months old. So he's usually home four days a week, every week. So I have lots of help with the kiddos. Well now that Brian is training for his new job he's working Monday through Friday like most people, which also means I am full time stay-at-home mom all by myself with the kiddos all day now.

What makes me proud is that I am handling it well so far. I have a lot of fun activities planned to get us out of the house and so the boys can still enjoy the summer even though daddy isn't around as much. When Isaac was first born until just recently I was scared to get out of the house with both boys alone. Trying to keep a toddler and an infant happy while trying to shop or whatever just scared me to death. But now I am over that and plan to get out of the house a lot while hubby is working! Like I said, kind of pathetic, but I'm proud of myself.

Today we are taking a trip to the park to play and maybe a picnic! Should be fun!These two can't be that hard to keep happy right?! (Don't let their sweet faces fool you!)

 If you are a stay-at-home mom what kind of things do you do to keep the kiddos happy and occupied?

Mommy Talk Tuesday! {Mommy Friends!}

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Welcome back to Mommy Talk Tuesday! 


This week's topic is: Mommy Friends! How important is it to have fellow mommy friends? What are ways you have made mommy friends? What do you do about other moms who are judgmental towards your parenting style or try to push their parenting thoughts on you? 

I think finding mommy friends to hang out with, talk with, and relate to is so important! But finding true, genuine, friends is not always very easy! I have made a lot of my mommy friends through mommy groups, other mommy friends, and church. 

Mommy groups are great but there's so many different types of moms involved it's harder to find close friends. At least in my experiences. I have actually had  some bad experiences with mommy groups..because lets face it, some women love drama. One of my closest mommy friends I met through another mommy friend! So that's always a nice and easy way to meet mamas. And then I've also made a few good mommy friends at church! 

It's pretty inevitable that you will meet other moms and parents who do things differently that you. Whether it's breastfeeding, formula feeding, or co-sleeping... there will be things that you do that other parents don't or that other parents don't agree with. And some parents can be super judgmental or hurtful when it comes to stuff like this. I don't waste my time with people like this. The way I see things is "to each his/her own". As long I see that the child is being taken care of and provided for, I try not to judge and I keep my nose in my own business. And those who don't do that, I just don't bother with. 

Share your thoughts on making mommy friends and judgmental mommies by leaving a comment or writing a blog post and linking up! 

**This is not just a blog hop! Please do not link up unless you have posted on the specific topic!**

Next Week's Topic is: Free and Cheap Summer Activities!! 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 18! {A Recipe You Love!}

If I need a yummy side to go with some pork chops or a roast or anything really, this is my go-to recipe!! 


Crockpot Mac and Cheese!

• 2 cups elbow noodles
• 
  
• 4 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces)
• 
  
• 2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese 
• 
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 
  
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 
  
• 1 cup milk
• 
  
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 
  
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Boil macaroni in 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until almost tender, about 5 minutes. 


Drain, set aside

In a medium saucepan mix butter and cheese, stir until cheese melts

In slow cooker, combine cheese and butter mixture, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard, 


and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again.

Set slow cooker to low setting and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

It is so yummy and creamy!!! Perfect side for any meal! 

Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop!

Are you a Mommy blogger?

Do you blog about your kids?

Do you blog about great things for Mommies?

Do you wanna meet other Mom Bloggers?

To participate in the Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop, the rules are super simple! All we ask is that you follow the 3 Co-Hosts: The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom, Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green… the first three blogs on the linky! Then follow Spot #4 which is the featured blog of the week! After that, follow as many Mommy Blogs on the linky as you want... remember, the more you visit, the more visits you'll receive in return!

Remember: If you have a Self-Hosted Wordpress blog and are unable to connect with GFC, please detail, in your Title on the Linky, how you prefer other bloggers to connect with you!

We would LOVE it if you’d grab our button and put it somewhere on your blog or in a blog post! This would help us spread the word. However, you aren’t required to

Summer Blog Challenge Day 17! {Personality!}

Today's topic: Three things about your personality that you are proud of. 


1. I like to help others. I have a helpful heart I guess you could say. Whether it's volunteering at church or babysitting for a friend I like to help out. 


2. I try to see the good in everyone. I'm not sure if this is something I should be proud of or not but I am. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and I try to find the good in everyone. Now, once I try and someone breaks my trust or proves to me they are not good and trustworthy I don't waste my time with them. But until that happens I choose to accept everyone for who they are and see their good side instead of their flaws. 


3.I'm outgoing. I'm not usually shy and I usually don't have a hard time talking to people. I like to enjoy myself and make friends and be around people. I used to be a lot more outgoing when I was younger. You could almost say I was a bit of a flirt but getting married and having kiddos has calmed me down. ;)

Summer Blog Challenge Day 16! {Fitness!}

Today's topic for the challenge is fitness! Are you a couch potato or a fitness guru? 


I would say I'm right in between the two. I'm not a super fitness guru but I like to try to exercise when I have the chance. I have been kind of busy (lazy) lately, but after I had Isaac I was doing really well! I was doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and also going to a Zumba class. I lost all the baby weight and then some! I was feeling great! 


It's been about a month since I've done any kind of exercise other than taking walks so I really need to get back in to it. I also have gained 2 pounds...which is no good at all! So today's topic has really inspired me to get back at it and start working out again. I'm going to start going back to my Zumba class and doing some sort of workout at home on the days that  I don't have the class. Hopefully I can stick with it this time! 


Do you workout? How do you stay motivated and stick with it? Share with me! 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 15! {A Photo You Took That You're Proud Of}

Today for the challenge we are to post a photo we took that we are proud of.

This is a picture of Isaac nursing. I'm not a good photographer in the least and this is actually a picture I took on my phone. But I think this photo is absolutely beautiful. I love his beautiful blue eyes and how sweet he looks nursing. It's just beautiful and I'm proud of it.

Summer Blog Challenge Day 13! {Where You See Yourself by the End of the Year!}

Today we are writing about where we see ourselves by the end of the year! 


This is great timing because I can finally announce that my husband got a promotion at work! He is now training to be a manager! So by the end of the year I see us a little better off financially which is great! Hopefully now we can start saving for a bigger vehicle and purchase one early next year! It will just be nice to have that little extra room in our budget. And besides all that his work schedule is awesome!! 


I will also have 3.5 year old and a 1(omg!) year old at the end of the year! I can't hardly believe that! I can't believe my big boy is already 3 and my little boy is almost 7 months old! Time just flies!! 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 12! {Worst Injury!}

Today we have to write about our worst injury ever and how we got it.

So here's the thing, I'm kinda lame. I was a careful little girl growing up and I never did anything to crazy or adventurous. I never broke any bones or cracked any ribs. So my worst injury ever would probably only be when I was in high school at band practice and I sprained my knee running back to my spot. I did have to go to the doctor and get an x-ray to make sure I didn't break or tear anything but it was just a sprain and I just had to stay off of it for a few days and then I was good to go! It still hurts occasionally when I run or climb something but it's not anything serious. Like I said...Lame.

Mommy Talk Tuesday! {Best and Worst Baby Items!}

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Welcome back to Mommy Talk Tuesday!! 

This week's topic is: Best and Worst Baby Items! Which items are you SO glad you spent the money on or received as a gift and what items were not worth it and didn't get used? 

So here's my list:

Best Baby Items:

1. Boppy- Even if you're not nursing this thing is a must have! It's great for having under baby while you're holding him/her and sore from childbirth. It's great for propping baby up after a feeding or setting baby in for a second when you have to go pee or grab some food! And it's even great for doing tummy time with baby! 

2. Swing- Baby swings aren't the cheapest must have items but I think they are well worth the money! They are great for putting baby in to let him/her sleep, or to swing while you tend to an older child or to the house. Baby's love them too! 

3. Nipple Butter- This was a must have for me since I am breastfeeding! Those first two weeks are pretty rough when it comes to nursing! I don't care what anyone says, there will be pain! Even if your baby latches perfectly, your nipples have to adjust to being sucked raw every two hours! So nipple cream was a lifesaver for me and such a relief to my sore nipples! 

4. Wrap or Carrier- This is essential to me, especially with an infant and a toddler! It is so much easier to wear baby so I can be hands free to help out my 3 year old when need be! It's so nice to be able to wear Isaac and have free hands to hold hands with Noah when we are out and about! A wrap or a carrier is a must for me!

Worst or Unnecessary Baby Items:

1. Bumbo- I know a lot of mamas love these things but not me. They are supposed to help your baby sit even before they can actually sit up on their own and they have a cool little tray and seem really cool. I never had one for Noah and he sat up on his own at 4 months old. With Isaac I just HAD to have one so I bought one used for $25 (they are almost $40 new!!!) and used it for maybe a month. Isaac didn't like it at all and always tried to wiggle out of it. It's just not worth the money to me.

2. Wipes Warmer- Had one, used it like twice then realized it was too much trouble and just not worth it. If the wipe is really cold I warm it between my hands for a second before I put it on baby's bum. It's a simple as that.

3. Socks! When Isaac was a newborn I just put him in footed sleepers all the time to make sure he was warm. Socks never fit right and never stayed on so they were/are worthless to me!

Share your list of best and worst baby items by commenting below or writing a blog post and linking the post up below! 

**This is not just a blog hop! Please do not link up unless you have posted on the specific topic!**

Next week's topic is : Mommy Friends! How important is it to have fellow mommy friends? What are ways you have made mommy friends? What do you do about other moms who are judgmental towards your parenting style or try to push their parenting thoughts on you? 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 11! {Best Day of Your Life!}

Today we are supposed to write about the best day of our life. This is seriously a tough one. Simply because it's a tie between this day....

This one...

Or This one....

I suppose if I had to choose just one, I would choose my wedding day. Because falling in love with my husband and marrying him is how the other two little men in my life came to be. They are all so important to me and these three days are by far the best three days of my life. But without my amazing husband my life wouldn't be complete! Love you Brian! (Just in case you read my blog lol!)