Signed up for a Breastfeeding Class!

I just signed Brian and I up for a Breastfeeding Class at the hospital I'm going to deliver at! I breastfed Noah but only for 4.5 months, so I feel like I could really benefit from this! I sure hope so at least! Did you take a breastfeeding class or course? Was it very helpful?! Give me your thoughts! I'm excited and hope I learn a lot! :)

Wordless Wednesday! 31 Weeks!

Exciting stuff is a'comin!

I'm getting excited for the coming months! I love this time of year! Festivals, cooler weather, pumpkin patches, trick or treating, yummy treats..I could go on and on!  And not only is it a perfect time of year, but our baby boy will be here very soon too!

But besides all that this is a great time of year to be part of the blogging world! Lot's of events and giveaways going on this time of the year! Fun stuff!

As I've said before I'm participating in the Made with Love Giveaway Hop in November!  I have some really awesome sponsors lined up for this event! Each prize package will total in value of at least $25 and I have prizes set up for mommy, baby, and family! It's going to be great!!

Another event I am excited about is the Merry Fluffy Christmas event! I participated in this last year and it was a huge success and so much fun! It's December 1-5 so I won't be participating since I will have a brand spankin' new baby, but there are going to be some awesome blogs participating with some great giveaways as well!!

If your participating in a blog event happening in the next few months please feel free to share and as I learn of new one's I'll post about them!! So excited for the next few months!!

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?

This blog hop is hosted by The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom, Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green!

Rules to Hop?

All we ask is that you follow the 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! 


Please be sure to follow Luxury Living Frugal Style even if you have before!! She had some google issues and lost all her GFC followers! :( 

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.
Be sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!

This week's featured blog is...

You Are the Roots

So ...Change of Plans!

So I think I posted on here a while ago that I wasn't planning on using cloth diapers during the "newborn" stage or right from the beginning with Isaac. I had started to stock up on Pampers Swaddlers and have quite a few boxes under the bed in the nursery. But now that Noah's potty trained I haven't got to use cloth diapers since June and I'll admit I am seriously having cloth diaper withdrawals!

So just randomly out of the blue, I have decided I am going to give newborn cloth diapering a try! I'm not going to pressure myself to do it and if it's too much and I get overwhelmed I do have a nice stockpile of disposables to use, but I just have fluffy fever and want to give it a try! I've purchased some BG newborn AIOs and some Grovia newborn AIOs and I have some Fuzzibunz one-size as well as a whole array of one-sized diapers from Noah to use. I plan on getting some prefolds and covers to try also.

I've become all cloth obsessed again and have been buying diapers like crazy lately! (Thank heaven for birthday money!) But I still don't know much about newborn cloth diapering. So if you have cloth diapered a newborn or very young infant, I want to hear from you!! Give me your best advice, tell me your favorite diapers, tell me what was the hardest about it!  I want to hear anything you have to tell me about cloth diapering a newborn! I'm all ears and eager to learn! :)

Farm Rich Snacks and Appetizers Review and Giveaway! (2 Winners!)

What mom doesn't love to give their kids a yummy, wholesome snack that is super easy to fix too?!  Well Farm Rich snacks and appetizers are just that! There are 17 flavors of Farm Rick snacks and appetizers including Mozerella Cheese Sticks, Mozerella Bites, Philly Cheese Steaks, and Pizza Slices! 

I was given the opportunity to review one item from Farm Rich and I chose the Mozerella Bites! The mozerella bites are made 100% real mozerella cheese and have a pizza dough like crust surrounding the cheese! They can be heated in the oven or microwaved and they are super yummy! Brian, Noah, and I have all tried these and love them! They are the perfect little snack for those afternoon munchies and they are a great source of calcium and protein! 

I love that Farm Rich snacks come in such a big variety and are super easy and convenient! They come in big, resealable bags so you can cook and eat however many you want and then stick the rest back in the freezer! They are a great snack for anyone in the family or even for entertaining guests!! 

Buy It!

Go HERE to find a retailer near you! 

Win It!

Two lucky readers will win one coupon for a FREE Farm Rich product! 

A Letter From Mommy

Dear Noah,


So your going to be a big brother in just a few short months. I know you didn't really ask to be a big brother, or have any choice at all in that matter, but I want you to know mommy and daddy love you just the same. And we always will. When we decided we wanted to add another child to our family, you were a big deciding factor in if and when we would be. Your daddy, who absolutely adores you, worried that you would feel left out or that you actually would get left out in the midst of a new baby. But me, being selfish and thinking about myself, was convinced all would be well and you'd be happy to be a big brother, and of course you wouldn't feel left out!


But now that a new baby is actually on the way, I find myself second guessing everything. I am beyond excited to add a new member to our family, but I do worry about you. When I was pregnant with you I was worried about how I would be as a mother, and if I would know what to do. This time my biggest fear is how you will react to having a new baby in the family. I want the change to be as easy as possible for you, although I know its going to be a huge change for all of us. I want you to know that mommy and daddy love you just the same as we always have and that will never change. I don't want you to feel like you are left out or forgotten because we are super busy with the baby who cries a lot and has to eat a lot and who keeps mommy and daddy awake at night. We may be grumpy at times once the baby comes, and we may get irritated at each other or even at you, but that doesn't mean we love you any less. You are our world and no matter what changes occur in our lives you will always be our world.


I pray every night for you and your brother and I pray that you two will get along great and be best friends throughout your whole life. I know things might be tough at first, and heck, you might not even like your new brother very much when he gets here but just hang in there and we'll get through those first few months together. And before you know it, he'll be able to run around and play with you..I promise!


Once again, mommy and daddy love you. I can't say that enough! And while you can't understand this now, I will do everything in my power to help you understand the changes that will happen and to make sure you know every day how much we love you and how special you are to us.


Love you always and forever,


Mommy

I'm linking up over at Things I Can't Say for Pour Your Heart Out. Come check it out!

Tree Huggin' Baby Event!

There are going to be lots of baby related reviews and giveaways over at The Tree Huggin' Mama! The event started yesterday and is going to feature all types of baby products including FLUFF! The event is a celebration of the arrival of her new baby boy! So go check it out and enter some great giveaways!!

Motherlove Pregnant Belly Oil Review & Giveaway!

Being pregnant has its perks and has its downsides. It's a very exciting time for a woman, but its also a time when her body is constantly changing. Motherlove is a company that helps mothers discover the bond between motherhood and mother earth through their herbal care products. These products are for mothers during pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and even for baby!  Their products for mother and baby are organic and pure and trusted by healthcare professionals and mothers all over! Their More Milk Plus is the best-selling breastfeeding supplement in the United States!

I was given the opportunity to review the Pregnant Belly Oil from Motherlove. This is an all natural oil lightly scented with lavender and chamomile that can be used to reduce stretch marks and relieve irritating itch from your skin stretching. Pregnant Belly Oil has zero toxins and includes ingredients like apricot oil, marshmallow root, and lavender oil. This oil is not only great for mommy's growing belly and breasts but also gentle enough to use on baby when he/she comes!

I am very lucky to not get stretch marks with my pregnancies ( you have no idea how thankful I am for that) so I can't vouch for how well this works on preventing or reducing stretch marks, but I do get terribly itchy belly from my skin stretching! It started at like 10 weeks and I've pretty much been itchy ever since! No fun! Since receiving the Pregnant Belly Oil, I rub it on almost daily! Anytime I start to get itchy I can rub this oil on my belly and the itch is relieved immediately! I really enjoy the light scent of the oil too. It's not too strong but smells super nice. I also really like that the oil isn't super sticky or heavy so even if I have my regular every day clothes on I can just rub some on my belly and go about my day without having to wait forever for it to dry, or worrying about it getting all over my clothes. It helps the itchy's so much!! I am so thankful to have found something to provide me some relief! Because like I said, pregnancy is definitely exciting, but it has its setbacks too, and itchy belly is definitely one for me!

The Pregnant Belly Oil comes in a 4oz bottle for only $19.95! I know for a fact, even using daily, this bottle will last your entire pregnancy and probably well after baby is born! So its a great value and very well worth it in my opinion!

(Be on the lookout for another Motherlove review after baby boy gets here!)

Buy It!

Find a local retailer HERE or order online! http://www.motherlove.com/SFNT.html 

Win It!

One lucky winner will win one product of their choice from Motherlove Herbal Company!! 

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?

This blog hop is hosted by The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom,Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green!

Rules to Hop?

All we ask is that you follow the 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! 

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.
Be sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!

This week's featured blog is...

Hi there, my name is Robin and I'm Masshole Mommy!  Urban Dictionary defines a masshole as “For residents of Massachusetts, it is an achieved title for drving faster, being wreckless, cutting other drivers off often, and having no patience for other drivers on the road”.  I'm the mom of three boys, a Disney fanatic, a scrapbooker, a lover of all things paranormal and I enjoy exploring New England with my family!

Another Great Way to Save Money!

So  if you've been following my blog for a while you know I love to save money and I love to use coupons! I try to be frugal in almost every aspect of my life so when I find a great deal I jump on it! I absolutely love fall because that's when the YARD SALES pop up every weekend! As well as fun fall festivals and consignment sales! So one thing I love to do is hit up the yard sales and festivals early on Saturday mornings and usually can find some great deals!

Today I scored big time! We actually have a really big flea market near us so my mother-in-law and I stopped there first. I was on the lookout for some winter clothes for Noah since he's grown out of almost everything from last year! I was not finding anything at first and getting really frustrated, but then I came across a booth with tons of nice jeans and shirts all in Noah's size! And the best part...the woman was selling them for only a quarter each!! So I got about 16 articles of clothing for under $5!!  I also came across some baby clothes for Isaac that were in really good condition for only $.50 each! So both Noah and Isaac got some really great clothes for super cheap!

We then moved on to a fall festival here in the area and a consignment shop was having a half off sale. I was able to find an Eddie Bauer stroller in checkered blue..in great condition...for only $7.50!! Those are not cheap new! So I was so excited! We've been needing a new stroller because the one we had for Noah is horrible to try to push around! This one rolls so easily!

So if your not opposed to buying used, yard sales and consignments are a great way to save money! Most of the time you can find items in really good condition for a steal of a price!

Fluffy Friday Fun!

I'm linking up with Lindsey over at So Easy Being Green today for Fluffy Friday! She's showing off her stash and created a linky so you can show of yours too! So I thought, what better time to show off the stash I have for Isaac! Noah's 95% potty trained (still uses diapers at night and naps) so he doesn't use cloth anymore, but I kept almost all of the one size diapers I had for him and have also purchased some smaller diapers for when baby Isaac is brand new! 

Here's a pic of my stash!! Lots of colors! As you can see a few slightly girly colors from before I knew if I was having a boy or a girl, but heck...I'm sure Isaac can rock a purple diaper just fine! hehe! 


Broken down here's what I have:

• 5 Sunbabies 
• 1 Kawaii Pure and Natural
• 1 Go Green Pocket Diaper
• 2 Fuzzibunz Perfect Size Small
• 2 BumGenius AIO's Small
• 3 Fuzzibunz One Size
• 4 Tiny Tush Elite
• 5 Smartipants
• 2 Rockabitty Baby
• 2 Kawaii Heavy Wetter One Size
• 1 Monkey Doodlez Tuck N Go
• 11 Small Prefolds

That's 39 diapers!! I had no idea I had accumulated that many! Most are from Noah, and some I have purchased for Isaac and a few I've received to review for the blog :) I think baby boy is gonna be set with diapers! Which will save us so much money! I'm so excited to use fluff again! 

If you want to write a blog post about your stash, feel free to go link up at So Easy Being Green to show off your stash too! 

More Pictures!

I am overloading you with pictures this week! We did some painting in Isaac's room and have some furniture in their finally!! Here's a few pictures! More to come as we get more done!

Crib minus bedding :) 

crib with twin bed for late night nursing sessions (Noah though it was his bed lol) 

Dresser

The changing table is where the mess has accumulated lol! 

Maternity Photo Shoot- 28 Weeks!

I had a friend of mine take a few maternity shot's of me last week at 28 weeks and 4 days! She's just starting out with photography but I think she did an amazing job! Here's a few of my favorites!

Newborn Necessities Book Review & Giveaway! CLOSED!

Newborn Necessities by Jennifer Cigale is a book for new parents that makes life just a little bit easier!!

This book is a book of guidelines and easy to use charts to document some very important things in your newborns day- their feedings and diaper changes!! The author, Jennifer Cigale, is a mom of two who developed these easy charts when she was a new mother. She started sharing them with friends and has now created this awesome book for everyone to benefit from! 

I received this book to review and I must say I think this is genius! I remember when Noah was born the hospital gave us a sheet of paper with a chart to document feedings and diaper changes but it was only one sheet of paper that only lasted about 3 days. Which was the course of our stay in the hospital. So when we got home I didn't really have anything to keep track of his feedings and changes unless I remembered to write it down on my own sheet of paper, which when you have a newborn, memory pretty much goes down the drain. This book is compact so it can fit into the diaper bag and it's a nice bright yellow so I will always see it and remember to write down baby Isaac's feedings and diaper changes! 

Another thing I love about this book is the guidelines at the beginning! I know these are going to be super helpful when Isaac is born! The guidelines tell you the expected intake and output your baby should be having from his/her birthday till they are seven days old! So this way you can check this and if it seems like your baby is making less wet diapers than expected you can give your doctor a call to figure out what might be the problem! Great peace of mind for new parents! I know I was such a worry wart with Noah those first few days, so this will be a great help with baby Isaac! 

Buy It!

http://newbornnecessities.tateauthor.com/

Win It!

One lucky reader will win their own copy of the "Newborn Necessities" book!

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?

This blog hop is hosted by The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom,Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green!

Rules to Hop?

All we ask is that you follow the 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! 

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.
Be sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!

This week's featured blog is...

According To Jenny

Hi! My name is Jenny and I write a blog called, "According to Jenny." I'm a former Social Worker turned SAHM! I received my Masters in Social Work a few weeks before giving birth to my son, Grady. I was previously working as a Therapist for children with autism, as a Social Worker in a dialysis unit, and volunteering at a free clinic helping people apply for assistance. Very busy! Now, I'm enjoying my days with my son, who will be 15 months old, and finding my way along a natural parenting path (breastfeeding, babywearing, cosleeping, cloth diapers, etc.). On the blog, you'll find posts detailing our every day life and lots of cute pictures, with some reviews and giveaways coming soon! 

I'm such a bore these days!

I feel like if I don't have a review or giveaway to post, I'm a bore. Our life is pretty boring right now. Which is totally ok with me since I know in a few months the chaos will begin. We signed Noah up for a Mother's Morning Out program! That's about the only interesting thing going on right now! We figure it'll help me out these last few weeks of my pregnancy and especially when baby Isaac gets here. It might be a nice break to Noah too since he'll have to deal with a crying newborn a lot too!

I promise I have some fun things lined up for the blog! Lot's of reviews and giveaways! Plus the Made with Love event coming in November! That's going to be huge! And I know once baby boy gets here I'll have lots to talk about - from my sleep deprivation to life with two kiddos! So hang in there with me for now! I mean, I am 29 weeks pregnant! If I had my choice I'd be sleeping all day! hehe!

My Ideal Birth Experience {In a Perfect World}

So all the books and websites tell you to write up a birth plan of how you want things to go during your labor and delivery when your pregnant. I guess since I'm nearing the single digit countdown I've been thinking about this a lot lately. But I'm not oblivious to the fact that most  some of the time things just don't go as planned. They sure didn't with Noah and I don't expect everything to go as planned with Isaac either. So all I can do is pray that everything goes well, and that he is born healthy and without any complications.

BUT....

If I did get to decide exactly how everything went during the labor and delivery this would be my ideal birth experience..

First I need to share a little bit of my birth experience with Noah. At 37 weeks my blood pressure started to creep up higher and higher. At 38 weeks they sent me home with a jug to pee in for 24 hours to check for protein in my urine and test for preeclampsia. They told me if I got a headache that wouldn't go away with Tylenol or if I started seeing spots or feeling shaky to call them right away. And I was to take it easy and rest!  Well the very next morning I woke up with a headache and Tylenol wouldn't touch it. I also started seeing spots. So I call them and they tell me to come in to check my bp. It was sky high!! So they sent me straight to the hospital to be induced! It was a long 22 hours of labor! My epidural stopped working right when contractions were one on top of each other, and it took them nearly an hour to get another one back (they kept poking me in the wrong spot!). I was hungry, exhausted, sick to my stomach, and in a lot of pain the whole time. Not the best birth experience. But Noah was born very healthy at 6lbs 4oz!

My number one prayer this time around is that I do NOT get preeclampsia. My doctor told me I have a 5% chance of getting it again, so I'm hoping it doesn't come back to haunt me!  Ideally this time around I would love to go into labor naturally. I would love to be able to labor at home for part of the time instead of being in the hospital for who knows how long, hooked up to machines and hardly able to move. When contractions get to be 4 or 5 minutes apart of course we'd head to the hospital. I'm a huge wuss when it comes to pain, but I've also heard contractions aren't near as bad when they are natural instead of pitocin induced, so maybe/hopefully I could do it all without an epidural. Ideally (of course) the whole labor process wouldn't take 22 hours again, and I could meet my sweet boy within a few hours of getting to the hospital.Ideally, I won't tear this time and have to deal with painful stitches!  Ideally, both Isaac and I would be healthy and we could both leave within a day or two, without having to stay for 3 days after the birth to monitor my blood pressure. Ideally little man will latch right on to my breast and breast feeding will be easy breezy!

I have big dreams huh?! I know this will probably not be the way things go. But I do pray every day that pre-e stays far away and that I can at least let me body go into labor naturally without being induced. Prayer is powerful so maybe God will grant me this wish.

(Just a disclaimer: I will be perfectly fine with being induced if there is a medical reason to need to be, such as pre-e. Just hoping there isn't a medical reason to be. )

One of those Days!

I woke up this morning feeling so happy and optimistic. I was just in a super good mood and ready for the day. I needed an eye exam (because Noah broke my glasses) so I made an appointment for that and I also had a dentist appointment for a cleaning this afternoon. So Brian was ok with watching Noah at home today so I could get my appointments done child free.

Eye appointment went well, besides the fact that my eyes are getting worse! (Guess I'm getting old!) So then I call Brian to see if him and Noah want to meet me for lunch since I have a few hours before I have to go to the dentist. Well he's not in a good mood (something about a bill) and declines. So I'm like fine, I'll just go to Hobby Lobby and waste some time and look for cute things for Isaac's room. Well on my way to Hobby Lobby I got in a little fender bender! Nobody was hurt and there was  very minimal damage to our cars. But I was still pretty shaken up by it. I hate wrecks and haven't been in one since high school. And it's my fault because I was trying to switch lanes and was too close to the guy letting me over. (Boo on me). I feel like a big fat loser.

So my optimistic, happy mood is all gone now and I'm tired and irritated and just ready for the day to be over. Hubby is still in a crappy mood, but Noah's being fairly (sorta) sweet, so that's good. I just hate days like this. I should have just stayed in my pjs at home today!!

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?

This blog hop is hosted by The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom,Luxury Living Frugal Style, and So Easy Being Green!

Rules to Hop?

All we ask is that you follow the 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! 

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.
Be sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!

This week's featured blog is...

2 Is Purrfect

My name is Jennifer and i am a stay at home mother of two wonderful children. My kids are ages 5 years and 2 years old, the 5 year old just started kindergarten last week. I have been married to my wonderful husband for almost 6 years and have no plans as far as anniversary goes, for this year yet! I enjoy being a stay at home mom but sometimes wish it were easier to get back into the job market, I have been slowly applying for jobs the last couple of years. Since i haven't worked for 5 1/2 years no one wants to hire me...i'm fine with being at home but my husband would like to pursue our goal of building a bigger house in the future. I started writing my blog to keep friends and family informed with what was going on with Tyler's health and specialists appointments. Then it turned in to a blog where i host reviews and giveaways for businesses that aren't known to most people to help them get the word out! I've slowed down recently since i've been potty training the two year old and concentrating on trying to make the transition with having a child in school full time. My life is exhausting sometimes but I definitely would not change one thing about my life or family, I love it all!

Hello Third Trimester!

I'm 28 weeks! (Well tomorrow according to my Dr) I am so glad to finally be almost there! I'm feeling pretty good for 28 weeks I think. I don't have as much energy as I did, and I get achy really easily, but that's all to be expected. I'm sure it'll only get worse as the weeks go by.

My biggest fear is developing Preeclampsia again. I developed it at 37 weeks with Noah and had to have an emergency induction at 38 weeks. My doctor says I have about a 5% chance of getting it again, so I'm praying that other 95% chance is in my favor!

We haven't done much with Isaac's room yet. The crib and changing table are up but we still need to paint and arrange things. I'm hoping we can get started on that this week!

Don't worry, I'll keep ya'll updated with lots of pictures!  And just because, here's a family shot from last week at the beach! We had a blast!