Mom Blog Monday Blog Hop!

Happy Halloween! 

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...

Two Little Cavaliers

My name is Felissa I am 32 years old and live in Miami, Florida with my two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Davinia and Indiana. I started writing Two Little Cavaliers in February 2010. We have had the opportunity to live all over the world including Florida, New York, Germany, and Hong Kong which we loved. Our blog is about everything dog -- news, reviews, coupons, cooking, and having fun.

Savvy Rest-Savvy Dog Bed Giveaway!

Did you catch my review of my dog Lexi's awesome new organic pet bed from Savvy Rest? If not check it out HERE! 

I am so excited to bring you a giveaway from Savvy Rest!! One lucky reader will win a Savvy Rest Organic Bed Bed in black, just like the one I received for my dog! 

Lexi on her Organic Pet Bed!

Facebook Fun for New Year, New Babies, New Mommies of 2!!

So if you didn't see my post on Facebook this morning here's some details on another fun part of New Year, New Babies, New Mommies of 2 that Lindsey and I are planning!!



Lindsey and I have come up with yet another angle to this huge blog Event and it's going to be a Facebook Style Giveaway!  If you're like me, I love these types of giveaways and they are getting fewer and farther in between as it's hard to adhere to the Facebook rules.  Well, we've got an idea of how to do just this AND bring you some fabulous prizes, in addition to the great prizes that we'll be reviewing and giving away on our blogs during the entire month of January! I hope you're excited! Interested in being a Facebook Giveaway Sponsor?  Here are the details:

• Prizes must fit into the categories of items that would be great for New Mama's or New Babies!  You can get creative with this... but we just don't want prizes that don't fit into the Event at all.
• Prizes must have a minimum Retail Value of $10.00.
• We are looking to have about 25 Giveaway Prizes in this Album and will close the sign-ups when we reach this number... so sign up fast if you want to be sure to grab a spot!
• No review will be provided or conducted, as a Sponsor you'll simply supply a Giveaway Item to 1 or more Winners.
• The only requirements for readers to enter the giveaways will be to: {1} Like the Sponsor's Facebook Page, {2} Like the SEBG & The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a Second Time Mom's Facebook Pages.  This is a fabulous way to bump up your Facebook Numbers!

If you're ready to sign up, please fill out this Sponsorship Form.  If you have more questions, you can email me at: mommyferg02@gmail.com!

While we're on the subject, want to see a couple more sponsors that have confirmed for the Blog Event, here on The Not-So-Secret Confessions?  Yeah, I thought you might!

The Holidays are almost here!! Shutterfly Holiday Greeting Cards Giveaway! (3 Winners!)

I was never big on Christmas cards before having a family. I liked receiving them but never really sent them. But now that I am a mom and have a family I LOVE to send out Christmas cards to all my friends and family! I especially love sending photo cards so I can share photos of my sweet little family! Shutterfly has been my go-to shop for Christmas cards as well as many other occasions!

Shutterfly holiday cards come in so many varieties and styles! You can choose from Christmas photo cards with just one photo, or many photos! You can get cards in all different sizes and you can decide if you want it to be just one sheet or a folded sheet! I like to have a few photos on our Christmas card, which is usually a big ordeal because I can never decide which photos I want to use! Last year we used the photos from our fall family pictures!

Some of my favorites from this year's collection are :

It's going to be so hard to decide which card to choose for our pictures this year! There are so many to choose from! I am very excited to send out Christmas cards this year because we'll have a brand new addition to the family  in the pictures! It's going to be great! And with a Shutterfly holiday card I know it's going to be a great Christmas card!

Need some gift ideas for the holidays? You can also make photo calendars and photo gifts on Shutterfly! These gifts add such a personal touch and will create great memories!

Giveaway!!

THREE lucky readers will win 25 FREE holiday cards from Shutterfly! (in the form of an online promo code) 

Baby Bump Link Up!!

I know I have LOTS of fellow pregnant mamas out there who read my blog so I thought I'd do something fun and create a linky so we can all show off our pregnant bellies! I love seeing cute little baby bumps! So blog about how far along you are with a picture of your baby bump and then add it to the linky!

Here I am last week at 34 weeks 3 days!

Let's see those bumps!!! (Feel free to grab the linky and post it to your blog as well!) 

Updated Stash Shot!

So I think I have Isaac's cloth diaper stash pretty much completed! A lot of the one size dipes are saved from when I cloth diapered Noah but I also got some newborn diapers and prefolds with covers to try during the newborn stage. I am a tad bit nervous about newborn diapering but I'm excited to give it a try!! So here's an updated stash shot!

Here's a breakdown of what I have: 

• 11 newborn prefolds
• 20 Infant prefolds
• 1 Thirsties x-small cover
• 1 Thirsties Duo Wrap size one
• 3 Rumparooz One-Size Covers
• 1 Lil Joey 
• 2 GroVia Newborn AIOs
• 2 BumGenius Newborn AIOs
• 5 Ebay One-Size pockets
• 3 Fuzzibunz One-Size pockets
• 2 Fuzzibunz Small pockets
• 2 BumGenius Small pockets
• 1 Kawaii One-Size pockets
• 1 Go Green Pocket Diaper One-Size
• 5 Smartipants One-Size pockets
• 4 Tiny Tush Elite One-Size pockets
• 1 Bummis Easy Fit One-Size pockets
• 2 Rockabitty Baby One-Size pockets

That's a lot of dipes but I feel sure he will grow out of a lot of the newborn ones and prefolds pretty quick! Any suggestions on a diaper I should add to my stash?? Some of these I will be reviewing for the New Year, New Baby, New Mommies of 2 Event!! I'm super excited to give them a try! 

Savvy Rest-Savvy Doggy Bed Review!

Have you heard of Savvy Rest? They are a manufacturer of organic mattresses, pillows, and bedding. There goal is to provide you a mattress that is comfortable, non-toxic, and reliable!

Savvy Rest also manufactures and retails Organic Pet Beds! Because our pets need somewhere soft, comfortable, and safe to sleep too right?!

I was given the opportunity to review the Savvy Doggy pet bed for our lab mix Lexi! The Savvy Doggy bed is made of natural latex surrounded by organic cotton flannel to give you dog the best sleep he/she has ever had! It comes in Natural or Black colors, three different sizes (small,medium, and large), and solid or shredded latex core! You can also get a custom size for your pet if you have an especially large or small dog! I chose a medium shredded Savvy Dog bed in black for Lexi!

Lexi absolutely loves her bed! Seriously she's on it all day lately! Unless its time to eat, go to the bathroom, or play she's snoozing away on the Savvy Dog bed! So I feel sure that it is very comfortable! I love that the outer part has a zipper and comes off and is machine washable! Lexi sheds so its nice that I can clean it easily! I also love that her bed is non-toxic and organic so I don't have to worry! Because my dog is also my baby! She was my baby before Noah or Isaac both came along! I want her to be safe and healthy just like I do my boys! 

So whether its for you or your pet, Savvy Rest has a wide variety of comfortable, non-toxic, organic products to help you(or your pup!) the rest you need! 

Check out Savvy Rest on Facebook! 

Disclaimer: I was provided the Savvy Dog bed to review free of charge, and the thoughts expressed in this review are my own. 

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...

Scrap Project 365 

I have been crafting since I was a kid and love working on family scrapbooks, handmade cards and crochet. I started my blog as a way to keep track of everything I've done and have really love meeting new bloggers and checking out so many great inspirations!
I try to do something creative everyday whether it's from a written pattern or an original creation - it keeps me sane!

Fall is So Fun!

We went to the pumpkin patch today and my little man had a blast! Here's a few pics I wanted to share!

October is SIDS Awareness Month

Did you know that SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is the leading cause of death in babies age one month to one year old? According to the CDC, there are 4,600 Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths in the US alone each year. About half of those are determined to be SIDS, about 600 a non-SIDS/non-sleep related cause, and the rest are mostly sleep related.

The CJ Foundation and Aden+Anais have partnered up to bring awareness to these terrible tragedies and provide parents with information and recommend products to help prevent SIDS and protect our most precious possessions, our children.  The CJ Foundation's program Sleep in Safety, Grow in Style is designed to educate parents with positive information such as safe sleep practices and safe sleep environments for baby.


Aden+Anais  are leading partners in the Sleep in Safety, Grow in Style program and provide safe sleeping products such as their swaddles and sleeping bags. Swaddles promote good sleep on baby's back and sleeping bags are much safer than blankets or sheets because baby cannot pull the sleep sack over their face.

As a mother, I will be totally honest, this was one of my biggest fears and still is. SIDS is very scary and I cannot imagine losing my babies like that. It is a terrible tragedy to go through and I will do whatever it takes to try and prevent this from happening to my babies. If you are expecting or a new mother I highly suggest you do some research and take the steps to promote safe sleep for your baby and prevent SIDS if at all possible. 

Here are a few Safe Sleep Tips found on the Sleep in Safety, Grow in Style website: 

• Always lay your baby to sleep face up. 
• Remove all loose bedding, stuffed animals, blankets, bumpers, and pillows from crib. 
• Consider using a fan to increase air circulation in baby's room.
• Don't smoke while pregnant and never smoke near your baby. 
• Offer your baby a pacifier at all sleep times. 

These are just a few tips. Check out the website for all the tips and even a printable version to print out and hang up in baby's nursery! 

Important Websites: 

http://www.cjsids.org/

http://www.adenandanais.com/default.aspx

http://www.sleepinsafetygrowinstyle.org/index.html

CostumeSupercenter.com Review!

Have you decided what your going to be for Halloween this year? What about your kiddos?!  If not, I have a great place for you to find a costume! Costume Supercenter has a huge variety of costumes for adults and children!

I was given the opportunity to review a costume for Noah from Costume Supercenter and I let Noah pick out what he wanted to be this year. He choose the Tiger costume! They had so many kids Halloween costumes to choose from that it took us a while, but he loved the Tiger so that's what we chose! Right away I was pleased with Costume Supercenter because their website is so easy to browse their many costumes! Everything is sectioned in to categories so if your looking for something in particular it's easy to find! I also loved the size chart they had with each costume!  It made it very easy for me to figure out what size would fit Noah the best! And there's no beating the affordable prices!!

We received the costume within about 4 business days of it shipping! It was very exciting for both Noah and I! We took it out of the package and I let Noah try it on right away! He absolutely loved it! He ran around the house in his tiger costume for about an hour roaring and growling at us like a tiger! Needless to say, he is very excited about Halloween this year to show off his awesome tiger costume!! Here's a pic of my little tiger!

With so much to choose from you can find a costume for every member of the family on Costume Supercenter! Need some ideas for cute costumes this year? Visit Costume Supercenter for a HUGE variety of costumes for you and the whole family!

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge to review. I was not compensated for this review in any other way and the views and opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

What do you wear when your 9 months pregnant?!

So I'm not quite 9 months but I feel like it! I feel it's safe to say I'm bigger than I was with my first pregnancy, and also pregnant at a completely different time period than I was. So finding clothes to wear has been a HUGE challenge!

I was very blessed to have been given a lot of maternity clothes from a friend, and I saved most of the stuff I had from when I was pregnant with Noah, but I guess I grew in places other than my belly this time so a lot of stuff is almost too small and is tight around my thighs and butt! So every morning I end up pulling out a bajillion clothes and try them on and decide they don't fit right or don't look right and try something else on. This lasts for about an hour until I finally give up and put on sweats or the same pair of jeans I had on yesterday, and just a different t-shirt.

Here's my bed this morning after my hour long clothing decision making:

And after all that I put on the one pair of maternity jeans I have that still fits and a big t-shirt!! So much for looking cute!

I've just come to the conclusion that when your 9 months pregnant you just have to resort to the same 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts that fit, or either sweats and t-shirts! Oh well...at least only one more month, right?!

Natural House Cleaning Products Review & Giveaway!

Come and join the revolution! The probiotic revolution that is! Natural House is a probiotic cleaning revolution that gives you a new method of cleaning the most dirty areas in your home! Natural House products are natural household cleaning products that are non-toxic and eco-friendly, yet strong enough to clean some of the toughest messes. They use probiotics to break down and keep away odors, grime, grease, and germs that live in your drains and pipes and on your household surfaces!

Check out this video to see exactly how Natural House cleaning products work! 

I was given the opportunity to review Natural House's three leading products: Flushy, Sinky, and Trashy. I've been using these products for close to a month now and I am very impressed. 

I would probably say my favorite of the three is Sinky. In our master bathroom the sinks tend to drain very slowly and even get clogged up sometimes. So I tried the sinky packets on the sinks in there and let the foaming action go to work!  I have noticed a huge improvement in the drain in our bathroom sinks! It doesn't get clogged any more and the water drains a lot faster! 

Flushy was very impressive too! I'm very obnoxious about the toilets in my house. I just can't stand for them to get in the least bit dirty. They are already "dirty" enough as is, so I try to keep them as clean as possible! I am always scrubbing them and wiping the surface with disinfecting wipes to try to keep germs away! So when I tried Flushy, I was skeptical. But I threw the packet in the bowl, and let the blue foam go to work. I scrubbed like I usually do and flushed. What's great about Flushy is not only is it a toilet bowl cleaner, but a septic tank treatment as well! So it works all through the pipes in your toilet and keeps working in your septic tank to break down waste and toilet paper that can cause buildup! Since using Flushy I have noticed a great improvement in my toilet! Ha! Who would've thought I'd ever say that! But seriously, it doesn't get that nasty ring around the bowl anymore, and it even smells fresh!! I don't feel the need to scrub my toilet every day because I know the probiotics are still working even after I've scrubbed! 

Trashy is such an easy cleaning product and who doesn't love cleaning that is easy?! Trashy uses probiotics to break down germs and odor on your trash can! I just spray some every time I change the trash and there's no stinky smells! And I don't know about your kids, but Noah loves to touch the nastiest surfaces in the house for some reason, including the trash can! With Trashy being non-toxic I know if he happens to touch the trash can, he'll be ok. Another great thing about it is it's a no touch formula, so I don't have to scrub every time I use it. I can just spray it and the probiotics do their job! 

I really love Natural House cleaning products! I am thrilled to have found cleaning products that are natural and non-toxic and clean just as well as the harsher, stronger smelling cleaning products! I love that I don't have to worry about harmful chemicals affecting my children! And I especially love that these cleaning products work hard long after I've applied them! 

Buy It!

Purchase Natural House products on their website OR on Amazon!

Win It!

One lucky reader will win a 30 day supply of Flushy, Sinky, and Trashy products to try in their home! 

Not my Night!

So I had a big long review/giveaway all typed out and ready to post for you tonight and then my computer froze! And not only that, but NONE of it saved! Not sure why, because it usually saves automatically! I'm so frustrated! But it's way past my bedtime and I am not even going to attempt to try and re-write the review tonight because it probably won't make any sense! So I promise you a good one tomorrow, but tonight it's just not happening! Sorry! :/

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...

It's a Vol  

My name is Sarah. I am wife to Christopher and first time mommy to our precious baby girl Evie. I started my blog as a way for friends and family to keep up with our first pregnancy. It has turned into a space for me to make new friends, put myself out there for the world and chronicle the joys and pitfalls of our life as first time parents. Oh, and did I mention, four dogs and two cats included. 

6 Weeks or Less!

I will be 34 weeks officially on Monday which means we are really counting down to when baby Isaac will be here! It could be a whole 6 weeks before he comes, but I'm hoping it's more like 4 weeks. I'm feeling pretty decent I would say. Definitively not my normal, energetic self, but not completely miserable either. I just move(waddle) a little slower than before and get achy and uncomfortable fairly easy, but that's to be expected right? It's getting harder to sleep at night. I was up at least 4 times last night because my back hurt, or I was stiff, or I had to pee. But I figure I better get used to it, because I'm sure Isaac will have me up at least that much at first.

I hope to get my hospital bag packed by the end of 35 weeks, just to be safe. I've known quite a few mamas who have gone early recently and I want to have my bag ready in case that happens to me. I'm excited about our breastfeeding class on November 3rd. That is something I really want to do this time and stick with. I'm also super excited to cloth diaper again! I can't wait to put some tiny little fluff on Isaac!

Here's my 32 week belly shot, in front of Isaac's crib! The nursery is almost done!! I'll update with more pics once it's completely finished!

I also wanted to mention today(October 15th)  is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. I am so thankful I have never had a miscarriage or lost a child, but I know one too many who have.It really puts things in to perspective to think about when I'm complaining about feeling like crap while pregnant. I am blessed beyond measure to have a healthy child, and a healthy child growing inside of me.  If you have lost a child, my heart goes out to you and I pray you have peace in knowing that your sweet angel is in the arms of Jesus. 

Exederm Skin Care Review & Giveaway!

Did you know that October is also National Eczema Awareness Month? There's a lot to be aware about this month! Eczema is defined by the National Eczema Association as " a chronic recurring skin disorder that results in dry, easily irritated, itchy skin." A lot of babies and small children tend to get this, and there is no cure for it. But Exederm has the special care you need to treat and relieve skin problems like Eczema.

Exederm's philosophy is to avoid irritants that trigger eczema by always using the mildest ingredients possible. With Exederm's products it is possible to gently cleanse and deeply moisturize without using unnecessary chemicals.

I was given the opportunity to review Exederm's Baby Eczema Cream. I don't think Noah has full on eczema but he does have dry skin issues quite often, especially in the coming winter months. So since receiving this cream I've put it on him every night after his bath. I love it because it is light and non-greasy and doesn't have a fragrance so it doesn't irritate my oversensitive pregnancy nose. I've been using this cream on Noah for about two weeks now and I am happy to say he has no patchy spots up and down his legs or on his back like he did all last year! We struggled all last winter to keep his dry skin controlled and moisturized so this year I am so thankful to have found Exederm's Baby Eczema Cream! What's great is this doesn't have to be used just for baby's! I rub it on my hands quite often when they are feeling especially dry and it makes them feel so much better!

Exederm has a number of products for adults, children, and babies to help combat dry skin! They avoid common irritants and provide great moisture! Be on the lookout for another review of another great product during the  "New Year, New Babies, New Mommies of 2" event in January!!

Buy It!

http://www.exederm.com/ourproducts.html

Win It!

One lucky reader will win an item of their choice from Exederm! 

Noah's Birth Story!

I can't remember if I've posted this on here before, but frankly I'm too lazy to look. I wanted to have it documented on here so I can just add Isaac's once he's here as well! So here it is! It's a lot to read but it's a good story-- at least I think so ;) 

We went in for my 38 week checkup on Monday, April 20^th. My bp had started to get higher with each appointment but it was especially high at this appointment. So they wanted me to do the 24 hour urine catch and gave me instructions to stay at home and take it easy. They told me that if I got a headache that wouldn’t go away with Tylenol or if I started seeing spots or anything out of the ordinary to call. So we went home and decided to make sure all Noah’s baby clothes were washed and my hospital bag was completely ready.

The next day Brian had to work so I took advantage and decided to stay in bed and rest. Around 10am I got a really bad headache. So I took some Tylenol. I then started getting the shakes, so I ate some oatmeal and just hung out. After about an hour of not feeling any better I decided to call the dr. They told me to come in to check my bp just to be safe. So I called Brian to let him know and he tells me to bring the hospital bag and car seat just in case. I get to the dr and my blood pressure is sky high!! So they decide to have me admitted to the hospital for induction! I was freaking out! I called Brian and told him to leave work and called my mom and told her to come as soon as she could, and then I headed to the hospital.

So I got checked in and all settled around 2pm. They were continuing to catch my urine since it wasn’t confirmed if I had protein in my urine resulting in preeclampsia. They were monitoring my blood pressure every half hour and started me on pitocin. I had lots of visitors that afternoon to keep me company. I don’t remember really being in any pain until later that evening and even then it wasn’t terrible. I had them give me something to take the edge off and they gave me a heating pad for my back so I tried to rest. Around midnight I wasn’t in horrible pain-just felt like really bad period cramps- but I decided to get an epidural so I could sleep that night.  I still didn’t get much sleep at all. Between the blood pressure machine and nurses in and out to check on me, I was up most of the night. My mom and Brian stayed with me all night so they didn’t get much rest either.

The next morning around 9am I was only at 4cm so the doctor came and broke my water. After he broke my water broke I started having HORRIBLE back pain. And this was with an epidural! So I called the nurse and I told her I didn’t think my epidural was working. They told me they could try another one but it might not work either. I waited a bit longer to see if the pain would stop but it didn’t. So I told them to try another one. So they came in and the anesthesiologist kept poking me in a vein instead of my spinal cord! She kept poking and poking and couldn’t get it in! At this point my contractions were right on top of each other and I was in SO much pain! I remember telling them I wanted a c-section if they couldn’t get the epidural in haha! They had to call the head anesthesiologist down to put in the epidural but he got it in right away! He was my hero!  Once I wasn’t in pain anymore and relaxed for a bit, I got to 9cm super fast!  

So I told them I felt like I needed to push, and they checked me and said there was still just a bit of cervix there and they were going to call my dr to come. Well it seemed like forever but I got to 10cm finally! My doctor was still not there (there were 5 other women in labor at the same time I was!) so the nurse tells me to go ahead and start pushing and they’ll call him again. I always say the nurse delivered him because my doctor barely made it to catch him! I only pushed for about 20 minutes and he was out! At 1:56 pm on April 22, 2009 Noah Allen came in to the world! He weighed 6lbs 4oz and was 19.5 inches long! He was healthy and content! He was perfect! 

After he was born my doctor did confirm that I had Preeclampsia. So it was a good thing I was induced and had him when I did or it could have been dangerous for us both!