Just for Baby Giveaway Hop-Sticky Bellies Gift Certificate! #Just4Baby

Welcome to the Just For Baby Giveaway Hop! I love a great baby giveaway and this hop is full of them! This Giveaway Hop is hosted by Fabulous Finds and Mama Chocolate. This Giveaway Hop features everything under the sun you’ll need for baby. Be sure to visit each blog from the linky below and enter for your chance to win some really amazing prizes! This event will end on August 10th at 11: 59pm EST.

Here at The No-So-Secret Confessions a $25 Gift Certificate to Sticky Bellies is up for grabs! Visit my sponsor spotlight to find out all about this awesome company! 

Win It!

One lucky reader will win a $25 gift certificate to Sticky Bellies! 

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.

Just for Baby Giveaway Hop Sponsor Spotlight! {Sticky Bellies!}

I am so excited to be participating in the Just for Baby Giveaway Hop hosted by Fabulous Finds by November Girl xoxo and Mama Chocolate! And I am super excited to announce my sponsor for the event- Sticky Bellies! 

Each month your baby grows is a special milestone that you want to remember! I love taking a picture of Isaac each month to see how much he's grown! Sticky Bellies is a super cute addition to those monthly pictures we all love to take! They are removable stickers that stick to any onesie or shirt! 

Sticky Bellies was created by a mom right here in the US! Using sticky bellies is such a convenient way to photograph these monthly milestones because you don't have to purchase special custom onesies that would only be worn one time! With Sticky Bellies you can use any onesie or shirt you have and then take the sticker off and re-use the onesie again! After you take your photo you can also use the sticker in a scrapbook or photo album! 

I absolutely love sticky bellies! They make those special pictures so adorable! You can also get sticky bellies for pregnancy! How cute is that?! Sticky Bellies also has a blog with awesome giveaways and advice and love to interact with their customers and fans on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! 

Buy It! 

http://www.stickybellies.com/

Win It!

One lucky reader is going to win a $25 gift certificate to Sticky Bellies in the Just for Baby Giveaway Hop!! 

Wordless Wednesday! {My Sweet Boys!}

Mommy Talk Tuesday! {Free and Cheap Kids Activities!}

We are back at it! I'd like to first include a big congrats to my co-host Abbey! She recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! Go check out her awesome birth story! 


Today we are talking about Free and Cheap Kids Activities! It's summer and the kids get bored easy! So what do you do to keep your kids busy and happy?! Here's a few of the things we do! 


1. Playing Outside! Here in Georgia it is HOT and HUMID in the summer and it's not very pleasant outside at all. But we still try to get outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine! When we are outside it usually involves some type of water! We have a neighborhood pool that we swim at and we also have a small blow up pool, sprinklers, and a slip&slide that we play in right in our back yard! 

2. Children's Summer Activities in the Community! It may take a little hunting but a lot of community's have summer activities for kids that are free or cheap! One great place to look is your local library! Most library's have weekly story time for small kids as well as other activities for big kids! 

Something that I just signed Noah up for is the Kids Bowl Free program! All you do is go to the website and find a participating bowling alley near you, sign up, and get your coupons in your email! Your kids (under age 15) get 2 FREE games per day! All you have to pay for is shoes! I'm so excited to take Noah bowling! 

If you have a Home Depot near you, you can bring your kids to a FREE Kids Workshop  where they will build something and receive a Home Depot apron! The workshop is on the first Saturday of  every month!

One of the best ways to find free and cheap activities in your community is to simply Google! 

3. Make Up Your Own Activities! Sometimes when it's rainy or there's nothing going on and we are at home we just make up our own fun! I shared Car Painting just the other day on my blog, which is one fun activity we do at home! We also build forts and play pretend school or doctor! Pinterest is FULL of awesome kids activities you can do right at home! 

What are some free and cheap kids activities you do with your kids? Comment below or write a blog post and link up with us! 

**This is not a blog hope! Please do not link up unless you post on the topic on your blog!**

Next Week's Topic: Baby Blues and Postpartum Depression. Did you suffer from the baby blues or postpartum depression? How did/do you cope? Did you see your doctor about it or push through it on your own? Do you have any tips for other moms dealing with the same feelings? 

My Cloth Diapering Must-Haves

Using cloth diapers isn't JUST using cloth diapers. You have to use other products along with your cloth diapers to truly make a cloth diaper stash work. I have a few must-haves that go right along with my cloth diapers and if I didn't have these cloth diapering wouldn't be very easy at all! 


My first two must-haves are my diaper pail, and diaper pail liner. I just use a plastic trash pail that I line with a pail liner. My pail liner makes my life so much easier! I just put the soiled diapers in the pail liner and the liner keeps all the mess and smell contained! When it's time to wash I just gather the pail liner and carry the diapers  to the washer. I can wash the pail liner right along with my diapers so it gets clean too! I have two pail liners so that while I'm washing I still have one to put soiled diapers in. It's so easy! 

Diaper Pail with Diaper Pail Liner

Pail Liner with diapers ready to be washed!

Another must-have of mine for cloth diapering is a wet bag. I have a medium sized wet bag that I stick in the diaper bag when we go places. It's made with PUL so it keeps all the wet, mess, and stink in the bag! I just put my diapers in there when I change little guy and throw it all in the wash when we get home! Wet bags come in different sizes from super small for wipes to large for quite a few diapers at once! The great thing about wet bags is they are versatile and can be used for wet or dirty clothes or even shoes! 

My medium Planet Wise Black Curly Q print wetbag! 

My last cloth diaper must-have accessories are cloth wipes!  For some reason I didn't use cloth wipes when Noah was in diapers but I decided to give them a try when Isaac was born and I love them! Instead of using 5 or 6 disposable wipes for a poopy mess I can use 1 or 2 cloth wipes! It saves us even more money using cloth wipes too! I have mostly just baby washcloths that I use and I fold them into a disposable wipes container. Then I just pour my wipes mixture (Coconut oil, baby wash, and water) over the wipes and I'm done! They get washed with the diapers every other day! They are so easy to use! 


Without these three products cloth diapering my kids wouldn't be near as easy or beneficial! What are your cloth diapering must-haves? 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 53! {How to Beat The Summer Heat!}

It's always a HOT summer here in Georgia! The humid days are sticky, hot, and honestly no fun unless you find a way to beat the heat! We spend lots of time either inside in the air conditioning or outside in some sort of water! 


Inside we like to do things like go to the library or the bouncy house or even take trips to the Georgia Aquarium! 

Outside we spend time at our neighborhood pool or in the little pool in the backyard!

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...

Sweetwater Style

The guiding principle of "Sweetwater Style" is to show the ways you can combine style and elegance in economical ways. Everyone has a "manner of doing things". The trick is to find ways of doing things that are "graceful in pleasing and ingeniously simple ways! I really believe that "Style is the perfection of your point of view". That is not to say that things need to be perfect to be stylish.....not at all! One of the guiding principles of "Sweetwater Style" is not to wait for "perfect" !
Mary would love for you to follow her blog via GFC!

Summer Blog Challenge Day 51! {Free Activity To Do With Your Kids!}

Wowzer I'm getting way behind for this challenge and blogging in general! I've been taking of  a sick baby all week and now I have a cold myself! Boo! But today is a rainy day and baby boy is napping so I'm just hanging out on the couch hoping to catch up on some blogging! 


Today's prompt is to share a free activity you do with your kids. We love to go to the  park and play on the playground but one thing we do at home that is super fun is car painting! 


I got this idea from a friend and Noah loves it! All you do is get some paper, some finger paint, and toy cars, and paint with the cars! 

It's super easy, super fun, and clean up is easy too! A great way to keep bored toddlers entertained! 

Isaac is 8 Months Old!

I say this all the time but time needs to slow down! It just goes by way to fast! Isaac is already 8 months old and growing every day! 


He is:
-Crawling 
-Pulling up!
-Starting to cruise the couches!
-FINALLY sleeping through the night! 
-Starting to eat finger foods
-Said MAMA for the first time just the other day! 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 46! {Favorite Room In Your House!}

The favorite room in my house would probably be my bedroom. My bedroom is my sanctuary. It's not fancy or anything, and it's usually messy, but it's where I can go to relax and refresh. 


My bedroom is where I go to sleep when the babes finally go to sleep. My bedroom is where I go to read or watch tv. My bedroom is where I go to snuggle with my husband. My bedroom is where all four of us pile into the bed in the morning and snuggle and laugh! My bedroom is just all around my favorite place in my house. 

Hot Fluff Cool Baby Giveaway Event!

Welcome to the Hot Fluff Cool Baby Cloth Diaper Giveaway!

I am super excited to be participating in another cloth diaper giveaway event! I love a great fluffy giveaway!

 This awesome cloth diaper stash starter event is sponsored by Greenie Beanie Bottoms and hosted by Just Add Cloth, along with over 75 wonderful and influential bloggers who all love cloth! Cloth diapering is a great way to reduce our waste, help our planet, and save money. Cloth diapers are Hot items and Cool for your baby! Not only are cloth diapers more breathable in warm weather, but they make adorable accessories in Summer!

Starting your stash can be daunting, so this prize from Greenie Beanie Bottoms is a great way to get a variety of diapers to try out. Greenie Beanie Bottoms is an online retailer of cloth diapers, accessories, amber teething jewelry, and reusable menstrual and nursing pads.They offer totally free shipping for all orders in the U.S. and low flat rate shipping to Canada.

Now on to the prize!

Our Hot Fluff Cool Baby cloth diaper prize comprises everything you need to get started with cloth!

 

One lucky winner will receive:

2 Happy Heinys One Size pocket diapers

2 Wahmies Deluxe One Size pocket diapers

2 Drybees All-In-One cloth diapers

2 Oh Katy One Size Pocket diapers

2 Tweedle Bugs One Size pocket diapers

A dozen Tiny Tush Perfect Wipes

A Knickerknappies Hanging Diaper Pail /wet bag

2 Pairs Agoo baby leg Warmers

A Wolbybug wet bag

A jar of LuSa Organics booty balm

5 Fold-to-Fit Bamboo inserts by the Cloth Diaper Company

2 Happy Heinys One Size diaper covers

That's 10 pocket diapers in winner's choice of colors and closures, two wet bags, 12 cloth wipes, two pair baby leg warmers, diaper cream, two diaper covers, and five bamboo terry cloth inserts!

Bringing the grand prize total to over $300!!

With 15 diaper changes and accessories to match, this is a great beginner stash for anyone just starting out in cloth diapering. This giveaway runs from 12:01AM July 16 through 11:59PM July 31, EST. It is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Must be 18 or older. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Entering means you agree to the terms and conditions stated in the form. Entering is easy! Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

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...

The Corral Connection

Hello there! I am Megan, from The Corral Connection. I am a 25 year old stay at home mom to two little boys, ages 14 months and 3 years. My husband is my best friend, and the love of my life. We have been together for 6 years now, and I am so thankful every day for a wonderful partner in life. I am a self proclaimed pinterest addict, I love fashion, food, crafting, couponing, bargain hunting, and photography. I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, but for right now, I am loving every moment I get to spend with my two little ones. 

My blog is a little bit of everything all rolled into one, there are recipes, weight loss, fashion, kids/parenting, photography, and simply life in general. 
I am so looking forward to you stopping by! 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 45! {Makeup Tips & Tricks!}

I actually used to sell Avon and still purchase all my makeup from Avon! When I was selling Avon I got a lot of questions from my customers about how to apply the makeup, especially the smooth minerals foundation which is what I use. SO I made a video of how to apply the Avon Smooth Minerals makeup for my customers! And now I'm sharing with you!

Summer Blog Challenge Day 44! {One Piece of Advice You Want To Give To Your Child}

Today we are supposed about one piece of advice we want to give our children. I've been thinking about this all day and last night and I think I've finally decided what I want to write about. 

One piece of advice that I want to give my children is to not take everything to heart. People are mean. It's a fact. People you don't know can be mean. People you do know can be mean. Even people you love very much can be mean. People will say hurtful things and do hurtful things. But you have to learn not to take everything to heart. It's not easy, but the sooner you learn to do it, the happier you will be. 


One day you will have your friends that you know will always be there and you'll learn that your family will always love you and you'll be happy in your own skin. Then you will understand what I mean by not taking everything to heart. Until then, I will be here with arms open to hug and kiss and wipe your tears when someone says something to hurt your feelings. 

Summer Blog Challenge Day 43! {You Then & Now!}

2004 (age 17)

2007 (age 19)

2008(age 20)

2009 (21)

2010 (22)

2011(23)

2012 (24)

Do you think I've changed a lot? :) 

World #Breastfeeding Week and #Breastfeeding Giveaway Hop!

I am super excited for World Breastfeeding Week 2012 happening August 1-7! In honor of World Breastfeeding Week I am going to be having some guest posts and posting my own stories of breastfeeding tips, struggles, and triumphs!

I am also participating in a breastfeeding giveaway hop at the end of August called the Let Love Nourish Giveaway Hop hosted by Just Another Hat! The event will be August 24-31 and will be giveaways all related to breastfeeding! How awesome is that?!

If you are a blogger and would like to join in on the Let Love Nourish event visit Just Another Hat for details and to sign up! You can also join the Facebook group for details on the event!

If you are a company with a great breastfeeding product and would like to sponsor this event please contact me by email at mommyferg02(at)gmail(dot)com.