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?

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If you answered yes to any of those questions then link up!

This blog hop is hosted by Sippy Cups and Cloth Bums, The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom , and Luxury Living Frugal Style!

Rules?

All we ask is that you follow Sippy Cups and Cloth Bums, The Not- So- Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom, and Luxury Living Frugal Style.We are the first three on the linky!Then follow spot #4 which is the featured blog! Be sure to leave us a comment so we can follow you back!

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.

You can follow as many or as few blogs as you'd like.

Each week one lucky blogger that links up will be chosen to be the featured blog.

This week's Featured Blog is.....

Beneath the Acacia Tree

Having a fairytale wedding and ending up with a handsome prince wasn't one of my childhood aspirations, yet I ended up marrying my high school sweetheart and it's been a dream come true. Kids were something that I never imagined for myself and now I'm unsure if I could survive without them. I was determined to live in the city and take advantage of public transit, instead I'm a suburbanite driving a mini van. The moral of my story is that everything you envision for your life, may not be what your future holds true. Remaining open to changes that make you uncomfortable often yield the greatest blessings. In these times of uncertainty, the greatest adventures can emerge. Our life is an unpredictable journey and this blog is our attempt at documenting it.

30 Days of Thankful- Hubby's Job

Today I am thankful for my husband's job! He worked his tail off to get this job! He started out at a very low position with very low pay. This was all when Noah was a newborn and I literally had to be a stay at home mom because my part time job wouldn't even pay for child care. And we had no other options. But hubby hustled and bustled and talked to everyone he needed to talk to and was able to get transferred.

Now he is making more than double what he was when he started out. He works 3 days a week (12+ hours a day) and is off for four days. Now I can be a stay at home more because I choose to be instead of because we can't afford childcare. Now I can go to school full time and get my degree, still not having to pay for child care because my hubby is home to watch Noah. We have everything we need and even more sometimes. I thank God every day for giving hubby this job. We are really blessed! :)

Extra hour..my bum!

I hate time change! My internal clock had me awake at 6:45 and instead of just being able to roll over and go back to sleep, Noah's internal clock had him up at 7:20. So we are up a bit earlier than normal today. Oh well. More time for hopping before church!

If your a new follower, Welcome! Please take a minute to enter my awesome giveaways! (left sidebar) Also, leave a comment so I can follow you back! Have a great Sunday!

30 Days of Thankful - Health Plus Guest Blogger - Preemie Mama!

Today I am thankful for our health. Especially the health of my sweet Noah. He was born at 38 weeks because I developed preeclampsia. That was scary for  us. But he was healthly and had no complications. I can't imagine what it would be like to deliver a baby prematurely. The fear and all the stress those parents have to go through is unbearable. I am so very very thankful that I have a healthy, happy little boy. I am thankful I am healthy and that my family is healthy.

Amanda (Preemie Mama) is a good friend I graduated high school with! She also blogs and I asked her to guest blog about her experience with having a premature baby. In case you didn't know, November is National Prematurity Awareness month. These families and babies need our support and our prayers. I hope you can join me in saying you will give that.

Here's Amanda's Story:

Baby Kyson in the NICU

According to the March of Dimes website, about 12.8 percent of babies in the U.S. are born prematurely. And the rate of premature birth has increased by 36 percent since the early 1980s.

Premature birth is a serious health issue, and these babies are at a higher risk for newborn health complications. They also face a greater risk of lasting disabilities like mental retardation, learning and behavioral problems, lung problems, cerebral palsy and vision and hearing loss. Being born early is the leading cause of death for newborn babies. And what’s worse is that the cause of nearly half of all preterm births is unknown. It can happen to any woman, and it’s important to take care of yourself while pregnant to prevent preterm birth and give your baby a healthy life.

I had always heard stories about it but it was almost like an urban legend to me. A friend of a friend's child was born early...

Then it happened to me.

Without warning or known reason, my water broke at 31 weeks. After a week of hospital bedrest, Kyson decided it was time and made his debut weighing a whopping 4lbs 15oz. But that was the easy part.

We go into pregnancy with the ideal experience in our minds. We make birth plans and daydream about the day our little one arrives. But some of us never get that picture perfect experience. We don't get told hold our babies or nurse them for days. They are taken away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) without much more than a glance at their face. It's the most traumatic thing I have ever been through.

Kyson stayed in the NICU for nearly a month. There were good days but a lot of them were bad. The rollercoaster ride of the NICU is a hard one. But even though it’s hard watching your child struggle to do things we sometimes take for granted, talking to someone that has been there makes it a lot better.

That's why I started my blog, Preemie Mama. I want to connect with other preemie parents and help those going through this. The effects of a premature birth can still be seen long after the child is grown. Mothers of premature babies often experience depression or post traumatic stress disorder.

I also like to raise awareness for the growing rate of preterm birth. Since then, I have become involved with the March of Dimes as a way to give back to the organization that helped us through our NICU experience so that one day, all babies will be born healthy. Currently, one in eight babies is born too soon, and often, they are very sick. I feel it’s up to us as the parents and families of the babies affected to tell our stories. Unfortunately, the cries of these babies often times go unheard. 
For more information, check out the following websites:

www.marchofdimes.com

www.marchofbabies.org

www.nacersano.org (in Spanish)

www.shareyourstory.org (to read stories from real parents of premature babies)

Healthy Kyson!

Thanks Amanda for sharing! To learn more about Amanda and Kyson, be sure to check out her blog!

30 Days of Thankful - Daddy!

Today I am going to tell you about my daddy, whom I am VERY thankful for as well. See, I was born on my daddy's birthday. Best gift he ever got, if I may say so myself lol. My daddy and I are so much alike we clash sometimes. Like I told you in my previous post, I was a rebellious little teenager. I gave my parents hell. But I am thankful every day that my parents didn't give up on me. Especially my dad. He was tough on me. Sometimes I just HATED how strict he was on me. But him being tough on me, and me having to learn the lessons I did made me the person I am today. And I think I turned out ok lol. But yea, I am very thankful for my daddy. He's been a great father to me. We've had our ups and downs and things have been tough, but I love him and I am thankful every day for him!

MFC Sponsor Spotlight -Abby's Lane! + BumGenius 4.0 Review

I am so pleased to announce another Merry Fluffy Christmas Sponsor-- Abby's Lane! I have been purchasing from Abby's Lane since I began my cloth diapering journey and I love this store! The fact that they offer free shipping to anywhere in the US is a HUGE perk! Not to mention it is fast shipping too! They have great customer service as well! Anytime I have ever purchased from them or had a question I received a quick and in-depth response.

Here's a special note from Stephanie at Abby's Lane to you!

Thank you for giving Abby's Lane the chance to meet your diapering needs! Over 6 years of offering free shipping to all US orders, with a great inventory of major diaper brands, accessories, baby carriers, items just for mom and other fun items which include Pedipeds baby shoes. Located in Northern Virginia, opening by 2011 to a "real" store, we pride ourselves in customer service, fast and free shipping, and making sure the products we offer are the best for your baby and family. We started our journey over 7 years ago with our oldest, Abby, who is the store's namesake. We added two more girls, and most recently a little boy, in our effort to keep with the current diapering trends ;)

We are a family run and owned business, we love to offer our customers free diapers through our rewards program, giveaways through our newsletter and facebook, and discount offers, sale news and new product reviews through our newsletter and blog. Join us today, we can't wait to work with you and your family!



Nice, trim fit of BG 4.0 on Noah.



Abby's Lane gave me the awesome opportunity to review a BumGenius 4.0 diaper on little man. Of course, I received the diaper super fast which is always so nice! I was kind of skeptical about the 4.0 because I've  used the 3.0s and didn't love them. The velcro always got pilly so fast and the inserts would get dingy. I love that the 4.0 has snaps. Its so much nicer than the velcro in my opinion. I have been using the diaper for about a month now and its not dingy at all! I can tell there is a great improvement in the quality of the 4.0s compared to the 3.0s. BumGenius diapers are one of the most well-made diapers out there, in my opinion. I give them a 5 star rating!!

 

Buy It

http://www.abbyslane.com/



To get a head start on entries for the MFC Event (Dec 1-5) go visit Abby's Lane on Facebook, Twitter, and their blog.

 

Win!

For the Merry Fluffy Chrismtas Event, Abby's Lane is donating a $10 gift voucher that will be part of a package prize on one of the days of the event!

 

Thank you so much Abby's Lane for great products, service, and for sponsoring MFC!

30 Days of Thankful- Mommy!

I love my mommy! She is so amazing! She's so strong and just a great mom all around! I am so very thankful for her! We weren't always the best of buds. I was a very rebellious teenager and didn't have a great realationship with either of my parents during my teenage years. But I guess its true when they say when you become a parent you appreciate your own parents so much more. I really REALLY appreciate her now and I love talking to her. When we talk on the phone we talk for an hour or more usually. She gives great advice and helps me with questions I have about Noah. She stayed home with my sisters and I when we were babies and I credit my love for reading and good grades in school totally to her. She would read to me all the time and I really think that had a huge part in my love for reading. She is just great! I could talk about her all day! I love you mommy and I'm sooooo thankful for you!!