Make Diaper changing Fun & Easy with #SlipOnHuggies !!

When I first heard that Huggies came up with a slip-on diaper, I was curious. Now that I have seen them, I am ecstatic! Olivia just turned one last week, and she is a squirmy little lady when it comes to diaper changing. We never really had any problems with her being a little wiggle worm until she started becoming more mobile, then she didn’t want to stop for much of anything. Now that she is running – or at least her version of running – around there is no such thing as a nice, calm and still diaper change!

The biggest thing that we have going in our favor at diaper times is that we have had plenty of experience so we can change a diaper fairly quickly. The faster the better…as long as it’s on the correct way!

Another thing that we have done in the past is to take the baby somewhere quite, where there is not a lot going on. Minimizing the distractions makes the chances of our sweet baby turning into a squirmy go down at least a little. J Unfortunately, with big sisters around who want to be a part of everything, there is not always a place to go where distractions are few – at least in our house.

I cannot stand to use the strap on the baby changing stations in public restrooms – they are plain old nasty to me, so that is not one of my suggestions. In place of using the strap, I have found that keeping one hand on the baby’s tummy helps keep her in place and not moving. I am not sure if she stays still because my hand is holding her, or that she gets interested in playing with my fingers and forgets about moving – either way, mission accomplished!

Whatever method I use to making diaper changing easy, there will always be times when nothing is going to work. I am so glad that there is relief in sight with new Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers! All you have to do is get the baby, wipe ‘em clean and slip on a new diaper. Sounds easy right – so easy that if your little ball of energy decides they are not going to hang out and stay still for a diaper change, you just have to catch them and slip the diaper on and they are off to play, explore, and have a good time! I know that this will make Olivia happier to get a new diaper.

And as an added bonus, the little guys and gals who have already figured out how to take their diapers off will have to learn something new before their little bottom gets out of the new diapers!!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Huggies blogging program, for a gift card worth $35. For more information on how you can participate, click here

Wordless Wednesday: My Soccer Diva {{linky}}

Emily started soccer camp this week, we weren't sure how she was going to like it, but it seems that as long as she can wear pink and have a pink soccer ball she's all for it!!

If you have a WW on your blog, link up so I can come check it out too!!

Heathy tips for back to school #transitionslenses

Even though we all try to keep our children healthy all the time, summer tends to bring with it some less healthy habits – more snacking, video games, playing on the computer. Fortunately, there are also many opportunities for fun outdoor exercise to balance out those other things!

As everyone starts thinking about getting ready for back to school, we might also be thinking about starting some new healthy habits for our little ones. Here is a list of a few of my ideas to get the kids healthy and thinking “healthier” for back to school!

**Healthy Snacks** Forget about the Twinkies and Oreos, no more cookies and cupcakes! Think of healthy fun snacks like carrot and celery sticks – what?? Those don’t sound fun to you?? Add a small container of ranch for dipping and – viola – it’s fun!

**Go for a walk!** Even if it is just to the mailbox and back, get moving! Pretty soon the kids will be asking to go a little farther each day, go with it! Who knows, you might even meet some new friends walking around the block!

**Be involved!** There is always something for kids to be involved in – sports change each season, they are sure to like something! And then there are things like dancing, gymnastics, and music that are generally available year round. Not only is there the added benefit of the exercise, but it is also an opportunity for the kids to practice listening, paying attention, practicing, and more.

**Crank up the music!!** Nothing like a great cd playing while you guys dance around the house, having fun and burning a few calories. As an added bonus, there are also giggles sure to be included!!

**Chores** I know, it’s not any child’s favorite. Again, however, it helps the kids learn responsibility…and it helps mom out too!

**Read** Reading is not actually a physical activity – incase you were wondering – but it is a great activity for your brain! Besides, reading something that the kids enjoy outside of school reinforces that books are not just for school.

**Make your own lunch** School lunches are convienent sometimes, but when you make your kids lunch – you are in control of what food groups and portions your child is given. Besides, you can add a little love note from mom!

**Ditch the soda** Water, milk, and juice are all so much healthier for the kids – and for us! Not only will it cut out a bunch of sugar and calories, but it will make the dentist happy too!!

**Keep an open mind** Let the kids pick things that they want to do, you might be surprised at what they choose. I have found that when the kids are in on the decision making, they are more into it!

**Try new things** You don’t know if you are going to like something until you try it! This applies to everything – healthy foods, sports, exercises, activities, etc. We are trying soccer for the first time tonight for our four year old. She has everything pink that she needs and now is excited so we will see how it goes!!

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Transitions® lenses are the ideal everyday choice for healthy sight. They are clear indoors and at night. Outdoors, they automatically darken as light conditions change. Transitions lenses provide visual comfort, and enhance visual quality by reducing glare and enhancing contrast, helping you to see better today. Transitions lenses block 100 percent of harmful UVA and UVB rays – helping to protect the health and wellness of your eyes – so you can see better tomorrow as well. More info on Transitions Lenses: www.transitions.com

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Transitions Lenses blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here

Save Big on Your Cell Bill With Straight Talk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
When you have your cell phone service through one of the leading carriers that require that you sign up and sign a two year contract, you are paying too much!! Straight Talk is a no contract cell service provider that offers a couple of great price plans - either $30 or $45 a month depending on your usage needs. Think of how much money you could be saving!!
Some of the things that I like best about the Straight Talk plans is that there are a variety of phones in every budget and that you can buy your minutes when you can afford them. I also love that the mobile web (and navigation on applicable phones) is included in the price and is unlimited -- that is a huge extra charge with most of the other carriers.

What is included with Straight Talk??
*411 calling at no additional charge
*Calls, texting, picture texting, and web are all included in the monthly plan
*No activation, disconnect, or overage fees -- EVER!!


There are a variety of phones available, with reconditioned phones with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability starting at only $10. There are also Smartphone available -- touch screen and app capable phones!
Here are some You Tube videos for you to check out if you would like to learn a little more about Straight Talk's services, benefits, and prices:
Scott, a member of the Straight Talk Fantasy Fishing Team tells how much he is saving! hook, line and sinker
If you are in need of international long distance, you will love this! call a friend
An example of the amazing Smartphones offered. everything you need

If you have heard of Stratght Talk before and were just skeptical, or were waiting for your current contract to end to make the switch, think about this: the amount of money that you will be saving will cover the cost of the disconnect fee quickly -- especially if you use the web, texting, and apps on your phone. Straight Talk is available exclusively at Walmart, so what are you waiting for?!!

Swag Code Extravaganza Today!!

There is a Swag Code Extravaganza today!! That means that through out the day today there will be multiple Swag Codes, and if you were to get all of them then you would get an EXTRA 50 SwagBucks!! If you are not sure about what Swag Codes are or how to redeem them, check this out!

I am a huge fan of Swag Bucks. I was a bit sceptical at first - why would I be able to get gift cards for free just for searching, playing games, taking a fun daily poll, etc. I have been using Swag Bucks for quite a few months now, and am not skeptical any more!! I have been able to get quite a few Amazon gift cards -- totally free!
So, if you are not yet a member of SwagBucks, now is the time to start earning. The search results are as good as Google, even better when you figure you are earning rewards for searching!!

Good luck with the Swag Code Extravaganza today! If any of you get all the codes, comment here and let me know!!

How important is education to you?

A startling statistic: Every nine seconds of each school day one young person drops out of high school in the United States. According to my calculations, in an 8 AM to 3 PM school day, 2800 kids drop out of high school each day! That seriously breaks my heart. Knowing how important education is to each individual's future as well as the future of our nation, I want to know what can be done about this. More personally, what can I do to  help?

Well, thanks to Procter & Gamble's new campaign GIVE Education, I can do something simple to help - and so can you! There are a couple of ways we can help:
**Each month P&G releases a brandSAVER in the Sunday newspaper. The P&G brandSAVER released July 31 is a special one -- for each coupon that is redeemed, P&G will donate two cents to Communities In Schools! There is no cap on the amount that P&G are willing to donate - the more we save and redeem, the more they donate.
** Watch an exclusive video from John Legend on Facebook. For each view P&G will donate 25 cents, up to $10,000 to CIS.
Here is a little more about the GIVE Education campaign:

P&G’s new campaign, GIVE Education, will increase awareness of the student dropout crisis in the U.S. and raise funds to help keep millions of students in school. By partnering with Communities In Schools (CIS), one of the nation’s leading dropout prevention organizations, and one that is proven to increase graduation rates and decrease dropout rates, GIVE Education will enable CIS to continue channeling much-needed resources to students who are at greatest risk of dropping out.
P&G has improved life for more than 300 million children around the world and focused its efforts on helping children in need get off to a healthy start, receive access to education and build skills for life. GIVE Education will enable P&G to touch even more lives by bringing together the power of P&G's education commitment and reach, CIS's innovative programs, and Grammy Award-winning recording artist and philanthropist John Legend's passion for education.

FREE Freschetta By The Slice Pizza Event!!

As a Freschetta Fresh Connections blogger, I get to bring you some great news! Freschetta wants everyone to be able to try their {fairly} new pizza by the slice, so they are having a free pizza even on August 4th.

Starting at 11 AM Central time Thursday August 4th --that's 9 AM here in the Pacific time zone-- head on over to score some FREE Freschetta by the slice coupons on their FreeFreschetta site. Mike, your "free pizza concierge" will be giving away 5,000 free slices of pizza every half hour! There will also be fun, interactive games where you can win additional coupons! Sounds great, right!? Well, if you are like me you might forget a few hours after reading this post, eek! Freschetta thought about that too, just head on over to the and sign up for an email reminder that you will get August 4th!! Nice work Freschetta!!

If you'd like a little more info, check this out:

My kids' unique styles #jcpback2school

When it comes to style in my house, we have some similarities and some major differences with the girls. I think that all kids have their own styles and I enjoy letting my children explore and develop their own styles, as long as I find them to be appropriate! I am going to tell you a little bit about Emily’s style and Natalie’s as well.

Emily is my girly-girl. She loves just about anything pink and if it sparkles she likes it even better. Lately, she has been in this stage where she only wants to wear dresses. She loves them! So, of course, we have quite a few pink dresses in the laundry room at any given time!! J

She is learning to compromise and wear skorts and even shorts and pants (gasp!) when she needs to. Emily is my kid who loves to match and will literally show her dad why certain clothes do not match! I love it!

Accessories are a must with Emily! She loves to spruce up her outfits with bracelets, necklaces, earrings, purses, and sunglasses! She tells me that she wants me to add sparkles to some of her clothes, so when she gets a bit older I can totally see her altering her clothes to fit her eccentric style! I honestly can’t wait! I love it!!

Natalie is not that extreme, all though she does like to wear dresses too! A few weeks ago we went and got the girls some new dresses and as soon as we got home they needed to change – of course!! Natalie put on one of her new dresses, followed by her bib overalls! She prefers purple and blue to pink, so I get to shop in multi colors, which makes it more fun for me!!

In the stores, when Natalie sees a shirt or some other clothing that she likes, she could not care less whether it is in the girls’ section or the boys’. It was really funny at first having two children whose tastes n clothing were so different, but it has been fun to watch! Natalie is now in the stage where she wants to be more like her older sister in every way … including choices of clothes!

As the girls get older, I look forward to seeing in what ways their personal styles change…and seeing if I am right about Emily wanting to alter or design her own clothes!!

What about you, does your child have their own unique style that you would like to share?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Do everything in love!

Do everything in love.
This is a concept that seems so simple, yet can be so difficult at times. At least for me.
Being a stay at home wife and mother is one of the most rewarding positions that I have ever had. I get to teach my children and instill in them the values that my husband and I choose, I get to be here for all of the milestones, I have a little window into their minds when I watch them play! There are so many blessings that come with staying home and raising a family.
There are also so many thankless tasks that need to be done. It is so easy to complain when I am starting the third load of laundry in a day, or doing the dishes again, making beds, etc. Really, it is easy to grumble and complain -- mostly in my head!
When I remember that God wants us to do all things in love (1 Corinthians 16:14) it helps me to find enjoyment in the things that I do. I am happy to teach the kids how to make their beds, even though I sometimes have to re-make them. When I am doing the dishes or cleaning up, cooking dinner or dealing with cranky children, and I do it thinking of the love I have for my family, it doesn't seem like so much of a chore any more. Now my prayer is to continue to think of the love that I have to give because of the love Christ has for me!
I wish you all a great day and that you would reflect upon the love of Christ and how when we show that love in our lives how it makes us feel better and those around us too!
Be blessed!

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words

I absolutely love this!



Olivia and Papa
"buds"