Road Trip Baby!

Gosh I have the best intentions of blogging every day like I used to, but time just gets away from me.  With a 3 month old in the house and Connor’s school and sports activities it’s been crazy town over here.  Connor started playing Lacrosse and so far he loves it.  Heidi is starting to lift up her head and try to roll over.  I remember when Connor was a baby I would document his every movement and milestone….sorry Heidi I guess what they say about a second child is true! LOL!

Anyway….you can always catch us on the day to day on Instagram, but it sure is nice to write down a bit more than a few sentences and a picture every now and again.  About a month ago I took the kids up to Arkansas to see my family and we had a great time visiting.  Driving by myself with two kiddos in the back was quite the experience, but Connor was the best helper ever.  I don’t know what I would do without this boy.  They are far apart in age (9 1/2 years) but I know he’ll always be there for his little sister throughout her life.  That sure is an advantage of having kids further apart.  As for me….the creaky knees and back pain weren’t there ten years ago I swear!

We also had the opportunity to drive a brand new 2019 Mazda CX-5 and it was one of my favorite cars we’ve ever had the chance to try.  So we took Heidi on her very first road trip to see her family in Arkansas.

Priced in the mid 30’s it’s a smooth ride and I’ve never felt safer.  We are going to need a new car soon and I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a family vehicle that’s not priced out the wazoo, but still has all the bells and whistles.

With a backup camera and even air conditioned seats the Mazda CX-5 made for a comfortable and safe ride.  It also has blind spot monitoring and alerts you of another vehicle around you with a chime and warning light in the side mirror.  

The Mazda CX-5 had USB ports in the backseat for Connor to plug all his tablets into.  That made for a much easier road trip on Mama and kept him occupied.

The display on the dash is another one of my favorite features.  Navigation, bluetooth, music selections, etc.  It’s all at your fingertips so you don’t get distracted looking down and trying to find all those crazy buttons and settings.  It also has Apple CarPlay™ & Android Auto™ integration.

The Bose speaker system sounded great too!

A baby requires a lot of STUFF!  From carseats, breastpumps, playmats, toys, bottles, and all the extras…the Mazda CX-5 fit all our stuff excellently!

Not to mention handling those hills and valleys in Arkansas.  

I even got to take my Nannie and sister for spin and we had a wonderful lunch together and one of our favorite spots in my hometown called Stoby’s.  

These BBQ chicken nachos were soooooooooo good and just looking at this photo is making me drool.  It may be time for another road trip after all!

Me and my twin sister Bonnie getting our donut fix!

I also got to visit one of my favorite restaurants with friends called YaYa’s.  They have the best dessert.  It’s a warm brownie wrapped in filo dough and then covered in chocolate!

Heidi with her Great Grandma, our sweet Nannie Sue.

Lunching with Nannie and Bonnie

Church Sunday with my Mom 🙂

Aunt Bonnie tried to take some pictures of Heidi too!  That went super well as you can tell. Ha!

Thank you Mazda for a wonderful road trip opportunity in the Mazda CX-5.  We absolutely loved it and can’t wait to go visit our family again soon!  And the biggest hugs to my big boy Connor for all your help and being such a wonderful big brother.  Love, Mama

Power Up with Brainiac Kids

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Brainiac Kids

After school snacks are a must at our house.  Sometimes I refer to Connor as a “black hole” because he is growing so much and constantly wanting to eat ALL.THE.TIME.  Life gets busy and it’s easy to just grab something convenient and unhealthy.  We recently got to try Brainiac Kids yogurts and here’s our story!

Whenever I’m giving Connor a new food to try (especially one that’s healthy) my Mom brain goes off and says “He probably won’t like it, but at least we tried it!”  Well, I didn’t have to do that with Brainiac Kids.  They are the first kid-friendly food that provides meaningful amounts of brain-fueling nutrients like Omega-3 DHA and choline. These are nutrients that most kids don’t consume enough of on a daily basis.

Connor replied with “Mom these are actually really good!”  That’s music to my ears y’all!  And I certainly didn’t expect to hear how much he really did like it!

The founder, Jonathan Wolfson, developed the product after learning about key nutrients in infant formula. “When we needed to switch our newborn to formula, my wife and I spent time investigating the options. The focus on brain nutrients made us stop and think. Are our older kids getting what they need? With the help of experts, we realized that while kids’ brains are still growing fast, most are not getting enough of the right brain nutrients from their diets. We brought together pediatricians, neurologists and nutritionists and developed BrainiacTMKids. Real and delicious food to support brain health.”

This is a very valid point.  I have a 9 year old and a new baby in the house and I often think the exact same thing!

We tried the Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Drink found at our local Central Market store.  I tried some too and it was delicious!  They come in a 4-pack, and available in tubes as well.
Each 2oz (8-pack) oz Brainiac Yogurt Tube contains the BrainPack® to ensure kids are getting the Omega-3 DHA, Omega-3 ALA, and choline they need for healthy brain development. With 40% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt tubes, 3g of protein, and probiotics.

Each 4 oz (4-pack) of Braniac Yogurt Drinks contains whole milk and are the smoothest way to boost kids’ brain power. Each easy-to-hold 4 oz. bottle includes our BrainPack® — a blend of nutrients their developing brains need including Omega-3s DHA and ALA, and choline. Better yet, they have 50% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt drink, plus 4g of protein, and probiotics.

FLAVORS:
Strawberry
Strawberry Banana
Mixed Berry
Cherry Vanilla

Easy, pack-able containers for lunch or snacking.

On average kids only get 69% of the daily recommended choline* intake. With Brainiac Kids products, kids get 100% of their daily choline needs.  Brainiac Yogurts also have 40% less sugar and 50% more protein than the leading kids yogurt.  They are all Pediatrician Approved, NON-GMO, Gluten-free, Kosher and have no artificial colors / preservatives.

Save $1 on any flavor multi-pack
Find your store HERE

GIVEAWAY:

School is back and we want your kids to have their best year ever! So, we’re fueling #backtoschool with this GIVEAWAY! The Brainiac Kids team have put together over $150
worth of fun ideas to help kickoff a year they’ll remember!

TO ENTER:  Follow @BrainiacKids on Instagram and comment on this photo on their page!
(Receive an extra entry for sharing their post in your Instagram stories and tagging them @BrainiacKids so you can receive the extra entry. Account MUST be public and be shared from the Brainiac account)

Three lucky winners will receive:


* 1-month supply of BrainiacTM Kids Whole Milk Yogurt with the BrainPackTM (up to $40 value)
* 1 glow-in-the-dark lightning backpack or mini-backpack (up to $59 value)
* 1 @PlayOsmo Coding Awbie game ($49 value)
* Stickers, a puzzle, a yo-yo and other fun BrainiacTM Kids swag! (priceless!)
BrainiacTM Kids Yogurt will be awarded as coupons to redeem for free product at the winner’s
local retailer. Contest open to US residents only. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway closes
Friday, September 27th @ 8 PM PDT. @BrainiacKids will announce 3 lucky winners Monday,
September 30th in their stories. So, don’t forget to watch!

 

Hey Punkin Treat Tags

Every year I love making printables for the holidays. I’ve made some cute ones in the past….so here’s one to share with y’all this year!

Hey Punkin!

TO PRINT:

(You can print directly, or copy and paste in Word to make more than one at once.)  I used Pumpkin Reeses Cups, but you can use whatever Pumpkin goodness you desire 🙂

The Busy Mom Breakfast with Jimmy Dean

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine. #HEBSimpleScrambles​

School is back in session and I’m wondering are your mornings as crazy as mine? Surviving the sleepless nights with a new baby and getting my 9-year-old off to school is craziness! I’m always doing something in the morning and it’s so hard to cram everything in. Especially a good breakfast! Thank goodness for Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles® Turkey Sausage & Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles® Three Cheese. These are SO easy and take hardly any time to make at all.

 

In less than 3 minutes you have fluffy egg goodness with cheese, sausage, or bacon mixed in. These are a big hit in our house right now for everyone.

I know so many of you are busy moms too and sometimes there’s just not enough time to do everything you want to. I want to start my day off with a good breakfast and this does the trick. I know everyone in my family is getting a good meal in and it takes hardly any time at all. That just makes me feel so much better and my morning goes much smoother.

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This Time Around

Hello?  Hello?  Dusting off the old blog here….

I sit here as a new mom again.  I started this blog waaaay back in 2006.  Long before Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.  I find myself scrolling through memory lane frequently these days asking myself “What did I do when Connor was the same age Heidi is now?”  It’s true you forget things.  It’s so fun to see where we were at this point in our lives back then.  How little Connor used to be and the joy he brings.  I have met so many great friends through this blog.  So many other moms I’ve connected with on every level.

The last couple of months haven’t been without their struggles and sleepless nights, but they have also let me see certain things about my life I wouldn’t have without Heidi here.  The days are incredibly long and sometimes tiring.  I know this is a season and we’ll eventually get to leave the house without a panic.  I’ll be able to leave and not bring a diaper bag, breast pump, and all the extra things a baby requires.  I know that now….almost 10 years later because I’ve been through it before.

This too shall pass.  Not that I’m wishing time away…but life had gotten easy and simple the last few years.  Connor no longer requires supervision all the time.  He can use the bathroom on his own and dress himself.  Now, getting him to clean his room and bathe is another story!  I do miss the naps I would take and all the books I would read, but I also know in the grand scheme of life there’s a certain window for things.  Right now we have opened another window and someday it will shut and we won’t be able to open it again.  I’ll look through it and glance back at all the memories, but it won’t ever open.

Life is short and so fleeting.  I’m trying to remain positive, even when the days are long, I know they don’t last forever.

A job won’t last forever.  Friends won’t last forever.  A car won’t last forever.  Anything of this world won’t last….but hopefully the impact I’ve made on my kids and family will.  At this point a decade ago I was returning back to work and leaving Connor in the care of my sister-in-law.  I remember crying all the way to work that day thinking to myself “What kind of mother am I to just leave her tiny baby like this?”  Like everything else in life we eventually found a new routine and a new normal.  The days and nights turned to into months, and months into years.

This time around I work part time and I’m so lucky I can do most of my job from home.  I do miss adult conversations and the daily grind of a job some days.  I’m trying to soak in these days with just Heidi and I because this time around I know it’s such a short amount of time.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this post, I just know it’s freeing to write.  If you’re still with me then good for YOU!  The art of writing is slowly fading away in favor of an “instant” society where all we want to read tiny captions under perfectly styled photos.  I can tell you right now my day to day life isn’t that glamorous, but it’s authentic.  We all know I still enjoy the occasional Starbucks selfie.  Ha!

I sit here and write because everything has changed, but change can be good.  Not everything has to be about you all the time.  God is consistently teaching and showing me things and even though I don’t get it right all the time I know my heart is in everything I do.  Being a parent is the most sacrificial and self serving thing you can do.  It’s also the most rewarding and wonderful job in the world.

Connor & Heidi….I hope no matter how things change in the world you always know how much I love you and everything your Mama did was with heart.

Babies & Probiotics with Evivo

This post is sponsored by Evivo but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Having a new baby in your life is one of the most life altering things you’ll experience.  It’s full of so many joys and let’s not forget many many nights of sleeplessness.  Terence and I sure are enjoying baby Heidi and I know her big bro is too!  You know how everyone loves giving you advice and telling you what to do as a new Mom.  It’s okay to take all that advice in, everyone is trying to do what’s best for baby.

All I want for Heidi is to give her the best start in life.  Heidi is about to turn 2 months old and we are all settling into our routines and she’s growing like a weed!  From the time she was a couple of weeks old I started her on probiotics.  I take them myself, so I researched them and discovered there were probiotics for baby too!  Her little body is developing so quickly right now and her gut health is super important at this age.  We use Evivo probiotics and have been super happy with them so far!  Evivo is the first and only clinically-proven baby probiotic that restores the good bacteria, B. infantis that is critical for a healthy infant gut. There are other probiotics on the market, but Evivo is the only one specifically formulated to partner with breast milk. I’m strictly pumping by the way!  Evivo transforms the nutrients in breast milk into valuable nutrition for baby.

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The Best Dishwasher from Bosch

This post is sponsored by Best Buy. All thoughts are my own.

When we remodeled our kitchen last year due to a pipe leak we had a lot of decisions to make.  One of them being what kind of dishwasher we were going to put in.  If you know my husband you know he researches EVERYTHING!  The one thing we really wanted in a dishwasher was for it to be really quiet.  We looked at several different stores and talked to many different sales people.  In the end we decided to go with the Bosch 800 Series with CrystalDry™

Kitchen Remodel:

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