Yesterday I posted pictures of my kids from the past 3 years. I'm not going to lie, it made me sad. It all happens too fast and my BABY is now a toddler.
Its been building for a while now, but I officially have baby fever. Bad. IF we stayed on the same "timeline", we'd get pregnant in about a month. However, I know that can't happen. We desperately need to move before I get pregnant so I can help move as much as possible. We also plan on building our next house and living with my parents while building. I want to take a baby home to our own house, not crammed in with everyone else at my parent's. :)
If this house hasn't been sold by the spring, I may have to start trying for #3 anyway. We'll figure something out. Everyone just keep your fingers crossed for me that we hurry and sell this house. I don't want my kids to have a big age gap and at this rate, I have no clue when we're finally going to sell and move.
Anyone else with baby fever? I wish I could turn it off and not want another so badly right now. :)
We have had several pairs of baby shoes from ShooShoos over the past year and they have all received several compliments when worn. If you haven't visited them recently, go check out their inventory of Fall shoes. They even have boots for toddlers!
Win It!!
ShooShoos is giving one of my readers a pair of shoes.
To enter, visit ShooShoos and tell me which pair you would choose. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, Subscribe to my blog via email.
2- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and ShooShoos.
3- Follow Twoofakind AND ShooShoos on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: WIN a pair of @shooshoos shoes @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/23cwsf5 Open to US/CAN
4- Become a fan of/like ShooShoos on Facebook. Let them know you're entering!
5- Enter any of my current giveaways(listed on my sidebar). You get an extra entry for each giveaway that you've entered.
6- Place my Holiday Happiness button on your blog. Remember to leave a comment on that post BEFORE the event starts to get even more extra entries into the first holiday giveaways.
7- Follow my blog publicly.
Contest ends October 18th at 11:59pm EST on when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 36 hours to respond!
Open to US AND Canada.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to ShooShoos who supplied the products for the review and giveaway as a part of the ShooShoos Mom Campaign.
Dora The Explorer is a show that gets preschoolers to interact with the character. Dora always gets the kids to do things with her or asks them questions to make sure they are paying attention. I have been amazed with some of the things Evan has learned from Dora.
Boots’ Cuddly Dinosaur
As bedtime approaches during Dora and Boots’ sleepover, Boots can’t find his cuddly dinosaur. The friends realize that Boots’ dinosaur must have fallen out of his bag at Play Park earlier that day. In their quest to help Boots find his cuddly dinosaur, Dora and friends put baby animals to sleep by singing a Spanish lullaby, help Benny find all of his stuffed animals, soar through the air in a balloon, and make a wish on their friend Little Star. With lots of help, Boots finally finds his cuddly dinosaur at Play Park, just in time for bed.
Louder
Every morning Red Rooster must wake the Sun from its deep slumber. Dora and Boots decide to help Red Rooster get to the Highest Hill so he can wake up the Sun. Along the way the friends practice making lots of noise and wake up the frogs, the boat and the pigs. With lots of practice, the friends wake the Sun just in time for morning.
The Lost City
Dora and her friends have lost their most precious toys and will do anything to get them back. The friends discover that toys must go to the Lost City when they are lost, but the city is very hard to find. Dora and Boots embark on an Indiana Jones-like adventure as they race through the Number Pyramid and take a quick shortcut through the Jumbled Jungle. If they find the Lost City, Dora will get back her lost teddy bear, and all her friends will find their favorite lost toys.
Little Star
As Dora and Boots get ready to make a wish on the first star that appears in the sky, the star falls. It’s now up to Dora and Boots to bring Little Star back home to the Moon, so everyone can make their wish. They will have to take Little Star on a long journey over the Troll Bridge, and past Tico’s Tree to help get the star all the way back into the sky.
Song: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”
Super Babies' Dream Adventure
As the Super Babies get ready for their nap, the Dream Fairy is nowhere to be found. The Dream Fairy’s Golden Rooster got locked out of the Dream Castle and couldn’t wake her up, so she was still a sleep. The Super Babies decide to wake up the Dream Fairy by embarking on a journey through the Giant’s Forest, up to Dragon Mountain and finally to Dream Castle. When the dream fairy is awoken with her Golden Rooster, she delivers happy naptime dreams for all of the babies.
Dora Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a Little Lamb, but now Little Lamb is lost. Dora and Boots jump into a big book of Nursery Rhymes to bring Little Lamb back to her best friend, Mary. Along the way to Mary’s House, Dora, Boots and Little Lamb pick pickled peppers with Peter Piper; help the Itsy Bitsy Spider climb up the Water Spout; ride a cow over the Moon; put Humpty Dumpty back together again; and even catch a ride in a motorized bath tub.
The DVD runs approximately 147 minutes and is packed full of Dora The Explorer fun and singing. The DVD keeps even my 1 year old entertained. Who doesn't want to get up and dance with Dora?
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the DVD for review.
Ready or not, it is almost October! This year I have promised myself to not get caught up in the last minute dash for holiday gifts and will start earlier. I have come across some great products in my efforts to find the hottest items this year.
I will be having a Holiday Gift Guide again this year that will be full of reviews and giveaways. Holiday Happiness will begin November 1st and will run right on into December. You'll have great chances to win some of these amazing products to help your shopping list shrink a little. You can also get some great ideas of what is available for everyone on your list.
I have almost filled the calendar up, but if you have product(s) that you think would make a great fit, please feel free to Email me.
As always, having the event button on your blog will get you extra entries into the giveaways. Post it on your blog and leave a comment on this post telling me where to find it BEFORE the event starts(Nov 1st), and you will get THREE extra entries into the first few giveaways.
Last week I shared with you how Tyson makes preparing meals easier with many of their products, including the Tyson® Grilled & Ready™ Whole Breast Fillets. Tyson has also recently introduced me to their Any'tizers Snack Varieties. Their newest Any'tizers products are the Dippin’ Twists snacks. They are are crispy, finger-friendly snacks packed with flavor and two sauce packets of Kickin’ Honey Mustard Sauce or Sweet Chipotle BBQ Sauce. Be sure to visit Tyson to get the $1.50 coupon!
Before I was told about the Any'tizers, I had never tried any of the varieties. While looking for the Dippin' Twists, I found the huge selection of Any'tizers. My husband was blinded by the Buffalo Style chicken so we had to get those too. Honestly, the bag is a little large for what is inside. It is only about 1/2 full or less of chicken. We heated them up in the oven and they were so good. They had a lot of "kick" to them and I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy, so I dipped mine in ranch dressing. Like most of the Any'tizers, these are perfect for football games!
I also saw the Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu Minis and knew they would be perfect for quick lunches. Both of my kids enjoy these and they are so easy to make. Simply throw them in the oven.
All of the different varieties of Any'tizers would be perfect for so many different occasions. As I've told you before, I'm really picky when it comes to chicken, but I loved every variety that we tried. I also have two picky eaters and both of them ate the Any'tizers that we tried. These can really be used for any sort of get together. There are so many different kinds that everyone is sure to find a favorite.
Be sure to visit Tyson to learn more and view their other products. Check out their great recipes while you're there too!
Win It!!
Tyson is giving one of my readers THREE coupon vouchers for bags Any'tizers. (Be sure to enter my giveaway for the Grilled And Ready Chicken Breasts too)
To enter, visit Tyson and tell me another product that you would like to try. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, Subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and Tyson.
4- Follow twoofakind on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: Win THREE vouchers for bags of Tyson Any'tizers @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/26z8bum
5- Become a fan of/like Two Of A Kind on Facebook.
6- Place my pink Two Of A Kind button on your blog.
7- Follow my blog in a reader(on my sidebar under my event button).
8- Enter any of my current giveaways.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on October 18th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 36 hours to respond!
Open to US only.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the products for the review and giveaway.
We have have had the opportunity to review several pairs of toddler shoes from ShooShoos and I've always been very happy. Their soft soled baby shoes are made with the safest natural leather and are recommended by Pediatricians. Not only are they functional, but they're also adorable.
As I've told you before, I am a ShooShoos Mom and during this campaign I was able to review one of the fall styles of baby shoes. I don't have any red shoes for Isabella, so I went with the Red / Cream Butterfly Smiley Rubber Soles Shoes.
I love their smiley rubber soles. The bottoms are extremely flexible and the top is made out really soft leather so baby's feet can move naturally. Isabella has been walking for about a month now, but many shoes make it harder for her to walk in. I ordered a 5 in these shoes so they're still a little big, but she was walking around all over the house.
She is always bringing me different shoes to put on her-I think I have created a monster. She got so excited when I showed her the new red shoes. She took them over to her daddy and gasped(her "sign" for pretty). I just bought her a new fall outfit that will match these shoes perfectly.
As always, the only thing that I don't like about the ShooShoos are the tags on the heels of the shoes. They stick out and are distracting. I think they should just write their logo on the side of the rubber soles or something instead of having a tag that sticks out.
Stay tuned for a ShooShoos giveaway coming *soon*!!
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may very from others. Thank you to ShooShoos who supplied the products for the review.
I was looking through my pictures today and decided I'd post another one of those "Last year on this day..." pictures. This was taken exactly a year ago after we went on a walk around our neighborhood - Evan at almost 26 months and Isabella at almost 2 months.
I decided to search for a "TWO years ago on this day" and found this picture of Evan dancing at almost 14 months old(the age Isabella is now).
And because I was feeling super sentimental - THREE years ago - Evan at almost 2 months old.
I still can't believe that Halloween will be here in just over a month. Now that we have two kids, I've been trying to think of "themed" costumes so that they are dressed similarly.
Anytime Costumes has Halloween Costumes for the whole family! They are a one stop Halloween costume store where you'll find a huge selection year-round. They also welcome International customers and pride themselves on customer service.
I decided to go with a Flintstones theme and went with the toddler Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles costumes.
Isabella is almost 14 months, but is really tall for her age. I went with the size 2-4 because it says it will fit kids 1-2 years old. It is obviously a little big on her. I forgot that her head is smaller than most, so the head piece keeps coming off. Evan is 3 and I went with the size to fit 3-4 year olds. He is also tall for his age AND has a big head, but the costume is still a little big for him too. If I could figure a way to keep the hair on Isabella, I could still make it work.
I think these costumes are incredibly adorable. The Pebbles Costume even has this adorable belly button. It was so hot last year on Halloween, so I'm a little worried that these costumes will be too warm. I wish they had the pebbles and bamm bamm costumes that are just the shirts/shorts and then the hat and bones bow. I know that most places are cold by the time Halloween comes, but it would be good to have just the clothes as an option for those of us that live in the south.
Anytime Costumes has a huge selection of Halloween Costumes. I had no clue what to dress the kids as before I looked through their costumes. They were perfect for giving me ideas. If you still don't know what you want to dress your kids as, visit Anytime Costumes to view their full selection, including hats, wigs and other accessories to make your costume complete!
But It!
The toddler Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles costumes are both $29.99.
Win It!!
Anytime Costumes is giving one of my readers any costume that they'd like under $50!
To enter, visit Anytime Costumes and tell me which costume you would choose. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. These are not required, they only give you extra chances. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, Subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and Anytime Costumes.
4- Follow twoofakind AND AnytimeCostumes on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: WIN a @anytimecostumes (any costume under $50) @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/25k6j76
5- Become a fan of/like Two Of A Kind on Facebook.
6- Place my pink Two Of A Kind button on your blog.
7- Become a fan of/like Anytime Costumes on Facebook. Leave them a comment letting them know you're entering!
8- Enter any of my current giveaways.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on October 11th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 36 hours to respond!
Open to US only.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the products for the review and giveaway.
Fisher-Price is a brand that I trust for my children. As I'm sure you know, Fisher-Price has been providing families with high quality toys for generations-since 1930 to be exact. They believe in the potential of children and in the importance of a supportive environment in which they can grow, learn, and get the best possible start in life.
When your baby is ready for the new world of walking, this sturdy stroller is ready to lend support. The wide base and easy-grasp handle help steady her first steps, while adorable stroller styling encourages early role play and nurturing. See the wiggly bear riding on the stroller handle? Your baby can press its tummy for musical rewards, or enjoy fun activities with this toy stroller’s spinners, roller bar and flipbook. There’s even room to take a friend along for a stroll (Baby’s 1st Doll sold separately). Baby stroller includes 3 button cell batteries.
We have had this stroller for about two months now and it has helped Isabella walk all over the house. She can now walk on her own, but when we first got this, she could only walk a few steps. The Stroll-Along Walker steadied her so she could easily walk behind it.
Isabella also has a love for baby dolls and stuffed animals. Her face brightens up when she sees one and she is always dragging them around. When I showed her that she could put them in the stroller and push them, she was so excited.
The front of the stroller has a few little toys and bear that plays music. Before she could walk really well, she liked to sit and play with those toys. She'd ohh and ahh to her baby doll while "showing" it how to play.
Much to my husband's dismay, Evan likes to push the pink stroller around as well. Since he is 3 and enjoys playing with it, I know this is a toy that Isabella will use for many years. Like all of the other Fisher Price toys that we own, the quality is fantastic and will withstand anything my kids put it through. Right now their favorite this is to race with one of them pushing this Stroll-Along Walker and the other riding on the Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Musical Roll-Along Pony(which we paid for and she loves just as much). The pony also has a basket in the front so it can carry a baby doll or stuffed animal so they don't fight over the stroller.
Be sure to visit Fisher-Price to view their full selection of toys and baby gear.
Buy It!
You can purchase the Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stroll-Along Walker for $30, and I actually just saw it at our walmart on clearance(I guess they are getting rid of some of the season's toys) so you might want to check yours.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the products for the review.
I'm bringing back Totally Talented Tuesday! You haven't missed anything. Last week was the first time I've done it in a year or so. I hope you'll play along this week!
I started it in December of 2008, and did it for a few months. If you weren't following me back then, click here to see how it works. I'm bringing it back because Evan is in preschool now and I'm sure I'll have at least one new thing to post about each week.
The rules are pretty simple! Post this button on your Totally Talented Tuesday posts and tell me about the talent going on at your house. Talent can be yours, your kids', your husband's, even your dog! Just tell me what it is.
Every Tuesday, I will post Mr. Linky and would love for you to play and link up!
This was my toy box from when I was little. My daddy made it for me and I remember sitting in it and going through my toys. Up until a week or so ago, Evan would have to come get me so that I could get whatever he wanted out of the toy box. Last week I walked in the room to find this(along with a ton of toys scattered on the floor that he had thrown out). He is finally tall enough to climb in himself to get whatever he wants. I also see how badly he needs a haircut! :)
Link up to the Talent that you've posted about on your blog!
I will be posting Totally Talented Tuesday today as well. Read that to learn how to play and come join in if you have time!
Please feel free to link up to as many of your giveaways as you'd like. If you linked up last week and your giveaway is still going on, please link up again!
If you could let other people know that I'm doing this, I'd really appreciate it. It's not mandatory, but it would be great if you could add my button to your blog or send a tweet out to get people here and post their giveaways.
I have been trying my best to provide my family with healthier options when it comes to food and drinks. I've been cooking from scratch and I've been thinking about how much sugar and other ingredients are in the juices that I am giving my kids.
I decided a power juicer was a healthier alternative. Jack LaLanne's Power Juicers advertise that you can get up to 30% more juice than other juicers and it has a whisper quiet operation. Most of the American diet consists of overprocessed, overcooked foods. Canned and bottled drinks often contain preservative, added sugar, and artificial flavorings. Why fill your body with unnecessary ingredients? Fresh juice not only helps appease your appetite, so you don't want to eat as much, but helps keep your energy up!
Jack Lalanne sent us the Power Juicer Express. Designed for those who have limited space in the kitchen. No need to precut ingredients due to it's size. This juicer accommodates most fruits and vegetables whole to produce a fresh glass of juice in just seconds. A sleek and compact version of the original with the new non-drip spout feature and the same best selling extraction technology.
Express Features Include:
• Non-Drip Spout
• Sleek Compact Design
• Surgical-Quality Stainless Steel Blade
• Whisper-Quiet Operation
• Special Patented Extraction Technology
• High Performance 3,600 RPM Induction Motor with a lifetime warranty
• Extra-Large Round Chute accommodates most fruits and vegetables
• Super-Sized Detachable Pulp Collector
• Dishwasher Safe
• Built-In Safety Features
I wasn't sure what to expect with the juicer because I've never used one. I was worried that cleanup would be a nightmare and I had no clue how much juice would come out of one piece of fruit. I had no reason to worry because using the juicer couldn't be easier. There is no need to cut up any fruit or vegetable as long as it fits through the chute. You do need to take the stem off of things like apples and the peeling off of citrus fruits, but other than that, it couldn't be easier.
Here is a video of us using one medium apple. I'll be honest-it really does have more juice in it than I though it would! The video also shows exactly how loud the juicer is and how to use it. I took the stem off of the apple, my husband turned it on, then we fed it through the juicer.
The juicer is extremely easy to take apart and clean. This is the inside of the juicer. It is the filter/blade.
This is the pulp collector on the back of the machine. They say that putting a bag inside of it makes cleanup even easier, but I just dump it in the trash and then rinse the rest out over my garbage disposal.
That silver handle is the latch. It keeps all the pieces tight and secure on the juicer while in use. There are several safety features that allow the juicer only to work when put together properly.
The juice comes out of the spout into whatever container/cup you'd like.
My kids agree that fresh squeezed juice tastes so much better than juice from a bottle! The manual suggests that you drink the juice immediately because that is when it has the most nutrients.
This is what all of the pieces look like after it has been used. Even though it looks like a big mess, cleanup really couldn't be easier. Make sure you immediately take the pieces and rinse them off over your garbage disposal. It takes less than a minute to have all the pieces of fruit or vegetables cleaned off. If you don't rinse immediately, it will be a dried up mess.
Not only is the juicer perfect for making juice, but it also allows me to make smoothies, ice pops, and other goodies. I can save the pulp out of the collector and use it, then I can use the freshly squeezed juice. The actual juicer doesn't take up much room at all in my pantry. It is only 14.5"X12"X16".
Our favorite thing to juice is apples. As it gets cooler outside, I'll warm it up on the stove and make wassail. I've also found that I can sneak veggies that my kids don't usually like(such as carrots) without them even noticing. We haven't found a combination that we don't like. Lucky for me, the juicer came with several recipes to try out with combinations I would have never thought of. Now I experiment with a few fruits/vegetables at a time until I make a new "masterpiece".
Win It!!
Jack LaLanne is giving one of my readers a Power Juicer Express
To enter, visit their healthy living section and tell me a fact you learned or the name of a juice recipe that you'd like to try. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. These are not required, they only give you extra chances. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, Subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and Jack LaLanne's power juicer.
4- Follow twoofakind on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: Win a @JLPowerJuicer Express ($99.99 ARV) @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/2g4jgau
5- Become a fan of/like Two Of A Kind on Facebook.
6- Place my pink Two Of A Kind button on your blog.
7- Become a fan of/like Jack LaLanne on Facebook. Leave them a comment letting them know you're entering!
8- Enter any of my current giveaways.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on October 18th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 36 hours to respond!
Open to US only.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the products for the review and giveaway.
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