Honey, it is time. . .

By mom4life | Category: The Journey of Motherhood | Posted Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I can hardly believe that it is time!

Time to get the luggage sets down from the garage and pack my hospital bag.

We are going to have a baby!  Today is going to be a big day and after being on bed rest for the last several weeks, I am pretty excited.  I am starting out with a chiropractor adjustment to make sure my hips are all aligned and ready to go and following that up with a relaxing massage.  Afterward I am getting my hair cut and then at 2:30PM I will visit with my doctor to see how dilated I am (last week Thursday I was 2 cm dilated).  There are a few different routes we could take for induction which hinge on this information and depending on how we decide to proceed I will either check into Labor and Delivery tonight or tomorrow morning.  As of today, I am 38 weeks along and for those of you who may be wondering why I will be induced, collectively my doctor, husband and I (along with prayer) decided to induce at this stage of my pregnancy as an error of caution because we were never fully able to determine the cause of Sawyer’s death.

Want to follow with me?  I will update our Mom 4 Life facebook page with details of my labor and delivery so feel free to click on over so you can join in the fun!

Thank you SO much for all your wonderful support and prayers during my pregnancy.  I can’t wait to introduce you to __________ (oh wait, you are going to have to find out the name after he is born. . . !

P.S. In order to give myself ample time to relax and enjoy our new little one I have pre-scheduled blog posts for the next few Mondays and have some guest posts for the next few Wednesdays.  Angela will help keep our weekly Friday giveaway posts coming.  Of course I may not be able to hold back from posting some photos and short updates but I just want you to know why there may be some blog “silence” for the next several Tuesdays and Thursdays:).

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Weekly Giveaway – Little Man Ties

By mom4life | Category: 4 Free Friday Giveaway | Posted Friday, May 27, 2011

Clingy Cord by CaitiMac Creations

Retail Value: $17.95, marked down to $14.36

Congratulations to Tara E. for winning a Clingy Cord in the style of her choice! Clingy Cord will be 20% off , May 27- June 2!

I am about ready to deliver my little boy (I will be induced on the 1st of June)!  To celebrate, we are introducing this super cute accessory for boys that you are sure to love as much as we do.  (By the way, if you want to be kept in the loop on my delivery, make sure you are a Mom 4 Life facebook fan as I will be posting status updates on my labor and delivery ).

Little Man Ties by Red Pajamas Designs

Retail Value: $9.25

One lucky winner will receive a Little Man Tie by Red Pajamas Designs!

Turn your little guy into a modern fellow with the Little Man Tie by Red Pajamas Designs.

Please note: because of the handmade nature of these ties, each tie is unique and placement of cranes will vary.

Watch Heather’s video review of Little Man Ties below!

ALSO….

Congratulations to Mechele and Susanna for each winning a year’s subscription to Plan to Eat from our Plan to Eat Review and Giveaway! If you enjoyed learning about this website and what it has to offer, be sure to keep your eyes open for the special promotion we will be offering in June!

Entries must be received before midnight on Tuesday, May 31st!

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Rice Pattern Weights

By kristinabjornbak | Category: Home Crafts, It Worked 4 Me | Posted Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Our house isn’t big enough to grant me a permanent sewing space.  As a result, I rely on a folding table and various boxes and tubs to store and move my sewing stash.  This has never been a big problem except for the fact that my patterns and fabrics often shift or slide off my folding sewing table, despite my best effort to weigh them down by strategically placing my sewing box or scissors on top.

Enter the wonderfully low-tech rice pattern weights.  This idea has been around for some time and is super easy.  There are two ways you can make these, and they take only minutes.

One, the prettier option, is to use your fabric scraps.  Cut two of the same shape of your choice, pin right sides together, sew (leaving a space to turn it right side in), turn right side in, fill with rice, sew the hole shut.  Note, don’t overfill, and make sure there is no rice where your needle will puncture the fabric when you sew it shut  or you risk breaking your needle.  If you have trouble keeping the rice away from the needle, hand stitch the hole closed.  Done.  Wasn’t that easy?

But say you are in the middle of a project and you need some weights ASAP and can’t be bothered to sew some.  Well then, go to your kitchen and pull out a few snack-sized zip closure plastic bags (or any sealable small container) and fill with rice.  There you have it.

Now your patterns and fabrics won’t continuously hit the floor!

Kristina is a stay-at-home mom of two boys.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and spends her down time sewing, baking, doing crafts with her children, and experimenting with recipes with her husband.

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Plan To Eat: A meal planning review & giveaway

By mom4life | Category: It Worked 4 Me, Recipes & Kitchen Tips | Posted Sunday, May 22, 2011

Eating is necessary, planning for it is optional.

However, over the years I have discovered (or been reminded-again and again) how helpful it is when I take the time to plan out our meals for the week. As silly as it may sound, I can recall the first time this idea of planning meals ahead of time occurred to me.  I was newly married with no kids and standing in the middle of a friend’s beautifully retro themed kitchen.  Neatly attached to her antique fridge door was a little handwritten note indicating what she planned to make for dinner each day of the week.  I stood looking at that list in wonder and amazement as the realization that I could have control over our dinner plans began to take root in my mind.

Since that day, I have worked to implement dinner planning into my routine with varying levels of success.  The frustration point for me is that there are so many steps involved in the process:

(more…)

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Weekly Giveaway – Clingy Cord

By mom4life | Category: 4 Free Friday Giveaway | Posted Friday, May 20, 2011

Loving Natural Sunscreen and Insect Repellant

Retail Value: $10.25 – $13.25

Congratulations to Nikki Layne, who won the gift pack from Loving Naturals, including all three products!

All Loving Naturals products will be 20% off this week, May 20 – 26!

Check out Heather’s video review about the Loving Naturals line!

Clingy Cord by CaitiMac Creations

Retail Value: $17.95

One lucky winner will win a Clingy Cord in the style of their choice! (14 to choose from!)

Clingy Cord by CaitiMac Creatons is the perfect accessory for children in the dropping, throwing, losing, or just tossing-for-fun stages. STOP THE THROWING!! Clingy Cord’s sliding knot design is simple to use, just open the loop and slide it over the item to be secured. Adjust the sliding bead to hold the item snugly. Attach link to baby’s stroller, car seat, high chair etc.

See Heather’s Video Review of the Clingy Cord!

How do you win?

“Share your thoughts”  right here by telling us  what you’d like your little one to be able to hold on to!

You have until Tuesday night, May 24th to enter. Winner will be chosen using Random.org, and announced in next week’s blog.

Good luck!

New Rileyroos Flexible Shoes!

For Boys:

Will in “Fire”, Brooks in “Sail”, and Dakota in “Coal”

For Girls:

Carly in “Cloud”, Carly in “Blush”, and Mary Janes in “Daisy”

All styles: $32.00

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