What You Loved In March

I can’t believe that March is already over! Is this year flying or is it just me? Maybe it’s the fact that it still feels like winter here in Maryland that makes me think it’s still February.

In case you missed them, these are the top 10 posts from March.

1. Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap
2. Gorton’s Real Solutions Artisan Fillets
3. 2014 Summer Movie Express
4. Dads Can Help with Breastfeeding
5. Easy Butterfly Toilet Paper Roll Craft
6. CP Toys: Multi-Ethnic Career Puppets
7. Easter Basket Ideas for Baby
8. I’m a Bravado Mama
9. Ocean City, MD Boardwalk
10. St. Patrick’s Day Parade

me4kidz medibuddy First Aid Kit Review & Giveaway

*I received product to facilitate this review, but opinions expressed are my own.*

Spring will (hopefully) be arriving soon! For us, and many other parents I’m sure, that means trips to the park, walks around the neighborhood, pool days, and boo-boos.

I received a medibuddy travel first aid kit to review from me4kidz.

Baseball and Messy Monday Link-Up

Charlie will be 3 years old at the end of April. That means that he’s 3 in Little League age! We have a Sunshine Division at our local League that starts at age 3. I played softball starting with t-ball until I was 18. That’s about 13 years of softball. I loved every minute of it and wish I had time and resources to play again as an adult. Maybe someday.

Until then, I’ll be scrubbing mud and grass stains out of my little one’s pants. His first practice was this past Thursday. It’s going to be an interesting season filled with a lot of playing in the dirt and a little bit of baseball in there.

Excuse the pictures, I was swinging Owen in his carseat and freezing my butt off at the same time while watching.

Spring Into Spring with Kiwi Crate

*This post contains affiliate links.*

As Spring quickly approaches, Kiwi Crate is teaming up with Soap.com and Blue Apron to help your family welcome the new season!

My Dream Job

This is part 7 of 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.

Honestly, I have no idea what my dream job would be. I worked in convenience stores for over 10 years before this past September. I’ve been a stay-at-home mommy for 7 months now. I actually just had to count because it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.

My dream job would have to be something that makes me proud of myself and what I do. It would allow me to be home for dinner every night and attend family get-togethers on weekends.

I’m completely torn about working because I want to get out of the house, socialize, and earn money; but I hate the idea of someone else watching my children all the time.

I’m in love with the idea of owning and running my own deli or convenience store. It’s what I know and it’s what I’m comfortable with. Maybe someday.

Restaurant.com – Flavor at Your Fingertips

 
Find Flavor at your Fingertips with Restaurant.com's Mobile App!

When we go on vacation, we like to eat at local restaurants instead of large chains we can find anywhere. In the past, I spend a lot of time before we go researching places to eat on vacation and then seeing if they are on restaurant.com. With the new Mobile App, I won’t have to do this. I can buy them once we’re actually on vacation and decide where we want to eat. This means less stress before vacation for me. And more money in our pocket!

Receive a FREE $10 Restaurant.com eGift Card with Your FIRST Purchase on the Restaurant.com
Mobile App!Restaurant.com is offering a FREE $10 Restaurant.com eGift Card with your first purchase on their mobile app!*

Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers

*This post contains affiliate links.*

Charlie will be turning 3 the Sunday after Easter this year. We will put a small amount of candy in it, but for a toddler, I really don’t think he needs much.

Easter Basket Ideas for Baby

*This post contains affiliate links.*

Owen is going to be just under 6 months at Easter. Here’s a few ideas for a basket for baby.

Coming Soon: Messy Monday Link-Up!

 

Hi everyone! I decided to start a link-up on Mondays. And what better to have for Mom’s Messy Miracles than Messy Monday?

With kids, everything easily becomes messy. I think we just need to take it in, snap some pics, laugh about it, and attempt to clean it up.

Here’s a pic of my messy kid when he was just over a year old

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.momsmessymiracles.com/search/label/messy%20monday" title="Mom's Messy Miracles"><img src="http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/Christina_Shirley/MessyMondaybutton_zps9b95e23e.jpg" alt="Mom's Messy Miracles" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I hope you’ll join us this coming Monday for the first Link-Up!

Ocean City, MD Boardwalk

I grew up going to Ocean City, MD during the summer. We would ride our bikes on the boardwalk, eat a donut at a shop no longer there, then spend the day at the beach. I still love OC, MD because it immediately brings back all those warm fuzzy feelings from my childhood. I hope that we can create some of those same feelings in our boys.

Even though we went for just an overnight trip at the end of March, there were plenty of people at the beach. It was a beautiful Saturday: sunny and in the low 70s.

 

Ozeri Green Earth Pan

*I received product to facilitate this review, but all opinions expressed are my own.*

For starters, the Ozeri Green Earth Pan is beautiful! I would love if it would match the rest of my kitchen in red, but the lime green is like a little party in my kitchen.

 

Francis Scott Key Family Resort in Ocean City, MD

We found a great Groupon a couple months ago for an overnight at the Francis Scott Key Family Resort in Ocean City, MD.

My husband works for a company that does seasonal business. Well, the season is getting ready to go full force, meaning less family time for us for awhile. We scheduled our night away knowing it would be the kick-off of less daddy time.

We stayed in the Carolina building, which is about a minute walk from the Caribbean Key indoor pool.

 

Purex Crystals Limited Edition Fabulously Fresh Review & Giveaway

 

*The Purex brand provided me with a sample of Purex Crystals Limited Edition Fabulously Fresh in exchange for a product review. However, all opinions expressed here are my own.*

In our house, laundry is never ending. I’m sure many of you with children can relate. The new Purex Crystals Limited Edition Fabulously Fresh will brighten up your laundry routine.

 

3 Wishes

 

This is part 6 of 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.

Hit the lottery

Hitting the lottery would mean no debating on going back to work for me. We could pay off the house, both cars, the crazy amount of medical debt we have now, and all the other miscellaneous debt we owe. Hitting the lottery wouldn’t change us in the sense that it does some people. We would spend it reasonably, use it to relieve our everyday stresses, and not worry about putting the boys through college.

Surpahs Touch Digital Food Scale

 

*I received product to facilitate this review, but the opinions expressed are my own.*

The Surpahs Touch Anti-Fingerprint Precision Digital Kitchen Food Scale is a beautiful addition to the kitchen. It is small, measuring just 5.25” wide x 7.875” long and 0.6” thin. This small size makes it easy to store or even leave on the counter without taking up much space.

Buy One Get One for $0.88 at Crazy 8!

 

*This post contains affiliate links*

Today only, Crazy 8 is offering Buy One Get One for $0.88!

 

Surpahs Bamboo Cutting Board

*I was sent product to facilitate this review, but opinions expressed here are my own.*

I had been looking for a large cutting board, so when I was given the chance to review one- I jumped on it.

The previous bamboo cutting board I had recently broke in half. It was small and thin, but I did like it.

This one by Surpahs, I love. It’s large and thick and I fully believe it will last a long time.

Easy Butterfly Toilet Paper Roll Craft

 

This is a quick and easy craft that will surely give you the feel that Spring may finally be here.

You will need:

• a toilet paper roll
• construction paper or cardstock
• scissors
• markers
• a pipe cleaner
• glue
• paint
• paintbrush
• googly eyes
• pompoms

Free Frozen Blu-Ray after CashBack

 

You can get a free copy of Disney’s Frozen Blu-ray/DVD priced at $19.96 with $22 cashback, when you pick-up from an available Walmart store.

 

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

 

Here’s a quick (almost) Wordless Wednesday.

This past Saturday was absolutely beautiful and we were dying to get out of the house. My mom called and said there was a St. Patrick’s Day parade in a neighboring town, so off we went.

Gymboree: 30% off your entire purchase! Plus, take an additional 20% off!

*This post contains affiliate links*

 

Need some new Spring clothes for growing munchkins? I know we could use some bright spring clothes! It snowed here last night, but we are still trying to get in the mood for warmer weather. It’ll be here eventually, right?!?

Today only, Gymboree is offering 30% off your entire purchase! Plus, take an additional 20% off with code LUCKYDAY!

 

Gorton’s Real Solutions Artisan Fillets Review & Giveaway

 

*I received free product to facilitate this review, but all opinions expressed are my own.*

I need to start off by saying that I love shrimp and lobster, but I am not a fan of fish (other than tuna fish served from a can). However, when I saw the new Gorton’s Artisan Fillets, I knew I had to try them.

The Artisan Fillets are made with Wild-caught Alaska Pollock. They contain real ingredients with bold flavors. There are no fillers, MSG, artificial colors or flavors.

5 Things That Make Me Most Happy Right Now

 

This is part 5 of 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.

1. My family. I love that my children have so much family nearby to grow up with. Both sets of grandparents are amazing and I’m so happy that they’re so involved already with the munchkins. To me, family is the most important thing.

2014 Summer Movie Express

Regal has just announced the lineup for 2014’s Summer Movie Express.

Movie lovers of any age will enjoy this great selection of films during the 9-week festival. Participating Regal Cinemas, United Artists and Edwards Theatres will offer selected PG rated movies for only $1 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m.

VeggieTales Veggies in Space: The Fennel Frontier

*I was provided product to facilitate this post, but opinions expressed here are my own.*

We love VeggieTales at our house, but the timing of the newest movie is perfect for our house. Charlie has been on a space-obsessed phase lately. We sat down as a family to join Captain Cuke (Larry the Cucumber) and his loyal first officer, Mr. Spork (Bob the Tomato), as they embarked on an out of this world adventure to save the galaxy from a space pirate. Along the way, the entire Veggie crew learns a valuable lesson about sharing: if you have enough to spare, you have enough to share!

Why I love it:

I love that I can pop in a VeggieTales dvd for Charlie and know that he’s getting a wholesome message while being entertained.

Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap Review & Giveaway

*The Dial brand provided me with a sample of Dial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap in exchange for a product review. However, all opinions expressed are my own.*

I’ve always loved Dial, but their new Deep Cleansing Hand Soap is going to be our favorite new family soap. In our bathrooms, we use liquid soap because it looks neater and generally creates less mess.

Dads Can Help with Breastfeeding

Project: Breastfeeding inspired this week’s Friday 5. If you haven’t heard of Project: Breastfeeding, go check out the website or their Facebook.

 

Be Her Cheerleader

Breastfeeding is really hard. Everyone seems to talk about it like it is the most natural thing in the World. It is natural for our bodies to breastfeed, but it takes quite a bit of learning and practice before you have it down. Mom will definitely remember that Dad was her biggest supporter during the struggles.

CP Toys: Multi-Ethnic Career Puppets

*I was sent products below in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.* 

CP Toys is a branch of US Toy Company that offers a line of great toys for kids that inspire creativity and promote educational fun. CP Toys is a family run business that has been offering fun toys since the 1950’s! When you’re looking for fun ways to get your child’s imagination flowing, check out
their great products!

I’d like to introduce you to the newest members of our house:

Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits

On any given day you can usually find at least 2 whole chickens in my freezer. When they’re on sale, we’ll grab a few to stock-up. A small whole chicken will cost us about $4 when they’re on sale and we’ll get at least 2 meals for out of it for the hubby, the toddler, and myself. The first day we’ll just eat the chicken however it was cooked (usually in the slow cooker). Then later that night I’ll pick the rest of the chicken for another meal.

One of my favorite leftover chicken dishes is a chicken pot pie, but with biscuits.

Bravado Mama

I’m very proud to be a Bravado Designs Mama for 2014! Throughout the year I’ll be sent samples of new products and new colors.

If you’ve ever attempted breastfeeding, you know the ups and downs that you’ll encounter. Breastfeeding can seriously wear you down. Most days I feel completely gross, sitting at home in my chair all day basically just switching Owen from one side to the other. I read a post last week from another mom that said she wasn’t sure why people needed to wear nursing bras and I was completely blown away by it. She said you should be able to easily do it wearing your normal bra. Clearly, she never nursed a baby full-time. I’m sure that most breastfeeding moms feel very similar to the way I feel. We need to feel like a woman again, not a milk machine. Bravado! Designs allows me feel like a woman, but allows me to be nurse my baby whenever, wherever I need to.

10 Things I Would Tell 16 Year-Old Me

 

This is part 4 of 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.

 

1. Everything really does happen for a reason.
2. Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks.
3. You’re extremely smart- don’t waste that.
4. You look awesome! Stop being so hard on yourself!
5. Stay in touch with your friends, there’s a few that will be there a LONG time.
6. Saving money is important. Start now!
7. Everyone is self-conscious about something.
8. Keep exercising. It’ll save you stress later.
9. The things you think are breaking your heart now, it’s not real love. It’ll happen when you’re not expecting it. Cliché, but true.
10. Take risks. Don’t be stupid, but take risks.