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Frozen Fun Experience at Disney on Ice

Monday, January 27, 2020

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This post was written in partnership with Feld Entertainment & Disney on Ice. We were provided with complimentary tickets for review. As always, opinions are 100% honest and my own.


Like most little girls, my girls are still obsessed with Elsa and Anna from Frozen.  They still dress up several times a week pretending to be the Ice Queen and Princess after the get home from school.  Last week, they had the opportunity to hang out with them during the Frozen Fun Experience (pre-show) at Disney on Ice...and on a school night! ;)


 My girls were over the moon with excitement before we even arrived and they had more fun than I could have even imagined.  We were greeted at the door by Kristin, an Arendale resident who knows Elsa and Anna and she played the part perfectly.  She was sweet and helpful and kept our girls entertained with coloring and snowflake making before Elsa and Anna made their appearance.  I can't forget the yummy Mickey shaped snacks that were waiting for us too!  We all gobbled them up!


After having some crafting fun, Anna and Elsa made their appearance and that's were the fun really started!  We had a mini scavenger hunt to look for all of Olaf's body parts and once found, all the kids got to go up and put him back together.  Emma and Charlotte found one of his arms and were so excited!

Then they got to have story time and sing along to Let it Go (along with learning some dance moves).  Emma loved that she got chosen to hold one of the story boards while Elsa and Anna told us all about them.  I'm pretty sure that made her night, along with a lot of other things.

We finished off our Frozen Fun Experience by getting to talk to our favorite Queen and Princess and take a professional photo with them.  Feld Entertainment did a great job organizing this event and we loved it.  The girls were given a keepsake photo and a VIP lanyard to take home.  It was great!


 The Frozen Fun Experience is an add-on to the Disney on Ice Show and the perfect way to start you night out with your kiddos.  It's fun for the entire family.  To find Disney on Ice tickets in your area along with a special VIP add-on purchase, you can click here.

 Be sure to follow Disney on Ice and my family to keep up on the latest giveaways and shows coming to the Indy area!
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Quality Drinking Water for Breastfeeding Moms AND Formula Fed Babies

Monday, April 29, 2019

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ParentingWithPrimoH20 #CollectiveBias 

I drink a lot of water, like 100 ounces a day.  Quality water is so important to me not only because my family & are consuming it, but also because it's how I feed my twin babies.  I've been breastfeeding strong for almost 7 months now and making sure my water intake is high is key to keeping up with two little ones.  With that being said, feeding two babies is hard and I don't always have time to pump, which means if I want to go out and do something (let's be real, grocery shop), then the twins will get a bottle of formula if needed.  I don't feel guilty when they get formula because we all know fed is best and I also know that quality water is being provided to them in their formula with the Primo® First Steps Bottom-Loading Water Dispenser. Did you know that the tap water right in your own home can actually be dangerous to your family, especially your little ones?  A lot of tap water sources are treated with fluoride, which poses concerns for babies. Pound for pound, a baby’s body can’t filter contaminants like adults can.​ For these reasons, babies need to be drinking purified water only.​ If there’s one thing Primo knows, it’s that you want a happy and healthy life for your child from start to finish. Why wait to start introducing healthy habits? The First Steps Water Dispenser is the  perfect way to give your baby better water right from the get-go. ​


 My favorite part about the Primo First Steps Bottom-Loading Water Dispenser is the warm feature that allows for the perfect temperature for a baby bottle.  That means there is no wait time when feeding twins.  We all know how one hangry baby can get, throw another in the mix and well, Primo has saved my husband's sanity when I'm gone.  It also comes with a feeding chart to keep track of your baby's feedings, which is great feature for new moms who are sleep deprived or a mom of four (like myself) who has a serious case of mom brain.


The dispenser provides cold, warm or hot drinking water with the warm option supplying water at 98.6-104o Fahrenheit—specially designed for mixing baby formula.  I also love that the piping-hot water has child-resistant safety feature.  With a five and three year old at home too, this is very important.  It's great that they can get water themselves and stay safe in doing so. 


Primo® is the only brand that delivers best in class dispensers for the home + bulk water in either pre-filled exchange bottle or do-it-yourself refill bottles.​ The dispenser uses 3 or 5-gallon water bottles (sold separately), and you can easily find new ones at a retailer near you on the Primo Website! It sets up in minutes so you can start hydrating in no time- no tools, plumbing or installation required. Plus, the easy bottom-loading design allows you to just push the bottle in the cabinet, easy. The Primo First Steps Bottom-Loading Water Dispenser has easily become our favorite way to stay hydrated and my favorite way to give formula to my little ones.  It's a must have for all families! If you're expecting, be sure to throw the Primo First Steps Bottom-Loading Water Dispenser​ on your registry- you'll be glad you did!




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To the mom who just wants to drink her coffee, I See You

Friday, January 18, 2019

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To the mom who just wanted to drink her coffee hot (or at all), I see you.

To the mom who had a bad day which was not good for anyone, I see you.

To the mom who washed her sheets because her toddler peed on them when they couldn't use your bathroom, I see you.

To the mom who cleaned pee (again) off the floor moments later because said toddler needed attention, I see you.

To the mom who tries to make dinner but instead manages to get cereal on the table, I see you.

To the mom who hasn’t brushed her hair in weeks and can’t remember if she brushed her teeth #Guilty, I see you.

To the mom who hasn’t left the house in days maybe weeks and just needs five minutes to herself, I see you.

 To the mom who let her baby "cry it out" and feels guilty, I see you.

 To the mom who let her kids watch Paw Patrol on repeat just to survive the day, I see you.

 To the mom who can't seem to get it together, I see you and YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Yesterday was rough.  Yesterday I had one of those days.  One of those days where you want to hide in a closet and cry.  One of those days where you think you can't do it; this thing called motherhood.  I literally just wanted to drink my coffee. I am in deep right now with an almost 5 year old, a 3 year who takes the stereotypical three year old memes to another level (Google it...they are hilarious) and 4 month old twin girls.  I know it seems hard now, but just know you are not alone and I went to bed knowing that when I woke up to four beautiful little girls today, that they wouldn't even remember the day before and that they would love me regardless of my flaws as a mother and as a human.  

 Take a breath. Tomorrow is a new day.  Love on those babies even on your worst days.  Cry if you need to cry and laugh if you need to laugh about it.  I mean, you could have been cleaning up poop off the floor, am I right?  It will get better and it will go by so fast.  

"You're always going to wonder if you're doing things wrong, but that's what it means to be a mom, to care so much about someone else that you just want to be as perfect as possible."
-Naya Rivera

 Share your messiest mom moments with me in the comments.


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Keeping my Twins Healthy with Baby Probiotics

Friday, November 30, 2018

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


Since the moment I found out we were expecting twins, they have changed everything that I know about pregnancy and motherhood.  If you've kept up with my blog, then you know I had a fairly easy pregnancy considering I was carrying two.  However, it was nothing compared to my first two pregnancies.  They were a piece of cake.

I never had any sickness, I stayed active and I didn't have any swelling until the last week.  I even worked until my due date with my first.  The twins, on the other hand, were exhausting.  I gained double the weight (as expected) and swelled like you wouldn't believe.  I had back pain, heartburn, you name it.  I was definitely making up for my prior easy pregnancies.

Giving birth to them was another experience that was completely different and resulted in me learning more about how important it is to make sure they are getting all the right nutrients from me, including probiotics.  I am still working on my birth story, but spoiler alert, I gave birth naturally to Molly and two hours later ended up having a C-section with Kathryn.



Did you know that as result of Kathryn being born via c-section that she is likely missing the good bacteria B. infantis, allowing many harmful bacteria to thrive. 

These bad bacteria are linked to higher risk of colic, eczema, allergies, diabetes, and obesity.  This basically means you or your baby did not come in direct contact with mom’s beneficial gut bacteria. This good bacteria helps develop a healthy gut microbiome in your baby and could have long-term health benefits.  This is critical for the the first 6 months of baby's life for immune and metabolic development. 

Since three of my four babies were born naturally, I had no idea about this and how important it is for me to do something about it for my twins. 

That's why I've made the decision to use Evivo.  It is the first and only clinically-proven probiotic for babies.  Evivo contains no artificial colors, dyes, flavors, or preservatives; is free of additives, and is gluten-free.  It is also clinically proven to restore B. infantis to baby’s gut and reduce bad bacteria that is linked to a higher risk of health issues, now and later in life.  How amazing is that?!

How do you know if baby’s gut is healthy? Thankfully, there’s now a simple 3 question Baby Gut Check you can take that will reveal if baby is one of 9 out of 10 infants missing B. infantis: 
Question 1: Were you OR your baby born via C-section?
Question 2: Were you OR your baby given antibiotics pre-delivery or post pregnancy?
Question 3: Does your baby have diaper rash OR 5+ watery poops per day? 

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions your baby’s gut may be in jeopardy.
Click here to learn more about the benefits and kits Evivo has to offer. And right now you can get $10 off a 4 week starter kit using BLOG10181 OR $20 off an 8 week or greater starter kit using BLOG10182 to start using the benefits that Evivo has to offer your baby's gut health!
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#FunkPartyOfSIX

Monday, April 2, 2018

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If you've been following us on social media, then you know we are expecting in September this year.  If you haven't, then you've missed the even bigger news because we are expecting...TWINS!!


This was a huge shock for us, especially since we thought we were having another miscarriage, which I plan on talking about in another post.  Before the miscarriage scare, we had already scheduled our girls to have their Valentine's pictures taken with Andrea, from Off the Walls Photography.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity to throw in some pregnancy announcement pictures to share with our friends and family.  This was obviously before we knew we were having twins and decided to wait to share our news until we made it through the first trimester.


I'm so excited to finally share these photos with you all!  I hope to get a pregnancy update soon too, but the exhaustion from this pregnancy has been brutal.  Since this will be my last pregnancy, I can't wait to share our journey with you all!


Thank you all for continuing to follow along!  I'd love for you to share how you announced your pregnancy in the comments below :)
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To the guy who cut me off at Chik-fil-A...

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

6 comments
Thank you.

 Thank you for giving me the opportunity to teach my oldest daughter who is almost 4 years old a life lesson. 

 Thank you for cutting me off after we had just attended Bible study and not another time of the day where I might not have been as pleasant.  Because of this, I was able to teach my daughter the appropriate way to respond in a situation like this.  A situation where you were not so patient or polite.

 Your impatience meant that I could teach my daughter how to be patient and how to wait our turn.  Thank you for giving me the chance to teach her that sometimes having patience means waiting a little longer than we want and that some things are worth waiting for...like the delicious milkshake we enjoyed afterward.

It's is because of you that I was able to teach my daughter respect and how to be kind to others.  That it is okay to get frustrated, but it not okay to act on that frustration.  That sometimes in life, you just have to take a deep breath and be thankful for where we are, thankful that the other car (you) didn't hit our car in the process and thankful for the extra bonding time and conversations we got to have in the car together.

Now, this all may sound silly to you, but to an almost 4 year old who had already been waiting for 10 cars ahead of us, it isn't silly.  If you were a mom, during lunch on a weekday at Chik-fil-a, you would understand and know what I'm talking about and if you had just waited, then you would have known our order of one small chocolate milkshake literally only took less than 30 seconds to order and pay for. 

 So again, thank you.  Thank you for giving me more time with my daughter and the chance to teach to her in the moment.

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A Peek Into Our Lives Last Week

Monday, January 15, 2018

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This past week was a week of learning that not everything goes as planned. That motherhood is staying on your toes and being able to adapt quickly.


We started our week on a good note and attended the Pygmy Hippo Name Reveal Party at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.  The weather was perfect and we had such a great day.

 Of course, that quickly changed when a few hours after we got home, my youngest got sick and threw up.  What was supposed to be a night off for my husband and I turned into another routine night with our girls.  They were going to stay the night at my in-laws, but thought it was best we try another night since Charlotte had gotten sick.

 They did take the girls on Tuesday, so I was able to run some errands and enjoy my coffee while hot.  They had such a good day, that they ended up staying the night this week after all!

 I attended our MOPs (Mother's of Preschoolers) leadership meeting and it was nice to see all of the moms I love.  Most of us hadn't seen each other since Christmas.  We caught up and planned our upcoming meetings and mom's nights, which we all know we need!

 My father-in-law celebrated a birthday and Emma even got to help make the cake!  We got home from my in-laws and a day of fun, to a night of sickness.  Em woke me up around 11pm saying that she didn't feel well.  As soon as she got comfortable in our bed, she threw up all over me.

This continued until 430am and we decided to miss the Lowry Park Zoo and a first look at their new baby orangutan that we were invited to attend.  We were all sad to miss, but sometimes you just need to slow down.  We cuddled and watch movies all day and I prayed that Charlotte wouldn't get sick again.

January 11, 2018
{Motherhood is being flexible and sometimes not being able to do the things you planned (like getting a first look at the new baby orangutan at @lowryparkzoo this morning)

It sometimes means getting woken up in the middle of the night with a little one who has a upset tummy and then getting thrown up on 🤢#thathappened
 
Motherhood sometimes means staying up to hold your baby and lack of sleep in order for them to feel better. 

I may not always know the curve balls that motherhood is going to throw at me, but what I do know is motherhood is ALWAYS worth it. 

Thank you @ashleysolbergblog for taking this photo and reminding me how much I love being a mom. That the little hand holding, the adventure down a "secret" hallway to see our favorite superheroes, the extra cuddles I'm getting in and the "thanks for taking care of me, Mommy" makes the late night and long day we are having so #worthit ❤️}


Thankfully, a couple of days of rest was just what we all needed because we are back to feeling better for the weekend! We celebrated another birthday of the sweetest two year old and Michael and I decided not to brave the cold, skipped Monster Jam and had a date night out instead!


We ended with a trip to Shark Days at the Florida Aquarium and I got to meet up with some of my favorite blogger friends! 


I'd love to hear how you week was! Leave a comment below :)
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"Girls Night" Out with my Favorite Toddlers | Sesame Street Live

Monday, October 23, 2017

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This post was written in partnership with Feld Entertainment & Disney on Ice. We were provided with complimentary tickets for review. As always, opinions are 100% honest and my own.


As a stay at home mom, I spend all day, every day with my girls.  I mean, that sounds a little dramatic...I do get an occasional few hours break to myself, BUT most weeks are adventurous for us with bible study, play-dates, and indoor activities, so taking my girls out during the evening unless my husband is with us doesn't happen often.  

 Friday, we had the chance to go see Sesame Street Live at the Mahaffey theater and it ended up being a fun night out, just us girls!  My husband wasn't able to make it and we weren't going to miss the show!  I was a little nervous taking my 3 year old and 23 month old by myself, but Sesame Street Live was made for them!

If you are thinking of taking your little ones to any type of show, you have to take them to Sesame Street Live.  It was a blast!  It was extremely interactive and I love that it was still educational.  They loved every minute of it!


We got to see Big Bird, Grouch, Elmo, the Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby and even Grover made an appearance.  We learned all about the letter C and Community and most importantly teamwork.  There were tons of bright colors, singing, dancing and a lot of smiles and laughter from my girls.  Emma literally fell out of her seat with excitement when Elmo showed up and she kept telling me how funny the Cookie Monster was.  Charlotte couldn't stop dancing (and eating cotton candy)!

I think our favorite part of the show was getting to have a "snowball" fight and then it started snowing in the audience!  Butterflies also flew above us, which was a pretty neat experience for my girls.  It ended with confetti falling from the sky and it's really hard not to have a smile so big your cheeks hurt after all of that!


Be sure to check out Sesame Street Live on Facebook to find out when there is a show coming to you!  We can't wait to go back again! 


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"Mommy, it's so Magical" | Disney on Ice Frozen

Monday, October 2, 2017

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This post was written in partnership with Feld Entertainment & Disney on Ice. We were provided with complimentary tickets for review. As always, opinions are 100% honest and my own.


 My husband and I had the opportunity to take our girls to see Disney on Ice Frozen over the weekend and let me tell you, my girls' reactions were priceless.  I honestly was so busy watching the look on their faces that I'm not sure how much of the show I actually caught.

It started with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy, which our girls loved.  Emma was in awe when all of the princesses came out and Charlotte couldn't quit clapping!  Once Frozen began, Emma didn't move.  Her mouth literally dropped open and stayed that way for a good five minutes! Ha!  She looked at me and said, "Mommy, it's so magical".  My heart melted into a giant puddle right there on the floor.  It was the sweetest moment because it truly was a magical experience!

I was afraid that Charlotte might be too little for the show, but she absolutely loved it.  I can safely say that her favorite part was when the snow monster came out.  She said, "Wow", and couldn't take her eyes off of him.  Emma's was hands down getting to sing "Let it Go" with Queen Elsa.  I'm pretty sure the entire audience, including myself, was singing.  I had so much fun watching them sing and dance throughout the entire show.

It made it even better that they both were able to wear their Elsa and Anna dresses (not that they don't wear them on the daily as it is).  Disney on Ice Frozen is such a magical experience for every little girl and boy.  It's something that I will always remember and hope they do too.
  
Related: Disney on Ice | Worlds of Enchantment

I definitely recommend Disney on Ice Frozen and any other upcoming Disney on Ice shows.  You can click here to find a show coming to you!


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