Massachusetts area Mommies and Mommies to be......

I am lucky enough to be in touch with a local (Southeastern MA) Mommy based business "Your Family".  They are a one stop for all Mommies to be and new Mommies.  They specialize in nanny placement, registry creation, baby proofing, "must have" items for new Moms and babies of all ages, and all other aspects of new Mommyhood.  I honestly wish I had someone like Your Family when I was pregnant with my first born.  Everything is so overwhelming and you don't know how to get everything finished or where to go when trying to make those important decisions.  It helps to have a crew there when you need them, especially one who knows the best things for your baby, from pediatricians to baby gear, to diapers. This comes directly from their facebook page....

"Overnight & Daytime Newborn & Infant Care, Prenatal & Postpartum Family Support, & Nanny Pairings

Description

Your Family Offers:
- Overnight & Daytime Newborn & Infant Care
- Prenatal & Postpartum Family Support
- Nanny Pairings

... From Boston to Cape Cod & beyond, Your Family will guide you from pregnancy through infancy, setting you up for success the moment baby is welcomed home!

See More

General Information

We remove the worry of preparing for baby by being your personal family concierge: walking you through registry creation, baby proofing your home & life, creating the nursery of your dreams & helping to guide you through the precious prenatal months by being their for you & your family, around the clock!"

If you are a new Mommy, a Mommy to be, or you know a Mommy to be or a new Mommy who could benefit from Your Family, please contact them at info@yourfamilynest.com or http://www.yourfamilynest.com

Chocolate lasagna recipe

Chocolate lasagna.  Yep.  Layers of chocolate, cookies, cream, pudding, yumminess.  I found it on Pinterest and couldn't resist.  I was crazy to make it, knowing I wouldn't be able to eat it, so I made a huge tray of it and then sent a huge portion of it away to friends.(I hope you guys enjoyed it!)  Of course I put a tiny healthy spin on it. 

Bronx Zoo Dinos

Remember that Bronx Zoo contest I posted a while back?  Well, check this out.  The Bronx Zoo's new exhibit is causing quite a stir! 

Now through September 8th, don’t miss the chance to take an interactive ride 200 million years back in time to when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the Bronx Zoo’s Dinosaur Safari, you’ll travel between the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic periods and come face to face with over 16 large-scale dinosaurs that hiss, roar, move… plus one who even spits water!

No summer adventure compares to going face-to-face with a T-Rex, or meeting a Triceratops and baby. After your journey through the past, be sure to visit the Dinosaur Safari Field Site and experience what it feels like to be at an archeological dig. Uncover fossils, explore dinosaur artifacts, and even control a robotic Stegosaurus!

Learn more and get your discounted tickets today at bronxzoo.com/t-rex. 

Sounds like so much fun!!  Let me know if you take your family to the dinosaur safari!! 

It's National Tequila Day!!!

Homemade bouncy balls

The big kids and I made homemade bouncy balls!  They were super easy, too.  They aren't as perfectly round as the ones you can buy in vending machines in stores, but they were fun to make and are fun to play with.  This is a pretty simple recipe and the kids can pretty much do it by themselves.  We used......

Please Vote!

My friend Maureen Murphy is a Nashville singer.  She has been nominated for the 2013 Nashville Independent Music Awards - Best R&B Solo Artist Female! Your vote determines the winner! http://www.nimadigital.com/vote/ Please consider doing me a favor by voting for her, and while you are at it, go to Itunes and check out her music.  She is amazing, I promise!!! 

A FREAKER of a giveaway!

Have you heard of Freaker?  I love these things.  Seriously.  Freaker USA is a company out of Wilmington, NC that makes drink insulators.  They are a 2013 version of the 1980's beer Kozee.  But Freakers are even better.  They are knit, made in the USA, non slipping, machine washable, fit ANY type of bottle, cup, can, and they are cute.  I mean SERIOUSLY CUTE.  And the Freaker company decided to send me a Freaker care package that I was lucky enough to receive today. 

I heard of Freaker after doing some research on my beloved mason jars.  Remember, I have my cold coffee protein drink every morning in a 24 oz widemouth mason jar.  My main problem with my mason jar is that it sweats.  A LOT.  And one of the jars I use was a jar that was my Grandmothers.  The others I can replace, but this one means something to me.  And if it slipped out of my hand because of the condensation, I would be heartbroken.  So I needed a solution to the sweating problem.  Kozees don't fit, and wrapping it with a dish towel or rag non stop just wasnt working.  Someone, somewhere had to have a clever solution to this problem.  And I needed to find that person!!  I started on Etsy, quickly moved on to Instagram, and luckily found Freaker on there!!!  It was a company that truly knows how to make me happy.  Mason jar insulators that have moustaches on them.  Wha, huh???  The person who invented these and then decided to put moustaches on them must be my soulmate!!!  And it's not just moustaches that they have on there.  They have 40 different styles available to buy, including the American flag, (and the UK flag for those of you celebrating Kate's and Will's big announcement), stripes and other assorted patterns, animals, cake, camo, skulls and plenty of others. I searched around the site for the correct size for my mason jar. What I found was that Freakers are truly one size fits all.  I didn't believe it at first, but it's true.  I tried mine on my little one's sippy cup, a soda can, a wine bottle, and the true test, my Grandmother's wide mouth mason jar.  It fit.  EVERYTHING.  All you do is just adjust the long neck, tuck it in if you have your Freaker on a small can or cup, keep it long if you have a long neck bottle of wine, a 40oz beer or a taller jar/glass like mine.

 (Doesn't mine look like Mr. Burt Reynolds? I know quite a few of my friends that read this will agree.  This is the "Sexy Sax Man" Freaker.)  I think I may have to buy "Dirty Carl" soon!  I can't wait to show my Freakers off at the pool, or the playground, or the beach.  And if it gets dirty and sandy, I toss it in the wash when I get home and put a new Freaker on.  Clean up is easy as that. 

These are the "Baberaham Lincoln" , "Hooters" and "Sherlock Homie" Freakers.  I told you their designs were amazingly cute!  And each one was made in the USA.  This is a company I could not love more than I already do! 

 

So check out FreakerUSA.com and try one for yourself.  I am so excited to have found this company.  And you will be, too!  Especially since Freaker is allowing me to do my VERY FIRST giveaway for one of my loyal followers!!!  What I need you to do is click HERE to see the Freaker style page, check out their styles and comment here on this blog post (include your email address)which Freaker you would like to win.  It's as easy as that!!!  I'll be choosing a winner later this week!  Thank you to Zac and the Freaker Team for allowing this giveaway!!!! 

 

 

The girl with purple hair

My 5 year old daughter has purple hair.  It used to be pink.  She didn't get into the markers, she didn't dip it in kool-aid. She isn't some sort of 5 year old rebel.  I dyed it. And yes, it's permanent. She is a girly girl and she loves her colored hair.  Yes, I get lots of evil looks when people find out it's permanent.  I don't care.  My daughter loves it and it looks adorable. 

A little bit personal

Life changes so quickly.  In the blink of an eye, things can go from bad to good, from good to bad, from easy to hard.  It only takes one moment to realize how good we have it, how easy something is, or how wrong we have been.  In life's little moments when we can look back, at the past, we reflect.  We hopefully will realize that life is short and that we need to take advantage of all the time we have with our loved ones and how we cannot take one thing for granted.  Life is so precious and we only get one chance to make it a good one. 



We lost someone dear to us yesterday.  He was a strong man who was there first and foremost for his family.  He was brave, a fighter in every way.  He hid his struggles and put on a brave face up until the very end.  We thought we'd have longer with him, but his body gave in last night.  In the very end, his family had no regrets.  Everything that had to be said was said, and every last "I love you" was spoken.  They were so lucky to be given the time they had with him.  He was a wonderful man and his family knows how lucky they are to have had him in their lives.

My dear readers, Say I love you to the people you care about it.  Say it often, and say it with meaning.  Spend quality time as much as you can with the people that mean something to you.  Make sure you tell your loved ones that you care about them and that you appreciate them.  We never know when our last breath will be taken and no one deserves to have regrets when someone is taken from us.  Take this post as a little reminder that we are given this life but it can be taken away at any moment.  We are blessed to have loved ones in our lives, and we need to make sure that nothing is taken for granted, not a person's love, not a moment lived, not a breath taken. 

Teacher gifts

I know we are way past the end of the school year.  A new school year is about to begin.  But this is the perfect time to start thinking of an end of the year gift for teachers.  My kids have teams of teachers.  My daughter had her preschool teacher and three aids in her class, my son had his third grade teacher and his reading teacher.  That is a lot to buy for, especially on a budget.  I know parents who go out and buy a hefty gift card for their child's one teacher.  That is a great gift, and Im sure the teachers love it.  But what do you do when you can't afford a big gift but still want to show the teachers that you appreciate them?  Or what do you do when you have more than one child, more than one teacher, and can't afford numerous gifts?  You come up with something crafty, yet inexpensive, but still something that they can use and love.  Our teachers this past year were fabulous and loving and caring and my kids adored them (so did I).  I wanted to show them that they are loved, and appreciated, but I couldn't break the bank.  So my kids and I created a gift that hopefully the teachers loved. 

This may be my new favorite salad

I eat a salad every day.  Usually its the same thing..... lettuce, cucumber, grilled chicken, a little seasoning, feta cheese, cranberries.  I am a creature of habit.  I eat this every single day, either for lunch or for dinner, or sometimes for a snack.  And before you ask...... no, I don't like tomatoes.  Sometimes I add strawberries to my salad, and almonds, to make a summer salad. This works really well with a lemon dressing. 

Reading list

I am notorious for ripping pages out of a magazine or newspaper. It will be a picture of a hairstyle I like, a paint color I fall in love with, a movie I want to see, or a book I want to read. I have literally HUNDREDS of these ripped pages in my address book, my purse, tucked in other magazines as bookmarks, in my organizer, my wallet. So I finally am going to organize them and put them here, on my blog, starting with my "to Read" list.

Fun projects for kids

You'd be surprised how easy it is to keep kids occupied on a rainy day. Here are some ideas that have worked for me for keeping my kids happy on those "We're boooooored" days. (My big kids are 9 and 5)

101 (Almost) Free Things to do with Kids this Summer

I am always trying to keep my kids occupied with fun activities. And as a thrifty Mom, I have learned that the fun stuff doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag, nor does it have to be insanely extravagant. My kids have more fun with experiences than they do with "stuff". So here is a list that will keep you and the kiddos busy, and give them a summer of fun experiences. Mom's and Dad's don't forget to do these activities with the kids. Their favorite friend to play with is YOU!!!

Mourning

I'm getting out my black dress, my hat, my black veil.  Adam Levine is engaged.  

Ohhhh Fuuuuuddddddggggee.

I am a huge "A Christmas Story" fan.  HUGE.  I have the special edition on dvd, have my tree covered in ornaments from the movie, own a stick on life size lamp for my front picture window, as well as figurines of the characters.  I watch the WHOLE 24 hours of it on TNT Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  I drive my family NUTS with it.  My Mom and Dad are officially considering committing me to the nut house because of my fascination.... haha!   (I'll move on to my Pee-Wee Herman fascination in another blog post.) So imagine my excitement when I heard that the Christmas Story House and Museum in Ohio are celebrating the movie's 30th anniversary with a "Christmas Story in July" extravaganza!!  (Yes, I said EXTRAVAGANZA!!) My followers in Ohio, this post is directed at YOU!!!  Don't forget to wear your ugly sweater!!!  Your major award may be FRA JEEEEEEE LAY!  (must be Italian!)

Contest!!!

I have gotten a great opportunity to share a fantastic giveaway with my readers!  If you are in the NY area, or atleast in driving distance, please click HERE to win the Bronx Zoo's Dinosaur Safari sweepstakes!  One lucky winner will get.....

Grand Prize Package

for winner and three guests includes

• VIP entry to Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari and private tour of zoo, lunch, merchandise, plus a Wildlife Conservation Society membership
• 2-night stay at the newly transformed The Milford NYC in the heart of Times Square
• Tickets to Disney's Tony Award-winning
  The Lion King
• $100 gift card for dinner at NYC's premiere Southern-style barbecue restaurant,
  Virgil's Real Barbecue
• All-access tickets to the American Museum of Natural History

and there are runner up prizes!

Six Runner-Up Prizes

• Premium Wildlife Conservation Society Membership including free admission for a full year at the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos
• Free dinner, once a month, for family of four at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar
• Gift basket from Happy Family, leading organic food brand
• $100 gift card from trusted kids' clothing brand OshKosh B'gosh
• Dinosaur Book Prize Pack from Simon & Schuster publishers
• $50 gift card and Free Dinosaur Egg Cake from Carvel Ice Cream Shoppe

I've got my fingers crossed that it's one of my readers that wins!!!  GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

CUPS : The Cup Song

Please tell me, my dear readers, that you have heard of this.  Back when the movie "Pitch Perfect" came out, my Husband and I were in awe of Anna Kendrick's ability to sing and do this little cup dance/choreography/performance, whatever you want to call it. She sings the Cup Song while doing these hand movements and banging a cup around in a perfectly choreographed movement.  My clumsy, no rhythm self could NEVER do the cup/hand movements the right way, nevermind singing at the same time AND keeping the tune!  I was amazed!  (it's the little things in life, really. lol) Fast forward a few months later, my then 8 yr old son came home from school talking about it.  I looked the cup song up on Youtube and there were literally THOUSANDS of videos where people were recreating it. 

Here is Anna Kendrick's video.  Now it is a released song with an official video. 

 

And here is one of many videos done by some pretty talented people who can sing AND have the rhythm to do this.

 

Pretty amazing.  My two big kids have been practicing the cup song.  Maybe I'll be posting their video next!   Can you do it?  Let me know if there are even better Cup Song videos!

Banana Splits!

My kids have been BEGGING me to get them banana splits.  They have never had them before.  (Can we say DEPRIVED?) But we have a few issues.  One, Im a little neurotic about giving my children artificial sugar based, fatty junk food for dessert.  I just don't do it if I don't have to.  And two, my son has a lot of allergies, so we can't just jump in the car and go to a local ice cream shop for a "safe" (allergy free) banana split.  Every topping, ice cream, even the scoop that the shops use to scoop the ice cream out can be deadly to my kid.  Its just not worth it. 

Relay for Life

Every year, for the past three years, my kids and I have participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  It is a walk to raise money for cancer research.  It focuses on survivors, their caretakers, and the people fighting for their life.  The American Cancer Society holds relays all over the country.  We participate in our town and we do it for our loved ones. 

Searching for a new sunscreen

I have the sneaking suspicion that my tiniest monkey has an allergy to our sunscreen.  We usually use Banana Boat babies.  Does anyone have any recommendations for some more natural or organic sunscreen?  We are outside an awful lot so going without sunscreen is not an option.  When she is in our pool, she has a canopy over her but It definitely isn't enough protection from those harmful rays.  I thank you in advance for any and all suggestions!!! 

Tie Dye 4th of July!

We spent two days last week tie dying our clothes.  It's a family tradition that each summer we spend a day or two doing this.  We have a blast and end up with some really cool new clothes!  It is super easy, too, although it does take some time.  My kids get very antsy, waiting for the dye to dry, and having to wait through a whole wash and dry cycle on the second day.  But the end result is worth it for them! 

Another book post

Are you a member of GOODREADS?  It's a book app/website that I absolutely adore.  Basically, you go on there, click the books you've read, want to read, and are reading, and then you can follow your friends and reccommend books to them, or read books they've liked.  There are a ton of books on there, both old and new.  You can search by author, genre, book title.  It keeps track of it all for you, so you can check it at the library or bookstore and make sure you arent getting something that you've already read.  I love following what my friends are reading and then following up with their reviews.  I find lots of my "to-read" books that way!  Follow me on Goodreads by clicking here and signing up for free.  Let me know if you join, so I can follow you, too! 

French Onion Casserole recipe

One of my family's favorite side dishes is this french onion casserole.  It is cheesy and creamy and filled with onions and delicious.  The first time I made it, my whole family (minus the baby) gobbled it up.  Ever since that first time, whenever I make it, I need to make an extra big batch of it because everyone wants seconds and thirds.  So yummy!  You don't have to be a fan of french onion soup to like this. In fact, I made it for my friend Moe, who is a singer down in Nashville, and she had never had french onion soup before she tried this.  Now she asks me to make it whenever she makes it back home for a visit.

Super easy meatball dinner recipes

We don't do much beef in this house, since my son is allergic to it.  Most of our meatballs are made with ground turkey or ground chicken.  We keep a bunch of them frozen for an easy meal when we are pressed for time. My son especially will eat meatballs anytime, any way.  So we make them often.  We don't have a regular recipe that we follow for them, we usually just toss in whatever we feel like, and my son is usually the one who makes them when we do make them.  Our normal ingredients are garlic, onion powder, breadcrumbs, an egg, a little salt and pepper, sometimes worcestershire sauce, parsley, celery salt.  (We also keep bags of pre-made frozen turkey meatballs around for when we are really pressed for time at dinner.) 

July's workout challenge

My fit friend has posted another challenge for me to follow, and I am ready!  Are you?  The squat challenge made me realize how strong I really am, so I am prepared to BRING IT this month and complete this.  No matter how much blood, sweat, tears I have to use (okay, hopefully not blood, but I'm thinking sweat and tears are pretty accurate).  Are you ready for this?  Who is joining me?