Questionable Choices in Parenting

Laughing at life as a parent so they don't commit me

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Taking the Labor Out of Labor Day

September 1, 2016 by amushro

Oh Labor Day—how bittersweet you are. While I love having a long holiday weekend in the summer with my family, it also means that our summer fun has come to an end for the year. Sigh.

But rather than sit around and mope that my favorite season is wrapping up, it’s time to have a little fun with the fam. So if you’re hitting the road with your kiddos or just staying home and taking care of business with kids in tow, I’ve got some great hacks to take the labor out of Labor Day.

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If you have travel plans for this long weekend, you’ll want to be prepared for just about anything. Boudreaux’s Butt Paste recently surveyed more than 1,000 millennial parents and 82% said they wished they had more tricks up their sleeve to prevent diaper rash.

It’s no fun to deal with diaper rash when you’re  just hanging out at home, but if you’re traveling or have plans this Labor Day, diaper rash is even more of a pain the butt. So here’s a few hacks and tricks to kick some rash while you’re having a little late summer fun with your baby.

  • If you’re hitting the pool or beach, remember that one key to preventing diaper rash is keeping moisture away from your baby’s skin. That can be hard to do if you have a water baby on your hands! So this Labor Day if your baby will be hanging out in the pool or ocean and you’ll be using a swim diaper, try these tips:
    • Change the swim diaper frequently and remove the swim diaper as soon as water play time is over. Pack a few extras so you don’t have to rely on just one swim diaper all day.
    • Since swim diapers aren’t absorbent and don’t pull moisture away from your baby’s skin, make sure your baby is completely dry before you put on a regular diaper. Give your baby a little time to “air dry” before getting them dressed.
    • The one surefire way to treat and prevent diaper rash is keeping moisture away from the skin, that’s why new parents should invest in a diaper rash cream that provides a thick moisture barrier, like Boudreaux’s Butt Paste.
  • If you’re traveling this Labor Day and need to change a diaper on-the-go but you can’t find a diaper changing station or you’ve found one that is probably covered in a million germs, try the reclining position of your stroller or the backseat or trunk space of your car for a quick diaper change.
  • If your baby has a blowout and is wearing a onesie, it’s your lucky day. Well not that lucky because of the blowout but sorta lucky. Use those silly flaps at their shoulders to pull the onesie down your baby—rather than pulling the poopie onesie up and over and making an even bigger mess. Are you now saying “Aha! That’s what those things are for!”  I know, mind blowing.

diaper

In the same survey, when it comes to getting a free minute of time to tend to some household tasks, parents admitted to taking some shortcuts! Zero shame in that game, Mammas. And a three day weekend is the perfect time to get all caught up on the things we have to do. So to get the job done, parents said they’ve set their child up in front of the TV or a device, put their child to bed before their bedtime (genius), and let their child stay up past their bedtime. So when you’ve got things to do and you have your little ones with you, it’s time to get creative.

  • If you’re headed to the grocery store, leave foldable laundry baskets in your car to easily carry all of your groceries or bags inside the house in one trip.
  • If the floor of your vehicle looks like a buffet of snacks, dirt and things you’re not too sure about, you’re not alone! For quick and easy clean up, line the floor of your car with long rag rugs from the dollar store. The ridges help catch all the crumbs and falling debris and cut down on vacuuming. You can even use blue painter’s tape or double stick tape to secure the rugs to the floor. When you’re ready to clean, shake the rugs out, throw them in the laundry and smile because this hack is saving your sanity!

family

And what if you’re spending a little alone time with just you and your baby this Labor Day? Sounds perfect, right? Well, both moms and dads get an average of eight texts or calls when their significant other is home alone with their child. Sometimes you just need your partner in crime! So here’s a few ways to make that time apart a little easier on everyone.

  • If the parent on duty is feeling a little nervous about the alone time, line up some extra help in the form of a play date, or even a family member to stop by for a little extra support.
  • Many “HELP” calls come from parents not knowing where something is while the other is gone. To cut back on searching, use an over the door shoe organizer to arrange everything you need for a diaper change, bath time and more all in one place. Before your partner leaves home, go over the organizer together to make sure everything is accounted for.

 

So whatever you do this Labor Day, enjoy the time with your family and say so long summer. We’ll see you next year!

Find Boudreaux’ Butt Paste online, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

*This post was sponsored by Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience*

Filed Under: Products I love Tagged With: Amanda Mushro, Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, Butt Paste, diaper changing hacks, Labor Day

How to Create Simple Lunchbox and Snacks Stations

October 5, 2015 by amushro

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

How to create simple snack and lunch box stations

“I’m hungry. Can we have a snack?” These are the very first words I hear from my son EVERY SINGLE DAY when he hops off the bus. Kindergarten is hard work, and when he gets home from a long day of serious kindergarten business, the man is HUNGRY! The problem is if I leave him and his sister to their own food scavenger hunt after school, they will both dive head first into the pantry, eat a bag of chips, and plop onto the couch in a carb comma until dinner. So I created a snack system that carried over into the kids helping to pack their own lunches in the morning. Now I know they are getting yummy and proportioned snacks  after school and the dreaded task of packing lunches, has gotten so much easier. In fact, our new lunchbox making station has actually saved us time and the kids love being independent and making their own choices

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Create a Lunchbox Making Station

Depending on the storage space in your kitchen,use either small, plastic stackable drawers in the pantry or baskets to organize each menu item. While I’m packing their “main course,” the kids are choosing what else will go in their lunchbox based on the numbers listed outside the drawers or baskets. You can use chalkboard paint or a sharpie to write the number on the outside of the container. The rule in this house is they don’t have to take everything, but they need a variety and cannot take more than the actual number (unless it’s a fruit or veggie, then take as much as you want—a mother can dream, right?)

In the Pantry

Drinks (in addition to water) My kids love Horizon® Chocolate Milk Boxes so that is always their go-to drink for lunch: 1

Salty, Crunchy snacks and crackers (individual bags that I proportioned or the lunch size) Lately they’ve only wanted Horizon® Sandwich Crackers both the peanut butter and the cheddar:1

Apple sauce, fruit cups: 2

Special Treats like fruit gummies or a piece of chocolate: 1

In the fridge

Different cheeses: 1

Yogurt and yogurt drinks: 1

Fruits and Veggies: 2

Create a Snack Station

Use small plastic storage containers as your designated snack bin (I got mine at the dollar store)—have one for the fridge and one for the pantry.

For the fridge, pack the container full of snacks your kids love: yogurt, cheese, cut up fruit in sandwich bags, fruit cups, veggies and dippers like hummus, peanut butter or ranch (use small to-go condiment containers for the dips), small portions of meats in sandwich bags, Horizon® milk boxes and small bottles of water are just a few ideas.

This system allows them to make choices about what they want to take and they are being responsible by packing their own lunches. Since I’ve portioned out the food, I don’t have to worry they are eating too much.

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Since this Snack and Lunchbox Station is such a hit in this house, I am always adding more Horizon® products into the mix. They make perfect drinks boxes for my kids. The chocolate milk is flavored with organic cocoa and it has no high fructose corn syrup. Plus they are shelf-stable so they are easy to toss in their lunchboxes or grab when we are running out the door and need a drink on the go. Also Horizon® Sandwich Crackers are stuffed with organic yummy cheese  or peanut butter (and usually I’m snacking on them too). So even if we are rushing around packing lunches during our hectic morning or grabbing a quick snack before we head out the basketball or dance class, I know that I’m giving my kids food with good ingredients and it’s super yummy.

Of course I grabbed all of the Horizon® drinks and snacks while I was at Walmart buying 5,387 other things

PicMonkey Collage

 

Right now a lot of the Horizon® products feature the characters for The Peanuts movie! We are so stinking excited for this movie! Here’s a sneak peak of the trailer!

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Of course my husband and I love Snoopy and the gang but my kids think Charlie Brown is hilarious! Come on, he is, right? So any snacks with Snoopy or Charlie Brown on the are winners in our book.

What are you lunchbox packing and snack secrets? Got any great tips for us?

Filed Under: Products I love

Missing Your Grandparents is Hard. But CloudPets™ Help!

September 9, 2015 by amushro

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

cloudpets

When my kids see my parents, it’s like one of those scenes from a movie where everything turns to slow motion, two people run towards each other, and then they throw their arms around each other like they haven’t seen one another in years. My kids are madly in love with my parents, their Nene and Pappy, and believe me, the feeling is mutual. When those four are together, I’m all “Hey guys, remember me?”

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My parents want to be involved in the kids’ lives every single day, but that’s not always easy since we live three hours away from my parents. So we turn to technology like FaceTimeing before bed and talking on the phone when the kids get home from school to stay connected on every little but all of those very important aspects of their lives. But this week I surprised the kids with  CloudPets™  when we headed to my parents’ house for a long weekend. The results: happy kids, happy grandparents, happy mom.

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I’m a fan of any toy that serves a purpose more than just collecting dust in my house. I’m looking at you stuffed animals! Besides being adorable stuffed animals, CloudPets™ have a text/voice message feature.  You can download a free app, register your child’s animal, then invite friends and family to send a message to the pet. So your friends and family can record a message, your child’s pet’s heart will flash red, and your kids know that they have a new message waiting for them. You can hear the message on your CloudPets™ and then record a message and send it back. So they can actually receive and send messages as many times as they want. Don’t worry, CloudPets™ come with parental controls and only the people that you as the parent invite can send a message to your child’s pet. You can even send stories and songs to the CloudPets™.

IMG_4780So when the kids get up in the morning, they race to their pets to see what message is waiting for them. Then I get these happy, happy faces.

How adorable is her face in this video? The kids were really missing my parents even though they call & FaceTime every day. Now they have CloudPets to send & receive messages. Cute, cute, cute toy #cloudpetsforever [ad]

A video posted by QuestionableChoicesInParenting (@questionablecip) on Sep 9, 2015 at 11:44am PDT

You can find all of the CloudPets™ at Walmart. Our store had a big pallet display right in front where they had the different animals you can choose from. Also, each animal takes three AA batteries. Aaron picked the puppy  and Lyla picked the unicorn

IMG_7544Missing your grandparents is hard. But sweet messages from your grandparents on your very own CloudPets™ makes missing them a whole lot easier. What about you? Who do you know that would love a CloudPets™?

Filed Under: Products I love Tagged With: CloudPets™

Even Superheroes Need a Snack

September 8, 2015 by amushro

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

Need a snack

Sure MARVEL has Iron Man, The Hulk, and Captain America to save the day, but around here, we’ve got Super Aaron. Never heard of him? Let me tell you all about my superhero! He’s pretty amazing and has all kinds of superpowers like making everyone around him laugh all day long, can surf some of the biggest waves on his boogie board, is always willing to share with his sidekick (his sister), and he just started kindergarten!

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Already he is using all those super powers all day long to make friends, listen to his teachers, and ride the big yellow bus for the first time. I mean, even I wasn’t feeling so super about him riding that bus. However, he just got right on and waved and waved until we couldn’t see the bus anymore.

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So just like his bookbag, lunchbox, shoes, shirts, socks, underwear (yes, underwear)and every toy he owns, he wants his favorite superheroes everywhere. His current lunchbox must have is a MARVEL Chewy Granola Chewy Bar. He is loving that all of his favorite MARVEL heroes are featured on the granola bars: Captain America, Hulk, Spider Man, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Thor, and that these bars are 40% bigger to satisfy that superhero sized appetite. So these granola bars are perfect for his lunchbox or a quick snack after school to get him refueled and ready to save the world again.lunchboxI just turned by back for a minute, and I can’t be sure if Spider Man came swinging in and finished packing Super Aaron’s Lunch, or maybe Iron Man used his lasers to move the entire box of MARVEL Chewy Granola Bars into his lunchbox. Either way, I had to use a Hulk Smash and put a few back in the box, but I assured our Superhero that I would defend these yummy granola bars from any planned attacks (or a Daddy that likes to eat his kids’ granola bars.

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When I was doing all my back to school shopping, I found the MARVEL Chewy Granola Bars at Walmart, and grabbed a few boxes to last us through lots of lunch box packing, after school snacks, and the occasional evil villain’s plan of taking over the world (or just eating a few too many granola bars)

IMG_7440Even superheroes need a snack after a long day of fighting crime (or learning all those important kindergarten lessons), and Super Aaron is happy to be reunited with his sidekick and to be refueled and ready to save the day after a quick superhero snack. These two are quite the dynamic duo!

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 Be sure to check out how to make snack time even more SUPER at the MARVEL hub. How do you play superhero during lunch time?

Filed Under: Products I love, Uncategorized Tagged With: back to school snacks. Marvel Avengers, Marvel superheroes

Making Birthday Mornings Super Special

July 31, 2015 by amushro

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

best morning

I am a firm believer that if you Momma doesn’t make a big fuss over your birthday, then who will? So around here we do birthdays BIG! We start those super special birthdays off right with a few birthday mornings traditions that Aaron and Lyla absolutely love.  We’ve had the same birthday morning traditions since we celebrated their first birthdays, and their excitement over their birthday mornings makes me the happiest mom around.  But here’s part of my secret planning, we don’t need to spend big bucks just to make their birthday morning super special.

The night before their birthday, I tuck them in and usually start weeping. I know, I’m ridiculous, but I’m super emotional and Aaron and Lyla’s birthdays really bring out All. The. Feelings. Once they’ve fallen asleep, I get to work decorating their door. This year my son has a slight obsessions with Star Wars Rebels, and  I was able to grab a bunch of inexpensive decorations from Walmart that were perfect for the door decorating. As silly as this sounds, this is both of my children’s favorite part of their birthday–even with cake,  a party with friends and family, and all the presents–they LOVE waking up to their door completely decorated.

IMG_4649I love it because early in the morning when I hear my birthday boy beginning to wake up, I cannot wait to see this little face seeing his door for the first time!

IMG_4677And then I get this face! Seriously, is there anything better than THIS face?

IMG_4656But the birthday morning celebration isn’t over yet! The birthday boy and his sister race downstairs because they know a special sweet treat is waiting for them. While most mornings their bellies are full from the usual breakfast fare, on birthdays, we have cupcakes for breakfast! Yes, cupcakes! I set out the yummy cupcakes (which I grabbed at the Walmart bakery) and laid out the Star Wars Rebels plates, napkins, and cups to continue the birthday boy’s theme. Cupcakes for breakfast may see like a bit much, but they love it and I love it! I fully plan on having birthday breakfast cupcakes for them when they are grown adults and they don’t live with me anymore. Wahhhhhh

IMG_4686And if it’s your birthday, your mom might even let you eat your cupcakes like this:

IMG_4693Don’t forget the milk and fruit (Hey, I’m a mom. I just can’t help but sneak healthy foods into our birthday celebration)

Milk and fruitI grabbed everything for Aaron’s super special birthday morning in the Celebrate aisle at Walmart. The American Greetings decorations are really reasonably priced and they carry tons of party products with all of the characters your children love!

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I really love making every part of my children’s birthdays super special and their birthday mornings are my absolute favorite days of the year. What special traditions do you have for your children’s birthdays? 

Filed Under: Family, Products I love Tagged With: birthday mornings, birthday traditions, how to make kid's birthdays special, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Rebels birthday

5 New Things You Need For The Beach

July 23, 2015 by amushro

beach giveaway

It’s official WE LOVE SUMMER. We love every single part of summer and since the kids and I are living at the beach for a few months there is a good chance we are never, ever coming back. OK, school starts at the end of August so we’ll be back for that. Otherwise, we would just become beach bums. I’ve already shared with you my favorite beach parenting hacks and sanity savers and was ecstatic to share those hacks on the Today Show. So now I want to share a few things that have become a must for our days at the beach, plus a really fun giveaway. So here are the 5 new things you need for your beach trip.

1. Fine Foutas- Since the kids are spending 90% of their days in the ocean or the pool, we seem to have an endless supply of beach towels,. But this year those towels are simply taking up space in the linen closet because I’ve ditched them all for my first favorite summer product Fine Foutas. Fine Foutas (pronounced “foo-tahs”) are hand woven, 100% organic cotton towels that we’ve been using as a beach and pool towels, wraps, picnic blanket, throw blankets, and even a shawl on a chilly night.

foutas ccollage

At first I couldn’t imagine how a towel that was so thin could be so useful, but I’m telling you, friends, I’m a complete convert. We took the whole family to a waterpark and everyone else was unsuccessfully shoving big, bulky towels into their beach bags, but all four of our foutas folded up nicely and were perfect towels and coverups on a hot day. I love that they get softer every time they’re washed and they really hold up to the beatings of daily uses. Plus they are so pretty and I’m a sucker for anything pretty. When I told the owner of Fine Foutas that I’m a convert, she offered to give two Fine Foutas to one of my readers! Yay for giveaways!

three foutas

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

2. Sunscreen Face Sticks- Before my kids head out the door, I cover them head to toe in sunscreen, but after hours of boogie boarding and cannonballs, that morning sunscreen isn’t enough. So when I can wrestle them out of the water for a quick snack or drink, I cover their faces and shoulders with a sunscreen stick in just a few seconds. No mess, no fighting, and I protect those precious faces. Right now we are using this one from Neutrogena.

Ultra Sheer® Face + Body Stick Sunscreen Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 70

3. Catch and Release Beach Aquarium- We’ve acquired roughly a million shovels, buckets, and random sand toys; however, the kids newest toy has trumped them all. The Catch and Release Aquarium is the perfect toy for catching sea creatures, studying them, and then releasing them back to their homes. The aquarium is plastic and floats (this has saved us when a big wave has taken it away) and the screen lid allows anything you have collected to still breathe. I love that we can use this toy at a lake or pond too. You can find the aquariums here.

Dry Branch Sports Design Catch and Release Beach Aquarium Kit

4. Tailgate Tent- In the beginning of summer, a beach umbrella was just fine for a little bit of shade. However, now that we’re in full swing and heat of summer, sorry umbrella, our tailgate tent just kicked your colorful butt. We put the tent in line with all of the other umbrellas along the water and claim our spot for the day. Our entire family can take a break under the tent and it’s perfect for getting a little extra space when the beach gets crowded. Need one? Find it here.

Trademark Innovations Portable Event Canopy Tent

5. Beach Chair With A Cooler for Your Phone– I’ll admit, even at the beach, I find it hard to disconnect from my phone. And while you can keep the sand out of your phone with a sandwich bag, I learned that if you leave your iPhone in the sun, it will lock until the temperature drops! I had no idea this could even happen. Did you? So this year my beach chair has a smaller cooler on the side that keeps my phone cool and sand-free. Here’s the one I’m using:

 

chair

 

Hope you are having a great summer and good luck on the giveaway!

Filed Under: Products I love Tagged With: Amanda Mushro, fine foutas, giveaway, summer products

Raising Confident Kids (even at night!)

July 20, 2015 by amushro

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

confident kids

Anything he can do, I can do! This has become my little lady’s daily mantra, and the “he” that is her inspiration, is her older brother. Having kids 22 months apart has really created some interesting situations in our household: lack of sleep for several years and seemingly endless terrible twos, to name a few, but one of the best outcomes of having siblings so close in age is these two are best friends and thick as thieves. If her older brother is doing something exciting and adventurous, you better believe that this little sister is right behind him.

So if Big Brother is playing superheros, he always has a Hulk to his Captain America.

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And if he can ride all the big waves on his boogie board, watch out because this little lady is there too.

riding wavesSeeing her big brother take on the biggest and fastest slide at the waterpark gives her confidence to try that slide too, but sometimes, even when she wants to be just as confident as her brother, it can be a little challenging. Sometimes there are things she’s just not ready for, like staying dry at night. So when she declared she wants to wear big girl panties at night, we had to get a little creative because her body just isn’t ready to stay dry for 12 hours. Since no one wants to wash sheets every morning, we are trying out GoodNites TruFit because they are real underwear with a little extra help for young kids that want to feel like confident kids at night.

I grabbed GoodNites TruFit starter pack when I was shopping at CVS. You can find them in the baby diaper aisle, but as my girl would say “these are NOT diapers.” The starter pack had everything we needed for our first night with “big girl underwear.”

CVS

 The starter pack comes with two pairs of soft, cotton underwear that are designed to hold the disposable inserts (you get five inserts in the starter pack)

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 The GoodNites TruFit are different from diapers because they are underwear with removable and disposable inserts but they are simple to use, reuse, and clean. Here’s how they work:

1. Place the insert (text facing down) inside the specially designed GoodNites underwear.

2. Tuck the insert inside the elastic side pockets

Tru fit collage

3. Once the insert is secured inside the underwear, the GoodNites are ready to wear!

4. In the morning, just turn the underpants inside out, and the insert easily falls into the garbage can. You can launder the underwear just as you would regular underpants.

5 Do Not wear the GoodNites TruFit on your head–except if  you want to take really silly pictures

Silly

This lady is keeping her confidence day and night and nothing is slowing her down. If you are thinking of trying GoodNites TruFit, here’s a coupon! Just answer 3 and you will unlock a $4 off coupon for a GoodNites TruFit Starter pack.

How do you encourage self-esteem and confidence in your kids?

Filed Under: Products I love

Fuel the Love- Caring for a High Mileage Car

June 24, 2015 by amushro

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

Fuelthelove

It’s officially summer! The kids are out of school. Our bags are packed, and my swagger wagon is gassed up and ready to hit the road. My kiddos and I are planning on spending most of these long summer days at our family beach house having lots of fun in the sun. That’s one of the best parts of being a blogger, you can just take your “office” with you. Even though we will be having a blast splashing in the ocean and building sandcastles, we will be missing our main man, their Daddy. My hubby will be working hard during the weekdays and joining us at the beach on the weekends. To be honest, I’m feeling pretty guilty for leaving him behind (not that guilty because I’m still totally going), but I thought since he will be working so hard during the week and traveling so much to see us on the weekends, I’ll help him out and make sure his old car is ready to be beach bound and that he’s all stocked up while we are away.

When I took the keys from him this morning, I was shocked, to say the least. Shocked! Just look at the backseat of his car. It’s just so… so clean! Not a broken toy or half eaten snack in sight. How is this even possible? At this point, I thought all of our possessions had crumbs from our kids. Simply amazing!Dad's carEnough of this distraction, I need to get this man’s car ready to a weekend beach goer! Since his car has A LOT of miles, it needs some extra care so his car requires Pennzoil High Mileage Oil because it helps to reduce leaks in higher mileage engines. And we need that engine running clean and going strong for a long time. Even better, right now Walmart has a Rollback on Pennzoil oil changes for high mileage cars. Plus Pennzoil also offers a free warranty that covers 15 engine parts. Helping out my honey and saving money– I call that multitasking!

high mileage

Once I dropped off his car at the Walmart Automotive Care Center, it was time to shop while I waited, and I knew right away what aisle I needed to hit first. I could not leave my man alone day after day without proper sustenance.

pizza

Just to be on the safe side, I’ll just buy this entire freezer. That should last him a few days, right? When I was done shopping, my hubby’s car was ready to go and so was I. But not before I loaded up my bags and bags of frozen pizzas (and sunblock because it’s going to be a long summer!)  Time to hand over his car and hit the road!

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So these beach bums are off to the ocean and will be waiting patiently until their Daddy arrives this weekend

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We will be at the beach all summer. Are you headed anywhere fun?

Filed Under: Products I love Tagged With: FuelTheLove, Oil changes at walmart

Up & Away and Shoving

June 18, 2015 by amushro

Friends, I have a confession to make. It’s a bit shameful and embarrassing, but we’re all friends here so I feel like I can share this with you with zero judgement, right?OK, I probably deserve a little judgement.

Here it goes: I am a shover. Not familiar with this term? Let me explain. Basically in order to keep my house appearing to be neat and tidy but having a zero time to make this house neat and tidy, I shove. I shove things into closets. I shove things into drawers. I shove things into boxes and then shove them into closets and drawers. So at first glance, my house looks organized and nothing is misplaced. However, if you open a closet, watch out. You’re likely to be buried under an avalanche of “stuff”. Until now, my shoving really didn’t bother me (it drives my husband crazy, but whatever, the house is clean, man), but I’ve realized my little shoving habit is actually really dangerous (and I don’t mean falling boots or flying books). It has to do with medicine and my kids.

Since June is National Home Safety Month, I decided I need to get control of every place I have shoved medicine because the statistics from Up&Away of where and how young kids are finding medicine is enough to shake this shover up.

SafeStorage_PieChart (1)For the most part, medicine in this house is stored up but not necessarily away.

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So I grabbed a plastic container and starting filling it with all of the medicine I had up but not away, and started looking for a safer place to store the newly locked medicine because these numbers just scare me

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Just when I started thinking about safe storage for over the counter medicines, I realized this isn’t just prescriptions that are pills or liquid or even the kids’ over the counter pain relievers, but also things like eye drops and different medicated creams and lotions that could really harm a child. That’s when I headed to my ultimate shoving place: under the sink. Deep breathes, this picture is the epitome of my shoving.

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Yes, hiding behind makeup bags, hair products, and hair brushes I have long since forgotten was a lot of over the counter medicine I had shoved under the sink in an effort to clean quickly.

After clearing out the cupboard, this is what I found:

IMG_6992That is a lot of medicine I didn’t even realize we had in this house. The scariest part was the random one or two pills that weren’t in a box and were just scattered in old makeup bags. I couldn’t even tell you what type of pill they were and the expiration date? Forget it. Everything else, up and away

So now I consider myself a reformed shover. Alright, I am a reformed shover when it comes to keeping all medicine up and away from my kids. But I am still a shower when it comes to all of the other closets and drawers in this house. Baby steps, friends. Baby steps.

 

This post was sponsored by KnowYourOTCs but all opinions and ideas are 100% my own

Visit Consumer Healthcare Products Association's profile on Pinterest.

Filed Under: Family, Products I love Tagged With: Amanda Mushor, KnowYourOTC.org, safely store medicine, up&away

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