amushro

I love a good birthday party and a fantastic Beatrix Girl Birthday Party Giveaway

September 9, 2014 by amushro

Here’s a little fun fact for you. Did you know that September has the most birthdays of any month of the year? Maybe it’s all the snow storms or the festive holiday season nine months before that lead to all these birthdays, but what ever the case may be, bring on the birthday parties, September!

Some parents sigh when they get a few birthday party invitations for their kids, but not me. I’m a huge fan of birthday parties. Probably because I love cake, I love that my kids run around and get tired, someone else feeds them, and then I get cake. Can you tell that I’m a fan of cake? I tend to go big for my kids parties. Here are their birthday cakes from this year:

Ridiculous, I know, but I love to throw a good birthday party. But to be honest, sometimes throwing a party for your kid can get hectic and costly. So maybe I can help if you have a little lady in your life with a birthday coming up or she wants to throw a fun party with her friends.

Since September is such a busy birthday month, the very nice people at The Beatrix Girls want to give one of my readers an amazing birthday party prize pack valued over $375! So with a little help from The Beatrix Girls, you can throw your own Beatrix Girl birthday party for a rockin’ little lady in your life.

Have you seen The Beatrix Girls yet? I had a chance to play with these dolls and they are so cute! The Beatrix Girls are four dolls that make up their own girl band. They play different instruments, make real music (you can hear there songs here), and have trendy clothes perfect for rockin’ little chicks. So how about an amazing Beatrix Girls Birthday Party Prize Pack valued at $375! That would certainly make a pretty fabulous party for a special little lady!

One winner will receive:

Good luck and if you win, will you send me some cake?

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This post has been sponsored by the Beatrix Girls but all opinions are 100% my own--especially the part about me loving cake.

Up and Away & Out of Sight. How Safe is Your House?

September 3, 2014 by amushro

When my son was an infant and rolled over for the first time, like any new mom I took all of the appropriate steps: video taped his latest feat, took pictures and immediately sent them to his grandparents, and then began to panic. This little guy was going to be mobile and I needed to babyproof everything! With my new rolling (and, let’s be honest, barely mobile) baby in tow, I walked into the largest baby store I could find and headed straight to the babyproofing aisle. Before me stood a giant wall with every lock, latch, gate, protective cover, cushy foam liner, and things I didn’t know what they’d protect kids from, and I bought it all. All of it. When I installed something that resembled a padlock on the toilet that neither my husband or I could unlock , I knew I’d gone too far. So I eased up on babyproofing every square foot of the house and kept to the essentials (the toilet was not one of them), but keeping medicines up and away was on the top of my list. But now that my kids are a little older, I’ve realized that medicines in this house aren’t far enough out of reach and that needs to change today!

When I read on OTCsaftey.org that more than 60,000 young children end up in the emergency room every year because they got into medicines when their parents or caregivers weren’t looking, I acted like a lot of parents and thought “not in my house.” We were storing our over the counter medicines and vitamins in a kitchen cupboard up and away and out of sight for a young toddler. However, now that my kids are three and five and growing like weeds, our medicines that I thought were in a safe place really aren’t. Look what happened when I asked my five-year-old son if he knew where Mommy kept the medicine.

He quickly grabbed a step stool he uses to reach the sink when he brushes his teeth, pushed it up to the cupboard where we keep all the medicines, and could grab a few bottles from the bottom shelf. With a little boost onto the counter, he could reach everything. Everything I thought I’d securely put away, he could reach. So my initial thought of “not in my house” was not the case. Scary, right?

I’ve put all of our medicines and vitamins into a box that I can lock and I’ve moved it to a higher shelf that I need to get on my tip toes to reach. Now I know everything is out of reach of tiny hands. But what happens when my kids aren’t at my house? What happens when they are visiting my parents house?

Telling your parents what they need to do in their own home can be a little tricky, believe me I get it. I just convinced my dad that Netflix is a blessing from the TV Gods after months of touting the benefits of streaming. Ridiculous.

Grandparents haven’t had to babyproof years, but opening up the lines of communication with grandparents can save your children’s life. I shared some of the facts I learned on the Up and Away’s website like 38% of the time, the medicine that a child gets into belongs to a grandparent and 39% it’s a parent’s medicine. Children most commonly find these medicines on kitchen counters, nightstands and dressers, in purses and bags, or on the ground. Then I showed my mom the pictures of my son able to reach the medicine I thought was secure.

The pictures scared her as much as it scared me, and she’s assured me she’s going through her house to move all medicines before our visit this weekend. After all, she loves these two rug rats, and who could blame her?

So what can you do to protect your kids?

Take inventory in your own home and before traveling to a grandparent’s house or they visit yours, be ready to have a conversation about safe storage
Follow the safe medicine storage tips recommended by CDC’s PROTECT Initiative and its Up and Away and Out of Sight campaign
Log onto Up & Away and Take The Pledge and share this information with your friends and caregivers.

So, friends, what are you going to do in your home to make sure you medicines are Up and Away?

Up and Away is an educational program to remind families of the importance of safe medicine storage. It is an initiative of the PROTECT Initiative, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association Educational Foundation. I am being compensated for this blog post but my opinions are all my own.

Back to School Blues

August 26, 2014 by amushro

Today my Facebook newsfeed was filled with “First Day of School” pictures and I loved it. With brand new shoes, a snazzy new outfit, and a bookbag filled with shiny new school supplies, these tiny tykes were ready to take on the world, or at least a new classroom. While so many of my friends were shedding a few tears at the bus stop and encouraging their little ones to hold up their “First Day of Kindergarten” signs a little higher, other friends were looking quite cheerful at the thought of their older kids filling their days with school books. But not me. Today I got a short reprieve.

At 9:00 in the morning the kids and I were still sitting in our PJs watching TV, but I had that pressure building in my chest of impending sadness. While I’ve dodged the kindergarten bullet this year because of my boy being a summer baby, there are still big changes around here. In one week, my five-year-old will be in school five days and my three-year-old will be at school two days. And while I’m so excited for them to explore, learn, create, and play at their new school, I am also a weepy mess at the thought of them being away from me.

I don’t do well with change, and this is a big change. It’s also the start of a new normal.

Rather than filling our days with playgrounds, adventures in the backyard, and maybe too many hours in front of the TV, we’ll be on school schedules. We’ll take vacations when school is out. We will set our clocks to school time. And I will miss them when they are gone. I will MISS them every day.

Of course I’ll love the small chunks of free time and it will become the new way we function, but I will truly miss this part of our life, when it was just the three of us all day. And that is so terrifying to me. Since I signed on as a stay-at-home-mom, acting as cruise director every day has been my task. Now that’s all changing.

I have this sense of dread that’s gnawing away that I haven’t done enough for them. Enough to prepare them. Crazy, I know. These two are headed to preschool and not a cross-country journey; however, it’s all relative and I’m really struggling here.

Have I read to them enough? Does that little one even know her letters? Will they remember to wash their hands? What if someone is mean to them? Dear Lord, I CANNOT handle someone being mean to them. How early can I hope for a snow day?

What is it about school that brings about these irrational fears in mothers? It’s as if our deepest darkest fears will be recognized when we send our kids off to school because someone will realize we haven’t been doing our job and we’ve really just screwed up our kids.

Am I crazy? YES! I know my kids will be fine. They love school, they love making new friends, and they are so smart, but dang, the guilt and fear is weighing me down.

Yes they will be fine. But will I?

Maybe I just need to get through the first day or the first week before I can breathe a bit. I have an entire year before I have to put my son on a bus for kindergarten and few years before my gal follows behind. I know when they step on that bus for the first time, they will be golden and so ready for the big world of elementary school. Me, not so much.

But for now I have a little more time. A little reprieve before our new normal.

What’s Better Than A Great Dishwasher Cleaner? My Husband the Dish Washer!

August 25, 2014 by amushro

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

#SparklySavings #CollectiveBias

A long time ago, the way to my heart was pretty typical: romance, wining and dining, love letters, and flowers. Now, the way to my heart is a little more practical but a lot more helpful, the dishwasher. Actually not having to touch the dishwasher is the way to my heart, and really, is there anything more romantic than your man helping around the house? Keep your poetry and give me a casserole dish with baked on lasagna that sparkles when cleaned and someone else has put it back in the cupboard—in the right spot. Swoon! Romantic dates? Who needs them? Just make sure my glasses don’t have water spots. That’s a gross exaggeration, I still want romantic dates, but I also want my husband to do the dishes. So he can woo me by taking on the dirty pots and pans and picking out the best dishwasher cleaner. Because when I cook, I use every single dish, bowl, fork, spoon, and measuring cup within a ten mile radius. Then I leave him a sink that looks like this:

“No, no. I’ve got this! You sit down and relax. Turn on the TV or maybe read a book. You’ve earned this little break. Plus I like doing the dishes.” (I totally made up the last part).

How are you getting those dishes so clean? His secret, Quantum Finish Dishwasher tabs. Those little pre-soaking Powerballs can wash right through the dried on macaroni and cheese from yesterday’s lunch and the advanced power with bleach knocks out smell in that rogue sippycup that we found under the couch that contained what we suspect to have once been chocolate milk.

It’s not all work around here. Loading the dishwasher is really just the grownup version of Tetris. While I just shove dishes into the dishwasher haphazardly, this man has a plan and a strategy. He gets every last dish carefully placed for optimum cleaning. Look at that skill!

Such careful attention to detail! He meticulously inspects the most prized stemware: Mamma’s wine glass. No water spots here thanks to Finish and his careful hand washing!

For me? What a guy! Ladies, can you see what a gem I have here?

Did I also mention this guy grocery shops and clips coupons too? When we were shopping with the family, he reminded me that Walmart has a Rollback for Finish products going until October that can also be paired with a coupon for amazing savings. This one is a keeper!

Who said romance is dead? It’s alive and kicking in this house all thanks to a sweet man who scrubs my dishes. Clearly the person who said “happy wife, happy life” had a husband who did the dishes for her.

Here’s your chance to save a few bucks on Finish Products!

FROZEN Fun for the First Day of School!

August 11, 2014 by amushro

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

#FrozenFun #CollectiveBias

I have a little trick I like to play on my husband from time to time, and my three-year old daughter is my accomplice. Whispering into her ear I say “Go find Daddy and sing your favorite FROZEN song to him! Sing Let it Go!” She scampers off to find her main man and in seconds she is belting out with real gusto and carefully choreographed hand motions every note to her favorite song. She even ends with “The cold never bothered me anyway” in a style very reminiscent of Cher. And every time she sings those lyrics and throws her imaginary crown into the snow, she leaves her Daddy with tears in his eyes and me giggling at how that little lady has her Daddy wrapped around her finger. So even though we’re still In Summer she has made it clear she will be wearing a Queen Elsa dress to her first day of school. Because I’d rather her teachers meet her For the First Time in Forever in something other than a blue, floor length gown, I knew it was time to do a little school shopping for FROZEN clothes.

Come on, I don’t have a Frozen Heart, I love this movie just as much as my daughter, but truth be told, my girl would wear her Queen Elsa costume everywhere she goes. I’ve raised the white flag a few times so she’s been to the grocery store, the playground, and maybe even a doctor’s visit in one of her Queen Elsa costumes. But usually she’s just playing dress up and reenacting the movie with one of her many Frozen toys

Or she wears one of her Queen Elsa dresses outside to ride bikes and play t-ball. What can I say, she’s a multi-tasker.

When I started searching for FROZEN inspired clothes, Walmart was a great place to shop because there was a lot to pick from and priced right. So much of the FROZEN merchandise is super expensive, and for clothes she will quickly grow out of and spill chocolate milk down the front, this adorable Elsa t-shirt and Anna and Elsa dress were perfect!

At the last minute, I grabbed the FROZEN coloring book for her because she really loves the chunky crayons and I really love coloring with my gal–for the ten minutes she will actually color.

The Frozen merchandise was spread out over Walmart, but I found her dress and shirt in the Girls section and the adorable coloring book in the stationary section under the Frozen cut-out.

When I asked my FROZEN loving gal if this dress would work for her first day of school, she asked Do You Want to Build a Snowman? and fell on the floor giggling, so I think that was a yes.

It’s true, some people are worth melting for, and just like my sweet Hubby melting while she sings to him, I melt a little seeing her so happy with a few FROZEN dresses as she gets ready for her first day of preschool. So until then, we have some singing and dancing to do.

Wine, Chocolate, and Fruit Pairings for the Perfect Girls Night!

August 11, 2014 by amushro

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

#LoveDoveFruits #CollectiveBias

You know the saying “it takes a village to raise a child,” right? Well I’m a firm believer that in order to survive motherhood, you must have a village, but that village is meant for you as the Mamma and not your kids! Around here, my “village” consists of my support system, my life-line, and the funniest bunch of ladies that I know, my gal pals. But since summer has kicked off, I haven’t seen my ladies because of everyone’s vacations and busy summer schedules. So when I sent out an SOS text that read: Girls Night–let’s make this happen, we finally found a date that worked for everyone. No need for big fanfare, just the essentials: a girls night in with a bottle of red wine, something sweet to eat like a chocolate and fruit paring, and lots of girl talk. I was basically skipping out the door (but carefully because I had wine under one arm and a big bag of Dove® Fruit-Cranberry under the other) because I was off duty and it was Girls Night In!

Oh how I missed my ladies, and in just seconds, there were eight or nine different conversations flying around at the same time. You’ve got to think fast to keep up with us.

Just because we were staying in for the night, didn’t mean we couldn’t get a little fancy with our celebration. Red wine, chocolate and fruit parings are so delicious, and the girls and I were loving Dove® Fruit for this paring. This isn’t the kind of candy you find in your kiddos treat bags, friends. This is whole fruit dipped in creamy dark chocolate. This is the kind of chocolate you savor–maybe while hiding in your closet so you don’t have to share with your kids. It’s just that good.

I like to think that this better for you treat is actually the perfect treat for a Girls Night In, let me explain. Disclaimer: I’m totally making this theory up–just go with it, OK? So, dark chocolate, red wine, and cranberries are all supposed to be good for your heart and health, right? So this is actually a super treat because when sharing Dove® Fruit with friends you’re not only sharing chocolaty goodness but you’re saying “I care about your health” or I’m just saying “I love delicious wine and chocolate and I know you do too.”

As the night went on, the Dove® Fruit and wine disappeared pretty quickly, and since everyone agreed that this better for you treat was the perfect red wine, chocolate and fruit paring, it’s OK to take eat a few more of the Dove® Fruit. And if you are pouring me another glass, I’ll need a few more of these too.

So this delicious candy can be found in the chocolate candy aisle Sam’s Club; however, it has limited availability so be sure to check that your Sam’s Club carries Dove® Fruit. Good news, Dove® Fruit will be adding whole cherries dipped in chocolate later this year. And for the sake of Girls Night, another wine and chocolate paring will need to take place to try the cherries.

You don’t need to wait to get all of your gal pals together to try Dove® Fruit-Cranberry, grab a bag for yourself! I loved the dark wine, chocolate and fruit paring, but what will you pair it with?

Boogie Back to School!

August 9, 2014 by amushro

It's time to head back to school, and I'm teaming up with Boogie Wipes to offer an awesome Back-to-School Giveaway for kids and moms!

Back-to-School giveaway from Boogie Wipes. Three winners will win a backpack and mommy clutch - full of school supplies, gift cards and Boogie Wipes. Ends August 22. Enter now!

Three lucky winners will receive a backpack stocked with school supplies (and Boogie Wipes) and a Mommy Clutch – full of everything moms needs (including gift cards!)

How to Enter

From following Boogie Wipes on social media to instagramming a picture of your favorite Boogie Wipes products, there are dozens of ways to enter – and a few ways to enter every single day.

Back-to-School giveaway from Boogie Wipes. Three winners will win a backpack and mommy clutch - full of school supplies, gift cards and Boogie Wipes. Ends August 22. Enter now!

Complete the form below to get started.

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Looking for Great Back-to-School Ideas?

Visit the Boogie Wipes blog for six back-to-school ideas for parents, plus a coupon to save on your favorite Boogie Wipes products.

Good luck!

Giveaway is live Tuesday, August 5, 2014 until midnight on August 22, 2014. US and Canada residents only (excluding Quebec). Three winners will be randomly chosen and notified via email. YOUR BLOG NAME received no compensation for sponsoring this event, and is not responsible for the delivery of the prize. Prize delivery is the sole responsibility of Boogie Wipes.

Eating ALL THE FOOD and getting a little heartburn help from Pepcid Complete

July 31, 2014 by amushro

*I have received information, product, and materials from McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., the makers of PEPCID®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post for Mom It Forward.*

This year we are doing summer right! We are logging serious hours playing in the sand and surf at the beach, swimming at the pool until our fingers look like raisins, and playing outside until the fireflies come out. Along with all of this summer fun has been a lot of great good. Now, I am not one of those people that takes pictures of their food and posts them online, but come on, friends, just look at what I have been chowing down on the past few weeks!

All of this food has been amazingly yummy, but I’ve been paying for this super rich food in the gym and with ridiculous heartburn. Ugh, it’s awful. One night I actually tried sleep sitting up because I was so uncomfortable. Because, you know, nothing says restful sleep like sleeping in the upright position.

After another round of over indulging in amazing dinner and paying for it with heartburn, I ran straight to the medicine cabinet. You know the drill: this one requires you take a million chalky tablets (Gross) , this one says to take the pill before you get heartburn (What? How can you even plan that?), or one that takes hours to start working (Not even useful). None of these are helpful. So when the nice people at Pepcid suggested I try Pepcid complete for those delicious eating after effects, I was tempted. When they told me one chewable tablet works in seconds, the tablets taste great and lasts all day, I said “stop talking and give me the bottle.”

After taking just one chewable tablet I felt sweet relief. No more sleeping sitting up for this gal! Good because this is what I ate the next week:

No big deal because the food was so good and this time I had Pepcid Complete to save me from the wrath of heartburn.

Did you know that almost every person experiences heartburn and 25 million adults experience heartburn every day! Connect with Pepcid #Tastemakers here and on Facebook to join in on the conversation and learn about triggers and how you can stop relieve your heartburn and get back to some of the food I’ve been over indulging in!

Easing the Parenting Power Struggle with MomAssembly

July 31, 2014 by amushro

Here are a few things I know about my three-year-old daughter:

1. The type of day she will have can be judged by how crazy her hair is when she wakes up in the morning. For instance, if I see this mop, I know it’s going to be a rough day…for everyone:

2. She has been described as a “free spirit” in dance class (read: has no need for the dance teacher and makes up her own dances). And while she isn’t the best listener when she should be tap, tap, perching, she makes a tutu look good:

3. When it comes to standoffs with her, they are often epic, one sided, and hard fought. I’m talking full on, code red, hide yo’ wife, hide yo’ kids meltdowns. And even though I pull out my Mommy-bag-o’-tricks, she can break me by 9AM. And while I thought age two brought some interesting “quirks”, I was not fully prepared for the tantrums of a three year old.

Most days I can handle the tantrums, and I’ve learned what does and doesn’t work for her

Stern Mommy voice works.
Idle threats do not.
Bribary works sometimes but the spoils must be worth her while.
Negotiating is worthless
Tantrums are always worse when she is tired or we have to get out the door in hurry

Because we all want a happier house, I’m learning that the best offense is a good defense. So I’m looking for ways to make life in this house a little more peaceful.

There is no doubt in my mind it that it truly takes a village to raise a baby; however, I really think that village is for us as moms, not just our kids. So I’m so glad to have found MomAssembly and to have them as part of my village.

We’ve all been to tons of parenting websites, right? And I’m sure your searches were the same as mine: some good info, some bad info, some REALLY bad info, and lots information from people that have no idea what they’re talking about. However, at MomAssembly, I have access to over 70 hours of expert parenting videos taught by nationally-renowned experts. When I was checking out the videos on preschoolers, the newborn and infant videos covered so many topics like sleep solutions and feedings that would have been really helpful when I was a new mom. They even have videos just about our health and well being, because if no on takes care of mom, this ship is going down!

Because my house is a madhouse, I can watch videos on my computer, notebook, or my phone and can switch back and forth because the video player always starts where I left off, not matter what device I’m using. Don’t you just love when technology just makes your life easier?

When I saw a course called Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Children Without Bribes, Threats, and Negotiations or Meltdowns, I assumed they created this course just for me. Turns out, lots of moms are in the same boat. I LOVE the ideas I’ve learned in this course and already it’s making a difference in how we deal with tantrums. Here is a clip from part of the course:

The ladies behind MomAssembly have really created something special here, friends. Jill Spivack and Jennifer Waldburger have nearly two decades of experience as family and parent educators. They are the co-founders of Sleepy Planet Parenting in Los Angeles, where they offer guidance, support and community to help moms address the entire constellation of parenting interests, including everything from sleep, feeding, and child development to sibling issues, marriage and refining one’s individual parenting philosophy

So listen, mom, join this village and let MomAssembly help you. For only $7.99/month or $3.99/month the whole year, you’ll have over 500 classes and over 50 downloadable handouts & workbooks at your fingertips. And you can add up to 4 family members and caregivers to your account for free. Not sure you can commit? That’s cool, because both options come with a 7 day free trial. Most videos are under 10 minutes, so take that ten minutes to hide from the kids, maybe drink your reheated coffee and get some great tips for surviving this motherhood gig.

How about trying out MomAssembly for a month for FREE? My first ten readers who sign up will get a month trial for free.

Click here to sign up

*Please note that you actually have to sign up for a plan and enter your credit card – but the card will NOT be charged until the end of your free trial. You will receive an email from Jill or Jennifer notifying you that you are the winner!*

While I was compensated for this post BELIEVE me, I can use all the help I can get raising my kids and all opinions are my own!