February 27, 2017

Spring Fling Gift Guide Baby Bonanza Giveaway

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Welcome to the Spring Fling Gift Guide Baby Bonanza Giveaway!

We love babies and we have some great sponsors that want to give out some awesome prizes for someone's little one!

Over $500 in retail value!

This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!

Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide.

Life in a House of Testosterone

SaraLee's Deals Steals & Giveaways

Everyday Gizmos Sweeps & Views

Monica's Rants, Raves & Reviews

PaulaMS' Giveaways, Reviews, & Freebies

Bargnhtress

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Now let's get to the sponsors!

Teach My

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ PINTEREST ~ YOU TUBE ~ GOOGLE +

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Squooshi

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ PINTEREST ~ YOU TUBE

Squooshi Reusable Food Pouches | Family Starter Kit

See the review HERE

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Cozy Cocoon

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ PINTEREST

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Milkies

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ PINTEREST ~ YOU TUBE ~ GOOGLE +

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Playgro

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ PINTEREST ~ YOU TUBE

Step by Step Music and Lights Puppy Walker

See the review HERE

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Marcus & Marcus

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ YOU TUBE

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Miracle Baby

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ PINTEREST

Posheez Snap’n Grow Bodysuits and Posheez Snap’n Grow Adjustable Pants

See the review HERE

Also available on Amazon bodysuits and pants.

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e-cloth

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ PINTEREST

Chemical-free Cleaning Home Starter Set

See the review HERE

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Pacific Play Tents

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ YOU TUBE

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I would also like to say Thank You to all the promoting bloggers!

THE GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site.You are not eligible if you have won a prize from the sponsor in the last 12 month. This Giveaway is valid in the United States Only and Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 3/14/17. The winners will have 48 hours to email their information back to las93063 at gmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Laura Smith at las930 (at)gmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Though it is not required, we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! You can also follow this blog via any of the social media icons located at the top in the right side bar to stay up to date on the latest posts and giveaways!

Enter below and Good Luck everyone!

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DOWAN 6 Pack Porcelain Square Cereal/Soup Bowls Giveaway

Hosted By Tammie's Reviews, Giveaways and More and Queen of Reviews

And

A special thank you to all of the blogs helping to promote this giveaway.

I do not know about you but I used to have a mod bog of dishes in all types and colors. Usually 1 or 2 of them matched. Having a classy dinner party was not going to happen. This is when I discovered DOWAN Porcelain dinner setting pieces in white. Everything in white and that means things match. We are thrilled to be offering our readers this awesome giveaway ~ You can read Tammie's review of the prize by going HERE.

How about "Liking" our Sponsor-DOWAN on Facebook. As a matter of fact we would be very thankful if you followed all of us on Facebook, but it is not required. You can also follow this blog by using the social media icons located at the top right in the sidebar to stay up to date with the latest posts and gveaways.

ONTO THE GIVEAWAY~

2 READERS WILL WIN 6 Pack Porcelain Square Cereal/Soup Bowls
THIS GIVEAWAY IS LIVE AND WILL END ON 3/13 AT 7:00 P.M.
WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM, NOTIFIED WITHIN 48 HOURS AND HAVE 24 HOURS TO RESPOND TO THE EMAIL TO CLAIM THEIR PRIZE OR ANOTHER WILL BE CHOSEN
MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE TO ENTER
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW

ENTER BELOW AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

Entry -Form

Disclaimer: The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. No purchase is necessary to enter. One entrant per household, per IP address. All entries will be verified. Void where prohibited by law. Winner will be contacted by email; Please add pankuch1605@hotmail.com to your whitelist. This giveaway is in no way administered, sponsored, endorsed by, or associated with Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest, or any other social media platform. Please contact Tammie at info@tpankuch.com to see your product

February 17, 2017

5 Cloth Diaper Must Haves

Disclosure: Affiliate links are used in this post, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Read full disclosure here.

1. Cloth Diapers - Obviously you need cloth diapers if you want to cloth diaper. Every site I looked into gave different numbers depending on how often you wash. I've seen anywhere from 6 to 35. I think you are crazy if you only have 6 covers, unless you have the perfect baby that doesn't decide to go after your remove the insert.

Personally, I had started out with 36 diapers (5 covers and 31 pockets), ended up buying 4 more covers to equal a total of 40 diapers. This doesn't include any size 2 covers that I also have, which is 8. This is enough to get us through 2 days without washing, plus a few extra to store in diaper bags or to have just in case.

My favorite covers are Thirsties Duo Wrap and my favorite pocket diapers are Alva Baby.

2. Cloth Inserts - If you just get covers, you probably only need about 10 to get you through 2 days, but you will want around 35 inserts. I personally have a total of 67 inserts (started with 47, but ended up needing more so went ahead and bought 20 extra), but this is because with pocket diapers, you can't reuse them like covers, so that is something to keep in mind when deciding what kind of diaper cover you want to go with. (Also, having extra inserts is great for night time or if you have a heavy wetter so you can double up to prevent leaks - this is why we like pockets).

We got a lot of inserts that came with the Alva Baby diapers, but our favorite are these Charcoal Bamboo with Gussets that we found on Amazon. We started with 20 of these, loved them so much, we bought 20 more! They stuff well in the Alva Pocket Diapers and work great with the Thirsties covers!

3. Reusable Diaper Pail Liner - You will want a reusable liner if you are using a diaper pail. This makes washing a breeze as you just dump the diapers in the washer and then toss in the bag along with them. I recommend having at least two. If you plan on changing diapers in more than one room though, you will want four. We have a split level, so at night we change her diaper upstairs, but during the day, we change her downstairs. We recommend the Planet Wise Diaper Pail Liners. They wash well and haven't leaked yet!

For a diaper pail, we love the Ubbi. It works really well with the liners!

4. Cloth Wipes - If you are cloth diapering, you might as well use cloth wipes! You don't have to worry about having separate trash cans and you can wash them along with diapers as well. I highly recommend getting a wipe warmer if you choose to use cloth wipes as it is an easy way to store them, keep them wet, and the bonus is they are warm!

We use the Munchkin Warm Glow Wipe Warmer and it works great with cloth wipes! As for cloth wipes, we recommend these, which you can find on Amazon. They aren't expensive, super soft, and do the job!

5. Wet Bags - You will want wet bags for when you are out and about if cloth diapering. I would suggest having two on hand and as for size, it depends on how long you are going to be out or if you are traveling. I personally don't see the point in having a small bag that only holds 1-2 diapers and just went with getting two medium sized bags, which hold 3-4 diapers for the diaper bags. I like the Bumkins Wet Bags.

For longer trips, you will want a larger wet bag. Though we plan on using disposables in that case, we do use the hanging wet bags downstairs and they can definitely hold 3-4 days worth of diapers! My favorite hanging wet bag is the Planet Wise Lite Bag. These also make a great alternative to using a diaper pail.

And that's all you really need! Now some lists you may have seen include a Diaper Sprayer, but honestly you don't need it (at least in the beginning). Baby poop is so runny in the beginning that you can't really spray it off and if breastfeeding, it's pretty much water soluble, so you can just go ahead and throw that dirty diaper in the washer.

Once you get to real poop (when baby starts eating solids), you can just dump/shake or us a stick (we have the gDiapers swishstick) to knock what you can into the toilet. Then you can just soak them in cold water before following your regular wash routine. We aren't here yet, so who knows, we might change our minds and decide to get a diaper sprayer, but you definitely don't need it in the beginning.

Find out why we ended up getting a Diaper Sprayer here!

Attribution: Image used in blog post photo does not belong to me and was found on Pixabay.

February 10, 2017

My Breastfeeding Journey

Made Via PicsArt

You may recall my old post "Why Breast Isn't Always Best" and while I have considered deleting it, I decided to keep the post up because it shows how much I have changed and yet I still agree with it in many ways.

After a lot of conversations with the midwives and my husband during my pregnancy, eventually, they managed to convince me to give breastfeeding a shot.

Unfortunately, I had a rough start due to no lactation consultants being available when Elsa was born since she chose to arrive on a holiday. The nurses weren't too helpful even though I kept asking about my latch. They just said it looked alright and to keep trying (when obviously it wasn't, but they aren't as trained as lactation consultants). The midwife who saw us on Christmas was a bit more helpful since she was able to manually express milk from my breast, so we at least knew I was producing milk. It wasn't until our pediatrician appointment that I finally got the help I needed (Our pediatrician is also a lactation specialist.)

By then my nipples were already cracking and had some bleeding. I was ready to give up, especially since our baby lost too much weight. The pediatrician finally was able to help me with latching and positioning. We did end up needing to supplement formula to get Elsa's weight back up, but after a day my nipples were already almost fully healed, and after a couple more days they were completely healed and breastfeeding got easier, and no longer hurt! Breastfeeding should not hurt, as I have discovered. Your nipples may feel sore afterward, but they make creams for that, but during the feeding, it should not hurt. If it hurts, your baby is most likely not latching correctly.

I do also have a pump but have found pumping to actually be more of a chore than breastfeeding so I only pump once a day, on a rare occasion twice. It is pretty hard to find time to do it too since I never know when the baby is going to cry and I have to drop everything. I usually pump when my husband is home so he can handle the baby. Pumping also isn't as good as the baby is at getting milk out of your breasts. The most I get is like half an ounce of milk after 15-20 minutes of pumping, but that's of course after I feed my baby. I got 2 ounces once when I didn't feed her first.

Now it has been a few weeks and I am still breastfeeding. It is not as inconvenient as I thought, especially since I am a stay home mom now, so I have the time to do it. If I was working, I'm pretty sure we would be strictly formula feeding. (For those mamma's out there that work and breastfeed, kudos to you as I know I could not do it! ). However, it is a lot more time consuming than I would like, but hopefully that will lessen as she gets older and doesn't need to fed as frequently.

We do still use formula from time to time. Usually once in the evening so I can get at least 4-5 hours of sleep without interruption while my husband feeds and watches baby (sometimes she is super hungry and ends up taking four ounces instead of just two). Then he sleeps the rest of the night since he works, and I follow "sleep when the baby sleeps" rule till morning. It has been working pretty well.

The other times we give her formula are if she is still super fussy/hungry after breastfeeding or if I am just super tired/stressed and need a break. I feel bad at times because it feels like I am giving up, but at the same time, I need to take care of myself, and there is nothing wrong with formula. At most she has four bottles a day, on a good day, she will only need two or three,

Eventually we will probably switch to just formula, but for now I want to give her the breast milk as I know it has all sorts of good stuff to help her immune system. Plus formula is expensive so the more she breastfeeds, the less we spend on formula!

In the end, you have to do what is best for you. The most important thing is that your baby gets food, be it breast or bottle.

February 3, 2017

PeachSkinSheets Giveaway

Hosted by: Queen of Reviews, IMHO Views, Reviews & Giveaways, Tammie's Reviews, Giveaways & More, Michigan Saving and More, Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains, Forever Dreamin', Deliciously Savvy & Networking Witches

Sponsor: PeachSkinSheets

Prize: Winners Choice of Size and Color PeachSkinSheets RV $55+

The Original PeachSkinSheets was founded in 2013 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. They pride themselves on being The Original, One and Only Authentic Brand, and their signature peach zipper pull is featured on every sheet package. Their affordable bed sheets are made from a breathable, high performance athletic grade SMART fabric that is great for hot sleepers due to its thermal control and moisture wicking properties. In addition, the ultra soft brushed finish provides a softness level that parallels 1500 thread count cotton but without the shrinkage, wrinkles and pilling. They thrive on being a quality company with a quality product and going the extra mile for our customers. You can find them online, at local pop up events as well as at their retail location in North Point Mall, Alpharetta, Georgia.

Dates: 2/4-2/18

Open to: US Residents 18+

Enter to win using the widget below. Good luck!

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6 Breastfeeding Must Haves

Disclosure: Affiliate links are used in this post, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Read full disclosure here.

1. Breast Pump

Most insurances will cover one now, so you might as well get one if it is free! You may plan on breastfeeding and never pump, but you never what could happen. For example, the baby may not be well enough to go straight to breast so you will want to pump breast milk for the baby. If you plan on going back to work, then a pump is a must in order to keep your supply going and to provide breast milk for your baby while you are away. I highly recommend the Medela Pump in Style.

2. Nipple Cream/Balm
Your nipples will be sore in the beginning and using these creams help. My lactation consultant highly recommends Mother Love and after using both Lansinoh and Boobease, I definitely prefer Mother Love over the other two.

3. Nursing Pads
Once your milk supply comes in, you will start leaking and pads are a must. You can use disposable pads or if you want to be more eco-friendly, reusable pads. My favorite are the Bamboobies reusable pads. They are super soft and way more comfortable than disposable pads. However, Bamboobies are quite pricey, so I also got these off of Amazon. They aren't as soft as Bamboobies or as discreet but still work quite nicely. They are also thicker, so I prefer to wear these around the house and use the Bamboobies when out and about.

4. Nursing Sleep Bras
These are all I wear. I wouldn't bother getting any other nursing bras. You can just wear nursing pads with these if you are worried about your nipples showing. My favorite is the bravado basics, which appears to no longer be available. The next closest thing would be the Medela Nursing Sleep Bra, which has the same design, but I don't find the material to be as comfortable.

5. Robes
I only owned two robes, but now I own four and find myself wanting more! These are just so convenient when breastfeeding. Robes are great for those first few weeks when you don't plan on leaving the house.

6. Hands-Free Pump Bra
This a must for pumping as it will allow you to hand express at the same time to get more milk out. You can also eat, read a book, or work at your computer. It's just more convenient to have your hands free rather than having to hold the device to your boobs for 15-30 minutes. My favorite is the Medela Easy Expression Bustier. I would recommend having two so while one is in the wash, you have another clean one available.

You may be surprised to see that I didn't include a breastfeeding pillow as one of my must-haves. I do own a My Brest Friend, which I love using, but have actually found just using regular pillows and blankets a lot more convenient and easier to grab and get ready when in a hurry. In my opinion. a breastfeeding pillow, like a Boppy or My Brest Friend, can be nice to have, but are not necessary and you can definitely get by without one.

Pin Me

Attribution: Image used in blog post photo does not belong to me and was found on Pixabay.

February 1, 2017

Cubbie Lee Toy Bundle Giveaway

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

Co-Hosted By:

Michigan Saving and More, Blogger Nicole Reviews, InezbyDesign, and FROG Reviews and Ramblings

Winner Will Receive:

An Elephant Pull Along and Noah's Ark set!

My daughter is quite the toy-lover and I bet it’s safe to say, all the little ones you know and love are the same! However, all toys are not made to last and many break or wear down after just a little bit of use. If you’re like me and tired of spending money on toys that only last for a hot minute, you are going to be as excited as I was to find out about the Cubbie Lee Toy Company!

Click here to read Love, Mrs. Mommy's full Cubbie Lee review!

Open To US and must be 18+ to enter

Giveaway Dates ~ 2/1 9:00 AM EST through 2/14 11:59PM EST

Entry -Form

Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. Love, Mrs. Mommy received Cubbie Lee Toys at no cost to facilitate the above-mentioned review. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Rustic Pathways I Love Travel Giveaway

Sponsored by:
Rustic Pathways
Hosted By

Amy & Aron's Real Life Reviews

~1 Winner~

Open to US

2/1 12am ~ 2/15 11:59pm

~Prize~

$500 Travel Gift Certificate
(either airline or hotel)

A special shout out to our Co-Hosts
Deliciously Savvy, Fabulous and Brunette, Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains, IMHO Views Reviews and Giveaways, InezbyDesign, Michigan Saving and More, and Oh My Heart

Rustic Pathways is a leader in providing superior quality international community service, education, and adventure programs for students around the globe. Rustic Pathways was founded in 1983 and offers spring and summer break experiences as well as Gap Year programs and customized experiences for educators and small groups.

Operating in over 20 different countries, Rustic Pathways focuses on areas of interest from public health, medicine, and education to the environment and community service. 80 percent of Rustic Pathways travel programs involve a service element where students give back to the communities they are visiting. From Morocco to Myanmar, each program is designed to help students make meaning of their travel experiences, identify interests and passions, gain confidence, and grow as individuals.

Across the globe, Rustic Pathways employs local staff and fosters lasting relationships with the communities in which it operates, enabling students to have immersive and authentic travel and service experiences. Rustic Pathways was recently voted the Best Youth Tour Operator at the 2015 World Youth Student and Travel Conference (WYSTC) by 7,500 young travelers.

For more information call 800.321.4353 or visit RusticPathways.com. You can also follow the company on Facebook or Instagram, watch Rustic Pathways on YouTube and check out the Rustic Pathways LinkedIn page.

Now for the fun stuff. This giveaway is open to US. There are daily bonus entries so please check back tomorrow. Share it with your family and friends, they'll want to enter to win too!!

I can't ask you to "Like" our pages but, if you see something you like, let us know so we can bring you more of it.

We LOVE it when you "LIKE" our pages.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have any questions about this giveaway, reviews, or any of our other giveaways, please feel free to email us directly at grovesamy81@gmail.com or amy@aarlreviews.com