Do you ever feel like the last thing your children needs is another loud, plastic toy?  Or even more so, an electronic device?  Every time I walk the aisles of big box stores, that seems to be all I'm inundated with.  But I've learned that there are other, and better, options out there! Sending a big thank you to Manhattan Toy Co. for sending us these MiO toys. Last year, I was introduced to Manhattan's Toy Company's fun MiO (mee-oh) Collection.  If you're unfamiliar with it, their MiO Read more [...]

Thank you to MAM for providing me with products in exchange for this honest blog review. All opinions are 100% my own. Both of my daughters had colic when they were infants. Savannah, my oldest, would start crying every evening around 7:00 pm. I tried everything to soothe her. It was heartbreaking, I didn't know what was wrong or how to help her. I tried feeding her, burping her, changing her, rocking her, and everything else I could think of. We consulted her pediatrician and found nothing wrong. Read more [...]

I thought it was time to put away the Winter boots and move on to Spring footwear but it IS Minnesota here.  And wouldn't you know that after a month of warmer than average temps, including a week in the 60s, we have SNOW again!  Oh well.  I know that this fluffy stuff won't last much longer so today, I'm thrilled to check out some great footwear styles from Bobux. Sending a big thank you to Bobux for sending us these adorable shoes! Bobux brand of baby and kids shoes is an award winning Read more [...]

I have always found it pretty exciting when my babies started eating solid foods.  It was such a fun step and really made me start thinking of them as toddlers and not an infant any more.  As we made the transition, I would always turn to kid-friendly companies that offer tableware geared for these milestones as our glass cups and plates just weren't a safe option.  One company that I've utilized many products from over the years just so happens to be The First Years. As little ones get Read more [...]

Call us crazy but last year, my husband and I decided it was finally time to get serious and get our license to be Foster Parents.  It was something we had discussed before getting married over 13 years ago but the timing just never worked out.  Now that we don't plan to have any more biological children, it just made sense to us to finally take this leap.  In the past 6 months, we've learned several things about how foster care works.  So if you're considering this path, I'd love to share a Read more [...]

Do you find yourself always struggling with your stuff while on the go?  Not to mention it's really hard to wrangle the kids and everything they require for an outing.  And no matter how much I try to keep our schedule on the light side, it seems like we always have somewhere to go.  Throughout any particular week, we have so much to do as life is just busy.  With that, I tend to struggle with neck pains and back aches.  My chiropractor keeps telling me to stop lugging around so much stuff but Read more [...]

You know, I used to consider myself a good friend.  We'd get together for game nights, talk on the phone, shop, and do other things that friends do.  Then, I got married and had a baby.  Being the first in my small group of friends to make that leap from child to adult was fairly seamless.  I mean, a small baby was easily transportable.  But once that little one began to crawl, both her world and mine began to change.  Then came baby number two.  The visits and outings became fewer in number Read more [...]

The weather has been unseasonably warm here in Minnesota and it's been giving us all spring fever.  With that, comes our preparation for the next holiday, Easter!  I love this holiday as it reminds me of new life and fulfilled prophesy.  So as I began planning our Easter Sunday wardrobes, I turned to Feltman Brothers' classic styles for our youngest little girl.  Their styles focus on tradition, yet are innovative and fun.  Their handcrafted designs offer an old-world feel that just can't be Read more [...]

Sending a big thank you to Bambino Mio for sending us some potty training goodies! What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "potty training"?  Dread?  The seemingly never ending task at hand?  I know I used to feel that way.  Truth be told, going to the bathroom is one thing that kids have absolute control over and we can do nothing about should it become a battle of the wills.  So my goal after severely messing it up with our first child, was to avoid that battle.  I would no longer be Read more [...]

Does your child struggle with nap time, nights away from home, or even rest time at school?  While we lucked out with one (out of five) of our kids in the sleep department, the rest of given us quite the challenge.  Our oldest son was always so funny because if he was tired, he would keep asking if it was time for bed yet and, if we didn't head up with him, he'd finally stomp off, say he was going to bed, and tuck himself in.  To this day, he's still our best sleeper by far.  Come 9pm, he is Read more [...]