Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Wordless Wednesday- Christmas at our House

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this year. We finally got over all our sicknesses and were able to have a nice holiday after all. Here is a few pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Every year on Christmas Eve I take a picture of each of my kids by our Christmas tree. It is neat to look back at all the pictures over the years and see how much they have grown. I also take one of all the kids together and then we take a family picture as well.

Mr. "C" age 10

Miss "I" age 8

Little E age 2

He did this completely on his own! Haha!

Baby J age 1

My 4 little monkeys!!!
This was the best I could get!

The Fam
(Horrible picture as usual)

I thought this was adorable!
Aren't they precious? I am so blessed!

Every Christmas Eve we let our children open 2 gifts. One is always a new pair of pajamas and the other is whichever gift they choose. My older kids have now caught on to the fact they are getting pajamas and look forward to them each year. Here is Baby J opening his new pjs.

E's new jammies, Horton Hears a Who!

"I" got the pajamas that match her Bitty Baby doll and was SOOOOOO excited, can you tell? lol

C received Lego Star Wars and thought they were just about the best thing ever!

All the new jammies

"I" once again :-)

Playing with the Mega Blocks Work Bench

Another tradition of ours is to make hot chocolate, wear our jammies (at least the kids) and drive around town and look at Christmas lights! So fun! Here is the kids in our van. My dad also came, that is why baby J is in the back seat.

Too much fun!

Baby J Christmas morning with his new train. He received this from his Aunt and Uncle.

His cheesy smile, gotta love it!

J getting a little help from mom :-)

Dad's gift from "C", a book about dad.

Had to share a messy living room photo! Good ol' Christmas!

All he cared about was his bottle!

E's new light up toy

My husband's brother and his wife gave the kids a Wii. They were SO excited! I am excited that we can now get Netflix! Woo-Hoo!

That was our Christmas! Other than this we lounged around the house, watched movies, played with our kids and their new toys and were just plain lazy. It was wonderful.


Monday, December 27, 2010

My Baby Clothes Boutique Review and $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway!

*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*


One of the most fun parts of having a baby is shopping for cute baby clothes! You only have a few short years to dress your child how you want before they protest your motherly choices. You might as well have fun while you can, right?

My Baby Clothes Boutique has worked hard to bring you the most fashion forward and unique baby clothes on the web, all at affordable prices! Having an adorably dressed baby does not have to break the bank! You will find everything from cute applique outfits, tutu's, pettiskirts, flower & bow headbands, stylish hats, personalized baby clothes, birthday clothes, baby costumes, baby swimwear, trendy diaper bags, and more!

I was given the opportunity to try the Horse Applique Three Piece Play Set along with the Chocolate and Blue Western Slipper Boots for my 1 year old son. These are adorable together! Although I am not particularly fond of western styles for myself, I LOVE them for babies! My sons both have several cow print diapers, cow print car seats and I am slowly added a few pieces of boutique western wear to their wardrobe.

The Horse Applique Three Piece Play Set comes with a plush oversized horse applique t-shirt, matching twill pants with suede knee patches and horse print matching socks! These are all machine washable and great for everyday wear.

Playtime never looked so good!

The complete ensemble including boots.

*I added a long sleeve shirt to this outfit since it is winter*

These super soft western boot slippers are sherpa lined, nice and warm for winter.
Every boy needs a pair of cowboy boots!


My Baby Clothes Boutique experience has been wonderful. I received friendly service, fast shipping and I love the quality of the clothing!

BUY IT: You can purchase the Horse Applique Three Piece Play Set and Chocolate & Blue Western Slipper Boots here. Don't forget to check out My Baby Clothes Boutiques Last Chance Clothes section for amazing deals! Click here.

My Baby Clothes Boutique offers FREE SHIPPING on purchases of $75 or greater as well as a LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE!

WIN IT: My Baby Clothes Boutique is giving one Happily Domestic reader a $25 Gift Certificate to their online store!

First Mandatory entry:
Visit My Baby Clothes Boutique and tell me which outfit or accessory is your favorite!
*Remember to leave your email address in your comment! YOU MUST DO THIS TO WIN*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * *Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry AND include your e-mail address.*

  • Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too!
  • Subscribe to my blog emails via Feedburner. ( Counts for 2 entries) Sign up box on my right sidebar.
  • Grab my Happily Domestic button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
  • Blog about THIS giveaway between December 28th and January 5th and gain TWO entries!!! link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your MBCB giveaway@ #1" then "I blogged about your MBCB giveaway@ #2".
  • Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
  • Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
  • Like My Baby Clothes Boutique on Facebook . Click here. Leave a comment saying that you did this.
  • Subscribe to My Baby Clothes Boutique's blog emails. Click here. Leave a comment saying that you did this.
  • Sign up for My Baby Clothes Boutique's Monthly Store Email. Click here. (Sign up box can be found on the lower left side bar). Leave a comment saying that you did this.
Giveaway ends Thursday, January 6th, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.(MST). Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. *This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

Thank you to My Baby Clothes Boutique who provided me with the clothing for review. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received to conduct this review and giveaway.
*THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

Calendars for Moms- I would be lost without mine!

Every year the day after Christmas I make a run to the Calendar Store in the mall to pick me up a new calendar. I am one of those people that looks at my calendar every day. I write all my important dates, appointments, and reminders on it. With 4 kids, I end up with a lot to keep track of. I would be totally lost if I did not keep track of everything on my calendar.

So, what do I use? My absolute favorite calender is the Amy Knapp's Big Grid Family Organizer! I have used this 3 years in a row now and LOVE it! It is not anything pretty, but will give you all the writing space you will need and also includes spaces to write in your daily dinner menu, area for reminders, notes, and important phone numbers, inspirational quotes, tips to help you get organized and a TON of reminder stickers. I just found you can buy it at Amazon for only $7.49 (free super saver shipping with $25 order). I paid about $9.50 for mine. (Bummer!) I have added this great deal to My Store (under Homemaking) so you can pick one up for yourself! You will NOT regret it. Click here.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Wordless Wednesday- Our Christmas Card 2010

We haven't had a family picture taken since 2004 when our daughter was only 2. One of the reasons for this is because I didn't want to go back to a department store for the picture. Well, considering the fact I haven't wanted to part with $300+ for a professional photographer we ended up going to JcPenneys after all. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and go ahead and get a picture Christmas cards. Here is what we ended up with. Certainly not the best, but it works!


Love little E's raised eyebrow! He was NOT happy about getting his picture taken. Baby J kept trying to escape and even has drool going down his chin. Haha.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

EcoMom $15 Gift Certificate Winner!


CONGRATULATIONS TO MERANDA!!!




She left winning comment #48...



Meranda said...

Signed up for the daily deal alert.

kmscott@juno.com



Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be drawn!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Weekly Menu- Week of December 19th-25th

I was extra good this week and not only planned out our dinner menu for the week, but also planned our breakfasts and lunches. Now, don't think I am some sort of superwoman because although I have good intentions my follow through is not always the best. I did go on an extra long shopping trip yesterday though and bought all the foods I need to make this week a success. We shall see! Okay, here it is.

Sunday 12/19

Breakfast- Homemade Whole Wheat Waffles and Milk
Lunch- Lentil & Sausage Casserole, Cottage Cheese, and Juice
Dinner- Steak Fajitas with Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas
(Yes, I did make all these today)

Monday 12/20

Breakfast- Bread Sporge and Milk
Lunch- Leftovers
Dinner- Beef Stir Fry and Fried Rice (actually, I am cooking with Elk meat)

Tuesday 12/21

Breakfast- Three Bears Porridge
Lunch- Chicken & Black Bean Tostadas with Homemade Corn Tortillas
Dinner- Meatloaf Stroganoff and Broccoli

Wednesday 12/22

Breakfast-Egg & Cheese Breakfast Burritos
Lunch- PB&J's and Banana Milk
Dinner- Cabbage Soup and Flower Pot Bread

Thursday 12/23

Breakfast- Orange Rice & Spice Breakfast
Lunch- Chicken Salad Pitas and Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Dinner- Turkey Loaf with Mushroom Sauce, Dilly Carrots, Green Salad

Friday 12/24

Breakfast- Whole Wheat Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes
Lunch- Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Sweet Potato Fries, and Fruit
Dinner- (Out to eat at Red Lobster)

Saturday 12 /25

Breakfast- Apple Filled Cinnamon Rolls, Scrambled Eggs, Orange Slices and Turkey Sausage
Lunch- (no lunch)
Dinner- Homemade Chili with Fritos and Cheese
Dessert- Pumpkin Pie with Egg Nog Ice Cream


*Most of these recipes can be found in the "Whole Foods for the Whole Family" cookbook (it's my favorite!).

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Nutrimill Home Grain Mill WINNER!!


I was totally blown away by the amount of entries I received on this giveaway. I had no idea what a huge success it would be! Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter. Now, time to announce the winner (drum roll)........

CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHELLE!!


She left winning comment #22....



Michelle - Blessed Mom of 4 said...

I put the giveaway button on my sidebar #3
tolsmamm at juno dot com



Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be drawn.

The Sickies

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, my 2 little ones have come down with some sort of stomach bug. I have been dealing with puke and yucky diapers for the past few days and today I woke up with a horrible head cold. My throat is killing me and I feel so yucky and run down today. Ugh! Never fun. Anyway, got the Cuisinart giveaway ended finally and will be working on ending the Nutrimill. Stay tuned!!!

Cuisinart -16 piece knife block set WINNER!!!


CONGRATULATIONS TO MAMABUNNY!!!





She left winning comment #276...


MamaBunny said...

I subscribe to emails 2
mamabunny@hushmail.com



Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Pregnant? Enter to win a high quality fetal doppler!

I rarely enter giveaways because I don't seem to have any luck at winning, but at Take Time To Smell The Rose blog, Chari is giving away a $189 value fetal doppler from Baby Beat! This is unlike any fetal doppler you will find at a retail store and is high quality. If you are pregnant or planning to be, I suggest you go enter! Of course, I personally would love to have this for our next pregnancy so I won't say good luck. ;-)
Go here to enter.

Hayneedle $50 Gift Certificate WINNER!!


CONGRATULATIONS TO FOREVER YOURS!!!


They left winning comment #154...



Forever Yours said...

I follow your blog #2

foreveryours45 at rocketmail dot com


Winner has been contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Sister Update

Well, there is not a whole lot to update on except I was able to talk to my aunt finally and get more details. She is setting up some counseling with some Christian counselor friends of hers and will be helping my sister find a doctor who will be willing to perform surgery on her legs. See, my sister has been living with severe pain in her legs and back for 8 months now. The doctors cannot seem to find what is causing her pain but only prescribe awful stuff like vicodin (that stuff alone can make you feel crazy). There is a surgery they can perform to deaden the nerves but her insurance does not cover it as it is considered "experimental". This is main reason she did what she did. She figured she would rather be dead than live with the constant pain she is having. I just know there HAS to be away around the insurance!

Anyway, I had the chance to talk to my sister today and just encouraged her not to give up and to continue to seek out this surgery. We didn't talk long as she still is very emotional and upset. I told her there is many people praying for her. I am not sure how long she has to stay in the hospital but I am sure there will be mental evaluations before she is released. At least I hope so! Please continue to pray for her healing and for our entire family. We have already lost one sister 10 years ago, none of us want to go through that again.

Blessings,
Beth

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Urgent Prayer Request

Today I found out that my sister who lives in California tried to commit suicide last night. She had called our aunt before the attempt and apparently my aunt called the police. The paramedics were able to get her from her house and get her to the hospital before she was harmed too badly. She was on life support all night but is off this morning. I am unsure of the condition she is in today as I have not heard anymore updates. My aunt is the only one in the same town as my sister (as far as family goes) and she is not able to get back to the hospital until tonight. Please pray for my sister. She has had a troubled life and needs healing both mentally and physically.

I will keep you all updated as I know more.

Thanks,
Beth

Friday, December 10, 2010

My Twinn Custom Look-a-like Doll WINNER Re-Draw!!

The winner of the My Twinn custom look-alike doll did not claim her prize and was given more than the required 48 hours to respond. I have re-drawn a winner at Random.org and the winner is.....

CONGRATULATIONS TO LARK!!!



She left winning comment #420...
Lark said...

I blogged about the My Twinn Giveaway #1

http://theneaglesnest.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-twinn-doll-giveaway.html

alneagle@gmail.com


New winner has been emailed and as 48 hours to claim prize or another winner will be drawn.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Healthy Baby & Toddler Feeding Products Review and $15 Gift Certificate Giveaway! Courtesy of EcoMom

I love all the products at EcoMom! I love the fact I can feel good knowing each and every item I purchase from them is backed up with a promise to be safe, smart and simple. Nothing they sell is toxic or synthetic. Everything they offer is either natural, organic, and healthy!

One area you want to be extra careful is your baby's feeding plates, bowls, cups and feeding utensils. Most baby feeding products are made with plastic. Unless these products are BPA free you could be putting your child at risk. BPA
(bisphenol-A) is a common chemical leached from plastic into our water and food. BPA poisons our bodies and has been linked to brain and behavior problems, is a endocrine disruptor, can act as estrogen in the body and cause breast cancer! It is nasty stuff.

EcoMom offers a wide variety of healthy feeding products from BPA free baby bottles, utensil sets, bamboo utensils, stainless steel water bottles, sippy cups, lunch boxes and more!

I am slowly trying to replace any and all unsafe plastics in my kitchen, especially in the area of my children's feeding supplies. I was given the opportunity to try their line of Boon BPA free feeding products as well as their Kid Basix Safe Sippy. I love the unique designs of all these products. They are fun, modern and best of all safe for my babies!

Boon Catch Bowl

Little E loves to eat cereal, but he insists on having it with milk. The Boon Catch Bowl is designed with a built-in food catcher that extends toward the child. It funnels runaway food back into the bowl and keeps baby clean and dry! When E uses any other bowl with his cereal he always ends up with a wet shirt. Another great feature of this bowl is its suction cup bottom. Bowl holds firmly in place.
BpA-free. Phthalate-free. PVC-free.


Boon Groovy Interlocking Bowl and Plate Set

Toddlers can be picky eaters. If your kids are anything like mine, they get so upset if the food on their plate gets mixed up. Boon has solved this problem with their Groovy Interlocking Bowl and Plate Set. This interlocking plate and bowl set includes a toddler-sized plate with two separate compartments plus two small bowls that attach to the edge of the plate in a variety of positions. The smaller bowls are great for dipping! Each plate and bowl contains a Slip-resistant base. This set is so much fun!

Boon Benders Fork and Spoon Set

Benders adaptable utensils were designed to help make the transition to regular utensils a little easier. Parents can position the adjustable end to the perfect angle to accommodate the child’s grip. As motor skills develop, adjust little by little, until straightened. With soft easy to grip handles my son used these like a pro! He is enjoying learning to feed himself.

Both these products are of course...
BpA-free. Phthalate-free. PVC-free.


Boon Squirt

The Boon Squirt is a babyfood dispensing spoon. Cleaver idea! Simply pour 1 jar of smooth textured babyfood into spoon's base, screw on spoon top and feed baby! Babyfood comes out with a light squeeze and baby is fed quickly and stays happy. This spoon comes with a protective cover to keep spoon clean between feedings. My two older children got a kick out of this and faught over who would feed the baby. Hey, works for me!

BpA-free. Phthalate-free. PVC-free

Kid Basix Safe Sippy

I have been a mom for 10 years and have gone through many sippy cups with my children. I can honestly say the Safe Sippy is the best sippy cup we have ever tried! It has so many great features. It's stainless steel for starters! It has a nontoxic silicone, no leak spout, handles to help little ones drink easier and a removable ribbed outer sleeve for comfort (stainless steel cups can get very cold when filled with cool liquid). The only thing I do not like about this cup is water or milk can get trapped in the sleeve and it needs to be removed when you wash otherwise it gets stinky. Not a big deal though and you can keep the sleeve off if you don't want to use it.

BPA Free!


And of course, every one of these feeding products is dishwasher safe! Gotta love that! If you haven't checked out the great selection of healthy living products at EcoMom, be sure and check them out. Also, be sure to check out their Daily Deal section for remarkable savings on a different product each day!

BUY IT: You can purchase healthy feeding products for your baby directly from Ecomom. Click here. While your there, don't forget to check out Ecomom's sale items! Use coupon code SBBL472 for 15% off your first order.

WIN IT: Ecomom is giving one Happily Domestic Reader a $15.00 Gift Certificate to their online store!

First Mandatory entry:
Visit Ecomom and tell me what other products they offer that you would like to try.
*Remember to leave your email address in your comment! YOU MUST DO THIS TO WIN*

After you have completed your first entry you are eligible for additional entries. *See my giveaway instructions here for more information. * *Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry AND include your e-mail address.*

  • Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect (can be found at my right sidebar.) - current follows count too!
  • Subscribe to my blog emails via Feedburner. ( Counts for 2 entries) Sign up box on my right sidebar.
  • Grab my Happily Domestic button! (found at right sidebar)- Leave the URL where it is posted.
  • Blog about THIS giveaway between December 9th and December 17th and gain TWO entries!!! link back to my site- leave the URL where you blogged. Please leave separate comments for each entry. Example "I blogged about your EM giveaway@ #1" then "I blogged about your EM giveaway@ #2".
  • Follow HappilyDomestic on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (counts as 1 entry)- after this you may "tweet" daily and gain an extra entry each day that you tweet-limit one per day. Leave your tweet status.
  • Enter any of my current giveaways, leave a comment and tell me which giveaway you entered. Counts as 1 entry per giveaway entered. Please leave separate comments per giveaway you entered.
  • Follow EcoMom on Twitter. Leave a comment saying that you did this.
  • Like EcoMom on Facebook . Click here. Leave a comment saying that you did this.
  • Sign up for EcoMom's e-newsletter. Click here. Leave a comment saying that you did this.
  • Sign up for EcoMom's Daily Deal Alert Email. Click here. Leave a comment saying that you did this.
Giveaway ends Saturday, December 18th, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.(MST). Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. *This giveaway is open to USA and Canadian residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.*

Thank you to Ecomom who provided me with the products for review. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received to conduct this review and giveaway.