Mama Madness Giveaway

Lets celebrate Mama this March with a Mama Madness giveaway hop!

Over $400 worth of prizes and 2 people will win. 

Hosted by So Sew Mama

Thank you to my Co-Hosts: Spaceships and Laser Beams and A Taste of Something Unimaginable

One winner will receive the package below!

 A wonderfully organic gift set from Stripped Soap Co. Shea Body Butter, Diaper Cream Castile Soap,  Aloe, Calendula, and Kaolin Clay Soap

This elegant birthstone bracelet will make a big, bold statement. Choose your birthstone and your kids initial. Courtesy of DLaPaix

Teething Bling!  This is such an adorably stylish way to keep any babies attention. Bright, bold and beautiful. Win one of your own! 

One in stock cloth diaper from MICHELLDESIGN

ChubbyBaby Romper. You can find my review here. Perfect for any little girl. (review)

Mommy and me hat set from Marlows Gift Cottage.

Maternity Gown by Mommie Moxie (not pictured).

One winner will receive these amazing prizes below!

A New Baby Gift Set from Branwens Botanicals  organic baby bum spritz organic natural nipple butter organic diaper balm branwens botanicals

My Feeding Friend Nursing Plush Pillow (review)

In stock Drammy Droppers (review)

A Custom Made Diaper from Two Hip Peaz in a Pod

3 sets of Swircles Nursing Pads.

Changing Pad cover from Mommie Moxie.

Fleece Diaper Cover from londonware

Custom cut chenille blanket by LynneSellers

$25 Gift Certificate to HoneyBeeHolistics

Giveaway Time
Dates: March 1 - 20
Grand Prize at For Him and My family!!

Please read: Terms & Conditions: open to residents of the US. Must be 18 years or older. Void where prohibited by. Winning depends on the total number of eligible entries received. Once the winners has been selected and contacted, winners will have 48 hours to respond or new winners will be selected. 
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Disclosure: So Sew Mama and Epic Tales of a First Time Mom are not responsible for sponsor prize fulfillment. We were not compensated for this post. Some of the items noted above were received for review purposes. All opinion are 100% my own.

Anti-Sleep Campaign

For the last 4 days Minion has decided he's not going to sleep at night even though he is exhausted, instead he wants to stay up and climb all over Mommy and Daddy like a jungle gym. I'm not sure if it's teething or just excitement that he knows how to get around not but it's not going well for me and Hubby. He's only angry when we try to make him lay down, put him in the pack n' play or put him in the swing; I know he is tired because he will close his eyes and doze off for a minute or two but then wake right back up and cry because he can't play. I try nursing him and he falls asleep but wakes right up as soon as you move him. He is finally going to sleep around 8am in his swing but only for 3-4 hours which means that's all the sleep I get and Hubby isn't getting much more.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's because my vacation is over... He had me all to himself for over a week and this started right after I went back to work. Is that possible? Could my 8 month old really think that way already or is he just becoming an insomniac? I have off for the next 3 days so I guess we will find out. If that is the case now I feel really horrible for putting him through that but I can't change things do how do I get him back on a schedule? I'm not a fan of letting a baby cry it out (CIO) at all but I tried to let him go just for a few minutes at Hubby's request and not only was it heartbreaking but it didn't work, the only thing it accomplished was making Mommy upset too.

Last night I asked the babysitter to keep him awake as much as possible, he slept for a little bit after he got there and then fell asleep on the way home. I had planned to give him a bath followed by some sleepy time lotion but due to circumstances beyond my control I left work half an hour late and was too tired...I know that kind of seems counter productive but I just couldn't do it. Tonight I should be leaving on time and will try again, I'm hoping Hubby was able to keep him up most of the night. We shall see. I might be a zombie by the time this weekend is over, on the plus side thought my cold is almost completely gone.

Kids...gotta love them. Good thing he's so darn cute.

On the move...

I really thought Minion was going to skip crawling and go right to walking, he always hated "Tummy Time" and as soon as you would try to have him sit he would arch his back so he would be standing up instead. He is always trying to pull himself up on things and when you hold him standing he gets the biggest smile on that cute little face of his like he just did the coolest thing ever. Well yesterday he proved me wrong, he was at my in-laws house for the day and when I went over there I was told how he was crawling all day and I missed it. (He did crawl a tiny bit a few days ago in front of me though so I'm going to go with that) Today I put him on the floor after breakfast and there he was crawling all over the place chasing one of the cats around and laughing, glad I decided to take the glass/wood/slate coffee table apart last week and store it. Now I just have to figure out what to do with all of our video game systems and the stereo so I can store the media tower too (with it's non-secured glass shelves), finding a place to put it would probably help too... As much as I love watching him accomplish new things and how proud of himself he gets I don't think I'm ready for this, sure it's just crawling now but then comes school and going to the mall with friends and just generally not needing me as much (yes I'm being way dramatic about this). For now at least he is a Mama's Boy and loves to be snuggled and kissed and hugged. I'll keep it that way for as long as he will let me, even if Daddy does get a little jealous sometimes. Usually if I walk into a room and he sees me he will fuss until I come over to him... Oh the powers of being Mama!!!!

Apple Cider Vinegar... The new duct tape?

OK, so it won't hold your bumper on your car and you can't make a wallet out of it but it does have TONS of uses for just about every aspect of life. I personally have at least 2 bottles in the house at all times.

I first came across Apple cider Vinegar (ACV) when my dog, Alice, developed really bad skin allergies which are common to her breed (American Pit Bull Terrier) and we were at a loss for what to do for her. She was losing fur, she had hives and she would itch herself to the point of bleeding...and that was on a good day. We are regulars at the vets office and originally she was prescribed a steroid to help, at first it did but over the years the dosage has been upped and she has to take it more often and has to take other pills to counter act some of the side effects. Some days, even that doesn't work, especially since it seems to get worse every year. This lead me to research some home remedies that might help her, the most common one I came across was to spray her coat with equal parts Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and water at least once a day, another said to add a tablespoon to her food 2-3 times a week (bonus, not only does this help her skin and coat but it keeps fleas away...this one we give to both dogs). At our next vet trip I mentioned it and Dr. said it definitely couldn't hurt and gave is the OK to try it. ALWAYS TALK TO YOUR VET BEFORE TRYING ANY HOME REMEDIES ON YOUR PETS, THEY COULD HAVE SIDE EFFECTS OR REACT WITH MEDICATIONS! CATS ARE EXTRA SENSITIVE. Within 2 weeks I noticed a HUGE difference, she still had issues but they were noticeably less and Deuce's coat shined up quite a bit too. It's been 3 years and I still use this remedy.

The amazing effects it had on my dogs lead me to look into other uses for ACV. It is antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-fungal and astringent, it contains various minerals and vitamins including Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Vitamin C and Vitamin B2 and many others. It has health & beauty benefits for people and has many cleaning remedies. I've tried many but not all; here are just a few examples:

*Helps easy itching due to bug bites, ringworm, eczema & psoriasis (for the first 3 just apply to the affected area often throughout the day, for psoriasis, I soaked in a tub of water and added 2 cups of ACV, it's also restores your skins ph levels)
*Eases indigestion & heartburn (drink 1 tablespoon ACV mixed with a glass of room temperature water)
*Helps cure athletes foot (toe nail fungus (mix equal parts ACV and water, soak feet for 15 minutes 3 times a day)
*Health & beauty tonic (mix 2-3 teaspoons ACV in 8oz glass of water and drink daily)
*Shines and softens hair (use equal parts ACV and water as a final rinse then rinse again with cool water)
*Discourages cats (spray ACV in ares you want cats to stay away from, they hate the smell)
*Non toxic weed killer (spray in leaves and stem of weeds at full strength, works best in spring when they are beginning to grow)
This is just a small list of things ACV can be used for (now do you see what I meant about duct tape?) When using for health and beauty remedies on people or pets, always talk to your doctor and be sure to use NATURAL ACV with the "mother" still in it (it looks gross and cloudy...that's a good thing) you don't want the kind you find in the baking or cooking isle...that stuff is distilled. Apple cider vinegar is definitely a go to product in my house, try a few things out for yourself...you might be surprised.

M.I.A.

I just want to apologize for not posting anything for the last week, I was on vacation and spending some much needed time with Minion and the rest of the family. I didn't go anywhere but it was amazing non the less. I cleaned...seriously, it happened and I even started to childproof the living room since Minion is starting to crawl and wanting desperately to walk. Hubby was home for the first 3 days and we got to have some baby free time, we went to the movies and out to dinner...I forgot what that was like, we used to go out all the time. I'm not complaining though, Minion is well worth the sacrifice :) Family from out of state came to visit and a close relative had her baby shower...there was fun all around.

I'm back to work tomorrow...sad but hopefully this week I find out if I got the promotion I went for before my vacation. I'll miss having Minion all to myself but money must be made.

Tomorrows post will be well with the wait I promise. Get a pen and pad ready folks...your going to want to take notes.

Time for a schedule

I have no schedule for myself other then I work 4pm - 12am...the rest is in the air (part of that is due to Minion but not all). I really think I need to set an alarm for myself in the morning and do some exercises or something to get my self going, maybe actually eat breakfast, walk the dogs if it's not to cold outside... I feel like I'm always rushing around because I either sleep when Jacob naps (which is not always necessary but I do it anyway) or just sit around and wait for him to need something afraid that if I start a project he will only interrupt me. I've been feeling a little out of sorts lately and I think this is why. I was in so much better shape when I was pregnant, how sad is that LOL. I ate better, walked for about 20 minutes twice a day, cleaned my house... right up until the day before my water broke. Now of course Minion won't allow me to do all of that and no I didn't expect him to but I definitely slack off WAY more then I need to. I belong to a walking Moms group on Facebook which is awesome because it's exercise and Mommy time all wrapped into one but I want to do more. I will be on vacation in a few weeks I think I'll start making a plan for myself and get into a routine while I'm off. It's not all about being in shape but I do think it will help with a routine, and I would really like to get rid of my baby squishiness. I just need to get up around the same time, spend a little while doing DIY projects like I used to, have Minion's bag packed for the sitter so I'm not looking for his ring toy last minute (all Hell would break loose if he went anywhere without the rings). Routine can be a wonderful thing. I know my dogs would benefit too, they've both gotten a bit heavy since Minion was born, part of that is because Mama won't go out in the cold and part because I don't get up early enough anymore. I feel like I'm blaming my laziness on Minion but it's not all him, I really just don't feel like doing these things most of the time, I'm lucky if I fold the laundry (not that I particularly enjoyed that task before). I'm so much more happy snuggling with him for as long as he will lay still with me or just relaxing on the couch while he plays. Who wants to work full time AND be a house wife? As stated in one of my previous blogs I'd much rather be a SAHM and keep the house tidy but let's not go there again today. I'm curious, if you have a routine everyday, what is it? How did you get back into it after having a baby? If not, how do you keep your self going? I've never been a "just wing it" kind of girl and honestly I don't like it but I know not everyone shares this mentality. Comment or email me with your thoughts, maybe it will help me establish a game plan of my own.

Mama Madness Giveaway!!!

So Sew Mama and Epic Tales of a First Time Mom 

Is happy to bring you this awesome FREE blogger opportunity! 

Desiree at So Sew Mama has secured well over $400 worth of Prizes from sponsors.

Mama Madness is a Blogger Event hosted by For Him and My Family.

For Him and my Family has their own sponsors. 

So Sew Mama will host her own Giveaway in which 2 people will win the amazing $400+ worth of Mom and Baby gifts. 

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Host pages are available for secret words.

The announcement post can be found here.

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Contact Desiree at dmtatro@gmail.com with any questions.