DST Recovery and 2 Winners

Oh my daylight savings time did us in today, but a little bit of the blow was softened by our weekend trip to CoCo Key Boston North Shore - we had an amazing time! Surprisingly no tears were shed (well a few from Grayson when it was time to leave), and the kids played so, so hard sleeping an incredible 12 hours Saturday night even with the time change. I'm working on my recap, but in the interim here are a few pics from Instagram:

I also wanted to share the two winners of my Kidfresh coupon giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Erin and David - I'll be in touch so you can receive your prizes!

Does DST affect your kids? I feel like it has more of an affect on me and Uka than them O_o

 

We're Headed to CoCo Key (& a Winner!)

As we close out winter I'm still holding out for one last snow storm. Anyone else in the north feel nervous like that? 

{Image via CoCo Key}

To get a jumpstart on warmer weather we're heading to our first family visit to an indoor water park as guests of CoCo Key this weekend! The kids have been taking swimming lessons for over a year now so it'll be fun to see them put their skills to use. Be sure to follow along on Instagram for snippets of our visit. 

Now for the winner of my AllerMates giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Erin - I'll be in touch so you can receive your prize!

And don't forget there's still time to enter to win my Kidfresh giveaway - there will be two winners so your odds are good. 

What are you up to this weekend? Have you ever been to an indoor water park with your family?

 

Win It!: Kidfresh's NEW Totally Rockin' Tots

Disclosure: I received samples to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

With Grayson rapidly approaching 2 years old this June, I find myself thinking back to how Nia was still nursing at this age! Grayson's current favorite foods are a very short list: meatballs, milk, strawberries, cashews, french fries and crackers. Thankfully he's an avid smoothie drinker so that's how we get some veggies in him (he can drink his smoothie down faster than I can!). 

Thanks to Kidfresh we now have another way of getting him veggies: Totally Rockin' Tots in Russet Potato + Cauliflower and Yukon Gold + Yellow Squash.

Safeguard Your Kids with AllerMates (& a Giveaway!)

Disclosure: I received AllerMates products to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own. 

I grew up allergy-free, but having much younger siblings who had allergies, I was sensitive to how serious they could be. Once I had children I kept this in mind and thankfully with Nia she was also allergy-free, but before his 1st birthday, I'll never forget when Grayson broke out after I gave him eggs:

He was too young for allergy testing via blood work, but from the prick test the allergist could tell he was allergic to peanuts, eggs and dairy. His reaction to eggs was the strongest and once he turned 1 and had his blood work it was confirmed that it was still a significant allergy - serious enough that we do not give him eggs until we revisit his blood work when he turns 2. 

March Betta Go Out Like a Lamb

February was probably the roughest health month I've had in my life, and I'm so glad to be moving on to March. I started the month with an upper respiratory tract infection diagnosed at my annual physical which was actually a bit overdue (although according to this that's up for debate). That appointment created a domino effect of blood work, consultations, additional diagnoses and prescriptions. It's also prompted me to start seeking out a holistic health practitioner. 

Thankfully my family has been super supportive, and I've felt so blessed with friends who have been checking up on me, but it looks like I still won't get to the bottom of things until the end of this month. 

The good news is this winter has been significantly more mild up here in New Hampshire, and I'm excited that we can officially say spring will be here in a couple weeks. I'm SO ready!

Here's to a healthier March!

What are you looking forward to this month?

Beyond Black History Month

I started this post weeks ago but there was so much continual fodder that I kept putting it on hold. Now I'm finally getting it out.

When you go to sleep on February 28 and wake up the next morning and it's still Black History Month pic.twitter.com/3M4Se9Ypvm

— wikipedia brown (@eveewing) February 29, 2016

Black History Month felt very different this year especially because I viewed it through the lens of having a Kindergartner. 

Angel Faces: Celebrating Beauty From the Inside Out

I recently re-watched the movie Big and wondered aloud to Mr. Lovebird if I'd be willing to revisit my adolescence. It was such an awkward time for me and I decided I wouldn't want to go back. Kids nowadays have so much pressure put on them especially with the visual aspect of social media coupled with measuring up against unbalanced standards of beauty. Imagine having to navigate this with physical scars caused by trauma such as a tragic accident or abuse. There are many young people who are living with scars such as these and remaining strong in the midst of curious stares and mean comments is a real challenge, especially for girls who are already under so much scrutiny when it comes to developing a healthy body image.