Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Project Life: June 2014


*Click on any of the images to see a larger view and get a better look at the details.

I moved June into my second binder for 2014 so my spreads would have space to breathe.  Things were getting a little tight in there!  I probably could've fit half the month in Binder 1 but I didn't want to spit the two.  This month is packed with end of the school year activities, but I won't be able to share all of them due to wanting to keep the other children in the photos private.

The binder opens with a spread just covering June 1-3.  It starts out as a typical PL spread with everyday photos.  I took some of our annual pictures by the lilac bush and made an 8.5X11 layout and put it into a insert.


On the other side of the insert is a copy of the end of the year letter my Brownie co-leader wrote.  I liked how it summarized everything we did, and printed it out onto a some scrapbook paper.  The right side of the spread is about our last Brownie meeting of the year.  I used cards from the Micheal's exclusive Heidi Swapp Favorite Things kit that I tried super hard not to buy!  The colors are just so bright & pretty, lovely florals, {swoon}.  I added some heart stickers from a MAMBI sticker pad to add a little something extra to a couple of the cards.


The second June spread is all about one day!  I know that might seem excessive, but we did a lot!  In the morning was my daughter's second grade pool party.  The little guy stayed home with the babysitter, so thankful we finally found a great one that both kids love.  That's her, face blurred out, with LB in the middle left. Also on this half are pictures from the end of the day, when we went to the library and park after school.

The reason we went out right after school was because the kids were both all excited and a bit too hyper after the second grade dance.  That was the last half hour of the school day and I took the little guy over to my daughter's school.  It was a little bit too loud and crowded for him but he got into things after big sister came over and danced with him.  That was so sweet!  She had a grand ol' time dancing with all her friends.  I had enough pictures from that one half hour to fill an entire side.


Next is my daughter's dance recital dress rehearsal.  I always take most of my pictures the day before the actual recital because that's when we're allowed to take them while the girls are performing.  Plus, it's a lot more laid back to get individual pictures of her in each outfit than when the family is all over.


On the back of Design D are the obligatory family photos from the actual day.  The program went right into an insert.

On the back of this insert is the Year End News my daughter's teacher sent home.  It gives a run down of all the activities going on and a little message from her.  Next to this are pictures from the Second Grade Aloha Party.  I had more than usual to write so I used a folded card from the Strawberry Core Kit.  Due to so many kids being in it, I decided to keep the actual page private.


Here is the actual last day of school.  I pretty much stuck with a pencil yellow, apple red, and black chalkboard color scheme.  Next to this, not shown, is an insert with an overview letter from the teacher.  I know I've mentioned this before, but I just love having somewhere to stick these important notes so they are held onto and don't get lost.

On the right of this spread is the beginning of summer break.  This one was especially busy because my daughter's Godmother came back from AZ for the first time in seven years!  We had a lot of catching up to do and hanging out to squeeze into four months!  You will be seeing a lot of Alicia throughout the summer & September PL pages!


So all the previous pages have been June but we're only up to the middle of month!  Yep, that is a lot but I really couldn't see cutting anything out!  This side is about celebrating Father's Day with my Dad on the 14th.

On the right side and actually on Father's Day, we went to the zoo but not for Father's Day as you might expect.  This outing was really to mark his mother's birthday, that was at the end of May.  We just were so busy we didn't have time to do anything special until now.


The next spread is more about Brad's Father's Day.  On the left are pictures of him with the kids at the zoo.  Then there's an insert, not shown, with this Fun Facts About Dad page that my daughter filled out.

The right side has photos taken once we were back at Grandma Norma's house after the zoo.  That's the kids with her after she opened her gifts and some cute filler/journaling cards along the top of this spread.  I will probably need to go back and stitch the top line of pockets into 3X4 so the cards don't slip around so much.  Below that,  the bottom two row's are devoted to Father's Day and Brad.


Around this time of the month, I was getting tired trying to keep up with all the documenting I was doing so June 16-21st was a nice break.


This is June 22-27, sorry about the wonky color!  The sun moved on me and I didn't remember to correct the white color balance.  The first side is typical PL stuff with everyday moments.  Then there is an insert with the program from a Disney Theater Camp performance on Friday (not shown).  This was my daughter's second year taking this week long camp and she loved it.

Next up is our trip to Chicago and I plan to share those pages next month.  I'm linking up and sharing this post at: The Mom Creative - on the November link up since Jessica skipped October, Avinash & Nandini, and the Community Show & Tell at Simple Scrapper.

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Friday, October 3, 2014

$25 Visa Gift Card Giveaway from Perrigo Nutritionals

*The product, gift cards, survey results and information
have been provided by Perrigo Nutritionals Store Brand Formula

Today I wanted to share a little bit about feeding your baby.  Now as you may know, I have two children.  My daughter is now eight and my son is three.  Both were primarily breast fed, however, my daughter had a great deal of difficulty getting started with nursing and experienced some failure to thrive.  As you can imagine, that freaked me out!  I wanted to nurse and tried so hard to make it work, but she just wasn't getting it and loosing too much weight.

The nurses at the hospital intervened pretty quickly with a lactation consultant and we began supplementing both in the hospital and at home with formula.  I had always planned on nursing and was so set on it, that it didn't really occur to me, that there might be problems.  When there were, I was panicked since we needed something immediately and I had not done any research on formula and was pretty clueless on brands, the different benefits each might provide...well just about everything!

One thing my husband and I realized pretty quickly was that formula can really add up!  With name brands costing more than store brands, we liked the idea of saving money but didn't want to make the wrong choice for our baby.  Obviously we wanted the best for our baby, as all parents do!

Questions about infant feeding were my main concern as we became new parents and I wasn't alone in that.  A new survey of pediatricians (conducted by SERMO, the largest online network exclusively for physicians, in conjunction with Perrigo Nutritionals) looked at the most common questions new moms will ask, and one concern rose to the top: 52 percent of pediatricians say the number one topic of questions from new moms is about infant feeding.

Perrigo Nutritionals Store Brand Formula’s “Pulse of Pediatricians” Survey Results:

A new, nationwide survey of pediatricians looked at the most common questions new moms will ask. 97 percent of pediatricians say feeding is one of the top three categories new moms ask about and more than half (52 percent) of pediatricians say feeding is the number one topic new moms ask about.
  • “Pooping” questions were second (43 percent of respondents). Sleeping was third (41 percent).
  • The results were based on a nationwide survey of pediatricians conducted by SERMO, the largest online network exclusively for physicians.
According to the survey, 71 percent of pediatricians believe all infant formulas are basically the same; the brand doesn't matter.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics and other experts agree on the benefits of breastfeeding; these experts also agree that infant formula is a safe, science-supported, nutritious means to nourish babies.
  • Most moms don’t know that the FDA strictly regulates formula to keep little ones safe, so store brand formulas, like Wal-Mart’s Parent’s Choice and Target’s Up & Up, are nutritionally comparable to national brands like Enfamil® and Similac® and meet FDA standards.
  • By switching to store brand formula, a family can save up to $600 per year without compromising quality. Visit www.storebrandformula.com for formula coupons and more information.
New parents tend to ask a lot of questions; pediatricians shared some of the strangest questions new moms and dads asked. The strangest question from a new mom was, “Can my newborn have ice cream” and the strangest question from a new dad was, “Is it ok for my new born baby to go kite surfing on my back?”


The strangest questions shared above crack me up, but in all seriousness, my advice for new parents would be that there are no strange questions!  If you are wondering or concerned, don't hesitate to ask your pediatrician or the nurses.  They know you have questions, they know you are clueless, they are expecting lots and lots of questions...okay, well maybe not the one about kite surfing but you know what I mean!

Plus, it's better to ask a medical professional involved in your or your baby's care.  Their answers will be more specific and related to your needs, yes the advice books and input from friends and family is important but I have found our pediatrician's input to be the most important in many to most situations and you'd be surprised the wide range of topics he or she can give well thought out recommendations on.

Readers, what did you think about the results of the survey I shared above?  What questions did you have as a new parent?

Giveaway:

$25 Visa Gift Card Giveaway from Perrigo Nutritionals.

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Subscribers, please click over to enter!  You have until September 17th at Midnight EST to enter. Giveaway open to US residents only no PO Boxes.

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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

NCircle Entertainment Back-to-School Giveaway - 5 DVD Pack

* PR Samples Provided
*Giveaway Sponsored by NCircle Entertainment


I can't believe the first month of school is already over!  September flew by fast but I think we've begun to get back into our school year routine.  Let's celebrate with a fun giveaway from NCircle Entertainment, the leading independent studio of kids’ DVDs  that provides Education that Educates.

As frequent readers of my blog already know, my kids both love NCircle DVDs.  They feature their favorite characters and my little guy currently just loves singing and dancing along with The Wiggles.  The Octonauts continue to teach the whole family new and interesting facts about marine life and Sid the Science Kid is another educational show we've learned a lot from.  This giveaway package two brand new NCircle DVDs, plus three of their most popular back-to-school themed titles, for a total of five DVDs and a value of over $50!

Here's what's included:


Product Description: APPLES AND BANANAS is a tasty musical treat! Join the Wiggles as they add their special Wiggles magic to favorite nursery rhymes and songs. Sing along with special guest Lee Hawkins to This Little Piggy Went to Market and with the delightful Dennisha Pratt on Miss Polly Had a Dolly. There's the spider-iffic Itsy Bitsy Spider, Dorothy the Dinosaur swings on Shortnin Bread, then we jump on board for The Wheels on the Bus and This Old Man Came Rolling Home! The Wiggles travel across the globe to Ireland for I'll Tell Me Ma and Michael Finnegan, and then over the continent for the delightful French song Sur le Pont d Avignon. With centuries of best-loved songs served up fresh for your child, APPLES AND BANANAS is certainly a-peeling !


Product Description: Dive into adventure with your favorite underwater explorers, the Octonauts, as they explore the world's oceans, rescue the creatures who live there, and protect their habitats - above and below the waves. On this exciting DVD, join the Octonauts as they explore the Midnight Zone, encounter the mysterious Vampire Squid, get help from a strange-looking Spookfish with a see-through head, and help evacuate sea creatures before an underwater volcano erupts!


Product Description: So many chores, so little time! If Sid doesn't fill his chore chart with stickers, he'll never get that new Turbo-Mega-Rocket Ship toy. What's so important about a chart anyway? Sid soon learns that charts are great science tools for comparing and contrasting things like snacks, pets and even chores! When playing with a rolie polie bug, Sid discovers another amazing science tool - the magnifying glass! Now, Sid can see a whole new world through his magnifying glass and finds that bigger is better! Sid learns all about science tools like rulers and magnifying glasses and how they help us. In fact Sid even finds out how to measure a giant blue whale!



Summer is over, and fall is now here. Let’s go back to school; the best time of year! Our favorite part about going to class? Why show and tell, how great you should ask. But what should we show, oh what can it be? Tune in with the Cat to find out and see!


Animal Atlas ABCs introduces preschoolers to the vast and amazing animal kingdom and the ABCs! Filled with songs, rhymes, and puzzles, Animal Atlas ABCs is preschool entertainment that encourages child development and an appreciation and awareness of animals everywhere. Specially designed to fascinate and delight your child.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

One reader will win a Back to School DVD package with the FIVE titles described above from NCircle Entertainment.  Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Subscribers, please click over to enter!

You have until October 8th at Midnight EST to enter. Giveaway open to US residents only.

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