On The Go With Baby Giveaway!

Welcome to On the Go!

On the Go has lots of goodies to help a mommy on the go. We all know how overwhelming it can be to get around with kids, so we rounded up some awesome prizes so one lucky mama will have an easier time going out with her kid(s). Seven awesome bloggers have gotten together to make this event happen:

• ClothDiaperingAgain.com
• Our Piece of Earth
• The Parenting Patch
• Leettle Baby
• Thankful for Thorns
• SAHM of Drama Queens and a Prince
• Mommy's Favorite Things

And here is the awesome prize pack we got together for one very lucky mama (or papa!):

• Rockin' Baby Sling: Orange Hero Sling $70
• Babee Covee: Original Babee Covee $50
• The Parenting Patch: $25 Nicki's Diapers gift certificate
• Lavender Llama: Momma Scarf in color choice of winner
• Drama Queenz Designz: Mommy Calling/business Card design and 25 printed cards
• Jeni Lynn Designs: $25 gift card
• Lillebaby Carrier: Winner's choice
• Snooze Shade Plus: Stroller Sun & Sleep Shade $49.95
• Buttons Diapers: 1 cover and 2 daytime inserts- winner's choice color and size $ 18.00

So if you live in the US, enter below! Only one mandatory entry, but every entry you do ups your chances of winning! Participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Entry-Form

Lavender Llama Momma Scarf Review

It’s that time of year.

I have broken out my boots and scarves.
Sweaters and sweatshirts.
Fuzzy socks and slippers.
By the end of the night I’m chilly and you can usually find me 

curled up on the couch under a nice warm blanket.

I love scarves.
They’re a quick, fun accessory that also help keep you warmer.
I wear scarves a lot as I tend to keep my hair short or have it up in a ponytail which means my neck is exposed to the cold air.

I was looking around at some of my favorite online shops and came across Lavender Llama Momma Scarf.First I was in love with all of the beautiful colors. 

I mean just look at all of these beauties!

Then I read how this scarf can serve many purposes.
Besides being a beautiful scarf for mom it can also be a swaddling blanket, nursing cover, burp cloth, car seat/stroller cover, crib sheet, changing mat, and a tummy time blanket! It’s a generous size at 47x47” and I was afraid it would feel too bulky around my neck with how much fabric is there. I have to say though that I honestly LOVE wearing this scarf and I wish I had this when my oldest was a baby. I couldn’t decide what color I wanted so Sara surprised me. I had it narrowed down between Teagan, Quinn, or Harper. I was sent beautiful Harper for me to test out and review.

As a new mom I regularly forgot to bring a light weight blanket with us 

or I would forget my nursing cover.
Ok, let’s be real here I’m a seasoned mom now and I STILL forget those things!
Just before I received my scarf in the mail, we were at a friend’s house and I was getting ready to nurse Bug. I realized I didn’t have a blanket or cover. I grabbed a blanket that was laying around but it was one of the other kid’s special blankeys that they can’t sleep without. This has happened more times than I care to admit. I usually end up using my sweater or I go hide off in another room.

The dual-layer muslin fabric is lightweight and soft yet provides warmth on a chilly day.
While I don’t have babies that need to be swaddled I could see that this would be the perfect size to swaddle a little love. You wouldn’t have to worry about baby overheating as it’s so light and has wonderful breathability.
I was never able to swaddle either of my kids as they would fight to free themselves and receiving blankets were just not big enough to do the job. I love this as a nursing cover.
I’m able to tuck it behind my shoulder and be adequately covered all while Bug likes to try and pull it off of us.

Monkey calls this “the scarf blankey” and he uses it as a blanket every chance he gets.
The day I received this in the mail he ran off with it as soon as I got the few pictures I was able to.
He then toted it around like Linus minus the thumb sucking.
He even stole it for 3 days and slept with it in his bed!

Then Bug finally got a hold of it.
He attempted to wear it, then it was a blanket to sit on for a snack, and later to cuddle with.

We get together with some friends on a regular basis. We always put the kids to bed and then the adults can have some time to visit and hang out. On our way home Monkey always wants a blanket and I usually end up giving him my sweater or coat to use, leaving me cold. This time though I was able to give him my Lavender Llama scarf. The only problem is that both of my boys love it and end up fighting over it. Guess I’ll just have to get another one!

Another thing I could see this would be wonderful for is babies with separation anxiety.
Monkey was a terrible sleeper as a newborn as he had separation anxiety. I couldn’t get him to sleep in his cradle at all. Then one night after he fell asleep laying on my side of the bed without me right next to him I had an idea. I decided to put my pillow case on his cradle mattress. It worked wonders. Having mommy’s scent close by is such a huge comfort to babies. Since mom wears this item it’s going to take on her comforting scent which could make being left with a babysitter easier for a few hours as they can still feel like they have mom close by.

I honestly really love this scarf. I wish I’d had this when Monkey was a baby. I must confess I have even used it as a blanket a couple of chilly mornings while relaxing with my kiddos.

It's also hand-dyed, packaged, and was designed here in the USA. I feel this is completely worth the $22 and I will hopefully be getting a second one in the near future.

You can purchase your very own "scarf blankey" at
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LavenderLlamaMomma

Sara from Lavender Llama is giving a reader the chance to win one in the #OnTheGo Giveaway! Go HERE to enter to win your very own Lavender Llama Scarf in the color of your choice along with lots of other wonderful prizes!

Six Thankful Things

Today I am thankful.

I am thankful for:

1. Naps.
   My oldest woke up a couple of hours early still off from the time change. Both of my kids took naps at the same time today for over an hour and a half. PURE BLISS! My oldest rarely naps but he so needed one today. And he still went to bed on time and fell asleep at a reasonable time! (We'll see if I hate myself for this tomorrow.)
2. Coffee.
   Today I woke up tired and feeling like I was running on fumes.
   Coffee not only gave me the boost I needed but made me sit quietly for a few minutes and regroup myself to better serve my children.
3. Pow! Made it through the night!
   After the saga of the fish who committed suicide last night as I cleaned out the tank, I really was in no hurry to finish the tank last night. I left the favorite fish who's name is Pow! on the table, in a glass bowl, partly covered by a lid so he couldn't kill himself jump out. I had no idea if he would actually make it or not. But he did. My oldest was devastated when he learned only one fish remained but thankfully the favorite fish made it. As silly as it is, I'm praying he does well in his freshly cleaned home.
4. Tomorrow is Wednesday.
   It's my day off and I need to finish catching up on stuff around the house that has gotten away from me. As well as write up a zillion blog posts. 
5. My husband.
   His willingness to teach me new things, his worth ethics, the way he loves me, the messages he sends me when he's away just to make me smile, and the fierce way he loves his boys. 
6. My boys and how I'm blessed to be a WAHM.
   Today I got to watch my sons interact and saw them make choices to love each other.
   After awaking from their naps (See Number 1) Bug wanted to crawl into big brother's bed and snuggle him. Bug ever so sweetly kissed sleeping big brother gently waking him. Later on I watched as Monkey gave up a toy he wanted and had been playing with, to his younger brother because he knew it would make Bug happy. Swoon.

Daylight Savings Nightmare.

I have never minded daylight savings time before.
This year however, is a very different story.

This year it's killer.
Bug (15mo) was a moody man all day.
The only thing he wanted and that would calm him down was if I would hold him, with his favorite fleece blanket, and sway back and forth. Now I haven't talked a whole lot about this yet but I have a problem with my pelvis.

I have a condition called symphysis pubis dysfunction or SPD for short.

Source

Basically what happened was while I was pregnant for Bug I started having severe pain in my pubic bone. I knew I wasn't in labor and was positive that the baby was fine but I felt like I was being broken in half like a graham cracker. The cartilage that holds the pubic bones together and in place had been damaged at some point in time in my life and it was too weak to keep everything together.

I had to wear a special support belt while I was pregnant. I need a different one now to still give support. Sometimes my pelvis goes out of alignment and I have to be readjusted. And I have chronic pain. Not every day. But with the weather change and how cold it has been lately it has been most days.

So standing and swaying for long periods of time just wasn't going to cut it.
I tried sitting. He screamed and cried no matter what I did or tried.
He was just in a mood. All Day Long.

Me, well my body thinks that at 7:30pm I should be relaxed and my kids in bed for about an hour because really it thinks that it is 8:30pm.

Monkey did alright even though I could tell he was a little off too.
Mostly at "dinner time." He began asking me at 3:30pm to start helping me make dinner and when we were going to eat at 4:30pm.

Our bodies are off and we're all super tired.
Today is one of those days I wish we lived in a state that doesn't follow DST.

But more importantly, today I am thankful and grateful that I had the day off so we could just take it easy and a little more relaxed.

How about for you and your family? How did you all do with DST?

Thankful For Friends

I'm not going to have the chance to get the pictures posted today of the hubby and myself. We kept forgetting to take them and then when we did remember it was on his phone and I haven't had him send them to me yet. Whoops! So instead I'm just going to post a quick little what I'm thankful for today.


Today I am thankful for friends who are more like family.
Dear sweet good friends who will tell you the hard truth in love.
Who you can joke around with, have a good time, and do life together.

I'm thankful for community.
And the knowing that there are people around you who love and care about you.
That will be there during the icky stuff to help you get through it.
Who will love you through all of your junk.
And help you clean your house.

Thankful for time spent as three families coming together and watching Kung Fu Panda, eating pizza and wings with 5 adults and nine crazy kids. Then playing games together after the kids go to bed.

Today I'm just thankful for these lovelies.

It's a date

Every year my husband's work puts on a company dinner in the fall.
The food is always delish and we both look forward to the dinner. The music has gotten better over the last couple of years and is easier to dance to now than the first couple of years. Plus it's a good excuse for my hubby and I to get dressed up a little for each other and enjoy a guilt free evening out.
Hubby's parents are going to watch the kids for us tonight for a few hours and we'll go enjoy each other's company.

This year I do have to confess I'm a little nervous as my husband's boss' boss is going to be there.
I always put more pressure on myself than is really needed I'm sure but I have always wanted to conduct myself at the dinners in a manner that would never do anything to hurt my husband's reputation or jeopardize his job. Tonight should be fun though. And I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow of me and the hubs. Have a wonderful Saturday!

Taking on a challenge

Today is November 1st.
Wow. Where did October go?!

With November brings so many things.
Including the hustle and bustle of the holidays and we can quickly forget what the reason for the season we're currently in is really for.

Today also started #NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) with Blogher. I'm signing up. I'm taking the challenge and going to try my hardest to do this! Committing to submitting a blog post once a day every day is going to be a big challenge and stretch for me. There are prompts that some days I will probably need. Some days I may simply post a picture of what's happening in our home. Some of the days, and hopefully most of the days, I'll be posting something that I'm thankful for.

So join me on this journey. Check back every day for a new post and if I miss a day feel free to yell on me on my facebook page! And if there is something in particular you would love for me to write about let me know and I'll try to make it happen!