Catch Up on Lunch Line Up

Sadly, My Hyperemesis decided to strike again and with a vengeance. I haven't gotten to post much in the last couple of days due to this, so I thought I would take these few moments of feeling just queasy to go ahead and catch up and Spank's Lunches for the last couple of days, last week included.

 

Lunch Line Up:Week 3 Veggie Burger Bliss

Spank loved his Labor day inspired Bento he took this week. He just said he was mad he didn't get any ketchup and mustard, I didn't bother including a bun, because to be honest I know my child and it would be a waste! He gets his fill on his grains at breakfast and dinner, trust me! 

Oliver's Labels Review

If you've been reading you've noticed that Spank has started school this year! It was a bittersweet moment for me, like any other mother. Now we are a little over a month into the year and things are going smoothly. He has been taking his lunch and snack daily, due to his dietary restrictions. I knew I wanted to use reusable lunch products, instead of buying all these brown paper bags and juice boxes daily with ziploc bags holding it all. With all the "lunch gear" I was buying, I'll admit I was a bit worried about him losing his stuff or it becoming mixed up with another child's. When I was offered the opportunity to review Oliver's Labels, I knew this would be perfect with Spank starting school.

Oliver's Labels makes high quality waterproof labels and tags that are dishwasher & laundry safe that  stick on all your kids' stuff, they will never fade, scuff or peel. One of the many great things about their labels is they have a ton of different prints and packages available for both boys and girls.

We received their mini labels, original labels, shoe labels and the stick-eez clothing labels. 

The Mini labels are Mini Labels are great for items that don't have the room for the original labels. These are good on items that will be used in dishwasher, fridge, microwave or outdoors. We used a few of ours on Spank's thermo containers for his lunch, I liked the Mini labels on them because I was able to place them on the edge of the lids and didn't have to cover the design on the bottle.
The Original Labels are great on anything from Sippy cups to toys. We placed a couple of ours on our bento boxes to help guarantee that our containers didn't get mixed up at school. Both the Mini & the Original labels are waterproof, which makes them great on items that will be placed in the dishwasher, microwave or fridge. Our items have gone through the dishwasher many times and no scuffing, peeling or wearing, we love them!

The Shoe labels are designed to stick inside the heel of each shoe. They come in a left foot shape and a right foot shape, which makes it easy to stick inside each of the corresponding shoes. Spank is extremely rough on shoes, in fact within him wearing his shoes 4 times, he has torn the inside back out of one of his brand new pair of Van shoes, the labels however are still firmly stuck to the bottom insides of the shoes. If that isn't durability I'm not sure what would be.

The Stick-eez clothing labels are great for shirts and shorts, I also placed some inside his lunch box and book bags. They do have bag tags, and mini bag tags, but I figured he would be more likely to remove it if he could see it. These labels are no iron, no sew tags that can be removed when you are ready to pass on the items.

We are extremely pleased with our Oliver's Labels and compared to some of the other label companies I've used I found these to stick just as well, but I really enjoyed the prints a lot better. They have quite a few choices for boys, which you all know I love!

Spank choose the Crossbones print and I was happy with the way they looked when they arrived, as was Spanky. They have everything from superheros to dinosaurs for boys or cupcakes to girly crossbones for the girls, with a few gender neutral and adult prints in there. They also have a great free addition you can add to all your labels called Found It. This addition allows you to add an address to your labels online, this is NOT printed on the label, but it does print a unique barcode onto your labels and lets anyone know who finds the item that they can find the owner on their website, Oliver's Labels will then send you an email letting you know, so none of your information is ever shared.

Buy It:
If you would like to purchase any of the items above or personalize your own package, you can do this and much more on at Oliver's Labels. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Soon to be here Baby makes three!

Time really does fly once you get about half way through your first trimester. I am officially 21 weeks old and cannot wait for our new little man to arrive! I will admit I am a bit concerned with how Chunk will react, him being the baby and all, he is very attached. I do know that he will be perfectly fine once he gets used to the idea when Baby 3 makes his debut. Spank, on the other hand, cannot wait for his smallest baby brother to arrive! With every doctors appointment I return from Spank is asking me if the Doctors have gotten the baby out, and where is it? Why didn't I bring him home with me? He is extremely anxious to see this little guy, Which is a huge relief for me. For the entire first trimester all he did was tell people he was excited to be getting a baby sister, we prepped him for the possibility of it being another brother, but he just kept telling us he already had a brother and needed a sister now. So, we are both excited to see he has warmed up to the idea of having two brothers. Now, all we have to work on is him sharing his trains with these two younger guys!

With time approaching so quickly and us having two birthdays, plus Christmas arriving at the same time as this little man, I have realized we need to get a jump on picking up items we will need for him. We hadn't planned on having any more and had just given away a majority of the items we had from Chunk, so we will be repurchasing quite a few baby items. The good thing about it is by the time the third baby comes along, you know what you really "need" and the items you never used and probably never will. Either way buying baby stuff again is exciting!

Lunch Line Up: Week 3: chicken Kabob

Well today starts a short school week, which means one less lunch to plan for Spank. I figured I'd let him help out a little more with this one, hence the yogurt & yogurt covered strawberries. Either way, its going to be devoured today, that I am certain of!

Lunch Line Up: Week 2 Day 4

Does your child ever get sick of their plain old sandwiches? Spank won't even touch a normal pb&j sandwich, never has been that child, I don't fight it anymore. He does like peanut butter/soy butter though with apples cut up, so when I saw this I thought why not give it a try! You could try other things sandwiched between the apples as well.

Notice the heart cut out? Yea, I'm going to have to "boyify" my cut out selection. He told me "Mom, hearts are for girls, NOT boys!" I did try to convince him a flower was more girly, but I'm not sure I convinced him!

Want to share your bento lunches? Link Up...

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Lunch Line Up: week 2

Spank helped out a lot with this one! I had picked up a HUGE watermelon this past weekend at the farmer's market and needed to use it up. When I say huge I mean it filled 2 large tupperware containers AND I had to pull out my large rubbermaid pitcher and store some in there! No one minded though, it tasted delicious and it was incredibly cheap! Chunk came home and wanted some as his after school snack too!

Bento Meals to share? Link up below!

Lunch Line Up: Week 2

We decided simple was best this day! Either way he ate & it fit his diet! I think he was most upset that I didn't include a tomato of some kind this day, so I decided to surprise him for snack! 

He loved it!

Have some great bento meals of your own to show off? Link Up!

Lunch Line Up:Day 5

What Child doesn't love Pizza? I still haven't encountered one that didn't! They have their little minds made up from a young age that pizza is delicious! Spank is no different, perhaps worse with his love of pizza(it comes naturally from his father). If I let my children make my meal plan weekly it would include pizza 5 out of 7 days or more, I'm sure! I started making whole wheat tortilla pizzas as a healthier option to all those carbs and grease in a lot of other pizza. This is one night we have NO leftovers in our house!

Lunch Line Up: Day 4

Can you tell this one was extremely influenced by Spanky, he is the biggest veggie dog child I've ever met!
I asked him Tomatoes or Broccoli and he said both, so I decided I'd let him have a little of each. He said this was another of his favorites!!

Have some great Bento meals to show off? Link Up below!!

Lunch Line Up: Day 3

So Last night was Taco Night in our house, and Spank asked to take it in his lunch today. Of course, this was fine by me! I knew his lunch would be devoured, cause he LOVES Taco night! I think we all do.

Have some Bento Lunches to show off? Link Up below!

Lunch Line-up: Day 2

I think this was Chunk's favorite Lunch all week! He loved his Pancakes(1,2,3 shaped) and he liked helping me make them! We found out he isn't a big fan of boiled eggs now, he used to devour them, in fact at Easter in May I had to tell him if he didn't stay out of them the Easter Bunny wouldn't have any to hide for him! So, We will be switching the boiled egg out next time for scrambled, unless he changes his mind! I think this meal was a bit filling, cause he brought home the Chewy Quaker bar and at as his after school snack this day. I'd rather him get enough to eat, than go hungry the rest of the day.

Wondering about his cute little Skull Labels? Be sure to check back this week for my Review on Oliver's Labels to learn more about them!

Lunch Line-Up: Day 1

I think with Spank starting school, his favorite "chore" to help me out with is making his lunch & snack every night. He is a somewhat picky eater & seems to eat better with a variety of small choices to eat daily. With his diet, he has some special restrictions and substitutions we've had to figure into the meal plan, but his teachers say he eats great every day! That is my main goal, so this is one happy momma!

After searching for ideas and finding so many great ideas and incorporating our own ideas as well, I thought it would be great to link up, so if you'd like to share your children's(or your own) great lunches-go right ahead!

This is what we used to make today's lunch:

Spank started Pre-K

My first born started his first day of Pre-K this past week! It was an extremely bittersweet moment. We were excited for him because he was beyond excited to be going, but I was not wanting to let him go and miss him so much. He had a great first week and cannot wait to go back tomorrow! He has had so many great stories from the first week of school, that makes me feel so much better knowing that he is having fun and making friends!

We are hoping this week will go as smoothly as week one did!

I'm Back & with News!

I'd like to apologize for my hiatus, I've been dealing with quite a bit the last 3-4 months. We've got some exciting news to share!!

Yes, that's correct! We are expecting baby #3 in the beginning of January! In fact, the due date is two weeks after Spank's Birthday and two weeks before Chunk's Birthday! I had planned to announce it sooner than this, but I've recently been diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

I have had a terrible time with morning sickness(if only it were confined just to morning), making me sick 8-12 times a day, every day and night! I was hoping to feel some relief by now, as I am already into my 2nd trimester, but It doesn't appear its going to ease up on me anytime soon. I went in to ER this week, due to terrible pain, only to discover I have a Mallory-Weiss tear. I was told it should heal on its own soon enough, but to remain on a liquid diet for the next 5 days. I cannot keep solids down, but they expect a liquid diet to remain down, I wish!
I haven't had much luck so far, but I am praying that all of this will disappear soon.

I decided this week that I need to start pushing myself to get back into the swing of things, I've got 4.5 months to go in this pregnancy and my boys and I need some structure back in our lives. 

I just wanted to share our news and let everyone know to be on the lookout for some great Review & Giveaways to come soon!!

Men's Costume Review

We are planning on having a big Halloween Party for the first time this year, I have already started planning for it. Halloween is my favorite holiday, I love the Fall air and seeing everybody's costume choices! I usually hand make Spank's costumes, but I will have to see what he decides for this year. I know the hardest person to get into a costume in our family will hands down be my husband. He isn't one for dressing up, but I told him its mandatory this year and he seems to be okay with it.

When I was offered the chance to do a review for Anytime Costumes for Men, I jumped at this opportunity! My hubby has a goofy personality, so I thought the Green Crayon Costume pictured would be perfect for him! When we received it, I had him try it on and we are going to obviously find him a shirt and such to go underneath, because short sleeves just didn't work! He liked the fit of the costume and I thought it was a good fit. The boys loved it, they were excited to see Daddy dressed up as a crayon, and a green one(Spank's favorite).

This Crayola Crayon costume comes in a couple different colors, as well as sizes. It works great for men and women alike, they do have a skirt style in the women's section if you and your guy wanted to go matching for Halloween. If you do end up with the crayon costume or any of their Poly-Foam costumes, I highly recommend stuffing the hat areas so they stand upward, otherwise they are just floppy and don't create the right look. Anytime Costumes has a great selection of men, women and children's costumes in any style you are looking for! Be sure to get a head start on Halloween, cause the closer it gets the more sizes and styles will sell out.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Children's Claritin & Madagascar 3 Party!!

Being a Claritin Crew Mom, we had the opportunity to throw a Madagascar Themed Party to get everyone Pumped up about the latest Madagascar coming to theaters, plus it gave us mommies a chance to talk about our little ones allergies and how Claritin could help with that!

We didn't have as much of a turn out as we'd expected, but the kids still had a blast and Parents received their samples and coupons, so I think everyone was happy when it was over with!

When people arrived we have Madagascar playing and they sat and watched that for a bit, then decided to go play and run around while the adults talked. The kids came back and wanted to watch Madagascar 2(I think this was Everyone's favorite of the two). We had some popcorn and punch and then decided to do some activities and color some coloring pages. We let the kids decorate some little cloth bags with fabric markers to take all their goodies and samples home in.

We had another little snack of Melman's Circus Peanuts and then the kids wanted to play pin the tail on Alex the Lion, the adults even joined in on this one! Some dared to walk the tight rope after that, while others sat back and cheered them on! We made Afro Circus Marty masks and the kids LOVED them! They also had the choice to make a Alex the Lion mask, but I think everyone was excited about the colorful Afro wearing zebra in the upcoming film, Madagascar 3.

They finished up the movie and took home their Goody Bags with stickers, circus animal puzzles, candy and some madagascar 3 Gummies. I gave their samples to their Parents, as some were too young and thought it was Candy and didn't want them getting into it.

If you are interested in learning more about Children's or Adult's Claritin or for coupons or Can't wait to see Madagascar 3, you can go watch the trailer again until you can rush to theaters to see the whole thing! I know we can't wait until June 8th!


Disclaimer: I received the DVD's and promotional items as a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew in order to host this Madagascar Viewing Party. All opinions are honest and my own, I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Poofin Review & Giveaway

My kids are obsessed with anything fluffy and cuddly! Put a pillow on the floor and they will both flock to it like seagulls on a crumb. So when we received our Poofin they fought over it til I had to step in and break it up!

Poofin is a seriously soft plush star pillow type toy that comes with interchangeable soft picture charms to represent all the great things in your child's life that makes him or her unique.

I love this idea! Spank is only 4, but he is starting to become an independent young man, making his own choices of what he likes and dislikes. No, I'm not talking about strained peas type choices but more what sports he likes and music, movies and activities. It really is bittersweet seeing him grow, but I like that Poofin allows children to choose from many different picture charms and collect the different things they like inside the "belly" of the star!

They have many different charms to choose from whether you have a sporty child, a little chef, or a girly girl on your hands. They even have customizable charms for your kids trips away from home this Summer, to help with that homesick feeling. You could even customize a charm for your child's special day, whether it be birthday, preschool or middle school Graduation or other various events.

The steps to getting started are simple!

1. Choose a Poofin- stars come in Bright Red, Blue or Pink!

2. Pick out your charms for inside from the great selection here or design your own charm.

3. Share them with your friends & family!

Spank has had a blast showing his Poofin off to everyone! He chose the Blue poofin and inside has his Skateboard, Bowling and Popcorn charms. He loves skateboarding and bowling, and if you didn't read my post on his Halloween costume a couple years back to know about his absolute LOVE of Popcorn, well, he LOVES it! He will tell you that too when you ask him about his charms, its quite cute. We plan on adding a few Charms to his collection in the coming months, he likes getting on the computer and browsing them. So far he has the Taco, penguin and he wants to get one of a runner because he is a runner. I may have to design one for him with his medals from his races. I think he'd enjoy that!

This would make a TERRIFIC gift for any Older child, I think the older they get it gets a bit harder to shop for some, this would be perfect for those children.

To Buy: To purchase a Poofin, visit the Poofin Store to get started!

To Win: One Lucky Reader will win a Poofin and two charms of their choosing! To enter follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Potty Cover Review & Giveaway

Going potty in public is something that makes my skin crawl sometimes. Thinking of all the germs that linger on those toilets and everywhere in those bathrooms-yuck! Having boys does make it somewhat easier as majority of the time Spank only has to pee, which he can stand for not having to touch anything! There are those moments when he needs to do some other business when we are out and about and I feel like I need to carry around toilet cleaner and a total cleaning kit before I can let my child sit on the toilet, then rush home afterwards to shower!
We recently received PottyCover to try out and it has helped this momma(with a public bathroom phobia) out a Ton! PottyCover is a disposable toilet seat cover for children. I LOVE that it covers the sides and front of the toilet too, cause if your child is like most they hold on to the edges! What I love even more is that it is made of a soft non-woven fabric on top, but coated with a layer of plastic on the bottom, making it waterproof. So if you are in a rush and cant wipe the seat down before hand and it happens to be a bit wet it won't soak through. That little flap up front also helps protect your child's legs or clothing from touching the icky germs on the toilet!
After you're done using it just dispose of it in the trash can, pretty simple! Each PottyCover comes individually wrapped and in a smaller package, so its small enough to fit into your purse,diaper bag or anywhere, but Large enough to cover all those germs!

I would recommend PottyCover to any moms, dads or grandparents who don't like the thought of germs in public restrooms, but have to face them due to little ones!

Buy It: To purchase PottyCovers, you can go here to find a retailer closest to you. They are about $5.99 for a 6 pk.

Win It: One lucky reader will win a 6pk of PottyCovers for themself to try out! To enter follow directions on the Rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

For The Luck of Liberty Giveaway Hop-Coming Soon!

EVENT NAME: For The Luck of Liberty Giveaway Hop

DATES: July 2-8, 2012

PRICE: FREE!

PARTICIPATION DEADLINE: June 28, 2012 

PRIZE MINIMUM:  $25.00

EXPECTATIONS:

Join BloggerPR Facebook group; 

Post giveaway with event button, linky, host details, etc. on July 2, 2012

*All information will be emailed to participants on June 29, 2012

Get Fit Health Awareness blogger event sign ups

I am very excited to announce that I will be joining the Get Fit! Health Awareness blogger event!

This event is FREE but you have to make a post to promote it.  In exchange for promotion you get 1 (one) FREE link!

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See ya there!

ipad Giveaway Sign Ups

Mom to Bed by 8, the Iowa-Mom is proud to present the The New iPad Giveaway Event, sponsored by BeeSavy.
Event dates: July 1 to July 15.
Details: This is a free blogger event, open worldwide and blog accepting sign ups now.
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Tombow roller tape Review

I'm always making cards or invites or some paper crafting activity, and typically just use some roller tape from my local craft store. I can say that I am not too sure how well those adhesives hold together after the cards or invites are sent out, but its all I have ever known to use. Until I was offered Tombow for Review, a permanant adhesive tape runner, its refillable, acid-free, non toxic and forms a strong instant bond with whatever paper it is being used on.

I decided I needed to play around with some Thank You notes for the Boys Groovy Splash Party this Summer, So I cut out some Peace signs and grabbed my Adhesive Tape runner and set to work!  I thought the Tape Runner was lightweight, some of them get a bit bulky, I liked that the glue had a flap to keep debry from getting all over your glue, I hate when that happens.

The Tape runner's adhesive is a lot stronger than ALL of the other tape runner's I've used, so there is no repositioning with this one. But It will hold through mailing and a wind storm, Ok I'm not exactly sure about that one, BUT it is Strong! I can mail off those Thank You's knowing they will get there in one piece! The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the awkwardness of holding it, I had to roll the tape once it ran out. I wasn't in a hurry with these invites, so it wasn't a big deal, but when I am rushing to make something I have a feeling I'd be more likely to reach for my other tape rollers, although they won't hold as well!

Other than that slight negativity, I really liked the Tombow Tape roller and will be using it on projects to come!

To Buy: Want to purchase Tombow tape roller or other great products, you can purchase them HERE.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.