Thursday, December 29, 2016

Homeschool Update: Ocean Life & Musical Instruments


             Hey folks! It's been awhile since our last homeschool preschool update and it's the same old story: I'm terrible at sticking to a schedule, we stay on one subject longer than I mean to because I can literally go a week before thinking “Hey, we haven't done any school stuff in awhile”, I pick out too many projects to do, Myka isn't interested in doing some of the things I find, and the list goes on. To recap, most of our issues stem from me being a poor planner, in a way, and a poor “sticker to schedule”. As I've also mentioned in a previous update, thank God in the state of Indiana you don't have to have your child enrolled in kindergarten (public or home) until they are 6 years old. This relieves the hell out of me because I'm clearly not ready and Myka's not quite there yet either.
             Anyways, enough of that. I want to share some of the fun projects we have been doing! I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I participated in a webinar type thing several months ago about planning and following your child's interests in what you plan for “school”. I feel like this has made things more fun and interesting for Myka. (It's been fun for me, too, planning stuff because it's been subjects I'm interested too!) We started off with dinosaurs, then did some fall activities, of course, then moved on to ocean life and have recently started musical instruments after an “enthralling” episode of Sesame Street sparked her interest. ;)
             Ocean life seems to be a major preschool theme, so we found plenty of crafts and experiments/activities to do. Admittedly, most of the science experiments and activities we tried didn't work out like they were supposed to, but that's ok.

Note: Before I start in on the pictures, I would just like to apologize ahead of time for their quality, or lack thereof. I take most of the pictures used in my posts with my cell phone because let's be honest: It's usually a lot more readily available than a camera. With that being said, I recently got a much needed new cell phone (Seriously. It would randomly freeze up, turn itself off, fun stuff like that.). Unfortunately, the camera on it isn't great, so I'm still trying to get used to it. Moral of my longer-than-intended spiel: Sorry the pictures suck!


Here's an overall view of our crafty projects on our “school wall”. (Guess I should get our winter alphabet with the cute snowmen up now, eh?)


Paper plate crabs, animals that DO and DO NOT live in the ocean activity, and hand print octopuses. (The last one was a major hit. It's the first time we've made anything from her hand prints and she thought putting paint on her hand was super awesome.)


Paper plate pufferfish and “make an ocean” activity.


Paper plate seashell. (Seeing a theme here yet? Haha) I'm not gonna lie: I had Myka paint this while I was in and out of the kitchen to keep her entertained. When I saw that she had painted it all one color, I was kind of disappointed. How boring! But once it dried...Wow! It looks a lot neater in real life.

             We also made sand foam one day, which actually turned out pretty cool. Other than that, our salt water density experiment didn't work, the different zones of the ocean in a jar kind of worked (they came out darker than they should have, therefore hard to differentiate), and the ocean/foamy sensory bin didn't quite turn out how we wanted...But I have a habit of making due with what we have on some of these things and just maybe didn't read or skimmed over the directions on a lot of them, thinking “Oh, ok. How hard can it be?” :/

             Now we are on to musical instruments! This also seems to be a popular “kid theme” as I've found tons of websites on how to make your own kid-friendly musical instruments! I'm pretty excited about this theme too because I used to be a band nerd. I was secretly really pleased when Myka showed an interest in instruments after that episode of Sesame Street. Those are the few things she and her sister play well with together too. It's entertaining listening to her and Ripley bang on their little Barbie piano together in Myka's room. :) Plus I know they aren't getting into trouble. Mwa ha ha!
             So far we have made some simple homemade instruments and they watched some YouTube videos on different instruments one morning. (We don't let her do too much on the computer because she becomes obsessed, but hey. I figured I may as well let her watch something educational while I fed the animals. ;) )



Our happy little sun “shaky shaky” maker. Myka insisted I draw a grumpy face on the other side, which somehow turned out looking like an emo girl after she was finished coloring on it. Lol!


I also made a paper towel roll kazoo which, admittedly, does not work as well as toilet paper ones AND we didn't have plain wax paper, but it works. She's also holding up her straw pan flute, or whatever you want to call it. I'm hoping to FINALLY make a rain stick tomorrow. I've only been meaning to make one for forever.

             What have you been up to school-wise? Are you taking a break for the holidays right now?
ethannevelyn

Friday, December 23, 2016

6 Fun Things to Do After You Find Out You're Pregnant!

positive pregnancy test

             Finding out you're expecting a baby is an exciting time for most...But waiting to see that positive result can be agonizing, whether your pregnancy was planned or not. Two weeks (or more, for some!) can feel like an eternity! Luckily, there has been a lot of progress in creating early detection pregnancy tests. If you're currently planning for a baby, be sure to check out these best early detection pregnancy tests.

This post is a partnership with Nakturnal.

             So, what happens after you see that plus sign? (Or two lines, or digital “pregnant” readout, etc.) Obviously, you're going to schedule an appointment with your obgyn, start eating better, and overall prepare for a new little person living with you, but let's talk about some fun things you can do after you find out you're expecting a baby!

*Fun pregnancy announcements-With the advent of social media, pregnancy announcements have become all the rage for sharing your big news with family and friends far and wide. Check out some of these fun ideas on Pinterest.

*Take a home gender predictor test-Of course, until you get a definitive ultrasound, tests such as IntelliGender should be “taken with a grain of salt”, but it still seems like a fun idea if you really want to know. Plus, you can always compare the results once you have a gender ultrasound and see if the test was actually right!

Another interesting way of predicting the gender of your unborn baby if you're into old wives tales kind of things is the Chinese gender predictor chart. I have seen several places online claim that this is 90% accurate. However, it gets kind of tricky because I have seen at least two versions of these charts that are different. With that being said, both were correct for both of my daughters.

*Gender reveal party-As if baby showers aren't fun enough, gender reveal parties are now the “in thing”. Personally, and I love a party as much as the next person, but I haven't figured out the appeal of these yet. Couldn't you just wait until the regular baby shower and kill two birds with one stone? To be fair, I can see how this might be a better option than a baby shower if it is your second, third, plus kid and don't really need anything, but still want to celebrate the baby. Regardless of my opinions on them, you can find lots of neat ideas for gender reveal parties on Pinterest as well.

belly painting1

*Belly painting-If your artistic husband/boyfriend/fiancee, friends, etc. are up for it, belly painting is always amusing. We did this with both of my pregnancies and it was entertaining for both of us. You can see some pics of my hubby's “artwork” above for Myka and below for Ripley. It's a nice way to spend some quality time as a couple before baby arrives and a cute picture to show your kids when they get older.

belly painting2
That's supposed to be a starfish on the left, btw, because her nickname was Baby Starfish in-utero and a Christmas ornament on the right.

*Take a babymoon-Speaking of spending quality time together with your significant other, lots of couples are jumping on board with the idea of “babymoons”. I'm sure you can figure it out yourselves, but these are special trips people take before baby arrives, whether it be as one last “hurrah” or just to spend some quiet time together one last time. I don't know about you, but I love any excuse to take a trip!

*Prenatal yoga-I don't know about “fun”, but it certainly is relaxing. I didn't start doing yoga until I was pregnant with my second daughter. It made me wish I had started sooner! I was (and am still) amazed by how much better it makes me feel physically and mentally. This one was (Ok, still is!) my favorite dvd.

             What fun things did you do after you found out you were pregnant? Do you wish you would have done some of the things above in hindsight?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Regardless, all opinions and ideas are my own. 
 
ethannevelyn
This Is How We Roll Thursday Party

Monday, December 19, 2016

Natural Cold Remedies' Effectiveness



             Hey folks! It's that time of year and if you or your kids haven't been sick yet, chances are you will be soon, unfortunately! It can get tricky trying to treat cold symptoms with very young kids since there isn't exactly a whole lot of medicine out there for them. We prefer to try and treat ailments with natural remedies anyways, especially with our kids, and in this case, it's about the only thing you can do since even most children's medicine isn't appropriate for babies/toddlers.
             Today I'm sharing the various natural cold symptom remedies we have tried with our kids and how effective (or not) they have been. Hopefully this list will help you out with your own sick kids this winter! Before we begin...

-These are all store bought natural remedies. There are tons of other ones you can make/do yourself at home, such as elderberry syrup. (I need to try making this next year since we actually have elderberries! I totally dropped the ball this summer.) Unfortunately, I haven't really tried any of these.

-These are all based on my past and recent experience with both my 4 year old and almost 1 year old.

http://mixedbagmama2013.blogspot.com/2015/11/lulu-kids-creature-comforts-essential.html

http://mixedbagmama2013.blogspot.com/2015/02/greenair-spa-vapor-touch-oil-diffuser.html
Click on the pictures above for reviews of each!
*Essential oils in diffuser-This one actually does seem to help clear up nasal congestion a moderate to good amount. I usually put about 4 drops of lavender and 6 drops of cedarwood or fir needle essential oil for this purpose. It smells good and helps clear up stuffy noses! (A word of warning: Most places I've come across on the interwebs warns against using menthol-y type essential oils, such as eucalyptus and anything from the mint family, really, with young kids, generally under 2 years of age. I'm not an essential oil specialist, so as with anything, please be sure to research first if you're concerned!)

*Essential oil roll-on-We reviewed this one from Plant Therapy last year. Having to worry about one kid getting the other kid sick was a whole new ballgame for me this year. As soon as Ripley got sick recently, I started making Myka and I use this roll-on at least once a day. It may be coincidence, BUT, Myka did not get sick for a few days until Ripley started feeling better...By which point I had already started forgetting to have her use the Germ Destroyer. Just food for thought. ;)

*Hyland's Cold & Cough and Tiny Cold Tablets-I used to love Hyland's, I really did. Hell, I was a blog ambassador for them for a couple of years. I still swear by their Teething Tablets, but...Both of these cold medicines mentioned above haven't done CRAP for either of our girls. No noticeable difference in symptoms whatsoever. I know of at least a couple of other companies now that make cold medicine for kids as young as 1, if I remember right, such as Zarbee's, so perhaps they work better.

*Maty's Baby Chest Rub-I'm not a fan of Vick's whatsoever, but everyone swears up and down it helps. I couldn't bring myself to buy it, even their baby version, after reading the ingredients, so I decided to give Maty's a try. (Not that I was happy about my baby being sick, but I was excited to try something out from Maty's as I had just recently learned about their natural products!) This stuff smells pretty good, but it didn't help quite as much as I had hoped. It did seem to help a little with nasal congestion, but I feel like the diffuser helped more.


             So there you have it. I wish I had more remedies to share with you (with better results, too!). Maybe we'll start trying some teas and things like elderberry syrups when we're sick and see how those go. :) What are your favorite natural remedies for colds?

Thinking Outside The Pot
This Is How We Roll Thursday Party
ethannevelyn

Friday, December 16, 2016

Stachris Baby Travel Bundle Giveaway

(this post contains affiliate links)

Sponsored By: Stachris

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

2 Winners Will Receive: 

A Designer Baby Diaper Bag & Car Seat Cover w/ Four Bandana Bibs & Pacifier Clips!

$118 in prizes for each winner!! A $236 TRV Giveaway!  
Stachris is a family business that is named after their children. They work closely with moms to figure out their needs and wants, so that they can make their lives a little simpler. (Who doesn’t like the sound of that?!) They strive to bring quality-driven products at affordable prices. The cherry on top? Their products are super cute and fashionable! Gotta love that!
Open to US entries and must be 18+ to enter!
Giveaway Dates ~ 12/16 9:00 AM EST through 12/31 11:59PM EST Good luck!
Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. Love, Mrs. Mommy received Stachris products at no cost to facilitate the above-mentioned review. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Bedtime Fears: Real or Made Up?



             Bedtime with kids is always fun, right? (Yes, if you're new here, that is dripping with sarcasm.) Add in some bedtime fears and things become even more interesting, possible unbearable. With some kids, it's easy to tell if they're legitimately afraid of something. Others seem like they're just making things up to stall. Either way, bedtime fears, whether it be of monsters in the closet, the dark itself, or something else entirely, it can be frustrating for both kids and parents.
             Myka seems to be one of those kids that falls into the latter category. One week in the last couple months or so, she started coming into our room in the middle of the night and sleeping at the end of the bed almost every night. She hadn't done this for awhile, so naturally I asked her why she was coming into our room so much. She claimed she was “afraid to be in her room”, but didn't really give a reason why. I know she's not afraid of the dark, plus she has like 500 night lights, it feels like, because grandparents will not stop buying them for some reason even though I tell them she already has some! Ok, ok, I'm getting off topic. That's a story for another time, I suppose.
             A few weeks later, though she stayed in her room half the time and others she came down the hallway and peeked her head around the corner, she started in with “I scared in my room”. The thing is, she didn't act like she was scared. At all. She just stated that calmly and went back in when we put her back to bed. No fits or freaking out like you would expect from a kid who is truly scared, right?
             Then the plot thickened. Myka started occasionally mentioned that she was afraid of spiders when these little episodes would happen and we asked her why she was “scared”. So, we started putting cotton balls with peppermint essential oil on them around her room (This isn't just a made up, placebo thing either like “monster spray”. Spiders really don't like it. I've seen it!) and explained that it would keep spiders away. This seemed to appease her, yet she still brings it up every now at which point we put more cotton balls out.
             So...Does Myka really have a minor case of arachnophobia or is she just making up random stuff as an excuse to get out of bed? I don't know. I really just don't know. As much as I wish this were an informative post, it's more just an anecdote I felt like sharing. Have any of you ever went through this with your kids? Was there anything in particular that seemed to help?
This Is How We Roll Thursday Party
ethannevelyn
Thinking Outside The Pot

Monday, December 12, 2016

Baby-Led Weaning vs Baby Food

 Can you tell these are two different kids? Neither can my relatives.

             Isn't it funny how everything we think we know and all of our parenting strategies with our firstborn go out the window with a second baby? I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but we have done things WAY differently with Little Bit than we did with Big Sister.
             Myka started sleeping in her own room when she was two months old. (Yes, my kids really are that good of sleepers!) Ripley is 10 months old and still sleeps in our bedroom. (To be fair, that's mostly out of necessity.) Breastfeeding didn't work out for me and Myka. I was lucky to at least get to almost 6 months with Ripley. I'm not as opposed to formula and disposable diapers as I was. (I've accepted formula as a necessary evil because my boobs suck and we still use cloth diapers, like, 98% of the time, but just sayin'.) One of the biggest things that sticks out in my mind is how we introduced solid foods.
             With Myka, I was very much on the “make your own baby food” train and made large stashes at a time. It was tedious and usually took up a large portion of the day, but I didn't have to worry about it again for months. I can't remember exactly when she started getting teeth, but it seems like it was later than Ripley, so I don't think she had any real solid food until after she was a year old? Sounds crazy, right?
             I have taken a MUCH more laid back approach with Ripley. I wasn't too concerned about introducing solid foods at all. She'd eat eventually, right? I did make homemade baby food for her at first, but not in huge batches. She's already eating “real people food” and, again, she's not even a year old yet. (She also has 4 teeth, though. ;) )
             I have to admit, I didn't understand what the big hubub was about baby-led weaning, that seemed to be growing more popular amongst crunchy parents, around the time Myka was eating baby food. To me, it didn't sound safe. Wouldn't their kids choke? But again, things change and I decided to give it a try with my new guinea pig. And honestly? It's so much easier! But, I'm not here to sway you your opinion. Let's look at some pros and cons of both. (At least from my perspective, for what it's worth. ;) )


Pros of Baby Food

*Can buy at the store (convenience)
*Can make yourself (cheaper and no weird preservatives)
*Can introduce it sooner
*Don't have to worry about choking as much

Cons of Baby Food

*Some have weird preservatives
*Can be pricey
*More dishes to wash
*Greater need for a high chair


Pros of Baby-Led Weaning

*No need to make or buy special food
*Cheaper (for above reasons)
*More likely to be less picky eaters (speculation on my part, but I think I have read this somewhere too)
*Introduced to a wider variety of foods and flavors
*Not as great a need for a high chair
*Work on fine motor control if/when you let them feed themselves

Cons of Baby-Led Weaning

*Choking hazard is greater
*May have a baby that loves eating anything and everything ;)

            Ok, so I feel like I'm dropping the ball on the cons of baby-led weaning, but that's really, honestly all I can think of right now. What about you? Did you feed your kids differently as babies? Have you noticed any difference in their food preferences as they've gotten older? Is one a pickier eater than the other? Let me know in the comments below!
Thinking Outside The Pot
This Is How We Roll Thursday Party

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Mom Faves Holiday Giveaway

Mom Faves multi-brand holiday giveaway and gift ideas - Mommy Scene 

We know moms work hard to make Christmas special for their families. This Mom Faves Holiday Giveaway coordinated by Mommy Scene features great gift ideas to keep moms healthy, happy, pampered, and moisturized! One lucky winner will win them all! Giveaway ends December 18th, 2016.

Mom Faves Prize List

Full Details
Aurorae Printed Yoga Mat
How to Raise Great Kids - 101 Fun & Easy Ideas
Moon Valley Organics Herbal Heal Gift Set: Herbal Heal, Moon Melt Lotion Bar, Herbal Lip Balm
Signs.com Custom Canvas 12" x 12" print
Duo Diary Health Journal
Revelae Kids Yummi Pouch Cloth Snack Bags
CiPU Diaper Bag in Heather Grey
Paperless Post 1,000 coins (Retail Value $90)
The Picket Fence $50 gift certificate

This giveaway is coordinated by Mommy Scene, sponsored by the participating brands, and is open to US entries ages 18 and older. No purchase required to enter. 1 winner will be randomly chosen and contacted through e-mail, and their name displayed on the giveaway page after the giveaway ends on December 18, 2016. Mommy Scene and participating blogs are not responsible for fulfilling brand-sponsored prizes. Prizes will be shipped directly from each brand. Have fun and good luck!


Mommy Scene Blog Street Team

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get Your Little Nature Lover the Perfect Book This Holiday Season!

             You know where you can pretty much never go wrong as far as presents for kids goes? Books! Better yet, do you know a little nature lover? It's the perfect time of year to snuggle up with a book (or two or three!) and I have the perfect gift ideas from Dawn Publications new fall releases!


Octopus Escapes Again!
Written & Illustrated By Laurie Ellen Angus

As most of Dawn Publications books are, this was educational, but in a fun way. It couldn't have gotten here at a better time either as we have been studying the ocean for school and Myka gets a weird obsession with octopi whenever they happen to come up. (Let's just say the recent viewing of the new Finding Dory movie has reignited that flame some.)

As gross as I personally think they are, even I found Octopus Escapes Again! informative as well as fun to read aloud to my 4 year old. We learned about all of the cool things octopus are capable of as we went along a journey with one little octopus on her quest for a meal. I loved that there wasn't too much text, so my easily distracted kid didn't get bored, but it still covers the “basics” of octopi, like how they squirt ink to get away from predators (as well as use camouflage), can release tentacles if they do get caught (and grow them back!), and fit into really tight spots since they lack bones!

As always, there is further information and activities after the story, including parts of an octopus and more info on the other animals encountered in the story. Octopus Escapes Again! is recommended for ages 4-10.



A Moon of My Own
Written By Jennifer Rustgi
Illustrated By Ashley White

Ok. I have to admit that I didn't care for this title the first time we read it. I really don't know why. I think I was expecting something else...But I don't know what. We reread it again recently and I actually enjoyed it this time. Somehow, my super forgetful child, actually remembered parts of it too from only reading it once before, so I'll take that as a sign she likes it as well. (Plus, what kid isn't fascinated by the moon?)

This is a fun little story that travels through the moon's phases and around the world. Double educational value! It presents the perfect opportunity to talk about moon phases and what really happens when the moon “disappears”. Also, you get to “visit” different landmarks around the world, such as the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Barrier Reef, and more. (More info on each in the back, of course.)

What really struck me about this book was the illustrations. They're beautiful! Yes, it's a lot of shadows and silhouettes, but the sky and moon in each picture are very vivid. You'll just have to see for yourself.

A Moon of My Own is also recommended for ages 4-10. You can learn more about the moon (also includes activities), find where each landmark mentioned in the story is located on a world map, and more in the back.



Over in the Grasslands On an African Savanna
Written By Marianne Berkes
Illustrated By Jill Dubin

I can't say enough good things about the “Over in the” series from Dawn Pub. In fact, I've beat it into the ground in previous reviews, so I won't beat it to death this time. They are always fun read-alouds for little ones with the rhyming and repetition throughout the story. The illustrations are always interesting too. (Again, one of those things you just have to see for yourself.) If I remember right, I believe they pictures are made up of different types of paper. It's a lot fancier and more intricate than it sounds and makes for lovely visuals!

I love this series as well because young children get to learn more about animals they might only know about from the zoo. (Or never heard of at all! I'm not ashamed to admit I have come across a few in other stories that I had never heard of in all my 29 years.) Other than what you would expect in Over in the Grasslands..., such as giraffes and elephants, you also encounter jackals, hornbills, aardvarks, and more.

Over in the Grasslands On an African Savanna is suggested for 3-8 year old children. After the story, you can find more info on the creatures in the story, as well as some others not mentioned, activity suggestions from both the author and illustrator, and more. 
 
This Is How We Roll Thursday Party
ethannevelyn

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

ABC Blockology Giveaway

3 Winners! ABC Blockology Customized Wooden Block Set Giveaway! $75 TRV!

Sponsored By: ABC Blockology

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

* 3 Winners Will Receive

Their Choice of (up to) 10 Customized Wooden Blocks! 

$75 TRV Giveaway!

ABC Blockology not only makes cute wooden blocks to commemorate your baby’s name, baby shower, christening and birth announcements, but they are also great for other special occasions too! They would be a wonderful way to mark an anniversary, engagement, proposal, make a cute birthday prop, and so much more! If you have a special occasion, ABC Blockology has you covered! Click here to read Love, Mrs. Mommy's full ABC Blockology review! 
 
Open to continental US entries and must be 18+ to enter!
Giveaway Dates ~ 12/6 12:01 AM EST through 12/23 11:59PM EST
Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. Love, Mrs. Mommy received blocks from ABC Blockology at no cost to facilitate the above-mentioned review. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Fall Homesteading Chores


             Hey folks! I'm sure you've noticed the homesteading updates and posts have been few and far between lately. Things have slowed down a bit in regards to that around here. With the gardens being finished, we have moved on to some “winterizing” projects for the animals (and the house, in a way) and still have tons we need to do!


             Our biggest project (which, admittedly, I didn't really help with besides moving the pig himself) was setting up Mr.Bruce's winter lodgings. He's hanging out in the garden by the house now. It's smaller than his old area, but we this is the first time we've let him run around freely outside of his “baby pen”, so technically he has a lot more room to run around now.
             We're using him to eat our leftover veggies, root up our garden, and get it ready for next year. He's done a surprisingly (scarily) good job of it so far. He's only been there a few weeks and most of it has been rooted up already! 

He's eating cheese I left out on the counter over night. Oops. Fun fact: Guinea Hogs can eat anything but salt and chocolate. Some of them are allergic to chocolate, others are not, but there's no way to know unless they try it! Needless to say, we'll steer clear of the salty stuff and chocolate just to be safe. ;)

             Even though it hasn't even been that cold out so far, I have to admit it's nice having him close to the house too so I don't have to deal with unscrewing the hose when I need to use the shorter end for the chickens, having to walk back there, blah blah blah...Especially if I forget something! He's getting spoiled even more now that it's easier to remember to take scraps to him. ;) No garbage disposal? No problem! Mr.Bruce is happy to eat (most) things you might have for him! (So long as it's not rotten, of course.)
             He seems to be a much happier piggy now, no surprise. More room to run around, nicer house (thanks to my father in-law helping my hubby build it), more treats, more attention. What's not to love, right?
             We're also experimenting with how well a tarp works over the big window in the chicken coop, but I didn't get a picture of that as the weather was nasty the day I wrote this. I don't think it's going to work well, but we'll see. Better than nothing for now, I guess. At least it's less drafty. Worried about it keeping too much moisture in, though.

 The yard is going to look like sh!t, but it's not like we ever get visitors besides our parents, so who cares, right?

             Speaking of moisture, we have some major, MAJOR issues with this in/under/around our house as well. Problem is, there's multiple aspects that need taken care of which equals more money, of course. I won't go into lots of details, but basically we need all new gutters and to regrade (? not sure that's the word I'm looking for) the hill behind our house to take care of the moisture issues around and under the house...So then we can replace the rest of the floors (subfloor and all) that we weren't required to fix before we moved in last year. We are getting a lot of soft spots popping up and it makes me worry. A lot.
             Anywho, as a temporary way to at least help matters, John did clean the gutters out this weekend while I dug a small drainage trench to help with the water running down the slope behind the house. I need to at least make it a little deeper, but I'm glad I actually got it started because it rained practically all day the day after. Oh. And I raked the leaves away from the house. Again. (Always with the Godforsaken leaves!) Luckily, they were pretty close to the compost pile (although it sure didn't feel that close trying to rake wet leaves!), so I was thankful for that.

             What have you been doing around the house or yard to prepare for winter?



Sunday, December 4, 2016

Fodeez Frames Giveaway

Sponsored By: Fodeez

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

Winner Will Receive: 

A Multi-Pack & 3-Pack of Colorable 4x6 Frames! A $35 RV

Fodeez Frames are especially awesome if you have a stainless steel or wooden-front refrigerator, as nothing sticks to that except tape, until now! Fodeez Frames brings back the ability to proudly display your children’s artwork, photos, doodles and more, on surfaces where you once couldn’t. Other great uses are; for posting monthly school schedules, grocery lists, and anything else you want to remember or keep track of. Click here to read Love, Mrs. Mommy's full Fodeez review! 
 
Open To US and Canada entries! Must be 18+ to enter
Giveaway Dates ~ 12/4 12:01 AM EST through 12/18 11:59PM EST
Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. Love, Mrs. Mommy received Fodeez Frames at no cost to facilitate the above-mentioned review. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.