Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Happy, happy day! Thanks be to God! Today Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin. We are so blessed that she was born free of sin so she could become the mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Mary, pray for us to overcome our weaknesses and to be open to what the Lord asks us to do, even if it seems hard. Pray that we can love each other and live like Christ. Amen. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Today I'm thankful for my family. For my friends. For my faith.

I'm thankful that I have a job. That I have a house. That I have a car that works.

I'm thankful that Mike and I are on the path to debt freedom.

I'm thankful that it didn't snow last night.

Please remember this holiday season that it's all about giving, not receiving. That great deal only lasts so long but memories last forever.

Enjoy your turkey, your football and your family. And be thankful that you get to be with the ones you love.

Comforts AGAIN

Seriously, I can't get enough of this brand. And I got to try some other new products thanks to BzzAgent.

We'd already been buying the diapers, wipes, training pants and food for a while. With the campaign that I'm currently in, I also got to try the soap or shampoo & lotion. I had stocked up on some Johnson & Johnson Head to Toe a while ago and I'm finally nearing the last bottle of that so I was excited to get to try the Comfort's version for free.

First off: LOVE THE PUMP! If you've had a squiggly, wiggly baby in a bathtub, then you know what it's like to try and get soap on your hands while keeping the baby from slipping under the water. Comfort's Baby Wash has a pump top, so with one hand I can steady the baby and with the other I can pump some soap. It also helps with portion control so we're not accidentally squeezing out too much (has happened....very messy). We will be refilling this bottle with more baby soap/wash.

Second, it's tear free. This is a must. I love that my bald babies can be washed from head to toe with one soap and that usually means some soap on the face. But never a tear with tear-free soap!

It's also hypoallergenic. When we were having skin problems with Mercy a few years ago, we couldn't even use Johnson & Johnson stuff on her. She's break out in a rash and hives and it was no fun for anyone. I've noticed it a little with Bethy sometimes, but this baby wash didn't leave a mark on her!

After bathtime it's usually bedtime. Bethy is in crank-mode lately. I blame the last tooth (number 16!). And I think she might be afraid of the dark. A nightlight in her room seems to help. And Mercy's purple puppy that plays music. And Comforts for Baby nighttime lotion! The sweet smell of lavender helps calm everyone in the family down. It's not greasy or oily and it rubs in really well. And the whole room then smells like lavender, which isn't a bad thing.

Another thing to note about both the body wash and the lotion is that they're paraben free. (Enter blank stare when you look at the word paraben.) That's what I did. So then I started googling it. Basically, parabens are preservatives used in cosmetics, lotions, shampoos, etc. They mimic other hormones in the body, such as estrogen. There has been studies linking parabens to cancer and fertility problems.

Here is one short article about parabens on Livestrong.com. I think the biggest concern to me is the fact that is puts artifical estrogen into your body. Since I practice Natural Family Planning and I'm charting my biological signs of fertility, I could see how artificial estrogen could screw things up. That could lead to baby #4 if we weren't careful. But, hey, at least we could keep buying supplies for cheap, thanks to Comforts :)

But more and more things I'm reading show that parabens have a relationship to infertility in both males and females. So it's best to just stay away. Thankfully Comforts for Baby is helping us do that.

And now for some cute Bethy pictures! Notice the Comforts for Baby on her bum!

Made it to the top!

And she's using the wipes container to get a leg up. 

Thankfully I stopped her before she toppled over the back of the chair.

#GotItFree

I received these products to try and review for free because I'm a BzzAgent!

VOTE!

Vote.

VOTE!

Vote.

How about you....

VOTE!

That's today, if you didn't know. And it's not for a president. Or for a senator. It's a local election. And believe it or not, those count too. And they're important.

So please, take the time to learn about the candidates and then go exercise your right to vote. If everyone who said that their vote didn't matter went out and voted, then their vote would matter.

For everyone who complains about taxes, or laws, or policies or anything. Do something proactive and VOTE!

Candidates for Logan, Utah election, November 5, 2013

Other election links including polling locations - You can vote at ANY voting place in Cache Valley for this election. Please take your picture ID.

Wear your sticker proudly!

Edit: Please take your kids with you. Teach them how important this is. Lead by example. Mercy told me she wants to go vote again. Tomorrow. I think she might want another sucker and sticker. This kid has gone with me to vote in EVERY election I've voted in. only 15 more years until she can vote!

Why I Smile

My friend Patti just had a post on her blog about why she smiles. She has a 4 year old, almost 3 year old, 1.5 year old and one on the way. She posted a blog post about what she loves about each kid. Made me think about doing that for my own. Especially since Mercy is driving me nuts right now. Ha ha

Why I Smile:

Grace - Almost 7 years old and going on 17. But a helper. The other morning Bethy woke up and Grace made her a bottle, then sat in the little kid's room and read a story to Bethy while Mike & I got a few more minutes of sleep. She loves Legos and Barbies and wants to be an artist when she grows up. Or a horse trainer. She sees people she knows when we're walking to school and always says "hi" to them by name. She wants to be friends with everyone. She has a huge heart and as her name says, she's full of grace.

Mercy - This kid is the comic relief of our house. Every day she makes Mike and I laugh out loud. A lot. She's in "poop" and "butt" mode so potty humor is everywhere. But she will come up and ask for a big hug and a little hug and a big kiss and a little kiss. She says Bethy is her baby. She sings songs ALL the time from the ABC's to Call Me Maybe. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite clothes are pink. She pees her underwears but "just a yittle tiny bit". Yes that's spelled wrong cause she pronounces things wrong. Cereal is "yetil", Sally is "yally", we don't live in "our house", we live in "us house". She's afraid of carwashes. She's afraid they're outside in the backyard, in the dark. She'll full out body tackle Grace and then hit her head on the wall and get up laughing.

Bethany - When I come home from a long day at work, Bethany is at the top of the stairs, screaming, and bouncing and so excited to see me. That makes my heart swell with love for her. She says "night night" and "meow" and won't say "mom" but I know she loves me. She's my little bitty-bit with 15 teeth and no hair and the most ticklish armpits in the world.

Mike - He's not my kid. He's my best friend, my co-parent, my fix-it-man, my chef, my landscaper, my escape from the every day. He's my everything. He works 50 hour weeks and then comes home to make dinner and check homework and baths and bed. He's my hero.

That's why I smile.

Monday Mayhem

I have some pics of Halloween. Somewhere. I'll post them.

This week is kinda back to normal as far as scheduling goes. Grace was sick this weekend, but well enough to go to school today. I hope no one else in the family catches what she had.

Today I'm getting my car's safety inspection (required by Utah to re-register your vehicle). I hope it passes. I REALLY hope it passes. But if not, we have some wiggle room in the budget to fix stuff.

Mike has an eye doctor appointment too. He needs new glasses. And contacts. Grace needs to get her eyes checked. With parents like me and Mike, our kids will probably all need glasses. Poor kids.

Oh and I get to vote tomorrow. :) I love voting. It's for the city mayor and city council. And a school bond that would raise our taxes. Usually what I vote for doesn't pass. Maybe this year it well. Doesn't stop me from voting though.

Menu:
Monday - Hot dogs w/tater tots
Tuesday - Grilled chicken, mashed red potatoes & cooked carrots
Wednesday - Fish sticks w/mac n' cheese
Thursday - BLTs and soup
Friday - Frozen pizza
Saturday - Chicken drumsticks w/butter noodles
Sunday - ummmm

I'm really, really tempted just to take the Halloween candy to work and give it away. Too much sugar in our house and my kids are asking for it at, well now. It's 8:50 in the morning. Lord, give me strength!

I heart Comforts for Baby

 

Ok first of all, that baby is DAMN cute. Not as cute as mine, but still. And my "Official BzzGuide" pamphlet has been sitting on my bulletin board for a few weeks with that cute face staring at me. Finally, a BzzCampaign that I can blog about and I keep putting it off. But no more! I'm on a blogging kick and since it's easier to Bzz about stuff you love, and use anyway, I need to get this post done and published.

 

Second of all (cause I have to have a second, if I have a first, right Mike?) being a Bzz Agent rocks. Don't know what that is? Well head on over to BzzAgent and check it out. I'm so glad I did 2 years ago and I've been in some AMAZING campaigns. But probably my favorite ones are anything that has to do with Kroger. So in a nutshell, become a BzzAgent, fill out some surveys that take like 5 min to do and before long you'll be invited to a campaign where they send you FREE stuff to try. Then you just need to talk about it. And it's way easier to do when you get to try stuff you already love.

 

Like Comforts for Baby. I stumbled upon them when Mercy was a baby. It's basically Kroger's store-brand. It's affordable and they WORK. Having three kids means I know diapers. And wipes. And all the other baby stuff you have to have. Truthfully, I'd rather cloth diaper. The older I get (and the more kids I have) the more "granola" I become, but Mike doesn't want to deal with shakin' out poops into the potty, so disposable diapers it is.

 

Grace had Pampers...and some Huggies. And maybe Luvs. I can't remember, she's almost 7 for cryin' out loud. But the point is, we've tried them all. And guess what. Huggies leak. Every time. Blow-out city. Pampers are great for newborns. The Swaddlers are awesome. Luvs...eh. Take em' or leave em'. Huggies wipes are the best. Well....were the best. Until I tried Comforts.

 

Hands-down - I will never buy a name-brand diaper or wipe again. There is no need. Well, except for Newborn size. Comforts doesn't have a newborn size (Ahem, Kroger...please get on this!)

 

Comforts diapers are affordable, effective and I feel good knowing I don't have blow-outs of both the diaper variety and wallet. The wipes have 2 different types that compare to either Pampers or Huggies. Personally, I like the thicker wipe, which is more like Huggies.

 

 

 

 

They also have a boatload of package sizes. Since we're nowhere near potty-training Bethany, I usually buy the box of diapers which has about 150 diapers. She's in size 3 right now, but we put her to sleep in size 4 since there's more absorbency.

Mercy is about 95% potty trained. She does pretty well during the day, but does wet the bed at night. Comfort's Training Pants come to our rescue. I love that she can pull them on easily and they are SUPER absorbent for those nights when she's had too much to drink before bed. And the design is pretty cute too.

 

 

The wipes also have a ton of packaging options. We usually buy 1 or 2 refillable bins and then the refill packs. If you buy the larger boxes, the refill packs are re-sealable so we can stash one in the car, or stroller, without the huge bin or worrying about them drying out.

 

 

Another thing I love about the diapers & wipes: they're usually on sale. The large boxes of diapers are around $20 each (15 cents a diaper), and I get coupons that I can either load to my Smith's card or paper coupons to hand in. Perks of constantly shopping at Smith's. The other day when I shopped, the wipes were on sale for 2 for $9 for packs of 216 wipes. That's 2 cents a wipe. And we use wipes for more than just the baby's bottom. They clean hands, faces, etc.

 

We also bought Comforts formula when I had to quit breastfeeding. We preferred the Sensitivity formula because it was low-lactose and didn't have soy. We kept Bethany on it until she was 1 and then gradually switched to whole milk.


















Another thing we loved for Bethany was the food. I wish they had a line of jarred baby food. They don't, but they do have the snacks that compare to Gerber. Everything from crunchers to puffed rice snacks. These were one of Bethany's favorites:




And Mercy's. And Grace's. And the dog's if we weren't watching.

So long story short: COMFORTS ROCKS! Honestly. The only thing I'd change is the little lightening bug all over the diaper. They used to be all white with the little design on the top but changed it. It's not that bad, and definitely not a deal-breaker. But if Bethany is in a light colored outfit (like for Easter), the design shows through. I've mentioned it on Comforts FB page and it's really not THAT big of a deal, just something I noticed.

But really, this campaign is my favorite (and it's the second time I've been in a Comforts for Baby campaign!) And I tell everyone I can about Comforts (I've even stopped people in the store who looked like they were comparing them). And I've given out diapers from my purse to friends who had never tried them. And probably embarrassed my kids and husband in the process. Oops :)

#GotItFree - Diapers, Wipes & Lotion were free because I'm a BzzAgent. Rest of the stuff I paid money for cause I love Comforts for Baby!

#GotItFree

I received these products for free to try and review because I'm a BzzAgent.

 

 

P.S. - See that blue sippy cup on the left. That's a Comforts for Baby sippy cup. From the last Comforts campaign I did. It's Mercy's FAVORITE cup. And she can't say "sippy cup" so it's really her blue "Yippy Tup". Which reminds me, Bethy is entering sippy cup phase so we'll have to go buy some more!

 

Visiting Family & Friends

Remember when I posted that I was going to head to Lehi when I noticed that my tires were shot. 

This is why I was heading to Lehi:

Sweet, baby James. My friend Jade had him on October 4th. He was 6 lbs 14 oz and 19" long. Congrats to her!! Oh, just looking at him gets my baby-hunger growing. But I need to be realistic.

This is his big sister Maddison. Love the outfit kiddo! :)

Jade lives in Lehi which is about a 2 hour drive from Logan, so we don't get to see her often. :( But I'm super excited that she had a healthy pregnancy and baby. Other than some slight blood-pressure issues. But both mom and kids are doing great.

Grace does pretty good as a big sister. Even to someone not related to her. Mercy...well, she's special.

He feel asleep in my arms. Oh I miss those days. But then I remember that everyone at my house is currently sleeping through the night....ya sleep is good.

Bethy had fun destroying someone else's house.

She wants a brother. Ahem, Mike??

On the way home, we made a stop at Mike's grandma's house. We haven't been to visit her in a long time. Meaning, she hasn't seen Bethany yet. And since it was her birthday (October 17th - day after our anniversary, so I'll never forget), I thought it would make a nice surprise to visit.

Great-Grandma Hedy. And Bethany. Bethany wasn't so sure.

Mercy was just relaxing. She'd only been to Great-grandma's one other time. As a baby.

Trying to get the kids to pose with grandma was easier said than done.

Best one we could get.

It was a nice visit and I'm glad we got to see her and get some pics. We'll try and go down and visit again, but it seems like life is just too busy, all the time.

Happy Birthday Mercy Jo

Sunday, October 20th was Mercy's 3rd birthday. I can't believe she's 3 already. Time is going by too, too fast. 

We only do "big" parties for birthdays number 1, 5, 10, etc. Not every one. So this was just our family and Mike's dad. We had church in the morning and then Grace had CCD and then we all just ate dinner and presents and cake. Here's a photo story of the evening.

Waiting for presents. Happy Birthday kiddo!

Normal photo op for the girls. Sillies.

I swear she constant thinks she's adopted. 

Opening gift from Grampa

CARD! Mercy was way more excited about cards than presents. In fact, she's been carrying cards around the house, and to daycare, ever since her birthday. She said she wants birthday cards for Christmas. 

Opening gift from Grammy & Pappy.

And another card! WOOT!

Yelling at Grace cause Grace wanted to help her read the card. 

Screw the present. She had a card!

Holding it up for everyone to see.

Finally to the present.

Wooden "paper dolls"

Her own Barbie from Mom & Dad

We interrupt this birthday for a call from someone (Maybe Grammy & Pappy, I can't remember) to sing happy birthday.

Candy Land from Mom & Dad

She wanted a pink cake. That was all the direction she gave me. I think it turned out pretty good!

Singing to the birthday girl

Making a wish

Hooray!

Oh and I made the cake "ombre". I did cheat and use a box mix and pre-made icing. The icing was gross. Ugh. But everyone liked it!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Mercy Jo!

Now we enter the wonderful 3 year old phase. And I'm totally not being serious. Three-year-olds are the devil. Wish us luck.