Decorating a Gingerbread Tree

Lots of my friends have been decorating Gingerbread Houses and I felt like a bad mama not getting one to do with Sophia.  With Jax, we just never got around to getting one.  Of course, when I went to Target yesterday, 5 days before Christmas, they only had 2 left and of course BOTH were VERY broken!  I saw this tree kit and thought, hey, it could be fun!  Honestly, for this age (days away from 3), I felt like I like the tree better!  It took less time (great for the short attention span) and was VERY easy to assemble!  There were minimal choices for decorations which is always a good thing too!!

Notice when you see our creation below it looks NOTHING like the example on the box!  

She did a great job assembling it herself (with only a little help from me!)

She begged me to eat some ... I told her it was only for decorating, but caved with the 1/2 inch size  star that should have been at the top! :) 

Putting on the little balls, aka light bulbs!

Laughing at Aunt Sarah and Hannah!  

Yes, I know you are all coveting this BEAUTIFUL creation right now!  Be inspired to decorate now ... :)

 Jackson was sleeping during all this Christmas tree decorating fun, so that meant that Mommy and Jackson got some quiet time alone while sis was napping!  Isn't my little boy just adorable?  I got his little onesie at the Hendricks County Craft Fair!  I just love it so much!! :)  My little man with his lil' ho-ho-ho tie!!

Sweet, sweet boy!

Do you have any fun decorating traditions you like to do with your kids or while you were growing up?

Homemade Peppermint Patties

I am a sucker for York Peppermint Patties!  Too bad the long list of ingredients is less than appealing ... and horrible for you!  I found this recipe and decided to try it ... Only 4 "clean" ingredients!

THE VERDICT:  AMAZING!  I totally agree with the blogger and would add more peppermint extract the next batch, but these rock!  I had to hide them in the freezer from the hubby or they would have been gone in one setting!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil (solid state – firm at temperatures below 76 degrees)
1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2-1 cup dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly (I found it easiest to melt them and thin slightly with a Tablespoon of milk to get the best consistency. Cooling is essential for it to stick correctly.)

Directions:

1. Combine the coconut oil, honey/maple syrup, and peppermint extract in a food processor or blender till smooth.

2. Place in freezer until the ingredients are fairly solid (15 minutes or so).

3. Scoop out mixture with a 1.5 teaspoon scoop or whatever you have on hand (I used a standard Tablespoon) and form small balls on a parchment paper/wax paper lined cookie sheet. Press down into flattened rounds. (It will naturally melt a bit when brought in contact with your hands, so quickly form little mounds but don’t stress for perfection, because it will not happen.

4. Transfer back to the freezer to solidify again.

5. Remove from freezer after they are firm again and dip with a spoon into your melted cooled chocolate until fully covered. Allow 10 minutes or so to harden. Store in refrigerator until you are ready to consume.

Yield: 10-12 small patties

Enjoy!

Making Fun Memories Together!

Wow, what a whirlwind of a month!  Can't believe December is almost over!!!

Last week Sophia brought home Christmas Presents from preschool!  I asked her, "did you make these for mommy and daddy?"  She said, "No, my teachers did!"  Ha!  I had to laugh ... brutally honest huh?  At least I know those are her hand prints!

Sophia's Christmas Gift to Mommy! Thanks DD teachers!

Sophia's Christmas Present for Daddy!

The past two years in MOPS we have done a Christmas Craft!  I LOVED this one!  So easy to make, looks so pretty!!  Even has a string of lights on it!!  Sweet!

My 2011 MOPS Christmas Craft!  LOVE IT!!

 Friday night we drove through the light display at Ellis Park!  This is as close as she got to Santa ... yep, all the way across the room!!  Santa looks better from the distance huh?

Christmas in Ellis Park

 Saturday evening we headed to Hummel Park for the First Annual Christmas Experience.  We got to see a live Nativity Scene, live animals, Mary, Joseph, and "pretend" baby Jesus because it was way too cold for a real baby!  There were donkey and pony rides and a HUGE camel!!  They had cookies and hot chocolate as well as The Grinch playing!  Sophia's favorite part ... the 10 min train ride ... it was so cold outside and she waited patiently for 45 min.  The girl can be patient when she is getting something she really wants!  Guess we are all like that ... just don't like to admit it, huh?

Waiting for the train at Hummel Park

Finally our turn ... so excited!  A very patient girl waited 45 min!

Here we go!!

 I have been attempting to keep the camera close by so I can get more pictures of my sweet boy!  I can see why my mom had double or triple the pictures of me compared to my sister!  The second born just doesn't get the camera time of the first born!  Look at my boy ... good neck control and enjoying the Bumbo!  Too bad it is pink! HA!

Daddy's Little Elf!

 I hardly have any pictures of me and THE BOY!  Love the tree in the background!

Having fun with the camera!

Ummm ... wait a minute mom!!

This boy is all smiles most of the time (well, after a diaper change, eating, and a nap!)  He just melts my heart!

All smiles with a full tummy!  Love my mommy's milk!

Looking forward to wonderful CHRISTmas memories as a family of FOUR on Sunday!!

Pookie Pack WINNER

Congrats to 

APRYL 

#20 out of 70

"Receive GLGG emails"

Winner has been contacted and has 48 hours to respond!

Run, run as fast as you can ...

... you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!

Well, ok, maybe the pilsbury dough boy but this post still includes gingerbread men!!

Love my sweet boy!!

People say they see Sophia in him ... do u agree?

Last Tuesday evening, my in-laws came over along with my sister-in-law Rhoda, and we decorated gingerbread men cookies!!  Sophia has really been interested in the story of the gingerbread man this year.  She loves to recite the little jingle too!! :) 

Very excited to get started ...

After this picture, this gingerbread man lost his head ... ahhh!!

I think the girl ate more mini m&m's than made it on her cookies.  She has never had more than 5 m&m's at once, so with a full dish in front of her, she just couldn't stop!!

She also tasted a red hot for the first time ... she said, mommy, I NEED water, too spicey, then proceeded to keep eating them!

The sugar is kicking in ... craziness I tell ya, craziness!! Plus icing on the nose!

All of Sophia's decorated men and women .. some for the family, some for the neighbors!!

Sophia just had a blast this whole evening!  She and Aunt Rhoda were giggling all the time!! What a fun tradition that will continue along the Long Family side!  Plus, Grandma Long's gingerbread men are the BEST I have ever tasted!! Yum Yum!!  Did you notice in the picture above she even has a gingerbread apron that Grandma Long passed down from when Cousin Lexi decorated cookies all those years ago??

What fun holiday traditions do you have with your family?

Pookie Pack Review and GIVEAWAY!

I was thrilled when I was contacted by Carmen over at Pookie Town Designs for a blog review and giveaway!  I am always in the market for cute hair pieces that are affordable for my sweet Sophia Grace!!  

Pookie Town Designs stocks pinwheel bows, big, stacked bows, felt flower clips, baby headbands, ponytail streamers, appliqued onesies .... you name it, she can make it for your little "pookie!" :)

Here is a little info on the Etsy Shop owners:  

"We are a mother-daughter team who enjoys making things for little Pookies. Carmen (the daughter) is an (almost) 33 year old stay-at-home-mom to 3 small Pookies. She is the creator of Pookietown Designs and enjoys making bows, clips, ponytail streamers, and all manner of girly hair items. Margi (the mother) is a young-at-heart librarian and former owner of a scrapbook shop. She contributes gorgeous appliqued onesies to Pookietown. "

Carmen sent me a Pookie Pack full of adorable pieces to try out on my "pookie!"  

Top to Bottom, L to R: Petal Pookie Flower Clip, Mon Petit Baby Headband, Red  Preppy Pookie Pinwheel Bow, Pookie Posy Felt Hair Clip, and White Pookie Princess Bow (shown below)

Petal Pookie Flower Clip: Mounted on a single-prong alligator clip with a sparkly center.  It is great worn alone or on any headband or hat!  It runs about $5.00.

Mon Petit Baby Headband: Newborn-sized, although fits older babies as well.  As you can see in the picture below of the backs, it has a super-soft 5/8 in fold-over elastic to avoid marks on the head!  It runs $10.00.

Red Preppy Pookie Pinwheel Bow: 1 1/2 in grosgrain ribbon, hand-folded, hand-sewn, heat-sealed to prevent fraying, baked and lightly starched (to hold shape).  It has a chunky, French-knotted center and a non-slip grip for those girls with fine hair (make sure to request the non-slip grip)!  It is mounted on a partially-lined, single-prong alligator clip.  It also looks good alone or on any kind of headband or crocheted hat!  It runs $4.00.

Pookie Posy Felt Hair Clip: Mounted on a partially-lined, single-prong alligator clip, with a sparkly center!  Worn alone or with headband or hat!  It runs $5.00.

Pookie Princess Bow: 2 stacked bows, make like the red Preppy Pookie.  For extra stability, it is mounted on a double-prong alligator clip.  It runs $7.00.

Double-prong alligator clip (LOVE LOVE LOVE this feature)

Here is a picture with the white Pookie Princess Bow on my ALMOST 3 yr old Pookie!!  LOVE IT!

I didn't know if it would be too big, but I LOVE it!

My Review:  I was really impressed with the craftsmanship of these bows/clips!  You can tell they are all homemade with tons of TLC!  So often I find people that just buy pre-made bows from the store, slap an alligator clip on them, and sell them for 5x what they paid for them!   Carmen put a lot of time and effort into making these clips last through the normal wear and tear with a young girl!  

- I LOVE the double-alligator clip on the big bow.  It honestly makes the bow stay in her hair SO MUCH BETTER!  We always struggle to find bows that will stay in her thick, yet stick-straight hair!  

- The headband design is the best I have ever seen!  I love the felt circle covering to minimize or avoid marks on the head!  That is my biggest complaint with most headbands on the market today ... they always leave a mark on her head!

- Carmen's prices are VERY affordable!  I love it!!  I love that she has a variety of products at all ends of the "affordable" price spectrum!  

- The customer service is fantastic!  The bows came shipped in a nice size box to protect them from getting smashed!  I didn't have to reshape any of them!  A lot of this has to do with the excellent craftsmanship with the bows as well (heat-sealed, baked, and lightly starched).  

- Versatility: I love the fact each of these items can be worn in so many different combinations (hats, headbands, alone, etc).  I love that aspect!

Head over now and check out all the awesome products in her etsy shop!  HERE

Here is additional information from her shop: 

Welcome to Pookietown! We are adding new items all the time! LAST DAY FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY (most items) IS MONDAY, DECEMBER 12! Enter code pookietown at checkout for 10% off your entire purchase! If you see something you like but would prefer a different color or clip please contact me! We are more than happy to do custom orders! If you live near Goshen, Indiana and would like to arrange for local pick-up, contact me and I will give you a coupon code to reimburse your s/h costs.

BUY IT:  HERE

WIN IT: Carmen has offered up a set of 3 Preppy Pookie Pinwheel bows (colors chosen by the winner!)

Links you will find helpful for the giveaway:

Go Green Go Long on Facebook
SGsMama on Twitter

Favorite Pookie on Etsy

This giveaway is open to the US and will end on Thursday Dec 15th at midnight so that the prize will be received before Christmas! :)  The winner will be drawn via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn. Please, no PO Boxes.

Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not monetarily compensated for this review.

Pookie Town Designs Disclaimer: It's the buyer's responsibility to keep their Pookie safe!  These items contain small pieces that if broken off could pose a choking hazard.  While I take the utmost care to ensure the safety of my creations (I put my little girl in these too!) it's ultimately the buyer's responsibility to use caution and common sense when putting any hair accessory on their child.

New-Skin Share The Outdoor Sweepstakes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of New-Skin for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

As many of you know, my family LOVES the outdoors!  Nate and I would both agree our favorite vacation pre-kids would be our camping trip out west in Summit County, CO!  We hiked, biked, and enjoyed God’s beautiful creation!  Our tent was right next to a stream that was flowing rapidly!  One night it got down to 22.3 degrees!  You should have seen me, I looked like a mummy in my sleeping bag!  Nevertheless, all the miles we hiked wrecked havoc on our feet.  We both ended up with blisters at the bag where our boots rubbed.  Unfortunately I didn’t have anything but Band-Aids, but I really wish we had some  New-Skin®.

 

 

New-Skin is a liquid bandage.  It is invisible, flexible, and waterproof.   Here is additional info from their webpage: “New-Skin® Liquid Bandage dries rapidly to form a tough protective cover that is antiseptic, flexible, waterproof, and lets your skin breathe. Just brush on New-Skin® Liquid Bandage - One stroke protects the wound by keeping out dirt and germs and provides protections against infection with an antiseptic.”

 

 

You might not be a lover of the outdoors like my family, but maybe you have a kid that loves to ride bikes or skateboard.  Falling is usually inevitable, so you would want to keep both the Liquid Bandage and Scar Fade™ on hand at home!!

 

They also have a unique Poison Ivy Treatment. “New-Skin™ Poison Ivy Treatment is the only product to combine both an active medicated OTC ingredient to stop itch and a non-irritating wash to lock up and remove the toxic oils that cause the poison ivy rash, in one complete formula.

 

Its dual-action foaming lotion addresses both the root problem of poison ivy rash and the uncomfortable itch that often accompanies it. In many cases, just one application of New-Skin™ Poison Ivy Treatment applied to the affected area will provide complete relief. Its unique formula isolates urushiol oils, the cause of the allergic reaction and skin irritation from poison ivy, and the mild foaming formula helps wash away the oils from the skin.

 

The active ingredient Pramoxine Hydrochloride is FDA approved to treat the itching sensation associated with poison ivy rash. New-Skin™ Poison Ivy Treatment is also effective against the rash associated with poison oak and poison sumac.”

 

The New-Skin® products have you covered whether you're playing ball, hiking or enjoying an afternoon in the garden. No other bandage beats New-Skin® for its ability to cover, protect and help prevent infection for everyday wounds. Believe it or not, New-Skin® products have been protecting cuts and scrapes for over 100 years.   Not only do they protect your cuts and scrapes with their Liquid Bandage, but they also aid in getting rid of scars with the Scar Fade™ Gel and can help treat poison ivy with their Poison Ivy Treatment.

 

For a limited time, New-Skin sweepstakes are happeningg! There are 3 amazing grand prizes to win – a skiing trip to Breckenridge, CO, a tour of the Botanical Gardens in Atlanta, GA or a hiking trip in Yellowstone National Park, MT!  Also, although there will only be 3 Grand Prize winners there is good news for the first 500 entrants in the sweepstakes! They will receive a New-Skin™ waterproof container. So hurry up and get in your entries!

 

 

How to enter: Complete the entry form on the New-Skin® Share the Outdoors sweepstakes link and have your friends and family visit your sweepstakes page to earn up to five votes per day – every vote increases your chances of winning the adventure of their choice!

 

I would love for you to share in the comments section of below why you would want to win the sweepstakes and how you would use New-Skin® products if you win!  Try to include a link to your sweepstakes page in your comment to help increase clicks!!

Day 30

Day 30: Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;


Praise Him, all creatures here belows

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Wow, it has been a ride during these 30 Days of Thankfulness!  I see it only fit to thank the ONE who made all the other 29 blessings possible!  If you are counting your blessings this month, I challenge you to continue!  Also, remember to check out this life changing book.  If you allow it, it'll change your life!!! I promise!! 
 

Day 29

Day 29: Very thankful to have my workout buddy back from England!  Gillian Williams you killed my abs this morning! Tomorrow I might not be able to get out of bed! HA! Feel the burn ... LOVE the pain!

A picture to capture yesterday's Thankful THOUGHT! :)

Day 28

Day 28: Sweet memories with Sophia as we put up the Christmas tree this morning!


I was also blessed by this excerpt from Ann's blog today ..
 
“Christian thanksgiving is the life of Christ in the heart — transforming the disposition and the whole character.
Thanksgiving must be wrought into the life as a habit—before it can become a fixed and permanent quality.
An occasional burst of praise, in the midst of years of complaining, is not what is required. Songs on rare, sunshiny days; and no songs when skies are cloudy—will not make a life of gratitude. The heart must learn to sing always.
This lesson is learned only when it becomes a habit which nothing can weaken. We must persist in being thankful.

When we can see no reason for praise—we must believe in the divine love and goodness, and sing in the darkness.
Thanksgiving has attained its rightful place in us, only when it is part of all our days and dominates all our experiences.”

J. R. Miller, 1912

Day 25-27

Behind again ...

Day 25:Awesome niece (Lexi Martoia) and nephew (Tyler Martoia) that think their Aunt A and Uncle N are still cool and worth hanging out with!!


Day 26: Great Thanksgiving Celebration with the Kiesel side and some Euchre to finish off the night with a great partner Harv Kiesel!!

Day 27: Family PJ day with our own "church service" during kids nap time! Love listening to Focus on Family podcasts to stregthen our relationship with each other and Christ!!

Sophia: mommy and daddy and jackson

Day 21-24

Wow, so much to be thankful for ...

Day 21: Thankful that Nate is home with us all week long!! I don't know who is more excited ... Sophia or myself!!



Day 22: Thankful to have a great gym where I can workout and slowly get back into shape! Thanks Mei Fitness for having awesome equipment and top notch customer service!



Day 23: So thankful for the ability to laugh and smile through life!! I am especially thankful for all of Jackson's sweet, sweet smiles!



Day 24: Is very thankful our family is willing to drive down to Indy to celebrate Thanksgiving! Can't wait to see u Naomi and Mike Martoia, Lexi Martoia, and Tyler Martoia!! Bring your game face!!


... are you having a hard time by the end of this 30 Day challenge?  Ever since reading THIS book, I find myself daily thinking about all of the blessings God has placed in my life!  Also Ann has encouraged us to find even the smallest things to be thankful for in life!! I encourage you to add this book to your Christmas List!

Pumpkin Spice Oats in Crockpot

I found this AMAZING recipe on Pinterest but now can't seem to find it again (I forgot to PIN it! Ugghhh!) 

Pumpkin Spice Oats in Crockpot

1 cup Steel Cut Oats

12 oz milk (used Silk Vanilla Almond Milk)

3 cups water

1 cup pumpkin puree 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinn

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1. Spray Slow Cooker

2. Stir all ingredients together in a mixing bowl

3. Pour into slow cooker

4. Low for 4-5 hours or overnight!

Not my pic, but you get the idea ...

Let me tell you ... this was AMAZING!!  It made about 5 cups!  I calculated and it is about 238 cal/cup!  It was so nice to wake up to the amazing smell in the kitchen as well as the AMAZING warm oats in the crockpot!

Highly recommend this recipe to anyone who loves oats and pumpkin!!

Any favorite pumpkin recipes???

Day 17-20

Sorry I have been a slacker on the blog ... I have kept up on FB, but keep forgetting to post here too!!

Day 17: I am thankful for the long stretches of sleep I USED to get from j-man and am praying for those back again!! Already can tell I am gonna need a nap today! :( Also very thankful S is an amazing sleeper!!


Day 18: Thankful to have friends that know just what u need to keep u going including playdates and lunch! Kathy Taylor Mulder we r excited to see u guys soon!


Day 19: Date night! 1st one away from both kids in 10 wks!!


Day 20:  For God's goodness and many blessings on our lives!! A great church service to remind us how truly blessed we are! Oh yeah, also Jackson's 11.5 hr sleep stretch!! Debbie Lewis Kiesel -- what did you do to get that boy to sleep that long? This past week we haven't hit longer than 5-6 hr stretches!! HA!! Too bad I couldn't sleep to enjoy it!

Sophia: Forgot to ask her ... will get a list from her soon!  She is running out of "new" ideas without prompting .. she keeps saying the same like food, food, food, mommy, daddy, mimi, papa, grandma, grandpa, and on and on and on ...

Day 15/16

Day 15: I am thankful to have a warm place to sleep at night and always food on the table!


Day 16: Thankful for food to put on the table although tonight's meal was an epic disaster! I have NEVER thrown out a whole meal before until tonight!


Ok, so I just realized they both kind of deal with food!  You can tell I REALLY love food!! Yum Yum!!


Sophia: Baby Hannah (although soon we won't be able to call her "baby" anymore b/c she will be 1!!)

Day 14

Day 14: So thankful for an awesome breastfeeding support group! We have the best LC's!! Janice Miller Record -- love love love seeing your smiling, encouraging face every Monday!! So thankful Jackson is gaining weight and for an awesome milk supply this time around!!


Sophia: Grandma and Grandpa Long coming to visit

Day 13

Day 13: So thankful for the gift of FRIENDSHIP! I have so many incredible friends in my life right 

now ... I am humbled by their generosity, caring spirit, encouragement, and humble hearts! 

Some are near and some are far ... but all are close to my heart!

Don't ya just wanna bust into SONG?  "Friends are friends forever ..."

Sophia: CHURCH and her black shoes from Faith

LUXbutt organic one-size diaper REVIEW

I want to take the time to welcome Angela H!  She is our guest blogger for today!! :)  Here is her review on the new LUXbutt organic one size diaper!!

Hi, everyone!  First off, I want to thank Go Long, Go Green for allowing me to guest post. I don’t have a blog of my own, so I am very grateful that she is letting me share my review with you.

When my LUXbutt organic one size diaper finally showed up in my mailbox, I was so excited. I picked up the package and instantly thought to myself, “Wow! This is really trim!” It barely felt like anything was in the envelope. Always a good sign if you ask me.

Let’s start with some of the great features…

1. Well, it’s not really a “feature”, but these ladies are clever… and I like clever. Take a look at the tags on the diaper. Reading these just brought a smile to my face.

2. The ever coveted 3rd snap to prevent wing droop. At first, the snaps gave me a hard time. It took me a minute to figure out how they are supposed to line up, but once I got it right it was just like snapping any other diaper. You’ll notice though that the middle snaps in the second row are lower than the rest… but I have no idea why.

3. WIDE elastic, which I am simply in love with. It really helps the back of the diaper hug your little one’s tushy, which in turn helps prevent those nasty blow outs.

4. Elastic sizing instead of snaps. I was leery at first, I will admit. I tried a FuzziBunz one size and HATED the elastic sizing on it. It was just so hard to adjust. Not the case with the LUXbutt. A little bit of trial and error is likely required, but adjusting the diaper is super easy and there are tons of options to get the PERFECT fit. Once you get the hang of it, re-sizing the diaper to go from the younger to older child is a breeze.

5. Amazing fabrics all around… from chic color collections (they have started with “chocolate”) to super thirsty hemp inserts and oh so soft organic cotton velour. I mean, seriously, I want organic cotton velour against my bottom! I am jealous of my baby.

Okay, the nitty gritty. Is this diaper any good? I vote YES! Getting started with the diaper takes a little longer than most… there’s more trial and error in adjusting the rise with the elastic and hemp does take longer to prep, but it’s worth it. Not having to snap down the rise adds to the diapers trim-ness as it eliminates that extra bulk in the front and the hemp insert means you’re less likely to need additional inserts.

The hemp inserts say that it takes about 5-7 washes to reach maximum absorbency, but I was antsy and gave it a shot overnight after only about 3 washes. My 7 month old is a bit of a heavy wetter. With our current diapers, he needs to be changed in the middle of the night. I kept the LUXbutt diaper on him all night and was definitely impressed. It did not make it all the way through the night, but it held out longer than our current setup. If I were to put in a doubler, I am sure we would make it through the night.

I also put the diaper on my 25 month old (sorry, no pictures of him… he wouldn’t hold still long enough). I didn’t do overnight with him, but he decided to test the LUXbutt’s ability to withstand a massive poo. It passed with flying colors. Everything stayed in the diaper and it washed up beautifully (which, considering my son’s ability to stain a diaper, that is saying a lot).

So, in the end, I LOVE this diaper. I would totally save my pennies to buy more (if I needed more diapers).  Or if I was just starting out, I would definitely use their layaway program. Yes, you heard right. LUXbutt understands that cloth diapers are big investment, especially when you are just starting out, so they have LAYAWAY! You pay a deposit and space out your payments however you see fit over the next 8 weeks. How awesome is that?!

Want to buy a LUXbutt (or two or twelve) of your own? Their Grand Opening Sale goes through the 15th!

Thanks again Angela for the great review.  Head over to their website and check it out!!

Day 12

Day 12: Thankful to have my favorite seester (Sarah Kiesel-Jeffers) living only 5 minutes away from me!! It has been fun watching our girls grow up together! Plus it would b horrible if we had to fight over the grandparents time! right Debbie Lewis Kiesel? "Now it's 1-stop shopping"!


Sophia: Aunt Sarah and Hannah banana

Day 11

Day 11: So.very.thankful for the brave men and women that have fought and will continue to fight for my safety and freedom! (Cue Lee Greenwoods God Bless America)!! Also thankful for my MOPS group, especially my awesome table!! What an encouragement on Friday mornings!


Sophia - milk

Day 10

Day 10: So thankful that my in-laws come out one am per wk to give Sophia 100% attention plus free me for a few hrs to workout!! Also so very thankful for Jackson's 10hr stretch on this 10th day of Nov!!! Holla!


Sophia: yogurt and crafts

Go Green at Walmart

Check out what I found at Walmart for Sophia's lunch!!  I was so excited to find these! BPA free, machine washable, and easy to wipe down!  They were less than $8 for the set of 3!  These patterns are neutral so they will work in an adults lunch too!! Great for diaper bags, purses, and even coat pockets!!

What GREEN tips do you have when packing you lunch?