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Tag: motherhood

  • Origami Owl Giveaway

    Origami Owl Giveaway

    With Mothers Day coming up, I thought now would be the perfect time to join in a giveaway! I’m in love with the little Kitchen Aid gem and family heart inside. 

    We’re excited to promote this giveaway tailored to mom and the many roles she plays in caring for her family. This giveaway is sponsored by Origami Owl Custom Jewelry. One winner is going to win the mom necklace set featured above. The prize includes a heart-shaped silver locket, silver chain as shown, and 7 charms (mom heart, family heart, butterfly, nail polish, star, football, and mixer). Retail value is $95 total. To see the selections in more detail you can visit OrigamiOwl.com.

    Terms of service: One person may enter per household, Open to the 48 Contiguous States age 18+. Void where prohibited. One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries. Winner has 48hrs from time of contact email to reply or another winner must be chosen. Practical Parenting Ideas will need your full name, address, and phone number for shipping purposes. This information is never sold or given to anyone else. We respect your privacy. Enter below and good luck! 

    Disclosure: This website was not compensated for this post. My website/blog is not responsible for fulfillment of this prize. Prize will be shipped by Practical Parenting Ideas. This giveaway and post are not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or any other social media platforms. If you have any questions, or would like to see your product featured on Practical Parenting Ideas, please email Debi at Practical Parenting Ideas.

  • Upcycled Garden Center – Healthy You, Healthy Earth

    Upcycled Garden Center – Healthy You, Healthy Earth

    This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.
     

    Earth day is coming up April 22nd! It’s one of my favorite non-holiday holidays to celebrate. Perhaps because I have fond memories of picking trash up around our neighborhood with my mom, and piling it in our driveway to see how much we collected. My kids and I now enjoy finding ways to upcycle our otherwise garbage, like we did with these go-paks. They love their Upcycled Garden Center. 

    It was one of those days that was just perfect. We had friends over, it was sunny, and we were doing something good for mother Earth. My family was never big on recycling, probably because there wasn’t a service to pick it up for us like the trash, but we did do our best to keep the earth clean and healthy. 

    Find a Recycling solution near you

    Learning how to garden has had so much meaning in my life, and something I’ve been excited to share with my children. My kids LOVE these Go-Paks! of cookies, so I’ll periodically buy them as a special treat. The last time we got them, I looked at those empty containers and thought – gosh those would make great window planters!

    Upcycled Garden Center for kids

    Aren’t they so cute? Last year I let the girls plant some flowers in milk jugs, so this year I let them branch out and pick some herbs if they wanted. I thought it would be a great lesson in sustainability as well.  We’ve got 1 cup with basil, 1 with spearmint, and 2 with Marigolds. The kids have been checking every morning and after school to see if anything has sprouted yet. Definitely an experience they will always remember.

     
    When you look hard enough, it’s actually easy to find ways to recycle, upcycle, and live a more sustainable life. I love visiting the Healthy Essentials Website, because other than savings they’ve also got so many tips and knowledge on how to live a Healthy Life while also keeping our Earth Healthy. 
     
    Watch this video to see how Johnson & Johnson employees feel about sustainability. I just love this company!
     
     
    Don’t forget to also check out the Healthy Essentials website for some amazing deals on products that are also Earth friendly. 
     
     

    Are you ready to give back even more this Earth Day? Download the Donate a Photo App from J&J – for every photo you upload in the App J&J will donate $1 to a list of charitable causes.

    Share your tips on having a Healthy You and Healthy Earth!


  • Feeling Put Together

    Feeling Put Together

    Have you ever been told that when you get dressed in the morning, you should also put on your shoes?  That it will help you be more productive?

    Yeah I’ve heard it too.

    I never believed it though.

    Until today.

    We’re getting ready to take Princess V to school this morning, and I’m herding kids to find shoes, and coats, and wait, did you brush your teeth? Where’s your backpack?  Come on let’s go!  Oh hey, would you grab me my shoes, while I change brother?

    My cute little 3 year old, Princess R is always willing to get my shoes…though she’s the last to ever put on her shoes, if we can even find them…walks over to me carrying my awesome Rory Grey Boots from Cents of Style.

    Oh I don’t know. I love those boots, but they’re more for going out to look good, then to run to school drop off in. Ah, What the heck, let’s toss them on!

    Then we came home, and while I normally take my shoes off when entering our home, the boots decided to cling on to my feet today. And as I walked around the house, starting laundry, playing LEGO’s, and sorting through dress ups to find the missing slipper – I noticed something.

    I felt put together.

    I was ready for whatever the rest of the day wanted to throw at me.

    I had a smile on my face.

    I didn’t yell when we lost shoes again in a rush to take Princess C to Kindergarten.

    I felt like a person, instead of a maid.

    Will I continue to put shoes on first thing in the morning?  Probably not. To be honest, I don’t think it was the wearing of shoes, but more specifically the exact shoes.  A pair of boots I bought on a whim because they were on sale. The heel encourages me to stand up taller (literally, and figuratively), and helps straighten out my slumped over body as I drag myself around the house.

    Wearing my favorite pair of Gloria Vanderbilt pants may have a little something to do with it too.

    Give it a try! Put on one favorite piece today, and see if it doesn’t change your mood. 
  • Continuing Your Education without going into Debt #MOOCAdvisor #spon

    Continuing Your Education without going into Debt #MOOCAdvisor #spon

    Thank you to StudentAdvisor.com for sponsoring this post.

    Have you ever thought about going back to school?  Maybe you dropped out because you began your family.  Maybe it was lack of finances, and a desire to avoid debt.

    Education has always been very important to me, but after I met Mark and we began our family, my priorities changed.  Making sure Mark got a good education so he could provide for us and any kids we had was more important than my desire for a formal education.  I knew I was going to be a stay at home mom, while letting Mark take the role of provider.  My natural desire for education however was not going to be satisfied.  So I began picking up less fiction and more educational books. 
    Then one day I heard of a local college offering online classes. I started looking into it, and hoping now that Mark was graduated and in a career I could once again go back to school.  After figuring out the cost even if I could get some scholarships, we just couldn’t get back into so much school debt.  We still had Mark’s student loans to pay off, and credit cards, and cars.  Our family was growing, and we were looking to buy our first home.
    Unfortunately, I just couldn’t justify the financial cost of going back to school.  My thirst of knowledge would not be justified though, so I kept looking at my options.  After our 3 rd Princess was born, I finally came across what is now known as MOOC’s – massive open online course.  I was sold.  You see MOOC’s for the most part are completely free, and you take them on your time.  Finally I had an option to continue my education without putting more financial burden on my family.  Although I don’t receive college credit, I do get to satiate my natural thirst for knowledge! It’s a win win for everyone.

    For more information about MOOCs, please visit StudentAdvisor.com. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.