Hip Mom Jewelry: a review & GIVEAWAY~

Hey guys! It's been awhile since I've done a little giveaway on this 'ole blog, but when I was ordering my new ring for babe number four, I reached out to Heather, the owner of HipMomJewelry on Etsy, and asked if she cared if I featured her shop and goods. And not only did she give me permission, but she wanted to do a giveaway as well!

These are the rings I got-- I had them stamped on the outside but you can just do the birthstone, or stamp inside. Lots of options! 

When I had Nan, I started looking for some personalized rings that I could wear to represent my three girls. I looked and looked all over Etsy and narrowed it down to two or three shops. Unfortunately, I ordered from someone besides Heather first. My rings came and I was so excited... until I showered and the black in the stamped names WORE OFF! I hadn't even had them a week. I was so disappointed. That's when I started messaging with Heather about her rings at HipMomJewelry. I specifically asked how she stamped them, how long the black should last... etc etc etc. I wasn't going to make that mistake again! And she was so wonderful to work with through all my crazy questioning, that I decided to give her rings a go. PLUS, the ones I picked from her shop had BIRTHSTONES on them, and were even more what I wanted. I gave her all the details [more than she probably wanted], and anxiously awaited my order. 

They arrived quicker than I expected, were exactly what I wanted and hoped for, and TWO AND A HALF years later I can say that they have held up beautifully [and yes, I wear them in the shower].

Heather is a veteran of the US Army [THANK YOU], and is married with two daughters. She bought HipMomJewelry a few years ago, and enjoys creating and working with her hands. She went to the University of Kansas [ROCKCHALK! Another reason to support this shop ;)], where she studied oil painting and art history. She took one jewelry class just for fun, and now makes it all the time! She also enjoys gardening, running, and watching movies. She is so great about responding to any questions you may have about your potential order, and has nearly 300 FIVE STAR reviews on her products. It's good stuff!

She has so many options and a variety of products. Here are a few other examples:

Aren't these BEAUTIFUL? I love these stackable rings too... I just had too many kids to make this feasible for one finger ;) 

all the fonts are customizable, and I just love these birthstones hanging down.

She also offers personalized rings without birthstones, if you like the simpler look

I get SO MANY compliments on my rings, and several of my friends have ordered a set for themselves. I sized up about a 1/4, since I knew I would be stacking several, and when stacking they can be little tighter. If you're just doing two, you may not have to. I normally wear a size 6.5 and I asked her if she could make them 6 3/4 and they fit great. If your fingers fluctuate in size with heat etc, you may want to just go ahead and do the full half size bigger. The girls sometimes ask to wear "their ring" for a little bit, and it's fun for them to know that I have something special to always think of them. 

Here is my original set I ordered over two years ago:

AND YOU GUYS! I just got my FOURTH one in the mail. And it looks so great with these three... but you know I can't show it to you yet because HIS NAME IS ON IT! :) [Heather, if you're reading this, no matter who asks you cannot tell them his name. Top secret and you are the only one who knows!] I have fairly long fingers, and three fit EASILY. The fourth one definitely fits my finger, but if your fingers are short, three may be your max. She has all the width measurements listed though, so you can easily measure and feel confident before you order. If you decide to get a stack, you could also have her stamp the names in alternate orders with some out to the left side and some out to the right... really, the options are limitless! 

By the way, this is the tightest they have ever been on my finger and I am 38 + weeks pregnant and it's nine hundred thousand degrees outside. Also, the first picture was taken when they were brand new. This one was taken today. You can see how well they have worn. 

Now, for the good stuff! The GIVEAWAY! Heather said that her rings are her best seller, so she would love to give away one of these rings to one of my readers! So what do you need to do? 

>Head to HipMomJewelry on Esty, 

>click the little heart to FAVORITE Heather's shop, 

>and then look through her products and LEAVE A COMMENT here or on the link to this post [on facebook or Instagram] and tell me your favorite product. 

Giveaway will close WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22 [because I'm having a baby right after that!?!], and I will announce the winner and we will be in touch! 

So head on over now and be sure to enter! HIPMOMJEWELRY 

ReSqueeze: a review, and a miracle

Those of you who have parented in the last five to ten years are aware of squeeze pouches. They are REVOLUTIONIZING the way we feed our little ones. Well, that may be an exaggeration, but you know they are awesome. And if you don't, let me tell you:

THEY HIDE VEGETABLES!
THEY CAN BE EATEN ON THE GO!
THEY CAN BE THROWN IN A BAG!
KIDS LOVE THEM!
YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPOON FEED THEM!

But, they are dang expensive. All baby food is expensive, but when you look per ounce, these things are ridiculous. And I'm a penny pincher. And they are so awesome that I just bite the bullet sometimes and buy them even though it hurt me.

And that is where ReSqueeze came in and saved the day!

These guys have made REUSABLE pouches. Let me say that again in case you missed it: REUSABLE POUCHES!!  So I gave them a whirl. And let me tell you, they are legit.

Here is what I did. I gathered up my supplies and went to my parent's house because they have a nutri-bullet, and I figured that would be the easiest and quickest way to puree all this stuff.

And then I just threw stuff in. SPINACH! BANANA! MANGO! ZUCCHINI! APPLESAUCE! AVOCADO!

I tested it, because I knew it needed to be sweet and not bitter. And it was awesome. So then I just opened the double sealed bottom of the ReSqueeze pouch and poured the goodness in.

I resealed it, and was impressed by the tight seal. I had no doubt it was going to stay in there, even with the grabby little hands that would be holding it.

I filled a few, then made a new mix: BROCCOLI! PEAS! PEARS!

My favorite part? YOU CAN FREEZE THEM! So I threw all of mine in the freezer [I also made a berry mix with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and spinach]. Yesterday we went to the park and I packed some sandwiches for the girls and threw the pouches in. When we sat down to eat I just laid them out in the sun, and by the time the sandwiches were gone the pouches were ready to be enjoyed.

Blythe is WAY picky. She gets weirded out when I hand her something new and she passed on both the berry one and the first one I made. But Becks? She devoured them! I was a little concerned with how they would wash up, but it was super easy. I even tried on in the dishwasher and it did really well [I opened it over a holder]. Now I still have some in my freezer, and some empty ones in my drawer ready to be enjoyed. The pouch shown in the picture is one of the smaller ones. They also have a REALLY large one [if we're talking pouch size], which is great for older kids.

The ONLY thing that I don't like? They do have to be refrigerated, obviously, unlike the store bought pouches. [But that's why I froze mine, because then I can still throw them in the bag and they will be cold an hour or two later when I need them]. But that is all! With a small about of prep, they are super convenient, and a great way to sneak some veggies in [just make sure you sweeten them up with enough fruit!]

If you check out the ReSqueeze website they even have some great recipes. I am going to try some sweet potato ones next, as well as some of their peanut butter ideas because my girls LOVE peanut butter!

Kali got me another brand of re-usable pouches for Becks' birthday, and I tried them alongside ReSqueeze. They functioned just as well, but they were so small I could hardly get any in them and when I tried to seal them they were messy because I was trying to get too much in them. So if I buy more, ReSqueeze will be my go-to.

ReSqueeze provided me pouches for this review, but all opinions are my own. 

eShakti: deal for YOU!

Remember a few months ago when I told you all about eShakti for the first time? I recently wore my tulip dress to a wedding and onmygoodness it was so comfortable and I didn't have to carry a purse to the reception because it has pockets. It is a fun dress and the best part is I was able to customize it to fit me, but also to my needs: as in-- I chase a 3 year old and a 1 year old and most dresses are way too short or way too low or way too tight or way to something and I end up wearing a skirt and top or pants...but sometimes I just want a dress that works for me! And when you can customize the fit and length and sleeves and neckline, you can create just that!

But why am I telling you all this again? Because eShakti just revamped their website, and they've added some new pieces. Like CUSTOM PANTS!! That's right, ladies! Custom PANTS. Because who wants to spend all day crying in a dressing room over pants being too tight in places? Custom pants. They also have some cute shorts for the summer, and have added a line of "relaxed resort" for all of you that get to the beach far more than I do [i.e. at least once]. 

The new website is super easy to use, and I love how they have different sections that are super easy to click. I sat and just watched the scroll of dresses, and there are some super cute ones since I had last visited their site. They carry sizes 0-36, so there is seriously a dress for everyone.

But here is THE BEST NEWS! Until June 21st if you go to their site and use the coupon code WORDSTHATSING35 you can get 35 dollars [!!!] off your order. And if you hit up their sale pieces, you could be walking away with a custom dress for well under $50, or even $20 if you play it right! That's awesome. So for those of you that were interested last time I shared about eShakti, this is your opportunity to check them out.

If you visit their site TODAY they are having a 35% off sale. Couple that with the $35 coupon and you're doing well! 

because Spring colds and stuffy noses are the worst: A Crane Review

Once upon a time, I was pregnant with my first child. People told me I should get a humidifier for the nursery, and I saw this cute elephant guy and threw him on my registery. Brent and I occasionally used a humidifier, but I wasn't a mom and I did not yet know how awesome these things are. 

When Blythe was a teeny tiny newborn and shedding her beautiful black hair all over her white crib sheet, I only used this when she had a cold. Wrong. Now that I have Becks, I turn this sucker on every night and every nap. Basically all the live long day. And I think it helps. 

I liked my first Elephant from Crane Humidifiers   so much, that I register for the same exact one when I was pregnant with number two. Also, when Blythe started talking [at about 8 days, or something like that...], she called it "El-leaf" and I knew he would be joining her in her new room. So I needed another one. I looked at all the "adorable" humidifier options on Crane's website:

A couple friends had told me that they had had a few different ones, and that they felt the elephant produced/dispersed/did it's thing a little better than the others, so I just stuck with it. But how cute would that DUCK be? or BEE? Or that TRAIN?! What? These are awesome. The best thing about Crane's humidifiers, in my opinion, is that they don't require filters. Ain't nobody got time to be making sure their dang filter isn't moldy or needing replaced. Been there. Done that. Threw that humidifier away when we moved. These work without a filter, and if you drain them daily...ish... they stay pretty clean. About once a week I wipe mine up with a clorox wipe, and every month or two I do the full cleaning instructions to be the thorough, OCD neat freak I have become. 

Cold or not, I run these suckers daily for my girls. They are quiet. They keep their noses from crusting which in turn keeps me from having to get up at two in the morning when Blythe is cry-screaming in her sleep-awake-state saying, "I have boogies!" [<< this has really happened before I was faithful with the humidifiers.]  A doctor could probably tell you the benefits of having proper moisture in the air, but a doctor I am not, so I will just say: It's good! 

Unfortunately Blythe's "El-leaf" started making a terrifying grinding sound when we would turn it on. It would stop after a few minutes and run normally after that, but I figured I would check with Crane and see what they could do. 

The ONE YEAR warranty [which is pretty awesome, isn't it?!] was up, but they were so great to work with and said they would send me another one so I could share it with you all on this blog. 

A part of me wanted to get the elephant again because we love that guy, but Blythe's big girl room just needed a punch of turquoise, her favorite color my favorite color, so I went with this: 

you can only buy this color at buybuyBaby or Bed Bath & Beyond, or on Crane's website. 

Again, there were a million options to choose from among the Drop Humidifiers, which are their best seller: 

 We've been using it for about a month and a half  now, and it is even quieter than the elephant. My only complaint about both humidifiers is that the light on it is bright. When you turn it on there is a green light, and when it runs out of water it turns red. On the elephant I just covered it with a bit of electric tape and problem solved, but on Blythe's the light is inside the little bubble and I can't get to it. Which is fine because it doesn't really bother her because she's in that I-want-all-the-lights-on-when-I-sleep-phase, but it would bother me in my room at night. Maybe you're not this touchy.

If you need a humidifier, or a great baby gift, check out Crane's selection. I really think it has helped to keep these puppies flowing all winter for my girls. And their customer service is phenomenal.
[And I was going to post pictures of how cute these look in their actual rooms, but every time I think to do it they are asleep. So instead here is an adorable picture of Becks from this morning:

Crane supplied me with the second humidifier in exchange for this review, but all opinions are my own. 

roll call

/An update to THIS post about my van almost exploding while I was driving it:

Last Friday we got the call that all the parts were in for all our recalls. Brent took the afternoon off to go and take care of it...but I GRACIOUSLY said I could handle it and handed him Becks and told him Blythe was in the bathroom and beelined for the van. kidding. sort of. Anyway, since we had so many recalls to get fixed, they told me it could take up to two and a half hours. TWO AND A HALF HOURS? < That is not exasperation. It is excitement. A family friend [one of those good ole neighbors from back in the day, actually] picked me up and dropped me off at Panera Bread where I witnessed a girl get fired, had high-fives repeatedly requested of me from a 5 year old, joined in  eaves-dropped on the best conversation a group of 8 elderly men were having ["She's a car-jacking waiting to happen" was one of the favorite things I heard], but mainly I sat next to the fireplace and read. For two and a half blissful hours.

 I secretly wish the air bag light would start flashing again.

/An update to THIS post about my struggles to potty train: 

Whew. It was funny/not-funny-at-all to go back and read that post because: 1. It was not fun. 2. I thought we had "figured it out" and thought she was done. HAHAHAHA.

She really did okay after those first 2-3 intense months. But THEN. December came and it. was. awful. It was like it was July all over again. Girlfriend just all of a sudden FORGOT how to not pee/poop her pants. I thought she was maybe sick. Or we were too busy. Or something. I had no idea what to do. And then we traveled the Springfield to visit my aunt and POOF! No accidents. What the heck? And from that trip forward, I would say she really is FINALLY potty-trained. Does that mean we still aren't careful to not make her laugh too hard? No way. But she so rarely has accidents and I so rarely think about asking her/taking her because she just tells me now that I would say we are through the fog.

My sister told me when we were in the thick of it last fall, "One day soon you will go an hour without thinking about taking her potty. And then that hour will become hours. And then days. And pretty soon it will have been weeks since an accident." To which I said, "Liar, liar, pants on fire." But she was right. Sort of. Because it didn't really feel soon, but we are here. And if you are potty training...God bless you. And I mean that from the very bottom of my heart.

An update to THIS post about me not being hip or trendy and not understanding how to wear shoes without socks in the winter:

You ladies pulled through and gave me a lot of great tips and options! I haven't ordered them yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to check these out:

source

An update to THIS post about the using the devotional "I Can Learn the Bible" with Blythe:

I would only update a few things about this, the further in Blythe and I have gotten. I still think this is a great devotional for kids and is a super awesome tool to have and use! We love it! I would maybe edit my thoughts on the age-appropriateness: it may be/is a little bit beyond toddlers [a lot of the analogies refer to school/homework/teachers etc. and the general lesson is a little advanced for Blythe], but Blythe still enjoys it, still can understand the verses, and I am usually able to tweak the lesson just a hair for her to relate to more. I would still love if the verses weren't from the kid's bible, but when I like a different translation more I just use it. It's way cuter to hear her say "righteousMess" than "doing what is right". 

And I haven't had any trouble thinking of a small craft to accompany each of the week's verses/lessons. It's been fun! 

An update to THIS post about me taking pictures and giving stuff away:

In December I ended my giveaway month with my own personal one, giving away a mini photo session. In that post I also mentioned that I would be giving away a discount price for my blog readers and that they could lock in the price-- several of you did and I can't wait to schedule your pictures soon! [Soon...SOON! You hear that, weather?! Get warm!... though I took some of my favorite pictures ever last week IN THE SNOW, and I'll be sharing those soon. So that's always an option. I'm up for it if you are!]

All that to say, I have a list of people who locked in the 15% discount price on a session, and I got a new lens last week and I am giddy with excitement. SO I decided that if you still want a discount, just let me know to add you to the list by the end of February [which is Saturday].

Any other updates I am forgetting that you are dying to know? 

notes to self: a review

For Christmas this past year my grandma got all of the granddaughters some socks. Now my grandma doesn't just give socks, she always finds the best of whatever she is giving. And she didn't fail this year! The socks read "I am blessed" across the toes, and said BLESSED along the bottom. I had never seen anything like them, so I checked out the tag immediately: Notes To Self. The tag read: Positive affirmations are phrases that we say to ourselves to build confidence and train our minds. They work on the subconscious, which is most receptive early in the morning and late at night. At those times, notes to self products are there, improving your thoughts, actions, and performance...

I got home and put them on immediately. I don't know about you, but I think comfortable socks are about one of the best things ever, and these were some of the best socks I had had on in a long time. [The last pair that was this comfortable that I had worn was some fancy schmancy pair that Brent got me when he worked at Dicks.] So they were comfortable and reminded me I am blessed? I was sold!

I immediately checked out their website. I read their story, about how the founder/creator, Laura, dreamed up the idea of creating a product to remind people of the power of positive affirmations, and I knew I wanted to share their products with you guys.  The $10 price tag made me cringe just a bit, but they are seriously the most comfortable socks [they grip your foot in all the right places, ya know?], and they are a business that is still getting off the ground a bit, AND they are so cool that I think they are probably worth that!

I have actually been wanting to write about this sooner, but I kept waiting until my socks were clean so I could take some cool pictures...but  I never wanted to take them off to wash them. So I decided to grab the pictures from the website-- and plastic feet look way better than mine anyway! Laura generously sent me some other pairs to test out, so I could make sure the comfort level wasn't just a fluke, and I can assure you it was not! I haven't worn any other socks. And I go sock-footed all day everyday. [And you better believe I have crammed them in my Sperry's, even though you all told me it was a faux pas. ]

Check out how great these are:

Laura sent me the "great mom" socks in black, and I rarely wear black socks, but I'm glad she sent them because I feel like a better mom when I don't see my white socks getting crazy dirty on the bottom from my dirty floors ;)

There are some cool customer stories on their website about different socks. Several woman have shared about receiving the pink "I am Strong" socks as a gift to wear during chemo treatments, and how they would look at the positive note on their toes. I think that's awesome.

Graduation is coming up and I think these would be a fun pair to throw in for your graduate!

They have so many options: strong, blessed, grateful, thankful, kind, smart, courageous, awesome, creative, great mom, great dad, I love Grandma, I love Grandpa, I love you forever. 

And they even have infant and toddler socks! Would Becks not be killer in these? And how true. What a blessing that little lady is in our lives. 

And the perfect [gripper!] pair for Blythe: I am joyful! How perfectly fitting since that is not only what her name means, but also one of the traits we pray for her. 

The options are endless: crew cut, low-cut, infant, toddler, xs to xl! And be sure to check out their site because they have a few other products as well.  If you spend $59 plus, you can get 10% off with the coupon code SOCKS4EACHDAY. They also have a facebook page to check out.

I think these would make THE BEST gifts for just about any occasion.

Check them out and show your feet some love!