And then BOOM! She’s 11 just like that asking you to color her hair and if she can wear makeup yet.
Happy 11th Birthday to my favorite little Libby. You’ve done a great job keeping us all so very entertained these last 11 years.
Love you Angel Baby!
As you may have heard, this past weekend I attended the Midwest Moms Media Brands & Bloggers Summit in Chicago thanks to my wonderful sponsor, Clever Girls Collective.
First of all, after everything that I heard from other attendees I am glad that this was my first conference. The conference was very well organized, covered some great topics, had an amazing group of panelists, allowed time for networking and offered some awesome sponsors.
To start things off, Lisa and I were prepared to fight for a place to sit near an electrical outlet. We arrived early and even had a surge protector with us just to be safe. We got to the conference early enough to scope things out, only to discover the MJ had been more than prepared for a room full of bloggers utilizing the internet and requiring electricity to do so. MJ had power run to each table to ensure that everyone would be able to plug in if needed. Not only that, we never encountered any issues with the internet either. (Unlike other conferences I’ve heard of.)
And before I forget, I finally had the chance to meet Crystal Duncan from IZEA!
For me, the session I really appreciated the most was the FTC Guidelines Overview with the wonderful and very pregnant ((thank you for being there!!)) Sarah Evans. It was shortly after I began blogging that the FTC started changing the way things needed to be disclosed. Sarah helped clarify quite a few things that had been confusing to me. You can read Sarah’s presentation on her site HERE. You will not regret reading it!
After a nice break to network (which I did mostly from my chair since I was so swollen), we were treated to a spectacular performance by the one and only Miss Lori who blew our socks off singing Firework.
After the conference was done we had a little bite to eat and then hopped on the shuttle to the John Hancock Observatory for the Mixer Party. Again, I wish I wouldn’t have been so swollen and tired so I could have had a little more fun. (*Thank goodness this is my last pregnancy!) The views from the 94th floor — 1,000 feet up was stunning!
All in all, I had a great time…other than that whole having huge swollen feet and not being able to walk a lot!
Thank you to the Clever Girls Collective for sponsoring me and giving me the opportunity to attend my first blog conference! Also a huge thank you to MJ Tam and the amazing sponsors and speakers of the Brands & Bloggers Summit. Thank you for filling my head with soooo much info!
Disclosure: Clever Girls Collective awarded me with a conference pass and a small scholarship to attend this conference based on a letter I wrote looking for sponsorship. Photos of @PRSarahEvans @ MissLori and group photo © lahleyoo – Fabie de Silva Photography
As a mom of 3, I am like to have things on hand for the kids to snack on in between meals. Now that Zack and Libby are older, they are more into preparing their own snacks and assisting Alexander at the same.
Things in our house just got a whole lot easier thanks to the So Easy Toddler Food cookbook from Fresh Baby.
This cookbook is full of quick and simple recipes that is easy for all of the kids to make!
One of our favorite lunchtime meals is the Lunchmeat Roll Up because they are quick and easy to make not to mention delicious!
Plus, the little guy has A LOT of fun making them!
To make the Lunchmeat Roll Ups you will need the following:
-1 slice of deli-ham, turkey, or roast beef trimmed to fit thesize of the bread.
-1 Tbsp cream cheese
-1 Steamed string bean, asparagus spear, or raw celery stick.
-1 Slice whole wheat bread, crust removed.
Spread the cream cheese evenly on the bread. Save about 1/2 tsp for later. Layer the deli meat evenly over the bread except for a 1/2 inch strip down one side of bread. Spread the remaining cream cheese down the strip, this will glue to seal the edge of the roll up. Place the vegetable piece along one side of the bread and roll it up from one end to another.
Makes 1 toddler serving.
See, aren’t they cute?
With this cookbook, we were also lucky enough to review Fresh Baby’s NEW Kid’s Portion Plate!
This plate is another great tool during meals to ensure that your child is getting everything they need. It is divided into 3 sections appropriately sized for Fruits & Veggies, Proteins and Grains. I have found that it has been very handy in ensuring we are not overfeeding the little guy one thing and lacking in another.
Thank you to Fresh Baby for allowing us to review these great products!
Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
As a mom and a blogger, I am always on the hunt for stickers. Sometimes they are being used for potty charts, chore charts, awards. Other times they are being used as a form of advertisement for this site or others that I operate.
Either way, I find that they come in handy.
I recently had a chance to review a variety pack of stickers from Customized Stickers.
Customized Stickers offers a wide selection from labels, to bumper stickers, right down to window decals.
The nice thing is that their stickers are made to last ( remember, I have a 3 year old!). Not only are they long lasting, they also come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are inexpensive.
I’ve been looking at ordering some personalized labels to get some custom swag ready for my next blog conference to hand out to those I meet.
What would you do with custom stickers or labels?
You can learn more about CustomizedStickers.com by following them on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.
As you know, this past weekend I ventured to Chicago by myself to attend the Brands & Bloggers Summit. I promise to fill you in more on the BBSummit in another post.
So, I made this trip alone.
And if you forgot, I’m also pregnant.
Needless to say it took me a bit longer to make the drive since I had to make frequent potty and stretch stops.
By the time I arrived on Friday, I had been traveling for 6 hours.
My feet were HUGE and swollen.
By Saturday morning, the swelling had gone down a bit but after sitting during the presentations at the conference, my feet began to swell again.
I give you Exhibit A.
After the rest of the conference plus the drive back to Green Bay, the swelling got worse.
Upon arriving at my house, I could barely move them.
I give you Exhibit B.
Since returning home Sunday, I’ve done A LOT of resting.
Well after we went to Legend’s for the Food Network Star viewing party with the amazingly talented Jyll Everman..
(Jyll and I went to school together!)
Once we returned from watching the show, I sat down and put my feet up where they have remained for most of the last 48 hours. I did have to send the Alex out to get some compression socks to wear for a few hours that did help quite a bit!
I am pleased to report that my feet actually look human again.
I give you Exhibit C.
