Sep 17, 2014 | Motherhood, Sponsored Posts
Disclosure: This post is the the second in a series of sponsored posts as a Brand Ambassador for the ARKANSAS BETTER BEGINNINGS program. I am doing this because I believe in their mission. Everything expressed will be my own opinion. #ARBB
It seems like in the age we live in that we have to pry ourselves away from technology.
Adults and teens are always checking something “important” on a cell phone or lap top.
At home and school kids are glued to game consoles or TV.
We’re so paranoid of strangers we don’t let them play outside without us.
We’ve been trying to get outside as a family at least one day a week.
Arkansas has so many beautiful parks and trails!
This past week we went on a slow hike on the Two Rivers Park trail.
 |
| What do you see? |
A few bottles of water, some snacks in a backpack, and the family was all we needed for a fun Sunday stroll.
With the older kids we played some games as we walked:
One was “What living creatures do you see or see evidence of?”
(They found people, dogs, butterflies, bees, wasps, spiders, and trails that deer had made.)
We also played “What shapes can you find?”
(My son saw vertical lines in the pine trees, angles in the bent branches and grass, spheres in the berries.)
Their favorite game was “If you were stranded in the forest, what could you eat?”
(This gave us a good discussion on what was and wasn’t edible and we took pictures to research berries and mushrooms.)
They ran and climbed trees.
For the baby there was so much to see, and hear, and smell. Learning with all the senses.
But the best part was that we had fun as a family together!
Did you know that studies have shown that children who play outdoors have less stress and anxiety, better cognitive development, lessened ADHD symptoms, better vision, and more Vitamin D?
Other great ideas to get your kids outside NOW:
- Blow bubbles
- Lie on a blanket and name shapes in the clouds
- Watch the birds at a bird feeder
- Plant a garden or help with a community garden
- Splash in a puddle together
- Make a designated “NO TECHNOLOGY” day
- Catch fireflies in a jar
- Find some constellations in the stars or have them name their own
More great ideas for Outdoor Fun can be found HERE on the Arkansas Better Beginnings website!
Aug 21, 2014 | Motherhood, Sponsored Posts
I adore reading.
My kids also love a good book, maybe because we started reading to them from day one
(and even before!) They all read very early, and honestly the only thing I did the same was to read to them constantly.
You can make reading to your baby an on-going game by:
- Having siblings read to each other
- Reading cookbooks or food labels aloud while cooking
- Pointing to pictures and words in magazines or while opening mail
- Giving them soft or board books to play with during tummy time
- Reading signs aloud when driving
- Reading your own books/magazine/newspaper aloud when nursing or feeding baby
- Attending story-times at your local library or bookstore
Aimee loved this book at our library visit.
I read “One. One blue ball. One baby. Baby girl, like you! ”
She really liked this page, so we read it a few times and she was done with the book. At four months her attention span isn’t very long but every moment counts!
Remember that hearing your voice is what makes the learning experience. You don’t have to read the exact words on the page, or finish the whole book to make it a valuable lesson!
I’m proud to be an Arkansas Better Beginnings Ambassador! They have great resources for parents, families, and care givers on their
website here.
This Saturday (August 23, 2014) they are offering a breastfeeding seminar at the Mosaic Templars Museum in Little Rock. Register for the event on their website above.
*FTC Disclaimer: As an ambassador for Arkansas Better Beginnings, I am compensated for some posts. However, I am doing this because I believe in their mission. Anything that I write will be my own, original, genuine thoughts.
Feb 8, 2014 | Sponsored Posts
My mother and I always go to the
Arkansas Flower & Garden Show together for her birthday. It’s a fun time to plan and dream about gardens we want to build in the spring. This year however we won’t be able to go because my daughter is participating in the Youth America Gran Prix (ballet competition) and I’ll be out of town. (Ironically the theme for this year’s show is “That’s Entertainment!”)
So, you know I was overjoyed when my friends at Arkansas Women Bloggers asked if I would come to a preview party for the show! Meaning I wouldn’t miss everything, and would get to visit with some lovely people! (By the way, if you are a blogger getting with a group like ARWB is something you WANT to do. I’ve made some great friends, learned so much, and been able to participate in things I would never have known about otherwise!)
The hosts, Clark Trim and Chef Hendrik Thostrup, are the owners of Colonial Wine & Spirits. They had wine/food pairings which were very educational and delicious (even if I couldn’t partake of everything in my quite pregnant state.) I took notes so I know what to buy for my next party!
 |
| Beautiful Table! |
 |
| Centerpiece Idea with a Shallow Bowl and Cut Flowers |
Chris Olsen, of Botanica Gardens, gave a great presentation on tablescaping with hints out of his book “Five Seasons”.
 |
| How to Arrange a Coffee Table Display |
 |
| Gorgeous Quartz Bowl (You can Make) with Succulents |
The Arkansas Flower & Garden Show is a non-profit organization that’s mission is to promote gardening and beautification of Arkansas, promote local horticultural businesses, and educate the public about gardening, landscaping, and floral design. The proceeds from the show go to support college scholarships in horticultural related fields in Arkansas and to fund “The Greening of Arkansas” grant program which gives communities throughout Arkansas funds for beautification.
Along with the fun night we got some great swag (and what blogger doesn’t love some swag?) So a big thanks to all the great folks who donated to that cause- Colonial Wine & Spirits, Antique Brick Outdoors, River Valley Horticultural Products, Inc., The Good Earth Garden Center, Tammy Sue’s Critters, Ghidotti Communications, and anyone else I missed!)
For the most fun of all I was given tickets to give you for the show!
If you’d like to go please leave a comment below. Make sure to tell me how many you’d like.
I have several to give away and will go down the list of winners until they are gone!
*If you can’t wait to see if you’ve won you can pre-buy tickets HERE.
Adults are $8
Seniors $6
3 day pass is $12
Kids under 16 are FREE!
Also free parking at Dickey Stephens Park in NLR. Walk or take the shuttle for $1!
Disclosure- the Arkansas Flower & Garden show did give me tickets but all opinions are strictly my own.
Nov 20, 2012 | Sponsored Posts, Uncategorized
HIP!
Hip!
Hooray!
Now you can have fun in your boots too!
The winner has been emailed… I haven’t heard from them yet so please check your mail!
Thank you Country Outfitter for giving us this fun Giveaway!
Nov 4, 2012 | Sponsored Posts
What do you get when you have eight lady bloggers,
a gorgeous candy-apple red truck,
and a sultry, early fall evening?
FUN!
 |
| Photos by Whitney Loibner |
|
|
|
A few of my bloggin’ buddies got together to show off boots that Country Outfitter gave us this summer. (Just give us any excuse to get together!) Pictured above from left to right are: Alison, Jacklyn, Me, Jerusalem, Melissa, Kyran, and Sarabeth. Whitney (who also takes all our family pictures) took all of these beautiful pictures and she and Alison made the yummy homemade margaritas and snacks.
 |
| Putting our feet up |
 |
| Jerusalem, Me, Kyran, and Whitney being silly |
I have always wanted cowboy boots. I adore my Ariat’s from Country Outfitter. My feet don’t like many shoes so you know they are comfortable. Hey, don’t tell my kids but I think at least a few of them are getting boots for Christmas…
 |
| Showing off our swag from AWBU– Thank you sponsors! |
|
|
Now for the part you’ve been waiting for…
Country Outfitter is giving you a chance to win a $150 gift certificate! You could pick these great boots I picked or whatever your little heart desires! (Believe me it’s really hard to choose!)
It’s as easy as these two little clicks:
1. Click here to submit your email address to Country Outfitter (you may receive occasional e-mails from them.)
2. Leave a comment below on my blog letting me know you submitted your e-mail to Country Outfitter, and let me know which boots you like the best!
A random winner will be selected in two weeks and announced here on November 19th, 2012!
DISCLOSURE: CountryOutfitter, a retailer of Ariat Boots gave me these Women’s Heritage Western R Toe Boot -Brown Oiled Rowdy Boots to review and I love them!
*Make sure to enter my baby basket give-away too!
Nov 2, 2012 | Motherhood, Sponsored Posts
If you know me you know I am huge advocate for natural childbirth.
Having given birth to three healthy kids I thought I’d share my experiences.
It was so hard for me to carry to term. Due to a hyper auto-immune
system and crazy hormones we’ve suffered seven losses. Just last year we
had a tiny son born before his time come into the world and leave it
before his first breath. We were given a 4% chance of ever having a baby, so my children are like precious gifts.
With our first- I wanted to have a home birth, but our family was too terrified, so we went with a hospital and doctor. We did the Bradley method classes with a wonderful midwife, made a birth plan, and went to a doctor that claimed to understand it all. Ha. (I won’t go into details on that one but let’s just say he wasn’t ideal and kept saying to hurry up so he could go duck hunting…)
The ONE good thing he did was let me carry my girl to term.
“Don’t you want to pick her birthday?” he asked. “Everyone is doing it.”
Emily, true to her nature, was stubborn and at 42 weeks still wasn’t going anywhere (despite castor oil and daily long walks.) So, the doctor induced (which I don’t recommend- Pitocin makes for horrific contractions when you are opting for no pain meds) and twelve hours later a beautiful, healthy, stubborn girl was born.
Second birth- we were going with a midwife/hospital birth but insurance changed and we had to switch to a doctor/hospital birth. The baby was breech. Also being stubborn he refused to turn when the doctor (yes, a different and wonderful one) tried to point him in the right direction. At 40 weeks I went to my acupuncturist to try and get him to turn and while on the table he moved into the “ready” position! The doctor decided that he wanted to induce at 41 weeks (again, I have to say Pitocin is not fun – I did have a epidural for him which I also don’t recommend because it was scary and didn’t help pain) and 12 hours later Max was welcomed into this world.
Third birth- I wanted the whole natural route with midwife at home. At 39 weeks I went to the acupuncturist again to start inducing me to prevent another hospital induction. It worked! A week later during one of the worst ice storms in ten years I went to bed with a little tummy ache, woke up thinking “Am I in labor?” and then decided I couldn’t be because- a) there was almost no pain, b)My midwife was in Japan and c) The baby wouldn’t come on Christmas eve, right? But… “honey, call the midwife chain just in case and put on the Hypnobirth CD…”
Sweet baby Jacob was born in the most beautiful, comfortable birth I can imagine. At home, at 40 weeks. Healthy and happy.
If you’re pregnant (or thinking of it) please remember that a baby carried to at least 39 weeks has a much better chance of making it without complications.
What can you do to prevent a pre-term (before 37 weeks) birth?
From my midwife:
“Best way to avoid preterm labor is eat enough protein,
especially deep sea fish all through pregnancy and most importantly
avoid infections of the vaginal canal. Smoking and bad nutrition can
lead to preterm labor also.”
What are my suggestions?
-Get pre-natal care right away. (Doctor or midwife)
-Eat right
-Ask friends, nurses, midwives, ladies on the playground, who they suggest as an OB
-Make sure to check out the Healthy Families website for wonderful information on pregnancy, early childhood development and more. You can also order a paper copy if you are someone who likes to have a book to highlight! 🙂 I can remember using this book during my first pregnancy and highlighting every step of the way!
Now for the good stuff…
Enter for a chance to win this great basket containing:
– Graco baby bag
– Pampers Swaddlers for newborns
– Winnie the Pooh baby blanket
– Thermometer
– Nipple cream
– Two pacifiers and a clothes clip
HOW DO I ENTER?
- Leave a comment below and remind me what you did to enter (A must!)
- Follow my blog! (1 entry)
- Tweet about this give-away #HFNow @ThePanamamama(1 entry)
- Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
- “Like” my Facebook Page (1 entry)
- Like “Healthy Families Now”on Facebook (1 entry)
You can do most of the above by clicking the cute buttons in the top righthand corner too…
After seven years of blogging this is actually my first give-away so I’m going to be actually drawing a name the old fashioned way! Good luck!
*Disclaimer… I am not an expert and don’t claim to be. I was given this great bag of goodies to give-away by Healthy Families of Arkansas. None of the opinions expressed above are influenced by anything other than my own experiences. Winner will be drawn on Friday, 9th of November!
