My New Years Resolution

Have you ever heard of the Razzie Awards?

It's an award ceremony that's held for all the "worsts" of the year.

And for 2011, I win it for the worst blogger!!

My resolution is to post more often!

So here's my quick catch up with the family:

Hubby is doing well. Working his butt off at work and getting up at 5:00am to go work out at the Y. I'm so proud of him. I would rather lay in bed then get up that early but he manages to do it 3-4 times per week. He recently applied for a promotion. He didn't get it but it sounds like they have a plan in place for him for the future.

I'm doing well too. Got through the holidays pretty smoothly. This year was awesome for me- I got almost everything on my list. Nothing too earth shattering (board games, Keurig coffee holder) but it was all for ME! Normally I receive "household" things with my name on them but this year, it was stuff I really wanted.

Olivia had a great holiday as well. She was very excited to get a pogo stick and the Loopz game. She's still struggling with school. She was diagnosed with hyperactive disorder (a version of ADHD) and has been on medication for a few months. It's taken a lot of time to find the right mix, we're still working on it, but her behavior has been getting better. I had to put aside my normal "anti medication" attitude since I learned this wasn't something she was going to be able to control on her own. I appreciate that our doctor has taken things slow and also suggested lots of non medication related things we can do with her too. It's a process and I'm slowly learning not to blame myself....and concentrate on helping her. She just lost her first two about two weeks ago and got $5 from the tooth fairy!

Kellen is LOVING preschool. He has learned so much in these last few months. He can recognize the entire alphabet, a bunch of letters, knows all his colors and shapes. He can recognize his name and can *almost* spell it. He still loves football and baseball. He's growing so fast too! He's going to be big and tall just like daddy.

Owen is just a doll. I'm very blessed he is so laid back. His personality has really bloomed in the last few months. He's a total class clown. He started walking in mid October and is now trying to jump--it's the cutest thing on the planet. His vocabulary has blown up--he says lights, doggie, hotdog, mama, daddy, sissy, truck, milk, water, poop and can follow almost every direction I give him.

It's almost been one year since I decided to stay home with the kids. I'm not gonna lie--sometimes I wonder if it was the right decision. I'm not the type to be completely fulfilled raising my kids. I joined Thirty-One in October and I am LOVING it! I've had some wonderful success and a great time having parties and meeting new people. I was able to pay for all our Christmas gifts with my commission from December sales. It feels good to be contributing monetarily to the family again.

I think 2012 has a lot of great things in store for us. I'm excited to keep you updated more often! I promise!

Mommy Necklace Winner!!

And the winner is......

Congratulations Bubblelush! You have 24 hours to claim your prize. Please email me at sarahmallpavich@gmail.com.

Mommy Necklace Interview, Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

I first discovered Mommy Necklaces very randomly off a deal website. I liked the idea of having an inexpensive necklace that my newborn could fiddle with during nursing, tug on during toddlerhood and even wear themselves during the preschool years. I was very impressed with the quality of the necklace, despite being made of plastic- it certainly doesn't look cheesy or cheap. It's heavy (without being too heavy) and looks like glass from afar. Very quickly, my collection has grown into more than I'm willing to admit!

I was very impressed at the selection of colors and styles Mommy Necklaces offers. Personally, I like the longer styles (known as Simply Strand Longs). There are donuts you can buy for added fiddling function. There are also numerous short styles that pair wonderfully with v-neck shirts and sweaters. If you like the layered look, MN offers accent strands in a variety of styles. They are also able to semi-customize the designs by changing pendant colors, spacer bead colors and length.

Don't know which to buy for a gift? No problem! MN offers gift certificates and allows customers to create  a wishlist and share it with friends and family.

Finally, MN has a great rewards system for return customers. For every MN purchased (through MN.com or licensed retailers) you get awarded points. Points can then be redeemed for gift certificates towards your next purchase! It's hard to find a retailer that pays YOU back for shopping! The more you buy, the more you earn. And yes, I'm proud to say that I have reached the $95 giftcard with points!!!!

Mommy Necklaces are made with safe materials (although not designed for teething), manufactured in the USA and independently tested for lead and phthalates. They are made with durable cording, breakaway claps and in over 20 colors and designs.

If you're a mom like me and miss being able to wear your jewelry while toting your tot, you'll love Mommy Necklaces!

I had the pleasure of interviewing the founder and lead designer of Mommy Necklaces via email. Thank you Raelynn for taking some time to "chat"!
 
 
 

How was Mommy Necklaces born?

"MN was born in the Winter of 2004 when my first child, Megan, turned 4 months old and wouldn't stop tugging on my hair and sentimental jewelry. At that time, I had no mission greater than myself. I simply wanted durable, jewelry with a sensory-based design that would engage her and get her hands out of my hair and encourage her to nurse longer so I wasn't up so much at night. Of course, she loved to eat when it was 2AM and the house was quiet. But for a working mom (at the time I was teaching 1st/2nd grade multi-age classroom), that wasn't working for me. ;)"

What inspires your designs?

"My designs are inspired by current fashion trends (or predicted trends), my own love for unique color combinations, and of course, functionality and versatility. I want our designs to feel 'easy' to wear. If you buy a MN, I want you to have to think for a minute about what shirt you want to wear it with instead of thinking of one way you can wear it. Meaning, I like choice and dead-ends drive me nuts. Many of today's jewelry has a dead-end approach. I like to keep MN thinking fashion forward, in more than one way."

How do you juggle being a mama and business owner?

"I do the best I can at that moment. If a ball or two drops, I pick them up and start again. It may take a moment to get my rhythm again, but I refuse to give up. I also refuse to think that I will never drop a ball or two... (or three?). I am realist, but also have high expectations for myself. I'd rather a few balls drop while I'm working towards the perfect 'act' than see the whole show fall apart because my arms got tired from trying for perfection too quickly. This doesn't answer the question in a point-blank way, but in a round-about-way I am saying, I suck at juggling and just do the best I can. There really is no answer and today's answer may be different than tomorrows."

Where do you see MN in 5 years? 10 years?

"I have goals for MN, but there is no master plan for 5 or 10 years. I like to work towards goals and now numerical milestones. Once I achieve my next goals, I'll move on to the next... be it 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. Quality of goals, not quantity of where I want to be. Again, hard to answer this questions because each day I am able to lead MN is a gift. I just hope to see MN thriving as well as it is doing now in 5 years, without sacrificing anything about who we are and how we got there."

What is your biggest hope for your children?

"Easy one! Biggest hope is that they will have an easier start to their adult life than I did. A balanced way of finding their own way, but for my husband and myself to be able to help when/if needed too. I want to to be able to think about their long-term future/goals and not having to wake up thinking about how to survive that day/week."

What's next for Mommy Necklaces?

"No idea. But, I am sure it will be great. The woman and team surrounding MN (both employees and customers) is beyond amazing to me. I know I will never settle for anything less than greatness for MN, and I know the heart of MN feels the same way. My heart tells me more amazing things are to come!"

Want one?

Buy It:

Visit Mommy Necklaces' website and order today!

Win It:

One lucky reader will win a standard Mommy Necklace of their choice**!

Mandatory Entries: Please be sure to leave your email address within each comment!

1. **YOU MUST BE A PUBLIC FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG** (leave a comment)

2. **Like Mommy Necklaces on Facebook **

Extra Entries : (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each one)

1. Follow Mommy Necklaces on Twitter (1 entry)

2. Retweet the following: @MommyNecklaces I entered to win a necklace at http://justrollingwithit09.blogspot.com/

(Please leave me the url so I can verify your tweet-- I will be checking! (1 entry per day))

3. Post on your blog linking to this giveaway and the featured company. Please leave a comment with a direct link to your post (1 entry)

4. Add me to your PUBLIC Blog Roll. Please leave a comment with a direct link to the URL- I will check. (1 entry)

5. Place an order through the Mommy Necklace website and leave a comment with the order number. (5 entries- please leave 5 separate comments).

Giveaway ends November 5th @11:59PM CST. Winner will be picked via Random.org. Please respond within 24 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

All remarks are the personal and honest opinions of me. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged prizes. Open to US residents only.

**Any changes made to the standard necklaces or add ones (such as donuts or infinity rings) will be at the winner's expense. I will be purchasing the necklace and shipping directly to you.

*Images are provided by Mommy Necklaces and are used soley for the purpose of illustrating their creative works.

You're invited to a pity party

I'll start off by saying I am very blessed. My family is healthy. We have a roof over our heads and food on our table. I know it could be worse. But that doesn't mean I can't feel bad about what IS happening right now. Feel free to RSVP no to the pity party and skip this post.....

Olivia has been having problems listening to the bus driver on the bus. She's *this* close to being kicked off.

I went in to a doc to talk about my acne and ended up needing a mole removed. The pathology report came back as pre-cancerous. Now I have to go back and have more skin removed in that same spot. And OF COURSE it's right near my breast so I get to lay there with my boob exposed....AGAIN.

Olivia's teacher is having a lot of issue with her. She's not sitting still, can't keep her hands to herself and won't focus very well. We finally contacted her pediatrician and filled out an ADHD questionnaire. I got a call from their office that the doc does want to schedule an appointment to "discuss the results". They don't have an opening until November 30th. NOVEMBER 30th!!! That's almost halfway through the school year and 7 weeks from now. I get to sit here and wonder if she has ADHD for the next 7 weeks. That makes me mad.

I need to lose weight and I'm too lazy to do anything about it. I need a kick in the ass to get going. I don't have energy, don't feel good about how I look and spend money on running through the drivethru which isn't good for my bank account. Blah.

There are wasps. EVERYWHERE. We can't go outside because my neighbor won't get it professionally sprayed. They have a nest in the roots of a lilac bush. I snuck out there and wrapped duct tape around the branch they are so I hope that helps.

I am not looking forward to winter. It's like a looming storm that I know is coming. Being stuck in the house when it's 30 below outside and 2 feet of snow on the ground is not a fun thing to think about.

Someone smack me out of this!!!

Mommy Necklace Review and Giveaway

I'm getting ready to post a review and giveaway of one of my favorite products- Mommy Necklaces. Stay tuned!!!

I Like Book- Review and Discount for you!

If you are anything like my family, you find that time slips away way too fast. Dinner, homework, bath time, bedtime and before you know it, you're starting the day over again. It's difficult to find time to connect as a family or as a couple.

I found that my husband and I were spending a lot of time apart. After the kids were put in bed, he would cozy in on the couch and I'd head into our bedroom to crash. We have a very strong relationship and love each other immensely but it was just....kinda...boring.

Then, almost as if sent from the big guy upstairs, I was asked to review the I Like Book. I had never heard of it before but after a quick google search and scan of the website, I thought "This is perfect!" I chose the couples version and we got started right away.

What is it, you ask? And how do you use it?



You can read more about it on their webpage here and their facebook page here.

The hardest part for us was just remembering to do it each day! I ended up setting it on my nightstand and that definitely worked as a reminder. At first, I'll admit, we kinda felt silly trying to think of things we liked about each other every day. But as the days went on, it got easier and easier.

I think the best part was finding out the little things that he liked about me. One night, he wrote "I love the way the hair on the side of your head gets fuzzy when it gets hot out." WHAT? I hate those little hairs! I've spent many a can of hairspray trying to get them glued to my head. But he loves them....so maybe I'll leave them next time. Maybe.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone that's looking to rekindle those "first love" feelings with your partner. It really helps bring you back down to earth regarding what you REALLY like (or love) about each other. And it's SO easy!

After using this book for a few months, I decided to start one for each of my kids. I was lucky to score them on a deal site (if you keep your eyes peeled, you can sometimes get them for 50% off!) and I can't wait to get started. Each of my babes will have their own book in their own color!

I Like Book was kind enough to offer a savings discount for my readers. You can order a book here and enter code kids2010 for a 40% discount! I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. These are wonderful keepsakes to have as the kids get older and I can't wait to share them with each one!

Mama Needs a Sick Day

If you follow me on Facebook, you are well aware that I've gotten my first cold of the season.

And. It. Hit. Hard.

This is the first time I've actually been knocked out sick since staying home with the kids and it's 100 times harder than I thought it would be. I feel very lucky it's during the school year so there's a little more of a chance I'd get to lay down...but...wow. This is really, really hard.

I started feeling it come on on Friday night. Saturday, hubby and I had plans to go to the Brewers game. I wasn't feeling up to it but we were running a bus trip so I didn't have much of a choice. By the end of the game, my head felt huge, my nose was running and I just couldn't focus on anything.

Thanks to the Brewers--they lost by the way-- we went into extra innings because of a tie. Thank goodness it only went to one extra inning because I was about to die.

I didn't get to bed until 2 am. Then I slept. Literally, slept until 5 pm the next day. I'm still tired.

It's too bad there wasn't a co-op of mom's that would agree to watch each others' kids in the event that mom needs a sick day. I could probably find something like that in my area. I think it's a wonderful idea.

I want to go back to sleep. Only 4 hours until hubby is home.