Old Factory Candle Review
November 30, 2014

Old Factory Candle Review

I was recently offered the opportunity to review some candles from Old Factory Candles . These are sold only on Amazon.com. They are hand poured in the US with natural soy wax. What caught my attention was the neat scents. These come in sets of three small candles. I chose the Winter Wonderland bundle which comes with Hot Cocoa, Roasted Chestnut and First Snow scents. These sounded so perfect for this time of year. They all smell great and smell like what they are, especially the hot cocoa. Even though these are small, each candle can burn for 20 hours! I think that that is pretty awesome. Here are some of the other scents:  -Fall Harvest- pumpkin spice, cranberry, autumn leaves -Happy Holidays- Christmas tree, candy cane, gingerbread -Coffee Shop- coffee bean, hazelnut, chai tea The coffee shop ones especially looked awesome! You can get each set of 3 candles for $25. I am happy with my set of candles from Old Factory and think that they would make really nice Christma

Canvas Champ Review and Giveaway
November 29, 2014

Canvas Champ Review and Giveaway

I am a huge fan of canvases. I have them all over my house. There is something so nice about having a beautiful picture put on canvas. It gives your home such a nice and warm look. I was recently able to try out Canvas Champ and love their canvases. When Adalyn was 10 days old, I had her newborn photos done by Deanna Spivey photography. This is the only picture that I have gotten back so far but it is my favorite. I was sent 12 x 8 canvas to review. It shipped quickly and the quality is awesome. The canvases from Canvas Champ are extremely affordable. A 12 x 8 canvas is only $16.77!! I can't believe it! Holiday Gift Idea - These canvases would make an awesome holiday gift. People love receiving personalized gifts and sentimental gifts and these canvases would be perfect. If you have children or got family pictures taken, order a canvas and give for a gift. I would love to receive a canvas for a gift because it has so much meaning. Giveaway The giveaway will be for a 1

How to Save for Your Child's College Early
November 28, 2014

How to Save for Your Child's College Early

hopefully have much of her college saved for. As a new mom, I am just learning the ropes to parenting. One thing that I know is that I want to help my child financially for college. My parents helped me by saving money with the MET (Michigan Education Trust) program which was an amazing help for when it was time to go to college. Before Adalyn was born, we looked into college saving plans and decided to start saving with the 529 savings plan. We are contributing a certain amount of money each month and my parents are as well to help out. That way, once Adalyn is ready to go to college, it does not seem like such a huge amount and we will hopefully have much of her college saved for. Saving for college is not always easy so I wanted to share some of my tips to save money so it does not seem like you are cutting too much out of your budget. Start when the child is young - You may think that I am crazy for starting to save already but guess what? College is expensive. Troy

Healthy Snacks and Treats Review
November 28, 2014

Healthy Snacks and Treats Review

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Happy Black Friday! ______________________________________________________ I was recently contacted by a PR company to try a box of healthy snacks and treats. Sounds perfect for me! I enjoyed trying these snacks. Some I have tried before, some I had not. - Alter Eco Chocolate - To be honest, until a few months ago, I didn't really even like chocolate. Recently, I started to really enjoy a piece after dinner a few days a week. I prefer dark chocolate and this Alter Eco one is good. I received the blackout one with 85% cocoa and a quinoa one with popped pieces of quinoa in it. Both are tasty and I know that the ingredients are a lot healthier than some of the chocolate bars you see in stores. - Arctic Zero - I have tried Arctic Zero in the past and have mixed feelings on it. It is more like a frozen dessert than ice cream. It is a very low-calorie product and therefore, of course does not taste as rich as real ice cream. I lo

Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! This year, I have so much to be thankful for. I had a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery which brought us our amazing baby girl Adalyn. There are a lot of things that I am thankful for but that has to be number one. Today, we are celebrating earlier in the day with my family and then with Troy's family in the evening. Have an awesome thanksgiving and enjoy all that delicious food!

Cranberry Banana Nut Bread
November 26, 2014

Cranberry Banana Nut Bread

This  shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #GoNutsForNuts #CollectiveBias The holidays are a time of indulgent eats but it does not always have to be this way. This recipe is both delicious, indulgent tasting and nutritious. Made with 100% whole wheat, no added oil or butter and wholesome fruit and nuts, this is a bread that will please family. Whether you are entertaining and serving this bread or giving as a gift, it is sure to be a holiday favorite. I used Planter's nuts in this recipe which turned out delicious. I recently learned about the Planter's Blippar app which has image recognition that lets you interact with the Planter's brand. This app was easy to download on an Android phone. It has lots of recipes available which is great to have on the go. This was my favorite part since I love looking at recipes. Also, you can take a Mr. Peanut selfie- the mascot of Planter's. Right in store,

New Foods Review
November 26, 2014

New Foods Review

1. Non-GMO snacks - I was sent these non-GMO snacks to try for non-GMO month (last month). They included Numi tea, Mary's Gone Crackers and Nutiva Chia Seeds. I have enjoyed using all of these. Numi tea - Love the different variety pack and trying new-to-me flavors. I liked the chai tea the best so far. These are all organic. I was also sent the chocolate spice tea which I have not tried yet but look forward to it. Nutiva chia seeds - All Nutiva products are non-GMO certified and organic. I loved these chia seeds in my oatmeal which I have been eating for extra protein, fiber and omega-3. Yum! Mary's Gone Crackers-  These are easily my favorite crackers. They are organic, gluten-free and non-GMO. They also have no nut, dairy or eggs so they are good for people with different food allergies. They are full of delicious ingredients and I love how extremely crunchy they are. The everything pretzels are full of flavor. They are great on their own or with hummus or cheese.

Game It App Review
November 25, 2014

Game It App Review

Disclosure: This post is sponsored. All opinions are my own. Love high fashion items but cannot afford them? Check out this new app that may help you get your favorite fashion items for free. I recently learned about an app called Game It. I am someone who loves the look of designer items but cannot afford them or do not want to spend my hard earned money on them. I love Michael Kors bags (which my husband surprised me with one last Christmas!!), Ugg boots, Michael Kors boots, etc. You can scroll through lots of products until you find the one that is for you. Options include fashion, tech, gadgets, auto and kids products. After you find the product you want, you can Game It and play trivia to try to get the highest score. If you are not happy with your score, you can try the steal feature and get in the lead. You can play as many times as you like to make sure that your score is the highest and then you can win it! If you win, your prize will quickly be sent right to

Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper Review
November 25, 2014

Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper Review

I am so excited to share this review with you today. When I was doing research on what to buy for baby, I kept seeing the Rock 'N Play sleeper. For some reason, I never registered for one. Probably because I thought that I had too much stuff that takes up space. Rock 'N Play Recall UPDATE: The Rock 'N Play Sleeper was recalled and is no longer considered safe. This is really sad because we loved it SO much for our kids but we do follow the latest safety guidelines. Rock ‘n Play Review I was offered to try the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper and was so glad that I did. It is amazing and Adalyn LOVES it! It is an auto sleeper meaning that it rocks on its own. This may sound obvious but items like bouncers do not actually bounce on their own. You have to do it manually and that can get tiring. This sleeper can be set for different times and can rock for up to 6 hours on its own!! Rock ‘n Play This has been helping Adalyn to calm down when she gets fussy. I can put

At Home Pedicure with Amopé
November 24, 2014

At Home Pedicure with Amopé

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #RespectUrFeet #CollectiveBias As a former runner and someone who is getting back into running again, my feet have had it rough. If you have been a runner before, you know what I am talking about. You get blisters, calluses, etc. To keep my feet looking nice, I like to do my own pedicure at home. Don't worry, I am not going to post any pictures of my feet here ; ).  I recently purchased the  Amopé Foot care Products at Target to try out. These products are brand new. In fact, when I was looking, some stores didn't even have them yet. They are located in the foot care aisle, not the beauty aisle so keep that in mind. I tried out the Amopé Pedi Perfect and Amopé Foot Cream. Now realize, with a baby, I am very short on time. I have never been the type to take forever to get ready anyways but now, my time is even more limited. When I do not take enough care of mysel

ShopWell Makes Healthy Eating Simple
November 23, 2014

ShopWell Makes Healthy Eating Simple

I am a big fan of apps that help make healthy living easier. I was recently contacted by fellow registered dietitian Lara Felton to try out the app called ShopWell. I had not heard of it before but enjoyed learning about it and trying it out. I think that it could be a helpful asset to healthy eating. ShopWell is a free mobile app available on iOS and Android. They also have a website with helpful information. They help shoppers make healthier food choices right at the grocery store based on their nutrition goals. This app is created by a team of dietitians and engineers. To use, you input your age, gender and goals. The app rates foods so that you know which ones are the healthiest choices for yourself. The higher the score, the better the food product is based on your goals. The foods with less ingredients that are also less processed receive the higher scores. Foods are rated with scores of 0-100. For example, peppers, broccoli and butternut squash all score 100 because

WubbaNub Review and Giveaway
November 22, 2014

WubbaNub Review and Giveaway

I am excited to share this review and giveaway with you today because the WubbaNub is on my list of top 5 baby products. We use this product all throughout the day and night and never, ever leave home without it.  Adalyn has the red dog WubbaNub which we received from a family member for a baby gift. For review, she received the brown puppy. We love both of these and alternate between the two. Why is this such a must have product? Because it soothes Adalyn when nothing else can. She loves to suck (I read that all babies have the need to suck even when they are not eating) and loves to use this pacifier. It uses a Soothie pacifier which is attached to the stuffed animal. It makes it a bit harder for the pacifier to fall out which is great because pacifiers come out all the time and we have to get it back in her mouth right away or else we hear loud screams!  Also, Adalyn at 7 weeks is getting to where she can hold onto the WubbaNubs a bit better which she likes. The

Ripe Maternity + Nursing Clothing Review
November 21, 2014

Ripe Maternity + Nursing Clothing Review

Ripe is a brand that sells maternity and nursing wear. I was not able to try them out when I was pregnant but was sent two different pieces for nursing that I love. Both of these items fit me so well and have been awesome for easy and convenient feedings. The ultimate express tank is perfect to be worn under any cardigan, sweatshirt or jacket. Right above the breast, there are adjustable clip release straps. What I love about this tank that is different than my other nursing tanks is that there is some padding in the chest so you don't have to wear a bra with it. This makes it easier since it is like a 2 in 1 product.  It is very comfortable and flattering as well. I have already worn this a few times and plan to wear it a lot more. The belinda tunic dress is a beautiful dress for both maternity and nursing. I love the gold zipper details on it. This dress will be great for work, church, etc. The zipper in the front comes down for easy nursing access. I like

Adalyn Grace: 2 Month Update
November 20, 2014

Adalyn Grace: 2 Month Update

Well, I missed Adalyn's 1 month update but finally got myself together to do a 2 month update. My girl is 2 months old today!! Also, I turn 25 today! I want to remember the little things she is doing right now and share with all of you in case you have young children of your own.   Clothes size : Adalyn wears pretty much all size 0-3 month right now. Diapers : size 1 Feedings : Adalyn is exclusively breastfed. She eats 6-8 times in 24 hours. She usually gets 1 pumped bottle per day from Troy. She loves to eat. We are loosely following Babywise which has us feeding her at least every three hours during the day, sometimes more like 2 1/2 hours. We do not have an exact set schedule but always try to do a full feeding as opposed to "snacks" and keep her awake to play after each feed. Also, we try to fill her little belly up a lot during the day so that she does not have to eat much at night. Baths : Adalyn has started to love baths, especially with Mom. She en