Pirates Dinner Adventure

Our family is always looking for fun eating experiences.  With 2 boys the Pirate's Dinner Adventure was a great choice.   Other than the crowded pre show area and the long amount of time till the main theater opened.  With 3 kids and no available chairs, this was an exhausting wait.  There are many different levels of seating available but even with a cheaper ticket (we got ours on Living Social) we had a great view of the show.

There were 2 main entrees available to choose from:  Chicken and Meat.  There was also a vegetarian option, a pasta with cheese, asparagus, and carrots.  I had the vegetarian option and it was really good.  My husband had the beef option with mashed potatoes and greens.  This is also the gluten free option.  The kids had chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.  There is salad and a desert as well.  We were all members of the clean plate club.  No complaints at all  with the food.

The show was entertaining and lots of fun.  There were many moments with audience participation which kept everyone involved with the show.  The kids have their moment to be included as well along with a pirate's certificate in exchange.

We even got a family photo which sad to say is our first complete family photo since our little girl has made her arrival.  I will take what I can get.  To learn more visit http://www.piratesdinneradventure.com

***No compensation was received in exchange for this review.  All opinions are completely my own.

Bring on the Summer Giveaway

I am so ready for summer vacation and to usher in the summer we are giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Code
  a Rafflecopter giveaway
*The winner will be randomly chosen by Rafflecopter.  This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with Amazon.  Winner has 1 week to claim their prize.  Winner must be a US resident with a valid email address.  Winner once announced must email peeingwithdooropenmommies@gmail.com to claim their prize.  

Letter to my Youngest Child

Little girl you don't know how good you've got it.  Your mom has by now become what she likes to think of as a bit of a seasoned pro.  All of the mistakes or misconceptions about raising you are out the window.   After having 2 boys who have come before you-you, I am sure will get away will a lot more than your brothers ever did.  Hopefully by now due to my experiences I am not as clueless as I once was.  Although, you are a different type of child altogether.  You and I are going to be experience many different things together.  Also being my last baby (if all goes according to plan) I keep reminding myself that one day I am going to miss this time.  Your brothers are absolutely in love with you and what a lucky little girl you are.  They are fiercely protective of you already and are both so proud to be your big brothers.

Neilmed Review

My husband for as long as I have known him has had horrible allergies.  He used to be strictly a mouth breather it was always far too uncomfortable to breathe out his nose.  Medicines weren't long lasting and have other damaging side effects with long term use.

Several years ago, my husband came across Neilmed's NetiPot and was desperate for something that would help.

The NetiPot is a great beginners nasal product.  It is safe, easy to use, and effective.  The pot allows the product to come out in a steady even stream.  After seeing the results, he faithfully used the product.  Then he noticed that they had the Neilmed Sinus Rinse.

 The Sinus Rinse is a bottle with a squeegee type design.  Now my husband prefers to use the sinus rinse kit because it provides him with a lot of control.  By squeezing he can control the flow of water that exits the bottle.  Since using Neilmed's products he has seen a major improvement in his sinuses and when he does feel allergen pressure in his nose he is able to do a rinse and effectively clean his sinuses out.  I notice the changes it has made in his sinuses as well.

Neilmed has also come out with a children's product that is safe for babies and children.  When my 2nd child was 4 months old he caught a nasty cold from his older brother.  It stuffed up his sinuses horribly and despite using an aspirator to get the snot out it just wasn't doing the job.  So I went to the doctor with him and the doctor was concerned with the way he was breathing and since he was so small she called an ambulance.  After some time at the hospital it was found that he was just severely stuffed up.  If I had one of these at home this would have completely taken care of the nasal passages that were stuffed up.  You live and learn.

Neilmed in partnership with Mom's Connect has provided 3 Neilmed Children's Naspira for a giveaway for some of you to try for yourself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***This post is Sponsored by Neilmed and Mom's Connect.  The products in the review and giveaway are provided by Neilmed and Mom's Connect.  Winner has one week to claim prize.  Winner must be in US with US address

Shopkick

A great app that is available to earn gift cards is Shopkick.  With shop kick you earn
"kicks" for walking in to stores, scanning items, and purchases.  They have a program if you link your credit card you receive kicks back for your purchases.

Steps to use Shopkicks:
1.  Download the Shopkicks app
2.  Open the app when entering a store to earn walk-in kicks
3.  Scan items while in the store for additional kicks
4.  When you have enough cash out your kicks for gift cards

I have earned over a $100 in gift cards from using this app.  They also have special events for extra kicks.

***This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Shopkicks.  No compensation was exchanged for this review.  The opinions in this post are completely your own.

The Princess Twins and the Birthday Party

So happy that there is a line of I Can Read Books that are faith based. Especially since I have a little girl now and love that these Princesses are great role models for her to enjoy.   Princess Emma and Princess Abby are getting ready for their birthday party. Putting on their best princess attire and looking forward to celebrating their special day.   The book is a lesson about inner beauty and kindness.  This book is great for first readers and is a Level 1 book.  The illustrations are simple and are a great accompaniment to the story.  If you are looking for a good moral centered story for your little girl this is a great option.  http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Twins-Birthday-Party-Read/dp/0310727073

**  This book was provided for free in exchange for this review.  No additional compensation was provided for this review through Booklook Bloggers.  All opinions are completely my own.

Ibotta

I am always interested in opportunities to save money to stretch our budget further.  With the Ibotta app, I can.  The app basically has a list of items that they are offering cash back on after you purchase them.  There are also bonus opportunities to earn extra money for reaching certain goals.

Simple steps to use Ibotta:
1.  Download the app at https://ibotta.com/r/shg75q
2.  Go through the list and "unlock" items you are interested in purchasing.  Sometimes you watch a short video, answer a question, or have product information.
3.  Go shopping and remember to pick up the items on your list.
4.  After you shop verify your purchases by marking the items you purchased and uploading your receipt by either QR code or Photos of your receipt.
5.  After reaching $25 you can cash it out direct to your bank account.

The amount you get back you will be surprised how quickly it adds up.  They also have rebates for clothing stores and other mall stores.

***This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Ibotta.  No compensation was exchanged for this review.  The opinions in this post are completely my own.

Scariest Experience of My Life

Now that my baby girl is 6 months old, I finally feel comfortable sharing this with you.  For quite some time I couldn't talk about this.I had this title written in my blog post list but kept avoiding this post.    But through this experience I learned an important lesson that no one had ever told me before and I want to share with everyone to educate you.

When my baby girl was born we had gone through a round and a half of Cervadil and when my baby girl was born she slid right out.  After the normal checks and excitement my little girl was declared as healthy.  So we let out our collective sighs of relief and enjoyed our baby girl.  She was ferociously hungry and latched on easily.  We prepared to move from the labor room to our post hospital room.  After moving to our permanent room, my little newborn started searching to nurse again.  When nursing I follow the on demand schedule which can be exhausting but meets my kiddos needs.  After having 2 children previously I felt super confident about my nursing skills.  While nursing I glanced down at my baby girl and she was turning blue.  I quickly picked her up and tried to get her breathing.  While we had pushed the call button and I was screaming for help.  A group of 3 nurses entered the room and they took my newborn and passed her down the row and the nurse slapped on the back and got her breathing again.  It was terrifying and I couldn't fully react until my newborn had been taken down to the NICU for tests and observation.  After all the tests, they determined that while she was in newborn transition stage she forgot how to breathe.  This was the first time I had even heard of a newborn forgetting how to breathe when eating but after doing some research we found out that it is very common.  So what I learned from this experience besides being paranoid that my baby girl is breathing is to really pay attention to your baby in the first day following birth when feeding.  A lot of times we are exhausted after labor and having a hard time keeping our eyes open but try to be aware of your little one.  If you do notice any changes get help every second counts.

Adjusting to Life with a Baby

After having 2 children already I felt pretty prepared for a baby.  Oh did I mention those 2 children are boys.  Wild boys who had colic like nobody's business and we're not truly happy till after they turned a year old.  Fast forward to finding out we were having a little girl 

*insert shock and surprise* to our extremely crazy broad.  When my baby girl arrived in the world it was clear it was going to be different.  For the most part she didn't cry unless hungry (my girl loves to eat) or a dirty diaper (she doesn't like a dirty diaper).  The main change I have found is that she is demanding and if things aren't just right she will let you know.  She is a mama's girl for sure but watch out when daddy comes around, the smile on her face could light up the whole world.  There are so many things I feel I am enjoying now with my 3rd baby that I was either too wrapped up or worried to enjoy previously.  I think it helps me to really take in every moment knowing this will be our last baby.  

The Princess Twins and the Tea Party Review

I am happy to see that they are including christian/moral based I Can Read Books.  This especially makes me excited since adding a little girl to our broad.  The Princess Twins and the Tea Party has two main characters Princess Emma and Princess Abby.  Princess Emma wants to throw a Spring Tea Party and wants everything to be perfect.  A lesson that even when things don't go right that everything is going to be ok.  I know as mom the lesson was even applicable to me.

"I want everything to be perfect," said Emma.
Only God is perfect," Abby said.

The book is a Level 1 with simple sentences for eager new readers.  If you are interested in adding this book to your child's library it is available at Amazon for $3.99 http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Twins-Tea-Party-Read/dp/0310727111

***The book in this review was provided by Booklook Bloggers and no additional compensation was exchanged for this review.  The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Summer is Calling My Name

I am officially done with early wake ups, lunch packing, homework tasking, and kids getting ready for the school day.  Unfortunately, the school calendar feels differently and there is still a month and a half to go to the end of the school year.  My 1st grader is getting pretty burnt out as well. It takes lot of energy to get my boy motivated to go to school each day and me too.  I am excited to do lots of fun activities with my kids without time restrictions. Also, if I do get the opportunity to maybe even sleep in I can actually take advantage.  Not to mention it is teacher appreciation week and I am trying to muster up the energy and creativity to participate.  Don't get me wrong I appreciate my son's teacher but this time of year I am on auto pilot trying to make it through.  Plus it is starting to get hot out...especially around the time we have to get in the car to pick up my boy from school.  It takes a lot of encouragement to get my 3 year old in the car.  Boy, are the seats hot in the afternoon.  Hoping to survive these last few weeks.  If I remember correctly I felt pretty similar last school year.  http://learningtopeewiththedooropen.blogspot.com/2015/05/end-of-school-year.html