I’m Back

It has been such a long time since I could breathe enough to even think of doing blog posts-especially with my hectic schedule of 3 kids.  We as a family have gone through a lot of changes in the past few months.  We have sold our home of almost 16 years and moved to another home 45ish minutes away from our old home.

Long Time No Post

I know it has been quite some time since my last blog post.  Life has definitely been fast paced and consuming with 3 kids so I have not had this blog as a priority.  Some exciting things that are happening in our family lately.  My oldest who is 8 and in the 2nd grade is doing great in school for the 3rd semester of school he got straight A's and the 4th and final quarter is looking the same way.  The end of the school year is rapidly approaching and he is more than ready for summer vacation.  My 4 year old who is in preschool only has 12 more days left of school.  This boy has made so many huge improvements!!! He went from hardly recognizing his ABCs and numbers at the beginning of the year.  Also it was very difficult for other people to understand what he was saying to acing all of his recognition tests and his speech has gotten so much better.  Lastly my little princess who is now 18 months is a little diva.  Everywhere she goes she has to have accessories normally sunglasses, purse, bracelets, or a princess crown.  She has quite a personality and is saying so much.  My kids definitely know how to drive me crazy and above all keep me busy but I am so thankful and proud that I get to be their mom.

StyleWe: Fashion Forward Site

When I have the opportunity to go shopping for new clothes (especially stylish clothes) I like to find unique clothing that is different than the average outfit you find in a store.  My newest way to shop and the most convenient with 3 kids is shopping online.  The great thing about online shopping is many sites have free returns so you can try it on in the comfort of your own home.  StyleWe is a online site that offers free returns and some amazing on trend clothing.  The awesome thing about StyleWe is the site is full of designer created clothing from tons of independent designers in the industry.  I love the idea that I am getting an up and comer's designed clothing before the rest of the public has discovered them.  Here are some examples of the unique clothing that they are featuring on their site.

https://www.stylewe.com/category/jumpsuits-80_139/color-blue.html

https://www.justfashionnow.com/shop/cold-shoulder-off-shoulder-tops-309/color-red.html

https://www.justfashionnow.com/shop/cold-shoulder-off-shoulder-tops-309/color-black.html

If you are interested in learning more about the designers and celebrities who are big fans of StyleWe you can check out Hanneli Mustaparta https://blog.stylewe.com/hanneli-mustaparta/

I wrote a blog post previously on StyleWe so if you are interested in learning more about them http://learningtopeewiththedooropen.blogspot.com/2016/10/stylewe.html

If you are interested in checking out what types of fashion they have and finding an outfit for yourself go to https://www.stylewe.com

***This post is sponsored by StyleWe and compensation was exchanged for this review.  Opinions and blog post is completely my own.  

SeaWorld Annual Passholder Dining Plan

If you are a pass holder SeaWorld has a great offer for you.  Passholders get a meal every time they come to the park.  It is $79.99 for the year.  The meal includes a main course, side, dessert or another side and drink.  https://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/dine-and-shop/dining/dining-plan  We got 2 one for myself and one for my oldest son.  So far it has worked out very well and it won't take long to get the value since we go quite frequently.

The plan is available only at the cafeteria style restaurants in the park.  There other exclusions no ribs, beef brisket platter, combo, or sampler platters.

When we used it I got chicken, fries, a huge dessert, and a adult apple juice for my kids.  The pass is available for the same price for children as well.  I am ok with purchasing a kid's meal in addition it is still a huge savings.

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

Praise Wave at SeaWorld

SeaWorld is have a music festival for weekends in the month of January.  The shows are on Saturdays  at the Nautilus Theater at 1:30 pm and 4:00 pm.  I recommend getting there early because these are popular shows in the Christian music venue.  The events are included in the price of admission to SeaWorld.  They do have reserved seating available for an extra charge of $19.00.

Toby Mac is Saturday January 14th.  This is one I am seriously considering taking the kids to.  I was a huge DC Talk fan back in the day and we listen to our local christian radio station and the kids always sing along to his songs.

Francesca Battistelli is Saturday 21st.  Singer of He Knows my Name and Holy Spirit.

Skillet is January 28th.  They are a rock type band and they are known for Stars, Feel Invisible, and Awake and Alive.

If you are interested in finding out more about Praise Wave https://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/events/praise-wave/


***This post is not sponsored or affiliated with SeaWorld and I received no compensation in exchange for this review.  The opinions expressed are completely my own.  

SeaWorld Preschool Pass

If you have a child aged 3-5, SeaWorld has a Preschool Pass available.  It lets you bring in this child or children for free for the entire year.  To get the pass just register online at this link https://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/pages/preschool-card/ and print out the pass.  Once you get to SeaWorld you just have to go to the ticket window with proof of child's age (Birth Certificate) and you can get your pass.  Your child also gets free admission to Busch Gardens too.  This is a great deal and we had it last year as well.  I know this program has been really successful for them because they have been doing this for several years now.

If you are new to SeaWorld or wondering if your child will enjoy the park, kids love the park.  They have a children's area called Shamu Harbor that has tons of rides and activities for children to enjoy.  Plus there are plenty of animal interactions and shows for your kiddo to enjoy.  We have a great time when we go.  

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

Happy New Year Giveaway

Lets celebrate the arrival of 2017!!!!  Enter to win an Amazon Gift Card for $25.





  a Rafflecopter giveaway

***This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with Amazon.  The winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter.  The winner has 2 weeks to claim their prize.  The winner must have completed the task on Rafflecopter correctly and this will be verified to be valid for participation.  

New Years Resolutions

Can you believe it is 2017?  It is probably going to take me a month for my mind and pen to realize this-especially when I write out bills.  I am not a big New Year's resolution type person.   I try to make goals for myself as a person to grow but it's not necessarily just at New Year's time activity.  This year I do have a few things on my list of improvements self-improvement that I would like to accomplish.

1. More time with my little ones free of distractions for example the phone, TV, and electronics of any kind.

2. Yelling- I noticed when I discipline my children I tend to feel that I don't get enough of response from them unless I am yelling and then I feel badly that I yelled at them which is it like a vicious cycle.  I'm going to try to try to break through to them without the yelling in other ways.

3. I'm gonna try to stop being so hard on myself.  I have a tendency to put a lot of expectations on myself as a mother, as a wife, as a human being, and I unrealistically expect myself to have some form of perfection in everything I do which is definitely not healthy.

  4. I'm going to try to encourage my children to play outside more and do other activities besides video games and TV and electronics. I want to curb my default of letting them do those things for a distraction so that I can get things done.

What are your New Years Resolutions?  

Holiday Hiatus

Wanted to take a quick moment to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season.  I will be gearing up again in New Year.

Amazon Deals

Right now you can get the Fisher Price Slim Doodle Pro for $9.99 (regularly $17.99) at Amazon

It has a large magnetic drawing screen and easy slide eraser.  It comes with 4 colorful different shaped stampers.
https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Slim-Doodle-Pro-Purple/dp/B00OZAI0KI/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1481503401&sr=1-1&keywords=fisher+price+slim+doodle+pro+purple

DC Wonder Women Action Doll for $4.24 (regularly $11.99)  the doll is 12" comes with a cape and hair accessory

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Girls-Training-Action-Wonder/dp/B01AWH01J0/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1481503872&sr=1-1&keywords=dc+superhero+girls+12+inch+training+action+wonder+woman+doll


***This post is not sponsored by Amazon or any of the items listed in the post.  The opinions are completely my own.

Blake's All Natural Foods Review

If you are a follower of this blog you know that I am not a fan of freezer foods.  I generally do not enjoy the taste of once frozen foods, especially that freezer after taste that sometimes accompanies foods.   Blake's foods gave me the opportunity to try their freezer meals.  They have lots of different varieties of foods as well as allergy friendly choices.  The meals are all natural: meat raised without antibiotics or hormones, cheese that is rBGH-free and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Chicken Pot Pie

Mac & Cheese

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie

Shepherd's Pie

I tried the Chicken Pot Pie and there are 2 options to prepare the meal: Oven & Microwave.  I went for the oven preparation.  It was so good!!!  The crust was so flaky and wonderful.  The filling was fresh tasting and my 1 year old and I devoured it.  I highly recommend that you find these pot pies and try them.  I found them at Target and they were reasonably priced.  

***This post was in partnership with Mom's Meet and the product was provided in exchange for a review.  All the opinions are completely my own.  

My One Year Old

My little girl has turned one and I can barely believe it.  I am so excited that she is 1 but part of it is very bittersweet for me.  This, unless God intervenes, is going to be our last baby so this will be our last 1st birthday to celebrate and every milestone just feels very final.  I have been trying to appreciate the little moments not only can I not get them back but I miss the cuddle days with my 2 older boys now and they are still young.  Things are certainly hectic when they are little but so sweet and wonderful especially seeing all of their firsts.  Looking forward to all the fun that awaits us for this coming year.

Kids Run Wine & Food Race Weekend

My kids love to participate in races.  Perhaps it is the chance that they could be the first to cross the finish line or the medal at the end with the cheering and accomplishment.  Disney Run puts on many kids races throughout the year.  They are well organized and one of the few events that I feel that my kids are secure while racing and after when they are released to parents.

I went in advance to Wide World of Sports to pick up racing packets, bib, and shirt.  I always go in advance just in case they are too packed the morning of and we run out of time.  You just have to print out a wavier for each race your child is participating in and turn them in the main room.  Super easy process.  The biggest chore is walking from your car and back.  The race was on a Saturday and the first race didn't start till 11am which is a nice change from most kids races that start at the crack of dawn.  There are always activities and music to keep the kids busy until it is time to race.  For the smaller races 100, 200, and 400 they race in heats.  For the Mickey Mile which my 8 year old participated in for the first time this year everyone goes at once.  At the beginning of the race a child fell and 5 others fell with them.  All of the parents let out a collective gasp, thankfully no one was seriously hurt in the process.  The mile expands a lot of area and I with a 4 year old and wearing my 1 year old had a difficult getting to the end in time.  My 8 year old was hysterical by the time we arrived thinking I gave up looking for him.  The thought process of a child like I would give up.  The kids were overjoyed with their accomplishments and especially getting their medal.  The worst part was the exhausting walk back to our car.rundisney.com

My 4 year old after completing the 200M

 We all got exercise that day.  If you have the opportunity to participate with your kids for one of the races you should try it at least once.
***This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Disney or Disney Run.  No compensation was exchanged for this review.  

Boys Clothing

Since in the past I did an entire blog post on adorable girl brands, I thought it was fitting to highlight some great boys brands I have come across as well.


Andy and Evan -I have found a lot of great dressy type clothes here and I have been really happy with the quality as well.  Most of the items I have I got a great deal on Amazon for them.

http://www.andyandevan.com

Peek- Have a lot of nice prints and unique clothing pieces.

http://peekkids.com

Crewcuts-  A J Crew division for children I have found lots of interesting clothing options for my boys.

https://www.jcrew.com/Girls.jsp

Mini Boden-  Boden was on my list for girls as well.  There are some adorable options for boys and girls.

http://www.bodenusa.com/en-us/kids-mini-boden

***This post is not sponsored or affiliated with any of the brands listed in this post.  No compensation was exchanged for this review.  All opinions are completely my own.

StyleWe

I am going to start this with a simple fact:  I love to shop.  Many of you I am sure can relate with this statement.  Being a busy mom I rarely have the opportunity to go out shopping for myself and most of my shopping is done online.  My style is pretty quirky so when I do shop I try to not only find value for what I am buying but also find unique pieces to add to my collection.

Stylewe is a website and app that is filled with so many unique choices to enhance your wardrobe.  I downloaded the app for my IPhone because shopping is so much easier for me on the go when I am chasing after my little ones.  The app is laid out well and makes it easy to find whatever you are looking for.  The site has stylish and fashionable clothing that can suit any style.  There are many clothing choices made by independent fashion designers and there are so many beautiful and exciting choices.

https://www.stylewe.com/category/tunics-73_126

One of the many things I like about StyleWe is they have free shipping no matter how much you spend.  Right now they are offering 20% off your first order.  Stylewe offers a unique shopping experience that  is hard to find in other commerce websites.  An opportunity to get a beautiful piece of clothing that doesn't look like what everyone else has and supporting independent designers who work so hard on these gorgeous clothing options.  If you are interested in learning more about Stylewe you can visit their website at  https://www.stylewe.com/

You can also follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stylewe/

***This post is a sponsored post by Stylewe.  All opinions are completely my own.

The Isolation of Motherhood

Somedays I feel pretty alone in my journey of motherhood.  Day after day of taking care of your kids needs with little to no adult interaction can make you feel like there is no one who understands truly what you are experiencing.  Sometimes my day feels like it is on a repeating loop.  Kids though can always find a way to break through the monotony.  I always try to put myself out there in various meetup playgroups and other mommy and me activities so I can have some adult interaction.  It is always reassuring to know that other mommies are supporting and understanding what you are experiencing.  I think especially in the beginning with a newborn I feel the most isolated.  I am sure the lack of sleep and round the clock exhausting feeding, play a big role in that.  Not to mention that when you are a new mommy, even though I hate to admit the myth, but many of your relationships with your friends who are without kids will change.  I don't know why or how it happens but from my experience I have felt some distance from my childless friends after we had our kids.  I wish many of the friends that I have grown apart from would have wanted to be a part of my life with the children included as well.  I guess when you become a mom as well some of things that were important to you before gets rearranged and it can be hard to relate to.  As time goes on you adapt to a new normal and eventually find others who you have more in common with.  But nothing can replace those friendships from before because they were built on some things deeper than relating to being moms or some shared hobbies/activities.

Hurricane Preparation

Living in Florida for the vast majority of my life I have experienced my fair share of hurricane season. The hysteria that evolves as time continues on and on the weather channel the pure look of excitement when they are reporting the status of a storm.  You can always tell the seasoned floridians from the newer transplants.  The seasoned Floridians don't freak out and take stock of their pantry and fill bottles of water from their water source at home.  Newer Floridians buy food that will last a month and buy as much bottled water as possible.  Fortunately this time the hurricane died down and wasn't nearly as bad as was reported for us.  Unfortunately, Haiti got the brunt of the hurricane.

Winners

We just had two giveaways that have come to a close


Congratulations to

MaryAnne C
the winner of the Amazon Gift Code

and to





Betty W the winner of the baby items giveaway.


Please claim your prize at peeingwithdooropenmommies@gmail.com

Fall Activities

Even though it doesn't seem like it in Florida fall is coming.  These are some activities that we enjoy in Central Florida this time of year.

1.  Bake an apple pie
2.  Enjoy everything that is pumpkin
3.  Make S'mores
4.  Go to a Pumpkin Patch and Maze-  We go to Long & Scott's Farm http://www.longandscottfarms.com/scott-s-maze-adventures.html

5.  Go on a hayride

6.  Carve a Pumpkin

7.  Jump into a pile of leaves

8.  Eat a caramel apple

9.  Drink cider

10. Build a scarecrow

Hope you are able to enjoy some fall activities this year.

Am I Making A Difference?

As moms we worry about a lot of things.  Are our kids eating enough?  Learning quickly enough?  Keeping up with other kids? (that's a big one).  The questions can be endless.  The second guessing we as parents put ourselves through can be pretty torturous.   After all none of us are expert parents and learning kind of as we go.

In the parenting game, I often wonder if I am making a difference in my child's life with my lessons in moral character and attitudes.  I constantly feel as if I am trying to instill things in them but are they really getting it or are they listening to me at all sometimes.  Then when you feel like your child never listens to you they go and surprise you with something that floors you with their maturity and insight.  Then you think, maybe I am not doing so bad after all at this parenting thing.

What are some ways your child have showed you in an unexpected way that they are listening to you?