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