Baby Bottle Crash Course Update
I wanted to update everyone on the whole feeding and bottle situation. I am happy to announce Little C is taking a bottle like a champ. I was beginning to get very worried she might end up dehydrated when she finally go it at noon yesterday. I never thought I would be so happy to have my child chugging formula!e tried several bottles and The First Years Breastflow BPA Free Bottle was the best for her, they claim it is the most like breastfeeding with its suction and compression flow. She has been taking a bottle like a champ since then and continues to LOVE food. Now I am just figuring out how much she needs and how often because it is totally different than nursing, and let me just say a bottle in the middle of the night is a pain in the neck!
I on the other hand am in some SERIOUS pain. I DO NOT recommend stopping nursing in such a drastic fashion, it is very painful and not nice to your body. Thank goodness for my Evenflo Comfort Select Breast Pump. I am trying to strike a balance between intense pain and not pumping too much. I really don’t want to get mastitis but I also don’t want to prolong this any more than I have to. I am taking lots of hot showers! Since Little C and I no longer have nursing to bond over babywearing has become even more important. I am so grateful that I was introduced to world of babywearing and all it’s benefits with my first child. I have always worn Little C for convenience and just because we both enjoy it, but now I value that closeness even more. She is currently living in the Pikkolo carrier by Catbird baby which I love since she is a bit big and wriggly now for her SleepyWrap. Mr. TC Mom is fantastic and he wears Little C in the Baby Bjorn so she is getting lots of closeness which makes me really happy. Thanks for all of your support, kind words and prayers they mean so much to me. Next week I go for more testing to try and get my thyroid figured out, I will keep you posted.
Free $20 GC for Hair Color Service at Aveda
This is a fantastic freebie! Go HERE to print your coupon for $20 off your first hair color service at Aveda. How fabulous is that!
(thanks Janel)
St.Patrick’s Day Craft & Recipe eBook Free
Need some idea’s to help you celebrate St.Patrick’s Day, download your FREE craft and recipe ebook HERE
Kroger March to Savings Sweepstakes
I am not normally a sweepstakes person but I have participated in the last 2 Kroger sweepstakes and won both times. Last time I got $5 automatically loaded to my Kroger card and today I just one a FREE package of Oscar Meyer hot dogs. So I thought I would share with you that Kroger is having a Hit the Hoops Game as part of their March to Savings Sweepstakes it literally takes 2 seconds to play you just click the basketball to shoot it and you can play every day until April 5. Make sure your correct Kroger card number is in your account because that is where your prizes will be credited, go HERE to play. Good luck!
Getting in the Kitchen Mood
March 11, 2010 by Ellen
Filed under Uncategorized
Just to get us thinking about kitchens and my upcoming Kitchen Carnival which starts on Monday here are some links to fellow bloggers and some great Kitchen Gadgets they suggest.
- Dapple Kitchen & Toy Cleaner, Cool Baby Kid
- FoldTuk Collapsable Kitchenware, Experimental Mommy
- Chef`n, Simply Stacie
- Wilton UltraGold Bakeware, Baby Loving Mama
- Bambooya Bamboo Kitchen Utensils
- Frigidaire Range, the Mom Buzz
- Simple Human Soap Dispenser, The B Keeps Us Honest
- Peak Fresh Bags, What Mommies Need
- Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids food storage system, Just a mom’s take on things…,
- Simply Living on a Budget Exrema Ceramic Cookware
- SodaStream Home Soda Maker, Rave and Review
- Cheap Cookie Cutters, Faithfully Frugal
- $5 Dinner Mom cook book, Mommy Reporter
- Easy Grip Apple Cutter, Christian Clippers
- Swiss Diamond, The Art of Being Mom
Supermommy Lost Her Powers. Where Do I Go From Here?
I have written and re-written this post in my head a million times. I know I want to share what has been going on with me, but yet bringing myself to do it has been harder than I expected. Let me give you a bit of background first. I am the mom that is always doing things. We are out and about from the mall to the zoo my kids and I never stay home. I love to do things and having kids has not changed that. A friend of mine recently told me that when someone asked her if 3 kids made life harder she laughed and said I think so but then I look at my friend Ellen and it hasn’t changed anything for her. Not long ago I told you about my thyroid issues and how I was doing much better. Well I lied, not really on purpose at the time I wanted hyperthyroid to be the reason for all my problems, but it turns out it wasn’t. I have become a bit of a hermit hardly doing anything because it just all seemed like too much effort. This past Friday I finally went to my doctor and was diagnosed with Post Partum Depression. The reason I am sharing this is two-fold, one to explain a bit why things have changed so much around here and two to reach out to ther women who like me may be in denial that they are depressed.
I spent 6 months rationalizing how I felt. I was tired, I had 3 little kids, ect, ect. Deep down I knew that was not the reason I felt as I did but I wanted it to be something I could over come by sheer will power. I adore my kids and they were not causing any extra trouble. My baby was a great sleeper and had a healthy appetite. There was no explanation for why I had no drive anymore, why everything was too much effort and why I was so sad or mad all the time. Sure I had an explanation every day, but they were just excuses because I was too proud to admit I needed help. Now as I look back I can not believe how selfish I was. My kids did not have the mom they deserved because I was too proud to get help. Now I am on some medication that seems to be helping, I am feeling much better still not back to Superwoman status but part of that is my thyroid issues. Then this past Monday I went to my eye doctor for some issues I am having related to my thyroid, he too prescribed medicine. While I was assured that all of these medicines are safe while breastfeeding I felt very uneasy nursing my baby while taking a cocktail of drugs. After lots of prayer and tears I have stopped nursing my baby at 6 months. This has been a heart wrenching decision and has not been easy for any of us. Little C was exclusively breastfed until 2 days ago when we introduced food. She is doing great with the food but wants nothing to do with the bottle. As a mom it is killing me to see her so upset when all she wants to do is nurse and I want to nurse her, but drugs for an issue she does not have is dangerous. Stopping nursing so fast has been painful for me as well. It pains me to not be able to bond with my baby over nursing, I have nursed all my kids until 13 months so to stop at 6 months really breaks my heart, but I know it is much safer for her. So that is what has been going on at my house and why I have been a bit quiet lately.
That being said as I faced blogger burnout and life burnout in general I took some time to re-evaluate my blog and where I am going with it. What makes my blog different? Well I am still carving that out but for now I am taking on a new task. I will be going room by room through my house and sharing all the tips and tricks I use to save money in that room. These will be a series of posts with a week or 2 on each room. I am very excited about this and will be kicking the series off next week in the kitchen and with that I will have a fabulous kitchen carnival with great giveaway prizes! Here is where I need your help what things do you struggle saving money on? Do you have some great tips you want to share in a guest post? Either leave a comment on this post or email me your ideas or questions. I want to this to be a back and forth learning series so we can all save money throughout our house!
Mirra Health & Beauty Products (Giveaway)
Recently Kroger started carrying a new line of health and beauty products called Mirra. Mirra products are made from all sorts of elements found in nature. I got to try out several products and I really liked the shampoo and conditioner which contain sunflower extract, soy protein, amino acids, and chicory root. The shampoo and conditioner smelled really nice too. I also got to try the bamboo and honey body wash which is another nice product that I enjoyed. It has a great silky texture that left my skin feeling great. Mirra also carries face products that are made out of natural ingredients as well.These products are very strongly scented so if are adverse to strong smells these may not be the best products for you. Kroger has released a coupon for $5 off any 2 Mirra products you can print your coupon HERE.
For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.
*Friend me on Google Friend Connect ( right side bar)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link back.
* Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me. Copy and paste: Win a Mirra health & beauty care pack from @ThriftyChicMom http://bit.ly/ctpi4L #giveaway (you can do this once a day!)
* Email a friend about this giveaway with a link be sure to CC me thriftyandchic (at) gmail
* Become a fan of Thrifty & Chic Mom on Facebook
*Enter another current giveaway on Thrifty & Chic Mom, simply tell me which one and what comment #
* RSVP and join in my Live Giveaway party on Monday at 10 PM EST
Open to US residents, ends 3/20 at midnight EST. Winner will have 3 days to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Email must be in comment or available in profile. I was provided product free of charge in order to obtain my honest opinion, all opinions are my own. This is part of a Global Influence campaign.
Exergen Temporal Thermometer (Giveaway)
Taking kids temperatures can be such a pain. My kids never stay still and doing rectal temps on babies always made me nervous so I stopped as soon as they were old enough to take it other ways. Recently I go to try out the Exergen Temporal Thermometer. This thermometer is a 
so it scans the temporal artery to get a quick and accurate reading. The Exergen scanner is so amazingly simple to use you simply press against the middle of your child’s forehead and move across to the hair line. It takes seconds and gets and accurate reading. My older 2 girls think it is fun to use and ask me to take there temp. I highly recommend this fabulous thermometer, you can even take your child’s temperature while they are sleeping without bothering them! The Exergen Temporal Thermometer retails for $30 and you can get a $5 rebate coupon HERE.I have an Exergen Temporal Thermometer to give away to one lucky reader to enter tell me why you like this thermometer.
For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.
*Friend me on Google Friend Connect ( right side bar)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link back.
* Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me. Copy and paste: Win an Exergen Temporal Thermometer from @ThriftyChicMom http://bit.ly/djsSXN #giveaway (you can do this once a day!)
* Email a friend about this giveaway with a link be sure to CC me thriftyandchic (at) gmail
* Become a fan of Thrifty & Chic Mom on Facebook
*Enter another current giveaway on Thrifty & Chic Mom, simply tell me which one and what comment #
* RSVP and join in my Live Giveaway party on Monday at 10 PM EST
Open to US residents, ends 3/20 at midnight EST. Winner will have 3 days to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Email must be in comment or available in profile. I was provided product free of charge in order to obtain my honest opinion, all opinions are my own.
This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by: Exergen for this review.
FREE Sephora Mascara
Right now you can get a FREE tube of Too Faced Lash Injection Pinpoint Mascara at the Sephora counter inside JCPenney. Simply take this coupon into the store with you, valid while supplies last.
(thanks Tara)
FREE Movie Download From Film Fresh
Right now you can download one movie from FREE from Film Fresh with promo code DXWB2000. These movies are regularly $9.99.The movies you can choose from are
- Green Lantern: First Flight
- Batman Begins
- Two Weeks Notice
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
In order to vies the video you will need a DivX compatible player, if you do not have one you can download it HERE for FREE.
(thanks Carrie)
Alphabet Photography Winner
Congratulations to #93 Shelley C on winning the Alphabet Photography giveaway
Macys $25 GC Giveaway (2 winners)
I am sure by now you have noticed the ad on my side bar from Trimback.com. Recently they approached me to ask you my fabulous readers for feedback on their site and as a thank you they are giving away 2 $25 eGC to Macy’s. All you need to do is visit Trimback.com and then leave a comment on this post with feedback on the site. They are trying to make their site better so constructive feedback would be most appreciated. For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.
*Friend me on Google Friend Connect ( right side bar)
* Subscribe to the Trimback weekly newsletter
* Blog about this giveaway with a link back.
* Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me and @Trim_back. Copy and paste: Win a $25 eGC to Macys from @Trim_Back & @ThriftyChicMom http://bit.ly/98hQaI 2 winners #giveaway (you can do this once a day!)
* Email a friend about this giveaway with a link be sure to CC me thriftyandchic (at) gmail
* Become a fan of Thrifty & Chic Mom on Facebook
*Become a fan of Trimback on Facebook
*Enter another current giveaway on Thrifty & Chic Mom, simply tell me which one and what comment #
* RSVP and join in my Live Giveaway party on Monday at 10 PM EST
