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Frugal Novice

Maternity Dresses for the Modern Mother-to-Be

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When you are expecting a baby, most of your thoughts will be focused on preparing for and welcoming the newest member of your family. In the meantime, life must go on as usual. You will be invited to weddings and other formal occasions where your average maternity clothes just won’t fit the event. You may just want to slip into a beautiful maternity dresses so that you can enjoy the night out with your partner or friends. Including a few trendy tummy maternity dresses in your wardrobe will ensure that are ready to dress up in style and feel elegant throughout your pregnancy.

When it comes to modern maternity dresses, you will find that there are many different styles to choose from. Whether it’s cold or warm out, you’ll be able to find the dresses that you need. Plan ahead so that you are prepared for colder or warmer weather. There are both short sleeve and long sleeve dresses available in a variety of colors, styles and lengths.

To complete your maternity wardrobe, you may want to keep a few casual dresses and formal dresses on hand. Will you be attending a wedding while you are pregnant? Choose from among the many maternity wedding dresses available these days. For less formal occasions, opt for shorter dresses that can be worn over and over again throughout your pregnancy. Whichever style you choose Trendy Tummy Maternity
has you covered.

Keep in mind that you will be able to use the dresses that are already in your wardrobe during your first trimester. Dresses purchased for your second trimester can be used again after you have your baby and are getting back to your pre-pregnancy weight. Dresses for your third trimester will have to allow a greater amount of room, especially around the belly area.

To get the most use out of your maternity dresses, make sure that they hit the knee or below when you first purchase them. As your belly grows, the front hem of the dress will pull up, so leaving a bit of growing room will allow you to wear your dress for an extended period of time. At the same time, you don’t need to settle for tent-like maternity dresses that are not in the least bit flattering. Look for dresses that are made
from high-quality fabrics that stretch, so that they offer a flattering look that is also very comfortable. There’s no reason why you can’t have both comfort and style when it comes to today’s maternity dresses!

Skeeter Nut-Free Cookies Provide Allergy-Friendly Dessert Option

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We’ve been thankful that neither of the boys have food allergies, but I know many families deal with this issue and it can be very scary for both parents and kids! Over the past fifteen years, the number of children with nut allergies has more than tripled, making it important—now more than ever—to consider snacks that are nut-free and nut-safe for everyone.

Skeeter Snacks are a line of nut-free cookies that anyone can safely enjoy.-

  • Created by two dads with nut-allergic children, Skeeter Snacks are produced using the highest safety standards in facilities that do not process any products containing tree nuts or peanuts.
  • The company is committed to the ongoing education of parents, educators, and others about the dangers of nut allergies. In fact, a portion of Skeeter Snacks’ profits supports the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.
  • The snacks come in three tasty flavors, including Chocolate Chunk, Golden Oatmeal, and Skeeterdoodle. They’re available online and at major retailers.

  

The boys tried the Golden Oatmeal and Skeeterdoodle (snickerdoodle) the other day for a treat, and they were a hit! When you’re looking for a convenient dessert option, Skeeter Snacks are a great option that provides peace of mind and delicious cookies that kids and parents alike will enjoy.

Note: We received Skeeter Snacks cookies to facilitate our review. We were not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and are our own.

What Would You Do if You Lost Your Cell Phone?

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I know what I’d do – FREAK OUT! My phone is my hub of organization. It houses my work & home calendars, my contacts, photos and more. I think now with all that phones are capable of, it’s very common for people to rely heavily on their phones. What would you do if you lost or damaged your phone?

The complete Asurion protection package, available through most wireless companies, empowers you with protection, whether you need technology to secure your data privacy against growing mobile threats, need a device expert who’s just a call or click away, or coverage to replace your phone as quickly as the next day.

My husband (back when he was just my boyfriend) was apparently trying to multitask one day and somehow dropped his phone in the toilet. Ruined, instantly! I have a friend who wrote on Facebook just the other day about trying to take a photo by the pool when her son accidentally bumped her arm and, well, her phone went for a swim.

Needless to say, it’s very easy for something to happen to your phone, and Asurion provides protection for when something goes wrong.

Asurion has generously offered to let me host a giveaway – and the winner gets to PICK between a $40 Amazon gift card or a $40 iTunes gift card. Nice, right This contest is open to all U.S. residents aged 18+. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day (midnight Central) Sunday, August 19. By entering this giveaway you agree to the Official Rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: I received a gift card and one is being provided for the giveaway. All opinions in this post are honest and are my own.

What’s Your Dream Nursery?

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When J was born, we had an adorable nursery set up for him with the CoCalo Alphabet Soup collection, pictured below (a retail pic, not our nursery). When C was born, we added a toddler bed for J and had everything blend together. The walls are colorful (light blue on two walls, green on two walls) and really make for a fun space.

For this baby, we haven’t set up a nursery yet. Right now our third bedroom is a playroom, and we’re wanting to sell our house, so we weren’t sure if it’d be worth all the time and effort to set something up just to have to move it. Plus, our babies room in with us in a bassinet for the first several months after they’re born, so it’s not a huge rush. Still, the nesting pregnant person in me has spent more than a little time looking at nursery ideas on Pinterest!

When I was first looking online for ideas, I found a nursery that’s more extravagant than my entire house put together:

Created by Little Crown Interiors and shared on ProjectNursery.com

Check out the fabric-draped ceiling and the custom dresser! To really get an idea of how custom and extravagant this room is be sure and check it out on ProjectNursery.com. I’m not a big silk and crystals kind of girl, but that changing table alone is AMAZING – the storage solutions will knock your socks off!

I don’t think rooms have to be extravagant to be beautiful, though – you shouldn’t have to invest with the US Money Reserve to line the walls with gold or anything. For us, we tend to like modern, clean lines, and those furniture pieces can be a little pricier, but I think you can also make a really big impact with the paint on the walls and vinyl wall graphics (or by painting a mural yourself with the help of a projector)! I also like the idea of shopping antique stores for unique items to make your baby’s nursery special.

What would your dream nursery include?

Wordless Wednesday: Swagger Wagon

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We held off on getting a full-fledged minivan, buying a Mazda 5 in 2010 as a compromise. But now that we’ll soon have 3 kiddos, it was pretty much inevitable we’d need something bigger. Well, I felt that way, and Brian either agreed or got tired of hearing me talk about it. :) Regardless, we traded in the Mazda for a Toyota Sienna on Saturday. And, well, I kinda love it. I think Brian might, too.

Winners Galore :)

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Well, I think this is the largest number of giveaways I’ve announced at once – it’s a lot of fun seeing this big list of people that have all won a great prize! :)

Yarnaholics Winner

“Teach My Baby” Kit Winner

Ritmo Audio Belt Winner

Ritmo Advanced System Winner

Signazon Custom Canvas Winner

Universal Organizers Winner

Jason’s Deli T-Shirt Winners

Jason’s Deli $25 Gift Card Winner

Exederm Moisturizer Winner

Cold Stone Gift Card Winner

Cozy Coo Sway Seat Winner

BEABA Prize Pack Winner

The Children’s Place $25 Gift Card Winner

Balboa Baby Shopping Cart Cover Winner

Join me for the Pulled Pork Twitter Party!

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I love to write about food and recipes, so I’m especially excited to announce that I am co-hosting a Twitter party with the National Pork Board and The Motherhood!  We’ll be talking about recipe ideas for pulled pork – a tasty and versatile summer staple for potlucks, picnics and group gatherings – and giving away great prizes!

When: Thursday, July 19, 7-8 p.m. ET

Where: The party will take place on Twitter, using the #PlatesofPork hashtag.

Who: The National Pork Board (@AllAboutPork) and The Motherhood (@theMotherhood) will be hosting. You must follow both Twitter handles to be eligible to win prizes.


Prizes: Five prize packs will be given away throughout the hour, based on responses to trivia questions.  Each prize pack will contain a $20 Walmart gift card, slow cooker, cutting board, three-piece BBQ tool set and sauce bucket/brush (total ARV $116).  Official Rules are here.

RSVP: Let us know if you’ll be there! Click this link and press the orange “count me in” button on the right-hand side.

I hope you’ll join us! It’ll be a lot of fun, and you might just win one of the great prize packs!

Note: Thank you to The National Pork Board and The Motherhood  for this opportunity.  I am being compensated for my time as a co-host.  All opinions stated in this post are honest and my own. 

Fun Shutterfly Contest – Win a Trip to the Bahamas!

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I’m a big Shutterfly fan to begin with (have you seen all their photo products? Their photo books are my favorite – and I’m a BIG fan of vacations, so it only seemed fitting to share this contest with y’all.

Long Live Summer Facebook Photo Contest Details: July 9 – August 12  – Multi-week summer themed photo sweepstakes with instant win prizes!

Win a trip for four to The Bahamas and a professional photo shoot so you’ll remember your vacation forever.  All you need to do is upload your favorite photo and caption based on the theme of the week.  Get a gift from Shutterfly just for entering! You can enter at any point during the 5-week sweepstakes period.

PHOTO THEMES

•       Week 1(7/9): Americana

•       Week 2 (7/16): Great Outdoors

•       Week 3 (7/23): Water Fun

•       Week 4 (7/30): Sports & Activities

•       Week 5 (8/6): Parties & Celebrations

PRIZES

•       Instant win prizes just for submitting a photo!

•       Weekly prizes (contestants can enter one time/week)

•       Weekly featured photos: up to 5 weekly entries will be selected from the gallery and featured on the Facebook fan page and awarded a $500 gift card on Shutterfly and a copy of the new Lonely Planet travel photography book.

•       Grand prize: trip for 4 to Bahamas, 4 nights, family photo shoot

Shutterfly Sweepstakes – Official Rules

Note: I am receiving a promotional item to thank me for this post.

Lansinoh Affinity Double Electric Pump Review

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I had no clue about the importance of a good pump when J was born. Of course, some people just breastfeed exclusively and don’t use a pump, but for me it was a really important tool. We ended up renting one from the hospital, and it worked well but was $45/month, which adds up quickly. With C, I bought a single electric pump. Although it served its purpose, I realized quickly that a single pump was not for me – it takes twice as long!

This time around I am excited to have the Lansinoh Affinity Double Electric Pump to use.

Lansinoh is a well-respected name in breastfeeding supplies. Their pump is affordably priced at around $129.99 (depending on retailer – I found it for more and for less at various online stores).

One aspect of the pump I love right off the bat is the capability to plug it in OR use batteries (6 AA). In most instances I’m sure I’ll use the plug, but if you’re traveling then being able to use batteries can be a lifesaver.

The flanges around the pump are a soft material (silicone, I believe) which allows for a much higher comfort level than the hard plastic many pumps have. And as you can see in the photo above, the whole unit is pretty compact – which again makes it great for traveling.

The base is pretty simple to operate with a power button, a let down button, and then buttons to to control the speed and the suction. The digital screen allows you to keep track of settings and the time you’ve used the pump.

I’ll follow up once the baby is here and let you know how it’s going using the pump, but for now we just turned it on to see. The pump is somewhat loud, but from my experience with other pumps it’s not much louder than the norm, and in most cases this won’t really matter because I pump at home. I held one of the flanges up to the palm of my hand to gauge suction, and this seems to be a powerful pump especially for the size!

The pump came with a few extras, too:

I’ll be planning to get more of the storage bags – these are great for freezing milk in to have on hand for longer-term use. They also have more of the bottles you can screw on to the pump, and I’ll probably get more of those – it makes it easier to have multiple bottles and not have to wash them each time you want to pump.

Overall I’d say this is a great, affordable pump that is easy to use. Keep an eye out for my follow-up post once the baby is here and I’ll give you some more opinions!

Note: I received this pump to facilitate my review. I was not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and are my own.

Little Busy Books from School Zone

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The School Zone “Little Busy Books” are aptly named, considering they’re meant for preschoolers – who are always busy! We got the Coloring Adventure book (perfect for C, with a little help from us) and the Dot-to-Dot book, which J just loved. We used them at church last Sunday, and they were great for keeping the boys busy & quiet! These books both retail for $2.99.

Note: We received the books for review. I was not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions are honest and our own.

Blooming Bath Review & Giveaway

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After having two kids, it’s easy to feel like you’ve seen all the products that are out there. I was completely surprised and intrigued when I discovered the Blooming Bath, a soft insert that parents can use in the sink to easily bathe their babies. It was created by four dads who all noticed how hard it can be to safely bathe slippery, squirming infants.

The Blooming Bath is a good size – I didn’t realize how large it would be, but it really is substantial which provides plenty of cushioning for your little one. Here’s a shot of it spread out on our table – isn’t it cute?

The center is a brown minky fabric that’s really soft for babies to sit on:

Here you can see a shot of the fabric from the front of the petals and then the backing too:

And on the back of the Blooming Bath there’s a tag that also doubles as a loop for hanging it up:

I tried putting ours in the sink to see how it would fit, and it seems like it will be a great setup for our baby to sit in and lean against for bathing:

The Blooming Bath is machine washable, but if it doesn’t get dirty you can just toss it in the dryer after you use it – simple! I mentioned that this is pretty large when you lay it out, but since it’s soft and foamy it’s easy to fold it up into a compact size that makes this a travel-friendly option, too. And wouldn’t this make a great shower gift? It’s adorable and practical, and will make a great impression on the recipient.

One lucky reader will win a Blooming Bath in their color choice (turquoise, pink, or yellow, ARV $40.00)!  This contest is open to all U.S. residents aged 18+. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day (midnight Central) Saturday, July 28. By entering this giveaway you agree to the Official Rules.

Note: I received a Blooming Bath to facilitate this post, one is being provided for this giveaway. I was not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions in this post are honest and are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tommee Tippee Bottles

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I’ve written a couple of different posts about Tommee Tippee products – their sippy cups are our new favorites, and I’m so impressed with the compact efficiency of their bottle sterilizer (I know this is going to make life easier once the baby arrives). I also got a chance to review some of their bottles, and was especially excited after hearing great things from other friends who use them.
You can tell these bottles are different right from the start – they’re wider than normal bottles, for one thing, and the entire bottle nipple area is wider too (meant to mimic breastfeeding, making it easier for babies to transition between bottle & breastfeeding). There’s also an advanced easi-vent valve that helps guard against air intake, vacuum buildup and nipple collapse, reducing the chances of gas and colic while baby feeds. This is really important to us because C had a ton of issues with gas & spitting up, and we think if we’d had the Tommee Tippee bottles it would have helped.
Features of Tommee Tippee Bottles include:
  • BPA- and phthalate-free
  • Unique soft, ultra-wide nipple mimics natural shape, feel and movement of breastfeeding
  • Ultra-sensitive anti-colic valve lets babies feed at their pace for less air, vacuum build- up and nipple collapse
  • Seamless transition from breast to bottle
  • Shaped for a comfortable hold for baby and mom
  • Nipples are progressively staged to meet baby’s needs from first latch to first sips
The Tommee Tippee bottles (and other products) are available at Target now, did you know? Our Target had an aisle that held a bunch of their products:
I’m really excited to have discovered Tommee Tippee products this time around! Have you seen their products in your Target?