5 Tips for Traveling Light with Children {Travel Crib Light 2 #Review #Giveaway}

I love to visit family. I especially enjoy visiting my family over the holidays when the kiddos and adults are off of school and work and have the luxury of just hanging out. I know that traveling light as an adult can be pretty simple and straight forward; when I travel without my children all I need is my carry-on bag and I am good for a week! But when you travel with children, especially a baby, the items tend to add up and pretty soon you can feel as if you are traveling with a three ring circus. But you can travel light with children!

Children do not require as much stuff as you think they need. Babies on the other hand require a bit more gear for traveling. Baby gear comes in all shapes and sizes and can be a bit overwhelming at times. But if you choose to travel light there are some great options out there {Thank you BabyBjorn for providing me with a sample of the Travel Crib Light 2}. I have put together this little list of some of my tips for traveling light with children for this holiday season.

Proactive with the Misfit Shine Tracker from Best Buy #Review

Disclosure: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

After having baby number three I have been making an effort to be more conscientious about my daily fitness choices. Being healthy is a choice and one that I usually enjoy making. So when Best Buy offered to send me the Misfit Shine Elegant Wearable Tracker to review I was very excited. This was an item that I had on my Christmas wishlist, so it was like Christmas came early in my house. I have been testing it out for a couple weeks now and I have noticed that I am making more of an effort to be more active daily.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s new Built To Amaze event #Review

Recently my family had the opportunity to go to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s new Built To Amaze event in Chicago. We took both of the boys this time around. We were thinking that the younger one was old enough to enjoy it and be able to sit in a seat without causing too much of a distraction to the people around us. He did great! My children enjoyed the show so much that on the way home from the event they both asked when we could go back. 

Stokke Scoot #Giveaway

The Stokke brand is synonymous with luxury and the Scoot is no exception to this high end standard. This is a partnered giveaway brought to you by Stokke and my friend MamaB just in time for the holidays! One lucky reader is going to win a Stokke Scoot stroller, in the color of their choice - thanks to Stokke! 

babywearing Love with Julia

I love babywearing. I have been babywearing since the birth of my first born son and have enjoyed babywearing with each of my children. I love the snuggles. I love having them close enough that I can bend my head down and kiss my little ones on the head. I also love that baby smell! I love babywearing. I spent a bit of time this morning looking through some pictures and realized that there are quite a few of me babywearing baby Julia. I guess I babywear even more than I realized… and I change up my carriers too. 

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies #Recipe

I love cookies.  My kids love cookies… Everyone loves cookies. It is pretty safe to say that cookies are something that everyone would like to have more of in my house. While I do enjoy the occasional cookie, my thighs and hips let me know exactly just how much eating cookies is costing me. So I have been experimenting once again in the kitchen; this time with cookie recipes. I have been looking for ways of making a healthier – yet still delicious sweet treat. I have gotten rid of butter and instead changed things up by using coconut oil in my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe.

The Chicago 1893 World’s Fair Exhibit at the Field Museum

One of my family’s favorite places to visit in Chicago is The Field Museum. My children love seeing Sue the Tyrannosaurus as well as all of the other dinosaur displays in the Field Museum. The Mammals of Asia and the Crown Family PlayLab are always a big hit. When I found out that the newest exhibit coming to the museum was going to be the 1893 World’s Fair I knew it was time for another trip into the city.

A Healthy Lunch with the Southwest Tuna Salad Wrap #Recipe #OceanNaturals

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

I love tuna. It is a staple in my pantry and something that I crave frequently. I like to eat tuna in sandwiches, wraps, dips, and casseroles. It is a versatile ingredient that not only tastes good, but is also good for you. It is a healthy lunch choice that is naturally delicious. I am always looking for better ways to prepare my meals and make then as healthy and delicious as possible. Since I use Ocean Naturals canned tuna, it is also quick and easy to incorporate tuna into my recipes in a healthy Eco-conscious way.

 

Let it snow… already?

Let it snow… even though there are still leaves on the trees! Let it snow… even though the day before I was mowing my lawn {okay – truth be told, my husband mowed the lawn, not me}. Let it snow… even though I just blogged last week about the beautiful fall weather I was enjoying. I guess I jinxed it because this week we have enjoyed our first snowfall. Illinois weather is so fickle.
 

Keeping dinner light with Thai Shrimp Noodles #Recipe

I have been on a real seafood kick since my pregnancy with baby Julia. Each baby has altered my taste buds quite a bit. With William I stopped going for the sugary sweet, with Steven I started avoiding red meat, and now with baby Julia I have started to lean towards the spicier foods and seafood. This Thai Shrimp Noodle recipe satisfies the seafood craving as well as the spicy craving {don’t worry it isn’t too spicy}. This is a pretty healthy dinner recipe that is filling and filled with some tasty vegetables as well.

15 Minutes for mom with the Graco Little Lounger #Graco15ForMe #Review

I was recently invited to participate in the #Graco15ForMe blogger event which took place in the home of one of my favorite local bloggers Emily from Baby Dickey. I was able to spend some time with a group of local bloggers learning all about the new Graco Little Lounger in Dakota and all of its awesome features.

I had a lot of fun playing with the Little Lounger and since I brought baby Julia with me I was able to really test this product out during the event. Julia was enthralled with the little stars on the mobile and was a big fan of the adjustable recline option. Since I am all about baby gear, playing around with the Little Lounger was a treat for me as well. Graco was kind enough to send each of us bloggers home with one of our own for further testing.

The Joovy Groove Ultralight is a perfect lightweight stroller #Review

I keep falling more and more in love with Joovy and all of their products. This fall my new Joovy love affair is with the Joovy Groove Ultralight stroller. It should come as no surprise that I love strollers, but not all strollers are built with the same quality and thought that goes into Joovy products and the Groove Ultralight is a great example of this.

Years ago my husband decided that we needed a lightweight stroller, an umbrella stroller. We went out and bought a very inexpensive {cheap} lightweight stroller for my husband to use on quick jaunts to the park or short shopping trips. Well… you get what you pay for and the inexpensive umbrella stroller we purchased quickly became a dust collector in the garage. When Joovy provided me with the Joovy Groove Ultralight stroller for review I knew I could finally give away my husband’s old umbrella stroller. This was a definite upgrade and I now find myself choosing the Joovy Groove Ultralight stroller to use on more and more outings.

Autumn Colors in Illinois

I feel like I have finally gotten to enjoy the Fall colors this year. The trees held onto their green leaves for a good long time before finally giving into Mother Nature and turning various shades of crimson and gold. But once those leaves turned, boy did they turn! For the past couple weeks I have been surrounded by beautiful fall colors everywhere I turn and I have loved it. Usually I have only a few days of beautiful fall foliage before a storm blows through and all the leaves are gone. Not this year! This year I get to fall in love with the Fall colors all around me.

How to make a Quiche: Quick & Easy Quiche #Recipe

I love breakfast foods. They are usually pretty easy to make and are delicious any time of day. I especially like quiche. Quiche is great for a breakfast or brunch get together and it is really simple to prepare. I have had quiche at many a baby and bridal shower and it is one of my go-to dishes to make when I have company over. This is a quick and easy recipe that I hope you enjoy.

Tips for Bathing Baby {Boon Naked Bath Tub Review}

Now that there are three little ones in my home I feel like I am constantly bathing my babies! My oldest has decided that he is now a big boy and at 4 years old he should be taking showers and not baths. My younger son loves taking a bath with all of his bath toys and there are quite a few bath toys. My baby girl has graduated from sponge baths -those lovely damp washcloth “baths” newborns get until their umbilical cord stump dries up, falls off, and heals- and is now ready for bathing in an infant/toddler bathtub {Thank you Boon for providing me with a sample of the Naked 2 Position Collapsible Baby Bathtub}. Since I never seem to stop bathing these babies I have decided to put together a few tips and tricks for a successful bath time.