Mother's Day with Minted

(Disclosure: In exchange for sharing this with you, I will receive credit for product from Minted.com.)

I first discovered Minted around the time my daughter was born (nearly a year ago now). I was so sad that I hadn't know about their birth announcements!  When I still had a bun in the oven and was ready to buy the entire baby aisle, I posted about ordering prints for the nursery and for the boys' room and how excited I was!  Boy, was I missing out!

Minted has a whole slew of children's art prints, and I'm particularly loving this Anatomy of a Name print and it's available in 6 different colors!

While I'm going to spend the next week drooling over children's prints, I know Mother's Day is coming up fast!  Sunday May 10th, just 8 days after my baby turns one (insert sobbing here) and my middle child turns five!

While I was surfing through Minted's new collection of art prints, I came across the perfect Mother's Day present for my closest and longest friend!

Her family recently adopted an evil adorable Boston Terrier puppy, and this print is just so darn cute!  They also have a Doberman (talk about weird family dynamics), and she already has hanging wall wart for him.  I feel she just has to have this.  Since I'm terrible at keeping presents a secret (or any secrets, for that matter), she has also agreed that she needs this.

However, unlike me, you might not think a Boston Terrier print says Happy Mother's Day! That's okay!  There are tons of other options.  For something a little more traditional, you could buy your mom, grandma, or other mommy gal pal one of the Luminous prints or a Fading Pink Roses photograph!

Minted also has these new map gifts where you can fill in family photos in the shape of your home state (or some other state if you prefer, I guess).  I, however, am super impressed with their nifty foil maps.  Can you say shiny!

On a final note, I might be most excited about their Submit a Design challenges!  If you're not familiar, Minted hosts challenges where artists can submit their work to different categories (such as Happy New Years).  The fans vote and the winning designs are sold on Minted.  Winners get paid between $100 and $1000 and they get 8% commission on prints sold.  As a Vis Comm college student, I'm hoping to dive in on this challenge!

What piece art would be perfect for a deserving mom in your life?

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4 Nursing Pad Options Compared

Breastfeeding moms everywhere can relate to the need of a good nursing pad!  Later in the nursing journey, some women are able to mostly do without them.  However, early on, at the very least, leaking is pretty common!

Mom icon made by Freepik & licensed under CC BY 3.0

My daughter is 9 months old now and I still wear a nursing pad, religiously.  I have oversupply, and my daughter is a great sleeper; so I still have let down/leakage from time to time.

Here is a quick table comparison of 4 nursing pad options, based on my experience with them.  A more detailed review can be found below!

	Lansinoh Stay Dry	Nuk Ultra Dry	Nuk Reusable	Evenflo
Price	OK	Good	Best	Good
Absorbency/Dryness	Best	Good	Minimal	OK
Comfort/Fit	Best	Good	OK	OK
Overall	Best overall.	Great for price!	Eco & cost friendly.	Cost friendly.

Lansinoh Stay Dry

The Lansinoh Stay Dry Day & Night nursing pads are, in my opinion, the superior of the four.  They do cost a bit more, typically, though.  The little bit of extra money is worth the extra luxury if you can afford it.

These nursing pads are stay in place the absolute best out of all these options, with their two adhesive strips.  They are comfortable and have a literal stay dry feeling, unlike the Nuk Reusable and the Evenflo options.

Nuk Ultra Dry

Nuk Ultra Dry are a great option, too, especially if you're trying to pinch every penny you can but still want a great quality product.  The also leave you feeling dry, like the Lansinoh Stay Dry, and have comparable absorbency; though I think the Lansinoh brand is marginally better.

The comfort and fit are comparable to Lansinoh, also, but they don't stay in place as well.  This is probably because they only have one adhesive strip.  Nuk also has an Ultra Thin option, which is comparable to the Evenflo one evaluated here.  I bought it on accident once.

Nuk Reusable

Many moms are looking to reusable nursing pads because they are cost and environmentally friendly.  Nuk brand, among others, offers a reusable option.  These nursing pads are washable and reusable, but I do feel you sacrifice some other qualities with this option.

The pads were not fast to absorb, so I felt like I was sitting in a puddle of my own breast milk leakage for a bit.  They were also a bit bulky compared to the options and did not stay in place as well, regardless of their no slip fabric.

Evenflo

The Dollar General is my small town started carrying the Evenflo brand, and I was excited to have them local for when I forgot them on my grocery trip that week and ran out.  I keep these as my back up option, because I don't go through the whole box before purchasing some Lansinoh or Nuk disposables.  In fact, I was just wearing these yesterday!

Their absorbency and fit are OK, but not as good as either of the other two disposable options mentioned.  They are affordable and definitely serve their purpose.  These also do not have the sticky adhesive, so they more prone to need readjusting.

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August's Movie Reel

I don't know if I've ever mentioned that my husband is a movie buff, but he is.  He watches so many movies and TV in general.  He loves it.  It's his thing.  Therefore, I've seen more than my share of movies (good and bad) during our relationship.  August seems to have been a real kicker for me, so I wanted to share the movies I've watched and my experiences with them.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

A reimagining of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies,  reporter April O'Neil is looking into a local crime organization and gets saved by mutated turtles who intended to not only save her, but the entire city of New York.

Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, and William Fichtner

This seemed like a must watch from the second the trailer aired.  With the Turtles boasting a new, unique look to them and a humor-packed preview, I was beyond excited.

Unfortunately, the movie was a little dry and predictable for my taste.  All of the funnies seemed to have been left in the trailer with nothing to look forward to in the actual movie.

As expected, the story line was predictable, but not exactly the same as the original Ninja Turtles'.  Therefore, they surely upset a few hardcore fans.

We did take our 8 and 4 year-old and our newborn.  The boys loved it and were zombie fighting ninja turtles (yes, my boys were cross over some other favorites) for a few days following the movie.

Rating: 6/10

Blended

A story two parents who have an awful blind date and then are forced together with their separate families on spring vacation.

Starring: Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler

Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler have great chemistry, yet again!  I laughed so hard I was brought to tears by this romantic comedy of two radically different single parents who just can't seem to get away from each other, no matter how hard they try.

We watched this as a couple and it was everything we hoped it would be.  It was appropriately funny with just enough romance.  We were disappointed to only have rented it and will definitely buy it soon!

Rating: 10/10

Leprechaun: Origins

Another re-imagining of an old favorite, Leprechaun: Origins promises to be more scare and gore minus the funny of the other Leprechaun movies.  Two couple travelling through Ireland are about to discover a small village's dark secret.

Starring: Brendan Fletcher, Melissa Roxburgh, Andrew Dunbar, and Stephanie Bennett.

I was not looking forward to this movie.  My husband was boasting how scary it was going to be, and I expected to spend most of the time with my head buried in his chest.  Instead I spent the entire movie waiting to be that scared.  To say it was a huge disappointment to both of us would be about as accurate as I can get.

We expected much more from this movie, but maybe the Leprechaun story just doesn't exist without that funny, demented, evil Leprechaun from all the other movies.  Personally, I think there is no wow factor and they could have done so much more with this.

Rating: 3/10

The Expendables 3

The Expendables must take down an international arms dealer, who just happens to be an old friend-turned-enemy of Barney's that everyone thought was dead.

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, and Jackie Chan, among others.

We couldn't wait to go see this movie, and we lucked into being the only two people in the theater!  How great!  Anyway, the movie was another action packed win in our book!  My husband even speculates that they've set the stage for the next generation of Expendables with this one.

Rating: 8/10

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0-3 Months Favorite Baby Items

Awwww.  It's so sad (and, okay, also exciting).  My baby girl turned three months old on August 2nd (yes it really is August guys).  So, I know many of you are rounding up last minute school supplies or maybe your little (or not so little) ones are already back in school.

I was just thinking about some of my favorite things so far with kiddo #3.  I've discovered many new baby items that I wish I'd known about before!  We all know that diapers and wipes and somewhere for baby to sleep are essential, so let's skip those things and talk about some other great baby items for your baby from newborn to three months.

0-3 Month Essentials & Favorites

One through five are not affiliate links of any sort.  They're simply links to Amazon for the exact item which I use, except for the ring sling.  I made my own ring sling.

1. Baby Trend Sit N Stand Ultra Stroller

I absolutely adore my stroller.  I posted about getting one back in February, before Luna was born, and I have been thrilled with it, just as I expected I would be.  It's absolutely perfect for my preschooler and infant combination, since my 4 year-old likes to get in and out.  If you want to know more about the Sit N Stand's features, feel free to read my original post recommending it.

2. Bright Starts Bouncer

We have this exact bouncer.  My daughter absolutely loves it.  I stopped putting batteries in it after the second time someone took her out of it and didn't turn it off, so the batteries died the same day they were put in.  

She likes the activity bar that you can attach to it and I often clip other colorful toys onto it.  Plus, it's a great way for her to get in some kicking action.  She kicks her leg  to bounce herself.

While we loved the swing the first few weeks (and still use it 1-2x a day), the bouncer is much more portable and she seems to like it best.

3. Ring Sling

I am so sad I didn't know about babywearing with my first baby.  However, I'm so glad I've discovered it this time around.  I made my own ring sling for around $15, but this is a link to an Amazon search for ring slings.

You can also search Google for some smaller businesses that sell ring slings or look on Etsy.

Either way, I highly recommend one!  They are easy to use, versatile, great for nursing in (especially in public), and will allow you some hands-free cuddling and nursing time.

4. Munckin Cleaning Brush Set

All you Dr. Brown's lovin' mommas out there (sorry, I'm not one of them) will be really excited about this.  I have heard lots of moms recommend Dr. Brown's bottles, but I personally think they look like a nightmare so I've never used them.  

They have that long straw-like tube, that is apparently impossible to clean without the brush that comes with the bottles.  

You can buy replacement brushes (~$5) from Dr. Brown's, but I've never seen them in store.  On the other hand, I purchased this Munchkin cleaning brush set at Wal Mart for about $4.  It has 2 nipple brushes, 1 valve and 1 spout brush.  

How awesome, right?

These are also really great for cleaning breast pump parts.

5. Baby Trend Play Yard (Pack N Play)

My wonderful father bought me this as a baby shower gift.  It's absolutely amazing!

With our first baby, we used a pack n play almost never.  We lived in a single story apartment, briefly shared a room as a family at my mother in law's, and lived in a two bedroom trailer during my son's infancy/early toddler years.  There was rarely a need for him to be in the pack n play.

However, we now live in a two story home.  We bed share with our daughter, but she does still have a crib and pack n play.  The pack n play is downstairs for easy access for diaper changes and daytime naps.

Luna has just started noticing the giraffes hanging from the canopy, and she loves to stare at them.  The storage attachment on the front holds wipes and diapers, and then still has room for other essentials (like baby powder or lotion) and there's a pouch on the side I use for her dirty clothes!

6. Diapers.com

Now, I used Diapers.com one time with my first baby because new customers can save $10 off their first case of diapers (use code:  HEYMAMA) and free 1-2 day delivery at $49.

However, I never realized how fantastic Diapers.com was until I gave it a go this time around.

After I finally ran out of diapers from my husband's pre-baby diaper party, I looked to Diapers.com for my diapering needs.  There's always a coupon code to be had or a sale to take advantage of.  Also, you get discounts for autoshipping!

You can set up an auto shipment for every 1-16 weeks or every 6 or 8 months.  I get an auto shipment every 4 weeks.  It's fantastic that I never have to worry about running to the store to buy diapers or wipes, and they come right to my door monthly.  Convenient and I'm not spending more than I would buying them at the store!

Actually, I've always saved money thanks to discounts, sales, and coupon codes.  How awesome is that!

If you use my referral code, you can get 20% off your first order at Diapers.com or any of the other Familyhood sites, except BarSoap.  And I will get $5 credit toward my future orders.  Use code AMAN90535 at check out.

They're also having a sale on breastfeeding related items this month, so go check them out!

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First Aid Shot Review #FASTRelief

I received this item complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received. #FASTrelief #SurfsUpVoxBox.

A few weeks ago I attended a bachelorette party.  I rarely go out, have girls nights, etc.  I'm more of a stay-at-home-and-read kind of person.  If I get a night to myself, I spend it catching up on TV shows, reading a book, surfing the internet, or...sleeping.

Anyway, I cracked open my first alcoholic beverage in nearly a year; a fruity wine cooler, I knew I'd love from past experience.  Not even halfway through the wine cooler and I have the worse head ache imaginable.  I feel like the side of my face is being smashed in.

Unfortunately, on that night, I did have any First Aid Shot Therapy (FAST) pain reliever.  I was forced to drown my pain in jello shots and amaretto sour.  It was either that or call the hubby to come get me and scrap my whole night of fun.

So, it took a bachelorette party and a wine cooler to discover I have a tooth that for sure needs pulled, if not two.  However, lack of health coverage has me dentist shopping and, therefore, suffering a little while longer (and skipping the wine coolers until further notice).

FAST pain relief is a liquid, single does shot made with FDA compliant active ingredients.  When another tooth ache assaulted me the other day, I quickly downed FAST instead of my usual acetaminophen.

FAST claims to be berry flavored, but I don't really know.  I tipped my head back, dumped it in, a pretty much swallowed before I had to taste too much.  It's fairly bland if taken quickly, though I did get a quick bitter taste before I swallowed.

Bottoms up!  #FASTRelief

When I sniffed it before pouring it down my throat (yes, I did that), it was odorless.  Therefore, I wasn't sure what to expect when swallowing it.  Hence my decision to down it ASAP.

I'm not really sure when the pain relief came (between a crying baby and an only partially potty trained pup), but it was within the hour and it lasted over four hours.  I ended up going to sleep before it wore off or at least I went to sleep without my toothache returning.

Success!

FAST pain relief combines caffeine (a pain relief aid) and Choline Salicylate (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug - NSAID) for a fast acting, convenient pain relief solution!

Find F.A.S.T. at a location near you!

I was really impressed with FAST.  As the acronym suggests and the product promises, pain relief is quick and lasting.  And the single dosage shot is super convenient!

Have you ever tried FAST or something like it?  What's your go to pain reliever?

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Shayla Black: Ours to Love | Book Review

I recently read Shayla Black's Ours to Love; an erotic tale self-described as "a wicked lovers novel."  This is the first book I've read by Shayla Black, but definitely not my first delve into erotic novels (Harlequin books, anyone?).

Ours to Love book cover.

Black wastes no time getting down and dirty; a few sentences in and I'm already wondering Is every erotic novel based on the BDSM scene?  Obviously, I'm referring to the recent fame and success of BDSM erotica Fifty Shades of Grey.

Yes, you've heard of it.  I'm sure.

Starting off strong, I fully expected Black's book to be filled to the max with steamy goodness.  Well, that, it was.

However, when you stripped away all the sexing, there really wasn't much sustenance to the book.  Was there really much of a story in there?  No, I didn't think so.

Ours to Love features a sweet, naive, somewhat sassy female that seems top clique and I was feeling all been there, done that while reading the story.

I'm someone who has to know the ending, so I, of course, finished it.

In my opinion, Black's book was mediocre, at best.  It was thoroughly lacking a story when you stripped away all the sex.  The story that was there seemed to play out too quick, which caused for lack of character development and everyone seemed very bland.

I will probably give Ms. Black another chance sometime in the future, but Ours to Love is not a book I'll ever read again.

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Two Fantasy Book Series Worth Reading

So I recently connected with Elle in a blogger support group, and I'm super excited to be guest posting for her today (and hopefully again in the future).

For my first guest post on her blog, Elle Ay Ess, I will be sharing my two favorite fantasy book series that you absolutely must read!

We have one PG-13 and one X rated series that each present their own beautiful world, characters, and stories.

If you want to find out what my two must read fantasy book series are, then hop on over to Elle Ay Ess and READ MORE!

Meep Kids Tablet Review

Gabriel received a Meep for Christmas this year from my husband and I. He will be four on May 2nd, so he was about 3 and half years old when he first received it. I used to have an iPad (before I left it in a Wal Mart shopping cart and didn't realize it for 6 hours), and Gabriel loved the thing! Actually, I think he played with it more than I did! A Meep seemed to be a more age (and wallet) appropriate compromise. So, after months of owning the Meep, I'm here to give my personal opinions on it.

^{Original Image Credit}

Overview

I know that kid tablets are the new "thing" and I can honestly say I don't know much about any of the others. I had/have not heard good things about the Nabi, but I can't say for sure how much of this secondhand information is true; especially considering reviews like this one that hold the Nabi in high regard. However, I'm still more than happy with my decision to go with the Meep; which I based largely on reviews from Amazon consumers (where I do most of my product research before buying).

MEEP! is an innovative, interactive, rugged Wi-Fi enabled tablet featuring amazing zForce® touch screen technology designed for kids age 6 and above. Access a vast library of pre-loaded games, apps, e-books and more all at the touch of your finger. Plus download hundreds of action packed games, challenging learning activities and more. All that’s needed is your imagination and the desire to have a blast! ^{-Official Meep Descripton}

Specs

You can see Meep's official specs here.

^{Original Image Credit}

Parental Controls:

The parental controls are my absolute favorite thing about this tablet! They are much more extensive and customizable than anything else I've ever used.

Time Control

For example, you can limit the amount of time your child spends on various activities. My son is only allowed 2 hours of YouTube time per day, because otherwise he would spend entire days on YouTube. However, this bring me to my next point, which is one of my favorite things about the Meep...

Content Control

Even better, though, is he can only watch Meep approved or me (parent) approved YouTube videos. No more clicking from a perfectly kid friendly video through who-knows-how-many-videos until he eventually ends up on something not so appropriate.

App Control

My kid cannot even download a free app without my permission, which I find pretty nifty. Apps are available from the Meep Store or from Google Play. Google Play, however, can only be accessed via a parental account or with its permission first. I advise cross checking prices before purchasing any apps, if you're a penny-pincher like me. I've heard that sometimes there's a slight price difference for the same app between the "kid's" (or Meep) store and the Google Play store. I haven't actually observed this myself, though. We rarely buy apps.

Parent Account

A parental account, setup during configuration of the tablet, controls the activities of the child or children using it. Your parental controls are cloud based, meaning you don't have to physically be holding and using the tablet to monitor your child's activities or approve something for download. From your parental account you can adjust parental controls or settings, whitelist or blacklist websites and words, afford coin allowances for your child to buy apps in the Meep store, and more. It's pretty impressive!

Set-Up & Design

Before giving the Meep to my child, I opened it and configured it so he could get right to playing with it on Christmas morning. It took me somewhere between 30-60 minutes to do so, but I don't really remember because I was multitasking wrapping other presents. Anyway, it was really easy and gave me a chance to mess around with the tablet some.

Battery Life

The battery life, in my experience is at least 4 hours, though I've been really, really bad at keeping track so I could share with you. Amazon reviews say it's somewhere in the 6 to 8 hour region, which sound right to me.

My only complaint here is the Meep never seems to go to sleep on it's own. You can flick the power switch and it will go to sleep, but my sons has been on hours after it's been left sitting. I can only assume that this uses a ton more battery life than necessary.

Power Button

It's actually more of a power switch and I hate it. It's very difficult for small children to use and I don't know if that intentional or not, but I don't like it. Of course, my kid never wants to turn the thing off. He'd much rather just leave it lying around. However, if it is off for some reason, he might want to turn it on and become frustrated. It's not that he can't do it, it's just not as easy as it could be.

General Ease of Use & Durability

My son is pretty easy on his Meep, actually. However, it has survived these past 4 months without incurring any damage and he is not-quite-four, y'know. I think that means the Meep is durable enough.

I saw on Amazon reviews before buying the Meep that a few parents said it was a waste if your child had already been exposed to much more "advanced" tablets like the iPod because this kid tablet would bore them. This hasn't been true for us, at all. However, reviews were correct when they said it can be slow or laggy at times. It's never full on frozen but you will sometimes get a message asking you if you want to close a program that you're loading because it's taking too long to respond. Other than the power button, that's my biggest peeve.

Frozen: A Movie Review #redboxrental

So my family loves Redbox! As much as we enjoy seeing a good movie on the big screen, the movie theater is typically out of our price range. When we went to see the Lego Movie, it still cost us over $30 to see a matinee; and we all shared a large soda and popcorn! Call me stingy, but that seems like an awful lot of money. I don't mind every now and then as a special treat, but I'd much rather rent from Redbox.

Frozen Trailer on Disney Video

So recently, my family and I sat down together and watched Frozen after I was finally lucky enough to locate it in one of the many Redboxes in the city where I attend college. We've been trying to have family movie nights roughly once a month. We've already watched the Lego Movie and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. Frozen was, big surprise, my pick.

Quick Ratings

• Story: 4/5
  
• Graphics: 5/5
  
• Entertainment: 4.75/5
  
• Overall: 5/5

Fearless optimist Anna teams up with Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter. Quoted from IMDb

This may have been a total mom pick, but all three of the boys loved it. Yes, even my husband. Actually, my husband announced that we will definitely be buying Frozen sometime in the future. Gabriel was especially fond of Olaf, a quirky, dim witted snowman, you can't help but love!

Image retrieved from Frozen's official site & property of Disney.

The story is nothing spectacular, though it's certainly no snooze fest. I'm not sure how many innovative, wow-worthy stories Disney has left, considering the multitude of movies they have already produced. I would probably call this a typical Disney story, but a good story, nonetheless.
The entertainment part only falls short in a few places where it's just so ridiculous, it feels a little forced. I think this appeals more to children than it does to adults like me, but my husband also enjoys this kind of humor/entertainment, at times. For the most part, Frozen was filled with silliness and ridiculousness that we just loved. Adults and children alike can find this movie enjoyable and funny.
This movie was another great pick and a great Redbox rental choice! Have you ever used Redbox? What is your favorite way to watch movies?
Today is letter 'F' for the A to Z Challenge. I chose to review Frozen, a Disney movie we recently watched as a family, in honor of the letter 'F'.

Grocery Pal: App Review

Next week, I hope to roll out a new weekly post theme (Weekly Menu Wednesdays) and Grocery Pal has become closely tied into my meal planning process. I love to save money, so ad matching, couponing, and shopping sales are a really important part of that.

(Source for All Images)

With Grocery Pal you can track in store specials per store, search for something specific (example: "apple" or "Downy") within all your stores' specials. You can also view, "clip", email yourself, and print coupons to use. You can create multiple shopping lists, though I haven't had a personal need for more than one.

When viewing weekly specials, you can click and add items to your list(s). You can even add the quantity, if you want to also use this app to track your expenses. Each list displays a total for the items listed, and you can check mark items as your purchase them and then "check out" via a cart symbol to remove them from your list. When viewing shopping lists, by default you see everything you've added from every store. However, if you just happen to make a quick stop at Dollar General and want to see what you have on your list from them only, you can view only your Dollar General list items.

Specials are pulled from stores you've specifically added to your store list after searching an area around your zipcode. Not buying something on special? That's okay! You can add items to your list by clicking a plus sign and searching for a type or brand. If you know how much they cost and how many you want to buy, you can add that, too. There's even a section for notes!

You can get Grocery Pal on iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon.

I was not compensated in any way for this review.