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Friday, December 12, 2014

Wait, it's almost Christmas?!

So, this year it just doesn't feel like Christmas. For one, we do not have any snow. It's been a record-breaking warm December (which I LOVE because I hate the cold!), which makes it hard to imagine Christmas coming soon. Even though I dislike snow, I do like a white Christmas.

And secondly, we are moving! Yep, we finally sold our house and put an offer on a new house. We are supposed to move the weekend before Christmas. So instead of lights on the house, a decorated fresh tree, and Christmas stuff everywhere we have a house that is getting more bare by the day and a fake empty tree sitting in the living room. Hard to get in the spirit without any visual reminders.

I finally got most of our Christmas shopping done online yesterday. We are trying to keep it really simple this year because of the move and Hubby and I told each other we aren't getting each other gifts because the new house is our present.

Speaking of the new house, I'm really excited about it! It's bigger than our current home, has 7 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms which is nice with our big family, and has a nice big backyard. So happy to finally have a yard for the kids to play in! Almost 1/2 acre, fully fenced, big deck, and garden area. Our dog will love having so much more room too. It's been fun trying to visualize where all our stuff will go.

Anyway, today 5 of the 6 kids are sick. Fever, throwing up, diarrhea. At least they waited until after my birthday yesterday. And hopefully they get over it quickly. Especially because the older boys are supposed to have a going away party with their friends tonight. Jason so far hasn't gotten it, and hopefully Jakey feels fine by tonight, so I'll probably just keep the little ones in my room while their friends are here, because I can't cancel because I don't have anybody's phone number lol.

Gotta go take care of my little Caleb who started it all.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Kupp Review

I was happy to get the chance to review these really cute kid cups through Moms Meet. The Kupp is a reusable kids glass with a BPA-free silicone sleeve. I received 4 Kupps in different colors and my kids were so excited to see them and started claiming which one was theirs.

On first impression I really liked the silicone sleeves with the handle. But I thought the glass seemed pretty thin and had a feeling that we'd have at least 1 broken by the end of the first day. I was only a little wrong. It took 2 days for the first one to get broken. One of the twins took it outside and it fell off their slide. Within a week 2 more were broken, on purpose by the other twin who took them outside and threw them on the cement on purpose to watch them shatter. So we now have 1 unbroken, and 3 empty sleeves.

Although I did like the idea of Kupp, I think they are better suited to kids 5 years and up. Little kids are just too clumsy/mischievous for fragile glass cups. My older boys had no problem keeping them intact and are always careful with our last unbroken one. I like that the Kupp and the sleeve are dishwasher safe, and you don't have to remove the sleeve to wash it. My older kids like using a glass instead of the plastic kid cups too, so it makes them happy to have one of their own.

*Disclaimer: I received this product free from Moms Meet to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Announcing...

Well, since it's now Facebook official...

We are excited to announce baby #7, due in May 2015!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Ginnybakes Review!


I recently had the chance to try and review baked goods from ginnybakes. From their website:

"at ginnybakes, our passion is to create outrageously delicious and nutritious treats for everyone to enjoy. we believe that your body deserves the finest ingredients, so we work tirelessly to bring you the best we can find. our certifications aren’t just for having a logo on the box. we are gluten-free, organic, non-GMO, vegan and kosher because we believe in quality and excellence. there’s nothing more important than nurturing the body and mind so you feel great."


The great thing about these products is how they make yummy products without all the artificial stuff that's added to everything these days. They are gluten free, vegan, kosher, organic, and non-GMO! I received boxes of premade cookies as well as cookie and brownie mixes to try out. 

I was not a fan of the premade cookies, though to be fair I don't like many premade cookies. They were too hard and crumbly for my taste. But my kids loved them and ate them faster than I expected. One exception was their bite-size snack packs of cookies, those were pretty good and a nice little treat to just grab and go.

I enjoyed the fresh made cookies and brownies from the mixes. They came out softer, though still a little crumbly, and the taste was great. I was excited to share these with my son's best friend and his family because he cannot have gluten. It was nice to have a yummy treat that he could have while he was here playing and I sent them home with a plate of cookies and a cookie mix.


I would definitely buy the ginnybakes mixes again whenever I'm in need of a gluten free baking mix.




*Disclaimer: I received free boxes of baked goods and mixes in exchange for my honest review of this product and company.*

Friday, July 11, 2014

A way past due update!

My poor little bloggy has been so neglected. :( The last "real" post I did was almost a year ago after Rachel was born. I keep thinking I need to start posting regularly again, but then life gets busier and it gets pushed to the bottom of priorities list. I'm not even going to try to catch up on everything that has happened this last year, especially because most of the pictures are on the external hard drive and I don't feel like pulling it out, finding them, and choosing what to post. So I guess a quick recap of how everything is going. Here is the most recent pic of all of us together at Jacob's baptism.


Rachel- Oh my, this sweet girl has stolen my heart! I never realized how much I would love having a daughter! Of course I love all my boys too, but there's just something amazing about having a little girl. She loves to be cuddled and will go to pretty much anyone, but then cry because she wants mommy lol. Such a mommy's girl! She has 4 teeth, crawls all over the place, pulls herself up on everything and moves around the furniture, can stand for a few seconds alone, and is not at all interested in trying to walk alone yet but will if she's holding on to something. She still nurses frequently, and eats finger foods, and is nice and chubby, growing faster than any of her brothers did! Still not saying any words (though she babbles "dadadada" a LOT) but she knows the sign for "milk" and has started using it occasionally. I love to dress her up and have way too many headbands, flowers, and bows. :) She's usually a very happy girl and such a joy.

Caleb- This boy has got quite the stubborn streak for a kid who is barely understandable lol. He thinks every electronic device in the house belongs to him and will get very mad about thing like me needing to use my phone or not letting him play a computer game. I've thought about having him tested by the school district for speech therapy, because he is not very understandable and doesn't understand things as well as Isaac.

Isaac- If I go gray early it will be from this kid! He is a big ball of energy, likes to get into everything he shouldn't, and makes messes whenever my back is turned. Whenever him and Caleb are into something it is his idea and Caleb just follows along. He is also very loving. He wants to give everyone hugs and kisses (whether or not he knows them) and is a big momma's boy. He adores Rachel so much.

Nathan- He finished up his last year of preschool at the district's developmental preschool. His speech has gotten so much better. His articulation is still a bit behind so he has an IEP to continue getting speech help in Kindergarten, though he will be in a regular class. He is a smart kid and I'm excited for him to start Kindergarten in a few weeks, I think he'll love it. He's also very stubborn and will lie to avoid getting in trouble even if you catch him red-handed.

Jacob- He is so smart. Reading above grade level, and doing math above level as well. We had him tested for the advanced placement program but he didn't qualify. His test scores were very good, way above average, but not high enough for the program, mostly his language and comprehensive skills kept him back. His handwriting is terrible and usually hardly readable, he doesn't take the time to do quality work. Hopefully 3rd grade will be helpful in challenging him more and getting him working better. He's still very sensitive and loving also. He was baptized in June too. :)

Jason- He has also had trouble in school with doing quality work and listening. He started out with some of the same behavior problems as last year- crying, not wanting to listen, throwing fits. But luckily that got a lot better as the year went on. He does great at school when he actually tries, but he still needs to work on the quality. He has a best friend who he has playdates with every week and it's been good for him to have someone he's close to. He loves to play the xbox 360 and computer and has started to get the preteen attitude about being told what to do. He's usually pretty good at doing chores and helping, though he might roll his eyes a bit lol.

Nate- he's been working hard as a software development manager. Longer hours and more responsibility. Very proud of how hard he works. We've been married 11 years in a week and it's crazy how much has happened in that 11 years! Love him so much. :)

Me- I finally got my Associate's degree last December! So happy to finally have a degree. :) I plan to eventually get my Bachelor's too, but needed to take some time off, I was so burnt out from going to the school for 3.5yrs with so many kids. In January I started as a Consultant for The Pampered Chef. I love the products and decided that would be the cheapest way for me to get them! I really enjoy doing the cooking shows and earning free and cheap stuff. It's tapered off a bit the last few months because I've been very busy, but hopefully it'll pick up again soon.

We are also getting ready to move! We spent the last 3 months getting things in our house fixed up, upgraded, painted, etc. Took a lot of time and work but the house looks amazing. It's been on the market for about 2 weeks. I'm hoping we find a buyer quickly because there is a house I really love that I want to get. We will be moving to a smaller, quieter town. Bigger yard, no busy road in front of the house, and just more quiet. :)

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Gutsy Chewy Review

I've always been a fan of natural remedies for curing common ills. My thinking is the more simple and natural it is, the better for your body it will be. When Moms Meet gave me a chance to review Gutsy Chewy, an upset tummy remedy that is all-natural, I thought that would be great.

Gutsy Chewy was created by Dr. Haghighi, a gastroenterologist and dentist, who wanted to try out the natural remedies for stomach complaints that his patients would mention. He combined papaya, apple cider vinegar, licorice root, xylitol, and minerals like calcium and magnesium. Through clinical trials he found that his digestive supplement worked very well. These chewy supplements are also lactose-free, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly!

I received both the citrus and wildberry flavors to try. I don't usually have a lot of stomach issues so I wasn't sure when I'd get a chance to use it. Well, I stopped drinking soda back in January. I've had a little here and there but only a couple times since then. So last week, after a couple very late nights up painting, I had a lot of Mtn Dew to keep me going one day. It gave me a terrible upset stomach for days. I didn't even remember about my Gutsy Chewy tablets until the next day and decided it couldn't hurt to try out.

It didn't immediately make my stomach all better, but I did notice a significant decrease in discomfort within a short time. And the tablets taste ok, kind of like a giant chewy Smartie candy lol. I do keep forgetting I have them, and there have been a few more times I could have used them if I'd remembered. I'm interested in seeing how they work for my husband, who gets an upset stomach from fast food.

Right now you can get a good deal on Gutsy Chewy- buy 2, get 1 free; buy 4, get 2 free; buy 8, get 4 free; or buy 12, get 6 free.

*Disclaimer: I received free Gutsy Chewy tablets of both flavors from Moms Meet in exchange for an honest review.*

Monday, May 05, 2014

Score Big with ScoreBig.com

If you love to go to events but don't want to pay full price for tickets, or the ticket vendor says they are sold out, then you will love ScoreBig.com. You get to bid on ticket prices that you want, in the seating area you want. It's really simple.

First, you choose your event. There are sporting events, concerts, and more and it brings up the events available in and near your city.

Then you choose what kind of seating you want to get. If you are fine with the cheapest seats available then choose that. If you really want some 5 star seating or box seats, choose that. It shows what the average ticket cost is for that seating area.

Then you put in a bid. When you enter a number it will show what the likelihood of that bid being accepted is. You can change your bid or try your luck. Enter your information and submit your bid.

If your bid is accepted you will automatically be charged for the tickets and sent an email on how to get your tickets. If it is not accepted it will tell you an amount that you can pay and you have 2 minutes to decide if you want to get those tickets. You can go with that or bid again for a different seat rating or price.

I was give a $100 gift code to use at ScoreBig.com. Around here the only event available is for Real Salt Lake games (soccer). We recently went to a game for the first time and had fun so I was excited to get some more tickets to try out. We wanted 5 star seating to try to get in the club seating section (free concessions!). The 5 star seating was either in club or front row seats.

I first bid $50 each for 2 tickets and it was not accepted. I went back later and bid $55 each. That was also not accepted but it gave me the option to buy tickets for $60 each (normally about $90 tickets). We went ahead and bought them. Unfortunately it was not in the club seating. Because it only gives 2 minutes to decide if you want the offered price I did not take the time to read the small print that said where the seats would probably be. It was front row seats though, which are still really great. But my husband did not want to sit at a game for 2-3 hours with no food and drink (they don't allow outside food/drink and it's like $4 just for water), so he ended up finding a guy at work who wanted them.

So we did not get to use our tickets, but I really liked how easy it was to use the site. The only thing I didn't like was feeling rushed to decide if I wanted to the new offered seats because I didn't actually read the fine print saying where the offered seats would be. But I would definitely be willing to use the site again the next time we want to go to a game, or if there is another local event we want to go to. I looked on the website for the stadium where the games are and it showed those tickets were sold out, so this is a great way to get those "sold out" tickets!

**Disclaimer: I was given $100 gift code to use in exchange for an honest review by ScoreBig.com**