Good morning, Snohomish County friends!
Each Spring and Fall I get a little bit of an extra buzz because it's that time of year where I do most of my kids clothing shopping. And I don't despair because to outfit 2 growing girls it is literally a steal to do my shopping at Just Between Friends consignment sales! Let me tell you why - I've gotten this shopping thing down to a science. I go through my girls' clothes a few weeks before to see where we stand on the condition of our standard options - leggings, sweat shirts, t shirts and long sleeves. I set aside what my 3 year old has grown out of; deciding if the clothing item is acceptable to consign or if it can be donated or passed on to a friend. I store my 5 year old's outgrown clothing for a season so that her little sister can grow into it a little. Then I inventory where are the gaps that we need to fill and what we may need for the upcoming season. With that little list in hand, I head over to the JBF shopping venue and am able to look through the well organized racks of clothing for the cutest and best deals. Eunice, the owner of JBF Everett/Monroe and her team, are sticklers for making sure all of the consigned items are in excellent used condition - it's rare to find any items that have even the lightest little grease stain on them. The prices are extremely fair and the best part is - it's a local family who consigns those clothes so your purchases are literally helping a neighbor.
Have you ever heard of what is affectionately called "JBF"? It's a bi-annual sale held across the country where you can shop for family related consignment items - the most popular items being baby and kid clothes, though you can find anything from nursery furniture, babywearing gear, cloth diapers, maternity & teen clothes, movies, games, and so much more.
Over the last 5 years I've been to over a dozen JBF sales throughout the North Cascades region and I've snagged so many awesome deals! Here's a snippet of what you can find at a JBF sale.
Even my kids know what it means when we go JBF shopping!
As an ongoing relationship with JBF Everett/Monroe, I am so excited to get to share another awesome giveaway from Eunice and her team! I've got three prizes - $25 JBF bucks to spend at the sale or two prime time tickets (valued at $10 each) to get in before the public! Check out the giveaway widget below.
Like most moms who are chasing around kids during pregnancy, I just haven't had the time to sit down and reflect on this little one a whole lot! So here's a brief run down of the first 2/3 of my third pregnancy.
First trimester:
tired and nauseated. Surprised, anyone?
cravings for steak and soft cheeses like NONE OTHER.
Interviewed two birth centers and picked our favorite. What a totally different experience it is to be in the position to interview your midwife and make sure that her scope of care fits into what I want. Being a 3rd time stand alone birth center, water birthing mom, I had a lot of specific questions and preferences! I was so happy to find the perfect fit between the two birth centers and have been loving the care that I've been receiving, feeling supported and also the recognition that I'm a "no muss, no fuss" kind of pregnant gal.
Second trimester:
The love for food came back with full force! Woo hoo!!
Energy to play with my kids came back too! Yippeee!!
20 week ultrasound - the only one we plan to schedule - revealed that we will be adding a BABY BOY to our family! Big Sister Penny (age 5) had guessed that baby is a boy and is really excited about it. Big Sister Ruby (age 3) was hoping for a baby sister and has recently warmed up to the idea of a brother. What a fun and exciting new journey this will be for all of us.
Alas, starting around 24 weeks my hips started to ache. Thankfully I already knew about the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy and was able to meet with a well recommended chiropractor in our area. She's been working on getting me aligned and subluxation free to help carry this baby effectively and comfortably.
Pierogie #3 loves to move around the most in the evenings when we are relaxed in bed and quiet. It's become very obvious when he is doing somersaults and rolling from side to side.
We celebrated the big sisters' birthdays - they are two years and a week apart so the first part of March is a birthday extravaganza for us! It was so sweet to reflect on my births for each child and how the experience of being pregnant changes as your children get older. // Read Penny's birth story // Read Ruby's birth story//
At 26 weeks weeks and over this past week I've had to be very proactive about taking care of my hips and pubis. Thanks to a few specific stretches, hot tub date nights, more chiropractic adjustments and a ring sling I've been able to keep the pain and discomfort at a manageable level but the pregnancy waddle has started early!
What do you think of when it comes to Valentine's Day? Gifts, from small to extravagant, are the rage for February 14th and what sweetie doesn't love the traditional teddy bear and cookies?
Every year, Feb. 14 marks the search – or sometimes scramble – for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Whether you plan in advance or do a last-minute dash, stepping outside the traditional gift of flowers with something a little more personalized, loveable – and tasty – can go a long way toward showing your love and affection.
If you’re still on your search, Cookies by Design and Build-A-Bear Workshop can help with an easy and delicious gift idea. Hand-decorated cookie bouquets combined with huggable, adorably outfitted bears are the best of both worlds and make great presents for everyone from your longtime sweetheart or new flame to your favorite kid or kid-at-heart.
Each cookie bouquet is made-to-order and every cookie is decorated by hand – you can even have your custom love note or photo printed right on the cookies!
Last-minute gift givers can take advantage of ready-made Build-A-Bear Cookie Baskets, available at all Cookies by Design store locations with nationwide delivery, and specially customized baskets only take an additional day or two to create.
Valentine’s Day isn’t the only time you can order these special bouquets, though. Cookies by Design also makes them year-round for birthday, baby and get well gifts.
Now for the fun part! Cookies by Design is offering the chance to win two special occasion baskets – one for the winner (you know you want one for yourself!) and one to give away - plus one $150 Visa gift card, which could come in handy for a cozy dinner date. Just fill out the form below for a chance to win. This giveaway is open to US only and ends on 2/9 at 11:59pm EST. Must Good luck!
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Cookies by Design and facilitated by Conservamom
Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network.All opinions and experiences are Conservamom‘s. Open to US residents only , must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted through email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact Elia At Conservamom
Tula's are one of the most popular baby carriers around. Their fantastic design,style and prints have become a favorite among moms. Because we love our readers so much , A bunch of fantastic bloggers got together to help reward you for being such amazing readers. One lucky winner will have the chance to enter to win any In-stock Tula over at Green Path Baby!
Each Baby Tula Carrier:
Can be used in both front and back carries
Can be used from 15-45 pounds (baby sized carriers) and 25–60 pounds (toddler sized carrier)
Provides an ergonomic M-position seat supporting optimal development for baby’s body
Easy to care for and machine washable
This giveaway is open to US & CA and ends on 2/13 at 11:59pm EST. Must be 18 years + to enter.
Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network.All opinions and experiences are Conservamom‘s. Open to US &CA ,must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact Elia At Conservamom
Country Inn & Suites is celebrating because they've opened a new hotel right within walking distance to Disneyland! Check out our visit to Disneyland and read all the way through to learn how you can enter to win a free nights stay at any Country Inn & Suites location!
I'm sure that most of us growing up, Disneyland was the ultimate dream vacation for any child. My biggest excitement was seeing my favorite Disney movie characters in real life, in their environments and getting to truly interact with them. The second most important thing I looked forward to were all the different amusement rides. It was a great mix of thrill or adventure.
My family of origin took us to Disneyland once during my childhood and the rest of our family vacations were mostly road trips around the Western US, sprinkled with a few visits to our family in Poland. My husband's family, on the other hand, visited Disneyland almost annually as their budget for family trips. So when I married into his family, the love of Disney was set in quite early.
A photo posted by Bianca @ The Pierogie Mama (@thepierogiemama) on
My husband and I took two trips to Disneyland before having children. What a different experience it is go to to Disneyland and experiencing it as an adult! We got to zoom through the park, not a care in the world how long the wait lines were, stay up late for the fireworks show and didn't worry about character signatures and rode the coolest rides.
Then, my sister-in-love moved to the San Diego area this year and the whole family collectively gasped - we can go to Disneyland when we visit her! This past November the four of us flew down to visit her family and play at the park for 3 days, which we spread out over a week. Now getting to experience the magic of Disneyland through our daughter's eyes (aged 4 and 2) was something my husband and I will never forget. This time the priorities were very different; find our favorite characters to get signatures, ride only a few of the age appropriate rides and just simply look to soak it all in. There is so much to see in the details at Disneyland if you aren't distracted by rides! Pirated of the Caribbean is one of my favorite things to see at Disneyland because they have done such a great job at temporarily making you forget where and when you are. It's easy to get swept up in that creaky boat in the Louisiana bayou, duck your head in the midst of a drunken pirate canon ball brawl and yo-ho-ho with Jack Sparrow.
Some of our favorite memories were watching Penny and Ruby meet Elena of Avalor. It's a relatively new show and that day happened to be Princess Elena's first debut in meeting her friends at Disneyland. We also got to see an extended preview of the upcoming movie Moana (in the old Bug's Life theatre, so there were ocean sprays, smells and wind gusts!) and we had a caricature done of the girls at Fisherman's Warf. One night my husband and I left the kids with their grandparents and we went back for some night time roller coaster rides on the Matterhorn and Big Thunder.
As I mentioned before, Country Inn & Suites just opened up a brand new hotel that is within walking distance to Disneyland! With 174 gorgeous rooms that have family friendly open floor plans, spa-inspired bathrooms (for mama to relax after a day of chasing kiddos, duh), a 24/7 gym, free breakfast and an outdoor pool with views of the Disneyland fireworks, it's an easy sell for me! By saving a little bit of extra cash on transportation, parking and one meal of the day being covered, you now can shamelessly indulge in those delicious Dole Whips outside of the Tiki Room! Not going to lie, I had at least 3 a day while we were there because I was 8 weeks pregnant with #3 and that was about all I could stomach at the time!
And when I talk about saving a little bit of cash, how does one night free at any Country Inn & Suites location sound to you? That would put a little extra change in your pocket for your next vacay, right? So here's the deal - follow the rules at the bottom and you'll have your chance to be one of my readers to win this awesome prize!
To enter the giveaway:
1. Watch this short video on the all new Country Inn & Suites in Anaheim location and leave a comment below telling me one interesting thing that she said. Include your email address so that I can contact you if you win!
2. For a second entry (first option must be completed!), visit the Country Inn & Suites website and tell me in a separate comment which location you would stay at if you won.
2/1/17: The winner is comment #47, which is Sheila P! Check your email!
Giveaway rules: This giveaway is sponsored by Country Inn & Suites, not by The Pierogie Mama. The contest is open until 1/31/17 and the winner will be contacted via email only. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email in order to claim their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. No purchase is necessary to win, but if you do want to enter you have to play by the rules described above. The comments must be relevant to the question, otherwise they won't count. If you don't provide an email address, I don't have a way to contact you. Good luck and I can't wait to see who wins!
