Guest Post #3

Please welcome Lynsey!!

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Hi everyone!

I am so thrilled to be a part of Holly’'s guest bloggers! Thank you Holly for the opportunity to guest post on your blog!

A little about me... I'm Lynsey. The mom of The Moore Family. I have a 23 month old son, Mason and a 2 month old daughter, Caroline. We also have two dogs, Deacon and O'Malley.  They are crazy. They are nuts. But they certainly keep us entertained.  

I'm a former Healthcare Administration worker turned stay at home mom. The husband, Brian, and I met at work. We dated, got engaged, got married on a beautiful October day, had Mason and then 21 months later, welcomed Caroline into our lives.

One thing I can say about our family is we stay busy. We didn’t stop living our lives when the kids came along, we simply added them to the mix. If you know me, you know I love to travel. My parents have a beach house that is about five hours from our home. When Caroline was about a month old, I loaded up the kids along with my mom and headed to the beach. Unfortunately Brian was unable to join us due to work but that didn’t stop me. Traveling with kids can be a nightmare BUT it doesn’t have to be with proper preparation.

One thing I do is always pack a “car activity bag” for the kids. For Mason this includes cars/trucks, books, coloring pad with crayons and a toy or two. Once Caroline is old enough, I’ll pack a bag for her too! This activity bags help keep the kids entertain while strapped into their car seats on the long drives.

Along with the activity bag, I pack a snack bag. Just a few healthy snacks that Mason can munch on in the car. Anything from fruit pouches to goldfish to cut up fruits/veggies in single serving containers. Along with snacks, I always have water on hand in a no-spill sippy cup. Having the snacks and water help to limit our stops on the drive.

Mason is nothing if not a boy of routine. His nighttime routine has been the same since he was about 6 months old. Bath, Books, Milk, Prayers, Bed. Always in that order. When we travel and he isn’t on his routine, it can be a challenge but we have found that if we can keep it as similar as possible then things are okay. We always bring his nighttime books, his blanket and sleep sheep. It’s never easy when you are away from home but if you can keep it as similar as possible then it won’t be as bad as you think.

So in short, my advice would be to be prepared, be patient, expect some bumps in the road but above all, have fun and enjoy traveling and making memories with your kids and family.

Thanks again to Holly for letting me guest post in her wonderful blog. Be sure to stop by The Moore Family and say hi! 

Thanks so much Lynsey!

Guest Post 2

I want you to welcome Leanne from RefrigeratorMemories and she is writing about a topic that is near and dear to my heart and many of my real life friends and blogging friends...infertility!

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Hi, I'm Leanne and though I have two beautiful children and it may not look like it, I struggle with infertility. 

I always had irregular cycles, so when my husband and I wanted to get pregnant for the first time, we knew I wasn't ovulating. We went to a fertility specialist and he prescribed Chlomid. I ended up getting pregnant that next cycle and we were so happy that it was such an easy fix. I had an easy pregnancy and a fairly easy labor.

Fast forward about a year and we started talking about trying for baby #2. I still didn't have regular cycles, so we went in for a round of Chlomid. I thought it would be wise to take a pregnancy test before taking any medications. Lo and behold, I was already pregnant! And yet again, I had another easy pregnancy and labor.

When our second was only nine months old, we decided that we would not mind having another child. We weren't trying very hard to get pregnant because we thought we had time and that it would happen easily like the last time. But time was not on our side. Gabe ended up having to go to Iraq. (He was in the Army at the time) We desperately tried to get pregnant but there just wasn't enough time. He left when our second was thirteen months old.

We thought we might have a chance on his R&R that following summer. I even went on birth control to try and regulate my periods so we could time it just right. But three weeks is such a short window and it didn't happen. We were crushed. We only wanted our children to be around two years apart and we would now be pushing three years.

In November of 2010, Gabe's year in Iraq was coming to an end. We made the extremely difficult decision to extend for six months for a large bonus. I was still optimistic that I would get pregnant as soon as he got back. He came home just before Memorial Day of 2011. Gabe had asked me to see a fertility specialist before he came home just to make sure everything looked good. But like I said, I was sure it would happen right away.

Month after month, it didn't happen but still I had faith. Finally, after seven months of trying and believing that this month would be THE month, I admitted defeat. I called the Dr and made an appointment. We went in and they ran some tests and I was prescribed Chlomid. Round one didn't work. We tried again...nothing. In April of 2012, I had gone to them for a blood pregnancy test on a Friday. That afternoon, I got the result. Slightly positive. But we were not to get over excited. Well, we did. That whole weekend, all I could think about was being pregnant (even more than I already thought about it). Monday, I went back in for another test.Negative. We were heartbroken. But we had to get back on the horse and try again.

By May, we were fed up with the negative results. We wanted answers. At our next appt, we discussed our options with the Dr. She suggested a surgery called a Laparoscopy. Basically, I would have three small incisions in my stomach and they go in and try to find a problem (Endometriosis, cysts, anything abnormal) . If it's fixable, they would fix it then and there. We were praying that this would be the answer. We had a family vacation planned for the following month, so the surgery was set up for after that.

We decided to try one last round of Chlomid before the surgery but had no expectations of it working. We had a great two week vacation and when we got back, I had a few pre surgery appointments to go to. Friday July 20th, one week before the surgery, I went in and they did some blood work, and ran other tests to make sure I could handle the surgery and anesthesia. I asked them if they were doing a pregnancy test because there was a chance I could be pregnant. (We still tried that month so there was a small chance.) They were but it was only a urine test. I let them know that it would be too early to show up on a urine test and they would need to do a blood test. They let me know that unless my Dr ordered a blood test, they couldn't do one.

Well, I wasn't having that. I drove right over to my Dr's and demanded, umm, asked politely for a blood test. The nurse and I counted days and we came up with the best day to get a blood test. I would go in the following Tuesday, three days before the surgery. When Tuesday came around, I went in and prayed for the best because I REALLY did not want to have the surgery. We waited and waited and finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I called them on Wednesday.

Praise God, it came up POSITIVE!!!! 

If we had gone through with the surgery and not have done a blood pregnancy test, this tiny being inside of me would not have survived. It truly is a miracle. We are still in shock and not sure whether to believe it or not. I've gone back for another blood test (still positive), and will be going again to make sure the numbers are continuing to go up. But we could not be happier that after almost three years, we finally got our wish!

Head on over to her blog and wish her some baby luck! Thanks so much Leanne for guest posting for me!!

Guest Post #1

Here is the first of some lovely ladies that sent me guests posts to post while we were on vacation, but since I never scheduled any...I thought I would do a guest post every other day while you read about your vacation!

Hope you enjoy!

I'm Jamie from over at Jamie's Journey Through Life (jamiesjourneythroughlife.blogspot.com).  A brief little bit about me, I am 17 and a Senior in high school.  I have a brother, a half brother and two step brothers.  One of my favorite things to do in the summer is babysit.

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Today I'm going to be talking about what parents should look for in a babysitter.  I have babysat for my cousins for four years, plus my half brother many times and also babysat for a family with four kids once.  So I've had my far share of babysitting experiences.  This is what I think a parent should look for while looking for someone to babysit for their precious children.

1. Someone that loves children.  I definitely believe that in order to babysit, you have to love children.  Babysitting can be easy but can be hard on some days.  I think you have to have a love for children to get through those hard days and it makes babysitting more enjoy to love children and to enjoy watching them. :)
2. Someone that is accountable and trustworthy.  I believe that a person has to be accountable and trustworthy in order to be babysitter.  You need to have the peace of mind that they will be there to babysit when you need them and you can trust them with the care of your most priced possession, your child(ren). :)
3. Someone that makes your child(ren) happy.  It's so important that your children like the babysitter.  The children should look forward to having the babysitter.  If the child(ren) doesn't like the babysitter, it makes it no fun for anyone.
4. Someone that can drive.  Definitely not needed but it is nicer if they can. :)  I know this from experiences.  Until this summer, I was not able to drive so you were stuck at home and it makes it harder.  If they can drive, they can take your children to the park, library, bowling, ect.  It's more fun for the kids, wears out the children for you and makes it easier on the babysitter. :)

It was an honor to be blogging for Holly today.  I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writting for you all today!

Remember to keep all these great tips that Jamie suggested in mind anytime you are looking for a babysitter for your children! You can NEVER be too careful!

Guest Posters?

This is the last call for anyone interested in doing a guest post for me in two weeks { starting next Friday } while we are enjoying some sun and having piggy-toes in the sand...

If you would like to do one please don't hesitate to ask!

:)

Guest Posts?

Just wondering if anyone would like to do any guests posts for me while we are at the beach in August?

You can do it on anything you would like...parenting, traveling, cooking...the possibilities are endless! :)

Just email me and let me know what you would want to do and have it to me by August 5th! 

Thanks so much!

Guest Posting!

Hey everyone!

I am so honored to be Guest Posting today over at...

Happiness Is...

Hope you'll head on over to Ashley's blog and check it out!

Happy Friday the 13th!!!!

Guest Posting!

Head over to Tiffany's blog to read my guest post today!


I am so grateful she let me guest post for her while she and her family move!


Hope you enjoy!