Mr. Goodbar Award

During my first year at MOPS, there was a little activity at the beginning of the meeting for different women to share a reason why her husband was deserving of the Mr. Goodbar Award. It was often awarded for thoughtful little acts like cleaning the house unexpectedly or doing unsolicited extra kid duty. Derek "won" the award one time while he was at AIT and I actually mailed it to him. 

source: www.hersey.com

It was a fun opening to our meeting; a time to brag about our great hubbys. But more than just that, it's an exercise to remind us our important duty as Godly wives to exhort and encourage our husbands-- To look deeper to notice all of the small things they do for our families and to praise them for that. The Mr. Goodbar portion of our meeting may only last 5-10 minutes, but the impact can last all day {or even years. We he haven't done a Mr. Goodbar award for almost two years and here I am still thinking about it!}. 

Over the past couple of weeks, a thought similar to this has repeatedly crossed my mind: "I am so lucky to have such a great hubby!", "The kids are so lucky to have such a great dad!". But the more I got to thinking about it, I knew it wasn't luck at all! We are BLESSED with a great hubby and daddy, but the fact is-- is that I chose him!** And I did so because I knew he was a Godly man who would love and support me and our family. He's always been a Mr. Goodbar! :)

**side note: I certainly don't want to make this about how awesome I am for choosing a great husband, but I just wanted to put this out there for those who may read this who aren't married {and for Belle to read when she gets older. And for Jackson, too, for that matter!}. Finding a great husband isn't about being "lucky" at all. It's about loving and trusting God and then finding a man who does the same. When it comes to relationships, there is more than just having a date for prom or simply being lonely because your other friends have plans for Valentine's Day. It doesn't matter if he's as handsome as Zac Efron, as famous as Justin Bieber, or as rich as Mark Zuckerberg-- if he's not going to be a good husband and excellent father, he's not worth dating and he's certainly not worth marrying. And even if you ever convince yourself that it's okay to "settle" for less standards for yourself, then think about if you want your children to have to "settle" for a less than stellar dad.

Anyway, back to the point. I've just been noticing lately how blessed we really are to have Derek in our family! It probably has less to do with him doing anything different than it does with me having an attitude adjustment. Here's a few reasons Derek deserves the Mr. Goodbar award as of late:

• He tells me often that I am a good mom, whether it be when I'm taking far too long to make the kids lunches look fun or when it's after a long day of discipline. Those words are so great to hear.
• He has been my biggest supporter of me starting my internship and finishing school. Even though it is COSTING us (a lot of) money to do so. 
• He always says, "thanks for cooking dinner" at the table each night and makes sure that Jackson does the same. So even if we eat when Derek isn't around, Jackson always tells me thank you. 

He reads books to the kiddos

 Dresses up like Batman

Tirelessly plays with the kiddos even after a long day at work!

And he involves the kids in his hobbies- like playing drums at church!

Plus, he gets bonus points just for being handsome. :)

I hope to get around to posting more Mr. Goodbar posts in the future, kind of like I do with updates of the kiddos! In the mean time, I want to hear YOUR Mr. Goodbar stories. I would love to make a post about stories from your families about why your hubby is Mr. Goodbar. It can be something you love about him or it can be a specific thing he has done! You can make a blog post and share your link or you can just leave a comment! Make sure you leave your blog address if you have one, so I can link back to you! 

I think it will be a super fun way to encourage our hubbys! Be sure to actually tell him that you notice all of the big and small things he does for you and your family too! I will randomly select one winner to actually mail a Mr. Goodbar for you to award your hubby with! :) 

Chick-Fil-A Kids Meal Giveaway

My love of Chick-fil-A is hardly a secret. I love the food. I love the service {remember when I posted about the manager who carried an umbrella over me and my two kiddos until I loaded them into the car!?}. As if I didn’t already love CFA enough, I received an email last week that made me love Chick-fil-A even more.
Chick-fil-A has expanded their kids menu to offer more nutritious options for our kiddos… AND they are offering a free kids meal for THREE of my lucky readers. They have created a neat Old School Fun app that offers classic old school games for the family and a fun throwback quiz!

Have a look around at the fun outdoor family activities and check out the Old School Quiz. I tallied in as The Bomb Dot Com—flared jeans, cassette tapes, and pogs, oh my! But I really want you to take a quick look here at this infographic.

For the past almost four months now, our family has been making healthier food choices. We eat a ton more fruits and veggies. We are cutting back on sugar and sweets. And I am trying my best to eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup and Trans fats completely—those two guys pop up everywhere! But not at Chick-fil-A. I found on their website that CFA removed trans fat from the ENTIRE menu in 2008 and they have recently eliminated high fructose corn syrup from its chocolate milk, and some salad dressings and sauces.
The other day, I took the kids to Chick-fil-A so they could play and I could use their free wi-fi. We tried the grilled nuggets and I have go to say that they are delish—much better than I expected to be honest. I hope they bring them to the adult menu soon!

Three of my lucky winners will win a free Chick-fil-A kids meal! Enter using the widget below!

Twelve months of Sticky Bellies!

If you’ve been around my blog long enough, you know I love writing monthly updates for Belle! {Can I just add that I am awesome for keeping up with it for a whole YEAR!?} Taking the pictures, making the collages, and writing out the happenings of the month definitely took some time, but I am so excited to have a record of her first year! And it most definitely wouldn’t have been the same if it weren’t for the Sticky Bellies stickers!

Check out those scrawny legs at one month. Her feet were ALWAYS in the air during month four and five! She started sitting during month six and has showed off her first toothy smile in month eight!

I read about Sticky Bellies on some blog back when I was early-on pregnant with Belle. I contemplated getting some for maternity pictures, but never did. And the thought of getting the stickers for her was always on my mind, but I just didn’t know if I should buy them. I was just trying to be such a good steward of our money while Derek was gone. I showed the pictures to all of my friends, secretly hoping they would convince me to buy them and sure enough it worked.

I remember being so excited when I first got the little package. I looked through and found my favorite colors and was thinking—seven months and twelve months are so far away! Silly me. I should have known it’d go by so quickly!

My Sticky Bellies stickers have been, by far, my favorite baby purchase! I just don’t really keep many opinions to myself and because I'm especially fond of these, I feel obligated to share! I tell every pregnant friend/acquaintance/stranger about these cute stickers! You can even check out the testimonial page on the website, scroll about halfway down and you’ll see that I even contacted them to tell them that not only do I love the stickers, but I love their service too.

My favorite thing about the Sticky Bellies is that it has allowed me to document her growth in photographs each month. I won’t pretend that I’m a skilled photographer and it’s probably very obvious to most that I just have a point and shoot camera. But, I like the way they turned out. And I love that I always had several shots to make into a collage to create a bigger picture of her personality each month.

My favorite monthly collages are 4, 6, and 7. Just click to make them bigger.

Cocoa Mint Winner!

Ladies and Gentlemen* we have a winner for the Cocoa Mint store credit!

And the winner is....

Congrats Heidi! I will email you with information about how to get in touch with Terri! I hope to see what you get with your credit!! Thanks for entering and be sure to check out the other giveaway that's going on-- $10 towards AP Memory's etsy shop, which sellsmagnets from recycled soda cans. They're super cute!

*are there any men, aside from the guys in my family who do so out of obligation, that read this blog!? If so, you're totally awesome. :)

Starting Tomorrow

Okay folks, we have some exciting stuff going on here and it's all starting tomorrow! First of all, Derek has the day off. Woo hoo! Secondly, Julie is flying in to visit for a week and we are SUPER excited to see her! But that's probably more exciting for us than it is for you. Last, but certainly not least, tomorrow is the start of a super fabulous giveaway event... right here! The best part is that it will last until November with giveaways each week! 

Jackson's birthday is this month- I can't believe he is turning three! We wanted to do a party, but I feel weird about having our friends feel obligated to purchase a gift and we certainly do not need any toys. {Don't worry, we're doing family gifts, so he isn't completely missing out on the joy of a birthday!} So instead of gifts for Jackson, we've asked guests bring items to include in a care package to send to deployed soldiers. These items have been specifically been requested by the soldiers, so it is all sure to get good use. Here is the back of the invitation we sent out:

{ You'll get to see the front of the invitation tomorrow... it's part of the first giveaway!  }

The awesome part about it all is that these giveaways is that beyond offering a giveaway here to you guys, they have also contributed items to our care package and/or made a monetary donation to Kids Link. Some of the people I've been working with chose just to donate extra to the care package rather than bring attention to themselves for a giveaway. So get excited friends! And keep these shops in mind when it comes time to think Christmas gifts!

If you or someone you know would be interested in contributing to the care package and being a part of this giveaway event-- please contact me. I'd love to fit as much in as possible!

For the Love of Cookies Winner

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner.


True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 17
Result:  5


Congratulations, Joy! I will send out an email to get your address later today! Your Valentine will be thrilled to receive the gift box and you'll have some cookies to enjoy too!

There is still plenty of time to order a bouquet or gift box from For the Love of Cookies for your Valentine, but Friday is the deadline to receive $2 off your order. 

For the Love of Cookies- Giveaway!!

There is a cookie gift box just waiting to go out to one of my fabulous readers. Actually, it hasn't been made yet... it will be made specifically for the winner- even better!

First, let me introduce you to my friend, HanNah. She is basically, like Monica from Friends, without the neurotic cleaning tendencies and super competitive nature. HanNah is a great cook. She'll say something like, "I'm just going to throw something together for dinner. Want to come over?" I, of course, say YES!! and then head over there and have one of the most delicious meals ever. And around these parts, she's known far and wide for her fabulous cookies.

Two Christmas's ago, I may or may not have eaten all of the sugar cookies out of the goody-box she delivered within a few hours so I could ensure that I would be the person who got to enjoy them. You may judge me, but if you've ever had her cookies you'd do the same thing.

Last year, she decided to make a business out of her hobby, For the Love of Cookies, and she has been flooded with orders ever since. Not just cookies-- but cakes, pies, cheesecakes- you name it! She just loves to be in the kitchen. And it's not just that her treats are delicious, it's that they are SUPER CUTE. HanNah came replicate practically anything onto a cookie or cake. She's made cakes to match baby bedding and cookies to match sports logos. The possibilities are endless.

This weekend, she showed me pictures of her Valentine treats for this year. The cookie stands at the mall are nothing in comparison!!

Cookie Bouquet
Five decorated sugar cookies on sticks, beautifully arranged in a red bouquet. $20.00

Cookie Gift Box

Three decorated sugar cookies, beautifully arranged in a gift box. $15.00

**Place an order by Feb. 4th and receive $2 off a bouquet or box**

Place orders HERE

I immediately asked if I could do a giveaway on my blog, and because she is an awesome friend, she agreed! One lucky reader will receive a Gift Box to share with their Valentine this holiday, as well as three cookies to enjoy for yourself! (Or if you are like me, you may be tempted to to keep all of the cookies for yourself. No shame in that!)

TO ENTER: Simply "like" For the Love of Cookies on facebook and come back to tell me you did in the comments on this post. If you already "like" her company page, just tell me in the comments and you'll still be entered. Make sure to include your email in the comment so I will have a way to contact you if you win! Each cookie is individually wrapped and sealed. The cookies will be shipped via Priority Mail and will still have several days of shelf-life once you receive the package.

Entries will be accepted until midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 1st and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd. This will allow you to still be able to place an order and receive the discount before the Feb. 4th deadline.

Good Luck!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

...We have a winner! 

Congratulations to:

 A Little McD said... I voted for ya!

This was a whole lot of fun for me. I got to meet so many new bloggy friends and I love being able to make someone super excited about winning! A friend even contacted me about doing a giveaway with stuff from her company so I am gonna chat with her soon about that and let you know. Can we say..."Yay, for free stuff" anyone?

This really is a blog about me and my family and I don't have any intentions on filling my space with reviews and giveaways all the time. Just a here and there kind of thing if it works out, so it won't take over the original purpose of my blog. Thanks everyone for participating!

$60 Giftcard giveaway

I am super excited to hosting my very first giveaway and I'm super excited to tell you that it is a $60 giftcard to CSN.com. Yup, that's right $60! Who wouldn't love to go shopping with an extra $60 in their wallet?!? And at a store that has a bazillion things to chose from:

From platform beds and other furniture

 

to anything and everything you'd ever need for a kid,

 

to all things kitchen, and lots, lots more!

Go ahead and tell me how awesome I am that I opted to use the $60 to giveaway to one of my awesome readers than to have used it on myself and written a silly review you wouldn't care about. I was so excited to win a meal-planner giveaway the other day from a The Helping Mommy last week that I just had to share the joy.

There are a few ways to enter, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry you do so that it counts!

1. Check out CSNstores.com and comment about an item you might like to use the gift card money to purchase.
2. Become a follower of my blog using Google Friend Connect or by entering your email address in the upper right hand column. (if you're already a follower, just leave a comment to tell me!)
3. Blog or tweet about the giveaway and post the link to your post/tweet.
4. Vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs. You can do this once per day for an extra entry.

The contest will end one week from today, July 13th at 11:59pm. I will use a random number generator with the entries I receive and I'll post the winner next week. If you wish to be emailed if you win, please leave your email in each comment! Good Luck!