Wordless Wednesday: Sisters

Good Deal on Robeez Shoes

Here's another good shoe deal for you. Until August 5th, Robeez is offering an additional 25% off the already reduced shoes by using promo code EXTRA25. Baby Ava has never worn shoes. She's had a couple of pairs of sandals but always manages to get them off. She's getting ready to start walking and so I'm going to grab a pair of these. This pair would only be $14.99 with the discount. The website also states you get free ground shipping when you buy 2 pairs of shoes. Happy shopping!

Great deal on cute shoes!

Head over to MommySnacks awesome blog to learn how to score a pair of these cute girl's crocs for on $9.99 shipped! I'm grabbing the red pair for Abby since her school colors include red. She'll be so excited to get them. Make sure you subscribe to MommySnack's blog, because you don't want to miss any of the awesome deals she brings to her readers.

School Supplies

Since Abby's only going into first grade this year, I'm still a newbie when it comes to school supply shopping. I've been trying to get things here and there and keep her list in my purse. So far I've picked up folders, crayons, pencil box, and lots of pencils. Each kid has to bring in 48 no. 2 pencils. That seems like a lot of pencils to me. I thought about ordering her a backpack from the Disney website. They've been running a special deal that included the lunch bag, but my cheap side won out. Abby hasn't quite gotten to the stage where she has to have certain brands. She mentions things occasionally, but is usually happy with anything as long as it's pink. We went to Big Lots and found a really cute backpack and a pink lunch bag. We picked up some folders and glue sticks. I think the only things we need to get now are the tissues, baby wipes, and ziploc baggies. Of course, we still need new shoes and a haircut.

Where do I begin?

I just have to say it's been one hell of a summer. I seriously don't know where to begin. First of all, Abby had her tonsils out in June. She actually had tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears. Now I know that my Abby can be quite the drama queen. I really was not prepared for the drama that was to come from this surgery. She hates taking medicine and the pain medicine made her nauseous. She didn't want to drink because she was nauseous but I kept forcing her to drink....or so I thought. I realized that nothing was disappearing from her juice box. She was sucking up juice and then letting it go back down the straw. No amount of crying, begging, or yelling could get this girl to drink enough. Plus, she was throwing up. She ended up in the emergency room for fluids two days after surgery. Two days after that she was back in the emergency room and got admitted to the hospital for two days. That same day the baby got another ear infection that ended up needing two different antibiotics and three weeks to finally go away. Abby was afraid to drink because she was afraid of throwing up. After she finally started drinking some, it was another week before she would eat. The docs kept saying not to worry, but I was worried. Two weeks after her surgery, things started getting back to normal for Abby.

Once we got Abby squared away, I began having intense abdominal pain that no one could explain. It took one month, but I actually had surgery today to address that issue. I'm really, really hoping things will get back to normal. *fingers crossed*

It's all in the name

I've been feeling guilty lately about not doing as much with my blog as I'd like. I was thinking about it this morning, and I realized that all you have to do is look at the title of my blog to understand. I'm busy. It's like triage in an emergency room. I have to prioritize, and although my blog is important to me, there are other things that take precedence.

I think we might be on the verge of getting Abby straightened out, so I'm feeling good about that. I've written previously about how sick she's been this year. It seems it's just been one illness after the next. She had pneumonia, ear infections, horrible allergy problems, diagnosis of asthma, and a virus that caused her to refuse almost all food for about 2 weeks. What's really strange is that she's never been a sickly kid but this year she's been a mess. About 3 weeks ago it became obvious that she was having difficulty hearing. I took her to her primary care doctor, who gave her a hearing test that she failed. We saw an ENT on Monday. Her ears are still full of fluid that just isn't going anywhere. Her tonsils are huge, according to the doc. He asked me about things such as if she ever snores, which she does....and sleeps with her mouth open. Well, the result of all of that is that she is scheduled to get the tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears. The doctor says she'll feel so much better after all of this. I've got friends and coworkers who've gone this route and also say it really helped. I'm nervous about the sedation, but excited at the prospect of her feeling better.

I think baby Ava will probably end up with tubes. She's 9 months old and has had 4 ear infections. She's got a cold right now, and I'm hoping that doesn't end up in ear infections.

The dog got a nasty infection in his paw on Monday and ended up with a trip to the vet on Tuesday. His paw doubled in size from Monday night when his toe looked a little swollen to Tuesday morning. It was really gross. He's an English Mastiff, so loading him up to go to the vet with a paw he can barely walk on was quite the fun experience. He's on antibiotics and doing much better now.

I've been extremely busy at work for the past 3 weeks. As soon as I walk in the door, it seems it starts getting busy. I'm a social worker, so I also take care of people there....so to speak. It can be quite draining.

Again, I think the name of this blog really is appropriate. I'm busy.

Wordless Wednesday

Win 31 prizes in 31 Days from Warren County CVB and Family Friendly Cincinnati

I'm very proud to be a contributor to a great local site known as Family Friendly Cincinnati. If you're anywhere near the area, it's a great resource for your family. We really are so lucky to have access to so many great attractions for the family. The Warren County Convention and Visitor's Bureau has teamed up with Family Friendly Cincinnati to offer 31 Prizes in 31 Days this month. May is National Tourism Month, so it's only fitting that Ohio's Largest Playground would be a great destination.

You need to register everyday for each giveaway. I've even got the widget in my sidebar to make it easy for you. Good luck!!

Don't forget to become a fan of Family Friendly Cincinnati's facebook page!

Silk Pure Almond Review and Giveaway

I was recently contacted by the folks at Silk and asked if I'd be interested in trying their new product, Silk Pure Almond. One of my resolutions for the new year was to get healthier. I'm a big milk drinker, but even with skim milk I have to be careful with the calories. I also have to be careful not to drink too much because it will upset my stomach. I thought it was ironic, when Silk contacted me, because I had been wanting to try the product. Silk provided me with two coupons for a free half-gallon.

I picked up both the original and vanilla flavors and learned some interesting facts. Silk Pure Almond provides as much calcium and Vitamin D as regular dairy milk. It contains no cholesterol, saturated fat, dairy, or soy. A serving of the original flavor is only 60 calories and the vanilla is 90 calories per serving.

So how does it taste, you ask? I was actually pleasantly surprised about the taste. The original flavor has a very mild taste with the slight flavor of almond. Of course, the vanilla is a little sweeter than the original. I also experienced no aftertaste, which sometimes can be an issue for me. It's one of the reasons I just cannot make myself drink diet drinks. My favorite thing about this product is the creamy texture, more like the texture of whole milk. I'm totally fine with drinking skim milk, but it's definitely more watery than the whole milk. It feels like you're getting something more substantial and it's more enjoyable.

I have a coffee concoction that I drink every morning that is primarily made with milk. Well I have completely switched to making it with the Original Silk Pure Almond. I love it. I also enjoy both flavors in cereal. I haven't tried the product while cooking, but it can be used for that as well. The website provides some recipes. I wouldn't mind trying the Pure Almond French Toast.

I'm now a regular consumer of Silk Pure Almond. I keep a half-gallon in my fridge at home and in the fridge at work. Another added plus: I found that the expiration on this product is a lot longer than regular dairy milk. If you're the only person in the house using it, you don't have to worry about it going bad before you can drink it.

If you'd like to try Silk Pure Almond, you can print a coupon by registering at the website. Check here for a list of stores that sell this product.

Wanna try it? I'm really excited that Silk is offering three of my readers a coupon to try Silk Pure Almond FREE! One of the three winners will also win this really cute Silk Pure Almond branded ChicoBag!

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment and tell me which flavor you'd like to try. Please make sure I have a way of contacting you if you win.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following and leave me a separate comment for each to tell me you did.

-Follow me on twitter

-Tweet the giveaway and include @aprilincinci

-"Like" my Facebook page (let me know your facebook name so I can verify)

-Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link to your post

This giveaway will end at 12 am on Saturday, May 8th. Winners will be chosen randomly via Random.org and the first winner chosen will also win the bag. You'll have 36 hours to respond before I have to select another winner.

I'd again like to thank Silk for the opportunity to try this great product by providing me with the free coupons.

Sickness all around

I'm sure you've all been wondering we're I've been (that was sarcasm). Well, let me tell you that it's been so much fun at my house lately. We've been dealing with a lot this year with Abby being sick. She's had pneumonia and various other ailments, including some pretty nasty allergy issues. Allergy testing showed that she's allergic to our cats. She finally ended up getting diagnosed with asthma last month. Baby Ava is just as cute as a button, but she's been sick as well. I think we're on our 4th set of ear infections.

Let me just give you a play by play of the last 6 days. Last Thursday I notice I'm starting to feel a little sickly. I'm also noticing that Ava is whiny and not drinking as well as she normally does. She started to run a fever and I was suspicious of ear infections because it was a similar presentation the last time. The doctor fit her in on Thursday and sure enough she ends up on antibiotics. By the end of Thursday I was definitely sick. Friday morning I felt like crap and called my doc to see if he would call me in something to the pharmacy but he wanted to see me. He said it was a sinus infection and ear infection and put me on antibiotics and a steroid. By the end of Friday I was feeling really bad. Saturday, Abby went to grandma's house. An hour later she's calling and bringing her home because she was crying about her ear hurting. I end up staying up until 4am with her. I spoke with the doc on call Saturday night and he had a nurse follow-up on Sunday. We took her into the office on Sunday. He said she had perforated her eardrum overnight and the other ear wasn't looking great. So, she ended up on antibiotics. I swear my kitchen counter looks like it could be in a pharmacy. Monday morning I woke up with HIVES from the antibiotic and scratched like a dog with fleas all day. The doc said stop the antibiotics. Also on Monday, Abby began crying with the other ear. Tuesday Ava woke up with a snotty nose and cough. So, for each of the past 6 days there's been a new and exciting ailment to address. Good times at my house!

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things so you'll see a few posts in the next several days. Please check back!