Thursday, August 8, 2013

Just Wanted To Share Our Excitement With You

To Start With....
Our Little Guy turned "3" on June 25th!
3 Already!?!?! Where did the time go?
Anyway, I thought you might enjoy a glimpse of his invitation. 
Maybe (just maybe) one of these days I will get around to doing a blog post with some of the details from his pirate party.  And if I get really ambitious maybe (just maybe) I will go back and share the details of his Mickey Carnival Party that we did for his 2nd birthday too! 
I still get tons of messages and comments about his Cat In The Hat 1st Birthday Party.....
So stay tuned! 
Moving On To Other Exciting News....
Kate Middleton, Prince William and baby George
The "Royal Baby" was born and it seems the whole world was watching and excited to catch a glimpse of the little guy. 
 Cute as he is I couldn't take my eyes off of his beautiful mother.  I mean she even managed to make her postpartum bump look stylish. {Gagging A Little!} 
If only we could all look so perfectly put together leaving the hospital with our newborns! RIGHT?
Sorry if I kind of got off topic for a little bit there.

Back To What I Am Excited To Share....

Well, at the same time that we were sending out Bresden's birthday invitations we were also sending out these little cards that I was so excited to make....

{The Front}
https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1012165_607328545965932_1640307956_n.jpg  

I purchased a bunch of sample spoons from a local ice cream shop, drilled ( yes actually drilled) 2 small holes in the front of the card, thread an 8 inch strip of  satin ribbon through the holes and tied a little bow to secure the spoons to the front of the card.

Why put little spoons on the front of a card?

Well, since our last name is WitherSPOON,
Little Baby Spoons seemed like the perfect thing to announce....

 https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1045003_607328625965924_1574106386_n.jpg 

 Yep, I just might be ringing in The New Year in a hospital bed!
Thank you to those of you who have prayed for our family.  
We feel so blessed to be expecting our second child especially after thinking that we may never be able to have children of our own.
Infertility is no fun but don't let it stand in the way of your dreams!
Praise God for the doctors at RMA of Texas and for our 2 successful rounds of IVF!!!

And One More Bit Of Exciting News....

We went for our full anatomy ultrasound @17weeks and we are having....

Wait For It....

Wait For It....






I think that her ultrasound pic below effectively illustrates just how ridiculously excited I am!



Well, I am off to hopefully find myself a stylish Pink Polka Dot Outfit (like Kate's) to wear after my baby girl arrives! 
Stay tuned for updates on my pregnancy, what our family is up, cute girly things that I've made and found, interesting product reviews and maybe some fun giveaways!

It has been 3 years since my son was born and 
there are so many new Must-Have products out there 
that I can't wait to check out & share with you all!  


Thursday, June 13, 2013

LAST MINUTE FATHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS


Anyone else follow Tori Spelling's Blog, EdiTORIial?
I do and I must say that I love it!
Today she posted some great ideas for  
Father's Day Gifts
  and so I thought maybe I should post a couple of my own.  

 Last year just before Father's Day I caught my little guy trying on his Daddy's shoes and snapped a few pics. Talk about perfect timing.  For Father's Day I did a little editing on the photo, added a sweet message, had it printed and framed. 
I wanted to create something special for my Dad too and found this sweet photo of my little guy holding his Papa's hand to use for it..
Voila!  Sweet & Personal Father's Day Gifts To Be Treasured For Years To Come!

Now if only I could come up with something even better for this year!

Just thought someone may benefit from the last minute gift ideas or you could always
 Pin them for next year! 

Be sure to check out Tori's Gift Guide >>>HERE<<<

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The OV-Watch - A Fertility Predictor Kit


The following review was originally posted on my sister's blog 
  This may be news to you, but my husband and I have struggled with infertility for most of our 10 years of marriage.

Quick! What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words "peeing on a stick?"
If "pregnancy test" is the first and only thing that comes to mind then you are probably one of the lucky ones who hasn't had a difficult time getting pregnant and you may not even be aware that infertility effects 10-15 percent of the reproductive-age population and that many women "pee on sticks" to determine when they are ovulating to find their fertile window.
I have peed on my fair share of sticks...Ovulation predictors and pregnancy tests. I can't tell you how many times I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice if I didn't have to play with my urine and could just know when I was ovulating." How I wished that knowing the time of ovulation could have been as simple as just looking at a watch. 
Well with OV-Watch, now it is!
OV-Watch is a wristband ovulation detector that you wear at night while you are sleeping. It's advanced biosensor and microprocessor interpret hormone induced chloride ion fluctuations. The OV-Watch detects the chloride surge 3 days prior to the estrogen surge, 4 days prior to the LH surge and 5 days prior to ovulation, making it an earlier predictor of ovulation than any other chemical surges during the month. It is estimated that 66% more pregnancies will occur by month 6 with OV-Watch over urinary LH kits. The watch takes readings of chloride ion levels that are secreted in perspiration, detecting the chloride surge and providing the user with an alert of FERTILE DAYS 1-4 and OVULATION DAY. OV-Watch detects the 4 crucial days before ovulation as opposed to LH test sticks that detect the LH surge occurring just 12-24 hours before ovulation.
It helps women to take advantage of their full fertile window, which means less stress about timing and a higher likelihood of getting pregnant. Imagine that you are trying to throw a ball through a window...wouldn't you be more likely to achieve your goal if that window was a bit larger?

I can't help but wonder if the OV-Watch could have saved us from the two costly rounds of IVF that it took to conceive our son, who is now 2 1/2. I am sure that you will agree that the $139.99 for a starter

kit and the additional cost for the monthly supply of sensors will be money well spent if it helps you to conceive and is really nothing in comparison to the cost of other infertility treatments.
While I cannot share a personal success story about OV-Watch (yet) as I did not know about this product when we were trying to get pregnant with our son it just might end up playing a role in giving my son a brother or sister. Hopefully my sister will be sharing the news that she has a new niece or nephew on the way soon and we would love to hear if you have success with OV-Watch too.
You might be interested to know that Bachelorette Reality-TV Stars Trista & Ryan Sutter used OV-Watch to successfully conceive.
Go to www.ovwatch.com to learn more about this amazing product, get answers to any questions that you may have. Buy an OV-Watch for yourself or share this technological breakthrough with a friend.
I was not paid to feature this post!  I was compensated only by the product sent for review/feature!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I'm Back....

Alright, Alright....
I know you were probably thinking that this mommy MUST-HAVE given up on blogging for good, huh?
Well, No Such Luck!
I am back and things on Modern Mommy Must-Haves might just be better than before.
So I hope that you will excuse my absence and stick around for more Must-Have Reviews, Giveaways, Posts & Ideas that are Relevant To Modern Mommies. 

Just A "Little" Warning (Please Note The Smaller Font)....
Things May Get A Little Bit More Personal On Here!
I Think That We Are Ready To Take Our Relationship To The Next Level.
I Look Forward To Sharing More of Myself With You & I Hope That You Will Feel Comfortable Opening Up To Me Too.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Traveling Toddler Giveaway Winner...

The Traveling Toddler Giveaway Winner
(selected by Random.org) is.....

#6
SHERI!

Sheri said...

You can buy this at amazon.com

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Traveling Toddler Review & Giveaway

Traveling By Air With A Toddler???
READ THIS!!!

Your baby has transitioned from his infant carrier to a bigger bulkier convertible carseat and you are planning on traveling....Panic Sets In!!!
How are you going to carry everything & navigate through the airport???



I am excited to share a product with you that is going to change the way that you travel with a toddler... FOREVER!
(Or at least until they are no longer a toddler)

Introducing....


When our son transitioned to an upright carseat we were overwhelmed with trying to figure out how we were going to navigate through airports and ensure that our son's carseat would reach our destination with us. So we searched & searched and ended up  purchasing Traveling Toddler.

Traveling Toddler Turns Your Suitcase Into An Instant Stroller!
We Love It!  
We have already used it on several trips and each time we use it we are stopped by countless other families wanting to know all about it and where they can get one.  So just be prepared to be the envy of all the other parents traveling with toddlers that aren't traveling with "Traveling Toddler!"

Why It's A Must-Have:

Traveling Toddler is a T-shaped strap with 3 D-rings that utilizes your convertible carseat's latch system to secure your carseat to a rolling suitcase creating an Instant Stroller!

It allows you to push or pull a piece of luggage, your child's carseat and your child....all with one hand.

The strap is small. So you can just put it in your purse or carry-on when you are not using it.

It's Super Affordable!
Priced at about $15 & well worth every cent!


I can't imagine why anyone would pay $90 for a similar product that is on the market.  Especially, because this other product is way bulkier and can't be easily stored like Traveling Toddler can.
I also can't understand why anyone would buy a separate carseat, one of those expensive carseats with pop-out wheels that are designed for air travel, when they can utilize their own carseat for airtravel.

Let me go a step further and share the Instructions for using Traveling Toddler with you to answer any questions that you may still have about how it works & also share a couple of tips with you.


If you are planning to gate check your carseat or use it on the airplane you will need to disconnect Traveling Toddler to go through the TSA security checkpoint..... but if you practice connecting and disconnecting it before you travel it will be a piece of cake.
We use our Traveling Toddler on our rolling carry-on bag and as long as the bag is full it works great!
We gate-check our carseat (as our son is still under 2 & flies free) and reconnect it in the jetway once we land.
Please note:  Do not gate check your carry-on bag if you are going to want to use it with your Traveling Toddler at an airport where you are catching a connecting flight....the airlines will not give you your gate-checked carry-on until you reach your destination due to security restrictions (at least that has been our experience.)

I really can't believe that more families are not using Traveling Toddler.  I have to believe that it is just because they have not heard of it yet....
Precisely the reason I felt the need to post this review & get the word out!

Need One Right Away???
Visit

Want one but don't need it right away? 
Then read on.....

Traveling Toddler was excited that Modern Mommy Must-Haves wanted to spread the word about their product and would like to offer a Traveling Toddler to one of our lucky readers.

To Enter This Giveaway


(you may choose to do any or all of the following for extra entries):

1st- Visit www.TravelingToddler.com & tell me where you can purchase this product.

2nd- Follow this blogspot publicly and comment that you do
(Click Join This Site & Sign-up with Google Friends Connect).
3rd - Have you traveled with a toddler?  Share your personal experience.  What were some of the challenges that you faced?  How did you get your toddler and their carseat to your destination?

4th- Tell a friend about Traveling Toddler and then post a comment letting us know who you told.
5th - Blog about this giveaway & comment that you did, with a link, so we can read about it


6th - If you win, will you keep it for yourself or give it to someone? Who?
This giveaway will end on December 21st, 2011 and is opened to US Residents only!


Be sure to leave your e-mail address with each entry and leave separate comments for each entry!

I was not paid to feature this post!



Thursday, September 29, 2011

Funky Monkey Freeze Dried Fruit Snack Review

Maybe it is just me, but it seems like whenever you buy a new car you see way more of that same type of car on the road than before you owned one. I realize that there  are not actually any more of that type of car on the road than there was before it just seems like it because you are now more aware of them.

That is sort of the way that it has been with
Funky Monkey Snacks

I don't recall ever seeing them in a store before.
But now that I have tried them (sent free of charge for this review)
 it seems that I am seeing them everywhere I go.
So they must have been right there in front of my face...I just didn't really see them.
In hopes that you may experience
 that same heightened sense of awareness,
 I am happy to introduce Funky Monkey Snack to you.
Why You Will Want To Be Aware Of Funky Monkey Snacks:

Well, for starters,
They Taste Really Good!
But Beyond That....
Each 1 oz pouch contains 3 Servings of Fruit!
100% Organic 
All Natural
Vegan
Gluten Free
Freeze-Dried Fruit
Available In A Variety Of Flavors

Funky Monkey Snacks Are So Fun To Eat...
They Are The Perfect Snack For The Whole Family!


Now that I have brought these delicious snacks to your attention I just know that
you are going to want to try them for yourself.

Be on the lookout for Funky Monkey- "Fruit That Crunches" at a store near you
or visit
www.FunkyMonkeySnacks.com

I was not paid to feature this post! I was compensated only by the product sent to me free of charge for this review/feature!









Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Meeno Babies On Zulily!!!

Are You Sad You Didn't Win The Meeno Babies "Cool Mee" Seat Liner Giveaway???

 

Want to Get A Great Deal On Meeno Babies "Cool Mee" Seat Liners?

 

Zulily

 

Currently Has

 

Meeno Babies "Cool Mee" Seat Liners
(For Only $17.99- $19.99).

 

But Hurry!

Sale ends 9/16 at 6am pdt.


This is a fabulous discount on a fabulous Must-Have product....


We bought a second seat-liner through Zulily for my husband's car!


Please Use My Link To Sign Up For Great Daily Deals From Zulily!http://www.zulily.com/invite/twitherspoon134


I was not compensated for posting this but I may receive a referral credit from Zulily if you sign up and make a purchase using my link.





Meeno Babies "Cool Mee" Seatliner Giveaway Winner
(selected by Random.org) is.....

#15 
EMILY!

Emily said...

4) I wrote on Meeno Babies' wall!

August 24, 2011 8:59 PM
 

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

My Little Cupcake Winner Announcement

The My Little Cupcake Cake Pop Mold Giveaway Winner
(selected by Random.org) is..... 
 
#19  
KLEECH!

kleech said...
I love www.MYLITTLECUPCAKE.com and use it regularly. 
 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Meeno Babies "Cool Mee" Carseat/Stroller Liner Review & Giveaway

I certainly do not feel that I deserve a
"Mother Of The Year" award
for the photo that I am about to share with you.....
but I am also pretty sure that I am not the first mother to discover
that her child was actually sweating in their carseat
while she felt perfectly comfortable in the very same car.
Yes, that is sweat that can be seen pooling all around my poor baby's head!
{This photo was taken at the beginning of the summer on our way to the beach in Florida}
Since the temperature inside the car seemed pretty comfortable to me, I guess I just assumed that my little guy was comfortable too.  
I didn't consider the fact that the air-conditioner vents were not aimed at him (since he was rear-facing), that his carseat restricted the airflow around him or that his little rashguard (swim suit top) was not made of breathable fabric. 
I was also not really aware of the fact (and maybe you weren't either) that children's thermoregulatory systems are not as efficient as an adult's and their body temperatures warm at a rate 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s.
Poor little guy was not old enough to say, "Mommy, I'm Hot!"
I felt just awful when I realized how much he was sweating & immediately took of his little swim shirt.  But even without his shirt on (though a little cooler) he still continued to sweat.
It was then that it dawned on me...
The summer had only just begun, the temperatures were still rising....things were only going to get worse! I was going to have to find something to keep my little guy cool in his carseat if we were going to survive the Hot Hot Summer ahead.
That is when I discovered

"Cool Mee" Seat Liners!
www.MeenoBabies.com

Available in 3 Varieties To Fit
Infant Carriers, Carseats & Strollers
We received a Carseat Liner (sent free of charge for this review) in the "Quick Silver" color to fit Bresden's carseat.
I was anxious to install the liner & see if it made a difference.
I took a temperature reading inside the car just for fun when I went out to install it.
I should mention that it was actually on the cool-side in the morning & it was already reading 113 inside the car. Yikes!
I am pleased to tell you that it was super quick & easy to install & it really seems to work.  The 3 Layer design of the liner allows warm air to escape, preventing overheating and perspiring keeping little ones cool and comfortable.

No more peeling sticky wet clothes away from my little guy's back & no more wet stains in his carseat from his sweaty little head.

Plus, it protects your carseat from stains. It is machine washable & so much easier to remove for laundering than the entire carseat cover.
Meeno Babies product are CPSIA compliant – and have passed a (voluntary) independent 3rd party crash test!

Gotta Love That!

You Are Going To LOVE This Too...

Meeno Babies is generously offering One Lucky Modern Mommy Must-Haves Reader
Their Choice of a Meeno Babies "Cool Mee" Seat Liner!
How "COOL" Is That?

To Enter This Giveaway


(you must do the first and then you can choose to do any of the following for extra entries):

1st- Visit www.MeenoBabies.com & tell me which Seat Liner you will choose if you win.

2nd- Follow this blogspot publicly and comment that you do
(Click Join This Site & Sign-up with Google Friends Connect).
 
3rd - LIKE Meeno Babies on Facebook & post a comment here telling us that you do.

4th- Post a comment on Meeno Babies Facebook wall letting them know that you heard about Meeno Babies on The Modern Mommy Must-Haves Blogspot & Thanking Them For Offering This Giveaway!
 
5th - Blog about this giveaway & comment that you did, with a link, so we can read about it


6th - Enter another giveaway on this blogspot and comment that you did.


This giveaway will end on September 12th, 2011 and is opened to US Residents only!


Be sure to leave your e-mail address with each entry and leave separate comments for each entry!



I was not paid to feature this post! I was compensated only by the product sent to me free of charge for this review/feature!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Our Dr. Seuss 1st Birthday Party...

Wow, I can't believe it has already been a month since we had Bresden's 1st Birthday Party!
{Although, it seemed like it took at least a month to just sort through all the photos
 & upload them for this post}
Brace Yourself for Lots of Photos & Details!!!
(If you want to enlarge the photos to view the details I am pretty sure you can just click on them)
I apologize to those of you who have been anxiously waiting to see photos.....
I really didn't mean for it to take me this long!
Hopefully it will be well worth the wait! 
I had so much fun planning my little guy's party
 & I am excited about sharing all of the details with you.
I hope that you may get some ideas or inspiration for throwing your little one's next party.
Is it too soon to start planning his 2nd Birthday???
Well Without Any Further Ado...

THE INVITATION
I created this invitation myself with inspiration & ideas from other invitations that I saw online. I wanted a "Very Seuss" invitation but I also wanted it to be personalized with a photo.  I took this photo of  Bresden in our backyard.  Bresden is wearing a t-shirt that I created using iron on transfer sheets that I purchased from Michael's, his shorts are from Kohl's & I found his Dr. Seuss Converse at Sears months ago .  I had the invitations printed at Costco.
SIGNS TO WELCOME OUR GUESTS

"Turning 1" instead of "Thing 1" was my own personal idea...I used it on the shirt he wore for the invitations & then again on this sign.


 


I actually purchased all of these metal signs in the markdown section at Hobby Lobby
(LOVE LOVE LOVE That Store)
A Can of Spray Paint, A Little Time On The Computer Designing The Stickers & Voila....Three Personalized Signs to Welcome our Guests!
I just might repaint them & use them to coordinate with whatever the theme is for his next party!

GUEST BOOK


I saw a few different people online use the "Happy Birthday To You" book as a guestbook & I loved the idea. I framed the rhyme that invited guests to write a message anywhere in the book & our family and friends wrote special messages to their "favorite one year old guy" that he will be able to look back on for years to come.  It made a really special keepsake from a special day.  I also framed an 8x10 of his invitation & put it out on the table too.  The welcome sign on the wall came from Michael's.  I highly recommend mylar balloons.  By the end of the day/the next morning all of the polka dot latex balloons were on the floor.  The mylar balloons were still floating over a week later & when I was tired of looking at them I just inserted a straw, deflated them and folded them up for future use. BTW, the balloons were tied to Dr. Seuss totes that I found in the dollar section at Target (another one of my favorite stores).

JUST SOME EXTRA DETAILS


Since our little guy gets around better barefoot I decided to set his cute little Converse out at the party (they were too cute to keep boxed up).
I sewed the party hat for him myself & I actually made him another shirt (that he wore at the party) with the #1 (above) on it but I realize now looking back at the pictures that I didn't really get any good shots of him in it.

OUR BEVERAGE SELECTION


Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid coordinated perfectly with our party's decor & I dressed up the bottled water with some ribbon.
We were also able to offer our guests a wide variety of drink choices
Thanks To

You can read my review of SodaStream by clicking HERE.
The buzz sound that the machine makes when carbonating the water created a lot of buzz....Everyone stopped what they were doing to find out what it was & they were very interested in learning more about SodaStream.  I was more than happy to share.

THE TREAT BUFFET & CAKE TABLE


Okay, so there is way too much going on with these tables to discuss every little detail.  This blog post is going to be way too long as it is.  So if you have any specific questions feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me & I will try to get back to you with an answer. 



One Detail that is Definitely Worth Mentioning is the Festive Cupcake Pops that I made using
To read my review of My Little Cupcake click HERE.
Also, You Can Enter To Win Your Very Own My Little Cupcake Cake Pop Mold right here on The Modern Mommy Must-Haves Blogspot.
Our Guests Loved The Cupcake Pops!  They were so fun to eat & they really added to the treat buffet.
My mom caught one of our little guests checking them out in the photo above.


Lanterns Are My New Favorite Party Decoration!
You've gotta love lanterns...they are inexpensive, add so much to the look of your party & when your party is over they flatten down to be used again (I love things that can be reused, in case you haven't caught on to that yet). 



I Loved the Idea of a Candy Buffet....But I had no idea just how quickly the price of candy can add up! I had to keep my budget in check if I didn't want to find myself on an episode of TLC's Outrageous Kid Parties (although, I really do love to watch that show)....so I found some inexpensive alternatives to buying bulk candy. I shopped clearance & holday mark-down candy, dipped & decorated Jumbo Jet-Puffed Marshmallows with Wilton Candy Melts & I even made my own flavored & fun-colored popcorn using the recipe found HERE.


I made up & framed a little rhyme to let our guests know that they could help themselves to the goodies & even make their own goodie-bag to go.... providing them with silicone baking cups & cute little bags to put their favorite treats in.


 
I even included Baby Mum-Mums, one of Bresden's favorite snacks in the treat buffet. So that he & his little guests would have something to munch on.  The adults enjoyed trying Mum-Mums too.
You can read my review of Baby Mum-Mums HERE.

We bought an easy-set pool for the party
 & I just wanted to make sure that all of our guests were safe.

THE CAKE


I made Bresden a little smash cake to resemble the one in the
Dr. Seuss "Happy Birthday To You" Book.

He had fun digging in, getting messy & eating cake for the first time.
I just wish we could have done the cake earlier on
as he was starting to get sleepy & had used up most of his smiles!
Something to keep in mind if you are planning a party for your little one.

OUR GUESTS
 


A photo booth is such a great way to make sure that you get photos of all your guests & providing them with props to match the theme makes for some memorable snapshots.

THE AFTER-PARTY

Since, the party was on the 4th of July, we included an invitation for a BBQ immediately following the birthday party.  I would say that it was a pretty fun 4th despite the fact that there were NO FIREWORKS!  Texas is in the midst of a serious drought so all fireworks (even professional displays) were banned!
MORE SIGNS
{actually just the back side of the ones you saw earlier}



Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the backside of the signs until the day after the party so the stickers kind of rippled a bit.

Believe it or not, there were actually a few more details that I didn't include photos of & things that I had planned for his party but I ran out of time....I will mention a few so that you might be able to do them if you are hosting a Dr. Seuss Party.
We had the movie "The Cat In The Hat" playing on the television in our living room during the party.  It made for good background noise & we sat on the floor below the TV for Bresden to open his presents so our guests could watch the movie if they weren't that interested in the gift-opening.

I was going to make a platter with green eggs & ham....I had the book, the ham & 3 dozen hard boiled eggs in my fridge but I didn't get to devil the eggs & color the yolk filling green or roll up the ham and insert toothpicks with pom-poms on top.

I had also planned to either buy rainbow swirled lollipops or make lollipop cookies with a personalized label that looked like the cover of "Oh The Places You'll Go" but said something like, "Of All The Places You'll Go We Are Glad You Came To Bresden's 1st Birthday Party."

Well, you have just about made it to the end of this post.  Thanks for hanging in there!
I hope that you have enjoyed having a "peek" at all the details from our son's party & I invite you to use any of the ideas that I have shared as inspiration for your next party.

I was not paid for posting this or for featuring any of the products or companies mentioned in this post.  I was only compensated by the products that I received free of charge for the reviews that I  provided links to in this post. Please feel free to share our blog with your friends but please do not use any of the photos on Modern Mommy Must-Haves without permission. Thanks!