Vacation Must-Have : Access to a doctor!

Hi there!

I've decided to do a little series on our Vacation Must-Haves.  This is our 3rd family vacation where one of our children has become sick.

In February 2014, we visited Disney World for the first time and our oldest got an ear infection.

This past summer,  we took a road trip to New York and our daughter developed bronchiolitis (again!), and we forgot her inhaler, so she ended up in the ER.

Now we are in Florida again,  and our baby has developed a horrible cough and spiked a fever.

We've finally realized that we MUST know how to contact a local doctor wherever we decide to go. So,  I want to share this service that we have used twice in Florida.

The Medical Concierge was recommended to us by our hotel concierge.  It's a service they keep on call to help their guests, and it's super convenient.  We used this for #1 and #3 so far and have been happy with the service.

They will send a doctor (an MD, not just a nurse practitioner, like you'd get at Walgreens or CVS clinics) to your hotel room to examine your sick child (or adult) and can prescribe medication if necessary. This worked great for us because we were pretty sure neither child was suffering from anything super serious. It's cheaper than an ER visit and saves you a trip.  I'm not saying it's cheap! I'm just saying it's cheaper than the ER. The doctors both came to our rooms late at night - 9:30 PM for this recent call. At that time,  our only other option would have been the ER, and with babies we just don't want to have to go there if it's avoidable.  So many extra germs, crowds and wait times.  No thanks.

The doctor that came this time was able to rule out step and an ear infection, which were the things we were worried about.  He just told us to monitor his fever (thank goodness we brought a thermometer! Oh yes we did, and I'll be blogging about that next!) and to contact him if the cough got worse. 2 days later, they called to follow up and make sure #3 was doing ok. Even our own pediatrician would never do that!

So, we will be checking into services like this wherever we go from now on. And if you plan to visit FL, keep this info in your back pocket just in case!

Until next time,

xoxo

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OOTD #2 - Disney Edition, and Event Recap.

Hi there!

Day 2 at The Magic Kingdom was a great success!

It started off a bit stressful because the entry to Animal Kingdom was seriously backed up and we were about 15 minutes late for our breakfast reservation at Tusker House.  But, they still seated us right away and the characters came one right after the other,  which was great!

This was our 3rd breakfast at the Tusker House. It's a great character meal and the food is so good! A buffet of sausage,  bacon,  fruit,  grits,  plantains, and so many other things to try. And,  of course,  the Mickey Waffles are always delish. This meal we got to meet Mickey,  Daisy, Donald and Goofy.  Minnie Mouse was there, but we decided not to wait for her, because we had a fast pass for the Finding Nemo show.

We'd never seen this show before, but I want to see it every time we go from now on. It's BEAUTIFUL!!! It's so fun the way they brought the movie to life using puppets and song. It's colorful and clever and I loved every second of it.

After a quick ice cream break (hey,  it's hot here!), we went on the Safari. Our 3rd time doing it, and it was probably the best. Lots of animals appeared, including a female lion. The kids were so tired by this point (the night before with the 9:30 PM doctor visit had them all up until after 11pm, but still awake by 8am) that #2 almost feel asleep in my lap during the safari, so we called it a day after that. Back to the hotel for nap time and dinner, and then off to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!!!

She was so tired,  she hardly cared there was an elephant behind her.

This was a special event that required additional tickets. The park closed early that day and only those with wrist bands could stay for the festivities.  Free cookies and hot chocolate,  character meet and greets everywhere (Jack Skellington, The Seven Dwarves, princesses with their princes), all rides were open with virtually no wait times and a beautiful Christmas Parade that included Ana and Eksa, Olaf, Buzz and Woody, all the princesses and princes, toy soldiers, reindeer and ended with Santa.  The kids LOVED it. But by the time it ended, it was 11pm. They all feel asleep before we got to the monorail to head home.  Tomorrow we will take it easy and sleep in. They need it!

#1 thought I'd be funny to close his eyes. I didn't laugh.

 Jasmine and Aladdin in the Christmas parade.

Of course I'll include my OOTD. Nothing fancy at all - a Lularoe perfect tee, Gap skinnies and my favorite  CROCS!!! Go ahead, hate on Crocs. I just don't care. These shoes are so comfortable and practical and I can't live without them!!!

My shirt is all wrinkled from the baby carrier.

Until next time (hopefully tomorrow!),

xoxo,

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OOTD #1 - Disney Edition

Hi there!

Our first day at Disney World was pretty good!  We had a bit of a tough time managing the baby as he ended up getting sick.  He had a cough when we left home, but we thought he'd be ok.  By the time we were ready for bed the night we arrived, the poor baby had a 102 degree fever.  We got through the first day at the park with him, but he was pretty fussy and tired, so we called a doctor to our hotel room.  Did you know that was possible?  We did!  Because we've had to do it before - actually the first time we brought the kids to Disney World!  #1 got an ear infection, and we ended up staying an extra 5 days because:

#1 - he was sick
#2 - it was snowing at home and hubby didn't have to be back at work, so why not stay at the Happiest Place on Earth?

Turns out the doctor wasn't able to diagnose him with anything and we just have to watch him.  In the meantime we treated his fever with Advil, and today (Day 2) he was AWESOME! Happy, smiling, laughing, clapping along to music - back to his normal awesome self.

Anyway!  I'll post photos of the trip later.  For now, I'm just going to share what I wore!

I ordinarily HATE shorts.  Like, I only own this romper, one other romper and one pair of shorts and that is all.  I hate them on me.  They look horrible and ride up and just plain get on my nerves.  But THIS?!  I LOVE!  I had to have it.  

It's from Forever 21.  Sadly, it's not available anymore. I bought mine at the outlet.  But it's called the Free Spirit Crocheted Romper, in case you're interested and want to Google details.  

Until next time,

xoxo

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Younique Haul and First Impressions

Hi there!

If you didn't already know, I have been a Younique Presenter for over a year.  I don't really push sales anymore, because sales just aren't my thing.  Plus, I really only joined because for $99, I got a lot of makeup!

But, I really like the brand and I use the products regularly.  (The BB cream is my daily base.  I'm almost out now and I'm kind of freaking out because they are currently out of stock!  What am I going to do?!?!)  So, I do try to keep up with the new products.

Younique recently released pressed eyeshadow palettes (Addiction 1, 2 and 3), lipsticks and a whole line of lip stains, so I just had to try them.  It's easier for me to make videos to cover first impressions, so that's what I did.

I didn't cover prices in the video, so here is a breakdown for you.  FYI - As a Yellow Status Presenter, I get a 25% discount on all of the products I purchase.

Lip Mix Kudos Gift (Only offered in September - No longer available.) $66

Lucrative Lip Gloss - Lavish

Stiff Upper Lip - Sleek, Sultry, Savvy

Moodstruck Addiction Shadow Palette - Palette 2 (Cook with shades of black and silver) - $49

Moodstruck Opulence Lipstick - Pretentious - $19

The Shade Stick (color matching guide) - There is no link for this as it's only available to presenters through their back office. - $12

I've used this shadow palette several times since I made this video, and I LOVE it!!!  Great quality - good pigmentation, great color selection for a neutral eye, and very little fallout during use.

I've also used the lip stains and am really impressed!  The color goes on very sheer.  Once it dries, you can add more and build to the color intensity you want. And it really lasts! It doesn't transfer during eating or drinking.  Or kissing (wink wink!). VERY nice product! I think I will buy all of the remaining colors!  

That's all. Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

xoxo

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The Glam Mom - Science Fun!

Hi there!

My kids have recently started watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on PBS (out of guilt that they've been watching too much TV, we've started defaulting to PBS instead of the Disney Channel so we can at least feel like they are learning something!).  Since Daniel Tiger is a spin-off from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, I checked Netflix to see if there were any episodes available, and there were a ton!  Since husband and I grew up watching Mr. Rogers, we thought it would be fun to expose the kids to him and show them where Daniel Tiger came from.

The 2nd episode we watched with the kids featured a segment with Bill Nye The Science Guy!  I LOVE him!  He demonstrated this experiment, and since we had all of the necessary items, we decided to try it with the kids. 

This video is of the 3rd time we attempted this. The first time worked great!  The second time, I didn't apply the balloon properly and it flew off the bottle.  This video shows how to do it properly.  But by this point, the kids had lost interest.

Anyway.  Enjoy!

Until next time!

xoxo,

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Airing My Dirty Laundry. Literally.

Hi there,

I'm just going to put it out there: my house is a disaster.  It's my dirty. I try to keep things clean -bathrooms are regularly cleaned and disinfected,  my floors are mopped, even just quickly,  a few times a week, I vacuum.  But,  I can't keep the junk in check.  Toys and books are everywhere and my sink and dishwasher are always full. But the biggest disaster of all? The laundry.  

O. M. G. THE LAUNDRY!!! 

I just can't keep up!!! I've tried, I really have.  But my laundry room is in a constant state of THIS:

And my bedroom? A constant state of THIS:

How are you moms doing it???? How do you keep the laundry done???

I've tried the whole "do 2 load a day" thing.  Fine,  they get washed.  But they certainly don't get folded,  nonetheless put away.

I've tried a laundry day.  Nope.

Folding while the kids are awake.  HA!!!! As soon as something I've folded is within their reach... it's a waste of my time.  And there's only so long I can expect a 1 yearb old to entertain himself before he decides to attach himself to me and become my 3rd leg. 

Folding while the kids are asleep.  This works occasionally.  But,  those of you who know my kids know that sleeping is not something they really care for.  And folding laundry at 10:30 - 11pm, when I've finally convinced everyone to STAY IN THEIR BEDS is not something I'm dying to do.  But I do it. Sometimes.

But, there's ALWAYS MORE!!!!!!!!!!! This weekend, #2 had a stomach bug, throwing up on everything.  I was forced to try to catch up. These photos are from about halfway through day 1 of her bug. Yes, the "to be washed" pile is down considerably. But the "to be folded and put away pile"? I can't. I won't even show you. It's a nightmare. An embarrassment.

Why am I writing this blog instead of doing laundry,  you ask? Well, I'm laying in bed with #3 while he naps.  If I move,  he wakes.  If he wakes,  then I'm not getting anything done anyway,  so I may as well just lay here and complain.  LOL!

That's it.  That's the most embarrassing situation in my house.  Dirty laundry.  Well,  some of it's clean!

Make me feel better mamas! Tell me I'm not the only one!!! Please?!?!

Until next time,

xoxo

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Halloween Book Favorites!

Hi there! 

Halloween is next week, so we've been reading a lot of fun, not at all scary Halloween books lately, so I thought I'd share the ones that my kids have been asking for over and over.  I've included affiliate links to each book in case any catch your interest.

The Nightmare Before Christmas - 

This is a fun picture book telling the same story as the classic movie.  My #1 has no interest in the whole movie, but he loves the "This is Halloween" song and recognizes Jack Skellington.  But even though he doesn't want to watch the movie, he LOVES this book.

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Where's My Mummy - 

Such a cute story about Baby Mummy playing Hide-And-Seek with his Mommy Mummy.  He's not afraid of anything he finds in the forest, except...

You'll have to read it to find out!

Affiliate Link

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin - 

I actually picked this book, and another in the series (below) at Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm.  When my kids are begging for toys or treats, I try to distract them with book.  These Spookley books were a great distraction!  All about a pumpkin who is different learning that his differences make him really special and those around him love him just the way he is.

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The Ugly Pumpkin - 

This is another book about learning why your differences make you special.  This "pumpkin" finds just where he belongs.

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Happy Halloween, Daniel Tiger - 

Don't all kids love Daniel Tiger??? This is a fun lift-the-flap book about what Daniel and all his friends dress up as for Halloween.  Even Trolley joins in the fun!

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Monster Trouble - 

This little girl is not afraid of monsters but they are keeping her awake at night and she's so tired!  She tries everything to stop them, and is surprised to learn what MONSTERS are afraid of.

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Skeleton For Dinner - 

This is a super cute story about a cutie skeleton misunderstanding a common phrase used by his friends, the Witches. Once he understands what he heard, he's not afraid anymore.

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Spookily the Square Pumpkin: A Family to be Thankful For - 

Just like in the book above, Spookley is feeling down about being a Square Pumpkin, but by the end, he learns that his friends love him just the way he is.

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Curious George: Haunted Halloween - 

This time, George isn't the one causing mischief!  He's solving the mystery of No Noggin, and helping everyone in his town feel safer on Halloween.

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These last 2 books, we haven't read recently, but they are still worth a look!

We haven't read Room on the Broom since last fall because it got moved into the basement and we haven't brought it back up for daily reading, but my kids love love loved it. A cute story about a nice witch who picks up friends on her ride, and her friends end up saving her from a bad guy after her broom breaks.

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I Need My Monster - This book was taken out of rotation because baby #3 ripped a page out of it and I haven't gotten around to taping it back, haha!  But this is a funny story about a boy whose favorite monster went on vacation and he just can't find a suitable replacement to help him get to sleep at night. 

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I KNOW there is at least one more that we got last year that the kids loved, but I can't find it or remember the name.  If I do, I'll update the list and re-post.  

Hope those of you that are looking to expand your Halloween/Fall book collection found this list helpful!!!  If you've read any (or all!) of these, let me know!  And if you have any other suggestions of books I should pick up, please tell me!

Until next time,

xoxo

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