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Finding My Village with Walgreens and TYLENOL®

December 4, 2018 by Rachel 11 Comments

Use as directed.

Momming ain’t easy, friends. One of the hardest parts of ‘momming,’ in my opinion, is the uncertainty. Bottle or breast? Cloth or disposables? You never know if what you’re doing is the right decision. You just make a judgment call based on the information given to you and make a decision you feel comfortable with… and hope for the best.

I count myself lucky that, over the years, I’ve built up a village of people that I can call upon in times of need.  Without any immediate family nearby, my village is comprised of close friends, coworkers, and our Walgreens pharmacist.

I know what you’re thinking… “Your Walgreens pharmacist is part of your village?!” but hear me out. Walgreens is just a mile from our home and is open 24/7/365, which is so convenient! And, as children do, my three kids always seem to be sick in the middle of the night.

… and it’s so darn rough.

As luck would have it, Miss Mila Rose started teething very early (she had one tooth breaking through at just a month and a half old!). A teething newborn is enough to make even the most experienced mom anxious. Seeing a little one in pain, battling a low-grade fever, with tender gums, is truly heartbreaking.

Thankfully Kevin, our local Walgreens pharmacist, was quickly able to help me out in figuring out the dosage of Infant TYLENOL® that is appropriate for our little lady, based on her weight. After doing some quick math, he sent me off with the TYLENOL® and a sticky note with her dosage information and instructions so that I wouldn’t forget (newborn + teething = no sleep and very little memory for this Mama).

Best yet? You can purchase TYLENOL® for just $6.99 (.5 oz, 4 oz. and 24 ct.) and $8.99 (1 oz. and 2. oz) with your Walgreens card through 12/15.

It’s the moments like these — the tiny moments with my village — that have made the biggest impact on me as a mother. I trust that dye-free TYLENOL® will help to reduce the fever and pain in as little as 15-20 minutes, but I also trust that Kevin and Walgreens — the only retailer that carries every flavor — will be there to help guide me at those moments where I need a little bit of extra help.

Like I mentioned earlier — we’re all just doing the best that we can. So draw upon your village and use them as needed. Trust them in the same way I trust Kevin and TYLENOL® with my family.

Who is part

of your village?

Use as directed.

Filed Under: #MomLife, babies, busy mom, children, family, health, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood, sponsor, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, babies, being a mom, busy mom, children, family, health, mommyhood, motherhood, oh baby, parenthood, sponsor, tips + tricks

Holiday Brunch Lemon Mimosas with Discount Drug Mart

November 14, 2018 by Rachel 21 Comments

This post is sponsored by Discount Drug Mart but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I can’t believe we’re rounding out the last part of 2018. I mean, I look back at all that has happened in this last year and I’m truly amazed at how quickly 2018 flew by. But I’m beyond excited to begin celebrating and reflecting on all that 2018 has brought to our family and friends.

There have been new jobs, new homes, big contracts, and new babies in our family this year — so there is much to celebrate!

To kick off the holiday celebrations, we hosted a pre-Thanksgiving brunch with my Mom and Dad, who just happen to be celebrating the purchase of their new home!

I picked up all of the fixings for amazing brunch cocktails at our local Discount Drug Mart. They offer a wide selection of beer and wine at state minimum pricing, which is great for ease of convenience and my budget!

For this special occasion, I picked up Truly Spiked & Sparkling Water, White Claw Hard Seltzer, Cook’s Brut, and Martini & Rossi Asti — a little bit of something for everyone’s taste! In addition to these items, I picked up what I needed for our brunch menu. Discount Drug Mart really does save you the runaround!

The real showstopper of our brunch was the featured cocktail — what I like to call Mint Lem-mosas.

Here’s what you need to make them:

1 bottle of Martini & Rossi’s Asti
12 ounces of lemonade concentrate, frozen
1/2 cup of vodka
a handful of fresh ground mint leaves
Optional: sugar rim garnish

Mix liquid ingredients in a pitcher. Pour into individual flutes. Add ground mint leaves.

These delectable cocktails will truly make any holiday brunch or dinner party!

We laughed, we sipped, and we celebrated the beginning of what is certain to be a delightful holiday season — one filled with laughs, smiles, friends, and family.

I’ll admit it — we had been slacking on hosting much of anything since we started having babies. There was always something keeping us from hosting, but if these last few hard years have taught us anything, it’s that time waits for no one, so celebrate every day now.

For great deals on all the mentioned items at Discount Drug Mart, click HERE to find a store location near you!

#holidayparty #entertaining #entertainingathome #hardseltzer #champagnecocktail #DiscountDrugMart


 

Filed Under: brews + food, celebration, Christmas, cleveland, food, gratitude, money saving tips, NEO, Ohio, party, recipe, shop local, sponsor Tagged With: brews + food, celebration, Christmas, cleveland, family, food, foodie, gratitude, money saving tips, NEO, ohio, party, party planning, recipes, shop local, sponsor

Celebrating SIX at CLE Social

October 15, 2018 by Rachel 18 Comments

I can hardly believe it, y’all. But my first baby — my little #BabyAri — my little “Moosh!” — is six years old tomorrow. SIX!

I’m in disbelief that six years have flown by this quickly. Our little man has kept us on our toes from the moment he was born. And yet, somehow, he’s always been incredibly level-headed.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that my baby boy has blossomed into a pretty cool little dude. He loves pretty much everything — school, his friends, his family, video games, YouTube, LEGOs, blind bags, and being wild and crazy.

But when Chad took Ari to CLE Social, a local old-school arcade in Hudson, he had an absolute blast. And I just knew that this was the spot that we would have his 6th birthday party. I mean, it’s seriously 1000% ARI.

CLE Social is an arcade that features 30 classic arcade games, like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and two pinball machines. The coolest part of the arcade is that the only two games that accept quarters are the pinball machines. The rest? Free with the cost of admission.

They regularly host private birthday parties and private group parties, so they were totally able to accommodate my request for a small gathering of Ari’s friends and family.

We supplied the pizza, beverages, cake (Minecraft, of course), and decorations, and CLE Social provided the fun! But the kids weren’t the only ones who had fun. In fact, I think the adults had more fun than the kids!

Ari was honestly so excited and happy that friends and family came out to celebrate HIM. He is still grateful (and has thanked me daily) for a great party. And that’s just it — this kid has so much love and charm. He truly is a grateful child. He feels love by telling people how much he appreciates them.

So on this eve of his 6th birthday, I am grateful for him. I’m grateful for his kind heart. I’m grateful for his silly soul. And I’m grateful that he was the one to make me Mama. I will always love you, my little Baby Ari. ♥

 

 

 

Disclosure: Our party was complimentary from CLE Social, but all opinions herein are my own.

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, Ari Davis, birthday, children, cleveland, Explore Ohio, family, fun, mommyhood, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, review, shop local, sponsor Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, ari davis, being a mom, celebration, children, cleveland, explore locally, family, family friendly, life, motherhood, NEO, ohio, parenthood, review, shop local, sponsor

Favorite Fall Activities

October 8, 2018 by Rachel 15 Comments

Fall is my most favorite time of the year — it always has been. Not only is it the season of my birthday, but it’s the season of my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! The weather gets cooler, the leaves change, and pumpkin spice is readily available! Ha! 🙂

Our Fall has already been off to a great start! Here’s what we’ve been up to and loving lately!

Hayrides!

We went to a local Fall festival and the kids were super excited about the hayride through the apple orchard! Remy had never experienced a hayride and the last time Ari was on one was several years ago, so it was excitement across the board.

Remy laughed and smiled the whole time. Everything — the apple trees, the birds, even the far-off sound of a ‘choo choo’ — is more fun when you’re on a hayride.

Ahh, to be a kid again! ♥ ♥

Going to the pumpkin patch!

This is one of the things I love doing the most in the Fall and I’m happy to share my passion with my kids. Thus far, they seem all about it. I mean, who doesn’t love pumpkins!?

Ari has already mastered the fine art of picking his own pumpkin. The biggest pumpkin is the best, of course. Ha!

Swim Lessons at Goldfish Swim School.

Outdoor swimming may be over for this year, but a change in season is no reason to stop learning to swim! Remy is in the middle of her Mini 3 lessons at Goldfish Swim School in Hudson and we’ve seen huge progress with her abilities already.

The small class sizes of just 3-4 kids per instructor along with a fun curriculum has helped her love of swimming grow by leaps and bounds! Even during the one lesson where she cried and cried (for zero reasons), the teachers were so gentle and loving — they even had her smiling and laughing by the end of class!

Goldfish Swim School offers a state-of-the-art facility featuring hairy drying stations, swimsuit dryers, private bungalow-style changing rooms, a glass-walled viewing area, and 90-degree water for the kiddos. Teachers offer weekly feedback and help closely monitor the development of each child to maximize their swimming success.

Remy is so proud of what she’s learning —  flutter kicks, wall holds, and even holding her breath underwater. But most of all she’s having fun and keeping her Summer skills active year-round!

Fall Food + Beer.

One of the best parts of this season, at least for me, is all of the delicious food and drinks. Apple pie, pumpkin spice lattés, apple butter, pumpkin ales… the list goes on and on.

Basically, if it has apples or pumpkins in it, I’m here for it!

I mean, have you ever had an apple cider donut!? They’re delicious.

And we’re nowhere even close to Thanksgiving yet. So basically the best is yet to come!

And, of course, Halloween Parties!

I know it’s still a bit early in the ‘season’, but we’ve already been to one big Halloween party and look forward to at least two more!

My little Ninja, Skye from Paw Patrol, and little unicorn (held by Tigger) loved dressing up and playing games. Ari was especially into it. Like, extra. Ha.

He can be seen here eating all of the sugary goodies off the candy apple bar and then followed it up with an enthusiasm for apple-bobbing that I’ve never seen in another human before in my life!!

This kid, man. Freaking hilarious! I think he’s found his passion. And his passion is 1000% Halloween.

What are some

of your favorite

Fall activities !?

 

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, brews + food, busy mom, children, cleveland, coffee, explore locally, fall, family, favorites, fun, holidays, life with a toddler, live happy, mommyhood, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, review, sponsor Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, celebration, children, cleveland, explore locally, family, food, foodie, life, life with a toddler, Live Happy, local, mommyhood, motherhood, ohio, parenthood, sponsor

Finding Our Back-to-School Groove with Big Lots

September 25, 2018 by Rachel 18 Comments

This blog post is written in partnership with and sponsored by Big Lots.  As always all opinions herein are my own.

It’s hard to believe that we’re nearly a month into our new normal. Ari, almost 6-year old, began kindergarten in the middle of August. Prior to his start, I saw memes all over Facebook about how excited parents were for the back-to-school season to start. But frankly, I was terrified. Don’t get me wrong — I was excited for him to begin this new stage of life, but I was also anxious about adding yet another transition period to our crazy life with a newborn. I certainly expected our days to be easier with one less child at home, but days with a newborn and 2-year-old are never easy.

I realized quickly that adjustments to my routine needed to occur. I needed to maximize my time by sticking to a solid schedule and doing lots of prep work.

Here’s what has kept us on track with our back-to-school transition:

1. Planning out our time with a clear, well-visible, family calendar.

I started using a big wall calendar over the Summer in an effort to plan out our month. Each type of activity and commitment has a different color so I can check our schedule at a quick glance. Meetings, athletics, and parties all go on the calendar. I’ve stuck to this for the first month of school as well. Sure, digital calendars are great, but sometimes I want to see everything displayed for all of us.

2. Prioritizing our time.

The major way I maximize my time spent preparing for each school day is by shopping at Big Lots. Big Lots has literally everything I need to help make our week run as smoothly as possible.

The newly remodeled stores make it easy for me to find everything I need — from a new coffee pot (Mama needs her caffeine, ya’ll!), to an electric skillet for easy dinners, to everything we need for our after-school snack fix — Big Lots has it all. I’m even able to tackle dinner with grocery items in their refrigerated section and grab the rest of my dry ingredients from the shelves.

What’s even better is that the Big Lots Big Rewards program helps us to get the most bang for our buck — with discounts, specials, and coupons after every three visits!

The items I’ve picked up have helped tremendously with this transition. Ari has a dedicated space where he can work on homework while I can see him from the kitchen. He’s able to grab his school work off of the bookshelf (purchased at Big Lots), throw on his Bluetooth headphones (also picked up at Big Lots!), and get down to business.

It’s truly helped us both to stay on task. I’m able to easily transition from helping him with his homework to making sure I don’t burn the dinner I’m cooking in the Bella Electric Skillet.

3. Organizing our home. 

I’ll admit that the last couple of years I have been less organized than I’d prefer. I just really don’t have the luxury of being disorganized any longer. There are important school papers that I need to have on-hand and other documents for PTA, Girls on the Run, and work. It’s just a lot.

I picked up this beautiful metal rolling cart from Big Lots and I was able to file important paperwork for school in one drawer and work in another drawer. And I’ll never lose my keys again (which seriously used to happen every single day) with this new mail and key holder.

Honestly, staying organized has reduced my stress levels, which automatically makes things easier for everyone in my family. I’m no longer searching for ‘lost’ items when we should be leaving for school.

As long as we stick to our schedule, stay organized, and keep shopping at Big Lots for all of our needs, I think we’ll all succeed this school year!

What’s your favorite way to shop at Big Lots for back-to-school?

 

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, busy mom, children, cleveland, deals, money saving tips, Ohio, parenthood, sponsor, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, busy mom, children, cleveland, deals, family, mommyhood, money saving tips, motherhood, parenthood, sponsor, tips + tricks

Breastfeeding Tips for Increasing Milk Supply

August 14, 2018 by Rachel 24 Comments

My breastfeeding journey is complicated. And before I get started I need to disclose that fed is best. Period. But for me, it was absolutely important personal decision that my children be breastfed. That does not, by any means, mean that this has been an easy journey.

When my first child was born nearly 6 years ago, he had issues latching in the hospital. A couple of months later he was diagnosed with a pretty severe tongue tie, but at that point, I had already been exclusively pumping every 3 hours. Yes, I would even wake up in the middle of the night to pump and make sure that I kept my milk supply up for my baby. It was exhausting.

So when my daughter was born a couple of years later, I was determined that she would latch. I had several visits from the lactation consultant while in the hospital and they confirmed no tongue tie and her latch was great. My milk even came in while I was only 24 hours postpartum! It was crazy. In fact, I had an oversupply (thanks to my body being in overdrive from exclusively pumping with baby number 1). I needed to use a nipple shield to prevent my oversupply from choking my poor baby! But we worked through it.

Fast forward to the present day. I’m 7 weeks postpartum with my final exclusively breastfed baby. My milk came in even faster than with baby number 2. The lactation consultants actually came to visit me in the hospital because I was an anomaly with an oversupply and they wanted to talk to me about it. Obviously, I realize this is a great problem to have; but my supply has evened itself out already and we’re just trucking along.

So my body has literally been all over the place when it comes to breastfeeding — exclusively pumping, oversupply, undersupply, and everywhere in between.

Here’s what I can share with you to help

increase your milk supply while breastfeeding.

Eat and Drink. 

It can be difficult to make sure you’re eating enough when you’re stuck underneath a needy newborn, but the most important thing you can do for your milk supply is to keep a constant supply of water on hand and plenty of snacks. Our bodies use a lot of energy to create the milk for our babies. If we aren’t keeping up with our own caloric and water intake, our bodies won’t be able to produce food for our babies.

Empty your breasts after each feeding.

After you finish nursing your little one the last thing you want to do is be tied down even more. I know. But set that little lovebug down and bust out your breast pump and fully finish emptying your breasts. It will seem tedious at first and you likely won’t get much milk expressed, but if you keep up this practice it will help keep up with the demands of feeding.

Every new mom can check to see if they qualify through insurance for a new breast pump. The Aeroflow Breastpumps website makes it super easy to find out! All you do is complete the Aeroflow qualification form and then Aeroflow contacts your insurance provider and submits the paperwork to your doctor — and you get to choose your brand new breast pump!

If you’re serious about building your supply I suggest using a double-pump. My personal favorite (and go-to since baby number 1) is the Medela Pump In Style. The backpack design makes it super convenient for busy moms and the double-pump design maximizes your time by letting down both sides at once.

If you’re looking for a manual pump, Aeroflow Breastpumps also offers an array of those. Whatever your style is, just make sure you have a breast pump on hand to help with your supply. Even if you’re not getting much milk from expression, it is helping your body to know to produce more for your baby.

Make cookies!

Does it sound too good to be true? It isn’t! Eating the right kind of oatmeal or oatmeal cookies have been shown to increase a mothers milk supply.)* The combination of oats, brewers yeast, and flaxseed seems to do the trick! I’ve found a couple of great make-at-home recipes here and here.

If you’re not a baker and prefer to purchase cookies premade, I’ve had both Milk Bliss cookies and MilkMakers lactation cookies. Both are good, but as someone who doesn’t like chocolate, I prefer to make my own.

Have a beer. 

Again, this is not too good to be true! Hops, fennel, and barley are all known for increasing milk supply — and those are all found in beer! Now, I’m not saying have 5 beers, but an occasional beer before bed has helped myself and other mamas I know to increase our supply.

A bonus? It can help you to relax, which in turn will help you to produce more milk.

Pop a fenugreek pill.

Fenugreek, an herb, can be found in many lactation tea blends, but it doesn’t taste very good. With my first child, I bought fenugreek supplements at my local pharmacy (most big box retailers will have them near the prenatal vitamins). These, along with the methods above were honestly the key to my success with exclusively pumping for one whole year with baby number one.

Here’s the deal with breastfeeding — it’s hard. It’s really, really, hard. But never once was it not worth it. It was always worth it for me. And if you find yourself reading this, and looking for tips to help you on your breastfeeding journey, it’s obviously important for you, too.

So I will leave you with this advice: Seek out support and know that your body is capable of amazing things. And if at any time you need advice or a listening ear or just to vent, please email me. My first breastfeeding adventure was rough and I still decided to have two more babies and breastfeed them both!

*Parenting.com article

Disclaimer: I am not a physician, nutritionist, or lactation consultant. These are just my personal experiences and experiences of those close to me. Always consult with your physician and lactation consultant. And, as always, FED is best.

Filed Under: #MomLife, babies, breast pump, breastfeeding, children, health, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood, postpartum, sponsor, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, babies, breast pump, breastfeeding, children, health and beauty, mommyhood, oh baby, parenthood, postpartum, sponsor, tips + tricks

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