2 Winners to Announce!

Just Dance Kids Winner:

#64  Cassie

Congrats!


Jumbies Winner:

#62  Andrea V

Congrats!


Winners have been emailed!  I will be bcak to posting more regularly once life gets a little more routine here.  I am basically in new baby mode, sleeping, feeding, changing diapers.....on repeat all day long :) Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Christmas Came Early For My Family - Meet My New Baby Girl!

Christmas came early for us this year! 

A week ago today I gave birth to my beautiful little girl, Emilie.  My last post talked about some concerns the Dr had about her size, and they ended up inducing me at 37 weeks.  I will write more about her birth story soon, when I have more time.  She ended up not tolerating labor well, and we did a c-section.  The cord was wrapped tightly around her neck 3 times, just like a turtle neck.  I am thankful that the oncall Dr was watching us so closely, and that they didn't attempt a vaginal delivery that coulld have caused her more stress.  She is healthy, beautiful, and weighed 5 pounds even at birth :)

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!  It's been hard to be away from my family, and a sore recovery from my c-section, but I am so happy and thankful for my girls and my amazing Husband. 



Old Navy $5 Performance Fleece Tops - Saturday 12/11 Only

It's been awhile since I have blogged about an Old Navy Deal, life is so busy! 

Here's a great one if you are looking for an affordable gift or needing to add some warmer clothing to your wardrobe.

$5 Performance Fleece Tops for the whole family - good Saturday December 11th only!  If you are going out early, I'd make this your first stop.  Sometimes with these deals they can tend to sell out quickly of common sizes or the best colors.

Limit 5 per customer.

More details are here on Facebook

I may just have to find an Old Navy in my new neighborhood and pick up a couple!

Meet Jumbies: Adorable Jumbled Animals Your Child Will Adore! Enter to Win 2 Jumbies Here!

Sponsored by Tomoson.com


Some of my Daughter's favorite toys to play with are stuffed animals.  She gives them names, makes them talk to each other, and sleeps with a couple favorites at bedtime.  My personal favorites are the ones that come with a story, something special that sets them apart and makes them more interesting.

Jumbies are the perfect example of that!  The adorable story behind Jumbies starts with baby animals being carried high in the sky by storks (so cute!)  There were so many babies being born, that the storks got VERY busy, flying all over the world, to every continent.  But then it began to get so busy, the storks started getting confused. Some went north when they should have gone south.....some flew all day when they should have flown all night.  Then, it happened! The storks began crashing into each other!  When the storks went to go check on all of those babies, they found out they they were okay...but were all Jumbled together! There were all of the animals...all mixed toegther!  Zebras and Elephants became  Zelephants!  Giraffes and Buffaloes became Girrafaloes! the Storks decided to take all of these new Jumbled babies to an Island, and called the beautiful place Jumbieland!

To this day those Storks are picking up those babies from Jumbieland and delivering them to boys and girls all across the World, letting them each have a loving home to call their own.

Make believe play with her Jumbies!

Your child will simply love hearing the story behind their Jumbie friends!  My Daughter loved hearing all about how her animals were made, and likes to use the story when she makes them talk and play together.   So far there are 12 Jumbie animals that have been discovered...all with a unique and fun look that will make your child smile.

Some of the fun combinations include:

Blabbit (Bluebird & Rabbit)

Dingbat (Dingo and Bat)

Horsefly (Horse and Butterfly)

Moosecow (Moose and Cow)

Tyramasaurus (T-rex and Ram)

And many more! Each animal also comes with a little Biography that you can read online, which is so great for kids that want to learn more about their animal.

You can visit the Jumbies Website to learn more about where to purchase these adorable toys!

One reader will win TWO Jumbies!

Visit http://www.jumbieland.com/ and then leave a comment telling me the name of your favorite Jumbie!

EXTRA ENTRIES:  Please leave a comment for every extra entry you complete

1. Follow my Blog
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5. Tweet  “Check out JUMBiES. They have been compared to the next Beanie Babies!” @Jumbies
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Giveaway will end on December 15th at 10pm CST. winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced here on Ladybug Soup & emailed directly. winner has 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

GIVEAWAY! Great Gift For Kids That The Whole Family Can Enjoy - Just Dance Kids For the Wii

With Christmas just around the corner, you may still be searching for a great gift for your child.  Video games are always a popular choice on kids' wish lists, and the new Just Dance Kids for the Wii will have them up and moving, and having fun!

Just Dance Kids has over 40 fun songs to dance to, with a great selection for the younger crowd (The Alphabet Song, I've Been Working on the Railroad, and even songs from the Wiggles & Yo Gabba Gabba) as well as plenty of songs that your older child will love (Hey Mickey, One Time from Justin Beiber....even I liked that one!)

Each song has a different skill level, so beginners can pick something a little easier, and a more experienced dancer can try the harder ones and challenge themselves.   The game itself is very easy to play and understand.  You pick your song, and then follow the dancers as they bust some fun moves to the beat of the music!  Dance along with them the best you can, and you'll earn points for how well you follow along, keep up with them, and hit the moves on time.

Just Dance Kids is the perfect way to get your Child up off the floor and moving, providing a great source of exercise that they won't even realize they are getting!  Most games keep them glued to a chair, and we all know watching TV is no way to stay fit.  The songs are so upbeat and fun, they will have a blast trying to beat their old score, or even having a dance challenge at a sleepover!

We were able to try out Just Dance Kids for our Wii and we had SO much fun!  Because my Daughter is still pretty young (3 1/2), I really appreciated the songs for the younger children that are included in this game.  She knew a lot of them already, and even learned a few new ones that became her favorites (The Monkey Song is a great one!)  She of course couldn't keep up with all of the dance moves, but to her it didn't even matter. She just did her best and enjoyed singing and dancing along with the kids on the TV :)

I have played this game with her many times now, and even I have fun with it!  After a song or two, I was definitely feeling a little winded and getting a great workout.  If you are a Mom who needs to find time to exercise, this may be the perfect game for you.  You get to play with your kids and get a workout at the same time!  Just Dance Kids really is the perfect family game, as it's easy enough for even a toddler, but still fun for the adults too!

The songs also have a karaoke setting that shows the words to the songs right on the screen, so the kids can sing along and learn the words! I found this to be a great feature, because I could sing along to get my Daughter more excited about the dance!

You can find Just Dance Kids online at Amazon.com for about $29.99

One lucky reader is going to win their own copy of the Wii game Just Dance Kids!

Leave a comment on this post telling me the name of a song your Child likes to dance to....or even a song that gets you up and dancing too!

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave an extra comment for every extra entry you complete

1. Follow my Blog
2. Subscribe to my blog by email
3. 'Like' Ladybug Soup on Facebook
4. Blog about this Giveaway (leave the link)
5. Follow Ladybug Soup on Twitter and Tweet about this Giveaway (you can use the tweet below if you'd like!)

Enter to win Just Dance Kids for the Wii - Great gift the whole family can enjoy! Ends 12/12 http://t.co/r1VjDzo 

 

Giveaway will end on Sunday December 12th at 10pm CST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to reply to my email or a new winner will be chosen.  US Residents only.

  

Disclaimer: While Ubisoft sponsored this review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

This Is What Happens When You Have To Change Doctors When You're 35 Weeks Pregnant

Yeah, long title. But seriously, I wouldn't recommend it.

So I moved away from Minnesota.  My wonderful home state that I have NEVER lived outside of.  We're here, made it safely, settling in. 

But I have this little detail to iron out...getting a new obgyn and finding a new hospital to deliver at. Oh yeah, that tiny minor detail right.  And it's not like I have much time....I'm 36 weeks already!  Not sure how the heck that went so fast, but here we are!

So after the first place I called refused to see me because I was too far along (cue the crying of the lonely pregnant lady) I found a place that would take me. The receptionist was super nice, which was about all I could go on at this point. I needed someone, anyone.....even a male. Yeah. All of the lady doctors were booked (suprised?) so I would have to go to a BOY.

I was optimistic though. Maybe he'd be great.  Fatherly. Safe.  Something I needed right about now after this move. Some women prefer having a male obgyn....

What did I get?  Exactly what I didn't want.  He was not personable, not comforting.  Didn't want to answer questions.  Wasn't sympathetic to the giant life change this move has brought, and what that will mean for the pregnancy and delivery.  I mean HELLO!!  I know ZERO people in this state, I don't even have a person to watch my 3 yr old when I go into labor. I'll probably end up delivering alone without my Hubby, because he'll have to watch my Daughter in the waiting room.  The Dr barely acknowledged I said that, which sucks because that is a huge cause of anxiety and fear for me right now.

He's exactly the type I have avoided by seeing my lovely Midwife (who by the way HUGGED me goodbye at our last appt together, that's how she rolls)

When it comes to pregnancy, I love Midwives.  For me, they are much more understanding, want to hear about your concerns, fears, etc.  They will easily have an hour long appt with me. My midwife's face always lights up just like mine when we hear the baby's heartbeat. You can tell she really loves her job and loves babies.....and supports the Mama too.

This guy didn't tell me what he thought the heartrate was (sure, nothing huge but it's a fun highlight for me). He babbled through the process so I couldn't even listen to my little girl.

And what's even more annoying?  He started doing his whole "I'm gonna guess how big your baby is" skit I knew so much about.  Normally I don't give so many opinions here, because I don't like to offend people. But it's my blog, right?  Right. So here it is. I am not a fan of doctors that try to make their stupid guesses and get women all worried for nothing.  Like saying they need a c-section because the baby is huge, and then having a nice 7 pounder born.  I get the feeling he would be the type to push a c-section, and you know what...that is just not me.  I would of course do it if it were an emergency, but other than that I want things to happen naturally.

So, long story short (okay, kinda long), he predicted that this baby would be smaller than my first.  Then he measured me, and told me that I was measuring small and that he wanted to do an ultrasound to check on the baby.  Super.  At first I almost laughed because it was so exactly the kind of thing that I knew would happen. But then I started googling and getting worried about my baby. So thanks for that, Doc.

Here's my guess.  My last appt with my Midwife was Nov 10th and she said I was growing beautifully. Measuring perfectly. She did it monthly, the same way every time. This new guy comes in with his new way of measuring, and suddenly it doesn't match. Duh. 

And also, looking at my tummy I really think I have dropped quite a bit, so that can affect things too. My breathing was crazy bad up until my last appt, and now I am doing much better.  That's been at least 2-3  weeks ago now.  I get that suffocating feeling much less now, which makes me think the baby is lower and I have more room to breathe. Thanks for that, baby!

So now I have an ultrasound next Friday to check on the size of my baby, and to make sure she is growing right and all of that.  Basically, it just makes me nervous and got me more worried.  Deep down I know she is a healthy girl, everything has gone so well. But there is still a part of me that is scared there could be a problem.  I guess I'll know more after Friday, until then I wait.

The Search For Santa Paws Blu-ray/DVD Combo Is Out Now!

It's not too often that my whole family can sit down and watch a movie together, and everyone will enjoy it.  My daughter is still a little young to like a lot of the family movies that are out, and Dora doesn't exactly hold my attention too well.

But recently we were able to sit down and watch the new Two Disk Blu-ray/DVD Combo 'The Search For Santa Paws' from Disney, released on November 23rd.  This is a prequel to Santa Buddies, so if you liked that you may want to check this one out too!

Here's a little more about the movie from Disney:

When Santa and his new best friend, Paws, discover that the boys and girls of the world have lost the spirit of the season, they take a trip to New York City. But after Santa loses his memory, it's up to Paws, a faithful orphan named Quinn (America's Got Talent's Kaitlyn Maher), her new friend Will (The Game Plan's Madison Pettis) and a wonderful group of magical talking dogs to save St. Nick and show the world what Christmas is really all about.

Many parts of the movie were a lot of fun to watch, but as a Parent of a young child I did have to keep my remote in my hand at all times to skip past some parts that I thought were too mature for my Daughter.  Some kids may not be bothered by these couple of things, but I know my Daughter and she tends to get scared of movies easily. 

As you probably read, the main character is an adorable little girl who gets sent to an orphanage after her Parents die.  Not exactly an easy topic to enjoy, but she does get an ending that is happy - as happy as it can be after a thing like that. My Daughter was too young to be sad about that, she never really caught on which was a good thing. The lady who takes care of the girls at the orphanage is also very hard for kids to watch, because she is quite mean and does things that make the little girls sad, like burn their toys or take things that belonged to the girl's Parents. That was upsetting for my daughter, and I was already prepared and I knew to skip past those parts and she never knew the difference.

There were many sweet parts in this film too though, and I always enjoy watching Christmas movies to get me in the Holiday spirit. It has great lessons on believing in the Christmas spirit, and knowing that there are good people in the world that care about others.  The sweet puppy is adorable to watch too, and kids will love him! It's a movie that we all can watch together, which made it really fun and an enjoyable experience.

 

The Search For Santa Paws is available on DVD and in a great Blu-ray/DVD Combo Set.  You'll find fun extras like an animated pop up book with a story read by Paws (the main puppy in this movie), a music video, and bloopers/deleted scenes.

You can find both styles on Amazon.com!

Disclaimer: I received the mentioned movie at no cost in exchange for an honest review. All opinions given are my own and different people may have different experiences/opinions of product.

Celebrate the Holidays With a Gift Basket From Hickory Farms!

This time of year families bring out their favorite Holiday traditions, something that makes them feel festive and brings back those Holiday memories.  We attend and throw Holiday parties, inviting families and friends over for appetizers, gift exchanges, or cookie decorating.  It is most definitely my favorite time of year!

When the Holidays approach there is a favorite brand I always enjoy seeing in the store, and that's Hickory Farms!  Delicious meats, cheeses, crackers, sweet treats...all brought together in a festive holiday package.  They make wonderful gifts and are great for displaying at parties.  My favorites include the nuts and cheese balls!  Delicious and festive!

Last year, we reviewed an adorable Hickory Farms gift set that included a Mickey Mouse book that we have already been reading to get us in the Christmas mood.  It's a favorite book of my Daughter's and I love reading it to her!

This Holiday season, Mom central and Hickory Farms sent my Family the Perfect Picnic Gift Basket to try out.  I wasn't sure which set was coming, and when i saw the adorable picnic basket I was thrilled!  I have always wanted a traditional picnic basket to use for little family outings in the Summer, and this will be the perfect thing to use!  

 It's very sturdy and well made, and deep enough to hold quite a bit of food! I love that the packaging for this set can be used again and again. In fact many of their sets come in cute baskets or tins that you can reuse around your house.

Inside I found some familiar treats and even some new products I hadn't tried before.  There were some sausages, cheeses, sweet hot mustard, honey pineapple mustard, flat bread crackers, and the sweet treats peanut brittle and mini melt away mints!  It was so fun to get this in the mail and be surprised with the selection of foods inside.  I think it would make an amazing Christmas gift, or maybe something to bring along to a Holiday party as a Hostess gift or treat to share!

When I traveled to my new home, I brought along my Mom to make the trip with me and stay with us for about a week.  We enjoyed having the meats and cheeses as quick snacks to munch on while unpacking, and also had some while decorating our tree. It really was a filling and satisfying treat!

When I got to my new home I also started decorating for the Holidays, so I added the mini melt away mints to a festive snow man jar.  It was the perfect thing to store in there, and looks great on my counter top!  Of course it was much fuller to begin with, they are so good they won't last long in any house :)

You can find Hickory Farms at many local stores and Malls, as well as their website.  You can place your order online and choose from their huge selection of gifts at all different price ranges!

They also have a great program if you are shipping to a military family this Holiday season.  Choose from their Military selection and Receive free shipping to any APO or FPO address! More info here.

Hickory Farms is a holiday tradition for so many families, and it's no wonder why people go back year after year.  It's an easy way to entertain, delicious to taste, and easy to share!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a signature gift box from Hickory Farms to thank me for taking the time to participate.”