Happy MLK, Jr. Day!

     I'm having a pretty good day. How about you? Layla had her birthday party yesterday and it went well. Some friends came and some family came, it was a good day! Then today, it being Martin Luther King Jr Day, Layla had the day off of school! She also got a haircut on Saturday. It looks so cute! I'll have to get a picture of just her with her haircut!

    I have some exciting things coming up, a couple reviews, at least 1 giveaway, and I'm planning our next keto potluck meetup! How many of you have gone to at least 1 keto meetup? How was it? A lot of sponsors? I'd love to make it as great as it was last time, or better of course! We'll see how well it goes.

     I'm in a good mood today, but I didn't sleep specifically well. Rosalie has been sick the last few nights and gets super congested trying to go to sleep and I think she's passed it along to me. I woke up this morning and my throat was all scratchy! Sharing is caring, right? She's too cute to even be upset about it though! While sick, she's just been trying to be a little Momma today. She's been feeding her baby doll, comforting the baby, giving the baby kisses. See, even when we're sick, caring for our babies never stop! <3

Something in the air?

     You ever feel in your bones that something is going to happen? I mean, sometimes you might get a feeling that something is going to happen- you kind of get a feeling whether it's good or bad too. Well, I've been feeling it recently, I feel somewhere inside that something really good is going to happen for us, I'm not sure WHAT that something is, but all I can do is hope for the things it might be. I drink my coffee in the morning and then a couple hours later I make myself some breakfast along with making it for the kiddos.  Rosalie steals my breakfast, usually eggs of some form, no matter what I've already made her and her eating. It never fails though, she's gotta eat my eggs! I make scrambled eggs- she must have some too! I make baked eggs- she must have some too! If I made some just for her- she'd still need MINE! Babies/Kids are funny like that, you can have the exact same thing as them but they want what YOU got because since you're having it, it MUST be better! :P I made them cinnamon rolls and those seem good too, but whatever, she must eat it all. I'm happy she's not a picky eater though, at least so far that I can see!

     I have not stopped wanting to be on here talking to you all, but sometimes I think of all the things I want to write and then not sure how much everyone else wants to hear. I can't tell if I'm just rambling on things I want to say or people will find it funny quirky. I hope for the latter. I need to write down some of the conversations that I have with the kiddos because they are funny!

     I was talking to my friend yesterday about how my kid is smart (and all kids in general) and it's fun & interesting watching the wheels turning figuring out how different things work. Rosalie doesn't have a ton of experience with using a spoon on her own, but yesterday she was using it eating macaroni & cheese like a champ. Like she's known how the whole time and it was just a breeze. After watching her do so well, when she got tired of eating the food, she just flips the spoon and tries putting the handle in her mouth and then I thought, there we go! That's more of what I was expecting to see! :P  Rosalie's personality is really starting to come out and she's so silly and amusing to watch! She can't say many words, but last week we were at the store and I kept saying "Girrrrrrrl" to Layla and then Rosalie kept repeating it back to me, "Girrrrrrl" and then I just couldn't help but laugh her bringing out some sass!

     Well, I leave you wonderful readers with that for now and maybe I can get some writing in later or tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

Happy Birthday, Layla!

Layla is 10 years old today! I can't believe she's already 10!! Layla has her disabilities but she's a strong little girl that doesn't let any of them stand in her way! She'll have surgery this summer and like everything else, she'll be the warrior that she is and get through it! She's an absolutely WONDERFUL big sister! She's always trying to be so grown up! She tried telling me she was 13, she's trying to age faster- really she could slow down before I lose it!! :P I love her so much, my first baby girl! <3 I need to make her cookies today because she was wanting them! :D 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAYLA MCKENZIE!

Who Am I?

        Well, my name is Sara. Nickname is “Icey” and it’s been my nickname for so long that I got it tattooed on me when I turned 18. I’m now 30 years old and I have 2 daughters. Layla, who will 10 in 2 weeks. She has gone through a lot more than I’d ever care for, but we’ve gotten through it and she’s a pretty tough warrior. She’s had surgeries for Chiari Malformation Type 1 (decompression surgery that was considered brain surgery because of where it was located) and a few years ago, her appendix had ruptured. That was quite a bit scary because it could have been fatal, but she really lucked out that an abscess had formed around it and contained it. We (her doctors and myself) didn’t think it was her appendix at first because we expected her to show signs of being in a lot more pain than she acted like. But like I said, pretty tough warrior! She has a surgery already planned for this upcoming summer. She has scoliosis and it’s now at a 62 degree “S” curve. She also has an intellectual disability so while she may almost be 10, she doesn’t act or think like a typical 10 year old. She can be hard to understand what she’s saying if you’re not around her enough. She also has a sensory processing disorder mostly tactile. She has a problem with brushing her hair, brushing her teeth, touching her feet, touching her hands sometimes unless it’s on her own terms. Next, I also have a 4-month old daughter, Rosalie. She’s teething like crazy right now drooling everywhere. She spits up/throws up all the time. I’m not sure why yet but I’m mentioning it at her next doctor’s appointment which is in a couple days. She’s starting baby foods so that’s fun. She wants SO bad to be on the move- trying to do things that she’s just not supposed to be doing yet but she acts pretty determined to do them if she can! I’m also married to Jed. We’ve been married for 9.5 years so far. :)  Rosalie already seems to be a Daddy’s girl because he can walk into the room and she instantly smiles! Layla can be a little bit of both Mommy’s girl and Daddy’s girl, but really, she’s a Papa’s girl for sure!!

        Recently I’ve started doing the Keto “Diet.” To be clear, this isn’t a temporary change for me so feels weird to say diet because that’s what I think of when I hear the word. I’m changing my eating habits though however to a keto-lifestyle.
         I’m a photographer when the opportunity arises, but I’m definitely not “established” and that’s alright. I still enjoy doing it when I get to. I’m getting into card making a lot more as well as making envelopes and stationary and I’d like to make postcards at some point as well, but not sure if I’ll do that so much as have them made with photos that I take. We’ll see.
         I used to extreme coupon, but I had a lot of stock of a bunch of things, but I just got wore out trying to do it so much so now I just coupon more like a normal person. I also used to product review a bunch, but when we found out that Layla needed her first surgery, I got into a pretty big funk that I’ve had a lot of trouble getting out of- more than just blogging and product reviewing. However, that’s one thing that I’ve noticed since having Rosalie and starting Keto, I’m feeling more motivated and energized again to do things again! I also used to make money online- nothing huge but sometimes could be very nice & helpful around Christmas time and I’d like to actively get back into that when I’m able. One thing at a time though so I don’t overwhelm myself with every single thing that I’d like to be doing. I need to utilize better time management. :)

So many changes

Since the last time I've wrote, I feel like so much has changed. I have added a new baby girl into our family this year. Layla will need surgery on her scoliosis this upcoming summer. I'm no longer going to the gym and have started the ketogenic lifestyle. I have so many goals and things to accomplish and one is to get back to blogging and reviewing products like I used to. I used to love it, but then Layla had the brain surgery and I had trouble shaking that sudden news and it scared me- even after she had it, I just stayed in a blogging funk that I just could NOT shake off! It's time for more changes just as there have already been so many. I need to make a new banner for the page too. :) I look forward to the next chapter with you guys! :)

Making a come back

I'm very excited to be coming back now after a LONG break, but I feel like it's starting all to come back together, ya know? Sometimes you just know when the tides have changed! Layla is recovering now after now having had her 2nd surgery in her life. About a week before Halloween, Layla was sick for 3 weeks. She had 103 degree temp for 11 days and then we ended up at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis for 6 days while they determined why it was that she had such a high fever. It turned out that her appendix had ruptured 4-5 days before ending up in the hospital. We were SO lucky that it had created an abscess around her appendix and didn't go all through her body because that is when it could have been life threatening! I'm SO thankful for how it happened rather than how it could've been! It's now been removed though and she is doing better! It was a bummer that she had to miss 3 weeks of school but it was out of our control and we're just trying to bounce back now!  Anyway, so that's kind of where I'm at.. trying to back from different things stronger than I was :) It's a process but I'm ready!

Blessing in Disguise

I *hope* that this is a blessing in disguise. I don't like it anymore than if it wasn't. So, as you know that we went to the Neurosurgeon for Layla on Thursday. I went in with a list of questions, but when the Neurosurgeon came in, he had already seen the MRI results and showed us what they looked like, etc. Then he proceeded with now we need to talk surgery! It was a thought that it MAY be needed but I think I was a bit more on the optimistic side of it because all my questioned revolved around if she didn't need surgery and restrictions to not make it worse, etc. So it just seemed from then on, I was baffled, I didn't have any questions because the ones I had were now irrelevant! Needless to say, Thursday was not a normal day for any of us, my mother in law went with me and we heard the doctor and understood but I believe that our minds were protecting ourselves by not allowing us to fully grasp the situation. My 4 YEAR OLD daughter is going to undergo brain surgery. There's no good way to look at it except that the doctor who is doing it (we looked him up!) is good at what he does since he's apparently the Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital that we're taking her to! There WAS good news however, he believes that her scoliosis is caused by her Chiari Malformation (why she's having the surgery) so he believes that after the surgery AS SHE GROWS that it will correct her scoliosis (the blessing in disguise because that means she *may* not need surgery to place rods in her back for the scoliosis.) It probably won't fix it 100% but if it improves it dramatically and no complications happen from the surgery then I'm very happy. But as Mom, I'm terrified! I'm happy that she has a GOOD doctor to take care of her, but it still is what it is and scares me to death. So, if you would, on October 16th, the day of her surgery, just put out good vibes out for her whether it be prayers or whatever it is that you practice, I would appreciate it! My little girl has gone through so much and I know it still could be far worse, but I don't like when ANY kid has to go through so much so early in life.

Thanks for reading :)


Sara

Wish Us Luck!

It's been a little crazy around here so I haven't wrote a review this week, but I'm not forgetting about any of you readers! I'll write a review on Friday, but I've been a little anxious for what is to come tomorrow! I have a 4 year old daughter, Layla who has scoliosis. She had been complaining of pain in her back so I made sure to mention it to her Orthopedic Surgeon about it. He said that was something that they take very seriously-- when they start complaining of pain. So he said that he wanted to have a MRI done! We had the MRI done last month and they called back with the results-- She has been diagnosed now with Chiari Malformation Type 1. So, they led us to a Neurosurgeon who we meet with tomorrow morning! It's for a consultation and in the visit, they'll be able to tell me whether Layla's case is mild or severe. I hope it goes well! I've been scared out of my mind since I've found out that she has it! I knew nothing about it but then reading what I could on the internet is terrifying! At least tomorrow, I'll get some answers about Layla's particular case and either be worried about what IS happening or NOT worrying about what isn't happening for her! Either way, I'll be informed and that sometimes is just the biggest helper! It's not fun NOT knowing!

So if you could be so kind to keep us in your thoughts or prayers! I'd appreciate it!

Leave of Absense-- I'm back!

Well, it seems like it's been one thing after another to keep me away from all of you wonderful readers. I'm deeply sorry! So much has changed it seems, we got a puppy and so she required a lot more attention than she does now (potty training for her) then decided to Potty Train my daughter and that required even more attention than the puppy it seemed! After that, I thought it was going to be on track but then our durango went out of commission and trying to get it fixed! Oh then it got even better-- the puppy stepped on my laptop and broke the screen putting it out of use! Well, now we're doing better Sassy--the puppy--is doing very well now! Layla--my daughter--is also doing pretty well! She's starting to get the potty training, she went in Walmart's bathroom to go this week and I was excited about it! I felt a little silly about being excited that she went to the bathroom at Walmart, but then I was told that I wasn't crazy and that was a big step! So because of all these hiccups that have kept me away, I've fallen behind on my reviews!! I'm deeply sorry to you and to them! So, I plan to play "catch up" this week and next!

Here's a picture of our new puppy, Sassy! My 4 year old daughter named her!

[REVIEW & GIVEAWAY] Inchbug Custom Orbit Labels

I was honored with the chance to try out Inchbug’s Orbit Labels! I told them what color I wanted and what I wanted them to say. They sent me 4 labels and I found them useful enough and there was enough to cover all of her “main” cups! I thought they would come in handy and sure enough, they did! I babysit- and I don’t normally get the cups mixed up, but it’s always nice to know what cups go where. Then, mydaughter stayed the night when my niece and she uses the exact kind of cups. So it REALLY helped not getting them mixed up and that Layla got her cups back! I think the Inchbug’s Orbit Labels are very useful and very cute looking too! Something else I thought was neat, was there was braille written on there that said “Inchbug.” The only thing that would have made it cooler is that I had “Layla Mckenzie” written on there as my “label” and it would have been neat if THAT was written in braille as well. You can also put icons on them like a heart or a flower. The labels also help young ones to grip the cups. They fit most sippy cups, bottles, and snack containers.  Something also nice to know is that they’re dishwasher and microwave safe! It’s nice to know so that you can keep them on the cups and not have to remove them for either to use! However, they ARE easily removable for adults and not easy at all for children to remove. They have a tight grip on the cups or other containers that you would like labeled! Inchbug’s Orbit Labels are useful to any adult in charge of babies, toddlers, and other young children!

To find more Inchbug products you can check out their website here.

For the custom Orbit Labels, you can go here!

Inchbug has also been gracious enough to also offer one lucky reader a complimentary set of Orbit Labels! The winner MUST like their page on Facebook! After a winner is chosen, I will be needing an address, color of the Orbit Label as well as the personalization that they would like to receive!

TO JOIN THE GIVEAWAY, GO HERE!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[REVIEW] MailPix Photo Brag Book

I have now had the chance of trying out and reviewing the Photo Brag Book by MailPix! I was in a bit of a hurry with it because I had to upload pictures for it, so choosing the rights ones for what I wanted was a little rough, but I’m pleased with the end result. I decided to make a book for my daughter who is working on her speech everyday. I made it with the people she loves and names for her to learn such as “Nana,” “PawPaw,” “Steve,” “Leah,” etc. I think this product is WONDERFUL to make memories and put them into a booklet! It is especially great for me, using it not only to have a book full of memories though but also as a learning tool for my daughter and as she gets older and knows all the names/faces, then it’ll just be a nice picture book for her to have! MailPix has many other products that would be AWESOME to have as well!! They make photo puzzles, photo reusable shopping tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, mouse pads, and a lot more! I love how quickly they print and get your item to you and the quality of the product that comes! I would recommend MailPix to anyone and will be ordering more in the future!

You can find their products here.

Like them on facebook as well for promotions and updates!