Bright Starts giveaway: Having a Ball Pop and Roll Roadster

I am totally psyched about the idea of possibly winning this for the Jack-ster!!! He would be psyched too if he could figure out what was going on. I can say anything with a happy tone and face and he just laughs it up! It looks so awesome and I am sure that Jack will love playing with it. I will LOVE it if we win this . . . anything is more enjoyable if it's free! Right??

How did I discover this giveaway? I always "Like" certain pages on Facebook and Bright Starts is one of them. I discovered a blog called MomSpotted. It told all about the giveaway, which you can read more about here.

We have many Bright Starts toys and we love them all! Jack really enjoys playing with his Hop Along Carrier Toybar. It is certainly at the top of our list of favorites. We hope to say the same thing if/when we win the Having a Ball Pop and Roll Roadster. LOL! You can see/buy more Bright Starts toys and such here. We know you'll love them as much as we do.

Easy Cranberry Sauce

This is the easiest recipe for cranberry sauce! It's so quick too. This cranberry sauce is also nice to make any time of the year to add with chicken or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!!!

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups cranberries. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until skins pop, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Serve warm or chilled with poultry or pork.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce.

Mocha Marble Fudge

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, I thought I would post some easy recipes that I really enjoy making every year. The first one is a fudge recipe that Jeremy and I really enjoy making. It's so easy. Hope you enjoy it!!!

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing

1 can (14 oz) condensed milk

1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder or coffee granules

1 bag (12 oz) white chocolate baking chips (2 cups)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1. Line bottom and sides of 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, leaving foil overhanging 2 opposite sides of pan; grease foil with butter.

2. In 2-quart nonstick saucepan, mix 3/4 cup of the milk and the espresso powder. Stir in white baking chips. Heat over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Spread in pan.

3. In same saucepan, mix remaining milk, the chocolate chips and vanilla. Heat over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Drop by spoonfuls over espresso layer. Swirl mixtures with table knife. Gently press with hand to smooth top.

4. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until cooled and firm. Remove from pan, using foil to lift. Cut into 1-inch pieces.

Thoughts on Teething

Wow. Where do I begin? Since Jack is my first child, I really don't have that much experience with teething babies. However, I do have one word to describe teething: horrible. It's horrible for me and Jack. I feel so awful for him. I can't seem to find anything that will help comfort him. Thankfully, his pediatrician did say that we could give him Children's Tylenol (grape flavored!) twice a day. I only give it to him when I think he really needs it (which is usually every day right now).

We have tried several different methods of relief for Jack. I have already mentioned the Tylenol. I've tried putting wet wash cloths in the freezer for a few minutes. Jack didn't like that. I've tried teething rings. Jack's mouth is too small. He has chewed on anything and everything that he can get his hands on. He chews on his blankets, his burp cloths, his toys, his stuffed animals and even our fingers.

Today we received our Raz-Berry teething pacifiers from Raz Baby in the mail! I couldn't wait to get them out of the package and cleaned up so that I could give them to Jack. They are a big hit! They are made completely of 100% silicone (BPA free). He chews every inch of them. I strongly recommend them for your baby's teething needs. Let's hope that they will continue to be a teething comfort for Jack.

For more products by Raz Baby, click here.

New Blog!

I can't believe that I've started a new blog!!! Don't worry, we will still continue our family blog for those who want to know the happenings of our family. However, you can refer to this blog for household and parenting related issues. I am So excited to start this blog and have committed to posting as much as I can.

I have titled this blog Welcomed Chaos because that is basically what my life is all about now: chaos. But, it is a welcomed chaos. I wouldn't change my life for anything in the world. I have been married to the best man in the world for a little over five years. Becoming a wife was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to face. I had to learn how to share my stuff with someone else. I never had to share anything before. Not really. I am the youngest of three children and the only girl. My stuff was my stuff. It was hard trying to put someone else before myself. Not to mention, organize an entire household all by myself. But I managed. And now, I am learning it all over again.

The second hardest thing that I have ever had to face is becoming a mother! I thought for sure that we were going to die after those first few weeks of Jack's life. Eventually he started sleeping through the night and our lives returned to some form of normalcy. However, I have to figure out how to reorganize my home once again . . . and put another life before my own. So, I figured, why not learn how to do that and be a blessing and comfort to others who are struggling with the same things. We'll all learn together. I invite you to welcome the chaos!