CafePress

* I received a $30.00 gift certificate for my review item. I received no monetary compensation and all reviews are my own and not influenced in anyway.*

Since moving into our new home I have been in the process of decorating every room in our home. One particular room that I am excited about decorating is my kitchen. I have a vision of using mint green against the brown with a beautiful backslash completed with items that you can't find just anywhere. I am not the kind that goes for apples or ducks, but more retro.

While searching through CafePress I came across many kitchen items I would love to have including mugs, plates, and serving trays. One particular item caught my eye and it was their Vintage Tattoo Pin Up Girl Cutting Board. I knew that I just had to have it!

Made out of heat resistant tempered glass and at a compact 8" X 11.25" x .2" it sat perfectly on the counter between my stove and pantry.The pin up on the front reminds me of a 20's style era bombshell back when tattoos were still considered taboo on women or something you would see on the outside window of a tattoo shop. 

When I need to wash it I just place it in the dishwasher.

 The Vintage Tattoo Pin Up Girl Cutting Board retails for $34.50 for the 8" X 11.25" x .2" and $39.50 for the 11.25" X 15.5" x .2". Image available on other products such as a cocktail platter, sugar container, napkins, and beer cooler. 

My Wonderful Walls review and giveaway

 *This is a sponsored post from My Wonderful Walls. I received their personalized Splendid Garden Wall sticker kit for review. I received no monetary compensation and all reviews are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Back in August when I found out baby number 3 was going to be a girl I was ecstatic at the idea of creating a girly nursery. When our home was completed and we moved in I wanted to get started right away! After a few months of deciding which bedding to get I ultimately purchased the CoCola Taffy crib bedding from Babies R' Us. When it came time to paint I went with Behr's Colonial Rose for the top, Navajo White for the bottom, and Cinnabark for the chair rail.  The finishing touches was applying the Splendid Garden Wall personalized sticker kit  from My Wonderful Walls.

First thing I noticed was the how soft the stickers were thanks to the SafeCling fabric that is used. The kit comes with 62 beautifully crafted decals ranging from flowers, bees, butterflies, a frog, mouse, dragonfly, a peacock, a snail, a sun, clouds, watering can, birdhouse, birds, and a tree with blooms.  My husband, 2 yr old son, and I all pitched in to make a beautiful mural for Scarlett's nursery. At times my son got too eager and placed things too close together or in a spot that didn't look right, but we weren't  too worried because it was easy to peel off and place somewhere else. The decals never stuck to the wall or each other.

When it came to personalizing we could have went with her name over her crib, but we went with the personalized garden sign (measures 32" tall by 17.5" wide) that coordinated with the beautiful garden we created. Made out of the same SafeCling fabric as the garden decals and my husband had it on the wall in a matter of minutes. Once I stepped back and looked at the nursery my husband I created I instantly fell in love!

If your wanting decals that you can paint yourself My Wonderful Walls offer stencil kits where you can let your imagination run wild! If you are living someplace where you can't paint the walls then their canvas wall art is just what your looking for! You can choose from one panel or a panel of three and even customize it with your child's name. While your browsing the site check out their wide range of products for older kids, teens, and adults. 

I am confident that you will find something from My Wonderful Walls that you will love just like I have!

My Wonderful Walls have graciously offered Bringing Up Hopkins reader 15% off their entire order with code                                                 BUH518 which is good through 5/31

Contest open to  US, Canada and Puerto Rico (Australia and European Union as well if winner pays for shipping- which is $40)

Enter to win a $100 gift card (Entire value must be used in one shopping trip. No cash back. Code never expires) through the Rafflecoptor form below: 

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 months old!

3 months have come and gone, but we have had a lot of exciting "first" this month! Along with her first St. Paddy's Day and Easter she has started to laugh out loud when I play bite her neck and chin. I am loving having a baby in the house again!

First holiday's are always the most special and even though we didn't do anything for St. Paddy's Day we had a blast on Easter. We dropped my boys off at my dad's the Wednesday before Easter, but we planned on coming back to get them and spend Easter that Sunday. Scarlett, Jason, and I took a 3 and a half day trip to Nashville to the Full Moon Tattoo and Horror Festival. I know a lot of people would ask 'why when it's Easter, spend time with your boys", but it's an annual tradition for us. I wanted to get a tattoo for Scarlett and the guy that does mine is from Ohio and the only place we can meet up is at the convention. We spent the next few days mingling with celebrities and the highlight came when Bill Mosley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Devil's Rejects, and House of 1000's Corpses) recognized Jason. He was walking and by his booth and hears "Hey Jason meet Sid!" he stopped dead in his tracks and Bill introduced him to Sid Haig! My husband met Bill at a convention in Chattanooga a few years back when he done special FX and Jason showed him a sculpted bust of Chop Top he had done. It was an awesome moment for him. We had Scarlett dressed up for Easter and was a hit with everyone. I couldn't walk 10 feet without someone stopping to tell me how beautiful she was.

   

The moment came when we went to get our Devil's Rejects dvd case signed by Sid Haig, Lew Temple, and Tom Towles. Out of no where we hear Sid Haig say "What is this babies on parade?" I then realized that she was an instant hit with them and they all wanted pictures. It was awesome to say the least and Lew Temple even wrote her a note on the inside of the case and told us not to give it to her until she was at least 6. After pictures and a meet and greet we headed home to spend Easter with the boys.

 

At my dads they had dyed eggs and the Easter bunny came leaving all three of them a basket full of goodies. The boys had gotten Angry birds baskets with Ninja Turtle stuff and homemade chocolates from the convention and Scarlett got an organic plush cow and two necklaces from Sprinkling Beaded Necklaces. We had a great rest of the day!

Easter weekend was the highlight of the month and I wish Scarlett would remember being ooohhhed and ahhhhed over, but at least I have pictures!

Bestever mat review

Disclosure: I receive the Bestever Mat from the company at no charge for review. All reviews are my own and not influenced in any way. Arv $50

When I was pregnant with Asher in 2006 one of my favorite places to shop for him was at Dillards. I remember walking through the boys' accessories, coming across their display of Bestever mats and immediately rubbing my hands across the soft belly of a beautiful zebra mat. I told my husband right away I wanted to get the baby one, so we decided to come back that next weekend to pick one up. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to get one, but I knew when and if I got pregnant again a Bestever mat would be one of the first things on my list.

Bestever graciously sent Scarlett their Pink Bear baby mat and it's one of my favorite go to items.
                                             

 We get many uses out of the Pink Bear mat including lounging, playing, tummy time, and I lay her on it when I take pictures. The fabric is so soft that Scarlett has actually fallen asleep on it during one of our many impromptu photo shoots (I did not leave her unsupervised while asleep on the mat). I can tell that she is going to get many years of use out of the mat and I will be getting her the Butterfly mat as a backup.

                                                                 

Bestever Mats will make the perfect baby shower gift, welcome home, gift, and even as a 1st birthday gift. Once my brother and his finacee have a baby I know they will be getting the Cow mat from Auntie Tonya!

                                                 30 x 3 x 31 inches
                                                 100% POLYESTER FIBERS
                                                  Machine washable                                                               

Mats Available include: 

Butterfly, Cow, Giraffe, Lion, Monkey, Zebra, Frog, Ballerina Hippo, Blue Bear, Blue Elephant, Lamb, Pink Bear, Pink Cat, Bunny, Green Owl, Coco Puppy Blue, Baseball Puppy, Coco Puppy Pink, and Pink Owl. 



                          Scarlett and I wanted to thank Bestever for the amazing mat for the review

                        

Conscious Box 3 month subscription giveaway

With all the green websites and products websites on the internet sometimes hard to decipher if the products are actually green. The term for business that label and sell 'green" products, that in reality isn't, is called greenwashing. With Conscious Box you don't have to worry about being deceived as they are dedicated to making sure you get the most purest products available on the market.

                                                           
Conscious Box offers three different monthly subscription boxes that include 10-20 classic, vegan, or gluten free products.Once you use the products you are able to leave reviews and ratings to help the buisness improve their products. This includes their packaging, products, and even the buisness iteself. As you rate and review the items you are earning points that you can apply to future purchases.  This is a great way to get your favorites at a lower price.

In your box you will receive a variety of unique pure and natural products from ethical and purpose- driven businesses both big and small. You will also get content on daily living tips, monthly themes, and creative ways in which to use your box. From organic food to vegan beauty products you are sure to find the perfect box for you.

for a  50% OFF discount for any Conscious Box subscription. Use code: DISCOVERNATURAL


Conscious Box has generously offered to give one lucky Bringing Up Hopkins fan a 3-month subscription valued at $59.00! a Rafflecopter giveaway

CafePress

When searching for that one unique gift or trying to find that perfect item for the one who has everything CafePress is your one stop shop! With 1,000's upon 1,000's of products available you are certain to find the one gift that they will love.

For the Walking Dead fan $27.99

I have spent hours looking through their pre designed items, but when I saw that you could make a custom design onesie I knew instantly that I wanted to design one for Scarlett.  When customizing your items you are able to choose from one of their clip arts or upload your own design. Customizing doesn't stop at baby clothes as you are able to add your touch to t-shirts, hoodies, drinkware, cases, stationary, pet items, stuffed toys, and so much more.

$20.00 (also available in a tee)

Two Months Old

It's amazing what difference a month makes. Scarlett seems to become more and more active as the weeks go by and everyday it seems like she is learning something new. This month has been a roller coaster with up and downs and even a scare.

My First Valentine's Day

 I took Scarlett to her 2 month check-up on March 7th. As with my boys I thought we would be in and out after her growth assessment and first shots. When it came time for her exam everything was going great, but I noticed that the Dr. kept feeling the top of her head. She kept rubbing the soft spot and just had that look on her face. I looked right at her and asked what was wrong. She told me that she really didn't feel the soft spot on the top of her head and that she was afraid that it was closing too soon. It's called Craniosynostosis.  At that moment in time I felt my blood pressure rise and it took all I could do not to cry. Here was my baby girl with something possibly wrong with her skull I thought I was going to loose it.  She explained that her head was only measuring in the 11th percentile for her age and that if her soft spot was closing too soon then she would have to have surgery on her skull to open it back up so her brain can grow. I left the Dr.'s office and cried all the way home.

As I broke the news to my husband I broke down completely. We just sat in the floor as I cried in his arms and the whole time I could tell that he was fighting back the tears while trying to comfort me. Later that day I got a call from the imaging center letting me know that she had an appointment the following day at 2:30. That night I couldn't sleep and found myself praying to GOD for a miracle. I even asked my mom to watch over her form Heaven. One thing my mom always taught me was that when you are faced with something like this is that you give it to GOD and don't pick it back up. Before I fell asleep from exhaustion I told GOD I give it to him and trust him with everything.

I woke up the next morning and I felt a little better and unexplained joy in my heart. We arrived to the imaging center and I meet this really nice older gentlemen in the lobby who asked me what was wrong ( I guess you could see the nervousness on my face.) I explained what had happened the previous day and he looked at me and told me that GOD had the power to heal. I told him that I know he could and that I handed it over to him and I was not going to pick it back up. Don't get me wrong I am still worried and scared, but not as bad as I was. He took down her name and what may be wrong with her and told me he was going to put her on the prayer list at his church. They called her back and done an ultrasound on her head.  About 30 minutes later and over a dozen pictures we were done and was told the Dr. would have the results in 24 hours.

The next day came and again I really didn't get much sleep because all I could think of was the 'what if's". I knew that if she did have to have the surgery then she would make it and live a normal life. I waited around by the phone all day! I carried the phone around with me everywhere. The day came and went, but the DR. didn't call. I called my grandmother who told me that maybe no news was good news. I took it with a grain of salt, but agreed.

Another restless night came and went as my thoughts and worries got the best of me. I woke up this morning (3/9/13) and told myself that if I hadn't heard anything by 2:30 I was calling them! Well, I made it to 11:30 and called. They told me that her results were in and that the Dr. would call. About 15 minutes later I go the phone call we had been waiting 2 days for. The Dr. told me that she does have a soft spot there, it is small and needed monitoring, but as this point in time and because they were able to see inside her head and brain she does NOT have to have surgery! I immedialty started crying on the phone! She did stress that if it does decide to close up that they would have to interveine and she will have to have the surgery. The Dr. also told me that during her evaluation on Tuesday that she was holding her head up like most 4 month old's and showing signs of being advanced for her age! I was super thrilled when she said that. Before the Dr. got off the phone she told me to get some sleep because she was sure I hadn't slept good for the past few days.

                                               GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS!

Scarlett has met all of her two month milestones and have alreay started meeting some of her third!

•  Smiles when she recognizes someone she knows such as me, her dad, or brothers
•  She has found her hands and sucks her fists when she needs comfort
•  Coos and gurgles a lot! 
•  Holds head up (a little wobbly)
•  When she is laying down and wants to get up she pulls her shoulders and head up
•  Get's fussy and board really easy
•  Wears a size 2 diaper