Review and Giveaway- Canvas Factory

Hello, lovely readers!

As you are no doubt aware, I recently moved.

Moving is hard as hell. There's the stress of going through everything you own and putting it in boxes, then there's the stress of relocating all those boxes, and then there's the stress of trying to figure out how to take them out again and put them into an entirely different space with entirely different needs. If you've never done it, it's hell, trust me.

One of the fun things about it, though, is getting a chance to make stuff you already have perfect for the first time. For me, that's been all about putting my art on the walls.

In case you didn't know, I have a lot of art and photographs, and I take its placement very seriously. This time around, I am straight up killing it in the gallery wall department. Behold-

That's the wall behind me in my office right now. A thing of glory, isn't it?

But what about my treasured family photographs? I started to put them up, I shuffled frames a million times, and I got to the point where I was pretty happy with what I had. Pretty happy, but not awesome purple gallery wall happy.

It's not bad, right? But it's not perfect. Just looking at this collection of photographs, I knew what was wrong. I needed my wedding picture to be bigger. Those are 5"x7" prints of the girls' school pictures. And they're GORGEOUS. But an 8"x10" photo in a landscape orientation just didn't fit. It's my favorite of our wedding pictures (and if you don't know Cheryl, our amazing photographer, you should 100% check her out and then throw all your money at her), and this was the largest print I had. When we got married and lived just the two of us in our Pilsen apartment, that was fine. And when we lived in our crowded condo in Hyde Park, that was fine, too. But we're suburbanites now. We show off our pictures like we mean it.

And that was when the amazing people at The Canvas Factory came calling. Seriously, it's like they have psychics on staff, just waiting for bloggers like me to have photograph printing needs, and then they pounce.

They offered me a free canvas print, to try out. So I did what any totally obsessive new homeowner would do- I solved the most pressing and important problem in my life. What to do about my wedding portrait.

Picking out how I wanted the print done was AMAZING and easy. They give you all sorts of filters and alterations to choose from- I could have had my wedding picture not only in black and white or sepia, but they gave me all sorts of options for softening, sharpening, fading, texturing, modifying the picture in any way I could imagine. They let me choose if I wanted the photo wrapped around the sides, or if I preferred a single color for the visible edges. It was so detailed, but still so simple, I was completely confident about the finished product before I'd made all my decisions.

I submitted my order, and waited.

When you know something perfect is coming in the mail, waiting can be hard. And being used to being in the next day Amazon delivery area will spoil a person when it comes to waiting for mail. But even with my ridiculous impatience, it didn't take long. Less than a week later, I got my canvas in the mail. And it's everything I hoped it would be.

Ahhhhhh, soooooooooo pretty!!!!!!!

That's a 20"x16" printed canvas hovering about the three 5"x7" school pictures. And it looks SO MUCH BETTER. The color is amazing. The DPIs are crazy high. It's utterly gorgeous, even though I DID crop the picture a little, to center the two of us a bit more in the frame. It looks simply amazing, and it's incredible what a little change like having a high quality, gigantic and beloved image on canvas can do for a space.

It looks so good, people.

And it's a good quality framing job, too. It's all exposed canvas, of course, but the mounting hardware on the back is totally ideal, and makes putting it on the wall a breeze. And I mean, COME ON. How good does that look????

You know you want one.

And lucky you, YOU CAN HAVE ONE TOO!!!

That's right, the amazing psychics at the Canvas Factory are giving one of you lovely readers a code for a completely free 16"x20" print as well! WITH FREE SHIPPING!!!!

All you have to do is post a comment, telling me what picture you'd get printed gigantic and perfect if you could. You don't have to use that one, of course, I just want to know what wonderful memories you want writ large all over your homes. Because it's a beautiful thing to have your happiest moments preserved and presented so lovingly in your home. I smile a big warm smile every time I walk past it. It's rapidly becoming one of my favorite walls in the house. Yes, even compared to my lovely purple office.

So check out The Canvas Factory, and let me know what picture YOU'D get printed in the comments!

Beautiful Bouqs For Every Occasion

This is a sponsored post- I was given free flowers to review, but all opinions are my own.

I was recently given the opportunity to review a bouquet of flowers from The Bouqs Company.

Because when somebody says to you, "Hey, I grow gorgeous freaking roses on the side of an active volcano," you stop what you're doing and listen.

Actually, growing them on an active volcano makes TOTAL SENSE. All that volcanic activity keeps the soil warmer, which is usually a better environment for growing flowers. It's just science. Volcanoes are flowery magic.

This video does a wonderful job of explaining what The Bouqs Co. does, so take a moment and enjoy their hilarious explanation:




So yes, I accepted a bunch of free flowers to brighten up my home.

The first thing I did was let my kids pick out the flowers. "What color roses should we get, kids?"

They each have very strong opinions on this sort of thing,

DD demanded fuchsia. SI screamed, "Yellow! Yellow! Yellow!" until our downstairs neighbors started calling to complain about the noise. RH said, "I was gween! I want gween!" and then followed that up with, "I want Care Bears!" and "I'm SUPER BATMAN! ZOOOOOOOM!"

So, hoping for a bouquet of yellow, fuchsia, and green flowers, we starting going through The Bouqs Co. website.

And we happened to find this gorgeous bouquet:

Yup. Yellow and fuchsia. And although it's hard to see in this picture, I was pretty confident the stems would be green- that should satisfy a toddler.

So I placed the order and waited to see what would happen.

The bouquet came fast, and in a long, attractive box. Inside the box? Layers upon layers of protective packaging, in arrangements I'd never seen.

Enormous bubble wrap, soft card stock, and the stems were wrapped in a sort of gel, keeping them healthfully hydrated during their trip from their volcano home.

The box even helpfully included specific instructions on how to care for our flowers. Which was nice, because although I thought I knew what to do, it was helpful to have somebody tell me exactly how much stem to trim and how.

The roses were enormous. Truly, huge roses. And they smelled heavenly.

We took our roses and sorted them into two vases- green, fuchsia and yellow in each, of course- and set them on opposite ends of the house. One in the dining room, one one the piano in the foyer.

For days, the roses brightened the whole house. But then, as flowers do, they started dying.

So I trimmed the stems, tossed the sadder roses, and recombined them into one vase again, only this room I relegated it to my own bedside table, because I'm selfish like that.

The flowers were gorgeous and colorful and made our house feel a little more summery, despite the schizophrenic weather.

I highly recommend the Bouqs flowers. They arrive in better shape and stay beautiful longer than any other florist delivery service I've tried.

Keep that in mind come Valentine's Day, lovely readers! And flower on!!!!

Pretty Little Gifts #DIY

This is a sponsored post. I was given products from Simply Bridal in exchange for writing, but all opinions are my own.

It can be hard to find a way to give a special, personal gift to everyone in your life. I've never been a big fan of gift cards, but there are so many people I want to show appreciation or affection for at this time of year, it can feel like options are seriously limited.

For example, the four women who teach my children during the day. I adore them, but I certainly can't stretch my holiday budget enough to get them something really nice.

Or my neighbors. They're wonderful people, but I'm not rushing off to get them all the newest releases on Blu-Ray.

No, the best option is often to make something. Something small, but personal and friendly and lovely. But who has time? With three little kids around, I hardly have time to shower, let alone put together the lovely tins of cookies I once baked.

Enter Simply Bridal.

It might sound a little strange, but a bridal shop is a PERFECT place to pick up the tools to make ridiculously gorgeous (and easy) gifts!

To show you what I mean, Simply Bridal sells a box of a dozen mini milk jars for only $15. That works out to $1.25 per jar.

Add to that a few bags of m&ms, and a bit of ribbon- and POOF! A beautiful little holiday gift!

I like using a gold cloth ribbon with wired sides. The wires keep your bows looking fresh, and the allow you to crimp the tails with your fingers. And the gold compliments all the color schemes of Channukah, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.

The result is something that shows you care enough to put some work into it, although not so difficult to add stress to your busy holiday schedule.

Best part of m&ms- the regular, every-day colors come in Channukah (blue and yellow), Christmas (red and green), and Thanksgiving (brown and orange). It's like somebody knows me.

If you want to get fancy with your candies, you can slide a piece of card stock into the middle of the jar, to put the colors side by side rather than on top of each other. Plus, if you switch the sides of your colors halfway up, you get a lovely checker pattern!

You can use almost any small candies, of course. For a Christmas themed gift, peppermints are an excellent choice. And if you happen to know the favorite candy of the person you plan to give a jar to, it's always best to show you actually know and care about them with their favorites. If I was sticking one of these jars in my husband's stocking, for example, I'd be sure to fill it with mini peanut butter cups.

But if candies aren't your style, don't fret. What I really love to do with these jars is make single serving hot cocoas.

These are so easy. They are so unfathomably easy. And people love them.

The simple hot cocoa jar is a serving of hot cocoa powder, with mini marshmallows topping it off. This is great especially for people you might want to gift who you know spend a lot of time in the cold. Your mail woman, the garbage men, your dog walker, the lady at the crosswalk by the school. For less than two dollars a gift, it's cheaper and more personal than a card. And when they head home and out of the bitter cold, they will be truly grateful for the thoughtfulness.

But what if you're on a really tight budget? What if you only have a few dollars to spend on almost EVERYONE on your list? Times are tough, and I know the poor economy has hit just about all of us. And along with the tighter budgets, more and more of the people I know are living with dietary restrictions that would make giving them any of the above jars insensitive.

If you're in a situation like that, this is the solution you've been looking for. Gourmet, food-restriction friendly, reusable cocoa jars. Beautiful reusable jars of spectacular hot cocoa.

You can personalize your flavors with crushed peppermints or ginger hard candies or instant coffee. You can be certain to avoid dairy, gluten, or even sugar. When you invest a little bit in the ingredients, you can divvy the costs into your dozen of presents, and give a truly thoughtful gift to somebody for half the cost of a fancy Starbuck's flavored frappaccino.

And when they see the jar? My favorite moment of the holidays is when somebody sees their gift for the first time, and you know you've nailed it, and made their day and their winter a brighter, happier place.

Two teaspoons of powdered sugar. Five teaspoons of cocoa powder. Half a teaspoon of powdered vanilla extract. One and a half teaspoons of cinnamon sugar. Fill the jar the rest of the way with vegan marshmallows (I like Dandies, but there are other options!), and stick a cinnamon stick through the bow.

Thirty dollars for all your ingredients and jars, and that's gifts for absolutely everyone in your office.

Simply Bridal has a wonderful selection of other jar options for similar prices. For another $5, your jars can come with chalkboard labels (and you know how much I love those chalkboard labels).

And the best part?

This is THE TIME OF YEAR to buy supplies from a bridal shop. Wedding season is over, and that means you can get much better deals on things like wedding favors.

Head to Simply Bridal and check out their selection of bridal favor options, and keep in mind how grateful people are when they can repurpose a present. A little jar, even empty, is useful. And a little jar filled beautifully with something sweet or meaningful?

That's a present nearly anyone would be happy to receive.

Get thee hence to Simply Bridal! Buy some beautiful jars and spend an easy hour making gifts for everyone! Save yourself some hassle, and make people think you're Martha Stewart.

That can be your gift to yourself. And to your bank account.

Your New Favorite Store

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

I am a year round shopper. In general, when I find that perfect thing that I just know somebody on my list is going to love, I just go ahead and buy it. At any given time, I have half a dozen birthday/Christmas/Channukah/Anniversary gifts hiding in my home, waiting for the day I give them to somebody who I know is going to love them.

That said, my days of year-round shopping may be behind me. Because I've found the world's best shop for awesome things for everybody that I know.

UncommonGoods.

As you may recall, I am a big fan of giving kids activities, rather than toys.

UncommonGoods has an amazing selection of toys and activities for kids. My two favorites, without a doubt, are the Make Your Own Ukelele Kit and the Make Your Own Snowglobe Kit,

If M and I hadn't gotten the twins guitars for their birthday, we'd be getting them this kit. How cool is that? Build, decorate, and learn to play your own ukelele?! I want one of those!!!

Other great toys from UncommonGoods are their language blocks. They have alphabet blocks in Chinese, Braille, Hebrew, and Hieroglyphs.

Something the twins are getting from UncommonGoods this Channukah is the Gummy Bear Lights. These things are so much better than they even looked on the website. They're flexible silicone, and really easy to use. They produce what is pretty much exactly the right amount of light to let them curl up with a gummy bear and a book in bed, and not produce enough light to disturb the two year old sleeping on the other end of the room.



My favorite feature of this toy is that it has a timer- it automatically turns off after an hour. So when one of my favorite five year olds falls asleep reading, I don't have to sneak in and turn it off.

Of course, just having an awesome, snuggleable night light isn't enough- you've got to have something to read by it, right?

UncommonGoods has a most beautiful personally curated collection of picture books. We got a copy of Lineup for Yesterday, Ogden Nash's alphabetic ode to Baseball with some of the most wonderful illustrations I've seen in a long time.

It's a ridiculously beautiful book.

 In addition to the poem, which is a really fun way to talk baseball with the kids, every few stanzas there's a page of brief biographies of the baseball players in the poem, including the teams they played for and the years they played. It's a gorgeous piece of baseball history.

I would tell you to go check out every single item individually, but there's no point. EVERY SINGLE ITEM is carefully selected, and they're all sort of magical. If you check out the selection of gifts for women, you'll find it's so much more than the usual gendered assortment of scarves and tea towels. Although those are gorgeous too.

There's a selection of steampunk light switch plates I would LOVE to get for half of my friends.

There's a selection of the world's cleverest hot cocoa and marshmallow delivery systems.

There's a set of mix tape tumblers. MIX TAPE GLASSWARE!!!!

I mean- seriously.

The diversity of the stuff in their gifts for dudes section is pretty epic, too. And best of all, they know that these items can and SHOULD overlap. There's no sense that "Shot glasses are for men and throw cushions are for women." It's a philosophy of, "Awesome stuff is for everybody."

But the icing on this cake of fabulous is without a doubt the people running UncommonGoods. Based out of Brooklyn, NY, they are dedicated to products that don't harm animals, the environment, or people. Half of their products are hand made, and the majority are made in the USA. About a third are recycled or upcycled materials, and even that isn't the best part.

Every time somebody makes a purchase at UncommonGoods, the owners donate $1 to charity. Not just any charity, four in particular. Including the one nearest and dearest to my heart, RAINN.

Get thee hence to UncommonGoods and finish up your holiday shopping. Support small businesses instead of giving all your money to Amazon and Walmart. Get something made with love, sold with love, and then given with love.

And add UncommonGoods to your bookmarks, because when you need to buy somebody something awesome, it's the first place you should look.

Kidecals Chalkboard Labels- A Gorgeous Way To Get Organized

This is s sponsored post- I was given Kidecals to try for free. All opinions are my own.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be offered an opportunity to review a product I'm totally crazy about.

They're called Kidecals.

Kidecals makes a huge array of products, but what I assumed they made most of were wall decals. At first, I was hesitant to try them out- I've tried wall decals before, and almost always been disappointed. Particularly in the kids' room, where the walls have this gross texture that makes it impossible to get a decal to stick properly.

But after checking out the Kidecals website, I saw how many additional products they make. Still decals, yes, but not for walls only. They have these really cool decals for computer keyboards, to personalize your computer in a unique way. (Seriously, I may get the wood grain decals for Grandmommy and Poppa for Channukah.)

They have sheets of personalized labels for kids' school stuff. And seriously, labeling all the backpacks, lunchboxes, water bottles, shoes, sweaters, and EVERYTHING for a set of twins is a pain in butt- this is a MUCH better solution.

But what really excited me the most were the home organization decals.

I have a small kitchen. Really, it's crazy small. But I've made do with a little creative furniture repurposing and some general decorating choices.

Enter, Kidecals.

As I don't really have cabinets, I need to store my dry goods in plain sight, which means finding a way to make them both attractive and functional. When I first established this system, I bought a small package of chalkboard labels and a bit of chalkboard paint. I only labeled the things that weren't immediately obvious (All Purpose Flour next to Bread Flour, Basmati Rice next to Jasmine Rice, things like that). But it was inconsistent and I was never too crazy about the resulting look. Plus, the chalkboard paint flaked off, and the chalkboard labels didn't hold to the chalk. It was disorganized and confusing, and on many occasions a well intentioned houseguest dumped powdered sugar into my cake flour. But I couldn't get the labels off! I was stuck with them.

My old labels

So I decided to try out the Kidecals chalkboard labels, which came in a variety of attractive shapes.

Let's do a quick side by side comparison:

That's a Kidecals label on the left, a World Market label on the right.

Okay, so it obviously LOOKS better off the bat, but what about when I grab the jar I'm looking for? What happens when I touch the label? With the old labels, even the most casual, glancing brush with a stray finger, and the chalk is gone. I decided to try intentionally swiping my finger, roughly, across my old labels and a Kidecals label,

Yup. It smudged, but only just a bit.

And the Kidecals labels are CRAZY affordable! For what I spent on two packages of six blackboard labels previously, I got two sets of two sheets of Kidecals labels.

Another cool thing about the Kidecals labels? The plaque and cloud shaped came on what looked like a sticker sheet- meaning there was EXTRA LABEL MATERIAL! I of course used it to make teeny tiny labels for my salt cellars. Yes, writing legibly with chalk at that scale can be tricky, but it's also so much fun!

I got so many labels for my $30 worth, not only did I label all the beans, flours, sugars, salts, oils, and vinegars, I even went to town in the fridge. I like to re-use mason jars for things like jam (when you buy a Costco size vat of strawberry preserves, you don't always want to have to lug a four pound glass jar back and forth to the table each time your kids want a sandwich).

Now my fridge matches my counter, with minced garlic, strawberry jam, nutritional yeast, and baking yeast all clearly and attractively labeled.

These labels are not going anywhere. They are on there for good, so far withstanding hand washing of the jars and bottles without peeling or curling.

I love that people can come into my kitchen and find exactly what they're looking for. I love that I can find exactly what I'm looking for. And I love the way the whole thing looks put together.

I definitely recommend Kidecals. And lucky you, you can get your own and save!

Kidecals is a big supporter of parents, particularly parents of multiples. They understand how much more difficult the task of labeling things for kids gets when there are more children involved, and they want to help. They're offering you a discount on a sliding scale, depending on the number of kids in the house.

2 children: doubles2014 = 15% off $25 or more

3 children: threes2014 = 20% off $50 or more

4 children: fours2014 = 25% off $75 or more

5 children: fives2014 = 30% off $100 or more

6 children: sixes2014 = 35% off $125 or more

7 children: sevens2014 = 40% off $150 or more

Go forth and get yourself some Kidecals! Get organized! And get your house a little more gorgeous.

Because, seriously.

That's a kitchen I can be proud of.

Reinventing Your Fate - #Change #FindTheWords

As the school year begins, too many children are already falling behind. I am 1 of 30 bloggers helping #FindtheWords with @SavetheChildren to raise awareness of the need for early childhood education for all kids. I am participating in this social media campaign to highlight 30 words in 30 days -- to symbolize the 30 million fewer words that children from low-income homes hear by age 3.

Save the Children provides kids in need with access to books, essential learning support and a literacy-rich environment, setting them up for success in school and a brighter future. Learn more about Save the Children’s work in the US and around the world: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6153159/k.C8D5/USA.htm

Read to the end for a Giveaway!

When I was about nine years old, I fell in love with the All-Of-A-Kind Family books.

I don't know how exactly they came into my hands, but they were the perfect blend of familiarity and fantasy. A pre-WWI family with five daughters living in New York, Jewish and American, wearing beautiful dresses but also destroying them as they climbed trees and hid in Papa's rag shop.

As a Jewish American girl with two sisters, living in New Jersey, I was in love. I fantasized about my parents having a gaggle of additional children- the idea of being the second oldest took root, and I thought it would be MUCH better than simply being in the middle. The stories the family in the book told about Elijah the prophet and the obviously archaic but still fascinating way girls weren't permitted to study Hebrew, which I began to take particular joy in doing at synagogue on Saturdays, stayed with me as I stayed up all night, reading and re-reading the stories.

And then I had the most incredible discovery- there were more All-Of-A-Kind Family books.

I snuggled under the covers to read the second, All-Of-A-Kind Family Downtown, and read with total obsession the story of the birth of the five sisters' new baby brother.

He was sick, and it seemed he might die. So one day, in the midst of all the worry, Papa takes the baby to the rabbi, to change his name. Papa explains that sometimes, when somebody is very sick, the only thing left to do is change their name. That way, when the angel of death comes looking for them, they'll be looking for the wrong person and pass them by.

Silly, I know. The idea that you can change your name and be so profoundly changed that your own fate can't find you. But it resonated with me.

It was around that time I had become not only an insomniac, but also depressed. As my childish depression deepened into something more profound, I kept thinking about that story. About changing your name and changing your destiny. And so when I was ten years old, I made the decision to change my name.

My grandmother mocked me. She would call me "Rachel," and I would answer, and she would point out that if I didn't want people to call me that I had to stop answering to it. So I did. From that point on, the only name I would answer to was my middle name.

I was determined to stop being Rachel. I was going to be somebody else. Somebody less frightened of being made fun of, somebody bolder and braver and more confident. To me, 'Rachel' was a shroud I'd been wearing my whole life, and had done nothing to make me happy. So I shrugged her off, and assumed the identity of my middle name, 'Lea,' who wore whatever the hell she wanted to instead of trying to fit in with the WASPy pre-teens in her girl scout troop. Claudia, from the Babysitter's Club, became my style icon. I cut off my long hair and embraced the "New Jan Brady" style 'fro that puffed up in its wake. And then my family moved.

I embraced every aspect of this change. I was a new person, with a new look, a new outlook on life, and now- a new location. I showed up for my first day of middle school with my hair puffed in a halo around my head, horn rim styled pastel glasses, a floor length gold skirt, and a blue cropped faux turtleneck t-shirt.

And while it was true that everything on the outside had changed- my appearance, my name, my location, my school... things were fundamentally the same. I was still woefully unpopular, still the butt of ceaseless jokes and the recipient of incessant bullying, and still profoundly unhappy.

But I was more confident in who I was. I was a person who had defined myself, and although my attempt to change my life by changing myself hadn't exactly worked the wanted it to, it had worked in some way. I had, mysteriously, kind of grown up a little.

I was changed by the act of changing.


----

Books had a profound impact on me during my childhood, but not every child is so lucky. Having books in the house helps children learn not just to read, but to appreciate and cultivate language. 65% of young children in need have no access to books, and more than two thirds of poverty level households have no books appropriate for children in the house.

By the age of three, children from low-income homes hear on average 30 million fewer words than their peers, which puts them at a disadvantage when they start school- a cognitive delay of eighteen months.

But we can change that.

Join in the #FindTheWords campaign! If you see a picture of my word, "Change," tweet it with the hashtags #FindTheWords and #Change. Help raise awareness of what Save The Children is doing to help kids reach their potential, and move out of poverty.

...if all the student in low-income countries learned basic reading skills, 171 million people could be raised out of poverty.

Can you #FindtheWords? #Change @SavetheChildren pic.twitter.com/9h8DHD5GG4
— Lea Grover (@bcmgsupermommy) August 8, 2014

You can help.

And to thank you, I'll be able to give one of you a $100 gift card, from Save The Children. All you have to do is comment on this post, telling me about when reading has changed you. Or helped you change the world for the better. (Please leave your email address in the comment, a link to somewhere I can find you via social media. Facebook, twitter, the usual.)

#FindTheWords. Be the #Change you wish to see in the world.

Your New Best Resource

This is a sponsored post, brought to you by MomAssembly. All opinions are my own.

When it comes to parenting, we're all jumping without a parachute. After a few weeks of sleepless nights and the terror of short car rides and possibly even triple checking to find out if that typical baby acne isn't actually measles, you come to the conclusion that like it or no, you're the authority. You're on your own.

Sure, you have some resources. Your own parents and grandparents, maybe a friend or sibling who went before you into the crazy maze of parenthood. But each child is unique. And that makes each parent unique. And sometimes, you're just... lost.

Enter MomAssembly. This is a new, incredible service. It's a veritable smorgasbord of classes, seminars, and lectures... about parenting.

There are classes on surviving the first four months, on breastfeeding, and babyproofing your home. They're 100% online, accessible on your time as you want them and in small, short seminars that you can easily fit into that nice quiet time when your wee one is watching Daniel Tiger. But so much more than teaching you the little extras you might be missing when it comes to caring for your kids, there are classes on thriving as a parent.

Classes on coping with postpartum depression. On marital conflict resolution. Classes on how to maximize your maternity leave.

These are the things you might not have anyone to teach you. These are things you might be afraid to ask, but need to know.

I went through the classes for the course, "Coping with Postpartum Depression," nodding along so hard I almost gave myself whiplash. These courses are cleverly designed as a conversation between a woman with PPD, and a therapist.

Can I just say how brilliant this is? If only I'd had this resource when I was suffering through PPD after RH was born. Not only would it have made me feel so much less broken, so much more human, to see another person experiencing so much of what I was experiencing, but to put it in the context of therapy is perfect. It shows that therapy helps, that it's not frightening or embarrassing or invasive. It's both a class and also tacit permission to go out and get the help you need, a support structure, if you will.

I really can't recommend MomAssembly enough.

MomAssembly is a monthly subscription- you can take all the classes you want for $7.99 a month, or you can pay annually what amounts to $3.99 a month.

But ten of you, my lovely readers, can sign up for your first month free!

Click here, and your subscription will come with a free month of classes at MomAssembly!

Consider buying it for a friend as a baby shower gift. Consider buying it for a friend you think might be struggling. Consider buying it for a friend who calls you three times a week in the middle of the night because they're not sure the baby is latching right. And consider buying it for yourself. Between the classes on legally employing a nanny and the characteristics of gifted learners, there's something there for just about every parent of small children.

To get started, I recommend going through the Pediatric First Aid course. It's remarkably thorough, and knowing that you're prepared for your basic medical crises is an incredible comfort.

So go get started! Check out the huge assortment of classes, and sign up.

Remember, it takes a village. And MomAssembly is you virtual council of elders, ready and waiting to help you navigate the weird twists and turns of parenthood.

Epic Family Fun at Raging Waves Waterpark #WelcomeToSummer

The SuperMommy Family at Raging Waves Waterpark

This is a sponsored post! Raging Waves gave me a free pass to take my family, it's true, but all of the opinions/ (and the majority of the photographs) are my own.

The weekend before Independence Day, my family were graciously invited to spend a perfect July day at Raging Waves Waterpark, in Yorkville, IL.

It's about a forty five minute drive from Chicago proper, which is a long way to go for brunch, but completely reasonable for an all day excursion to one of the best sets of waterslides I've ever laid eyes on.

I'm not just saying that- I've seen a lot of waterslides. We've done the Wisconsin Dells on many occasions, and growing up in Michigan I made many day trips to Sandusky, OH to gets soaked at Cedar Point. And let me tell you, when it comes to waterslides, Raging Waves has them beat.

That said, I only got to watch for the most part. Going to a waterpark is a very different kind of adventure when you've got three kids under five in tow. You don't have the luxury of climbing up half a dozen flights of stairs, because there are three small people either too short or too distracted to handle the wait. So for the most part, the family stuck closer to the ground.

Our first stop was Kookaburra Kreek- the lazy river. This one was delightful- a full quarter mile of peaceful floating, with excellent views of the rest of the park. What's more, Raging Waves has higher water safety standards than most places when it comes to their lazy river. There was always a lifeguard in sight during our float down the river, which was a good thing because I worried that, where I was floating in my tube, if RH somehow slipped from my grip and went into the water, I might have trouble getting to her. But the life guards all around saw us, and I could tell they were keeping a vigilant eye on everyone as we drifted downstream. So from the cool comfort of Kookaburra Kreek, we planned our next steps. Our next step was the Kangaroo Falls- a kid's play area.

This place was AMAZING. at first glance, I was a little worried. My two four year olds freak out when their faces get wet, and they have height related anxieties, and general little-kids-who-don't-spend-much-time-playing-with-random-other-children nerves. But they were FEARLESS! They both ran right up the stairs to the biggest slides, and slid back down again. It was unbelievably adorable and so nice that they felt comfortable and confident enough to go it alone, without an adult.

I was totally comfortable letting them go it alone too, because the Kangaroo Falls structure is almost completely surrounded by fencing. They'd have to work at it to get lost, and I felt safe paying almost no attention to them as I stayed close to the littlest little.

RH had only turned two a whopping ten days before our Raging Waves adventure, and although that kid LOVES the water, she's not a fan of being surprised by it. One trip halfway up the stairs, and the giant bucket of water slowly filling up at the top tipped. We were both doused, and RH lost her cool completely.

Lucky for us, down the stairs there were plenty of other watery distractions. She played with a bubbling fountain for about half an hour while her sisters did laps up and down the slides.

And keep in mind- this is just Kangaroo Falls!

Once everyone was completely soaked, just the slightest bit sunburnt, and starting to lose interest in staying in sight of each other, we headed over to one of the lunch spots we'd seen on our lazy river ride.

I can't believe how big they are!

Now, we are a tricky crowd to feed. First there's the fact that four out of our party of six (we have a loaner teenager for the summer) are vegetarians. Then there's that two of the three vegetarian children are picky eaters, and the third is fairly lactose intolerant. And last of all, our loaner teen. That kid doesn't eat ANYTHING. Over a whole summer and now another month, I've learned the things she'll eat and I can count them off without running out of fingers. SHE DOESN'T LIKE NUTELLA FOR GOD'S SAKE!

But I digress.

It took some doing. There was much confusion in the snack shack, and many hangry words were shared between my children. But when it was done, everybody ate, and EVERYBODY was happy. That said, if you also have picky kids with dietary issues, you may want to bring your own food. There is a no-outside-food policy, but the owners made it clear they're happy to make exceptions for kids who need it. Next time, I may bring a sack of apple slices and grapes and rice cakes, just to smooth things over.

As for me? I truly enjoyed my grilled veggie wrap. It's part and parcel of being a vegetarian- you assume when you get a "fast food" type meal that a) it's not going to be very good, and b) it's going to take forever because they never actually have to make them. My grilled veggie wrap took a long time, but that was because they were actually grilling veggies to order. As you can imagine, the resulting sandwich was fabulous.

And M's burger was most certainly to his liking.

Sadly, the moment we placed our order, we realized the high dive show was starting. We ate, now watching the clock, determined not to miss the next one.

At Raging Waves, there are high dive shows throughout the day. They're a whole production- a story about pirates and pineapples and whatnot, with an old fashioned display of spectacular diving. You can see the performers climbing up the mast to the high dive from nearly everywhere in the park- it's that high! The whole thing is pretty sensational.

After lunch, the kids wanted to down Kookaburra Kreek again. And from the lazy river, we heard the announcement of the next (and last) high dive show of the day. The kids decided they'd rather head to Koala Kove- the wading pool adjacent to Kangaroo Falls. As we walked to Kangaroo Falls, we stopped to watch riders going down the Boomerang. The girls were FASCINATED, and definitely wanted to go. The only problem was, they were too short to go it alone, and while M and I could have taken them, M was a little busy being a place for a completely pooped RH to rest.

So on to Koala Kove it was.

Remarkably, the big girls were more frightened of the slides at Koala Kove. Unlike at Kangaroo Falls, the waterslides simply dumped them into the pool, and that made them nervous. So M took the kids back to Kangaroo Falls again and I stayed at Koala Kove with RH.

I don't know if I've ever seen a happier kid in my life. She kept bouncing and bouncing in the water, squealing with laughter and screaming, as she jumped again and again," TO OUTER SPACE!!!!"

With a gaggle of rapidly fading four year olds and a manically exhausted toddler, we decided to call it a day an hour before closing time.

Every day since, it's the same routine over breakfast.

"Can we go to Raging Waves today?"

"Can we go to the waterpark now?"

"WATERPARK! WATERPARK! WATERSLIDE! PRETTY PREEZE!"

And while I keep saying, "Not today, kids," the good news is WE CAN! And so can you! There are always tickets on sale, particularly for a weekday trip. You can save a bundle when you get them at Costco (which means when we go to Costco the kids see the picture of the waterslide and start screaming, "RAGING WAVES! CAN WE GO????"), and there are regular events that let parents or kids in for free or reduced prices. On Father's Day, dads got in free. And since they weren't open yet on Mother's Day (they're a Memorial Day to Labor Day operation), they're hosting a Mother's Appreciation day next month to let moms in for free too.

We will DEFINITELY be back. No doubt. And if you're in the Chicago region (or the NW Indiana region- let's be realistic, where I live on the south side is barely Illinois), or southern Wisconsin, or even the near Minnesota area, it's worth the trip. If you're spending the day, I highly recommend renting one of the cabanas- they're tents with refrigerators, and shaded chairs and tables. You can reserve them in advance, and use them as a home base if you're with a crowd. That is most certainly in our plans.

There's so much we didn't get to do. We still haven't been to the wave pool, which looks epic. We still haven't explored the labyrinth of enormous slides to our satisfaction, and we STILL haven't seen that whole high dive show!!! You can bet we'll be back.

For the Fairest Mother In the Land

*This is a sponsored post*

All my life, I wanted to go to Medieval Times. I remember seeing the commercials on Nickelodeon, and just wishing as hard as I could that I could come up with one single, solitary reason to get my parents to take me.

I knew it was hopeless. They were never cooperative about things like that.

I later learned that I would have had a bit of a miserable time, anyway. Back in the early nineties, there were no kinds of accommodations for people with dietary restrictions at places like that. I would have been a hungry kid, and I got severe hunger related anger when I was little. To be honest, I still do.

But these days, people are WAY more accommodating of things like being a vegetarian. So lucky me, I finally got to go to Medieval times for the first time a few years ago.

That's me, cozied up with the king.

It was AMAZING! Everything I'd ever hoped it would be, and more!

And you know what would be utterly fantastic? Going again.

And you know what? Mother's Day might just be the time.

This Mother's Day, Medieval Times is letting moms in for free, when you buy another full priced adult ticket. All you have to do is use the code MOMWeb when you buy tickets, through May 11.

How awesome is that? Super awesome, right?

Because moms deserve to be treated to falconry exhibitions and jousting competitions and a little dinner theater.

WE JUST DO.

And on top of that, I think my kids might pee their pants with delight at getting to meet a "real" princess.

Review: TwirlyGirl Truly Tankful Dress

SI- My TwirlyGirl

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was given a dress for free to review, but all the opinions within are my own.


The kind folks over at TwirlyGirl were gracious enough to send my daughters a Truly Tankful Dress, and it took us FOREVER to find a chance for them to wear it! This winter has been bleak, and miserable, and seemingly endless. They have more than a passing obsession with girls party dresses, so you can imagine it caused no end to the confusion of a single dress with no sleeves in the middle of winter between two excited four year olds.

So the first day that the sun shone and we threw open the windows to let in an early spring breeze, and SI donned the dress.

SI is my dancing TwirlyGirl

As I'm now raising three daughters, I consider myself something of an expert on party dresses for girls. I've seen them ruined with a little dirt, I've seen them cause rashes, I've seen them tug in odd places, and I pretty much know when to anticipate all those things.

The TwirlyGirl dress? Perfect. No itchy tags. No itchy seams. As far as girl party dresses go, this one was easily the most comfortable dress they've worn, outside of Grandma's homemade masterpieces.

But that was just SI's opinion. The next day, and a trip through the laundry later, it was DD's turn.

First of all, I'm not sure I've ever seen a girls party dress go through the wash and come out looking as perfect as it went in. No pilling. No staining. No weird stretches. It might as well have been brand new.

DD LOVED IT.

DD twirling in her TwirlyGirl dress
(Nevermind the rainbow on her forehead- that's kind of a long story.)

At first she complained a little that despite being called "TwirlyGirl," it didn't really twirl. But she got over that quickly when I pointed out that the pattern made it look like she was twirling even when she was standing still. That was a pretty huge thrill. Optical illusions- a preschooler's best friend!

What truly shocked me was that both children fit the dress equally well. This is NEVER the case. DD is stockier and shorter, SI is skinny as a beanpole and bony to boot. (You'll note the dress stops at the DD's knee, but sits at about SI's mid-thigh.) But they were both completely comfortable, both perfectly happy, and both delighted with their opportunities to wear it.

I have no idea why the three of them are doing the Care Bear Stare.

I watched both of my children perform contortions, aerobics, acrobatics, and assorted stunts of daring-do in these dresses, and they never once complained about the attire. That something itched, or their skirt was in their way, or anything. And if you've ever had a four year old, you know that there is almost nothing on this earth they can spend a whole day near without coming up with some sort of complaint.

She's a ballerina on a stage.

I had two days where only two children whined that something about their clothing was weird, and you can't put a price on that.

If you'd like to see the whole collection of girls party dresses, you can visit TwirlyGirl. You'll note that, as DD prefers, most of their dresses there ARE quite twirly. Just the thing for Passover or Easter. Best of all? I happen to know that all the cake and candy your kids might eat on those holidays will wash out of these dresses.

Look at that! Good as new!

Happy Spring, everyone!