Happy Birthday, In Heaven, Ma.

How do you celebrate a day that belonged to your mom for your whole entire life, until last year?

I don't feel sad this year, yet. I don't feel as angry as I did last year. Yet. I don't know how I feel. Do I just keep continuing on like today is nothing? Do I honor her some special way and continue that tradition? What if it makes the kids sad? What if they forget her because I don't do something to make them remember that she's still with us, even if her body isn't? 

I decided I'm going to get her ring resized this weekend. I will wear her ring in honor of her. It's a way of keeping her with me.. at all times. I can't tell you how many times I still reach for my phone and get inches away from dialing her number before I realize that heaven doesn't have a phone number. The kids do something awesome, like score a 5 on their FCAT, or master their math level in camp, or speak a full sentence for the first time, and I want to call her.  I want to hear her nag me, and yell at me, and tell me I'm being foolish, or timid, and to go be bold. I know that she would be so excited over what's going on in my world, even if my world seems to be falling apart at times.

Grief counseling is helping a ton. But on days like today, I'm not sure if counseling could even help. I just want to crawl into my mom's arms and have her hold me. I guess we're always our parents kids, huh?

So, ma, I hope you're up in heaven, having one hell of a party with Aunt Normie, Grandmama, Grandpapa, Paul, Colleen, and the rest of our crazy family. I love you, and I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you that as much as I should have. Happy Birthday, ma.

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Blog Re-Launch! Look for the New US in June, We're Back, Baby!!

The last few years have been crazy. We've tried to hold onto our blog and post as often as we can. However, life kept us away from it, due to many factors beyond our control. Some people can work through it, but I, my friends, was just not strong enough.

An update of sorts is due to any of you who still read our blog.. thank you to our faithful subscribers.

Marissa has graduated with her teaching certificate, and we're super excited.

My big guy is moving up to Middle School, and all of his fifth grade fun things are this month.

My daughter is doing very well, now even cuter, with glasses.

My little guy is two today.. Happy Birthday, Zackie!

The road along our marriage has been bumpy, but we're still trudging along- and recently celebrated our 10th anniversary.

My mom passed away a year ago February. It's been the most difficult season of my life, dealing with that grief.

That's basically it, in a nut shell. Don't worry, there will be plenty of stories shared of some of the craziness that is my life. Some of these things I can't even make up if I tried; some are hysterical, and will hopefully have you laughing at me, and with me.

Here I am, prepping, negotiating, and scheduling some amazing reviews and giveaways for the month of June, so bookmark, pin, and share this post and get ready for the new, and improved, 4BabyAndMom.. we're not just for babies or moms, and I can't wait to show you what I mean! 







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Elf on the Shelf: A Birthday Tradition

Birthdays are the number two (after Christmas, of course!) most requested time for The Elf on the Shelf to visit. In Santa’s Christmas village, the elves have their own special way of celebrating birthdays—a tradition that goes back thousands of years.  Now, at the request of children around the world, Santa has given special permission for his scout elves to share that tradition with the families who love them.  But an elf cannot come to a birthday party unless it is invited.  You can invite your elf online here.

On October 22, The Elf on the Shelf: A Birthday Tradition will be available! The Elf on the Shelf: A Birthday tradition tells the little-known story of the North Pole tradition and includes special instructions for families to invite their scout elf for a birthday visit. Written in the same signature rhyming style as the original title, the book set features the beautifully illustrated book and a Claus Couture Collection birthday outfit for the elf to wear to the celebration.

Grab your Elf on the Shelf: A Birthday Tradition, this Tuesday!  Look at how adorable their party outfits are!! Start a new tradition with your Elf this year.

 Special thanks to Elf on the Shelf for allowing us to review the new Birthday Tradition set. We decided to spread some holiday cheer, and gave our sample to a single mom and her two beautiful children this holiday season.  

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Happy New Year!

So I just got the greatest news- Mom's second bout of Cancer is OVER! She's in complete and total remission!!!!!  

{insert cartwheels and fireworks here} 

The type of cancer she has will continue to return in various spots for the rest of her life, but for now, it's done. She could be like this for two days, two months, two years, or twenty.. but this great news I will rejoice in- especially since she received her diagnosis just after we had Zachary.

More time with her, is better than any Christmas wish, New Year resolution, or birthday dream!!!

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Speaking of Birthdays... Our February Fiesta will be here before we know it. It's the one time of the year that I celebrate the five months of birthdays (the blog, my husband, mine, Abbie's and Alex's) and share all of the gifts with YOU!

If you have a product or company that would like to be featured, please email me at 4babyandmom at gmail dot com.

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Happy 5th Birthday!

It's hard to believe that 5 years ago today, my little lady came into this world. Happy Birthday, Babs!

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Where does the time go??

My Facebook status update said it all:

*I* cannot believe that 7 years ago, I was in labor for the first (& only!) time. Cyndy made some yummy dinner, LI had a blizzard,& Brian slept through most of the contractions. The hospital sent me home once,& I refused to let them send me the 2nd time. 2 days overdue + 23.5 hours of labor+ 1 state of emergency+ 3 hours of pushing + one shift change mid delivery= The doctor that delivered me delivering my son.. all 10lbs 5oz, 22.5 inches of him.

For some reason this year, it seems totally unreal. Abbigaile just turned 4 and that didn't feel as crazy as this birthday does. I know that experienced parents say, "Enjoy it, the time seems to fly", but it almost feels like I lost 7 years.. I have memories of that time, but it genuinely feels like a month or two ago that I had Alex. Really.  It's insane, the weird space/time thing that moms step into the moment they hold their first born the very first time.

The moral of this post.. hug your children today. If you don't have kids, call your mom or dad and tell them that you still love them. Happy Friday!

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Build-A-Bear Workshop & Nestle Cookie Shop 3rd Birthday Party Review!

On the 21st, we celebrated Abbigaile's 3rd birthday with eleven of her friends and family members. We decided to go to the Build-A-Bear Workshop, and then to the Nestle Toll House Cafe at one of the malls nearby.

Abbigaile was so excited to see all of her friends at Build-A-Bear! This was our first time EVER going to Build-A-Bear, so honestly- I had no idea what to expect. The staff was amazing! This was a party with guests that ranged from ages 3-10. They lined up the kids and showed them the bears they needed to pick from, and everyone chose their bears. They lined back up, chanting, "Stuff Me! Stuff Me!" and marched to the giant filling machine. The children stayed occupied while everyone stuffed their bears (or other animals!) by playing games like Simon Says. They went through the whole process of stuffing, sewing, "washing" and fluffing then lastly- dressing. All of the kids had a blast, most of them newbies to Build-A-Bear. The children were happy to hear that they could play with their new friends on Buildabearville, a place online where their new stuffed friends come to life. Unfortunately, that day the entire Build-a-Bear Workshop computers were down, so they couldn't register their bears at the store. The staff was nice enough to offer to print them when the computers were working properly, and we arranged a convenient time to pick them up.

After all of the new stuffed friends were fluffed, dressed, and boxed up in their new homes we lined the children up and marched through the mall to the Nestle Toll House Cafe. Abbie and her guests celebrated with a huge chocolate cookie cake decorated with pink and purple icing. We sang Happy Birthday to her in the food court.

All in all, her birthday party and day was quite a success! The company was great, the giant cookie cake was yummy, and Build-A-Bear was a blast! What more could a three year old ask for?

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Happy Birthday, Pumpkin Pie!

No, not literally pumpkin pie- today is Abbigaile's 3rd Birthday!!

We've planned a Build-A-Bear Workshop/Dora the Explorer birthday party with a dozen children and their parents. After we create our new stuffed animal, we get to head to the Nestle Cookie shop for some yummy cookie birthday cake. I can't wait to review it for you all!

The winner of the Bobs & Lolo giveaway has been posted!

Please be sure to support the rest of our sponsors and enter the rest of our Fabulous February Fiesta giveaways!

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