I am one of those people who loves to give cards. Whether it be for a special occasion like a birthday or wedding, or just an "I'm thinking of you" card....it's one way I feel you can really let someone know you care! I spend a long time looking for the perfect one. It's amazing how many cards there are to choose from!! Now there will be even more, because Hallmark started their summer encouragement initiative and are offering cards focused on helping people spread encouragement to both moms and children!! I thought this was perfect timing with back to school around the corner, team tryouts, and other things coming up!

I had the opportunity to review some of their "Edge of Motherhood" and Encouragement For Kids cards. The Edge of Motherhood cards are perfect for moms! As we all know, moms experience moments that can only be fully appreciated by other moms. To help encourage moms through the day to day challenges of motherhood, there are these humorous and edgy cards which can be given to add a few laughs along the way. A recent survey commissioned by Hallmark showed that 2/3 of moms say they handle those stressful moments of motherhood by sharing a funny story with with other moms about their experiences...so this is a great way to spread a laugh and and connect with other moms as we all are on this journey of motherhood! What's great is...they start at just 99 cents and can be personalized online!!

One of my favorites from this collection was the following...it's cute and something many mom's can relate to!

Front

Inside

Front: If you ever need to talk you can call me.
Inside: There'll be screaming in the background, I'll have to hide in a closet to hear you...it'll be awesome.

The Encouragement For Kids collection is also very cute! They help to encourage kids by boosting their confidence as they experience "everyday" moments...whether that be going back to school, taking a test, trying out for a team, etc. They incorporate humor and heartfelt messages to help parents show support for their children! I really liked the samples I received...some of them even play sound clips when the card is opened! The cards without sound start at just 99 cents, and the ones with sound are $2.99!

Here is my favorite one from this collection....I think a child would think it was pretty special and it plays a song which is fun too!

Front

Inside

Front: I've been lots of places, and I've seen lots of things...
Inside: ...but I've never met anyone like you!

Both collections of cards are available at select Hallmark Gold Crown stores and other retailers where Hallmark cards are sold. What a great way to help connect with other moms, show encouragement and support your kids!!

I am thrilled because Hallmark has offered 3 of my readers a Hallmark Prize pack including 5 "Edge of Motherhood" cards and 5 encouragement for kids sounds cards!!

How To Enter To Win: To enter, simply leave me a comment letting me know someone in your life that you'd give one of these cards to.

How To Get Extra Entries: (only valid after the required initial entry has been completed)

1. For TWO extra entries, subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (easily found along the side column). Be sure to leave TWO comments so that both entries can be counted.

2. For TWO extra entries, blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and Hallmark) and leave me a comment with the URL to that post. Be sure to leave TWO comments so that both entries can be counted.

3. Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

4. For TWO extra entries, Follow my blog publicly

5. For TWO extra entries, Follow me on Twitter here and tweet about this giveaway (Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste: Hallmark Encouragement Cards For Moms & Kids Giveaway @MomBalancingAct http://bit.ly/10jth0 Ends 8/27-THREE WINNERS!

6. Enter one of my other giveaways and leave me a comment letting me know that you did (current giveaways can be found along the side column)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!

Please be sure to leave me a *separate* comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address so that I can easily and accurately contact the winner!!

This giveaway will end August 27th and is open to the US and Canada Only!

Having never heard of it before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I had the opportunity to review Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor, and Hope For Surviving Motherhood, but once I received it I haven't been able to put it down! This book/devotional is packed full of humor, biblical insight and more! Each devotion is 3-4 pages and covers many aspects of a mother's life...pregnancy, children, marriage and more! Author, Debora M. Coty begins each with a heartwarming story and applies scripture to real life situations! She then ends it with a prayer and questions for personal devotion and reflection. I love that I can SO relate to much of what is written in this book and enjoyed the humor this author has added. It is very easy reading and perfect for the busy moms out there! I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on giving it to many of the mom's I know!

Here's the book's description as found on the back cover of Mom Needs Chocolate:

"Your spirit yearns to soar, but your feet---and faith---are stuck in the diaper-by-diaper mud of everyday responsibilities. How can you de-muck when you're chronically exhausted and relentlessly robbed of abundant life by the joy-sucking dully-funks? Mom Needs Chocolate will help you get back in touch with rejuvenating joy and empowering faith! In mom-to-mom, smile-eliciting style, humorist Debora Coty paints her offbeat picture of reality with a tangy twist, and offers outrageous coping tips, off-the-wall insights, sisterly hugs, and warm encouragement. With witty frankness and wild abandon, she tackles the highs and lows (and mediums) of marriage, the horror of embarrassing children, the defeat of depression, aging gracefully, and a veritable grocery list of other mud-between-your-toes issues. You will glimpse the all-too-familiar in these hilarious and heartwarming stories, and remember how to hear God's still, small voice above blathering kids, howling pets and snarling traffic!"

Mom Needs Chocolate can be found on Amazon.com

I recently learned that Parenting Magazine is looking for Mom Testers who are willing to test out a variety of products for both mom and baby. I think it's great that Parenting is seeking honest opinions from real moms!

On their website they state:

Parenting needs your opinion! Sign up for a chance to be a Mom Tester and review toys, beauty products, baby gear and more.

We review items every month, so we need real-mom opinions on lots of products. As items come up for review that are appropriate for you and your family, we may contact you with an option to receive stuff to test (and keep, whether we print your review or not). All we ask is that you give us your honest opinion, good or bad. You may also be contacted for mom-related stories to be used in the magazine and online.

You can go here to sign up!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Mother's Day today!! Hopefully you found time to relax and enjoy this special day!!

We are so very fortunate to have the Internet and a wealth of information at our fingertips whenever we need it! As a Mom I find one of the most common things I am searching for is information on Parenting. Whether that be for the products we use or the foods we feed our daughter....there is a lot of helpful information out there.

Recently I came across BrillBaby, a resource for parents with babies on a variety of useful topics. You'll find information on babies learning and flash card resources, as well as Early Childhood education and right-brain learning methods. As a former Early Childhood educator, and a parent, I found this site to be very informative and could appreciate many of the resources they offer. For instance, do you have questions on Babies Watching TV? Visit BrillBaby for more information.

Just wanted to share a picture of our big girl sitting in her "big girl booster seat". She is growing right before our eyes, and to see her sitting up at the table and not in her highchair was a huge milestone and a little bittersweet for me. She's no longer considered a baby, but a toddler now. The "baby" time went so fast! I can't hardly believe it's been 16 months since she was born. I know many parents can relate...I have a feeling I'm going to be saying "where has the time gone?" throughout her whole life. It goes too fast! Cherish these times while you have them is a big thing I've learned since becoming a parent.

With tax time upon us, I've read many articles about Stay at Home Mom's and the question of whether or not they should get some sort of a tax break. There are tax breaks offered to those who pay for childcare and work outside of the home, however stay at home parents do not have that same benefit. I for one do not think it's fair...how about you? Do you think Stay at home moms/dads who stay home and care for their children should receive a childcare tax credit of some kind?

The consensus seems to be an overwhelming yes among those who have given their opinions on the issue (both working parents and stay at home parents included). In fact, many of the articles and sites I came across also offered information pertaining to the "worth" of a stay at home mom/dad and what their salary would/should be. The most interesting was found over at Salary.com. They have put together a Mom Salary Wizard (for both working moms and stay at home moms) to help calculate the work each does and the wage they should fairly earn. It was just interesting to see, and I thought I'd pass it along for fun. They make it possible to print off the "Mom Paycheck" calculated in the end, which could serve as a neat Mother's Day Gift even?!?

I don't often have a lot of time to read anything but my Bible and devotionals...I'm sure others, especially busy parents can relate. However, when contacted by Glass Road Public Relations to read and review Daniel's Den by Brandt Dodson, I decided that I was going to take a little "me time" each day and see what it was all about. After all, I enjoy a Christian fiction story...especially when it's a thriller like this one! Having heard many great things about this book and knowing what a 'page turner' it is...you can imagine it sparked my curiosity and had me indulging in "me time" even longer each day than I had expected! The reviews don't lie...this book is definitely a thriller and one that has you flipping page after page, not wanting to put the book down. I guess you could say this probably isn't the best thing when you're a busy stay at home mom and wife who is trying to get a million things done in one day...but after having read it, I decided that it's nice to have some time each day to do something relaxing like this. In fact, I may just begin reading more often! Who knows?!

Even though I could probably write pages about this book, I don't want to give it all away in case there are others as anxious to read it as I was. For those who haven't heard of Daniel's Den though, I thought it would be a good idea to give you a brief synopsis of what the story entails and why it's a MUST read!

As the reader you're thrown into the life of a very busy and successful stock analyst in New Orleans as well as that of Laura Sky, who runs a small B&B in the Shenendoah Valley with her young son Andy after having lost her husband to cancer and her parents when she was younger. Although Daniel and Laura are as opposite as they come, their lives were brought together when Daniel stays in her B&B, as he runs for his life. He has some very powerful people after him after being accused of a murder he did not commit. In his search for answers he is lead to Laura who he believes has ties to this situation. Together they now must work and try to let the truth be known, all while running from the men who want them dead! They discover how important it is to depend on God, the One who will never abandon them!

I would definitely recommend this 'page turner' to anyone who enjoys a story of hope, and one that has you wanting to know what will happen next until the very end! It lacks a bit of the "romantic element" that I so enjoy in stories, however all in all it's definitely one many will enjoy! I know I did!

As the first of November nears I begin to plan more and more for Kaelyn's first birthday!! It almost seems surreal that she will be one years old in just over a month...I can't hardly believe that it's that time already. I'm having a great time planning for it. I wanted to make the day extra special for her...so I went on ebay, like I normally do to find great deals, and found a SUPER cute little outfit! The amazing thing is that it was brand new with tags and I paid next to nothing for it! Kaelyn will wear the outfit attached on her birthday! Isn't it darling?! :) It says Birthday Girl on the shirt and comes with a little crown hat. I'm excited to get pictures of her in, I'll definitely share when the times comes!

Every now and then I enjoy sharing the lessons that I am continuing to learn in motherhood. Being a new mom, everything is...well...new to me. There are so many things that I have learned and continue to learn each and every day. One thing, which may seem like a "duh" statement to some is the importance of making sure to always have the video camera and digital camera next to me at all time...and making sure that their fully charged as well!

When possible, I am always making sure to try and catch everything on film. This is something that I have wanted to do from the beginning, but as Kaelyn learns to do more and more, it seems even more necessary to have it by my side at all times! It seems that one minute Kaelyn will be on the floor playing with her toys....and in the blink of an eye she is off learning to do something new. Recently that "something" was getting up on her hands and knees. Scott and I knew that this time would come sooner than later, as Kaelyn is a very curious little girl...always wanting to discover the environment around her. She has been scooting around and moving every which way except for forwards for a couple of months now. Soon, she will be moving in that direction though....as getting up on her hands and knees is a very good indication that crawling will be next. It was so cute to watch her as she did this for the firs time. It took so much effort for her to get to that point, and once she did her little face shined and she looked so proud of herself. I'm sure it helped that Scott and I were cheering and clapping...saying "YYEEAAHH Kaelyn!!":) I suppose you could see we're very proud parents!! ;)

As with many other moms out there, I am always trying to make sure that the products I use with Kaelyn are safe. This started before she was even born. While I was pregnant I was always careful with the things I ate or surrounded myself with. As a baby it was the same way. I wanted to be careful what I used on her skin, or the things I ate...as I was, and still am breastfeeding. Now, she's almost 6 months old...which means solid foods are coming right around the corner! With that in mind, I have been searching high and low for quality products that are BPA Free, as well as homemade baby food recipes and tips....the things that I feel are great ways to give her a healthy start when it comes to eating solid foods. Finding the actual products was my first priority. So far, I have had a lot of luck finding great products that are reasonably priced and are safe for her to use. The Nuby brand has a lot of safe options for parents who are looking like I was. This is the brand that I probably purchased the most from.

One of the biggest pieces of advice that I haven't always been good to follow since having Kaelyn is "make sure to sleep when she sleeps". Kaelyn has been such a wonderful sleeper from the moment we brought her home from the hospital that I haven't had to do that too often. However, today I was absolutely exhausted. Between taking care of her, cleaning the house and having company here some of the day...I really needed a little down time to just relax. Almost four months old now, she is not sleeping during the day nearly as much, so at 12:30 when she laid down for her afternoon nap I decided it would be the perfect time to do the same. Wow, did it help! I woke up refreshed and ready for the rest of my day. It wasn't a long nap, but a much needed one at that. I feel I am a better wife and mother when I am rested and not running on empty. I may have to follow the advice of all of those smart people who told me to sleep when she sleeps more often.

I recently came across a very funny song, the "Mom Song" sung by Anita Renfroe. If you've never heard it, you definitely have to check it out...hilarious! She sings everything a mom says in a 24 hour period over 2 1/2 minutes! Anyone, whether you're a mother or not, will thoroughly enjoy this song...

A while back I wrote about the things I've researched and learned when it comes to babies and their naptime routine. I had learned so many tips in just the first few months of having Kaelyn and did my best to share them with other mothers who were wondering and going through the same things I was. Now, over 3 weeks later, I am still following those tips and very happy I hung in there!! Kaelyn is on more of a routine, one that she kind of just settled into on her own. I tried to keep things consistent each day...having feed time, wake time, and sleep time throughout the day in that order! At the very first sign of sleepiness, I lay her down in her crib and within 5 minutes she is out! It's a wonderful feeling to be getting into more of a routine...my baby is happier and so am I! I know there are so many different opinions on what's right and what's not when it comes to naptime routines, but I just wanted to share with you the experience that I've had and it's amazing results! I am enjoying the consistency of knowing when she will sleep, eat, play etc. It makes life much easier and more enjoyable!! You can read up on some of the tips and things that I have found useful by visiting a previous post I wrote last month.....Baby Naptime....Useful Tips.

With that said, I must say that I am not the type of mother who believes that you must have a strict, written in stone, type of schedule. I believe children need consistency, but think it's important to be flexible at the same time...especially when they're young like my daughter is. Most importantly I have learned that it's important to follow the motherly instinct that we all have. If you follow that, you'll be just fine!!

Each month I try and write about a lesson in motherhood that I've learned and come to realize as important now that I am a stay at home mom. Although there are things I learn each and every day, that are crucial to me. This month it's a lesson learned about, and for myself. Remembering to take time for mom is key!

Over the past few months of being a mom I've learned so many things, but one thing I've learned that's so important to remember, is that it's important to take time for yourself. Having a baby is wonderful...I enjoy every day I get to spend with her. But sometimes it's nice just to take a moment for myself. Not only important, but crucial! Being a mother is the most important job in the world. I want to be my very best, and to do that I must take time for myself. Sometimes I just need to recharge my batteries. Whether it be taking a bath or reading my Bible, it's important to take time here and there for myself!

Although this is important, you may be saying...."But it's not an easy task to take time for yourself when you're trying to balance everything else that goes along with being a wife, a mother, and a homemaker, etc." This is true. It's not easy task, but something we truly need to work at. No matter how hectic life gets, even if you don't think you have the time, it's important to make the time. I'm not talking a whole day off or anything, just a half hour here and there.

I've learned how important this lesson really is. If you want to be the best mom that you can be, you must take time out for yourself. You deserve it!!

Wow, as a mom I sure do learn something new everyday! Mainly I've been learning lessons to live by as a stay at home mom. Recently I discussed one thing that I came to terms with. Now, I am posting to discuss a second lesson that I have really taken to heart....Remember What's Important & Throw The Lists Away...

Again, you might be asking...what does she mean?! Well, let me explain. Before I had Kaelyn I was used to having a routine of sorts and getting done what I needed to. Now that kind of goes along with Lesson number one you might be saying, but keep reading. When I say Remember What's Important I not only mean that I must come to terms with the fact that I might not get my whole list of things done in a day, but I must make sure that I don't. Huh?! Is probably something you're asking yourself now! I know, I know...I may be confusing at times, but bare with me. :) What I mean is that I want to throw my lists away, not only to just take it a day at a time and go with the flow, but also so that I can spend more precious time with my beautiful daughter! Children are only young for such a short period of time. They grow so quickly and I want to cherish every moment I have at home with her. If this means throwing the lists away...then so be it....I want to remember that she is more important than any chore or task I have to do around the house!

As I've been a stay-at-home-mom now for a few weeks now...I've began to realize that there are certain lessons to be learned. The first one that I'd like to share is that of Taking it a day at a time & going with the flow.

What do I mean when I say take it a day at a time? Well, I began this adventure of motherhood thinking I could continue to have my to-do lists and that I would be able to get everything accomplished in a day like I used to. However, over time I quickly found out that this idea of a day in the life of me was unrealistic. Having a baby to take care of now, I am unable to get my mind set on finishing a list of tasks to get done during the day. Being the organized person that I am, this has been a difficult adjustment for me...but one that I'm learning to get used to. Kaelyn pretty much decides our schedule right now...as she is still very young and is napping and eating when she needs to. I know as time goes on that more of routine will be in place...but it is still not realistic for me to think that I can have a list for each day and get it all done. I've learned that I must take it a day at a time and get done what I can. To me this is one of the most important things to come to terms with if you are staying at home with your children. Life definitely changes and our priorities become our children....our homes and cleaning for all of the other neat freaks out there like me, must come last. I for one am enjoying this first lesson of motherhood that I've learned. It's helped me let loose a little and enjoy my time with Kaelyn.

My husband and I have been married for 2 1/2 years now and always knew that we wanted children!! Last February we found out that I was pregnant and were extremely excited about it!! We couldn't wait to become parents and meet our little one! :) Those next 9 months went by very quickly, and this month our beautiful daughter was born!! She is everything we had imagined her to be and more. What a blessing she is and has been to our lives so far. Becoming a mother is something I had thought about and dreamed of since I was a little girl. Now, this dream has become a reality and I'm loving every minute of it. The biggest change to becoming a mother is learning to balance all of the other aspects of my life at the same time. Between being a wife, a mother, a stay at home mom who tries to make a little extra cash here and there, as well as keeping the house clean, making meals and getting exercise in once in a while...I've learned that the balancing act of motherhood is not always an easy one, but an adventure I am living daily, learning about with each moment that passes, and loving with all of my heart! I wouldn't change a thing and thank God for each and every day and all that He has blessed our family with! With that said, I thought it would be fun to begin a blog about the adventure of motherhood and the balancing act it entails! I'm looking forward to sharing my life as an everyday mom and relating to other mothers out there who are also experiencing this wonderful adventure and journey of motherhood!!