Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents: DRAGONS is Coming to KC!

Disclosure: As a Feld Family Ambassador, I will receive free tickets for my family to attend the event highlighted below. No other compensation has been received and all opinions are my own.

I've never been to a circus. Crazy, right? I really don't know what I've been missing, but I hope to find out very soon! The Sprint Center here in Kansas City is welcoming Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^®: DRAGONS next week and I am thrilled that we will be able to take Lincoln and Addie for their very first circus experience.

Here's the show description:
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® Presents DRAGONS is a once in a millennium event that honors The Year of the Dragon. Circus performers from the farthest reaches of the earth have seembled for Ringling Bros.^® Presents Dragons to showcase their astounding acts of bravery and astonishing athleticism. Ringling Bros. Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson presides over this fantastical celebratory tournament of circus champions that brings together mystic dragon lore with authentic circus feats. Dragons is a never-before-seen blend of renowned spirtual and real life legends that can be found only at The Greatest Show on Earth^®!

I don't know if Lincoln will want to sit still through the entire show, but I'm thinking between the dragons, animals, and stunts, he may be pretty well mesmerized!

Dragons is coming to the Sprint Center and tickets are on sale now.  The show plays September 11-15.  Use promo code MOM to get $5 off your ticket purchase.  FF and other handling fees may apply.

 

Thank you to Feld Entertainment for providing my review tickets!  I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own.  For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.

Nuby Tub Time Turtle {Review}

Disclosure: Nuby sent us the Tub Time Turtle to review.  All opinions expressed below are my own.

Bath time is sometimes hit or miss around here. Sometimes we can be having a great day - reading, swimming, playing with trucks, or eating some toddler-approved meals - and that causes me to think that the suggestion of a bath will be met by Lincoln in a favorable manner. Usually my assumption is wrong, but sometimes he can be bribed into the tub - and once he is in, he does not want to get out!

I'm guessing part of the reason we face a meltdown at the end of bath time is because our bath toys are just too much fun! Our latest favorite is the Nuby Tub Time Turtle!

This friendly little guy is a fun addition to any bath toy collection! Not only does he float on top of the water (on the rare occasion that neither of my kids is holding him), but when he is lifted up, water cascades from his bowl-like shell in a delightful waterfall!

Addie is, of course, content to chew on him - especially his face! It's pretty typical for the kids to fight over who gets to play with him during their bath!

The Tub Time Turtle is such a fun little toy - we love him just as we love our Nuby Splish Splash Stacking Cups and Rinse Pail! He is BPA-free, so I'm not worried that he always seems to end up in Addie's mouth.

The Nuby Tub Time Turtle can be found at several online and local retailers, including Amazon, Diapers.com, buybuyBaby, Cookie's Kids, Bealls, and Tuesday Morning.

Make sure you follow along with Nuby on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram to keep up with all the latest products and promotions!


I am writing this post as part of the NUBY Mommy Blogger Program.  I did not receive compensation for this post, although as part of the program I may receive items to sample or review.  All opinions are my own and are 100% honest.

Thirsties Duo Cloth Diaper Review + Giveaway {Ready to Pop! Labor Day Hop}

Disclosure: I received a sample diaper from Thirsties to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Have any of you ever actually been in labor on Labor Day? My babies were not due anywhere near September, but I know there must be some of you out there with a Labor Day labor story! My brother and his wife are expecting their first baby next week - and all weekend, I've wondered if there might be a surprise appearance today! In honor of all the Mamas and Babies who have done some of the hardest labor ever, it seems only appropriate to celebrate Labor Day this year in a totally fun way! So, welcome to Ready to POP! {a Labor Day Giveaway Hop}, hosted by So Easy Being Green, According to Jenny, and Viva Veltoro! Each blogger in this Hop has a fabulous Mama or Baby prize for you to enter to win – so be sure to hop around to them all, including the Grand Prize!

Here at Director Jewels, I'm excited to be sharing a review and giveaway for a fantastic cloth diaper brand: Thirsties! You may remember that I started thinking about switching to cloth diapers when Addie was about 6 months old. One of the first brands that was recommended to me was Thirsties! These diapers are available in a variety of adorable colors and print designs, plus different styles to suit your cloth diapering needs.

We chose to go with pocket diapers, since they are similar to disposables and I thought it would be easier to make the switch - so our Thirsties is a Duo Diaper. Thirsties also offers Duo All-in-One, Wraps, Duo Fab Fitted, and Diaper Covers.

The Duo Diaper is available in 2 different sizes and is available with a snap or aplix closure. Size 1 fits 6-18 pounds and Size 2 fits 18-40 pounds. Both of my kids are in diapers and fit into the Size 2 range, and I was curious to see how this diaper would work on each of them.

The diaper features rise snaps that make it easy to adjust how big the diaper is for your child. Even with the rise on the smallest setting, the fabric is not bulky! I am able to get a great fit on both Lincoln and Addie with this diaper.

Inside of the Diaper

Pocket Opening (back)

Since the Duo is a pocket diaper, it must be stuffed with an insert for absorbancy. Thirsties includes a 2-piece insert (the first piece is 55% Hemp and 45% Cotton, the second piece is 100% polyester-microfiber terry). Altogether - this provides seven layers to absorb! The pieces snap together on either end and can be stuffed into either of the pocket since the diaper opens on both sides. Most of the other pocket diapers I have tried only open on one side - this dual opening makes it super easy to shake the insert out into the wash (you can also leave them in one piece and just throw the whole thing in the washer - it will agitate out during the wash cycle).

The snap-together insert pieces.

Duo Diaper with Insert in the pocket

One of my favorite Thirsties features is the double gusset on each leg - these are amazing at catching the messiest diapers baby can throw at you! Since reviewing this diaper, we have added several more Thirsties to our collection and have never had a leak!

Thirsties, Inc. hopes to make it easy and affordable for every family to choose cloth while simultaneously investing in the local economy and sustainable business practices. USA-sourced components are chosen for all of their products in order to reduce Thirsties carbon footprint, to help support domestic textile mills and the local economy, and to ensure that Thirsties diapers will last. Thirsties, Inc. is committed to creating only the highest quality products and dedicated to providing exceptional design and unparalleled performance while saving you money.

Another fantastic fact about Thirsties? All of their products are USA-made by a group of very talented women, many of whom work in the comfort and convenience of their own homes. How fantastic! Each time you purchase from Thirsties, you are supporting families in the local community!

Here are some photos of the Thirsties Duo Diaper on my little ones!

Addie, 8 months old, around 21 pounds.

Great fit around Addie's chunky thighs!

The amazing double gusset leg design!

Great for babies on the go.

Lincoln, 30 months old, around 34 pounds.

This  is the biggest snap setting - he won't fit into it much longer,
but we will hopefully be potty training at some point!

Our verdict? This is a very versatile diaper that is great on both of the kids. As I mentioned before, we've already purchased several more Duo Diapers for our stash. You can follow along with Thirsties on Facebook for all the latest news!

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win a Thirsties Duo Diaper (winner's choice of size, color/print, and closure) - PLUS a $10 Amazon Gift Card (so mama can splurge a little, too)! This giveaway will end on September 18 at 11:59pm EST.  This giveaway is open to US and Canadian readers only.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)!  Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well.  All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want!  Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now, be sure to hop over to enter to win the amazing Grand Prize for Ready to POP!

One lucky reader is going to win an adorable 2 Red Hens Diaper Bag, a fabulous set of Buttons Diapers – an All-in-Two Cloth Diapers System, and an absoutely beautiful CatBirdBaby Pikkolo Baby Carrier!

What are you waiting for!?  Go Enter Now!

Make sure you also hop around to the other blogs for even more chances to win!

Thank you to Thirsties for providing my review sample and the diaper portion of the giveaway prize!  I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own.  For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy. According to Jenny, Viva Veltoro, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Ready to POP! participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe {Book Review}

Disclosure: I received a sample copy of this book to review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson is a book that has been sitting on my product review shelf for a long time. Way too long. I get behind on blog projects constantly more often than I would like, but this one is bad. I think I've had this book since May. And that's just unacceptable in the blogging world!

And the really sad thing is this - it's not because I didn't like the book, or didn't read the book, or just plain forgot about it. It's kind of because I didn't want to face how close to home this book hit where I am in life right now.

Being a mommy is an incredible blessing and also the most difficult thing I have ever done. It is so much harder than I imagined. Some days I just feel like crying. It's very easy to fall down a slippery slope and feel like you are drowning in the poopy diapers, cracker crumbs, and pieces of banana that you find stuck to the bottom of your feet. My tendency when I have a bad day is to take it out on my sweet family, and I hate that so much. I need patience and I need wisdom - and I need more sleep than I am going to get anytime in the next five years, so I also need to learn to expect difficulty and have a better attitude about it.

Undoubtedly, when entering motherhood, you're going to encounter some changed expectations. It's an absolute fact that I no longer want thirteen children. Most days, I don't think there is enough of me to go around between two kids! I have a good circle of support - our family is close (my mom is here almost every day), and I have friends in the same situation as me. But there are still times when I feel like I'm failing and I can't go on. And this lovely little book? It made me realize that even in the midst of the crazy monotony that is my daily life, I am not alone. Most of the feelings of inadequacy I have are normal when you are an adult staying in a house all day with two little people who communicate in tears, screams, or laughter.

Most of my reading sessions look like this photo. I don't have down time to just sit with a book by myself. I don't really feel that I have a lot of time to read, but I made time for this book, and it is a decision I am glad that I made.

Written by two women at very different stages of motherhood - Sarah Mae is "in the trenches" with little ones at home, while Sally's children are grown - this book is both an encouragement for the present moments of exhaustion and dismay and a ray of hope that these hard days do not last forever. The topics covered are wide, but all needed by a sensitive mama's heart.

There is a section about the go-it-alone culture of mamas in today's world that really hit home for me. Even though I have family and friends nearby, it is not the same as living in a culture where generations live together and all help care for the youngest members of the clan. Going to play group or a library storytime is not the same as being constantly surrounded with support. This chapter talks about the necessity of community and having trusted people who can share your heart in your circle of friends. The first time I read the suggestion to find a mentor for myself - someone older and wiser who has been through what I am going through now - I scoffed. But the more I think about it, it's an amazing idea.

I am an overachiever - and always have been one. It drives me crazy when I don't have time to accomplish anything on my to-do list. Yet I continually add more to my list, even when I am struggling to keep up with the basic necessities of life. This book brought up several reminders that I am in a season of life where I can't do it all. I'm trying to keep that in mind.

Each chapter features words from Sarah Mae and from Sally, along with a practical application section at the end with verses to read and something for mama to do to make positive changes in her life. Overall, this book is an incredible resource for moms who are in the little years of child-raising - when they feel alone and afraid and so exhausted that they can't breathe. When my little ones are past this stage, I will pass my book onto a younger mom who will need it more than me. It is a huge blessing and, even though it is convicting at times, is just what I needed at this stage in life.

You can find more about the book on the web or purchase on Amazon.

Thanks to BookSneeze for my review sample of this book. I received no compensation for posting a review and all views expressed are my own.

What My Toddler Eats

I've learned a lot since I became a stay-at-home mom. One thing that's near the top of the list is that it's really easy to wake up one morning and think to yourself...how am I going to come up with ways to occupy another entire day? It's hard enough thinking of ways to entertain the munchkins, but sometimes the monotony of simple things like what to feed my toddler for breakfast is almost enough to throw you over the edge.

I try to keep a variety of healthy meal and snack options available for Lincoln. Until recently, Addie was content to just gnaw on a teether, but now she is demanding puffs or pieces of food every time Lincoln eats. I'm still trying to get into a rhythm of feeding both kids "real meals" at the same time.

Sometimes it seems like the only thing Lincoln eats is cheese, so I wanted to document a little bit of proof that he does generally at least taste a good variety of foods!

What to Feed a Toddler for Breakfast:

Pancakes, blueberries, and frozen apple juice stars (made in a silicone ice cube tray).

Cheerios with milk. Or, artistic interpretation of a map.

Organic waffle, sliced banana, GoGosqueeZ AppleMango sauce.

What to Feed a Toddler for Lunch: 

Spaghetti with marinara (or as we call it, "red noni" - macaroni), cottage cheese, blueberries.

Annie's Mac & Cheese, GoGosqueeZ Applesauce, string cheese.

Cantaloupe, cottage cheese, sliced banana. This was a really picky day. He didn't want anything.

What to Feed a Toddler for Dinner:

We typically serve Lincoln whatever we are eating for dinner, along with a side item or two that we know he will eat. I know that it is important for kids to learn to eat "normal" foods - but I also don't want to send my child to bed starving because he refused to try anything on his plate. When he is five? Maybe that will be reasonable, since he will understand that he needs to eat what is placed before him. But for now, I try to find the middle ground.

Pasta with homemade Alfredo sauce (also known as "white noni"), string cheese, cantaloupe, GoGosqueeZ Applesauce.

Grilled chicken, French fries, cantaloupe from the Farmer's Market, GoGosqueeZ Applesauce. Yes, in case you haven't noticed, we should very likely buy stock in applesauce.

French toast, scrambled eggs, blueberries.

Looking back on this post, it seems that the only fruits we serve are blueberries and cantaloupe. Quite honestly, that's not true - we've just had these particular fruits on hand the last few weeks. We also have a lot of apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and watermelon. Noticeably absent from these photos? Vegetables. I know. We are a work in progress about that over here. Lincoln generally won't touch them - no matter what - so I try to hide them in muffins or pasta sauce or something like that. If you have more clever ideas for getting toddlers to eat veggies, please throw them my way!