This Military Mama

Fall Stirs My Heart

Tara — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:47:21 +0000

Fall is around the corner. Autumn leaves, cool winds, and warm sweaters. Fall has a special place in my heart.

Yet, the start of Fall makes my heart flip flop. Even though it is the kick off for many birthdays and celebrations to come over the next few months, there is one celebration that is always bittersweet. Her birthday.

I still remember that day so clearly. More clearly then most important days in my life. I can close my eyes and I remember so perfectly the moment I first saw her little face. The overwhelming joy and love that washed over me and through me, to my core, forever changing me. It was the one and only moment in my life that left me speechless.

As August becomes September and thoughts of Fall fill our head, a mix of joy and sorrow enter my heart. I think about her all the time. I wonder if She has started her new school year, how tall She is, what is Her favorite color. Is She excited for Halloween? Does She know what she wants to dress up as? Is She excited about Her up coming birthday? Are the planning it already? Does she love Fall as much as I do? I wonder what her favorite books are. I wonder if she knows about me. Knows how much I love her.

I have good days and bad days when I think about Her. Today is one of the tougher days.

A friend has been encouraging me to blog more about being a birth mom, so here is my go at it.

Photo Credit to D Sharon Pruitt

Mabel’s Labels Review & Giveaway

Tara — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:36:06 +0000

Kids have a lot of stuff and school supplies can look a lot alike, if not the same. If your child goes to a school that has uniforms, like I did, then it can be even more confusing to know which sweatshirt, gym clothes, ect belongs to who. In comes Mabel’s Labels to save the day! Mabel’s Labels offers customizable sticky labels and clothing labels that are dishwasher, microwave, and laundry safe. Child Safety products and household labels are also available.

Right now Mabel’s Labels has this brilliant Ultimate Back-To-School Combo! It’s perfect for labeling all your children’s back to school items. The Ultimate Back-To-School Combo includes 40 Skinny-Minis, 50 Tag Mates, 16 Shoe Labels, and 2 Teeny Tags [108 labels for $39 from the Classic Line or $44 from the Label Out Loud line]. These labels are awesome! Skinny-Minis are dishwasher and microwave proof, Tag Mates, are washer and dryer safe, and Shoe Labels and Teeny Tags are waterproof and UV resistant. Also, the Ultimate Back-To-School Combo comes in 6 cools design motifs: Big Wave, Rainforest, Night Racer, Blue Storm, Bright Star, and Sweethearts.

Mabel’s Labels sent me an Ultimate Back-To-School Combo for my daughter Emma. We got the labels in the Sweetheart design and they are adorable!! I realize my daughter is only 2 [almost 3!!] and isn’t going back to school but these labels are useful for any age, back-to-school or not.

I’m so in love with Mabel’s Labels! We have used the Skinny-Minis on sippy cups and sand/outdoor toys. They are perfect for any small toy that you take out with you really. I LOVE the Tag Mates! They require no ironing! Just stick them on to your clothes care instructions tag and your are good to go. We have put this on Emma’s fall sweatshirts and winter coats. They can go on the care tags of gloves, hats, scarves and more!** We have loaded up Emma’s favorite shoes with her new shoe labels and are saving a few for rain and winter boots. The Teeny Tags are on one of her little backpacks and the other is saved for luggage or a lunch bag for when we travel or go out for the day and bring food with us.

**Mabel’s Labels also has iron-on labels for all your kids clothing that may not have tags or if you cut tags off your kids clothes for sensitivity reasons.

I also want to point out some products that I really love [I didn't receive these items to review, I just think they are something every parent could use]. Mabel’s Labels has two kinds of kid safety products that I think are awesome, Allergy Alert labels and “My 411 Wristbands”. If your child has any kind of allergy Allergy Alert labels are perfect to put on their stuff! For example, peanut allergy is so common these days but a lot of parents don’t think twice about serving a PB&J to kids. Stick these labels, that come in red so they really stand out, on lunch boxes, re-useable water or drink bottles, and emergency kits. The “My 411 Wristbands” are durable, disposable ID bracelets. Have peace of mind when your child is going on a field trip or you go to an amusement park or a beach or a fair. Customize these bracelets with contact info, allergy alerts, or whatever else you would like. The “My 411 Wristbands” come in 5 designs so it will feel more like a bracelet to your child and you get 30 in pack.

I’ve really love my Mabel’s Labels, even more then I thought I would! I bet you would love them too!

To help with Back-To-School labeling and to share with you my new love for Mabel’s Labels I’m giving away an Ultimate Back-To-School Combo! These combo packs are only around until September 25th so you will have to redeem your win by then.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Mabel’s Labels and tell me what design or color choice you would pick for your Ultimate Back-To-School Combo.

You must complete the mandatory entry to be eligible to win!

Bonus Entries:

Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect! Leave a comment to let me know!
Subscribe to my RSS feed! Leave a comment to let me know!
“Like” This Military Mama on Facebook. Leave a comment to let me know!
“Like” Mabel’s Labels on Facebook. Leave a comment to let me know!
Follow me @MilitaryMama on Twitter! Leave a comment with your twitter handle to let me know!
Follow Mabel’s Labels @Mabelhood on Twitter! Leave a comment with your twitter handle to let me know!
Tweet about this giveaway! You can do this once a day. Leave a comment with the link to your tweet!
Post my blog button on your site! Leave a comment with a link to your site!
Blog about this giveaway! Your post must include a link to my site http://thismilitarymama.com and a link to this post. Leave a comment with the link to your post

Enter to win a Mabel’s Labels Ultimate Back-To-School Combo pack from @MilitaryMama! http://tinyurl.com/33lzlg4 #giveaway

This giveaway is open to the US and Canada only. This giveaway will be open until September 13th 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. Due to the limited time offer on this combo pack the winner will have 48 hours to responded before a new winner is chosen.

Disclosure: Mabel’s Labels sent me an Ultimate Back-To-School Combo pack for me to review. This in no way effects my review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Photo Booth on a Sunday Afternoon

Tara — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:20:35 +0000

This is what we do on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

This was shot with Photo Booth with the Glow effect on.

50 Things About My Marriage

Tara — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:05:00 +0000

My good friend did this quiz that she got off facebook and asked others to do it too. So here I am, joining the bandwagon!

The picture was taken the night we got engaged at Disneyland

1. When is your “engagement” anniversary:

August 27, 2006

2. When is your “marriage” anniversary:

March 3, 2007

3. How long have you known your spouse:

4 years

4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged:

er… a month and a half. I’m just so traditional like that! *wink*

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?

Mission Beach. After he semi-stalked me. Long story for another post.

6. What is your spouse’s full name:

Justin Creed Altier

7. Do you have any children:

Yes!

8. How many – boys/girls:

1 girl- 2 (10/22/07) Emma
1 boy- 3 months (5/14/10) Liam

9. Do you have any house pets:

No. Later in life when I feel I want another baby, I’ll get a puppy.

Maybe.

Maybe a fish.

We’ll see.

10. Do you own a house or rent:

Rent

11. Do you live in the country or town/city:

More of a town.

12. What is one of your favorite activities together:

Watching TV series together. I know it sounds weird but it’s what we’ve been doing lately. We’ve watched all of Avatar: The Last Airbender [it frickin' ROCKS!], Veronica Mars, Pushing Daisies, and others.

13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot:

Well… we have only ever taken one vacation together and that was our honeymoon. So Disney World? We meet at the Beach though and we love the beach!

14. When did you first kiss?

July 3rd, 2006 (2 months after we started dating)

15. What church do you attend?

Currently we don’t. We never found a church here we liked and we aren’t going to be in this city to much longer.

16. Is this the church you were married in:

heh. No. We got married in Vegas baby!!!

17. What town is your current address at:

Rotten Groton, CT

18. Do you work or stay at home:

I work at home!

19. Where did you go on your honeymoon:

Disney World!!!!

20. What was the funniest gift you gave when dating?

When dating? I have no idea.

21. How long have you been together?

4 years, 2 months

22. How long did you know each other before you started dating?

er… a week. Like I said, I’m traditional like that.

23. Who asked who out?

After he semi-stalked me, he asked me out.

24. How old are each of you?

He is almost 31, and I will be 26 next month.

25. Where do each of you go to school?

We don’t go to school

26. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

You pick. Deployments, moving every year, the Submarine Collision, lack of funds. We’ve had our fair share of difficulties but it’s good to know every one does.

27. Did you go to the same school?

Nope!

28. Are you from the same home town?

Nope! I was born and raised in Southern California and he grew up in Georgia and North Carolina!

29. Who is smarter?

Depends on the topic. I think he is more street smart and I am more book smart in general though.

30. Who is more sensitive?

Me.

31. Where do you eat out most as a couple?

Hmm, I would say we don’t eat out really. We tend to order out from restaurants and then eat at home.

32. Where is the farthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

From San Diego to Disney World and from Washington State to Connecticut.

33. Who has the craziest exes?

Him, only cause he has more.

34. Who has the worse temper?

Oh now see we both have the same exact temper but I hate mine so I refuse to go there. I shut down in a fight because of it. So I will say him but only because I refuse to let me temper come out 95% of the time.

35. Who does the cooking?

He cooks. I “make” food. As in, I follow the recipe on the back of the box, I turn on the oven and time for our Stouffer’s dinners, and so on. I do LOVE to bake though.

36. Who is more social?

Him, I think

37. Who is the neat-freak?

No comment.

38. Who is more stubborn?

Er, equal.

39. Who hogs the bed?

I totally do!

40. Who wakes up earlier?

He does. He has early work hours and lately he has been taking the car.

41. Where was your first date?

At this cute vegetarian restaurant in San Diego. I wish I remembered the name. It was an awesome date.

42. Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends?

He did

43. Do you get flowers often?

No. I’m ok with that though.

44. How do you spend the holidays?

Hmm, every year has been different due to relocations and deployments. But we always try to have family with us if we can. Lindsay if you are reading this you know that’s you!

45. Who is more jealous?

Not sure.

46. How long did it take to get serious?

He was talking marriage after 3 weeks of dating, so pretty fast.

47. Who eats more?

Him.

48. Who does the laundry

I want to say me but he is really amazing about helping out.

49. Who’s better with the computer?

Me. I can also type, he still two finger types it and he is slow too. Which I don’t understand since he works on a computer every day for the past 10 years in the Navy!

50. Leave a piece of advice for the other couples.

Always take time for each other, even if it’s only 15 minutes a day. Really interact too, not just sit together to watch TV. Communicate, play, bake, just do something together!

If you take this quiz too, leave me a comment so I can read yours!

Staples Review and Giveaway

Tara — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:56:04 +0000

Staples has been providing quality office and school supplies since 1986. With a new school year coming up, or for those who are already started, Staples is the perfect place for back to school supplies! I still remember shopping at Staples for my school supplies when I was a kid.

This year Staples has stocked it’s shelves with supplies that fit any student’s style. They have glammed out gear, Green products, and all the must haves that are on your back to school lists. It’s all covered! From your basics, like binders and notebooks, to innovative products and cool flash drives.

Staples was totally awesome and sent me some goodies from some of their featured product lines. I received a planner and two matching notebook and composition book sets from the new DoSomething.org-inspired products. These products not only sport cool designs but they encourage students to make a difference. [Products range from $0.99-$11.99]

I also got some blinged out gear from their new Glam Rocks collection. I got an awesome purple sparkly pen [some of you may have seen me with it at BlogHer!] a blinged up pocket calculator, and a decorated Stapler [All three Glam Rock items cost $4.99]. These items are perfect for your girly girl or any student who wants to stand out.

The last two items I got are from the Staples Brand fashion products. I got a beautiful binder and super cute 3 punched folder. The Staples brand is very affordable, ranging $1.99-$5.99, but still gives a student the ability to express themselves and show off their personality. The line includes binders, portfolios, notebooks, composition books, fashion dividers, and more in lots of colors and designs.

That’s not all! Staples has the Westcott KleenEarth product line, a cool Green line of products, cool flash drives, some amazing calculators, and this awesome funky pencil pouch made of zippers! I’ve always loved back to school shopping at Staples but this year, with all these amazing new products, is going to be even more fun.

No matter if you are back to school shopping or if school has already started, either way you will need supplies through out the year. I’m excited to be giving away a $25 gift card to Staples to help you with those school supply needs!

TO WIN:

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what back to school supplies you would buy with the gift card.

You MUST complete the mandatory entry to qualify for the giveaway.

Please include your email in the mandatory comment so I can contact you if you win!

Bonus Entries

Follow me, @MilitaryMama, on Twitter! Please leave a comment with your twitter name!
Follow me on Google Friend Connect! [right there on the right side of my site!] Leave a comment!
“Like” my NEW Facebook page! Leave a comment with a link to your profile page.
Twitter about this giveaway! Include my twitter name @MilitaryMama Leave a comment with a link to your tweet! You can tweet this giveaway twice a day with at least an hour between each tweet.

This giveaway ends Wednesday September 8th at 11:59pm EST. Winer will be chosen by random.org and informed by email.

Disclosure: I received these items from Staples through Mom Select. All my thoughts and opinions are my own!

much love illy review and giveaway

Tara — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:08:03 +0000

I’ll be talking about and showing off the much love illy headbands on the Launch of my MomTV show this Thursday 9pm EST. Tune in to see the live review! Bonus codes for extra entries will be announced!

I’m in love with cute headbands. I always have been. much love illy brings me great joy when it comes to headbands.

much love illy opened up shop in November 2009. After 2 years of crafting along side a friend [and etsy shop owner] Ilene, owner of much love illy, dived in to Etsy. She started with cards and button hair pins and eventually evolved into making her amazing poppy garland hairbands. You can read more about Ilene on her blog! Or follow her on Twitter!

I happened to come across much love illy shortly before BlogHer. As in the friday before BlogHer. The owner Ilene was absolutely wonderful when I asked if there was any way they could be shipped to me by BlogHer. She was a gem and said yes! She shipped them Monday for me and they arrived on Wednesday just in the nick of time.

Ilene was fabulous through out the whole transaction! When I was in love with a headband that was reserved for someone else, she informed me she had another and posted a custom listing for me. She kept in touch with me through the whole process. She kept me informed on the shipping, gave me a track number, and checked in to make sure I got my headbands on Wednesday. Over all, her custom service will always have me checking in with her shop first when I’m on a headband hunt.

These poppy garland headbands I got are so gorgeous! {they came beautifully wrapped too!} I love that they are perfect with you hair down OR up. I wore them all over BlogHer10 and I got so many compliments! I had people pass me or stop me just to comment on them.

What makes me truly rave about these headbands is how well they work. I know this may sound strange but I have a weird shaped head when it comes to headbands. They always pinched to tightly and would give me a headache or they would just slide right off the back of my head. Even bobby pins wouldn’t keep them in place! These hand bands ROCK! The stay in place [I think the lovely felt poppy flowers help] on there own. If I’m really active while wearing them one or two little bobby pins do the trick!

I love my much love illy headbands! They have become my favorite hair accessory and I wear them all the time! I believe you would love them too!

much love illy is having summer sales right now and is gearing up for her fall collection! [take a peak at the recently sold items too! She might have more in stock if you fall in love with a particular item!]

WIN IT!

much love illy has graciously sponsored a $20 gift certificate to her Etsy store!

MANDATORY ENTRY TO WIN:

Visit much love illy and leave a comment telling me an item you love [check her recently sold items too! sometimes she still has more in stock, just ask!].

Please make sure to leave a valid email address to contact you by in case you win!

BONUS ENTRIES:

Heart much love illy on Etsy! Leave a comment with your etsy user name!
Follow much love illy on Twitter @muchloveilly Leave a comment with your twitter handle!
Follow me on Twitter! @MilitaryMama Leave a comment with your twitter handle!
Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter with a link to this post! You can tweet up to 5 times a day. Leave a comment for each tweet and your twitter handle and link to the specific tweet.
Grab my NEW blog button and post it on your site! Leave a comment with a link to your site. Button must stay up for the duration of this giveaway.
Spread the word on Facebook about this giveaway. Include a link back to this specific post. Leave a comment and a link to your facebook page.

This giveaway will run until 11:59 EST on August 25th 2010. The winner will be chosen by random.org

Disclosure: I personally purchased the headbands you see here in this post. I loved the headbands so much I choose to do a review of them. I asked Ilene from much love illy if she would like to do a giveaway with the post I already planned on writing and she graciously agreed to sponsor a giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Wordless Wednesday Martha Stewart

Tara — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:30:58 +0000

Yes, I’m nursing at Martha Stewart.

Thanks to Jen from Mommy Instincts for taking the photo!

Apple Cheeks Diaper Review and Giveaway.

Tara — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:02:20 +0000

I’ll be talking about and showing off the Apple Cheek diaper on the Launch of my MomTV show this Thursday 9pm EST. Tune in to see the live review! Bonus codes for extra entries will be announced!

I’ve mentioned before how we are cloth diapering our son and recently I was sent an adorable Apple Cheeks diaper for review. We’ve had fun testing this cute diaper on Liam and I’m excited to share with you Apple Cheek diapers.

Apple Cheeks diapers are a Canadian made 2 size envelope diaper system. The diapers have a breathable, waterproof out layer made of PUL [polyurethane laminated polyester] and has a oh-so-soft mircofleece inner layer. I couldn’t help but rub it against my cheek when I first got it, it really is so soft! It only gets softer with each wash too.

The diaper has two rows of easy to use snaps that let you custom adjust the fit. We have found that two rows of snaps are really important with our son. He has some chunky thighs and the opening around his legs needs to be bigger then the fit for his waist. Apple Cheeks also work well for us because it has gathered elastic in both the front and back of the diaper which creates a nice snug fit on our son’s waist.

They diapers come in a adorable colors! We received a beautiful sage green diaper that I love! Even Liam likes it!

The diaper is similar to a pocket diaper. It has a unique envelope style opening in which to stuff an insert which also eliminates the need to UN-stuff it. The insert agitates out in the wash. The bamboo pre-fold style insert I received with the diaper was great! It’s very absorbent but still keeps the diaper trim.

I’ve created a Whrrl HERE to show off the diaper and how to stuff it.

I’m really impressed with this diaper. It wears and washes well, it absorbs well, and it lasts the longest for night time. I got a tip from a fellow cloth diaper mama and I used a micro-terry insert, wrapped it with the bamboo pre-fold and put it in the Apple Cheeks. Liam slept for 5 hours in it before it leaked. When we took the diaper off he had SOAKED it. That diaper was holding a ton.

We are really happy with this diaper and especially the bamboo insert. We plan on purchasing more. They even have a swim diaper I’m eyeing!

BUT you, my dear readers, have a chance to WIN an Apple Cheeks Little Bundle.

An Apple Cheeks diaper with pre-fold insert!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Follow Apple Cheeks on Twitter at @AppleCheeksDipe Leave a comment with your twitter handle when you have.

Please make sure to leave a valid email address to contact you by in case you win!

BONUS ENTRIES:

Favorite [or like] Apple Cheeks on Facebook! Leave me a comment and a link to your facebook page.
Follow the Apple Cheeks blog! www.ajadedmama.com Leave me a comment when you have!
Add my NEW blog button to your site! Leave me a comment with a link to your site. Button must stay up for the duration of this giveaway.
Follow me on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/MilitaryMama Leave me a comment with your twitter handle.
Twitter about the giveaway! You can do this 3 times a day. Leave a comment, with your twitter handle, and a link to your tweet about the giveaway.

This contest will end on Tuesday August 24th 2010 at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by email.

Disclosure: I was given an Apple Cheeks Little Bundle for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An Announcement & A Giveaway!

Tara — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 07:30:41 +0000

I’m happy to announce that this thursday August 19th at 9 pm EST will be the launch of my very own MomTV Show!

I’m really excited about it you guys! I’m going to be talking about reviews! Reviews I’m currently doing, showing off the items, giving sneak peeks to upcoming reviews and giveaways, and even giving out bonus “codes” to earn extra entries into my giveaways. My goal is to create a show that you my readers {viewers! *squeal of delight*} will be able to check out the latest stuff, ask questions about the products [cause not every review answers all your questions!], and we can just chat about the stuff we love!

To celebrate the launch I am giving away some awesome items every day this week!

Today’s giveaway is straight from me! I’m giving away a $25 Visa Gift Card. All you have to do is help spread the word about my new show!

Note that this is a quick giveaway! It will end Thursday {5 minutes before the show ends!} and I will be picking the winner LIVE on my TV show!

BONUS: If I pick you to win AND you are watching the show I’ll make it a $35 Gift Card as a thank you for watching.

How you can enter:

Tweet about my show! You can tweet up to 10 times a day, but please wait at least 30 minutes between each tweet. Leave a link to your tweet in the comments.

@MilitaryMama’s MomTV show LAUNCHES this Thursday at 9:00PM EST! Enter to win visa giftcard LIVE on the show! http://tinyurl.com/35fdpja

Blog about my show!

Please include a link to the show and my website. Leave a comment with the link to the blog post, not your entire website. Only one blog entry per blog you own.

Spread the news on facebook!

Leave a comment with a link to your facebook page. You can do this 3 times a day.

Be Creative!

Know of another way to spread the word? Please do and leave a comment telling me what you did and a link to it!

See you LIVE on Thursday! Come back tomorrow for a review and another giveaway!!!

BlogHer10 New York City

Tara — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:46:50 +0000

BlogHer is like a HUGE diamond that has some 2,000+ facets. We are all looking into this brilliant dazzling event but we all have a different story, a different facet. Which makes BlogHer that much more amazing. Each year has been a wonderful and different experience for me.

This was my 3rd time attending BlogHer and I am just now at a point where I can start to wrap my head around BlogHer. It was soo much! It was amazing and busy and… it was BlogHer10 in New York City!

I had some amazing roomies! Emily from Baby Dicky and Becca from Mama B! Becca also had her son Lucas with her so Liam wasn’t too lonely! Emily was so kind to help us with the babies and the strollers and the craziness that ensues when bring a baby to BlogHer. {more on babies and BlogHer in another post!} My roomies were so cool and I would love to room with them again! I wish I had more time to hang out with them.

But I can’t forget to mention my the other gals who rocked it in our room! Christa from Little BGCG and Jenn from Baby Making Mama and their babies. At one point we called our room the mini lactation lounge because we were all breast feeding or pumping at the same time! They came, the hung out, we had some great girl talk, and then I was the dork who fell asleep at like 2AM! Had it been high school I wouldn’t have been drawn on with a Sharpie. HA!

I sadly didn’t make it to a single session but I had so much fun going to events and running into *so many friends*. It was such a joy hugging these wonderful woman who I skype with, twitter with, comment on, email with, and just plain connect with day to day on a virtual basis. I did not get to spend enough time with anyone, even my own roomies!

I think the biggest thing I walked away with this year was confidence. This year I had a confidence in my blog going in and I walked out with confidence in my self. I had a chance to talk with some other bloggers and some PR reps and I bounced some ideas off them and I got some great feedback. I have some things planned for This Military Mama that I’m really excited about.

If you ever get a chance to attend BlogHer do it! Meeting the amazing women you connect with every day alone makes it worth while, the talks, the parties, the sessions, and everything else that happens is over flowing happiness for your soul.