Family – Page 7

Kisses, Kisses, Up & Down by Baby Luvs Books Review AND Giveaway!!!

July 1, 2015 & 4 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I hope that you’re having a GREAT week! I’ve been frazzled this week dealing with lots of scheduling issues and appointments! Because this week has been so hectic I decided it was the perfect time to share this special book with you, because it always reminds me to be in the moment with my kids, even when I am in “IHAVENOTIMETODAY” mode.

Baby Luvs Books reached out to me well over a month ago on my Twitter and asked if I would like to recieve a copy of their book for review purpose and I immediately said YES! My kids love books, and when I googled this book I thought it looked right up our alley. You can read my full disclosure here, but as always I give my honest opinion and NEVER accept money in exchange for a positive review. I was sent a copy of this book for consideration, but I was not paid to review this book! I only review things that I believe line up with LeahTackles.com : ) Baby Luvs Books is also giving away a book to one of you & it will ship directly from amazon.com!

Kisses, Kisses, Up & Down by Baby Luvs Books:

This beautifully illustrated book shows a mama giving her baby kisses through out the day while doing there normal routine. I love that this book appeals to each of my children! Logan, who is 5 months old, likes the bright colors and watching me make silly faces before giving him kisses for each page. Connor, who is 2, loves identifying the different body parts that the mama kisses like his hands and his feet! Hailey, who is 4, loves that the body part is in different color/ bold font, and she likes to sound out the words while I read. My favorite part of the book is that I never want to rush this book! Even when the nighttime routine is stressful and I’m just ready for some kid-free time, this book makes me want to take my time savoring the sweet kisses with my babies. Books are SO important and I don’t think a child can ever have too many books…okay maybe, but we rotate them ; )

Giveaway:

If you would like to win this book for your child or a special child in your life just follow these simple steps!

1) SUBSCRIBE to LeahTackles.com

2) “Follow” Baby Luvs Books OR “Like” on Facebook

3) “Follow” LeahTackles on Twitter OR “Like” on Facebook

4) COMMENT on this post your favorite children’s book or children’s author.

Rules:

Must be 18 or over or have parent permission.

Must be in the United States (sorry Canada loves! Don’t worry more giveaways to come!).

Giveaway will end in 2 weeks.

The winner will be selected AT RANDOM and have 48 hours to respond via email before I pick another winner.

Good luck! If you would like to purchase Kisses, Kisses, Up & Down you can here!

Have a safe & happy 4th of July weekend!!

Our Mackinac Trip 2015! PIC HEAVY! + Exciting News!

June 28, 2015 & 4 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

We went to Mackinac Island as always for our 5 year wedding anniversary…with kids in tow ; ) Today I am going to share pictures. You can see pictures from our 2014 Mackinac Island trip here.

Also in exciting news, we VLOGGED this entire trip! Which for those who don’t know is a video blog or video diary of our trip! Stay tuned to my YouTube channel for that coming up soon!!

On the ferry!

Give us the table the furthest away from other people! ; ) 5 year “modern” gift = silverware! We now have 6 years worth of these pictures! Look at our balcony view…#NoFilter Handsome Hubs! Happy 5 Years to this hunky hunk!

Connor loved watching the birds & horses : ) My Little Loves!!! Cheers to us!

Cool Dude!

My Hailey Doll!

A picture with all 5 of us wasn’t happening! #WeNeedASelfieStick

Sibs!Yum yum!

Our Mackinac Island Favorites:

Shepler’s Ferry

Chippewa Hotel

Butterfly House and Insect World

The Pink Pony Bar and Grill

Horn’s Bar

Nephew’s of Mackinac Island

Poppins on Mackinac

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

June 24, 2015 & 6 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

This Friday Stephan & I will celebrate FIVE years of marriage! I am so proud of us hitting this big milestone.

Stay tuned for pictures & vlogs coming up after our weekend getaway! Thank you for reading!

{{Stephan,

Happy Anniversary!! I never expected that we would have to shoulder so much in our first few years of marriage, but I’m extraordinarily proud of our tenacity…we are a good team : ) In five years we have had three beautiful children and completed our family. I can’t wait to keep spending forever with you.

Cheers to us!

Love,

Me}}

5 Things To Do BEFORE You Book Your Disney Vacation!!

June 22, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Right now my family is planning a big DISNEY vacation and we couldn’t be more excited! I am constantly talking and thinking Disney! I want to do a blog series here, as well as a video series on my YouTube Channel on our planning process, tips, packing, custom outfits, and so much more.

Today I want to talk the very basics, things that you can to before you even book your trip, to make sure you take advantage of all that Disney has to offer, and get your money’s worth! I will go into more details on these things in another post if people are interested : )

*Photo credit to WDWlive.com

1. On Property or Off Property

The first thing I suggest is deciding if you want to stay on Disney property or off. *Personally* I think staying on property, while much more expensive at first glance, really evens out once you factor in food. Also, you are completely immersed in the magic. And, you have extra perks like Disney’s Magical Express, the monorail, and the bus. But, perhaps the biggest perk draw for me is that you get FIRST DIBS on dining and fast passes!!!

2. Dining Books 180 Days In Advance

When considering when to book your trip, keep in mind that you can make reservations at 180 days out…yes that’s SIX MONTHS in advance! If you’re staying off property you’ll need to log onto your Disney account or call for each day of your trip! If staying on property, you can book 180+10 so as long as your trip is 10 days or less you can book dining for your whole trip in one go. This is HUGE because dining is *extremely* competitive. Some restaurants, such as Be Our Guest, are so competitive that even if you book at your 180+10 you may not get it. I can get more into the dining and dining plans later, but for now just know that if you want to eat at Cinderella’s Royal Table, Hollywood & Vine, Be Our Guest, etc, you will want to book on or before 6 months out.

3. Make A MyDisneyExperience Account

The MyDisneyExperience site and app are so awesome! You will use this to make dining reservations, view your itinerary, make payments, favorite rides, check wait times, finding characters and again a ton more…it’s so fantastic! The site has tons of information and online help that help you get an idea for your trip. It’s the perfect baby step ; )

4. Research Research Research!

I LOVE researching everything so I love this part and I’m constantly researching everything, but I love researching Disney! I know not everyone loves it, but it’s a game-changer when it comes to planning your perfect magical vacation. I suggest searching things like “Disney Planning Tips” on YouTube or Google to get started. If people are interested, I can go into more details on my planning process.

5. Get Excited!

Ummmm you’re going to be going to Disney?! How exciting is that?! Everybody has a great time at Disney World!

Thank you SO much for reading! Please tell me what blog posts and/or videos you’d like to see about Disney, because I would LOVE to talk about anything Disney ; )

Thank you, dads!

June 17, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Happy (Early) Father’s Day!!

A friend of mine, and leahtackles.com reader, mentioned that she would love to see a shout out to single moms, and I agreed that single moms deserve TONS of accolades! However, because I grew up with both a mother and a father in a nuclear household, and because my children live in a house with both their mother me!) and their father (my hubster), I didn’t feel comfortable doing too much writing on subject. However, my respect for any single parent is HUGE! I DID find this video that I think sums up single moms incredible strength. Sarah, this is for you!

Watch the video:

Happy Father’s Day, Mom!
I also want to thank all the dads, grandfathers, uncles, and male role models who do their crutial part to be positive figures in children’s lives. I think we often forget that there are single dads out there, too.

I want to thank the three most important dads in my life:

To My Father In-Law:

Thank you for all that you do for us! The kids love their “Papa!” 🙂 Can’t wait to create some magical Disney memories soon!

To My Dad:

Thank you for all of the fun things you did while we were growing up…think mom forgives you for all the hours you spent on the ice rink yet? Haha! 😉

To Stephan:

You’re the dad every kid wants and our kids are so lucky to have you! Thank you for never being embarrassed to have fun with your kids. Coolest. Dad. Ever.

Thank you for reading!!

CONFESSIONS: MY 5 HOTEL HABITS?!

June 15, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Now, get your mind out of the gutter to which it probably went based on today’s title! Today I want to talk about funny things that people (or specifically myself/my family) do behind closed hotel room doors. Take a peek and be sure to let me know if you do any of these things, or what “secret” hotel confessions you have (let’s keep it PG people!).

#1 Take EVERYTHING!

Do you remember that Episode of “Friends” where Ross teaches Chandler how to steal EVERYTHING in the room as long as it isn’t nailed to the floor? [ Season 9 Episode 19] Well we don’t go *that* crazy…no remote batteries or raiding of the maid cart, but we do take what is offered that we may use. We stay in a hotel at least once a month, and the first thing we do every time we get to the hotel is take a bag and pack up everything we can to take home. Coffee, tea bags, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, paper towels, dishwasher detergent, kleenex, hotel magnents…we pack it all up ; )

#2 Organizing the Room

I love when things are neat and tidy, and I love that when we stay at a hotel room I can unpack everything perfectly in a short window of time! I set everything up just so, and I love it because I can do it so fast that I actually have time to relax because it isn’t like home where there is never ending laundry, dishes, chores, work, etc.

#3 Food Binge

We usually order food in (young kids + restaurants = not relaxing) and did you know calories don’t count when you’re out of town? (<-That’s a lie but I act like it’s true!). ALWAYS order the cheesecake when you’re staying at a hotel.

#4 TV Binge

At home we have wifi, Netflix, and Hulu plus, but no cable, so when we are at a hotel? We binge watch and it’s usually The Food Network, HGTV, or The Discovery Channel. And when you’re in a hotel room the TV can be on ALL.THE.TIME because like mentioned in #2 you aren’t home to do all the work that usually is staring you in the face.

#5 Imaginination Station

Even though sometimes traveling isn’t for fun reasons, and it’s a lot of work as an adult, I still like to make up stories and imagine I’m somewhere completely fabulous on a fancy vacation. Hotel rooms are lots of things, but also a tiny bit of that excited “OH MY GOSH MOM DOES THIS HOTEL HAVE A POOL?!!” always comes out of me when I’m there.

Do any of these things apply to you? Do you love hotels? Hate them? Talk to me in the comments! I know this post was pretty random, but I thought it would be a fun one : ) Thank you for reading.

LivnFresh Clothing Review with 4 Giveaway Opportunities!!!

June 1, 2015 & 4 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I am SUPER excited to be sharing some pictures from the Michigan owned company LivnFresh. I know that a lot of you reading this are Michigan born & raised, and this site has amazing designs paying tribute to the mitten! But, if you’re not from Michigan don’t worry, they have an “add your state” option, as well as other designs showing some of the other fifty some love : )

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

1) They offer stylish and cozy items for men, women, and kiddos! These shirts are very nice quality! They are lightweight, soft, and comfortable. And the sweatshirts?! No joke, the most cozy sweatshirt EVER! I am buying one immediately, and I cannot wait to wear it for bonfires and boat rides this summer.

2) This company was born in 2010, but the family who owns it has over 20 years of experience in the screen printing world! And they are super friendly, and want to make their customers feel good.

3) I am doing 4 giveaways!! So you have 4 chances to win!!

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

Do these things:

1) You MUST like LeahTackles on Facebook

2) You MUST like LivnFresh on Facebook

3) You must SUBSCRIBE to LeahTackles.com (that is this blog!)

I will be announcing the giveaways with all of the details on my LeahTackles Facebook page! So YOU MUST like my Facebook page so that you do not miss out! I will be giving away three shirts and one sweatshirt. There will be options for both men and women.

WE WILL BE GIVEAWAY AWAY ONE OF EACH OF THESE ITEMS (in either men or women winner picks):

CHECK OUT THESE AMAZING ITEMS:

Thank you so much for reading!! Please SHARE this post!!

*Note: I was gifted one shirt for each member of our family. However, as always, I never give a positive review unless I think the product(s) deserve the praise! And these shirts are WONDERFUL! Like I said, I am already planning to buy a sweatshirt for myself. You guys know I like to keep it real ; )

Memorial Day 2015!

May 25, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Today, as I did last year, I am taking the day off from a traditional blog post. I would like to pay my respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifce for our country, and of course their families who have felt such a great loss.

Happy Memorial Day!

Get ready for a post on Wednesday : ) Thank you!

Hailey’s Pre-School Graduation!

May 20, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

First things first, THANK YOU for being here and reading my blog : ) I know I say this ALLTHETIME but it means so much to me!

Second things second, who remembers when I posted about Hailey’s Pre-School Supply List? Well pre-school is over this week and she is graduating!! I know it’s just pre-school, but I’m such a ball of emotions thinking about it! Next year she will be in a pre-k style program, and going to school 5 days/week. I am going to miss her so much! And Connor, her 2 year old brother, is going to miss her even more!

Happy graduation day Hailey! Watered down apple juice cheers to you ; )

Here is Hailey with her teacher (who by the way was the PERFECT first teacher for her! So blessed!):

Thank you again for reading! Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy 4 Months Logan!

May 13, 2015 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Thank you for being here!

Logan is 4 months old! I am always saying this when it comes to my little loves, but I can’t believe it! I think 4 months doesn’t sound so old, but in 4 more months he will be 8 months old, which does sound old! I am trying to treasure every cuddle, every feeding, even the crying. I think he will be a great age this summer to really enjoy some family summer fun and trips.

LOGAN UPDATE:

Rolling over but only when he wants to!

Trying REALLY hard to move when he’s on his tummy, but of course not actually going far ; )

LOTS of “talking” and noises

Tons of giggles and smiles

Really beginning to notice and enteract with his siblings

SUPER drool machine (que the bandana bibs!)

Sucking his thumb (waaah!)

LIKES:

Nursing

Being held

Being worn in the ergo

Mommy ; )

Bouncing on daddy’s knee

His elephant

Sucking his thumbs (ahhh! not thrilled!)

DISLIKES:

Being set down

Being hungry

Being alone

When I end a nursing session before he’s ready

STATS:

14 lbs 13 oz

25 3/4 inches

CUTENESS:

I apprecaited all of the positive feedback from my 3 month update, what I get while breastfeeding, favorite baby items, and pumping post! If you want to see anything specific in a video or on the blog, let me know : ) Have a BEAUTIFUL weekend and please subscribe and share!! xo

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