Mom Blog

Labor Day 2016

September 5, 2016 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

And if you’re in the United States or Canada, Happy Labor Day! I hope that most of you have the day off of work, and if you don’t I’m sorry! Both my husband, Stephan, and myself worked in retail management after graduating from college and we know the struggle!

Today I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from this summer because I’m getting a little (a lot!) sad thinking about my daughter, Hailey, staring kindergarten & my son, Connor, starting pre-school because we had such a wonderful summer together! Thankfully Logan has to hang out at home with me for a couple more years ; )

I hope all of you have a wonderful Autumn! Technically I know not quite yet, but once school starts? Come on, it’s Bye bye summer!

VTech Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train Toy Review

September 9, 2015 & 3 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I can’t believe I’m about to type this, but Christmas shopping is right around the corner! So, today I want to share the Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train with you because we have been enjoying it SO much in our house. Hailey is 4, Connor is 2, and Logan is 7 months old and all of them have been able to use it.

*Note: I was contacted by VTech and asked if I would like to review a few of their toys. I recieved four toys for consideration for honest reviews and was not paid to review any of them. Links are NOT affiliate links and are provided solely for your conveinence! A.K.A I do not get any money if you purchase ; ) Also, I apologize for the poor picture quality, but these are action shots!

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:

-10 Activities that help teach letters, numbers, and colors

-Helps with fine motor skills with the storybook, clock, gears, and 13 double-sided letters that can snap into the side of the train to learn letters.

-The “caboose” converts into a wagon that can be filled up with toys and used as a pull toy

-Helps with gross motor skills when using as a ride on toy, push walker, or pull toy

-Target age is 12-36 months

$49.99

HOW MY KIDS USE IT:

Hailey, age 4, likes to use the letter blocks to work on letter sounds, and word formation. She also is interested in the clock and now wants to learn how to tell time!

Connor, age 2, LOVES to ride his train! He immediately claimed this as his (he is the only one of my kids who fits into the targeted age right now) and uses it all day long! I love that he practices his fine motor skills while not even knowing it, because he is a go-go-go little guy who usually gets bored pretty fast.

Logan, 7 months, likes to sit by the train and work on cause-and-effect as the lights and sounds go at the touch of a button. I know soon he will be walking behind it and riding on it!

PROS:

-Appeals to all 3 of my kids!

-So many toys in one! This is such a multi-purpose toy

-Easy to assemble and very sturdy

CONS:

-This is a large toy, so consider storage (I rotate our toys so the kids never get bored and my house isn’t overtaken!)

-It’s a somewhat pricy toy

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I really do love this toy! We already have the VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker (which I purchased long before I was blogging with my own money!), so I hadn’t planned on purchasing a new one for Logan, but I am THRILLED we recieved this! Connor especially absolutely adores this thing! Each one of the kids uses this daily and I love that it engages them all together! That isn’t an easy task! And like I said it *is* a little bulky, but how cute would it look as the “big gift” for a birthday or under ther tree? I think VTech does a great job because the kids seem to really love the toys, and because of that use them enough to learn with them.

Please let me know some of your favorite gifts for kids or what you have on your holiday shopping lists! If you found this helpful please feel free to share! Thank you all for your support!

Our Mini Vacation In Pictures!

August 3, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! We spent 3 nights at my family lake cottage in Indiana. Here our some pictures from last years trip. A special thanks to my mom for helping out with the kids while we were there, and a shout out to my dad who is currently in a brace from his head to his lower back but still toughed it out at even though he couldn’t take part in the fun stuff like the zoo, was able to make the trip to the cottage. Have you been anywhere fun this summer or do you have any trips coming up? Let me know in the comments!

OUR MINI VACATION PICTURES!

I was waiting to take this picture ever since last year when we took one with Logan still in my belly ; ) Maybe next year they’ll all look and smile!

Thank you for reading and letting me share my family with each of you! Don’t forget to subscribe!

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!!

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!!

Newborn Picture Post AND HUGE DIAPER GIVEAWAY!

January 28, 2015 & 6 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Our little Logan is already 17 days old (not that I’m counting…) and he is growing FAST! He has already outgrown newborn diapers and clothes! My parents had gifted us with 12 20-count packs of Pampers Newborn Swaddlers but we have 7 unopened packs left over! These diapers are only avaliable online, so I cannot exchange them for the next size up, so I have decided to hold a giveaway! For reference, these diaper packs are the size that most hospitals supply you with when your baby is born.

Today I will share a few pictures from the past couple of weeks settling in at home, and then below I will have information for the diaper giveaway.

Diaper Giveaway Info:

So would you, or someone you know, like to win 140 newborn pampers swaddlers? Here is how!

1) You MUST be a subscriber of www.leahtackles.com! To subscribe simply enter your email in the “subscribe” box on the right side of this screen! You will get an email and you must then confirm your subscription.

2) Share this post on Facebook using the hashtag #LeahTacklesDiaperGiveaway. To share you can use the button links at the bottom of this post. You can also write on the LeahTackles Facebook Page to let me know that you shared this post.

3) Leave me a comment telling me why you would like to win 140 newborn diapers! To comment you can click by the top of this post. I love hearing from my subscribers through comments!!

Bonus Entry Opportunities:

1) You may tweet this post and use the hashtag #LeahTacklesDiaperGiveaway for 1 addtional entry.

2) You may take a screen shot of this post and share it on Instagam using the hashtag #LeahTacklesDiaperGiveaway for 2 additional entries.

3) If you get a friend to subscribe to www.leahtackles.com you can get 3 addtional entries!! Your friend must confirm the subscription in order for this to count…they have to want to subscribe ; ) You can direct message me on Instagram, Facebook, or tell me by emailing me at LeahTackles@gmail.com with the subject “Diaper Giveaway” that you got me a new subscriber. If you get 2 friends you will get 6 extra entries, 3 friends, you will get 9 extra entries, and so on.

RULES:

1) This giveaway is limited to those in the United States and Canada, but eventually giveaways will be opening up to subscribers everywhere!

2) If you are under 18 years old just ask permission from your parents to enter the giveaway!

3) A random selection website will determine the winner to keep things fair.

4) Once the winner is contacted by email they will have 48 hours to respond and after that I will select another winner.

5) This giveaway will end in ONE MONTH on February 28th, 2015! You may only enter once, but please feel free to do any or all of the addtional entry opportunities!