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  • Bible 365: Week 33

    Happy Monday!  Hope that everyone had a lovely weekend.  It was super rainy here.  So, nothing interesting to report.  We stayed indoors and enjoyed movie nights.  I did spend some time in the kitchen with Moo experimenting on a few recipes.  More about those later.

    Anyways, Week 33 is down.  We finished up the books of Ezekiel and Daniel and got started on Hosea.  If you’ve never read the book of Daniel, I would suggest that you do.  It’s a book of reassurance that proves that when you are truly for God, no weapon or trickery from your enemies will prosper.  Trust me.  It seemed like every time Daniel turned around somebody was trying to betray him or frame him for something to cost him his life.  However, God had his hand on Daniel and let no harm come to him.

    The perfect example of this can be found in the story about Daniel in the Lion’s Den in Daniel 6.  You see Daniel had God’s favor and it was definitely visible.  This made a lot of the Chaldean governors and administrators jealous.  They felt more than a bit threatened by Daniel’s success and talents. So, they tricked King Darius into signing a decree saying that if anybody in the kingdom prayed or worshipped any other god or man besides King Darius that they would be thrown into the lion’s den.

    Well, of course they knew Daniel worshipped God.  And they waited outside of his place and when they saw him praying they took him to the king to have him thrown in the lion’s den.  King Darius tried his hardest to make an exception to this decree for Daniel but the men had made King Darius promise to not go back on his word.  So, off to the lion’s den Daniel went.

    King Darius had faith though and told Daniel that “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you” (Daniel 6:16).  And so, the king didn’t sleep well that night worrying about his friend.  He woke up early that next morning and went to see if God had indeed spared Daniel’s life.  To his relief and God’s credit, Daniel was in fact still alive.  Daniel was lifted up out of the lion’s den and King Darius ordered the men who had set Daniel up to be thrown in the lion’s den along with their entire families.

    Afterwards, King Darius made the decree that “in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel” (Daniel 6:26).  He had seen what God had done for Daniel and knew right then and there that there was only one true God!  So, the next time you feel like your enemies have thrown you under the bus or into the “lion’s den” just have faith that God is going to deliver you and protect you.

    Week 34 Readings
    8/19:  Hosea 6-10
    8/20:  Hosea 11-14
    8/21:  Joel 1-2
    8/22:  Joel 3
    8/23:  Amos 1-2
    8/24:  Amos 3-6
    8/25:  Amos 7-9
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  • Thankful Thursday

    It’s almost the weekend.  Nothing spectacular planned around these parts.  The kids and I might take a trip to the Ikea store to get the house for a few hours while the Mr sleeps.  I’ve been searching all the stores near us for an extra long curtain rod since the window in the living room has one big window.  However, it seems like nobody keeps those in stock. 🙁  So, I’ve been forced to hang the curtains up using some small pin nails.  Not the business or cute.
    Anyways, the thing I’m most thankful for this week is that JJ is feeling better.  He had a 24-hour stomach bug a few days ago.  It was awful because he couldn’t sleep and then when he did finally fall asleep at about 3 AM, his sleep got interrupted an hour later when he woke up vomiting.  And the poor guy could barely keep his eyes open he was so tired.  So, he was literally throwing up in his sleep most of the time.  But he’s better and back to his usual self.
    I’m thankful that I took some time to disconnect.  While I wasn’t thrilled that it took forever to get the Internet and cable hooked up, I’m glad in a way that it happened.  I was able to put more focus on spending time with my little family and getting organized.  I even disconnected myself from my phone and set it to Do Not Disturb.  It felt freeing a way.  I think we all need to take time to shut out the outside world and just refocus or gather our wits for a while.
    I’m thankful that I’ll have more time to spend with Moo.  This year due to budget cuts they’ve had to cut back on the number of kids they take into the Pre-K programs.  They screen kids to see which kids really need Pre-K and which kids don’t.  However, the thing is if your child is too smart and/or you don’t meet the income requirements then that means that your child can skip to kindergarten.  I think that’s nuts.  Why should Moo has to sit out an extra year because she’s smart?
    We’re waiting for her screening appointment, which is next month.  And if she tests out of Pre-K, I will be petitioning the school board to let her skip to kindergarten.  Until then we’re enjoying this extra couple weeks we have before she’ll be away from us during the day.
    I’m thankful for YouTube.  It’s amazing all the helpful stuff you can find on there.  Need a make-up tutorial, looking for a cookie recipe or want a review on a specific product?  YouTube is sure to have you covered.  Remember, I told you all that I was concerned that JJ’s vocabulary wasn’t as advanced as I thought it should be?  Well, thanks to YouTube, we’re starting the My Baby Can Read series.
    The best part is that it’s Free99.  The actual company who makes the videos has a YouTube channel and they’ve posted entire video series on there.  So, why would I order the series online when I can access it for free?  And our tvs allow us to stream from YouTube, which is great because my computer has gone to computer heaven. 🙁  
    What are you thankful for this week?

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  • And I Said Yes

    We had decided to take a break from unpacking our new apartment.  It just seemed like we were barely making a dent in eliminating the sea of boxes stacked up everywhere.  So, instead of getting ourselves even more overwhelmed than we already were, we decided to make it a family movie night!  Thank goodness the public libraries here have a great movie collection because the cable people hadn’t yet come out to hook everything up.
    Anyways, we set Moo up to watch The Muppets in the living room (JJ was asleep) and then we watched Red Tails and Horrible Bosses in the second bedroom.  It’s right off the living room and I could watch Moo to make sure she stayed on the couch.  The Mr and I don’t get tons of time to be alone.  So, despite the mess around us, it was nice to snuggle and have a little romantic moment.
    Anyways, we’re watching Red Tails.  By the way if you haven’t seen this movie definitely see it.  I give it two thumbs up.  It’s about the Tuskegee airmen (African American pilots) who were finally given a chance to really serve our country in Italy during World War II.  Add this to your list of movies to watch during Black History Month.
    We’re watching the part of the movie where one of the characters, Lighting, proposes to his Italian girlfriend, Sofia.  It was a really sweet moment because of course he’s kind of portrayed as being a ladies man.  So, I wasn’t expecting him to really settle down, but hey love can change you.  I won’t spoil the movie and tell you what she said, but here’s the conversation the Mr and I had afterwards.
    The Mr: “Would you marry me?”
    Me:  “Umm…. I’m pretty sure I already did that.”
    The Mr:  “I know that. But would you marry me again?”
    Me: “You don’t want to get married again.”  (Our first attempt at planning a wedding was a disaster.  He hated everything about the whole process except for the food tasting part.)
    The Mr:  “No, I’m serious.  I want us to renew our vows.”
    I still thought he was kind of joking but he kept talking about and finally I realized he was serious.  
    The Mr:  “So, do you want to marry me? Again?”
    Me: “Yes!”
    This mama is one happy bride-to-be again!  I’ve always dreamed of having an actual wedding and to finally have him want that to is exciting beyond belief.  We definitely won’t be doing the wedding this year because our wedding anniversary is less than a month away, but I’m looking forward to possibly walking down the aisle the next year to exchange vows with the love of my life again.  This time around, I’m not trying to plan something huge.  I want it small, intimate but grand and elegant.  We’ve overcome a lot and I think renewing our vows is the perfect way to celebrate our victory.
    I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on everything as we go along!
    Would you marry your spouse all over again?

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  • Bible 365: Week 32

    No late posting this week. LOL.  These last few books of the Bible have been all about God trying to get the Israelites to live right and follow His commandments.  However, they just couldn’t seem to get with the program.  So, in the end He kind of has to turn a deaf ear to them and punish them.  Not only that but He punishes those evil nations around them.
    If I lived back then and saw some of the miracles and wondrous acts that are documented in the Bible, I don’t think I’d have a hard time following God’s commands.  I mean He was going to give them a land flowing with milk and honey and make them undefeatable!  They had the ultimate protection.  Can you imagine if we could live a land flowing with milk and honey and we didn’t have to want for anything-food, clothing, safety, etc?!  I just don’t know how none of the generations of the Israelites couldn’t have gotten their acts together, but I wish they had because I can’t help but wonder if our world would be a better place in today’s society.  I’m almost certain that things would be a lot better over there in the Middle East.  Anyways, here’s what I learned in Week 32.
    1-“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.” (Lamentations 3:22)  A lot of us are hanging on by a thread because of God’s mercy and His compassion.  I feel so blessed to know that God has compassion for us.  It’s comforting because it means that when we’re going through our rough times, He feels for us.  It reassures me that He’s not relishing in our pain, but instead is working to help us get through it and come out wiser and more victorious.
    2-“For He does not afflict willingly, not grieve the children of men.  We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.” (Lamentations 3:33, 42)  God never causes bad things to happen to us just because.  He just doesn’t work that way.  After all He created us to be His children so that He could love us and nurture us the way we do our children.  When we step outside of the will of God, we are bringing hard times on ourselves.  It’s like the devotional I was reading this weekend said, sometimes instead of asking ‘Why God? Why me?,’ we need to ask ourselves ‘Why not me?’  None of us walks perfectly in our faith and it’s only right we get punished or chastised in some way when we do wrong.
    3-“…I will judge you according to your ways, and I will repay you for all your abominations.” (Ezekiel 7:3) Wasn’t it Justin Timberlake who sang “What goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around?”  You reap what you sow people.  Karma is indeed real and you will be repaid for your actions whether they are good or bad.
    4-“It (the seedling) took root there and grew into a low spreading vine.  Its branches turned up toward the eagle, and its roots grew down into the ground.  It produced strong branches and put our shoots.  But then another great eagle came with broad wings and full plumage.  So the vine now sent its roots and branches toward him for water, even though it was already planted in good soil and had plenty of water so it could grow into a splendid vine and produce rich leaves and luscious fruit.” (Ezekiel 17:6-8) Some of us are like the seedling in this parable.  We already have a winning environment for success in all aspects of our lives, but our eyes get the best of us and trick us into thinking the grass is greener on the other side.  It’s not though.  The Israelites couldn’t get right because they were always getting caught up in the grass appearing to be greener on the other side.  We have to learn sometimes to just be content and appreciate what we have.  Remember that if He can trust us with a little, He can trust us with a lot but we can’t jump ship before we build up that trust.
    5-“The soul who sins shall die.  The son shall not bear the guilt of the father; nor the father bear the guilt of the son.  The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” (Ezekiel 18:20).  As parents we can only do our best to make sure we are putting good morals and ethics into them.  However, just like we had to find our own way and often strayed from the things our parents taught us, so will they.  That doesn’t necessarily mean that you are responsible for their bad choices. So, don’t always take it personal when they mess up.  If you’ve done your best then you have not failed them.  Parenting is hard enough without any added mommy or daddy guilt for things we can’t control.
    Week 33 Readings 
    8/12: Ezekiel 33-39
    8/13:  Ezekiel 40-48
    8/14:  Daniel 1-3
     8/15: Daniel 4-6 
    8/16: Daniel 7-12 
    8/17: Hosea 1-3 
    8/18: Hosea 4-5

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  • Bible 365: Week 31

    I am beyond late with my Bible 365 post this week.  If you’ve been following the blog, you know that I moved last week and that we’ve been without Internet until this past Thursday.  And yesterday and today we’ve been running errands plus dealing with other stuff.  Being without the Internet has just given more time to get my Bible study done, unpack and entertain the kids.  So, here’s what I learned in Week 31.
    1-“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?  Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23)  A wolf is still a wolf whether it dresses up like a sheep or not.  A lot of times we get fooled by evil people or our enemies because we see them do a good deed and think they’ve changed.  So, we allow them into our lives and then we want to act surprised or shocked when we get burned again.  Now, people can change, but people who have evil in their hearts usually continue to be evil.  That one act of kindness is a trick and part of their plan to wiggle their way into our lives.  Stop falling for these tricks.  If you’ve been burned by someone keep it moving.
    2-“I will deliver you from the land of the wicked and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.” (Jeremiah 15:21)  We have to be patient and suffer through hard times.   To keep our sanity and survive, we need to remember that our rainbow is coming.  God hasn’t forgotten about those of us who are faithful and obey His word.  He will deliver us and save us.  Whatever we are going through, He will bring us out of it.
    3-“For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.” (Jeremiah 16:17)  Some of us are like the Israelites.  We think that God only sees the good deeds we do.  However, He sees it ALL!  Nothing we do is hidden from Him.  So, that lie you told last week, He heard it.  That candy bar you stole, He saw it.  That is why it’s important to make doing the right thing a habit all of the time and not some of the time.  It’s also important to ask forgiveness immediately after we have messed up.  It’s only when we admit our wrongs to God that He will wipe our slates clean and give us another chance.
    4-“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it.” (Jeremiah 17:9)  Who can know what’s truly in our hearts indeed?  Only God can.  If we could look into the hearts of some of the people who we think are good, upright people we’d probably be surprised.  Remember everything that glitters ain’t gold.  Some of us are good actors because we have ulterior motives.
    5-“And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to The Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:7)  Tired of not having peace?  Well, we have to do like God commanded the Israelites and pray for our enemies when we’re in their mist.  And I’m not talking about praying for their downfall, but instead pray for God to change their hearts and to give them peace.  They won’t become your best friends but at least there will be some level of civility. 
    Do you pray for your enemies?


    Week 32 Readings
    8/05:  Jeremiah 46-52
    8/06: Lamentations 1-5
    8/07:  Ezekiel 1-3
    8/08:  Ezekiel 4-11
    8/09:  Ezekiel 12-17
    8/10:  Ezekiel 18-24
    8/11: Ezekiel 25-32



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  • Thankful Thursday

    I’m back!!!  Did you guys miss me?  I missed y’all!  I can’t tell y’all how good it feels to be able to blog again and be on social media.  This move has been oh so very stressful, draining and just an overall pain in my booty.  I just wish I could have snapped my fingers and made everything perfect.
    Nevertheless, I am thankful to have a roof over our heads even if it is temporary.  Yes, we’ll probably be moving again before Christmas or right after the New Year.  I’ll talk more about that later.  Anyways, it’s been a long 8 days without any Internet, waiting on things to get installed and keeping the kids entertained all while trying to unpack a million boxes in a space smaller than our last.
    But one thing about moving into a smaller space is that it helps you realize how much useless stuff you’ve been clinging on to.  Needless to say we have three large boxes of too small clothes, mismatched dishes, books that I had multiple copies of and more to take to Goodwill.  I am thankful that we will have a few less boxes to pack next time around.  Also, we’re able to be a blessing to another family by donating the stuff to Goodwill.  They’ll either sell it or use it help a family furnish their home or fill their closets.  
    I did have a meltdown when the Mr said we should giveaway JJ’s crib.  He’s never slept in it but still it was just emotional and painful stacked on top of all the other stress that was wearing me down.  In the end it has gone to a good home and will hopefully be put to good use.  It’s been decided that since we co-sleep, we won’t be investing in a crib when we try for baby number 3.  That money can go towards diapers or clothes or even a Push gift.
    I’m thankful that Moo is happy to be living closer to the trolleys and the ImaginOn (aka the Fun Place).   We now have a place to go on the weekends that won’t require sitting in tons of traffic.  Speaking of traffic, we’re closer to the doctors, the hospitals and the Ikea store!  I had almost forgotten how much fun it was to be living inside of city limits.  I got to ride past my old dorms and show the kiddies where Mommy went and will be going back to college.  
    This is a new chapter for us.  And I’m choosing to believe that this will make us stronger and closer as a family unit.  We miss our old neighborhood and a few of the neighbors dearly but we’re closer to friends and play date events.  The biggest plus is that we’re five minutes away from the first church I fell in love with when I came to the Queen City.  Not sure if they have the same pastor but we are looking forward to attending service this upcoming Sunday to see if it will be our new church home. I have a feeling that it will be.
    What are you thankful for this week?
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  • Bible 365: Week 30

    Pardon the late Bible 365 post this week.  If you haven’t heard, the YUMMommy family had a recent crisis.  We’re actually pulling off the most stressful move of our lives to date.  You can read all about it here.  Tomorrow is moving day and I couldn’t be more happy to be free of this place, our landlord and the loud neighbors who rent the other side of the duplex.  I’m going to miss our neighbors across the yard though. They are truly the sweetest elderly couple and welcomed us into the neighborhood with open arms from day one.  Anyways, I’m sharing seven things that I learned from Week 30 below.
    1-“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)  I definitely learned about waiting on the on the Lord to move in our lives over the past few days.  Really over the past year.  And tomorrow we’re definitely mounting our eagles wings and flying out this situation.  God is an on time God for real because our new rental came through literally at almost the eleventh hour it seems.  Through it all I kept my hand in His hand because at the end of day He knows what’s best for us.
    2-“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you,.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” (Isaiah 43:2)  His protection is always with us.  
    3-“The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, ‘Why, it’s just a block of wood!  I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god?  Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?’” (Isaiah 44:19)  The Israelites still haven’t learned their lesson several generations later.  Here God points out foolish it is that they worship an idol/god made of the same thing they use to cook their food with. He’s trying to get them to see that these idols do nothing for them, but that it is Him who has been blessing them and delivering time and time again.
    4-“I create the light and make the darkness.  I send good times and bad times.  I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.” (Isaiah 45:7) This scripture came to mind because I while back I overheard someone saying that God never sends bad times upon us.  Of course, I wanted to but in and say yes He does.  Sometimes, it’s to punish us when we act like the Israelites and stray from His will and other times it’s to help us grow stronger in our faith. 
    5-“But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)  Isaiah tries to tell the people of Jesus’ future coming and how he will suffer because our the world’s wickedness.  My Bible refers to Jesus as the “sin-bearing servant.”  And heaven knows Jesus had a lot of sin to bear from the Israelites and all the nations who were living outside of God’s will then and today.  I often wonder why they couldn’t get it right back them and why we can’t get it right today?  Why is it so hard to be good to each other and live in positivity?
    6-“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time.  But no one seems to care or wonder why.  No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.  For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.” (Isaiah 57:1-2)  I’ve loss a lot of people who’ve meant a lot to me before what I considered was their time to depart this world. However, reading this scripture gives me peace finally.  I never looked at death as a type of protection but more of a curse or unfortunate part of life.  After it sounds like life in Heaven would be way better than living a life down here on Earth if you have to be surrounded but evilness 24/7.  I hope this verse gives others comfort.
    7-“Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?  No!  They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush.  Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down,” says the Lord.” (Isaiah 60:15)  People who do wrong always justify their actions by saying ‘Ain’t no shame in my game.’  In their minds if they don’t feel shameful then that makes their bad habits and wrongdoing ok somehow.  No, my friends.  If you don’t find shame in it, trust me God does!
    Week 31 Readings
    7/29:  Jeremiah 11-15
    7/30:  Jeremiah 16-20
    7/31:  Jeremiah 21-24
    8/01:  Jeremiah 25-29
    8/02:  Jeremiah 30-33
    8/03:  Jeremiah 34-38
    8/04:  Jeremiah 39-45

  • Searching For Hope

    Last week and this weekend have been very trying.  And that’s putting it mildly.  So, we finally had to put our foot down on our landlord because something crawled into one of the walls from underneath the house, got stuck and died.  We woke up to find maggots coming through the baseboards (which aren’t flush with the floor at all) and foul smell.  At first I thought the Mr had spilled some rice because I wasn’t wearing my glasses.  But when I went to put on my glasses because it seemed like the rice was moving, I threw a fit when I saw they were maggots!

    I was ready to go through the roof.  We are clean freaks because who likes living in a dirty house.  Secondly, with my kids’ allergies I’m cleaning pretty much three times a day (sweeping, steam mopping, the whole nine).  We called the landlord multiple times and he kept forwarding us to voicemail.  On Thursday, he shows up to attempt to fix our clogged bathroom sink.  We don’t get in to with him or anything.  He simply asks if we’ve seen more bugs and I say no and walk off.

    Friday comes and I go to check the mail.  Low and behold what do I find?  I packet with the landlord’s handwriting on it.  It’s a note saying that he’s terminated our month to month lease.  And guess what else?  It’s dated for the Thursday!  Like really, he couldn’t have told us Thursday that he was terminating our lease because he doesn’t want to fix anything and we’re filing a code violation complaint?

    Y’all my first thought was to do something very un-Christian-ish.  After my anger simmered down a bit, panic set in.  We’ve been looking to buy a house which is a long process and we only had seven days from the Friday to find a new place to live!!  I was freaking out because all I could think about was that my family was going to be homeless.  I don’t know if any of you have ever been homeless, but I almost was as a child and the Mr was homeless (yea like sleeping outside) when he was a child.

    So over these past few days we’ve been calling around and calling around and going to see rental properties.  Up until a few minutes ago we were really wondering if we’d have find a hotel and put our stuff in storage?  Living month to month in a hotel is more expensive than paying a mortgage or rent.  And we still would have needed to buy food and pay for gas.  But God is good!  We have finally found a place.

    It’s farther from the Mr’s job and smaller than the place we’re leaving but it will do.  It’s bug-free, leak-free, and mold-free!  Plus, it puts us back in city limits.  So, now I can get the hustle and bustle of being in the mist of it all.  Moo gets to be five minutes away from her favorite library and places like the Discovery Place.  I’m two minutes from college dorm.  That’s perfect because I’m going back to school.  So, I don’t have far to ride in case there’s emergency back home.

    At the end of the day, we didn’t let this defeat us.  I’m wiped away my tears and forced myself to look on the bright side which is that we’ll be free of this rental for good.  The 23rd Psalm says the Lord is our shepard and we shall not want for anything. And I trusted in Him and kept searching for hope hat we find something.   And we did.   Keep us in prayer yall!!

  • Thankful Thursday

    Y’all it’s been a long week and we still have today, tomorrow and Saturday left.  It just seems like one thing after the other has been going on.  And I don’t do well with road blocks.  Anyways, it’s Thankful Thursday and despite all that’s transpired, I still have much to be grateful for.
    Not sure if I mentioned that we had the tires on our car vandalized.  It’s just down right sad the stupid and inconsiderate stuff people do to others for no reason.  They didn’t care if we had jobs to get, might have had an emergency run to hospital to make or whether or not we’d have the money to get new tires.  Thankfully, we were blessed to score new tires and get them put on for a steal!!  God is good because tires are expensive and money is a little snug around these parts right now.
    I’m also thankful that the Mr is feeling 100% since his surgery.  He was out of work for a month and started back this week.  Of course, a part of me is a little anxious to see how his body will respond and how well he’ll get back in the swing of things.  Can’t lie, we’re going to miss having him to ourselves.
    I’m thankful that I’ve been making good progress on my first vlog!  It’ll be up soon.  It’s been something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but a million and one excuses always kept popping up in my head and making me chicken out.  Well, I decided to just bite the bullet and go for it.  So, I can’t wait until it’s finished.
    We’ve still been having rain here almost everyday, but thankfully it’s been during the evening hours.  We were able to get out of the house yesterday and enjoy some sights.  I’m very thankful that I’ve been finding some great blogging/entrepreneurship resources and have been connecting with a lot of awesome bloggers online.  So often it can be hard to find other bloggers and business owners who will mentor you and just share their tips and tricks of the trade willingly and freely.  
    Trust me, I’ve tried and I can’t tell you how many people I reached out to either just didn’t respond back or whatever.  I definitely see myself going further and being able to better myself and establish a brand that I can twice as proud of than I am currently.  So, don’t give up.  Keep reaching out and keep researching.  You’ll find the right door one day!
    What’s on your gratitude list this week?

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  • 5 Reasons Why We Love Real Kids Shades

    Disclaimer:  We were provided two pairs of shades to facilitate this review.   All opinions expressed below are 100% our (me & Moo) own!
    When it comes to my kids there’s nothing I’m more protective of than their health- physically, mentally and emotionally.  Part of making sure they’re healthy physically is making sure I’m protecting their eyes.  While I’m not an expert, I know the importance of protecting ones eyes.  I had an infection that could have left me blind as a baby, I’ve worn glasses since I was a toddler and my eyes are sensitive to light.
    Thankfully, Moo and JJ have been blessed not to have nay eyes issues.  A recent trip to the doctor revealed that Moo has 20/20 vision.  Since we spend a lot of time outside on sunny days, Real Kids Shades (RKS) sent her one pair of their 3-7 year olds Hot Pink Flex shades and one pair of Pink/Purple Flex Duo shades for 3-7 year olds.  Parents these are the real deal, not some toy shades from the neighborhood dollar store.  What to like about RKS shades?

    They each came with these durable little pouches
    1-Doctor Recommended: With 6 US Patents and 2 Australian Patents, US Food & Drug Administration approval for protecting kids’ eyes from UV-A and UV-B rays, CPSIA compliance and shatterproof, impact-resistant lenses many opticians recommend RKS shades for kids 12 and under.  Most RKS frames can be fitted with prescription lenses.
    2-Durable But Comfy:  The lenses are made of a shatterproof and impact-resistant polycarbonate.  And trust me, Moo has put them to the test.  They’ve been dropped, stepped on and even left in a buggy for over 45 minutes in 100 degree heat in the almost three months she’s been wearing them! (Yes, we wanted to test them out for a while to make sure they would last & they have.)   As for the comfy part Moo says “these don’t hurt the back of my ears!”  Regular shades have arms that are hard and can irritate the crease where the ears connect with the head.  RKS shades have sturdy but soft and flexible arms.
    3-Stylish:  Moo gave her new shades two thumbs up.  She’s very opinionated about what clothes and accessories she wears now days.  For me the shades are perfect for a child a her age.  
    4-Affordable:  When I add up all the toy/cheap shades the Mr and I have purchased in the last two years for Moo, we could have gotten three pairs of shades from RKS.  At the end of the day these shades will grow with her and last until she’s at least 7.  And $14.99 is not a lot of money at all for all for you’re getting with RKS- shatterproof lenses, 100% UV-A and UV-B protection, and kid friendly frames.
    5-Partnerships:  RKS has partnered with organizations like Prevent Blindness America and Melanoma International Foundation.  They work with PBA to increase awareness about the importance of protecting our children’s eyes from damage caused by UV rays.  I don’t know about you, but it gives me comfort knowing refutable organizations back up brands that my family and I use.
    To learn more about Real Kids Shades you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  I encourage you to not just take our word for it, but to invest in a pair of RKS shades for your kid and see for yourself how they stack up to other kids brands.  I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.  Like I said, Moo’s been wearing these shades all over for a few months and they’ve lasted longer than most of her previous shades.  $14.99 is a small price to pay when it comes to protecting your child’s vision, don’t you think?
    How do you protect your child(ren)’s eyes year round?