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e.p.t. “the moment you knew”
![EPT_Keepsake_Case_1[1]](/.a/6a00d8341c0f9b53ef0133f2457780970b-pi.jpg)
For most women, seeing the positive pregnancy test is a moment they will never forget. It is a moment filled with joy, and hope, and dreams fulfilled. For me, it was different. You see, I suffer from infertility…and while I have one child, I never had the "pee on a stick/positive test" experience. When you suffer from infertility, your cycles are closely monitored and a blood test reveals your pregnancy far earlier than a home pregnancy test. I found out I was pregnant from a nurse, not a pee stick.
Even after this successful pregnancy, I continued to suffer from infertility and could not get pregnant. I resented those who had that "pee on a stick" moment…I imagined peeing on said stick, running down the stairs to my husband, crying and laughing and hugging. I played the moment out in vivid detail in my head, over and over and over again. None of our treatments worked and so our infertility journey ended and a life as a family of three began.
And yet, three years later, being ridiculously in tune with my body from the years of closely monitored cycles, I realized I was one day late. Just one…for most women, they wouldn't even realize, but I did and I tested. And there it was, my moment. My very own pee on a stick moment. I was mesmerized by the test stick announcing a positive. I waited until my husband came home from work and carefully showed it to him. We were filled with hope, but terrified-it had been a long time in coming and now that we had arrived, it was scary. Unfortunately, three days later, I lost the baby. In anger, I threw the stick away and after I recovered a bit, I felt sad that the one physical reminder I had of my baby was gone.
e.p.t. acknowledges what a big moment this is for a family and has launched a campaign to provide mothers with a keepsake case so that you can always look back at the day you found out you were pregnant. You can check out the info here.
And while my story isn't the joyous experience of others, I appreciate having the keepsake case to remind me of the babies I have lost. I am grateful for the "pee on a stick" moment of my own. (And if you wondering, yes, I did keep the test stick from my most recent pregnancy and loss…and while it hurts, I am so glad the have the sticks to remind me and comfort me.)
Thanks, e.p.t. for providing women a way to remember that special moment for families. TKDDaughter gives this a:
"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Centralon behalf of e.p.t and received an e.p.t. keepsake case and a $20 gift card to JustGive.org to facilitate my review.”
KinderCone
Today, I pickup my son up from preschool for the very last time. It was so difficult to experience yet another bittersweet moment-I am so proud of how much he has grown and so excited for what the future holds, but I so desperately want to hold on to my baby. While the summer is just beginning, the fall looms ahead of me and a new phase of his education awaits. I think the transition will be a lot easier on the boy than on the mom.
I was recently introduced to KinderCone…based on the German tradition of Schultute, a cone made of sturdy and colorful paper which is filled with treats and school supplies and given to first graders as they embark on their very first day of school. This 200 year old tradition helps children on the scary adventure known as first grade.
When we unpacked our KinderCone at our house, my son loved it. It included a stuffed animal, school supplies, and other assorted fun items. He had such a blast taking out each item and he told me that he thought it was a good thing to do when getting ready to go to all day school (for him, this is kindergarten). He asked if we could do this every year!
I simply love this idea…to send our kids off to school knowing they are loved and that we have taken the time to prepare something special just for them. What a great send off. Check out their website and see for yourself. They have a variety of of choices and price points-one of these will definitely work for your soon to be first grader!
Without a doubt, TKDDaughter gives KinderCone a:
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCone and received KinderCone samples to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Airwear Lenses
Filed under: Apparel and Shoes, Beauty, General Information, Going Green
My husband has been wearing glasses forever. He often tries out contact lenses, but finds them uncomfortable. Glasses, however, can take a beating when worn continuously especially when doing the renovation projects of the magnitude we have in our house. So, he needs comfortable glasses that are durable.
Back in the late fall, we were asked to try out a pair of Airwear lenses. After a few complications, my husband has declared these lenses super comfortable. Airwear lenses are 30% lighter and 10 times more impact resistant than standard plastic lenses. This comes in handy when wrenches are falling when he's working under the car or as he bangs his head on the boards he is cutting for the new porch railing.
Since it's Earth Day, we can celebrate Airwear lenses because of their green quality. 100% of the product waste from Airwear lenses is recycled reducing their environmental footprint that occurs during production.
We did have some issues with the company. It took a very long time to receive our lenses, and when we got the first set of lenses, there was a flaw in the lenses that made it blurry for my husband. They rectified the situation and my husband is now comfortably wearing his lenses.
TKDDaughter gives Airwear lenses a:
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Airwear and received a pair of Airwear eyeglasses lenses to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Wendy’s High School Heismann Program + GIVEAWAY!!
I teach high school, ninth-graders specifically. I am amazed each year as more and more parents are stressed out about college when their children enter the ninth grade. While I understand that every decision and choice in high school impacts the college application, it makes me a bit sad that children have so much stress so early.
Students today work hard. They are over scheduled and still maintain good grade averages and help in their communities. As a way of showcasing and congratulating these students who work so hard and achieve so much, Wendy's is continuing its eight year tradition of the Wendy's High School Heisman Program. Here's how it works:
High school seniors who have a 3.0 average or higher, participate in a school-sponsored sport and contribute to their community can apply at www.WendysHeisman.com, or a high school educator, guidance counselor, or coach can nominate them. As a little reward, the first 41,100 applicants will receive a free Wendy's gift card in amounts ranging from $5 to $50. One male and one female from each high school will win the award and continue on in competition for state and national awards. Twelve national finalists will participate in Heisman Weekend festivities during an all-expenses-paid trip Dec. 11-13 to New York City. ESPN2 will feature all 12 national finalists during the Wendy's High School Heisman Awards Ceremony, which airs Dec. 13. The Wendy's High School Heisman website will display the names of all applicants and individual school winners on October 22, 2009.
I encourage any parents or teachers to let the high school seniors in their lives know about this great opportunity. And anyone who leaves a comment here will be entered into a drawing for a $20 Wendy's gift card-you can't beat that!
For encouraging kids to keep working hard, TKDDaughter gives the Wendy's High School Heisman Program a:
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Wendy's and received a gift certificate to giveaway and to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Making Life Better
Filed under: Food and Drink, General Information, Household
The title of this post alone should be your "narrative hook" (sorry, geeky English teacher here…). We all strive in this tough economy to make the most of what we have and stretch our resources. Along the way, we don't want to scrimp on the health and well being of our families. Dinner is a constant struggle to do this…Mom Central showed me a website that is quickly becoming a new favorite place for me when I do my meal planning.
Making Life Better features great recipes and cooking tips. I'm planning on putting the Grilled Chicken with Peaches meal (at only 320 calories!!) on my meal plan for next week. There is a quick search where you can quickly search by different criteria, making it easy to find what you need. They even have their own YouTube channel where you can find Cooking Coach videos to learn new tips and ideas.
I like that this website focuses on making dinner fast and easy and affordable. There is an entire section on Budget meals…I like that! You can sign up for a newsletter, enter a monthly sweepstakes, and more! Check out this helpful website and start gaining some sanity into your life at mealtime!
TKDDaughter gives Making Life Better a :
Getting Rave Reviews
BlogHer Review
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