Something 2 Offer

email subscription instagram linked purple icon FB icon pinterest icon twitter

Thaleia

And Baby Makes Six!

By 6 Comments

And Baby Makes Six!

Okay, so those of you on facebook or who know me in real-life aren’t surprised by this, but some of you missed the “memo” we had a baby. You my loyal readers and new readers alike I would like to officially announce the birth of our third son and youngest child which makes four children. Today he is 7 weeks old! Sorry for keeping him a “secret”.

baby makes 6

 

Still trying to figure out his official blog name, but for now we will call him Baby C-4! He was born on his due date way back on August 21 weighing in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and measuring at least 20″. Yep, you read that right! The nurse could not get him to stretch out straight. He has red hair just like I called it. (More like his Aunt Amy’s than Lil’ Red’s!) I do not want to spill more birth details since I plan on writing a post about birth story details.

We now have Eldest who is 10 1/2 yrs., Princess who is 9 yrs., Lil’ Red who is almost 3 1/2 yrs., and Baby C-4 who is almost 2 months old!

baby makes collage

We are Now a Family of Six!

The Good about 6 Family members:

1- We now have birthed grandchildren #1, #2, #7, and #8 on my side of the family. (Time for younger sis to add to the role:)

2- We make our own “party” at some local restaurants. This means we will get booth seating more often:)

3- We now only need another family of 4 to get group discounts at museums and amusement parks.

The Not-so-Good about 6 Family members:

1- We have now outgrown hubby’s 5 seater car! When his car bites it we will probably check out a used 8 seater’s since my van is over 20 yrs. old.

2-We make our own “party” at some local restaurants. YES, I listed it both places. While it will be more likely for us to get a booth it also means we may have to wait longer or call ahead. We may also not be able to sit with grandparents and friends as easily either. I’m sure other  “BIG” families know what I mean.

3- Holidays and Birthdays can become a little more expensive if we don’t plan ahead and use coupons.

4- We now only have 1 “extra” vehicle seat so both aunt and uncle can no longer ride with us:(

My 35th Birthday Wishlist!

By 2 Comments

My 35th Birthday Wishlist!

35th birthday wishlist

 

Wow, cannot believe that my “number” is getting that high! Now I will be heading to forty and no longer a young thirty! I thought it would be fun to create a post about my birthday wishlist. This list is two-fold. One for my family aka hubby & kids to know what I really want AND so I can remember cool new products or websites. I can always bump some items to my Christmas wishlist.

Herbal Learning:

My latest hobby is discovering all the useful and helpful ways everyday “weeds” ( I mean native plants) can help with common ailments. I grew up with the appreciation of using catnip, slippery elm bark, echinacea, comfrey, etc. Now as an adult I want to learn MORE and pass more information about herbs and plants on to my children.

I “cheated” and bought some herb related things which I really love like a few issues of Herbal Roots Zine for Kids! (they were on special a few weeks ago) AND the Herbal Medicine Making Kit. The kit came and it looks wonderful but I MADE myself stay out of it until we get some work done around the house AND after my birthday! It has been so hard to stay out of it knowing the tincture will take 6 weeks to make.
Herbal Roots Zine  

Big Ticket items:

Herbalist Training via Correspondence Course $200 and up
Natural Herbal Living Magazine’s Herb Box of the Month $40/month

Herb Supplies:
mesh strainers
cheesecloth
muslin bags
ounce scale
mason jars
amber jars for tinctures and small oil mixtures
The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants
Herbs(dried plants):
slippery elm bark
callendula flowers
red clover (wc)
red raspberry leaves (wc)
dandelions (wc)
plantain (wc)
My kids have been very supportive and helpful in gathering plants since Baby C-4 was born right around the time I was learning about medicinal plants growing right under our noses!

(wc= wild crafted which means collecting the herbs and plant matter ourselves and drying them for future use)

Seeds and Plants:
I think I need dirt and pots for the herb seeds that I have more than I need more seeds, lol! I think some really big pots that I can create miniature herb gardens in would be great for us. I also need to dig up a ton of unwanted weeds in our butterfly garden. I am saving seeds from our Evening Primrose plants but need to find Mullein in the Spring.

Nature Love:

I would absolutely love a weekend getaway at a State Park in order to hike through nature and enjoy the Fall season! I wouldn’t even mind staying in a lodge versus a cabin. I wouldn’t mind bringing all four children along. Maybe exploring a cave would be fun. I love the sound of leaves crunching under foot and the crisp cool air that require some layering.

MISC:
new jammies (lightweight)
nursing bras
fashion boots
winter coat (more modern and fashionable)
better 3-ring binder system for blogging
3-ring fabric pencil case for blog binder
funky and fun pens for blogging
TONS of post-its in various sizes for blog and menus
headphones or speakers for ipod

Hope this gives my readers a chance to get to know me better and my family a REAL LIST to go by versus the usual ” I don’t know what I want”. I may post again and reveal what I really got for my birthday as well as what fun I have using my presents!

 

What do you want for your birthday? Do you make a wishlist for your significant other or children? Tell me about it!

 

 

 

 

KIND Snacks Charity Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

By Leave a Comment

KIND Snacks Charity Initiative for

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

KIND Snacks Charity Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

What a great way to show your support to Breast Cancer patients then by participating in KIND Snacks Charity Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! KIND Healthy Snack bars are offering two great flavors as part of the limited-edition BreastBFFL Bag. Breast Cancer is very near and dear to me since my aunt died because of Breast Cancer. My mom’s best friend is a survivor of Breast Cancer. This is a great way to show a Breast Cancer patient that you care!

I have had the pleasure of trying both Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio and Almonds & Apricots in Yogurt. I must be honest and say I found the KIND brand of snacks a few years ago and consider them a real treat. These bars are delicious. I have never found a flavor I did not like. I do have favorites, but they are all delicious. I am so glad I got to be a part of this charity initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Here’s more details on KIND and the BFFL Co:

KIND Healthy Snacks has teamed up with Dr. Elizabeth Thompson, radiation oncologist and founder of BFFL Co to offer a limited-edition BreastBFFL Bag for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The limited edition Breast BFFLBag contains all the essential items a women needs during the first days following breast cancer surgery including KIND bars, a toiletries kit, amusement pack, skinceuticals, comfort pillow, drainage pack, collapsible water bottle, and expandable folder for important paperwork.

For every bag sold in October, KIND will donate an extra $5 to Friends Fighting Breast Cancer. You can purchase the bag for a woman in your life who is recovering from breast cancer or “Do the KIND Thing” by purchasing one to donate to an anonymous, deserving patient.

Can’t commit financially – no worries! Within each of the donated bags we will be including words of encouragement from women across the country. Submit your note to one of these brave women anywhere on KIND’s Facebook wall or to bfflco@something2offer.comkindsnacks.com and we’ll be sure it makes its way to a deserving patient.

 

To help spread the word, feel free to share the below posts on your social media channels!

Gift a @something2offer.combfflco bag to a breast cancer patient & @something2offer.comKINDsnacks will donate $5 to @something2offer.comFFBC1 https://something2offer.com//bit.ly/14mEI2I Giving back is #kindawesome

Help @something2offer.comKINDsnacks & @something2offer.combfflco share encouraging note to breast cancer patients: email them to bfflco@something2offer.comkindsnacks.com  https://something2offer.com//wp.me/p2C3NH-22P
DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

10 Reasons Why I love FALL!

By 1 Comment

10 Reasons Why I love FALL!

reasons I love fall

1) Apple Picking– Fresh crisp apples and all the yummy things you can do with apples. So appealing to me (yes, pun intended!)

apple picking time

2) Visiting a Pumpkin Patch- I love taking my children to a pumpkin patch and a wagon ride to the field is even better.

pumpkin patch

3) Crunchy leaves- Walking in a tree lined path or forest is so awesome and sensory fulfilling. Here’s what we found on our First Fall Nature Hike!

Fall Nature Hike

4) Bonfire- the warmth and crackle of a fire combined with roasted wieners and s’mores. Nothing beats it for a nice simple meal or snack.

backyard campfire

5) Wearing Warm comfy clothes- love layering and bringing out a forgotten vest, jacket, or sweater.

6) Harvest Moon- I love the show Little Bear and the Harvest Moon episode. Super cute and such a fun way to celebrate the Fall! Here’s a great post from Learning with Mouse!

7) Sipping on Apple Cider- Wish I had a way to make our own apple cider. My hubby used to know of a place that made cherry apple cider as well.

sipping tea or apple cider

8) Fun Fall Festivals- so many great free or cheap festivals in our area that are family friendly! You’ve got apple festivals, Pioneer or History festivals, pumpkin festivals, harvest festivals, and Halloween festivals like Trunk or Treat!

9) Trick or Treat- My kids love costumes and I love all the post-Halloween sales! I tend to pick up costumes at 75%-90% off for their upcoming birthday party themes and future Halloween’s.

10) My Birthday- gotta keep things in perspective. I think I love Fall since it is my birthday season!

 

Daily Coffee Time Equals Marriage Time

By 1 Comment

Daily Coffee Time Equals Marriage Time

coffee time

In honor of National Coffee Day today, I decided to write a post featuring a couple that we know that enjoys daily Coffee Time.

I want to introduce you all to our friends, Rob and Meghann. We have known then since we first got married and moved into a large house that was converted into three apartments. We lived upstairs and Rob and Meghann lived downstairs. We were all newlyweds at the time.

Fastforward to 14 years later and we are still friends or friends again. We all have children now and both families homeschool. Meghann and I ran into each other over the Summer while I was still pregnant. Since they live in town we both thought it would be good to get our children together. We meet at the local park and played for an hour or so. Then headed to Rob and Meghann’s house for popsicles and more playtime.

Rob got home from work and announced it was COFFEE TIME and would I like an iced coffee. I said sure I wouldn’t mind trying one. This is when I found out about the Daily Coffee Time that Rob and Meghann have had for over 15 years! They started Coffee Time while they were still dating.

rob meghann coffee time

We were just over yesterday for their daughter’s birthday and Rob was getting tired. So once again Coffee Time was announced and any adult present was offered some iced coffee. I opted out this time, but boy wish I hadn’t since Rob made it extra special with cool whip and flavoring. Above are Rob, Meghann, and youngest child! (Sorry the picture is a little fuzzy. All I had was my cell phone:)

No matter what craziness happens during the day at work for Rob or at home for Meghann with FIVE kids they take a break late afternoon for Coffee Time. They spend time catching up on the day which has been a great marriage strengthener for them.

 

I promise to share some of Rob’s famed recipes once I get them, but for now enjoy some recipes for coffee that I pinned!

Linked up with:

Do you drink coffee? Do you have a daily marriage ritual?

Please share anything coffee or marriage related. We would love to hear your story!