For the most part pregnancy is something that you will never forget – I remember bits and pieces (even large chunks) of all my pregnancies … yup, all 5 of them. Through it all, there are a few things that definitely stand out to me as great recommendations for any expecting mom!

Write a Memoir: Well, actually not exactly a memoir per se, but I would definitely like to suggest that all expecting moms keep some sort of journal – daily or weekly.  It is not only an amazing memory for your child, but can also come in very handy in subsequent pregnancies … just trust me on this one!  You can keep a written journal or a blog, either one works, just keep it recorded and accessible!

Photographic Evidence: Make sure that you get plenty of pictures during pregnancy.  I’m not suggesting that you must go have a professional photo shoot (though that is probably very nice for some people), just simple stage pictures will do – one for each trimester maybe.  I say this simply because I didn’t get any photos of my pregnancy with the twins.  It makes me very sad to this day and we even took the camera to the hospital, but once we got there it was too crazy and they were never taken.  I won’t give you the whole sob story, just suffice it to say that I deem this a very important piece to the puzzle of your child’s life.  Pregnant women are beautiful, so go make a memory for your child!

On a Deeper Note: When we were pregnant with our first son (oh my word, the child is now 13) it seemed that all the other couples in our circle had a certain tecnique they were using.  They had all taken classes, read books, asked questions and were ready to go.  For us though, we definitely had a feeling of sitting on the outside and looking in through the glass doors.

Not to say that their method or way was bad, but few of them even had children yet, and for some reason it concerned us not to find a balance.  That has been a theme for me in many respects … trying to find that balance in life, parenthood, marriage, everything!

There are many parenting and advice books out there, many methods, many beliefs and opinions, but there’s only one set of parents for your child and only God can tell you what the right way to parent that child is.  Go ahead and read a variety of thoughts and ideas, but keep your heart, thoughts and mind on the Lord for direction as you do and watch for those “warning” signs or question marks to spur any red flags for you.

Have you ever spent any time talking with a mother from our “older” generation?  The time before there were all the books, strategies, methods and techniques?  We happened to have very easy access to my grandparents when I was pregnant with our first son and as he was an infant, it was amazing to listen to her stories.  It definitely helped me think a little bit outside the box that the “current parenting wind” was putting everyone in!

You can sum it up with one word – SIMPLICITY!  I think there are two things we need to be most careful of: making up our minds exactly how parenthood will be before we even have children (and not allowing them to have individual needs) and letting those opinions and the opinions of others complicate our parenting.

Keep it simple ladies and be careful not to go into parenthood with too many preconceived opinions.  If you already have your mind and future parenthood mentally set in stone, you might want to tread carefully or you might be the next one being asked, “and how’s that working for ya’?”!!

This giveaway has ended!  The winner is #48 – Sherry!  It was her twitter entry that got her the prize, so be sure to take advantage of the extra entry opportunities I offer .

Mabel’s Labels is back!  This time they reminded us what a great idea it is to get organized for baby!  I’ll admit, it’s probably one of the things that I just don’t think to do, but as I look back at the frustrations of not remembering which bin was for what or who’s coat was who’s I realize what an amazing help these labels would be.

With baby, it seems like everything has to be labeled.  Good luck getting away with not labeling everything in site with twins!

Mabel’s Labels is a company based in Canada (works with the US too of course)  that offers labels for just about everything.  Clothing, shoes, diaper bags, sippy cups, bottles, etc … seriously the ideas are practically endless.

Visit Mabel’s Labels to see what I’m talking about!  Oh, and this is a GREAT opportunity for ALL moms to participate, so when you’re done looking at all the amazing packs and options they offer, be sure to come back here to enter to win a Big Combo Pack!

To enter, simply leave a comment – if you’re already a mom, please tell us your suggestions for staying/getting organized before baby arrives.

Remember, there are many ways to earn extra entries, just CLICK HERE for details! This giveaway will end on February 3rd and is open to US and Canadian addresses.

Not long ago, I introduced all of you to Something 2 Brag About, a very fun mom-owned online shop featuring beautiful and unique jewelry primarily for moms and children.

Of course, their mother’s jewelry is fabulous and there is something for almost every mom!  The jewelry offered at Something 2 Brag About truly makes a wonderful gift for a new or expectant mom, I cannot tell you how much they will treasure it!

Today I wanted to tell you a little more about their products for expectant and new moms, then we’ll get to the discount and giveaways being offered by Something 2 Brag About.  We had an opportunity to experience her “Baby On Board” bracelet and let me tell you it is the cutest thing!  Here’s what Tessa (our resident pregnant mommy) says about this bracelet:  (more…)

A few days ago I asked all of you to share with us a piece of advice (good or bad) that you had been given prior to becoming a parent.   As I wrote that, I began to think back to the many people I have encountered among my 5 pregnancies and I also asked Tessa (my sis and this event’s resident preggy mom) if she had anything to share .  The amazing thing is that  the message that both of us separately felt on our hearts to share is basically the same!

I had intended to share it all with you in one post, but I just couldn’t make it fit, so two posts it is!  Today I’m going to paste in what Tessa had to share and knowing her story, I have to admit that it brought tears to my eyes.

The best thing about being in my fourth pregnancy is the confidence I already have in knowing who I am as a mom. This is so different than my experience with my first pregnancy!

I was given a lot of advice and books from a group of very well meaning friends about the “right way” to parent babies. It had worked for them very successfully and after hearing their stories, reading and asking questions I was sold. I believed that what the book said was true, this was the one way, the right way.

Then my daughter was born and I began to see very clearly that she had never read the book! Don’t get me wrong, I tried my best to follow my plan. For weeks we struggled to obey the rules, but she never responded the way the babies in the books did.

My beautiful, healthy daughter had colic and cried all the time. At the advice of my pediatrician we threw the book away and began again.

Looking back at this very difficult time, I now believe it was one of the biggest blessings of my life. God used my wonderful, inconsolable baby to humble and teach me every day for three long months. I learned how to listen to her cries and meet her needs.

I began to realize that God created each one of us as unique individuals with different needs, challenges and sensitivities. I started asking for God’s wisdom and have never stopped because I understand that I don’t have the answers.

Imagine how narrow minded and proud I might be today, if my daughter had been an easy baby who fit perfectly into my program and theories. Maybe, just maybe, all those people who believe they know the one “right way” just haven’t had a baby different enough to change their minds.

I am so thankful that every child is a unique blessing that sends us humbly to Jesus’ feet, for he alone knows what is the right way for our little ones.

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Tessa will be back on Saturday with some thoughts about and experiences with colicky babies, so be sure to check back on that.  In a day or two I’ll post about my thoughts about becoming a mom and a couple basic pieces of advice as well!!!  Until then … be blessed!

Little Piddles is a very fun mom-owned shop that offers baby products, stylish children’s clothes and accessories and much more! Because it is a small family shop, the customer service is amazing and you truly do receive one on one customer care!

Their Birth Announcements, diaper bags, blankets, and great variety of baby products are very fun to browse through, but we were excited to have the opportunity to check out a Swelly Belly Maternity Belly Band (made by Nine Moons). Again, Tessa (our resident pregnant mom) chimed in on this great product!

Little Piddles is offering a prize and a discount for my readers and Tessa tells us a little more about the product so click the “read more” link to enter …

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In honor of Baby Fest, we’re going to look back at the Twinkies when they were 6 months old! Remember to keep checking back for all the latest giveaways (there are already 4 offers).

Happy WW!

When you visit Micah & Co. you’ll immediately be greeted by a fun and very mommy appealing design, but when you look just a little deeper, you’ll find so much more.

I want to start by saying that I have “known” the owner of Micah & Co. for quite some time now and my experiences working with her have always been wonderful!  By getting to know her, you will understand the reason and meaning behind this wonderful shop and the great variety of products that are offered.

We will be visiting Micah & Co. a few times through the event, so I get to introduce you to a variety of their products as we go.  Today, we’ll look at a couple of unique products for the mom-to-be.

I remember being pregnant with my first son.  It seemed like it took forever for me to start showing (not AT ALL a problem with my second and other subsequent pregnancies though) and I practically wanted to shout it from the rooftops … but subtly LOL!

I love their Expecting Flower Pendant, it would have been the perfect answer for my first-pregnancy-dilemma!  I also know how excited friends and family get when they find out that a loved one is pregnant.   This pendant would be wonderful to announce your pregnancy to friends and family, but is also a fantastic gift to give the newly expecting mom-to-be!

Click on the “read more” link below to read more about this shop and products and to enter to win a great prize from them! (more…)

Welcome to day two of Baby Fest!  Later today I’m going to re-introduce you to one of my all time favorite online baby shops and you’ll be hearing about them a lot during this event!

This week we are focusing on products for pregnancy and planning/hosting a baby shower.   Many of the products that we get to share with you were fun little surprising ideas for expecting moms that we had never thought about – I think you’ll be inspired!

In case you didn’t know, Baby Fest is actually in honor of my sis Tessa who is expecting her 4th baby – A Girl (yes, I’m definitely giddy about this).  All of our sponsors sent amazing products for her to try out and she’s been having a blast (well, so have I).  She’ll chime in later today and as we go through the week.

Here’s today’s challenge (Participation Opportunity) … Tessa and her hubby are notorious for not being able to pick a name prior to the birth of their babies.

Think I’m exaggerating?  Last time, with her third child, he went at least two days without a name.  We can’t blame it entirely on my sis though!  Nope!  She’s obviously not alone in this naming process, so BIL(Brother-In-Law)  is also definitely wearing his fair share of the blame.

So, here’s the call out for you to share all the baby names you LOVE and want to recommend for them to consider!  To give you the best shot at making sure your shout out is one they would even consider,  I don’t want you to dive in without a little pertinent information first:

• She is expecting a girl and I haven’t ever heard them mention any names that are commonly used for both boys and girls (Jordan, Casey, Taylor, etc), so I don’t think they’d look at those.
• This time around they are avoiding “C” or “K” names.
• They do NOT like names that tend to be shortened into nicknames either (Elizabeth, Samantha, etc)!

I’ll leave it at that!  Tell your friends and think on this a bit, we’re desperate here.  This is a couple that seriously cannot agree on a name (LOL).  So, give it your best shot and at the end of Baby Fest I will coerce my BIL to go through the names and choose his favorites.

Just for extra fun, I may even randomly choose from those favorites and send a little prize your way .  Kind of vague I know, but hey, you know it will be a fun little prize for any mom (I’ll give you a hint – I’ll be designing it for you) so go ahead and participate.

Like I said earlier today, there will be a smattering of posts throughout the event that will offer you the opportunity to participate by blogging and have a prize that will appeal to most moms … read on, because this is one of those posts .

In some ways when you give birth to (or adopt) your first child, you immediately enter a community.  This community is made up of moms of all different types, no two are alike, but they all have one thing in common … the love and care of a child.

You may not attend your local MOPS or other mommy group, and your children may even all be in their teens, but the sense of community is still there.  The need to reach out to other moms and interact with someone else who’s been there, done that or even currently struggling through it themselves offers us so much more support than we ever anticipated.

In a way, that’s what A Frog In My Soup is all about, so I felt that it would be very fitting to kick start Baby Fest with a great community builder … and a very fun prize for moms in general.

Event Bloggy Participation Opportunity: This is your first opportunity to participate in the event on a little bigger level.  If you are a mom, blog about the most surprising piece of advice you received from another mother and whether or not that worked for you, and what advice you would like to share now.  If you are pregnant, tell us the most surprising statement you have heard from another mom, or from a stranger in the store.

Once you’ve blogged your participation post (even if you don’t blog, keep reading to see how you too can participate in this opportunity and earn an entry for the prize being offered), come back here and leave a comment with the direct link to your post so that we can visit you – this will earn you 3 entries for the prize offered below.

If you aren’t a blogger, you may comment with your answer to my request for an entry.

The Prize: A set of 25 Mommy Cards from Sweet ‘n Simple Design!  Building and supporting a community of moms!  These cards are beautiful and surprisingly functional.  They are perfect for giving to moms you meet at your child’s school, at church or sports.  They are also great to give to teachers and coaches.

If you are a mom with kiddos underfoot, but you aren’t expecting a baby (or even remotely planning on doing so in the near future) then you’ll be thrilled to learn that we will have  great items for you too during Baby Fest!

Be on the lookout for posts during the event that state they are for All Moms!  Generally, these posts in particular will give a topic or idea for you to write about on your blog.  Once you have posted, just come back here and leave a comment with the link to your post and you will earn two entries.  If you aren’t a blogger, you may participate as well by leaving a comment with your answer to the topic – this will earn you one entry.