Luke has his last week of preschool next week and I have seen so many adorable ways kids are celebrating! Parents are getting in on the fun too and getting creative with their end of year school gifts for teachers and their kid’s classmates!

Jennie and I have worked with two wonderful local companies to make Luke and Cody’s last day of school fun! If you’re looking for a yummy treat to celebrate the end of the school year don’t forget about the delicious Busken Bakery!

You can get some of their signature cookies  by the dozen – perfect to celebrate a special graduation! You can also special order cookies with your kid’s picture on the cookie! How FUN! Love this idea!

We’ve also worked with the wonderful people over at Orange Frazer Press in Wilmington to make sure all the kids of Luke and Cody’s classes have a copy of the great book, “Harriett’s Homecoming”! This is a fantastic store about a high flying adventure tour of Cincinnati! I am making little tags for the inside of the book that read,

“Wishing You a high-flying Summer of Reading and Adventures Around Cincinnati!”

What better way to encourage kids to READ all Summer long and enjoy this beautiful city than to give out a copy of this charming story! This would also make a great teacher’s gift and have all the kids in the class sign the inside of the book to add to the Classroom! If you fall in love with this book as much as Jennie and I have, be sure to check out their website where there is a wonderful Schools and Library program with a LIVE peregrine falcon demonstration! If you buy the books HERE, the Author will sign the books with a custom inscription!

BIG Thanks to Busken Bakery and Orange Frazier Press!

What have you enjoyed doing with your families to celebrate the end of the school year?! Any FUN traditions?

Kim and I always talk about how important we think sleep is. I can see a MAJOR change in my kids and myself when we don’t get enough sleep!! It is SO hard as a mom to get proper sleep because we are up late getting our chores finished, up through the night with the kids and then up early getting them out the door! Sleep deprivation has actually been known to cause higher obesity rates and hyperactive behaviors. You can also check out this interesting article about people confusing sleep deficits with ADHD. NONE of us want this for our kids (or ourselves)! Be sure to read the Sleep Tips from Mattress Firm’s Chris Marsh, VP of Merchandising  to make sure you and your kids  are getting enough sleep!! 

 Better Sleep Tips:

• Consistency in a sleep schedule is key, even with summer vacations and a busy schedule. Use a predictable nighttime routine and do approximately the same activities each night or at nap time, in the same order.
• Power Down. Engage in quiet activities with your children 30 minutes before bed like listening to music or reading a book. The television and loud/bright devices may make it harder to relax.
• Protect their sleep environment to ensure healthy sleep. Mattress protectors safeguard your investment accidents and may help with allergens.
• Make sure the room is darkened, and use white noise (such as an appliance that makes a steady hum, or environmental sound machine) if you have a busy household or neighborhood.
• Purchase a mattress that is both comfortable AND supportive. The Better Sleep Council estimates that nearly 70% of old beds are handed down, often repeatedly, to children. Remember, if a mattress isn’t comfortable enough for you to sleep on any longer, it’s not going to be comfortable for your child!!
  

In honor of Mattress Firm wanting you to get the best sleep you can, they are offering a giveaway for our readers for a Coconut Foam Pillow! Coconut Foam Pillows are new to the market, this pillow is made of resilient, contouring foam blended with 30-34% coconut oil , which allows for 3 times more air circulation than traditional foams, giving you a more comfortable night’s sleep. The combination of these two substances creates a pillow with substantial support and a “plush” feel.  The pillow is contoured to relieve pressure, stress and tension from the neck and shoulders, and is a good choice for back and side sleepers!! 

To get entered,  visit  Mattress Firm on Facebook and post a comment to the thread about the most comfortable bed you’ve ever slept on! For an extra entry, share this giveaway on any of your social media sites. Please leave a comment for each item you have completed!! Comments close Friday May 31st at Noon. Good Luck and happy sleeping! :)

OMG!!!!! We are SOOOOOOOOOOO excited to announce this and HOPE you will join us!!

Outrageous costumes, beer chugging and foot racing will reign supreme as the Tap ‘N’ Run 4K returns to Cincinnati on Saturday, June 1^st, at 2 p.m. (is there really anything better than this?!!!)

Tap ‘N’ Run 4K combines participants’ love of beer and running for a unique “one of a kind” run/walk race totaling 2.4 miles over the Purple People Bridge and by both Reds and Bangles stadiums. Participants are encouraged to dress in costumes and run with teams, friends and family of legal drinking age. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit the local charity, The Cincinnati Sport Corporation.

Operated by Louisville, KY-based JAM Active, Tap ‘N’ Run encourages participants to run, jog, walk, hop, skip or crawl to three different “chug stations” along the course. The “chug stations” will have participants chugging a four-ounce sample of beer before continuing along the race route. At the finish line, participants will receive a full beer and the chance to win one of many awards (including Best Mustache, Best Belcher, Most Original Team Concept, Hot Mess, among others) at the After Party.

Woot Woot! How much FUN does this sound??!!!! Just what mama needs….a day to have some fun with her girlfriends!! Best of all they are offering a discount code for $5.00 off registration for all of our readers! Use the code: MOMSTAP during checkout. Tell all your friends to come on over to Motherhood Support to grab the code for themselves!!

All participants will receive a finishers medal that doubles as a bottle opener as well as a Tap n’ Run tshirt! I mean, really, where else can you run crazy around Cincy, have fun with friends, drink and act a fool?! Sign me UP! We would LOVE for you to join us! You can sign up here! Don’t forget to enter your coupon code and join our team: Moms on the Run!

See below for the winners of the BIG giveaway! Congrats everyone!

(All the winners have been notified by email)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We are on “vacation” and taking a little blogging break this week! We’ll be back next week Monday, May 20th and in the meantime we’re leaving you with a BIG giveaway to celebrate our brand NEW facebook page! We did change our name from Surviving Motherhood to Motherhood Support and as a result we had to get a new Facebook page….however, Facebook did approve our request to have the page merged so you may have noticed things looking a bit different on our new page! We are THRILLED we were able to keep all our “likes” and stay connected with you and even better that it’s less work for you to have to switch pages!

To celebrate we have these fabulous giveaways lined up for you which we will announce next Monday, May 20th when we’re back from our blogging break!! Enter on the form below and GOOD LUCK!!! -Jennie and Kim

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be leaving for Florida today!! We are headed out for a nice long vacation and some good ole family time :) I am NOT very good with the car. My friends know that if I have to drive somewhere more than 10 minutes away I am annoyed so there really wasn’t a question as to whether we would fly or drive. I think once all the kids are older, we will make a road trip out of it, but for now, mama is flying!

With the airport comes parking and the CVG FastPark and Relax/ Airport FastPark has given us some passes to try them out while I am away! I will let you know what I think when I return! What I do know about the FastPark. “Fast Park is a leading offsite airport parking company headquartered in Cincinnati. With 16 facilities in 12 markets throughout the country. It’s brands include FastPark & Relax, FastPark2, Airport Fast Park, and Park Place. Fast Park offers the highest-quality customer service at its facilities 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Its convenient shuttle service transports travelers directly from their parking spot to their terminal. Facilities are located in the following cities: Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore-BWI, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston-IAH, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Orlando, Raleigh and Tucson.”

The Fast Park Difference

•  No walking. No waiting. No worries. Car to Airport Terminal Service
• Fast and safe accommodations to and from the airport
  
• Complimentary luggage assistance
• Cashier greeting and instructions upon entrance
• Complimentary newspaper upon entrance (available M-F, 6-8am, while supplies last)

This just makes me happy because I know I will be stressed out until I get the four of us and all of our luggage on the plane so parking and getting to the proper place in the airport is one less thing I have to worry about!! With the summer approaching, I am sure you will all be heading out and about and if you are flying, you can try FastPark too! We are giving away a 5 day consecutive FastPark pass for FREE parking and a Travel Blanket.

Here is what you need to do to get entered

Answer the first question in the comment section to be entered. Additional answers are bonus entries. Please leave a separate comment for each!

1. If you use Fast Park, what is your favorite Fast Park amenity? If you don’t use Fast Park, just write “New Customer”.

2. Share your favorite vacation memory!

3. Check out our NEW Facebook Page and the Fast Park Page!

A winner will be drawn through Random.org by Noon on May 20th!

Sometimes these posts just get the best of me, I have to admit. I started one weeks ago and keep adding and changing it and I’m just never happy with it enough to push “publish” on the post. All this blog stuff can so easily take over our lives, Jennie and I constantly fight to keep a good balance and some days are easier than others. There are a lot of people who find a great way to run a business at home and put the time into it for it to be successful. We did dip our toes into Wildtree and while we love it, we just don’t have the time to devote to it. At the end of the day, there’s just no amount of money or incentive trips that are worth me taking that time away from my kids.

I would rather sit and read the same book over and over again to Luke ALL day long and put everything down to nurse Emma and look into those big blue eyes instead of “making calls” or “checking emails”. This especially hit home for me today when I got a graduation card from our neighbor with a baby picture next to her graduation picture.  You blink and suddenly your “baby” is graduating! I wouldn’t miss these precious moments with my kids for anything.

Luke came home with this for me today and on the back it read:

Notice it doesn’t say “I love my Mommy because she’s a good business woman” or “…good at cleaning”. All that matters to our kids is that we are PRESENT and that when they whisper our names we aren’t too busy to hear them and coming running. More than anything I want my kids to remember that they come first to me, no matter what. This isn’t “spoiling” it’s vital. Still to this day, when I call my dad he will walk out of a business meeting when he sees me calling. Very often, I call him just to say “hi” when he’s traveling. Having a parent that you can rely on and have that connection with is ALL kids need…even when we are all grown up!

This post in NOT about whether you work outside or inside the home. I know plenty of working Moms who try to make every moment count with their kids when they are home with them and my hat’s off to them for working all day long and they come home and STILL have energy for their kids!

Give yourself a pat on the back this Mother’s Day and remember that you ARE doing a great job. I’ll be the first to say this “Motherhood” thing is not easy…it’s a  journey. Stop and take a mental snap shot of your beautiful family this weekend…and look how quickly your little ones have grown. Take it all in Mamas!

I also want to congratulate all the NEW Moms who will be celebrating their very first Mother’s Day this year! Congrats! And for those of you, and I know there are many who have yet to become Mothers or are grieving this Mother’s Day after miscarriage or loss of their sweet little ones. I will be praying and thinking about you in particular over this weekend, for so many this day is joyful and for others it is torture. You are in my thoughts.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Take time this Mother’s Day to say thank you to the mom in your life. Most moms are very selfless and always put others before themselves. This year show her that she is just as important by getting her a massage gift certificate. Purchase a gift certificate for a 60 minute massage, or longer and receive a FREE 30 minute aromatherapy massage for you. Included: chakra balancing/assessment, massage, reflexology, reiki, and aromatherapy of her choice. Call, text, or email today, to reserve your gift certificate, for the special mom in your life.

 In home massage available for additional charge.

$70-60 minute massage

$90-90 minute massage

Amy Jones

513-212-0125

simplypamperme@yahoo.com

Facebook: Amy Wallace Jones

You can find Amy at Grace Tree Yoga (local to Cincy)

Jen posted about how easy and adorable these “thank yous” are recently and this would be a great thing to give your teacher this week!

Here’s another idea I got from pinterest and Luke had so much fun picking out the fun colors of Method soap that was on SALE at Target. I just printed the tags and cut out Luke’s hand print and attached them to each of the soaps!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

I have been hearing about how much everyone LOVES the Keurig for what seems like YEARS and have finally gotten one of my own (it is kind of like the iPhone- one day I will crack under the pressure and just get one to try for myself)!! I knew that the Keurig would be a great purchase for our family for many reasons:

• I don’t drink coffee so when the hubs makes a pot of coffee on the weekends a majority of it goes to waste since he is the only one who drinks it.
• He wants to have a cup of coffee after dinner and won’t because he doesn’t want to waste the whole pot!
• It would be great for entertaining because you can buy sample K Cup boxes so that everyone can choose their own flavor!
• I love tea (hot and cold) and hot chocolate and I can get all of the above for the Keurig!

They have several different models you can choose from. A Keurig Mini is absolutely adorable!! They add a pop of color which just makes you happy! It is compact and delivers hot or cold beverages in under 2 minutes!! How about that for quick and easy?! What mom wouldn’t appreciate that? Best of all, it’s under $100!! New colors for 2013 include orange, purple and teal. I love that you can make it a little more personal by getting their favorite color!

We decided on the Keurig Platinum Brewing System which is mack daddy of the Keurig machines (in my opinion)! You just can’t go wrong with this machine!

• It is fully programmable so my hubby can set it to turn on and be ready as he leaves for work in the morning!
• You can choose between 5 different cup sizes, between 4-12 oz., so Steve can set his for the large travel size mug and I can choose the smaller cup sizes if I am making hot chocolate for the kiddos! I can also control the temp so it isn’t too hot for little mouths :)
• All the parts are BPA free!
• You can choose between a TON of  different K Cup varieties which is awesome! Each member of the family can have their own preference vs. making one pot of something that not everyone loves.
• There is a large 72 oz reservoir that holds the water so you can make multiple cups before having to refill it. My hubby loves this feature!

Overall, I am in love with this machine! It ROCKS! I would highly recommend the Keurig and it would make a GREAT mother’s day gift :) I would love to hear your favorite K Cup brand!!