Growing Girls

My kids are growing up. I know that's a duh statement but really they are.

Mallory is this talkative, ambitious, determined little toddler. We are still slightly locked in to that afternoon nap limiting flexibility but it's not a cycle of eat sleep play repeat anymore. I'm probably going to beginning the weaning process this fall.

That alone is a shot in the heart. I'm not one of those nurse forever girls but that's fine if you are. I nursed Eleanor until 22 months.

Maybe it's me clinging to those last moments of it being the one thing only I can do for her. Not to say that it's just for me because nursing in the second year still has her reaping lots of benefits. 

Then there is Eleanor. She's my thoughtful, generous, clever, silly girl with a occasional streak of sass. She constantly makes me laugh but also makes me take a pause in the business of life when she asks for mama snuggles. I tell her she's never allowed to grow up and when she says she has to I make her promise to always give me hugs and kisses. Even when she's a teenager. Especially when she's a teenage but that's a post for another time because slow time time.

She's starting preschool next month. 3 days a week for 3 Hours. I'm dreading the constant running around and loss of freedom but mostly knowing that our time is coming to an end. For nearly four years it's just been us (aside from Mallory joining obviously) every day and now I have to share her and send her into the world and hope she thrives. 

Everyday I feel like I take to many pictures and videos on my phone but I need to have something to look back on.  Moments are fleeting and my memory will fade but those pictures and videos will capture that time in life when my girls weren't all the way grown up. 

August Swago Board ~Swagbucks~

Swagbucks is holding their Swago promotion starting Monday, August 28th at 9am PDT! It's just like bingo, but in this case you're filling out squares as you earn points on their site for doing things you already do online. If you're thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it.    

The best part is that the points you get can be used to get free gift cards to places like Amazon, or PayPal cash! 

Fill up your board and then submit your pattern to get even more points - if you can fill in the whole board, you get a 500 SB bonus! That's enough for a $5 gift card in their Rewards Store.  

Click here to sign up and get started! If you sign up through my link and earn 300 SB before the first of next month, you'll get a bonus 300 SB!

Groupon Coupons

Summer is winding down in Michigan and with the season change it means a wardrobe rotation for the girls.  I got through Mallory's stuff and pulled in the clothes that were hand-me downs for Eleanor so she was set, but Eleanor was seriously lacking.  Almost all her pants were to short, and even going through the stuff we already had I needed to fill in the gaps. 

While I was nursing Mallory one night I did some online shopping at Target and stocked Eleanor up and felt like I got some pretty great deals. 

Of course just a few days later I learned about Groupon coupons.   I love Goupon because it's allowed me to do fun things like skydiving (!) and take my girls on a train ride.   Somehow I didn't know about Groupon Coupons though.  There are so many major retailers as well as smaller ones with extra deals and discounts-9,000 to be precise. 

I can see myself taking advantage of the Target groupon the most.  You can find deals for not only online shopping but in store as well (because who doesn't love a Target run)

So lesson learned is to always check Groupon Coupons before shopping because you'll likely find a deal for what you need.  Cha ching!!!

Earn Swagbucks when you sign up for hulu.

If you're a TV lover, Hulu is running a special on their offer through Swagbucks this weekend only: You'll get $30 (paid in the form of points called SB) for trying Hulu for a month. That will cost you $7.99, so you're making $22 on the deal! 

Hulu has tons of current and classic programming, movies, brilliant original series, and more. Here's how you do it: 

1. Click this link. You need to be a Swagbucks member to take advantage of this offer, and if you don't have an account you can create on here, which takes 30 seconds.
2. Click "Continue" and sign up for Hulu
3. Enjoy Hulu! You should have your points within 30 minutes. You must be a first time Hulu member to receive SB for this offer. 

Haven't tried Swagbucks yet? They're a site where you earn points (called SB) for doing things like online shopping, watching videos, taking surveys, and discovering deals and services you might like to try (like Hulu!). You then take those points and turn them into free gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash.

This is a great time to join because when you sign up through the link above and get your 3000 SB, you'll get a bonus 300 SB at the beginning of September. So that's $30 (3000 SB) for trying Hulu plus your $3 (300 SB) bouns, which gets you 3300 SB, which means you make $25 total for trying Hulu!

Swagbucks Luau Challenge

Put on your lei, enjoy some Slack-key guitar, and get ready to eat some Kalua Pork, because Swagbucks is holding a Luau Team Challenge to help you earn free gift cards! For those of you who don't know what Swagbucks is, it's a website where you can earn cash back on everyday tasks you do online like shopping, answering surveys, discovering deals, and watching videos. You can even earn for searching the web! 

If you've never tried Swagbucks before because you didn't know where to begin, their Team Challenges are a great way to learn the ropes! The challenge, begins Monday, August 14th at 8am PT, but you can pre-register starting on Friday, August 11th!

Here's how you can join the challenge and the site:  

1. Click here to join the challenge and be assigned to a team.

2. Starting August 14th at 8am PDT, in addition to earning SB you'll contribute points to your teams total as you complete different activities on Swagbucks.

3. Check back on the page often to see the scores and what you've contribute so far.    

All members who participate and contribute at least 600 points to their team’s total will receive a SB bonus in the form of a SB Swag Up Rebate on their next gift card! 

Not only that, but if you sign up under me this month and earn 300 SB before September 1st, you'll get a 300 SB bonus!

Members of the 1st place team will receive a 100 SB Swag Up Rebate, members of the 2nd place team will receive a 50 SB Swag Up Rebate, and members of the 3rd place team will receive a 30 SB Swag Up Rebate. Your SB Swag Up Rebate will be made available on Friday, August 18th at 2pm PT and will expire on Thursday, August 31st at 11:59pm PT.

~Mallory~ 18 months

Mallory is still my little peanut.  At her 18 month check up she was 3% for height and 18% for weight. 

Shes is size 3 disposables, and mostly 12 month clothing with some 9 month stuff. Shoes are between a 3/4.

She's a climber.  Like does things months before Eleanor did.

We are nursing 3 times a day (wake up, nape and bedtime).  She has been a picky eater lately.  She'll eat a few bites and then want to be done.  But she loves cheese balls, veggie straws, berries, yogurt.

She's talking a lot. New words every single day.

Still not sleeping through the night.  She might once or twice a month.  She spends part of the night in bed with me.

She adores her big sister and looks for "sissy" when she wakes up in the morning or at nap time.

Her favorite toys/activites are her baby, putting on Eleanor's cowgirl boots, the swing and super simple songs on youtube.

She's a great helper when it comes to throwing things away and sometimes I think she listens better than Eleanor.

Swagbucks Back to School Bonus

Through September 8th you'll get double cash back (in the form of SB points) or more when you shop for Back to School essentials at your favorite retailers through Swagbucks. They also have offers where you can earn SB points towards free gift cards for trying school-related products and services. Then you can take all the SB points you earn and use them to get gift cards and PayPal cash!

Click here to see all of the deals they're running, and if you sign up through me during this sale you'll get $10 for making your first purchase! That's in addition to the normal SB you get for your purchases