Mommy Octopus

We can all use a few more hands

What to Include in Law Enforcement Care Package

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In addition to the Law Enforcement Appreciation Bags that I made a couple years ago and the ornaments that I made last year, I’ve come up with a law enforcement  care package to gift to hubby’s shift this year.  My hubby helped me pick out things that he knew his shift would enjoy and use.  These would be great if you or your kids wanted to put some together for your local officers as well.

What to include in a Law Enforcement Care Package

Also, if you are shopping for a law enforcement officer, you can see my hubby’s list of gift ideas for law enforcement officers.

The bags we found at Target as they have a variety of colored lunch sacks in their paper products aisle.  Once we had the products inside, we punched 2 holes at the top and tied it close with black ribbon and added the little paper note.

Christmas Gift Bags for Law Enforcement

Inside our care packages, I’ve included:

  • Gum
  • Candy
  • Granola Bar
  • Small Notebook
  • Car Air Freshener
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Hand Wipes
  • Chapstick

Other ideas that we didn’t include but would be a great fit:

  • Lotion
  • Hot Hands
  • Pen
  • Gift card to restaurants
  • Other Snacks
  • Bug Spray
  • Vicks Vapor Rub

These were a hit with the shift. Everyone is always so thankful and grateful for a little treat to keep them focused and encouraged.

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Interested in the free “Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” printable?  You can find that HERE.

Do you have ideas of what else would be a great addition to these packages?  Share below!

Amazon Mom Becomes Amazon Family and Brings Deals!

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Heads up Amazon shoppers!  Amazon Mom has now become Amazon Family!  To celebrate, they are bringing us some great deals!  If you’re not a member, head on over to join now.

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Seventh Generation Diapers and Wipes: Enter Code SEVENG50D for Diapers and SEVENG50W for Wipes at Checkout to Save 50% on One of Each Item!

Deal idea:

Deal Idea 2:

Enter Code SEVENG50HH at Checkout to Save 50% on One Household Item

Get 6 Months of FREE HP Instant Ink!

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Wow!  I sure wish this deal was available when I signed up!  If you have an HP Printer, consider checking out Instant Ink.  I’ve been using it for a couple months now and am very happy with it!  They will send you ink BEFORE you run out so you’re never left without!  It’s also cheaper than buying ink in the stores!

You can enroll your printer in HP Instant Ink by December 31st and use promo code HOLIDAY15 at enrollment checkout to get 6 months FREE of HP Instant Ink. Signing up is easy and just takes a couple of minutes! Get all of the details here.

Lake Lanier Winter Adventure

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Lake Lanier recently invited our family to come check out their Winter Adventure activities. We had an absolute blast and it wasn’t crowded at all on the day we went!  For starters, we drove through the Magical Nights of Lights and then pulled off at Winter Adventure, which is where the water park is during summer.  Everything was so beautifully lit, it was like a magical winter land!

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The kids, their aunt,  and my husband had a blast going down the water slides on sleds!  I had fun watching them while holding the baby.  The sled rides do require a helmet, so keep that in mind.  The “ice skating” was okay.  There isn’t any ice-  it’s just plastic you’re skating on. The kids had fun but my husband and his sister didn’t quite enjoy it.  They are used to real ice.

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We spent most of our time down at the Fun Dunker zone, which had been turned into a snow playground.  There were little slides, snow ball makers, toys, and more.  The kids really liked it.

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Another big hit was the Knockerball.  You get to climb inside a big bubble and try and knock your friends and family over.  We all had a blast!  Lots of hysterical laughing!

Want to see some of the sledding first hand?



My husband really enjoyed the zip lining. His sister did as well and you can hear her screaming a little in this video!

Big thanks to Lake Lanier Nights of Lights and Winter Adventure for hosting us!  We had an excellent time!

For more information, visit the Lanier World website.

Babies Don’t Keep

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I know in years past, I’ve been on top of the deals.  I’ve shared some whoppers and have helped many of you do all of your Christmas shopping.  I’ve heard from a couple readers asking why I’m not doing it this year.  This is why:

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And some of this:

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And even some of this:

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To be honest, deals are the last thing on my mind.  There are lots of great sites like Hip2Save, Time2Save, IHeartPublix, IHeartKroger and others that would be happy to keep the deals flowing for you.

Loving on a sweet baby, homeschooling my other 4, being a dedicated wife to my deputy, and being a daughter of God have kept this Mommy Octopus stretched to the max.  I work when I can.  Some days more than others.

Simon is my very very last baby.  Unless we adopt, there will be no more babies from me and that’s also something that I’m having to work through as it was a bit unexpected.  More on that another day.  So for now, I’m enjoying my kids.  I’m disconnecting more.  I’m reading to them more.  I’m playing more.  I’m enjoying life.

Babies Don't Keep

Enjoy Your Holidays with PEEPS®!

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Celebrate Holiday with Peeps My kids always look forward to seeing what PEEPS® will have in the stores during the holiday seasons,  For Winter, PEEPS® is offering Christmas trees, Gingerbread Men, Snowmen, and more!  For the Minion fans, PEEPS® is offering those as well! As a special treat, my kids love adding a fun shaped marshmallow PEEPS® to their hot cocoa when they come in from playing outside.  This makes the season all the more fun!  Check out all the goodies that the PEEPS® company is offering! peeps Through December 31, you can use code SWEETINGS15  on the PEEPS & Company® website to save 20% off your next purchase, no minimum required!  Here are some of the goodies that you will find:

  • PEEPS® Large Banana Crème Flavored Minion: PEEPS® introduces a new banana crème flavored marshmallow in honor of the beloved Minions characters. Three varieties of the individually packed large Minions include the likeness of Kevin, Stuart and Bob – stars of the Minions movie available on DVD this holiday season. Available only for a limited time!
  • PEEPS® Vanilla Crème Chicks Pop: Fans can celebrate holiday traditions with these four classic Vanilla Crème flavored marshmallow Chicks on a stick.
  • PEEPS® Marshmallow Minions: To celebrate the DVD release of the Minions Movie, PEEPS® created a Minion-shaped marshmallow reflecting their fun PEEPSONALITY®. The original marshmallow Minions are sure to please admirers of all ages. Available for a limited time only!
  • PEEPS® Candy Cane Flavored Marshmallow Chicks: Those who prefer their Candy Canes chicks without the chocolate can indulge in the peppermint-goodness of Candy Cane favored chicks!
  • PEEPS® Large Marshmallow Snowmen: Large, fluffy PEEPS® Brand Snowmen are fun to eat and to share! Available in one count stocking-stuffer size packages, and three count share size.
  • PEEPS® Gingerbread-Flavored Marshmallow Gingerbread Men: Now you can get the gingerbread flavor you crave all year long in something other than a cookie with PEEPS® gingerbread flavored marshmallow gingerbread men.
  • PEEPS® Marshmallow Trees: It wouldn’t be the holiday season without seeing a Christmas tree! Enjoy green PEEPS® tree-shaped marshmallow decorated with red, yellow and blue garland and topped with a star.
  • PEEPS® Marshmallow Snowmen: PEEPS® traditional sized snowmen! PEEPS® Marshmallow Snowmen are adorned with a top hat and candy cane decorations with a nostalgic look.
  • PEEPS® Chocolate Mousse-Flavored Marshmallow Reindeer: These reindeer shaped marshmallow PEEPS® are chocolate-mousse flavored and oh so delicious!
  • PEEPS® Holiday Pop: This delicious marshmallow flavored pop comes with four assorted Chicks representing the holiday colors: green, red and white.

Guess what!?  One lucky reader will win their own PEEPS® prize pack!  Fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance:

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PEEPS® and PEEPS & COMPANY® provided me with the information, samples and discount code for the post. All opinions are my own.

End of the Year Cleanout!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Goodwill of North Georgia for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

End of the Year Cleanout Tips

Every year as we get closer to Christmas, I start a major purge of our unwanted or unused clothing, shoes, toys, and other random things.  With company coming and gifts arriving soon, we need to make some room!  It’s amazing how much unused things we can have sitting around the house!  Getting rid of things we aren’t using is a great way to get the kids preparing for Christmas. 20151202_163349_resized

I clean out my kids closets and drawers at least twice a year during the changing of the seasons.  Anything outgrown or that I’m tired of seeing automatically gets put in the donate box.  Then I evaluate what we have left and slim down the selection from there.  We find it helpful to always have a donate box handy throughout the year.  Typically it’s sitting in the garage.  The kids know if something doesn’t fit and it can’t be handed down to a sibling to put it in the box.  You can always move all the clothes to one end of the closet and as it gets worn, move it to the other end.  Anything that doesn’t get worn can be donated. Today is purge day at our house.  My husband has taken the kids out of the house for a bit so I can tackle the toys without hearing complaints.  The purging goes much more smoothly if they don’t see everything that is going away.  Sometimes we will send the kids with Grandma so we can tackle the clutter together.  It’s nearly impossible to do a thorough clean and purge with 5 kids underfoot!  We hit the toy areas hard and box them up before the kids realize what is missing.  99 percent of the time they never ask about the toys because it’s things that they haven’t played with in a while anyway. 20151202_163315_resized

Did you know that you can take your unwanted toys, clothes, and household items to your  local Goodwill of North Georgia store and get a tax receipt?  At our local Goodwill here in north Georgia, all we do is pull up and the employees will help us get everything right out of the car and grab our receipt.  I like knowing that someone else can use the things that we no longer need. The benefit of taking your unwanted items to Goodwill is also knowing that they help put people to work. Goodwill is celebrating their 90th birthday by helping thousands of men and women who face barriers that make it difficult for them to find work and earn a paycheck to support their families. Sometimes it’s lack of training or education, limited job skills, or a disability. Through the support of donors and shoppers like you, we overcome those barriers. Goodwill gives people the tools they need to find a job, which allows them to support themselves and their families. Check out all the Donation Locations and find one near you!

Are you getting ready for a winter purge?  Leave a comment and share about your experiences.

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Review & Giveaway: Women Are Scary

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As a Family Christian blogger, I’ve been able to review and read lots of great books lately.  One that particularly peaked my interested was one called Women Are Scary.

Many of us women are actually scared to talk to or get to know other women.  Myself included.  We put particular women in our circle on a pedestal and think that we will never be able to compare with them.  We think that they must have it all together, meanwhile, I’m barely treading water.  We are often scared to talk to each other out of fear of rejection or even fear of someone getting to know the real us.

I’ve actually had women tell me that they thought I had everything all together when they first met me.  They think because I have a blog, 5 kids, homeschool, etc that I somehow have it all together.  Once you peel back the layers and get to know me, you’ll realize that I’m just as broken as the next person.  I know I do that with other women as well – think that because they always have makeup on and look put together that somehow they have figured out the secrets to life.

In Women Are Scary, Melanie Dale talks about friendships between women and how to make the best of them.  I laughed out loud several times in the book as she discusses the “bases” to getting to know someone.  A lot of time we are hesitant to let people in out of fear.  The book lives up to the tag line – The Totally Awkward Adventure of Finding Mom Friends.

If you are a struggling mom, I recommend you check out this book.  I learned a lot about myself and how I relate to others through it and will definitely be re-reading again soon.

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Information and giveaway provided by Family Christian.  All opinions are my own.

Meal Plan Monday

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It’s Monday again, already!  I don’t know about the rest of yall, but I’m tired of thanksgiving leftovers!  Time to make some real food again!  Here’s what we are eating this week:

Monday: Grilled Chicken, brown rice, broccoli

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Black Bean Burritos

Thursday: Pork Chops, brussel sprouts, quinoa

Friday: Dinner out

Saturday: Chicken nugget salad

Sunday: Chicken Quesadillas

What are you making this week?

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