Tuesday, November 29, 2011

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 29

Today, I am thankful for reality checks. More on that in a separate post.....

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 28

Today I am thankful for snuggles. I love the nights when Frank and I put the kiddos to bed, and then cuddle in our own bed with a good movie or good TV, zero distractions. No cell phones, no computer, just us, our love, and our quality time together. :-)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Doodlebuckets Gift Basket WINNER!

The winner of the Doodlebuckets Gift Basket giveaway is.........


PICK THE WINNERSANNOUNCED! (UNDO)

  • X
    • Name: michelle bardos
    • Option: Subscribe to my Blog
    • Extra Info: 
    • Time: Sat Nov 19 2011 00:00:00 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
Congrats again Michelle! :-) 

Michelle has 24 hours to reply to the email I will be sending her, before I will have to choose a different winner.

Don't forget to enter the Mudpuppy giveaway going on right now, and I'll be posting a few more new ones in the coming days!!

Thanks to all who entered!! Keep entering and participating! :-)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 27

Today I am thankful for good movies and television. Turning the television on to watch a good Lifetime movie or my favorite TV shows just makes me happy. :-)

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 26

Today I am thankful for God and my beliefs. I think this should have been higher up on my list, but these are done in no particular order, so I guess it doesn't matter that much what number each one is. But I am so thankful to God for providing us with all that He has and for doing everything He has done for our lives and our family, and blessing us in the hundreds of ways He has our whole lives. :-)

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 25

I've been slacking!!

Today, I am thankful for medicine. I know medication and vaccinations can be very controversial, but for me and my family, it is the right choice. I am thankful these treatments and vaccines are out there to help keep my children safe from various sickness and disease that could be life threatening. I am thankful for migraine and cold medicine when I was sick last week, and most of all, I am thankful for fertility drugs and fertility treatments to help us be able to conceive. We aren't as lucky as some, and I can't conceive simply, so to have this option open to us is amazing and something to be very very thankful for, as without it, we would not have children. :-)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving!!

I want to wish all of my lovely followers a very, very happy Thanksgiving! Today is the twins 3rd Thanksgiving, and I still remember their first one like it was yesterday. Today, we get to experience another first Thanksgiving...Mason's! Though he doesn't know what today is all about, we sure do, and I can't wait to see him experience the Thanksgiving meal and dig in to all of the yummy food that's in store for us a little later. Hubs has to work today, but the kids and I are going to my (adopted) mom's for dinner with her, my Godfather, my sisters and their kiddos. I can't wait for a day of good food, amazing family, and LOVE and thankfulness. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 24

Today, I am thankful for everything I have listed every day until today, and also, my education. I am thankful I have the opportunity to get an education, which so many people are not fortunate enough to receive. I was the first in my (birth) family to graduate high school, and attend college, and though I have been working on my associate's degree since 2006, it's still getting done, and I WILL have it! I am thankful for so many opportunities in life, and this is just one of many. :-)

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 23

Today, I am thankful for food. I know there are so many families who do not get this luxury that we will are share in our feast tomorrow, both in our country and in many other third world countries. I wish we could help each and every one of them and share our Thanksgiving dinners with them. I will never stop giving thanks for the things I do have though, such as access to food, so my family and I will not go hungry. It's definitely something to appreciate and not take for granted.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 22

Today, I am thankful for snow! My hubby's job sometime depends on snow, and seeing the twinkle in my children's eyes as they experience it for the first time every year is priceless. :-)

Mudpuppy Review & Giveaway

As a bus wife and mother, I am not only in charge of taking care of the kiddos and cleaning the house and running errands, but paying bills and keeping all the receipts and paperwork current, organized, and up to date. This is quite an important job, and I pride myself on how organized I am. A couple years ago, I purchased a file tote at a local store. I set about organizing the whole thing, labeling each file pocket, and putting each receipt and piece of paperwork where it "belonged." Fast forward to recently....that file tote has seen it's share of use, and crapped out on me. The file pockets were ripping, the clip that kept the whole tote shut broke (probably because I slightly overdid it and PACKED it full.) I was looking for a new file tote, perhaps something of slightly better quality since the one I got was a tad cheap. 




"Mudpuppy Press was launched in 1992. From an early specialization in puzzles, we expanded to our current award-winning offering of puzzles, journals, diaries, educational games, toys, and stationery gifts for children and the young at heart. 

Although we use a lot of fresh, contemporary designs, we maintain a core group of products using fine art images, and both Galison and Mudpuppy products are popular in museum stores. Our fine art stationery is also found in the best gift, stationery, book, and department stores."

Mudpuppy has so many unique and useful products, I found it hard to choose just one favorite! With my urge to organize, I was like a kid in a candy store at this website!

With constant grocery shopping going on in our household, a shopping list is a must, and something convenient that I can add to regularly is also important for ease of use. For this task, I received the cupcake magnetic notepad for review. 


I don't know why, but I LOVE the cupcake theme. Merasia has a cupcake shirt, cupcake pajamas, and other cupcake items. If I could get away with wearing a cupcake t shirt and looking cute, I'd do it! But, I live through Merasia with my cupcake obsession. ;-) 

Let me just say, I LOVE this notepad! It's magnetic on the back, so it sticks right to my refrigerator, so it's always easy to get to whenever I need to add something to the weekly grocery list. 






It has smaller pieces of notepad paper at the top, for small messages, which is great too. When Frank gets a phone call and he's not home, I can easily write it down so I don't forget to tell him, and he sees it as soon as he gets home and  walks by the fridge. I've also left Frank messages on this notepad when I have had to run out for something before he gets home. Much easier and better than leaving a note on the front door if I can't reach him by phone or something. I also love being able to just grab a pen and jot down the things we run out of for groceries whenever I need to. When I'm ready to head to the store, I just peel the list off, and go! And it's cute, so how could you go wrong?? ;-)

Now that I have that issue resolved, I turned my attention back to the original task...finding a new file tote organizer! That was not a difficult task at Mudpuppy though! Along with the cupcake notepad, I also received the Midnight Bloom file tote for review.

I'm always hesitant on ordering new things online, since I can't hold them in my hands and try them out and see the item and all it's perks in person, so I was hesitant about this file tote. But when I got it, I knew I was going to love it before it was even out of the package! 









First off, I LOVE the design! It's definitely "me." I set right to work labeling the file folders, and putting them in the tote, and then putting the proper paperwork where it needed to go. I only keep the very important items in this tote, such as our rental lease and any correspondence from our landlord, our receipts for paying on our van, any paperwork having to do with the kids' daycare, paperwork from school for me, and Frank's work pay stubs. I love how much more organized this tote is than my last one, and that I can have separate, labeled folders and it's not over stuffed like my other one was. Any other paperwork not having to do with the things listed above, or owner's manuals for various products we have, go in a separate file tote that isn't as nice as this one. ;-) I love this tote so much, I want to keep it in excellent condition and not over pack it or anything. It looks very professional, and just glancing at it sitting in our house, you wouldn't know it's a file tote. I would even cart this around with me in public if I wanted or had to, because it's so stylish and it's light to carry, too of course. 

I would recommend products from Galison and Mudpuppy any day, especially the ones I have already reviewed! Not only are the products stylish, unique, and oh so useful, but the customer service is amazingly easy and friendly. :-)

BUY IT: Buy these and an array of other products today at www.galison.com or www.mudpuppy.com!

WIN IT: One VERY LUCKY reader of Mama 2 Multiples will win the same file tote and file folders as the one seen here! Enter using the Rafflecopter form below, following the instructions as they are listed!

Monday, November 21, 2011

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 21

Today I am thankful for my bed. I am exhausted today, more so than usual, and am so thankful to have a nice, big comfy and cozy bed to collapse into at the end of every day.....but especially today. ;-)

Sunday, November 20, 2011

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 20

Today I am thankful for showers. After 2 days of being in the same pajamas, and of doing nothing by laying in bed or on the couch, sweaty and gross, feeling well enough to take a shower this morning was absolutely amazing. A shower has never felt so good as it did this morning! ;-)

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 19

Today I am thankful for sleep. Though some days and nights, we get very little of it, I am still thankful for the amount we do get, especially when I'm sick and not feeling well. :-)

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 18

I'm a little behind on this, due to being sick, so I'm making up for the days I lost....

Today I am thankful for Frank's days off. I ended up with a nasty sinus/cold/stomach bug thingy....and it could not have happened at a better time, since hubs had a couple days off from work, so he was able to help take care of the kiddos while I slept, rested, whined, and threw my brains up. ;-) God, I love him!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Hank Player USA T Shirt WINNER!!

The winner of the Hank Player USA T Shirt giveaway is.....


PICK THE WINNERSANNOUNCED! (UNDO)

  • X
    • Name: michelle bardos
    • Option: Grab my Button
    • Extra Info: http://mamasbabycupcakes.blogspot.com
  • results powered by Random.org

  • Sorry for the delay..I have been battling a sinus/stomach bug issue these past few days! 

    Thursday, November 17, 2011

    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 17

    Today I am thankful for beauty. Vermont is such a beautiful state, and we don't take the time to really see and appreciate that. But tonight, was our first real snowfall, and it was just gorgeous. Every season here is really nice, but it's moments like tonight...moments like the first snowfall, the first leaves turning shades of orange and red, the melting snow and crisp sunshine in spring...that really remind me how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful state.

    Wednesday, November 16, 2011

    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 16

    Today I am thankful for good health. Mason had to leave daycare early today due to a fever. I thought it was nothing at first, just due to his teething or something. A few hours after he was home though, it was clear there was more going on than just teething. At around 8:00 tonight, his fever had reached 103.3. We decided to take him into the E.R. and be seen to make ourselves feel better. The most I thought it was going to be was a simple common cold. I wasn't even going to take him in, because I had dealt with these things before, and figured I knew what they would tell me to do already. After 3 hours spent in the emergency room, we found out Mason has a double ear infection. I feel terrible for him! I am SO glad I listened to hubs and took him in though! The twins have NEVER had an ear infection, so this is new territory for me. We are finally home, exhausted, and are giving Mason Tylenol and Motrin every 4-6 hours, as well as antibiotics once a day. Hopefully he is feeling better soon! So, even though he feels crummy and miserable, I am still thankful that it's something fairly easy to deal with on my end, and treatable. It could be much worse, and the fact that it isn't anything worse than that, makes me very thankful.


    Tuesday, November 15, 2011

    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 15

    Today I am thankful for family dinners. It's very important to me that we all sit down to dinner together every night. It's the one meal a day where we can connect as a family, we are all together and there is no rush to shower, get dressed, or rush out the door anywhere. I love seeing Mason explore new foods as he is new to the eating thing, and love talking with Frank about his day, and just playing and talking with the twins while we enjoy a nice, home cooked meal. After dinner, I clean the table off, sweep and mop, and get the dishes done and get the kitchen back in order, and Frank usually plays with the kids. They love this time with their daddy, and I love watching and listening to them play. It's such a special time every night, and I try to soak up every second of these moments, as I know they won't last for long.

    Monday, November 14, 2011

    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 14

    Today I am thankful for my dear friend and our doula, Vicki Rich. I met Vicki back when I was in elementary school and she was the school nurse, or substitute school nurse. Over my years in elementary and middle school, we developed a relationship. That relationship got even closer when I was in high school and dealing with a lot of deeply personal and difficult issues. After high school, we re connected and she was our instructor for child birth class when we were pregnant with the twins. When she mentioned how much she would love to be our doula, we quickly took her up on that offer. In the months and years since then, we have only grown closer. She is like another mom to me. I know I can talk to her about absolutely anything, and she will listen, not judge, and offer some of the best advice. She has seen me at my best and seen me at my worse, and yet still loves me for me. She was a tremendous support through my pregnancies and the labor and births of all of our children, and has been a tremendous support in the weeks and months and in the twins case, years, after their birth. In fact, the twins and her even share a birthday, which just makes our relationship even more special. I am so thankful for her love, her support, her listening ear, her honest and helpful advice, her friendship, and her presence in our lives. I am a firm believer that God places certain people in our lives for a reason, and that goes for Vicki. I truly believe with all of my heart that God had a reason for placing Vicki in our lives, and He definitely blessed us with her. We love you, Vicki!

    Sunday, November 13, 2011

    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 13

    Today I am thankful for my husband's steady job. Life has not always been easy for us, financially. Frank had a well paying, steady job for two summer and winter seasons. One was a cook at a snack bar, the summer I was pregnant with the twins, and the summer that they were born. Since that was seasonal, during the winter months he worked at a garage as a mechanic. Both were great pay and steady work and hours. And then one day in 2010, he hurt his back. We thought he just threw it out or pulled a muscle or something and it would be better in a few days. Boy, were we wrong! After seeing various different doctors, we finally found out that he had 2 herniated discs. He was out of work for almost a year, and it was one of the worse things that could have happened to us at that time. We had 2 toddlers, and we found out shortly after that, that we were expecting Mason. I was unable to work, we got evicted from our home at the time, and moved in with family for a short time. That didn't work well for long, and luckily, my grandparents were right there to help us out and we lived with them for a month or so. We finally found an apartment that was in our budget, and would fit all of us, for the time being. We got some assistance from the state, and moved in as soon as we could. Slowly, we began rebuilding our lives and got back "on our feet." Frank finally found another job, since his back issue was being managed. He started working at the mountain as a cook, and almost a year later, we are much better off than we have been in a really long time. We have since moved a couple times, and are now in a much better and bigger and more affordable apartment, the kids have everything they need and more, we have a good, reliable vehicle, and all of our bills are paid. There used to be a time when we couldn't pay any of our bills. Our cable, phone, and internet bill racked up quickly, our car insurance was always in the cancellation process, and we were constantly going to the food shelf to get diapers for our kids. But all of that is behind us now. We are current or ahead on all of our bills, the kids have diapers and wipes and brand new clothes and we have been able to even spoil ourselves a tiny bit here and there. In some ways, I miss those days since it showed us what we really needed to be appreciative for. I definitely do not miss the stress of not having money to pay things or get things we needed then though. When I hear friends and family complaining about paying bills now, I remind them that things could be a lot worse, because I know; we were there once. Now, I LOVE paying bills. I know, that sounds crazy to most. But after going for so long without being able to pay bills, when we WANTED to pay them, and now being able to pay them without a problem and not have that stress on ourselves, is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. And I thank my hard working husband for that every single day, sometimes more than once a day. ;-) It's because of his hard work and dedication that we can get what we need and provide for our family, and it's because of his hard work and dedication that I can stay home and raise our children the way we want them to be raised, and not have to miss a single second of their lives. And it's because of his hard work and dedication that I can attend college and work on furthering my education to enter back into the workforce later in life, when we are through having children and all our children are a little bit older. I owe so much thanks to my husband, and words can never express how truly thankful I am to him.

    Saturday, November 12, 2011

    Mason's Recent Accomplishment....

    Mason has started pulling himself up to stand!!

    I am shocked! It happened so unexpectedly today! We went to our normal play group that we go to every month, and the twins were off playing and I was sitting on the floor. Mason was across the room a little ways away from me, and I put my arms out to see if he would creep to me. He did, and then he grabbed my hands when he got to me. He then pulled himself up to his knees while holding on to my hands, and then proceeded to pull himself up to standing, with no help from me!! I was soo surprised!! He has been doing it all day since we got home and all night until he went to bed. I can't believe how big he is getting!

    He has also started eating a lot more of the same foods we eat. He wasn't interested in any "real" food a month or so ago. In fact, he preferred the jarred baby food over any "real" food up until recently. He wouldn't even eat cheerios! that has all changed completely within the last couple of weeks! The new foods he has tried include:

    *Cheerios
    *Gerber puffs
    *Yogurt melts
    *Pasta noodles (cut up small of course)
    *Ritz crackers
    *Diced, soft apple pieces
    *Peas
    *Steak
    *Baked potato with no skin
    *Pot roast
    *Hamburg
    *Chicken
    *Banana

    There may be more that I'm missing, but that's most of it. He LOVES every single one of these new foods too. I love watching him eat. He gets so excited when I set him in his high chair, I'm sure it's because he knows what's coming and loves it. I was just telling Frank the other day that it looks like he has gotten a little chubbier since he started eating so much more food. Of course he misses his mouth once in a while and it gets messy, but for the most part, the food gets in his mouth and he enjoys what he does get down. ;-) I am soooo looking forward to seeing him pig out at Thanksgiving this year. I remember the twins first Thanksgiving, and it was so much fun watching them experience so much "real" food for the first time.....

    Here are some pictures from Connor and Merasia's first Thanksgiving:





    Merasia fell into a turkey coma before she could even finish her dinner:



    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 12

    Today I am thankful for family. I have a very special and unique family situation. I have my birth mother, of course, but because of some unfortunate events in my teenage years, I was adopted by my Godmother at the age of 17, and because of that, gained not only another mom and dad, but 5 big sisters, 8 nieces and nephews, 2 brother in laws, and a nahna. :-) I am so thankful to all of them every day. I am thankful to my birth mother for giving me life and nurturing me in the best way she knew how and the best way she could for 15 years of my life. We shared many memories and many good and bad times, and we were the best of friends. We still have a relationship today, and our children love her to pieces, and I am glad she is still a part of my life.

    Of course I am thankful to my adopted family for many reasons. I am thankful for them adopting me period, and giving me a family when I needed it most. I am thankful for the job they did in raising me from 15 years old to now, and thankful for the values, morals, and knowledge they instilled in me, and that they are still instilling in me today. I am thankful for their support, even if I never really showed my appreciation at that time. I am thankful for them never giving up on me, at the roughest of times when I am SURE they wanted to simply throw in the towel and give up. But they never did, and for that, I could never thank them enough. I could go on and on all night listing what I am thankful for from them, because they have done so much for me, and I truly believe I would not be the person I am today without their support, guidance, and most of all....their LOVE.

    xoxoxo

    Friday, November 11, 2011

    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 11

    Today, I am thankful for my friends. Over the years, I have had some friends come and go, that I will probably never see or speak to again. But there have been the select few that have stuck around, no matter what. They have seen me at my worse, and seen me at my best. We have laughed together, cried together, and shared many wonderful memories together, and there are no better friends than I would like to have had by my side than all of them. They are like sisters to me, and I love them with all my heart.

    Thursday, November 10, 2011

    New Family Photos!

    We recently had some new fall family photos taken. We had our friend Lindsey take them again, she did our last ones back when Mason was only a few weeks old. They came out awesome then, so we had faith she would do just as good a job this time around, and of course...she didn't disappoint. We haven't seen all of the pictures yet, but here's a sneak peak....















    Will We Ever Sleep Again?!

    It seems a bout of 3 year old sleep regression is hitting out house. Merasia has never been a good sleeper. We've just learned to deal with it. She has been okay the past year, but could be much better. Connor has been an angelic sleeper since about 5 months. For whatever reason, that has changed. Both of them started waking up for the day at between 4 and 6 a.m. for the past week. They are wide awake, ready to start their day. Mommy and daddy, on the other hand....not so much!

    Oh, how I miss sleep.............




    We have tried EVERYTHING to get them to sleep better at night, longer in the morning...whatever! I guess it's not them getting up early that I care about. It's them waking US up, and thus waking Mason up too, super early. I don't care if they wake up that early and just play in their room until we wake up...at least then, I know they are contained, they are safe, and most likely, they will play themselves back to sleep anyway. But with them growing up, they have learned how to turn door handles. They have learned how to turn door handles to successfully open doors, which they never could do a year ago at this time. You know those plastic child proof door handle things? They used to work so the twins couldn't open doors we didn't want opened. Now, they just play with them and squeeze them until they fall off. Useless.

    So we tried putting a baby gate in their bedroom doorway to keep them in their room if they woke at night, and to keep them in their room when they decide they want to get up at dawn. It works for Merasia. Connor, on the other hand, is Houdini's spawn. He can get in and out of EVERYWHERE, SOMEHOW! He climbs over or under the baby gate and still comes up to our room and wakes us up.

    There was the option of locking the door, but that scared me because in the case of an emergency, it takes longer to get into their room to get to them. And then I was reading a fellow mom's blog about similar sleep issues. And she mentioned switching the door handle around. BRILLIANT IDEA! I have no idea why we didn't think of that sooner!

    So, I did that today. I switched their door handle around. Yep. That's right. I am LOCKING them in their bedroom at night. Go ahead. Judge if you must. But I can almost guarantee if you were in our position, you would resort to desperate measures too, even if just for one more hour of sleep. Now, we can lock them in their room so if they wake up early, they are forced to go back to bed or play in their room until we are awake. And if there's ever an emergency the lock is on the outside of the door, so we just turn it and get in, no fussing around like when it was the other way around. I think this just may be our solution! I'll
    keep you updated on how it goes.... ;-)

    I will say...........it's hard to stay mad at these precious faces...


    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 10

    Today I am thankful for beautiful weather and sunshine. I know, that's kind of two things...but they go hand in hand, so I consider it one. ;-) If you live in or near Vermont, or have ever been here, you know we get nasty winters, and by this time of year, the ground is usually covered in snow, either a dusting or in piles. But we have been lucky so far this year, and have had GORGEOUS 50 and 60 degree days and it has been so wonderful to have the sun shining and to be able to get outside and still run and play in November, especially in Vermont. :-)

    Wednesday, November 9, 2011

    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 9

    Today, I am thankful for the CMA awards. :-) I am a huuuuge country music fan, and tonight, I'm just thankful for the CMA awards and getting to see all my fave musicians perform and win awards for their hard work and dedication. I used to dream of being in their position when I was a little girl, and though I grew out of that phase, I still appreciate the work involved in their occupations. :-)

    Chunky Bling WINNER!


    Chunk Bling Swarovski Crystal or Swarovski Pearl Beaded Ring Winner............!

    AND THE WINNER IS...

    Entry #38Jane Suzy Pickett Toney
    results powered by Random.org

    Jane has 24 hours to reply to my email before I will be forced to choose a different winner. Thanks to all who entered and thanks to all for following, and keep participating in my giveaways! It's because of all of your participation that I can continue doing these. :-))

    Tuesday, November 8, 2011

    30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 8

    Today I am thankful for school. I attended a local college right after high school, but didn't go for the right reasons. I was excited to start a new adventure toward my degree, but mostly, I wanted to move out of my parents home and be on my own and "do what I want" and all that stuff. As a result, I was nowhere near mature enough or ready for the college life, skipped a bunch of class, spent a ton of time with my boyfriend (who was Frank at the time), and dropped out of college a month into it. It ended up being the best thing for me. I moved back home, worked for a while, moved in with Frank, got married, and so on and so forth, and then decided it was time to head back, so I enrolled at our local Community College and now, about 5 years later, I am almost done with my Associate's Degree. I've taken breaks in between semesters of course, to have the twins and then Mason, but still...it's almost complete and that's a huge accomplishment. I am proud of myself for sticking it out and being resourceful when I have needed to, and setting a good example for my children when they are old enough to understand what a good education is and how important and rewarding it is. I am thankful for school and the option of being able to attend school and get an education, which I feel we all take for granted when there are millions of people in this world who don't have that luxury open to them. I am thankful to all of the advisers I have had in school to keep me on the right path and help me when I needed it and I am thankful for all of the instructors I have had who have given me a wealth of knowledge I never thought possible.

    Monday, November 7, 2011

    Doodlebuckets Family Gift Store Review & Giveaway

    With two active toddlers and living in our small town in Vermont, it's not always easy to find activities to keep kids occupied and busy. Keeping them busy and content became even more important when Mason joined our family, as my time was no longer all about them, and most of my time was no occupied by Mason also, and that was and still is hard for the twins to understand at times. 


    I have searched and searched for something to make the twins feel special and like they still had my attention even with their baby brother in the picture now. I came across Doodlebuckets, a company that makes various baby giftsbaby gift baskets, and big brother and big sister gift baskets. 


    I feel in absolute love with the products from this company. They have SO much, and it's all so much fun and all things I would LOVE to have for my little ones and any future little ones we have. 


    From their website:


    "Doodlebuckets Family Gift Store was established in 2002 with an aim toward service, integrity, and quality. We provide our customers with high quality gifts, excellence in customer service, and a generous return policy. We aim to please and are not satisfied until our customers are satisfied."



    I received the Mickey Mouse Sibling Art Gift Set and the Big Sister Disney Princess Art Gift Set for my review. The first thing that I LOVED immediately about these gift sets were how cute the packaging was. It definitely made Connor and Merasia excited to tear into them! For starters, the bags these gift sets came in are reusable! I LOVE that, since we always seem to have use for extra bags for long car rides, picnics, overnights, etc. The ribbon wrapped around these gift baskets is personalized with Connor and Merasia's name on them, which is also super cute.



    Just another touch to make them feel extra special!


    The outside was only the beginning of the excitement, as the goodies inside were even better! Connor's gift set included:





    • Personalized Ribbon (ie,  Congratulations to Big Brother Seth!)
    • Mickey Jigsaw Puzzle
    • 5 Piece Mickey Poster Set
    • Disney Mickey Mouse Mini Lunch Pail
    • Disney Mickey Woven Bag
    • Pencil Bag
    • Mickey Large Crayons
    • Pencil Sharpener
    • Eraser
    • Ruler
    • 1 Pen
    • 3 Pencils
    • 1 Note Pad
    • 4 Colored Pencils


    Merasia's gift set included:

    • Personalized Ribbon (ie,  Congratulations to Big Sister Katy!)
    • 5 Piece Princess Poster Set
    • Disney Princess Mini Lunch Pail
    • Disney Princess Woven Bag
    • Princess Carrying Case
    • Princess Large Crayon Box
    • Crayon Set
    • Pencil Sharpener
    • Eraser
    • Ruler
    • 1 Pen
    • 3 Pencils
    • 1 Note Pad
    • 4 Colored Pencils


    I LOVE all of the activities that each of these sets contain! The twins are at the perfect age to use almost all of this stuff, and they enjoy it a great deal! Merasia wasted no time in breaking into the crayons...


    There is so much to do in each of these gift sets, that it will keep your little one busy while waiting for her little sibling's arrival, and even after the arrival, so that you have time to rest after your new little one joins the family.  All of the activities are "big kid" things, like coloring with the crayons or using the pencils to draw or write, and have their own pencil cases and other accessories to keep everything in, so they feel like the big kid that they are, and don't feel like a baby. 

    I also love that the crayons included in these sets are jumbo and easier for the kids to hold on to and use, and don't get lost as easily as smaller ones, because I can always see them and take care of them before they have a chance to get lost, which is a big deal in our crazy household! ;-)

    Ever since the twins turned 2 and started getting into coloring more and more, I have wanted them to have some sort of pencil case or something to keep crayons and such in, so the two cases each of these gift sets came with are perfect for that, and Connor and Merasia love to feel important and help clean up their toys and crayons and put them in their special little containers.


    Both the twins love to be just like mommy and play with pens and pencils or pretend to do school work like mommy does, so the pencils and erasers and such are perfect for that too.



    These sets make the kids feel like the big brother and big sister they are. With all of the attention being on a new baby in a family, these sets are great to make the older siblings in the home feel like they are still involved and special.

    I wish I could have a gift set like one of these! With the prices being so low ($40 for one of these sets!), you can't go wrong. The products are high quality and provide hours of activity and fun for your little one, and there are so many to choose from. How could you NOT want one???

    PURCHASE IT: You can purchases these gift baskets and many other gift items at Doodlebuckets!

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