Archive for February, 2012
Changes and A Bloggy Hiatus
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
I’ve been meaning to write this post since the end of December. How sad is it that it’s taken me two months???
As I’m sure many of you have noticed, my blogging track record as of late has been, well, atrocious really. I absolutely LOVE blogging but have just not been able to fit it into my schedule. Believe it or not, I actually pray about my blog and pray over my blog and take it quite seriously. I appreciate each and every single person who reads, comments and “likes” my blog on Facebook. I appreciate that you take time out of your day to read my thoughts!
That said, I will be taking a blogging hiatus for a few months while I focus on getting the house organized for this new baby coming. Our house has fallen apart since Jocelyn was born and I have to get it in order (for my sanity) before our fourth child arrives. There’s so much to do!!! Feeling guilty about my blog and trying to plan time to write meaningful posts was taking up a lot of brain power. Even though I wasn’t posting anything, I was thinking A LOT about posting new content and it was taking up a lot of brain power and worry on my part.
BUT, I will be back. And better than ever! ( Ha!) There are some great and fun changes on the horizon for my blog.
I’m excited to announce that my sister and I will actually be collaborating on a blog together. (Was that redundant??) We both love blogging but seem to find it hard to make time to post meaningful content everyday, which, to maintain a good blog, is a must. My blog will be getting a makeover, getting a new name and adding my sister as a co-contributor. We’ve already been throwing ideas back and forth and keeping a record of the topics and blog posts we want to write. Even though I won’t be posting anything, I’ll certainly be writing drafts and researching topics of the posts I want to write. And of course, taking lots of pictures of my girls, documenting our homeschooling adventures and other stuff we do that I hope you will find interesting and beneficial to you. My sister, Stephanie (of the blog Domestic Delirium) and I hope to be able to offer up different perspectives and meaningful blog articles on parenting, faith, homeschooling, kid crafts, recipes, relationships marriage and more! We are excited to be working together on this. And we’re pulling my brother in (again) to give my blog a makeover.
I am going to keep my blog “live” up until before the launch so anyone who wants to read past articles or browse my blog can. I’ll also keep my Simply Mel Facebook fan page live and update that several times a week with funny anecdotes from my girls, homeschooling and pregnancy updates. I know some of you would like to keep up with my pregnancy for the next few months. Then, once we launch, I’ll change the name of that page and add my sister as a contributor as well.
This brings me to our launch date. Right now we’re hoping to launch our new collaborative blog at the beginning of May. If we can get our act together and my brother is able to makeover our blog before then, we may launch earlier! I would like the blog to be up by the time I have Logan so I can post pictures.
So, again, THANK YOU for sticking by me and reading my little ol’ blog. Check my Facebook fan page for updates if you want to keep up with me.
I hope to come back more organized, refreshed and with a slammin’ new blog for you!
God bless
~Mel
Little Angels DVD Review And Giveaway
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
We have winners!!!!
The winner of the 2 pack of DVDs is…..Stephanie Perryman!!!
The winners of the Little Angel’s ABC’s DVD’s are Celesta Garcia and Jackie M!!!
More info on my Facebook page! (The box to my Facebook page is up on the right!!)
Enjoy, ladies!!
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When Gracehill Media contacted me last November about doing a review and giveaway of the new Christian education series for kids, Little Angels, I was excited to do it. ( Yes, I know, waaayy late on this giveaway!)
I’m always happy to see new, well done, cute, Christian cartoon series for kids being produced. I feel like there aren’t enough of those around!
This series is from executive producer, Roma Downey of “Touched By An Angel Fame”. It’s written and directed by Phil Lollar, who co-created “Adventures in Odyssey”. Squeee!!! We love “Adventures in Odyssey”! This series already has some great top people working on it. It’s distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Here’s a quote from their press release:
LITTLE ANGELS is an animated DVD series created exclusively for preschool-aged children to teach not only practical learning skills, like ABCs and numbers, but also to introduce them to the spiritual, moral and ethical principles in the Bible.
When we sat down to watch ” Little Angels ABC’s” I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve seen some really good Christian cartoons out there and I’ve seen some really cheesy ones! I wasn’t sure how entertaining this would be for my girls. But, they liked it! The graphics, story line and dialogue are well done and age appropriate. It’s a little on the young side for Katelyn, my 6 year old. However, as stated in the press release, this series was created for the preschool set. Katelyn wasn’t bored with it, however. She seemed to get sucked in too.
Here’s a synopsis of the show from their press release:
Preschool twins Alex and Zoe are blessed to have eight little Angels watching over them-literally! These Little Angels “live” on the ceiling of their bedroom, painted there so they are the first things the kids see when they wake up in the morning and the last thing they see before they fall asleep at night. The angels come to life when the children need them most, helping guide them through the challenges of their young lives.
The angels are really cute and have their own little personalities and “talents”. Each episode has a clear and concise moral/lesson the children take away from it. Perfect for ages 2-5. The DVDs run from 30-35 minutes. My girls said they’d watch it again!
If you are interested in trying out these DVDs you’re in luck! I have some to give away! Here’s what I’m offering:
First up, I’m offering TWO DVD’s to the first name drawn for this giveaway. The first name picked will get the “Little Angels ABCs” AND “Little Angels Animals”.
The next two names drawn will get a copy of ” Little Angel’s ABC’s” .
All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment stating that you want to be a part of this giveaway!
The giveaway will run from today until Friday, February 10th. On Friday afternoon, I’ll announce the winners on here and on my Simply Mel Facebook page.
Ready. Set. Go!!!!
Quatro’s Gender Revealed
Monday, February 6th, 2012
Better late than never, right?? We found out what Quatro is on January 20th. I’m just now sharing it on my blog. I won’t even go into a long list of reasons and apologies for my less than stellar posting record right now. You guys have heard it all from me before! Thanks for sticking with me!
So our little Quatro is…..
A BOY!!!!!
Logan Avery
We can’t believe we’re actually having a boy. Whenever the doctor told us we had a little boy, I started crying a little bit from joy and surprise. This is all so new to us. My girls were thrilled. They wanted a little brother.
Here are some pictures of our SON..
This is a picture of his cute, little foot. You can see his big toe sticking out.
A very up close picture of his face. This was taken during a level 2 ultrasound. They were checking for a cleft palate or other deformities in his face due to the seizure meds I take. His forehead is on the right and you can see the slope of his nose. ( For reference!)
A little profile shot.
Here he is, curled up, facing down. You can see his spine.
After my gender revealing ultrasound, I had a Level 2 ultrasound 2 weeks later. They are going to be doing these a few times to check that his development is on track and normal. (Which it is! He looks perfect!) I take seizure medication and have Gestational Diabetes so they are going to keep a close eye on this little guy. So far, he’s measuring big ( no surprise!) and in 73rd percentile for size right now. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be huge at birth, though. But, I won’t be surprised if I have close to or more than a 9 pounder again.
I’m feeling pretty good at 23 weeks. God is good and has blessed me with a health pregnancy and baby!
