Nanny to Mommy

My sister-in-law's baby shower was this past weekend. SweetPea had a lot of fun.



Can you tell?! ;)

My sister-in-law is due at the end of April how perfect are these invitations for her? PLUS, one of her shower gifts was a Vera Bradley diaper bag! I'm not gonna lie, I am a little jealous. :D






I have been a huge fan of Vera Bradley for a while now. These are pictures of me and the Hubs in Vegas in 2008 with my first (and sadly only) Vera Bradley purse. I still have it and use it as a diaper bag now on occasion. I love it! The print is bright and beautiful. I love the creativity of Vera Bradley designs.














And I think you've got to check this out...the new Vera Bradley Collection from Tiny Prints.

You know Vera Bradley for their colorful bags, totes, luggage and more. They are known around the world for their dazzling colors, playful patterns and stylish designs.

Now, you can buy stationery with Vera Bradley-inspired designs from Tiny Prints. Check out some of the awesome designs below.



They have many Vera Bradley designs to choose from for baby shower invitations, birth announcements, thank you cards, and address labels. Plus, if you order by Tuesday, March 26, you can get 20% off your entire purchase at Tiny Prints. Just use the code 20MARSW by 11:59pm PT on Tuesday to save 20%.

Check out their entire collection and make your stationery as dazzling as your bags.

Small trip tonight to Publix. I will update tomorrow when I actually go shopping. I just had one of those days (if you read my earlier post) and needed to get out of the house. Anyways. I got a few fun things for Easter. SweetPea's Easter basket fillers and the egg dying kit. :D

They didn't have any Mott's Medley's that are BOGO so they wrote me a rain check and they were also out of the money making Maybelline Eye Shadows and since the green ad coupon expired today I said forget it although they probably would have wrote me a rain check for that too.

So here's what I got:
2 Campbell's Go Soups $2.50
- 2 $1/1 Target.com IP
- 2 $1/1 Bzz Agent Campaign Coupons
($1.00 off (1) package of Campbell's Go Soup)
= $1 or $0.50 each!

Alexia Three Cheese Rolls BOGO $3.69
- $2.50/1 IP (no longer available?)
= $0.65 MM!

Talking Hello Kitty Book $7.99

Pass Egg Kit $1.79
(HERE's a $1/2 Printable)

4 Kikkoman Seasonings $0.99
- 2 $1/1 Kikkoman Product IP
- 2 $1/1 Kikkoman Product IP
= FREE

4 Snickers Bars $0.99
- 2 BOGO SNICKERS Bar and Peanut Butter Squared Bar
= $1.98 or $0.50 each!

Jennie-O Turkey Bacon BOGO $2.99
- $1.00 off Jennie-O Turkey Bacon 12 oz
= $0.50!

Similac Soy Formula 2/$4.79
- $5 mailed from manufacturer
= $2.60 MM!

Total Spent = $8.66
Total Saved = $25.40
Percentage Saved = 75%!!

It's not okay for me to do laundry while he watches our two year old (all he has to do is play with her) because he worked a 10 hour day.

I'm standing here ironing his work shirts. But I have worry about our two year old knocking into the ironing board and burning herself because the hot iron fell on her.

I can't have a minute to myself because that would be too much.

I know I'm not alone here. I'm sick and tired of what I do for a living not being appreciated because it doesn't come with a steady pay check. Everything I do is for my family. Even blogging. Which use to be for me. And although I enjoy it, I also (now) blog to get free products and go to events for sponsors so my family can enjoy some of the nicer things. When did that happen?



I enjoy couponing, but it's a lot of work and planning. And it's time consuming. But I coupon to stretch the income so we can make sure we can afford our grocery bill.

I stay home with my daughter, yes, but I also watch my friend's little girl. And although I'm in my own house and with my daughter too, my time is still split and it's as if I'm taking care of twins all day (how you mamas with actual twins do it, I have no idea).

I just want to scream and pull my hair out some days. Please tell me I am not the only one!

My husband works so hard for us. I know he does. But I guess it boils down to, the "grass is always greener on the other side" syndrome. Most working mommies would love to be in my position. To stay at home with their child all day. But I wish I could get out of the house for a job. Even a car ride to the store by myself would be nice. My birthday is in 5 days. And instead of turning 27 and my hair maybe getting some grey hairs (although I haven't found one yet...thank GOD). I think it's going to get ripped out.

Please tell me I am not the only one who feels like this.

Yes, I love my husband and no it isn't his fault. Yes, I know I'm blessed. And yes I feel guilty for feeling this way. Maybe the hardest thing to grasp is that I use to do this for a pay check with nights and weekends off.

Would I trade my life for anything? No. But like Hubby needs a break, Mommy needs a time out.

Conscious Box is a monthly subscription service that delivers the purest, most natural products on the planet, right to you doorstep!

I am so excited about this opportunity to provide this giveaway for a 3-month Conscious Box subscription – that's a $59 value! If you are impatient like me and can't wait to see if you won, right now you can enter promo code DISCOVERNATURAL for a 50% off discount!

They have cool boxes including an Earth Day box that you can choose from. All you have to do is enter the RaffleCopter below. All entries are verified. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Although I received free product to provide this review and giveaway, all opinions are my own.

"THE CROODS is a 3D comedy adventure that follows the world's first modern family through the journey of a lifetime. When the cave that has always been their home is destroyed – with the rest of their world not far behind it – The Croods are forced to set off on the first family road (or path) trip. Rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts, The Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures, and a future beyond any they imagined.



The Crood family dynamics, though unfolding a few million years ago, feel like they could come from your own household. Like most fathers, family patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage) is fiercely protective of his wife and three kids. His hyper-vigilance has kept his cave-bound family safe, secure and....super- bored. Grug’s strong and dutiful better half, Ugga (Catherine Keener), accepts her husband's "fear is good; change is bad" mentality, as does their son Thunk (Clark Duke), who’s content with the static status quo. Feisty mother-in-law Gran (Cloris Leachman) never tires of needling (or sometimes assaulting) Grug; and stone-tough toddler Sandy might be the fiercest Crood yet.



But leave it to a rebellious teenager (is there any other kind?) to stand up to parental authority. Grug's sole focus is survival, but Eep (Emma Stone) wants to actually live, and her curiosity about the world outside their cave collides with her dad's primitive rules. (Ever the defiant outsider, Eep gets her own ledge to sleep on while the rest of the Croods form a “sleep pile” for some group shut-eye.)



A cataclysmic event forces the Croods to venture into parts unknown and rethink their way of living. En route, they encounter Guy (Ryan Reynolds), whose dazzling new discoveries – like fire...and shoes – shake up the Croods in unexpected ways. Most of the family (especially Eep) is smitten by Guy’s vision of a new place called “tomorrow,” but Grug sees the biggest calamity yet: a charming teenage boy from which he must “protect” Eep.



The Croods soon realize that if they don’t evolve...they’re history."

The features Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, and Emma Stone as just some of the voice talents.



I am excited for the opportunity to see the imagination of Dreamworks on screen again.
And as a special treat, I am giving away a 'THE CROODS' movie poster and Belt (Belt is the loyal sloth who accompanies Guy, the nomadic caveboy played by Ryan Reynolds) plush toys available to give away to one reader! Just enter the RaffleCopter below. All entries are verified but the only required entry is to comment on this post. Giveaway open to US only. No P.O. boxes, please.

*Disclaimer: I received a poster and plush toy as compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.