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Toddlers are a rare breed. All of a sudden, your sweet little baby realizes they have the power to make choices. And once they realize that, they start testing that power. Over and over and over, all day long…
Opinions, emotions, and tantrums, oh my!
This post was sponsored by Eli Supplemental Newborn Screening, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Becoming a mom was one of the biggest, most life-changing events of my life so far. All of a sudden, I was 100% responsible for another person. There were so many things to think about and plan, and all the decisions and choices regarding this new tiny life were up to me. It was, and still is, incredibly overwhelming! After all, all moms want to make the right choices for their babies. You do all the research you can – you read the books, talk to other moms, and listen to your pediatrician. But ultimately, each decision is up to you.
When I had my first baby, I relied heavily on the advice of those around me, but honestly didn’t do much outside research of my own. When I was pregnant with my second child, I knew better and decided to really look into my options on lots of topics like birth, breastfeeding, and sleep training. But one thing I didn’t even think to look at was the type of screening available for newborns for treatable diseases.
Thankfully, both of my children were healthy. But thinking back, I really wish I had done my research. I didn’t realize that pediatricians don’t test for all of the possible conditions that may affect newborns. Conditions that are treatable if they’re caught early on. Most states screen for the conditions on the federal government’s “Recommended Uniform Screening Panel.” But there are up to 32 other possible conditions that can be treated if they’re caught early enough. Even if you had extensive prenatal screening.
Eli is a newborn screening service that screens for an additional 32 treatable conditions and risks. Eli is at the forefront of newborn screening technology to provide accurate and reliable screening results for additional treatable conditions. The process is simple – just order your kit before your due date, bring the kit to your newborn’s first pediatric visit (where your doctor or nurse will collect the required samples), ship the samples back, and receive the results in a week. You’ll have all the information you need to make informed decisions about the health of your newborn. You can worry less, and focus more on the joy that comes with having a sweet new little baby. Eli also offers genetic counselors to answer questions and help guide care so your baby will have the happiest, healthiest start!
This post was sponsored by Smile Brilliant but all opinions are my own!
For the last 6 years, my life has been centered around my kids. And as much as I love those little boogers, I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to focus more on myself this year. I really started to realize I needed to put some time into fulfilling my own wishes and desires when I decided to start this blog. I noticed that as my kids got older and more independent, I had more time that I needed to fill. That’s why I started blogging! It’s been so much fun creating content and really developing my brand. But this year I’m going to do even more to make sure that I feel like a person, and not just “Mama.”
Edit – the Pixar Play Zone is no longer open at Disney World as of April 2019.
Josh and I have always loved Disney. In fact, we honeymooned at Disney back in 2007 when we were first married. So we definitely know how fun Disney can be without kids! During our most recent trip to Disney, we wanted to recreate that kid-free fun, so we booked our kids a night at the Pixar Play Zone – Disney’s kids-only experience located at the Contemporary Resort right next to the Magic Kingdom.
For $65 per child, your kids (ages 4-12) can play from 5pm to 10:30pm at the Play Zone. They’ll eat dinner, meet characters, do crafts, play games, and even end the night with a dance party! I know the price may seem high, but for five and a half hours of childcare, plus dinner, crafts, and character meet and greets, it really isn’t bad. It comes out to around $12 an hour per child, which seems reasonable for all that’s included. And for us, after almost a week with our kids 24/7, it was totally worth it to get a few hours to ourselves!
If you don’t take pictures of your family in a pumpkin patch each fall, are you even a mom?! Seriously though – it seems like it’s a requirement these days. We’ve visited a bunch of different pumpkin patches over the years, but my favorites are outside of the city. For me, a sprawling farm of pumpkin fields and a quaint little country store with freshly picked mountain apples, country jams, and homemade apple-cider donuts give me more “fall-feels” than the pumpkin patches that pop up in parking lots here in Atlanta. This year, we visited Jaemor Farms‘ patch and were able to get some really awesome obligatory pumpkin patch pictures, a decently priced pumpkin, and some other tasty treats!
There’s no entry fee for the pumpkin patch at Jaemor. Feel free to roam around the fields at your leisure, taking all of those obligatory family pictures. The pumpkins aren’t super expensive, and the prices vary by size. You can also skip the field altogether and choose a pumpkin from their farm market store.