Crayola Take Note Giveaway

Happy Wednesday! Some of you may know that I am a big fan of Crayola. My boys and I love using Crayola products. I am so excited that Crayola now has a new collection called Take Note. The collection is made up of gel pens and erasable highlighters. This collection of writing supplies is perfect for both students and parents. It's perfect for homework, taking notes, bullet journals, art journaling, planners, and more!

The gel pens are washable and have a 0.7mm Medium point. They write so smooth and you don't have to worry about streaking.

The erasable highlighters have a chisel tip on one end and the eraser is on the other end. You can use the chisel tip to make thick or thin lines. The highlighters have a snap on cap so you can prevent your highlighter from drying out. The colors are so bright and vibrant.

I am so excited about these new products and am so excited to have paired up with Crayola to offer a giveaway of Crayola's NEW Take Note products! Enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.*

Winner will be notified by email.

Which Crayola product is your favorite? Are you excited about Crayola's new Take Note products?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Raphael - 3 Months

Oh my goodness! Raphael is now 15 weeks old! I can't believe that he will be 4 months old soon! I'm a bit late on giving an update on him, but better late than never.

Size: Raphael is about 10 pounds. He's still wearing size 0-3 clothes and is also wearing size 3 clothes as well. He is also still wearing size 1 diapers.

Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding is going very well. Raphael is still eating every 2-3 hours. I'm also still pumping milk. He is still doing much better from his reflux.

Sleep: He is starting to sleep more at night and is awake for longer stretches of time during the day. It looks like he is starting to have a schedule.

Loves: He still loves bath time. He loves sleeping on me and John. He loves his brothers! He always smile when his brothers make funny faces and talk to him.

Dislikes: He still dislikes the same things as last month. He's not a fan of getting out of the bath. He really doesn't like his car seat. It seems like he hates being strapped in anything. He still likes/dislikes Tummy Time, but is definitely getting used to it.

Things I Want To Remember:

• His first 4th of July

• How much he is growing

• Michael and Gabriel's excitement when they check on Raphael. 

• All the faces that Raphael makes. 

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! Today I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link up.

1. Celebrating my 5 year wedding anniversary today!

2. Instax Mini 90 camera

3. Buying thoughtful gifts

4. Finished Back to School shopping

5. Good news!

6. My kids and John

7. New-to-me movies and TV shows

8. Ice cold water

9. Me time

10. New sunglasses

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...
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Crayola Thank A Teacher Campaign

It may be summer, but back to school season is in full swing around here! We are already getting ready for the first day of school. The boys are so excited to meet their teachers and are also excited to see their teachers from the previous school year.

During the last month of the school year, my boys' school always asks students to write thank you letters to their teachers and staff. I think it's so great to write a handmade note or letter thanking teachers because they work so hard.

I am so happy to share that Crayola is currently running the Thank A Teacher campaign and contest. The goal is to create a handmade thank you card for a teacher. Upload your handmade card here for a chance to win grand prizes for your family, teacher, and school!

There are ten grand prize packs which include the following:

• $10,000 classroom makeover for the teacher
• One year supply of Crayola products for the school
• $1,000 scholarship for the student
• $1,000 gift card for both the teacher and school
• Free CreatEd seminar for the school

In addition to the grand prizes, one entrant will have his or her thank you note featured on a pack of Crayola crayons this holiday. There will also be a weekly sweepstakes that will run concurrently with the contest and entrants will have a chance to win $500 gift cards for themselves and their teachers. The contest and sweepstakes will run through August 25, 2018. 

There are a few rules for this contest and the sweepstakes. The contest and sweepstakes are open to legal residents of the United States and D.C. Entrants must be 13 years or older. Minors must have his or her parent's or legal guardian's permission to enter. You can find the official rules here.

If you decide to participate, you can also share your cards using the hashtag #CrayolaThanks.

Below is one of the cards that my boys made.

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Disclosure: I did receive these products for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. As always, I only recommend products and services that I have personally used.

Mini Letters

Dear July,

So far you have been a decent month. Please continue to be a good month for me. June was such a brutal month.

Dear Network Television,

I am so disappointed in you. Seriously...why are a ton of my favorite shows canceled? I always have the worst luck when it comes to television shows. It seems like whenever I like a new show, it gets canceled.

I can't believe that Lucifer, Here and Now, and Damnation are canceled. John and I were really annoyed that Lucifer was canceled. John doesn't watch a lot of tv so it really sucks when one of our favorite shows gets canceled.

I'm also sad that The Last Ship is ending with its upcoming fifth season. It was a really great show and I loved the storyline. I'm so glad that The Last Ship will not be ending in a cliffhanger.

It looks like we will be getting Netflix soon because we heard that Netflix picked up Lucifer.

Dear Mother Nature,

My goodness! It is unbelievably hot outside! I shouldn't complain about the weather since it was so cold during winter, but it's been so hot that I have been staying home a lot. I have been enjoying the summer thunderstorms that we have had. There's just something about summer storms that just makes me happy.

Dear Toys R Us/Babies R Us,

I am so so soooo sad that you guys went out of business. It is not that often that I get incredibly sad over a company going out of business, but I'm so upset that you guys are no longer in business. We have been buying all of our baby needs at Babies R Us since I was pregnant with Michael. You guys were our go to shop for toys as well. We loved the rewards program and baby registry perks. We were so happy to be able to shop for our youngest son, Raphael. However, we are so sad that he will not be able to experience Toys R Us like his brothers did.

Dear Old Navy,

You guys are killing it with all of these deals. That is all.

Dear Barnes and Noble,

I have bought so many books and it looks like I'm going to go on a "no spend" for the rest of this month and next month. To be fair, there were a lot of great sales and I'm a rewards member so I got a lot of great deals on books.

Dear Fall,

I'm so ready for your arrival.


Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

July Goals

Happy Tuesday! Another month has gone by and I'm so glad that it did. June was a really rough month for me so I'm excited for July and hope that it's a better month.

Before we get to my goals for July, let's check out my recap of my June goals.

Recap of June Goals

• Read 1 book: Unfortunately, I did not reach my reading goal, but I did read a lot of blogs and articles. 

• Share more personal stories and/or essays on the blog: I didn't share any personal stories or essays. I've been so frustrated with myself. Almost every month, I set this goal and then I don't share anything. 

• Start a new workout plan: I'm not sure whether to give this a pass or a fail. I didn't really start my new workout plan, but I finally found one that I think will work for me. 

• Make at least 2 scrapbook or craft projects: This is a pass. I made a couple of cards and I also worked in my Summer Stories travelers notebook.

• Continue to work on my meal plan: I didn't make a meal plan for the whole month, but I did cook a lot. I guess you could call this a pass. 

July Goals

• Read 2 books

• Share at least 1 personal story or essay on the blog

• Start my new workout plan

• Make at least 3 scrapbook or craft projects

• Pitch at least 2 brands this month

What are your goals for July?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Vacation Q & A

Today I'm linking up with The Blended Blog for TBB Asks. TBB Asks is a monthly questionnaire and link up series.

1. Will you go on a summer vacation this year? Not this year since we just had a baby.

2. Do nothing but relax or pack it all in vacation? It depends on where we go on vacation. If it's a staycation, we usually try to relax for most of the vacation.

3. What month do you like to vacation? Late May or early June

4. Cruise: YES or NO? I've never been on a cruise and have never really been interested in going on a cruise.

5. Favorite vacation tradition? We always take a day during our vacation to just relax and lounge especially if it's not a staycation. We love collecting mugs so we always get a couple when we are on vacation.

6. Most memorable vacation? My most memorable vacation was going to Disney World with my husband and two older sons. Now that we have Raphael, we want to go again soon.

7. Pack light or Pack it all? I definitely overpack.

8. Hotel, Condo, or House? Hotel

9. Favorite thing(s) to eat on vacation? It depends on where we go.

10. Warm or Cold Destinations. Warm, but I'm not opposed to going to a cold destination. It would just depend on the destination.

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...