MommyCoddle

Buying glasses online and a GIVEAWAY!

A few weeks ago I was lamenting to a friend about how I felt like I was going a million directions at once. I was constantly running and our schedule felt jam-packed and I just missed being at home. I missed having days with nothing on the calendar. I have this constant refrain in my head, “When things slow down, I’ll…..” but the slow down never seems to come.

In some round about way though, I got what I wished for. A few weeks ago, Dan got injured in a soccer game and is in some stage of crutches, cane or hobbling around the house waiting for the results of his MRI. Emma fell at school, catching herself with her wrist and is in a splint while we wait to see if it is just a sprain or if the radiologist thinks that something “suspicious” on the x-ray could be more. Birdy, Elizabeth and I got slammed with colds. Birdy’s turned into pink eye in both eyes. And Elizabeth woke up with pink eye and pain in both ears. I suppose if you’re going to get pink eye for the first time in your parenting life, why not go all in?

I’ve reached the point where all I can do is step back from the crazy and laugh. Perhaps that means I’m losing my marbles. But I am getting plenty of days at home. Plenty of naps snuggled in bed with my sick people. And lots of downtime. I suppose it’s a sign of real desperation for stillness when you’ll take it in the form of colds and injuries. Whoops.

But let’s talk about something more exciting. NEW GLASSES.

A few years ago I bought my first pair of glasses online. I was nervous about the process and couldn’t believe that frames could be both inexpensive and of nice quality. But I was totally surprised. So when I was asked to try out a new-to-me online glasses shop, and realized I’d been wearing that same pair of frames for several years, I was excited to try it out.

Firmoo offers a huge range of glasses and sunglasses for men and women. They have tons of great styles to choose from and the process of ordering them is simple.

Generally I can get a good feel for what glasses I want as I scroll through the different styles. But I always struggle when I get it narrowed down to those last 3 or 4 pairs. This is where Firmoo’s online “try-on” software is really nice. You can take a photo and virtually try on the frames to get an idea of how the shape, style and size looks on your face.

But even more exciting is the price. Their frames are so affordable and the quality of both pairs I received was great. The lenses matched my prescription and aside from getting used to a larger frame (I went a little bolder this time. Eek!) they were easy to wear and didn’t require a long adjustment period like I’ve experienced with some frames.

In order to order glasses with Firmoo or any online retailer, you’ll need your prescription and your pupillary distance code. I love that my ophthalmologist doesn’t mind giving me a paper copy of my prescription, but if yours doesn’t do that, it’s easy to get.

My Firmoo glasses arrived quickly and I loved the style. And for the price, I think I’ll also get pairs for both of my glasses-wearing girls. With the way they “take care” of their glasses, I think it will be smart to have a back-up pair ready since they both rely on them so heavily in school.

Aside from Firmoo, you can also opt for Glasses Online Canada because they are very affordable and fashionable at the same time.

I’m so excited to share that Firmoo is giving away 5 pairs of glasses to 5 lucky MommyCoddle readers who have never used Firmoo before! Wooohooo! Simply go to this link and let me know which pair of frames speaks to you. Each winner will receive a voucher which covers the frame with 1.50 index single vision lenses. Please note that each winner will be required to pay shipping. Giveaway ends at midnight eastern on Saturday, May 7th. Good luck and enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Firmoo sent me a pair of glasses to try out for this review and giveaway. All opinions are my own.

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30 healthy ideas to pack in your kids’ lunches

Disclaimer: Thanks to GoGo squeeZ and Socialstars for encouraging the conversation about healthy choices for kids’ lunches and snacks. This post is sponsored but all opinions are my own. (Well, and my kids, too.) #GoGosqueeZSquad

I don’t know exactly when it happened, but at some point in this school year my kids started packing their lunches by themselves. Maybe this is a normal occurrence in most families but between busy evening schedules and homework (Oh the homework, don’t get me started.) and rushed mornings the task fell onto my plate. When I come to think of it, I think this transition may have happened when I was out of town for a few days. It’s funny the changes that happen when Dan’s in charge–someone can suddenly go to bed all by herself, someone else can haul water buckets without an help, and apparently two people can make their own lunches.

But despite passing the lunchbox torch, I still keep a close eye on what goes in them. School days are long, especially when there’s lots of activities after and for my migraine kid, having a well-balanced lunch that’s high in protein is really key. One of her biggest triggers is hunger, followed closely by dehydration and exhaustion, so I’m always doing my best to make sure she’s putting good stuff in that lunchbox. Go to www.royalvending.com.au for more info on drinks and snacks vending machines

But don’t get me wrong. It isn’t always easy. In fact, its rarely easy.

In my dreams there is food to go in lunch boxes that is both convenient and healthy. But often those things don’t go hand in hand. So I’m always glad to discover something new on the grocery shelves that falls into those categories. In particular, I was excited about GoGosqueeZ launching a brand new yogurt pouch. They can be stored at room temperature–after going through the same process as refrigerated yogurt with an additional heating step. They have nothing artificial, contain no growth hormones, no preservatives and no mess. And they’re full of protein, calcium and Vitamin D. And they are super convenient for the grab-and-go flurry of lunch packing.

At this time of year, it’s really easy to get in a major rut with lunches. So discovering something new like this is a huge plus as we push through the last several weeks of school.

A few years ago (2009!!) I wrote a blog post about wanting to add more protein and whole grains to our meals and snacks, especially lunches. And the comments on the post blew up with great ideas. I actually click back on that post often when I’m feeling burned out and blah about feeding my kids. The list contains mostly ideas for snacks and “accessories” as I call them for your kids lunches. But it’s chock-full of great ideas.

So if you’re anything like me, you could probably use a little lunch and snack inspiration list. Check out some of my favorite suggestions from that post below:

edamame
peanut butter on rice cake
pretzels and hummus
trail mix (cereal, nuts, pretzels, dried fruit, chocolate chips)
frozen yogurt(put the pouches in the freezer!)
popcorn
peanut butter powerballs
whole wheat pita pockets with eggs and salsa or ham
hard boiled eggs
hummus and carrot sticks
tamari almonds
almond butter on rice cakes
celery and peanut butter
whole grain crackers and sliced cheese
tortillas wrapped with cream cheese
toast spread with almond butter and honey
plain almonds and raisins and semisweet chocolate chips mixed together
almonds with dried apricots
lemony turkish red lentil balls
sloppy joes which include black beans with the ground beef
chickpea popcorn: Once the chickpeas are ready (either open the can or make the chickpeas so they are cooked through) then heat a pan on medium/ medium high with olive oil. When the pan is hot add one clove of garlic smashed and diced tiny. Also add some dried oregano or basil and saute until they start to “pop” and are smooth not chalky. Stick them in a bowl and enjoy.
string cheese, apples, carrot sticks and sometimes grapes
grain + beans + chopped hard veg + herbs + a little dressing
quesadillas
cottage cheese and pineapple
tuna with tomatoes
Rancho Gordo beans
mini bagels with cream cheese-nuts
cashews, pistachios
Cottage cheese with fruit

Save it for later on Pinterest:

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by GoGosqueeZ but all opinions are my own. #GoGosqueeZSquad

My 5 minute morning routine

Today was officially the end of Spring Break for the girls. That 6:15am alarm clock was painful–as was my trek around the house to each girls’ room, rousing them from their deep sleep. I have to admit, waking up my children is something I absolutely hate. It was one of the great perks of homeschooling all the girls. But now that some are home and some are at school–it means we’re all waking up early and getting out the door. But on the plus side, it means we’re dressed, fed and have chores done with a whole fresh day ahead of us.

In my heart of hearts I really want to be a morning person. And whenever I do get up early I’m so glad I did. I lay in my bed in the mornings reminding myself how good it will feel once I get past the initial pain of getting out of my comfy warm bed, often with a certain little person cuddled up beside me (which makes bed extraction infinitely more difficult.)

Growing up, my mom was famous (in our family) for the outfits she would wear to drop us off at school in the mornings. They often involved zip up the front bathrobes with nightgowns peeking out underneath, a barn coat and perhaps even a woolly winter cap. She’d top it off with her pair of LLBean barn boots. And the icing on the cake would be the days that some farm duty, or dead battery in our orange Volkswagen Bus would require her to drive us to school in the cattle truck–an old blue Dodge you could hear approaching before the school was even in sight. Everyone knew when our family arrived at school.

On the way to school, we’d pray to the good Lord above that we would not get pulled over by police or into an accident that would require medical personnel to extract mother from the truck to reveal her elaborate outfit.

And while I may not be donning a bathrobe during the morning school run, I have my own modern-day equivalent of baseball caps to cover yesterday’s bad hair or the same stripe track pants as the day before. (Or maybe even the day before that, too.)

I consider any morning where my children are out the door on time with breakfast in their bellies, packed lunches in hand and no homework left behind a successful morning. But some mornings I knock it out of the park when I actually manage to get in front of the mirror and out of my yoga pants before lunch.

When it comes to makeup I definitely err on the side of low-maintenance and natural. Though I might do it up a little more for an evening out or get-together with friends–my day-to-day routine takes about five minutes, tops since I only use cbd lotion, because it needs to be quick, easy and effective.

So I thought I’d share with you my simple routine and the few products in my every day make-up bag.

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