HAPPY DECEMBER! $643.00 TO YOU GIVEAWAY!

Kicking off DECEMBER with this fabulous giveaway that you surely won't want to miss!

Remember that amazing giveaway we were talking about last week? Well it's here! 

Please please follow the rules carefully per rafflecopter.

 To break it down for you:

MANDATORY

You must follow each one of these blogs

1. From Mrs to Mama

2. Busy Becka

3. Our Love Nest

4. Days Like This

5. Waking Up in Vegas

You also must make a twitter shout out

If you don't have a twitter account, you have to either make a blog post or facebook shout out!

You can select that you did the twitter shout out, but just leave a comment with the link of where you did make the giveaway announcement

**the twitter shout it connected to my twitter handle, so you don't have to put the url as long as you include my handle in the tweet so i can see to verify it!

Just type in the box "i tweeted"

EXTRA

1. Follow the above bloggers on twitter/facebook {per rafflecopter}

Pin the above image!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

34 week Bump Attack

I have hit that point. The point that I never hit when I was pregnant with Elliana. The point where I am actually THAT complaining, whining, uncomforable pregnant lady.

I don't know what it is about this pregnancy, but it is so different from my last. Perhaps it is the fact that he has always hung out low {and lately lower than usual}, or maybe the fact that it is my second pregnancy in general, but regardless... I feel every part of being pregnant.

I get these sharp pains [down yonder}, especially when I walk, and I swear that the baby has a knife in there and is just jabbing my insides... down there. Emphasis on down there.

Pleasant, right?

Speaking of walk. I can't. I literally hurt when I walk, especially when I'm at work. Everyone makes a joke, or two, about my waddle. But if only they knew the pain I was going through. Honestly, with Elliana? I think I had a waddle the last week of pregnancy or so. This time? Since week 20. And it's progressively getting more and more prominent.

The heartburn is at its all time high. And before? Chocolate was the cause. Now? I have long since run out of halloween candy and rarely {never] eat chocolate. Instead, everything causes heartburn. Espcially water or ice chips? What the world.

With Elliana, I had mild heartburn towards the end. But nothing that I would write home about it. And she? Well she was born wtih a good amount of hair on her head. So if this is any indication of the amount of hair my son is going to have, then I will go ahead and say that he will come out with hair down to his ankles.

At least, that's how I feel.

I also get full really fast. Good thing or bad thing? Not sure, because I don't really have much of an appetite. So maybe that will hinder all this weight gain? Maybe.

Doctor's Appointment this week:
Heartbeat great. Measuring right on track. Blood pressure normal. Next time will be my last 2 week visit and we will officially go weekly after that. Total weight gain? 28 pounds. I guess I wasn't kidding when I said Thanksgiving put on 5 pounds.

Elliana went to the appointment again with me this week. I think we have long since given up trying to figure out someone to watch her while I go to these things. And to be honest with you? She does amazing. The two times that she has misbehaved have always been when it's been the three of us that have gone. Not sure why that changes things, but something is different about her. More sass.

So she always sits up with me on the table while the doctor measures and listens to the heartbeat. And she has this sweet innocent smile when she hears the "horse gallops." She loves her baby brother already.

Guys. I'm going to be 9 months in a week and a half. NINE. Nueve. Devet. You get the point. It's flying by.

Is it too early to put predictions in? On the, cough, arrival date. I don't want to jinx myself... but I'm going to say... 38 weeks.

Family Pictures {the truth... yet again}

This post has been sitting in draft for a couple of months due to the fact that *one* of these pictures made it on the Christmas card this year... so I didn't want to spoil the fun. But since they have all been mailed and received by our family and friends, I can finally hit the post button.

So, that being said.... lets talk about said family pictures.

Ahem.

First, these were on the whim pictures taken because I was working with minted.com to create my Christmas Cards {and share them with my readers}, and I also wanted to do a little name reveal with it.

And maternity pictures.

And mama and daughter shoot.

And papa and daughter shoot.

And Christmas photos.

And capture some fabulous, adorable, sweet, family moments.

Ahem { be prepared to see this a lot}.

I was very much mistaken. Silly of me. To think that for once in my life, family pictures would go as planned. To even think that I could get a variety of pictures. Smiling pictures.

Forget the maternity, mama daughter, papa daughter shoot. We were lucky to even get one picture where all 3 of us were looking at the camera. Smiling at the camera {that didn't happen}, and looked put together. In fact, the only decent picture wasn't even one that we were all looking at the camera... it was one where Andrew and I were kissing and E was looking up at the sky at the airplane.

Yup. That is my life.

I've even included the sass pictures of E. The ones of her running away. The ones with the pout. You name it, she threw it at us that day.

The SASS. The pictures don't lie. It's all over her face :O)

Elliana pouting because we told her she couldn't have any ice cream.

Our Christmas Card Photo This Year

And although these family pictures {taken by my sister, thank you sis} are far from perfect, they are us. The three of us {plus one}. Pictures like this don't get captured often... unfortunately... so when they do? Smiles or not? I'm glad they're taken.

I'll appreciate them down the road.
I'll laugh at the memory of today.
I'll shake my head thinking about how ridiculous staging pictures is.
I'll soak in Elliana's sweet pouty baby face.
The young face.
The toddler that she is.

This is us.
My family and I.
And next time we try this little rodeo?
We'll have another little sweet blessing in the picture.

So again. Smiles or not? I'm thankful for these little moments.

The Christmas Preparation List

Since I am a big planner and even bigger lover of Christmas, I thought I would share with you guys the S household Christmas Preparation List.

Many of these things are already marked off and done. Family Pictures. Christmas Cards. Christmas Stockings. Decorated tree. Santa Letter package. Decorated house. Christmas movies. Santa plate ordered. Christmas Crafts.

We just have a few of the important things left to cross off our list, and as I come up with more ideas, I will continue to add on to them.

I love when I read about other people's traditions as well. Recently on instagram, I saw a mama post about wrapping 25 Christmas books for her son to open. And I thought to myself, what a brilliant idea! My baby girl would love that. Not only does she love books, but she especially loves Christmas {she is my daughter after all}. I will catch her singing Christmas tunes to herself. She freaks when she sees a Christmas tree or santa, and I cannot wait for the first real snowfall so we can build a snowman!

Oh man. I forgot to add that to the list! See what I mean?

So two things I need to add:
1. Build a snowman
and
2. Wrap 25 Christmas books.

I should preface that by saying... buy first 25 Christmas books.

Anyways, there's our list, and I would love to hear {so I can steal... being honest here} some little traditions that you all like to do.

**Also, for those that asked about information about creating your blog into a book, leave your email in the comments {or email me: frommrstomama@gmail.com}, and I will email you the info!**

Women Connect. Mothers. Wives. Sisters. Friends.

It's HERE! I am so excited to connect so many women with one another, to meet new friends, read inspiring stoies, and to find similarities among bloggers in this amazing community. Please write your posts, grab the HTML code below {or link back to the blog} and hop around to connect with others. If you do not link back to the blog, please know your post will be deleted from the link-up. This is all about connecting as many women as possible.

What do you do? You write. You write and you open up to us. Tell us who you are. Share a story with us. Tell us why you blog. Something that has been challenging for you in life? Something that has been a major blessing. Anything applies. The goal is that you take the time to actually write and the result would be that other women would find you and your blog and connect. 

When you link up. Please put and "identifying factor" about yourself. "Mama of two." "Recent Newlywed." "Struggling through marriage." "Need help with parenting." And so forth. 

<a border="0" href="http://www.frommrstomama.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKqbARocSH0cdmXine3uegn9VbMMQAu9CT-x4L90u8UbwHUm9Z89WctvfHMTDWnsml4WDYAJ8zmRu5GcOtzFIzTS0jS_jbTphf1ZQP8eRKf_9w-kJJpDmmhdnirMZgUglVPF_ZEt6UDjk/s1600/Untitled+6.png" /></a>

It took me quite some time to sit down and think about what exactly I wanted to write about. I thought about what I wanted to share, how I wanted to introduce myself. Each time I would start, I would find myself wanting to start all over. They know this stuff. Delete. This sounds like a recording machine. Delete. Oh man, I am never going to get this. Delete.

"Hi, my name is Becky and I am a mama of a 2 year old, and 34 weeks pregnant with number two, who will be our first son." Okay... and?

"Hi, my name is Becky and I am a nurse. I work night shift 3 nights a week so that I can be a full-time SAHM to my children."Give them more Becky.

"Hi, my name is Becky and I love life." Becky, Becky, Becky. Think.

And so I stared at a blank screen. Until I realized that what I truly wanted to write about was why I do this. This blogging gig. And how? In a weird, strange, peculiar,  hard-to-describe kind of way... it's made me grow as a person, mother, and wife.

You see, I began this blog a couple years ago, three in January,  not knowing where it would take me. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was convinced I wouldn't get much further than a week or two and then I would get "bored with it," just like I do with every other thing that I start in my life. With a few exceptions. I had no real desires to pursue it further than just a hobby. No real future plans or goals. No idea how much it would mean to me down the road.

And so the blogging journey began. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't initially obsessed. I soaked it all in. I would write posts all hours of the day. Sometimes I couldn't even resist the urge to post 3-4 times a day. About what you say? My favorite music list. My top ten loves. A link up here. A link up there. It was my way of hiding. From truly writing. Opening up. Letting it all out there.

And then there was the other aspect of blogging. The other bloggers. You see,  I would try to find as many new blogs to read as possible at the beginning. Sometimes I would stumble upon one and hours later realize that I had just read every post they had ever written. Just about.

"Wow, I want that to be me." I wanted people to come to my blog and want to read my past posts, and find themselves lost in my story. 

And then, just a few short months later, I found out we were expecting. And blogging?  Well blogging changed right there and then. Or specifically, when the sickness began. And the next 9 months of my journey placed blogging on hold. Not because I didn't have the time {because believe me, reruns of the baby story for hours at a time was not exactly my definition of busy}, nor that I didn't care, but instead it was because I was lost in transition. The transition that my life was heading into.

I no longer knew what to write about, and how to mix my current life with the life that was about to begin. Little did I know... this was my new life. And I found "that place" when Elliana was born. I found that I connected most with my readers by not holding back. Sharing my thoughts and emotions. Sharing motherhood. The challenges, and at the same time the ease and joy and how natural this new life was that we had been blessed with. And at the same time, I wanted to continue to share the "old me," the humor, the "fun" part of my blog that I felt was the foundation for my writing. So I found myself asking, how do I balance the two?? How to hold on to the readers that liked the humor part and at the same time engage those that wanted me to open up on a deeper level. 

The answer came to me when I sat down to make my first blog book, the first year and a half placed in hardback print for me to cherish forever, and I was forced to go through past posts. Delete. Delete. Delete. I can't tell you how many times I had to click delete. Posts that had no meaning to me. Posts that I would not want to look back on in the future. Posts I wouldn't want my children to read. And even posts that I was embarrassed to look back on. Why did I share this?

And so I found myself. And since that day, over a year ago, blogging has been such a new adventure for me and my family. I get excited to share our journey. I get excited to document our every day lives. I get excited to capture the milestones of my baby girl {and future children} through pictures and writing. And I get even more excited when all this is printed. Permanent. In a hard book. For me, my children, and my future grandchildren to cherish forever. Some, probably many, posts may seem boring now. But 5 years from now? 10? 20? 50? I am going to sit back and smile.

I am going to love hearing about how my 2 year old had to be carried out of the library kicking and screaming. The day she first said "Love you mama." How my husband and I bickered over who would get the next diaper. The first boo boo. Our first family vacation. The endless amount of memories. 

So what I know now is that blogging 2 years ago? Is very different from blogging today. Blogging 5 years from now? Will most likely look very different from blogging today. But no matter where I am in my blogging journey, today or tomorrow, I hope to always stay true to myself and my readers. I hope to be honest. To be real. Raw. And to share every detail that is important to me. And my family.

And I hope that one day, I will look back on these years and smile {or cry} at what I "thought I knew" back then.

Show & Tell THANKSGIVING!

Thanksgiving.

It's a great holiday you know. Besides the fact that you give thanks, you look around and feel blessed with what you have, and the general happiness that surrounds this day... it's just a pretty darn stinkin great holiday. This year, I was thankful that I had the day off and was able to fully enjoy it with the ones that I love.

Like last year, we decided to host again at our house. Except, unlike last year, I actually did cooking this year! My excuse before was of course the fact that I had to work that night. This time? No excuse.

So I rolled up my sleeves and dug in. Dug into the unhleathiest of unhealthy kind of recipes out there.

Sure, I probably could have found "healthier" versions of what I was cooking, like the mac n cheese and green bean casserole, but 1. The husband would kill me {not really} and 2. Thanksgiving is all about stuffing our faces. Again, obviously that's NOT what it is all about... but eating is part of the reason people enjoy this holiday so much. Wouldn't you say so?

Moving along. I cooked. I cooked and surprisingly... because these recipes were so unhealthy and called for a lot of packaged/canned items, it was much easier than I anticipated. In fact, super easy. So easy, I would call it a success.

One thing that delayed the cooking process was my sweet girl was running around the house, fell down, and bit her tongue. Accident number two of her life, and what do you know... it involves the mouth area, AGAIN. Sweet girl had to be held by mama and would not let me put her down. Of course, I soaked it all in. And when my mom came over, grandma, she snuggled up with her while I finished a couple more dishes. You can see in the pictures below. Elliana rocked like a baby. She NEVER lets us do this.


My parents ended up coming over around 1 and my sister and her boyfriend came over around 3. Dinner was served around 4, and we sat around the table stuffing our faces. And I wish I could tell you that I went in for seconds. But really? I didn't. The one plate did it for me. I hurt.

Might I add in here that the husband FRIED the turkey for the first time this year. All by himself. Usually this is his dad's tradition, and last year {even though we had it at our house}, his dad brought everything over and had the turkey ready for us. This year? FIL lives in Texas and our in-laws couldn't be there. And there was NO way we would be breaking the fried turkey tradition. So we purchased Andrew's goodies a few weeks before, which might I add this tradition cost us a pretty penny, and then Andrew did all his research. Love his soul, he was DETERMINED not to catch the house on fire. And me? I'm thankful for THAT. He was so funny, he would come in and out of the house and say "honey, we're still good." Ha. Glad to hear that we will be surviving this Thanksgiving.

I cooked too much food. Which I didn't think was possible. But it was. No one even had room for dessert we had that much food. I sent my mom home with tons of meat, and we were stuck with a refrigerator over for leftovers. Which, might I add here, I love me some Thanksgiving leftovers. But only for one day {lunch and dinner}.

And just like that, Thanksgiving was over. Which only means one thing. Christmas is not only right around the corner, but it will literally be here before we can even think twice about it. It always seems that way anyway. After Thanksgiving, everything just flies by. It's almost like we skip through the month of December. Which? To be honest with you? I don't mind at all, except for the Christmas part. I love to savor those few days with the family. It is, afterall, my favorite holiday {day} of the year.

Here is the thing though. We have a baby coming. A baby who will be full term a week before Christmas. A baby who could surprise us at any time. So that? Well that makes the time go by THAT much faster.

I'm thankful for the holidays, my family, my home, and all the things and people the Lord has blessed us in our lives. It is definitely my favorite time of year, and there is absolutely nothing out there like the holiday season.

This time next year? We will have two kiddos. Life is good.

Next Week's Show & Tell: Show off Your Christmas List & Tell us About It!!

**Grab a button, write your post, come back and link up and hop around!!**

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-Also, HAPPY CYBER MONDAY! I am having a special on advertiisng, 50% off through today only. Even on booked ads. Use code: cybermonday.
-Click on advertising tab at the top right.

**Reminder: WOMEN CONNECT link up tomorrow! Starting at midnight. Get your posts ready! Click here for more details.

Deals of the week!!!

With Black Friday just behind us, and Cyber Monday right around the corner... there are so many deals to be snagged. Don't miss out on the amazing shopping found online. I honestly have yet to go out to actually buy a Christmas Gift. And with free shipping? Who's to blame me!!

Remember to sign up through ebates {it's free} and earn free money back for all your online purchased! Also, with your first purchase, you can get a $10.00 gift cards for FREE!!! I chose Target! Surprised? You shouldn't be!

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Best deal on scarves I have ever seen. 8 colors to choose from. I purchased 3 of these. Spent $14 {plus change} and had free shipping! These would make awesome Christmas gifts... better yet... gifts for yourself, without splurging too much! Great stocking stuffers too. I think the deal ends Monday!

Direct Link Here.

$10.00 for a $20.00 voucher to Toys R us and Babies R US! Who isn't shopping at those stores this year? It's like free money.

Direct Link here

Have you purchased your holiday cards yet? If not, you have time to snag this amazing deal! Valued at $83.00, for only $15.00! Plus get free shipping!

Direct Link Here.

What a great gift for the grandparents, parents, brothers or sisters. Or just a book to place on your coffee table. At only $10.00 plus free shipping, that's a deal that's too good to pass up!

Direct Link Here.

I love patterned pillows! And at $14 with free shipping? I'll take five please! {I did}

Direct Link Here.

Everyone always asks me to share canvas deals with them, so here you have it! A great deal!! FREE SHIPPING on a 18x24 canvas valued at $121, and only $35 for you! Blow those babies up and put them on your wall! I have canvases all over my house :)

Direct Link Here.

Extra 50% off everything sale! Still going on! AND? You can get shirts and accessories for as low as 1-3$. I don't even know how this is possible.

Direct Link Here.

Lollypop kids 50% off! All you embroidered, monogrammed loves out there... this deal is for you! Great for the little ones. Nieces. Nephews. And grand babies.

Direct Link Here.

Totsy has way too many deals to list. Up to 90% off stuff for women, kids, home decor, etc. Plus free shipping on your first order. Just remember, Totsy can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks to ship!

Direct Link Here

Shutterfly free cards! Just pay shipping!!

Shutterfly

**As always, please read all the details carefully before making any purchases!!**

You MUST say hello! :)

*Meet Lacey. She is so beautiful, kind, and a dear blogger friend of mine. I have "known" her for years and am so excited to be sharing her and her blog with you all! Lacey is a recent newlywed and she shares inspiring posts about marriage and relationships. I know she says she's excited for "Baby D" but can I just add in here how excited I am? Okay, enough of my blabbering, check her out!

Blog /// Twitter /// Instagram  @thenextchapter13

 *Meet Emily. Where do I begin with this lovely lady? Oh you know, the fact that she has not one, not two, but three gorgeous little special boys. I mean, I'm nervous for the one that is about to enter my life. Nervous about juggling two kiddos, and here she is doing it with such ease and she has THREE! Her and I have more in common besides the mama thing. That being? The money-saving deals that we both hunt after and our love for DIY projects. Read more below!

Blog // Facebook // You Tube

See what I mean? Two lovely ladies you must go say hello to!

The Importance of Special Moments Captured.

Photography page      Boudoir Page       Website

WHO IS SMP: I am a wife, mother, sister, former nurse, and photographer. I want to capture your life as it's happening. I don't want you to feel fake or posed, I want to capture you as you. From the moment a father lays eyes on his brand new baby, or the grooms face when he captures a glimpse of his bride, or the soft whispers between siblings, and the smile on a mama's face as she snuggles a tiny baby. This is real life in its truest form, and these are the moments that should be documented.

CURRENT SPECIALS: 

1) $300 off 2013 weddings booked before Dec 1

2) Purchase a Watch me grow, baby plan package to document your baby's milestone every 3 months, and receive a complimentary birthday shoot every year until age 4. Must be purchased before Jan 1. 

3) $100/OFF any spots left in the Winter Boudoir Party 

Sarah Michele will also travel to other states for destination weddings!

**All photos are copyright of Sarah Michele Photography**

Like her below to stay informed on all the great deals and keep up with her beautiful work!