Merci European Chocolate’s realizes that teachers should be appreciated more often than one day a year, so they asked if I would like to give their chocolates to a teacher that meant something to me.  I knew right away that my son’s teacher was the perfect one to receive their gift.

When my son was beginning kindergarten, it was a nightmare.  Every day when I would drop him off at school, he would beg me not to leave him.  Unless you have had a child do this to you, you have no idea how hard it is to walk away.  Thank goodness he wasn’t on a traditional school calendar, so he only went for two weeks before he tracked off.   I am not sure I could have made it any longer than that.

Luckily, my son was given a very kind and understanding teacher.  It really didn’t hurt that she was also very pretty.

My son has always been a bit of a ladies man.  Shortly after starting school, he was talking about his teacher and told me, “Mom, I’m going after that one.”  I could have died!

Anyways, back to why I love his kindergarten teacher.  When we started back to school after the first break, he was excited to be back at school.  He no longer cried or asked me not to leave him.

His teacher had done such a great job of making him feel secure and special.  She seemed to know all the right things to say and do to help him realize he was okay without me.  Even more than that, she helped me to realize that I was okay too.

My hope is that I have done as good a job at making her feel appreciated as she has done at teaching my son this year.

If you are looking for a nice way to show appreciation for your child’s teacher as the year comes to an end, Merci European Chocolate’s are a perfect choice.

They are not only delicious, but they also come beautifully wrapped in individual packaging .  Every time she/he unwraps a piece of these chocolate’s, they will remember that they did something right this year.

Merci European Chocolate comes in 7 different flavors.

• Milk Chocolate-Solid milk chocolate at its smooth, creamy European best
• Coffee and Cream: Rich, coffee flavored dark chocolate, atop a white chocolate base
• Hazelnut-Almond: Delicate pieces of hazelnuts and almonds in smooth milk chocolate
• Hazelnut-Creme: Milk chocolate filled with a smooth, creamy hazelnut cream
• Dark Cream: Smooth, rich melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate
• Dark Mousse: Fluffy chocolate mousse wrapped in rich dark chocolate
• Praline-Creme: Luscious milk chocolate with a smooth chocolate praline center

If you haven’t had the opportunity to try Merci European Chocolate, I have some good news.  They are offering one of my readers the same giveaway I was given for my sons teacher.  Keep it for yourself or give it to your favorite teacher!

The giveaway includes:  One box of Merci European Chocolate, 1 Merci branded pencil and 1 eraser.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is sponsored by Merci European Chocolate.  All opinions within this post are my own.

The post Show A Teacher Appreciation with Merci European Chocolate Giveaway appeared first on Guessing all the Way.

Over the past couple of months,  my daughter and I have worked hard to create a room that fit her perfectly.  We chose bright and playful colors from the Glidden Disney paint collection found at Walmart stores.

Because she is so full of spunk and personality, we thought her room should display those same characteristics. We selected four different shades, ranging from dark purple to bright green.

• Springtime Grass
• Pixie Purple
• Mood Ring
• Enchanted Violet

You can read all about how we used the colors in my previous post.  For this post I wanted to share what our little guests thought about how things came out.

For our party, we had several of my daughter’s friends stop by for a spa event.  We put together a place for them to have their fingers and toes dolled up, because what little girl doesn’t enjoy that.

As you can see, we tried to add a Disney theme to the party since we used Glidden Disney paint for the room makeover.  The girls were thrilled when they arrived to find they were getting special treatment.

I told you they were excited, just look at that face!  After their spa treatments we treated them to pizza, because you can’t let little princesses get hungry.

A couple of my favorite comments I heard in regards to my daughter’s new room was:

• Mom, how come I get in trouble when I write on our walls. (In regards to the chalkboard paint wall.)

• Why didn’t you make the whole room glow? (Talking about the Ready, Set, Glow paint)

The one picture I really wanted to share with you guys I was never able to get.  My daughter and I picked a specialty paint in the Disney line called Ready, Set, Glow.  It is a transparent paint, that has no odor and dries quickly.  When you apply it on the wall, it will glow in the dark at night for anywhere between 5-10 minutes.

We used the Ready, Set, Glow paint on the diamond pattern wall.  Everywhere you see green, I painted over it with the glow in the dark paint.  The girls loved seeing the wall when we turned off the lights.  Think about it, not many people have walls that glow.  It is very unique and perfect for girls and boys alike.

I tried to get a picture, but with the flash it didn’t work and with no flash it wouldn’t show up.  I guess I am camera challenged.  Here is the close up of the stenciled wall so you can get an idea of the look.

Everyone that has seen the room makeover can’t believe how nice it turned out.  It is a room that brings a smile to my daughter’s face everytime she sees it.  I highly recommend the Disney paints by Glidden.  They turned her drab and boring room into a room that represents everything she is, beautiful, fun and unique.

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden. 

The post Glidden Disney Paint Room Reveal and Spa Party appeared first on Guessing all the Way.

I remember the birth of my son like it was yesterday.  My husband and I went to the hospital at 39 weeks so that I could be induced.  We had been told by our doctor that it was our best chance at a vaginal birth.

As with most first time parents, we had an idea of exactly how things would go with our pregnancy.  However, as with many parents, we realized quickly that sometimes you have to be willing to change your birth plan.

We were in the hospital for what seemed like forever when the doctor came in to break my water.  I wasn’t progressing on my own, so he had to help me along.

I had been given my epidural, contractions were coming regularly and all I needed was to dilate so I could begin pushing.  I was thinking happy thoughts as my husband and I awaited the arrival of our first born child.

At around 11:30 pm, the mood in our room changed from happy to terrified as the heartbeat of our unborn child plummeted.  The monitors attached to my body began to emit an alarm that sent what looked like every nurse on the floor into the room.  They all began to shift me from side to side trying to get the heart rate back to normal levels.

Within minutes, one nurse came into the room and tossed my husband a pair of scrubs.  We were being told an emergency C-section may be necessary.

FEAR!

That is all I could feel as I waited for the doctor to come into the room and tell me our baby was okay.  This did not fit into any plan that I had imagined when planning for giving birth.

As our doctor walked into the room, we were told that our babies heart rate was once again strong.  He gave my husband and I the option to continue to wait for our little one to arrive naturally, or option two, he could do the C-section immediately.

The first question I had was, “Can you tell me that this won’t happen again if we wait?”

The answer he gave wasn’t enough in my opinion to guarantee that our son would be okay if I decided against surgery.  After all, there are no guarantees in life.  That meant for me, there was no other option.   My doctor gave me a choice, but the love for my unborn child left me with no choice other than surgery.

This little person inside of me that I had never met, meant more to me than anything in the world.  Before I had ever held him, I loved him and would do anything to ensure his safety.

I love that Johnson & Johnson recognizes the importance of love.  This past Mother’s Day, Johnson & Johnson donated $150K to Save the Children.

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world.

Share your “For all you Love” story with me in the comments.

I was selected as part of this campaign by The Motherhood.  It is being sponsored as part of the “For all you love” campaign by Johnson & Johnson.

The post Read My Johnson & Johnson “For All You Love” Moment. appeared first on Guessing all the Way.

Like I said, not much to go on quite yet!  The following synopsis will at least give you a taste of what you can expect from ” Big Hero 6″

Synopsis

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Big Hero 6,” an action comedy adventure about brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who finds himself in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. With the help of his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—Hiro joins forces with a reluctant team of first-time crime fighters on a mission to save their city. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action and all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the CG-animated “Big Hero 6” hits theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014.

Stay tuned for more!  In the meantime, you can follow “Big Hero 6″ on Facebook for all the latest information.

The post First Look at New Disney Film, ” Big Hero 6 ” appeared first on Guessing all the Way.

For that reason, I am co-hosting an upcoming Twitter party with The Motherhood, dermatologist Dr. Doris Day and Neutrogena.  This Twitter party is all about doing some “spring cleaning” for your face.

The party will include tips on the best products to help you during the seasonal change from spring to summer.  It will also discuss the importance of daily facial cleaning.  Who knew there was such a thing as “spring cleaning” when it comes to skincare?

If you are like me and would like to learn more, then join us this Thursday, May 16, at 12 noon ET (the party will last one hour).

DETAILS

Where: We’ll be on Twitter – follow the #NTGDERM hashtag to track the conversation. You can see the details and RSVP via this Twtvite: http://twtvite.com/NTGDERM

Hashtag: #NTGDERM

PRIZES!!

Everyone loves prizes and this party has lots of them.  Throughout the party, we will be giving away prize baskets with Dr. Day’s favorite Neutrogena skincare products, including the following:

• Pore Refining Daily Cleanser
• Pore Refining Toner
• Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser
• Deep Clean Long-Last Shine Control Cleanser/Mask
• Oil-Free Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 35
• Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser

Co-Hosts to follow.

The post Neutrogena “Spring Cleaning” Twitter Party, May 16th appeared first on Guessing all the Way.

It took us a little while to figure out what had changed for him, but eventually, it was clear that he had become lactose intolerant.  Many people don’t realize that lactose intolerance can begin later in life, and I was one of them.

What it means to be lactose intolerant:  Most people produce that natural enzyme, lactase, which breaks down lactose (sugar in milk). The amount of lactase your body produces will determine how much lactose your body can break down.

The good news is that by realizing what problem my husband was experiencing, we were able to work on correcting the issue.  I always felt so bad anytime the kids and I would sit and enjoy a big glass of cold milk at dinner.  He would say on so many occasions that he craved drinking milk with his meal.

This past week I had the privilege of speaking online through a virtual briefing with celebrity chef & television host, Melissa d’ Arabian. She is the NY Times best selling author of the cookbook,  Ten Dollar Dinners.  In addition, she is also a spokesperson for the brand Lactaid.

Also included in the briefing was Michelle Harrington , R.D..  Michelle is a pediatric dietitian at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia.  She was full of knowledge and had a genuine desire to help us understand lactose intolerance.

It was great learning more about the line of Lactaid products, because it provided me with information that will allow my husband to once again enjoy foods he loves.

Here are a few of the important things that I wanted to share with you guys.

•  LACTAID^® Dairy Products are 100% real dairy, just with a natural yeast-derived enzyme added called lactase.
• LACTAID^® is the nation’s #1 lactose-free dairy brand.
• LACTAID^® Lactose-Free Products include Milks, Cottage Cheese, Ice Cream and Eggnog.

The last was of course the one that made my husband smile the most.  The thought of him eating ice cream again without stomach upset made me smile too.

In the upcoming weeks, I will be sharing a recipe with you all that I prepare using Lactaid products.  If you would like to try creating a recipe using Lactaid milk, simply replace your regular milk cup for cup with Lactaid milk.

Also, be sure to watch Melissa d’Arabian on the TODAY show, June 25th.  She will be sharing a delicious entrée recipe with viewers.   I know I will be tuning in.

If you would like the opportunity to try Lactaid, please leave a comment below for a chance to win a coupon for a FREE product.

This is a sponsored campaign through The Motherhood for Lactaid products.  I received compensation for this campaign.

The post Lactose Intolerant? Learn about Lactaid Products. (Giveaway) appeared first on Guessing all the Way.