Just Saying Hi

I just wanted to take a moment and say hi to anyone and everyone who may stumble upon this page today. Life is pretty busy at the moment. Jeremy has a program @ school tonight, I'm hoping to get some great pics to post later. Maddie is turning into a crazed boob woman at night, just when I was thinking it's time to wean her from her nightly feedings. :) Austin is MIA, and this teen mom wishes she'd had more time with that boy before he grew up and left her.

Overall, God is good, life is an adventure, and I'm blessed beyond belief. Take it easy, ya'll! :)

Coddlelife Reveiw and Giveaway! 2/28

When I first became pregnant with Maddie, I took on the personal mission of researching the best baby products available. I would scour the aisles, looking, pricing, and reading. I read reports from other moms, asked questions, and even turned to the trendy magazines while sitting in my OB's office. And, now that Maddie's 10 months old and is actually going to be weaned from the bottle soon enough, I wanted to let other new moms know about this great design from Coddlelife .

Coddlelife bottles are BPA free and come with a one-piece nipple which mimics breastfeeding action. The nipple is also extra stretchy which elongates and molds to fit the inside of the baby's mouth.

Coddlelife nipples are also designed to be longer, which ensures the baby's lips flange widely and enable wide, open latch which can prevent nipple confusion. And we all know how hard it can be for newborns to go from breast to bottle and vice-versa. Coddlelife is not about replacing breastfeeding, but instead duplicating the most natural nursing style for a baby. And the new advanced venting technology helps to reduce colic, spit-up, and ear infections which can save us all heartache and money.

Briefly, other attributes I find interesting about Coddlelife :

~ Coddlelife products are BPA free.

~ Coddlelife not only provides plastic bottles but also glass.

~ Coddlelife nipples have small particles on the surface to stimulate the baby's senses.

~ Coddlelife also offers ultra cushion silicon bottle wraps with open view window which helps to ensure the bottle stays warmer longer, that the heat doesn't transfer from the bottle to your hand, and provides anti-slip care for glass bottles.

And, Coddlelife bottles are reasonably priced @ $6.99 a bottle or a 3 pack for $18.99.

Coddlelife happily sent me an 8 ounce bottle, just like the one featured here, to try out with my own baby and give our review. Well, little Ms. Maddie is very picky about her nipple choices and even though I could get her to place the nipple in her mouth and take a few sips, she generally thought of it as a new toy, exciting and fun, but wouldn't adequately drink from it. However, I must also point out that Maddie is naturally pulling away from all bottles at the moment and is, instead, more interested in cups.

So, would I recommend this bottle? Yes, I truly feel Coddlelife bottles, with their unique design and technology, can offer a baby, and mom, a great feeding experience. Are there any downsides? The only weakness I found in this product is that they are not widely carried in stores. Their website is quick, informative, and easy to navigate and you can always order your bottles on-line, but I'm a hands on kind of girl, and just love seeing my products in person before purchasing.

And now to the giveaway! Coddlelife was kind enough to offer one 8 ounce bottle for review as well as another 8 ounce bottle for my giveaway, the only thing you need to do is leave a mommy comment about your baby's feeding and the joys of motherhood. Also provide your email address so you can be contacted if you win. :) (1 entry)

And, for extra entries:

1. grab my button and slap it to your page, leaving me a comment of where to find it with your email addy! (1 entry)

2. vote for me @ TopBabyBlogs by clicking here , leaving me a comment that you have voted with your email addy! (1 entry)

3. follow me on twitter and tweet: Coddlelife Bottle Giveway @3Carrigans - Get Yours Now, FREE!@ http://tinyurl.com/y8879ua (1 entry)

You can tweet as many times as you'd like, just return here and leave a comment saying you've tweeted, with your email add!

4. Become a follower of Carrigan's Joy, leaving me a comment that you are following, with your email addy!

You can also find Coddlelife on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=pp#/pages/Arcadia-CA/Coddlelife/278932029675?ref=nf

and/or follow them on twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/coddlelife

Thanks for reading, friends, and I hope you enjoyed the Review and Giveaway!

Giveaway ends: 2/28/10, 9:oo pm eastern

Featured Blogger 4 February!

Yes, with all my craziness I've forgotten to host another blogger on my site. And, it just seems to be this blogger has helped me many times in my own challenges.





Shout A Joyful Noise was created by Wylie, a woman married to her best friend, and whose been blessed with 3 incredible sons. She loves her church and enjoys serving in music, children’s, and women’s ministries, and being a helpmate in the LIFE Group her hubby leads. Wylie currently leading a women's bible study of "Experiencing God," and often blogs about the Amazing Grace truths God is revealing to her through this anointed study. She loves to laugh, loves to cry, loves to study God’s word, and be around God’s people. Jesus is the passion of her life. He makes her JOY complete!!!


So, check out this amazing woman, let her bless your life the way she has blessed mine. :)

What A Great and Exciting Day!

Hey there, how are ya?!

Me? Well, just lovely thank you. :)

I've been working on being more food conscious for the last three weeks to which I have managed to remove a pound...not exactly a big city marching down the streets moment, but hey, I was still happy. :) So, it's now time to kick this body in gear and get back into working out.

As you may have noticed, I've placed a link to my SparkPeople page on the upper right hand side of my site, it's there if you ever want to jump over and join me on the greatest fitness/health site ever. And...it's FREE! And, speaking of fitness, I'm happily awaiting my spin class this morning. I tell ya, working full time, having beautiful children, and going to school takes a great amount of time and seriously does not leave you much left for work outs, but I gotta try, right? Right! I'm not a quiter and I'm all about the underdog, I'm just impatient and distractable...I seriously need a game plan.

In other news, Jeremy's tests scores have fallen again and I spoke a little with his teacher yesterday. I'll be sending in a formal request for testing and his father and I will be writing out a structured plan for both our homes, the same structured plans. Jeremy needs boundaries and expectations and he needs to understand them both. Your prayers are greatly needed and appreciated. We'll get it done, though, there's nothing else to do but see it through tit the end. Right? Yep, gotta run that race. :)

And, speaking of racing, it looks as if there just might be a treadmill in my sights. I left a message on my Spark Page yesterday and received a message about whether or not I'd like to have one that a local group member has. I was extremely over joyed, so much so that I called my hubby and said, "I think we're gonna get a treadmill!" To which he repeated,"what, you're pregnant!!!" My response, "treadmill....." His response, "yeah, I heard treadmill." :) I graduate with my Master's in Dec. and that is all I'll publicly say at the moment in regards to more babies. :)

Just A Little Idea I Have...

running a half marathon!

It's Just So Sad

It just breaks my heart that Jeremy has such a hard time with his reading. I want to just hide away and cry for the boy but instead I become quiet, frustrated even, and withdrawl to a point. What do you say to your child who can't read well enough to understand his directions, to complete his homework, or to take tests?

I am amazed he has made it this far. He has great reasoning skills and tries to decifer the correct answer even without understanding half the words in a sentence. His math skills are great, but it's his overall attitude about it all that has me floored. He defintily becomes frustrated at times, but he never seems to be down on himself for it. He never seems to internalize the issue and view it as a personal failure.

Jeremy is one cocky kid and it seems it's more a gift than a true hinderance. He'll make his way, it may be a bumping road at times, but he'll keep his chin up the whole way, I know.

I've formally written a request to have him assessed. It may take several weeks but I truly believe he requires more help to succeed. Keep him in your prayers, please.

YoBaby 3-in-1 Meals Review and Giveaway!

Maddie, signing, "more," for YoBaby's 3-in-1 Meals

I was recently approached by YoBaby in regards to reviewing their newest product, YoBaby 3-in-1 Meals . I was thrilled since Maddie had first tried YoBaby around 6 months and was already a fan of these delicious treats. So, now that she's older, I thought it was pefect timing that she moved into the 3-in-1 combination meals. YoBaby sent me several coupons for some free yogurt and we went straight out for some baby food shoppin'. :)


What I love about this yogurt is: 1. it's organic, and 2. it not only provides the health benefits of probiotic yogurt but it's also a 3-in-1 combination of yogurt + fruit + veggie puree all in one cup. Therefore, I don't have to worry about providing several different items for Maddie, wondering if she'll eat it all or whether or not I've made too large of a portion, with Yobaby 3-in-1 Meals she gets great nourishment with just the right amount.

And, YoBaby Meals comes in three delicious flavors: pear and green bean, peach and squash, and apple and sweet potato. Maddie just recently tried the apple and sweet potato, devouring all of the 4 ounces, which now comes in a multipack, priced reasonably at $2.99. YoBaby also offers a wide range of organic yogurts in a variety of flavors, now with the benefits of Vitamin D and Zinc. Other great YoBaby products include: the YoBaby original, in the six variety pack, the YoBaby Plus Fruit & Cereal with DHA, YoBaby Pluse Fruit & Cereal with Iron, YoBaby Simply Plain, which is a great baby's first yogurt, and also the YoBaby Drinkables.


So, thanks to YoBaby for making a nutritious, organic meal my baby, and yours, can enjoy now and for years to come. And, not only was YoBaby kind enough to send me free coupons for this review but they've always offered a great giveaway to one lucky reader. You'll receive:

1 Yobaby travel bowl with lid
1 Yobaby organic cotton bib
1 Eric Carle growth chart
3 free Yobaby Meals coupons

To enter to win, simply:

1. Grab my button and post it on your site, leaving me a comment of where it can be found. Remember your email addy so in case you win I'll be able to get in touch with you!




2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway: Moms & Dads-Enter to WIN a YoBaby 3-in1 Meal Giveaway @3Carrigans:http://tinyurl.com/ykzdp6u

Remember your email addy!




3. Follow my blog, leaving me a comment that you are following. Remember your email addy!


Giveaway Ends 2/12/10, 9:00 pm eastern. US/Canadian Residents Only, Please.

About Stonyfield Farm
Stonyfield Farm, celebrating its 26th year, is the world's leading organic yogurt company. Its all natural and certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk, cultured soy, frozen yogurt and ice cream are distributed nationally. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet. Its organic ingredient purchases keep over 100,000 farm acres free of toxic, persistent pesticides and chemical fertilizers that can contaminate soil, rivers and drinking water. To help reduce global warming, Stonyfield offsets all of the C02 emissions generated from its facility energy use. The company also started a nonprofit called Climate Counts (climatecounts.org) which shows people how they can help fight climate change by the way they shop and invest. Stonyfield also donates 10% of its profits to efforts that help protect and restore the Earth. For more information about Stonyfield Farm, its products and initiatives, visit www.stonyfield.com .