Milk & Cuddles

What was going on with Mad Men? Episode #8

Shannon Schmid — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:52:26 +0000

Don Draper was on drugs, as were most of his office in this episode. I was dizzy for them! This weeks episode was a strange and random romp through Don’s subconscious as well as a harrowing night for his kids…

Will someone please get the Draper kids a real babysitter?!?

Here is the vlogcast for this weeks episode, grab a cup of coffee and join Autumn, from Mama Challenge and I as we discuss!

Reminder – if you’re on a blog reader you will need to click through to get to the video:)

What did you think of this weeks episode?

The Best Wednesday Linky Party! Mommy Club!

Shannon Schmid — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:10:45 +0000

You guys, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate and enjoy all the posts you link up on Mommy Club Wednesday!
Your recipes, DIY projects, Tips, Tricks and learning posts! Wow – they are so creative! And we hope that by linking up you get more traffic, more page views and more exposure when we link back to you on the blog, Facebook & Pinterest!

My Co-host Crystal & Co and I are so glad you come each week to share your posts! YOU ROCK!

As always I highlight 3 of the posts that linked up last week that you may have missed…

Pineapple Kids Drink!

Baked Club Chicken (bake or freeze!)

Sea Shell Crab Craft for Kids!

Now it’s your turn to link up! We’d love if you would put a link to the party somewhere on your site if you link up- it helps other people find your links and join the fun! And gets more traffic to YOUR blog!

Theme Park Safety – A few Tips

Shannon Schmid — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:10:03 +0000

Disney World may be the happiest place on earth, but not if someone gets lost! Especially a child. That was one reason why we wanted to be extra sure we were prepared for amusement park safety before we left for Disney World. One thing we knew we wanted was to find a way to have our contact information on our daughter. But I wasn’t sure how…

Then I stumbled upon Olivers Labels – Safety wrist bands – and I knew that was what I had been looking for. We packed them in our luggage, and put one on our daughter as soon as we got to the park!

You can put allergy info on the band, or other important safety info. Or, you can do what we did – we put our names and cell phone numbers on our daughters safety wristband. That way if she was separated from us, a park worker or good Samaritan could quickly find out how to contact us her parents. And we were sure to have the cell phone with that number on us at all times in the park.

The bands come in different fun patterns and characters – and our daughter loved wearing hers!

Oliver’s Labels Safety wristbands are meant to be disposable after one use, but my daughter wore hers for days and it stayed in great shape! She never wanted to take it off – she called it her mermaid bracelet since that was the design we picked. The band was soft, and durable – even after baths and the pool! And most of all – it gave us peace of mind.

-We also put a wristband on the handle of our stroller, and our luggage to help identify it!

Some other Amusement Park Safety Tips:

Don’t let children chew gum on the rides! The rides stop and go suddenly and gum can be a big chocking hazard.
Wear clothes that are bright and easy to spot. If you’re traveling with a group consider wearing all the same color so you can locate your party quickly and with a glance.
Come up with a meeting spot in each park that adults and older children can easily find and wait at if your party becomes separated
Tell young children to stay where they are if they realize they have been separated from the group. Or show them how to recognize park employees for help instead of a stranger.
Use hand sanitizer after riding rides, teach kids to avoid touching eyes or noses during or after holding on to rides
Note multiple ride exits, before you agree to meet your party at the “exit.” Especially a problem at Disney! Note which exit you will meet at.
Consider using a stroller for kids when leaving or entering the park in a huge crowd. It will help them not to get separated from you.

Want to know what we did about Dining at Disney World? Or where we stayed at Disney World?

Thanks to Oliver’s Labels for providing us with Safety Wristbands to try out. This is not a sponsored post, and all thoughts and opinions are my own as always.

iPad or Windows Surface Giveaway – Your Choice!

Shannon Schmid — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:19:28 +0000

Have you been wanting an iPad/Surface? Who hasn’t? Well welcome to a Giveaway of just that!

I’ve teamed up with a great group of bloggers to bring you this awesome giveaway for an iPad (RV: $499) or a Microsoft Surface Tablet (RV: $499)! Winner’s choice!

Hosted by Bay Area Mommy, The WiC Project, Life’s Cheap Thrills, Simply Stacie, Spaceships and Laser Beams, Capri’s Coupons, and 3 Boys and a Dog.

Giveaway starts: on May 15, 2013 at 12:01am EST and ends on June 16, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Open worldwide. Must be 18 years or older. Winner may opt for the cash equivalent if not in the US or Canada! To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below.

PS. If you are already a follower of the Milk and Cuddles Facebook page or You Tube Channel- you have already earned an entry, Go claim it below!

Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this post. This blog is not responsible for prize fulfillment. For questions regarding this giveaway, please email Bay Area Mommy at isis@bayareamommy.net.

Almost Summer Linky – Link Up!

Shannon Schmid — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:26:11 +0000

Golly, gee whiz, oh my goodness! Thank you all for linking up such fun DIY, Tips, recipes and idea posts last week on the Linky! What fun it was reading them!

We love getting a new crowd to see your posts! Remember not only do your posts show up on Milk and Cuddles Linky when you link up here, but also on my lovely co-hosts page, Crystal & Co! Plus we both feature and link to your posts through the week! Its a win win!

Speaking of…below are 3 posts that linked up last week you may have missed!

Rainbow Jello Recipe!

Homemade Dishwash Detergent!

Easy DIY Zipper Pathway!

Now it’s your turn to link up! We’d love if you would put a link to the party somewhere on your site if you link up- it helps other people find your links and join the fun!

Enchanted Fairies Photos

Shannon Schmid — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:01:24 +0000

My husband and I recently took our daughter to Enchanted Fairies in Dallas for a photo shoot dressed as her very most favorite thing – a Fairy! She has been obsessed with fairies for a while now, and is especially in love with Tinker Bell.

You guys may remember the Fairy Jar Craft we made recently because she was so in love with everything Fairy! So, we surprised her with the trip to Enchanted Fairies as a treat, and she loved every minute! If you live in the Dallas Fort Worth area, or are planning a visit – this is a great unique experience.

Ultimately our daughters photos ended up looking like this…

We LOVE them! But the whole experience was really just as fun as seeing the finished project. Here is how the process worked for us:

-As soon as we found the store front at Enchanted Fairies we knew we were in for a treat. 3D clouds hang suspended in the lobby where we were asked to fill out a little paperwork and chose some outfits for my daughter to try on in her dressing room. The mood is kept magical the whole time and the lighting is greens and blues and twinkle lights. After we checked back in, we were immediately taken to a dressing room.

- The dressing room was already filled with the 5 or 6 gowns and tutus that my daughter had chosen to try on, and the assistant was very helpful and explained she could take her time trying things on until she found just the fairy outfit for her. Her dad and I loved everything she put on, and she surprised us by picking a beautiful royal blue tutu and top. We were sure she’d go pink!

-After she was dressed, the assistant came back and laid out lots of flowers and crowns for her to choose from. She pulled my daughters hair up, and let her pick some lip gloss and sparkles for her face. She really put my daughter at ease, and let my husband and I just enjoy the ride. She handled everything!

-Next, my daughter was taken to the photo studio where she met the photographer. He was super engaging and continued to treat her as if she was a real fairy! He gave her various objects to hold and make wishes on – and she seriously did! We could hear her wishing for birds to come to her and cupcakes between shots! The photographer also took great care wiping everything she touched off with antibacterial wipes, and arranged the set in different ways quickly so she didn’t lose energy or focus too soon. I was really impressed with how quickly he got a ton of shots, all while letting her feel she was getting to play make believe.

-We made an appointment to look at our photos on the same day, but generally that is done on another day as they need to have someone scheduled to show you the proofs. We were taken to another room and we got to see all her photos. We wanted all of them! But we chose 2 poses and received them in the mail about 6 weeks later. It was then that we got to see the magic effects that were added around our daughter.

- All in all it was a wonderful experience. My daughter asked us when we got the final photos back, how come she didn’t see “all the fireflies flying around her at the studio?!” She was enthralled by all the magic effects they added to her photos, and most of all by the care and patience everyone showed us during the experience. I highly recommend Enchanted Fairies for families that have a fairy/mermaid/warrior fans in their house!

The Details:

Enchanted Fairies Studio:
Inside the Valley View Mall – Lower Level
13331 Preston Road Ste. 1140 Dallas,TX 75240
214.607.3030

Special: They currently have a great special offer through June 30th. You make a donation through them of $25 – all of which benefits the North Texas Food Bank. And you receive a FREE photo Shoot, and FREE limited edition 8 X 10 photo! More info on that here. Great value and a great cause! Tell them Milk and Cuddles sent you

The Mad Men Moms on Episode #7

Shannon Schmid — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:54:28 +0000

Season 6 of Mad Men is zooming by – and big changes are in the air!

On today’s Mad Men Moms, we talk about the latest episode of Mad Men – Episode #7 Man with a Plan. First of all can I just say tonight’s episode was like “50 Shades of Don!” Wow, what a crazy episode!

As always you will need to click through to the post to see Mad Men Moms if you are reading this on an e-reader! Here is what we think of tonight’s episode….

And be sure to visit Autumn at Mama Challenge to learn how to make our drink of the week, a vodka gimlet!

Make a Pitcher of Brown Sugar Mojitos!

Shannon Schmid — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:10:49 +0000

Ever wonder what is in a mojito, or if you can just make a pitcher of them rather than each one individually? After all, who wants to spend an entire get together making drinks, and missing the fun? No one that’s who! Below you’ll find a recipe that I love. It’s super easy and yummy – and can free you up to enjoy your guests!

~Brown Sugar Mojito Ingredients~

1 bunch fresh mint, leaves no stems
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 lemons, juiced
4 limes, juiced
Handful of Ice cubes
1 (750 ml bottle) light rum (I used Bacardi)
1 1/2 liters club soda

~Directions~

In a large pitcher, muddle mint sprigs with sugar & lemon and lime juices. Add ice, rum and club soda and stir together until sugar is dissolved well. Pour into glasses, straining out mint if you prefer it. I like to leave the mint in! Enjoy!

PS. This is the recipe we were drinking in my most recent Mad Men Vlog. Did you see it?

Mommy Club Wednesday – Link Up!

Shannon Schmid — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:44:03 +0000

Thank you all for linking up such fun DIY, Tips, recipes and idea posts last week on the Linky!

Speaking of…below are 3 posts that linked up last week you may have missed!

DIY Ombre Wreath!

Become a more authentic parent!

How to throw a Rustic Wedding series!

Now it’s your turn to link up! We’d love if you would put a link to the party somewhere on your site if you link up- it helps other people find your links and join the fun!

Celebrating Mother’s Day – When you no longer have your Mother

Shannon Schmid — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:05:37 +0000

Mother’s Day. A day to shower love and appreciation upon your mom – to celebrate. But, what if like millions of Americans you no longer have your mother with you? Perhaps she died when you were small, or maybe when you were an adult. Perhaps she isn’t in your life for some other reasons, or perhaps you never knew her.

Can I tell you something? Mother’s Day can be still for you. Really.

My mother died of colon cancer when I was 16. It has taken pretty much the rest of my life to recover. And actually, recover is the wrong word. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say it’s taken the rest of my life to begin to learn how to cope with that.

For many years Mother’s Day felt like salt being poured on a very raw wound. The commercials, the store displays could bring me to hot tears without warning. Most of all though – it was seeing girls my age with their own moms that was hardest.

When I became a mom myself, Mothers Day became simultaneously easier and harder. Easier because I was celebrating the gift of being a mom myself. Harder because becoming a mom only made me want my own Mom more, and in a new way. I wanted her to know her granddaughter, I wanted her reassurance that I was doing an okay job. Some days I just wanted a hug. Her hug.

So here is my advice for celebrating Mother’s Day, when you just don’t fit the Hallmark Commercials…

Some ways to Celebrate Mother’s Day – when you don’t have your Mother :

Send cards and letters to the women that teach you, support you, and inspire you the way a Mother does. Let them know that you cherish them. Let them know what they have meant. Celebrate all the Mother figures you do have in your life. Remind yourself that even without your own Mother by your side, you are supported and loved.
Plant a memory garden. Make it a special area that you can relax in, and revel in your memories of your Mom. Perhaps your mother had a favorite plant or flower? Perhaps a favorite color? Plant that! Let doing something good for “Mother Earth” – be a way you can connect again with your Mother.
Share memories of your Mom with those that also knew her, celebrate who she was with those who are missing her too.
Share memories of your Mom with those who never got to know her. Perhaps your children. Bring out her picture, tell them about her little idiosyncrasies. A funny story. Make her real to them, and by extension – make her real again to you.
Eat her favorite meal, watch her favorite movie, or go to her favorite place. Something concrete and physical. Something you can touch or taste or experience on the physical plane.
Do something altogether fun for you, that will totally distract you from Mother’s Day if it’s just too hard for you to embrace right now. In my opinion, it’s okay to run from this when you need to. Just consider connecting to it again in the future.
Befriend a Motherless child, and help them. Do it because you know the road they are on, and you know how much they are grieving.
Find a Mother who no longer has children to celebrate with her. Perhaps a local nursing home. Do for her, what you wish you could do for your own mom.
Write down some of the memories you have of your mom, and gather your photos. Make a scrapbook that can ground you to who she was when you feel the tether loosening too much for comfort.
Pray for those that like you are having a tough time. Pray that you always remember the most important lessons that your mom taught you. Pray that you can be gentle with yourself, most especially on this day.
Sometimes Mother’s Day can make you can feel like your a bit of an outsider, the only one. Connecting with someone else who doesn’t have their mom can be a normalizing experience and can make you feel a little less alone.
Wear a piece of her jewelry, a clothing item – something that lets you feel her presence beside you.
Don’t be afraid of a good cry. Make a cup of tea, or pour a glass of wine. Put on the home movies, or your moms favorite song. Let this be a day you don’t have to be strong. Afterwards you may find some calm, and connection that was harder to hold on to when you were so busy holding it all together.
Have siblings? What about a dinner together?

I guess most of all - I just urge you to celebrate the day. If you cant do it – that’s OK. We’ve all been there. But if you can gather your courage, and face the day – you can make it into something beautiful. Beautiful because you brightened someone else’s experience of it. Or beautiful because you connected to your mom again, in a way that is unique to you and her.

Celebrating the differences of Motherhood is brought to you by our host, Inspired by Family, and by the following contributing blogs: Kids Activities Blog, Rainbows within Reach, Powerful Mothering, Fun-a-Day, The Pleasantest Thing, Royal Baloo, Laly Mom, True Aim, Kids Stuff World, Milk and Cuddles, The Imagination Laboratory, Smiling like Sunshine, Teach Beside Me, JDaniel 4’s Mom, Kitchen Counter Chronicle, My Nearest and Dearest, Nate and Rachel, Two-Daloo, Mamas Like Me, Mama Miss, One Mommy.

If you are a blogger and you have a story or something to share on how you celebrated motherhood, feel free to add a link to your post so we can read your story as well. Note: by sharing you give us permission to feature you (attributing of course).
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