Alright, all my local friends! I have a great giveaway for you today!  The “Flip Flop Adult Consignment” sale is an awesome event where you can find women’s, men’s & junior’s clothes, furniture, electronics, home décor, and more!  Check out their web site at: www.flipflopconsignment.com

The event will be held at 1511 Downtown  West Blvd. Knoxville, TN 37919.  Here’s the schedule:

Wed., April 18 10am-8pm

Thur., April 19 10am-8pm

Fri., April 20 10am-8pm

Sat., April 21 9am-8pm (half price sale)

There is also a PRIVATE sale typically reserved for consignors and volunteers on Tuesday, April 17th from 6-9pm.  I have 4 tickets to give away to this private sale!

If you’d like to win one of these tickets, please do the following (and leave a comment for each entry you qualify for):

• Tell me if you’ve ever been to the Flip Flop Consignment Sale (1 entry)!
• “Like” Flip Flop Consignment on FB (1 entry)!
• “Like” Poots and Pans on FB (1 entry)!
• Share this giveaway post on FB (2 entries)!

I want to go ahead and get these mailed out to the winners before our baby boy comes, so the contest will close on Thursday, March 15th @ 11:59 (EST) and I will announce the winner on Friday, March 16th!

Good luck!

As we are quickly approaching the birth of our little boy, due March 24, my mind is full of so many thoughts.  I’m anxious about the birth (I had a third degree tear with our little girl), I worry about how Lyla will react to a baby brother, and I’m nervous about my ability to be a good Mommy to 2 children.  Oh, and did I mention I have no clue what I’ll due with a BOY!?!  I’m sure I’m not the first to feel this way.

Of all the many burdens I’ve placed upon myself, my biggest concern is the possibility of slipping back into panic attacks and an overwhelming feeling of “impending doom” when Lincoln is born.  When I was pregnant with Lyla, I felt good and didn’t think much about the postpartum period of the childbearing process.  However, I came home from the hospital and everything seemed different.  My house looked different to me, I felt distant from my husband and other family members, and Lyla was nothing more than a helpless newborn that I had no clue how to care for.  Couple these feelings with the pain of a third degree tear and absolute sleep deprivation and I’m pretty sure I had postpartum depression.

So here’s what happened: Every time I’d try to fall asleep, I’d wake up gasping for air.  I literally felt like I couldn’t breathe when I laid down.  I went to the cardiologist, thinking I might have peripartum cardiomyopathy.  After many tests, with only the result of high blood pressure, it was determined that I was healthy.  Basically, I was overwhelmed.  I put so much pressure on myself to keep Lyla on a schedule (I still highly suggest/promote the Babywise method), breastfeed (even though it hurt like hell), and keep our house looking clean.  Not to mention keeping everyone else in my life happy.  When someone wanted to come over and see Lyla, I tried my best to accommodate….even if I hadn’t slept a wink and really needed to take a nap instead.

Eventually, with time, Lyla got the hang of breastfeeding and it didn’t hurt anymore.  And, we found a new normalcy.  Thanks to Babywise, Lyla was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks old.  This definitely helped with our sleep deprivation.  Those first few months are such a haze to me now.  We love being  a family of three, and I can’t imagine my life without  my sweet little girl.  So, guess what?  Here we go again! Everything’s about to change.  And, I’ve determined I don’t handle change well.  To read more about what I’ll do differently with a newborn, read my post HERE.

I’m a planner, and I like to have a course of action.  So, here’s what I plan on doing to (hopefully) avoid falling into that pit of despair this time around.

1. ASK FOR HELP – When Lyla was born, I didn’t ask for help.  I felt like my husband and I were on an island.  I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone, and felt like asking for help would leave family/friends thinking, “You got yourself into this mess.  It’s not up to us to help care for your newborn child.”  Wow, isn’t that terrible?  It was so unfair of me to think that my family and friends wouldn’t love to help us.  This time, I’ve already asked for help and have some lined up.  It will be up to me to breastfeed Lincoln (no one can do that for me).  But I can get help with entertaining Lyla, laundry, meals, etc.
2. REST – This concept seems so simple, but it’s just not.  After having a baby, you have a huge amount of hormones raging through your body. Plus, you have a helpless newborn that you are solely responsible for.  Your “mom ears” kick in, and sometimes it’s just impossible to relax and sleep.  I am going to make sleeping a priority.  After all, giving birth is a BIG DEAL and your body needs to heal.  Even if it means laying Lincoln on my chest so that I can feel him breathe I WILL sleep when he does the first few weeks during the day AND night.
3. VISUALIZATION – The difference this time around is that I’ve had a newborn before.  I know what the pain feels like after giving birth, I know what it feels like to breastfeed, and I know that babies make weird noises.  So, I have been spending some time visualizing what life will be like with Lincoln.  I’ve even typed out a schedule (based solely on Lyla’s typical day) so that I can begin to incorporate him into our lives.  I’m not naïve enough to think that things will go exactly the way I envision them.  However, I know that my type A personality will accept the change of a new little one much easier if I’ve taken the time to actually think about life with 2 children and how this will affect our day-to-day lives.

What about you?  Have you had the baby blues or postpartum depression?  If so, how did you cope?  I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comment section below!

***Disclaimer: These are my opinions, only.  I realize that postpartum depression can sneak up on the best of us and sometimes cannot be avoided, no matter the amount of preparation for your new baby.  Please, if you’re having some of the feelings I had after my daughter’s birth, seek help from a professional.

Congratulations, Mandi!  Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize!

Mary is a college student who has a knack for beautiful, hand-written fonts and canvas art.  I’ll let her tell you about her shop in her own words:

How long have you been painting?

Painting is actually a recent hobby for me. Something I’ve always been fascinated with, however, is words and typography. All of my notes in school are not covered in drawings, but rather words written in various fonts! When I left for college, I decided to make paintings of my and my roommate’s names to hang above our beds to add a little color to our walls. After that, I was hooked! I had heard about Etsy and just decided to list some of paintings and open my shop up for custom orders of bible verses, names, quotes, lyrics, etc. It’s been a blast!

Tell me about your Etsy shop.

Etsy is such a unique site. I’ve gotten to hear so many interesting stories of where my paintings are going and what purpose they are serving. From one customer holding theirs up in their family Christmas card to another who bought hers as an encouragement for a girl who had just gotten out of bad relationship, all of the paintings have stories, and that is something that I love.

What types of paintings do you sell?

Almost all of the paintings I sell are customs. People either buy one my listings on Etsy, and then "Convo" me with their exact specifications, or we start with just a conversation about what they want, and I set up a custom listing for them. I also sell out of a store called Benefit Your Life in Knoxville, TN. Customers can contact them with custom orders, or buy the ones that they have on display.

I asked Mary to create three paintings for our kids’ bathroom.  I basically told her what I wanted the paintings to say, and sent her a picture of the shower curtain…that’s all she had to go on.  Here’s a picture of the shower curtain:

And here are the adorable canvases Mary created:

Wouldn’t you love to have your own piece of “WadeMade” art?  You’re in luck, because Mary is giving one lucky Poots and Pans reader an 11×14 piece of canvas art of their choice (something in her shop or a custom piece).

Here’s how you can win (Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry below):

• “Like” Poots and Pans on FB (1 entry)
• Add  Mary’s Etsy shop  to your Etsy favorites (1 entry)
• Tell me what you would have Mary create for you if you won (1 entry)
• Follow Poots and Pans via GFC (1 entry)

This contest will close on Friday, February 3 at 11:59pm (EST).  Winners will be announced the following day and will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Good luck!

Preparing for baby #2 has forced me to think about ways we can be financially responsible with a growing family.  Luckily, with your second child, you don’t need as many baby items.  And, you also find yourself being more practical when making lists of must-have items (see my post on How To Save Money with Baby: Part 1).

I would like to continue this series by focusing on a simplistic, but very effective, strategy for living a frugal lifestyle with a baby on board.

Making Your Own Baby Food

Like many money-saving strategies, this one may seem extremely intimidating to new Mommies (or seasoned Mommies who want to save money).  I was definitely overwhelmed at the thought of making baby food, but quickly learned that it was quick, easy, and saved us A LOT of money.  Not to mention, homemade baby food is typically healthier than the jarred version.

According to www.nurturebaby.com , making your own baby food can save you 50-80% off the cost of store-bought baby food!

There are several products available for purchase to assist you in making your own baby food.  For me, spending the money on one of these contraptions went against the whole purpose of making my own food (to save money).  So, I just used a blender!  But, if you’re interested, here are a few of the top-rated baby food processors:

Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker – $119 on Amazon

Baby Bullet Complete Baby Care System – $59 on Amazon

As I said, I used a Vitamix Blender to mix my baby food, but an everyday blender would work just fine.  Here’s the process I used when making baby food:

• Purchase organic veggies (not a must, but something that was important to me).  It helps to check and see what fruits/veggies are in season in your area, so you can get the best price.
• Wash, peel, and chop veggies – the first vegetable I gave Lyla was carrots.  Some of our favorites included: sweet potato, green beans, and butternut squash.
• Cook one vegetable at a time by steaming  the chopped pieces until tender.
• Pour softened veggies into the blender of your choice, and add clean water (avoid the water used to steam the veggies, because there can sometimes be traces of nitrates , which can be harmful to baby).  The amount of water you add is based on the age of your baby.  A 6-month-old will need a thinner consistency than a 9-month-old.  Just keep adding water until you reach the desired consistency. **If you are breastfeeding, you might want to add breast milk for an additional boost in nutrition!
• Blend until smooth
• Then, pour the food into ice cube trays.  Just like the baby food blenders, you can purchase specialty food containers for storage.  I just used the cheap, plastic ice cube trays and they worked just fine!
• Once your trays are full, cover tight with plastic wrap.
• Place trays in freezer and let freeze overnight.
• Pour frozen cubes into freezer bags, seal, and label (type of food and date prepared).  Place bags in freezer and you’re finished!
• The one variation to this simple recipe is sweet potatoes.  I actually baked them in the oven, and then scooped out the “meat” of the potato, added water, and blended.

Depending on the age of your baby and how much he/she eats, you can make very large quantities that will last several weeks!

The web site I used the most for recipes (and determining which foods were appropriate based on my baby’s age) was http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/pureebabyfoodandstore.htm#url  Another good resource is “Super Baby Food” by Ruth Yaron – $13.57 on Amazon.

Have you ever made your own baby food?

Kohls has their “Big One” towel on sale HERE for only $2.99 each (down from $9.99).  In addition, the wash cloths are $1.79 each (down from $5.99), and the hand towels are $2.39 (down from $7.99).  The deal gets sweeter when you use code “SLED15” and receive 15% off your entire order (or “SLED20” to receive 20% off an order of $100 or more).  And, to top it off, you get free shipping with orders of $75 or more!

Here’s a breakdown of my order:

For $82.12, I ordered 15 wash cloths, 15 bath towels, 4 solid hand towels, and 3 striped hand towels (for my little girl’s bathroom).  Score!

*As a side note, the towels have received 3.5 stars out of 5 from over 200 reviews (so definitely mixed reviews).  My thought is: if I don’t like them, I can return them to my local Kohls store for a refund. I might even cut the tags off one, wash it, and see how it holds up with the option of return the others if I’m not satisfied.

How long have you been using your bath towels?

I received a Kindle for Christmas last year and I LOVE it!  I’m a huge fan of reading, so anytime I can download a book for FREE from Amazon, I do.  However, most of the best sellers or specific genres that I enjoy typically are not offered for free.  So what’s a thrifty girl to do?

I recently discovered www.lendle.me  and am completely addicted.  Here’s how it works:  You create a free account and then update your profile with all the e-books you own.  Then, when Lendle users want to borrow one of your books, you get an email with quick steps to lending your book through Amazon.  The person borrowing the book has 14 days to read the book before it disappears from their e-reader.  In return, the book cannot be read on your device while it is being loaned out.

As you share your books, you begin to accumulate credits.  Each credit is good for one FREE book rental.  To give you an idea of the credit accumulation, I have loaned out 3 books and have earned 11 credits!  As a matter of fact, I am now reading The Hunger Games for free on my Kindle (and still have 10 book credits to use in the future).

So here’s a little trick I’d like to share with you.  As many of you probably already know, Amazon offers free e-books HERE (column on right side).  Actually, about 90% of the books I listed on Lendle were free to me.  Most of them, however, have gone back up to their normal price.  So, if you begin adding books to your Kindle (or other e-reader), you can then loan those books out for credit.  In return, you can use your credit to read some of the more expensive, best-selling books.  How awesome is that?

Oh, and did I mention you can earn $10 Amazon gift cards for loaning out books?  Lendle pays its users a very small amount for each book loaned.  Once you reach $10, they send you a $10 Amazon gift card!

Just a few more tips on using Lendle’s web site:

• Each book can only be loaned out once.
• When you log on to Lendle, go to your “dashboard” to see if you have any requests for book loans (this will be on the right side of your screen).  If you do, approve the request ASAP.  It’s on a first come, first serve basis.  If another Lendle user loans their book first, you lose that credit opportunity.
• When requesting a book with your book credits, you may have to wait a day or so (I had to wait 48 hours for The Hunger Games since it’s so popular).  You can check on your status by clicking on the “You” dropdown menu, then choose “Your borrow requests”.  You’ll be able to see your “place in line” to receive the book.
• You don’t have to own a Kindle to use Lendle.  The site supports MAC and PC computers, mobile versions for iPad, iPhone, Android and other “popular devices”.

If you don’t mind, enter my referral code when you sign up:  ZX4HQAD7.

Do you read e-books?  If so, had you ever heard of Lendle before?

Happy reading!

The winner of the Shelf Reliance freeze dried strawberries is  comment #119, Beckee Johnson!

Congratulations! Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prizes!

The Knoxville Fantasy of Trees is an annual event that donates its proceeds to the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.  In its 26 years of existence, the event has raised $5.7 million in funds for much-needed medical equipment!  The 2011 Fantasy of Trees will be open to the public from Wednesday, Nov. 23rd through Sunday, Nov. 27th.  This year’s theme is: “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”, and will feature nostalgic decorations from the 1950s. 

There are many events that your little one will enjoy, including: a carousel, visits and pictures with Santa Clause, face painting, ornament decorating, cookie decorating, princess manicures, etc.  To read more about the events at this years’ Fantasy of Trees, go HERE.

My good friend, Stephanie, is a volunteer at the Fantasy of Trees.  She has generously provided a pair of tickets to this event for one lucky Poots and Pans reader!

To enter, do the following (be sure and leave a comment for each entry):

• “Like” Poots and Pans on FB (1 entry)
• Share this giveaway on FB (2 entries)
• Follow Poots and Pans via GFC (1 entry)
• Tell me if you’ve been to the Fantasy of Trees before (1 entry)

This giveaway will close on Sunday, Nov. 20th at 11:59pm.  I will announce the winner on Monday, Nov. 21st.  The winner’s name will be left at the “Will Call” window at the event.

Good luck!

For this reason, my husband and I have been working on preparing our family for the unknown.  The first items you want to take into consideration when preparing for an emergency are the bare basics: food, water, shelter.  We have done a lot of research and were so excited to come across a company called “Shelf Reliance”.  They not only offer food with a VERY long shelf life (up to 25 years), but they also sell these emergency-type items I’m referring to.  A few examples are as follows: emergency backpacks (filled with everything you’d need for your family if you had to get out of your house quickly), sun oven (literally able to cook your food through solar energy in a small, portable oven), food rotation system accessories (allows you to easily rotate your foods by date of expiration), food storage solutions, first aid kits, thermal sleeping bags, etc.

We found a local consultant who was nice enough to come to our house and let us sample some of the “Thrive” food.  This food is freeze-dried, as opposed to being dehydrated.  The freeze-drying process starts with the foods being cleaned and sliced, then they are put in a vacuum chamber where 98% of the moisture is removed by “vaporizing the ice at 50 degrees F”.  The food is then sealed in moisture and oxygen proof cans to ensure freshness.  And, let me just say, I was very impressed by the taste and texture of the food.

Sarah allowed us to sample strawberries, pineapple bites, pomegranate yogurt bites, brownies, chicken salad, and a BBQ chicken & rice entrée.  Everything was delicious!  Our 2-year-old loved the freeze-dried corn, which you can snack on without restoring the water.  Sarah said her kids love snacking on the freeze-dried veggies and fruit.  What an awesome snack for our kiddos!  She also mentioned how nice it is to use the chopped freeze-dried onion in recipes.  No more chopping and crying!!  She just grabs what she needs and throws it into her soup or other recipes.

I just had to ask Sarah what makes her passionate enough about Shelf Reliance to actually sell their products.  Here’s what she had to say:

I became interested in SR when I tried THRIVE foods for the first time and was sold on the quality and taste. I first looked into their products for long-term storage so my family would be prepared for those unplanned emergencies. The food was tasty, so easy and healthy that I quickly decided to include it in my daily cooking & snacks. Getting my kids to eat fruits & veggies has never been easier. I love that SR has really focused on quality & nutrition. There is no shortage of companies who will sell you big cans of “food storage” that’s just mediocre. With SR, I know what I am buying is good enough to eat today and packed well enough to last an average of 20 years on my shelves, ready, just in case.

Most experts suggest having a one-year supply of food for your family in case of an unexpected emergency.  This can be so expensive and overwhelming to even think about!  Shelf Reliance has an awesome program called the “Q” which is a monthly delivery service.  Here’s how it works:  You set your own budget and pick out the foods that your family would enjoy.  Then, you also determine how long you’d like to work on building up your supply.  Once all of this information is entered into the system, the “Q” will manage your customized order and make deliveries to your home every month.  This is such an easy way to get the foods you want, build your emergency supply, and not pay a huge dollar amount all at once (you’ll also receive a discount on your food!).  Sarah can help you with this customizable program!

We plan on setting up a “Q” for our emergency food supply because we can choose foods that our daughter (with food allergies) can eat, as well.  It wouldn’t be conducive to have an emergency supply full of eggs, peanuts, and milk!  So, for those of you with food allergies in the family, here’s a link to Shelf Reliance’s allergen list: http://perkins.shelfreliance.com/c/sites/default/files/ThriveAllergensReport.pdf

Shelf Reliance is offering their customers special prices during the month of November.  Check them out HERE, HERE, and HERE!

If you’d like to make a purchase from Shelf Reliance, please check out Sarah’s web site HERE.  Be sure and tell her that Poots and Pans sent you!

Sarah has been gracious enough to offer one lucky Poots and Pans reader a can of Thrive’s freeze-dried strawberries!  If you’re interested in winning, please do the following:

• Check out Sarah’s web site and tell me what product you’d most like to have (2 entries)
• “Like” Sarah’s Shelf Reliance FB page (2 entries)
• “Like” Poots and Pans on FB (2 entries)
• Follow Poots and Pans on GFC (1 entry)
• Share this giveaway on FB (2 entries)
• Make a purchase from Sarah (10 entries)

This contest will end on Sunday, Nov. 20th at 11pm (EST) and the winner will be announced on Monday, Nov. 21st.  Good luck!