I was recently contacted by Fresh Produce, a website that features casual clothing for women of all sizes, and quickly became interested in a lot of their products. Seriously, if I had the money to spend right now, I’d have quite a few pieces from their site. The company was founded by a mom entrepreneur, which I like. I love helping to promote mom-made businesses when I can!

Fresh Produce was kind enough to send one article from their store for me to review. After browsing the plus size outfits and debating for quite a while, I settled on this dress…

 The Augustine Sunshine Dress in Laguna.

I don’t currently have any sundresses for this year, so I decided to try out one from Fresh Produce. When it arrived, I immediately fell in love with the color. My favorite color is blue, and the website really doesn’t do justice for the beauty of this color. It’s actually more pale and not as metallic as the photo above looks. I love it!

I tried on the dress and while it was a little snug in the arms, it fit great everywhere else. It love the simplicity of the dress, and how it has just enough detail to make it very pretty. The material is a little thick but doesn’t feel too heavy. It feels very durable, and I am sure it will withstand many washes and wears.

I can see myself wearing this sun dress a number of places. It will be great to throw over my swimsuit when we are going to my parent’s pool. It can also be worn shopping or to the beach – where we are, sadly, not going this year! It’s fun and casual, and offers a cool alternative to the capris and gauchos I normally wear during the summer.

BUY IT: You can find this dress and all other offerings from Fresh Produce at their website, freshproduceclothes.com. Fresh Produce now ships to over 200 countries, so women outside the US can enjoy the colorful styles too!

•  Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, and is seen as a day of remembrance for fallen soldiers.
• Before it had an official date, regions of the US celebrated this holiday on different days by decorating the graves of deceased soldiers.
• Memorial Day was officially proclaimed a holiday on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan. At first, only the northern states recognized the holiday.
• The previous official date for Memorial Day was May 30.
• The name of the holiday was changed to Memorial Day in 1882, but it was not declared as the official name by Federal law until 1967.
• It is now observed on the last Monday of May each year in all 50 states.
• A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00pm in each time zone’s local time.
• On Memorial Day the American flag is to be raised to the top and then slowly lowered to half-staff until noon. Then it is raised to full-staff for the rest of the day.
• By many, Memorial Day is seen as the start of Summer, while Labor Day is seen as its end.
• The Indianapolis 500 has been conducted on the Sunday before Memorial Day since 1911.

That’s it…a brief look at Memorial Day history!

Most work at home moms choose to conduct business from home because of the freedom they receive in regards to their family. They can successfully (most of the time) eliminate the costs of child care and still provide a supplemental income for their home. However, what happens when the kids are too distracting and/or needy? Child care isn’t something that most WAHMs think is possible, but is it something you should be considering?

The most obvious benefit of sending your kiddo to daycare is the amount of time it will free up in your day. Many moms are able to get tons of work done in just the 3-4 hours their children are away. And this time isn’t just for work either.

With this free time you can also get errands and household chores completed as well. So, even if you do not currently work from home, you can still knock out a lot of your to-do list if you are able to be alone and productive for just a few hours a week.

Of course, there are some considerations that you should make before deciding if child care is right for your family – the primary one being cost. Most families cannot justify the price of having someone else supervise their young children, but if it allowed you to earn even more money while also giving you some time for yourself or the home, would it be worth it?

Something else to think about is how it will affect the child. Unless you plan to homeschool, your kids will eventually have to leave home to attend school. For some kids, day care is a great preliminary option prior to regular school…this is especially true for only children. It can help them further their social skills as well as learn important aspects of life, such as cooperation, sharing, and patience, in a more relaxed setting. So, considering child care as a WAHM may not just be beneficial for the mom here.

All in all, the consideration of child care while you work is something that will be dependent on your family’s situation. If you can afford it, I would recommend it. We plan to enroll our son in a preschool or some sort by the time he is three, primarily for the social aspects. However, it will also give me much more time in the day to get things done so I’m not so much of a 3rd shift worker!

Be sure to check out the rest of my WAHM Tips!

Plus, it’s a great guide for anyone that has improper posture – not just those that live at their desk!

Find More at the Greatist Fitness Blog

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 5, and I have a chance for you to win your own combo pack right now!

Synposis

The follow-up to the 2008 hit! The new journey begins when young adventurer Sean (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist—a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather (Dwayne Johnson) joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

Enter to win by completing the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US residents, 18+ only. No PO Boxes please. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for this giveaway. All opinions are mine. Southern Girl Ramblings holds no responsibility in prize fulfillment.

I have compiled a few Father’s Day quotes from a daughter to her dad. Hope you enjoy!

This past weekend, I was able to spend two days with my family. Saturday was all about my immediate family: my husband and our son. The hubby made me breakfast in bed and then we went out for dinner that evening, just the three of us. Sunday was spent with my mom and several other members of my family.

Mother’s Day reminded me once again just how blessed I am. I have an awesome little boy that is smart and healthy, and he never ceases to amaze me. He is very well provided for, and has more clothing and toys than he knows what to do with. It also made me realize that not all mothers, or families as a whole, are this fortunate. Not all moms can provide luxuries for their children, and sometimes, not even the basics.

That’s why I was so glad to hear about Johnson’s Baby Cares and how they are partnering with Save the Children. I enjoying volunteering and donating money when I am able, and most of the charities and organizations I choose to work with assist children. Children are not able fend for themselves and they are innocent in life – which is why I am so keen on helping them, especially now that I have my own child.

In their partnership with Save the Children, Johnson’s Baby Cares is providing baby “care kits” which contain  many of the essentials little ones need, including shampoo, body wash, lotions, and diaper creams. Save the Children will then give them out to families in need due to disaster stricken situations.

Also, Johnson’s plan to donate $50,000 to the Save the Children organization when their video, “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom — You’re Doing OK” reaches 500,000 views. Please click to watch it – It costs you nothing and only takes one minute and three seconds of your time.

You can find out more about Johnson’s Baby Cares and this partnership by visiting their Facebook page. Also be sure to check out the Johnson’s Baby website, www.johnsonbaby.com.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson & Johnson and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Introducing “Freedom Broch” – 19 Classic Bagpipe Hits in One Compilation!

The first thing she mentioned was natural childbirth. I was able to have Sawyer without any pain medication, but the entire ordeal didn’t exactly go as I would have liked. I wanted to use the Bradley method for pain management, but I wasn’t exactly able to, thanks to being group B strep positive. I wasn’t allowed to walk the halls or balance on an exercise ball in order to deal with the pain. If there is a next time, I really want to do all of that.

She next mentions breastfeeding. Again, something I wish I had done differently! I tried it for a week, but was so worried and stressed because Sawyer wasn’t latching good and I wasn’t producing much, I gave up too soon. At the time, I didn’t think that, but I do now. I don’t regret it but I would like to try breastfeeding again.

Leila then discusses cloth diapering – which is probably at the top of my list of “I WANNA TRY THIS!” I was very uneducated about cloth diapers before I had the kiddo, but now that I’ve spent time in the mommy blogosphere, I realize I really missed out on saving lots of money and providing something better for my son’s behind. Plus, have you seen how cute some of the cloth diapers are?!

The list can go on and on about what I did and what I want to do differently next time – if we decide to have another child. I have learned so much since becoming a Mommy that I think it would be easier and better with the second child (as far as the list above).

Is there anything you wish you had done differently? Do you plan to change that with future babies?