Sunday, October 5, 2014

Bump to Birthday ---- Journal Your Pregnancy and Baby's First Year

Thank you From You To Me for the Bump to Birthday journal.


All pregnancies and babies are different. As moms we like to remember everything that happened during our pregnancies and once our children have been born. Instead of writing everything down on the calendar and then having to go through every month to remember significant events you have had during pregnancy or after your baby was born, you could get a great journal to help you record all of those moments --- good or bad!

Bump to Birthday journal was designed to do just that! From the moment you find out you are pregnant to your little one's first birthday, you'll have all of your experiences documented and organized in an easy to find, fun to use journal.

The Bump to Birthday journal starts out with information about mommy and daddy and how you found out you were pregnant. The journal then continues with weekly gestational updates from 9 through 40+ weeks. Each week has a description of baby at that week of gestation as well as a space to write what has been going on and how you have been feeling.

Next the journal goes through baby's birth! Labor, delivery and birth stats. Followed by a section devoted to baby's first month. The last section is all about baby's firsts, ending with baby's first birthday. 


The color scheme and bird theme are perfect for your baby boy or girl! Work through the journal with mama bird. 

I really like the design and layout of this book. It is a great pregnancy journal. I like that it has detailed information for each week of pregnancy and space for photos and jotting down notes. I also like the section on all the first. 

There are two things I think this book is missing. First, I like to have a chart to document when my child's teeth come in. For some reason I find it fun comparing how fast/slow, soon/late their teeth come in. That being said, there is a "Notes" section that could be used for this. Second, it doesn't have journaling space for each month in the first year. There is a growth chart that gives you space to write height and weight for each month until the first year, but there isn't space to write down what your child is doing in each month. The firsts section does cover all of that info, but I guess I just like to have it organized a little differently.  

All in all, this is a very cute journal that would be the perfect gift for yourself or someone else when pregnancy arrives! A great way to document all of those pregnancy ups and downs as well as your baby's birth and many firsts! 

You can purchase the Bump To Birthday journal from From You to Me for $29.95.

Disclosure: I received the product pictured above in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and 100% honest. 



Friday, October 3, 2014

My Growing Up Chart {review}

There are many battles I face with my children on a daily basis. Some I have to choose to ignore, some I have to deal with, and others seem so simple that if my son would just do what I ask of him we'd save ourselves unnecessary frustration.

Waking up and getting ready for the day seems to be one of our biggest struggles. My son fights to put on his clothes, brush his teeth and use the bathroom. He's only 5 years old, I can't imagine what the teenage years are going to be like.

Since we started homeschooling this year, I knew we had to come up with a better routine to make our mornings easier on all of us.

My Growing Up Chart takes some of the wrinkles out of our morning routine, making for a happier mommy and a better start to our day. My Growing Up Chart is a sticker reward chart that encourages independence and responsibility in elementary school age children.


Each chart comes with 10 activity stickers and 6 blank ones to fill in your own activities. There are also 12 stickers of each number 1-20 that you apply to the chart as your child finishes each activity or task. There are also star stickers that read "Great Job" for when you child deserves that extra boost for doing great things! The stickers are re-usable. So once your child earns all 20 stickers you can put them back on the sheet and start over. You can even change out the activity stickers as needed. The chart comes with four square shaped double sided adhesive pads for attaching your My Growing Up Chart to the wall or refrigerator. A dry erase marker is also included in the package so you can write on the chart as needed.

Not sure how to use the chart when you get it? No problem! It comes with a "How To" guide to help you get the most out of your rewards chart. 

I was actually surprised at how well Squirrel (5 years-kindergarten) does with this chart. As I was setting it up I was trying to think of a reward for when he got all 20 stickers, but decided not to give an additional reward.  He has been more eager to get dressed and brush his teeth since implementing the My Growing Up Chart. He'll often remind me that he gets a sticker when he completes a task, if I haven't had to ask him then I'll also give him a star sticker.


I feel as though My Growing Up Chart positively affects our morning routine. If I could be diligent with it everyday and stay proactive, we could eliminate or morning struggles completely. I do see this chart helping my child grow some independence and responsibility for himself. The stickers are truly reusable. The bottom of our chart is at the perfect level for my 2 year old. He likes to move the number stickers to cover the eyes of the characters on the activity stickers. I have moved them back several times and they are still sticky! 

I'm happy to have found something that helps smooth out our morning routine. Starting off the day on the right foot makes for a straight path for the rest of the day! 

Buy it: You can purchase My Growing Up Chart on Amazon for $18.99.

What part of your day seems to be the most challenging? Have you tried a rewards chart to make it easier? 



I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.