Our Whiskey Lullaby

CONVERSATION

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of GoodNites. All opinions are 100% mine. This post may contain affiliate links

As a mother of a kindergartner, life is seriously always full of surprises. And with Mary, life gets more interesting with every passing day. Take for instance, potty training. Mary was a late bloomer and didn't even start potty training until she was three. Fast forward to now and she's got it down-pat, thank goodness, but sometimes she still has the occasional accident. And usually those take place at night. And not only is it embarrassing on her, but it's also hard on me when I have to wake up and start washing sheets and blankets at 2am.

So that's why we were recently asked to participate in a GoodNites mission to see if they could help Mary overcome her bed-wetting problem.

For three nights, we have been using Goodnites to see if they can help Mary. Honestly, when they came out of the package, they looked like diapers. Even Mary asked why I was putting a diaper on her since she's potty trained. After explaining to her it was just in case of an accident, she looked a little disappointed but I told her just to try it out.

I wanted to show that they are discreet, but if someone was to actually see them above clothes, they do look like diapers. Mary is five and since she doesn't go to sleepovers and is only at our house during the night, I don't think this is a big deal for her. But for older kids that might have problems at other people's houses, i'm not sure how well these might work. When you walk, they crinkle like diapers and even though on the package it states that XL can go up to 125 lbs, I'm not sure if older kids would be comfortable in these.

When you have all your clothes on, you can't tell that you have Goodnites on though. And Mary did say they felt comfortable and didn't hurt which was good. But for the three nights we tried them, she didn't have an accident at all since hers are so sporadic. We even tried them for a week to see but she was dry all night which was great for me! So I did the cup and water test to see just how much these things can hold and they held up pretty well. No leaks but they did bulge like diapers with the more liquid in them so again, for older kids, this might cause a problem.

Overall my thoughts on Goodnites are that they're great for younger children, but if you're looking for something to help your kids overcome sleepover problems, you might need something else because there's nothing more embarrassing than kids thinking you're wearing a diaper.

If your kids are experiencing bed-wetting and you're looking for a private environment to discuss it with other moms, check out the GoodNites Facebook page. While you're there, make sure to sign up for the Undercover Mission too for your chance to win weekly prizes. Make sure to use code 8675 to enter!

CONVERSATION

July is national Park and Recreation Month and your local parks are encouraging everyone to come out this month and experience all the wonderful aspects of parks and recreation. Nationwide, recreation departments have organized events and activities to help families spend quality time together, enjoy nature and get active. This provides a great opportunity to not only make the most of the beautiful weather, but also to take a stand against the obesity epidemic and technology trends that consistently keep more kids indoors and living less active lifestyles.

As part of Park and Recreation Month, the National Recreation and Park Association is encouraging everyone to show the love for local parks and recreation and wants everyone to answer the question, "I Love my Parks and Recreation Because..." They have a fill in the blank social media poster that can be filled in and shared, and a fun month-long weekly photo contest that encourages everyone to show and share the LOVE for local parks!The NRPA website includes information on all of the above initiatives, free downloadable resources as well as a calendar of events scheduled nationwide.

With kids out of school, the vacation celebration includes bouncing off the walls and fighting over the TV, tablet and computer screen. Think about your summer days as a kid - spending time outside hunting for salamanders, playing kickball with neighborhood friends, exploring the trails and woods, fun summer camp days at your local rec center, and swimming until your fingers shriveled. Many of us have so many happy memories from summertime and want our children to have those same experiences too.

While we can always tell them of the fun we had as kids, it is so much better to show them. And you know what, you don't have to go far to have these enriching experiences that make lasting memories - you just have to head to your local parks and recreation. There are great places right in your community to go have some family fun all summer long!

CONVERSATION

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? I don't know about you, but I'm getting ready to celebrate with some Edy's Slow Churned Ice Cream! And what better way to celebrate National Ice Cream Month than to try some new flavors? Edy's released four exciting limited-edition flavors that are now available in the freezer aisle.

“Take the Cake”: Yellow cake-flavored light ice cream with a frosting swirl and multi-colored sprinkles. It’s the classic combination of cake and ice cream in one convenient carton. Available in Slow Churned Light Ice Cream.
NEW “German Chocolate Cake Spectacular!”: If you froze a German Chocolate Cake and then exploded it into a carton of chocolate ice cream, you’d end up with this amazing limited edition flavor. Chocolate ice cream with a caramel coconut swirl and brownie pieces. Available in Grand Ice Cream and Slow Churned Light Ice Cream.
NEW “Sunny Salted Caramel Pretzel”: Salty, sweet and oh so scrumptious. Vanilla ice cream with a salted caramel swirl and pretzel pieces. It’s probably the greatest flavor combination in the history of the world. Available in Grand Ice Cream and Slow Churned Light Ice Cream.
“3 Stripes You’re Out”: America’s Favorite Pastime has a new favorite flavor! Vanilla Ice Cream with Mixed Blueberry and Strawberry Swirls. This Limited Edition flavor will leave your home crowd on its feet cheering! Available in Grand Ice Cream.

Another reason I love Edy's is that is has all the taste and ½ the fat (with ½ the fat and 1/3 fewer calories than regular ice cream.) So that means I can go right ahead and eat it with my family too! Just check out Mary eating her Edy's ice cream!

Just look at that happy little face! The flavors we ended up picking were the German Chocolate Cake, the Sunny Salted Caramel Pretzel and Strawberry and gave her a scoop of each to try out! Can you tell she loved it?

Edy's not only gives kids eating their ice cream smiles, but they also help raise money to donate to kids for Operation Smile too! Building off the success of last year’s initiative, the brand is once again partnering with Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity, to make possible 500 reconstructive surgeries for children around the globe suffering from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.

Since May 15, Edy’s ice cream has been posting content on its Facebook page every two weeks encouraging fans to help the brand donate to Operation Smile. Each uniquely stamped “A Reason to Smile” post features different methods of participation – from liking and sharing to commenting – creating personalized opportunities for fans to engage with the cause and help Edy’s reach its goal.

Edy’s will donate up to $125,000 to Operation Smile this year. The campaign will run through September 31, 2013. For more information about “A Reason to Smile” or Edy’s Ice Cream, please visit http://www.facebook.com/edysicecream. Are you ready to smile? Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram at #ReasontoSmile.

Would you like to make your kids smile this summer? One winner will get two free product coupons for free Edy's ice cream!

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