What to Expect When Your Expecting{IntelliGender & IntelliCeuticals Giveaway}

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When your having a baby there are a lot of things that go through your mind-will my baby be okay, will my birth go smoothly and most importantly what am I having!?
Thanks to IntelliGender  you can find out if your having a boy or a girl! That's right, find out before you find out!!

IntelliGender’s Gender Prediction Test is an affordable, simple-to-use urine test that provides immediate gender results in the privacy and comfort of your home. In minutes, the IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test indicates your gender result based upon an easy to read color match. Green indicates boy and orange indicates girl! About 82% real world accuracy.

Even though it has been a long while since I have been pregnant this is something that I definately would have bought and used!

From thier website:
About IntelliGender


For the mom-to-be and baby...

Welcome to Intelligender! We have revolutionized baby gender discovery with the world’s first in-home, urine based Gender Prediction Test™. IntelliGender was founded in 2006 and has over 500,000 satisfied customers worldwide. At the core of our success is our goal of providing high quality, fun, affordable pre-birth experiences for the expectant mother and healthy essentials for mom and baby.


The Intelligender product line continues to expand, now including more exciting products for Mom and baby. Our new IntelliCeuticals™ products are made of proven remedies, herbal extracts, and flower essences all formulated to promote physical, emotional or psychological health and restore balance in the body. They are safe, effective, and designed to bring you relief from the stresses of pregnancy and early motherhood.


A History of Progress


Two working moms with seven children between them contemplated; “there must be a better way”. Fascinated about learning the gender of their developing babies as early as possible, they felt there had to be a way of bridging the curiosity gap between conception and Ultrasound. Early in 2005 they began identifying a group of medical and business professionals to help make this idea a reality. They assembled a world class organization ultimately forming IntelliGender® to research the development of an inexpensive, in-home gender prediction test. With an entrepreneurial spirit, they obtained the necessary capital and engaged scientists, chemists and engineers to help realize their dream. In November 2006, they launched the IntelliGender® Gender Prediction Test™, the world’s first, in-home, urine based test for gender prediction in the market. Intelligender quickly grew and is now available in retail outlets throughout the United States and in numerous countries around the world.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer parents-to-be a fun, affordable pre-birth experience to share the joy of discovery with their family and friends!”


                                                                            Co-Founders; Rebecca Griffin and Teresa Garland


Research and Development


From inception there has been a firm belief in solid science, strong investments in research and continual product and process improvement. Early after initial research began, the company founders sought out the foremost experts in the field. Shortly after the initial product was launched, a Nobel Prize winning chemist was added to the research team making significant contributions to continued product enhancements. Recently the company added a renowned microbiologist to the team tasked with bringing even more product innovations to the market. With the addition of the IntelliCeuticals line, an entirely new group of specialists have been added to the team with the goal of developing the world’s best and most innovative products for the pregnancy and early post pregnancy markets.


Manufacturing Excellence


All Intelligender products are manufactured in FDA certified and GMP registered manufacturing facilities under strict supervision.


All of our herbal products are created using our set of standards and processes that combine the best quality, laboratory-tested raw ingredients and implementaion of good manufacturing practices and manufacturing methods to guarantee products of the highest quality, safety and effectiveness. All IntelliCeutical products contain no animal products, gluten, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and are never tested on animals.

Before baby arrives...and after

IntelliCeuticals introduces the best natural remedies to help informed moms and their babies feel happy, healthy and ready for the world each day! Our herbal remedies are safe, effective solutions for the health and comfort of mothers-to-be.
Whether your trying to conceive or just gave birth IntelliCeuticals will help with some of the issues that you have going on. Like..........breastfeeding!!

Whether your trying to conceive or a new mom one of the worst things, and I mean worst things was the breastfeeding, I don't mean the experience bonding with your baby, but the pain and agony that comes with it! I don't want to scare you if your expecting but you have to know that it isn't as it looks...your breasts get so engorged-it's extremely painful! After breastfeeding for a while, your nipples get so sore and raw that you don't even want to look at them! So I am glad to say that IntelliCeuticals has managed to help us get over the pain and discomfort and get back to the precious time with our babies!

Natures Nipple Prep: IntelliCeutical’s Nature’s Nipple Prep is a soothing cream intendedto help maintain healthy skin tone around the nipple both prior to birth and once you begin nursing.

benefits:
•Provides consistent moisture around the nipple area
•Soothes the area immediately after nursing
•Helps to sustain a relaxed breastfeeding experience


Buy It:
You can purchase any of the above items at Intelligender and right now they are currently running a 20% OFF SALE on ALL of their items!!

Win It:
One Ma21cuteboy reader will win:

1 IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test
1 IntelliCeuticals Nature's Nipple Prep Cream
1 "15,000 Baby Names" Book

Mandatory Entries:
Visit IntelliGender's website and tell me what item(s) that you would love to own!

{Comments like: pick me, I would love to win this will NOT be accepted!! Mandatory entry must be completed before completing the Extra entries. Please leave a separate comment for each entry to count & don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you should you win}

Extra Entries:
Follow IntelliGender via Twitter {leave your Twitter ID}
Sign up for IntelliGender's Newsletter
(3)Visit IntlliGender's NEW Blog follow & grab their button{leave a link}
(1)Follow Ma21cuteboy {publicly}
(2each)Subscribe to Ma21cuteboy via RSS or Email
(1)Follow Ma21cuteboy on Twitter {leave your Twitter ID}
(2)Tweet this: {1x a day for extra entry-just don't forget your link;}

#WIN IntelliGender & IntelliCeuticals Package from @IntelliGender
 9/13 http://bit.ly/cekTTZ #Baby

Enter any or all of my current giveaway's for an extra entry each!!{just leave a separate comment with which one you entered}
(3)Add this giveaway to a Mclinky{leave a link}
(5)Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post{leave a link}

-Contest ends September 13th at 11:59 MT
-Contest open to U.S. Residents only
-Winner will be chosen via Random.org
-Winner will be notified via email as well as in a winning post on Ma21cuteboy
-Winner will have 48 hours after being contacted to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen

*Disclaimer-I was not compensated for this post. I was contacted by the VP of Marketing for the company to share thier products with my readers. The opinions expressed are my own and others' may vary.*

It's the Perfect Gift {Milson Road Review & Giveaway}

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As a mom I love to give and get personalized, sentimental gifts. The person giving or receiving the gift put a lot of time, energy and thought into that personalized gift right? As a single mom I am always trying to keep the memories of *Chucky* alive not only in him, but in our small family. Whether it is pictures, home videos, artwork or even little drawings that he put onto scraps of paper, I like to keep them and show them to him and talk to him about what was going on that day and why he was laughing or drew that specific picture.

Milson Road is a company that helps keep all of these memories and more in a special place. Milson Road takes your pictures and memories past, present or future and puts them into The Daily Portrait- a personalized, commemorative, time capsule of memories in an elegant, beautiful 18x20 inch print with a custom wood frame that captures the emotion of a special event in a tangible, contemporary heirloom-A one-of-a-kind gift that only gets better with time.

There are many special occasions to choose from:
-Baby Girl
-Baby Boy
-Twins
-Special Birthdays
-Weddings
-Anniversaries
-Graduations
-Bar & Bat Mitzvah;s
After you have chosen your occasion you then get to choose from 8 background colors as well as 11 frame/mat/plate combinations to personalize your frame.

The site is easy to use and navigate.
There are 6 steps to customize The Daily Portrait that you have chosen:{after you have chosen The Daily Portrait, background color, frame/mat/plate combination}
1. About the Special Birthday Recipient: -name- middle name- last name- gender- the name the recipient goes by(nickname).
2. About the Birthday: -which Birthday is it- what is the date of the current birthday(calendar is included)
-recipients place of birth- recipients parents names.
3. About the Event/Celebration- was there an event held- who attended- event type- event location- event city/state or country- recipients current residence.
4. They also have a section to put who gave the gift.
5. Choose your photos- you can either upload your own photo or choose from an assortment of photos that they already have selected to go along with The Daily Portrait that you have chosen.
6. You then preview and finalize your order or add special notes to the for the production staff.
Shortly after completing the above options you will be sent a preview of The Daily Portrait that you chose.

The Daily Report arrived and was packaged with a lot of TLC. There was a lot of bubble wrap-wrapped snugly around the frame and glass. What made it even more special was a sash wrapped around it with the Milson Road logo. Perfect for giving or getting as a gift!

Package arrived

Nice & snug in the bubble wrap

The sash

I chose The Daily Portrait for a Special Birthday for Chucky's first birthday. I also chose to go with the classic background, black frame, khaki and white mat and silver plate. We are extremely pleased with how it turned out! The frame is quiet substantial, the outer frame is a little over 21x28". The frame is beveled and the mats are heirloom quality. The hardware for hanging isn't a cheap and flimsy hook, it is a wire wrapped hanger{which says a lot about quality}. I have it hanging on the wall right as your walking into Chucky's room. It is the perfect spot because you can see it from the hallway and before you walk into his room.  

I also love the fact that he can look at this picture and see what the "current" events were or what celebrity shares the same day as his first birthday.

Bare wall.

Milson Road was extremely delightful to work with. I first chose the The Daily Portrait for a Baby Boy filled in the above information, uploaded my pictures and approved my preview. The next day I received a phone call not only from the company, but from one of the owners Mark Brown, he stated that the dates that I chose didn't go back that far and somehow mine slipped through. He was very kind and helped me to choose The Daily Portrait that was right for me. I then had a problem with the code that was given to me and went to the Contact Us page and thought that it would be faster if I used the customer service number that was provided. Little did I know that the number goes straight to one of the owners{Mark Brown}voicemail. Mark called me right back and helped me get my order finished and ready to go! *NOTE* None of which were Milson Road's fault!

From their site:

Milson Road. This has long been a sentimental favorite for us, so we felt it was the perfect name for our family-owned and operated business.

As our home-away-from-home during a time living in Australia, Milson Road represents memories of adventures, celebrations and special holidays spent with family and friends from near and far. Each spring, a large Jacaranda tree bloomed in a wild burst of lavender over Milson Road. This beautiful, annual event was always worth celebrating — and documenting — so we thought it only fitting to use its signature lavender shade and iconic branches to help tell our Milson Road story.

Those wonderful years back on Milson Road. Friends and family members began requesting their own versions of The Daily Portrait to commemorate important milestones in their lives and to give as gifts on special occasions. When we came back to the U.S., The Daily Portrait came with us, and so did the passion to someday create our company, Milson Road.

We are proud to share The Daily Portrait with you and your family. With this one-of-a-kind gift you can capture the events of an extraordinary day, and consider that day saved — forever.

MARGARET & MARK BROWN

Founders    




                                       

The great thing about Milson Road is whether or not the special occasion has come and gone or if it is in the future they can help you out! If you choose to do one for a future birthday for example you just have to wait until that day has come because as nice as it would be they can not see into the future for that day's events. I think these make the most unique gifts.

Buy it:
You can purchase your personalized gift or gift card on the Milson Road website for $165.00.

Win it:
Thanks to Milson Road one lucky reader is going to get The Daily Portrait of their own to personalize!

Mandatory Entries:
Visit Milson Road and let me know which occasion you would like if you won.
Follow Ma21cuteboy {publicly}

{Comments like: enter me, pick me, I would love to win this will NOT be accepted!!
Mandatory entry must be completed before completing the Extra entries. Please leave a separate comment for each entry to count & don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you should you win}

Extra Entries:
(1)"Like" Milson Road on Facebook and let them know you "Like" them in a comment!{leave your FB Name} They are also giving one away on their facebook page!!
(1)Follow Milson Road on Twitter {leave your Twitter ID}
(2)Enter the Zoodles Giveaway {3Winners} Ends/Entries Expire 9/3
(2)Subscribe to Ma21cuteboy via RSS Feed
(3)Subscribe to Ma21cuteboy via email {Don't forget to confirm it}
(1)Follow Ma21cuteboy on Twitter {leave your Twitter ID}
(2) Tweet this:{1x a day for extra entry-just don't forget your link;}

Win The Daily Portrait($165) from @DailyPortrait
http://bit.ly/bRnEr0  9/19

(1each)Enter one of all of my current giveaway's{left sidebar} for extra entries{just leave a seperate comment for each-Zoodles gets you 2 extra-ONLY Zoodles}
(2 each)Grab one or both of my buttons {leave a link where I can see them}
(1)Add Ma21cuteboy to your blog roll {leave a link}
(5)Add this giveaway into a Mclinky {leave a link}
(10)Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post {leave a link}

-Contest ends September 19th at 11:59 MT
-Contest open to residents of the U.S. Only{Sorry}
-Winner will be chosen via Random.org
-Winner will be notified by email as well as in a winning post on Ma21cuteboy
-Winner will have 48 hours after being contacted to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen

*Disclosure: I was provided with the above mentioned product to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed are those of my own and others' may differ. I would like to Thank Milson Road for the opportunity and for the amazing product that they provided me.*

Lot's of things I didn't know I needed!!

I had no idea about all of the things needed to install hardwood floors. You need a finish nailer to blind nail the last few boards in place?? Okay well I guess I better get on that and luckily to One Project Closer, I will be one project closer to beautifying my home!
Enter here to win a DuoFast FloorMaster 250BN Nailer

Rolled Canvas Winner.........

You all had some great ideas for this, if you don't mind I think I might borrow a few of them!

The winner of the 16x20 Rolled Canvas Print from Largeformatposters.com is #34.....Paula Michele she has just started blogging, so go on over and congratulate her on her win!! Congratulations Paula Michele! She said she would like a picture of her kids outside! Too cute;} You have 48 hours to respond to the email or I have to choose another winner;{

Nicole Marie by Design {Review & Giveaway-2 Winners}

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Nicole Marie by Design is a shop that has it all, here is a taste of what you will find:
-premade blog designs
-custom -or- premade logos
-custom photo bottle cap necklaces
-video tutorials on everything blogging
-digital scrapbooking graphics
-original digital artwork
-printables: banners, tags, cupcake toppers and more!

Nicole is 'one of those ladies' that can do it all, not only is she a wife and mother but a graphic designer and jewelry connoisseur. She has a blog where you can check out her graphic design goodness. The Pixel Boutique, not only shows you what she has been up to{prettifying others' blogs, sites & shops} but where she shares helpful tips on how to use photoshop to enhance your images and she also helps you make sense of your blog{how to get buttons, make your pictures better & much more}.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with Nicole. She made me a Custom Photo Bottle Cap Necklace. You can tell when a shop owner takes pride in what they do on not only how the final product looks, but on how they ship and send your contents. Nicole sends your items perfectly.You can buy these for your MIL's, SIL's, Sisters, Moms and have them shipped perfect for gift giving.

Nicole was very easy to work with, I was actually the one who made it a little more difficult on her. I was{am} one of those customers that you 'can't stand' because I told her I would provide the picture and let her have full range over her craft! Which turned out great if I do say so myself! When you purchase a Custom Photo Bottle Cap Necklace you get some great options on how you want your bottle cap to look.  You send your image to her and indicate if you want a colorized section which is no extra charge {flower, clothing, hat etc.} Your photo will be turned into black and white. You then get to choose from glitter colors silver, pink, purple, blue, green, light green or clear or the edges can be left plain.
The image is then cast in resin within the bottle cap and strung on a 22" .925 sterling silver ball chain. She also adheres her shop label to the back so you can share with everyone where you got your beautiful piece of jewelry!

I have gotten so many compliments on my necklace. There are so many reasons why I love it, but one of the main reasons is because there will never be another one like it! I love when you have something that people absolutely admire but can't get an exact duplicate. I chose a picture of Chucky on his first birthday because It brings back so many memories of how lucky we are to be a family{Yeah it sounds cheesy}but in reality it is what it is!

Buy it- You can purchase any or all of Nicole Marie by Design items in her Etsy Shop.

Win it-

Thanks to Nicole, 2 Ma21cuteboy readers will win a Custom Photo Bottle Cap Necklace of their own!!

How to enter:
{please leave a seperate comment for each entry & don't forget your email address in your comment}
Visit Nicole Marie by Design and let me know what your favorite item{s} are/is.
Follow Nicole on Twitter{leave your Twitter ID}
Tweet, Facebook, or Blog about the giveaway with a link to this post. {1 entry per method}{leave your link}
Follow Ma21cuteboy blog



- Contest ends on September 13th at 11:59 MT
- Open to U.S. Residents 18+ only.
- Winners will be chosen via Random.org.
- Winners will be notified by email as well as in a post on Ma21cuteboy
- Winners will have 48 hours after being contacted to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.


*Disclosure: I was provided with the above mentioned product to facilitate this review. The reviews expressed are my own and others' may differ. I would like to thank Nicole and Mom Made That for this opportunity!*

Follower Winner!!!

When I started blogging, I didn't think anyone cared what I had to say, then I got my first follower, second, third, fourth and so on. I was blown away by others' stories and how our lives were very different and yet so much the same. I also loved the support that I received from those first followers, they had no idea who I was and yet were willing to help me and I am eternally grateful for that!! I have decided to start doing giveaway's for my blog followers, there are sooooo many blogs out there and knowing that you all chose to follow my blog means a lot to me! So as a thank you, I will be giving away a little something that I have purchased myself that I thought all of you might enjoy.
Our first follower giveaway has exceeded 300 and I am excited to anounce our first winner!
The winner is.........#264 Sweet Harper!! Congratulations Sweet Harper!

If you would like to be the next winner on Ma21cuteboy, just follow along!!

The winner was chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen. I was not compensated for this post, I have provided the winning item out of my own money and am not affiliated in any way with the company whose items I am giving away.

Goodies From Grosgrain!!

I don't know if many of you know about this awesome blogger{Kathleen}-she has two yep 2 blogs one is Grosgrain Fabulous & The Tum Tum Tree she has so many tutorials, giveaway's and ideas, as well as being an awesome seamstress she has time for both blogs and her adorable family.
I thought I would share some of the awsome giveaway's she has going on right now with you, so head on over and check them out as well as all of her fabulous tutorials and frocks she makes....you will be wiping off your keyboard;}

This is a Sweet Pea Patterns giveaway with six shoe variations that's 6 adorable patterns!

12x12 Piece from Modern Bird Studios { I so want one of these!!!}

Silhouette Machine 8/31 so you can make cute stuff for your home, clothes, others etc.

Cute apron from Shabby Apple who wouldn't love one of these??

The Naiad Frock if this doesn't show you how talented a seamstress she is then I don't know what will!!

Good luck and have fun checking out all of the ideas on her site!!{you will be there for hours-trust me}

Slobproof Twitter Party!

Debbie Wiener wiill be hosting a Twitter Party tomorrow (August 17th @ 3pm) where she will be offering design advice for the back-to-school season! Concurrently, she'll be hosting giveaways of her Slobproof furniture items. As you know, Slobproof with Crypton is a line of furniture that is impervious to stains, spills and messes due to the nature of the fabrication process. Made in the USA, with a lifetime guarantee, it is furniture that is perfect for families, kids and pets!


RSVP Here
The hashtag for the event: #slobproof
Follow @debbiewiener

See you there!!

Zoodles {Review/Giveaway 3 Winners}

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I am probably not the only parent who has not been as trusting with their child playing online. Yeah, you can check your computers history, but it won't alway's tell you where they were, what happend, how long they were there and who they were talking to. This is where Zoodles comes in, Zoodles is a site for children 10 and under. It is safe and fun.

When Chucky and I tested Zoodles, I had no idea that we would be abe to play so many games and do as many acivities. The first day that we signed up, Chucky was on there almost all day! He enjoys playing so many different games in one place and I love that I don't have a bunch of little pieces of paper all over the desk with sites all over them! Chucky loved playing the  Clone Wars- gunship over Florrum, Star Wars sound board- this one was a lot of fun, he was able to use voices from different characters to mix and make some music. Swamp station sweep which had a few different activities such as shooter, action, puzzles & strategy.

Zoodles has compiled a great selection of popular games and learning tools in one place for your child/ren to be able to play and learn safely.Zoodles also only allows your child to access content that is appropriate for their age. Zoodles is geared towards children but they didn't leave us parents out. We are able to track our childs activity and get updates straight to our emails.

Zoodles offers some great options for memeberships, when you sign up for the FREE membership, you will be able to test out the premium membership for 14 days to see if it would be a great fit for your family. Memberships start as low as $5!

These are the diferences between the free and premium membership:
Free:
- Zoodles kid browser
- safe browsing to Zoodle approved url's
- educational content
- age & skill level appropriate content
- full screen capbility

Premium Memebership:
All items above plus-
- parental conttols
- play timer settings
- ad blocking
- promotes educational subjects {science, reading, match etc}
- violence filtering
- block unwanted sites, games and shows
- add sites & games
- parental monitoring
- access to parent dashboard
- weekly educational reports showing the skills your child has developed while on the site
- block content types {videos & printables}
- weekly activity reports showing your childs recent play history & top content

From Zoodles:
Zoodles basically scours the web to find the best educational content out there (games, puzzles, and videos) and puts it all in one place, presenting it to kids in a safe, simple web browser that adapts to your child's age and skill level. What this means is that a 3 year old would get games teaching shapes and numbers, letter recognition, attention and listening, and much more! A 5 year old would get games teaching early reading & addition, creativity and exploration, etc. All this learning is wrapped in engaging play that features some of their favorite characters!


The Zoodles browser is always free for kids to play, but for parents who want more control over their child's experience, Zoodles also offers a paid Premium Membership. With Premium Membership, parents can set play time limits, block ads, promote certain subjects to their child, and block unwanted sites and shows. They can also get great information about what their child has been playing – from the skills he or she has been building, to the sites he’s been visiting, to how much time he or she’s spent playing specific games.


When your child gets on Zoodles they have 5 choices to choose from- games, subjects, characters, animals and favorites. Your child will choose which games to play from the 5 choices above and get screen after screen of choices of games to play. When they choose their activity they will be given insturctions on how to play and how to exit if they are finished. They are then able to play for as long as they wish{or until mom or dad set the timer} and then move onto something else within their age specified activities.
When they have finished playing and are tucked sweetly in their beds mom & dad can check their progress either from the email sent from Zoodles or right on the parental site.

We liked Zoodles so much that we are going to continue to use it. Where else can you feel safe letting your child play online without you hovering like a helicopter? NOWHERE

Buy It:
If your interested in giving Zoodles a go or purchasing a memebership click the link and check it out!

Win It:
Zoodles is giving {3} Ma21cuteboy readers a 3 Month Premium Membership!

Please leave a seperate comment for each entry!!
Mandatory Entry:
Visit the Zoodles Website and let me know what your favorite feature is.

Extra Entries: {After the Mandatory Entry}
1- 'Like' Zoodles on Facebook
2- Sign up for a free membership
1- Follow Zoodles via Twitter {leave your Twitter ID}
1- Follow Ma21cuteboy {publicly}
2- Subscribe to Ma21cuteboy via email or rss
1- Grab the Ma21cuteboy Button {1 point for each one-leave a link}
1- Follow Ma21cuteboy via Twitter{leave your Twitter ID}
Tweet the following: {1xday for extra entry-leave your link}

#Win Keep your kids safe on the internet! @Zoodles Premium Membership Giveaway 9/3
http://bit.ly/97vCGu

3- Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post{leave a link}
2- Add this into a linky {leave a link}

Contest closes on September 3rd at 11:59 MT
Open to U.S. Residents & Canada
Winner will be chosen via Random.org
Winner will be sent an email and have 48 hours to respond.
Winner will also be posted in a winning post.

*Disclosure: I was provided with a Membership to Zoodles.com to faciliate our review, no other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are our own and others' may differ.*

Birthday Girl{GIVEAWAY}

**CLOSED**

I don't know about you, but I L-O-V-E Birthday's! There is just something about having your day of birth celebrated. My Birthday is this weekend and I want to celebrate it with you!!

Since we are talking Birthday's how cool would it be to have your first birthday picture put onto a- print on canvas, or onto printing posters? Not only would it make a cool present for anyone but it would be one that they would keep forever and alway's remember who gave it to them!
Large Format Posters is a division of UPrinting so you know that you will be getting great quality at a resonable price.

Thanks to Largeformatposters.com one Ma21cuteboy reader will win a 16x20 Rolled Canvas Print!

How to Enter:
{Please leave your email address with your comment}
Let me know what you would like on your canvas.
Follow Ma21cuteboy's blog.
Grab one or both of my buttons {leave a link}
Follow Ma21cuteboy via Twitter {leave your Twitter ID}
Tweet this: {Can be done 1x a day for extra entries}
#Win 16x20 Rolled Canvas @Ma21cuteboy 8/26
http://bit.ly/bgpxKL

- Contest ends August 26th at 11:59 MT
- Open to U.S. Residents 18+ only.
- The winner will be notified via email as well as in a post on my blog.
- Winner will be chosen via Random.org.
- Winner will have 48 hours after being contacted to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

*Disclosure: I didn't receive any compensation for this post. The opinions expressed are my own and others' may differ.*

Randomness{Breastfeeding}...

I am a person who has a what do you call it.... strong personality and when people post random things that piss me off I just can't let it go and have to say something.
I was on Facebook and saw a post by Parenting.com. Apparently Gisele Bundchen thinks it should be a law that mother's have to breastfeed their babies for 6 months. It's true that mother's should breastfeed for 6 months and up through 2 years, but what about those mother's who can't because of many issues? Should they have to be penalized for actions that they have no control over?
As many of you know, I had my son at 28 weeks, he weighed 2lbs. 4.5oz. preemies don't usually latch on because they don't understand how to 'suck' yet.{their muscles aren't yet formed} I pumped my little tbsp every hour and put them in the fridge next to the real 'milk factories!' Man their bottles were overflowing and I am not exaggerating, there was literally milk running down the sides. I tried massages, and all that jazz that the 'lactation specialist' suggested but nada-nothing! I felt like crap, c'mon who wouldn't you are sitting there with this little guy who is depending on you to help make him bigger and stronger and you have nothing. Not only did I not have anything to give but couldn't even to get him to latch on. So while my son has nothing I have depression, feelings of incompatibility and a whole bunch of bottles of breastmilk staring me in the face! What's a mom to do? Steal someone elses' breast milk that is meant for their baby? Buy it at a ridiculously amount? HELL NO! Buy formula. My son's still alive!
I am not judging anyone, if I knew how painful it was I really don't think I would have went through all of that for even a few tbsp. It is unbearable, you get sores, not to mention the engorging, and then the weird looking ariola afterwards...lord knows all this isn't in any parenting book!
So my whole beef with the article is that Gisele should have done some homework before making such a bold statement, I didn't even mention half of the problems that occur and is the reason that mother's don't/can't breastfeed. Sometimes it isn't even the mother sometimes the baby won't/can't because of mouth issues. But how dare she say that and make mother's who can't breastfeed because of these issues feel like shit when we have enough going on....postpartum depression, no sleep, c-sections, etc. You can go here to read the short post.
I really would like to know your feelings on this, am I over exaggerating, do you think that it should be a law, did you breastfeed, did you have lactation problems, did your baby not latch on, did you choose not to breastfeed-tell me I want to know!!

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