Belevation: Review & Giveaway

I am pregnant and I have a big belly

That is my confession for the night.  

2 months to go, does this belly scare anyone else?

Did you know that it hurts to have a big belly?  I'm about 31 weeks right now and I've already gained about 35 pounds.  I feel huge.  My great aunt asked the other day if I was having twins.  I'm not.

I'm not small anyway, so when you take a body that's already overweight, and add 35+ pounds.. yikes!  I often am short of breath, sore in my belly muscles, achy in my back, my legs hurt, etc.  Basically, I feel pregnant.

I have never used maternity "support" before, it hasn't really been necessary with my other pregnancies.  This time though, I've noticed a need for some extra support.  I have had the privledge to try a belly band by Belevation.

I feel fully supported and ready to conquer the world - too bad it's almost bed time.

I LOVE using this support.  The belly band by Belevation makes me feel secure even when I am wearing loose fitting clothes, like shorts.  My abdomen does not feel nearly as sore at the end of the day when I've worn the belly support as it does on days that I go without.  I think one reason this band is so comfortable is that it supports me from below my belly to the top of my belly.  I feel supported in my front and my back! 

Belevation's maternity supports are seamless, so they don't leave marks or sore areas due to rubbing.  They come in 3 colors and in multiple sizes.  Even with my heavier body, I fit comfortably in the belly support.  

My butt looks huge.. the point here is that my back is fully supported as well as my belly.

I have to admit, I did consider maternity supports when I was about 7 months pregnant with Crackers, I looked at the prices, however, and turned away.  They were way too expensive for me to seriously consider at that point.  Belevation's belly bands are not as expensive as the ones I found 2 years ago, in fact the prices start at only $18 each.  

First day of "school"

Monkey was SUPER excited today to have his first day of "school".  It was his first day of speech therapy with the Fort Wayne School's therapist.  He was sorely disappointed that he did not get to ride the bus.

Crackers would not leave the front porch until he got to take part in the photo session as well.

WINNER

And the winner of the Baby's Breath Designs Stroller Blanket is...

Alicia C!

I've emailed you already!

A long week, now back at it.

The last couple of weeks have been long.  There's been a lot going on and I haven't been much in the mood for writing when I have spare time.  I've just been completely exhausted and so when I get free moments (such as nap time) - I have to sit back and refresh myself (frequently by napping with my Monkey).  I have gotten very little "blog work" done and shared very little about what's going on in our lives and families.

I think I'm ready to get moving again.  Regardless of whether or not I'm ready, I have some commitments for reviews and some giveaways that will  be posted this week.  Several fantastic products are coming up and I really do want to share about them - even though I'm exhausted.

Up & Coming in the busy life of the Crum's this week:
Monday - Monkey starts with his new speech therapist, then church work
Tuesday - I meet our new OB & hope to talk about when this baby will come.
                Babysitting the Roamer
                Visiting Chuck E Cheese for the purpose of review!
Wednesday - Babysitting & we start a new class at church on Wednesday evening
Thursday - Church work, then a picnic and apple picking!
Friday - Mom Time! (anyone in the Ft Wayne area can join us for our twice a month mommy hang out time).
Saturday - a wedding!

Next week's menu (a 2 minute task)

Here it is in all it's glory, the menu for the coming week:

Saturday

Breakfast - Eggs with onion & green peppers (cereal for Crackers)

Lunch - Picnic @ the zoo

Dinner - Leftover Cheese Soup, Baked Broccoli

Sunday

Breakfast - Bacon, Egg & Cheese on English Muffins (no muffin for mama, no egg for C)

Lunch - Chili, Grilled Cheese

Dinner - Picnic downtown (after be a tourist event)

Monday

Breakfast - Oatmeal

Lunch - Hot Dogs (for boys), pears, broccoli

Dinner - Cheese Quesedillas & Wholly Guacamole

Tuesday

Breakfast - Cold Cereal

Lunch - Cheese Quesedilla leftovers, frozen corn, berries

Dinner - Chuck E Cheese (for promotional)

Wednesday

Breakfast - Smoothie

Lunch - Pasta & sauce, fresh tomatoes, cheese sticks, pears

Dinner - Leftover Chili

Thursday

Breakfast - Cereal

Lunch - Cheese sandwiches, peas, applesauce

Dinner - Picnic @ park, then apple picking

Friday 

Breakfast - Oatmeal with apples

Lunch - TBD

Dinner - Apple Pie

Two Minute Tasks

I've blogged about it before, here it is again.. My house just won't stay clean.  It drives me crazy and right now I lack the energy to try and keep up with the ridiculous amount of toys, papers, shoes, clothes, dishes, etc that find their way around our house.

Mr. Crum has really stepped up over the last couple of weeks and started to help out more and more so that I can relax a bit and not feel so stressed about the house.

However, it is still not clean.  

Tonight I decided to start a list - I like lists.  This is a list of "2 minute tasks".  The things that I am avoiding, that would help with making the house feel better for being in, and are short, easy fixes.. like getting the folding chairs back to the basement, or the van seat back in the van (I can't do that one).  

So there it is - I've got a list of probably 20 things right now that need to get done and should take between 30 seconds and 10 minutes - short tasks that I can do with a burst of energy.

Do I think this will make me feel like my house is clean?  No.  I do, however, think that working on some 2 minute tasks will make me notice small differences in the way my house is cleaned an organized.

I intended to start on this list tonight and get a good portion of it done.  Mr. Crum, however, invited a friend over for dinner.  We are very glad to have Mr. Rhodes stop by and spend time with us.  He is welcome any time, and so are the rest of our friends.  I'll start working on the list on my own with some of the things I can do.  

Wordless Wednesday: Billey Family Generations