…it is completely embarrassing and heart-wrenching to be slapped in the face with the reality that, in fact, you really haven’t.

This past weekend, we traveled to a park in the Heights area expecting to meet up with the folks at Channel 2 to discuss playground safety.  We weren’t given much information to go on and quite honestly, we had absolutely no idea what to expect.

But what happened on Saturday changed our lives.  Put things into perspective.  Broke our hearts.

It made my husband and I realize that we have failed our children.

It totally opened our eyes and made for a valuable lesson for the whole family.

KPRC Channel 2 is doing a segment on child safety and we are part of the segment along with fellow Houston Blogger, Sara of MommaFindings.com.  My hope is that what you learn from this segment will protect your family in the future.

My middle child (he’s five years old) was the first one to go through the experience.  We were asked to place him on the bench in a crowded park and tell him to stay there no matter what.  I was placed just outside of the park, but where I could see what was going on.  There were multiple cameras and I was confident that my child was not in any type of danger.

We had him there alone for just a minute or so when an older gentleman who was from R.A.D Texas approached him.  The older gentleman proceeded to tell him about his lost dog and had his cell phone out showing him pictures of the lost dog.

What happened next absolutely broke my heart.

My son stood up from the bench and was about to start going with the gentleman.

A woman who was just a bystander in the park happened to witness what was going on and since she was unaware of the segment that was being filmed, she interrupted and with a few choice words, protected my son from the “abductor”.

Talk about a whirlwind of emotions.  I went from completely devastated that my son would have gone, to completely elated that there are other parents who care enough to interrupt shady situations.

Although it was not a “real” situation, I definitely felt real emotion.  Emotion I don’t ever want to feel again.

They decided they wanted to see how my daughter (she is eight) would respond.  I was almost certain that she would not go.  We had taught her that she should never go with anyone she doesn’t know.  If someone approached her, she was to scream as loud as she could.

But, much to my dismay, when an older lady who was with R.A.D. approached her with the same scenario as with my son, she got off the bench, turned around to make sure her brothers were swinging away on the swing and proceeded to walk along with the lady in search of her lost dog.

She truly had no idea of the danger she could have been in if it had been a real situation.  She was calling the name of the lost dog and she walked down the path that led out of the park.

Because this wasn’t a real situation, I was waiting for my daughter as she approached the gate to leave the park.  I was able to use this opportunity to explain to her the danger she could have been, reiterate how important it is to scream if an unfamiliar person approaches and tell her how much I love her.

To be honest, I am so thankful to KPRC for giving us this opportunity.  It was a learning experience for us and I hope that everyone who watches the segment on February 6th at 10pm will learn from it as well.  Unfortunately, predators come in all shapes, all sizes and all genders and we have to make sure our children are aware of the danger that is out there.

I took a real quick video right outside the park so please forgive the picture quality and sound.  We were by a busy road and you can definitely hear the road noise.

Please let this be a warning!  Please make sure your children know the dangers that are out there.

A special thanks to KPRC for giving us this opportunity.

Birthdays close to Christmas can be a terrible thing or in some cases, it can be a great thing.

If your birthday is before Christmas, chances are you don’t get as much as you would if your birthday wasn’t so close to Christmas.  If your birthday is after Christmas, chances are you fair much better.

My middle child has a birthday in February and I’ve made a conscious effort to make sure both Christmas and his birthday are just the same as the other children whose birthdays aren’t as close to Christmas.  So far, I’ve been very successful thanks to after-Christmas sales and Geoffrey’s Birthday Club from Toys “R” Us, which all three of my children are a member of.

We try to make birthdays really special and Toys “R” Us helps make that possible.  When your child is a member of Geoffrey’s Birthday Club, they are treated to a special phone call from Geoffrey, an in-store celebration where they get a birthday balloon and a special birthday crown, a card from Geoffrey and a $3 off coupon (yay for saving money).

Since the little guy’s birthday is coming up, I’ve been scouring the internet for all the after-Christmas specials.  Since I’ve been doing most of my shopping online (to save money from driving back and forth to the stores), I love when I come across a toys r us coupon code.  I get to make sure my son has a fabulous birthday without putting a huge dent in the checkbook.

Do any of your children have a birthday near Christmas and if so, how do you ensure that each occasion gets celebrated appropriately?

I’m very blessed to have children who will eat just about anything I put in front of them.  Since a very early age, I’ve introduced them to all types of vegetables and thankfully they’ve accepted all of them.  Vegetables are critically important to your health and if you aren’t getting the nutrients and vitamins from vegetables, chances are you aren’t a very healthy person.  But, you can make a difference for your children and here’s how.

Five Ways to Educate Your Children About Vegetables

1. Start introducing them to a variety of vegetables at an early age.  Start as soon as the child’s pediatrician gives the thumbs up for baby food.  I always introduced vegetables first.  If you introduce fruits first, they may not like vegetables because of the lack of sweetness.
2. Find printable coloring pages with a variety of vegetables and let them color the picture. While the child is coloring, explain the benefits of the vegetable, how to use the vegetable, how the vegetable is grown, etc.  Children love to color, so this is a fun option and they won’t even notice their learning.
3. Take your child to the grocery store and explore the fresh produce section.  Encourage them to ask questions and as you walk through the aisles, tell them more about each vegetable you see.
4. Involve them in the kitchen.  As you are preparing meals, allow them to do age appropriate tasks. Show them how vegetables can be incorporated into healthy, delicious meals.
5. Grow your own vegetables and allow your children to help.  They will get a first hand look at how vegetables grow and as we all know, home grown vegetables always taste better than what we buy at the supermarket.

On a recent trip to the supermarket to pick up some items for one of our favorite soups, I took a pictures of one my children in the produce aisle.  My children love the fresh produce aisle because everything is out of package and within reach.  This can be a good and bad thing.  The good is that they can actually pick up the produce and feel the texture, the weight, etc.  The bad thing is sometimes they squeeze a little hard.

We went home and made our favorite soup which includes shredded chicken breast, beans, noodles and kale along with some other goodies. Doesn’t it look delicious?

Would you like to go on your own veggie shopping adventure? If so, make sure you enter this giveaway.

Giveaway:

One (1) winner will receive a Veggie Shopping Adventure kit that includes a reusable veggie shopping list, aisle assignments to make shopping educational, two shopping totes, reusable produce bags, $25 gift card for groceries, free product coupon for a tub of Country Crock, veggie scrubber and a veggie peeler!

How to Enter:

Simply leave me a comment below letting me know how you educate your children about vegetables!

Extra Entries Available:

After you have completed the first entry, you are eligible for additional entries. Make sure you leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Each counts as one extra entry unless noted otherwise.

• Subscribe to Simply Being Mommy by reader or email.
• Follow Simply Being Mommy on Google Friend Connect.
• “Like” Simply Being Mommy and Country Crock on Facebook.
• Follow Simply Being Mommy and Country Crock on Twitter AND Tweet about the giveaway. Leave the URL to the Tweet in your comment. You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet. You must have at least 50 followers for this extra entry. You can tweet ” Enter to win a Veggie Shopping Adventure Kit from @simplybeingmom and @CountryCrock http://bit.ly/vjDrPZ #giveaway “

This giveaway will end on December 31st at 10:00 PM Central time. Winner will be chosen via a random number generator. Giveaway is open to US entries. The winner must contact me in 48 hours to claim their prize. Good luck to everyone!

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I received media samples in order to facilitate this post.

When I got pregnant with my first child, I had no idea the changes I was about experience physically and emotionally.  The moment my daughter was born, I knew life would be different.  A good different, you know.

Now that I’m a mother of three, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  My children make me want to be a better person and I strive everyday to be a mom they can look up to, a mom they are proud of and a mom who always does what’s best for her children.  They inspire me to be a better me! (<—- You can check out my article on ABC!)

If you haven’t already, please join the Million Moms Challenge with me. The campaign is so close to reaching the goal, and we could really use your help! Johnson & Johnson will donate $100k to the MMC fund benefiting moms and babies once the campaign reaches 100k sign up (currently at 50k). Plus, just for participating you’ll have the opportunity to win an exclusive Million Moms Challenge Gift Pack, which includes an iPad2, a custom-made Million Moms Challenge pendant and a $50 donation in your name to Global Giving.

Please join in and like MMM on Facebook!

Babies grow up way too fast.  One day they are tiny little bundles of joy that totally depend on you for everything and then it feels like the next day they are attitude driven independent little beings that want to do everything by themselves.

Taylor at 2.5 years old

My experience with all three of the children has been quite different. My daughter was by far my easiest child, but she had an attitude that couldn’t be stopped.  The boys on the other hand don’t really have much attitude, but they can throw a killer tantrum.  Oh and let’s not forget the window shattering scream my youngest son lets out when he doesn’t get his way.  The Black Canary doesn’t have anything on this kid. (If you don’t know who Black Canary, it’s a DC Comics character.)

I read all the books, searched online for hours for all the “expert” advice and in my over eight years of parenting, I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing can prepare you for the toddler years.  No matter how much you try to prepare, these little people always have something up their sleeves.

I’d love for you join me and other moms over on the Philips Avent Mom Tribe as we discuss the toddler years.  There is some great conversation going on right now about potty training, thumb-sucking and more.  Plus, when you join in the conversation, you have a chance to win one of four spout cups and one baby monitor.

I am a Philips AVENT Mom Ambassador for Mom Bloggers Club and will be compensated for my time sharing about my journey of motherhood.

This post brought to you by New-Skin. All opinions are 100% mine.

As the mother of three young children, I’ve witnessed more falls than I care to admit.  I’d love to be there to cushion each of their falls, but unfortunately I can’t be there to protect them at all times.

A few weeks ago, my children went with my parents to visit the great-grandparents. During their stay, my youngest son had an accident and split open his forehead.  He was playing in the livingroom with the other children and bent down to pick up a toy.  When he bent down, his forehead came in contact with the corner of the great-grandparents end table.

There is nothing worse than getting a text saying one of your children was hurt and not being able to hold and comfort them.  Although I knew he was in capable hands, I just wanted to be there with my baby.

Thankfully, one of my aunts lives next door to my grandparents and she happens to be a nurse.  With a butterfly bandage and Liquid Bandage, she got my little guy all fixed up. The Liquid Bandage did a great job of sealing the cut and helping the healing process.  The little guy still has a scar and we will continue using the Scar Fade Gel to hopefully help that scar fade.

For a limited time, you can enter the New-Skin sweepstakes where there are three grand prizes up for grabs.  If you are in need of a vacation, you’ll definitely want to enter.  How does a skiing trip to Breckenridge, CO sound?  Or how about a tour of the botanical gardens in Atlanta, GA or hiking in Yellowstone National Park?

Once you’ve entered the sweepstakes, make sure you share the link in the comments and then share the link with all your family and friends.  I’d love to help you win the vacation of your dreams.

After each of my three children, I was incredibly blessed to be able to stay at home with them and be their full-time care providers.  Making the decision to be a stay-at-home mom meant that not only would our income decrease, so would our extracurricular activities.  It was a sacrifice, but one I knew I had to make for my family.

I know not every mom wants or can be a stay-at-home and I respect that decision.  There were times as a stay-at-home mom that I NEEDED a job.  I NEEDED to get out of the house. Somehow, someway it worked out and now that two of my three children are in school and I have a part-time job, I’m beginning to feel like more of a contributor to the family.

This week in the Philips AVENT Mom Tribe, we are talking about returning to work after baby and the transition that this requires.  Like I mentioned, I didn’t return to work so I have no experience but I can tell you that caring for three children at home is a full-time job in and of itself.

When you join in the coversation, you could win one of three(3) infant starter kits, one (1) baby monitors or one (1) spout cup.

I’d love to hear your experience.  Did you return to work or did you decide to stay home?

I am a Philips AVENT Mom Ambassador for Mom Bloggers Club and will be compensated for my time sharing about my journey of motherhood.

One of the most exciting things for me about being in labor was knowing that I would soon have a tiny little baby to hold in my arms. There is absolutely nothing in the world that compares to holding your new little baby for the very first time.

With your first child, the excitement of bringing home baby is totally different with second or subsequent births.  It wasn’t just me and my husband, but instead, I had a daughter that wanted to meet her new baby brother.

After we got home, the visitors started pouring in.  I know many people don’t like visitors right after birth, but I actually liked it and welcomed anyone who wanted to come see our new addition.  I wanted to get the introductions out of the way before we settled into any type of routine and it worked quite nicely for us.

Please join me in the Philips AVENT Mom Tribe and jump in on the discussion for a chance to win one of these amazing prizes: (2) infant starter kits, (2) baby monitors and (1) spout cup.

What are your thoughts on allowing visitors?

I am a Philips AVENT Mom Ambassador for Mom Bloggers Club and will be compensated for my time sharing about my journey of motherhood.

With pregnancy comes many emotions.  So many emotions that most of the time it’s just downright scary!  A time that should be spent excitedly thinking about this little human you are growing in your belly, but if you’re like me, you spend the whole nine months full of worry.  With each of my children, those nine months of worry quickly turned into extreme excitement and overwhelming love as soon as I laid eyes on my little bundle.

There is nothing in this world, like that feeling you get when you first meet your child face to face.

This month, I’ve been featured on the ABC News page for my participation in the Million Moms Challenge, with my post Emotions and Childbirth. I hope you’ll join me in joining the Million Moms Challenge and by simply leaving a comment on the ABC News page, you will be entered to win an exclusive Million Moms Challenge Gift Pack, which includes an iPad2, a custom-made Million Moms Challenge pendant and a $50 donation in your name to Global Giving.

It’s been a little over three years since I’ve given birth, but since I’ve gone through the experience three times, I feel I have a pretty good grasp on items that are essentials versus items that will stay in your bag and just make it heavier.

Most hospitals provide many of the essentials you’ll need for you and baby, but I highly suggest that you bring what I’m going to call comfort items.

What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag for Birth – Comfort Items

A Pillow – Just trust me on this one.  Yes, the hospital does provide you with a pillow, but since you’ll probably be staying at least a couple of nights, you’ll want one that’s comfortable and smells like home.

Warm Socks – Hospitals are extremely cold.  You’ll definitely need a nice pair of warm, cozy socks.

Soft, Stretchable Bra and Nursing Pads – Depending on how long you stay at the hospital, when your milk comes in, you’ll need a bigger bra and nursing pads.  If you plan on nursing, a nursing bra is your best bet.  If you don’t plan on nursing, a soft, stretchable bra will do.

Comfortable Night Gown and/or Robe – When I was in the hospital before and after giving birth, I just wanted to be comfortable.  A comfortable pajama set (that you don’t mind possibly ruining) was always a must have for me.  I usually just bought a set a size or two bigger than I normally wore, and it worked just fine.  But like I mentioned, don’t spend a ton of money because it will probably get ruined.

As I mentioned above, this is by no means everything that you need to pack in your hospital bag, just the comfort items.  After giving birth, the nurses will be coming in and out, you’ll have more visitors than you care to see and you’ll probably be a little wore out.  Being comfortable will make your stay in the hospital more enjoyable.

If you missed my announcement last week about being chosen as an Ambassador in the Philips AVENT Mom Tribe, I hope you’ll join me over there and jump in on the discussions.  By joining in, you’ll be entered to win one of three infant starter kits and 2 soft spout cups.

What do you feel is a must have in a hospital birthing bag?