Summer Splendor Giveaway

The end of summer is fast approaching, but we are going to give the season a good send-off with the Summer Splendor Giveaway, presented by Cents of Style and Shaping Up To Be A Mom!


Some amazing vendors have partnered with some equally amazing bloggers to bring this giveaway, worth over $550 in prizes, to you! Read on to find out what one lucky winner will receive!

$100 gift card to Cents of Style

*Use coupon code "0512" to get 10% off your entire order!*


Cake Sunglasses in Bamboo from Proof Eyewear


2 watches of the winner's choice from Feral Watches


$50 gift card to Luxey Leg Candy from Life Songs of a Busy Mom


$50 gift card to Strawberry Mommycakes' Party Printable Shop


$50 gift card to JUNIEblake


30-serving tub of IdealShape meal replacement shakes (vanilla or chocolate) and Blender bottle


$55 gift card to i declare!


You may enter the giveaway by using the Rafflecopter form below. One winner will be chosen and announced on Monday, August 13th, on Shaping Up To Be A Mom, as well as on this Rafflecopter widget on each participating blog. Entries will be verified. Winner will be contacted by email and must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

The more entries you complete, the better your chances of winning! Good luck!




The Chaperone

chaperone

i recently got to read the book The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty for the BlogHer Book Club.
this book was captivating, shocking, addicting, and all well written.
it is definitely a book that will make you want to keep reading all night!

The Chaperone takes place in the 1920’s (and later) and tells the story of Cora who had volunteered to be the chaperone for young Louise Brooks as she heads to New York City for the summer to attend a highly prestigious dance school.
you soon find out that Cora has her own reasons to go to New York and hopefully give her a chance to find a greater happiness than the {lie} that she is living now.
and much more happens to Cora and Louise than they every expected going to New York and changes both their lives forever.

there’s definitely parts of the book that had me completely surprised.
there were twists and turns that i didn’t except
{some more shocking than others}.
and that’s what i loved about it!
i thought the book was really good and definitely had me coming back for more.
i wanted to know more about Cora and the secrets she carried so well.
i was interested in how a girl like Louise, so beautiful yet so biting, would be able to get through life.
it was all very intriguing and kept me hanging on.

i would definitely recommend this book for your next summer read!
i do warn that it has a few swear words but nothing like previous book club books.
all in all it was one of my more favorite book club books this year!

i was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

a new mama’s to-do list

while we make the transition from Utah to Arizona, i have some wonderful guest bloggers lined up to fill in on the blog. i hope you enjoy their awesome posts and show them all the love & respect they deserve!

i am so grateful for Margot of Newfoundlander at Heart and her post today!
when i read her post for the first time i remembered all too well the feelings of being a new mother and wanting to do everything possible still.
i know i pushed myself hard and it took me almost a year to realize it when i finally broke down.
i wish i didn’t rush it as much as i did and took the time to slowly, ease-in to my new role and to accomplishing my mile long to-do list that no matter what will always be there.

i hope you enjoy her post today and it is a great, gentle reminder to slow-down and enjoy the fleeting moments that you will cherish forever!
{you won’t cherish that to-do list!}
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Hi there! I'm Margot from Newfoundlander at Heart. I'm giving Megan a hand with her blog while she and her family are busy moving:) I'm a new mama who aims to live as self-sufficiently as possible. Before baby this meant spending lots of time in the kitchen preparing, preserving, cooking and baking; in the garden, planting and tending; and in my craft corner creating clothing and items for the home.


My son was born mid-May and I knew I would be tired and sore, and need to take time to recover but I was worried that things would slip. Everyone kept telling me I needed to sleep when he was sleeping, and to take time to rest. But I'm not used to sitting around and I found it hard to sit still, and all the while my mental to-do list increased in size. I finally realized that I had to listen to some of these suggestions from others, or it was going to take me a lot longer to recover.


Baby is about two months now, and I am super happy to say I have made a (small) dent in the to-do list. There are of course many of things yet to do, but I am happy to be back to my regular kitchen savvy, gardening guru, creative self. A few things I've accomplished as of late:

Creating a smaller pot garden on the deck, because my regular garden would have been too much; sewing a fun cover for the baby's changing pad, and baking a yummy cake for my sister-in-law. It feels good to be back to some of regular activities, now if only I could get 8 or 9 hours of sleep at once, we'd all be golden! (It might be asking for a lot, but Wendel has slept 9 hours, once, I just didn't go to sleep at the the same time)

So I'm not going to claim to be an expert, but if there are any new moms out there I just want to share that even though it seems like all of your time is spent tending to baby, things will change, and you will get back to some of your pre-baby activities. But don't rush it, take the time your body needs to relax and recover, and enjoy the down time while you have it!

Thanks for having me here today Megan (and readers), I wish you all the best in your move!

xox
Margot