Giveaway-Preparing Little Ones for Cooler Months

***Disclosure-No compensation was received.  Informational post.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Aren't we just ready for summer to be over?  When the weather starts to change, we don't know how to act.  We should keep being mindful as it starts to cool down that our skin needs protection.  And so do our kid's skin.

Certified Pediatrician for AVEENO® Baby, Dr. Andrés Cotton, shares his best tips to help your baby during this transitional period.

Bath Time

Your baby may sweat a lot in humid weather.  You can keep your baby clean and healthy by giving him a bath at least once a day.  Don’t forget to check his neck, underarms and other creases in his body.  Use a soap free and paraben free wash such as AVEENO® Baby Wash & Shampoo which also leaves baby’s skin soft and smelling fresh.

Keep the temperature in the bathroom and bedroom the same, making sure there are no drafts of cold air while bathing or massaging your baby after her bath.  This may include air from a fan or air conditioner.  Complement your baby’s bath with a massage using AVEENO® Baby Daily Moisture Lotion, which contains natural colloidal oatmeal blended with rich emollients that soothe and help protect your baby's delicate skin.

Dress Appropriately

The weather can change a lot in a day during the transitional months. It could start out hot and humid and then get cold. Dress your baby appropriately, especially when you are planning to be out for a couple of hours. It is best to dress your baby in layers so that you can remove or add clothing to keep your baby comfortable through the day.

During the day when the temperate is warmer, you could dress your baby in loose cotton clothes that will let his skin breathe. When it gets cooler, cover your baby in a jacket or cardigan and booties to keep him warm.                                                  

Other Tips to Keep in Mind

During weather changes, babies tend to get sick.  Try not to take your baby out until the weather stabilizes. 

Fight the germs that can cause your baby to get sick by washing her hands after she eats, if she is old enough to have solid food, and when she comes home from daycare or being outside.

If your baby is at least 6 months old, use sun protection when spending time outside.  AVEENO® Baby Natural Protection Lotion Sunscreen with Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and AVEENO® Baby Natural Protection Face Stick with Broad Spectrum SPF 50 contain naturally sourced ingredients.

What do you do?  Do you have any tips?  

Well I want you to be prepared when the weather starts changing.  Enter to win an Aveeno Baby Prize Pack. 

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This giveaway is for US residents only.  One winner will be randomly selected.  The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize.  Good Luck!

Off-Road Adventures #VayamosJuntos

***Disclosure-I drove the Toyota Tacoma for a week for review.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Have you ever taken your family on a road trip?  Growing up in a Latino family; road trips, vacations, or get-a-ways were not in our budget.  Summer came and went, and we-we did not go anywhere.  When we returned to school, my friends had stories of all the adventures they went on.  As the oldest, I understood why we could not go.  Our family did not have the money, much less the privilege to take time off.  We also did not have a reliable car, and you can't take a trip, if your current vehicle is not dependable.

Thanks to Toyota for allowing my family to take the Toyota Tacoma on our end of Summer camping road trip.

My husband and I worked around our schedules and managed to find a few days we could get away.   Our adventure took us camping.  But before we hit the road, we need to pack.

We had so much extra room in the Toyota Tacoma.  We were able to pack 3 coolers, 2 plastic bins, 2 tents, 2 family canopies, 4 fold-able chairs,  and so much more.  My husband asked if I wanted to bring the kitchen sink too.  I did not have to worry about our camping gear we tied our gear down using the D-rings, deck rail system, and stored some items in the In-bed storage.

We then were ready to hit the road to the Guadalupe River.  Not before entering the address in the navigation system.  Especially since this was the first time we went to Guadalupe River State Park.

When traveling one of the things I always like to know is the speed limit.  You do not want to get pulled over for speeding just because you are not aware of the speed limit in a city your are traveling through.  The Tacoma displayed the speed limit on the screen right next to the highway name I was on.

Since we were not traveling alone, we were keeping in contact with the other vehicle.  No talking and texting for me.  The Tacoma displayed the text on the vehicle screen.  The text message came up on the screen.  My husband, the copilot/passenger, hit play so I could also hear the message out loud.  

It actually started getting really dark and I noticed lighting in the distance.  My husband checked the weather and it was not looking good for our weekend.

But we did not let this ruin our plans.  We arrived our destination.  Only to find out, we were not there yet.  We had to take the long gravel road to our campsite.   We made it just in time to pitch our tent before quite time.  I was so glad the Tacoma had an outlet in the bed of the truck, so handy.

Our air pump was taking too long to inflate our air mattresses.  We just took our mattresses to the truck, inflated them in a zip, and were ready to hit the hay after that.

Our trip to the park seemed long since we hit the road right at rush hour.  I even think me and husband complained more than our kids did.  This trip was so needed for us to just unwind.  And once we were there, we did just that.  It was a great camping adventure we are ready to do again.  We are looking forward to visiting more state parks, closer ones.  When we checked in, we received this brochure with park information.  Check this deal out:

Unlimited visits to over 90+ state parks for only $70 annually.  What park will we go to next?    

Wordless Wednesdays-Toddler Tantrums

Travel Tuesday-Guadalupe River State Park

There are many beautiful state parks and I am on a mission to visit as many as possible.  Guadalupe River State Park is in Spring Branch, Texas.    

The park allows their visitors to canoe, hike, fish, swim, tube, picnic, and camp.  We decided to take our kid's on one last road trip before Summer ended.  It also has been a long time since we have been camping. 

I like being out in the great outdoors.  We got to disconnect.  Really, I had no cell service.  Disconnecting was so much fun.  Our phones were turned off and put up.  

We got to see animals.  We had armadillos just walking around our campsite.

We got to roast marshmallows, and make S'mores.

We went tubing for the first time.

Someone got to jump in muddy puddles and we didn't care!  It started to rain but she did not let that ruin her fun.  Jumped puddles until the sun finally came out.

The great outdoors wore some of us out.  So we took naps.

We had an awesome time.  We will be returning to this park again.  We are already planning our next camping trip.  I was so worried about going camping with our toddler but it turned out great.  The biggest rule was there were no rules!!  This trip was a big success.

Motivational Monday-Catching Faith

***Disclosure-Sample copy was received.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Sometimes we get lost in our world.  Things are just getting worse and worse.  We continue to act like nothing is wrong.

I know I have been seen by many is a Miss Perfect.  But I am not.  At one point I even believed the lie of having everything under control.  And when things fell apart, I fell apart myself.  This year has been a year of discovery within myself.  Learning to Let It Go.  Do what I can.  Work on now.

Faith.  A word I have often have conflict with.  Have you lost your faith?

Synopsis:  John and Alexa Taylor appear to have the perfect life – they’re the envy of all the parents in town.  Their son Beau is the high school football star and their daughter Ravyn is a straight-A student.  But when Beau is caught drinking alcohol, his place on the team and his bright future are on the line.  With the football season at stake and the judgmental community turning their backs on them, every member of the Taylor family is at a crossroads.  Now, they must find the strength from one another, and the spiritual courage from within, to prove that faith and family is the only score that really matters.

This is a moving story about a woman who seems to have it all; a perfect marriage, a daughter at the top of her class, and an athletic son at the top of his game.  But things are not always as they appear. 

As our kid's head back to school this year, are we leading by example?  On the last day of Summer, this is the movie we decided to watch as a family.  I like how it grounded us.  Our lives get hectic.  Moms are the center for our children and husband.  How do we do it all?  At the end of the day, we do it for them.  

I wish you and your kid's a wonderful school year.   

For more information or to see the trailer, go to www.CatchingFaith.com.