Post-Partum Fashion Blues?

I loved being pregnant.

Loved it.
I felt like a glowing orbital goddess.
Even on my worst days I'd feel pretty, despite the less glamorous side of pregnancy, you know it well Mamas, swollen ankles, varicose veins, waddling around looking like a watermelon smuggler.

The day Huxley was born was when I became aware of my appearance again. Before, I was the cute pregnant lady, but my cuteness was now swaddled in my arms & I felt like a misshapen, fat, mess.

Jules, of Jules Ford Maternity is a godsend.
She designs a gorgeous line of maternity pieces that can be worn during and after pregnancy.
Flawlessly.

Jules gives us Mama's with post-partum fashion blues a reason to shave our legs, and put on a touch of makeup.

What could be better than feeling sexy again? How about 10% off one of these gorgeous designs!? Just enter the code "HUX" when placing your order.


Stop by Jules Ford Maternity today & find the dress that will give your confidence a massage, and revive your sass.

Oh, and by the way...you're gorgeous.

xo

Calling all Sponsors!

It's hard to believe September is almost over...I really hope that fall does not skip us this year! It's been so hot here in Philly that we've yet to need our snuggly coats & warm boots--but I have a feeling that is just around the corner.

We're now taking on Sponsors for October! I've got a slew of Giveaways & Reviews coming up, and would love to add yours to that list!

Our numbers have been going up, up up & we would love to have you become a part of life with the Hux.

Email me for stat details at lifewiththehux@gmail.com


Here are our Ad Rates for the month of October:

Advertising pricing is subject to change as readership grows. For more info email me!
Payments can be made via Paypal.

If monthly sponsorship doesn't work with your budget, but you would like to send us your product to try out & feature on our blog then shoot me an email--we love mail, especially presents in the mail! We also love doing Review/Giveaways---a great way to get a huge increase in traffic to your online shop/company!


We'd love to have you be a part of our adventures!
Contact us today!

xo

teeth!

Huxley has six!

xo

Linvilla Orchards

Yesterday we decided to take a little trip to Linvilla Orchards. Huxley loved seeing all of the different animals, and people. He was quite content in his Kokopax carrier just taking it all in.

We picked up some apples, fresh cider doughnuts, homemade noodles, and other yummy farmers market goodies.

Despite the crowds and scary amount of bees we had a blast--it'll definitely be more fun in a year or two when Hux can go on a pony ride and feed the goats!

(but we can wait for that & we're savoring every moment until then.)

xo

Huxley's first concert

It finally happened---Matt & I went on our first date since Huxley was born!

Our friend Chris Milam is on a Fall Tour & just happened to be playing in our neck of the woods so we got a sitter (a very amazing, beautiful lady whom we love & adore) and we had a blast!

We were even lucky enough to get to house Chris for the night---we love house guests, as rare as they are to us...and Hux was all excited about it! He would not go back down to bed and was very intrigued by mister Milam.

This morning Huxley got the special treat of a little private show c/o Chris Milam & here's a peak...

Listen to more Chris Milam HERE!


xo

photos of what you really came here for: Huxley!!

Well hello there!

Yes, I have finally gotten around to putting up a few photos from our vacation in Michigan!
We had such an amazing time with our family & really wished it didn't fly by so fast.

Huxley turned 8 months old last week, and has gotten six teeth in (all at once, yikes!).

He loves being mobile. Crawling. Scooting. Climbing. Getting into ANYTHING and EVERYTHING.

We have baby proofed our place the best we can for now, but Hux is really exploring anything he can reach.

We are entertained everyday by his silliness and curiosity, babbles and laughs.
He is very good at putting a smile on anyone's face---

Hux is truly our little Angelbaby.

[Hux & gorgeous Aunt Heather]

[Huxley's first driving lesson with Grandpa]

[Hux's first boat ride..he was not a fan of the life jacket.]

[Harvesting Edamame's on Mama's Birthday]

[Sink baths are fun!]

[First splashes in Lake Michigan]

Rockin' Green Giveaway

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***
We cloth diaper now almost full-time, and not having a wash/dryer at our place the soiled dipes can go a few days without being washed...yuck, I know.
So! We use a super awesome product that gets the ick out, and leaves our laundry perfect every time...Rockin' Green! It does rock, & you have a chance to win yourself a 45/90 bag of your liking to try at home and see it's magical powers yourself!

Rockin’ Green makes a line of eco-friendly cleaning products, which we love to use on all of Hux's cloth diapers & clothes. They carry three different types of detergents based upon what type of water you have (Hard/Soft or there is a Classic Rock as well).

Rockin’ Green also carries Funk Rock, a first-of-its kind natural ammonia bouncer, and Melody, an odor-neutralizer and air freshener home spray. All products (except Funk Rock) come in seven delicious scents, such as Mighty Mighty Marshmallow, Earth Wind & Orchids, Rage Against the Raspberry, and Bare Naked Babies (unscented).

Rockin’ Green was founded in 2009 by Kim Webb, an avid cloth diapering mom who desired a better way to clean cloth diapers and treat her kid’s sensitive skin. More information can be found at www.RockinGreenSoap.com.

To Enter:

• Follow life with the Hux. on Google Friends Connect
  
• Vote for life with the Hux. for a daily entry!
• Follow us on Twitter!
• Follow us on Blog Lovin' by clicking the icon on located on the right toolbar
• Grab our Button! (leave a URL in comment)
• 'Like' us on Facebook
  
• Tweet about the Giveaway (make sure to include a link to giveaway AND @lifewiththehux)

Giveaway ends October 14th

xo

Eco Friendly Handmade Art by Lori Nicols Giveaway!

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED**
We love our stuffies.
They are in fact a part of our little family & Huxley sure has quite the collection of adorable little woodland friends including Mr. Frank the Fox c/o Lori Nichols.

When I first stumbled into her Etsy Shop I was instantly in love with each little animal. They each have such personality! After finding more about Lori, I was completely smitten. She puts so much love into her creations and when Frank arrived to our home he put the biggest smile on our faces.

There is one animal in her repertoire, Tilly the bunny, who loves to help children talk about how they feel. With 3 faces that can be interchanged Tilly's mood can go from happy to worried to angry. The faces can be interchanged to communicate whatever the child is feeling. Lori is also working on children's books (Eeeek!soooo excited!!) and we cannot wait to read all of the adventures these whimsical forest friends have been on.

I am so glad to have crossed paths with Lori & am excited to tell you that she has been kind enough to allow one of you (our amazing readers & friends) to adopt one of her Eco Friendly Handmade Animals.

To Enter:

• Follow life with the Hux. on Google Friends Connect
  
• Stop by Lori Nicol's Etsy Shop & tell me in your comment which lovely little piece you'd like to win (any of the $38 Rib Ticklers) & also leave an email address in case you are in fact the lucky winner!
• Vote for life with the Hux. for a daily entry!
• Follow us on Twitter!
• Follow us on Blog Lovin' by clicking the icon on located on the right toolbar
• Grab our Button! (leave a URL in comment)
• 'Like' us on Facebook
  
• Tweet about the Giveaway (make sure to include a link to giveaway AND @lifewiththehux)
  

Winner will be announced October 14th!

Good luck!

xo

Guest Blogger Darlene from Young Mama Tales

Hey guys I'm Darlene from http://youngmammatales.blogspot.com.


I'm here today to answer a question that I get frequently about my 4 year old.
How do you get him to sleep so well?

I've been getting this question for about 3.5 years now. I usually respond ' I'm just lucky' and smile, but there might be something more to it.

For the first 6 months of Jasper's life he slept in our bedroom with us. I wanted to be near him, hear him and be able to check on him every second of the night. Most of the time he slept in a little bassinet that Drew, his brother's, Drew's dad and all of his uncle's slept in as babies. Sometimes he would sleep on top of me as well, though I never got ANY sleep while co-sleeping.

Naps seemed pretty much non existent- he would sleep 30 minutes at a time, and only if held. Finally, I had had enough. It was time for him to start sleeping in his crib for naps.

It was one of the best decisions I'd ever made.

I followed my grandmother's 3 day rule. She always told me that whenever introducing anything new to a baby, give them 3 days to adjust. And since she did an amazing job raising 6 children- I took her advice.

The first day I laid him down for a nap in his crib Drew was home. He cried. I had to leave our apartment and go for a walk so I wouldn't have to hear him. Drew went in every 10 minutes, patted his back, and walked out. The crying lasted 40 minutes.

The next day, we did it again. Again I had to leave. I couldn't listen to my baby crying. 20 minutes of crying this time.

And then day three. The magical number my grammy talked about. I laid him down. Walked out the door so I wouldn't have to listen to his crying. Drew called me on my phone 2 minutes later. "He's not crying!!" He wasn't asleep yet, but he wasn't crying. 5 minutes of babbling and he was out.

And that was the last time he cried when we put him to bed.

I know a lot of people disagree with the crying out method. And that's fine! I don't agree with doing it for infants. But my 6 month old was ready. As were we. And it worked like a charm.

And to this day? Jasper sleeps 11-12 hours at night AND takes a 2 hour nap. Every.Single.Day.

My only advice, if you are ready to try it is make sure you put your baby down while he/she is tired, but not falling asleep. Watch for the clues, eye rubbing, fussiness etc.

If you decide to do it? Stick with it. You are only going to confuse the babe if you go in and pick her/him up and then try to do it again later.

We had a mobile that turned on and made noise, I think this helped. It distracted him until he fell asleep.

That's it! Obviously every child is different, and this is just what worked for us.

It will be interesting to see if this works for us next time, and it looks like in about a year I will get the chance to test it out again :)

Guest Blogger Kathleen Thomas from Primerose Schools

Sorry for being so quiet!

We are having such an amazing time in Michigan visiting with family. To fill in the gap I have a few awesome ladies posting for me! Kathleen Thomas who is Communications Coordinator for Primerose Schools was kind enough to reach out to me & provide her insight on the importance of reading to children. We are huge fans of books at our nest, and I just loved what Kathleen had to say about creating an positive reading environment from birth on-- enjoy!

(Will be posting photos, etc of our journeys soon!)

Learning to Read

By: Kathleen Thomas

For decades researchers have proved that being able to read to and having interactive experiences with books are key predictors of a child’s later school success. Many parents wonder at what point they should start reading with their children. Interestingly, a love of reading begins early on as infants or, some say, even before birth. When you begin to read books to your little ones, point to the pictures in the book and talk about them in an exaggerated fashion. What you say doesn’t necessarily have to match the words in the book – you can personalize the story to make it even more engaging.

Time is always an issue, but make it a priority to find the time to read together because it will help raise a reader. Robert Needlman, M.D., author of Dr. Spock’s Baby Basics and member of the Primrose preschools Education Advisory Board, suggests that one of the most important things about nurturing a reader is to read with a child from a very early age. “There’s no prescription for this, the only prescription is to allow some time each day that you can sit down, connect with your child, and read together. The main thing is to allow it to occur in a way that’s joyful, that conveys enjoyment to the child – from enjoyment the rest will follow.”

Selecting the right books is a key factor in helping make the time you and your child spend reading a very special time. Books that really “work” have engaging, distinct illustrations and simple, rhythmic language. Children particularly enjoy books that are repetitive or ask them to participate and anticipate what comes next. Another important factor to remember when choosing books for your child is to select ones that you like yourself, because you’ll probably read them in a more animated, connected manner. Children love to hear the same book read over and over again which is another good reason to make sure the books you choose are ones you won’t easily get tired of. You will naturally foster an appreciation of literature when your child sees that you also take pleasure from a book.

Try these tips to help your family create a fun and engaging literacy-rich environment that will help build an early foundation for a successful reader:

· Ask your child’s teacher for a list of books that relate to what is happening at school; buy or borrow these books from the library and read them together at home

· Surround children with age-appropriate books on a variety of subjects

· Read stories to children daily from infancy and encourage them to participate in the story

· Always keep favorite books in the car for “waiting” periods and long trips

· Older children, preschool and above, who have been read to will proudly “read” their favorite familiar books aloud. They will usually retell the story as they turn the pages and point to the illustrations. Sometimes children will make up entirely different stories to go with the pictures. This is a significant stage in literacy development because children are demonstrating that they know books are meant to communicate stories. They are “getting” it.

Children come into the world on a mission to learn how language works, and parents talk and sing with them to support their understanding and their ability to communicate. Reading books with them is another powerful language support tool that enables children to put together an idea of how stories and written language work. Cognitive development needs a surrounding supportive relationship to flourish, so go grab a book and begin reading to your child today!

Check out Primerose Schools

how to shop at Whole Foods without spending your whole paycheck...

Hi!

Do you like to eat?
We do too.
Do you like to eat awesome, delicious, organic & local foods?
Same here!

Aside from local Farmer's Markets we get our groceries at our local Whole Foods Market.
It can be pricey...if we let our tummy's write the shopping list.

& even with having an employee discount (yeah! hey! come check out in my aisle, guys!) our tabs sure do add up.

So I wanted to give you guys a little "insider's" tips on shopping at WFM.

• Write a list! (if you go in blindly, you WILL leave spending at LEAST $75 bucks)
• Shop the perimeter. Get organic fruits, veggies, meats, breads, dairies, but refrain from the middle isles the most you can--this is where you start stocking up on foods that are less wholesome...the entire point of Whole Foods is...WHOLE FOODS. When you buy pre-made, processed, etc. you add $$$ to your bill quickly.
• Shop regularly and make friends with WF Team Members! Talk to your butcher, your produce guy/gal, the baker, a grocer or hey, talk to me, your friendly cashier! The more connections you make with workers at Whole Foods, & the more questions you ask about products, the more likely they are to "Sample" items out. (FREE products for you!) I "Sample" things out ALL the time to customers who are new, or wow, try this idea on for size...friendly back to me!?
  
• Hit up our coupons. The Whole Deal Coupon Book is FILLED with amazing deals. It's literally like finding cash on the floor.
• Bring in your own bags...you will save $0.05 off your total for every bag you bring
• Buy in bulk---the bulk section is a huge money saver, from sushi rice to granola, as well as %10 off cases (of anything!) bottled water, milk, bananas, yogurt, Kombucha...you name it..

& last but not least,

• Friday Sales- Every Friday we have some amazing deal going on... I ALWAYS stock up. We had boneless, skinless chicken breast for wayyyy cheap one week and we are still eating off the stuff I froze.

I don't shop anywhere but Whole Foods anymore, because after I started working here, quite frankly, I don't trust any other store to handle what I eat.

I KNOW the workers here, and they know the farmers and dealers where the foods come from. The traceability is what gives me peace of mind....to know where an apple came from, the tree, the person who picked it...to be able to trace that at ease---puts me at ease.


So write up your list. Plan your menus. Check The Whole Deal for coupons, and with reusable bag in tow, shop wisely & save a few bucks while giving your family the best foods they can eat.

I know I will be buying organic for life, and raising Huxley on the best foods out there, but I will be doing so with an ever conscience wallet...and shopping list!.

xo