2018 Turner Syndrome Awareness

We did this special on our local television station for Turner Syndrome Awareness month. It aired on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 in honor of World Rare Disease Day.

We hope to raise awareness, research and funds to help these amazing girls. Please consider sharing our story and donating to  Turner Syndrome of the Carolinas.

There were many lonely nights where we would wonder if we would ever get to meet our daughter. I would scroll the internet looking for positive stories and found very few. We hope to encourage families to believe in hope and trust their hearts because miracles happen every day. Thank you for visiting our page and watching our story.

You can also read Imogen's Birth Story Here! Thank you for visiting!



#TurnerSyndromeAwareness, #TSAwareness, #VIBImogen

Happy 1st Birthday Imogen

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY IMOGEN!

A year has flown by in our home. This beautiful soul has touched our lives so much. Imogen is a very sweet and loving little girl with a very strong and funny disposition. She has given us so very much in her tiny lifetime I cannot imagine all that she will give the rest of the world. Happy birthday Imogen, we love you so very much! 

Imogen loves her big brother, Xavier

 It was a hot and rainy day outside, just like last year when I was in the hospital having her. We decided to have a quiet party at home, just the four of us. When I was pregnant with Imogen and wondering if she would beat the odds against her, and be born into my arms, I would dream about this moment; Imogen's first birthday. Celebrating it with my family was the pure celebration of the miracle of our love. Imogen has been an amazing light in our lives and we would not have it any other way.  Happy Birthday Imogen!

Xavier made Imogen a homemade card for her birthday. 

Birthday dress from Grandma Angie and Papa Joe. 

Xavier insisted we have a cake even though Imogen could not eat it. This cake he picked out. 

Imogen had Apple cinnamon muffins and gelato. 

She loved both!

Happy 1st birthday Imogen!

To learn more about Imogen and Turner Syndrome watch her story Against All Odds on YouTube.

#NextGenerationSAHM, #VIBImogen, #TSAwareness, #Turnersyndromeawareness, #birthday

Clean Your Mouth the Green Way with Himalaya

Clean Your Mouth the Green Way with Himalaya

Written By Renee Arbia

Sponsored By Himalaya Botanique Toothpaste and Moms Meet

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (www.momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

I like to consider myself and our family a very green family. We try our best to recycle, reduce and reuse as many things as possible. We try to eat a lot of organic and vegan friendly foods. We even make some of our own soaps, detergents and cleaners. However, some things are harder to switch to green living than others. Toothpaste for us is a hard one. My husband and I are very set in our dental hygiene ways. Our five year old son, Xavier uses toothpaste made by natural ingredients, but my husband and I could not find one that we liked the taste of and trusted for our oral hygiene. We are excited to introduce Himalaya Botanique which offers a full line of clinically studied herbal formulations, certified USDA organic single herbs and body care products.

Himalaya Botanique Toothpaste has a great taste and a long lasting flavor. I especially liked that it does not have a bitter after taste like many natural toothpastes. Himalaya uses an herbal formulation that helps to remove plaque, support healthy looking gums, and maintain white teeth. Himalaya Botanique Toothpaste comes in seven varieties; Whitening Complete Care Simply Peppermint, Whitening Complete Care Simply Mint, Compete Care Simply Peppermint, Simply Mint, Simply Cinnamon, Simply Spearmint, and the original Neem and Pomegranate toothpaste. 

All seven varieties are gluten free and free from harmful ingredients like Carrageenan, Fluoride and SLS. Himalaya uses ingredients such as the Neem leaf, pomegranate, Triphala, Xylitol and the Whitening toothpastes use Papain and Bromelain, the enzymes from papaya and pineapple, to remove surface stains.

A week after using the Whitening Complete Care Simply Mint my teeth were much brighter. I liked that it did not increase the sensitivity of my teeth like most whitening products. It was much milder and made my mouth feel refreshed. 

Our entire family loves all the different flavors. It is great to have a real clean mouth that is not cleaned with harmful ingredients. We love the toothpaste and that the Himalaya Botanique company gives back to the community by supporting community health, sustainable farming and environmental responsibility. You can visit www.himalayatoothpaste.com to join Himalaya’s sampling program, where you can receive additional samples and coupons. Himalaya Botanique Toothpaste comes in a nice big tube and is reasonably priced. We were very impressed with this toothpaste and hope that more people will try it out. Himalaya should be the next big name in your bathroom.

You can purchase Himalaya Botanique Toothpaste in any seven varieties from

Amazon  use our special coupon code IHEK9SJC to save 25%

 Or their website www.himalayatoothpaste.com

Himalaya Botanique Toothpaste is also available at your local Whole Foods, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Vitamin Cottage and small independent health food stores.

Connect with Himalaya online to see their latest products and get exclusive access to discounts and special offers!

himalayatoothpaste.com

http://www.facebook.com/HimalayaUSA

http://www.twitter.com/HimalayaUSA

http://www.instagram.com/HimalayaUSA

#sponsored, #ad, #momsmeet, #himalayausa, #momsmeetusa, #NextGenerationSAHM

Bosley Bear Bilingual Books

Bosley Bear Bilingual Books

Written By Renee Arbia

Sponsored By: The Language Bear Dual Language Books

 I wrote this post while participating in a campaign and received a gift to thank me for my time. All views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced or reviewed by the company prior to posting. I am disclosing this according to the FTC guidelines.

When my son Xavier was a little over a year old we did a book review for a Language Bear Bosley book. Xavier loved the book for its bright illustrations, and I liked the story. It was fun to be able to read the book in English and Spanish. Now that Xavier is five and starting to read. He recognizes words and loves hearing them, and seeing them written on the page. Bosley Goes to the Beach is one of our favorite books to read.

This year The Language Bear has come out with a new book, Bosley Goes on Safari. When I gave Xavier the new book he noticed right away it was another Bosley Bear book! He was so excited to read his new adventure in English and Spanish. Now, that Xavier loves reading English words he was even more excited to start learning more Spanish words with the Bosley Bear series.

In Bosley Goes on Safari, Bosley explores the African plains and meets new and interesting friends. The story introduces children to the concept of diversity, and helps them appreciate others on a deeper level. When the curious Bosley Bear meets a giraffe, hippo, monkey and a lion, he realizes that they all have different preferences and habits, but they all love to relax in the sun and have fun!

These books are so easy to read. The illustrations are very vibrant and colorful. They can help adults and children to learn another language. You can see the words side by side while reading the story in either language. Some of the words are even in different colors to learn the word in English and Spanish.

Multilingual books are a great way to enjoy stories with your children. You can introduce your children to new words and vocabulary, along with your first language. They are also great if you are an adult that is looking to learn a new language. The simple vocabulary and grammar makes for a great read for all ages. The Language Bear offers multilingual books of all sorts; children's stories for bedtime reading and exploration as well as multilingual novels for adults. The current children's books are offered in the following languages: French, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, German, Chinese, Korean, Sign Language (ASL), Italian, Russian and Portuguese. The Language Bear also offers flash cards as well to go along with your language learning.

We love The Language Bear books they are a fun and easy way to teach your child foreign languages. The stories are fun and heart warming. All Language Bear books are big, thick and very durable. Language Bear comes highly recommended from Next Generation Stay At Home Mom. Teaching your child a foreign language is easy for anyone to do with The Language Bear books. You can learn while reading with your child.

We read about Bosley’s adventures a lot in our home. Sometimes we read the stories in English, and sometimes we read them in Spanish. We like to say the colorful sight words in both languages. It is amazing to see how well this book series has kept with my child for four years. He has always loved Bosley the Bear, and reading about him. Now at age five, we can really see the quick results of bilingual language development my son has gained from reading just this new story, Bosley Goes on Safari. We were excited to introduce Imogen who is almost one to Bosley Goes on Safari. She loves listening to the Bosley adventures. The Language Bear books are a simple way to introduce a foreign language to your children, and they are great books that are fun to read.

You can order Bosley Goes on Safari from Amazon 

You can also order Bosley Goes to the Beach from Amazon
or their website TheLanguageBear.com or become a fan of their facebook page.

#BosleyGoesonSafari, #TheLanguageBear, #BilingualChildrensbooks, #BilingualBosleyBearBooks, #Childrensbooks, #bilingualchildren, #childrensbookreview, #bookreviews, #reviews, #NextGenerationSAHMBlog

My Baby Butterfly

My Baby Butterfly

Written By Renee Arbia

Last week we had a big thunder storm. Nothing that we are not used to, you see we live on the southern coast where we frequently get storms. There is the spring storm season, and hurricane season. The spring season is light rain and thunderstorms. In fact, I actually love this season. During storms, I love to open the window, and hear the rain on the porch. You hear it on the roof, on the chairs, and on the concrete. When the winds get heavy, I eventually have to shut the window, to keep the rain from getting in. 

We have been excited to get out more for family fun, now that Imogen is more alert. She has an excitement for life that is so amazing to watch. She loves to laugh and does so often. She is always smiling, so much so that we actually call her “smiles”. She adores her big brother, and Xavier adores her. I think my favorite thing in the world is watching them play together. They laugh at the same things. They love to be together, and they even get on each others nerves. They are buddies for life. I can already see them whispering and plotting together how to over throw us.

It is always challenging traveling with two kids. Trying to figure out who to strap in first, who to get out last, it can be confusing. Every time we go out it takes us a very long time to just “go”. Inevitably, someone still has to potty or a diaper needs to be changed, or it’s time to nurse again. We are just starting to get our time down and be able to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go on adventures outside. Imogen has such an amazing and infectious personality. She is incredibly rambunctious and does not like to sit still very long. She has figured out how to move and she apparently has places to go. Her Shakespearean name is very fitting to her seeing as “Though she be but little, she is fierce.” I have always known that she is a warrior. Her strength and determination inspire me.

We have received such a wonderful response from Imogen’s special Against All Odds. If you have not seen it yet here is the link. Against All Odds: An Inspiring Story of Hope and video

 
here is the link to Imogen’s Birth Story. Many of you have sent us amazing messages of love and light, and we could not be more thankful. This whole experience has been very amazing, and humbling to us. Imogen’s pregnancy was a big storm for our little family to go through. These past nine months with her in our arms every day, although tough and challenging, have only been a beautiful rainy season. We decided to do the news special for Turner Syndrome Awareness Month, it also aired on World Rare Disease Day. Turner Syndrome is part of the Rare Disease community.

When Imogen was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome I was only 18 weeks pregnant. We kept it a secret for many reasons, one of which was because I was afraid of labeling her, especially before she was even born. I could have used my blog platform to be an early advocate for Turner Syndrome, but I did not. When she was born we could not help ourselves from announcing our little miracle. In a time of negativity, sharing our story about our sweet miracle seemed the right thing to do. I wrote her birth story when I felt I had recovered my mom brain enough to write it. We then decided to do the news segment to help her future Turner Syndrome Community.

It is a hard decision when your child has special needs how to decide what to say. Do you stay quiet about your child’s diagnosis in hopes that they will blend in with the world? Or do you let them know all about their diagnosis and let it be a big part of who they are? Seems to me there are two very different decisions. I do not think either is right or wrong. I think each child is different, and their decision should be distinctly about them. We decided to tell because we feel we are advocating for her and being her voice. We are confident she wants to celebrate her birth. She wants to see and do so much, and she is such a strong personality, that we know that this little butterfly not only wants to find her other butterfly sisters, but she wants to help them out in any way she can so that they can have the most amazing journey together.

Butterflies have always been our family symbol of love. Every time we see a butterfly we are always saying it is a sign of love. When we learned of Imogen’s diagnosis and we searched Turner Syndrome, we immediately noticed that their symbol was a butterfly. We knew at that moment that we were blessed with a butterfly in our little family!

Since our story has been so public we have had the honor of meeting so many butterflies from right in our own town to even other countries. We really appreciate connecting with everyone and hearing your stories. We hope to be able to use our platform for the good and to help advocate for Turner Syndrome and the Rare Disease communities in any way we can. 

These past nine months with Imogen have taught us so many things but especially that the strong can weather the tougher elements and can see a more beautiful place.

We hope our story will inspire others to share their stories of love!

#TurnerSyndromeAwareness, #TSAwareness, #VIBImogen, #ShareLove, #Rare, #NextGenerationSAHMBlog

Against all odds: An inspiring story of hope

We did this special on our local television station for Turner Syndrome Awareness month. It aired on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 in honor of World Rare Disease Day.

We hope to raise awareness, research and funds to help these amazing girls. Please consider sharing our story and donating to the Turner Syndrome Global Alliance.

There were many lonely nights where we would wonder if we would ever get to meet our daughter. I would scroll the internet looking for positive stories and found very few. We hope to encourage families to believe in hope and trust their hearts because miracles happen every day. Thank you for visiting our page and watching our story.

Against All Odds: An Inspiring Story of Hope



#TurnerSyndromeAwareness, #TSAwareness, #VIBImogen

Tune In for Turner Syndrome Awareness

Tune In for Turner Syndrome Awareness

We are finishing up Turner Syndrome Awareness month with a bang. Our local NBC affiliate television station is doing a special report on Imogen called “Against All Odds” reported by the talented Chelsea Donovan. It is airing on World Rare Disease Day to help spread awareness for Turner Syndrome and Rare Diseases. We ask if you live in our area to tune in on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 11pm to WECT TV6, if you live out of the area we hope to be able to put the link up from the news website.

We are spreading awareness for more research and discoveries, for more girls finding other girls just like them, and for helping families be able to support their girls mentally, emotionally, physically and financially.

 There are 10 choices below, pick one and please do it for awareness, BONUS if you want to do all 10! Use whatever platform you have for the good and please help spread Turner Syndrome Awareness!

1)      Change your profile picture to our ribbon or a picture of Turner Syndrome. 

2)      Share a Turner Syndrome story (Imogen's Birth Story)!

3)      Share the TSGA Donation page!

4)      Tell people about the amazing butterfly girl you know or just heard about!

5)      Watch Against All Odds Tuesday, February 28^th at 11pm on WECT TV6

6)      Advocate for healthcare for disabilities

7)      Wear a butterfly on your person, when someone compliments you, tell them about the amazing butterfly girl you know!

8)      Donate to the Turner Syndrome Global Alliance or another Turner Syndrome organization

9)      Mark your calendar for next February 2018 to raise the awareness again

10)   Be sure to #TurnerSyndromeAwareness your social posts

 #TurnerSyndromeAwareness, #TSAwareness, #WorldRareDiseaseDay

Get Dinner Done With Green Chef

Get Dinner Done With Green Chef

Written By Renee Arbia

Sponsored By Green Chef and Moms Meet

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet Blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

Our winter calendar has been swamped with lots of things to do, and finding time for work, kids, cleaning and cooking has been very challenging. I was more than happy to get some help in the kitchen and jumped at the chance to try out Green Chef, the new meal kit delivery service.

Green Chef is a USDA-Certified Organic meal kit delivery service with pre-measured and largely prepped ingredients, including homemade sauces and marinades. The kits come with easy-to-master, chef-crafted recipes that use fresh, seasonal ingredients from suppliers in about thirty minutes. They have two person plans and family plans for four people. They also offer Carnivore, Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Paleo and Vegan plans and each kit comes with two meals for the week to feed either two people or four people in the family plan.

Our Green Chef kit that I chose was the Omnivore Family Plan. Our kit came right on time and everything in it was fresh and cold. I was able to open it and put it in the refrigerator right away. The first dinner that we decided to make was the Chicken Cassoulet.

Chicken Cassoulet is a traditional French dish that is great for wintry nights. We pan seared chicken thighs and baked them with cremini mushrooms, carrots, garlic, cannellini beans, crushed tomatoes and a breadcrumb topping. For the side dish of this dinner a baby kale salad with radishes and a Honey-Dijon balsamic vinaigrette.

The directions are very specific and even have pictures to help you a long the way. The only things you may need are salt, pepper, cooking oil and any pans and bowls. Most of the ingredients are already measured and chopped. Some things needed some chopping but the measuring is all done. You follow directions and it works great!

I have never heard of Chicken Cassoulet, but we found it incredibly filling and hearty. My four year old son liked it and even loved the kale and radish salad with the salad dressing. I thought it was a good amount of food.

The second meal we received in our Green Chef box was Veggie Quesadillas. We make quesadillas a lot in our house. In fact we have a quesadilla maker so I was eager to try out a new recipe. The Veggie Quesadillas came with a lime-dressed slaw and rice in a cilantro-scallion sauce. The whole wheat quesadillas are filled with Monterey Jack cheese, plus red bell peppers, pinto beans and corn that has been seasoned in a paprika-cumin spice blend. These were very easy to make like most quesadillas. I loved the flavors that were added in them. This was also a lot of food for a family of four and everyone devoured it all very quickly!

Green Chef really was great to have all the ingredients and recipes on my doorstep right when I needed and expected them. They have really delicious recipes that you can easily make any time you want. Some of the other family dinners that they offer are Thyme-Roasted Chicken with cauliflower-white bean mash and roasted veggies, Tuna Tostadas with Spanish rice, jicama, mango salsa and pickled peppers, Ginger-Tamari Steak, spinach, cabbage, pad Thai noodles and peanut sauce and Greek Veggie Pitas with sweet potato fries, couscous, hummus, feta and olives.

Green Chef offers culinary delights delivered to your door and made easy to learn how to cook. It’s great to eat delicious culinary masterpieces suited to you and your family’s dietary guidelines. Green Chef is easy to use and even change plans or deliveries when you need to. Feel free to go on their website and check out their delicious menu!

Sign up today using our special Next Generation Stay At Homediscount code link here and get $50 OFF your first Green Chef box!

To find out more about Green Chef check out their website and their social media pages.

www.GreenChef.com

www.facebook.com/GreenChefPage

www.twitter.com/GreenChef

www.pinterest.com/green_chef

www.blog.greenchef.com

 Don't forget February is Turner Syndrome Awareness Month, Check out my blog post on 10 Ways to Spread Awareness for Turner Syndrome and remember to spread awareness!

#MomsMeet, #GreenChef, #sponsored, #mealdeliveryservice, #reviews, #cooking