My #1 (she: Lindsay) ~ Getting to Know the 2015 OSSS Team

My #1 (she: Lindsay) ~ Getting to Know the 2015 OSSS Team

ByLindsay

It’s always fun to start a new year here on ‘Or so she says…’ because I get to introduce to you a bunch of new and fabulous bloggers who have joined the blog team. There is sooooo much talent and creativity out there and my behind-the-scenes gals and myself work really hard to find our very favorites and slap a ‘she’ in front of their name. We’re pretty excited about these gals, both new AND the ones who are sticking around for another year. There will be oodles of blog posts and ideas coming your way. So be here, every day, yo. There’s always something new… recipes, parenting tips, travel ideas, crafts, gift ideas, and so much more!

Today I want to introduce you to Lindsay from Lindsay Ross Blog.

My #1 (she: Jen) ~ Getting to Know the 2015 OSSS Team

My #1 (she: Jen) ~ Getting to Know the 2015 OSSS Team

ByJen Lynn

It’s always fun to start a new year here on ‘Or so she says…’ because I get to introduce to you a bunch of new and fabulous bloggers who have joined the blog team. There is sooooo much talent and creativity out there and my behind-the-scenes gals and myself work really hard to find our very favorites and slap a ‘she’ in front of their name. We’re pretty excited about these gals, both new AND the ones who are sticking around for another year. There will be oodles of blog posts and ideas coming your way. So be here, every day, yo. There’s always something new… recipes, parenting tips, travel ideas, crafts, gift ideas, and so much more!

Today, I want to introduce you to Jen from Baked by an Introvert.

My Favorite Things Giveaway
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My Favorite Things Giveaway

ByMariel

It’s time for one of my most FAVORITE giveaways of the year! The ‘My Favorite Things’ giveaway blog hop… so fun! Even I (who can’t win) love hopping to all of the blogs to find out what their favorite things are, where I can get them, and learn a little about the blogger.

This year my basket is all about my most favorite workout products! ….lot’s of good stuff, my friends. Be sure to enter!!

Favorite Books and California Vacation Giveaway!
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15 Favorite Books & California Vacation Giveaway!!

ByMariel

How many times, in your stressful life, have you dreamed about laying out on the beach with a great book? ‘Or so she says…’ to the rescue! So, to further expand on our favorites, all of the OSSS contributors got together to give away their favorite books, perfect for summer reading! The coolest part is, one person will win EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. That’s right, the whole bundle! That’s 15 books, yo. Oh, but it gets better. Get Away Today, the greatest travel agency ever and ‘Or so she says…’ contributor, offered another winner a 3-night hotel stay in Anaheim or San Diego (winner’s choice) with their choice of two adult theme park tickets… PLUS, they get the 15 book bundle too!

Natural Family Planning
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Natural Family Planning ~ No More Pills for Me!

ByMariel

After baby #6, my sweet little surprise and angel-baby, I thought I would give the IUD one more chance. It lasted probably 5 months and I had enough. My skin was breaking out like crazy! I couldn’t bring myself to do the pill again, so I did what I usually do when I need a little medical advice… ask the Facebook fans! Ha. They always come through for me! So, several ladies mentioned the same disdain for b.c. and mentioned Natural Family Planning as an option, something they LOVED. I had heard of people ‘charting’ and stuff like that, but for some silly reason, had never looked into it. I probably listened to my doctor a little too much over the years, when I should have been doing more research…. BECAUSE I’m totally doing the Natural Family Planning thing now and it’s been AWESOME. It’s so nice to know I am now officially 100% me, no added hormones. The best part is, I found this handy device to help me with the whole process. It has made it all SO, so easy!

Blogger’s Favorite Things Giveaway!!
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Blogger’s Favorite Things Giveaway!!

ByMariel

After the smashing success of last year’s Favorite Things Giveaway, we are back for another round. That’s right-we have gathered up our favorite things to give away, and YOU have the opportunity to win them! Not only is this giveaway a fantastic way to drum up gift ideas for anyone and everyone on your list this year, it is a great Wish List Idea Generator for yourself as well. Every single giveaway basket is chock full of fabulous, tried-and-true, favorites and gift ideas. Even if it’s a treat, always fun to give to a friend with a note that says, “Enjoy one of my favorites” for Christmas, birthdays, or just because.

Come check out my Favorite Things Basket, enter to win it, AND enter to win baskets from all of my bloggy friends!

cereal bowls for kids
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The BEST Cereal Bowls for Kids ~ I’m Serious.

ByMariel

Is it weird to do a blog post about cereal bowls? Um, probably. But, we all use them, so it can be relevant, right?

Okay, so with six kids I am frequently replacing my glasses (broken), sippy cups (lost), silverware (in the sandbox), and cereal bowls (used to hold random food bits to lure wild animals into my yard.) I tell you what. It’s a little crazy. If I’m out of small spoons, I just need to take a trip to my back yard. I’m sure to find a few. I think I actually have an Instagram pic of my sippy cups find…

homeschool resources
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5 Favorite Homeschool and Educational Products and Resources

ByMariel

I have a deep love for educational products and resources. Deep. I enjoy learning right along with my kids and finding (or creating) ways to make it fun. Anyway, with homeschool in full swing, we’ve been getting lots of use out of some super great homeschool and educational products and resources.

Here’s my current faves:

Daily Writing Prompts – The Teacher’s Corner has a fabulous list of daily writing prompts for every day of the year. What is super cool is that they are all relevant to the actual day, so let’s see… today is September 17th. There are 3 choices of writing prompts. One is about how today is the day the constitution was signed and asks kids to learn and write about one of the amendments. Another is about how September 17th is citizenship day and write what it means to be a good citizen. The last is about how today is the day NASA introduced the first space shuttle, and then a thought provoking question about that. Good stuff, I tell ya. So, not only are they getting handwriting practice, but they are actually writing about something educational.

gift ideas
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The Ultimate List of Gift Ideas!

ByMariel

Remember Gift Idea Central?? I’ve had it up on the blog, then I took it down for a while, and NOW it’s back up… to stay!

You know how I’m obsessed with reading reviews and finding fantastic products, right? You know how every time one of my six kids has a birthday, I share my fab finds, right?? You know how every Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, there is an entire series on the blog to help you find gift ideas for men and gift ideas for women, right??? WELL. THEN. You know that my Gift Idea Central, the place where I save all of these gift ideas, is the ultimate pin to have on Pinterest.

Have you pinned it yet??

The Coolest Day of the Month ~ My Stitch Fix!!
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The Coolest Day of the Month ~ My Stitch Fix!!

ByMariel

A few months back, I started hearing a buzz about this new site called Stitch Fix. What intrigued me was their pictures of super cute, original clothing and the fact that they become your PERSONAL stylist and MAIL you cute stuff. I had to know more! With six kids, as you can imagine, I don’t get out of the house much to buy myself clothes. I can always find fun stuff for my kids online (hello, Zulily!), but rarely do I find anything for myself. And, sometimes I want a cute outfit, dang-it. So, I decided to give Stitch Fix a try, see if it was as cool as it sounded.

I went online, signed up, and filled out their style form …not sure of the official name. But, it was a form that asked your sizes in everything, how much is too much to spend on specific clothing items, and lots about what sort of styles you like. They had pictures of all different styles, and you pick your favorites, to help them understand what you like.

‘My Husband’s Favorite Things’ ~ Father’s Day Gift Ideas (she: Annalece)
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‘My Husband’s Favorite Things’ ~ Father’s Day Gift Ideas (she: Annalece)

ByMariel

Today’s the last day in the ‘My Husband’s Favorite Things’ series! I hope you’ve been getting some great gift ideas for Father’s Day. Today, Annalece is going to share with us her husband’s favorites. She blogs at The Mister and Lady and I’m so glad she was willing to share with us today. Come check out her post and the others in the series. Plus, don’t forget that ‘Or so she says…’ has a whole slew of gift ideas for men. You can easily find them in the gift ideas tab at the top of the blog.

My Husband’s Favorite Things ~ Father’s Day Gift Ideas (she: Kathleen)
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My Husband’s Favorite Things ~ Father’s Day Gift Ideas (she: Kathleen)

ByMariel

It’s Kathleen’s turn to share her Husband’s Favorite Things, in this Father’s Day gift idea series. All week, a reader of ‘Or so she says…’ will be sharing a list of their husband’s favorites. It’s a great way to get gift ideas for the men in your life. Kathleen blogs at Fearlessly Creative Mammas and it’s so fun to have her! Come check out the post and the others in the series. Plus, don’t forget that ‘Or so she says…’ has a whole slew of gift ideas for men. You can easily find them in the gift ideas tab at the top of the blog.