Life Abundant Blog

living life abundantly in spite of PCOS

How My L’il Girl is Preparing to Play Soccer with L’il Critters Gummy Vites

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Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for which I’ve received free product and/or compensation, but the opinions are 100% my own.

I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but starting in August, I’ll be a soccer mom! Zoey came to me in March and said that she wanted to play soccer. Up to now, she hasn’t been involved in any extra-curricular activities outside of church, but we had been discussing putting her in something, whether it be dance or an organized sport. In June, we registered her with the local city league, and she starts in August!

Lil Critters - Soccer Play

She has no idea how to play soccer.

Neither do I.

The good news is a dear friend bought her a soccer ball for her birthday, so she has been practicing kicking it around, running as fast as she can, and trying to not trip over her own feet.  I not only worry about her coordination (or lack thereof), but as a mom, I also want to make absolutely sure her body is ready to take the hits that come with playing soccer.

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Starting this month, Zoey officially started taking L’il Critters™ Gummy Vites™ vitamins to make sure her body is strong for this new sporting adventure she is about to embark on. We’ve never been much of a sports family, but if she falls in love with soccer, I not only want to support her as her biggest fan, but I also want to make sure we fully support her body to handle it with enough nutrients. We want her to be the best she can be.

Lil Critters Family

So, why did we choose L’il Critters™ Gummy Vites™?

  • They have no high fructose corn syrup and no synthetic (FD&C) dyes.
  • They are gluten-free, and are made with natural fruit flavors and colors derived from fruits, vegetables and plants.
  • They are easily available at most major retailers, including Walmart, Target, Costco, Walgreens, and CVS. We purchased ours from Walgreens.
  • They are the #1 Kids Gummy Vitamin brand and give kids the essential nutrients they need to go on to do big things.
  • They have been supporting children’s nutrition for nearly 20 years and contain essential nutrients without any chalky aftertastes or hard-to-swallow pills.

Did you know that to meet the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, moderately active children would need to eat 1.5 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables a day?* As a mom, it is important to me to make sure Zoey is eating healthy, and she already does a wonderful job at eating anything we offer her, but it’s nearly impossible for our little bird to eat that much. Also, sometimes a busy on-the-go lifestyle (or having a child who is a selective eater) makes it difficult to ensure he/she has received adequate nutrition. L’il Critters™ Gummy Vites™ help establish healthy habits, provides essential nutrients, and tastes great.

So, what’s the verdict? Does Zoey like L’il Critters™ Gummy Vites™?

Yes! She absolutely loves them and feels like a big girl because she has always seen mommy and daddy taking vitamins, but has never had any of her own until now. Plus, now she has gummy vitamins just like her daddy. 😉 She’s so excited to be extra healthy and strong for soccer, and looks forward to her L’il Critters™ Gummy Vites™ every evening at bedtime. So far, they have been a great option for our family.

Lil Critters - Stronger

If you are interested in trying L’il Critters™ Gummy Vites™ for your own l’il critter, there is a $1 coupon available on GummyVites.com, so be sure to check it out before purchasing. You can also follow them on Facebook for product updates and more information.

So what about you? How do you ensure your own l’il critters live the healthiest life possible? Let me know – do your children take multivitamins? Leave a comment for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

This is a sponsored post for which I’ve received free product and/or compensation, but the opinions are 100% my own.

*SOURCE: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Fruits and Veggies More Matters® April 2016. Available here.

Lil Gritters Gummy Vites vitamins sponsored post

Entry Instructions:

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You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/22/2016 – 12/31/2016

Be sure to visit the L’il Critters™ brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

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How Your Voice Can Help Families Choose Their Reproductive Endocrinologist

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Today’s guest post is provided by the founders of FertilityIQ.com, a new website with real patient reviews designed to help couples find a good infertility doctor. Read more to find out how you can find the best doctor for your own personal care, as well as how you can help others in their search. And please, consider submitting a review of your doctor. All of the reviews on the site are patient-driven and are not provided by doctors trying to market themselves.

FertilityIQ-YourVoice

My wife, Deb, and I had good jobs and a predictable life here in San Francisco. We gave all of it up to see if we could bring the field of fertility treatment into the sunlight. As patients, Deb and I went to multiple doctors, in multiple states, and after we spent over $75,000 in treatment, we never found care the care we deserved. After my wife’s egg harvest at our last clinic, the nurses made a medical error and we rushed in a panic to the closest ER. When we tried to let our clinic know what had gone awry, they could not have cared less. “Someone should do something about this,” Deborah muttered under her breath. And one day we woke up and thought “we’re somebody” and maybe we should try and help.

[Read more…]

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12 Signs of Ovulation You Might Miss

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Today, I am pleased to share a guest post provided by OvulationCalculator.com. I know that sometimes the most difficult part of our infertility journeys can be the actual act of ovulating. A lot of us need some sort of medication to help our bodies in that process. But if you do ovulate, with or without medication, and even if it’s late ovulation, these 12 signs might help you identify when your fertile window is open!

12 Signs of Ovulation You Might Miss

Do you know when you are ovulating? If you are like most women, the answer to that question is no. But this does not have to be the case for so many, especially when you are trying to conceive. Once you know the signs and symptoms of ovulation, it becomes easy to track. And if you experience some of the symptoms, they may be hard to ignore once you know what you are looking for. Let’s first start with some of the lesser-known symptoms of ovulation. If you experience any of these, you may have noticed but probably did not realize they were linked to ovulation.

12 Signs of Ovulation You Might Miss 3

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Thoughts of Thanksgiving: Gratitude in Infertility

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Today I am guest posting on WithGreatExpectation.com and sharing my thoughts on gratitude in infertility. Logan asked me to provide a guest post while she is visiting family over Thanksgiving, and I was honored to get to share my heart (and my confessions) on her blog. Please check out the post and leave it some love! If you’re not following Logan regularly yet, you should. I love her blog and look forward to her posts every week.

Thoughts of Thanksgiving:
Gratitude in Infertility

I’m going to be completely transparent with you: I often find it difficult to see anything “grateful” in my infertility. It’s easier for me to see the grief of my circumstance and to throw myself a pity party. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this for myself or for my husband. And I definitely didn’t want this for my daughter, who is rapidly approaching 6 years old and asking us daily for a sibling.

But you know what?

Life is so much more than my infertility, and for that, I have gratitude.

[Read More…]

Gratitude in Infertility

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Fertility Authority: The Five Stages of Grief

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Today on Fertility Authority, I am sharing on the five stages of grief and how to forgive yourself when fertility treatment doesn’t go as planned. This was a hard topic to write on, but it flowed from the heart. Please check it out and consider sharing it on social media. These posts are helping me earn extra funds to cover the twice-weekly follicle ultrasounds I’ve been having. Every page view adds up!

The Five Stages of Grief and Learning to
Forgive Yourself When Fertility Treatment
Doesn’t Go As Planned

It was my 23rd day of Follistim. I had just finished my 5th ultrasound of the cycle, and was still waiting on my 6th estrogen lab results. Things weren’t looking good. My three leading follicles were gone, and my lining decreased from 10mm to 4mm. The long walk from the ultrasound room, to the elevator, to the parking lot, to my car… was sad. I think I held my breath the whole way to my car, and I could feel my heart beat hard with every step I took on the cold, wet pavement. I felt like my lungs were about to burst. I could feel the tears welling up inside, and if they weren’t going to come out of my eyes as I held them back, they were definitely going to come out of every pore on my body. I got into the car, put my head on the steering wheel, and wept.

And wept.

And wept.

[Read More…]

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Fertility Authority: A Glimpse into a PCOS Patient’s First Follistim Cycle {plus a quick cycle update}

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First thing’s first, the cycle update if you missed it on Facebook & Instagram:

  • Today is CD8, day 7 of Follistim.
  • My baseline E2 on CD2 was 83.
  • My second E2 on CD6 was 65. It went in the wrong direction!
  • As a result of the decreasing E2, we increased my Follistim dose from 75 IU to 100 IU. I’m still in the “baby steps” phase of this cycle, and still feel pretty hopeful, but was definitely discouraged to hear my E2 went down. But, as I said before, this cycle is the “trial and error” cycle… I’ve never done Follistim before now so we’re taking it slow.
  • My third E2 is tomorrow, CD9, and we’ll see what is going on from there. I’ll have results after work.
  • The injections make me pretty tired and fatigued, but I’m sleeping well at night because of it, so that’s a win.
  • The injection sites are starting to get tender. Most of the time it’s not too bad, and some bleed more than others, but I’m definitely noticing tenderness the next day.

Now down to business:

Fertility Authority October

Today on Fertility Authority, I am sharing a glimpse into a PCOS’s patient journey to the first Follistim cycle. This post was really hard for me to write. I’m not sure why I struggled so much, but I eventually got it out of me and I am pleased with the final result.

Please go check it out and share it on social media. As previously disclosed, my posts for Fertility Authority are paid opportunities for me. I get paid based on the number of views each article receives within a 30-day period. All funds are going towards our cycle. The first pay I received covered my first ultrasound last week that I had to pay cash out of pocket for. The second pay I received will cover my next ultrasound. Every little bit helps.

A Glimpse into a PCOS Patient’s First Follistim Cycle

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Essential Oils to Soothe Anxiety {Guest Post: In Due Time}

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Today’s post is one I was really excited to read! I learn a lot about essential oils and natural living thanks to Caroline’s blog, and today is no different. In fact, the oil Deep Relief that she mentions in her post is one of my absolute favorites, and I bought it from Caroline several months ago. I use it for tension headaches, back aches, fatigue… you name it, it works. Thanks Caroline for sharing your expertise! Be sure to check out her blog In Due Time for more information on essential oils and natural living.

Presentation1 I’m Caroline and I blog over at In Due Time, which I started back in April of 2012. In 2011 my life changed for the better when I got married to my sweet husband, Colby. Besides working as a financial analyst and blogging, I enjoy spending time with Colby, traveling, watching football, and attending various small groups and bible studies. I’m a health nut, who enjoys working out and eating healthy including using natural alternatives to medicine, when possible. I have a passion for those who are going through trials, especially those who feel like they are waiting on God to answer their prayers. Thank you Jessi for giving me the opportunity to share with your readers! Blog Facebook Instagram Pinterest Bloglovin

If your life is anything like mine it is very overwhelming. Between work and everything else going on throughout the day, stress and anxiety can easily creep in. Add infertility or another health problem into an already busy day and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. While some people prefer to seek medicine including anything from advil to antidepressants, I have always preferred the natural remedies. I started using essential oils in May 2014 and haven’t needed any medicine since. If you aren’t familiar with oils, their is an oil for most needs including infertility, sickness, mental health, beauty, cleaning, etc. Today, I will be sharing on oils specific to anxiety.

[Read more…]

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I Was the Sibling-in-Waiting {Guest Post: A Sweet Aroma}

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Today’s post had me in absolute tears, in the best way! The heart and soul poured into this story is just beautiful. And oh, how I can relate so much… Brandy, thank you for sharing this with us. It’s like you peeked into my (and my daughter’s) soul and articulated what we are thinking and experiencing…

Siblinginwaiting

I remember her. She wore purple overalls and had stringy red hair. Her face was dotted with little freckles just like my own. The problem was this though: No matter how much I packed her around and no matter how much she looked like me, she wasn’t my baby sister that I wanted so so much. She was just my Kid Sister doll.

I was four. My mom had waited the average time for our neck of the woods when she got pregnant with the baby that we never got to meet. I had pleaded to Mom, Dad, and God for a baby sister and it seemed that I might be getting my wish. I don’t remember a lot of the details…. how they told me, the questions I asked, or even where we bought that “Kid Sister” doll from. But I do remember the longing. I remember the desiring of a baby sister and the not comprehending why I couldn’t just have one. I was at the age when everyone made having a baby seem so simple. In my “needing to know every detail” mind, the stork put the baby in Mom’s belly and when SHE (yes, I specifically wanted a sister) was done growing the stork would come make sure she arrived safely. That’s how it worked right? So in my mind, what could have gone wrong? But of course I didn’t understand…. I was only 4.

[Read more…]

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Foster Parenting – How it Changed my Struggle with Infertility {Guest Post: Waiting For Baby Bird}

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This week’s first guest post is provided by Elisha from Waiting For Baby Bird. Elisha is sharing her experience of fostering through infertility. Her story is compelling and has driven me to tears. Not just because of the infertility involved, but because of her continuous encouragement and praise to God through all things, good and bad. I hope you enjoy this post!
How It Changed My Struggle with Infertility 2

It’s quiet. I don’t hear the sounds of a Disney movie playing in the background, toy horses galloping down the hallway, or the theme song from Frozen being sung over and over and over. And it is because I just tucked our four-year-old foster princess and her four (or was it five?) Minnie Mouse dolls and Mermaid toy into bed for the night.

It’s odd really. Not the quietness, but the fact that I am tucking a foster child into bed. I never thought I would be a foster parent. But then again, I never thought I would struggle with infertility nor have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) listed on my medical file. And even more than that? I never thought I would need In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or that my first treatment cycle would end not only in a celebratory positive pregnancy test, but also a devastating miscarriage. And it’s sometimes hard to comprehend. There are days I go to bed feeling like I have been through the spin cycle of a washing machine as my emotions are all tangled, my thoughts are mixed together, and my body feels beaten and worn down.

[Read more…]

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Fertility Authority: It’s PCOS Awareness Month – What You Need to Know

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Its PCOS Awareness Month - Fertility Authority

Today on Fertility Authority, I’m sharing some pretty important points on PCOS and how it just doesn’t look the same for every woman. I have talked to and met women of all walks of life, who all look different and carry PCOS differently as well. It’s very easy to be misdiagnosed by a doctor who may not understand that one size does not fit all with PCOS, and it has to be treated on a case-by-case basis. Since it’s PCOS Awareness Month, it’s a good time to take charge of your PCOS and make a change in your life.

Please check out my post and share any additional thoughts you may have.

It’s PCOS Awareness Month – What You Need to Know

As previously disclosed, my posts for Fertility Authority are paid opportunities for me. I get paid based on the number of views each article receives within a 30-day period. All funds are going towards our Follistim + IUI cycle NEXT MONTH! EEK! Just click on the link and share with your friends on social media. 🙂

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