A New Thirty-One Gifts Giveaway!

Last October, I introduced you to Courtney. If you are new here, she is an amazing mom with three kids: her daughter has epilepsy, another daughter has heart defects, and her son has a whole host of issues that they are trying to diagnose and treat. Oh, and Courtney herself has had cancer three times. Holy cow.

Courtney is a Thirty-One Gifts consultant, and when I originally introduced you to her, she was just starting out. She started selling in an effort to keep up with her son's rising medical bills that insurance was refusing to cover. Several of you stepped up and purchased some items from her to help. Aw, I have the best readers!

That brings us up to today! She contacted me a couple of months ago and asked if I was interested in running another Thirty-One Gifts giveaway and also providing an update on her son, Zach:

Since the last giveaway, Zach's medical issues haven't changed much. He isn't better, but at least hasn't gotten much worse. They have successfully found one diagnosis for him, Graves Disease, and are still trying to find others. He now wears a painful chest brace for 20-23 hours a day to help with his chest deformity, but unfortunately it puts an intense strain on his breathing and asthma issues. And that doesn't help with the heart problems he is also dealing with. 

Over Christmas, Courtney pulled Zach from school and began homeschooling him. With his medical issues, he was missing class and falling behind. Being homeschooled gives him the flexibility of online learning which he needs as they don't know what each day will bring. Although his issues have caused him to fall behind, they have a plan in place to try to get him graduated on time with his class. He will be a Junior in the fall. 

They were thrilled to be able to purchase a riding lawn mower for Zach to use around the neighborhood. They wanted him to be able to have a job, make money, and experience the accomplishments that normal teenagers experience. Although he is unable to walk much and has a weak immune system, this seems like the perfect fit as he can sit the whole time and stay away from other potentially sick people. Courtney and her husband will fill in for him when he is too sick to get out of bed. He's also working on getting his driver's license. It's slow going, but he is determined to get it one day! 

Courtney and Zach are still working with specialists at Kansas University Medical Center, Children's Mercy Hospital, and St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The specialists are trying to figure out how all the puzzle pieces of Zach's medical issues fit together, but since they don't know yet, they are continuing to treat individual symptoms. Sadly, they know that time is running out before Zach gets worse, so it's a race against time to figure out what is going on. For now, the next big things on his plate are surgery on his legs that will leave him casted for 3-6 months, and another series of surgeries to help with his scoliosis.

Courtney wanted to thank you all for continuing to pray for her son as well as the rest of her family. They certainly still need it as there aren't many more answers than what they had last year. I love what she said in her email to me, "Right now, we are just enjoying the blessings we have. As scary as everything is, especially not knowing what is wrong or what the prognosis is, we focus on what God has provided and our faith in God continuing to provide."

She has an amazing faith in a situation where I know I would really struggle to stay strong and trust God. I love the community of readers we have built here, and appreciate each of you so much for the care that you show to other readers without having even met them! Best. Readers. Ever!

So with that update, let's move on to the giveaway!

~Giveaway~

This year, Courtney is giving away an even bigger prize that what she offered last year. This year, one reader will win a set of three products:

1 Large Utility Tote in the Fun Flops Print. The Fun Flops Print is exclusive to June only!

1 Top-a-Tote in Grey. The Top-a-Tote can zip directly into the top of the Large Utility Tote protecting anything inside and providing a little extra space in the top.

1 Thermal Zipper Pouch in Island Damask. Perfect for packing lunch and throwing it in your Large Utility Tote for later. :)

To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. If you choose the "anonymous option" to comment, please at least include your first name and first letter of your last name. It's impossible to verify comment entries without names! The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.

As we did last year, I'm including an additional option that will earn your 10 extra entries for purchasing something through Courtney to help with Zach's medical expenses. There is no minimum purchase required to earn the extra entries as anything helps! A purchase is NOT required to enter and win the giveaway, but if you do choose to help them in this way, please make sure that you go through the "A Beautiful Ruckus" party link. That is the only way we have of verifying entries. Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Tuesday, June 25th. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Wednesday, June 26th. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received complimentary item(s) for review in exchange  for hosting this giveaway from Courtney Rice, Independent Senior Consultant, Thirty-One Gifts. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Last October, I introduced you to Courtney. If you are new here, she is an amazing mom with three kids: her daughter has epilepsy, another daughter has heart defects, and her son has a whole host of issues that they are trying to diagnose and treat. Oh, and Courtney herself has had cancer three times. Holy cow.

Courtney is a Thirty-One Gifts consultant, and when I originally introduced you to her, she was just starting out. She started selling in an effort to keep up with her son's rising medical bills that insurance was refusing to cover. Several of you stepped up and purchased some items from her to help. Aw, I have the best readers!

That brings us up to today! She contacted me a couple of months ago and asked if I was interested in running another Thirty-One Gifts giveaway and also providing an update on her son, Zach:

Since the last giveaway, Zach's medical issues haven't changed much. He isn't better, but at least hasn't gotten much worse. They have successfully found one diagnosis for him, Graves Disease, and are still trying to find others. He now wears a painful chest brace for 20-23 hours a day to help with his chest deformity, but unfortunately it puts an intense strain on his breathing and asthma issues. And that doesn't help with the heart problems he is also dealing with. 

Over Christmas, Courtney pulled Zach from school and began homeschooling him. With his medical issues, he was missing class and falling behind. Being homeschooled gives him the flexibility of online learning which he needs as they don't know what each day will bring. Although his issues have caused him to fall behind, they have a plan in place to try to get him graduated on time with his class. He will be a Junior in the fall. 

They were thrilled to be able to purchase a riding lawn mower for Zach to use around the neighborhood. They wanted him to be able to have a job, make money, and experience the accomplishments that normal teenagers experience. Although he is unable to walk much and has a weak immune system, this seems like the perfect fit as he can sit the whole time and stay away from other potentially sick people. Courtney and her husband will fill in for him when he is too sick to get out of bed. He's also working on getting his driver's license. It's slow going, but he is determined to get it one day! 

Courtney and Zach are still working with specialists at Kansas University Medical Center, Children's Mercy Hospital, and St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The specialists are trying to figure out how all the puzzle pieces of Zach's medical issues fit together, but since they don't know yet, they are continuing to treat individual symptoms. Sadly, they know that time is running out before Zach gets worse, so it's a race against time to figure out what is going on. For now, the next big things on his plate are surgery on his legs that will leave him casted for 3-6 months, and another series of surgeries to help with his scoliosis.

Courtney wanted to thank you all for continuing to pray for her son as well as the rest of her family. They certainly still need it as there aren't many more answers than what they had last year. I love what she said in her email to me, "Right now, we are just enjoying the blessings we have. As scary as everything is, especially not knowing what is wrong or what the prognosis is, we focus on what God has provided and our faith in God continuing to provide."

She has an amazing faith in a situation where I know I would really struggle to stay strong and trust God. I love the community of readers we have built here, and appreciate each of you so much for the care that you show to other readers without having even met them! Best. Readers. Ever!

So with that update, let's move on to the giveaway!

~Giveaway~

This year, Courtney is giving away an even bigger prize that what she offered last year. This year, one reader will win a set of three products:

1 Large Utility Tote in the Fun Flops Print. The Fun Flops Print is exclusive to June only!

1 Top-a-Tote in Grey. The Top-a-Tote can zip directly into the top of the Large Utility Tote protecting anything inside and providing a little extra space in the top.

1 Thermal Zipper Pouch in Island Damask. Perfect for packing lunch and throwing it in your Large Utility Tote for later. :)

To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. If you choose the "anonymous option" to comment, please at least include your first name and first letter of your last name. It's impossible to verify comment entries without names! The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.

As we did last year, I'm including an additional option that will earn your 10 extra entries for purchasing something through Courtney to help with Zach's medical expenses. There is no minimum purchase required to earn the extra entries as anything helps! A purchase is NOT required to enter and win the giveaway, but if you do choose to help them in this way, please make sure that you go through the "A Beautiful Ruckus" party link. That is the only way we have of verifying entries. Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Tuesday, June 25th. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Wednesday, June 26th. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received complimentary item(s) for review in exchange  for hosting this giveaway from Courtney Rice, Independent Senior Consultant, Thirty-One Gifts. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Our Meal Plan: 6/16-6/22

If you are looking for some of the strategies that help us decide what to eat every week, make sure you check out our Meal Tip Series!

Sunday: Tacos
Monday: Fluffy Waffles, Fresh Blueberries, Scrambled Eggs
Tuesday: Pizza (The in-laws are bringing it over for dinner, so I don't have to cook!)
Wednesday:  Hamburgers and French Fries
Thursday: Pasta with Meat Sauce, Salad, Italian Bread
Friday: Chicken Parmigiano, Italian Bread, Salad
Saturday: Leftovers

What is on your menu this week? This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

If you are looking for some of the strategies that help us decide what to eat every week, make sure you check out our Meal Tip Series!

Sunday: Tacos
Monday: Fluffy Waffles, Fresh Blueberries, Scrambled Eggs
Tuesday: Pizza (The in-laws are bringing it over for dinner, so I don't have to cook!)
Wednesday:  Hamburgers and French Fries
Thursday: Pasta with Meat Sauce, Salad, Italian Bread
Friday: Chicken Parmigiano, Italian Bread, Salad
Saturday: Leftovers

What is on your menu this week? This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Backyard Playground

Nothing is sweeter than the childhood delight of playing in the backyard!

A couple of months ago, we received a message from our friend, Crystal. Her daughter outgrew their swing set and they were getting ready to replace it. They offered it to us! And then on top of that, Crystal's brother had a matching swing set that his kids had outgrown. They offered that one to us as well!

Over the last two weeks, they've brought over both sets and set them up in the backyard. We can't believe that they just gave us the swing sets! We are beyond blessed as we wanted to get some backyard play items, but it wasn't in the budget.

I love that God provides for wants as well as needs! 

We invited Aunt Sarah and Cousin Aly over to help us break them in. I'll let the photos do the talking. The kids have been all over the swing sets since they arrived!

Ellie 

 Cousin Aly

Abby 

Aunt Sarah, Cousin Aly, and Elijah 

 Caleb

Caleb 

Abby 

Ellie 

Elijah

How fun to have a playground right in our own backyard now! And to have friends who love our kids enough to pass it on to them!

Nothing is sweeter than the childhood delight of playing in the backyard!

A couple of months ago, we received a message from our friend, Crystal. Her daughter outgrew their swing set and they were getting ready to replace it. They offered it to us! And then on top of that, Crystal's brother had a matching swing set that his kids had outgrown. They offered that one to us as well!

Over the last two weeks, they've brought over both sets and set them up in the backyard. We can't believe that they just gave us the swing sets! We are beyond blessed as we wanted to get some backyard play items, but it wasn't in the budget.

I love that God provides for wants as well as needs! 

We invited Aunt Sarah and Cousin Aly over to help us break them in. I'll let the photos do the talking. The kids have been all over the swing sets since they arrived!

Ellie 

 Cousin Aly

Abby 

Aunt Sarah, Cousin Aly, and Elijah 

 Caleb

Caleb 

Abby 

Ellie 

Elijah

How fun to have a playground right in our own backyard now! And to have friends who love our kids enough to pass it on to them!

Oh Goody! A Box of Goodies!

A house full of toddlers, means a house full of snacks. It just kind of goes with the territory.

We keep a lot of crackers, pretzels, and raisins on hand for hungry kids, and Sean likes to hand out pieces of beef jerky when he gets home from work. However, after awhile the novelty of yet another graham cracker starts to wear off.

And then there is me. I often sneak a bite or two when doling out snacks to the kids, and I have a tendency to kick back most afternoons after the kids go down for their nap and nibble on a little something. My current favorites are pita chips and microwaved smores. But sometimes I just get bored with my options.

This week in my internet wanderings, I came across a new monthly subscription service for snacks. It's called Goodies Co. and is a little division of Walmart. For $7 a month, they send a box with 5-8 snacks to try. Once I found out that shipping is included in the $7, I realized that this is a really inexpensive way to try new snacks without committing to the full bag. Plus, every time a customer reviews one of the snacks, they can earn points toward a free box of snacks. (I did a little internet googling and found that many people are accumulating points fast enough to get every fourth box for free!)

I'm the type of person who likes to stick with the tried and true. I rarely experiment with new things because...well, what if I don't like them? Then I'm out whatever money I just plunked down, and I'm faced with a whole bag of something I don't want to swallow.

Sean, on the other hand, loves trying new things. Loves it. He likes to shake stuff up because he enjoys all sorts of different items. Unfortunately, sometimes he stops by those little tasting stations at Costco, gets hooked on the one bite they offer him, and buys the entire bag. Then I'm faced with a gigantic bag of a snack I may or may not like. It's thoughtful, but can be a little overkill.

Goodies Co. solves both of those problems: new things to try in samples small enough to leave no big bag purchase regret!

The sad news is that there is a long wait list to get into the Goodies Co. program. It's a new service and it's highly sought after. But, I've partnered with Goodies Co. to bring my readers a special code to let them line jump! Hungry toddlers and parents don't have time to be wait listed, am I right? Just click HERE, enter your email address, create a password, and use code "JUNEVIP" to get right in! You'll receive two emails: one will say you've been wait listed, and the second will say that your invitation has arrived. That's how you jump the line and can get in right away! Then you just enter your payment info and goodies will be on the way to your house!

There is nothing I hate more than wasting money. I'm glad someone finally came up with a way to let me try snacks without investing a huge amount of money in them! Curious what all comes in the boxes? Click HERE for what the past few boxes have contained. The value is incredible! The last one had the shelf stable snacks plus a bonus coupon for a free Wholly Guacamole product! I think that's what snagged me right there.

See what else the boxes contain, and then start your own snacking adventure!

This post is sponsored by Walmart Labs. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

A house full of toddlers, means a house full of snacks. It just kind of goes with the territory.

We keep a lot of crackers, pretzels, and raisins on hand for hungry kids, and Sean likes to hand out pieces of beef jerky when he gets home from work. However, after awhile the novelty of yet another graham cracker starts to wear off.

And then there is me. I often sneak a bite or two when doling out snacks to the kids, and I have a tendency to kick back most afternoons after the kids go down for their nap and nibble on a little something. My current favorites are pita chips and microwaved smores. But sometimes I just get bored with my options.

This week in my internet wanderings, I came across a new monthly subscription service for snacks. It's called Goodies Co. and is a little division of Walmart. For $7 a month, they send a box with 5-8 snacks to try. Once I found out that shipping is included in the $7, I realized that this is a really inexpensive way to try new snacks without committing to the full bag. Plus, every time a customer reviews one of the snacks, they can earn points toward a free box of snacks. (I did a little internet googling and found that many people are accumulating points fast enough to get every fourth box for free!)

I'm the type of person who likes to stick with the tried and true. I rarely experiment with new things because...well, what if I don't like them? Then I'm out whatever money I just plunked down, and I'm faced with a whole bag of something I don't want to swallow.

Sean, on the other hand, loves trying new things. Loves it. He likes to shake stuff up because he enjoys all sorts of different items. Unfortunately, sometimes he stops by those little tasting stations at Costco, gets hooked on the one bite they offer him, and buys the entire bag. Then I'm faced with a gigantic bag of a snack I may or may not like. It's thoughtful, but can be a little overkill.

Goodies Co. solves both of those problems: new things to try in samples small enough to leave no big bag purchase regret!

The sad news is that there is a long wait list to get into the Goodies Co. program. It's a new service and it's highly sought after. But, I've partnered with Goodies Co. to bring my readers a special code to let them line jump! Hungry toddlers and parents don't have time to be wait listed, am I right? Just click HERE, enter your email address, create a password, and use code "JUNEVIP" to get right in! You'll receive two emails: one will say you've been wait listed, and the second will say that your invitation has arrived. That's how you jump the line and can get in right away! Then you just enter your payment info and goodies will be on the way to your house!

There is nothing I hate more than wasting money. I'm glad someone finally came up with a way to let me try snacks without investing a huge amount of money in them! Curious what all comes in the boxes? Click HERE for what the past few boxes have contained. The value is incredible! The last one had the shelf stable snacks plus a bonus coupon for a free Wholly Guacamole product! I think that's what snagged me right there.

See what else the boxes contain, and then start your own snacking adventure!

This post is sponsored by Walmart Labs. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

The Little Things Thursdays: #28

Welcome to The Little Things Thursday!!

If you are new to our link-up, we like to take a minute to look back on the little things that brightened our week. So often we get busy and forget all of the things that we enjoy as we go through our daily lives. This is an opportunity to stop, remember, and enjoy those things! Nothing is too small...in fact, the smaller the better! That's the whole point! If you have a blog, link-up below. If you don't blog, I'd love for you to participate by leaving a comment. Ready?

1. 2nd Birthday Party!

We finally had the chance to celebrate the kids' 2nd birthday! Yay for lockdown being over! Little Monkey Bizness hosted us again this year, just like they did for their first birthday party. It was a GRAND time! This photo is just a sneak peek. I'm hoping to have a full post with lots of photos up next week!

2. Sunglasses

At their birthday party, Little Monkey Bizness gave each of the kids their own pair of sunglasses. The girls have been rocking theirs ever since! The boys, on the other hand, keep handing me their pairs to wear for them. They like to coincide their requests with Mommy changing their siblings' poopy diapers. It's a little tricky, but I try to humor them!

3. Grilling Season

I love grilling season! I'm just now learning how to grill, but managed to cook out twice this week. It keeps the heat down in the house; plus, nothing beats the taste of food cooked over charcoal!

4. Chick-fil-A Adventure

The air conditioner went out on Sean's car, so we had to take it into the shop. Sean took the day off to get it taken care of, so he suggested we make the most of it and take the kids out for breakfast. We went to our favorite fast food place: Chick-fil-A! There was a definite difference from when we took them last year. This year, they were able to climb all over the play space and go down the slide!

5. Our New Swing Sets!

Crystal, one of Sean's friends from college, gave us her old swing set...and then her brother gave us his old swing set too. They match! We now have a play land just outside our backdoor which is fabulous! The kids have been  enjoying the slides, swings, and bridges. I'm hoping to get a post up with photos of them playing on it. They invited their cousin Aly over for the inaugural romp. We are so blessed that Crystal and her brother chose to pass on their swing sets to us!

6. CSA Bag: Week 2

One of my most favorite parts of the week: Our CSA Bag! This week our bag had: 2 reusable shopping bags, grape tomatoes, flavorino tomatoes, 16 oz of vanilla yogurt, 1/2 gallon of skim milk, 1 pint of blueberries, radishes, cabbage, and red onions. We have some good eating in front of us this week! Now...what do I do with a clump of radishes other than throw them in a salad? Ideas?

7. Because Sometimes It's Exhausting Getting Off of the Couch

Kids always crack me up with the positions they get themselves into! I found Ellie fast asleep in this position earlier this week. Even when I picked her up, she didn't wake. She must have been really tired!

Now it's your turn! What Little Things brightened up your week? Link up your post below (or leave a comment if you aren't a blogger) and make sure you come back next week to play again!

The link up rules are super simple!
1. Please add the button or a text link to your sidebar or post to share the fun that we are having over here!
2. Please visit at least one other blog linking up and leave some blog love. Maybe you will find someone else's "little thing" is exactly what you needed to read!
3. Please keep your linked post clean and respectful! Any links directing to offensive posts will be deleted.

<center> <a href="http://www.abeautifulruckus.com"><img src="http://i1310.photobucket.com/albums/s654/faithfulrose1/TheLittleThingsThursdayButton.jpg" /></a></center>

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Welcome to The Little Things Thursday!!

If you are new to our link-up, we like to take a minute to look back on the little things that brightened our week. So often we get busy and forget all of the things that we enjoy as we go through our daily lives. This is an opportunity to stop, remember, and enjoy those things! Nothing is too small...in fact, the smaller the better! That's the whole point! If you have a blog, link-up below. If you don't blog, I'd love for you to participate by leaving a comment. Ready?

1. 2nd Birthday Party!

We finally had the chance to celebrate the kids' 2nd birthday! Yay for lockdown being over! Little Monkey Bizness hosted us again this year, just like they did for their first birthday party. It was a GRAND time! This photo is just a sneak peek. I'm hoping to have a full post with lots of photos up next week!

2. Sunglasses

At their birthday party, Little Monkey Bizness gave each of the kids their own pair of sunglasses. The girls have been rocking theirs ever since! The boys, on the other hand, keep handing me their pairs to wear for them. They like to coincide their requests with Mommy changing their siblings' poopy diapers. It's a little tricky, but I try to humor them!

3. Grilling Season

I love grilling season! I'm just now learning how to grill, but managed to cook out twice this week. It keeps the heat down in the house; plus, nothing beats the taste of food cooked over charcoal!

4. Chick-fil-A Adventure

The air conditioner went out on Sean's car, so we had to take it into the shop. Sean took the day off to get it taken care of, so he suggested we make the most of it and take the kids out for breakfast. We went to our favorite fast food place: Chick-fil-A! There was a definite difference from when we took them last year. This year, they were able to climb all over the play space and go down the slide!

5. Our New Swing Sets!

Crystal, one of Sean's friends from college, gave us her old swing set...and then her brother gave us his old swing set too. They match! We now have a play land just outside our backdoor which is fabulous! The kids have been  enjoying the slides, swings, and bridges. I'm hoping to get a post up with photos of them playing on it. They invited their cousin Aly over for the inaugural romp. We are so blessed that Crystal and her brother chose to pass on their swing sets to us!

6. CSA Bag: Week 2

One of my most favorite parts of the week: Our CSA Bag! This week our bag had: 2 reusable shopping bags, grape tomatoes, flavorino tomatoes, 16 oz of vanilla yogurt, 1/2 gallon of skim milk, 1 pint of blueberries, radishes, cabbage, and red onions. We have some good eating in front of us this week! Now...what do I do with a clump of radishes other than throw them in a salad? Ideas?

7. Because Sometimes It's Exhausting Getting Off of the Couch

Kids always crack me up with the positions they get themselves into! I found Ellie fast asleep in this position earlier this week. Even when I picked her up, she didn't wake. She must have been really tired!

Now it's your turn! What Little Things brightened up your week? Link up your post below (or leave a comment if you aren't a blogger) and make sure you come back next week to play again!

The link up rules are super simple!
1. Please add the button or a text link to your sidebar or post to share the fun that we are having over here!
2. Please visit at least one other blog linking up and leave some blog love. Maybe you will find someone else's "little thing" is exactly what you needed to read!
3. Please keep your linked post clean and respectful! Any links directing to offensive posts will be deleted.

<center> <a href="http://www.abeautifulruckus.com"><img src="http://i1310.photobucket.com/albums/s654/faithfulrose1/TheLittleThingsThursdayButton.jpg" /></a></center>

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Heaven is for Real: for Little Ones Giveaway

Have you heard of the book, Heaven is for Real? It took all of the top book lists by storm over the last few years. It's the true story of a four-year-old boy who had emergency surgery and journeyed to heaven and back while he was on the operating table. The book is what he told his dad he saw while he was in heaven.

I haven't read the original Heaven is for Real, but Tommy Nelson sent me Heaven is for Real for Little Ones this month as my June resource. 

As soon as it came in the mail, we all sat down to read it, and I was curious to see how they would handle a near death experience in a children's book. The board book doesn't actually touch on Colton's story at all. Instead, it is simplified description of what he saw in heaven without going into the operation/traumatic experience that he and his family went through. It is a beautiful way to introduce the concept of heaven to little ones while explaining how much Jesus really truly loves them!

Heaven is for Real for Little Ones, is a book with sweet illustrations depicting children running, playing, and exploring heaven with Jesus. I really loved how it talks about the beauty of heaven and all the wonderful things that we will get to do and experience there without any pain or tears. In fact, this little board book reminded me about how much I'm looking forward to one day being there myself!

Heaven is for Real for Little Ones retails for $7.99 and is available through Tommy Nelson and other major book retailers. If you'd like a peak inside the cover, feel free to click HERE.

~Giveaway~

Tommy Nelson is giving one A Beautiful Ruckus reader a copy of Heaven is for Real for Little Ones. To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. If you choose the "anonymous option" to comment, please at least include your first name and first letter of your last name. It's impossible to verify comment entries without names! The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Monday, June 17th. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Tuesday, June 18th. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received complimentary item(s) for review in exchange  for hosting this giveaway from Tommy Nelson. This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Have you heard of the book, Heaven is for Real? It took all of the top book lists by storm over the last few years. It's the true story of a four-year-old boy who had emergency surgery and journeyed to heaven and back while he was on the operating table. The book is what he told his dad he saw while he was in heaven.

I haven't read the original Heaven is for Real, but Tommy Nelson sent me Heaven is for Real for Little Ones this month as my June resource. 

As soon as it came in the mail, we all sat down to read it, and I was curious to see how they would handle a near death experience in a children's book. The board book doesn't actually touch on Colton's story at all. Instead, it is simplified description of what he saw in heaven without going into the operation/traumatic experience that he and his family went through. It is a beautiful way to introduce the concept of heaven to little ones while explaining how much Jesus really truly loves them!

Heaven is for Real for Little Ones, is a book with sweet illustrations depicting children running, playing, and exploring heaven with Jesus. I really loved how it talks about the beauty of heaven and all the wonderful things that we will get to do and experience there without any pain or tears. In fact, this little board book reminded me about how much I'm looking forward to one day being there myself!

Heaven is for Real for Little Ones retails for $7.99 and is available through Tommy Nelson and other major book retailers. If you'd like a peak inside the cover, feel free to click HERE.

~Giveaway~

Tommy Nelson is giving one A Beautiful Ruckus reader a copy of Heaven is for Real for Little Ones. To enter the giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. If you choose the "anonymous option" to comment, please at least include your first name and first letter of your last name. It's impossible to verify comment entries without names! The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:59pm on Monday, June 17th. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Tuesday, June 18th. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received complimentary item(s) for review in exchange  for hosting this giveaway from Tommy Nelson. This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

NICU Reunion 2013

Every year, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at our hospital holds a giant reunion for all of their NICU graduates! 

You know it's a NICU reunion when the first thing you see upon walking in is lots and lots of hand sanitizer!

We didn't get to go last year since the kids were sick. We didn't think that the other NICU parents would appreciate us exposing their low-immunity kids to ours. But this year everybody was well, so we loaded up and headed back to our home away from home.

Ellie, Mommy, Abby, Caleb, Daddy, and Elijah 

They had a lot of fun activities for the kids including face painting, crafts, basketball toss, and photo booth. We are still on the young side for most of those, but we did take advantage of the photo booth! The kids {mostly} cooperated with the photos.

We saw several of our friends from the NICU, which was wonderful! Abby showed one of our night nurses, Stephanie, our photo after it was printed. It was so fun to see our healthy, happy kids interacting with the nurses who saved their lives so many times!

 This photo makes me laugh! At one point, Caleb decided that he'd seen everything there was to see, climbed back in his wagon with a cookie and kicked back.

We love our nurses, doctors, and all of their support staff who took such good care of our kids! Unless we have sick kiddos again in the future, we plan on heading to our reunion every year. The nurses told us back when we were still in the NICU that the reunion is the highlight of their year. Their whole job is working with babies who are barely holding on to life. Once they improve, the kids leave and they don't see them again. the NICU reunion and seeing all of their babies walking back into the room is where they get the encouragement to keep going in their chosen profession. They have such an intense and often tragic job. We are so grateful for them!

The kids with one of our day nurses, Tess, and one of our night nurses, Stephanie!

Every year, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at our hospital holds a giant reunion for all of their NICU graduates! 

You know it's a NICU reunion when the first thing you see upon walking in is lots and lots of hand sanitizer!

We didn't get to go last year since the kids were sick. We didn't think that the other NICU parents would appreciate us exposing their low-immunity kids to ours. But this year everybody was well, so we loaded up and headed back to our home away from home.

Ellie, Mommy, Abby, Caleb, Daddy, and Elijah 

They had a lot of fun activities for the kids including face painting, crafts, basketball toss, and photo booth. We are still on the young side for most of those, but we did take advantage of the photo booth! The kids {mostly} cooperated with the photos.

We saw several of our friends from the NICU, which was wonderful! Abby showed one of our night nurses, Stephanie, our photo after it was printed. It was so fun to see our healthy, happy kids interacting with the nurses who saved their lives so many times!

 This photo makes me laugh! At one point, Caleb decided that he'd seen everything there was to see, climbed back in his wagon with a cookie and kicked back.

We love our nurses, doctors, and all of their support staff who took such good care of our kids! Unless we have sick kiddos again in the future, we plan on heading to our reunion every year. The nurses told us back when we were still in the NICU that the reunion is the highlight of their year. Their whole job is working with babies who are barely holding on to life. Once they improve, the kids leave and they don't see them again. the NICU reunion and seeing all of their babies walking back into the room is where they get the encouragement to keep going in their chosen profession. They have such an intense and often tragic job. We are so grateful for them!

The kids with one of our day nurses, Tess, and one of our night nurses, Stephanie!