This has been a crazy few weeks. On August 22nd we were taking my mom out to dinner and she had a heart attack in the back seat of my car! She was in the hospital, alone, thanks to the stupid virus. My sister got to see her Wednesday the 26th to make plans to mover mom into my sister’s home with hospice care. On Friday, mom took a turn for the worse and was moved to the hospice ward in the hospital. At least we were able to visit her there.

Ron and I spent about 90 minutes with her Friday night. She was very talkative and she gave me a lot of important information about where things were in her apartment. Saturday morning she was much weaker and could only whisper a few words at a time. I spent 2 hours with her that afternoon but she slept most of the time. She peacefully passed on Monday morning with my sister by her side.

Needless to say, it’s been a crazy few weeks. My mom almost died 22 years ago when she was in full respiratory arrest. At that time she was diagnosed with COPD and has been on oxygen 24/7 since then. Two years ago her cardiologist said there was nothing that could be done for her heart, go live your best life, and she did. She still worked full time for years, volunteered with the American Cancer Society, she was a breast cancer survivor, and volunteered at her church. She stood strong after my dad passed away almost 5 years ago and lived independently until the end.

I’m happy that we gave her a Walt Disney World vacation for Christmas last year. We spent February 28-March 2 of this year visiting all 4 theme parks with her in a wheelchair. We had a wonderful time and made wonderful memories before the virus hit.

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From Disneynature, the studio that brought you “Earth” and “Chimpanzee,” comes the must-own true life adventure “Bears,” available on Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy), Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA), and On-Demand, Aug. 12, 2014. An epic story of breathtaking scale, this heartwarming and visually spectacular film showcases a year in the life of a bear family as two impressionable young cubs are taught life’s most important lessons.  Families everywhere can now travel to a majestic Alaskan wilderness teeming with life without leaving home as “Bears” arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack, and Digital HD featuring stunning high definition picture, transporting sound, and exciting bonus features both parents and their children will love.

To celebrate the in-home debut of “Bears,” Disneynature is proud to continue the conservation program initiated with the film’s theatrical release. For every purchase of the movie through August 19, 2014, Disneynature will make a donation through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, to further protect and conserve endangered or threatened wildlife and wild places as well as enhance field research across more than 2.9 million acres of National Park Service land.

The Win It Wednesday Giveaway Linky Rules

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2. Put the end date in the title of your giveaway.

3. Link to an image of the prize, not your blog button.

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Our Stay at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort

Rock Your Disneyside 24 Hour Party

The Win It Wednesday Giveaway Linky Rules

1. Make sure the link is to the giveaway post, not the home page of your blog. Links to home pages will be deleted.

2. Put the end date in the title of your giveaway.

3. Link to an image of the prize, not your blog button.

4. If you post a giveaway enter at least one giveaway someone else posted. This is just one way to play nice with others

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The post Win It Wednesday 6-4-14 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Before I began writing this post, I went back and read the Letter to My Future Self from Challenge 1. I needed to read those words today. I have fallen off the healthy eating wagon and it is time to jump back on. Since my 5k in March I have barely exercised because I am suffering from runner’s black toenail and it is painful. I cannot wear a closed toed shoe without being in pain. My healthy eating choices come and go in spurts but now I have a concrete goal to work towards and I hope that will help motivate me.

Aaron and Summer are getting married in November! I haven’t written about it here on the blog, yet but I would like to have lost at least 15% of my current body weight by the time the wedding rolls around. I plan to work towards that goal by enjoying my Zone Perfect bars for breakfast and lunch, snacking on fruits and veggies and eating a sensible portion of dinner. I also have some indoor workouts I can do without my sneakers on so that my foot won’t hurt.

Did you know that you can sign up to be a ZonePerfect VIP and save up to $10.00 on Zone Perfect products over the next year? Just click that link to sign up. Another way ZonePerfect want to help keep you charged up is by giving you the chance to win a portable charger. I keep mine charged and ready in my purse because the battery on my iPhone 4s only lasts a few hours. It gives me peace of mind to know that I have a charger in my purse that can charge my phone from 0-60% battery life in about 30 minutes!

The giveaway will end at 12:00am on 5-13-14. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize. This giveaway is open to US residents only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Win It Wednesday Giveaway Linky Rules

1. Make sure the link is to the giveaway post, not the home page of your blog. Links to home pages will be deleted.

2. Put the end date in the title of your giveaway.

3. Link to an image of the prize, not your blog button.

4. If you post a giveaway enter at least one giveaway someone else posted. This is just one way to play nice with others

The post Win It Wednesday 1-8-14 Giveaway Linky appeared first on The Mom Maven.

My first giveaway of the new year and it is a biggie! I have joined with 9 of my bloggy friends to offer you the chance to win $200 in Paypal cash!! We are all working together on this so I thought I’d let you know who I am partnering with:
Andrea from MoodyMamaSays.com
Kimberly from SheScribes.com
Alison from BeingAlison.com
Marianna from GreenMamasPad.com
Jodi from MommyMoment.com
Amy from PixieDeals.com
Toni from JustStopScreaming.com
Virginia from ThatBaldChick.com
Lee from MySentimentExactLee.com

Entering is easy, just use the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!! The giveaway ends 1/23/12 at 12:01am-so make sure you enter before you go to bed Sunday night!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The winner of the Sesame Street Live ticket vouchers is # 14 Lisa W. Congratulations!

The post This Week’s Winners 11-20 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Something Borrowed DVD The winner is #63…Patricia who says this was her sticky relationship situation, “Being caught in a lie and trying to get out of it was a tough and sticky situation. Always tell the truth in a relationship…it prevents so much heartache and work.”

The Grace Card DVD The winner is #12…Heather S. whose favorite Scripture about grace is 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes The winner is #116…Kathy P. whose favorite tip is to use Wet Ones while doing arts and crafts.

Congratulations to all the winners and make sure you enter my current giveaways!

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