One of the BEST baby/toddler/kid items!
Baby & Child · Events & Family

One of the BEST baby/toddler/kid items!

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This post contains affiliate links.

Have you ever wondered what item(s) should be a top priority on your registry or birthday/Christmas lists for your sweet little bundle of joy(s)?

We are absolutely enthralled with our Pop-N-Go from The California Beach Co (use code: SHELLYPERKOWSKI for an additional 10% off). They only weigh 7.5 lbs, are incredibly easy to set up and tear down, AND are such high quality.

Not sure how much longer the sale will be up for – RUN NOW!

Each Pop-N-Go comes with a UV cover and stakes for the ground and sand.

We personally recommend buying the self-inflating mattress if you plan to ever place this on a hard/uneven surface. You can buy mattress covers – which are so cute! The mattress itself is waterproof. The mattress covers are water resistant, heat resistant, and perfectly fit on the mattress.

It sits directly on the ground which allows for there to be no weight limit. There is even enough space that my husband (5’10”), myself (5’7″), and our 18 month old son are able to fit in it TOGETHER!

Lots of air flow, and easy to grab your child either through the open top (if you don’t have the cover on) or through the zipped opening.

Use my code: SHELLYPERKOWSKI for an additional 10% off of your order!

Look how easy it is to set-up!

Check out their other fun items!

Beach Blankets:

We bought two of these as Easter gifts this year. They are HUGE, and amazing quality. We cannot wait to use them. They each come in a travel drawstring bag and have sand/ground stakes included. Such fun designs!

They are such great sizes!

PET Pop-N-Go!

They have fun little pop-n-gos for your pets!!! You can buy a mattress to go with it!

Make sure to buy a mattress for your sweet pet!

Swing on over to The California Beach Co (use code SHELLYPERKOWSKI for 10% off) now and get some great Easter, Birthday, and baby shower gifts!

Favorite BABY Basic Nessecities
Baby & Child

Favorite BABY Basic Nessecities

shakeandjelly2 Comments

It’s been a little over a year since our little guy was born, and with our nephew being born a few days ago we are reminded of all of our favorite newborn-1 year necessities. This list isn’t exhaustive, and may be updated if I remember more as time goes.

[This post may contain affiliate links.]

#1 – Favorite Diapers

Tip with diapers: every child is different, so I recommend buying some small amounts of a few different brands/styles to figure out which one works best for your child.

LUVS: These fit well and were a great bargain diaper while our son was younger and not moving around much. (We bought ours from BJs Wholesale, but they are also available on Amazon.)

Huggies: Little Snugglers were perfect for before they are crawling around.

Huggies: We specifically LOVE the ones from Costco (Huggies Little Movers +plus), but the Huggies Little Movers from Amazon would also work well. Once he started moving these kept his diaper together and fitting well. They have the “sticky” strips on the sides for the flaps to attach.

#2 – Favorite Wipes

Fragrance free and more sensitive wipes was important to us.

Water Wipes – with a newborn, these diapers were great for sensitive skin. We used these for the first couple months and then moved to others. Highly recommend Water Wipes for the early stage (or some use them all the time).

Huggies Natural – The thickness of these was perfect for those messy diapers, and they are incredibly soft. No scent, so they help with sensitivity. We bought these in the large packs of bags and placed in our wipes container, and individual packs for in the diaper bag. We had tried many different types of wipes, and always returned to using these.

#3 – Bath Essentials

I’ll post another time with more in-depth bath items, but these were our essentials that made a HUGE difference with bathtime.

Angelcare Baby Bath Support – We tried a regular baby bath, but the water gets cold quickly. This bath insert allows you to fill your regular tub to the desired amount and temperature, and then safely place baby in this. Our son used this for months until he started sitting up on his own. Once he was sitting there is a seated Angelcare option, too!

Fridababy Silicone Brush – This scrub brush was a lifesaver! Cleaned his scalp so well!

#4 – Pacifiers/Teethers

We often buy some of these teethers for baby shower gifts!

BIBS Pacifier – Our son tried a few different pacifiers, and these were a FAVORITE by far! We also love the ability to select many different colors. There are two different size options, so be sure to select the right size.

Nuby Key Ring Teether – great classic teether for your little one!

Carrot Teether – this teether is our son’s favorite! Incredibly sturdy, and easy for a child to hold.

FanFan the Fawn – Many have heard of Sophie the Giraffe, well we love FanFan the Fawn! Check out this cute teether with natural rubber!

# 5 – Nursery Essentials

Crane Humidifier – There are so many different Crane Humidifiers that are great! We loved this cool mist one, and use it every day during the Winter months, especially. Make sure to get a cool mist humidifier, as warm allows bacteria to grow!

Ubbi Baby Wipes Dispenser – I love the feature of the weighted insert that allows you to pull out just ONE wipe at a time! This sits on our changing table at all times, and is incredibly easy to refill.

Baby Relax Swivel Recliner/Glider – Wow, this chair was perfect for our nursery. Incredibly comfortable, perfect height for legs and back/head. If you’re going to invest in something, make sure to put some money in to your rocker/recliner/glider in the nursery.

Velvet Hangers – perfect addition to your child’s closet. Great size and no-slip!

In the comments, feel free to post your favorite must-haves in these categories! If we haven’t tried them, we may give them a try ourselves!

Stay tuned for more must-haves in the Baby/Child world with more specific categories!

Start your free Amazon Baby Registry, TODAY!

* Post contains Affiliate links *

2nd Week to a healthier life!
Health

2nd Week to a healthier life!

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Jake and I are on our second week of FASTer Way To Fat Loss, and I absolutely LOVE it. My win for the week: more energy, ability to step over our child/pet gate with ease, and finding more time for daily devotions and self improvement reading! Jake’s: staying pretty consistent with his Macros each day!

We are both still learning what is best eaten to fuel our bodies, and watching our Macros to get the right percent of the day! Switching to USDA Organic has been exciting – especially as we look for the best deals. Comment below with some of YOUR favorite Organic items and where you buy them!

My favorite days have become Mondays & Tuesdays: our low-carb in combination of our HIIT workout! It’s intense, but my body is working hard on itself (and I feel it).

Building our muscles and toning our bodies!
Jake’s bottom photo is meant to resemble Hulk Hogan. 🤣😂

Have you ever done a diet plan, workout plan, etc. before?! I have! It was exhausting and draining to follow all the rules. I didn’t like them and quit after a month or two. They weren’t right for me. However, I can see such great benefits of this routine of Intermittent Fasting (IF) and macro tracking that I am so encouraged already!

I’d challenge you to take a look for yourself, and consider joining the next group with Ahna that starts on August 31st!

It is so encouraging to really LEARN about your health/body and why you are doing what you are in this program. AND guess what, she doesn’t throw all the details on you at once – you learn something new every day! Guess what else? You’re not in this alone – you have a group of other men/women on the same page as you! Encouraging each other, giving meal ideas, and more! Love being in a Facebook group with everyone! Daily positivity!

PS: we get a treat day every week, and you can find some delicious, healthy snacks for during your eating window! We found a lot of GREAT options at Costco! I’ll hopefully soon have a post about some of our favorite foods/snacks.

Hop over and CHECK OUT what it is we’re doing, and sign-up for the next group!

https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/#ShelPerk

…and so it begins: Our HEALTH Journey
Health

…and so it begins: Our HEALTH Journey

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Faster Way To Fat Loss (FWTFL)

Jake and I are both super excited to start this 6-week venture with FASTer Way To Fat Loss (FWTFL) on Monday [August 10th], and cannot wait to earn some solid tools to keep our health going in the right direction.

While weight loss (for me) will be great, that isn’t our focus. I want to feel healthy, and Jake is looking forward to putting on muscle mass. Ahna is going to help us each step of the way!

What’s even more exciting you ask?! We get to do this 6 weeks along with my cousin and her husband. How cool is that?!

Consider joining us this time around (follow my Link), we’d love more friends to be an accountability team – let’s do this together, the HEALTHY way! 💪💪 Once you sign yourself up, your spouse can sign up for 50% off! We took advantage of that!

Jake has always been my biggest encourager and supporter in life and life’s adventures. To find something we can do together that will be tailored for each of us is perfect.

Ask questions, and let me know if you decide to do it with us or a future one. We’re so excited to commit to ourselves and our bodies/health.

Shelly’s photos taken on 8/8/20
Jake’s photos taken 8/8/20

(Don’t worry, we have more “revealing” photos we’ll share later on, but for now – these show plenty. 🤣😂🤪)

#health #fitness #journey #shakeandjelly #fwtfl #fasterwaytofatloss

*Affiliate link: https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/#ShelPerk

Fertility Journey · Uncategorized

We’re ADOPTING!

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Jake and I have decided to move forward with the adoption process. ❤️

Adoption has always been part of our heartbeat – we just didn’t think it was going to be our first step towards a family. We envisioned having biological children early in our marriage and then beginning the adoption process later as our children grew older… BUT God had different plans for us!

We know this journey can be challenging and emotional in and of itself, but my goodness we are excited! Emotions have been all over the place, but it feels so good to know that we are ready for a child – who was not born from us, but is already a part of our hearts.

I am sure there will be so many questions that you have for us, so let me start by answering a few basic ones here first.

Do you already have a child that is waiting for you to adopt them?:

No, we do not. A while back we were approached about an independent adoption of a young girl’s child, but that journey has stopped and at this time we are no longer pursuing that route. (That was a VERY difficult and emotional few weeks for us as we thought this door had been opened only to find it closed so abruptly.)

We will be going through an Adoption Agency called: Adoptions From the Heart. They have an office here in Lancaster. Our desire is for a newborn (from the hospital). We would so greatly love to have an Open Adoption as we know this can be healing for all individuals involved: birth parents, child(ren), and adoptive parents.

What does the process look like?:

GREAT question! We don’t totally know yet. We will be sending our application in soon (as soon as we get it filled out and ready to go). Once the application is in, we will wait to hear from them and prepare for the next steps: educational courses, home study, etc.

What if you get pregnant while going through the adoption process?:

We will continue the process! God obviously placed this on our hearts for a reason, and we aren’t going to stop that process unless a door is completely shut for us. If that means we have two children around the same age, then what an exciting and eventful journey!

Jake and I are committing to adopting a precious child, and a pregnancy will not stop the process. We just may need a few extra hands of help, ❤️.

What is the cost?:

Nearly $40,000.

Let me break that down:

Application Process: $500

Educational Courses: $600

Home Study: $1,600

Program Fee: $6,500

Pre-placement Meeting: $100/hour

Placement Fee: $23,000 (additional $11,500 for twins)

Post-placement Report: $2,000 ($3000 for twins)

Medical Expenses: total of costs not covered by birth mother’s insurance

PA Legal Fees to Lawyer: approx $2,000-$2,500

You can check out the full breakdown of the fees HERE.

Jake and I have some pretty amazing family members, friends, and business friends (who are like a family). The outpouring of love, prayers, support, and encouragement is hard to fully take in and comprehend. We have been blessed by so many who want to support us financially in some way or another. We will keep you updated on ways you can help, as they arise.

Someone just called me today to offer to pay for our application fee. I AM SPEECHLESS. It’s hard to have the words to truly express how we are feeling right now. I’ve cried many times as the calls keep coming in about ways to love us and support us through this journey.

We love you all so deeply, and we are so excited to finally start our family. Thanks to each and every one of you.

Uncategorized
shakeandjellyLeave a comment

Unfortunately, we did not receive the scholarship again this time around. Although it’s a tough one to swallow as we hoped to move forward in that direction, we now continue to pray harder towards the route of IVF or Adoption.

Our hearts are torn as we long for our sweet family to grow.

To those who continue to pour in to us, love us, pray for us, encourage us, and ask us how we’re doing: THANK YOU!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year!

It sure

Fertility Journey

Next Steps.

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While we wait to hear back from the grant organization (AGC Foundation), we are moving forward in prayer over adoption, fostering, and IVF. They should be making the decisions this week on who they are selecting for the grant. Patiently waiting a response. This grant would go towards a few rounds of medicated fertility treatments (preferably the Pure FSH rounds with ultrasounds). If you remember from previous posts, my body did not handle the Clomid (extremely moody) or Letrozole (intense migraine 24/7).

It is recommended for a few rounds (4-6 cycles) to conceive. Statistically it does not happen the first few times so I factored that when I applied for the grant. Each cycle is approximately $1500.00, so funding through AGC Foundation (or another organization) to be able to do this would be a blessing.

 

If we do not receive the grant, what are our next steps?:

Jake and I have gone to a few meetings/events about adoption and fostering recently. The most recent event at our church was pretty amazing. They had a panel from various Lancaster County organizations, adoptive parents, foster parents, a birth mother, and an adopted child (now an adult). It was so beautiful to hear from all those different perspectives and to give us a better direction on where we are feeling led.

My heart is still set on adoption of a newborn, but we are becoming more and more open and excited for a future adoption of an older child (age 6+). We understand that is where the biggest need is right now.

After reviewing a few of the organizations and options, it has come to our attention that in this moment – fostering is not our path. We both feel this may be a good fit for us later in life, but I don’t know that my heart could handle such loss after attachment.

Jake and I have also been able to narrow the organization down to Adoptions From The Heart (at this time). They have Open Infant Domestic Adoption (newborn from the hospital) with the opportunity to meet the birth parent(s) and great minimum standards for contact after placement.

If you would like to know how to best pray for us in this moment, we are praying and deciding between IVF or newborn Adoption – if we do not receive the grant. However, we also continue to pray for wisdom and connections with a young girl/couple who is choosing to not abort, but are wanting to put their sweet child up for adoption after birth. I feel led to continue mentioning this, as perhaps someone reading this will know of someone in this type of situation.

 

What’s the cost for the Adoption?

After calculating the cost, it seems to come in just under $40,000. While this number may seem daunting, we have a great God who can do amazing things. If this is the path the Lord leads us down, He will provide.

 

What’s the cost for IVF?

I don’t have an exact number for this, but if I remember the numbers correctly it will be between $20,000-$30,000. Although we have tried to avoid lots of medications throughout this process, we may need to go this route.

 

How will you raise the funds?

Great question! Again, God will provide. We’ll most likely get creative with fun/interactive ways for our friends, family, and acquaintances to help us reach the goals along the way, as they feel led. We will probably do this for either of the two options.

If you have any great ideas for fundraisers, or ones that would inspire you to give to a loved one – let us know! We are excited about this part of the journey!

 

Here are a few fundraising ideas I have:

  1. Sell puzzle pieces of an image we choose. Each person that purchases one writes their name on the back. We will frame this, and hang in the nursery.
  2. Jake (and maybe my Dad & Brother) will build an item (bench, picnic table, etc.) to sell to raise funds.
  3. Painting gourd birdhouses, slate pieces, wood, etc. to sell.
  4. Make fudge, homemade hard candy, or other great food items to sell.
  5. Ordering bracelets
  6. T-shirt orders
  7. Crowdfunding (need to do some more research on this)
  8. Hand out jars with a special note to friends/family who want to participate – and have them fill with spare change. Fun family activity.
  9. Yard Sale (people can donate items to be sold)
  10. Flock-A-Friend: look it up! HAHA!
  11. Set-up a photo shoot, and either pay a photographer or find someone to donate their time – families would pay by donations towards our adoption/IVF.

Which one is your favorite?

 

Thank you for all your continued prayers and encouragement. We love you all!

 

Fertility Journey

I pray we never forget our journey.

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I have grown to realize that many don’t know/understand the hurt behind their words. Although a simple phrase can be so hurtful, I truly believe they just don’t understand.

Phrases NOT to say to someone struggling with fertility:

“you will be a Mommy/Daddy someday…”
“you’d be great parents…”
“you’ve just gotta keep practicing…”
“have you thought about adoption?…”
“just stop thinking about it, it’ll happen…”
“ugh, kids are such a pain – be glad you don’t have any…”
“have fun with it…”
“want to borrow my child?…”
“oh, my friend struggled with fertility… they did this…”
“just adopt a kid, then you’ll get pregnant…”
“stop being so upset/depressed…”
“you really should be happy with what you’ve been blessed with in life already…”
“enjoy just the two of you…”
“oh, I bet that’s great birth control for you…” (when changing a diaper, hearing a kid throwing a fit, etc. – FYI, none of that turns me away from being a Mommy)

We’ve heard them all, and more. These statements have stung (some pretty deep) over the years. Many of them come from a pure heart and from someone who wants to love, encourage, and give us advice. While we love you, please think through your words before speaking to someone hurting (whether fertility or another situation in their life).

Our hearts have been created to love children. We know the challenges of parenthood (and I know we’ll understand them fully when we are parents), but that does NOT deter us from wanting sweet children. Any chance I get, I will change both of my nieces’ diapers. If one is fussy/crying I’ll snatch them up and attempt to calm them. I thoroughly enjoy walking through the door or in to a room and being greeted by their sweet smiles and pure joy. God has designed my heart as a Mommy, and Jake’s heart as a Daddy.

What are some phrases you can use instead?:

“We love you.”
“Our hearts and our prayers are with you both.”
“How are you doing?”
“How can I help carry your burdens?”
“Want to meet up for coffee or a game night?”
“Been thinking about you…”
“I don’t understand all that you’re going through, but if you ever want to talk I am here…”

Guess what? We’re still humans who thrive on human interaction. We have bad days and sometimes need time alone, but most we still enjoy normal activities. You can simply let us know you love us and are praying for us – as we are ready we will share more. When we do share, listen. Your suggestions may be great ones, but we usually aren’t ready to hear them (and most likely have heard them before and/or tried them already).

 

Do you know what can hurt the most?

When someone who has been through their own fertility journey (recently or years ago) truly forgets the pain, fear, frustrations, hurt, emotional roller coasters each month and so forth. They say just as hurtful of statements, and try to downplay parenthood to make you feel better. “We didn’t realize kids would be this difficult…” “I wish we would have spent more time as just the two of us before kids…” I pray that Jake and I never forget our journey. That we never forget our joys, sorrows, and pain through these many years – and that we always love and encourage others who also struggle.

May we use this pain to show others love.

May we use this pain to show others love..png

 

Fertility Journey

“God, just give us a baby.”

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It’s been a rough few months.

Still no baby. Lots of heartache. Continuing to hold on to hope, even as it seems to fade.

It’s difficult to keep posting as there is no exciting updates on our journey, but I know our difficult times are just as important to post.

As I lay in bed this evening weeping, Jake held me and cried out to God: “God, just give us a baby!” That prayer was healing tonight. A simple cry out to the Lord – one I’ve often prayed myself, but sunk in more as I heard it escape his lungs. We cried together.

We are broken. In our brokenness we cry out for healing, comfort, answers, and our yearning to be parents.

Our hearts ache. Daily, hourly, and sometimes as each minute passes.

I had been writing affirmations every morning as I woke, and evening before bed (started them again this evening). Here is an excerpt from them: “I love being an influential Aunt and an amazing Mommy.” I may not be a Mommy yet (nor Jake a Daddy), but Lord willing we will be parents some day.

We covet your prayers.

Fertility Journey

It’s been a while.

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Sorry our posts have been so few and far between!

We have had a very active and great summer, and I haven’t set aside much time to sit down and really write.  What a blessing to have the summer to spend more time together as a couple and TRAVEL! We’ve been traveling for missions, family vacation, business, and weddings. I think our big travels are complete for the summer, but we had such a wonderful time. Here is a brief overview of our summer:

Andover, NY – Bachelorette/Bridal Shower for my (Shelly) cousin, Patty!:
Such a blessing to shower her with love that weekend! The Bachelorette consisted of a painting party and then checking out a few bars – favorite being Cider Creek Hard Cider. I highly recommend making your way there if you’re up that way!

It was so wonderful to catch up with my sweet cousins, cry, and laugh. These women are near and dear to my heart. ❤

 

Washington, DC – Missions trip with our youth through Experience Mission:
Jake and I served in the mission field for our very first time TOGETHER. We have both gone on missions trip in the past, but never together. It was such a joy to serve alongside of each other for a week in Washington, DC. We painted, ran a kid’s club, yard work, cleaned the streets, fed the homeless, and so much more. 

Cape May, NJ – Family VACATION for a week! 
First time in a while we’ve gone on a long family vacation. It was such a wonderful time spending quality time with our precious niece for her first experience at the beach/bay. She bonded a lot with Jake over this trip – what a joy to watch that unfold. Each morning we would wake up to her coming out in to the living room and squealing at us, <3.

We went to the bay and beach, learned new games, checked out local antique shops, enjoyed crabbing (caught 30 crabs), walked around at the Cape May Zoo, played mini golf at an awesome location, and so much more!

I could not just pick a few photos from our trip, so enjoy!

 

Duluth, GA – trip with our company to our Home Office.
Such an incredible experience! Jake and I have been in the business since 2011, and had never made it down to our Home Office. We had the opportunity to meet many influential individuals, and learn from some of the best in our business. Opened our vision even wider – educating and helping more families around the US, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster!

We stayed with our great friends, Jason & Christi. Reconnecting with them was so wonderful! Our company does a weekly live broadcast, and we were able to be a part of it! 😀

Bliss, NY (and Rexville, NY) – Patty & Darren’s Wedding:
Oh what a joy to be with family! We love spending any chance we have to be with them. Laughing, dancing, and playing games. Such a great celebration of MARRIAGE!

…and any opportunity to hold a precious little one, I’ll take it! Lots of baby snuggles!

 

As you can see, it’s been a whirlwind of exciting adventures. Have we forgotten about our fertility journey? No. However, it was nice to have a healthy break from dwelling on it daily. Distractions can be good, at times – and this summer has been a healthy distraction.

Please pray for us as we make decisions on how to move forward in our journey.