This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CloudPets™. 

Every mom knows how difficult it can be to connect with kids when separated. Most of us are juggling work and family commitments and time is short! Throughout the day, I think about mine constantly. I need to know they’re safe and happy, and though we have regular check-in, it still isn’t enough. I’m worried they are feeling lonely and disconnected when we’re apart, but it’s impossible for me to be there every minute. That’s why I was very excited to discover CloudPets™, a toy that help parents connect with their kids when they’re on the go.

CloudPets™ are programmable stuffed animals that allow you to record custom messages that can be sent and received. Stories, games, and lullabies are also included. Simply download the app and say whatever is on your mind/heart. Your child will then see its heart blinking, indicating a message is available. Just squeeze the paw and it will play. Couldn’t be easier!

Parents manage a security gate where they approve/reject all incoming messages, and no messages can be sent to, or received from, a CloudPets™ except from a device within 30 feet. However, messages can be sent to profiles (and then to the pet) from anywhere in the world, allowing friends and families to communicate with kids from afar. Knowing the device is safe allows peace of mind.

I love that Cloud Pets are available in a variety of different animals, so you can select your child’s favorite:

• Bunny
• Puppy
• Kitty
• Teddy
• Unicorn
• Elephant

Mine are crazy for the puppy!

While we like to use it daily for no special reason, those who face longer separations will find it especially useful:

• Service members deployed away from their children
• Divorced parents that may have limited in-person contact
• Relatives living in different states—especially Grandparents!

Sure, anyone in those situations could use FaceTime, and that’s okay, but you can’t hug a phone! CloudPets combines mobile messaging app technology with a cuddly toy that allows people to give and receive virtual hugs from afar via personal messages, making it feel more special and comforting to a child. 

For more information or to purchase CloudPets™, check out their website.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CloudPets™. All opinions are my own.

Fall has always been my favorite season. I love the crisp, cool weather, apple cider, pumpkins, and most of all, colored leaves! When I was growing up, we used to always make leaf collages. This is a wonderful, family-friendly activity that’s easy and frugal.

To make a Colored Leaf Collage, you will need:

• An iron
• Waxed paper
• Leaves (make sure they’re completely dry for optimal results!)

1. Start by gathering the leaves. I love to use a mix of colors—red, orange, and yellow—but if you can only find a single color, that’s fine. If leaves are dry, you can proceed immediately. If not, dry overnight by spreading on newspaper.
2. Set up iron/board and heat to a moderate setting. Obviously, don’t leave unattended with children underfoot.
3. Cut wax paper into 2 equal size pieces. Lay out one piece, arrange leaves, then top with remaining paper piece.
4. Iron quickly, pressing firmly.

Leaf collages keep for quite a while and are fun to display on a wall or the fridge. They also make a terrific gift for friends or relatives that live in warm climates who don’t experience the change of seasons. I make one annually for my sister in Florida. She loves it and says it always makes her feel less homesick!

The past two days have been very grueling—not because of anything going on in my own life, surprisingly, but because a friend was just diagnosed with cancer. The news hit me hard, much harder than I expected it would and honestly, I feel devastated.

This friend is someone who lives on the West coast. Because we live across the country from each other, we mainly keep in contact through email and phone calls. Even though we don’t have in-person visits, our connection is strong and I have gotten so much support from her over the years. Unlike me, she is extremely positive and happy and I love talking to her because she always makes everything seem better.

I had called her to talk about nothing in particular and was complaining about my disappointing Sukkot. As always, she listened intently and commiserated. When I finally paused and asked how she was, imagine my horror when the reply was: “Pretty bad. I have breast cancer.”

Immediately, I started crying. I was worried for her, I was so sorry for her, and I was also ashamed of myself for complaining about my own trivial problems when she was dealing with an actual crisis.

As many of my readers know, I struggle with a sleep disorder, chronic pain, and chronic infections. These problems have severely effected my quality of life, but none are fatal (for which I am grateful!). My health problems do bring me down often and sometimes they seem insurmountable. But nothing I deal with can ever compare to cancer! I may feel rotten most of the time, but I am not dying.

My beloved friend, however, truly is in a life or death situation. That is scary for anyone, but much, much worse for a 38-year-old single mother of 3 young kids without any family support. She is now faced with chemotherapy, a mastectomy, and the possibility neither will keep her alive. Hearing her break down and sob, wondering who will raise her children if she dies, is heartbreaking.

I want so badly to help her—to drive her to the doctor, be there for her surgery, nurse her back to good health. I want to take all of her pain and fear and uncertainty away. I want to assure her that she will recover and live into her 90’s. But I can’t do that; nobody can.

Breast cancer is treatable and many women go on to survive for decades. I am hoping beyond hope that will be the case for my friend, but we have no way of knowing what the future holds. All I can do is listen, and comfort, and pray, and be there for her anyway she asks. I wish I could do more.

Those of us who consider ourselves “fixers” understand this feeling. We love to take charge and find solutions. I certainly do! Yet in this particular instance there is no quick fix and that’s hard for me to accept. I wish I could make it go away.

Instead, I’m trying to focus on reality. I’m helping her research specialists, hospitals, and childcare options. I’m paying attention to her needs instead of my own. I’m doing the best I can, and still it seems like so little…

I HATE cancer!

If you’ve ever dealt with a similar situation, please give me some tips on how to support a cancer patient. I feel so incompetent!

This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on links. 

Although there are a number of options for purchasing pre-owned smartphones and tablets online, not all of them are reliable. Gazelle is my favorite for all of these reasons:

• Gazelle performs a 30+-point inspection on all their devices (iPhones, Galaxy phones, and iPads), which guarantees that every feature of the device is tested and is of the highest quality before it’s sold to you. This is also backed by a 30-day return policy.
• Because Gazelle Certified devices mean no contracts or strings attached, you can upgrade your device at up to 40% less than buying a new one and avoid being tied to an expensive two-year contract that you might not need. You can keep your carrier, or go with a new one. The choice is yours.
• You can also easily trade-in your used iPhone, iPad, iPod, MacBook, AppleTV, and other smartphones and smart devices to Gazelle for cash in three easy steps.

Using Gazelle is easy; it only takes 3 steps:

Step 1: Select your gadget from a list of options on Gazelle’s “Trade-In” page, answer a few questions, and then Gazelle provides you with an offer for your device.

Step 2: For items worth $1 or more, it’s free to ship your device to Gazelle. Once your trade-in is received, the device is inspected to make sure its condition matches your evaluation.

Step 3: Payment. If the device matches your description, Gazelle will pay you in the form of a check, an Amazon.com gift card, or via PayPal. Payment takes about a week once Gazelle receives your device.

If you want to sell your old phone or device and get a fair, cash price for it, Gazelle is the safest, easiest, most reliable way to go. And if you want to upgrade your device without having to pay retail rates or deal with a poor-quality purchase, make your life easy and shop Gazelle Certified.