GIVEAWAY:Daddy Doll

Today is an exciting day...I get to tell you about Daddy Dolls Inc!

Daddy Dolls was started by Tricia and Nikki, two Marine wives whose children were missing their deployed Daddy's.  They saw how much the dolls helped their children cope with the deployment stress and decided to make them for other families.

This is an awesome deployment tool but I think it's also great for families that have a member who travels for work, family that lives out of town, Emergency or Police Officers. 

We are a proud Coast Guard family who deals with deployments several times a year. The girls miss their Daddy very much while he's gone and the Daddy Doll is going to be there for them to snuggle with and have "Daddy" there for our everyday things like trips to the store, doctors office visits and bed time.   

All you need to do is visit their website at:

Daddy Dolls.com

Upload a head to toe picture and they will edit out the background and make a super cute and soft doll for your child to snuggle with. I was so happy to read that they are machine washable, that's a must in my book. Then pick out which fabric you would like on the back, there are lots of choices for both boys and girls.  We chose the 17 inch dolls with pink camo, aqua paisley and Amy Butler pink, because of course we had to get one for each of the girls!

 They each have a keepsake pocket sewn on the back, you can also add a voice recorder or text for under your picture for an additional cost. 

The lovely ladies at Daddy Dolls Inc have so graciously allowed me to host a giveaway for one 17 inch Daddy Doll for one of my lucky readers!!!  Enter below through the Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you're new to Happy House of 5 be sure to check out my other posts on Military Life and Deployment:

Deployment Countdown Printable


and Our First Deployment.

2nd Deployment 2012

Welcome Home Daddy!

Remember how I talked about deployment last week?

I shared my favorite Deployment countdown and Easy Deployment Meals because it was what we were going through.  Daddy just got home from his second deployment.  He was gone for two weeks, which is nothing compared to my friends whose husbands are in different branches of the military.  They are short deployments, but he will be going often.  Any extended period of time that Daddy has to go away isn't easy for all of us.

 

The girls were very excited to have Daddy home, they got to stay up a little late to wait for him to get home from the air station earlier this week.

 

Daddy grew a mustache while he was away, this is only two weeks of growing....imagine longer! 

{Don't tell him this....but I kind of like it}

 

We are glad to have you home Daddy!!

Easy Deployment Recipes

 

One thing I don't look forward to when Daddy deploys is cooking, he typically grills a couple of times a week for me and I LOVE him for that!  For some reason when he leaves, my desire to cook goes with him.  I don't want the girls and I to eat out all the time so I keep easy meals in mind for this time. The girls know that when Daddy is gone we usually have breakfast for dinner once a week (like my Fluffy Freezer Pancakes) and other easy meals. Here are a few of my favorites:

Happy Home Fairy's Pizza Bubble

We just tried this and we LOVE it!! 

My house smelled so good while it cooked :)

You could add other ingredients to the bubbles to change it up a bit.

Comfy in the Kitchen's Crescent Chicken

Another family favorite!  Simple and Yummy!!

I usually bring this to family's I'm bringing a meal

 who just had a baby, is sick or just in need of some lovins ;)

Comfy in the Kitchen's Spaghetti Sauce

This makes a big pot of sauce so I freeze

 the leftovers and usually have enough to freeze

 containers for two more meals for our Happy House.

Repeat Crafter Me's Crock Pot Chicken Taco

I found a recipe somewhere on pinterest for these easy

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos and couldn't find the same link

but found the same one on this blog.  Super easy is the name of my deployment dinners :)

Chicken Parmesean Meatloaf

Very tasty and simple, I make some pasta and a veggie to go with it. 

You could make two and freeze one for later or give it to someone :)

 

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as our Happy House has!! 

 

 

Deployment Countdown Printable

November is Military Family Appreciation month so I'll be doing some deployment posts.  As a Coast Guard Spouse I am proud to have my husband serve our country!  Friends all over Facebook are going through or ending deployments.  I keep all my military friends in my prayers because dealing with deployment is such a sacrifice for the entire family.  I'm so grateful for all of the military families out there who keep us safe!

Here is an adorable Deployment Countdown printable, it could also be used for Daddy's who aren't in the military and are working out of town! 

Just print out this freebie, cut and staple

the colorful strips and you have a very cute countdown!

click her button here to get this cute free printable!

 

Our First Deployment

Family time for us is not always on the weekend, we go by the work schedule and take what we can get.  Our first deployment was coming up, so the Pilot gets a couple of days off before leaving.  This happened to fall on a Tuesday while the big girls were in school so it was just a family day for three.  We had a nice lunch out followed by a little park play time. 

Daddy and Little Sis walking to go see the boats go by. 

Mommy and her littlest girl

She loves to be thrown in the air, giggling the entire time.

I wanted to send some homemade goodness with the Pilot, for him and his crew to enjoy while away from home.  This is one of our favorite cookie recipes from Janelle over at Comfy in the Kitchen.  I replaced the regular vanilla pudding mix with french vanilla and skipped putting it in the fridge for an hour because I made them quickly the night before he left, and they turned out just fine. 

 

Well, the Pilot arrived at his deployment destination just fine and we were able to have a morning skype session for a few minutes.  I'm so thankful for technology such as skype to be able to keep in touch with him while he is away!  I'm also counting my blessings that his deployments are just a couple of weeks as opposed to a lot of my friends from the other military branches that have to go without their husbands months at a time.  It's not easy being without your husband but we have to stay focused on all the blessings in our lives and be grateful!