I am so giddy about this perfect summer review I have for you from Del Mex! I have recently become obsessed with these Mexican Blankets I have been seeing everywhere. Every color, every style, I see them and they catch my eye, and I cannot get enough! They are so awesome to just keep in the back of your car, ready for a park playdate, beach trip, campfire raost, the options are endless!

Del Mex was established in 2002 and is located in Southern California. All of their products are authentic Mexican and are sent directly to them through artisans from Southern Mexico. So take note that each piece is handmade and unique in its own way!

The boys and I were lucky enough to be able to have some fun with a bunch of these blankets over the past couple of weeks, and I have a few different styles to tell you about.  Drooling starts......NOW.

// THE SERAPE //

The Serape might be my favorite blanket that we tried out! Del Mex offers this blanket in 16, SIXTEEN different colors, and FIVE different sizes! Seriously, the options are endless on this one. I opted for the extra large, because let's be honest, this blanket is coming to every major outing with us, and we are about to become a family of five, so the bigger the better! We went for the white color base and I love the color pop that gives. You can get this blanket in an XS all the way up to XL.  Also, these blankets get softer and softer with each wash. BONUS!

// CLASSIC MEXICAN BLANKET //

The classic mexican blanket is, well, classic of course! The classic has been around for generations. There are so many uses for this blanket, from yoga, to a nice day in the backyard reading a book during nap time, to a staple on your bed...you can't go wrong. I was in the hospital all last week and used my classic as one of 2 covers. That baby can put out some heat! I plan on using mine in our awful Iowa winter when I cant get warm. I will have one on my bed, in my car...probably every place I can think of!  It's breathable,  yet gives you that weight that is needed to keep the cool out. This one is also one that washes up easy and gets softer and softer with each use and wash. This one comes in EIGHTEEN different colors! If you have a problem making decisions...good luck with this one. :)

// DELUXE CLASSIC BLANKET //

The Deluxe Classic is a more colorful version of the classic blanket! If you are looking for a certain pop of color to use the blanket as an accent piece in a bedroom or living room, this would be the blanket you would choose.  But be careful... you only have 24 options to choose from!!! So many choices, I'm just going to say good luck, and leave it at that.

OK, do I have you obsessed yet?? WELL....lucky for us, Del Mex has sent me TWO Classic blankets to give away!!! WAHOO!!! We will give one away here on our blog, and one on our instagram account, @iowamedicalpartners. Don't have an Instagram? Now would be a great time to get that going. ;)

So here is how you enter, each option is worth one entry, please make separate comments for each entry!

1) comment on this post and tell me where you would use your Del Mex mexican blanket most!

2) Follow Del Mex on Facebook. For an extra entry, comment on their page and thank them for giving IMP this giveaway!

3) Follow Del Mex on Instagram

Thats 4 total entries for the blog giveaway. GOOD LUCK and thanks for reading!! Giveaway will end next Friday, August 9th at midnight and will be announced Saturday. :)

****CANT WAIT to buy your own? Head to the Del Mex Website to purchase your own blanket.

//Serape// $14-32
//Classic// $25
//Deluxe Classic// $35

We had two great activities in June that I am finally posting about! Our May walk with Hike It Baby was rescheduled due to weather. We finally had a nice day in June to meet up at Willow Creek Park in Iowa City. We took a mile walk around the path, played on the playground , and ate lunch! It you haven't checked out Hike It Baby on Facebook yet , be sure to do so! The following week was our tour of the MacBride Raptor Center. The kids had a great time learning about all the different birds and wildlife. The staff was wonderful at keeping the kids attention! Thank you to everyone who came out to join us!

Who is ready for an awesome night in Cedar Rapids? I hope you are because the Glo Run is coming to town!

August 1st the Glo Run is coming to Cedar Rapids! This 5k event is nothing but fun! Grab your friends and register for a night you do not want to miss. The 5k starts at 8:55 and the after party starts at 9:10, including a costume contest! The course has lit up sections of the course where you run through glowing tunnels of kissing giraffes and past the watering hole surrounded by glowing animals and plants. Don't forget your glow sticks so that you will also light up the night. 

You can get a team of your friends to register together. If you get 5 teammates you get free sunglasses. Right now you can register for $25 (until 7/15 - that's tomorrow!). Head to our Facebook page to enter to win your entry by leaving me a comment telling me what the most exciting thing you did this summer was. 

For more information on the Glo Run, check out their website and their Facebook page. 

I hope you all had a great time at the brunch this last weekend! We really enjoyed spending the morning with you and getting to know our new members. 

One of the great things we gave away at the brunch was a set of College Team Trains. These wood trains are such a huge hit at our house! If you have a little engineer at your house who loves the Hawkeye Express these are the perfect train for them. 

These trains are very well made and connect to other cars and engines by magnets. My sons have gotten them to connect to our wooden Thomas Trains that we have and they fit on the wooden track as well. My kids love the Hawkeye logo on the sides of the engine and the Herky on the boxcars. We are looking forward to taking our little Herky Trains for a ride on the Hawkeye Express come football season. 

If you are interested in getting your little train lover their own Iowa Train you can order one from College Team Trains. You can also pick one up at Herky's Locker Room in Coralville and the Iowa Children's Museum. You can see more of the teams offered on the College Team Trains Facebook page. 

Raise your hand if you're excited about the brunch on Saturday! ME, ME, ME! And I am even more excited to tell you about Spruce and Fresh, a great new company that makes some amazing bath products.  

Spruce and Fresh is a California based company that makes all of their products by hand. They are all dessert themed and all look beautiful. There are beautiful petite four bath bombs with flakes of gold leaf on them. There are super yummy looking macaroon bubble bars and real enough looking to eat cupcake bath bombs. 

On top of the yummy dessert bath bombs, Spruce and Fresh makes beautiful soaps and shower scrubs. The shower scrubs are whipped and smell amazing. They are also great for exfoliating. 

Now for the best part, Spruce and Fresh sent this great gift basket. It comes with a cupcake bath bomb, a container or whipped shower foam, and a set of 2 petite four bath bombs. For your chance to win this gift basket, you need to come to the brunch. If you would like to order some Spruce and Fresh products for yourselves you can order from their website. If you want to see more of their awesome products you can check out their Facebook page. 

Baby moccasins are all the rage, and I am so excited that we were able to team up with Freshly Picked Moccasins again, the original moccasin makers! Last year I was able to review a pair of their Weathered Brown moccasins with Nix, and I didn't know how much I would love them! He was obsessed with them to the point that he wore a hole in the toe. They were my go to pair of shoes with him- they aren't clunky like a lot of other toddler shoes are and they are actually really good for kids feet! I was surprised they held up as long as they did with how much he wore them.  He definitely got a good 6 months out of them and I was so sad when they got the hole and his pudgy feet were just too big for them.  Not to mention, they are just SO DARN CUTE!

Freshly Picked sent me over a new pair to review, and my preggo brain ordered the same size that I did last time, so to no avail they don't fit Nix like I thought they would (DUH!) but I will be so excited to use them with my third baby boy. In fact it's probably better this way since Nix is a little more wild and maybe needs something more durable than a soft soled shoe. The moccs do come in larger sizes for older children but I think if your kids are as crazy as mine, I recommend them for the younger kiddos.

I chose to review the Blue Spruce Moccs this time around and when I took them out of the cute bag I remembered how pretty they are all brand new and fresh! The leather is so thick and soft and it's no wonder they hold up as well as they do. They have SOO many cute and fun options ( especially for girls!!!!) I promise it will take you forever to pick out just one pair. If you asked me if I thought they would be worth the $60 that they charge for them, I would say absolutely. The quality can't be beat and sometimes you just have to splurge on your kiddos, because what are kids for any way? ;)

WE WILL BE GIVING AWAY A PAIR OF MOCCS AT THE WELCOME BRUNCH ON SATURDAY! HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT! And may the odds be ever in your favor....!!!

Who is ready for an awesome night in Cedar Rapids? I hope you are because the Glo Run is coming to town!

August 1st the Glo Run is coming to Cedar Rapids! This 5k event is nothing but fun! Grab your friends and register for a night you do not want to miss. The 5k starts at 8:55 and the after party starts at 9:10, including a costume contest! The course has lit up sections of the course where you run through glowing tunnels of kissing giraffes and past the watering hole surrounded by glowing animals and plants. Don't forget your glow sticks so that you will also light up the night. 

You can get a team of your friends to register together. If you get 5 teammates you get free sunglasses. Right now you can register for $25 (until 7/15 - that's tomorrow!). Or if you want to try your luck you have the opportunity to win your entry at the Welcome Brunch on Saturday! 

For more information on the Glo Run, check out their website and their Facebook page. 

I know you all are getting really excited about the Welcome Brunch coming up next Saturday and that all of the posts telling you about the great things you will be getting in your swag bags have to super pumped to take one of those bad boys home. I have another great product to tell you all about that you will each be going home with. 

Bai drinks have sent each of you a full sized Bai5 drink. Bai5 has so many delicious flavor choices and they are made using all natural products like stevia and coffeefruit. Each bottle is full of antioxidants and each serving is only 5 calories. You can't get much better than that! 

These drinks are the perfect way to start your day or recharge after a workout or to just chill out and relax in the beautiful summer weather we have been having. Hurry up and RSVP for the Welcome Brunch to get your own bottle! Once you're hooked on these yummy drinks, you can pick up some more and try all the different flavors at most of the stores and gas stations around town. 

Thank you Bai for donating a drink for each of our members!!

Hi Everyone! Great news for you! Remember those awesome swag bags we've been telling you all about? Well let me tell you about a couple of awesome things that will be in the bags. 

Chick-Fli-A of Coral Ridge Mall has donated a coupon card for each of you! These cards give you the option to choose between an 8 piece chicken nuggets or a chicken sandwich. You can't go wrong with either of those choices! (On a side note July 14th is Cow Appreciation Day and if you dress like a cow you can get free chicken!)

McDonald's has also donated a coupon card for each of you to get a McCafe drink. For those of you thinking, "but its too hot for coffee!" don't worry! McCafe drinks cover drinks from coffee to milk shakes! McDonald's has some awesome drinks. Their milkshakes are always good and their frozen lemonades are so refreshing during the hot days of summer. Don't forget about a yummy fruit smoothie to start your day or a coffee to give you that caffeine boost. 

A big thank you to Chick Fil A and to McDonald's for donating these awesome swag bag stuffers!! Don't forget to RSVP for the Welcome Brunch on July 18th so you can take home your goody bag too!

Its summer time in Iowa and that means it’s getting buggy around here. I don’t know about you but I’m not a big fan of smelling like heavy duty, deep woods bug spray all day. Deet is not my favorite smell. I love the natural bug sprays that are out on the market, especially the ones that are made in Iowa because they actually work on Iowa bugs. Now there is a new company on the market in the natural bug sprays from Iowa, Bug Protector.

Bug Protector is an all natural, deet free bug blocker that is available in a spray or a solid. It was developed and manufactured in Cedar Rapids, just right up the road from Iowa City. Bug Protector is made with essential oils of lemongrass, geranium, peppermint, and cinnamon. They also use something called vanillin, which is more effective than vanilla scent at keeping the bugs away.

Bug Protector is available at Casey’s General store and True Value Hardware in North Liberty. It comes in spray form, which you can get in an easy to travel pen size or a regular spray bottle up to 8 oz. It is also available in a solid, which is easy to apply and can be used anywhere.

Bug Protector wanted each of you to get to try out their amazing product so each of you are going home from the brunch with a full size solid stick of Bug Protector Balm. I know once you try it for yourself, you will want to have a bottle in every car and by every door of your house to help you have a fun, bug free summer. For more information on Bug Protector you should check out their Facebook page. 

I am always keeping my eyes peeled for amazing baby products, and when I came across BityBean carriers, I knew I had to have one! BityBean offers compact baby carriers that are going to make your life 100% easier. I don't know about you, but I struggle with carriers. From picking which one is the best for me, the colors, patterns, different wraps and styles..there are just too many choices! Well, not to throw another one your way, but this one is going to be one that's a no-brainer. As many of you can relate, I travel without my hubby 99% of the time. He can rarely get away from work, so that means me traveling with all of the little ones by myself. This also means I am going to need both of my hands to carry luggage, strollers, and all of the necessities that kids require. Here is where BityBean comes in! BityBean is compact, light weight, and easy to put on. Not only was it a lifesaver for me at the airport, but packing it in my luggage after using it made it all worth it! It folds into a nice travel bag that is light weight, so you don't have to worry about using 2 pounds of your precious 50 pound limit! No worries about all of the straps and buckles, just roll that little guy up and stick him into the mesh bag that is provided with each carrier. Trust me, it will be the best purchase you have made for baby yet! Here is a picture of me last year when Nix was about 18 months.  I carried him on both my front and back in the BItyBean. I love that it is capable of doing that!

Now you want one don't you? One lucky person is going to be taking one home at the Welcome Brunch...maybe it will be YOU! Hope to see you there!

Thank you to BityBean for providing the giveaway product!

July is Here!! We are less than 3 weeks away from our Welcome Brunch and you do not want to miss it! We will have some of our amazing sponsors there to share what they love about Iowa and share with you how they can help you. You will get a chance to meet our returning and new members and our officers. You will get a chance to win some AMAZING prizes that our officers have been working hard to get for you. You will get an AWESOME swag bag full of information and treats. And, last but not least, we will have some yummy food and treats!! 

Check your inbox for your evite and make sure that you RSVP as soon as possible. You do not want to miss this event! If you have any questions feel free to contact Ali or Ashley and we will be happy to help. Stayed tuned to the blog and our Instagram and Facebook pages for updates about all of the fun prizes you can win just for showing up!

Welcome to July! Here are some of the exciting events we have planned for you.

1-Happy Medical New Year!
4-Happy Birthday America!
7-SOS at Heyn's Ice Cream in North Liberty 7:00 (Adults Only Please)
10-Playgroup at Tiffin Splash Pad
13- Playgroup at Marcus Theaters in Coralridge Mall - Curious George Movie ($3 per person)
18- Welcome Brunch at Kirkwood Room in Iowa City (Members Only) Please RSVP soon!
24- Playgroup Meet and Greet at Becky's House
28-Children's Activities at Johnson County Fair Kid's Day

Book Club will be hosted by Lindsey Davis (Details to come)
Entertainment Club will be held at Cafe Crema at 7:30 and we will be having yummy drinks and playing board games (date TBA)