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ALL I Never Knowed: The Book Is Here!

September 30, 2021 By: Stephaniecomment

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All I Never Knowed book

It’s finally here, in my hands. It has been a loooong time in the making, but our book, All I Never Knowed: Mental Illness, a Mother’s Love, and a Broken System, is available now. The official launch date is next Tuesday, Oct. 5th. But starting now, you can order from all major retailers.

Here’s where to find our book on

Amazon

Target

and Barnes & Noble

I say “our” book because my oldest son, Nicholas, asked me to write this book. It is the story of his struggle with his mental health and our family’s ten-year fight to get him the help he needs. Nicholas has always been an outgoing, friendly, and talkative kid and he has always been extremely open about his challenges. He knew his mom was a writer, so for years he asked me to write a book about him. It is a story he has always wanted to share. Finally, when he was old enough to truly understand what he was asking and participate in the process, I did.

I had quite a few goals when I was writing this story, such as helping other families feel less alone and getting people better access to community support, but one of the most important aspects of writing the book for me was to make sure to tell a story in which Nicholas was not the bad guy. So often, the children who are subjects of books and media in this genre are painted in a negative way. This is not that kind of book. I believe we need more stories that spur empathy and compassion for the suffering, and I was very careful to be as honest and vulnerable as I possibly could while preserving the dignity of the people in this story (who also happen to be my family.)

I am proud of the final product and so excited to be able to share it with you. Yes, this is our story. But the book also contains sections on resources and coping strategies and ways to get practical support. From the prologue: May it serve as a love letter to each family struggling through mental illness, each child battling the scars of trauma, and each mother questioning her worth.

Don’t just take my word for it.

What the reviews are saying:

“Incredible and insightful don’t even begin to describe this book. As a parent who has recently gone through mental health struggles with their own child, this book did something that is so critical: it made me feel less alone and isolated.Giese writes in a way that is honest, candid and soothing. She makes the reader feel empathy in the difficult moments, and celebratory in the wins.This book is an absolute must read for any parent, grandparent or caregiver who has ever felt alone, confused or scared during the dark days of parenting. I want to give this book to everyone I know” -Rene, GoodReads

“I can’t even begin to describe how I feel about this book. Equal parts awe, gratitude and pride for Stephanie and her son balanced against shock and upset with the current mental health situation for children in our country. All I Never Knowed is a strong, beautiful, important voice and one that must be heard.” -Meredith Spidel, blogger at Mom of the Year

We are excited (and nervous) to share our story. Thank you for all of your support!!

I am also available for Zoom author chats with book clubs, healthcare providers, and educators. Please contact me through my email in the “about” section above.

Check out my Facebook Live interview about the book with Mom of the Year (chat starts at the 1:25 mark).

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Save Money with Fetch

July 12, 2021 By: Chelsea Riedycomment

Hey everyone! This is Chelsea, Steph’s asistant, back with the simplest app for getting cash back on things you’re already buying! We’ve covered Ibotta, Shopkick, Coupons.com, Swagbucks and we’re all saving hundreds of dollars by now, right? RIGHT!? I’m really hoping you guys have jumped on the rebate app savings train because it’s just so good. Every time I shop I feel like I’m sticking it to the man. My family is o-v-e-r me making them gather around when I bring in my bags from the car and play the “Guess how much this was?” game. *Spoiler alert: the answer is almost always free!

Save Money with Fetch

Today’s app is Fetch. It is without a doubt the simplest rebate app there is. It’s not my biggest earner, but I love it for how user-friendly it is. Since downloading it a few months ago, I’ve gotten $77 back.

Save money with Fetch

Here’s how it works:

Simply open the app, select the orange camera button to scan your receipt, and the app detects any offers that apply and credits it to your account. That’s it!

There are two ways to earn points with Fetch. On the Discover page, you can scroll through the listed offers for special deals. The points work like this: 100 = $.10 so 1000 = $1. I have an offer for 750 points on Red Gold Ketchup which means, I’d get $.75 back after scanning my receipt.

How to Save Money With Fetch

Fetch also has 281 brand partners that give you bonus points for any item you buy from that brand like Cheerios, Gatorade, bubly, Hidden Valley, Yoplait, Ben & Jerry’s, Popsicle, and so many more. Even if there aren’t any specific offers shown for those brands, when you scan your receipt, you’ll automatically get bonus points.

How to Save Money With Fetch

You can scan ANY receipt and if there are no offers AND it isn’t a participating brand, you’ll still get 25 points. Get in the habit of scanning every receipt–fast food, gas, restaurants, any store. It all counts! You can cash out starting at 3,000 points ($3). Fetch does not have a Paypal option so I usually choose Target or Amazon.

How to Save Money With Fetch

Here’s an example of a deal currently availble aat the time of this post. There’s tons of categoires so check it out for food, drinks, baby care, health care, and personal care.

Here’s the breakdown:

  • Buy AleveX Topical Pain Reliever Spray at Target for $14.99.
  • You can clip the 5% off coupon in the Target Circle app if you’d like. Search for the product, scroll down, and hit the plus sign next to the 5% off offer.
  • Scan your receipt on Fetch to receive 100% of the amount paid back in points.
  • Redeem your points for a gift card in the app!
How to Save Money With Fetch

Fetch Tips:

  • Pay attention to how many times an offer can be redeemed. Some offers are good for more than one use!
  • Stack your savings by using Swagbucks, Coupons.com, Ibotta, Shopkick, or paper coupons along with Fetch.
  • Online orders count, too! Click the Me icon in the bottom right corner, then select eReceipts. Connect your email and Amazon accounts and you’ll receive credit for eligible online purchases.
  • Use my referral code to get 2,000 points when you scan your first receipt: 3PHD5. Once you start your account, you get a lot of extra points for your first few scans so you’ll be ready to cash out for a gift card in no time!

My husband is notorious for leaving his receipts in his pants pocket so when I do the laundry, this is my new version of finding cash in forgotten places. As long as the receipt is less than 14 days old, you can get credit for it. Scan away, baby!

Give this app a try! If some of the other apps seem complicated, I promise you this one is so easy anyone can figure it out. Last week, there were four offers on coupons.com for totally FREE items–hot dogs, buns, mustard, and Kraft mac n cheese! Did anyone score? I also MADE $10 buying 100% pure maple syrup and it makes me absolutely giddy to get paid to get things for my family.

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Splendid Spoon Review

June 30, 2021 By: Stephaniecomment

I was excited to receive a box of products to try from Splendid Spoon this summer! They invited me to try their line of plant-based, ready-to-eat foods and delivered them right to my door.

splendid spoon box

Check one in the pro column for convenience.

I did receive these products free of charge in order to rate them for you, but all opinions are my own.

Splendid Spoon sent me several smoothies and health shots as well as a few prepared meals to try. Here’s what they sent and what I thought:

splendid spoon foods

Pros:

I loved that the foods were already prepared and easy to grab and go. With Splendid Spoon, you don’t have to cook at all. I think these would be great options if you work full-time out of the house, don’t like to cook, or don’t have access to a full kitchen, like if you are in a dorm or only have a microwave at work. I have tried two other vegan mail-delivery food companies, and both of those required quite a bit of food prep on my end. I liked that with Splendid Spoon all I had to do was open the products and they were ready to go! Plus, they come right to your door. You can’t beat the convenience. No waiting, no cooking, and super healthy ingredients.

splendid spoon smoothies

This was especially great for the smoothies. I didn’t have to wake up my kids by running the blender first thing in the morning. All of the food they sent arrived frozen, but could go either in the refrigerator to be eaten right away or be stored the freezer, which was great because I could save what I didn’t eat immediately.

Once they thawed, the smoothies themselves weren’t quite as thick as I was expecting. I would almost classify them as juices, but the ones I tried were good. I definitely prefer the Splendid Spoon Mint Chip flavor over the same flavor offered by their competitor (plus, with Splendid Spoon, I didn’t have to do any work).

Be aware that each 16 oz smoothie bottle contains two servings. I liked that three bottles could last me almost an entire week.

splendid spoon chili

As far as the meals, the Green Tomatillo Chili Soup was my favorite. It didn’t look super appetizing, but I really liked it and so did two of my daughters.

In the words of my third grader, “I mean, this kind of looks a little bit like throw up, but it tastes really good. It’s confusing.”

My husband said I should have made a video doing blind taste tests of these products, because I have to admit, that was sort of a running theme throughout the week: they all tasted better than they looked, and better than I expected. We were pleasantly surprised every time!

The Cons:

Every mail-delivery food company has the same biggest con, so let’s get it out of the way. Yes, the food is expensive. You do have to pay for the convenience of having healthy, mostly organic, readily prepared food sent right to your doorstep. In our area, I can buy very similar products at our local grocery store for about half the price.

But if you don’t live in an area with that option, place a monetary value on your time, or if you just find it easier to have healthy foods sent straight to you rather than meal planning in advance or being tempted to go into the store and walk past aisles of junk food, then Splendid Spoon could be a great choice!

I would say the other major con of Splendid Spoon, more so than similar companies I’ve tried, was all the single use plastic. I do expect companies that cater to a vegan lifestyle to be more environmentally friendly. Every single item they sent me was packaged in a plastic bottle or container, which was a bit disappointing. I hope in the future they might be able to transition to more sustainable packaging.

splendid spoon bottles

Overall:

In terms of taste, convenience, and quality ingredients, I have to say that Splendid Spoon is my favorite mail-delivery vegan food company so far! I would rate them 8/10, docking one point for the price and one for all the plastic.

The good news is that right now they are having a 4th of July sale, so you can try Splendid Spoon at a lower price. New customers can receive $60 off your first three boxes if you order here.

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Welcome! I’m Steph.

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Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese

Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese

That work/life balance must be hiding here somewhere, between the binkies and the briefcases.

Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese

2 days ago

Binkies and Briefcases with Stephanie Giese
Very proud of my friend Meredith Ethington for her new book! Motherhood as it relates to mental health and the mental load is a topic that I wish there had been more people talking about when I was a young mom. I’m thankful for those who are writing boldly and bravely about it now, with the vulnerability and candor this topic needs. You can pre-order your copy of The Mother Load now and it will arrive this spring. ... See MoreSee Less

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Latest Posts

ALL I Never Knowed: The Book Is Here!

It’s finally here, in my hands. It has been a loooong time in the making, but our book, All I Never Knowed: Mental Illness, a Mother’s Love, and a Broken System, is available now. The official launch date is next Tuesday, Oct. 5th. But starting now, you can order from all major retailers. Here’s where […]

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Save Money with Fetch

Hey everyone! This is Chelsea, Steph’s asistant, back with the simplest app for getting cash back on things you’re already buying! We’ve covered Ibotta, Shopkick, Coupons.com, Swagbucks and we’re all saving hundreds of dollars by now, right? RIGHT!? I’m really hoping you guys have jumped on the rebate app savings train because it’s just so […]

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Splendid Spoon Review

I was excited to receive a box of products to try from Splendid Spoon this summer! They invited me to try their line of plant-based, ready-to-eat foods and delivered them right to my door. Check one in the pro column for convenience. I did receive these products free of charge in order to rate them […]

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