Small Talk Six!

This weeks topic is 6 things that make you smile.

1. Hearing my children gut laugh, I love the true all the way down to the gut laughs they dispel.
2. Watching my husband with the kids. He is such a good daddy and they are always so happy to see him and play with him. It melts my heart!
3. Talking to my best friend who lives 4 hours away from me now.
4. When both of the kids go down for a nap at the same time.
5. Watching my children learn something new each and every day.
6. The weekend, I love love love the weekends! My husband works long hours during the week, so we are all so excited for family time by the time the weekend hits.

For more info on Small Talk 6, head to Momdot and join in on the fun!

do you ever have one of those moments?

you know, those moments where your sitting in your vehicle, in my case a mini-van, and the person next to you at the stop light is an undetermined gender. I had one of those today. I glanced over as I usually do to see if someone was paying attention to me rocking out, yelling at the kids, stuffing my face with food, talking on the phone, doing my make-up, or whatever it was that I was doing at the time. You see, I can't just drive, I seem to always be doing something else while I'm driving. I know it sounds unsafe, but I promise that I do it in a safe manner. Back to the topic at hand though...I glanced over and what I saw was a man or a woman. He/she had stubble and a significantly strong jaw bone. They had a haircut that could go either way. The rock on the ring finger on the left hand told me that he/she was female....until I looked at their face again. I just really could not tell. I know this all sounds horribly mean, but really I have to give this person credit. They are keeping me on my toes. It's not as if the person was ugly either, I'm just saying, maybe if there weren't a glare from the sun and they weren't wearing a big bulky coat and I had more than the amount of time a stop light lasts to stare. Then maybe I could have figured it out.

While we're on the subject of my mini-van though, I wanted to share how much I dislike, or perhaps hate my mini-van. Hate is not a word I choose to use often. Why you ask? Well for one, while the mini-van has every convenience that a family may need, auto open doors, dvd players, space, what have you...it is big, very big. I'm surprised that I still have tires and rims. I run over curbs daily, and I can no longer parallel park. Not only that, but even worse. I'd like to ask those of you who are non mini-van drivers if there is an invisible (to me) sign on the front of a mini-van that screams, PLEASE PULL OUT IN FRONT OF ME! I promise you this happens every single time I am driving it around. I keep trying to remember if I did this when I had my last vehicle, a Corolla. I probably did, because I probably figured this was going to be a slow type of driver that I didn't want to be stuck behind. Oh well, I've decided that it doesnt matter what it takes I'm getting a new vehicle in September, yep that's right. What do you suggest? That is not a mini-van?

to be or not to be...

concerned that is. We've had a few run ins with the situation, and really I don't think it's a matter of concern, just what we should say to him. :)

Ryan has always had a thing for pretty girls, since he was 4 months old standing on my lap peering over my shoulder at the pretty girl behind us Christmas Eve night at church. This past summer, he's now 4, we couldn't find him momentarily at the beach and found him several yards away staring at two girls sunbathing. Yes, he's a boy, but he's only 4. My husband says it's normal. I'm sure it is, but I've never been through this and am not sure how to approach it, or do I just let it be...

Yesterday while Rob and Ryan were looking at their giant Marvel comic figure book, there was a woman super hero. Ryan says" wow dad, she has big.....muscles. Wait, what are those things called again?" Rob said "That is her chest", Ryan, " no dad, there is another name I'm sure." Rob changed the subject. That's probably what I would have done too.

This morning he was sitting next to me while I nursed Olivia. He doesn't usually pay us any notice while she's nursing, but this morning when she was done he said "sorry Olivia, mama has no more milk in her patches!" I said, "in my patches?" Ryan, "yeah, those patches on your muscles." What I really wanted to do was laugh because at this time I didn't know of the conversation Ryan and his father had yesterday. Instead, I changed the subject.

Is there a right way to approach this? Do we tell him they are called boobs? Or do we just leave it at muscles or chest, chest seems appropriate for his 4 year old mind. What would you do?

SpaTimeBaby Cozy Care Cape - Review and Givewaway

I've recently received my very first innovative Spa Time Baby Cozy Care Cape. It was a great opportunity and I can honestly say the Cozy Care Cape has to be one of the best inventions ever when it comes to bath time.
Whether you have a 4 year old that thinks the bath is his ocean to splash in, or well, an 8 month old who is learning quickly from her brother! I wore the Cozy Care Cape from the beginning until the end when I had to pick Olivia up out of the tub, only this time I did not soak my shirt in the process. I was able to wrap her up warm and cozy against me right away without having to struggle to get a towel wrapped around her slippery wiggly body. Hands down, I love it.
The Cozy Care Cape would also make a wonderful gift for someone with young children or expecting a baby! Spa Time Baby has an array of products that would go nicely with the Cozy Care Cape . I found this Spa Set that would match the Cozy Care Cape that I chose perfectly, along with many other fabulous products and gift sets. There is an assortment of colors, and the items can be personalized as well! I know where I'm shopping for the next baby shower I attend!
All gift sets come beautifully wrapped in a sheer organza pouch.

Here is a little information from Spa Time Baby:

*bath time becomes a relaxing, nurturing and pampering experience

*drying baby is easy, safe and comfortable

*no more tucking a towel under your chin or in your shirt

*keeps caregiver dry with exclusive waterproof panel

*unique cape design keeps your shoulders and arms dry

*caregiver's body is a natural towel warmer

Machine Washable * Tumble Dry
Soft Absorbent * 100% Cotton Terry Cloth
Patented

To Buy~visit Spa Time Baby

To Win~
Visit Spa Time Baby and then come back here and in the comments tell me about one their products you love.

For additional entries~
(please leave comments for each additional entry)

Subcribe via email-2 additional entries
Blog about this review and giveaway and link back to this post-3 additional entries
Follow me-1 additional entry
Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway-1 additional entry
Grab my button!-1 additional entry

Contest will end on March 12, winner will be chosen via random.org

See Kai Run winner!

random.org chose 17 between 1 and 32

Claire said...

Annd I'm following too!!!

February 12, 2009 10:52 AM

Congratulations Claire! I will be contacting you shortly!

Wordless Wednesday

One year ago today, Ryan and Rob hit the slopes on a nice day. I was 6.5 months preggo with miss Olivia. I was going to post the picture of my belly but blogger didn't want me to!

For more Wordless Wednesday, go to Momdot!

Play-dough and volcanos!

I was checking out some new blogs this morning, well, blogs that are new to me, and I came across this awesome mama who is now being followed by me :). She shared a post about making play-dough with her son and then turning it into a volcano. I thought that sounded like a pretty fun time with the little man, so we got to work. The recipe is as follows, now I don't know if there is more than one play-dough recipe, but this is the one she shared and it worked for us:

1/4 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/4 cup water

I measured everything in separate measuring cups and let Ryan do all of the pouring...

He was a little skeptical when it came to the kneading with his hands part.
It didn't take him too long to warm up to the idea though.
Olivia is not sure at all, I don't think she thought it was a very good idea at first...
After a few she thought it looked like good fun too, and even sampled a little to find out it tasted horrible, I wish I would have caught that on camera.
Hulk had to get in on the action, this is Hulk sporting an artists hat, made by Ryan.
Enough of that, let's do a volcano! So she recommended using baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring. I poured baking soda in the hole, and then mixed the vinegar and food coloring together and let Ry do the pouring!
Let's do it again mom!
Thank you for the awesome idea Staci!

New Blog Design!

You may have noticed that I have a new blog design! All of the credit goes to Susan over at Blog Designs by Susan. She does an awesome job, you should go check out the others she has designed. Not only does she do beautiful work, she is awesome to work with. I am one of the most indecisive people you will meet, and she helped me through that! :) It was done in a very timely matter with thorough communication at an excellent cost. Thank you so much Susan!

Hello Dyson! Good-bye dust bunnies!

It all began when the FedEx truck pulled into my driveway. I knew this was it, the Dyson was here. I looked around and saw Cheerios under Olivia's seat and hair on the furniture and could only imagine the possibilities! The FedEx LADY, that's right a lady, not a scary bald unshaven man, delivered the Dyson. It could not have arrived at a better time, the kids were napping so I could get it all put together.
I figured out how to open the box, for some reason I think that was the hardest part. In my defense though there was a lot of tape holding it together! With good reason, I'm sure of that because it's going to take a lot of tape for me to get the box sealed back up myself! I took everything out carefully, mentally picturing what each piece of cardboard belongs to for when the sad day comes to ship it back. After that, it took a whole 5 minutes to put it together, if that.
I went right to work in the kitchen, on my hard surface floor in my kitchen. An area previously never touched by a vacuum, only a broom. I could not vacuum any hard surface in my house previously because anything vacuumed up would shoot right out, it didn't matter what setting the vacuum was on. It was truly amazing to watch the power of the suction. I could literally see the cheerios running for their lives. I absolutely love that I do not have to switch the settings on the Dyson according to the height of the floor or carpet. After getting the majority of the surface area in my kitchen I found this under my refrigerator.

(I know, bad judgment on my part buying a stainless steel refrigerator. Between the alphabet magnets and the hot wheels driven across it on a daily basis the poor refrigerator does not stand a chance.)

Scary, I know! I was disgusted, but I have to admit, I do not clean under there as often as I should because it is a pain. My current vacuum has an attachment system that is nearly impossible to use, and when I did go ahead an use it, it hardly sucked. So I would have to take the whole vent apart and hand wash it. The Dyson took care of it all for me. The hose/attachment system on the Dyson could not be easier or more convenient. It has awesome suction. Look at the results...

Amazing! It sucked all of the dust up without me having to take it apart! As a mom I don't have a lot of time, and anything that saves me time, and cleans so well is an awesome investment.
This is what the canister looked like after my kitchen, I vacuumed the floor, and was able to get into each and every crevice with the tools provided. I had no idea there was this much dust, dirt, hair, etc. built up in an area that I sweep at least twice daily.

Thank you again Momdot and Dyson!

Safety Caps review and giveaway

A couple of months ago now a friend of mine gave me a gift, the gift contained
a few things, but one of the most important were the Safety Caps that were
included. They were the most important, because one of my biggest concerns
over my children is making sure they are growing up in a safe environment.
Now, I have a 4 year old and an 8 month old and I think any of us with

children know how important it is to baby proof your home. Immediately upon receiving and opening my Safety Caps I started covering outlets. I've since thrown away any of my old ones, because I am so thoroughly impressed with these. I even recently purchased additional Safety Caps for my sister in-law and another friend of mine.
Since I was so impressed, I decided to look up the website behind the Safety Caps and I discovered an amazing story! George, father and the man behind safety caps, saved his daughters life. She nearly suffocated on a standard size outlet cover and that is when George started researching, and designed a safe product. They are all made in the U.S.A. Please visit the Safety Caps website for the entire story.
Not only do I have safe outlet covers now, but they are clear and not aesthetically hard on the eyes. Another thing I love about them is when I do need an outlet and need to remove the Safety Cap, it is easy enough for me, but not my children.


I then contacted George to tell him how much I appreciated his product and he generously offered to give one of you a chance to win a set of 24 SafetyCaps! Thank you George!

For your chance to win a set of 24 SafetyCaps,
please visit the SafetyCaps website and tell me something you did not know either about Safety Caps or standard outlet covers. Come back here and leave your answer in the comments.
For additional entries:
Please leave a comment for each additional entry.
~email this link with my blog to Oprah and Ellen
~blog about SafetyCaps and this giveaway with a link back
~follow me
~grab my button!

Contest ends March 7, I will draw a winner via random.org

Reading and Lawn Mowers

I thought it might be fun to share several things you may, or may not know about me. So here we go...

• I love to read, I read on the average 1 book per week. I read mostly mystery/suspense, but I love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evonavich. A few of my other favorite authors are Robert McCammon, James Patterson, and some Stephen King. With that being said, I love many other authors as well, I just have read several titles under each of the mentioned authors. In the winter I love to sit in a hot bath with a glass of wine and read, almost every night. In the summer I love to lay on the beach and read. My book this week: Dark Paradise by Tami Hoag.
• I love doing laundry. I love the smell and feel of fresh laundry washed in Tide HE and Downy fabric Softener. I even like folding it and putting it away.
• I hate every other chore. Except vacuuming, that falls somewhere in the middle. (although it might be even more satisfying with a Dyson!)
• I love mowing the lawn with a push mower. I put on my bikini and my Zune, yes I like my Zune Gena! :P Anyhow, I put on my bikini and my Zune, and enjoy 1.5 uninterrupted hours of music, exercise and sun. I think in the 3 years that we've lived in our house I have let Rob mow the lawn once, and that was because he wanted to try the new lawn mower that he bought me for Mothers Day. Thats right, I wanted a new lawn mower for mothers day!
  
• I hate snow blowing or shoveling, and I don't do it. I let Rob do that all winter long.

Well, there's a little peek into my world!

Wordless Wendesday

Olivia ventured under her crib, and sat right up! I didn't think she would fit. Big brother joined her and they made a little fort out of it!

For more wordless wednesday go here.

Leg Huggers

I recently made my first purchase of Leg Huggers. I heard of Leg Huggers on Momdot, through a giveaway they were doing. I then knew I had to have them. I've received my (Olivia's) Leg Huggers and we love them!

They have made diaper changing easier, I can just leave her in her onsie and her leg huggers and know that 1) she'll stay warm enough and 2) her knees will be protected from the areas that we have hard wood flooring. We are going to love them in the spring when she can wear them with dresses and skirts. They go on about 100 times easier than tights do, and I am a tight lover. Now I have something with the fun patterns, yet much easier to manuever over her roly poly thighs!

This is from the Leg Huggers website:

are soft and comfortable accessories made especially for cute and cuddly legs. Designed for little girls on the move — be it crawling, climbing, running or dancing — offer protection with fabulous function and flare.

They're great for keeping legs cozy in cold weather. They're terrific for EC babies and toilet training. They're perfect for crawling on hard surfaces. They're ideal for those with sensitive skin.

Our innovative, eco-friendly are made from 100% sustainable Bamboo fibres.

Why do I feel so old all of a sudden?

I'm not old, I'm only 24! However, yesterday while highlighting and lo lighting my 7th grade aged client (which is what I do when I work outside of my home) I couldn't help but feel a little like I was aging right then and there. What brought on these feelings? The part where her and her 5th grade aged friend were texting each other (sitting right next to each other) and others the entire time she was in my chair, on their really cool phones. With that being said, these girls we're very polite, and she loved her hair.
It was just funny to me, as the first phone I had, I didn't get until I was in high school, and it was analog. No caller id, no voice mail. Call my parents, my parents call me, end of line. Until I was a junior or senior. Even now I only have a 2008 edition razor, which must seem like a dinosaur compared to some of these other phones coming out!
I wonder when I'll break down and get Ryan his first phone?

Date Night!

That's right, we got to go on a date, all by ourselves! We don't usually do the Valentine's day thing, but we had both sets of grandparents ask to take the kids. So we took one of them up on the offer and went on our merry way. We arrive at desired restaurant, only to find a 40 minute wait and no other (decent) restaurants nearby to switch to. So we got our buzzer thing, went to a nearby baby boutique, and found Olivia a darling dress for this summer at a killer deal. Our buzzer went off, so it was time to go to our table. Turns out our table was in the back 40, not kidding. We were seated in the sealed in porch area with heat lamps as a heat source, and let me remind you that it is less than 20 degrees out this night. Oh well, I had an awesome cherry margarita, that brought back memories of summer, Rob enjoyed some good quality beer, and the food was EXCELLENT!

Poor Rob-Funny Story

So Rob took Ryan to school this morning, and returned home about 15-20 minutes after he left. Which is the normal routine. Except, after I heard him pull in to the driveway, I did not hear him come into the house. I looked out the side window in our kitchen, where I can see our vehicles, but not if there is anybody parked behind them...unless I really crank my neck. So, I peek outside and he's sitting in my vehicle still, looking through stuff. I figure his fav song had been playing and he was rocking out or something. 5 more minutes go by and he is still out there. I wanted to see what the hell he was doing, so I go bounding out with no bra, tank top and crazy everywhere bedhead. Didn't really think much of it, because Rob sees me like this every day. Until I notice the POLICE car sitting at the end of the driveway!! I start kind of laughing, because I realize how I must look, and he immediately gets out of his car, it then turns into a nervous laugh. All he did was assure me that Rob was in no trouble, and I could tell he was stifling a laugh. He talks to Rob in confidence, to where I could not hear what was going on, so I go back in the house. Turns out, Rob rolled the stop sign before turning into our cul de sac, and then he could not find my envelope with my insurance and registration. The cop found everything on file and said to keep it in a better place, and let him go without a ticket. He, of course, did not find it quite as amusing as I did. :)

Dyson Domestic Diva

I have some very exciting news to share! I have been chosen as one of the next Dyson Domestic Divas. If you do not know what a Dyson Domestic Diva is, you are missing out and please visit here for the full story.
I cannot even begin to imagine what a Dyson will be able to do for my floors, let alone all of the crevices that have not probably been touched for months! More on that later. Keep your eyes peeled, because I will posting for two full weeks my experience with the Dyson Animal both here on my blog and on the Dyson Domestic Diva blog.
I would like thank Momdot.com and Dyson for teaming up together to create this awesome opportunity.

See Kai Run-Review and Giveaway

==CLOSED==
Let me start by saying a first impression is a lasting impression and my first impression of these shoes is one that leaves me quite impressed! They arrived in a darling box, in a very presentable fashion.

I took them out of the box to find them very soft and flexible, I knew right away they would be perfect for Olivia's feet!
I chose this pair, the Anne shoes in their spring line, to review. I absolutely love them and cannot wait for Olivia to be wearing them through the spring season. They were very soft and Olivia did not mind wearing them at all. In fact she really seemed to enjoy them, which is unusual when it comes to having shoes on her feet. They did not restrict her feet in any way, yet were supportive enough to stay on her feet or if she were to start walking. I have my sights on a couple of other pair that I will be purchasing soon as well!
This is from See Kai Run:

Our Shoes

See Kai Run and Smaller promote healthy development of babies' and children's feet with their ultra-flexible soles, soft leather and wide toe box. Our footwear meets the American Podiatric Medical Association's rigorous standards for foot health and functionality and has been awarded the APMA's prestigious Seal of Acceptance.

About the APMA.

Why See Kai Run?

Healthy Fit

• Very flexible soles are healthy for developing feet.
• Wide opening and toe box accommodate even the chubbiest little feet.
• Velcro closure allows for adjustable fit and easy on and off.
• Leather lining is breathable and durable.
• Padded collar adds comfort and helps our
• shoes stay on little feet.

Quality Construction

• Leather used for our footwear meets the most stringent available U.S. and international guidelines.
• Sheepskin leather uppers are butter-soft and more durable by weight than cow leather used by many other brands.
• Durable construction and rubber sole stand up to heavy play indoors and out.

Urban Style

• Hip, urban styles in modern color palettes.
• Bold designs and detailing.
• Modern takes on classic styles.

The Giveaway:
I have the chance for one of my readers to win their very own pair shoes from either the Smaller or See Kai Run line, your choice of which pair.

To enter, please visit See Kai Run, sign up for their email list on the home page and then come back here and in the comments tell me which pair you would choose! Please be sure to leave a valid email address for me to contact you at.

For additional entries:
please leave a comment for each additional entry you complete.
-follow me
-blog about the giveaway and link back
-buy a pair of See Kai Run or Smaller shoes, and I will give you 5 additional entries!

Contest ends on February 25 when I will draw a winner via Random.org