carrots

after all three of us getting the flu this week, friends visiting from out of town, and a day of watching some of our favorite kids (besides those in the immediate family), i was exhausted. as i threw myself down on the bed this afternoon for a 5 minute (right...) nap, i felt something strange, and cold, and... slimy? i jumped up only to see a half eaten carrot on our newly laundered, crisp, white duvet - yuck! but it made me laugh because at that moment, i realized that's what's great about being a mom. "half eaten carrots are what's great about being a mom?" you ask. well, yea, sort of. all those little things, the handprints all over a just-cleaned mirror, my jewelry box emptied on the bedroom floor, a trail of crumbs through the house... these things won't last forever, and i'm actually pretty sure i'll miss them when they stop happening. so for now, when i'm getting the paper towels out for the 14th time this morning, i'll choose to smile!

Bride & Wolfe

So, after two bouts of the flu, a bike catastrophe (em's favorite toy in the world, her bike, got broken by a big kid), and an unusually crazy week... we're back! I'm still working on getting things together in our little apartment - after we've lived here for a year - and so I'll admit, I'm really into decorating. As I was perusing the internet from bed today, I found this fantastic company: Bride & Wolfe. They are an Australian company which specializes in wood cut silhouettes. I am in love with pretty much everything on their site


I particularly like the one in the middle, and the "climbing girl," bottom right. We're considering all of these for em's room... or maybe one for ours? Be sure to check out Bride & Wolfe... great for kids and their parents!

Stay tuned this week for a DIY (do it yourself) project any parent would love... and it makes a great gift! See you then!

yikes!

SO much has been happening in the last week that I'm afraid I bit off more than I could chew with last/this week's themes... I'll reschedule them for this coming October. We do have some great things to share, so be sure to check back! until tomorrow... Good bye, and have a great day!

big kids week

So I must have babies on the brain, because I haven't posted anything for older kids in quite some time... so here it is "Big Kids Week." Where we'll be featuring neat products for those kiddos who can speak in full sentences!

Monday's Pick: eeboo - eeboo is a company which produces, "beautiful, useful, and well made products for children." All their artwork has a vintage feel, and their products are all educational (and you'll love to look at them)
Their line includes counting cards, composition notebooks, growth charts, good manners cards, puzzles, flash cards, and even a line of products for the preschool set.

My personal favorite was actually featured in Parent's magazine recently : Story Telling cards!
$10/pack, these cards give prompts for telling a creative story of your very own. Take turns with the whole family for a real laugh! They also make the perfect birthday present...

you make me happy

We returned from A & T's wedding yesterday in Ventura. It was perfect. The weather, the location, and of course the couple, handpicked by God for each other. Congratulations to them both, and we can't wait to see you when you return from Hawaii! Emma was a great little flower girl, she didn't throw any petals, but she walked out into that crowd of strangers like a professional (sort of).


Today I ran out to the store for the weekly groceries while Dave stayed home with a napping Emma. When I walked in the front door, they were both singing and doing the motions to a "Dora"song. Em was giggling and Dave was smiling. I have to admit that as of late, I've been kind of stressing over the "5 year plan"... just what exactly are our goals & how are we going to get there? As I stored groceries away in the kitchen and then moved onto the everyday tasks like folding laundry, putting it away, and picking up toys it came over me... I am incredibly blessed. I could hear them in the background, my daughter and beloved husband, playing together and carrying on... and I was filled with the joy of knowing that no matter what we have or don't have, what careers we take or where we live, my family is the blessing I hold closest to my heart and the gift from God which is most precious.

talk about the obvious!

After scrolling through my recent posts, I just now noticed I left something out. All this talk about things going with your theme... and I didn't post any themes! First off, I don't think that a theme is necessary, but it can make things a lot easier. Even a unifying color can be a theme...


"wild" baby shower, polka dot theme, goodnight sleep(take pictures b/c this is the last time she'll see a good night's sleep for awhile!) shower, cherry theme, eclectic, retro

green tea party, lemon theme, "Sweetest Thing"- a perfect occasion for lots of desserts and candies!This last one is something new to me... but cool. It's called a "sprinkle shower" and it's for mom's who have other children, and most of the needed items, but still want to celebrate the occasion with friends and family - adorable!

look what i made

Em's making her social debut this weekend at a good friend's wedding. I actually made her dress - yikes! but it turned out pretty cute, even if she doesn't like wearing it.

decorating

Decorations are the best part about hosting a baby shower (except of course the joy you are bringing to the mom-to-be)! The kind of decorating you do will depend on the theme of your shower, and of course the atmosphere you wish to create. As Martha says, "you'll want to keep decorations to a minimum at baby showers, because most of the focus will be on the mother's growing belly anyway!"

Clockwise from top: Alphabet block cakes (martha stewart), nesting (martha stewart), party chicks- great for place cards, or just hung as decoration (heather bailey), polka dot theme shower (again from martha), fresh flowers are always perfect for a baby shower!, Paper globes are a fun stand- in for flowers... beware though, these take much longer to make than you'd think (heather bailey), a tea party theme, Garlands with pics of mom and dad growing up, or big brother/sister, baby clothes, and candles... lots of votives are one way to bring warmth and comfort to any location.

creepy

As I've been browsing the internet, I've come across a few disturbing, yet amusing things... loosely related to children (but I wouldn't recommend them for that set!) here they are:

The first is one I found in the archives of Design Sponge (a new favorite), the second is from Silhouette Masterpiece Theater - they have a very, um, interesting brand of humor!

baby shower week

As I mentioned last week, many many of our friends are adding to their families... which means one thing - BABIES (and baby showers). I've come across so many cute ideas and things I'd love to put together for these showers I figured I'd give you a little inspiration if you find yourself in the same place. If you have any ideas, or pics of things you've done for baby showers, send them in and I'll post them on Saturday!

#1: Invitations:
The invitations are key to a great shower. Ideally, they should be sent out 4-6 weeks before the shower so everyone has plenty of notice. They let guests know when, where, and for who the shower is being held, as well as setting the tone for the rest of the day. Below is a blend of invites from varying retailers - - -

Clockwise from top: Invites from - Urban Park Papers, Tiny Prints, Petite Pear (etsy), Tiny Prints, Target.com, Chick Print (etsy)

Another option, and one I particularly love, is DIY (do it yourself) invites. This adds not only an original touch, but is fun and (can be) a $ saver. Postcards, stamped invites, and even online invites are all readily available!

stuck up

Sorry for my absence yesterday, I was consumed by the space that is the girl's new bedroom. We switched with them in an attempt to keep toys from taking over our life (living room). Everything is finally together and weeded out, and now it's time to decorate! Sounds fun, but I consider the basis of home decoration to be paint... and since we're renters... that's not exactly an option. I've been a fan of ScribbleIt! for some time now, and they're great. But I happened to stumble across this etsy shop which I felt had a better selection for a little girl's room.


Elephannie - removable wall decals to beautify your space... simply :)

in addition...

I should have tacked this one on the end of my last post, but the bed was calling my name. Something else every mom should have is one of these...

They go by many different names, but it's basically a little pouch for a couple of diapers and a pack of wipes. This has saved my life so many times. For those quick trips out when you're dying to ditch the diaper bag (no matter how cute it is).

They come in many different styles, and some are a tad bigger, but include a changing pad. Honestly, with a little ingenuity and a sewing machine it's not difficult to make one yourself!
click the pictures for links to their etsy shops!

something for mom

I wanted to post about something I'm searching for right at the moment... the perfect diaper bag. Now I realize this means different things to different people. For me, it means something that is big enough to hold all my stuff, easily washable, and most importantly... it looks nothing like a diaper bag! Other people might have differing opinions, so I've decided to post some different looks, all cool, funky and totally worthy of toting around EVERYWHERE with you.

#1 - My Fav, by Retrofied: fully reversible and machine washable HOORAY!


#2 For those who like something more artistic, and a bit more whimsical, try one of these little totes from Bestiary. Not a ton of pockets for organization, but very fun... and many of the fabrics are "upcycled."

#3 Something more traditional, but doesn't leave you sporting "Winnie the Pooh". The Ultimate 9 Pocket Messenger Bag by GlamBaby:


#4 And Runner Up to my favorite is this bag from TTPeas & Carrots:

The best part about all of these bags is that they are not outrageously expensive. When I had Emma, my MIL bought me a gorgeous Juicy diaper bag which I adored... but I had to clean it with the upolstery attachment on our vacuum, not to mention a bag like that wasn't exactly in the budget! The perfect diaper bag is the must have accessory for every mom. So mommies, take a look... just because your baby is a fan of Tigger and Roo, doesn't mean you have to wear them!

off track

Wow! Last week was Dave's first back at work and it went so quickly that I didn't even have time to update here. So sorry! After having the entire summer to ourselves, it was difficult to get back into the routine of normal life. We'll finish out the week with more etsy stores and then next week will be baby shower week! It seems like everyone I know is adding to their family (including yours truly) and so I'm sure compiling these ideas will help me just as much as you! Look for a post later today...