Baby Shmizz

Dumpity Dump

2012-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm having waayyyy too much fun trying to think of creative ways to say "brain dump" whenever I write this post. I may have also giggled everytime I thought "dump".
I really wish we had single-stream recycling in our town. My parents have it, and its so awesome. No sorting, just dump into a huge trashcan and let someone else take care of it. We still recycle a lot of stuff most people just throw out (yogurt containers, take-out containers, paperboard boxes from cereal & stuff), but it would be so much easier to have single-stream. Plus, it would help my marriage. No more under-his-breath swearing and muttering by Mizzle because I was too lazy to break the boxes down.
I've got everything I need for Jack's birthday party loot bags. Yes, his birthday is still in July. I'm just really excited :)
I've recently discovered Toddlers & Tiaras OnDemand. OMG what a train wreck. You can rest assured that I will NEVER enter my daughter (if I ever have one) in a pageant.
This is my new favorite website:

Think Jack would recognize me if I dressed up as Lightning McQueen?

SWH4T$: Bathtub Refinishing

2012-02-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday again folks, which means more great tips! What do you have to share this week?

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Bathtub Refinishing
Our house was built in 1925, and a few additions and renovations done in the 1980s, you know, when almond-colored fixtures were super cool. Sounds pretty, right?

So in 2009, we had the bathroom renovated. We re-tiled the shower, bumped up the shower ceiling, adjusted the height of the showerhead to accomodate for 6'4" Mizzle, re-tiled the floor, removed some old nasty shelving, new toilet, new vanity and new medicine cabinet.

We were going to replace the bathtub, but it would have cost a fortune, and there wasn't anything structurally wrong with our tub. So, we opted to refinish it ourselves, with a kit similar to this that we found at Home Depot:

I'm not sure that this was the brand that we used, so don't think
I'm slamming this company, I'm not. It's a good idea, just didn't work for us.

The contractors did it for us the first time, and then we did it the 2nd time. And the 3rd time. Yes, we had to refinish the tub 3 times. And each time, it only lasted a few months before peeling off. And the fumes were so strong, that we couldn't stay in the house while it was drying. Which took 3 days. Yes, 3 days. I think this would be great for a tub that isn't used very much, but when you have 2 adults showering daily and then a toddler taking a bath, its just not going to work.

So the last time we did it, was August 2011. And then, around Christmas, this is what we ended up with:

See the new finish peeling up and revealing that splendid almond finish? HAWT, right?

So at the end of January, Mizzle and I went to a Home Show in Boston, in hopes that we would find a cheap way to get what we really wanted: a gleaming white bathtub. One of the companies that was there was a professional refinishing company. They use a special industrial epoxy that is specifically designed for bathtubs. The only other option we found was a BathFitter thing, where they slip a custom liner over your tub. That would have cost at least $2000. Not what we wanted to spend. The refinishing guys? $300. And, since we booked our appointment at the Home Show, we got a discount, and they also threw in non-slip treads for free! So what would have normally cost us $410, we got for $300. But, the best part was that they guaruantee their work for 2 years. If there are any problems, we just call them, and they come back and fix it. For free. We spent a total of $150 on the kids from Home Depot, so this refinishing option is a little more expensive than the DIY kit, but, the combined price of the 2 of them is still less than BathFitter, and I love the 2 year gaurantee.

Amazing, right? They started at 10:30, and we were able to use the shower 24 hours later! And, the fumes were soooo much less than the DIY kit. We could actually all sleep in the house that night and not have to worry.

If you are looking for an economical way to refinish an old tub, I would highly recommend this option! If you would like more info on the company that we used, shoot me an email and I will fill you in!

What sort of thrifty home renovations have you done?

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Geeky Goggles

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else have these?

Onion Goggles

If you don't, they are a lifesaver. Even Mizzle uses them when he chops onions, and they actually work! We were using them a few weeks ago, and decided to let Jack get in on the fun:

Cuteness overload.

Dumpage

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here we go again! The best source of randomness on the planet!

My new favorite sandwich: whole wheat pita bread shmeared with hummus and 1 wedge of Laughing Cow garlic & herb cheese, along with spinach and cucumbers. MMMM....delish. And I think its pretty healthy?
Mizzle bought Jack the Disney Cars DVD the other day, and OMG he is obsessed. Actually, its more than obsessed. Is there a word for that? Infatuation?
I'm trying to teach Jack defense in basketball. I sit on the floor across the room from his Little Tikes hoop, and I tell him to put his arms up and I say "defense!". Kinda like touchdown, but a much cooler sport (aka, basketball).
Super Bowl is this weekend. I used to get all excited for it, and frankly, even though the Pats are in it, I couldn't really care.
I saw this the other day while browsing Zulily. Seriously? How stupid is that? Do you really need to spend Benjamins on a special table to bathe your baby? How about a $20 baby tub? Or your sink?

Source: zulily.com via Shannon on Pinterest

I sure hope blowing raspberries is a precursor to talking, because lately that is all Jack is doing. Its really more like forceful spitting with lots of noise, but I'm hoping this means that he is getting better with his mouth coordination or whatever and he'll start talking.
Tessie ate another shit diaper the other day. Seriously dog, what is your deal? We buy one of the most expensive dog foods because you are allergic to chicken, duck, & pork, and you eat baby crap without nary a digestive issue? WTF?

SWH4T$: Time-Saver Pancakes

2012-02-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday everyone, and welcome back to She Works Hard For the Money - a bloghop for hard working mamas who do everything they can to save time and money!

The rules are simple...

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Time Saver Pancakes

I find myself in a bit of a rut sometimes. Between my crafty, artsy business...another new business that I'll be launching with a great Mama friend of mine...my Husband having his own business...plus our son's activities...I'm stretched pretty thin.

Because of that, I try to plan at least one meal ahead of time to save myself time, frustration and allow myself to enjoy a meal with my son throughout the day. Breakfast seems to be the easiest, and I've developed a recipe for success!I make one or two full batches of pancakes at the beginning of a week, and whatever we don't eat that day goes into a Ziploc and into the freezer. Then, I can pull out pancakes as needed, pop them into the toaster and know that my son is getting a super wholesome breakfast.

Here are two varieties, that just so happen to help with fussy eaters who don't get alot of fruits or veggies.

Pancakes...two ways

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Mixed Berry

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Asparagus (yes..you read that right!)

Preheat griddle or frying pan while you mix the batter:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup milk

1 beaten egg

2 tbsp oil (I used canola, but you can use whatever you'd like. I would not recommend EVOO as it has a distinct flavour that will alter the pancakes)

Mix all ingredients together

For Berry Pancakes, mix in 1 cup of mixed berries. I used frozen berries that I had on hand, which I thawed in the fridge overnight.

For Asparagus pancakes, finely chop approximately 6 spears, and add that to the batter.

Each full recipe will make approximately 8-10 pancakes.

Once cool, put in a Ziploc and pop them in the freezer!

Enjoy!

Have a time saver recipe, coupon, trick or tip? Link up with us today!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Cuteness

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Mommy Rules

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

I know you've all heard of them before, those mommy/parenting "rules" that you are supposed to follow. I know I felt like I had to follow all the rules in the beginning when Jack was a newborn, but shortly after I kinda said screw it and did things my way. And I kinda think he's turned out all right so far.

So here are the "rules" that I've broken, and been happy that I did.

Don't let your baby nap in your arms, he'll never nap anywhere else!
Oops. Definitely did this. I'm sorry people, but those 3 months of maternity leave are precious, and if I want to hold my sweet baby while he sleeps in my arms, then so be it, I'm gonna do it.

You have to keep on making noise when the baby is sleeping, otherwise he'll only sleep when it's quiet.
Yeah right. If you've just struggled to get your kid to sleep, trust me, you are going to be quiet as a mouse if that's what it takes to keep him sleeping.

You really should feed your kid only organic food.
Say what? Yeah, that didn't happen. I try to buy organic and all-natural when I can, but frankly, that shit is expensive and I can't afford it all the time. You know what he had for lunch today? Kraft Easy Mac with peas. And he loved it. Sometimes, you just want the kid to eat, know what I mean?

You have to ditch the pacifier at 3 months, otherwise you'll regret it.
Not in this house! We had a paci on the regular until about 10 months, and then he ditched it himself. I know this doesn't happen for everyone, and that I was damn lucky, but really, 3 months? Just when your kid is probably starting to sleep in longer stretches you are going to take away his method of self-soothing? Nope, not gonna happen.

What kind of "rules" have you broken with your kids?

Survey Says...

2012-01-30T12:58:00.000-05:00

Don't worry, you won't be getting a kiss on the cheek from this creepy dude:

Definitely glad I did this survey, because I was really touched by your responses! It's nice to know that my readers really care about my life and how Jack is doing - shows that you are all really loyal and engaged, which is so totally amazing!!!

An overwhelming 53% of you found my lovely little corner of the internet from other blogs. My top referrers? Melissa from Growing up Geeky, Kristin from Our Growing Garden, and Shannon from Sweet Stella's. What I learned from this is that blog following definitely occurs in circles. We all have our bloggy friends, and we all follow each other. I also learned that my days on The Bump have helped to spread the blog as well. Although, these days I stay away from the crazy and the drama that seems to flock to those boards.

50% of you visit this blog 1-2 times per week. That's about what I expected, I think I'm the only one that checks the blog daily :)

Our Favorite Things for the win! 73% of you picked that as your favorite. I'm also totally pumped that my weekly feature with Shan, She Works Hard for the Money, got 30% of the votes! Nice to know that other people are concerned about saving money and managing their time!

Um, MIZZLE? WTF?

Most of my readers are right around my age, with 65% of you in the 21-29 age group. And you see that lone 50-59? Pretty sure that's my Mom.

So there you have it, the results! I'm really glad I did this, it definitely gave me a boost to start writing more, and definitely got me out of a blogging rut!

And of course, without further adieu, the winner of the $10 Target Giftcard!

Entry #8, Christy J! I've sent you an email with details!

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

Friday Brain Dump

2012-01-29T09:11:00.002-05:00

Linking up again for the dumping of the brain :)

We handed in Jack's "resignation" letter to daycare on Friday. Long story that I'm saving for a post next week, but we just don't feel safe having him there anymore.
I've been on an organizing streak. Like labeling everything in my house. Including the brown sugar.
We discovered that Jack likes quinoa.
We also discovered that Baby A thinks its "fake rice".
Speaking of Baby A, guess who started preschool this week? Wasn't I just planning T's baby shower??
Dunkin Donuts needs to bring back the Cinnamon Swirl flavor for year round. Seriously makes me giddy every time I have it.
We had our tub professionally refinished this week, and OH EM GEE is it fantastic!!!!! ::dances around like an idiot::

What kind of randomness is swirling around in your head this week? Link it up!

SWH4T$: IKEA!!!

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Welcome back Ladies! It's been an awesome year for SWH4T$ so far: we've organized our coupons, repurposed jars to make super cute home decor, and now let's decorate our houses some more!

See how you can link up your own projects! Only 3 simple steps:

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

IKEA
Ikea. The Motherload of cute and functional stuff for cheap. Mizzle and I are HUGE fans of Ikea, our entire dining room set is Ikea, our endtables are Ikea, our dishes and several pots are Ikea, and Jack's playfood is from Ikea.
For 9 years now (ever since we moved in together) our dining room set was a hand-me-down from my parents: a teak table with 6 chairs that my parents swiped from the Student Union at University of Arizona when they were redoing the building (my dad went there for undergrad). The chairs are likely mid-century, and they are in surprisingly good shape for surviving thousands of college kids, me and my sisters, and then finally Mizzle & Jack (not to mention numerous drunken house parties in the pre-Jack days...).
We loved the table and I loved the chairs (they squeak, Mizzle hates it. I think it gives them character). Our dining room is small, and we needed a smaller table so that things were not as crowded, now that we have a toddler table and Jack's play kitchen in the dining room.
I wanted a round table that was better for traffic flow, Mizzle wanted a table that would comfortably sit at least 6 people when extended.
This was what we got:

Bjursta Dining Table with extendable leaf, seats 4-6
$229

Not bad huh? It's super sturdy, wipes easily, and is about a third of the price of what you would pay at a furniture store. Now, this isn't an heirloom we are going to pass on to our children, but it will last us for quite a while. Let's put it this way: the Ikea furniture that we already have is already at least 5-7 years old, and has held up amazingly!

Now what about chairs? While shopping for tables I realized that chairs can often cost more than the table itself! Seriously! We wanted 4 chairs, and then if we had extra people we would use folding chairs. I used to buy household furnishings with the maximum number of guests in mind, but now having a kid, I buy what we need for NOW. The rest can be figured out later.

I really liked these chairs:

Ingolf Chair
$59.99

Cute right? But, if we got 4 chairs, that would be $240. Not exactly what I wanted to spend on chairs. Granted, we were on a budget, and if we weren't, I would have totally got these. However, we were on a budget, and trying to walk out the door under $350 for the table & chairs.

So this is what we got:

Ivar Chair
$19.99

I know what you're thinking: they don't match. Well you're right. BUT, not for long! We went to Lowe's and got some stain to match the table. 3 coats of stain and 1 coat of polyurethane/stain combo later, we have a matching set! Pretty sweet for $308.96!

We are still sanding and buffing them down, so I don't have a finished picture for you, so I guess you'll just have to stop by Baby Shmizz next week to see the finished product! :)

Just goes to show that with a little shopping around and some elbow grease, you can have a fancy looking dining set for 1/3rd the price! Not to mention that in the cafeteria that day, kids ate FREE! Bonus!

If you are looking for where your nearest Ikea is so you can run there like a madwoman, check HERE.

How have you decorated your house for less? Share with us!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Snow Day!

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I guess this is not technically the official kid definition of a snow day (day off from school), but it was the first time that Jack went out and actually played in the snow! Last year we had about 42" of snow this time, and this year, only about 14". But, last year he was too little to go out and play in the snow. His exposure to snow consisted of the maybe 5 flakes that landed on his cute little button nose in the dash from the house to the car to go somewhere.

So on Saturday when we got about 3-4" of fluffy white stuff, we bundled him up and ventured outside. Tessie loves to eat the snow, so she came along too. Jack loved it, he liked to walk around and kick up the snow, but every time he fell (which was often) he would whine for someone to help him to his feet. I think the whole "Michelin Man" effect of his snowsuit was hindering his ability to bounce right back up. After we played around in the yard a little bit, we took him for a walk down the street in his sled (Daddy's old sled!). I think that was his favorite part, he pitched a serious fit when we had to go inside!

Uh, Mom? What is this stuff that keeps falling on my face?
And why can't I move my arms?

If I can't move my arms,
how am I going to bend my legs to climb up this rock wall?

Mama, stop taking pictures and help me up!

Ooh! Let's go down the slide in the snow! WEEEE!!!!!

Noogle Tracks!

Tutorial: Manly Art Kit

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jack is a creative dude. He likes to get his hands into playdough, crayons & paintbrushes. I started collecting various toddler-friendly art supplies and sensory box goodies, and they somehow found their way into a cardboard box that I shoved on top of a kitchen cabinet for storage.

I wanted something a little more organized, and something that wouldn't look as ghetto as a cardboard box hanging off of a cabinet.

Of course, while ~~wasting time~~ browsing on Pinterest, I came across this idea. Pretty sweet huh? Nice and manly :)

So Mizzle, Jack and I trotted off to Lowe's and got our supplies. Here is the run-down:

This is the box I was talking about. I mean really, what little dude wants his
dinosaur crayons stored in a Victoria's Secret bag?

This is what you need:
-5 gallon bucket (I paid $2.98 at Lowe's)
-Bucket Organizer ($6.98 at Lowe's)
-and of course, art supplies

Here is the really complicated part.
Stay with me here people....
FILL IT UP WITH ALL YOUR SHTUFF!

And then, if you are still alive after that last super-difficult step,
you stuff all the little compartments with more creative treasures!

So what do I have in here? Well, here's a list, and my bucket is barely full still!

pad of construction paper
small Tupperware of home-made playdough
regular playdough
sandwich bag of rice for sensory bin
feathers & pom-poms for sensory bin
3 cookie cutters
4 tubes of finger paint
4 pots of tempera paint
paintbrushes
Tadoodles toddler crayons & paints
Figural crayons that I got from here (awesome idea!!!!)
glitter
2 glue sticks
washable toddler crayons
2 smocks

So mamas, what do you think? How do you organize your kid's art supplies?

And here is where I get WHINEY.

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I like pictures. I like to post pictures on my blog.

For about a year now, I've been using Picnik to edit my photos for the blog, as well as create photo gifts for family members and also for daycare.

I love Picnik so much, that I paid for the premium version last year to have access to all the special features they offer.

So, much to my dismay, when I logged on to Picnik on Saturday, I was presented with this:

WHISKEY. TANGO. FOXTROT.

Are you frigging serious???????????
WHY???

Is it a money thing? Well, then make everyone pay for it (seriously, $29.95/yr is peanuts when you are given a super user-friendly software program that gives you so many editing options).

Is it a lack of interest thing? Then fire your marketing director and get someone fresh and new in there!

Is it a competition thing? I'm not so sure it is, since I haven't found anything as awesome as Picnik that is online-only.

I have no idea why they are getting rid of Picnik, all I know is that I am really, really upset about it. Sure, I know there are other options, and I'll probably end up getting Photoshop, but I just like Picnik.

They said something about moving to Google+, so I signed up for that (I've been holding off on this, I don't want another social network). I kinda feel like Google is taking over the world, and I'm kinda annoyed. Don't get me wrong, I love me some GMail, and I use Google Calendar for work and for daycare. I use Google Translate at work when I need discharge instructions translated into the patient's first language. And clearly, I use Blogger (duh). But seriously, does everything have to be a Google product?

waaaahhhhhhh wahhhh waaaaahhhhh

Did ya hear that? Its the WAAHHmbulance coming for me!

Anyone else out there in mourning over the impending death of Picnik? What are you going to do to edit your photos in the future? Help a sista out!

Friday Brain Dump

2012-01-20T17:20:00.000-05:00

My bloggy hero, Beth Anne over at The Heir to Blair, has started a new linky party.

Its probably the best idea ever, because I constantly have all these thoughts about "wow, that would be a great blog post!" but then I realize that it would be all of 1 sentence and then that would be it.

Well, enter the Friday Brain Dump

Fantastical. Def going to be linking up to this on the regular!

So here goes.

It took me 2 hours and 10 minutes to get to work on Wednesday. It usually takes me 30-40 minutes. Stupid truck broke down in Boston and screwed up everyone's morning commute.
Is there really a difference between V8 Splash and V8 V-Fusion? Discuss.
Before I had a baby, when it was time for a haircut I was able to tell because I would get that frazzled-split-end look. Now? My hair starts falling out. Like I wash my hair and then I look down at my hands and there is a freaking spiderweb of hairs on there.
Dunkin' Donuts needs to make an iPhone app. STAT.
Hershey's Raspberry White Chocolate Hugs are DIVINE.
You know what I really hate about the grocery store? The people who bitch and complain that the store is crowded and harumph around and make faces at people, when they are standing in the middle of the freaking aisle hemming and hawing over what type of grape jelly to buy. True story.

So what's on your ball-o-neurons this week? Link up with H2B!

SWH4T$: Repurposing Jars

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back, crafty, thrifty mamas!! We're so happy to have you back for She Works Hard for the Money!Before we get hopping, we've got some rules...

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Repurposed Jars

Before the holidays hit, I was looking for some simple crafty projects to take my mind off of a super stressful time (packing to move...selling our home...going on vacation...coming home...moving).Have some empty salsa jars lying around the house? Maybe some funky patterned paper? Podge?Well that's all you need for this project!!

Choose your paper...I chose some grey and blue tones so that it will fit nicely into my new studio once we move

Wrap it around your jar, and make a mark where the paper meets

Cut out the pattern that you desire.

I cut around the flowers and vines, but there are really no rules to this project!

Smear adhesive to the jar, and attach paper.

Seal the paper with more adhesive

For me, they make perfectly pretty water jars (and drying jars) for my paint brushes but they would also be great with some inexpensive flowers for a hostess gift (I'd tie ribbon round the top to finish it off), some stones and fallen branches for some bathroom or kitchen decor

Happy repurposing!

Things I Don't Want to Forget

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

The way you point and say "oooh!" at every big truck that goes by when we are driving in the car.

The way you will pick out a book, back your little bootie up to me and sit in my lap, and turn the pages feverishly fast to get to your favorite picture.

When you walk with determination, and your right arm swings back and forth while you hold your left arm by your side, at the ready.

Your cheese face, when you clench your teeth and squint your eyes and give a huge goofy grin.

How you've taken to falling asleep on our shoulders when we put you to bed. I just love the feeling of your soft fuzzy head against my cheek, it reminds me of your newborn days.

When you go down your slide and shout "uh-WEEE!"

When you sneak up behind me and give me a leg hug, those are the best :)

How you are just starting to cry out "mama" for me in the middle of the night when you need me (BTW, the middle of the night part is not so awesome, but my heart melts when you call me mama, so you're saved on that one).

When you've finished your juice and your snack, how you bring your dishes over to the sink and put them in the sink. Don't know where you learned that, but it sure is awesome.

Our Favorite Things: 18 months

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well, its been quite a while since I did one of these posts, 6 months to be exact! It's funny, when I sit down to think about the things that we really love, there is more and more of a theme as Jack gets older. Its pretty cool to sit and watch his preferences develop. He is totally all boy!

Here are some of our favorite things right now:

Slide & Find: Trucks book

Jack LOVES this book. L.o.v.e.s. He got it for his birthday from one of his little friends, K, whose birthday is a few weeks after his. He loves to slide the windows back and forth and see the pictures of the trucks. He will seriously sit and "read" this book for close to 30 minutes at a time. It's my go-to distraction in the diaper bag for trips. Its gotten a little worn: some of the pages have sticky food on them, the cover has been bent back, but those little windows still slide back and forth and he is still a happy camper.

The Fresh Beat Band

OMG, does Jack love him some Fresh Beats. Twist, Shout, Kiki and Marina are regulars in our house. This sugary-sweet, perfectly politically correct band sings and dances and goes on some ridiculous adventures. Fresh Beats are on Nick Jr, and we have no less than 5 episodes queued up in our DVR at all times. Mizzle and I often find ourselves singing their songs in our heads (sad), and we are contemplating going to see them live in concert (pathetic) because Jack likes them so much.

Fisher Price Little Wheelies cars and Rev'n Sounds Race Track

I love the LW cars because they are brightly colored, plastic (read: easily cleanable) and fit perfectly in a toddler palm. My parents bought Jack a 20 pack of them for Christmas, and we have picked up a few separately here and there. My ILs bought him the rampway to go with them, and what a hit that was! The ramp makes racing sounds and he loves to zoom pretty much anything down that ramp: cars, pretzels, shoes, remote controls, you name it. It also folds up nicely and has a little "garage" to house a few cars in it, so it is easily portable to said grandparent households.

Daw

In Jack-speak, "daw" means dog. Or, pretty much any 4-legged animal for that matter. When we took him to see Santa, my sister Kellie helped him make Daw at Build-A-Bear. Now, whenever we say "go get Daw!" he will run to his toy cubbies and get Daw and give him a big hug.

Snoopy

Daw has a BFF, his name is Snoopy. Mizzle and I took Jack to Build-A-Bear the day before Halloween and he made Snoopy. When you squeeze his paw, he "sings" the Peanuts theme song, and his ears flap up and down. Jack loves it, and tries to grab his ears and gives him a big hug. Melts my heart when he hugs stuff animals, its just so damn cute.

Munchkin Star Fountain

Mizzle bought this for him for his stocking, and he is obsessed. The star's nose lights up blue, and then it sprays out water. Jack tries to stick his face in the spray, and then tries to drink it. Its become one of his favorite bath toys, especially when we turn off the lights in the bathroom and all you see is the blue light! I like that it gets him more used to having water splashed on his face, for when he hopefully goes swimming this summer!

I'm gonna up the ante...

2012-01-13T12:43:00.003-05:00

Remember that survey that I posted last week?

Remember the plea for responses and the bribe of a $5 Target giftcard? Well, I'm gonna up the ante.

How's $10 sound?

Better?

Yeah, I thought so.

Go to this post to get the survey link and the Rafflecopter form.
Survey closes on 1/20/12!

SWH4T$: Coupon Organization

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Time again to link up! I'm starting the year off right by trying to save money, let me show you how!

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

This post is a double whammy: I'm going to gush about couponing and organization all at the same time! YIPPEE!!!!!!!
Are you as excited as I am? Probably not, but I'm a dork like that :)

My sister Kellie is big into couponing too, and she has always been an organizational freak. She made herself a coupon binder, and then made me one for Christmas. I used to use an accordion file, which worked, but it was a pain in the arse to sift through all the coupons. Now, with my binder, they are all organized in clear baseball-card holders and I can see them all at first glance. This makes it so easy to see the expiration dates, purge what I don't need, and organize better by category.

Here is a tour of my new BFF, my coupon binder :)

My binder is a 1 inch 3-ring binder, and it has 8 tabs:

Household Items, Hair & Body/Meds, Baby, Grocery Items, Dairy/Refridgerated, Frozen Foods, Pet Supplies and Other (this is where I put my Target coupons, and other store-specific coupons.

Each divider page has a folder on it. I use these folders to hold my store flyers, along with a list of what I need, and the coupons I've pulled according to matchups with deals in the flyers. Then, when I get to the store, I have my list with my coupons, and the flyer if I need to refer to it, all in one place.

The inside front cover folder holds a small pad to write my list on, and coupons that I have yet to file. I also keep a pen clipped to the binder rings, and my CVS Green Bag Tag is hooked around one of the rings.

And, the piece de resistance, the coupon pages! Kellie put in a bunch of those clear baseball card holders, that are the perfect size for most coupons. If the coupon is a little big, I just fold it so I can see a bit of the product so I know what its for, but most importantly so the expiration date shows. I don't have them organized yet from first expiring to last expiring because I haven't figured out a way to do that without moving every coupon around when something expires so I don't have an empty space. However, with them organized like this, its very easy to scan for dates. I keep duplicates grouped together also.

So there you have it! That's my new way of organizing my coupons, and I'm so happy that Kellie made this for me, because its made my life a whole lot easier! A lot of people say they don't have time for couponing, but honestly, I spend maybe an hour a week total clipping, organizing and matching deals. I'll admit, in the beginning it took a lot longer, but once I found a system that worked for me, its gotten so much easier. I've heard many couponers say this before, but I really can't believe I didn't start this sooner. So far, its January 12th, and I've saved a total of $34! And I only coupon for things that we NEED and USE, so that's $34 that I would have spent anyway, but now thats $34 in my pocket :)

So, how do you organize your coupons? Any tips or tricks for us? Link up and share!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: This is my life this week

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

OMG Jack, really? What is so frigging interesting about 11 PM and 2:30-4:15 AM? Nothing, I swear, there is NOTHING good happening during those hours. You are not missing anything. Do you know how much Mommy would kill to be in your position? Snuggled up in a nice warm bed with a stinky heeraff in the crook of my arm? Dude. You aren't sick (so far as I can tell), you have all your teeth (aside from 2 year molars, and we better not be going there yet), so it must be that you are going to start talking.

If you don't wake up tomorrow spouting JFK's inaugural address, then we're gonna have a problem here.

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

I usually kinda half-ass my resolutions, say them in my head, keep them to myself, so that when I inevitably fail, I don't feel so bad because its not public :)

However, this year, I figured I would make them public, and hopefully hold myself more accountable. And, my pal Libby at ELF: A Family Blog is doing it, so why can't I? (don't worry, if she jumped off a bridge, I wouldn't follow her, I would just run down the hill and be there when she fell and call 911. I'm a good buddy like that)

So without further adieu...here goes:

1.) Say GOODBYE to my FAT ASS. Yes, I know you probably think I am crazy, but I am not happy with my body. Those 15 lbs I lost over the summer? Well thank you Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas, because I've gained them all back, and then some. I'm currently at my highest non-pregnant weight, and I'm not happy about it. My plan? Mizzle and I signed up for My Food Diary and we are using that to track our calories. I'm sorta modifying it and following it like Weight Watchers (i.e. I'm not counting any veggies or fruits as those are 0 pts in WW). We are trying to exercise more (we bought Kinect for our XBox and we got the Biggest Loser to go with it). My sister Kellie is training for a 5K, so since she is doing it, why can't I? I'm still thinking about it.

2.) Be a better Mom. I love Jack more than anything, but I know I can be a better Mom. I'm often so tired after working that my days off I just want to relax, but I know that he wants to play and do projects and go outside. I want to be less lazy and do more things with him. Maybe join a storytime at the library or a mom's group or something. And I really want to put to use some of the awesome crafty kid projects I've pinned on Pinterest and do some fun things with him.

3.) Craft more. Going off the end of #2, I really want to start making more things. My mom was always really crafty, and I can actually be creative when I want to as well. I have so many ideas pinned for things that I could make, but I never actually get the motivation to get up and do it. I'm trying to schedule myself one day off every month where Jack is in DC and I am home, and hope to use some of that time to create things: reusable shopping bags, cloth wipes (we use them all the time!), scrapbooking, and lots of other stuff.

4.) More date nights with Mizzle. I'm perfectly content with staying home every weekend night and just hanging out, however Mizzle is not :) Dude has always been very active and busy. And, he has a point. We used to go on dates all the time, and now that we have a kid they are few and far between. I know that everyone goes through this, but we have the means to have a really nice dinner together monthly (he gets a meal allowance through work, with the theory that it is R&D for him to develop new desserts). Plus, I kinda like him a little bit, and its fun hanging out just the 2 of us :)

5.) Refinish our basement. This is more of a must than a resolution. Jack's toys are over-taking our small family room. Our basement is currently semi-finished with this nasty 1970s wood paneling and ghetto street sign flooring (yes, you read that right), and there isn't any insulation, so its literally the same temp as outside (its exposed on one wall, we live on a hill). Our plan is to tear everything out on the walls, insulate and install drywall, and then install a new sub-floor and cover with carpet tiles (easily replaceable if a certain dog decides to drop a massive deuce and leave a stain). Hopefully we'll get it done before summer, and then that would be our main playroom. All the big toys would go down there, and then it wouldn't look so much like Romper Room on the main floor of our house.

So, there you have it. It will be interesting to see how many of these things I actually accomplish!

I want to know what YOU are thinking!

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I figured I would start 2012 off by trying to get to know my readers a little better. This blog has definitely exploded with readership over the past few months, and I want to make sure that while I stay true to myself in writing this blog, that I am also writing posts that are interesting to you, my readers.

I've created a short 10 question online survey that I would LOVE it if you would take it and give me some feedback! I'm going to leave the survey open for 2 weeks in hopes that I can collect the max amount of data (flashback to stats here, bigger N, more reliable results!)

AND, just to up the ante a little bit and hopefully get more people to take my survey, I'm going to giveaway a $5 Target Giftcard :)
You think $5 isn't a lot at Target? HA. Here are a few examples of what you could get at Target for $5:
-5 books from the $1 Spot
-a tube of diaper cream
-a nail polish
-2 greeting cards
-a giftbag or 2
-2 boxes of crayons
-face wash
-shampoo and/or conditioner
-a box of animal crackers
-stickers

Here is the link to the survey: CLICK HERE!

The Target GC giveaway is a Rafflecopter giveaway, please click the instructions button on the widget!
The survey link is also embedded in Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SWH4T$: Free Books for All!

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

A very happy 2012 to each and every one of you!! Shannon and I are thrilled to welcome you back to She Works Hard For The Money, with some format changes!

I have some exciting couponing news for you all, and Shannon is stoked to offer up amazing crafty tutorials for home decor, hostess gifts and more!

Now for the rules!

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Free Books for All!

My lovely Husband got me a Kobo for Christmas, and it seriously has been the absolute best thing ever.

What's a Kobo? Well, it's the Canadian version of the Nook, available through Chapters and Indigo. Much like the Kindle and Nook counterparts, and even the Sony e-reader, the Kobo downloads ebooks from the internet for easy reading. It has a few more functions than the other ereaders, but that's neither here nor there for this post.What I love the most are the free ebooks. I didn't realize just how many free ebooks there are on the Kobo platform! I've already downloaded 32 books! Most are classics that I either haven't read at all, like Pride and Prejudice, and some are classics that I want to revisit, like The Last of the Mohicans, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.I just finished....

And have started....

While I know that I will eventually run out of free books to read (I have 30 in queue....should last me a while!) I love that I can get some books for as low as $1.99 and that my Kobo will store 1000 books in total. Considering that I would be spending approximately $4.99 at minimum per book, plus the $9 at Starbucks when I stop at Chapters...and walk away with approximately 3 books for myself, as well as two for Owen...plus the gas to get to the bookstore...You're looking at about $34 (+gas) just for one trip!Or...you could plugin your Kobo and synch up over 100 free books! Most I bet are ones that are amazing and wonderful, but that you've never given the time of day.You can even get some new releases for about $8, which is approximately $4 off the cover price (and cost of gas!) per book!Have you gotten any amazing gadgets over the holidays that will end up being huge money savers? Link up with us!!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Jack and his new "car"

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

My ~~parents~~ Santa gave Jack a Power Wheels ATV for Christmas in CT this year, and he was/is obsessed! When he first started driving it in my parents' house, he kept driving into tables and walls, so we took him outside and let him try it there. He picked up "pushing the button" to make it go pretty quickly, but he still doesn't quite know how to steer. He would get the biggest grin on his face when he started going, but every time a car passed him he would let go of the button, stop and point at the car and say "ooohhh!!!!"

I think the best part about this little ATV was the excitement on my dad's face when he took him out to try it for the first time. My dad has 3 daughters, Lord knows this man was just waiting for some extra kid-testosterone to enter his life. He knew every little detail about this ATV, told me about his research he did when they were picking it out, and what we needed to know about charging it and storing it. And seeing him with Jack was kinda like when we were kids: he was so excited, patiently explaining how to work the new toy, and just plain smiley.

I said it before, how awesome Christmas is when you are a parent, but one of the other truly amazing things is being an adult and seeing your parents interact with their grandchildren on Christmas. Its almost like you have a window to the past; you get to see the joy in their faces that was probably the same when you were a kid playing with your new toys on Christmas morning.

And now I'm all teary...on to the video

Christmas Photo Dump!

2011-12-31T18:00:00.000-05:00

What an awesome way to end 2011 with all my fave pics from Christmas! :)
Get ready, because this is the biggest photo dump I've done yet :)

Santa was here!

And he left goodies for Tessie too :)

Jack & I coming down the stairs in the morning (oh, and Heeraff was with us too)

"OMG Mommy & Daddy this slide is AWESOME!"

"I love my new Giraffe!"

Talent = opening presents one-handed while holding a truck book

Playing "bathketball" with Daddy

Power Wheels ATV from Gramma & Grampa!

My mom made Jack a giraffe blanket, giraffe PJ pants and a matching t-shirt!
(I may or may not have gotten the same shirt in my size as well...)

Reading a book with Auntie Kellie

Hugging his new bear from Auntie Taylor

Chillin' on Gramma & Grampa's stairs with his snack
and new Tasha (Backyardigans) beanie baby

My parents' Christmas tree...awesome, isn't it?

Playing with Grampa's new Grinch

I love my Gramma :)

Christmas this year was by far the best yet. There is definitely something to be said about the excitement that kids have on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa, but now having experienced the Santa side of it all, I'm convinced that being a parent on Christmas is WAY more exciting. Watching your kid squeal with delight and giggle like crazy with his new toys is probably the best thing ever.

I just love my little family :)

Reflections

2011-12-31T12:00:00.000-05:00

As this year is coming to a close, I thought I would share a story about a patient that I had the other day. Obviously, because of HIPAA I can't be too specific, but you will get the gist.

Friday, December 23, 2011

It's a fairly busy night here in the ED tonight, people are getting hurt rushing around finishing Christmas shopping, getting anxious and depressed with regards to the upcoming holiday, eating bad food and getting sick or having chest pain.

I'm working on the "main" side of the ED, where the more acute and complicated patients go. My friend is working in the FasTrack area, where the less acute patients go. It's pretty busy in FT tonight, so I'm spending a lot of time floating over there to help him out.

I pick up a chart for a 91 year old man. Chief Complaint: hand laceration. I go into the room to see him, he is with his son. They are both very pleasant, cordial. The patient was walking upstairs with jars of spaghetti sauce in his hands, when he tripped and fell forward, striking his hand on the edge of the counter. He had a large laceration over the back of his hand, and needed stitches.

These kinds of wounds are my favorite: big and complicated, which means that I get to just sit in the room and suture for 30 minutes and enjoy the pt's company.

I decided that since it was the day before Christmas Eve, that he would come back tomorrow for a wound check, because I was worried it would get infected and I didn't want him to be sick on Christmas.

He came back the next day, Christmas Eve, with his son, just as planned. His hand looked amazing, better than I had predicted. He was a little sore from his fall the day before, but was otherwise feeling well. I changed his dressing, gave him and his son their instructions and wished them a Merry Christmas.

Just as I was leaving the room, his son called my name. I turned around and he hands me a small tinfoil package. He tells me that the pt wanted me to have these, and then proceeded to tell me a story. He said that every single Christmas, his father makes pizelles, the Italian cookie. This year he wasn't going to make them because he only had one hand because of the dressing on his left hand. However, he wanted to make me some pizelles to thank me for helping him.

This amazing 91 year old man brought out his pizelle maker and made me cookies one-handed, so that he could thank me. Thank me for just doing my job. Talk about a humbling moment.

I think we all could learn a lesson from this truly amazing man: always be kind to others, and respect the life that we have. Life is a precious thing, and I know that I am so very thankful for my family and friends. We could all stand to show each other a little appreciation once in a while...

Guest Post: Manscaping

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today's guest poster is Libby, from ELF: A Family Blog. Libby's son Thad is pretty close in age to Jack, and her hubs is training to be a chef. So are we like e-sisters or what? Libby keeps it real and this post is a perfect example!

**Fair Warning: the awesomeness that is this post is probably NOT for the modest or faint of heart :)

*****************

So, on the verge of being completely inappropriate (and embarrassing the hell out of my husband), let's talk about manscaping. You know, manscaping. That oddly modern thing that even my high school boys discuss. (As if that's not weird to overhear.)

Anywho, in my lifetime I've only ever known two men that manscaped. Two. One was older than me and we were dating (he also thought shaving his chest was awesome...lol, should have broken up with him then...) and one was a good friend/turned hookup/turned awkward in college (yeah, yeah...details later). Anywho, I never really thought much of it. In fact, I thought manscaping was a bit weird and little bit feminine, but apparently, it's the new thing (and has been for awhile).

::flash forward to this morning's conversation with my husband::

Me: Hey, what time are you going in for your physical? Where are you going to go? (sidenote: Hubs needs a physical for a possible new job and he doesn't ever see a doctor so he needed to randomly pick one.)

Hubs: Well, I called the doctor's office where you go and after transferring me to a nurse she said to just come in at 10:30.

Me: Oh yeah, are you seeing my PA?

Hubs: Um, yeah. I didn't really want to, but I kinda feel like I don't have a choice. What am I gonna do? Back out because I don't want some random chick, who happens to be a friend of my wife's, to tell me to turn my head and cough? No, then I'll look like a pussy.

Me: Hehe, ok. Have fun.

Hubs: Hey wait! Did I tell you the last time Parker was in town we were having a few drinks and his dad brought up the fact that Parker "better be manscaping that shit"? So I started thinking, "What am I? The only guy who doesn't do this? Am I like Tarzan or something?" ::insert pause:: So I did it.

Me: Did what?

Hubs: Manscaped.

Me: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Hubs: Yeah, so, I did it and now I feel like everything looks weird and bald and like I haven't gone through puberty -- it's kind of embarrassing.

Me: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Hubs: Yeah, uh, so do you think that's weird?

Me: ::chuckling:: Weird? I don't know about weird, but whatever floats your boat. You're the one that's gonna have to drop your pants for my PA and let her cup your balls. ::hehe::

Yeah, so needless to say, hubs joined the manscaping movement today. I literally almost pissed my pants talking to him on the phone in the hall at school and I seriously just don't get it. Honestly, I've never had a preference either way; if a guy wants to risk putting a razor to his genitals (because you know they're all so gentle), then go for it. (As for chest hair, wax that shit...I'm ok with that.)

So....are you a fan of the manscaping movement?

Guest Post: Salt Dough Ornaments

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hey All!

My name is Shaun from Living with Peanut. Shannon was so incredibly kind to ask me to guest post for her while she's taking time off (what's that?). I hope you all had a great, wonderful Christmas (and, if you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa - I hope your celebration was just as joyous).

Since Christmas has just passed, I'd like to share with you my adventure of attempting to make a homemade gift from Paige to her grandparents, aunts and uncles....

I ~~am addicted to~~ love Pinterest. On there, I found this great recipe to make homemade gifts - Salt Dough Ornaments. I made these in some activity when I was younger so I thought it would be fun to do something I had done, have Paige involved, and knock out a few Christmas gifts on the cheap side.

4 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 1/2 cups of water

First off, we don't have "regular" salt in our house. We use sea salt. And in the umpteen times I've been to the grocery store in the past weeks do you think I'd remember to pick up a thing of salt? Nope. A .55 cent thing of salt required a special trip to the store. Thankfully, I did have the flour on hand (which is about to expire...I'll be honest, I didn't realize that flour had an expiration date).

Secondly, I don't have a rolling pin. So I did what any creative gal would do - I used a wine bottle. Unfortunately, this salt dough recipe requires kneading for 20 mins and by the time I got ready to roll out the dough, my arms were tired. I made reallllly thick ornaments and didn't push Paige's hands into the dough hard enough. They looked like giant discs after 30+ minutes in the oven.

When the husband got home, I re-did the dough and split it up into smaller amounts to roll out. Paige absolutely loved to get her hands into the dough so it wasn't an issue to remake her hand print. I used the non-pointy end of a thumbtack to create a hole for ribbon and the pointy end to mark "PM" into the ornaments.

If you ever attempt these ornaments, I will recommend holding/pushing your kids hand into the dough. Not hard enough to hurt them (obviously) but enough to make an indent. If you don't push the hand in hard enough, the dough will rise just enough to make the hand print kinda obscure.

After they cooled, I put ribbon through the hole. If you decide to paint the ornaments, acrylic paint works well (and LOTS of newspaper if you're working with a toddler).

Thanks for having me, Shannon! And I hope you all come over and check out my little corner of the interweb - I have a cute Peanut to share ;)

Guest Post: Poop Trail

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well hi there. I'm Kristin. I'm wife to hubs and first time mommy to my little Jibbler, otherwise known as James. I started Our Growing Garden back in January 2009 to document my trying to conceive journey. I have a Catahoula named Oscar and a calico kitty named Bunny. I breastfeed. I babywear. I cloth diaper. I like to make my own baby food. I guess you can call me a crunchy mama. I love to read. Lonesome Dove and Outlander are my favorites. I love peanut butter. Bring me Reese's and you have a ticket to lifetime love from me. I have a degree in Biology. I'm a Christian. I love the feeling of putting on brand new, never worn socks. I love sniffing the lemony fresh steam from the dishwasher. Is that weird? Anyway, I recently had an epiphany. I am working on making my life what I want it to be because this.is.it. We have ONE chance to create our family, our outlook, the world around us.

Poop Trail

We are going to have to retire nakey time around here. In days of the past, James loved tromping around the house completely naked, airing his bottom out. By the giant grin on his face, you could just tell he was so happy to be free. Weenie in the breeze. But as of late, he has been abusing this privilege.

Please see exhibit A.

His diaper had been off for maybe a minute when he created this trail of poop.

And then last night when we were getting him ready for bed, he abused nakey time again. It wasn't even supposed to be nakey time, he just rolled away during his diaper change and stood up, walked over to the glider and then peed on the chair leg. My husband and I were also floored by what a BIG and LOUD pee pee it was.

Today, was the FINAL poop-sca-pade that I could handle. I was letting him have his treasured nakey time while I was paying some bills online. We were in the study with the door shut and he had a few toys on the floor to entertain himself with.

Here is how it happened:
Me: $5.00 extra for a long distance phonecall?!, who in the hell made a $5.00 long distance ph...Is that poop I smell?

::looks down:: James is standing in front of me, completely naked and throws a little piece of poop in my lap. He looks up at me confused but proud. I stare at him in total disbelief. You just pooped, picked it up, and then brought to me. Like a cat, proud of its' kill. You just brought me a poo poo and THREW IT AT ME.

I laughed and laughed and then I got him all cleaned up. But ohmygosh, I think nakey time is only going to be in the bathtub from now on!

Originally published at www.ourgrowingggarden.com

Guest Post: Carrots Three Ways

2011-12-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hey there!! I'm Shan from Sweet Stella's, an artsy crafty blog full of inspiration and creativity from my little Etsy shop. I feature and support handmade artisans, as well as mompreneurs and mama bloggers. We moms are such a force to be reckoned with!!

One thing I love to do is cook and bake, and have intentions of opening a virtual bakeshop in the next year or so! While those plans firm up, I sink my teeth into baby and toddler food. It was really important to me to know exactly what was going into my son's nutrition, and to make sure that he developed a diversified palatte. Now, he's a bounding and brawny 18month old who loves a variety of foods, and hates anything bland! I hope you enjoy these recipes!!

Roasted Carrots with Nutmeg and Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F

Peel and quarter 6 carrots
Put 1" water into roasting pan, along with carrots

Sprinkle carrots with 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Bake for 45 minutes

Puree to desired consistency, then spoon into ice cube trays and freeze overnight.

Transfer cubes into freezer safe bag for storage.

Roasted Carrots and Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon

Peel and chop 1 sweet potato

Add a few handfuls of baby carrots to roasting pan

Add 1" of water to roasting pan

Sprinkle mixture with 1 tsp cinnamon

Bake for 45 minutesPuree to desired consistency, then spoon into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Transfer cubes into freezer safe bag for storage.

Roasted Carrots with Basil

Peel and quarter 6 carrots

Add 1" of water to roasting pan, along with the carrots

Add 1 tsp of dried basil (or fresh if you prefer)

Bake for 45 minutes

Puree to desired consistency, then spoon into ice cube trays and freeze overnight.

Transfer to freezer safe bags for storage.

There you have it! Three ways to do baby food carrots!! So far, my son is in love with the Roasted Carrots with Nutmeg and Cinnamon. We're very excited to try the Roasted Carrots with Basil this week.Not to mention, the house smells delish while the carrots are roasting!!

Guest Post Week!

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

AKA Mommy needs a break :)

This week I am down in CT visiting family, the back home and working straight through for a few days. So, I'm giving myself a little present and taking a break for a week, and I'm having some guest bloggers to keep you company :)

So here's the lineup:

Shan from Sweet Stella's shares some amazing carrot baby food recipes (Jack LOVES carrots)
Kristin from Our Growing Garden shares a rather stinky story
Shaun from Life With Peanut shows us how to make Salt Dough Ornaments
Libby from ELF: A Family Blog Manscaping!!

A Very Bloggy Christmas

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'll admit, I stole this idea from here, but I thought it would be a great way to wish all my favorite bloggers a Merry Christmas!

She's my blog inspiration, and one of the reasons I started a blog in the first place.

She has a super cute little boy, and I've always had a soft spot for Connecticut bloggers!

This mama keeps it real with her 2 little boys.

James & Jack are a few weeks apart in age, and I've e-known her since my TTC days.

She's a busy working mama, and have you ever seen a cuter little turtle?
She's practically my neighbor, and I didn't even know it!

If you ever need some style inspiration, she is your go-to girl!

Mother Theresa has nothin' on this mommy, she teaches high school kids!!

Her son loves Thomas the Train as much as Jack loves heeraffs :)

This mama survived her hubs PhD and a cross-country move!

And of course, my bloggy BFF and crafty expert, this lady!

SWH4T$: Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

We are taking a break this week from SWH4T$, hope you all have wonderful holidays!

Created using MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Suite

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Early Christmas

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend we did an early Christmas with Mike's parents. I am working Christmas Eve, so I wasn't going to be able to see them, and then we are going down to my parents house Christmas Day. So we decided that we would do things a weekend early so we could all spend time together. We got together on Saturday, Mike's mom made an awesome dinner and Jack just ran circles around their house playing with Papa :) I'm glad we did it this way, because I would have been really bummed missing Jack open up all his presents with them.

On Sunday we had BFFs T, C and their hubs P & N over for our little BFF Christmas. I love an excuse to have a house party, so the little soiree was at our house. Mizzle made lasagna, salad & garlic bread, and I made Hot Spiced Wine :) Mmmmm....

How awesome is that little face? He LOVED ripping the paper.

Definitely favorite present so far: Fisher Price Little Wheelies Stand n' Play Rampway

Mesmerized. Seriously he played with this for 30 minutes STRAIGHT.
In toddler-time, that's like 15 years.

Of course we had to get a new ball...

Opening presents with Baby A, he was a very good little elf :)

BFF C was playing Santa to Tessie & Stormy,
look at the pretty girls waiting for their treats!

Tessie was all tuckered out after playing with Stormy and
practically collapsed on her bed.

{WINNER!} MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Suite

2011-12-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone for participating in the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Suite giveaway!

Special congrats to Cheryl, entry #18, YOU WON!

I've emailed you details :)

Bummed that you missed out? You can still purchase MyMemories for yourself. You won't be dissapointed!

New Hiding Place?

2011-12-20T08:37:00.001-05:00

Gotta love Toddler Determination.

No matter how tall the chair/table/couch/box, no matter how small the crevice, no matter how slippery the slide, I WILL GET THERE!

Yesterday, I was hanging out in the family room with Jack, he was playing toys, we were listening to Toddler Tunes and I decided to take a minute and check some email.

Then, I look up, and I see this:

Yes, he is in a cubby. All curled up, like nothing is strange about this at all. Apparently there was a toy at the very back of the cubby that he really wanted.

I couldn't believe how quiet he was while all this was going on, normally when he is trying to do something new (including climbing in a cubby) there is all sorts of yelling and tantruming, but not this time! I just happened to look up and there he was.

And then, when he got the toy he wanted, it was time to get the hell outta dodge and leave the cubby behind.

SUCCESS! I am toddler, hear me roar :)

SWH4T$: Coffee Bean Candlepieces

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to our Holiday Series with She Works Hard For The Money!

We've head a great time baking, crafting up glittering play-dough and now we're moving onto some quick and easy holiday decor that will make your house smell fantastic!

Want to link up your own holiday ideas??

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Coffee Bean Candlepieces

Since we were in the process of selling our house, we had to keep our decoration very simple...but that didn't mean that it couldn't be chic!This literally took me 5 minutes to make (including washing and drying a vase that I already had!) and zero dollars since I already had everything in the house.

What you'll need

vase or glass hurricane
candle
coffee beans

What to do

clean vase/glass container
dry it
pour in desired amount of coffee beans
place candle in centre of coffee beans
sink it down just a bit

Voila! Instant decor for your mantle, bathroom, kitchen, or even really great centrepieces for Christmas morning brunch!

What I love about them is the fresh smell of coffee every time I walk by. I have one in our master bath, one on our wine bar and two on our kitchen table. They've been there for about two weeks now, and they still smell like fresh coffee.

For an added twist, use flavoured coffee beans or a scented candle! As the coffee beans warm up, they give off a delicious aroma!

A time saver and a money saver! If you had to buy the supplies and start from scratch, here's my cost breakdown

Vase: $1 at dollarstore
Coffee beans: $4 for 1lb bag
Candle: 2 for $1 at dollarstore
Small vases: 2 for $1 at dollarstore

So, for a total of $7 you get 3 arrangements. Pretty awesome! And consider that you could take them as hostess gifts for any holiday parties that you're going to! Cost per gift $2.33! Fantastic!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: How to Scare a Toddler

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

We took Jack for Santa pictures on Monday, and at least I was prepared thinking that things were not going to go well. He just started having stranger danger and separation anxiety a few weeks ago, so I knew that he was not going to be cool with me putting him in the lap of a huge stranger. But, for memories sake, I did it anyway :) Call me cruel, whatever, but I'm sure he will think its somewhat amusing when he is 30 years old, right? My sister Kellie was with us and she said I was being mean, so Auntie Kellie stepped in and saved the day, and brought Jack to Build A Bear and helped him make a little doggie stuffed animal that he affectionately named "Daw" for dog ":)

5QF - I got featured!

2011-12-09T17:58:00.001-05:00

Dudes, I'm famous :) Mama M who hosts the 5QF every week asked for ideas for questions yesterday, and I responded, and guess what...she used mine!

So here goes, my famous version of 5QF!

1. What is your favorite Christmas cookie? <------- That's my question!!!

Well, I have 2. My grandmother used to make these Russian Tea Cookies when I was little, and I would literally eat them by the fistful. They are covered in powdered sugar, have a slight nutty flavor imparted by the nuts in the dough. My mom always makes Spritz Cookies (ya know, with the whole cookie gun set up). The flavor isn't anything amazing (sorry Mom!), but I just love all the little shapes and she usually dyes them red and green to make them pretty.

2. What's your favorite holiday movie & why?

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, hands down. My dad reads that book to us on Christmas Eve, and I can pretty much recite the whole thing, so naturally that movie is my fave too. Although, when I watched it on TV this year they had "enhanced" it with brighter colors, and it was a little too intense for me. Part of the charm (in my opinion) is the faded out appearance of the colors since its so old.

3. Is there a gift that you bought for your kids that you wish you hadnt after they opened it?

Well, considering this is only the 2nd year I've had a kid to buy for, no. Not yet at least :)

4. What is the messiest room in your house right at this moment?

Definitely our bedroom. There is a basket of clothes to be put away for the winter, bins of winter clothes yet to be swapped into the bureaus, random toys scattered around, a bag of dirty clothes. Do you see a theme here???

5. What is the furthest you have driven for the holidays?

CT. Not too far, only 1.5 hours away from our house.

Thanks Mama M for featuring me!

Have you seen this?

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

This photo has been circulating around the interwebz, and I thought it was hilarious:

However, being the somewhat scientist that I am, I realize that the makeup of all human brains is different. Therefore, I must have due diligence and relay to you the differences of Jack's brain.

Firstly, the Muppet Recognition Lobe is actually more specific for The Backyardigans. Specifically Pablo. He also has an accessory neuron pathway in that area that is geared for recognizing the members of The Fresh Beat Band.

The Endless Repetition Stem is actually largely occupied by this book, as well as Car & Truck Floor Racing, and kicking/throwing balls.

His Whine Region has the tendency to swell proportionately in accordance with the time of day and his internal circadian rhythm. AKA it is larger and triggers more whining in the evening and before naptime hours.

His Ptooey Gland has been hard-wired to reject meat of all kinds, with the exception of the occasional organic hot dog.

Now that you are aware of the neuronal pathways of my toddler, I hope that this educational lesson will help you to better interact with your toddler and understand their inner workings.

Or at least you can have a laugh at this over a glass of wine.

SWH4T$: Festive & Frugal Toddler Gift

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to Week 9 of She Works Hard 4 The $ (SWH4T$)!

We are so pleased for you to join us this week, and look forward to many holiday tips and tricks!

The Rules? They're pretty simple!

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Festive & Frugal Toddler Gift
In keeping with Shan's theme from last week, I thought I would feature a cute and cheap gift that you can make for the little kids in your life. I made Candy Cane Playdough for Jack's little friends that we got together with last weekend.

Yes, they are on the liquor cabinet...
right now its the only high placethat Jack can't reach...

I got the idea for this from my favorite ~~addiction~~ ~~time-suck~~ social media site, Pinterest. I actually combined 2 ideas, Candy Cane Playdough with Snow Playdough:

Source: artfulparent.typepad.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: tenkidsandadog.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

In addition to your playdough ingredients (see here), you will also need red & white glitter, 8-oz mason jars, fabric cut into 5x5 inch squares (I also used pinking shears to make the edges of the fabric pretty)

I made 1 batch of red playdough and 1 batch of white playdough using this recipe, and I added 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to each batch for candy cane scent :) At the end, I kneaded in red glitter to the red batch, and white iridescent glitter to the white batch. 2 batches of dough fills about 5 8-oz mason jars.

Assembly:

-divide your batches into small 15 small balls each.

-start with a red ball and slightly flatten it in the bottom of the jar so it touches all sides of the jar.

-add a white ball on top, squishing down in the same manner.

-repeat until you have 3 layers of red & 3 layers of white (this amount worked for me, you could make more or less layers depending on what you want).

-place the metal lid on the top of the jar, cover with a 5x5 inch square of fabric and screw down the collar over the fabric & lid.

The cost of this whole gift is minimal, because most of the stuff you have on hand already (flour, salt, vegetable oil, cream of tartar). We happened to have mason jars already because we do a lot of canning in the fall, but if you need to purchase them, here is an idea of prices:

12-pack case of 8 oz Mason Jars: $17.95 on Amazon, which is $1.50/jar

1/2 yard of fabric, price varies, but I paid $3.99 at Jo-Ann Fabrics

Glitter: $1.99 each

So I didn't do out the math of how much it would be per jar all said and done, but I'm guessing its less than $5. Which is awesome for many reasons, but mostly because its homemade, its cheap and its just plain fun!

What sort of homemade gifts have you made this holiday season?

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Busted!!!

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Things wrong with this picture:
1. Toddler sitting on the endtable
2. Toddler playing with a decorative picture frame
3. Toddler hanging out in his diaper because he won't keep his clothes on.

{Review & Giveaway}: MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Suite

2011-12-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

See? I told you guys I had something awesome in store for you!

And what a perfect time of year to scrapbook! Fall is filled with all sorts of memories: apple picking, Halloween, Thanksgiving, decorating a Christmas tree, Hannukah celebrations, Christmas morning. And if you are anything like me, you kinda get obsessed with documenting it all and making it cute all at the same time.

Enter MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Suite. This awesome software gives you the ability to create digital scrapbook pages that you can share with family and friends. Its like the old-school type of scrapbooking you used to do (ya know, with paper, glue dots, stickers....) but BETTER. The software allows you to add elements, remove elements, change colors, crop pictures - everything! However, since its all digital and on the computer, there are no sticky glue dots to remove, no paper scraps to clean up, and no guzzling of wine when you've screwed up a page for the umpteenth time.

Well ok, you can still have wine. But it will be enjoyable sipping while you create away :)

I was beyond pumped to try out this software. After Jack was born, BFF T and I swore that we were going to get together every month and scrapbook. Yeah, that never happened. We go so far as scouring the craft stores for papers & embellishments, and it still sits in a pile in my basement. Lot of good that did! The awesome thing about MyMemories is that everything you need is in your computer. Its super simple: you download the software, and then you can download whichever paper packs, embellishments or design sets that you like! And you know what else is awesome? They have A TON of things for FREE!!!! When was the last time you could walk into a craft store and get your scrapbooking supplies for free? Yeah, that's what I thought :) In addition to the free downloads, the majority of their embellishment & design packs are all less than $5. So for the price of what, 2 sheets of stickers at the craft store, you can get a pack with multiple papers, embellishments, Word Art, overlays & flourishes. Talk about more bang for your buck!

Just to show you how awesome it is, I started a scrapbook for Jack, and here are some of the pages I've made (mind you, because I am a cheap ass, I did this all with free stuff that I downloaded from MyMemories):

Pretty awesome huh? The first 2 pages I did "a la carte", where I picked the paper background and added all the embellishments myself. The other 3 pages were a "designer pack" where the layout and embellishments were already in place, all I had to do was click & drag photos! I did tinker with some of the embellishments a little bit, but that's the beauty of the software: you don't like what you see, change it! Easy peasy!

MyMemories is committed to making it easy for you to scrapbook and showcase your family's memories. Their Facebook page highlights freebies, deals and new designs & packs to check out. They also have Scrapbooking Challenges that you can participate in to help stretch your creativity. Their Blog & Newsletter have freebies as well as tips & tricks too!

Like what you see? Well guess what? You can win a FREE MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Suite software!

This is a Rafflecopter Giveaway, please click the instruction button for each option!

I was given a free copy of the version 2 software to use for review and as compensation. My opinions are my own and were not swayed by outside sources.

Milestones!

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I did one of these posts, maybe since the last milestone was walking, which was such a huge one!

I've always known that boys are usually more slow to talk than girls, so I've tried to keep this in mind when thinking about Jack. Also, since he was a month early and he is ginormous on the growth charts, this also in general puts him slightly behind. However, when the only thing you really want to hear is your kid call you Mama, you tend to forget all that and get a little antsy.

However, 2 weeks ago the wait was over! He finally started saying Mama with a purpose! He's been babbling it randomly for months, but now, he says Mama when he wants something (and of course, its in a whiny voice, which is both annoying & cute all at the same time). It's nice to know that I finally have a name :) And? Its so much fun to reply to his "Mama?" with "Yes Baby?"

Another super cute milestone was waving bye bye. Lots of kids I know have been doing this for months, but Jack apparently felt that he was above social greetings. He would however do a very gentle and thoughtful high-five :)

When we were loading up the car to leave my parent's house Thanksgiving weekend, Jack was in his carseat and Mizzle and I were putting last minute stuff in the way-back of the SUV (aka, Tessie). My mom and sister Taylor were standing outside next to the car saying goodbye to Jack; you know, the typical stupid stuff that people do when they are saying goodbye to a baby: smiling with a freakishly wide grin, waving so much their wrists fall off and speaking in voices pitched so high only a dog can hear.

Well wouldn't ya know, Jack WAVED BACK. So.freaking.cute. His little right hand opening and closing and looking right at my mom and yelled "Beeehhhhhhh", which I think was "bye"? It was awesome. And my mom totally dug it, she got all teary (yes Mom, I saw that). I know Taylor was pumped too. I absolutely love it when he does a "first" in front of my parents, because they don't get to see him very often.

He's becoming such a little boy now...

Oooohhhh, The Mommy!

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

The funniest thing happens when I pick Jack up from daycare (which I usually don't do, its usually Mike): all the toddlers gather around at the door to the toddler room (its a half-door in a half-wall) and they all start jabbering away at me.

On Wednesday I was post-call after my overnight shift and went to pick Jack up from DC at 3. I walked in the door and was chatting with the director and I know Jack saw me because I could hear him crying. So I walk over and all the kids had gathered at the half door. One is waving to me, another is showing me her show, another hucks a ball at the wall. Jack's little "girlfriend" E smiles at me.

So I bend over the door and pick Jack up since he is crying and reaching for me, and this is the scene that goes through my mind:

Only, instead of aliens, its toddlers (not a far stretch, but I digress...) and instead of The Claw, its The Mommy.

SWH4T$: Holiday Baking

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to Week 9 of She Works Hard 4 The $ (SWH4T$)!

We are so pleased for you to join us this week, and look forward to many holiday tips and tricks!

The Rules? They're pretty simple!

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Holiday Baking

Have a teacher, garbage man, mail delivery person, post office worker, member of your church family or some other person on your list this Holiday season? I know that I do, and that list keeps growing by the day when I think of all of the wonderful people in our lives!So! This year...into the kitchen I go with my beautiful standmixer that is likely exhausted at this point. However, this batch of particularly yummy cookies yeild about 75 cookies...Translate that into 10 cookies per cello bag, tied with a lovely tag (that you can make at home to save even more money! I had this one lying around our Christmas wrapping paper stock) and you've got gifts for 7 people, plus 5 cookies left for you to snack on!And what's even better, you likely have all of these ingredients (minus the molasses...let's be serious, who has molasses in the house!? But...it's only $4 at Walmart!) in your kitchen already!

Ginger Molasses Cookies
Preheat oven to 350F

Mix in your standmixer bowl:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream in:

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses

Roll cookies into 1" balls, and roll them in a bowl of 3/4 cup coarse sugar or granulated sugar
Place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 13-14 minutes. You'll know that they're finished by when the tops crack! Be careful not to overbake though!

I then took a bunch of the cookies, put them in a cello bag (you can get these at Michael's for about $2.50 for 12 bags. I get mine from Nashville Wraps in bulk, so I had them on hand already) and tie with a lovely tag!

Total cost on these babies...$6.50. Cost per gift...$0.92!

Beautiful, thoughtful, cost-efficient, and yummy!

December Sponsor Lovefest

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Living With Peanut

Hi there!
My name is Shaun (yes, female and no, not short for anything) and I'm the blogger behind Living with Peanut. Peanut is my sweet, driving my crazy, 18 month old girl. I blog about anything and everything. Married to my HS sweetheart, Marc, we've been together for over 10 years. Join me as I navigate the world known as "Living with Peanut"

Continuing Sponsors:
Sweet Stella's
Building Our Story
Growing Up Geeky
The Stauffer Shenanigans
ELF: A Family Blog
Momma Totally in Love

{WINNER}: Sweet Stella's Holiday Goodie Box

2011-11-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to everyone who entered the Sweet Stella's Holiday Goodie Box giveaway! Everyone knows how much I truly love Shan (and her products too!), so I am really excited to have had another great giveaway and get her business out there more!

Special Congrats to entry #26, Kami!

You won the Sweet Stella's goodies!

I've sent you an email with details :)

Bummed you didn't win? Another giveaway is coming up next week, stay tuned!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't have very many good pictures of our Thanksgiving weekend, mostly because I'm lazy. I had my camera with us for everything, but I was just too busy socializing to bust it out and take some good pictures. We had Thanksgiving at Mike's parents house, and then Friday we drove down to CT to spend the weekend with my family. The annual Turkey Gumbo was on Saturday, and Jack got to play with his cousin J (my cousin K's son). They were too cute. They kept going over to the stairs and sitting on the bottom step together and eating a snack. I think J was afraid of Jack though, because Jack was so excited to have a little person around to play with that he kept running after him screaming shreaks of delight and I think it freaked J out!

Playing the piano with Daddy at Nana & Papa's house

Best.Smile.Ever. Hands down.

Riding Daddy's old tricycle

Cousin J and Jack playing. And, how freaking cute is J's shirt???

Toddler Survival Guide

2011-11-29T20:15:00.000-05:00

Mama G of Growing Up Geeky asked me to guest post for her while she is moving to New England, ya know, my neck of the woods :) Since Carina is coming up on her 1st birthday, I thought I would give the G's a little Toddler Survival Guide....

A Mom's Favorite Cookie Jar

Nope, its not for what you're thinking of. I devised this solution one day out of desperation, because I was sick of having a mess in my cabinet. We were given a sleek Williams Sonoma cookie jar for our wedding to match the canister set we registered for. It usually just sat on the countertop empty (stupid, I know). One day when I was straightening the bin of washcloths in the cabinet I used for wiping Jack's face for the 10,000th time, I looked at the cookie jar. Voila! Stick the washcloths in the cookie jar! No need to fold them, they are within easy reach and disguised quite nicely. Plus, now you don't have to fill it with cookies :) I use the thin little baby washcloths, because they are soft and you can smush a ton into the jar :)

Call for December Sponsors!

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's that time again!

Time to start (or renew!) your sponsorship of Baby Shmizz!

And, just because its the Holiday Season and I'm feeling generous, I'm offering 50% off of all advertising packages!

You can check out the options for which package you'd like to purchase on my Advertising Page, listed at the top of the blog.

Baby Shmizz is constantly growing and gaining new followers. Just for poops & grins, here are some of my stats:

Alexa:
November pageviews (as of 11/23/11): 6,200+
Listed on: Top Mommy Blogs, Top Baby Blogs, Picket Fence Blogs
Twitter Followers: 192+
Facebook page "likes": 54+

Interested? Email me with any questions!

Christmas Traditions

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY EVERYONE! Hope you ~~crazy nutjobs~~ got some great deals at the stores this morning!

I can't completely take credit for this survey, I got it from my bloggy friend Sarah over at Nurse Loves Farmer. What a great idea though, its so much fun to talk about Christmas!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I literally have 1 cup of Egg Nog per year. That's it. That stuff is so damn thick, it makes me nauseated. But I love me some hot chocolate!!!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps everything but one present. Jack gets a "big" present and then a bunch of other ones, and only the big one isn't wrapped. Yes, Santa even wrapped them all last year when Jack was 5 months old. Jobs are precious people, and those elves that wrap the presents need to keep their jobs.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? colored, colored, COLORED! We do colored on our tree, and if we did put lights on our house (we don't), they would be colored. I think the houses all lit up with colored lights look like something out of Candy Land, its so fun!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, I think its queer.

5. When do you put your decorations up? After Thanksgiving. We respect the bird in this house :) We usually go down to CT Thanksgiving weekend, and then we get our tree the following weekend, and that's when the decorations go up.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? My dad's stuffing. I just simply love that stuff. And of course, my Great-Grandmother Nana's Sweet Potato Souffle. In the words of my poetic sister Kellie, its "bang bangs".

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Having my Dad read How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Christmas Eve. He still reads it to us, I make him. Kellie and Taylor just groan and roll their eyes, but I love it.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think I was 8 maybe? I remember it was the year that Kellie and I both got dollhouses for Christmas, I got a Barbie house and she got a Little Tikes house. "Santa" had taken a manila folder and cut it in half, and used a blue Sharpie to write Merry Christmas Kellie/Merry Christmas Shannon on them and then taped them to the houses. I recognized the folder and the Sharpie from my Dad's office, and then later on when I went down in the basement for something, I saw the marker and the folder sitting on his desk. Seriously Santa, if you are going to borrow something, put it away! DUH.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When I was growing up my parents would give us our "collectible" gift on Christmas Eve. I collected nutcrackers, Kellie had music boxes and Taylor waterglobes. Now, Mizzle and I open a present usually because he has been teasing me with hints of at least 1 present, and then I get so excited I can't wait :)

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With a shitload of ornaments :) We do an ornament for every year, and then we each stole some special ornaments from our parent's trees. We have some really cheap dollar store ornaments from our first Christmas together when we were broke, and despite the fact that they are fugly, the memories of them are pretty awesome. The very last ornament to go on the tree is a Christopher Radko ornament of Cinderella's castle. My Dad gave one to me and my sisters as a last present from my grandparents...we got them at Christmas the year they both died. Every year when I put it up I think of them and how very special they are, and how I hope that I have carried on the family traditions and values well enough, so that they would be proud of me.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it the first time it snows. After that, screw it. The stuff sucks. Its cold, its wet, its annoying to clean up.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, but not backwards, and I haven't ice skated since sophomore year of college!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I don't think I have just one...I remember getting the bedding set I wanted when I was 10, a leather jacket when I was 16, hubcaps when I was 21...but the best before Christmas present was definitely my engagement ring, 12/21/2003.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? spending time with family. I just love how for those few days, nothing else matters besides your family. The magic and wonder of children & Santa, the love between parents & their children, the warmth of a cozy holiday meal...its amazing.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? My grandmother used to make these Russian Tea Cookies when I was little, she used to set them out on a 3-tiered platter and I would gobble them up.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? See #7. And my new favorite tradition? Watching Jack open presents on Christmas morning. Christmas takes on a whole new level of awesomeness when you have children of your own...

17. What tops your tree? A star

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Give. Definitely.

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Yum! I like the mini ones because you can fit the whole thing in your mouth! (go ahead...That's what she said!)

20. Favorite Christmas show? Movie? It's a tie between The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Charlie Brown Christmas

21. Saddest Christmas Song? I don't know about the saddest song, but the most annoying song? Definitely Christmas Shoes. HANDS DOWN. (yes, I know, I am a heartless biatch)

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, specifically the version by The Carpenters. I love me some Carps :)

SWH4T$: Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to SWH4T$! We are now featured on Blog Hops Everyday's listing for Thursday hops! Go us!

Don't you want to join in on the fun?

A few rules:

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Happy Thanksgiving!
In celebration of American Thanksgiving, I thought I would feature a few ideas on how to stretch that Thanksgiving turkey a little further.
I remember when I was little I had a book about Thanksgiving and the little boy in the book used to always complain about how for the week after Thanksgiving they would have turkey every.single.night for dinner. I always wondered why that didn't happen in our house; either my family was a bunch of hungry pigs and ate it all that day, or we just had a really small turkey. Either way, I know in most households the turkey gets transformed into various & sundry leftover masterpieces :)
Everyone knows that leftovers are a great way to make your food dollar stretch. Moms know this, Chefs know this. It just works. Kitchens save money on feeding their staff by using leftover ingredients to make meals for the kitchen & waitstaff before service. Mizzle is always talking about the crazy things that they can do with pasta & chicken scraps.
My favorite thing to do with the leftover turkey is to make Thanksgiving Shepard's Pie. I have no idea where my mom got the recipe, but she's made it for the past few years and it is awesome. It's great because it also uses up your leftover mashed potatoes & stuffing.

Its really easy...even I can make it!
Layer as follows:-stuffing (my dad makes sausage & sage stuffing)-turkey with a bit of gravy-veg of your choice (I like corn, Mizzle likes Green Bean Casserole)-potatoes (my mom usually splits the pan in half with half regular mashed and half sweet potato)-shredded cheeseBake at 400* for about 30-40 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese on top has melted.
Other ways to stretch your bird:-make stock with the carcass (speaking of which, carcass is such a weird word, isn't it?), freeze in ice cube trays and then transfer to a ziploc bag to store in the freezer to use in recipes throughout the year.-make turkey soup or turkey gumbo-Thanksgiving Sandwich (layer turkey, stuffing & cranberry sauce in between 2 hearty slices of bread with a thin shmear of mayo. Mmmmmm!)
And, as always, the best and cheapest way to enjoy your leftovers is to arrange them on a plate, pop them in the microwave or oven, and sit down at the table with your family and eat all together. Nothing is less expensive yet so incredibly rewarding all at the same time than spending time with family...
What do you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers? Have any creative ideas that you would like to share? Did anyone do any creative budgeting for their holiday meal? How did you organize your cooking time? Link up & share!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Toddler Craft FAIL

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I get these crafty itches every once in a while, and I try to involve Jack when I can. I kept coming across these recipes on Pinterest for Cloud Dough.

Source: flightsofwhimsy-ece.com via Shannon on Pinterest

I realized late one Thursday afternoon, that I had all the supplies I needed already in the house: flour, baby oil, bowl, spoon. Done. Easy, right?

Easy to make...but not easy to clean up! I should have known to figure in The Toddler Factor. Moms of toddlers, you know what I'm talking about. I didn't figure in enough space for the mess. I didn't figure out how to clean it up until after (should have thought about that before!). I didn't think to myself beforehand "this might be better if he plays with it at a table over the tile, and NOT the carpet".

But you know what? It was worth it. He had the biggest grin on his face the entire time and loved it. I highly recommend making this. My one change would be to make it with olive or canola oil, especially for younger toddlers like Jack who still tend to stick things in their mouths.

Mom what did you put in my cup?

I put it in the cup, and it fell right back out?!

WOO HOO!!! This is awesome Mom!

Ok Mom, its all on the floor, gimme some more!

I didn't make the mess, I swear it wasn't me...

Yahoo!!! I love Cloud Dough!!!

Raking Leaves

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know what you are thinking.
She's writing about raking leaves?? Has she finally totally lost her shit?

Haha, not really...but I did make a really great pun there, you just don't know it yet...

Yesterday Mizzle & I finished the raking of the shit-ton of leaves that occupy our yard. Our lot is all trees on 3 sides, so needless to say, we get a lot of leaves. He raked last weekend, but by the end of this week, it looked like he never even did anything. So we put Jack down for a nap, juiced up the monitor and went outside.

I put on some jeans, a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers. Clean sneakers.

BIG mistake.

I must have forgotten that we have a dog. Who poops. A LOT.

So there I am merrily raking away and thinking about all the calories I am burning since I have been a lazy ass lately, when suddenly....my foot slides.

And I'm all, WTF??

I look down at my nice clean sneakers and see fresh dog poop squishing up the sides.

OMGGROSSTHISISSODISGUSTINGHOWTHEHELLAMIGOINGTOGETTHISOFF?????

So I pretended I was ice skating and squished those feet all over the lawn and tried to get the poop off. Semi-successful.

Until 5 minutes later, WHEN I DID IT AGAIN.

Seriously Tessie? Do you crap 5 times per day? Its like a Serbian mine field out here!!!!

Am I raking leaves, or am I raking POOP?

Sorry Shakespeare, but THAT is the question. Really.

SWH4T$: Homemade Body Scrubs

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to She Works Hard For the Money!

A few rules:

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Homemade Scrubs

It's almost that time of year...The air turns cold and takes your breath away...carolers will soon be out on the streets...and jolly old St. Nicholas will be bombarded by letters from little ones.That also means gift giving as well, and I don't know about you...but homemade and handmade gifts from the heart go a very long way!

The other day, I made these for my mom as a part of her birthday gift. A yummy and glorious Brown Sugar Honey Oat Body Scrub, and a super fresh Peppermint Foot Scrub.I finished them both with beautiful ribbon, and cardstock tags.Here are the recipes and how-to's!

Find a jar that you have around the house...salsa, jam, jelly...whatever you have! Clean it thoroughly and dry it completely.Combine in a bowl (I actually did it right in the jar)

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal
2 tbsp. honey (a natural preservative)
1 cup oil (I used canola since it is nonsmelling and that's what I had on hand)

Transfer into your jar, and twist the lid on tightly!
Finish off with a ribbon and your tags, and viola!
A yummy body scrub that can double as a delicious dessert topping!

For this one, I found that after I cleaned my salsa jar there was some residue on the outside from the previous label. So...I made my own and podged it onto the outside of the jar! I also covered the lid with scrapbooking paper and podge!
In a bowl combine (and I actually did this one in a bowl)

3 cups white sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp oil (again, I used canola)
peppermint extract (for this, I just did it by smell...so maybe a tsp.)
6 drops green food colouring

When it's all mixed and lovely, transfer into your jar, making sure to put the lid on tightly. Tie with ribbon and your tag!

Are you making anything for the holidays, or a special birthday, this year? Share your tips and tricks for saving time and money!

{Giveaway}: Sweet Stella's Holiday Goodie Box

2011-11-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas is right around the corner folks, that's a fact!

When I was a kid, my parents got us a new ornament for the tree every year. I've always loved looking back at the ornaments, as they usually signify what I was loving that year, or special milestones. I have a Strawberry Shortcake ornament, a Rainbow Brite one, a Little Mermaid one and of course a little red Matchbox car for when I turned 16 :) My dad said it was the only car he'd ever buy me. He wasn't kidding :) I bought my own first car :)

Mike and I decided to do the same for Jack. We were so excited about his first Christmas last year, that we literally have like 5. But this year, we're not going to be so ADD about it.

Shan, my bloggy friend, crafty guru, MomPreneur and owner of Sweet Stella's and BlogHer'12 roommate offered to create a custom Christmas ornament just for Jack :)

And of course, I about jumped through the computer screen when I saw the pics, because I loved it so much. I mean seriously, my 2 favorite colors (also the colors of Jack's room) and a GIRAFFE???? SWOON.

As I would expect from Shan, the craftsmanship is perfect. She pays so much attention to every detail, everything is always perfect. Also, I've never seen an ornament like this anywhere, so Jack will have something unique and special on the tree for years and years to come! Of course, she makes these in a myriad of colors and can customize everything to match your decor, your kid's favorite colors, your favorite prints, etc.

This year, Shan is featuring 2 new products in her holiday lineup: NoteStacks and Tiny NoteStacks. As you might remember, Shan's NoteStacks were featured in the GBK Productions Gifting Suite at the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Like, as in celebrities were taking her stuff home and LOVING it! Crazy to think that I have a friend who made products for celebrities...

The NoteStacks are perfect for writing a special holiday note to a favorite teacher, friend, good neighbor, or just a sweet little something to stick in your spouse's briefcase or car. The Tiny NoteStacks are just freaking adorable. I'm going to be using these as the gift tags for Jack's daycare teachers. The words are simple, straight forward messages that say so much.

Like what you see?

Well guess what...Shan is giving away a Holiday Box of Goodies that includes an ornament, NoteStack and Tiny NoteStack to a lucky Baby Shmizz follower!

This is a Rafflecopter Giveaway, please click the instructions tab to make sure you did each option correctly!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Questionable Dudes

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Mizzle & Peter

{WINNER} Gunapod Wearable Blanket

2011-11-15T10:27:00.001-05:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Gunapod giveaway, huge success!

Congratulations to entry #51, Jennifer Causby!

I've sent you an email with details :)

If you are truly devastated that you didn't win, you can still purchase a Gunapod HERE, and trust me; it is worth.every.single.penny.

New Sweet Stella's Giveaway starts tomorrow! Stay tuned!!

Steppin' Out Saturday

2011-11-13T20:21:00.001-05:00

Saturday night was DATE NIGHT!!!! Mizzle and I went for a night on the town in Boston. Jack had a rockin' Saturday night with Nana & Papa :)

Mizzle

Shirt: Old Navy

Jeans: Denizen by Levis for Target

Tank: Apt. 9 at Kohl's

Cardigan: Lauren Conrad at Kohl's

Jeans: Lauren Conrad at Kohl's

Necklace & Earrings: Lia Sophia

Jack

Shirt: Jumping Beans at Kohl's

Khakis: Okie Dokie at JCPenney

Socks: Carter's

Just for funsies!

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

How 'bout we get excited about the fact that it's FRIDAY!!! And that instead of working till 11 today, I'm working "banker's hours" of 8a-6p. It's like, unheard of.

Here are some funny things I came across on Pinterest that I thought I'd share!

Source: google.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: wannasmile.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Shannon on Pinterest

SWH4T$: Money Saving iPhone Apps

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Rules of the Hop:

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC
2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".
3.) Post our button on your post.

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Money-Saving iPhone Apps

So many of us have iPhones nowadays, I thought I would share with you which apps I use to help me save money. I know that Android phones are just as popular (I was a Droid girl before my iPhone, and Mizzle has a Droid too), and most of these apps or something similar can be found in the Android Marketplace too. And, because I'm a cheap-ass, all of these apps are FREE, of course :)

ShopSavvy

This app is by far my favorite. You use the scanner to scan any barcode, and it will give you listings of where you can buy that item so you can find the cheapest place to buy it. It also includes online retailers as well. How many times have you been at the store and bought something, and then get home to find out there is a deal on Amazon and you could have gotten in cheaper? Not gonna happen anymore!

The Coupons App

This app has coupons, online deal codes and links to freebies. It also uses your location to tell you where the cheapest gas is in your area.

Grocery Pal

This app uses your location to allow you to search through the local store sales flyers. It also gives you available store coupons within a 5-mile radius of your location. You can also create shopping lists with the items from the flyers, and add coupons to them!

Target

We all know I love me some Target. This app allows you to surf the weekly ad, check out the Daily Deal, and sign up for mobile text alerts with coupons. And, if you are desperate for a fix, it uses your location to tell you where the nearest Target is.

Jo-Ann Fabrics

Jo-Ann Fabrics is my go-to store for crafty supplies, especially fabric. They often have coupons in the newspaper, however they have a separate set of coupons on this app. You just click to display and show the cashier so they can enter the discount. It also will use your location to tell you where the nearest store is.

CardStar

This app is more of a sanity saver than anything. I don't know about you, but my keys are HUGE. I have about 10 little store card tags on there, plus 2 car keys, 2 remote starter fobs, plus 5 assorted housekeys. And, I HAD to have my 2 Coach keychains on there, natch. So, instead of carrying around all those little tags, and since I'm married to my phone, I use this app to house all the barcodes for my store tags. You just scan all your tags in, and then at the store you click on whatever tag you need and it displays a barcode for the cashier to scan just like your little tag! Genius!

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: October Snowstorm

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah, you read that right. October snowstorm. October 29th to be exact. I seriously think the last time it snowed in October I was a kid, and it was just a light dusting. Nothing like what happened this year! For those of you who don't live in the Northeast, you might not know how devastating this storm was. It dropped anywhere from 5-12 inches of wet, heavy snow. And because this happened before most of the trees lost their leaves, the branches were heavier, causing numerous trees to fall, power lines to go down and lots of damage to houses and cars.

Including our house. We were sitting in our family room watching TV and drinking beers with BFF C&N when suddenly I heard a crash right behind my head. It sounded like a huge sheet of ice sliding off the roof, only there was no huge sheet of ice. It was actually a tree falling, hitting our house and shattering the outside pane of the window behind my head. Thank God for double-pane windows!

We went out a few days later and took pictures of our yard to document for our insurance company, so I'm sharing them with you! We were lucky compared to some other people affected by the storm, but it still looks pretty bad!

Crappy cell phone pic, but this is the shattered window

Mizzle decided to go outside and survey the damage, but when he came back in
he forgot to take his gloves off, so he decided to drink with his gloves on.

This is looking at the side of the house, you can see the portions of the tree that fell.

Another look at the side of the house,
you can see how the branches are right up against the window.

This is the backyard, a 2nd tree fell later that night, but didn't hit the house.

Looking over the fence into the backyard.
You can see a total of 3 downed trees...

Chrismahanakwanzakah Cards :)

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

No matter what holiday you celebrate in the months of December & January, most people choose to send a card to friends and family as a gesture of kindness and love. The Family Shmizz sends out cards every year, and I'm VERY particular about the cards that I send.

I like cards with pictures, because I like to see how people change throughout the years. I also like to pick cards that are either all-religion encompassing and a set of Christmas specific ones, so that I'm not offending anyone :)

I feel like your Christmas/Holiday Card says a lot about your style, and who you are. This year, I'm getting my cards from Tiny Prints, because they have so many different styles that are perfect for us! I've used Tiny Prints in the past for pretty much everything: BFF T's baby shower invite, Mike's 30th Bday party invite, Jack's christening invite, Jack's 1st Birthday invitations. Tiny Prints is awesome, because their designs are unique, classy and very affordable.

And the best part? They have over 1,000 cards to choose from! Check it out, I'm sure you'll find a few hundred you love (trust me on this one...)

So now, the only problem is...which card do I pick?!?!???

Pretty sure Jack would pick this one...I mean come on, its THE BACKYARDIGANS!

Uniqua in your mailbox??? HOLLA!!

Tessie would probably pick this one, because she is the princess of the house.

And honestly, before Jack, I probably would have picked this one too.

It's classy, modern colors, and religion-neutral. Perfection!

Mizzle would be all over this one. Because really, he is OBSESSED with snow.

Unless of course he has to shovel it.

He is a total ski bum, and pretty much looks forward to winter all year.

But guess what? I'm picking out the cards, so I get to pick what I want :)

And here are my choices:

I like this one because my all-time favorite Christmas carol is

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" sung by The Carpenters.

Every time I hear that song it reminds me of Christmases when I was little.

And this one? Well it says cupcakes, and Mizzle is a pastry chef & baker,

so how perfect is that? We could take a picture of Jack eating one of his cupcakes,

and use that for the picture. CUTENESS!!!

But this one? This one is my favorite. We are totally getting this one.

It has a ribbon that you thread through the top and it becomes an ornament!

And look what it says on the back...how perfect is all of that?

It really exemplifies the simplicity of life and appreciating the little things,

which I think is a lesson that we could all stand to learn.

What kind of cards are you going to send this year? What do you look for in the perfect holiday card?

Disclaimer: I am writing this post on behalf of Tiny Prints. I was compensated 50 free cards for writing this review, however all opinions are my own.

November Sponsor Lovefest!

2011-11-07T10:25:00.002-05:00

Support Audric!

Audric is 14 months old. He was born August 24, 2010. He was born with Biliary Atresia, which is a rare liver disease. His common bile duct was malformed and he was not able to drain bile. He had a Kasai surgery October 13, 2010 to connect his small intestines straight to the liver to help drain bile. This surgery is a bridge to transplant. The Kasai can last 30 years or fail immediately.Most children get a transplant within 5 years. Audric was hospitalized 6 times during his first 12 months with GI bleeds and/or infections. His doctors decided that it was time for a new liver. He received his gift of life October 6, 2011, and was only on the waiting list 12 days! If you would like to support Audric's transplant fund, click the button above for more info!

Peanut's Tale

My name is Shaun and I'm a 20-something mama to Paige, and wife to my handsome husband Marc. We were married on September 26, 2009, when I was 6 weeks pregnant! 9 months later, Paige was born on May 29, 2010. And here I am, blogging about life with the Peanut, as she's affectionately known in this household. I also post lots of pictures, giveaway some really awesome prizes, and share money saving tips.

It's been a journey getting here, but what a journey it has been and I can't wait for it to continue :)

Building Our Story

My name is Censie (said like Kenzie). I started this blog “Building Our Story” over 2 years ago – when I started out it was just a journal for my own thoughts. Well over the years it has evolved into a TTC blog, a pregnancy blog, a baby blog, a mom blog and now a Toddler Blog. I love showing my readers how our life changes with our little boy Jude every day. Please join me and share your stories. Our story is continuously being built. If you love fun toddler stories, tips on what to buy for your kiddo, reviews and giveaways, adorable pictures and yummy recipes make sure you stop by Building Our Story. We will make you laugh or at least smile!

Continuing Sponsors:
Sweet Stella's
Growing Up Geeky
The Stauffer Shenanigans
ELF: A Family Blog
Momma Totally in Love

SWH4T$: Coupon Sites

2011-11-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Rules of the Hop:

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Coupon Sites!

So you all know by now that I am a self-described Coupon Guru. I might not be as successful or as crazy as some of the people you see on TV, but I have definitely saved us a lot of money. I have to give credit where credit is due, and I must say that I learned most of what I know through my cousins, A & K. I also learned a lot by watching shows like Extreme Couponing.

In general, there are 3 places to get coupons: newspapers/mailings, online coupon sites, and manufacturer sites/Facebook pages.

Newspaper inserts still account for the majority of coupons redeemed in the US. Most weeks there are 2 inserts, RedPlum and SmartSource. The coupons found in these inserts will vary, and the value of the coupons in the inserts will vary from region to region. For example, my SIL's grandmother sends me diaper coupons and she lives in Northern New Jersey. Her diaper coupons are always about $0.25 higher in value than the same coupons I get in my newspaper. Every once in a while, Proctor & Gamble will issue the P&G Brandsaver insert, which has coupons for P&G products, usually relatively high value.

My favorite site for coupons is Coupons.com. They update rather frequently, and usually you are allowed 2 prints per coupon. So, once you've printed one set, hit the back button on your browser and they will reprint. All coupon sites require you to download coupon software, which is free and takes less than 5 minutes. The coupons print with a unique barcode and are processed just like newspaper coupons. Smartsource.com and RedPlum.com also have online printable coupons, though considerably less than what you would find in the newspaper.

I also print out Target-specific coupons at Target.com. Its a little tricky though, because not all of those coupons are Target coupons, some are manufacturer coupons. Target will allow you to stack a Target coupon with a manufacturer coupon, but on their website they don't differentiate until you print and look at the coupon. TotallyTarget.com has a list of the coupons on the Target website, and they will tell you which ones are Target and which are manufacturer. TotallyTarget is also awesome for highlighting really cheap deals at Target.

I've also made a habit of going to manufacturer websites and their corresponding Facebook pages, to sign up for mailing lists and coupons that way. Especially with diaper companies, because they will send you coupons in the mail.

I've subscribed to the Mommysavers.com newsletter, which comes out every few days. They will list high value coupons, great deals at stores, and websites that have deals for freebies running. I've gotten free laundry detergent, trash bags, diapers, wipes and hair products through referrals from this newsletter.

Those are the ways that I get my coupons, how do you get yours? Do you have any "secret" places that you go that you would like to share?

Some Kinda Word Wednesday: Halloween

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Halloween was a little less calm than it was last year. Last year, we quietly slipped Jack into his costume, he slept the whole time and that was that. This year? Enter tantrums, constant movement and general toddlerness :) He could.not.stand the hat that went with his costume (which is weird, because he tolerates his winter hat just fine). He wouldn't sit still for hardly any pictures, but we still managed to get a few cute ones. He was so sweet, my little heeraff, I just wanted to squeeze him all night long :) Baby A was a cow, and BFF T dressed up like a farmer to match :)

{Review & Giveaway}: Gunapod Wearable Blanket

2011-11-01T11:02:00.001-04:00

Remember this post?

Well guess what? Its heeerrreee!!!!

Gunamuna
makers of the gunapod wearable blanket

I won my gunapod in a giveaway at the Growing Up Geeky blog, and I was so excited that it was a Boston-based company close to home, that I wanted to share the gunapod's awesomeness with my readers too!

When I first signed up for the giveaway my intention was that if I won it, I would pack it away for a baby in the future, because no way in hell my 100th-percentile-in-height toddler would fit into, let alone tolerate a wearable blanket.

OMG I was so wrong.

The gunapod was created by 3 moms who wanted more for their kids when it came to wearable blankets and sleep safety. And we all know that products designed by moms, usually reign superior to those that are not. We moms just know what we want, ya dig?

When I got my package, the gunapod was so.freaking.soft. It was like cuddling up with a fluffy little newborn again. And then I lifted it out of the box, and the 18-24 month size was awesomely big!

What makes the gunapod different from traditional wearable blankets & sleep sacks is the multitude of zippers. Now don't get all overwhelmed and think that you are going to have to fiddle with 14,000 snaps & pulls in the middle of the night, because that's totally not the case. You've got snaps at the shoulders, a zip on either side under the armpit that goes down to the bottom and a zip in front.

Jack wears his gunapod with the bottom unzipped, because he can stand and walk. Its long enough to cover his whole body and feet (he is 33 inches tall), but not so long that he trips on the bottom if he walks around in his crib. Smaller babies can leave all the zippers zipped, and they will be cocooned in a cozy warm pod :)

0.5 seconds after I took this pic, he launched off the couch.
He was hungry for breakfast!
Look how well the gunapod fits him, not too tight around the neck,
plenty of room in the feet & armholes.

Mid-launch!
He is trying to show you his feeties sticking out of the unzipped pod :)

My favorite part about this blanket is that it doesn't bunch up. Jack always wakes up because he is cold in the middle of the night, and his little afghan is balled up in the corner of the crib because he's kicked it off. The gunapod stays on him all night long and doesn't bunch up around his waist (even with the bottom open) so he is always covered. Honestly, and this is totally not a cheesy kiss-ass statement, the kid sleeps better with this thing. He might wake up and make a few peeps here and there, but not full on awake with chilly hands like he used to (*crosses fingers*).

Benefits of the gunapod:

Patent Pending all around zipper opens completely from underarm to underarm, with 4 separate pulls thereby functioning in a multitude of ways
Additional front zipper and shoulder snaps
Unique all around zipper allows simple diaper changing. Baby remains dressed and warm and minimally disturbed, no need to undress baby to change diaper, unzip the outside from the bottom as high as necessary without limitations, simple & fast
Temperature ventilation by unzipping in many combinations
Easy dressing/undressing, can leave bottom open for free movement of feet
Oversized fit with large armholes and a super plush fabric for ultimate comfort
Ideal for use outside of crib in car, stroller

This cutie is wearing her gunapod with the bottom open, just like Jack :)

How much do you just want to squish this little bean?
This shows the gunapod all zipped up.

Want your own gunapod for your little bundle of baby or toddlerness?

You can buy one HERE (which is what we are doing so we have a back-up!), or...

YOU CAN WIN ONE!

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway, please make sure to click the instructions for each option to ensure that you have completed each step correctly!

{WINNER}: Boudreaux's Butt Paste

2011-10-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

Wow! 123 entries!

Thanks so much for participating in my biggest giveaway yet!

Congratulations to entry #82, Melissa! I'll send you an email with details :)

Hope your little one's butt is as happy as Jack's is!

An Evolutionary Tale

2011-10-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

The following is the tale of the evolvement of Shannon's coffee through the years. This is survival of the fittest at its best, dudes!

Circa Fall 1998 - Small Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla, skim milk, 2 sugars. Purchased every Wednesday evening for AP Bio Lab, moreso to look cool than for the actual caffeine rush (if you actually get any rush at all from such a puny cup).

Fall 1999 - Fall 2002 - Sodexho School Catering Services coffee, skim milk, 1 Sweet n' Low. A necessity, considering Biology Majors always have 8 am classes. So, enter the burnt jet-fuel coffee from the Stonehill cafeteria.

Wintertime 2002 - Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice, skim milk, 1 Sweet n' Low. The beginning of my obsession with this coffee. Made every Monday, Wednesday and Friday just for me by the sweet little old lady who ran the new coffee shop on campus.

Summer 2003 - Gevalia Kaffe, skim milk, 1 Sweet n' Low. My foray into thinking that I was rich and could actually afford mail-order coffee now that I was a college graduate. But hey, it came with a free coffeemaker!

Fall 2005 - Summer 2006 - Dunkin Donuts Small Turbo Shot, half&half, 1 Sweet n' Low. Purchased every afternoon to help me stay awake through afternoon classes of PA school. Especially surgery. *shudder*.

Fall 2006 - Christmas 2009 - Green Mountain (any flavor), Coffeemate creamer, 1 Equal. Made specially for me in my Cuisinart Grind & Brew coffeemaker.

Christmas 2009 - present - K-Cups from my Keurig! (Newman's Own, Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice/Island Coconut/Breakfast Blend/Hazelnut), Coffeemate creamer. Also, at this point in time my coffee consumption has blown up to 3-4 cups per day. Thank you, Jack.

How has your coffee order changed over the years? If you have children, do you drink more now than you used to?

SWH4T$: A Christmas Stocking Stuffed For Less Than $20!

2011-10-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

The fourth week of She Works Hard For the Money is here...crazy!

Thank you, everyone, for linking up your tips and tricks, for sharing the hop on Twitter and Facebook, for promoting other blogs to hop to!

Some of our favourite tips so far...

- Couponing - Shan's the Coupon Queen and we can expect more posts from her about this in the future!
- Swagbucks - who knew!! A search engine that randomly awards you points for searching!
- DIY Homegoods-like laundry soap from Tina Dean Designs! Genius!

Come and link up with us, share your stories about how you make or save money for your family.

Rules of the Hop:

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

Last week I talked about using your Gifts to Grow points to score some awesome swag for your little one as the (expensive) holiday season approaches. Well...for us, stocking are a pretty big deal, and getting one filled and lovely for cheap is quite the challenge!

Since I'm at Michael's about twice a week, I always stop by their clearance bins and $1.50 kids crafts. I picked up bubbles, colouring books, crayons, a new rubber duck and some Toy Story memo pads to keep our son busy on the plane ride home from Florida.

Hitting up the discount movie bin at your local Walmart is also a great idea. If you dig, sometimes you can find cartoons! (We've also picked up some Sesame Street, Berenstein Bears and The Ant Bully in this bin! Each movie is $5!)

And you never know what you'll find over in the seasonal section of your grocery store. Dinnky cars for $0.99!! Amazing! Owen's recently become fascinated with driving cars on the floor, and "mmming" right along with them, so a new car in his stocking will be perfect.

Then we went to the party supply store...where there are tonnes of little games and toys for kiddos to put in their loot bags. What's awesome about this area is that they're cheap, so if they break...no biggie...they're $0.50 to replace!

Pretty awesome...a completely full stocking for our little one (he'll be 1 {and a half} at Christmas) for $17.89!

Link up your tips and tricks this week...how do you work hard for your money?

Some-Kinda-Word Wednesday

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we went to CT for my sister Taylor's birthday party. Oh, and she got her license (!!!) and she drove me to the package store to get a 6-pack of Sam Adams Octoberfest, my 2nd favorite beer (this event was both strange and terrifying all wrapped up in one). On Sunday we went to a local farm to pick out pumpkins and let Jack run around. So much deja vu that day, because the last time I was there Taylor was just a smidge older than Jack...so crazy how the passage of time works...

What kind of world?

2011-10-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

I think every generation of parents asks themselves this question:

"What kind of world am I bringing my child up in?"

I know I ask it. I'm sure my parents did too.

I'm sure by now you've all heard about the 2 year old little girl in China who died as a result of a hit-and-run car accident. If not, you can read about it here and here.

Some people have said that this represents a decline in Chinese morality, however a certain American incident almost 50 years ago, Kitty Genovese, shows an eerily similar sad representation of our society and the uncomfortable phenomenon known as bystander effect (or Genovese syndrome, or bystander apathy). Although now it is unclear if people did indeed ignore Kitty's cries for help, the possibility is there.

What kind of world do we live in that we live innocent children in a pool of their own blood on the street to die? What kind of world has inhabitants that ignore an innocent woman's cries for help as her life is ripped from her?

Our world. Sad.

The story of YueYue in China breaks my heart. This poor little girl, run over by a car, lie there on the street, bleeding. How many people walked by her and ignored her? How many people thought it was somebody else's problem? Were they clicking away on their phones, texting? Were they yapping away at their Bluetooth? Scheduling their next meeting or lunch date?

This brings to my mind the state of technology absorption in this world. I know I am victim of it. I constantly have my phone, I check my email at least 20 times per day. However, I would hope against all hopes that I would NEVER ignore someone's cries for help and NEVER ignore an injured child.

Maybe its because I work in healthcare I feel indebted to help others. I don't know. But then again, all those people who walked by YueYue and did nothing? How many of them may have been trained in First Aid? Or perhaps CPR? I bet a few.

If anything good at all could ever come out of a tragedy like this, I hope it reminds us all that we are ONE WORLD. We are all responsible for each other, and the planet that we live on. We need to be more respectful and aware of both of these things. The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is a true statement; if you see a child in danger, it should be your moral responsibility to protect that child.

Don't leave it up to someone else.