Friday 5: Dr. Seuss Party

 

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2nd, I thought I’d make this week’s Friday 5 post about Dr. Seuss.

For Charlie’s 1st birthday, I went all out Seuss style! Here’s 5 pictures from his party:

I ordered these awesome plates and tablecloth from Birthday Express.

Tiny Prints Birthday Sale! 30% Off Sitewide

This post contains affiliate links.

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Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop

I am very excited to be a part of this giveaway hop! When I was younger I would sit down with a book and read until the end. There wasn’t much that could stop me. Now, I have 2 kiddos and that seems to have done it. I would love to find the time to read a good book that’s just for me. I read about 2-3 books a year now instead of 2-3 a week.
Welcome to the Leap Into Books Blog Hop
This blog hop has more than 150+ bloggers each offering their own prize.  Go and check them out! Good luck!
Co-Hosted by I am a Reader not a Writer and Jinky is Reading.
 
This hop starts on February 28th and runs through March 7th.

Giveaway Details:
Since I’m a Barefoot Books Ambassador, I’ll be giving away a Barefoot Books early reader set!

The giveaway goes live at Midnight tonight!

S’mores Brownies

I’ve been in the mood for something sweet lately. After staring in the pantry for way too long, I decided brownies sounded like a winner. I grabbed the pouch of brownie mix, but decided to make something better or as Charlie said “decorate them”. This of course is something that kids can help with.

You will need:

• Brownie mix (or make your own)
• 10 Graham Crackers
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate chips

Barefoot Books

In January's Citrus Lane review, I mentioned Barefoot Books. I'm actually a Barefoot Books Ambassador!

How did I hear about Barefoot Books?

In December of 2012, Charlie received a Barefoot Book in his Citrus Lane box. The book, The Animal Boogie, was an instant hit in our house!  I looked Barefoot Books up online and found out that I could sell them!

Why do I love Barefoot Books?

I love Barefoot Books because they are real works of art. The books address real life situations as well as imaginary or fantasy worlds. By opening a book, you can travel to far away lands and have a picture painted in your mind. Barefoot Books are not full of commercialized characters that our children cannot watch on tv daily.  

Today Only! 40% OFF Tiny Prints Thank You Notes

This post contains affiliate links. 

We have Thank you cards on hand at all times. It’s always nice to send a quick thanks to some for anything, even something small, especially in this digital age. I love the little thank you notes they have in the kid styles. We’ll be getting some to keep for Charlie to write Thank you notes on for his birthday.

For one day only, you can save 40% on all Tiny Prints thank you notes.
Tiny Prints has a huge collection of custom stationery to choose from. You can choose the text, the font, add photos, and completely customize the cards in a style that is uniquely you.
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4. When you checkout, use the code GIVETHANKS40 to save 40% of your entire order.
It's that simple!

My Relationship with Daddy

This is week 3 of 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.

Daddy and I have a strong and loving relationship. As you know by now, Daddy doesn’t show or talk about his emotions very well. This drove me crazy at first to the point that we would fight about it constantly. I’ve come to accept that that’s just how he is. Daddy is an extremely emotional man, he just can’t express it.

We balance each other out in so many ways. You’ll learn this. Our best days are when we can just lounge around and enjoy each other’s company. Daddy is truly my best friend. We can talk about anything or nothing at all. We love to play games and be nerdy together.

My hope is that you will find your other half out there (many, many years from now) and be as happy as we are.

Wallies Wall Play

When we found out baby #2 was a boy, I decided we would transform Charlie’s Pooh & friends room into a transportation themed room.
We bought several packs of stickers for the walls and put some up. Charlie had a great plan sometime during the night and tried to rearrange them. In the morning, we found stickers all over, stuck together and torn. I had a very upset little boy and he wanted daddy to “fix it”. Daddy’s good, but he can’t put stickers back together.
Let me introduce you to Wallies. I was sent a Wall Play set to review.

Moms’ Night Out Screening

This past Thursday night I had the pleasure to see an advance screening for Moms’ Night Out. The only thing I had to go off was the title and the cast. The idea of a free night out sounded good enough to draw me in. I invited my BFF (another mom in dire need of a night out) and off we went.

 

5 Tips for Selling at a Consignment Sale

I believe it’s crazy to spend full price on anything, especially baby and kids’ clothing and gear. They grow out of everything so quick, that used items are often in near perfect condition.

We sell at a big consignment sale twice a year. It’s a great way to make some money and get rid of the outgrown children’s items in your house. For us, it’s usually just a trade-up. We make money selling our old items and spend about the same getting new items that we need.

If you’re interested in making some money at your next consignment sale, these tips are for you:

WipesWraps by CleverRelish

As any parent knows, one of the most used items in the house is a container of wipes. Wipes are in every room, bag, and vehicle. When planning out your house décor, you probably did not take into account those awesome teal or white tubs. Yes… I know Huggies now has designs on their tubs. It still looks like ugly.
Mommy and Businesswoman, Jill Carreiro, came up with the idea to make those ugly wipes containers part of the décor. CleverRelish was born!
For my review I chose Blues and Browns because I knew it would fit perfectly with my blue-grey walls and my brown furniture in my living room. I was right, I can now leave them sit out and they look pretty and go with the rest of the living room.

Pull-Ups House Party

*I was sent a party pack from House Party to host a Huggies Pull-Ups party. All opinions expressed are my own.*

We were really hoping Charlie would be potty trained before Owen arrived in October. He was making pretty good progress too, but once Owen was born, Charlie lost almost all interest.

 

Our #DisneySide Celebration

*I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are my own.*


On Sunday we had way too many people in my little townhouse, but it was great! Everyone has been eager to get out of their house and socialize thanks to all this snow we've had lately.

You can check out what all came in the DisneySide @Home Celebration Kit.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is definitely different since we became parents. One year my mom came over to watch Charlie so we could go to dinner, I don't remember what we did last year, and then there's this year. I was nursing the little one when the hubby came home from work. He put his stuff away and brought me a plate from one of our favorite restaurants in town. On my plate was a lobster tail, some hush puppies, asparagus, and a twice baked potato. Woohoo! Charlie was sleeping and Owen was still nursing, so this was actually more quiet and peaceful than most dinners at our house lately, so it seemed appropriate for Valentine's Day!

While Daddy was at work, we made his present.

It just took a white 8x10 canvas and some red acrylic paint. Charlie put his handprint on there first. I then painted Owen's feet and tried to put a V on there with them (it was harder than it looks to get a 3 month old to cooperate). I added the L and E once the kiddos were all cleaned up. Had I put Owen's feet a little lower, I would've been able to put the E correctly. But like I said, it wasn't easy to do this by myself and I think it adds character.

3 Fears

This is week 2 of 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.

1. Driving in the Snow. This was never a problem for me. Then in 2007 I put my car in a ditch driving to my now husband's house for the night. I think it only takes 1 time to put that fear in you. I called him for help and he said he couldn't come help me because he too, was in a ditch- about 5 miles away from where I was. Seriously guys, we're meant to be.

Five Signs and Symptoms of a CHD

Today is the last day of Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, but I hope you continue to think about it. CHDs cause a wide range of symptoms. Your baby may have only mild symptoms and tire easily, for example. He or she may have life-threatening symptoms, such as severe difficulty breathing. On the other hand, your baby might not have any symptoms that you notice at birth, but may have them later as he or she grows. These symptoms usually go away after the defect is corrected.

Throwback Thursday- First date

This week is not just for Valentine's Day. On February 9th, 2007 I went on a first date.

One of my best friends was trying to set me up with her brother's best friend since New Year's Eve. I was not interested in being set-up. We went bowling in a big group for her birthday mid-January and we didn't talk at all. He seemed weird and shy and I probably came off as a snob.

 

This was at the bowling party. It's mostly her fault :-)

About a week later I asked her for his AIM (remember that?) sn. We began chatting all the time. Like, ALL the time. I was still going to school about 2 hours away and I kept telling him I was coming home for that weekend. He just was not getting the hint. Some more mentions of coming home and he FINALLY got it. We decided we'd go to Hibachi (because it's my favorite restaurant in the entire world) and see a movie.

Causora - DonorsChoose

What is Causora- Donate a dollar and get a dollar!!

1. Pick a cause you care about and make a donation

2. You Give = You Get! Get the Equivalent value in Causora credits: Donate $20 and get $20 credit to spend!

3. Redeem and Feel Good! Redeem your credit for vouchers at over 150+ socially responsible merchants!

Valentine's Day Cards

We made super simple cards for Valentine's Day!

You need some paint, a toilet paper roll, tape, and cardstock.

Push the middle in and tape along the outside to hold your heart roll in place

20 Random Facts About Me

This is part of 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.

1. I'm awful at doing housework.
2. My first date with Daddy was over 8 hours long.
3. We got married on a Monday.
4. I hate wearing socks and shoes.

Lil' Heart Sluggers

 

  Jaxon, a baby boy in Kentucky, was born with a Congenital Hear Defect. His mommy and daddy made a baseball with his handprint on it while they were in the hospital preparing for his heart surgery. The simple baby memento made them feel like everything was normal for just a few minutes. The baseball became one of their most prized possessions and they want to share that feeling with others.   

Homemade Freezer Biscuits

I was looking for a way to use up milk and came across a recipe from Money Saving Mom:

Homemade Freezer Biscuits

• 4 cups flour
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shortening or butter
• 1 3/4 cup milk

Five Facts About CHD

Today is the first day of Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. Charlie is 1 in 110 born with a CHD.

1. CHDs are the most common birth defects. CHDs occur in almost 1% of births.

2. CHDs are as common as autism and about twenty-five times more common than cystic fibrosis.

PlayDough Fun

Tuesday night I made PlayDough with ingredients almost everyone probably has on hand.

Last night after dinner I got it out of the fridge, put Charlie at the table, and away he went.
I do suggest taking it out and working it a bit before giving it to your kid. I enjoyed playing with it anyway, I forgot how much PlayDough is a stress-reliever.

Basic PlayDough Recipe

We've been having a very cold and miserable winter here in Maryland. With the new baby, it's hard for us to get out anyway. Here's a basic playdough recipe you can make to keep your little ones (or big ones) entertained.

You will need:

• a non-stick pot
• 2 cups of baking soda
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1 cup of corn starch
• food coloring (optional)

 

 

 

 

Mended Little Hearts

Mended Little Hearts is a program of Mended Hearts, Inc. Mended Hearts has been supporting families and patients since 1951. In 2004, Mended Little Hearts was born.

Mended Little Hearts' mission:

 "The Mended Little Hearts' mission is to provide hope and support to children, families and caregivers impacted by congenital heart defects in order to extend and improve quality of life."

It's Kind of Fun to do the Impossible

 

This is the theme this year. Finding a cure for CANCER can certainly seem IMPOSSIBLE, but it's not. And we're going to have some fun while raising awareness and funding to find that CURE!

These are just a couple pictures from our Kick-off party on Saturday.

Mickey Mouse cupcakes

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week is Coming!

 

If you read my post Miracle #1, then you know why CHD Awareness is so important to me.

What is a Congenital Heart Defect?

• Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are problems with the heart’s structure that are present at birth.

• Common examples include holes in the inside walls of the heart and narrowed or leaky valves. In more severe forms of CHDs, blood vessels or heart chambers may be missing, poorly formed, and/or in the wrong place.




During CHD Awareness week, I'll be posting facts about CHD, how you can get involved, and some info about the many organizations out there already helping!

Relay for Life Kick-off

We had our kick-off event for Relay for Life today. I started Relay because of my mom, but I Relay now for my kids. My mom is a 13 year breast cancer survivor. I keep Relaying in support of her and in support of finding a cure for the future.

Some quick facts about cancer:

1,665,540: The number of new cancer cases expected to be diagnosed in 2014.

585,720: The number of Americans expected to die of cancer in 2014, about 1,600 people per day.

1 in 235: The number of children who will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20. A total of 15,780 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in children and adolescents in 2014.

For more of these facts, visit the American Cancer Society.