This is what I’ve been working on for the Luminaria Ceremony at our Relay for Life tonight!
I’m heading out the door soon and will be Relaying all night long! This is why we Relay…
Right now I’m about $50 short of my goal. If you’d like to help find a cure, you visit my Relay for Life Donation page.
Everyone knows someone who has been touched by cancer. Seeing them on a big screen brings it to another level.
For those that don’t know (I didn’t until I started blogging), Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is an amazing blogger event that Disney hosts each year. This event is invitation only and it’s described by bloggers as a pixie dusted email when it arrives! At this “conference”, attendees are invited to take part in special events, movie screenings, yummy meals, and never-ending entertainment, all while learning more about the blogging world and Disney Parks. The best part? They get to bring along their family (at a deeply discounted rate)! I am so super new to the blogging world that I can only dream about getting a pixie dusted email invite someday in the future.
However, for those of us still dreaming of that magical invite, Disney Social Media Moms Celebration takes it show on the road for half-day conferences! This year they are going to Chicago, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. I was invited to attend the Philadelphia On The Road Celebration!
Author, poet, activist and Phenomenal woman Dr Maya Angelou passed May 28, 2014.
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” – Letter to My Daughter
“All great achievements require time.”
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” – Angelou’s Facebook
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Letter to My Daughter
“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.”
"Women should be tough, tender, laugh as much as possible, and live long lives."
“Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God.” - Maya Angelou’s last tweet on May 23, 2014
This post contains affiliate links.
I’m excited to share that Kiwi Crate is offering a limited Kiwi Crate Free Trial. From now until June 10th, they are offering my readers an opportunity to try a sample-size project, Rad Rockets, from one of our popular crates! Just pay $3.95 for shipping.
Kiwi Crate Free Trial (Limited Time Only)
Kiwi Crate is an award-winning, monthly subscription service for kids ages 3-8. Each month, your little one will receive multiple arts, crafts, and science activities – delivered right to your door.
Memorial Day is truly about remembering those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Thanks to them, we’re able to have that long weekend filled with the cookouts and parties that many think is the real celebration.
In honor of Memorial Day, here’s a picture of my grandfather (my father’s side) from WWII in the Philippines.
On Sunday we went to my in-laws’ for a bit and hung out at their beach. It’s nice and quiet, my favorite kind of beach!
On Monday, we went to the parade in the morning. As you know, we love parades!
In the giveaway for the Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets, I asked readers to tell me their uses for dryer sheets. I was so impressed with the responses, I wanted to share with everyone! I had no idea the crazy ways you can use dryer sheets.
This post contains affiliate links.
Of course, these books aren’t exactly gifts “for” dads, but they’re books that Dad can enjoy reading to (or with) their munchkins!
Daddy and Me – Karen Katz
Just Me and My Dad – Mercer Mayer
Spot Loves His Daddy – Eric Mill
Daddy Is My Hero – Dawn Richards
I Love My Daddy – Sebastien Braun
This post contains referral links.
This is a perfect little gift for Dad for Father’s Day!
Unlike many of TopCashBack’s offers, both New and Existing TopCashBack members can get a FREE $5 Lowe’s gift card shipped FREE after cash back.
Lowe’s is selling a $5.00 gift card for…you guessed it…$5.00. TopCashBack is offering $5.00 cashback on your purchase, effectively making the card free! You can give it as part of a Father’s Day gift or use it in-store or online on thousands of household products, including Swiffer, Tide, Gain, Bounty and Downy and many more. Hurry – they might sell out so don’t wait!
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
It is here! Not only is this weekend the official start to summer, but it is also Tea Collection's Memorial Day Sale! Starting today (5/23), and running through Monday (5/26), sweet summer dresses start at $15, patterned or plain girls' leggings are only $12, surf and sand-inspired tees for boys are just $12 and adventure-ready boys' pants and shorts start at $15!
What a great opportunity to outfit your little citizen for a summer full of parties and play-time! And with all of these great deals, you can finish all of the kids' summer clothes shopping and be stress free and poolside for the weekend.
This post contains affiliate links.
My husband is the type of man (like most) that simply buys something when he wants it. To be honest, it pretty much makes buying him gifts a pain in the butt. So, his gifts are usually something homemade from Charlie (Owen’s still too little to really help) or something personalized that I put together.
Thanks to shutterfly, Tommy’s received some pretty awesome gifts for various holidays.
If you’re looking for something nice and personal for Dad this year, get him a mug! Whether Dad needs a travel mug or a regular ceramic mug, shutterfly has you covered.
Through 5/28, you can save 20% on photo gifts!
Take a look at our collection of mugs: The ceramic mug was Tommy’s first Father’s Day gift. Charlie was a little over a month old for his first Father’s Day. The stainless steel travel mug was Tommy’s birthday present this year from the boys. He loves them both. The ceramic mug he uses at home pretty much every day and the travel mug he takes to work.
What Dad (no matter what he does) wouldn’t like a mug to show off their children?
This post contains affiliate links.
Treat asked kids about what makes their dad special; watch what they had so say! Celebrate the heroes in your family's life this Father's Day with a card from Treat. Order your cards by 6/10 for Father's Day Delivery at treat.com. For all the little things you do that make you a big hero, #HappyDaddysDay from Treat!
I was sent products to review. All opinions are my own.
I’m proud to say I’m an ambassador for Itzy Ritzy’s new Nursing Happens infinity scarf! I was so excited when they finally arrived!
I got all dressed for church and off we went.
At church, per usual, Owen started to get fussy. I was so excited about my new nursing scarf. I undid one loop and got situated. I had Tommy hand him to me. Then I chickened out. I haven’t nursed in public before. I had just gotten this scarf. I changed my mind.
When we got home, I decided we’d practice with the scarf before we tried it out in public.
I received products from Oriental Trading for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
Charlie’s 3rd birthday was an awesomely themed Ninja Party (his selection). No birthday party is complete without goody bags!
Charlie is big enough now that he helped me fill his favor bags for his party. He thought this was extra special!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Seventh Generation. All opinions are my own.
A little over a month ago, I shared with you how you could Join Seventh Generation and #FightToxins! Seventh Generation was trying to collect 100,00 signatures on a petition asking Congress to make the reforms on the Toxic Substance Control Act. The TSCA has not been updated since 1976!
Well, we did it! On April 30th, Seventh Generation, along with the Toxin Freedom Fighters and its partners, held a press conference on Capitol Hill to move chemical reform to the forefront of national discourse. Senator Kristen Gillibrand of New York was presented with the petition by Seventh Generation Toxin Freedom Fighter, Zephyr Chaffer.
Charlie has been all about playing games lately. However, he doesn’t have the attention span right now to play a whole board game. Thinkfun’s Move & Groove is perfect for Charlie!
It comes in handy that the boys are exactly 2.5 years apart. We can get two milestone pictures done at the same time and in two different seasons (April & October).
We’ve been using Samantharter Photography since Charlie was 18 months old. I actually went to school with Sam, so it’s always nice to support small local businesses and watch them grow! Plus she’s amazing and we love her!
My “baby” is 3!
My baby boy is 6 months!
Reading is very important in our house. For Charlie’s baby shower we received a book from everyone instead of cards. Every night before bed, we read a book. We had the chance to review a new book presented by award-winning author Carole P. Roman, written by her grandson, Alexander Luke. And the really awesome part: Alexander is only 5!
In the book, Whaley goes on an adventure learning about different kinds of whales that he encounters in his home. Did you know there are 40 different kinds of whales? I didn’t. I definitely learned some things from this book, and I know Charlie did as well. He was checking out the pictures (illustrated by Alexander Luke) and telling me about the whale’s teeth and what color they were.
This post contains affiliate links.
I’m a big supporter of extended rear-facing. Charlie just turned 3 and he is still rear-facing. He is about 39 inches tall and weighs about 34 lbs.
The car seat we have for Charlie is the Graco My Ride 65. We have 2 of them, one for Mommy’s car (a Dodge Journey) and one for Daddy’s car (a Ford Focus). We love them because Charlie has plenty of room and padding, plus he has two cup holders (snacks, small toys, cup, etc). Our favorite thing about this car seat is that Charlie can rear-face until he is 40 lbs. When he reaches that point, we’ll flip him around to forward-facing, where this car seat can accommodate up to 65 lbs.
In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics put out a new policy statement that children should rear-face until 2 years of age.
Even if this were true, I’d much rather have broken legs than a broken neck or back. I’ve heard this saying many times: “Broken leg, cast it. Broken neck, casket”. The thing is though, it’s really not any more true for rear-facing kids than it is if they are forward facing. In 2007, Crash Test data found that the rate of lower extremity injuries in rear-facing children was 1 per 1000 children and the rates for forward facing kids are within similar ranges.
We’re two weeks out from our Relay for Life Event! It’s been fun (and crazy) getting it planned, but it will all come together. I’m on the committee this year, so seeing how it all works from the inside has been interesting and it’s always neat to help plan something so awesome!
My Relay for Life team this year, Circle of Hope, has raised about $1600 so far. We’ve done a couple bake sales, a bowling tournament, an Origami Owl party, and some other fundraisers. Something we decided to try this year is a pretty baby contest that we’re calling Pretty Little Relayer!
Who doesn’t love a pretty baby contest?!? We’re hoping to get a good turn out, see bunches of cute kiddos, and raise money for the American Cancer Society.
I’ve raised a little over $200 right now, but my goal is $300. If you’d like to donate, please visit my Relay for Life Donation page.
For the Relay for Life big event, I’m currently working on a slideshow that will play during the Luminaria ceremony. People have been sending me pictures to put in the slideshow that will be in honor of or in memory of a loved one. This is something new to our local Relay for Life event and everyone is loving the idea! When it’s complete, I’ll share it here so everyone can see.
The boys had their well-baby visits this week: Charlie’s 3 year appointment and Owen’s 6 month appointment. Usually we don’t have to wait at all at the pediatrician’s office, but this time… it was over an hour wait. The boys behaved like angels compared to what could have happened.
Owen is 35th percentile for weight at 17 lbs and 90th percentile for height (I forgot to get his height from the nurse, I’ll get it next time). If you’ve seen any of the pictures of my boy- you know he’s not little. I can’t imagine him being chunkier, so I’m pretty okay with the fact he’s 35th percentile for weight. Charlie wouldn’t let them measure his height or stand on the scale. We went with 33 lbs (that’s what it said when he finally cooperated and let Mommy try to weigh him) and the nurse struggled to hold him against the wall to get his height of 40 inches. I think the Dr said he’s 75th for height and 50th for weight (I think, I could totally be wrong that though).
Because the Dr’s office is about 2 minutes from the Havre de Grace Promenade & Tydings Park, we decided to go for a walk and play for a bit. We haven’t been there in quite awhile and I thought Charlie would love it (he’s never been).
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When we went to the Turkey Hill Experience, Charlie found something that we had to tear him away from. He called it “Ice Cream Play Dough”. It was basically a sand-like play dough with an ice cream set. He sat there and played for a good 30 minutes (on and off of us dragging him away). I told him that Mommy could make him “Ice Cream Play Dough” at home.
Two weeks later, I finally made the poor boy his “Ice Cream Play Dough”. It was super easy and I love easy things that make my boy happy!
The Purex brand provided me with a sample of Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets in exchange for a product review. All opinions expressed are my own.
We love Purex products in our house. They’re affordable and work great (both qualities are important in our house of messy boys)! Purex has released another great new product: Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets. Not only will these sheets keep your laundry soft and smelling fresh, they’ll reduce static cling, repel pet hair, and repel lint.
I’m not a fan of doing laundry, but folding clothes after using the new Purex Crystals fabric softener dryer sheets, it’s a little better. When the box arrived, you could smell the lavender blossom scent right through it (which made Charlie happy, because every package that arrives here is apparently for him)!
This is part 8 of 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.
I had a hard time actually deciding on 5 passions. These are in no particular order and aren’t necessarily the 5 most passionate things, but they’re the 5 I thought of and listed.
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If you live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware, you’ve probably heard of Adventure Aquarium.
On Groupon right now, you can get a Family Explorer Pass for One-Year for just $125
$125 for a one-year Family Explorer Annual Pass for two adults and up to four children ($195 value)
Pass includes the following:
Mother’s Day is the day to celebrate Mom. She ends up with flowers, candy, cards, jewelry, and homemade gifts galore. Although she loves all those things, this is what Mom really wants for Mother’s Day.
Of course, a getaway to the spa or salon is always well received. And no mom will ever turn down the typical flowers, cards, and homemade gifts. We do love them, but we’d like some of the above too.
Almost Wordless Wednesday- we went to the Plumpton Park Zoo on Monday. It’s an awesome small zoo that’s about 10 minutes from our house. We have a membership, so it’s a regular on our activities list.
We love that this zoo is small enough that Charlie can run ahead of us (in all his excitement to feed the animals) and we don’t worry.
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
Is your mom a hero, a great cook, an inspiration, your best friend... or something else equally as special? Every mom is one of a kind. zulily wants to hear about yours. This Mother's Day, zulily is celebrating moms by asking kids (big and small) to share photos answering the prompt “My Mom Is _____.” The photos will be displayed in a gallery for the world to view at http://www.zulily.com/mymomis.
I received product from Oriental Trading to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
For Charlie’s 3rd birthday party, he picked a ninja theme while looking through Oriental Trading’s catalog that we receive in the mail regularly.
Decorations were quick and easy to check off my to-do list with a little help from Oriental Trading! Oriental Trading offers a pretty nice selection of ninja decorations.
We picked out the Ninja Warriors Vertical Pennant Banner.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Medieval Times is running a promotion for Moms!
Moms get in FREE through May 11th with a full-price adult ticket purchase. This offer is valid at all 9 locations. Use code: MOMWEB
You can learn more and purchase your tickets online.
Connect with Medieval Times on Facebook.
What mom wouldn’t want a night out? She doesn’t have to cook dinner, clean up, or entertain the kids!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Turkey Hill Dairy. All opinions are my own.
We’re big Turkey Hill fans in our house. Tommy drinks about a gallon of tea a day, I love the lemonades, and who doesn’t love some Turkey Hill ice cream?!?
The Turkey Hill Experience opened in 2011. The building that they used was constructed in 1899 and was known as the Ashley & Bailey Silk Mill. After being empty for more than 25 years, Turkey Hill bought the building in 2009 and began renovations. The Turkey Hill Experience includes 26,000 square feet of family-friendly exhibits and activities.
Our day started out pretty early. Nanny (my mother-in-law) met us at our house about 9am, we then dropped off Owen at Mommom’s (my mom), and headed on our way. The Turkey Hill Experience is about an hour and 15 minutes from where we live in Cecil County, MD.
I knew we had arrived when I saw the water tower on Rt 30 with the Turkey Hill Experience Logo! We got off the highway and made the circle around to a rather sketchy looking old building (remember I said it was from 1899?) with the bright Turkey Hill Experience logo in the front. The giant cow and ice cream container aren’t always there, they travel everywhere!
When you walk inside, you walk right into the gift shop and lobby area. You can buy your tickets at the desk to the right.
| The Experience | The Experience & Taste Lab | |
| Adult (ages 18-61) | $9.95 | $14.50 |
| Junior (ages 5-17) | $7.95 | $12.50 |
| Senior (ages 62+) | $8.95 | $13.50 |
| Children (ages 4 & under) | Free | $4.55 |
Admission is required to visit the main exhibit area and the Taste Lab. The Taste Lab sells out often (especially on the weekends), so it is recommended to buy your tickets online to ensure you’re spot in the Taste Lab!
Charlie just turned 3. We’re having a rough time with potty-training. This mommy is exhausted and frustrated trying to get this boy to wear underwear and use the potty. We just got Charlie new Spiderman underwear in his Easter basket.
He thinks they’re pretty awesome, but what boy wouldn’t? We’ve been stressing that you have to keep your underwear dry and not get Spiderman dirty or wet or we’ll have to take them off.
At naptime today, he went upstairs and was playing (I know… I said nap, right?) for about twenty minutes. He then came to the top of the stairs to call down to me saying, “Mommy…. Mommy… Me need you right now. Please come up here. Poopy all over my clean floor”. I groaned a bit, unlatched Owen from the boob, and dragged myself upstairs to check out the situation.
These are the top 10 posts from April. Check out what you might have missed!
DIY Paint-n-Fly Glider by J-Color
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Krispy Granola Bars
10 Ways Toddlers Can Help with a New Baby
