A former working mom trying to figure out what being a SAHM is all about.

Monday, January 31, 2011

My Favorite Things - Winter Survival



Okay, so I'm not Oprah and I can't give away my favorite things but I thought I would share what has helped me through the winter. Most of the items are free so enjoy!
* a short disclaimer - I was not asked to review these products and have not received anything in return.


InStyle Magazine has been my favorite for years! Due to SAHM budget cuts, I no longer have a subscription. I check out their website and treat myself to one every now and then! It has helped with the long trips traveling home for the holidays and snow days!


InStyle

This is one of my newest favorite things! J's Everyday Fashion. This is a blog by J who loves fashion and gives great examples of outfits you can create on a realistic budget! I promise, REALISTIC! Love her style and I check out her FB page daily to see her latest fashion creation! I am finally down to my pre-baby weight,  after five years and two kids, so I need all the inspiration I can get!


 
As a SAHM this is my weekday go to outfit. Long sleeved tee and jeans. I throw on my jacket and I'm out the door headed to preschool and to run any errands I may have that day.


Word World is a PBS show that my kids LOVE. I love it too because my 21 month old daughter can identify all her letters (and has been since about 19 months) thanks to this show. They watch an episode everyday while I get dinner ready. I definitely recommend checking your local PBS station to see if it's on their schedule. We have 40 episodes DVR'd! My husband and I are amazed at how the animators figure out how to make everything out of letters that spell out what the object is.



I use Olay Daily Exfoliating Body Wash all the time. It's not really abrasive and a bottle lasts for a long time! I also love the way it smells!

Daily Exfoliating Body Wash

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Mini Wallet Miracle

Okay, so some of you requested to see my mini wallet when it arrived so here it is...



So adorable and it has been awesome! I received it last Wednesday and have only taken my purse with me once (when I went by myself to the Dr.). Having my hands free and no purse falling off my shoulder while I'm carrying B has been great!

I'll give a shoutout to the Etsy shop where I purchased my wallet, Ms Nizbit. I have not been asked to review this product. I searched for and purchased this item. It's a great handmade piece and very inexpensive so why not share the love?! It was hard to choose a fabric because there were a lot of pretty ones but I chose the black figuring it wouldn't show dirt as easily. They are washable though.

I'd love to hear of products you found that made your life easier! No self promoting please.


Thursday, January 27, 2011

Weekend Blog Hops!

Found a lot of great blogs through these hops last week! So, I'm participating again!


Just Married with Coupons

Easy Guac for Superbowl Sunday

So, we are not big football fans in our house but we do watch the Superbowl every year. My husband has requested, "a variety of dips and chicken wings" for our menu. 

I figured many of you will plan similar menus whether for just your family or for a Superbowl party so I thought I would share this super easy guacamole recipe. It is so easy it's embarrassing. I must say that I didn't eat guacamole before I tried this recipe. Now we eat it all the time and it's super good for your kids!

All you need is two avocados and one jar of Herdez salsa. Yep, that's it!

Scoop out the avocados, mash them up to your desired consistency and pour in the whole jar of salsa and stir to mix. Your done!

I've tried other salsas and they just don't taste as good but I suppose you could try others if they don't carry Herdez in your local market.

Remember to make this right before you plan to serve it because it will turn brown quickly.

I could live off of this stuff! I use the mild salsa so it's not too spicy for my kids (they are 4 and 1) and they gobble it up!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

TUTU GIVEAWAY WINNER

Thanks to everyone who participated!

If you didn't win, don't fret! Got to my shop, Sweet Baby Tutus, and enter the code SBTBLOG for a 10% discount on all items, including my birthday sets!! See, you can still have your favorite!

AND THE WINNER IS...

LISA D.

CONGRATULATIONS!

She will receive a Sweet Baby Tutus Pink & White Princess Tutu!

This giveaway was a great success and there will be more giveaways in the future. If you would like for me to host a giveaway for you, just send an email. Family friendly items only please.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

My Purse Has Become A Casualty

For some reason over the last few months I have come to despise carrying a purse. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE LOVE bags! My collection has dwindled since I became a SAHM but I still love to look, dream and grab the occasional deal.

My daughter is 21 months I am making lots of trips to the Post Office, Wal-Mart, fabric stores and craft stores thanks to my Etsy shop. My very cute Jessica Simpson bag I bought at a steal after Christmas is more of a burden than a wonderful fashion statement. I can't tell you how many not so nice words have been uttered under my breath as I dig for my keys or lip balm in the black hole of my purse.

So, today I bit the bullet and ordered a very cute handmade mini wallet keychain from a fellow Etsy seller. Think back to your college years and the not - so - mini keychain wallet you carried your precious student ID in and you will get the picture.

Sadly, I can't wait for my purchase to arrive at my door and be freed of my purse for most of my daily errands. I will still use my purses. They make me very happy! But only when I know I'm not carrying a 21 month old on one arm and holding the hand of a very active four year old with the other.

Have you given up something that seemed so simple but made your life a lot easier after it was gone?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Day I Have Dreaded

is here...

Tomorrow while my son is at his weekly speech therapy session I will register him for the 2010-2011 school year. He will enter Kindergarten.

Having fun!
All together now.... "Awwwwww!"


I have often thought of how hard his first day of kindergarten might be for me and registering him is the first big step heading in that direction. He has been in daycare/preschool since he was two but Kindergarten is "real school."

Best friends, bullies, homework, good teachers, bad teachers, teasing and fun. I believe it is the start of the really hard years in parenting. When the difficult times will come. When, as a parent, you would love to trip little Johnny as he walks down the hall for teasing your son but you know it just wouldn't be acceptable. I just have to hope we have taught h

It's stressful. It's exciting. It means my little man is growing up.  The oddest thing is remembering when I started Kindergarten and my mom walking me to class. Now, it's my turn.


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

GIVEAWAY TIME!

ENTRIES ACCEPTED NOW - JANUARY 24, 2011 - CLOSED

To celebrate the 100th sale in my Etsy shop, Sweet Baby Tutus, I have decided to give away one of my Pink and White Princess Tutus! It features pink and white tulle hand tied on a white ribbon. The giveaway is for sizes Newborn-5T and is open to residents in the U.S. and Canada.

Sweet Baby Tutus are great for pictures, birthday parties or for dress up! They are big hits at baby showers!


HOW TO ENTER

Very simple! Leave a comment under this post. You may earn additional entries by becoming a Facebook Fan and a follower of this blog. For each entry leave an additional comment. Ex: "I became a FB fan too!" I will check to make sure the additional entries are valid. This gives you a total of three chances to win!!

The last day for entries will be Monday, January 24th (midnite EST). The winner will be selected on Tuesday, January 25th. using Random.org. The tutu will be shipped via USPS within 5 business days of receiving the size needed. If I have not heard from the winner within 48 hours of contacting them I will select another winner.

Feel free to tweet, post on FB or blog about this contest.

Thank you to all my wonderful customers for the awesome support since my shop opened!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Busy Weekend

I had a very busy weekend!

I have a goal of increasing my inventory and styles as well as listing my new spring designs. Unfortunately, the weather has been REALLY cold so I haven't been able to take my baby girl out to model them. So, I have tried my best with a busy toddler inside. When I take photos outside she can run around and I follow snapping pics. When we are inside she must sit or stand in one spot so I can avoid having a pile of toys or laundry behind her :)

So, here are the newest designs in the Sweet Baby Tutu line!

The first, Cupcake Princess, is my new favorite! When I put this on my daughter she exclaimed, "Pretty!" It just screams spring pictures! It's made with aqua, pink, lavender, white, yellow and light blue tulle hand tied on a white satin ribbon. Just FYI: elastic waists are available upon request on all my designs and are recommended if your little princess is walking.


Cupcake Princess Tutu
Next we have my Purple Princess Tutu! All purple tulle hand tied on a white satin ribbon. So cute!!
Purple Princess Tutu
And finally we have the Birthday Pink Tutu and Onesie Set. This set comes with a matching crochet style headband and flower clip. It features and all fushia tutu hand tied on a fushia ribbon with white polka dots. So great for a birthday party or pictures!

Birthday Pink Tutu and Onesie Set
That will be all of the new styles for a few days. I have a couple more in mind but have a few orders I must get out first!

If you have any questions about ordering or have a custom order you would like to discuss, please email me or leave a comment.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Wordless Wednesday



This is a flashback picture from 2007. My Mommy heart has been aching lately because it's time to sign this little man up for kindergarten. Though he is almost 5 now, this is how I still picture him. My baby boy. *sniff sniff!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Valentine's Day Ideas

Doesn't he deserve a good V-Day? :)
I need suggestions. Are you a Super Romantic? I would love some ideas for Valentine's Day!

I have a confession. I am a girl and I DO NOT LIKE TO SHOP! I am also NOT a romantic.

As Valentine's Day approaches I am reminded of how unromantic I am. I just don't think in terms of candlelight dinners, surprise getaways or super thoughtful (took me a lot of time) gifts. I think the best I've done so far was the wedding gift I gave my husband. It was a small scrapbook of special notes and pictures from when we were dating and our engagement.  Since then, I think I have failed miserably.

My husband, on the other hand, LOVES to shop and is great a buying gifts! He has great taste and loves to plan little getaways for the two of us every now and then. He tries to help me out by pointing out things he likes (even making lists) or mentioning places he would like to go. I very rarely remember and most of the time I can't find the gifts he has hinted at (usually random Jesus books. We call all his religious paraphernalia Jesus books).

Sometimes I feel guilty for lacking the romance gene, but it is me. Some people are just better at things than others. I have high hopes every year for Valentine's Day and his birthday but I never seem to get it done.
Maybe this year will be different.

Are you missing the romance gene too?

Sunday, January 9, 2011

New Stuff!!

Happy Sunday!! Since this blog is also a way for me to promote my Etsy shop, Sweet Baby Tutus I will share the newest listings with you.  It's too cold to have my baby girl model them so I had to improvise ;)

This is my new Hot Pink Tutu and Onesie Set.  The tutu is made with fushia and a touch of white to add dimension.  The set comes with the numbered onesie, tutu and matching headband and flower clip.
$34.50

I also have just the Hot Pink Tutu available. It comes with a matching headband and flower clip as well!

$21.00
The birthday set is available in sizes 12 months to 4T. The tutu is available in sizes Newborn - 5T.

Finally, (at least for today) I have my Chocolate and Pink Tutu available in sizes newborn to 5T.

$19.50

If you are interested in ordering any of my tutus just visit my shop. You can also send me an email if you have questions or special requests.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

A Cop, Minister and McGruff the Crime Dog


Our first Christmas

The title of this post sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke but believe it or not, a cop, a minister and McGruff the Crime Dog were instrumental in my husband and I meeting.


As a new college graduate I took a job at our local police department as a non-sworn employee working in the Crime Prevention Unit.  I was basically a liasion between the department and community groups like community watches and civic organizations. I also threw in some safety presentation and security surveys here and there.  Anyway, I loved my job and one of the things we did was bring along "McGruff" to schools. Since I am about six feet tall and was the youngest in the group, I was tapped to dress as McGruff.  See folks, having a college degree doesn't mean you get to do all the glamourous stuff!


My first week on the job they took me to a concert at a local elementary school. The police department had a band made up of police officers that went to elementary schools in the city and performed. They delivered an anti-drug message during the intermission where McGruff made an appearance. Fortunately, since it was my first week, I didn't put the dog suit on, I just observed the McGruff performance.

After the performance ended my new co-workers and I were helping load everything up and they were introducing me to the officers in the band. The youngest officer, a very tall dark and handsome guy (with an awesome singing voice) said, "Hey, I know you from somewhere." We went through the usual, where we grew up, went to high school, etc., but never figured out where he knew me from.


Many of my co-workers (well all of them) were old enough to be my parents and had warned me, "Don't date a cop!" So after we left the performance, they joked with me about the "line" the officer threw at me.  See, being a new 22 year-old woman in a very much majority male workplace means you are going to get hit on by every single (and not so single) guy there.


Months went by and I started dressing up as McGruff during these bi-weekly performances. Each week the young officer and I exchanged pleasantries but never had a real conversation because there was always so much going on.

During this time I was going through the "God please send me a good Christian man" phase of life. One night I was very frustrated and decided to give this part over to God. I asked God to please help me find the man meant for me.


A few weeks later I was at the performance speaking with the police supervisor who worked with the band. He mentioned that I should visit his church that Saturday, they were having a big fundraiser. After the band performance he called the tall, dark and handsome young officer over and said, "Here, Bradley can tell you where our church is, he is our part-time youth minister." WHAT?!! Cue ray of lights shining down and the heavens opening.

I didn't go that Saturday (still working up the nerve) but I talked my sister into going with me the next Sunday and a few Sundays after that but, Bradley did not ask me out. I told my sister that I wasn't going back, he wasn't interested.

The next week at work I found a note on my desk. Bradley had stopped by and he had some news for me. Well thankfully, one of my co-workers (my on the job mom) saw him walk by, grabbed him, closed her door and wanted to know if he was going to ask me out. I know very high schoolish, but before he left she had given him my number and made him promise to call me.


Today


His big news was that he was leaving the police department and a few days later he asked me out to lunch and we went on our first official date that Friday. For the next three months, we didn't go one day without seeing each other.


One year and almost one month to the day of our first date, we were married.  It's always a kick to tell people that I was McGruff when we met and he sang in the band.


Oh, and Bradley did know me from somewhere, it wasn't just a "line." During Christmas break of my freshman year in college, I was traveling to the mall to do some shopping when I witnessed a pretty bad wreck. I pulled over since I had a cell phone to call the police (these were the days when very few people had cell phones with them all the time). A car with two young college guys also pulled over to help. We waited for the cops to get there and then left.

Fast forward six years. Bradley and I drive past that intersection and he says, "I stopped at a really bad wreck here one day." Me, "I stopped at one here before too." Ding! Ding! Ding! We had stopped at the same wreck.  See, God does have a sense of humor!