"Mommy, I'm bored!"

I guess it comes with the territory of a five year old. Lea has been saying to me, "Mommy... I don't have anything to do!" a lot lately. So, I went to my favorite go-to for ideas, Pinterest, and found that this is actually an issue with a lot of moms and kids!

That's where the "Bored Jar" comes into play. I have come up with 39 different things for Lea to do when she can't seem to think of anything on her own. Here's the catch... half of them are fun things and the other half are not-always-so-fun things. ;) When she comes to tell me she's bored... she has to get a piece of paper from the jar.

Included in this list are...

• Choose five books to read
• Have a dance party
• Draw a treasure map
• Clean all the doorknobs in the house
• Water the indoor plants
• Choose two toys to donate to someone in need

I'm sharing the PDF file I created that lists my "bored" ideas.  I printed the list twice so I could fill up the jar well. If you have any cool ideas to add to my list, tell me in the comment section!

There are a couple that might be specific to our family... "Play the Party Game", this is a reference to our Xbox 360 Kinect which has a "Party Game" that gets the girls jumping and moving. The other one is "Take the dog outside and brush her hair". Obviously, if you don't have an Xbox or a dog, just leave those two out of your jar!

One last note... There are several items in my list that say to clean something. I have a spray bottle that's filled with a 50/50 water & vinegar mixture. This is a great, non-toxic solution that can be used to clean and disinfect lots of things. I added several drops of lavender oil so it smells better. This is the only cleaner I let the girls use!

TWO YEARS

Has it seriously been almost two years since I last blogged???

Just goes to show you how busy my life has been!

There is no way I can or will even attempt to catch up on everything that has happened in the past two years, so I will just pick up where we are now....

Lea is 5 1/2 years old and will be starting kindergarten this summer. Emma is 2 years old and will have her 3rd birthday in two and a half months. Kevin got a new job a year ago and now he has more free time with the family (his old job was working him to death!). And me?... well, I am still staying home with my girls. I keep busy around the house with projects here & there, help plan play dates for our local MOMS Club (as well as, serve as a board member) and make sure the girls have educational, active & fun things to do.

Fall 2014

Lea's First Haircut!

My 3 1/2 year old, Lea, had her very first haircut today. I was extremely anxious and thought about cancelling her appointment several times. But, I went through with it... Lea did fabulous and her hair is still just as beautiful as ever.

Here's a cute picture of the girls playing with a worm in the backyard. It's also a "before pic" of Lea's hair. :)

 

She's ready to go!

She said it tickled to get her hair washed!

 

Snip Snip

Lindsey blew it dry with a round brush...

and it was beautiful!

 

As we were leaving, Lea said she wanted to get her hair cut again! lol :)

Mom n Me Monday

Happy Mommy Monday!  We had a fabulous weekend.  But first, I must share that on Thursday I was surprised at the office with a gorgeous bouqet of red tulips from my daughter (and husband).  What a way to start my Mother's Day weekend!  Friday we went out to eat at our favorite seafood place, Skippers.  Lea and I had to take advantage of this photo op...

We went to our friend, Keat's 2nd birthday party on Saturday.  Lea had a blast playing and watching the older kids run around.  She also had her second taste of watermelon... and Keat must have thought it looked delicious as he took the opportunity to sneak in a little kiss...



Sunday we had fun at cousin Ross' 7th birthday party.  Lea really likes playing with her cousins, Ross, Kristin and Lilly.  It's so nice to have family close by.

As far as being a mommy goes, I always knew I wanted to be a mother but there was one point in my life when I wasn't sure if I ever would.  Thankfully, my prayers were answered and we have the most perfect daughter in the world. I am honestly blessed and couldn't be any happier!  For Mom n Me Monday, here's a picture of sleepy Lea as I took her up to bed Sunday night on my first Mother's Day.

Cuddles from Lea are hard to come by these days as she is always on the move.  She wants to stand and walk so bad.  Crawling just doesn't cut it for her. I want to throw in one more pic of Lea and I playing in the car over the weekend.  I just love the carefree, happy vibe it gives...

I would say my first mother's day was a success! :)

2 Months!

Two months ago today our baby girl was born! It's hard to believe Lea's only two months old... I can't imagine my life without her now. I feel like she has been in our lives forever.

Lea continues to change every single day. She loves staring at lights... I can't wait to put our Christmas tree up. She is going to love it! She's getting so strong... holding her head up and putting weight on her legs. With just a little bit of help, she can practically stand up! Kevin plays 'airplane' with her (holding her up above himself) and she stays stretched out; looking straight ahead. She is still laughing and smiling all the time, too. I love that she wakes up every time with a huge smile!She will also imitate us when we stick out our tongue or open our mouths wide.

We are looking forward to next week because Kevin has the week off. We'll get down our Christmas decorations and take our time putting everything up. For Thanksgiving, we'll have dinner at Uncle Chris & Aunt Jill's Wednesday night, then at Grandma & Grandpa's Thursday. I have a special outfit for Lea to wear on her first Thanksgiving. I hope it fits her... she's growing so fast! Grandma and Grandpa H are going out to Uncle Dave & Aunt Sarah's in New Mexico. We'll miss them this year but are glad that Dave & Sarah will have some family with them for the holidays. (wish they could come here for Christmas!)

Last week, we got Lea a 'Bumbo' seat. She's still a little too young for it, but by Christmas it will be perfect! Here's a video of her trying it out...

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our (not-so-happy) Tootsie Roll!

Don't worry, we removed the costume right after we got some pics! :)

It was an eventful week for Lea. Not only did she 'enjoy' her first Halloween and turn 6 weeks old on the same day, but we also introduced the bottle and pacifier. We have tried several different bottles, including Avent, Dr. Browns and Playtex Drop-Ins. Her favorite one, by far, though is the glass Born Free bottle (thanks, Melissa & Rob!!!). We also gave her a pacifier this past week. At first, she spit it out so fast is flew across the room! After a few more tries, she got the hang of it.

Lea is growing so fast (I can't say that enough!). She is super alert these days and smiles all the time. I haven't been able to get a good picture of her smile, though. Every time I get the camera out, her face turns into a blank stare. I'll get it on film one day! She loves her floor gym and we think she has actually started to try and reach for things. We got a little floor mirror for her and she loves to look at herself, too. It's so much fun to see what new things she learns every day!

Strawberries and the Beach

Saturday morning, Kevin and I went to pick strawberries with my neices and nephew. We had a lot of fun!

Then, we headed to Atlantic Beach for the Memorial Day weekend. The weather was perfect and we spent the majority of the day Sunday on the beach. Well, since I am almost 6 months pregnant, I can't lay on my stomach anymore. In fact, it has been months since I have been able to! My wonderful husband had a fantastic idea and dug a "belly hole" for me in the sand...

It was perfect!!!!

Unfortunatley, I burn very easily these days so I didn't get to lay on my stomach for very long. It was wonderful while it lasted, though!!!

Baby! Baby! Expo

When I find a baby/children expo in our area, I get really excited. There just doesn't seem to be many around here! In March, mom and I went to Wilmington for the Cape Fear Baby Expo.... and I just found another one coming this August: the Baby! Baby! Expo in Greensboro.

These shows are a lot of fun and a great way to learn about new products. At the Cape Fear Expo, mom and I learned a lot about cloth diapers and now I am planning on trying them with our baby girl. You also usually get lots of handouts and freebies, so that's incentive to go, too.

Here's some info. on the Baby! Baby! Expo:

August 23, 2009; 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Tickets: $5 or a donation to the Mother Baby Foundation of a package of diapers or gently used infant/children's clothing.

Embassy Suites Hotel 204 Centreport Drive Greensboro, NC 27409

TriadMommies.com presents Baby!Baby! which is sure to be THE event for new and expecting parents in the Triad area. Join us for a day of education as we support The Mother Baby Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide a comprehensive prenatal and postpartum support network for babies and their families. In addition to exhibits, the event will also feature goody bags for the first 200 families, educational workshops, a fashion show, and a chance to win raffle prizes.

Hope to see you there!

GreenPea Nursery

There's a fabulous new baby shop in downtown Apex, NC called GreenPea Nursery. If you're in the area and haven't been, you need to check it out! They have a fabulous selection of natural and eco-friendly products for baby. Everything from clothes to toys to furniture and strollers.

Mom and I were in the store yesterday chatting with the owner, Krista Cathey. She started the store on-line and was so happy with the results that she opened the brick & mortar location in December 2008. I am glad the business is doing so well because our area needs an eco-friendly destination for children's products. Not only that, but she also carries all of Scandinavian Child's excellent products! Svan, Anka, Cariboo, Micralite, lillebaby and Beaba

geee these diapers are so cute...

And they are much better for the environment than disposables. I just love gDiapers and can not wait to try them out!

gDiapers, which stands for green diapers, consist of a washable, cotton outer cover and a plastic-free flushable diaper refill. They are made of breathable material just like sports clothing. So, babies stay dry and happy and are far less likely to get diaper rash. Check out their site to see how the inserts can be flushed (or how quickly they break down when tossed). They have great little "starter kits" and lots of fun and cute patterns.




How can you resist these cute little bums??? I hope they don't disappoint because baby girl Thomas will be so adorable with these on under her dresses!

'Fill in the Blankie'

I came across this site on-line and thought it was the cutest thing! What a great way to personalize a blankie for baby. They have several blanket styles and colors to choose from and seem to be pretty affordable. This would obviously make a great gift for a new baby, but also for birthdays, baptisms, Christmas, even Easter.

Once you choose the style and color blanket, you can create what each side of the blanket will say (it's embroidered around the edge). Then, you even choose a font and color of the font. So many choices! The only thing the site doesn't offer is a preview of your personalized blankie, so make sure everything is correct before you order!

Vegas, Baby!

I am off to Las Vegas today! It's that time of year, again at Scandinavian Child... the ABC Kids Expo! In the past there were two large trade shows (JPMA in Orlando, as well) but this year the two combined. It's a pretty big deal for our company. We spend the entire year getting ready! We'll have a ton of new products in a ginormous booth (50 x 50). I'll be gone for a week and I am sure I will have a bunch of pictures to share when I return!

Viva Las Vegas!!!