A night just for moms!

What mom doesn't want to enjoy a night out with the girls?  Here's your chance, ladies!  The 2nd annual National Mom's Nite Out is May 6th.  For only $20 (which is the cost of a night out at the movies these days) you get lots of cool stuff...

Mini makeovers, complimentary photo, a pampering station, chocolate and wine.  There's also a swag bag filled with info., free goodies and coupons.  And, that's not all... there will be TONS of door prizes including baby carriers, Ocean Isle weekend getaway, tennis camp, Rubbermaid, Tupperware, a family portrait session and much more!

To top it all off... ALL ticket proceeds go to Nancy's Butterfly Fund, an organization created to help women and children to free themselves from the danger of domestic violence.

So, what are you waiting for?  Get your tickets by May 3rd as there will only be a limited amount being sold at the door.

See you there!

Happy Earth Day!

It was a gorgeous day here today but unfortunately I spent half of it at work and then I ended my evening at the dentist.  I am NOT a fan of the dentist!  Turns out I have yet another old filling that needs to be replaced.  :(

But, on a happier note, Lea had a fun day of playing in her door jumper (she loves that thing!) and eating more peas and carrots.  After getting her jammies on, we read Good Night Moon, nursed and then put her to bed.  I make a point to wake her up before putting her in her crib as she always falls asleep nursing.  I wake her just enough to say good night and for her to fall back asleep on her own.

In honor of Earth Day, here's a list of 'earth friendly' things we do around our house to help ensure a healthier planet for Lea as she gets older...

• Use a solution of water, vinegar and lavendar oil for a natural dissinfecting cleaner
• Use Seventh Generation, chlorine & latex free, diapers (and use cloth diapers every once and awhile)
• Breastfeed and make our own baby food
• Use glass containers in the kitchen instead of plastic baggies
• Recycle as much as we can, including boxes, grocery bags, bottles, cans, etc.
• Turn off lights when we don't need them on
• Use CFL light bulbs
• Limit the amount of our AC and heat usage
• Turn off the water when brushing our teeth, washing dishes, etc.
• Shop resell, such as Children's Orchard, Kid to Kid, consignment shops, creigslist.com and sometimes thrift stores
• Limit the amount of processed and individually packaged foods that we buy
• Buy organic when possible (including 'cage free' eggs)
• Grow our own herbs and buy local produce when possible

While the above list are things we often do, there are also some things I wish we would do more.  I would like our family to walk and ride bikes more, use less chemical cleaners, waste less food and take shorter showers (to name a few things).  I admit we are not the greenest family and probably never will be, however I am glad that there are things we can do to help in small ways.  Every little bit counts, right!?

Peas and Carrots

It's hard to believe Lea is already seven months old.  But she is!  And she is still growing and changing every single day.  I swear there are days that I get her up in the morning and she looks different to me. 

Besides being so close to crawling, she is now eating some 'finger foods'.  We've given her steamed peas and tiny bits of steamed carrots.  She loves the carrots... and tolorates the peas.  It's so much fun to watch her pick up a piece and get it in her mouth.  Every move of each finger is thought out.  She has a look of concentration on her face as she opens her fist to reveal the little bit of food she's managed to pick up and then, with her other hand, she pinches the bit and finally gets it to her mouth... sometimes.  After a few attempts with no success, she gets irritated and I help her.  She is getting better, though!

Her most favorite thing to eat right now (as it will change in a few days) is pureed blueberries with banana.  She devours it... hardly getting down one spoon full before opening her mouth for another!  We love letting her try new foods and watching her expressions with first tastes.

Here's Lea after her Blueberry/Banana dessert...

Messy!

Mom n Me Monday

We had a busy weekend... AquaMoms, baby pool, football game, neighborhood yard sales and a local kids expo.  So, Saturday evening, Lea and I enjoyed some time together just 'hanging out'.  (I'm not kidding... Lea is the coolest baby in the world and will often just 'hang out' for quite some time before getting bored.)  We cuddled on my bed and watched some Caspar Babypants videos on the lap top...

 

Water Babies

Remember "Water Babies"?  I had one when I was little.  I thought it was the coolest thing!

Our little 'water baby' is really getting the hang of playing in the pool.  Friday we put her baby pool in the yard and filled it with about three or four inches of water.  She loved splashing around and even got onto her belly for awhile.  We are loving this fabulous weather!

We went to AquaMoms again Saturday morning. One of the things we do is blow bubbles in the water. Well, this morning, Lea actually tried to copy me! She put her face into the water three times. Maybe after a few more classes she will actually be blowing her own bubbles. :)

Saturday afternoon we went to the NCSU Red and White game.  It was Lea's first football game and she really enjoyed it.  We actually stayed until the 4th quarter (and, honestly we could have stayed until the end but we were exhausted).  Lea squeeled and smiled at people around her.  It was a lot of fun!