Holy Moly! It's Friday Again!

Time for 5 question Friday with Mama M!

It's cool to wear 2 different shoes with your jammies!

1. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Well, we open most of our gifts the weekend before Christmas, since that is when we celebrate with my mom and step-family, but we open all of the gifts from under our tree on Christmas morning.

Playing peek-a-boo with the camera

2. What is your favorite Christmas cookie (or candy)?

I love candy canes and those no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies!  Yummy!

3. What's the worst Christmas gift you've ever received?

This is a hard one.  I don't know that I've ever really gotten a "worst" gift, but I have gotten a lot of stuff that I've never used!  My mom and Jeff and bad about buying from the impulse buy sections in check-out lines! 

4. Christmas song that you love?

Of course you already know of my love for Kenny and Dolly Christmas CD - all of those songs are my favorites!  I also LOVE Mariah Carey's O' Holy Night and I LOVE Mary, Did You Know?!

5. How many trees do you put up?

Only ONE!  I haven't even gotten our tree decorated yet this year!  But it is up and looking very pretty with just it's clear lights and tree skirt!  I am in the market for a new skirt for it though.  The one we have just isn't doing it for me anymore.  I want a big skirt that comes pretty far out from the tree.  Any suggestions?

I have a busy weekend ahead of me!  On the agenda is shopping, decorating, wrapping and sewing!  Not necessarily in that order!  Don't forget to ENTER THE GIVEAWAY and change your blog settings so everyone can reply to your comments via email! 

Have a great weekend!

noreply-comment(at)blogger.com and a Giveaway!

This PSA has been posted on several blogs before, but just in case you missed it, here it is again!

  Jack carried this book EVERYWHERE yesterday. 

It even went to school with him!

Just like all of yall, I LOVE receiving comments and I love being able to respond via email!  I have made some really good bloggy friends through commenting and email response.  An email notification comes to my inbox everytime you comment, so it makes it extremely quick and easy to respond to you, execpt when the email address comes up as "noreply-comment(at)blogger.com"!   This makes me sad, because so often I want to reply to whatever you've said, but can't unless I go to your blog and leave a comment. 

So let's fix this little problem, shall we? 

Grammy and Jack reading the Grilling Cookbook

Step 1 - Go to your Dashboard

Step 2 - Click on Edit Profile (left side, next to your picture)

Step 3 - Under Privacy Section check the box that says "show my email address" (if you don't want to show your real email address, create an email address for your blog)

Step 4 - Under Identity Section enter the email address where you would like comment email to go.

Easy Peasy - huh!  Now, go do it!

It's Giveaway time again! 

I saw a tutorial for a Pom Pom Bib Necklace yesterday over at Little Miss Momma's blog and I thought it was so cute, so I made one (ok, maybe 2) last night!

This is one I made!  I think it would be really cute in beige or rust too!

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment telling me how precious my kid is and how crafty I am!   HA!  Just kidding!  But do leave a comment and you will be entered to win (1 entry)!  If you would like to follow my blog (or already do) that will get you an extra entry - please leave a separate comment! :)

Entry deadline is Tuesday, December 14 at midnight CST.

Random.org will pick the winner on Wednesday!

Dr Appointment Update

Jack's appointment with the ENT went well, despite the LONG wait!  We waited to see the doctor for over an hour - do you know how hard it is to entertain a toddler for that long?  He did really well though, he ate his goldfish, colored and even made a girlfriend!  I tell you this little boy is a FLIRT!  HA!

The doctor said his ears were clear, and his hearing test showed that he hears within the normal range for a 16 month old, so that is good!  The doc said we could go ahead and put tubes in if we wanted since he's had so many ear infections, but we are going to wait.

We go for a follow-up visit in February - sooner if he has another ear infection between now and then - just to make sure his ears still look good and are draining like they should.  Apparently, little boys are more prone to ear infections and couple that with daycare germs and sick kids and it's the perfect storm.  Hopefully we've endured the worst of the colds and ear infections and his immune system is getting stronger. 

My mom came up to go to the appointment with me, so after our 2+ hour adventure at the doctor's office, we headed out shopping!  We were hoping to get Jack's picture taken with Santa, but there was a long wait, so we'll have to try again later.  Jack did really good while we were shopping.  He just rode around in the stroller looking at everything.  I bought him a dinosaur sandwich cutter when we first got to the mall so he was content to hold his little "prize"!  I'm so glad he was a good shopping buddy yesterday, because Mama and I got a lot of Christmas shopping done! 

Miscellany Monday

 Happy Monday, Yall! 

It wouldn't be a Monday without a little Miscellany, so here goes!

{one}

YAY!  I'm finished with all ETSY orders!  WoooHOOO!  I made this shirt for a sweet little girl's first birthday party.  The theme is "Santa".  How fun is that?!?  I think this would be really cute with an initial under the Santa hat too!

{two}

It's not too late to get in on the Sample Sale.  Sale ends tomorrow.  Thank you so much to all of you who have already taken advantage of this great opportunity!  If you left a comment or sent an email about an item, and have not received an invoice from me, please email me again.

{three}

Our new Christmas tree came in Friday and it's pretty.  It could use more lights, in my opinion, but for the price it is just perfect.  For some reason, blogger won't let me post a picture now, so check back tomorrow for the Tuesday Home Tour - Christmas Decor edition.

{four}

Jack has an appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat dr tomorrow.  I'm hoping to find out what causes all of his ear infections, but praying he won't have to have tubes.

{five}

I weighed myself yesterday morning and was pleasantly surprised by what the scale had to say.  Granted it was not the 130 lbs I'm hoping to weigh by my 30th birthday on Feb 26th, but it was much closer than the 150 I've been sitting at since March.  I suck at losing weight, so this time I'm not dieting or exercising like crazy - just cutting out little things here and there.  Mostly beer, wine and fried foods, so far it seems to be working!

{six}

I cannot believe we'll be celebrating Christmas with my family in less than 2 weeks and I've only shopped for a few people.  Looks like I will have a busy, busy week ahead of me!

Happy Shopping!

I Need Your Help!

***UPDATE***
Thank you all so much for your overwhelming response to my first Sample Sale.  Effective today, Wednesday, Dec 8th, I am no longer accepting orders.
---------------------------------------------------------
I am only 7 shirts away from being finished with all of my Etsy orders for this year!  WoooHOOO!!  I remember looking at my list a few weeks ago and it had over 50 shirts, dresses and burpies on it and I felt like I would NEVER get them all done!  But here I am nearing the end, and it's time to gear up for reopening on January 1st! 

After the last of my orders ship on Monday, I will only have a few shirts to make for the Jordan Adoption auction, which doesn't end until the middle of next week. You can read more about the Jordan Adoption story on their Facebook page or visit the auction for great deals on some awesome items!  All money raised from the auction goes directly to their adoption fund.

When I first opened my shop back in July, I made random shirts, burpcloths and pillowcase dresses to list.  This worked fine for taking pictures and getting the items posted in my shop, but now I'm left with a variety of items in various sizes, with random names, which I have no use for.  So this is where I need your help!

 

I am going to do a "Sample" sale for all of my new designs.  The cost will cover the materials and shipping.  A win for you because you will receive personalized boutique items at a fraction of the cost and a win for me because I can "test" new items to sale in my shop! 

Available applique Shirts for Boys - $5 each (retail $18)

Airplane

Dinosaur

Fish

Monster Truck

Three Fish on a Line

Tie

Train

Valentine Heart Truck

Available Applique Shirts for Girls - $5 each (retail $18-30)

Bird on a Vine

Owl

Dinosaur

Frame with Initial or Monogram

Alligator

Raggy Cross

Raggy Butterfly

Raggy Heart

LOVE

XOXO Heart

High Heel

Purse

Daddy's Girl Heart

Peacock

Girls' Boutique Ruffle Pants - $10 each

Made to match any of the above girl's applique shirts

Pillowcase Dresses - $10 each

Owl Print with Coordinating Ribbon and Bottom Fabric (no embroidery)

Heart Print with Coordinating Ribbon and Bottom Fabric (no embroidery)

Designers' Pick (do you trust me? HA!)

Burpcloth Set - $10.00

Traditional Embellished Cloths (3) - Boy

Traditional Embellished Cloths (3) - Girl

Chenille Burpcloths (2) - Boy

Chenille Burpcloths (2) - Girl
Chenille Burpcloth and Matching Bib - Boy

Chenille Burpcloth and Matching Bib - Girl

 To place your order, please leave a comment with the following information:

Design

Size, if applicable

Name of Child (if you want personalization)

Email address for PayPal invoice

Orders will be accepted on a first come, first served basis and only one of each design will be created.  If you would like pictures of designs or have questions please click HERE to email me.  You can view all of my past work, sizing information and policies in my Shop.  Offer will end on Tuesday, December 7.  Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

Thanks so much for your help!

Have a great weekend! 

Oh My Little Jack

 He's a character, I tell ya! 

I guess one blankie wasn't cutting it anymore!  Maybe he needs one for each hand?  I am going to have to hide the second blanket - one is way more than enough! HA!

It is really hard to get good pictures of Jack these days!  Everytime he sees that I'm trying to take pictures of him, he turns into a complete ham and makes the goofiest faces!  I tried to get a video of the silly boy last night, but of course he wouldn't do the same little routine for the Flip.  He would only say "hi" then run and hide. 

Love that little face!  All nice and fresh and clean!  He's so funny in the bathtub now.  He wants me to put soap on his hands, then he lathers them up and washes his belly and legs.  He's becoming such a big boy WAY TOO FAST!

I think Eucerin should pay me for this cute little advertisement!  What do you think?

Jack also likes for me to put the lotion on his hands so he can rub it on his legs and belly.  Eucerin makes great hair gel too!  HA!

After seeing Gillian Grace's cute Elmo slippers a few weeks ago, I knew Jack just had to have some cute house shoes too!  I had ordered a pair of Hanna Andersson Rudolph slippers to go with Jack's Christmas morning long-johns a while back, but of course the smallest size they had was a 7 and they are way too big!  So while shopping at Old Navy yesterday, I came across these cute little Rudolphs!  I was so excited!  Cute houseshoes?  Check!  Christmas morning outfit complete?  Check!

He wasn't quite sure about them at first.  He just wanted to put them on, then take them off over and over again!  But now I think he loves them!  I almost forgot to take them off when I put him to bed last night.  HA!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house!  But not in the sense you might be thinking.  I haven't put up a tree yet and there is no holly, mistletoe, lights or stockings hung with care, but the gifts I have ordered online are beginning to arrive and I have a feeling our front room will be filled with boxes in no time!  I also have a new Christmas tree on the way!  YAY!  We decided the tree we had was just a little short, so this year we'll have a 9' tree.  I'm hoping it's pretty since I ordered online and was not able to actually "see" the tree.  Fingers crossed!

Parenting 101

I've learned a few things about raising a baby during the past 16 months with Jack.  Being a first-time mommy is hard work and while I have a few mommy friends who have offered advice or shared what works for them and what doesn't, I thought I should compile a simple list of my own - I'll call it Parenting 101.  I'm sure there will be many courses to follow as Jack grows and changes, but this is what I've learned so far.

{one} Get that baby on a schedule ASAP!  I heard this over and over from my friend Heather before I had Jack, but never knew just how important it was until he was born.  It took us about 6-8 weeks before we were on a really good schedule, but once we were, it was smooth sailing - or at least I knew more of what to expect during the day.  Our schedule has definitely changed and evolved as he's grown and gone through different stages, but a schedule of some sort is a MUST!

{two}  Don't say "I will never..." because eventually you will.  I said Jack wouldn't carry a blanket all over the house, but now he's a regular Linus.  I'm holding strong to not taking it everywhere though, except when we're out of town, sick or he will be napping away from home.  Then the blankie is ok.  See, never say never! HA!

{three}  Don't put real milk in a bottle. Actually, I wouldn't suggest putting anything in a bottle except breastmilk/formula.  (Unless directed by your Dr)  I never did and I believe it made weaning Jack from the bottle that much easier.  I started him on a sippy cup with a little water around 6 months, then began putting his formula in a cup around 9 months (he would NEVER drink it from the cup), then a week before he turned one, I started giving him warm milk in the cup.  (I used a different style cup for milk and water)  He didn't drink much milk at first, maybe only a few ounces a few times a day, but by the time his 1st birthday came he was drinking only real milk or water from the cup and no more bottles.  His last bottle was the day before his 1st birthday.  I also stopped giving him a bottle before bed when he was about 10 or 11 months.  I had always heard this was the hardest one to stop, so we stopped early.  It worked for us.

Jack LOVES this glow-worm. 

He carries it everywhere!

{four}  Create a bedtime routine and stick to it.  It doesn't matter what the routine is, it just needs to be consistent.  Jack gets a bath every night around 7:00.  We brush his teeth, take a bath, get a drink of water, tell daddy "night, night" and it's time for bed.  9 times out of 10 he goes right to sleep.  Jack is typically in bed before 8:00. 

Getting ready to push the button so the Glow-Worm will sing Twinkle, Twinkle or Hush Little Baby for the 9 millionth time that day!  Loves that thing! 

{five}  Eat all meals at the table or highchair.  I think this is important because Jack knows when he's sitting in the highchair, it's time to eat.  Of course, sometimes he colors there too, but most of the time, it's for eating.  I also don't let him walk around the house with a cup.  I have water sitting on the end table, so if he gets thirsty while playing he can get a drink, but the cup doesn't go everywhere.  If he gets hungry, he will walk to his chair and wait for someone to put him in it.  If it's a scheduled meal time and he doesn't eat what I give him, then obviously he's not hungry, or if he doesn't finish everything on his plate, then he must be full.  I do not make him eat or clean his plate.  I believe children eat when they are hungry.  This may change as he gets older or more picky, but for now this works for me.  And, he is obviously not malnourished!  HA!

Of course, all children are different and what works for me may not work for you, but for now these are the few things that come to mind right off that have made our lives with a baby a little easier. 

What tips or tricks do you have?  What has made your life with your little ones easier?