princess, the chatterbox (and kid biz i-spy bag giveaway)

If you have, or have ever had a four-year-old, you will know what I'm talking about.  I love Princess to death and she is, for the most part, pretty darn angelic (especially when compared to her demon-possessed high-spirited little sister.)  But I'm not gonna lie.  Sometimes she just drives me crazy.  From the minute she wakes up until the moment she goes to bed, except maybe to eat, she never stops talking.

And it's not just mindless chatter that you can tune out, although I do try.  Her chatter, for the most part, is highly imaginative pretend play that requires me, the listener, to engage with. "Mommy, you be the kid and I'l be the mommy.  Now we're going to go to school.  This is my house.  Oh, hello kid, are you lost?  Come sit in my house and let me make you some food.  Now let's pretend we're princesses.  No, I'm a princess and you're the mean witch."  And so on and so on.  All. Day. Long.

I hate to admit it, (but since I've already admitted that my own child quite frequently drives me nuts I might as well confess this too), but sometimes I will actually say, "let's see what's on TV," knowing that the magic box is pretty much the only thing that will pause the incessant mind-numbing noise that is my daughter.

Of course this relief comes with a price: major guilt.   Because a good mom would come up with something creative.  A good mom would offer up a fun craft or a educational activity, or perhaps read a book or get down on the floor and play with the child who just wants a little attention.  A good mom would not just turn on the TV and plunk her child in front of it like some sort of digital nanny.

And so I fail.

homemade gifts: embellished picture frame (& nursery love giveaway)

When we lived in Seattle, one of our favorite family outings was feeding the giraffes at the Woodland Park Zoo.  It began for Princess a serious love of all things giraffe.  Books, toys, clothing, stuffed animals--if it is related to giraffes in any way, she is all over it.

So when I came across an adorable giraffe alphabet print on an Etsy shop called Nursery Love, I knew it would be the perfect accent piece for her room (and a great Christmas gift!)  Knowing I already had a matted frame that I had found on clearance a few months ago stashed away in the closet, I ordered the 4x6 print and checked that one off my list.  Until, of course, the print arrived in the mail and I pulled out the frame, only to discover the frame was matted to fit a 5x7 print.  Oops.

I had two choices.  I could a.) buy a new frame or b.) get creative.

Guess which one I chose?  (hint: buying a new frame wouldn't be a very interesting blog post.)

stocking stuffers (& punk rock mama giveaway)

Most of my Christmas shopping these days consists of hunting for fabulous stocking stuffers.  My girls each get one "big" gift from "Santa", along with a gift from mommy & daddy (someday those two categories will be combined, but we are still deep within the midst of the "I believe in Santa Clause" phase.  I love it.  I hope it lasts forever.)

Any adults who spend Christmas with us--aunts, uncles, grandparents--just get their own personalized stuffed stocking, also filled by "Santa." When we first switched to this system, I thought I was doing myself a favor and making things simpler.  And I guess in some ways it is simpler.  But surprisingly it can also be a bit of a challenge to find worthwhile & unique gifts that are still small enough to fit into a stocking.  As such, I am on the lookout all year round for stocking-worthy fillers.

holiday baking inspiration (& nissa lynn apron giveaway)

One of my very most favorite holiday traditions is baking.  I know this is going to come as a shock, but I tend to go a little overboard.  Last year I think I baked somewhere around 30 dozen cookies.  It was insane.  This year, I'm going to try to cut back just a little.  But maybe not that much.  There are just  far too many beautiful, yummy-looking things to make!

And home baked goods make lovely (yet economical) gifts, especially when packaged up with a little flair.

I've been stocking up on baking staples for months and now I'm ready for some inspiration.  Because holiday baking for me is not just an activity, it is an event.  My favorite recipe book of all time is Martha Stewart's Cookies.  I have made no less than 30 of the recipes in that book, some repeatedly, and they are all fabulous.  It is the book that no cookie lover should be without.  And it has enough recipes to keep me busy all month long and then some, but even so, I wanted to find a few new ideas as well.

Here is my inspiration:

(Photo credits: MarthaStewart.com, BHG.com, SaintNick.com, BabyBoomerAdvisorClub.com, ADozenEggs.com, BlissfullyDomestic.com)

homemade gifts: star-shaped crayon craft

I love giving gifts.  Much to my husband's chagrin, my generous spirit has often outweighed my budget.  A long time ago, long before I was married and had kids of my own, I started giving gifts to all the children in my life.  It started with just my nieces and nephews, and then, as a few of my friends started having children, the tradition started to spread.  Before I knew it, the list was very, very long.  This year I finally had to face the hard truth: it is simply too expensive to buy and send gifts to 30+ kids each year.

But I couldn't bear the thought of doing nothing.

I decided to get crafty.

decking the halls (& kimono cards giveaway)

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving weekend is not the food, though I have to admit, the food is really good.  But nothing tops the day after Thanksgiving, when box upon box of Christmas decorations comes down from the attic.  We listen to Christmas music and feast on leftovers while decorate the tree, put up lights, and fill our house with holiday cheer.

I don't venture out of the house for Black Friday, but I always hit the day-after-Christmas sales for clearance decorations.  Then I pack them away for the following year and forget about them.  It makes unpacking the boxes each year a lot of fun!

Pretty, isn't it?  

the perfect gift (& TKI designs giveaway)

Black Friday, Schmack Friday.  Who needs to wake up at 2am to fight the crowds when you can find the perfect gift at the perfect price while sitting cozily in your pajamas in the comfort of your own home?

By now you know that this year I have been searching Etsy.com for handmade, unique, & reasonably priced gifts.   I have already featured some pretty amazing items, and there is still much more to come, but for Black Friday I reserved what I believe is hands down the best deal around, Etsy.com or elsewhere.

thankful

This week I have been working on teaching Princess what it means to be thankful.

Trying to explain the concept of "thankfulness" to a four-year-old has made me think a lot about how much I have to be thankful for.


I am thankful for my husband, who works hard every day to support his family, then comes home to be the best daddy in the whole world.  I could write a whole post on all the reasons I am thankful for my guy, but suffice to say, I couldn't ask for a better one.

holiday cheer giveaway winners: soapy soaps & "flipped" dvd

The winners of todays prizes are....

healthy teeth are happy teeth (& radius toothbrush giveaway)

I was cursed with bad teeth.  Despite daily brushing, every time I go to the dentist, without fail, I have at least one cavity, and usually two or three.  My last visit, three weeks ago, I had seven.  Seven cavities.  I didn't even know I had that many teeth left to get cavities in.   Evidently you can get cavities in teeth that already have them.  Who knew?  Dentists, I guess.  I hate dentists.

After this last visit, during which I was subjected to a "gum exam" and given a 20 minute lecture on the importance of flossing to prevent gum disease, I arrived home determined to do more to turn my oral health around.  I wouldn't say I was inspired so much as chagrined.   I really don't ever want to have to sit through another lecture.

holiday shopping deals & black friday preview

This may come as a surprise (or maybe a disappointment) to some of you, but I'm not a huge fan of Black Friday.  I absolutely loathe large crowds of people, and eight years of working in retail was enough to make me avoid the mall at all costs at any time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The one year I did decide to fight the crowds and score a great deal on a new digital camera, the camera ended up being a complete piece of garbage and I returned it a month later and vowed to never put myself through that ordeal again.  If you are one of those crazy enthusiastic people who want to get up at 2am or, worse better yet, camp overnight in the Best Buy parking lot, more power to you.  Just don't look for me.  On Black Friday morning I will be home, in bed, cuddled with my girls (and dear sweet husband who does not like to be left out!) underneath our 800 thread count sheets.

That said, there are some really great Black Friday deals out there.  So although I have no interest in hitting the stores myself this Friday, I decided to put together a list of my top Black Friday deals for those of you who are insane do enjoy the mad rush of the busiest shopping day of the year.

christmas card making (& craftin' crystal giveaway)

About a year ago, when I finally got fed up with paying 5 dollars apiece every time I went to Hallmark, I started making my own cards.  Unfortunately for everyone who receives them, my homemade cards really aren't pretty--an awkward combination of scrapbook paper & some sort of greeting card appropriate vellum sticker sentiment.  Passable, (if it's the thought that counts), but certainly not impressive.

I have always wanted to learn how to stamp.  Every time I go to the craft store I spend way too much time drooling over all the pretty stamps & imagining how nice my cards could be if only I could figure it all out. But then I start to get overwhelmed by all the choice--the stamps, the ink, the embellishments--and I just give up and sadly resign myself the the idea that my poor excuses for a card will simply have to do.

My friend Crystal, on the other hand, is simply an amazing stamper, and when I want to be truly inspired, I visit her lovely blog, Crafting & Rambling.  She is truly an artist and makes some of the most beautiful cards I have ever seen.  After many months of (somewhat jealously) admiring her designs online, I was lucky enough to receive a handmade card from her, and I finally couldn't take it anymore.  I begged her to teach me.

feeling lucky (& wired whimsey giveaway)

I have to be honest, I am feeling a little stressed about Christmas shopping this year.  We have a lot of extra people spending the holidays with us, and my role as "Santa" means I have a lot of stocking to fill.

I normally love finding special and unique gifts for each person on my list.  However, the sheer quantity this year is stretching both my creativity (of which I have little) and my budget.  I am pretty good at stretching my money through coupon shopping, which means that Santa will be bringing everyone a variety of toothbrushes, lotions, & body wash this year.  Unconventional, perhaps, but those low-cost (or free) stocking fillers are always needed, and will leave room in my budget to find something truly special for each person.

A few weeks ago I was poking around on Etsy.com and came across a little shop called Wired Whimsey, which was full of gorgeous and totally affordable handmade jewelry.

family movie night (and "flipped" dvd giveaway)

I hope you all are enjoying all the wonderful 30 Days of Holiday Cheer giveaways this month.  There is a lot more fun stuff to come!  If you are new to my blog or haven't been by in a few days, you can catch up on all the great giveaways by clicking the holiday cheer logo at the top of the left-hand column.

I don't know about you, but family movie night is one of our favorite budget-friendly activities.  Our TV & DVD player are set up in our master bedroom & it is so fun to put our PJs on, make a big bowl of popcorn, & then snuggle up together in our big cozy bed.  This time of year, I am mostly all about watching the holiday classics.  However, the other day I caught this trailer for the movie "Flipped." It is being released on DVD next Tuesday and it looks really sweet--perfect for a family night in.

And just because I am SO full of holiday cheer these days, I am giving one lucky reader their very own copy of the movie Flipped on DVD.  (Okay, okay, technically Warner Brothers is giving it away....but who's counting?)

girls who sew (& slo day design giveaway)

I have a really bad memory and most of my childhood is a bit of a blur, but I remember learning how to sew like it was yesterday.  The summer between 5th and 6th grade, my friend Sarah called me up, out of the blue, and asked if I wanted to take a sewing class at the local fabric store with her.  Up to that moment, I had never even thought about sewing, but I liked Sarah and it was summer and I had nothing better to do, so I said sure, why not?  We started the class, two 11 year-olds in a room full of middle-aged women.  It was on the top floor of an old, non-air-conditioned building downtown, and I distinctly remember the sweltering heat.  But we stuck it out and that summer and we both learned to sew.

operation christmas child: finishing our boxes

Yesterday Princess and I finished up our boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  This week is National Collection Week and from now through the 22nd, drop-off stations around the country are accepting box donations.  It is such an amazing charity, and I feel so lucky to be able to participate this year.

It was especially neat to see my baby girl stepping outside of her little 4 year-old self-centered bubble for a few minutes.  This was probably the first time in her short life that she has really stopped to consider the fact that other kids might not have toys play with or food to eat or a warm bed to sleep in.  Watching her come to that realization gave me hope that someday she might not just take it all for granted.  Being a parent is tough sometimes, and taking the time to teach our kids how to care about others and become productive members of society seems like an overwhelming task sometimes.

Ten letters is a lot for a little girl who is just learning how to write, but she carefully filled in her name and then colored each and every one.  She was so excited when we finally finished and it made me so proud to be her mommy.  And now that our ten boxes are all packed up, labeled with trackable barcodes, and ready to go, we can't wait to see where in the world they end up!

how to take super rockin' christmas card photos (& simply photography online class giveaway)

Sending & receiving Christmas cards is definitely one of my favorite holiday traditions.  Husband and I have moved no less than 15 times (including 3 cross-country moves) since we've been together, so we have wonderful friends scattered throughout the entire country.  With all the hustle and bustle of daily life, it is really hard to keep up with everyone.    So as soon as December rolls around, it makes me so happy to go to the mailbox each day and be able to catch up on everyone's year.

I especially love getting photo cards because I love seeing how our friends (and their kids) change from year to year and sending photo cards has been our tradition every year, too, even before we had kids and we forced our poor chocolate lab to don reindeer antlers for the picture.

holiday shopping tip: swagbucks

If you are planning to do a lot of your holiday shopping online this year, you should definitely sign up for Swagbucks right away.  Actually, you should just sign up for Swagbucks anyway, as it is an easy & painless (and free!) way to earn giftcards for Amazon.com (and lots of other places.) There are a lot of different ways you can earn points, but the main way I do is by using Swagbucks as my main search engine (instead of Google.) When you sign up you can download a search box for your toolbar.

You usually earn points about every 4th or 5th search, so the more you search, the more you'll win.  It takes 450 points to earn a $5 Amazon gift card, and it usually takes me about 1-2 weeks to earn that many points.  Swagbucks is also connected to a lot of online retailers so you can get bonus points for shopping--a nice bonus when you are doing a lot of holiday shopping!   Click here to sign up!

how to keep your 4-year-old quiet in church (and cottage on the coast giveaway)

Like many families, most Sunday mornings we head to church.  Our church has 3 services at 8am, 9:15am, and 11am.  The 11am service always seems to conflict with Trouble's naptime and the 9:15am service is the "contemporary" service.  We prefer our church more on the traditional side.  That leaves us with the 8am service.

Thus, Sunday mornings are usually a mad (often angry) dash of trying to get the girls out of bed, dressed in their (usually matching) Sunday dresses, hair combed, teeth brushed, quick breakfast in their tummies, shoes on, and strapped in their car seats (not to mention ourselves dressed & ready) just in time make our entrance 2 minutes late as the only family at the 8am service.

operation christmas child: why we give

A reader sent me a the link to this video a few days ago, and I just had to share it.  (Just a word of warning, you may want to have tissues handy before you watch it!)  I have been absolutely amazed by all the feedback so far regarding the Operation Christmas Child boxes.  Your incredible and generous spirits have motivated me, inspired me, and touched me deeply.  So thank you!

If after watching this video, you decide you would like to participate, there is still time!  Boxes are not due one of the many, many nationwide drop-off locations until the week of Nov. 15-22.  For more information on getting involved and how to fill your box, click here.

And if you are planning to participate in Operation Christmas Child or any other charity this holiday season, be sure to leave a comment here, on my original OCC post.  On November 23rd, the day after all the boxes are due, I will be randomly picking three charitable readers to each win a $15 Starbucks Gift Card! (And thank you Courtney for sending me this touching video!)