What a week to switch to the big boy bed! Day 1 is done and I’m a very happy mama. :)

This week has been a busy one… that’s an understatement. We’ve just come back from our two-week vacation, Adrian & I have mounds of work & unpacking & cleaning to do, Zachary’s caught a cold AND is teething in his canines (and thus, is very clingy since  he’s not feeling well), and then – acting like the cute little monkey that he is – he started ramping up his climbing habit even further. While he hasn’t climbed out of his crib before, he decided to try to climb INTO his crib the other day. I was shocked watching him scamper up and seeing him hanging from the rail – yes, just like a little baby monkey.

Adrian and I have been mulling it over the past few days and decided today that it was time to make the switch. We just didn’t want to risk him climbing and jumping out of the crib out of curiosity. We reorganized his room to baby proof it even further, picked up a baby gate to block him from wandering the house at night, and Adrian took the crib rail down and put the toddler guard rail up!

I settled him in with our usual routine of reading before bed, but now it was more fun since I was able to sit in bed with him and cuddle – and the dog even joined us for a few stories. I tucked him in but he did not want to go to bed at first. He stood at the gate looking out and whined a bit and then asked for some milk. I told him that I would give him milk, but he had to lay down and go to sleep when he got it (I don’t really like to give him milk in bed- but it really does settle him down). He waited for me to bring the sippy over to him and immediately ran to his bed and jumped in. I tucked him in with his blanky and stuffled puppy and he snuggled up with his milk. We didn’t hear a peep after that. :)

Zachary is sleeping very soundly in his bed now. I can only hope that the next nights go just as smoothly!

I have to say, though, even though 20 months may be earlier than I’d originally anticipated moving him, it was really fun – kind of a little thrill, even – to be able to sit NEXT TO my little guy in HIS bed with his stack of favorite books that he picked out himself (love that part) and reading them with him while he snuggled up with me and his blanket and stuffed dog. That feeling was definitely one that I will always remember and will file away in my special little data bank of feelings. I miss the thought of my little baby, yes… but I’m very proud of my little boy, and I love love love this particular stage in his life! I’m so thankful that Adrian and I get to experience so much through his curious little eyes and bright light of a laugh!

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If you like my blog, please consider voting! <3

The winner of the Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway for July was Alissa!

Alissa said: “I’d send a note to my cousin. She is like my sister and we live so far away. I often send her cards and love via post :) ”

Congrats Alissa!

the August contest should be up soon…. in the mean time don’t forget to check out Pear Tree Greetings! :)

The BabyLegs grab bag giveaway ended last night and the winner was Ashley R aka @reynoldsmom!

Congrats to Ashley!

Don’t forget the Pear Tree Greetings giveaway ends tonight! Click here to enter the giveaway!

I didn’t do one of these last week since I was on vacay… and almost forgot to do one this week! Ooops… :)

If you were wondering where I went on my blogging vacation? Well… now you know! I’m back! And will be sharing LOTS more photos as soon as I have them downloaded!

info: iPhone 3gs, Hipstamatic – Ina’s ‘69 film/ John S Lens

Click here to learn about Mixtape Mondays! If you want to participate, just click there to join in the fun!

It’s hot hot hot here in South Florida…. here are some of the summery tunes I’m listening to this week!

1. Lady Gaga – Just Dance
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Snow (Hey Oh)
3. Sara Bareilles – Love Song
4. Collapsis – Automatic
5. Laura Minor – American Girls
6. Outkast – Hey Ya
7. Matchbox 20 – Real World
8. Little Red Rocket – California *
9. Shakira – Te aviso, te anuncio
10. Weezer – Island in the Sun

Hope you enjoy this week’s mix! Go out and enjoy the summer sun! :)

*the link for Little Red Rocket goes to LastFM – they are not found on amazon.

I just wanted to say thanks again to my guest bloggers from the past week. I was able to really enjoy being away from the computer, reading, and spending some time having fun the “old fashioned” way. In the coming weeks I will share a little more about the things I did while my guest bloggers were here writing for me! :)

Once again if you want to check out my guest bloggers’ websites, they are:

Ajira of Ajira Darch Photography

Tiffany of Mom-Nom

Tara of Tara Sroka Designs

Sarah of Sarah’s Cucina Bella

Lindsey of Waking Up Williams

and my Guest DJ Mike Dougherty who did an absolutely smashing job handling Mixtape Mondays!

You guys are awesome! :)

I’m thrilled to have Lindsey of Waking up Williams post on my blog! Lindsey blogs about her life in Florida and her adorable baby girl, Ryann, and her husband is a graphic/web designer and specializes in getting bloggers online with Wordpress. They are my kind of fun and geeky couple, and maybe one day we’ll meet up since we both live here in the Sunshine State! :) I asked Lindsey to write a bit about living here in Florida since she’s not a native like I am, and I really enjoyed her perspective. Make sure you visit her site, too!

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I didn’t grow up in Florida, in fact I never thought I’d live in Florida, but here I am living here, raising a family here (for now) and definitely soaking up the sunshine and warm temperatures, while my family and northern friends are still shoveling snow well into March and when September rolls around their packing away summer clothes to make room for winter. So what brought me 1,300 miles away from family, snow and shovels?  Well college and then a man and now a family….

Here are the top five reasons I moved here and why I’m also looking forward to heading north again (sooner than later, fingers and toes crossed, prayers said and stars aligning)

5. Flee from family and enjoy the freedom.  And then I left and NOW I want Ryann to share clothes with her two girl cousins and let my parents spoil her like grandparents are supposed to do.

4. Beach days starting in February and lasting well into October.  But NOW it’s just too hot, and too much work to take Ryann to the beach as much as I used to go, so really who needs 8 months of beach weather when the baby doesn’t cooperate?!

3. Flip flops YEAR ROUND!!!  I love not worrying about what shoes to wear, flip flops are a staple in a Floridians life, but NOW I miss my other shoes and wearing my dress boots and heels and cute snowbunny boots.

2. The weather, it’s gorgeous UNTIL the oppressive summer heat and humidity roll in.  Blech!!  I want my northern summers back, where a heatwave only lasts a few days and you don’t need air conditioning to breathe.

1. Shoveling snow and wearing 3 layers just to go outside for 2 minutes and then proceed to melt in the stores with all of the layers on.  OK, let’s be real no one wants to shovel snow, but I want Ryann to make snowpeople and sled and eat snow (even though we tell her not to) and whine when we need to spend 30 minutes bundling up for 5 minutes of playtime outside. I miss it!

I miss my Massachusetts drivers license, the Bahstin accent and when asked where I’m from I can proudly say HERE!  Instead of, I’m from Boston, but live in Florida.  Because I’m not a southerner, and I miss the grass, the accent and my family.

When I first came across Sarah’s site, Sarah’s Cucina Bella, I was super impressed and excited! Her recipes were easy, first of all, the photography is lovely, and finally, her food ideas look delicious enough that my son might even enjoy them! I’m not a natural cook, so I’m always on the look-out to find new ideas for meals that my little guy will like. I asked her to put together some of her favorite easy and fast recipes for kids. I can’t wait to try her Creamy Fruit Dip with Zachary – he’s just starting to enjoy dipping his foods and I think he’ll love it! Make sure you check out Sarah’s site and leave a comment if you like the post!

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Fast, Easy Snacks

Do your kids love snacks? Mine do. Sometimes I think that if I let them, they would skip all meals and just snack from dawn till dusk (don’t worry – I don’t let them!). Since my kids are such snack-devotees, I actually spend a lot of time thinking of how I can let them have a snack without having it be total junk food. I mean junk food is fine as a once-in-a- while thing but I would rather they associate snacking with fresh and healthy options … I think it’s better for their eating habits in the long run.

These are a few of my tried and true ideas for snacking, which fill my kids up and keep them satisfied. Enjoy! And visit me at Sarah’s Cucina Bella for family-friendly recipes for every meal of the day.

- Sarah Caron

Popcorn: Did you know that popcorn is a whole grain? So, this is a snack you can really feel good about, even with the sweet addition of a little chocolate. Your best bet with this is to use a popcorn popper, but if you don’t have one, you can purchase plain (as in no flavorings) microwave popcorn and use that instead.

Chocolate Popcorn
serves 4-6

6 cups popped popcorn (it should be just popped and still very hot)
2 tbsp hot chocolate mix (the better the mix, the better the popcorn — make sure its sweetened)

Combine ingredients in a large resealable bag. Shake vigorously. Pour into a bowl and devour.

Cheese and Fruit Plates: Are your kids little cheese hounds? Mine are! And this is a great way to get them to have a little extra calcium and vitamins (from the fruit, of course). Arrange sliced fruit, a few pieces of cheese and some crackers on a plate and let the children eat it as they wish … maybe they want to top a whole grain cracker with a slice of cheddar and a bit of strawberry? Anything goes!

Fruit and Dip: I don’t know about your kids, but mine absolutely love dipping things. Whether it’s grilled chicken in barbecue sauce or fruit in a creamy dip like this one, it’s a surefire way to get them to munch happily. Firm fruit like pears or apples work well with this, as do strawberries, grapes and blueberries. Avoid too-soft fruit like bananas though which won’t stand up as well to dipping.

Easy Creamy Fruit Dip
yields ½ cup
¼ cup reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup marshmallow fluff
¼ tsp cinnamon

Combine the cream cheese, fluff and cinnamon in a bowl and stir until smooth. Serve with fresh fruit for dipping.

Day two of guest posts while I’m on a blog vacay – today’s post is by the incredible Tara Sroka of Tara Sroka Designs! Tara is a talented scrapbooker and graphic designer and self-proclaimed “Memory Preservationist.” She’s written a fantastic article for you about getting started with scrapbooking… and as a professional designer, she can even help you out if the task is too daunting for you to do yourself. Keep reading and you can click her name to see some of her beautiful design work!

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My name is Tara Sroka and I’m thrilled to be guest blogging here while Karen is on a blogging vacation. I am a scrapbook artist and I want to talk to you about the importance of documenting your life and your family’s moments together. Sometimes I like to think of myself as a memory preservationist because in reality that is what it’s all about. I scrapbook to tell my story, to remember days gone by and to document all the moments big, small and in between.</p> <p>Recently I was looking through old family photos with my family and came across so many unlabeled photos making it very difficult to identity the people in them. Here were people of my own family that I didn’t know anything about which made me sad. That got me thinking of how important scrapbooking and documenting your life is in order to preserve your heritage. I hope many years from now that my future family will look through my photos and scrapbook and have a good sense of who I was, where I came from and have a sense of our family history. When it comes down to it scrapbooking is all about bringing history to life!</p> <p>I started paper scrapbooking in 2004 and eventually moved to digital scrapbooking with the computer in 2006. In the beginning I wasn’t really thinking about documenting my life for historical reasons but more for the creative fun of it. I love the creative outlet digital scrapbooking (a.k.a digi scrap) provides and now love the fact that my friends and family will have these amazing books and creations to look at generation after generation. By trade I’m a graphic designer but even though I create things everyday I feel limited with my designs due to work and client requirements. Scrapbooking gives me the freedom to have fun, do what I want to do and express myself in a way I feel is comfortable to me. It’s a great opportunity for me to explore and have fun.

There are several easy ways to get started scrapbooking or memory keeping that don’t require much creativity or effort:

• Write things down - keep a journal with you to just jot down stories and moments
• Blog your family stories and details of your life you want to remember. It’s great for others to see and participate in and then periodically make a book from your blog posts using services from Blurb (supports most common blog applications)
• As crazy as it sounds, keep a journal or document with all your “status updates” from your social media sites
• If you aren’t going to scrapbook in the traditional sense try to make sure to keep up-to-date photo albums. If possible do not write on the back of photographs, as they will ruin your image over time. I suggest getting photo albums that have extra room in the margins for keeping notes.

Whether you plan to paper scrapbook or design with the computer just have fun with it and don’t pressure yourself to “get it all scrapped”.  Starting to scrapbook and capture moments can be overwhelming when you don’t know what to focus on or when you can’t find the time. When it feels right for you jump in and play around. There are lots of online tutorials and classes to learn the basics of digital scrapbooking. Check out Digital Scrapbook Place for a list of classes they offer to get you started.

If you don’t know what to document or scrap here’s some ideas to get you going:

• What was your baby’s first word?
• Do you have stories from pregnancy you want to remember?
• What’s your favorite summer memory?
• What’s your favorite holiday moment from growing up?
• What was your first concert you ever went to?
• How you met your spouse?
• What one goal do you hope to accomplish this year?

Not all layouts need journaling (the stories or descriptions). Many of my layouts don’t have writing associated with them but I try to always having the date and who is in the photo. It’s hard to remember the when, where and who sometimes, especially in 20 years.

Oscar Wilde said “Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us” but we need to share them with others so they can be passed down and not forgotten. So don’t put off what you want to document or preserve for “another day” – do it now so you won’t regret it later.

If creating a scrapbook sounds like a daunting task then consider my help. I offer customized digital scrapbooks to preserve your life’s most precious moments in a professional and creative way. Taking care of your life’s memories is an important, ongoing process and I can help you tell your story. Simply send me your photos in a digital format and a memory book will be created that tells your personal story on each and every page. Your scrapbook will come with 20 pages in a hard-covered professionally bound book with a custom designed cover to suit your needs. Visit my website for more information or view my scrapbook gallery for some inspiration.

I’m so excited to have Tiffany from Mom-Nom post this week while I take a blog vacation! :) I love Tiffany’s blog because she’s honest and funny, and not afraid to write about whatever she’s thinking! When you finish reading her guest post, go check out her blog at Mom-Nom.com!

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Hi, my name is Tiffany & I am addicted to getting professional photos taken of my kids. Whew, it feels good to get that off my chest…
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When Karen asked me to guest blog, I kinda chuckled. I’m not gonna lie. I have been spreading my child photography love throughout the midwest for nearly a decade. Seriously, I’m only 27, not 80. Quality photos of your offspring are just THAT important.

I have a local photographer, that I now consider a friend, that has watched my seven year old grow and is embracing my 11 month old daughter with love and affection…through the beauty of her lens.

That being said, I thought it would be appropriate if I shared my seven years of photo wisdom…with all of you lovely folk.

When you find a photographer you love:

A) STAY WITH THEM. & keep coming back. The more they know your kid, the more beautiful their photos become. They will learn your child’s temperament. They will discover what makes them giggle. How far they can push them. AND, your child will learn to enjoy visiting “Aunt Tracy” and her crazy antics. The relationship between the child and the photographer is directly related to the quality of images you get. Don’t jump around from photographer to photographer. That’s how you get a bad name.

B) IF YOU CAN, DON’T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT THE COST. Because photos are worth far more than most people acknowledge. These are moments in time, frozen just for you. Rare faces and changes that you may not remember in 10 + years. Heirlooms for great, great, greats – that can be treasured and loved forever. There are few things that have this power over emotion and the ability to live on forever the way a photo does. So, don’t think too long on the cost, nothing good has ever come from it.

C) TAKE AS MANY AS YOU CAN IN THE FIRST YEAR. I have purchased the First Year {newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, one year} package with both my kids. They change so much in that first year. Their little faces go from one extreme to the next in a blink of an eye – AND, if you don’t capture it in photos – it may be something you forget – even if you swear you never will. My most cherished photos are from that first year. After the first year, I go twice a year, until they’re five. And then I only go once a year. Cause, well…they’re rotten after that.

Summary:
Don’t get a bad name. Stay with one photographer.
Don’t think about the cost. It will only stray you down a path of thinking you can take your own photos at home for less. & that is not good. (Unless you’re Karen – and well, then maybe you’re right.)
Take a lot of photos before they can talk. Not so many after. They complain too much.

This lesson is brought to you by Mom-Nom.Com. Where Moms, Nom.

*Note: the above images are © Little Rascals Photography