QUEEN of the Snot Princesses

Clothing Resales in Chicago Suburbs

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:30:00 +0000

It's resale time again! Yay! Below is a list I have compiled of upcoming resales in the Chicagoland area. Many are conducting sign-ups right now in case you have some things you might want to sell. They aren't just for clothes, either. At some of them you can sell toys, sporting goods, baby equipment and even junior/adult clothes. Check 'em out! Save big money!

St. Pius X Childrens Clothing & Toy Resale
601 S. Westmore-Meyers Rd.
Lombard, IL 60148
Seller Registration:
Today! Feb. 9th 7-8pm and Wednesday, Feb. 15th 7-8pm. Registration Fee $12. Volunteer and get $5 refund. Registration is located within St. Pius School.
Sale Dates (located at the school's Social Center):
Volunteer Pre-Sale: March 9th 4-6pm
Friday, March 9th 6:30-9:30pm -- NO children allowed, $1.00 admission fee
Saturday, March 10th 9am-12 noon -- children welcome, some items marked half off.
Contacts:
Stacy (630-993-0533) - Registration Coordinator
Alexandra (847-778-9412) - Volunteer Coordinator

Kingsley School PTA Toy, Sport & Baby Equipment Resale
6509 Powell Street
Downers Grove, IL 60516
Seller Registration:
Wednesday, February 15th 6-8pm and Tuesday, February 28th 6-8pm. Registration Fee $5. If you wish to donate your items for the PTA to price and sell then there is no registration fee.
Sale Date:
Saturday, March 10th 9am to 1pm -- NO children allowed from 9am to 11am. Some items marked half off from 11am till 1pm.

Chicago First Church of the Nazarene Children's Clothing & Toy Resale
12725 Bell Road
Lemont, IL 60439
Seller Registration:
Now Closed
Sale Date:
Saturday, March 10th 9am to Noon

Epiphany Lutheran Church
Corner of Spring Road and Vallette Street
Elmhust, IL
Spring Clothing resale:
Seller Registration:
Saturday, February 11th 9am to 11am in the Epiphany Church Lobby
Tuesday, Feburary 14th 7pm to 9pm
Sale Dates:
Friday, February 24th 6pm to 9pm
Saturday, February 25th 8am to 11am
---
Spring Toy and Equipment Resale:
Saturday, March 17th 8am to 11am (some items half price during last hour)

Brook Park Council - Children's Clothing Consignment Sale
Brook Park Elementary
30th & Raymond
La Grange Park, IL 60526
Seller Registration: Fee is $3
February 13th 5:30 to 7pm
Feburary 16th 6:30 to 8pm
March 2nd 8:30am to 10:30am
Sale Date:
Saturday, March 10th 8am to Noon

Couture Kids Resale
Aldersgate Methodist Church
1753 South Blanchard
Wheaton, IL 60189
Sale Dates:
Friday, March 16th 9am to 8pm (NO children under 12 allowed until after 2pm)
Saturday, March 17th 8am to Noon (Discount Day - many items 25% off!)

Interested in more resales? Check out Consignment Mommies. I love this site! Very well organized. It is good for the whole U.S. too, not just Illinois. Check it out. (That plug/link was not sponsored in any way..just spreading some love).

Tea Party Time

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:43:00 +0000

Little Sweet Monster

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Exactly one week after he was born, my great-nephew came to my sister's (his grandma) house to celebrate her birthday. He is such a tiny thing. It was so nice to hold him, give him some love and then hand him right back to his parents! I also love the fact that there is another baby boy in our family. On my side, the last boy that was born is now 13!
Welcome, Baby K! The fun has just begun.

Sending out My Love: A Tiny Prints Valentine Review

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:18:00 +0000

Do you have your kid's valentines ready for school yet? I love to shop the clearance section of stores when all the valentines are on discount to have them for the next year. The problem with this strategy is that my oldest daughter's interests tend to change at a fairly quick pace. So even though I may have bought valentines that she loved the year I bought them, she may think they are "babyish" the next year.

So this year I have been perusing the Valentine card offerings at Tiny Print. You may be surprised to know that Tiny Prints is more than baby announcements and Christmas cards. They have all your holidays covered as well. Here are some of their cute offerings for this Valentine season:

You can get the traditional...

Or the unique ones...

I love the fact that they offer all of your kid's favorites...trains, dinosaurs, Dora, Blue's Clues, superheroes, princesses. You name it, Tiny Prints probably has a Valentine for it! What is especially nice is that you can have them personalize the cards and simply hand them out in class. This is so wonderful for the younger sect that hasn't mastered writing their name yet! (Also, Free Shipping on ALL Orders with Code: FREESHIP12).

I think out of the choices above, the one I would pick is the Be Mine valentine. I love the simplicity of the message. (I may be a tiny bit swayed by the picture of the cute girl eating the cupcake too!) It would be neat to have a photo message card that my daughters could give out. This factor would definitely make them unique from the standard Star Wars, etc. ones.

In case you were wondering, the Tiny Prints Valentines aren't just for kids, either! They also offer lovely Valentine cards to give to the sweetheart in your life..

If you order a card today (1/30) they are 99¢ each! Simply enter the code: vday99.

Interested on how to find Tiny Prints? They are everywhere you are on the interwebs.

Please check them out and follow then on:

Full Disclosure: While I was asked to write to this post for free 50 classroom valentines from Tiny Prints, I freely chose to do it and the opinion here within is completely mine and mine alone. Cause I just love their cute cards!

Low Entry Giveaways List. All are Ending Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Below are some Low-Entry Giveaways I have found across the interwebs. All are ending soon so why not enter a few?

--Smile! Make Someone Happy!: Purex Crystals and Jockey Sports Bra (only 8 entries!) ends 1/27
--Home Designs by Amanda: Handcrafted Pot Holder, Mini Clutch Plus Assorted Fabrics ends 1/30
--Pocket Full of Pink: Handmade Valentine Goodie Stash ends 1/27
--Mymcbooks's Blog: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' 50th Anniversary Edition ends 1/31

Submitted by blogger:
--Graphoniac: 'Fit Moms For Life' book ends 1/27

If you have a giveaway that is low entries, please contact me to have it listed on my (semi) weekly list. Thanks!

Blanket Kid

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

This is C's stripe blanket. I bought it at a garage sale when I was pregnant with Miss M and didn't know the sex. C is an attachment kind of gal. On this particular day she wanted her "striped blanket" by her. I had no clue what she meant. The tears flew. Tantrum ensued. I brought her another striped blanket (not remembering that her blue blanket has stripes too). This added to her anguish. I told her to come and show me where the striped blanket was. She quickly got up and lead me to her room. There was her blue blanket and boy was she relieved. She wanted to use it to build a fort with her sister. It isn't big enough for that job so she found another use for it..on her head.

Wherein I attempt to make my own laundry soap

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

On Sunday, I was in a bind. I had put my last disposable diaper on C and was waiting for the order of EcoSprout laundry soap to arrive to clean my cloth diapers. I realized that no mail was going to be delivered the next day since it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A trip to Target was in store but not just to get more disposable diapers. You see, I needed to wash those cloth diapers stat before they became a biohazard! I looked online (really, just on pinterest) and searched for DIY laundry soap. I found a recipe that required three simple ingredients and I happened to already have two of the three! All I needed was some Arm and Hammer Washing Soda.

So off to Target we go. M decides she wants to spend her saved up birthday/Halloween money to get a toy. We look for the washing soda but no luck. M still gets her toy and makes her mama proud by not just using her money towards a toy for herself but also spends half of her money to buy her little sister a toy. Very cool. And totally her idea.

Since Target was a disappointment, I decided I had to enter no man's land. Yep, Walmart. I despise Walmart. I. Do. Not. Shop. There. But the word on the street was that they sold this washing soda and desperate times call for me doing things that I really don't want to do. So I go to the store whose-name-I-can't-type-anymore and there is the washing soda. Yay.

The other two ingredients beside the washing soda is borax and fels-naptha soap. The basic idea to make the detergent is to shave the soap and then mix it with some borax and washing soda. It is not fun to grate that soap so I ended up only doing about 1/3 of the bar. I then mixed it with 1/2 cup of both borax and washing soap. Even though I didn't grate that much soap, I still had so much detergent!

I ended up washing not just the cloth diapers (an entire diaper pail full of them), but also five loads of laundry. I still have detergent left over. Some of the laundry was pretty stained and was pre-treated and ALL came out looking and smelling clean. There is a lemony scent to the soap but your clothes DO NOT smell lemony. They just smell clean. I like that smell. Much better than the smell they started out as. Especially the cloth diapers.

DIY Laundry Soap Recipe:

For about 15 loads or so.

1/3 shaved/grated bar of Fels-Naptha Soap (grater is from IKEA and is highly recommended!)
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

Mix all together and place into a jar. Use 1 tablespoon per load. Adjust as needed.

Snow Much Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:48:00 +0000

Our Family

Not really liking the snow hitting her face.

Loves the Snow!

Miss M, on the other hand....Can you find her?

The Birthday Queen (a day early)

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

To my beloved sister.

She is awesome.

She is strong.

She is joy.

Happy Birthday!

The Fog is Lifting

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:06:00 +0000

We have been in a funk lately. It has been filled with cries, moans, sleepless nights and just general unhappiness from all of us. Miss M has been sick and it has sent ripples of despair throughout the house. OK, not despair exactly, but crabbiness for sure.

It all started last Monday night when she didn't sleep. She kept moaning and crying out to us and then at one point I was in her bed and she was in mine. It is all a big blur. The next day was supposed to be her first day back at school after winter break, but she was a mess. By the time the afternoon rolled around, she told me she needed a doctor. When your kid tells you they need a doctor, you take them. Of course, this happened to be the day that I needed to sign C up for preschool for the fall. And yes, I did fit it in because I am crazy like that. Get M to the doctor and it turns out she has an ear infection. She is allergic to amoxicillin (horrible reaction "worse case they have ever seen" when she was 2) so the doctor prescribed her a similar but sometimes not as effective/fast as amoxicillin.

Day 3/Wednesday: Still sick. Another bad night. Stays home again. On Thursday she starts to act more like herself but her voice is kinda funny. I am not sure what is going on. Her appetite is a little bit better and so we are hopeful.

Day 5/Friday: Goes to school. She is not a 100% but she is wanting to go and she had a good night's rest so she goes. When she comes home, the poor thing starts to cry. School just utterly and completely wiped her out. I feel bad that I had her go but she did.

Day 6/Saturday: Is back to where we started. Not sleeping well. Not eating well. Voice is still "funny." She doesn't want to go back to the doctor but the antibiotic has now ran out and our intuition is telling us you better get her in there (to the doctor) because tomorrow is Sunday. We promise her a side trip to the library if she agrees to the doctor. So J takes her to the doctor while I take C to the library. Doctor says that ears are now clear but her tonsils are enlarged - hence the funny voice. Could be a virus. The antibiotic is still in her system but gives a new prescription in case she gets worse tomorrow.

Day 7/Sunday: Still tired but getting a tiny bit more appetite. Decide to hold off on filling the new prescription. For dinner, I had the idea to give her tomato soup which she did eat. This was such a great sign. Also thought of putting vapor rub on her back/neck since she complained that that was hurting her.

Day 8/Monday: Stays home from school again but there are signs of hope. She takes it easy but does her homework and even practices her keyboard (something she doesn't like to do). Appetite is much better. Voice sounds better.

Day 9/Tuesday..today! She is back in school! Hooray!

This has been the longest stretch that M has ever been ill. I feel like I have been put through the ringer. When M would cry out for us at night, she would then yell at us for coming to her. She didn't know what she wanted and was just as frustrated as we were. We all just wanted her to feel better and felt hopeless that we couldn't just give her a pill and make it go away. It is one of the worst feelings of being a parent.

So now we just hope and pray that with M feeling better, the rest of us will stay well, as well!

Operation Wrap-It! Free Holiday Tag Printables

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:30:00 +0000

I am not what you would call a pretty wrapper. I mostly just wrap it, stick a tag on it and if I am feeling extra special, put a pre-made bow on it. I always figure that what really matters is what is inside.

But sometimes I aspire to be more. To do more. I think an easy and quick way to put a tiny bit more thought into my wrapping would be to make a pretty tag to place on the package. Thankfully there is pinterest to help me when I feel a bit motivated. There a ton of free holiday gift tags out there. Below are just a few (plus some packaging suggestions) that I found.

Now get a rappin'! Oh wait, I meant wrappin'.

For the Teen/Rocker in your life.

A Bag full of Treats for a Friendly Neighbor

A Wintry Mix of Holiday Tags

Christmas Treat Bag Toppers

Colorful Mix of Christmas/Hanukkah Tags

We can't forget those Reindeer, Can We?

Coming into Focus

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:30:00 +0000

She said they (the glasses) can't be her Christmas gift.

C wonders when she can get some too.

All Hands On Deck

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Send a Lego Star Wars Holiday E-Card for Free!

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Lego Star Wars is working with the Marine Toys for Tots in a great Christmas promotion. Go to Lego Star Wars and choose one of the three Lego movie e-cards to send to your friend. For every e-card you send out, a LEGO toy will be donated to the Toys for Tots program, up to ONE Million toys! As of this writing, already 331,725 toys have been donated!

What are you waiting for? It is totally free and will put a smile on that Star Wars fan in your life. Plus you get to see Yoda in a Santa suit. Need I say more?!? Check it out here!

Full Disclosure: No one told me to write this. I saw it on SwagGrabber and shared it with Miss M and now I have shared it with you!

Tree Trimming Fun

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:30:00 +0000

The Artists at Work

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Get Thee to the Mailbox! A Tiny Prints Review

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Do you still send out Christmas cards? We do, but I have the sneaky feeling we are in the minority. I don't know if it is due to cost or just the fact that everyone already knows what everyone else is already doing due to Facebook or whatever, but the amount of Christmas cards that arrive in our mailbox has been on the decline for the last few years. I also think it is a generational thing. My mother has not seen a change in her Christmas card bounty. Then again she is, and has always been, more popular than me.

Anyway...I do love me some Christmas cards. Especially ones that have photos. For this year, I have been perusing the online selections at Tiny Prints. I love their selection this year! I swear each year it gets better and better and thus harder for me to settle on just one card. Here are the choices I am currently mulling over. Perhaps you can help me choose.

I really like the overall message in this one.

I love the colors in this one. Will go with our family photo.

How unique would this be? An ornament as a card! Too cool.

See how hard it is? So many great choices! I hope that more will be inspired to take the time to send out holiday greetings this year. It means so much to get that special piece of mail that contains a hand written note and/or photo. You never grow tired of that thrill.

Full Disclosure: I was asked to write about Tiny Prints current holiday cards collection in exchange for 50 free cards. This compensation, while a nice bonus, in no way influenced my opinion of their product.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:46:00 +0000

Last Wednesday, we drove the usual five hour trek to southern Illinois to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with J's side of the family. We had clear weather with just a couple of hiccups due to bridge construction. The whole family was able to spend Thanksgiving together. It was especially wonderful due to the fact that J's brother had just recently returned from a six months overseas deployment. So much to be thankful for. Here are some highlights:

Enjoying "Don't Let the Pigeon Run this App!" Immensely

Making up their own virtual worlds

Cousin Love (they are 21 months apart)

Horsin' Around (they are 9 months apart)

The Newest Cousin to Love (She and C are 22 months apart)

As you can see fun abounded and overflowed. After the cousins left to visit their other grandparents, we went to an Indian Art Show / Market Days at Cahokia Mounds. Both MaGa and Pop (the girls' grandparents) have (and continue to) conducted archaeological digs there. I love how the girls are so comfortable there and already have a sense and appreciation of history.

How was your holiday?

Count Your Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:30:00 +0000

From Our Family to Yours...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I Pity The Fool

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Universal Studios - 1986 (not the real Mr. T)

Be Thankful For: Free Thanksgiving Printables

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Below are some goodies that I have found across the interwebs. Print them out to decorate your home, entertain your kiddos and generally celebrate your blessings.

Today's Fabulous Finds: Thanksgiving Subway Art

ThirtyHandmadeDays: Thanksgiving Placement for kids- (cover it with contact paper)

Anything But Perfect: Coloring Page and More!

Homespun With Love: Gratitude Cards (I am thankful for..)

Kiki Creates: Mr. & Mrs. Turkey Potato Head (with tons of fun outfits, etc!)

Ms. Magoo

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:30:00 +0000

At the Half

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:44:00 +0000

I love my half birthdays. Yes, I said my HALF birthday. I don't get any presents but I do get a song. My mother calls me up and will sing to me "Happy Half Birthday to you. Happy Half Birthday to you. Happy Half Birthday dear Angie. Happy Half Birthday to you!" Sometimes she forgets it is our half birthday and so my siblings and I have to call her to remind her to sing to us. We are silly that way.

Today is not my half birthday. (It is next month in case you are curious). Today is C's. She is 2 1/2. I try to continue my mother's tradition and sing to my girl's on their respective half birthdays. When they are little like C they just look at me strangely and then inquire about cake and presents, not quite getting the sentimentality of the little song.

Although I like my own half birthday, I do not like it when my children reach theirs. I have never had any experiences with the "Terrible Twos," but rather the "Terrible Two and a Halves." It never fails. They reach their half birthday and they become a little less fun to be around and more trouble and cantankerous. Take today for example, I can not just pick something out for C to wear gladly. No. She has to pick it out herself and if the shirt that she wants is in the wash? Watch out.

My biggest frustration and hers is when C is trying to tell me something and I don't understand her. This. Drives. Me. Crazy. So many times she will just cry and scream at me instead of trying to tell me what she needs, wants, etc. This behavior ultimately gets her a one way ticket to time out land. She does pretty good in time out, meaning she stays put and is much better when she is "released." I just wish I didn't have to put her in it as many times as I have to sometimes.

Parenting is hard, yo.

Free Child Admission at Morton Arboretum!

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:17:00 +0000

From now until December 31, 2011, Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL is offering free admission for one child with a paid adult.

Print out your coupon HERE!

Low Entry Giveaways Ending Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (AEK) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Ends Today! Friday, Nov. 11th

Look What Mom Found: $100 Amazon Gift Card
Westboard Bound: Key Finder
Christian Super Mom: Spot The Puppy Children's Book
And Then, She Snapped: Kingston urDrive USB Five Pack
Princess Party Prizes Blog: $100 Princess Surprise Package
Running Rachel: $25 Subway Restaurant Gift Card

Saturday, Nov. 12th

Frugalistic Mom: Game Lover's Prize Pack
Shopper Strategy: Lovable Labels Holiday Address Set

Sunday, Nov. 13th

Raising Sticky Hands to Heaven: Scentsy Plug-In of Winner's Choice and Midnight Fig Scent Bar
Honey Pot: Ladies Knitted Scarf (handmade)

Monday, Nov. 14th

Graphoniac: Upcycled Guitar String Jewelry (worth $50+) Submitted by blog.
Bradeehomemade: Granny Luxe Style Hand-Knitted Hat