1.) Somebody woke up happy from her nap.

2.) For some reason my Mom brought Jell-O while they were visiting for Christmas and it’s been in our pantry ever since. We had my brother-in-law and his girlfriend (who painted the awesome trees in the nursery) over for dinner so I decided to pull out all the stops, jiggler style.

3.) We suited up and went to the park down the street where Gwen ran around like a mad woman. It’s amazing how much she has changed from a month ago. The park wasn’t nearly as much fun as it was on Monday and she may or may not have thrown a slight temper tantrum when it was time to leave. That certainly didn’t happen a month I go, I’ll tell you what.

4.) Tuesday was one of “those” days. So we watched You’ve Got Mail and all was well in the world.

1.) There’s this little glitter heart that I found in our Valentine’s Day decoration box that Gwen loves. She carries it, gingerly holding it as she keeps her balance while walking through the house. It’s pretty darn cute.

2.) The  ladybug party theme continues on with the embroidery hoops that were switched out to match the ladybug decor. And it just so happens to be Valentine’s Day decor colors as well. The lazy side of me loves this fact. My mom made the love canvas and gave it to us all as a gift one year for Valentine’s Day.

3.) We have a constant supply of oranges in this house since we discovered how to make them not a complete pain in the ass to eat. We buy a giant box from Costco that lasts two weeks and throughout the week we enjoy sliced oranges and orange juice.

What were you up to this week?

Valentine’s Day has been a touchy subject for years in our house. As a fan of any and all holidays I would make grand plans for the 14^th and they would never live up to any expectations. Jake would sit back each and every year and propose the idea that perhaps we should just go out the night before or after Valentine’s Day. I of course responded with a gasp and the following statement, “Go out for Valentine’s Day NOT on Valentine’s Day? Blasphemy!”

And then it happened. After years of mediocre Valentine’s Day dates we had the worst one ever. Naturally it happened to be the one I put the most planning into. I had done my research and found a highly rated (and expensive) restaurant in a quaint mountain town an hour away. I made our reservation months in advance. It was going to be perfect and dreamy, I knew it.

Lets just say it was snowy and icy which didn’t do well for my heels and dress I got especially for the occasion. The restaurant and food left a lot to be desired and the romantic atmosphere was ruined by the children who came in for hot cocoa after their day of skiing.

That was the day I came over to the husband’s way of thinking. What’s the deal with this one day anyway? What makes it worth putting up a fight for a reservation, spending all your money and exchanging typically crappy gifts? Why not do it another day that isn’t the 14^th? Does it really matter?

According to this article from the Consumerist there are statistics proving that if anything, staying in on the 14^th and going out any other day is the smarter option and looks like more people are jumping on the bandwagon.

“According to a new survey by the Zagat folks, 44% of couples intend on dining out this Valentine’s Day. Even worse, the average expected dinner tab comes out to $147/couple, compared to the regular check for two of around $43.”

So, we’re finally not celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, for the most part. I’m proud to finally acknowledge that this isn’t jaded or cynical, it’s just plain intelligent.

P.S. Go to the Oatmeal and read The Worst Thing About Valentine’s Day (a comic). “Less complaining. More sexy rumpus.” Amen Oatmeal, amen.

No, but really. Our in-laws have this smashingly gorgeous cabin up in South Lake Tahoe, about an hour and a half from our house. On occasion it becomes available and the bat signal is lit up to alert family members to get their tooshies up there for some cabin enjoyment. Which is what we all did. Five  kids plus their wives, girlfriends, babies and friends all managed to make their way up to the cabin last minute. We subjected the babies to the snow and sledding (which neither of them enjoyed) and enjoyed some relaxing quality Catch Phrase time among other things.

Now here comes the part where things got crazy amazing. The in-laws offered to watch the baby while we escaped for a brief date Sunday morning. This isn’t anything new as the grandparents are happy to spend alone time with Gwen. But this past year has been stressful and as any new parents would agree things can get a little hectic around our house. We had no idea how badly we were in need of the precious alone time our in-laws allotted for us that one Sunday morning.  While the baby slept in the arms of her grandmother we sat in a Starbucks down the street, sipping our coffees and talking without abandon. We ignored the world around us (the rowdy hippies with socks and sandals) and were able to see only each other, a habit that is too easily lost in parenting.

We left that cabin with a renewed sense of marriage, family, love and parenting. The baby may have been a bit cranky and overtired due to not doing very well with new situations, but  I think she enjoyed herself too. Thank you Lake Tahoe. You were just what we needed.

I’ve never really addressed this like I should have.

Since the big switch I’ve been going through a crash course on re-training myself using WordPress and I’m going to admit, it’s been hard. Which is why you’ve noticed a few sub-par things going on around these parts (I mean, that slideshow that would get stuck every time you loaded the site?).

So we’re addressing it today.

First things first, if you haven’t done so, please update your bookmarks from Laurenspired to www.renosparksmom.com

After you’ve done that go ahead and update your RSS subscription to http://feeds.feedburner.com/renosparksmom

I know it’s annoying. I am completely guilty of not updating my bookmarks after websites moved and just clicking on the “redirect me” link each time I wanted to see their site. Then I updated the bookmark and realized how silly I was being. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself for doing it in the future.

Secondly, have faith knowing that I am aware the current blog design isn’t exactly all that it could be. Pardon our dust while in the next few days we revamp the pants off this place and breathe back some personality into the blog. I’ve seen what the final product looks like and am quite excited about it and I think you will be too.

Thirdly, if you’ve left a comment and haven’t heard a peep from me, please accept my apologies. Let’s just say spammers got me and got me good and managed to ruin any system of conversation revolving around commenting. Please know that I appreciate each and every word you take the time to comment.

And fourthly, thanks for hanging around. I really appreciate it and think you’ll enjoy what we’ve got planned.

Sincerely,

Lauren

1.) Our weather has been all sorts of weird lately and I feel bad when it’s sunny outside and we’re inside. So in an attempt to spend at least an hour outside everyday we suited up and took a walk. It was freezing. I no longer feel bad about being inside.

2.) I made sure our babysitters had some after school snacks. It should be noted that they are of drinking age. And they liked the snacks.

3.) Apparently we have a new routine of hanging out on the deck after lunch.

4.) Mama had an interview and got to get all gussied up.Consequently I figured out my blouse looks even better with the top button buttoned. This couldn’t have come at a better time seeing as my knockers are HUMUNGOUS due to weaning. I mean my goodness, I feel on display in a turtle neck.

1.) We got to take a nice little weekend retreat up to the in-law’s vacation cabin in Tahoe.

2.) Sigh, Tahoe was exactly what we needed this weekend. It was an escape from the real world that we didn’t even know we needed so badly.

3.) My nephews flew all the way from Orlando, FL to Las Vegas, NV all by themselves! They are seasoned travelers and have been talking about flying by themselves for months. Can you imagine seeing those two handsome men on your flight?

4.) Sophie looking all cute and cozy. Never you mind that she helped herself to chocolate chips and shortening off the baking shelf in the pantry this week.

This weekend is full of great (and cheap, I might add) things to do with the kids. I am personally a huge fan of Michael’s Make-It-and-Take-It events where you purchase an item (don’t forget those 40% off coupons) and they supply you with all the little gee-gaws and tools to decorate it.

If that’s too girly for your little boys (which, by the way there are plenty of boys at Michael’s if you’re concerned) you can always go the Home Depot route.

• Make a Cute Little Foam Mailbox at Michael’s, Saturday Feb. 4 @ 1p-2p
• Create a Valentine’s Day card at Michael’s , Sunday Feb 5. @  2-3pm

A cute hint for the husbands out there. Take your children to this event to create a card for their Moms. Win major points. Moms, just click on an icon at the bottom of the event to share with your husband. An anonymous tip in his inbox wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it?

• Make a keepsake wooden Valentine’s Day box at Home Depot, Saturday, Feb. 4 @ 12pm

We’d love to see your children’s creations! Snap a couple photos and come and share them on our Facebook wall.

There are plenty more great events like this going on throughout the entire month. Visit our events tab to see more.

Bonjour February!

I’m proud to announce our very first sponsors. Take a look and discover some great local talent, a fun playgroup or a tasty blog and be sure to let them know the Reno-Sparks Mom sent you. 

Read an account of a local single Mom’s adventures with her beautiful daughter at The Adventures of Ash & Rowe. Be sure to check out Roweyn’s closet, where you can get great deals from her daughter’s closet.

Looking for a photographer in the Reno-Sparks area? Look no further. Stop by their blog and you will surely be smitten and booking your session before you can say Lemaire Photo.

As the mother of a daughter who happens to need bows to ensure everyone knows she’s a girl I know the importance of a cute one. Pretty Bow Peep has you covered. She also has beautiful embroidered matching outfits.

 Stop by and read all about Ashley, her cute daughter and her gluten-free creations at Sugar Mama Bakeshop.

This group of moms are all different ages, from all different backgrounds, and come together to have a wonderful time. You can read more about them in our “Meet Other Moms” section or visit their website to join.

::We’re currently accepting sponsors for the month of March. It’s simple! Just  fill out a simple form here to get started::

• I came across Play Create Explore via a Facebook fan and am so glad I did. Be prepared to have your mind blown with a ton of great ideas. Start with this listing of links for activities for children ages 1-3.

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• This is a straightforward list of 101 Indoor Activities for Kids from Six Sisters’ Stuff.

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•  And then there’s Pinterest. I stumbled across this amazing Kid Blogger Network Activities & Crafts. Follow this board and you’ll never be at a loss of ideas again!

• And a favorite standby that you can always count on, One Pretty Thing . This blog has been a constant staple in my daily internet browsing. I strongly suggest bookmarking it.

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What about you? Where do you go to find ideas of things to do with the kids?