An important part of having a new little someone is making a personal space for that new little someone.

When I was pregnant with Eddie, Cort and I spent hours working on the nursery.  We chose a theme (jungle) and color scheme.  I picked out and placed items that would be personal and meaningful to our new son.

I was in love with the nursery.

When we found out we were having another boy, part of me was thrilled that I didn’t have to change the nursery.

But as we moved Eddie to his new Big Boy room, I realized I did want to change it in small ways.  I wanted it to be Charlie’s room now.  Not Eddie’s.

So away went anything with Eddie’s name on it or with his picture in it.

Off the walls came the white letters that I painted, hot glued ribbon too, and had hung on the wall with care.

For some reason, those were the most difficult thing for me to take down and put away.  And suddenly it was very important to me…almost irrationally so…that I get new letters for Charlie.

And as much as I loved the big white letters, Charlie’s had to be different.  Because he is a different person.

That is when I contacted Jennifer of Jaborandi and Grove.

She happens to be one of my lovely blog sponsors and I try to use my blog sponsors at any opportunity I get so I can share them with you.

Jaborandi and Grove is FULL of super cute letters for the wall and she LOVES to do custom orders.

So we started emailing back and forth about what the nursery looks like, what colors we have, what I was thinking for Charlie’s letters, etc.

People?  She is so nice.  I mean really, REALLY nice.

She was quick, she was flexible (we have budget issues, so she helped us figure something out that would work within our Charlie budget), and she created something so awesome.

Check it out:

They turned out even better than I had hoped!

The tans and browns match the room perfectly and the letters are a big change from Eddie’s…which I like.  Charlie is a new individual.  He should have a room that reflects that.

I was incredibly pleased with Jen and her shop, Jaborandi and Grove.

You need letter?  You go to Jennifer.

Tell her Sluiter Nation sent you.

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Disclosure:  I bought the letters for Charlie’s room with my own money and as part of a deal to also write a review in exchange for ad space. While Jaborandi and Grove sponsors Sluiter Nation, my opinions have not been bought.  They are my own.

The winner of the handmade coasters by Nicci is….

TRISHA V!

Woo hoo!!!  I’ll hook you up with Nicci so you can claim your prize!

Need a set of coasters…or a pillow case cover or three?  Nicci is extending her discount code for you all until Sunday!

So you have the weekend to get 10% off with the code THESLUITERS.

Remember…everything in the shop is ready to ship, so snatch up what you love before someone else does!

I mean, you don’t want your coasters in someone else’s house…do you?

I have a long and torrid history with coasters.

Yup.  That’s right.  Coasters–those things you put your drink on so that a ring isn’t left on the wood from the dripping condensation?

mmm hmmm.

Growing up, my mom hated coasters because they were “clutter”.

But she was also ridiculously meticulous about spills and not having drinks anywhere other than at the table or counter.

When I got my own place, I bought these coasters that were square hunks of glass that I could put pictures in.  They were cute.

They traveled with me to the home Cort and I bought together.

They were still cute, but they were a pain to keep clean.  The dried condensation was like a magnet for dust and ick.  I had to use Windex to get them clean.

And then we had Eddie.  And I suddenly realized they were Weapons of Mass Destruction.

They could gouge my tables, rip my leather, dent my baby.

They were donated to Good Will.

We invested in some nice, round, cornerless, brown leather coasters.

perfect…until…

They went into the toddler mouth.  And then they looked like used dog toys.

So.

We have been coasterless for the past year or so because we can’t find family-friendly ones that aren’t totally ugly.

And that, my friends, is why the interwebs are such a lovely place.

My friend, Nicci, from Changing the Universe, just recently opened an etsy shop by the same name!

And guess what she makes?

COASTERS!

She also makes pillow case covers…which oh my goodness, I might have to order for our living room pillows.  That whole “having a family” thing happened to our throw pillows too.  It wasn’t just the coasters.

ahem.

Anyway, these coasters are EXACTLY what we have been looking for!

The are fabric so they are soft so if they get chucked across the room by a raging toddler dropped, no one’s toe is in danger of being severed.

If they are gnawed on, they won’t look like a chipmunk attacked them.

If they get dirty, they can be washed.

And the bonus?  I picked them to match my living room exactly.

So my drink looks good chillin’ on top of them.

So…ya want some coasters from Nicci?

Yeah you do.

She is offering Sluiter Nation readers a 10% discount on your ENTIRE order (so coasters, pillow cases, all of it) with the code THESLUITERS.  This code is good all week (today through Friday), so get your order in now! Everything is “ready to ship” so quantities of each style are limited.  That means if you see something you like?  You best scoop it up!

Oh wait…guess what else?

Nicci is also giving one lucky winner a set of coasters of her/his choice for FREE!

How to enter to win:

Head over to Nicci’s shop, Changing the Universe, and come back and tell us your favorite item.

That’s it!

What are you waiting for? Go!

Oh, and since you will fall in love with Nicci regardless of whether you win or not?  You should just go ahead and like her on facebook and follower her on twitter.  Just for the funs of it.

Disclosure:  Nicci sent me the 8 coasters photographed for review.  She is also providing the spoils of the giveaway.  She did not, however, provide me with my opinion.  That is my own.

This giveaway is open from Monday, February 27 at 7am est until Friday, March 2 at 5pm est.

I’m a working mom.

Yes, it’s difficult.  You can find a slew of blogs by and about being a working mom that will lay out all of the trials and tribulations we face each day.

From sending our children to someone else all day long to the exhaustion of parenting after a long day of being “on” for adults.

For the most part, I can usually nod my head and think, “preach it!  don’t I know it!”

But in truth, I like being a working mom.

At first I felt incredibly guilty about liking it.

When Eddie was three months old, I went back to teaching after having the summer off.  In my head I was so excited to get up, shower, and leave the house to be around people all day.  I was looking forward to planning and teaching and problem-solving and talking to people.  I was hungry to put my degree back to work and teach literature and writing.

In my heart, I felt immense guilt.  I didn’t think I could tell anyone how excited I was, because being happy to leave my baby?  Probably meant I was a terrible mother.  And the truth was, I did miss the little guy.  But shortly after I went back to work, Cort lost his job.  Cort being home with Eddie suddenly gave me permission–at least in my mind–to enjoy being gone.

I had peace of mind.

But I also felt smothered under people when I was at home.

I was never alone other than after school in my classroom with the door closed.

It’s taken a couple years of therapy and writing about it for me to realize I can love work AND love being a mom.

It’s OK to love to work outside the home.

In fact, I am pretty sure that my going to work every day is what make me a better mom to Eddie, and soon to Charlie.

I know it’s not for everyone.  I do.  And I know there are some of you shaking your head at this post (if you are even still reading) wondering how in the world a mother can choose a job over her kids.

But for me, I am choosing my sanity…which means I am choosing my kids.

And it’s not just a “job” to me.  From the time I was five, I was already teaching my little brother and making him sit in front of my play easel and learn his letters.  Teaching is something I have always wanted, and education is something I feel very deeply about.

And I think if your job is something you have poured your heart into, making the decision to stay or go is not a light one.

For me, staying home wasn’t an option due to the fact that we needed the income and the slam dunk awesome insurance.

But there are other things that keep me there…

• The routine.  Working gives our whole family not just a daily routine, but a weekly one, a monthly one, and because I am a teacher, a yearly one.  We know when my time off will be.  I can schedule appointments and playdates and everything based on my work schedule.
• The routine.  Wait.  Did I already say that?  Oh yeah, well I can count it twice because putting our family on a routine means there are starts and stops to things.  Beginnings and ends…especially with being a teacher.  It’s not an endless day or week or month of the same thing.
• The adult interaction for me.  I am a pretty good combo of introvert and extrovert, and while I need alone time (specifically naps) to recharge, I also need social interaction.  I need to talk to adults about things other than diapers and nap times.  I need to discuss professional things.
• The kid interaction for my kids.  Eddie was born to love daycare.  He is a social little bug and staying home with me day after day…no matter how many fun things I can come up with for us to do…leaves him crabby and buggy after after a while.  He thrives on getting to play with other kids.  Daycare gives him all the social interaction he needs plus it teaches him things he can’t learn at home because there aren’t other kids here (yet):  sharing, turn-taking, group play, etc.
• The distance in my mind from home things. My job doesn’t just get me out of my house, it gets me out of my town.  It’s a 40-minute commute from my suburban, super safe friendly small town to an urban school district.   The minute I walk into the school where I teach, I am miles away both in my mind and in physical distance, from anything that is going on at home.  Potty training and bills and the laundry  are out of sight and mind while I focus on other things.

All of these things are awesome, but the biggest benefit of my working has yet to be seen.

I believe the biggest thing I am showing my sons (and any future children) is that as a woman, I can do anything I want.  I can stay home with them OR I can choose a career.  Either way, I can be an awesome mom.

*************

Disclosure:  This post about the benefits of being a working mom was sponsored by Global Response, and inbound call center. Agents for Global Response work with brands and companies via phone and chat…a great job for a mom who is looking to help with the family income.  While Global Response has sponsored this post, they did not provide my opinions or experience.  Those are all my own.  I really do love being a working mom.

 The winner of the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software is…

Don’t forget, if you want to try it yourself, you can get $10 by using my code!

My code:  STMMMS12240

I have a confession.

I’m a scrapbooker.

If you know me in real life, you already know this.  If you are just reading this for the first time, I know…somehow I don’t seem “the part.”

But you know what?  If this chick can do it, so can I.  Quit judging.

My ideal is to get together with my scrapbooking friends once a month and go to a scrapbook store near us and scrap til we drop.  Usually from about 5pm until midnight stopping for dinner sometime in there.

It’s a fun reason to get out of the house and talk with other adults and laugh inappropriately and get some work done on my many scrapbooking projects.

The problem is, even once a month is hardly doable with our crazy busy schedules, so my photo To Scraps keep piling up and up and up!

Enter Digital Scrapbooking.

When MyMemories.Com contacted me about trying it out, I had to think about it.  Honestly, I had been avoiding the idea for a couple years now.  There is just something wonderful about holding a scrapbook in your hands.  About having it to read and pass down to your kids someday.

I decided to give it a whirl though when I realized that I am still stuck in 2008 in my current “real” album.  Before Eddie was even conceived.  Yeah.

So I followed some super easy directions and downloaded the scrapbooking software to my laptop.

Within minutes I was browsing through possible projects:  themed albums, photo calendars, slideshows, and tons more.  Dang!  I can make gifts on this thing…not just albums.  It’s like having snapfish in my laptop!

Because this browsing was becoming a time suck (the good kind.  Like pinterst!), I decided to do a Christmas themed album of the photos I have already taken.

Now, there are directions, I am sure.  However I am of the school that if I can’t figure it out on my own, boo to it.

So I just started pushing buttons and sliding things around and poking here, there, and everywhere in the My Memories Suite…

And presto!

And those are just a sampling of what I created…in like 15 minutes WITH a toddler nagging me to put on another Word World the whole time.  Imagine what I could do if I sat down and actually put some REAL creative time into it!

I don’t think digital scrapbooking will replace my “real” scrapbooks, but they are a nice way to keep my pictures/albums up to date.  Especially because they have a million ways you can share what you create.  Plus, they can be “published” into real ones.

So what do you think?

Do you scrapbook?  Do you use “real stuff” or do you go the digital route?

Wanna win a free download of the My Memories Suite (a $40 value)?  Yeah you do.

Here’s what you need to do.  Leave me a comment about scrapbooking.  Yup, it’s that easy.

If you want extra entries, you can do the following:

1. follow the MyMemories Blog and leave me a comment telling me you do.
2. “Like” MyMemories on facebook and leave me a comment telling me you do.
3. “Follow” MyMemories Suite on twitter and leave me a comment telling me you do.

That’s it. Giveaway open until 5pm est Dec 29, 2011.  A winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email with the code for the free download.

Oh wait!  I forgot…if you are wanting to buy NOW…

And enter the code: STMMMS12240

We will both win.  Boom.

The Legal Stuff:  MyMemories sent me a code for a free download of the Making Memories Suite to try, review, and then giveaway to one of you.  The code above will is a part of the Share the Memories program where I get $20 for each purchase made with the code.  All opinions are my own.

Saturday night was our first “Christmas” celebration of this year.

We were all pretty excited since it wasn’t one of those “obligatory” parties, but a little get together with some of our closest friends to give gifts to each other’s kids and eat a lot of food and play cards and laugh…a LOT.

They are the kinds of friends you don’t have to get all dressed up and impress to hang out with.

It’s come as you are and just chill.

There were delicious taco bowls for dinner and gifts for the kids.  There were three boys playing spies and two little girls flashing huge smiles.

And eventually, there were five little kids 5 and under wrestled into jammies and sent to bed.

So that the adults could bust out a game of Euchre and this bad boy:

I was sent a bottle of Crimson and Clover Concannon wine to review, but only after I solemnly swore I would only take one or two sips and let my hubs and/or friends help me with the review.

You know, pregnancy and all.

I am not usually a drinker of reds, but my friend Trisha is newly in love with them, and since this is a red and supposedly sweetish, I thought bringing it along Saturday night was a great idea.

Trisha’s husband opened it and we both gave it a sniff.

Mmm.  smells like Crimson and Clover.  That is a good sign.

It is supposed to have the “aromas” of currant, cloves, and vanilla.  Very Christmasy.

I really wanted to gulp some down on the smell alone, but I knew I was only allowed a sip.

Mmmmm!  Fruity!  My fave!

Trisha took one sip and that was the end of it.  And by “it”, I mean the bottle.  She was in love.

My usual problem with reds is the aftertaste.  But this one is pretty soft.  It’s a blend of Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Zinfandel grapes.

Even Cort agreed and after a sip, decided to have a whole glass.

I don’t know what it is about that wine (actually, I think it’s the almost 14% alcohol content), but Trisha and Cort beat Ben and me 3 out of 3 games of Euchre.

The suggested pairings with the Conservancy Crimson and Clover are “black pepper-crusted filet mignon with goat cheese or grilled artichoke with tarragon aioli,” but we paired it with cheesy chex mix and cookies.  I think we made the better choice.

I that that I never had nor heard of Concannon Vineyard before, but then I browsed around their site and realized they also make Glen Ellen wines, which I like.

The bottles only go for $15-$18 a piece, which is right up my price range when it comes to wine.   And it’s GOOD.

Plus I just looked and they carry this wine at my grocery store.  SCORE! It’s the PERFECT holiday hostess gift.

This wine will definitely be added to the wine rack collection to be enjoyed after Charlie is born.  Until then, we will have to make do sharing it with friends.

no children were served wine. My kid has game without the booze, yo.

What are your favorite wines during the holidays?  Reds?  Whites?  Blushes?  Spill it (but not literally), yo.

Legal Stuff:  I was sent a bottle of Crimson and Clover for review, but the opinions are all mine…and my friends who are allowed to drink.

I love Christmas cards.

Have I mentioned this?

I so do.  I stress over what style card we will go with, what clothes we will wear in our yearly photo shoot, which photos will make it on the card, if I need to add anything extra to the card…and the list goes on.

Usually I am totally happy with my choices.

I spend an afternoon stuffing the envelopes (all almost 100 of them.  what?  I love a LOT of people).

I address each one individually.

And then?  I throw an ugly return address label on.  Probably one I got for free because I donated money to some organization.  Probably one that has ugly flowers or smiling sunshines on them.

But not this year.

This year?  I have some super cute custom-made return address labels from Storkie.com.

Storkie Express  is a fantastic company that has been designing high quality, affordable custom-printed invitations, announcements, holiday cards and so much more since 1990.

i promise it's way cuter without the address blocked out. but you know, safety and all.

It was sooo hard to choose.  I mean, they have a zillion styles.

I almost chose this one because I liked that dang reindeer.

Or this one because, duh, yellow with poinsettias are just happy!

But I went with the snowflakes because they match my cards better AND I love blue for Christmas.

Storkie is not just about address labels, though.  No, no.  They have all SORTS of great stationary too!  Holiday cards, baby announcements, wedding stationary.  You name it, they can make it!

They also have have super inspiring blog that is a mix of gorgeous photos, highlights of the Storkie store, and cute babies (a weekly baby?  Sold!)

Storkie carries unique, cute stationary at a totally reasonable price.

AND they are fast!

I ordered these and they were made up and shipped within a week!   So now they wait patiently to be adhered to my Christmas cards.

So what are you waiting for?  Go shop Storkie.

Twenty-one years in the biz means they know what they are doing!

And the winner of the Eleri Evans super cutie pie shoe clips is….

ANDREA!!!

Andrea, I will be in touch and you will have 48 hours to respond to my email to claim your prize.

In the event that Andrea does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Don’t forget that you can still get 15% off at Eleri Evans Designs simply by entering the code SLUITER0811 at checkout!

It’s that time of year.

I am going back to school.

I am not as depressed about it this year as the past couple years.  In fact, I might even be looking forward to it.  But don’t tell Eddie.

While hanging out with the little guy for three months has been fun, I am more than ready to be back in the land of people who do  not constantly ask “what dat, Ma Ma?” and point out every. single. thing. that goes by.

I am also ready to be with people I can reason with when they are having a meltdown.  Yes, teenagers have meltdowns, but I can talk to them when it happens, not just throw my hands up and walk away from a screaming, kicking pile.

(Of course as I write this, Eddie is sitting in his booster eating bananas and being fricking adorable.  It’s his mission in life to make me out to be a liar.)

Anyway…this year I did not go back to school shopping like I usually do.

For one, I don’t have any spare money to shop since I saved my allowance all summer for BlogHer.

For another, I am pregnant.  Instead of back to school shopping, I swapped out all my “regular” clothes for the tubs and tubs of maternity clothes I had stored away.  It’s not fun to buy clothes you will just grow out of anyway, ya know?

But guess what you WON’T ever be to fat or thin for?

Accessories.

That’s right.  And my lovely friend, Stacey from Eleri Evans Designs, hooked me up with some CUTE accessories for back to school!

How cute will my teacher shoes look with these lovely clips??  Plus they can clip in my hair, on my headbands, on my purses…so versatile!

These might be my favorite!  I have so much red…and these little poms look so cute on my black ballet flats that I wear to school!

And my room/building keys will never get lost again on a cute key fob like this!  Or at least they will be easily identified as MY keys when I leave the in the copy room.

Last year I purchased one of these lovely coffee/tea cozy from Stacey (um, they are totally only $4.  You need one), and I am excited to use it for my hot chocolate and decaf coffee this year.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg of what Stacey has to offer.

You really need to check our her shop.  And then shop because she is offering my readers at 15% discount with the code sluiter0811!  That is amazing!  You can get all KINDS of cute stuff!

Oh and guess what!  One of you lucky ducks will win two pairs of shoe clips!

How do you enter?

Just leave us a comment here telling us what you like (or hate) about Back to School Time!

if you want an extra entry, you can also tweet this giveaway….

I just entered to win some super duper cute shoe clips from @sshainline via @ksluiter http://wp.me/p1zZcI-3D

Two ways to enter!  Plus a discount!

See…back to school is FUN!

The Legal Stuff:  I was sent shoe clips and key fobs for review from Eleri Evans Designs, however they did not impact my review.  Opinions are all my own.  Eleri Evans Designs is providing the spoils of this giveaway.  Giveaway ends Tuesday, August 30 at 6pm EST with a winner chosen at random.