The Accidental Wallflower

The Worst Day

2013-05-17T07:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was terrible. It started when we woke up and just snowballed from there. Yuck! Harry leaked through his diaper and we all were sleeping in a nice big puddle at one point. Gross. Then soon after breakfast he had a diaper blowout. Hands down his worst one ever. It was everywhere. Double gross.

Things went from bad to worse when we got to Harry's doctor for his 18 month check up. But first, lemme breakdown his current stats:

Weight: 24lbs 1oz: 25th percentile
Height: 34.25 inches: just over 90th percentile
Head circumference: 49.5 centimeters: 90th percentile

First off, they were running way behind so we were in the waiting room for over a half hour. There were a few other babies that Harry had fun playing with, though. When we finally got into the exam room the nurse performed a hearing test. You might recall Harry failed the test in his left ear at his last appointment. We figured it had been a fluke and were surprised to find he failed again yesterday. The doctor gave us a couple of options and we decided to do an ear wash to get rid of any impacted earwax that could be causing him to fail- I've never had the impression that he doesn't hear well.

I do not recommend an ear wash on an 18 month old. It was awful! The nurse said Harry was the youngest patient she's ever given one to. We had to wrap him up burrito-style in a towel to keep from flailing around and he just screamed the whole time. She got a lot out of his ear so it was worth it in the end. We'll retest again at his next appointment in 6 months (they didn't want to do it after the wash because the water in his ear could affect the results).

On top of that traumatizing experience, Harry had three shots in the leg and a blood draw in his arm. Talk about painful! But as I said, he doesn't have to go back until after his birthday.

Then of course my favorite show, The Office, had the series finale last night. I thought it was great, and a very fitting end to the story. Of course I cried my eyes out all night. I don't think I'll be able to watch it again for a while.

But now I'm really looking to the return of Arrested Development next week! Ant got me hooked on it college and I'm excited to see what those crazy Bluth's are up to now. And today is Friday, best day of the week. It'll be a good weekend, I can tell :).

An Ode to The Office: Goodbye Dunder Mifflin

2013-05-16T07:04:00.000-05:00

You guys are going to think this post is nuts. But, I'm writing it anyways :).

If you haven't already guessed, my favorite TV show of all time is The Office. The series finale is tonight. After 9 seasons the show is sadly coming to an end. The show's quality has wavered the past couple years (I 'like to pretend the Robert California thing never happened), and it's definitely the right time to bow out.

That doesn't stop me from being sad about it though. I've watched the first five seasons on DVD at least 20 times and have gone through every episode on Netflix 2-3 times this year alone. If' I'm in a rut The Office is a guaranteed way to get me smiling again.

The show debuted in spring of 2005 when I was in college. At the time I had no interest in it. When I was home on winter break I caught the first Christmas episode. The one where Michael buys the iPod for Secret Santa. To this day that's one of my very favorite episodes. The only other episode I think I saw while in school was The Negotiation; the one where Michael wears a woman's suit to work.

It wasn't until I graduated that my love affair with the show really started. I wasn't working and applying for job after job gets tiring after a while. So, for motivation I turned on The Office. I found a bunch of episodes on YouTube and a few more on a Japanese website. After the first few episodes I was hooked. I couldn't stop watching. And haven't since!

I've gotten in to TV shows before, but not on this level. Like, I feel like I know the characters. Which I totally understand equates to an unhealthy obsession. Even though the show is a sitcom, I've cried while watching more times than I care to admit (oh, who am I kidding... Jim asking Pam out for the first time, Jam's subsequent wedding and birth of Cece, Michael's proposal to Holly and of course when Pam meets Michael at the airport before he moves to Colorado).

Anyways... I am having a hard time knowing that my favorite coworkers won't be back entertaining us on Thursday nights in the fall. I have my box of Kleenex ready and waiting for 7pm to roll around tonight. And what makes it even worse is even though the past couple seasons haven't been as good, the last two episodes have been ahhhmazing. I'm mad they didn't slack off and write crappy ones- because then it'd be so much easier to say goodbye. Damn you writers and your wonderfulness.

So, thank you The Office. Thank you...

For Jim's pranks. My personal favorite is the future faxes. I stole that little gem and pranked a few of my former coworkers with that one once, ha!
For "that's what she said." I know the joke isn't a Michael Scott original, but I'm pretty sure he's the first person I heard say it.
For confirming that mixed berries is the best kind of yogurt.
For showing us the evil that is Human Resources.
For warning millions about the dangers of cooking bacon in a Foreman grill.
For teaching me how to do an "air five."
For throwing the most epic office parties ever.
For telling us identity theft is not a joke. Millions of families suffer every year.
For creating the most perfect love story TV has ever seen.

But most of all, thank you for all the laughs, tears and moments that warmed my heart. Thursdays won't be the same without you.

Some Dunder Mifflin tributes from around the web:

Cast of "The Office" Gives an Emotional Farewell (BuzzFeed)

Best Dundies Ever- Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (TV Line)

Jim's Best Pranks (E! News)

10 Things You Didn't Know About The Office (TV Guide)

Question of the day:

If you watch The Office, what's your favorite episode?

I have a hard time picking just one. It's probably a tie between Christmas Party, The Injury and Office Olympics. All from season 2, which can almost do no wrong in my book!

Mother's Day 2013

2013-05-13T07:14:00.000-05:00

I hope this post doesn't come off as too braggy. It's not my fault I was spoiled this weekend!

Airplanes!

(Thanks to Ant for these great shots, I was very impressed at how well they turned out!)

Friday and Saturday Ant took Harry out so I had some time to get stuff done at home. With Harry getting into any and everything at home it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the housework, so days like those are much appreciated!

On Friday the boys came home with a whole box of "mommy juice" and on Saturday Harry gave me a candle and car fresheners from Yankee Candle.

And check out this video I took on Saturday.

That was only his second time climbing the stairs by himself. I was holding the door for Ant on Friday and I figured Harry would run ahead and climb up the stairs like he's done in the past. Nope! There's no stoppin' him now.

Saturday night Ant and I tried the Redd's Apple Ale while we watched SNL. I'd been wanting to try it for a while and the drink did not disappoint! One of my new favorites.

Yesterday I was woken up with breakfast in bed and given even more gifts.

The first bouquet is from Ant and the second from Harry. Ant had the florist put together an arrangement that they thought a kid would put together.... awwww :). The flowers are so fragrant our whole kitchen smells like spring now, I love it! And how cute is the homemade card?

But my favorite gift? Hearing my sweet boy wish me a "happy mommy day." (Sorry my voice is so loud and obnoxious at the end of the video)

So, all in all it was a lovely weekend. It's just crazy to me that we celebrated my second year of motherhood. A lot of highs and lows over the past 18 months, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm so blessed with a supportive hubs and the best baby ever. I have a feeling that the next year is going to be even better :).

Oh, and one last picture! I meant to post this yesterday but totally spaced. My cute little cactus sprouted an adorable flower I wanted to share.

Nature Lady

2013-05-12T08:10:00.000-05:00

First and foremost, happy Mother's Day! I've had a nice weekend so far and anticipate more of the same today :). I'll try and get a full recap out tomorrow morning.

Today I thought I'd share one of my hobbies- nature photography. I love photography and I think I'm the best at taking photos of nature. I'm far from a professional but it's something I really enjoy. Yesterday I snuck outside for 20 minutes and snapped some pictures around our "yard." Here are a few of my favorites.

Holy bokeh!

Conscious Box Giveaway Winner

2013-05-09T07:17:00.000-05:00

Time to announce the winner of last week's Conscious Box giveaway!

Congrats, Chelsie! I will contact you soon so we can get your prize out to you.

Thank you to Conscious Box for sponsoring this giveaway! My box is on the way and I can't wait to see what kind of goodies are in it. And of course thank you to everyone who entered to win!!

18 Month Update

2013-05-08T07:14:00.000-05:00

Our baby boy officially turned a year and a half yesterday. Goodness, how time flies! Here's this month's update.

5/7/13

Weight: Probably still about 24 pounds. He has a doctor's appointment next week so we'll get the official number then.

Height: My best guess would be 33.75 inches.

Diaper Size: Size 4 disposables still. He's been waking up during the night a lot lately with full diaper, even with the Huggies Overnites. I think he hates the feeling of a super full diaper, which is a good first step towards potty training. I don't anticipate starting that process until next year, but becoming aware of what's in their diaper is a big step towards potty training.

Clothing Size: Everything from 12 months to 2T! 18 month stuff is primarily what he's in though. Still size 5 shoes.

Eating: Thankfully eating was a lot easier this past month. The other night he even ate a full serving of broccoli! I switched it up a bit at meal time and instead of offering a regular plate of different foods, I start by just offering the veggies so he's gotta eat them. Seems to be working. His favorite foods are still fruits, berries in particular. And I should mention that he loves using utensils. He's great with a fork and loves to stab his food, but doesn't quite get the concept of a spoon. He always turns it upside down and get's frustrated when all the food falls out.

Sleeping: Still cosleeping, and as I mentioned above, he's been waking up a few times a week. He usually falls right back to sleep after a quick diaper change. He's typically in bed by 8:30pm and will wake up for the day anywhere between 7:30-9am.

Teeth: 15 now! Three new ones are just starting to pop through. I bet number 16 isn't too far behind. After that he's almost done teething, just one last set of molars remain, which shouldn't pop up until after his birthday according to this chart (he's been right on track for all his other teeth).

Communication: Harry is turning into quite a talker these days! He's still mostly in the "copy what he hears" stage, but recently he's asked for a few things on his own and will tell me what something is when I hold up the object.

Here's a quick video I shot the other day of Harry talking to me.

And here are a few random pictures from yesterday.

Because it was Harry's half birthday, we got him some kolacky from Chicago Pastry as a little treat. The cookies are so rich and buttery, but the fruit makes them healthy, right?

We've been spending a lot of time outside lately. It's the best temper tantrum cure! These pictures aren't great, but Harry refuses to sit still for even a second outside so this is the best I was able to get yesterday.

He spotted an airplane

Twins, LOL!

Harry's always loved playing with spray bottles. He thinks it's hilarious when we spray the water on his head. Recently he learned how the spray mechanism works, and will soak his entire shirt in a matter of seconds. All in the name of fun!

Guest Post: Easy Sewing Projects for Kids

2013-05-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday, everyone! Don't forget you can still enter the Conscious Box giveaway HERE!

Today I have a fun guest post from Paul, who also blogs over at babysittingjobs.com. I connected with Paul a few weeks ago and loved his philosophy and blogging style so I thought he'd be a good fit with my blog. So without any further ado, here's Paul's post!

(source)

When it comes to sharing a love of sewing with your kids there are many fun activities you can try.
Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Button art – When I was a child I remember my grandmother giving me a needle, thread and
a jar of buttons. I had so much fun threading those buttons to create garlands and necklaces.
I also sewed buttons onto leftover material to create beautiful works of art. By adding a little
embroidery I made fields of flowers, bubbles and so much more. Kids love buttons because of
the variety of shapes and colors they come in and just letting them play with buttons is a great
activity you both can enjoy.

2. Bean bag – Making a bean bag is a fun and easy beginner’s project for a child. All they need is
two small pieces of material and a needle and thread. Have them sew together the two spices of
the material leaving open a small hole. Then fill the bag with beans or rice and sew shut. They
can decorate the bean bag with glitter and glue or even sew on button eyes. Fun and useful for
many games!

3. Travel Tic Tac Toe – A simple tic tac toe board is easy to make and fun for kids in the car or
on the go. Just have kids take two squares of material, about four inches by four inches. On one
piece have them embroider a hash pattern like #. Then sew three of the sides together making
a pocket. They can gather five dark buttons and five light buttons and use those for Xs and Os.
Store in the pocket and you have a homemade travel game!

4. Tote bag – For kids who like to carry around a lot of stuff have them make their own tote bag.
Two pieces of material about the size of a piece of paper and two strips of material about an
inch wide and five to eight inches long is all you need. Have the kids sew together three side
of the material making a pocket. Then at the opening sew on the strips of material to form
handles. Decorate and enjoy the tote bag!

5. Name art – Every child loves their name and this easy sewing project is a great idea for a gift
or room decoration. Using a large stencil cut out material in the shape of the letters that make
up their name, two pieces per each letter. Have the child line up the letters and sew together
the two pieces, filing them with stuffing as they sew to create letter pillows. Then attach thin
ribbon or other material to hang up the letters. You can hang them from the wall to spell out the
child’s name or even use the ribbon to attach the letters together as a banner. By varying the
materials you can have a work of art that matches the room’s décor and is still handmade by
your child!

These are just a few of the many ideas that you can use to encourage your children to learn to love
sewing. Sewing can be a fun activity for children as long as you find out what interests them. Most
children love to help mom and dad work, so sewing together is a great opportunity for you to share
your hobby.

Author Bio:
Paul and his wife Julie both spend quite a bit of time coming up with ideas, blogging, and researching
all things related to childcare. Their website “www.babysittingjobs.com” holds a wealth of
information for those looking for babysitters.

Conscious Box Giveaway

2013-05-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning, everyone!

The awesome people at Conscious Box recently contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in teaming up for a giveaway. They're pretty awesome, so of course I said yes!

What is a Conscious Box you ask?

Well, they're a box of the month subscription service that focuses on natural, pure, non-toxic products from ethical and sustainable businesses. Each box contains a bunch of new products for you to try. Some recent companies Conscious Box has worked with include: Seventh Generation, Rockin' Green, Yogi Tea, Sacred Chocolate, Suntegrity Skincare and many more!

Conscious Box offers three different boxes each month- classic, gluten free or vegan. Something for everyone! Along with the monthly boxes you can also buy the products directly through their website.

To enter to win a Conscious Box-- your choice of classic, gluten free or vegan style (a $19.95 value), fill out the Rafflecoptor box below and I'll pick a winner next week.

Sorry, you must be a US resident to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: In exchange for hosting this giveaway I will receive a free Conscious Box. All opinions are 100% my own.

April Instagram Challenge

2013-05-01T07:15:00.000-05:00

Happy May, everyone! I can't believe we're already 5 months in to the year. It always goes so quickly, doesn't it?

During the month of April both Ant and I did a daily Instagram challenge. Instead of just taking whatever photo we wanted each day, we followed these @FatMumSlim prompts (all the details can be found on her blog).

It was a lot of fun! Some days were harder than others but both of us did all 30 pictures. Here are a few favorites of mine.

And here are the ones I liked best from Ant's feed.

I'm @LinzTAW on Instagram if you'd like to follow me.

@FatMumSlim does the challenge every month if you'd like to try it. Today's the perfect day to start! We're not participating in May but I'm sure we'll do it again, it's a lot of fun!

Yu Kids Island Again

2013-04-30T07:09:00.000-05:00

Ant took the day off yesterday and around noon we drove up to Schaumburg for another fun afternoon at Yu Kids Island. With Harry being almost 18 months we thought he'd really be able to enjoy the play place now (here's my post on the last time we visited). There was only one other group there when we arrived which was awesome. Harry basically had the whole place to himself for 20 minutes!

We had a great time. Since he's so good at walking/running he was able to enjoy a lot more of the attractions this time around.

The balloons were a huge hit. I think mostly because you have to take stairs to get up to them.

He loves stairs. Living in a condo we don't have any obviously, but there are a few in our building he does really well with. Harry usually does them the "normal" way with one of holding his hands but we weren't fast enough for his liking yesterday.

At one point he was playing with a 20 month old little boy named Daniel. They played pretty well together, but I was surprised to see how timid Harry was. Daniel was throwing blocks all over and knocking things town whereas Harry kept trying to share the blocks with everyone. He's just an un-aggressive, chill kid. I love that about him. Despite his sweetness, Harry got into an altercation with another little boy. I was actually putting my camera away when it happened so Ant had to tell me about it after the fact.

Apparently this little boy got upset Harry was also playing in the balloon area and got physical with him. Harry's got a few big scratches on his face now. Ant told me that the boy's mother was embarrassed and very apologetic about the whole thing and promptly left the facility. Harry handled it like a champ and didn't cry, just a little whimper. Obviously I felt bad something like that happened, but I know that won't be the last time. Accidents happen when kids are playing so I didn't get worked up over it.

This thing spins!

I'm sure we'll be visiting Yu Kids Island again over the summer. Harry loves it and the free air conditioning is a plus! If you're in the area I highly suggest going on a weekday morning- nice and uncrowded :).

Week of the Equinox

2013-04-28T08:35:00.000-05:00

If you follow me on Instagram (@LinzTAW), you might have already seen my fun news for the week... a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox!

No, it's not ours to keep, but we get to drive it for seven days. Chevy's marketing company contacted me a while back asking if I'd like to do a week-long test drive. Heck yes! Super popular blogger, Kath Eats Real Food, is the only other blogger I've heard of who's done this, so I feel very blessed to have been given this opportunity!

The Equinox was dropped off Friday morning with a full tank of gas and the instructions to drive it as much as we can. We've driven it quite a bit so far and I can tell you I'm going to have a hard time giving it back! It's a really awesome car and I'll be doing a full write up of my experience next week.

Here's Antie-poo and I in the car on Friday.

Yesterday we were out and about all over town. One of our stops was to the Platt Hill Nursery in Bloomingdale. AKA, my new favorite place! I could have spent hours looking at all the plants they had, but I focused on one type: succulents. I've been wanting some for a while and we picked up quite the collection.

I've been saving the jars from Harry's Gerber meat sticks lately to use as planters. I think they look really cute with the planted succulents. We also got an aloe plant, air plant, mini cactus and a few stalks of lucky bamboo. They're all going on that little hutch I bought at the Salvation Army last month. Which I still need to take over to my dad's to get sanded before painting it yellow.

Not sure exactly where we're taking the Equinox today, but I'm sure it'll be somewhere fun. Have a nice Sunday!

Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips

2013-04-24T07:44:00.000-05:00

I was recently awarded the opportunity to try the new Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips.

The company recently came out with two new chip flavors, Zesty Cheddar veggie tortilla chips and Sea Salt sweet potato chips.

I liked both flavors, but the tortilla chips were my favorite. They're similar to Dorito's but a little spicier and less greasy. The chips are made with a bunch of different veggies and whole grains. Nutritionally they're similar to Doritio's (fat and calories), but the added veggies make them a healthier option.

The sweet potato chips are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. And they've got 40% less fat than other potato chips. Sweet potatoes are a super food after all!

These two bags I was sent didn't last long at our house and we were disappointed to find our Target doesn't carry them. Since the chips are a new item I'm guessing they'll get them soon, otherwise I'll be making a trip to a different grocery store to pick some up.

Left: Zesty Cheddar veggie tortilla chips, Right: Sea Salt sweet potato chips

I really can't wait to try them again!

Disclaimer: I was sent the Green Giant chips for free through a BzzAgent promotional campaign. All opinions are 100% my own.

Dare I Say... Spring has Sprung!

2013-04-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

This past winter felt like it would never end. Never ever ever. It snowed the other day here in Chicago. It didn't stick, but still. Snow in April are three words that should never be in the same sentence. But, yesterday I spotted a glimmer of hope outside our window.

Of the four or five bushes outside this is the only one that's sprouted leaves, so we've got a ways to go still. But spotting the first leaves of spring is always one of my favorite days of the year. Can you tell I'm a California girl at heart?

Since it was so nice out yesterday Harry and I wandered over to the park after his nap. We had a nice time as usual, but for the life of me I couldn't get him to smile for a picture. Oh well.

According to the weather report it's going to be in the 60s all week, yay! I think it's finally time to put away our winter coats. The nice weather couldn't have come at a better time since we have something exciting coming up next week. I can't wait to share it with you guys :).

Have a great Tuesday!

Donate Your Coupons to Military Families

2013-04-22T07:17:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned a few times before that I've gotten in to couponing. The thrill of seeing our total go down at the grocery store is addicting! I always have too many coupons and I used to just throw extra, expired ones away. Then I started sprinkling them around our Target so other people could take advantage of the savings (I still do this, so if you go to our Target, you might get lucky one day!). But inevitably there are ones that don't make it on to store shelves before they expire.

A friend recently let me know that the military accepts expired coupons and there are a few organizations that collect and disperse them to different bases. Awesome, huh?!? My brother is a veteran so supporting the military is important to me. Even though there are tons of bigger ways to help, sending coupons is a super easy way we can all show our support. Even if you don't use coupons yourself you could still collect and send them to people who will use them.

Here's a list of different organizations where you can mail coupons. Each one has different guidelines for what you can send, so be sure to read up on what each one accepts.

The Krazy Coupon Lady

Grocery Saving Tips

Troopons

Facebook Group

If you know of any other organizations please link up in the comments!

2T

2013-04-18T07:34:00.000-05:00

Last week we bought Harry some new summertime PJs. Size 2T. 2T!!

That's my "little" boy! Not even 18 months and wearing the jammies of a two year old. They're a bit saggy in the butt, but they fit him surprisingly well. I wish he'd stop growing so fast!

Have a great Thursday!

DIY Felt Shape Magnets

2013-04-16T07:09:00.000-05:00

I have another fun craft today! This one is perfect for curious toddlers.

Harry loves playing with the magnets on our fridge. I'm all for exploring, but most of our magnets were holding important papers so I put them all out of reach. Obviously that didn't fly, so I came up with a solution- Harry's very own magnets. I chose to do all different shapes, but these would be really cute in letters and numbers, too.

Here's what you'll need to complete the project:

Embroidery floss and needle
Glue (any craft glue should work just fine)
Sharpie marker
Craft felt
Shape/letter/number templates (I downloaded mine from scrapbookscrapbook.com).
Magnets
Polyester fiberfill

And here's how I made them.

Using a Sharpie, trace shapes on to felt. You'll need two of the same shape per magnet. Then cut out the shapes.

Add a ribbon of craft glue around 75% of the shape's border. Adhere second shape to create a pocket. Let dry.
Stuff pocket with polyester fiberfill and one magnet.
Sew an overcast stitch with embroidery thread all around the edges to close the pocket.

Put the magnets on the fridge and watch as your toddler explores and learns!

Harry was intrigued with the magnets, but of course they all ended up on the floor. Oh well, all little boys like to do that kind of thing, right? As he gets older we'll use them to help learn shapes.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2013

2013-04-15T07:06:00.000-05:00

Even though we aren't currently cloth diapering, I wanted to let everyone know about an awesome event coming up called The Great Cloth Diaper Change. This year's event is taking place on Saturday, April 20th at 285 locations throughout 17 different countries. So there's a good chance there's an event near you.

Vintage Harry wearing one of my favorite cloth diapers

In 2012 over 8,000 people participated and the goal is to beat that number this year to set a new world record for cloth diaper changes. From what I've heard, the event last year was a lot of fun and I'm sure it'll be even better this year.

The event also works to bring awareness of using cloth diapers to families who might otherwise not know about them. I wish we could attend, but it just doesn't make sense for us since we switched back to disposables after our portable washing machine broke a few months ago.

Baby Poang Chair

2013-04-11T08:04:00.000-05:00

It's been a super boring week. The most exciting thing I've done is some spring cleaning. Woo! I've got a huge list of stuff I want to get this month, and I just keep adding to it.

I feel like I haven't written a blog post in forever, and this is just a quick post today since I don't really have anything to write about.

Here's baby boy playing in his Ikea Poang chair earlier this week.

He loves this chair! In and out, in and out, in and out... all day long. Harry also thinks it's fun to push the chair all over the living room. The Poang is a great, inexpensive toddler chair if you're in the market for one. I just wish it came in different colors, but the light wood and neutral colored cushion are the only options unfortunately.

17 Month Update

2013-04-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

Happy 17 months to my not-so-little boy! Yesterday Harry turned the big 1-7. His recent haircut makes him look so much older!

4/7/13

Weight: I put him on the scale last week with his clothes on and he was right around 24 pounds.

Height: He seems to have had a growth spurt in the past month so my best guess would be 33.5 inches.

Diaper Size: Size 4 disposables. He was leaking through his regular diapers at night so we recently bought some Huggies Overnites which have worked pretty well.

Clothing Size: 12-18 month clothes, size 5 shoes. Most of his pants are too short but I'm hesitant to buy anymore because soon enough it'll be shorts weather.

Eating: Eating has been a bit of a challenge this month, he's been very finicky with what he likes. Like one week he'll like a chicken dish I make and then the next week he won't touch it. His favorite foods are fruits and canned veggies (he won't touch most fresh ones unfortunately). He loves: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwis, clementine oranges, canned pineapples, canned lima beans, canned green beans and canned carrots. With the canned veggies I always rinse them to get rid of as much salt as possible.

Sleeping: Sleep has been pretty good the past month. He hasn't woken up during the night as much and I put a baby gate in the bedroom doorway to prevent him from walking out if he does wake up. Keeping him in the dark bedroom helps get him to sleep faster if he gets out of bed. Naps have been a little up in the air but in general he takes one a day.

Teeth: 12 still as far as I can tell. However, he was fussy and clingy yesterday afternoon and it looks like his gums are a little swollen. So, a couple more might be making their appearance soon.

Communication: He has been doing an amazing job with his talking ever since he uttered his first words nearly a month ago. I am so proud of him! He's still mostly in the phase of copying what we say and doesn't say much without being encouraged. He will ask for juice ("joo") sometimes. And he pointed to a little girl at the store and said baby. Oh! And he told me he had a poopy ("puppy," hehe) the other day. But he pretty much tries to say everything we say. Hardly any of it comes out right, but it's so cute and just awesome that he tries so hard to talk now. Some of the words he's said so far: daddy, mommy (just a handful of times), cracker, baby, juice, Pearl, ball, high chair, hi, and poopy. Like I said, he tries to imitate nearly everything we say but those have been the most easily understandable so far.

Some pictures I took yesterday.

Spring Festival Craft Fair

2013-04-06T08:47:00.000-05:00

"I had a really fun time at the craft show. Thanks for telling me about it!"

Words I'd always hoped, but never expected Ant would say. Hell must have frozen over because he uttered those exact words as we were leaving the Spring Festival yesterday. I saw a commercial for the craft show the other night and randomly asked Ant if he wanted to go this weekend. I really figured he wouldn't want to go, but he said he was game.

The fair is at the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park all weekend if you're local and interested in attending. We arrived a few minutes before the doors opened which was nice since we were able to enjoy the fair for 20 minutes before it got really crowded.

I was on a mission at the fair to find a unique wall hanging in my continued efforts to update our condo. Those efforts fell flat yesterday as most of the booths were jewelry, clothing and outdoor decorations. There was a fair amount of paintings for sale, but they were all too cutesy for my taste.

We didn't walk away empty handed, though. The J-D Stones booth had personalized rocks and we were very surprised to find one with the name Harry on it! They had all our names so we picked up the trio.

Not sure where I'm going to display them, but I couldn't pass up the first ever thing I've found with Harry's name on it.

Along with the stones Ant and I each picked out a treat.

One of our very first stops of the day was the D'Marie booth, for samples of their wine slushies. WINE SLUSHIES. WINE SLUSHIES!!!!!!!!!! I bought a mix and cannot wait to try it out this summer. You have to add a bottle of wine- any kind you like. The samples were made with an inexpensive white Zinfandel and tasted so yummy!

Ant found the Croix Valley booth and sampled a few of their seasonings and sauces. He said they all tasted really good and chose a bottle of their Honey Dijon BBQ sauce to take home.

After we left the fair we did our weekly grocery shopping and hung out at home the rest of the day. Today will be more of the same, but I'm hoping to get to the park this afternoon as the weather's supposed to be very nice. Ant's got plans with some friends tonight so Harry and I will probably be on our own for dinner.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Influenster VoxBox

2013-04-05T07:19:00.000-05:00

Have you guys heard of Influenster? It's awesome! Alex from Good Girl Gone Wife invited me to be a part of the website a while back and I'm so thankful she did!

Every month (or so) Influenster sends out VoxBoxes to members to test out various new products. I'm not sure how many they send out each month, but you do have to apply for the program each time a new box is released.

I recently qualified for the Sugar n' Spice VoxBox!

Influenster keeps the contents of the VoxBoxes a secret until they arrive. As soon as I got the box I tore into it to see what kind of goodies I'd get to try.

Included in the Sugar n' Spice VoxBox:

BelVita Breakfast Biscuits (I got the cinnamon brown sugar flavor)
Vaseline Spray & Go moisturizer
Dickinson's Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes
Splenda Nectresse natural no calorie sweetener
Colgate Optic White products: toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash

And here's what I think of each of the products.

BelVita Breakfast Biscuits (cinnamon brown sugar flavor)

My only complaint: I only got one package! I seriously loved these biscuits. I had seen them at the store before but never really paid attention to them. You get four in a package and I split them up between two mornings since they were so filling. The biscuits tasted like cookies and I felt a little guilty eating them for breakfast, but they're actually pretty healthy for you.

Vaseline Spray & Go moisturizer

Earlier this year I blogged about how dry my skin gets in the winter. This year has been particularly rough on my skin and honestly, the Spray & Go doesn't work well on my extreme dry patches, but I like it for my arms and legs. The spray feature is pretty neat and it goes on very evenly. A quick rub and it's completely absorbed.

Dickinson's Witch Hazel Oil Absorbing Wipes

I had never used anything with witch hazel before, so I wasn't sure what to expect with the Dickinson's oil controlling towelettes. They're pretty nifty, and I can see myself using them a lot over the summer. I've applied the towelettes to my face and it instantly feels refreshed. My skin is noticeably less shiny after using them, too. One thing I'm not a fan of is the smell. It's hard to describe, but it's not very pleasant. I'm not sure if it's just how witch hazel smells or if these towelettes had a specific scent. Since they do work so well I will continue to use them even though I'm not crazy about their smell.

Splenda Nectresse

Splenda's new sweetener, Nectresse, is calorie free and all natural. Sounds almost too good to be true, right? The only kind of coffee I drink is a pre-sweetened Keurig K-cup and I haven't had time to bake anything this week so I haven't used Nectresse in anything. But, I did taste the Nectresse right out of the package. You can definitely tell it isn't sugar, but the sweetener tastes pretty good! No chemical taste like a lot of the other sweeteners out there. I am definitely going to use it in a recipe soon.

Colgate Optic White

Truth be told, I'm an electric toothbrush kind of girl so I had pretty low expectations for the Colgate toothbrush. What's actually really cool about it is that it's got these little whitening cups in between the bristles. The tongue cleaner on the brush is really effective, too. Even though I currently use a whitening toothpaste, I noticed a significant difference in the appearance of my teeth after just one use of the Colgate brush and toothpaste. I will say I didn't like the whitening mouthwash. It worked fine and my teeth were noticeably whiter after using it, but it tasted pretty gross. I had to rinse with my normal mouthwash to get rid of the taste. Bleh!

So there you have it, my first Influenster VoxBox experience! I do have to complete a few brand activities on the site regarding all the products, but they've been pretty fun.

I've got 5 invites to Influenster if anyone is interested in joining the site. You can leave a comment on this post with your email address or shoot me an email at lindseytaw@gmail.com if you're more comfortable doing that. I'll send invites out to the first 5 people who contact me.

New Meal Planning Board

2013-04-02T07:54:00.000-05:00

Last year I made a meal planning board for our kitchen. I was really good at using it for a long time but then I lost the chalk. And let's be honest, chalk is messy. Especially the colored stuff I had. So it was time to upgrade.

Here's our meal planning board 2.0.

The frame is an 8x10 table top frame I bought at Hobby Lobby. I cut the stand off the back part so it would lay flat against the cabinet. Instead of a picture I added some chevron fabric and then attached a ribbon to hang it off the ugly 3M hook I have there.

You can write on glass with dry erase markers so that makes changing it every week a breeze.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

Baby's First Haircut

2013-04-01T07:24:00.000-05:00

Saturday marked a big milestone for Harry, his first haircut! I have been wanting to get his haircut for months but Ant's refused. No joke, his "baby style icon" is Mason Disick (Kourtney Kardashian's son) and wants Harry to have the same long, shaggy hair he does (see a photo of him here). I think that look is adorable on little boys, but Harry just doesn't have enough hair to pull it off yet. His hair is very fine still and was all different lengths - the hair at the nape of his neck just started growing in.

It took some convincing, but I finally got Ant to agree that it would be best to get Harry's hair cut. I always knew we would take Harry to Kid Snips for his first cut, they have a location in Wheaton that I've known about for years. Their South Barrington location is closer to us, so we drove up there Saturday afternoon feeling a bit nervous about how Harry would react to the whole thing.

I honestly can't say enough good things abut our experience at Kid Snips. The staff were all helpful and friendly, something I always judge when visiting a new store. As soon as we checked in the receptionist had us pick out a movie to turn on for Harry. The store has a huge selection of DVDs and even Wii games for older kids.

After picking out a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD we made our way over to the police car station and his stylist, Amy, got him ready for the cut.

One last picture of his shaggy mop top!

Amy was absolutely wonderful with Harry. She knew just how to give a wiggly one year old a haircut-- she was always one step ahead of his wiggles, it was awesome!

Harry did really well and wasn't phased by the hair cut at all. He loved flirting with Amy and watching all the other kids running around the store. I don't think he even realized what was happening to his hair. Here's the finished product.

He looks so handsome! When we paid for the haircut we were given a balloon and a cute certificate commemorating this momentous occasion.

Surprisingly, Ant loves his haircut, too. I thought he'd be indifferent to it since he really didn't want to do it in the first place but he agreed with me that the new 'do suits Harry very well.

Whenever it's time for Harry's next haircut we'll definitely be visiting Kid Snips again!

Happy Easter!

2013-03-31T09:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day.

The Easter Bunny visited our house late last night and dropped off some nice loot for Harry.

Along with an entire basket full of new summer clothes (just what every little boy wants!) Harry got some sidewalk chalk, bubbles and a Little Tykes drum. The Easter Bunny tried to get him a puppet too, but unfortunately he couldn't track down a good one.

The candy is mostly for mom and dad :). We'll let Harry have a taste of the Peeps and chocolate bunny, it is Easter after all. His plastic eggs are filled with freeze dried peas, mixed with a few jelly beans.

Ant and I were shocked to discover the Easter Bunny got us something as well, new mirrors for our hallway!

I've recently been on a quest to update our condo. When we first moved in together we didn't have much money to decorate the place so a lot of what I did was DIY. Don't get me wrong, I love DIY, but some of my projects were blatantly cheap money savers. Here's what used to be on the wall:

I got five of these frames for dirt cheap, I think I paid $25 total. Over the next few months I'd like to update one per month with something a little nicer. We'll see how that pans out.

And if you're interested in seeing how Harry's first haircut went, be sure to stop by tomorrow morning! I posted a preview on Instagram if you're interested.

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday!

Spring Centerpiece

2013-03-29T07:15:00.000-05:00

I always like having a centerpiece on our dining room table. I made our current one two and a half years ago, so it was time for an update. I was inspired to make a new spring-inspired centerpiece after seeing all the cute Easter decor at Hobby Lobby recently. After some debating, I settled on a nest design which was pretty easy to create, and very inexpensive! The entire project cost me $10 since I had some of the supplies already (the cake stand I put the nest on was an additional $10 at HomeGoods, but I plan on using it for other things as well).

Here's my list of supplies.

Small grapevine wreath
9 paper mache eggs
White acrylic paint
Mod Podge
Springy fabric (I bought a third of a yard since the repeat on the fabric I chose was so large, but you could get away with less if the pattern is small)

I got this adorable fabric at JoAnn Fabrics

As I said, these are super simple to make and I'm sure you can figure out the directions from the above supplies list, but here's a quick rundown of how I created the centerpiece.

Paint the paper mache eggs white. You want the eggs to match the background color of your fabric. You could obviously choose any color, but white will be the easiest to match.

Cut out designs from your fabric. Cut as close to the design as possible. The smaller the pieces of fabric are, the easier it will be to handle in the next step. If you don't want to use fabric, you can also use tissue paper or paper napkins. I initially thought of using scrapbook paper, but even the thin kind is too thick to work well.

Glue fabric pieces on to eggs with Mod Podge. You'll want to cover the eggs in the Mod Podge to make an even finish. After they dry you can spray them with a sealer if you want, but it's not necessary.

Once eggs are dry arrange them in the wreath on your table and enjoy your pretty new centerpiece!