Although I haven’t done any funny kid conversations or sayings lately, trust me it isn’t because they don’t happen on a daily basis. There are far too many times when we need to keep a straight face and deal with something calmly and seriously with them and simply have to leave the room to get composure because they make things far too amusing.

With Little Bug M, every day he has something to monologue about, this is absolutely NO exaggeration. The way that his monologues are delivered would set the best actor in the world to shame, it is quite entertaining.

Now, that’s not to say that Monkey E doesn’t have his fair share of moments that quite literally have us laughing until we cry. He says really big words at the most interesting times… but uses them completely how they should be used… it’s definitely made us stop and stare on several occasions.

The noses…

So… let’s first get this out of the way, since it’s obvious in the photo that both of them have the exact same scab in the exact same spot on their noses. You aren’t the first to notice, it’s been a source of great confusion and amusement at school, as the staff thought that only one had it and delivered him to the class they thought was his, only to discover they both had this nose thing.

But I digress…

You see, it is a trampoline burn {trampoline version of a rug burn}. I wasn’t watching the very moment it happened, there were several bigger boys out there and the three youngest were sitting nicely on the trampoline, so I decided to run inside and start making dinner.

The story, as all three of them tell it is that J-Man decided to tell both of the Twinkies that they needed to lick the trampoline. What on earth possessed either him to tell them to do it, or them to actually listen, truly is beyond all comprehension to me. But they did!

Somehow both fell forward at exactly the same time, in exactly the same way {I have to wonder if they weren’t nudged… just saying!} resulting in exactly the same nose thing. It’s one of the wonders of the universe, but there you have it.

Just your general run of the mill interactive morning breakfast table type conversation…

This is a conversation I wrote down recently. Apparently I came in toward the end of a breakfast time monologue given by Little Bug who isn’t always sure how he feels about being home every other Friday.

Bug: We can only watch baby shows on Fridays… but not Chicken Little because there’s an invasion and they don’t like invasions.

Me: Babies don’t like invasions… good to know.

Tater: Especially not when told by Chickens!

Stay tuned for more Crazy Kid Convos in the very near future!

Whenever Spring finally arrives in New England, I begin my hunt for fun, outdoor/indoor toys.  Here in the North East, just because it’s May, you can’t guarantee that you will get to play outside – it can literally be 45 degrees one day and 75 the next.  I like to find toys that we can play with in the house, and then easily bring outside, clean, & take back in.  This year, my little P, is LOVING all things construction, and CAT has a fabulous line of affordable, fun toys that we are obsessing over!

This awesome play set is the CAT Shipping Port-themed ‘Build & Play’ playset by Toy State. The set includes 1 free-wheeling Cat machine, working gantry and container cranes, and a freight ship. Construction site sound effects, music and fun vocal phrases also included.  It looks complicated to assemble, but it was actually quite easy, and the magnets in the cargo and cranes helps keep all the pieces together when we aren’t playing.  This has been a huge hit in our house, in the sandbox, and in 0ur water table.  They love to balance the port on the edge and drive the boat over to pick up the packages.  It’s been adorable to watch their imaginations at work as they send packages to their grandparents, and drive the boat to deliver them.

Toy State has so many fun CAT toys, it’s hard to pick a favorite.  I know my little man is hoping that he can add to his collection over the next few months.  Here are just a few of the item on his wish list…

Toystate Caterpillar Construction Massive Machine: Excavator

Toystate Caterpillar Construction Playset: Bridge Builder

I could probably fill a few more pages with all of the toys that he wants and as I am writing this he is looking over my shoulder saying his favorite words: “Can I have that?”.

Today, thanks to Toy State and Child’s Play PR, we are going to be giving one of our lucky readers a CAT Shipping Port-themed ‘Build & Play’ playset!  You can use our nifty Rafflecopter widget below to enter!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: As with all features, product and/or compensation was received in order to present this post. All opinions expressed are honest and exclusively those of the author. For our full disclosure policy please go here.

I adore smoothies, they are simple, quick and not only refreshing but so very good for you. This week has been gorgeous in our area and has me feeling all summery so I wanted to feature this fabulous Sweet Citrus Smoothie with all of you.

Sweet Citrus Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups vanilla fat-free yogurt
2 medium bananas cut into chunks
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup orange juice

Instructions:

Place banana chunks and strawberries in blender. Blend on low until broken up. Add yogurt and orange juice. Continue blending on high until mixture is smooth. Serve immediately.

Yes, it really is that simple! Feel free to print out or save a pdf of this recipe by clicking the button.

Photo: from fotolia.com

This week begins the first weekly writing inspiration. If you are planning on joining in and want us to see your work, please feel free to leave a comment with a link to your post or with a bit of your writing. This week’s topic is Touching Moments… it will mean something different to every single person who sees that prompt. Write about one moment…what you feel, what moves you, why it moves you and how it moves you.

Atmospheric Change

The day was dark and dismal, much like any other day in our area but there was a sense of something to come, something bigger than ourselves, something unexpected. When the children returned from school that day, the feeling persisted… looming and keeping my clan of normally rather unruly boys oddly quiet and whispery.

As the thunder began to peal in the background complete with the eerie strikes of lightning, the quiet was palpable. The power went out soon after the storm began.

Since we live in an area where storms aren’t likely to be dangerous, children typically learn at a fairly early age not to fear thunder and lightning. There is definitely still a certain awe that permeates the air when such magnificent feats of nature display themselves for my children to experience, but not fear.

The littlest of my children still haven’t quite moved past the initial anxiety surrounding a storm, so sensing their unrest it isn’t uncommon to see the older ones buddy up with them to play a game, draw on paper or tell a story.

It is an amazing thing to witness from my perspective as mom… since they don’t normally interact a lot the older boys and the younger boys. This sense of comeraderie that seems to be felt from the teens remembering what it was like to be little themselves and feeling that fear again in the eyes of their little brothers.

Photo: © Leonid Tit – Fotolia.com

I can’t begin to recall how many times I have received a hand picked boquet of Dandelions that have been presented by a sweet little boy with the sweetest little smile on his face. My reaction to said boquet has always been… well… not so enthusiastic.

I detest Dandelions with all my being. I have all but shunned their very existence, especially when the nasty things are brought into my house. So when a sweet little boy delivers a bouquet of them, my immediate reaction is and always has been, “thank you sweetie, can we keep these outside though?”.

So when I got the adorable project featured to the right here, complete with Dandelion Poem. And I saw his adorable cuteness, holding a bouquet of the aforementioned detested weeds, I found myself taken back.

It didn’t just make me stop and think, it all but made me kick myself in the rear for all my mistreatment of those precious Dandelion bouquets. Suffice it to say, there were tears involved on my part, and a commitment made to never again shun said bouquets.

Dandelions

Guessing your favorite flower
Shouldn’t be all that hard.
I’ll bet they’re green and yellow
And grow all over the yard.

I only pick the special ones
Because they’re just for you.
They’re my way of saying thanks
For everything you do!

And even if these flowers
Only seem to last for a day,
The love that they are given with
Will always be there to stay.

For when it comes to picking
The mommy that’s the best,
In my precious little eyes
You stand out from all the rest!

In the hubbub of everyday life, and even days like Mother’s Day that are intended to celebrate us, it’s all to easy to lose sight of the little things that make it so special. I’m so very thankful for this reminder that came in such a simple and thoughtful gift.

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Just a note… or two:

1. I do not know who to credit for writing this poem.
2. In an ever present attempt to find fun projects for the kiddos to do during the summer this one definitely stood out to me as a fun idea. It’s a simple one, where they can write out the poem and at the bottom there’s a little space for them to write their own note. Great for Preschoolers through about 3rd grade.

In my pre-child life, I loved to have candles all around my house.  I loved how they smell, I loved how they looked, and I liked that I could add a little design flare to my house with different holders and colors.

Enter children.  And there went my candles.  (Along with all of my other beautiful vases, and crystal, replaced with the standard mom decorations of stuffed lovies, pacifiers, and sippy cups.)  Don’t get me wrong, being a mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me, but I was overjoyed when I saw a friend of mine from high school posting on Facebook about her new Scentsy business.

I wasn’t familiar with Scentsy, but I knew that Diana had 3 kids of her own, so it must be a safe alternative.  Here’s what I found out…

With Scentsy warmers and wax you have a safe, easy and affordable way to “burn”your candles.  Scentsy’s wax was designed to melt at a very low temperature using a 25 watt light bulb inside our large warmers, which is hot enough to melt the wax, but not hot enough to burn anyone. (Mid sized systems use a 20 watt light bulb, plug-in systems use a 15 watt bulb).  Because there is no flame, you can use Scentsy products at home, work, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, banks, libraries, doctor offices, and anywhere else you can’t take a normal candle.  Plus, there are over 50 different styles of warmers and over 80 scents to choose from.  (My personal favorite is the blueberry cheescake, but at only $5 a bar, you can bet I’ll be trying all 80+! :))

Diana was kind enough to give my family this gorgeous Silvervine Warmer to try out, and I can’t tell you how many compliments I have received on it.  It gives off a perfect amount of scent without the soot, lead, and evaporated wax that you get with so many traditional candles.

Not only does this make me feel like my house is healthier, but Scentsy products do not bother my allergies at all.  And of course, because my little Bean – the ultimate trouble maker – wanted to “help” me write this review, she managed to climb on to our tv stand, then use that to climb onto the ledge between the kitchen and the living room and stick her hand right into the Scentsy wax.  She was shocked, but not hurt at all.  Trust me, with this little animal in my house, I need the safest products possible, and I am officially in love with Scentsy!

Scentsy also offers a whole new line of personal and laundry care products called Layers.  You can find all of your favorite Scentsy scents in hand creams, body lotions, shower gels, washer whiffs, dryer disks, and MORE!

So, who wants to try Scentsy for themselves??  Diana has offered to give one of our readers their choice of one of the following plug-ins, plus a bar to melt!

I personally LOVE the Taro plug-in and it is on my wish list for my living room, but I really like them all.  So, want to win??  Use the handy dandy Rafflecopter widget below!  This contest will end on May 18th, 2012, and a winner will be chosen and announced shortly after.  Good luck and happy entering!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: As with all features, product and/or compensation was received in order to present this post. All opinions expressed are honest and exclusively those of the author. For our full disclosure policy please go here.

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a very fun Spring Soiree put on by Cascade Ice and hosted at Mane Blow Dry Bar in Seattle. This was a very fun event and surprisingly educational.

Although I showed up at Mane being very familiar with Cascade Ice, I learned two things – Cascade Ice can be used to make very fun mixed drinks in addition to just being enjoyed as is… and what a blow dry bar is.

Cascade Ice

For those of you who may not be familiar with Cascade Ice, it is a flavored sparkling water with ZERO calories that’s also free of sugar, gluten, sodium and carbohydrates. It’s so very tasty!

What I loved was seeing first hand how simple and fun it is to make these flavored sparkling waters into very fun, yummy cocktails and mocktails for any occasion. You can even find great recipes on their blog - my favorites are the yummy lemonade recipes!

Mane Blow Dry Bar

Now it’s likely that if you live near any major city other than Seattle, you probably know what a blow dry bar is and wonder where on earth my head has been buried. Before you judge me too harshly, let me remind you that Seattle is a very wet and windy place… not somewhere that one typically expects a beautiful hairstyle to last so we tend not to put a ton of effort into it (we are not famous for casual Friday for no reason people, it was out of sheer necessity).

Even the owners of Mane Blow Dry Bar will admit that it was a new idea to introduce to the Seattle area, and that I’m not alone in my… ahem… need for an education on this particular style of service salon (so there!!). Regardless of all that, I’m sold! It’s the most amazing idea!

More Details

For all those Pacific Northwesterners who happen to be reading this (hi Mom!), Cascade Ice is available for purchase all over the Northwest, including Albertson’s, GFC, Fred Meyer and WinCo as well as online. For those of you who live in other parts of the country be sure to check out Cascade Ice’s website for locations to purchase.

Want to like or follow them? Here’s there details:

• Cascade Ice Facebook Fan Page
• Cascade Ice on Twitter
• Cascade Ice Blog

Thank you’s and Credits: A huge thanks to Cascade Ice for inviting me to the Spring Soiree, also thanks to Mane Blow Dry Bar for hosting the event and the amazing hairstyles we all were able to leave with. Photos are all courtesy of www.clanegessel.com (yep, I took my own but hey…I’m not in any of them lol).

Disclosure: As with all features, product and/or compensation was received in order to present this post. All opinions expressed are honest and exclusively those of the author. For our full disclosure policy please go here.

Mother’s Day is oh-so-close at hand! Many of us are either scrambling for last minute gifts or totally blanking on any ideas for what to get mom this year to make it special. Today, I’d like to share a little gift idea I created for the moms in my life.

The Gift

I love to create gift baskets and it’s something I do for nearly every gift I give, especially to my friends, sisters and the mothers in our lives. It simply never occurred to me to take photos of the gifts or the creation process. Here’s my Tea inspired Mother’s Day gift.

Here’s a little run down of what’s in it. The entire gift is just something that I thought up on-the-go. I start the shopping process usually with a general theme (or two similar ones) in mind and see if I can create something super affordable along those lines. Feel free to think outside the box.. in other words, new is NOT always better!

• Mug – though this isn’t a teacup (because my Mom has a lot of those, and we usually want something a little bigger to really enjoy a cup of tea) you can totally pick up beautiful teacups for next to nothing at thrift stores, garage sales and occasionally antique shops (though teacups usually way over-priced at the latter).
• Honey Stix – just because they are fun!
• Linen napkin – this one isn’t vintage, but again, you can easily grab antique napkins or tea towels, even embroidered ones at antique stores very very inexpensively (or thrift stores, etc).
• Pepperidge Farms’ Milano Raspberry Cookies (note: these are being used for more than one gift basket so they are individually packaged more on that later).
• Lorna Doone Shortbread cookies
• Tea Time Jar filled with loose tea sachets I made.
• All arranged in a fun round wooden box I found at a thrift store.

Here’s the finished product…

Tag created using Meredith Cardall’s Emma Kit

Here’s more details about the creation (and contents) of this homemade gift box…

Tea Bags

The most fun part for me is usually the tags and the tea…

The tea sachets were somewhat inspired by this article on Martha Stewart, but it is not practical and I would never do them this way again. The end result was less than fun and it was a painstaking process using cheesecloth.

The way I have always done it uses the tea bag filters you can get from tea shops (or coffee filters cut down a bit works absolutely great too), add a tablespoon or so of loose tea of your choice and gather it at the top. Cut about  a 6″ long string (embroidery floss, hemp string, you get the idea), tie the sachet off with one end, and add a tag to the loose end of the string. To attach the cute little tea tag I used glue dots (high tech I know!), but you can use mini staples if necessary (the tag tends to slip off that way though).

Keep in mind that you should use food grade/safe items, natural fibers and making sure you stick with filters that are made for food use is best. The tag will not be getting into their drink so I do not usually worry much about that part.

Graphics Credits: The teabag tag (above) and tea time jar label (below) were created using Studio Cappuccino’s Backyard Tweets background papers, the font is Pea Smashtastic in a Hurry and the template for the tags is the Hybrid Party Tag Templates by Scrapping with Liz.

The jar was made simply by filling with tea sachets, attaching a circle of burlap to the jar top with a glue dot (yep!), tying a bow with pretty ribbon and attaching with a glue dot, tying string around the jar to attach the tag. The jar tag was created using all those credited in the Teabag tag credits above.

For the cookies or other treats that I put into a gift, typically I package those a little prettier, but I ran out of time to really create something this time. Using simple parchment (baking) or even scrapbook paper you can create beautiful and simple cookie envelopes or folded packages. Add a pretty round label with a basic solid stamp or lettered initial and they are simply gorgeous…. but I’ll have to save that for another day .

Well… that about does it . Hope this inspires you to create your own fun, unique personalized gifts! If I left anything out or you have any questions, please do not hesitate to leave a comment for me!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of holding a MAM “Smile, Baby, Smile” party.  In conjunction with MAM and Child’s Play Communications, I was able to have a whole bunch of my mommy friends over for some fun while we learned about how to get our little one’s off to the right start in the oral care department.

First, I have to say, my wonderful friend Shera, who you all know as the mom behind A Frog in My Soup, happens to be an amazing graphic designer, and she whipped up this adorable invitation for my friends.  It set the tone for the party, and my friends were super impressed and excited when they received it.  Check it out!  I love it! It is so fabulous!

MAM was kind enough to provide me and my friends with all sorts of oral care products!  We played games where we learned about how to keep our kids gums and teeth strong and healthy.  I was very impressed with my friends’ knowledge about baby teeth!  I had no idea how many teeth a toddler had!  I guess I never really stopped to think about it – at least not after baby 2!

Here’s a look at the goodies that decorated my table…everyone was able to go home with a massaging brush, a training brush, and an oral care rabbit all by MAM.

This was my little set-up for the treats.  We had so much fun learning about all of MAM’s fabulous oral care products, sharing tips on how to get our little ones to say “ahhh” when it is time for teeth brushing, and just catching up!  I can honestly say that I have been a fan of MAM for as long as I’ve been a parent – it is the only brand of pacifiers that my kids would ever take, and I’m excited to still be using their products as my kids get older.  MAM is a brand that I trust to be high quality, innovative, BPA free, safe, and stylish – what more could a mama ask for?!

If you are a parent, I am sure you have had the pleasure *ahem* of taking a little one’s temperature when they aren’t feeling well.  We all know that it can be near impossible to get an accurate reading on a child who is unhappy, unwell, and does not want their personal space invaded.  I have tried almost every method of temperature taking, but I have never found an easier method than using the Exergen Temporal Scanner.

It could not be easier to use this thermometer.  You simply hold down the button on the front, and gently drag the scanner over the patient’s forehead.  It takes only a few seconds and the results are shockingly accurate.  As a matter of fact, the last time that I visited my doctor, they had an Exergen thermometer in the office and they couldn’t say enough about how much they loved it.

Be sure to check out the great giveaway at the end of this post!!!

Exergen explains how the Temporal Scanner works:

As you gently stroke the thermometer across the forehead crossing over the temporal artery, the sensor in its probe performs two processes:  First, it scans like a video camera, capturing naturally emitted infrared heat from the arterial blood supply at about 1000 “frames” per second locking in the highest temperature it senses.  Second, at the same time, a patented system measures the ambient temperature of the site where the temperature is being taken.  The patented “arterial heat balance” (ABH) software then synthesizes the two separate readings to accurately determine and display body temperature.

If that sounds a little overwhelming, trust me when I say that it pretty much means that this extremeley smart piece of technology can get an accurate reading of your body temperature in just a few seconds with a gentle stroke across your forehead.  Even if your child moves while you are taking their temperature, you can gently place it back on their head and still get an accurate reading.  I have taken my kids’ temperatures while they are sleeping with no problem at all.  It is such a non-invasive method that they didn’t even stir.

I can honestly tell you that this thermometer makes my life so much easier.  My kids are not afraid of it, they don’t run when I say I want to take their temperature, and after I finish taking theirs, they usually ask to take mine.  It is kind of fun to play with

In addition to offering to give one of our fabulous readers their own Temporal Scanner, Exergen is also running a super fun promotion where they are giving away tons of Temporal Scanners and an amazing Grand Prize to one wonderful mom!  Their Queen for a Day Mother’s Day Giveaway is running from now until May 13th, when one lucky mama will win a $500 American Express Gift Card and the chance at a $25,000 shopping spree!!  You can enter everyday by visiting their contest page and taking your “virtual temperature”.  Each time you do, you will earn an entry into their grand prize drawing on Mother’s Day!

Once again, we will be using the wonderful Rafflecopter widget to collect your entries and choose a winner, so check out the details below.  Good luck and happy entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: As always it is safe to assume that the author likely received product from Exergen and/or compensation for presenting this information. All opinions are original, honest and solely those of the author. You can read our full disclosure policy here.