We love showing off pictures of our kids. However, if you are like me, these pictures don't always make it on display at home. Check out how to easily get your picture from your phone to your wall.
Quick Tips To Make Cleaning Go Faster
I hate cleaning. Plus sometimes it just feels like a wasted effort when the mess is back an hour later. And then if that weren't enough to dissuade you, the time it takes can be incredible. Hours to clean what takes my kids 30 seconds to dirty. On the other hand, the peace of mind that comes with a clean and organized home is amazing. You can physically feel the difference when you enter a clean room. It also does wonders for your mindset! So, in order to help you get in and out of cleaning mode more quickly, here are some tips to make cleaning go faster.
Things to do Before 32: Update 3
So on April 11 of 2016 I turned 31 and around that time I created a post about the things I'd like to do before my next birthday. This list consisted of a wide range of goals including trips with the family, school goals, and friends goals. You can find that post here. Back in July I posted my first update at a quarter of the way through the year and in October I posted my progress at the halfway point. Now here we are closing in on the last 3 months before 32.
Boredom Prevention for Your Kids This Winter
In case you haven't been over to my social media in a bit, I am currently a contributor of the Westchester County Moms Blog (WCMB). This is a site for local moms to get information about local events, services, advice, and just bond with other moms. The site is very new but is growing quickly. It is a part of a sisterhood of sites across the country. That means that articles I write for the local site have the possibility of being published on any of the other sites across the nation. This is super exciting and a great opportunity. An added bonus is that I get to bond and interact with other local mom bloggers.
5 Habits to Make Your Home Organized in 5 Minutes
It's the new year! Let's kick off the year by creating new habits that will help us be more organized throughout the year. These 5 things take 5 minutes or less to do, but the impact they will have on your home will be immense. You will feel more organized and your home will look cleaner with very little effort. Who wouldn't love that?
Your Favorite Posts of 2016
As this is my last post of the year, I thought it would be appropriate to do a round up of my most popular posts of the year. Like most of us, I am definitely reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the future. This year I want to improve my site by providing the best posts and products for you, my readers. So today we look at the best of the best of 2016 and Tuesday we kick off 2017 with a bang.
Christmas 2016: A Tale Two Christmases
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. On Sunday we celebrated Hailey's first Christmas. It was so fun to see the joy on her face eating wrapping paper and playing with her brother. It was the first time we had all 4 cousins together. It was also the day my grandma went to be with her husband in heaven.
Read With Me: 4 Books to Read in the Next Month
So, as you know, I am currently 1 week into my month off from grad school. Even when I do go back in mid January, I will only be taking 1 class in the coming semester. The past 4 semesters I have been taking 2 classes. Therefore, hopefully the work load will be less. In the meantime, I have decided to take advantage of this reprieve by reading a few books. These are books that have long been on my must read list, but I just haven't had the time. I have heard wonderful things about them and I can't wait to dig in! Join me on this reading Journey and let's compare notes!
Reader Survey: Help Me Help You
Can you believe it, 2016 is almost over! This year really flew by. This may have to do with the fact that I started the year with 1 kid and ended it with 2. Remember when Hails refused to come out and I didn't finally deliver until 6 days past the due date? Now baby girl is 31 weeks old! Crazy, I know.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Christmas Cookies
Every year at Christmastime we make time to bake cookies together. One recipe in particular, I have been making since I was in grammar school. They are the most delicious Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies ever. Now I won't proclaim to be some fabulous baker, but these really are delicious. What's more, one recipe makes about 5 dozen so you really get good bang for your buck. They are great to package up and give as gifts or to bring to parties. So let me take you though our Sunday of baking!
Holiday Fashion with Lula Roe
If you have not yet heard of Lula Roe, consider this your wake up call. Leggings and mom life go together like peanut butter and jelly, Abbott and Costello, Batman and Robin. Lula Roe has some of the most comfortable leggings I have ever worn. They are so buttery soft, it's like a second skin! Plus, the designs are so fun and unique. Don't worry,Lula is about way more than leggings! Lula can take you from casual holiday get togethers to fancy holiday parties!
Happy Marriage Tip: Nagging Doesn't Work
You may or may not have realized this, but men and women are built differently, and I don't just mean physically. By nature, we are innately wired to think and interpret situations differently. We react differently in a given situation and we prioritize differently. Today, in light of the never ending to do list that comes with the holiday season, I thought we'd discuss how the difference between men and women relates to nagging: i.e. repeatedly bring up what needs to be done and the fact that it hasn't been done yet.
Keeping Baby Healthy With Gerber
As you know, Hailey was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when she was only 6 days old. While every mom worries about the growth and development of their babies, this condition caused me to be even more on alert. I made it my mission in incorporate tools for healthy brain development in our everyday life. This includes breast feeding and iron-fortified Gerber Cereal.
Online Prenatal Classes
Today, I wanted to talk about birthing classes. These classes are a very important part of pregnancy, if not for what to actually do in the birthing room, at least to provide new parents more peace of mind. Since the hubs and I have opposing work schedules and don't have a lot of time home together, the last thing we wanted to do was to use that time to go to prenatal classes. On the other hand, we could definitely use a brush up on what to expect and techniques to use, and just newborn information in general. It had been a while since our 3 year old was a baby. We decided to take to the internet to find a resource that was informative, but didn't take us out of the house.
5 Years of Marriage: How We Got Here
Guess what! Tomorrow my husband and I celebrate 5 wonderful years of marriage. Yup, 5 years ago today I was anxiously anticipating marrying my soulmate. So much has changed in the last 5 years, mostly to do with the arrival of our two wonderful kids. Since we're all friends here, I thought I would share a little story about how me and the hubs got together all those years ago in honor of this momentous occasion.
The Mom Conference Review
Things to do Before 32: Update 2
So on April 11 of this year I turned 31 and around that time I created a post about the things I'd like to do before my next birthday. This list consisted of a wide range of goals including trips with the family, school goals, and friends goals. You can find that post here. Back in July I posted my first update at a quarter of the way through the year. It's hard to believe that I am now 31.5 and 6 months have gone by!
Now that it's been about 3 months since my last update, I thought I'd update you on the progress through my list.
1.Make 5 recipes from Pinterest - OK, so I haven't started this one yet. My excuse is still the baby, lol. I get home from work at 5:15 and my hubby leave for work around 5:30-5:40. This doesn't leave much time for experimentation especially when the baby wants to be fed. I hope to try some new things for the holidays or maybe a weekend brunch recipe!
2. Go to the zoo at least 3 times - We have gone to the zoo twice so far since I made my list. I don't think this one will be an issue. Since we will be attending their Halloween event, Boo at the Zoo, on the 22nd of this month. Our membership makes this a lot easier. you can read my tips for zoo trips. here.
3. Go on a real vacation - This one is still up in the air. We had wanted to take a family vacation in the fall. However, with all of the medical expenses from Hailey's diagnosis not to mention her constant doctor's appointments I don't think it's in the cards. We can revisit that in the spring and see if things have changed.
4. Read 2 inspiring books - So far I read Eat That Frog which I talked about in this earlier post. I recently attend the online Mom Conference and was utterly inspired. So many good presentations. My favorite was the presentation by Ramona Zabriskie. Based on this I picked up her book Wife for Life and am devouring it. The Mom Conference was free, but can now be purchased for $97. Not only do you get access to all of the presentations of the conference, but you also get a ton of freebies. Ramona included one of her courses in the package which alone is worth $50. Definitely go check it out!! I will be writing a review of the conference later this month!!
5. Rent or sell my house - The house is currently on the market and we have had several showings. My mom also may be moving which would change things. If that happened we would move into her house and rent our house. At this point it's not definite though, so that house remains on the market.
6. Move to new home - We #5 above.
7. Get back in shape after baby - I am doing really well with this. I am not yet back to my pre-pregnancy weight/size but I am definitely getting there and starting to feel good about where I'm at.
8. Perform in 2 dance productions - It's funny how our priorities change. After T I was so gung ho about getting back to performing. This time, not so much. I am still dancing and teaching, but I'm in no rush.
9. Finish writing my book - In all honesty, I still haven't worked on this in a while. There's just so much to do and other priorities. Maybe over winter break from school
10. Start creating vertical images for blog - Only 19 imaged left!!
11. Do 3 DIY projects from Pinterest - This one is actually going well. Our Patriotic Wreath project was inspired by this craft on Pinterest. T and I also made lollipop ghosts and spiders based on a Pinterest post. This project will be up on the blog next week!
12. Declutter - We are doing really well with this one. We organized Tyler's room, the living room, the downstairs closet, and have made progress with the basement. The next major room will be our bedroom!
13. Plan a T and mommy date at least once a month after Hailey is born - Having a newborn that breastfeeds has made this difficult. The boys had one on one time out of the house, but Tyler and I didn't. I'm looking to have a lunch date with him soon. We have had some one on one time at home but I really want to take him out without Hails.
14. Complete 27 credits of grad school - I have now completed 21 credits. I am currently taking 2 courses which will bring me to the 27 credits before Christmas. Then just a few more classes and requirements and I will be a Math Master!!
15. Have consistent date nights with the hubs - As I said, this is super hard for us because I work days and my husband works nights. We fell off the wagon in August but we were back on track for September. This month we had an at home date last week and on the 29th we will be seeing a Broadway show for our 5 year anniversary.
16. Complete cookbook for my nonprofit - Before I had Hailey, I presented the idea of doing a cookbook to my board. I had explained that with a newborn I would not be able to take the lead on this project. However, a cookbook would be a lot easier than organizing and holding photo shoots for the calendar. My board however has not gotten this project going....
17. Have a couples game night - We had a Cards Against Humanity Game Night with some of my in laws!! So fun! I can't wait to do it again
18. Plan and have a girls brunch - This still hasn't happened yet... Everyone has super busy schedules and everyone is popping out babies... Hopefully, soon!
19. Participate in 2-3 charity walks - We just completed the diabetes walk on October 9. That one is close to my heart. I'm looking into other walks and hope to find one that falls on a Sunday, so it doesn't conflict with T's dance class.
20. Run a donation drive - I'm looking to do this closer to the holidays. I will possibly be doing a book and pajama drive again.
So that's my progress so far on my list on things to do my 32nd birthday. I've made pretty good progress on most of the items, there are just a few more to start working on. Mainly the ones involving Pinterest. Hopefully I can make some headway there for next time!
Do you have big birthday goals? Tell me about them in the comments.
Have a great weekend!!
Cheers,
Emily
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Favorite Toddler Halloween Books
With Halloween coming up, we have decided to intersperse our favorite Halloween story books into the mix of our bedtime stories. We have accumulated several of them over the years and I'm sure we will continue to add to the list. As of today, the following 6 books are our favorites. They include entertaining stories, interactivity, and of course Halloween fun.
Happy Halloween, Daniel Tiger!: A Lift-the-Flap Book
Tyler loves Daniel Tiger and we love the positive messages presented in the show, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Daniel Tiger actually was a big help in getting Tyler ready for his baby sister. We can talk about that another time. In this book, Daniel and his friends are getting ready for Halloween. The book takes you through each character’s costume and you use clues to guess what they are going to be. The flaps make this a fun book to read with toddlers.
Goodnight Goon: a Petrifying Parody
If you like Goodnight Moon, then you will thoroughly enjoy this Halloween parody. In similar style to the original, this book takes you through the things in the little monster's room at bedtime. The difference is these items include goo, a witch, a werewolf, a black hat, and more. The pictures are cute, not scary, so it's enjoyable for the kids.
Happy Halloween! (Sesame Street Scribbles Elmo)
This story is actually one of my favorites. Probably because I am a BIG Edgar Allen Poe fan. I just love the rhythm of his poetry. This book is written with the same rhythm as Poe's The Raven. This makes it as fun for me to read as it is for Tyler to hear. The story describes the Count waiting as guests arrive for his Halloween party. There is definitely some knocking at Count's castle door. The story features your favorite Sesame Street characters dressed in their Halloween best. In the end, you are invited to the party too!
Peanuts: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
This book is of the classic Charlie Brown story. We all know this story, or at least we should. If you don't know it, do yourself a favor and watch the movie. Let your kids see it too. It's just one of those things that everyone should do. Anyway, the best part of this book is that it comes with reusable stickers. I don't know about you, but my toddler loves stickers. This book has places to put stickers on every page in order to fully illustrate the story. This has been a hit with Tyler night after night.
Curious George Haunted Halloween
This book is an abridged version of the cartoon "Curious George's Boo Fest". Its a cute story where George gets spooked after hearing the story of No Noggin about a monster that steals hats. The best part is that it is an unscary scary story. As in your child will feel like he/she is enjoying the scary story experience without actually being scared. This is really an early reader book, but T liked it a lot. It is a great length book for toddler bedtime, too.
BABY'S FIRST HALLOWEEN
This was Tyler's first Halloween book and we are keeping it in the mix mainly for Hailey's benefit. However, Tyler does request it himself every once in a while. Like most baby's first books, this book contains photos of various Halloween related things with the name of the item below the picture. I believe that T like that some of the pictures are of kids dressed up in costume. For example, the monster picture is a baby boy dressed up as a monster. It's a cute book for little ones.
For more Halloween fun, check this Halloween Handprint Craft. We will also be posting a new Halloween Craft project later this month so stay tuned.
Cheers,
Emily
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Tips For Reducing Your Holiday Shopping Stress
I know, I know, it's not even Halloween and I'm talking holiday shopping. I'm the first to complain when I see Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving. I am all about giving each holiday it's due. Plus now that I have a child that can actually anticipate holidays, I don't need him pestering about presents so far in advance.
On the other hand, there is no logic to cramming all that shopping into the month of December. I mean with so many other holiday things to do like holiday parties and visiting Santa, who can possibly do all that and not stress?! Not I. For me, slow and steady wins the race. So, here are some tips on how I keep holiday shopping stress free.
Start Early
If you haven’t started yet, start now. There are two big benefits to this; time and money. Starting early means you have months to get your shopping done instead of weeks. No pushing your way through over crowded stores. No running around on Christmas Eve. No rushing from store to store because what you want is sold out. Expense wise, you get to spread the cost of the holidays over multiple months prior to the holidays. Unlike spreading the cost over multiple months after holidays, this method does not involve paying interest.
Make a list
Make a list but only be super specific when you have to be. For example, Tyler is at an age where he wants specific things. He wants to complete his collection of Ghostbusters mystery minis, and he wants certain Lego sets. Items for him are very specific. Hailey on the other hand is unable to voice her opinions. Therefore, her list might look more like: clothes, stuffed animal, educational toy. For my brother I might write model train equipment. Then anytime I find model train equipment on sale, I can buy him something and check him off my list. The less specific you can be for people, the better. Then you have a broader range of options and can find better deals. Of course, you want it to still be something they would want/need and like.
Put your list into a spread sheet
Make a spreadsheet listing each person or group of people you need to buy gifts for in the first column. For example, individuals I need to buy gifts for include, my hubs, Tyler and Hails, my nephews, my mom, my brother, etc.. Groups might be my aunt and uncle, Tyler’s teachers, etc. In the next column list what you plan on purchasing them. If they are getting more than one item, make a new row for each item. The next 3 columns are as follows: bought, wrapped, delivered/shipped. You could of course do this by hand, but I love the clean look of spreadsheets! Print out your completed list and bring it with you wherever you go. If you are not sure what to get someone, leave their line blank. You can fill it in when you get inspired. Now anytime you find something that someone on your list would like, you can check it off your list. No more over buying because you forgot you already got something. This also keeps track of your wrapping so you won’t get behind on that either. Check out my sample spreadsheet below. Note that this is not my actual list incase these people are reading my blog…
Make 2 lists for your kids
If you have been through any gift giving occasion with kids before, you know you will be bombarded with questions from relatives of what to get your kids. Be prepared. Once you make the list of things that you will be getting your kids yourself, make a second list of things that they want or need. Keep this second list with you as well or give it to your husband, but not both. You need to have a designated go to person for this list. You don’t want both parents giving items out because the whole purpose here is to avoid multiples of the same gift. Now when someone asks what to get your kids, your go to person can give them items from your list. Be aware that these people may not necessarily get the item you suggest to them, but you can hopefully prevent multiples of the same gift. You also avoid the texts back and forth “did you get so and so this?”, “No, OK then I’m getting it”, “OK so then what should I get them now?”…. You can always hold onto the list and if your kids didn’t get the item for Christmas, now you already have a list for their birthday!
I hope you find this list helpful! Do you have tips to reduce holiday shopping stress?? If so leave your tips in the comments!
Cheers,
Emily
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So today is my birthday!!! On April 11 of 2016 I turned 31 and around that time I created a post about the things I’d like to do before my next birthday. This list consisted of a wide range of goals including trips with the family, school goals, and friends goals. You can find that post here. Back in July, I posted my first update at a quarter of the way through the year and in October I posted my progress at the halfway point. January marked the 3 quarters point. Now here we are a full year later.