bebestages

Aghhhh, who says there's no humor in parenting. I was reading 1SmartMom's blog today and found a really cute post that I really needed and completely enjoyed. A little lighthearted, but true, humor : I'm pinpointing a few excerpts that I really enjoyed and hopefully it will make you smile if you're in one of your crazy moods.
First baby: At the first sign of Distress - a whimper, a frown - you pick up the baby
Second baby: You pick up the baby when her wails threaten to wake up your first born
Third Baby: You teach your three year old how to rewind the mechanical swing

First baby: You take your infant to baby gymnastics,baby swim, and baby story hour
Second baby: You take your infant to a co-op play group
Third baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners

First baby:You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby
Second baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn’t squeezing,poking,or hitting the baby
Third baby: You spend a little bit of each day Hiding from the children

To check out the rest go to: 1SmartMom.com A little lighthearted, but true, humor

This toy has been recalled, children have been choking on the screws. Please be sure to remove this product from your home if you have one.

Now that fall is in the air, it's time to break out those fun fall activities.
Some of you may be singing the blues, the thought of having to stay home and the cold chilly weather is starting to sink in. But, you may have forgotten that there's much more stuff to do in the fall than any other season of the year. Here are a few ideas.

Take a walk and see the changing trees
Fly a kite
Go to the park with out dehydrating
Go hiking
Collect pinecones to make a birdfeeder (look for it in an upcoming creative little hands project)
Make a fall wreath with collected fallen leaves (look for it in an upcoming creative little hands project)
Go apple picking (make sure you get enough to make applesauce, apple stamps, apple pie
Go pumpkin picking

Hope you enjoy these ideas!

Babystar, an adorable company, has the most beautiful baby blankets and accessories. Here is a blanket I fell in love with, which I know for sure I will need to get one of these blankies for me and the kids The softness of these fabrics are to die for, its like touching butter. Check them out at babystar.com.

Little Handfuls has a great little snack pack for the stroller, it also attaches to shopping carts. Excellent for new little hands that can't yet hold little snack cups or who like to throw anything they're given

Jill Koenig, who is the Goal Guru and a best selling author on goals and time management has a wonderful blog, Goal Guru. She is also the author of "The Time Commandments". Jill Koenig, a motivational speaker, pinpoints the number ONE problem people run into when starting a business, setting GOALS. It is so important to set your goals and follow them. In her post about Time Management, she mentions that "You cannot succeed in one without also succeeding in the other", Goal Setting and Time Management. How often have you written down your list of goals, only to find that you have written that list down, oh, about 10 times already? and maybe if you're lucky you've crossed 2 off that list? I have a major problem with goals, I just can't seem to follow them, and my number one issue is my time management. Before I know it the day is gone. "The #1 habit for effectiveness is to become conscious of where you are investing your time... all day long. Everyday." for more information on Time Management check out Jill's website, Goal Guru.

What You Need

* Cupcake/muffin tin
* Broken crayons
* Vegetable oil
* toothpick

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

2. Remove all the paper labels from crayon pieces.

3. Put ¼ teaspoon of vegetable oil into each muffin pan cup, no cup liners needed.

4. You will use the equivalent of 4 new crayons for each cup. Place broken crayons (no longer than an inch each) into the muffin pan. This will fill the cup about 1/3 full.

5. Place into the preheated oven and watch carefully, they melt quickly!

6. Bake crayons for 8 minutes or so.

7. When the crayons begin to melt, remove them from the oven and stir gently with a toothpick.

8. Crayon will look “ugly” and the colors may appear blended too much. Don’t worry! They look much better on the other side.

9. Let the crayons cool completely.

10. Once cooled, pop the crayons out of the muffin pan by tapping on the backside of the pan. Crayons should fall right out.

(brought to you by: kids domain)

I am famous for changing my furniture, paint and anything you can think of to make a room new again. Wall Candy Art is perfect for those who constantly have the urge to change their style. Peel and stick! You can't go wrong, if you don't like the look just change it in a matter of minutes. Even getting your kids involved in decorating their own space will be fun and make them feel proud of their own creation with out the mess. They even have a chalkboard, perfect for those small spaces where every open area is a precious section of your home, and did I mention you can bring it anywhere and everywhere to keep you kids busy? Check it out at Wall Candy Art.

In reading Aurelia Williams' Blog, I came across an entry that I know I need to work with, 5 Easy Steps to Help Build Self Esteem. So often I find myself looking down and feeling down in the dumps about certain struggles I go through, whether it be parenting, finances, work etc. there is always a part of me that forgets to remember how worth it I really am. Her 5 steps is something I know that I can benefit from everyday in my life, and although I know my self-esteem isn't always down in the dumps- following these five rules will help me stay up there and holding on to what I have and what I am. I know that when I start to look down on myself and the situations surrounding me they begin to create a ball of frustration that continues to grow and grow. I've learned that beleiveing in myself and turning things into positive outlooks I am able to turn my unwanted situation into a great one. Thanks for reminding me to think positive Aurelia!

After all the accusations about Tom and Katies baby, we finally see the pictures. I have to say, she is precious. As much as I don't like Tom Cruise, his little girl is going to be a cutie pie. In a way I feel bad for them, everyone was just hoping to see something wrong with that little girl, and now they are even saying that all the pictures were touched up. People! get over it! Although I'm sure this is what they wanted, they were featured in Vanity Fair, spoken about all over the news, and yup blogged about left and right. So they got the publicity that I'm sure they were egging on.

Now that my little girl is going on 4 years old, she seems to have REALLY matured and needs to occupy herself with more than a stuffed animal. I've started making these kits for her, they all started in small bags we had laying around. I stuff the bag with a coloring book, crayons, pencils, and blank paper. These are the perfect tools for a long drive or dinner out. But I came up with a new system that I think many people could agree this will save them tons of time, and should ONLY be used for those special times.
Create a seperate box for every "event"
1. Sick Kit: pen, paper, stuffed teddy, Nick Jr. magazine (or any magazine you think they may enjoy), Ludens Cough drops
Being sick is never going to be fun, so these simple little boxes can carry about anything you think they may need on a sick day, pen and paper to write to you if they can't talk, a teddy to cuddle with and a mag to flip through on the couch.

2.Car Kit: Maps, camera, Etch & Sketch, CD player, music and CD books, Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Coloring pages
I must stress that a road trip can literaly drive you mad! Make sure you bring a CD player so that they can listen to their own music or stories quietly. Color wonder markers or perfect for these occasions, dropping a marker or falling asleep with one in their hand won't stain a thing since they only appear on the special paper. Maps can be a fun way to mark your destinations, turn it into a game and when you enter a city or state have them choose a place to stop and take a picture of their chosen spot.

3.Dinner Kit: Maze Book, Coloring Book, Crayons, Stickers, small notebook
Going out to eat isn't always fun, play a game of tick tack toe with them - requires no concentration and it's easy to play while having a decent conversation with your spouse. Most likely dinner will be at a kid friendly place, the table cover will likely be paper - stickers and crayons will keep them busy for a while drawing their own placemat or just making doodles

These are great boxes for storing your kits.

Birth Announcements are always so hard to pick out. There is a site called babyshere that has some really adorable selections. The prices are reasonable and they even offer free shipping for bulk orders. My sister and I were just discussing shower invitations for my older sisters baby shower in November. We found a really great invite that's fun and neutral, this is the one we'll be using.