Farm Fun!

We decided to take a trip to one of our local farms this weekend. Little Miss is learning about animals and all the sounds they make, so we thought this would be a fun trip to show her some of those animals in person!

Check out the ramp they built for these goats. They literally walk directly above your head! Kinda cool.... kinda scary.

My hubby thought it was cool, but he was also a little nervous! He was holding a bucket of food for the animals and I joked that the goat would leap down onto him to get the food. He slowly stepped away.. haha!

We rode in this really fun cow train that takes you all around the farm. Little Miss loved it!!

And my heart melted for these baby bunnies! They were sooo cute!!

What did you do this weekend?

My Child's Individual Sense of Style

I have to say that kids these days are very stylish. There are definite pro's and con's to this, but it seems that back-to-school shopping is the time to make a statement with what you wear! Back-to-school is right around the corner and the ads are pouring in for all the latest fashions! I have to admit that the idea of back-to-school (since I'm a teacher) can make me cringe just a little... I do get excited about the new styles, great sales, and fall fashions.

I believe that kids should be able to express themselves through their sense of style. And as a mother of a toddler I am one who knows that they start to develop this sense at a very young age! With the arguments I am facing with my 2 year old about what she should wear, I can only imagine life with a teenager!

Little Miss is such a girly girl! She loves the colors purple and pink... she loves tutu's (really, she would wear one everyday and every where she goes)... she loves shoes!!! She gets that from her mommy. But here is something rather interesting for this girl girl.... she hates dresses. She will only wear a dress when we are going to a party. She likes party dresses, but won't wear one for any other occasion.

Shopping these days have become a lot of fun because my daughter has found her voice and likes to pick out what she likes. We walk around and she points to what she likes. If it has Dora on it she wants it. If it's fluffy she wants it. and if it has sparkles she wants it. And pajamas! This girl and her pajamas. It's one of those things that your kid wants to wear all day long. You know, the item of clothing that you are embarrassed to take them out of the house in but wonder if it's worth the fight to get them changed. Ah, the stubbornness is setting in already.

I am excited to see how her style grows and changes. I am looking forward to more shopping trips and mother-daughter bonding time. I am not looking forward to the fights in the dressing room. Or the inappropriate clothes that she will fight to wear out of the house.

So make sure you browse the ads, watch the commercials, and browse the stores for your kids and yourself. Express yourself in your clothes! Have fun and be sure to get great deals!

Discover the style you want, the quality you expect and the price you love at jcpenney. new look. new day. who knew! shop our stores or online at www.jcp.com. got a question? visit our Customer Service team online at www.jcp.com/csvc.

More info on jcpenney: http://www.jcpenney.com

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here. 

10 Tips and Tricks to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables #peasandthankyou

Ahh... eating vegetables. When my daughter started to eat solid food I made a vow to myself that I would provide healthy foods for my daughter. I wouldn't be the house that was filled with cookies and potato chips. My daughter would enjoy broccoli, asparagus, peas, carrots, corn... you name it! I was going to start off right from the start by introducing her to a variety of healthy options.

Well, my daughter had other ideas. In fact, her idea was that she wasn't going to TOUCH a vegetable. Nope, not one. She would spit them out, eat around them, throw them on the floor. Whatever it took to get away with not eating them that's what she would do. So I had to get a little creative to make sure she was getting vegetables into her diet.

Here are some of my tips and tricks for getting my daughter to eat more vegetables:
1. Pouches - Plum Tots makes these veggie pouches that are basically pureed vegetable in a squeezable pouch. They are easy, quick, and so convenient on the go. And here's the best part... my daughter loves them! She can eat them independently and they are all organic and healthy.

2. Mix them in - Yup... hide them. Hide cauliflower in mashed potatoes. Hide carrots in mac and cheese. Make pasta sauce with peppers and mushrooms in them. If they are unrecognizable my daughter will usually eat them.

3. It's all in the juice - I avoided juice for as long as I could. I made it almost two full years with my daughter never tasting a sip. Then my mom ruined it for me by giving her juice at her house. Now it's what she asks for everyday. So once a day she can have some juice. Why not kill two birds with one stone and get the kind that hides the veggies right in there? My daughter doesn't even seem to notice that it tastes different!

4. Make it fun - Let your kids build things or create things with their veggies. Cucumber slices are great for stacking.

5. Let them help - Involve your kids in the food making process and they will probably be more interested in eating what you make. My daughter gets so excited to help me in the kitchen and then she's proud of what she made. She can't wait to show Dadda her yummy dish... but she has to taste it first!

6. Shop till you drop - Let your child pick out what he/she wants. Maybe you're offering something they don't like. Maybe they will be more willing to try something they picked. It's also really fun to shop with your little one when they are involved. They tend to stay more interested and thus happier!

7. Mix it up - Pick some fun and yummy sauces to go with your vegetables. Dipping things always makes them more fun and adds some flavor! I know I prefer my veggies with a ranch sauce, so maybe your kids will too!

8. Cook it up - Sometimes food tastes different when it's served hot or served with something else. My daughter eats broccoli when it's mixed with pasta, but she won't come within 10 feet if it's just raw sitting on her plate.

9. Lead by example - Don't expect your kid to eat veggies while you chow down on pizza. Eat what they're eating and let them know how yummy it is! My daughter loves to share, so we make a sharing game and mommy eats one and she eats one.

10. If at first you don't succeed - These words of wisdom are straight from my pediatrician. I was totally discouraged when my daughter wasn't getting enough veggies. He told me to keep offering. Keep them in front of her. Give several choices. It could take quite a few times before she will even taste it, but one she might and she might even like it and want it again!!

Getting your kids to eat vegetables can be tough. But getting creative, looking for great products, and being persistent will help on this journey. If you have any tips on how you get your kids to eat their veggies let me know! I am always looking for new ideas, recipes, tricks, and treats to make the most of meal time!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Peas and Thank You blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Accent Studios Review

I love decorating my home with vinyl decals. I think they look so fantastic! You can get such bold colors and great designs. But my favorites are always the quotes or sayings. A few words on a wall can say so much about you and your family. 

I was recently given the opportunity to work with Accent Studios on a review of their vinyl decals. I was given the opportunity to choose my own design. I spent a lot of time browsing their selection because they have so much to offer! They have great designs for kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, and more. I, of course, was drawn to the kids section and that's where I found the perfect decal for my daughter's nursery.

My daughter's room is a teddy bear theme and this is the decal I found...... Snuggles and Cuddles. 

This picture was taken during the installation. I have installed quite a few decals in my day and this one was the easiest and most successful. Accent Studios took an extra step to help with installation by providing guide marks. This decal came in two parts.... "Snuggles and Cuddles" was one piece and "are welcome here" was another piece. They actually provided markers on each piece so all you had to do was line them up.

The picture above illustrates the guide markers. One set was brown triangles and on the next piece all I had to do was match up the pink triangles to create the square. This made my installation so easy and my decal came out straight and even. I haven't seen this helpful trick on any other decals and I really appreciated it!

Ta-da! I love the decal! It's the perfect size to go over her dresser and the colors are so bold. I loved that I was able to choose the two colors in my design, pink and brown, and that I was able to view the design with the colors on their website. The entire process was easy and the end product is great!

I would highly recommend you check out Accent Studios. Not only do they have a great selection, but they also have really great prices. Sometimes decals can run pretty high and I felt all their prices were fair. Their site is well organized and I love how interactive it is with picking your designs and colors and being able to view it. They offer different sizes for the decals so you can fit it to your home and needs. 

Mine, Mine, Mine!

I think my daughter's new favorite word is mine. As an only child she doesn't have to share often. Whenever we have play dates she is so excited to have new friends over that she practically hands over all her toys. She just stands there and smiles as other kids play with her toys. But with mommy and daddy everything is hers. My iPad... hers. My phone.... hers. Even when I want to hug my husband she wants him all to herself!

Well, this weekend she shocked me. We went to a birthday party for one of her best little buddies. She's always an easy going kid who is just thrilled to be someplace new and play. But at this party she turned into a little monster at present time. Everything was hers! She even went so far as so rip open one of the birthday girl's presents! I know this is probably totally normal and typical of most 2 year olds. But I was so embarrassed! Where did my sweet little sharer go?

Winners!

Random.org has chosen our winners for Photo Card Creations and Plow and Hearth S'more Maker Giveaways!!

Photo Card Creations - #3 Krista

Plow and Hearth - #65 GabbyLowe

Congratulations to our winners! E-mail notifications have been sent. The winners will have 48 hours to respond or we will have to choose another winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

It's Gettin' Hot in Here!

Today we are having a heat wave! Our current temperature is 97 degrees, but it feels like 105 degrees. Woowza! I got in my car this afternoon and I couldn't even touch my steering wheel. The air felt heavy because it was so humid. Now we are home relaxing in the air conditioning, but I am not interested in cooking dinner because I don't want to heat the kitchen up!

Normally we would be out keeping cool in the pool and the sprinkler, but it's almost too hot for that! I would need to crawl into the baby pool with my daughter just to be able to stand being outside. I feel bad for keeping my little one inside all day... but I don't know what else to do. I think tomorrow we will go to the local museum. It will be air conditioned and it's something fun and different to do

What are you doing to keep cool?

Time to Vent...

Being a mom is seriously the best job in the world. There is nothing I would rather do than play with  my daughter, hold her when she cries, watch her when she sleeps. But the trouble is that you can't just be a mom. You can't devote your entire day to your child... even though they deserve it... and sometimes demand it.

My daughter is a little over two and at the age where she does play independently for periods of time and will sit and watch an episode of Mickey Mouse without a peep. But she wants me to play with her. And she gets frustrated easily. And she is always wanting things just out of reach and needs me to get it. And she tests her boundaries. And she's getting more adventurous and climbing. Yes... all these things add up to me not being able to go too far from where she is or getting to involved in any other task that requires time.

Basically I can't make phone calls... she will scream while I'm on the phone. I can't vacuum.... terrified of the vacuum. I can't take a shower... hates to be contained in the pack n play. I can't blog... she is literally hanging on my arm saying "momma" as I type this. I can't fold laundry.. it ends up all over the house as she "helps" me. I can't eat.... she wants whatever I am having.

There are a lot of things that I can't do these days. I don't mind... because time with my daughter trumps anything else. But now I have to live with the frustration that my house is a mess. I clean bathrooms at 11:00 at night when I'm exhausted. I spend way more time in my pajamas than any woman should. My husband would gladly take my daughter as soon as he gets home from work so I can clean or shower. But then I am missing the small 2 hour window that we are all together and everyone is awake.

All of this adds up to guilt, frustration, a messy house, a to-do list with nothing checked off, and unnecessary freak outs by me. Does anyone out there have any words of wisdom? How do you make it all work?

Hatley Pajamas Review and Giveaway

I absolutely adore pajamas! I am always on the look out for cute ones for my little girl. I think kids look so cozy in pj's. And I feel like they all of a sudden look younger when you get them dressed for bed. They are just so cuddly in pj's!! 

With summer fully underway we realized we were short on summer pajamas. It's been very hot and we really needed more light weight pj's. Through my searching I came across this great store called Hatley. They had an adorable selection of pajamas! So I was thrilled to be given the chance to check out a pair of their pajamas in person and tell you what I think.

While their selection is pretty big, I had no trouble picking out the perfect pair for my daughter. As soon as I saw the "Bearly Sleeping" pajamas I knew they were perfect for my daughter who adores bears. 

I am thrilled with these pajamas! The minute you feel them you know they are high quality. The material is sturdy but not heavy. The bear on the shirt is fuzzy, which my daughter loves! And there is no tag in the back to bug her, the information is printed directly on the inside of the shirt. We have worn and washed these pajamas several times and there has been so shrinking or pulling. They look brand new!

The only suggestion I would make is to maybe order up a size. I ordered a 3T because pajamas tend to be snug on my daughter. She is on the taller side, but these fit her perfectly and she just turned 2. So if you have a petite child the normal size should be fine, but if your child came out 9 pounds 11 ounces, you may want to order up.

Hatley doesn't only offer unique and stylish pajamas. They also offer a wide selection of items for women, men, boys, girls, and infants. You can find everything from sleepwear to rain gear. They even have a Gift and Kitchen section. You should check out their great aprons.

I would also recommend that you check out Hatley on Facebook and Twitter. This way you can stay up to date on products, sales, and more. 

GIVEAWAY: One Lucky Reader will win a pair of pajamas of their choice from Hatley!
 
HOW TO ENTER: Leave a separate comment for each entry and be sure to leave your e-mail address!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Become a fan of Hatley on Facebook. Please leave your facebook name (First name and last initial is fine).

EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Follow my blog
2. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry) and tweet about this giveaway (1 entry per tweet - one tweet per day and be sure to mention @HatleyStore)
3. Enter another one of my current giveaways (a list can be found top right - 1 extra entry for each one you enter!)
4. Grab my button and tell me where it is (3 entries)
5. Follow Hatley on twitter 

This giveaway is open to US and Canada.
This giveaway ends on July 29, 2011 at 5:00 pm EST. One winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by e-mail. Please respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Good Luck!

* Please note that the product(s) mentioned above were received free of charge. All opinions expressed were my own and have not been influenced in any way. Please view my disclosure policy above.