I Heart the Town & Country

This is the first time that I have announced it publicly, but I am now the proud,  slightly embarrassed, owner of a - wait for it - minivan.  I was so conflicted about the decision to leave behind my twenty-something-I'm-still-kinda-cool persona to dive head first into the soccer mom thing, but in the words of my husband, "you have two kids...who do you think you're kidding?"  (Nice, honey.  Very nice.)

So anyway, this weekend was the first time that we packed the kids, the dog, and about half of the toys in our house, into the minivan for a long weekend away, and let me tell you, that car is heaven.  I'm ready to fully declare my love.  I spend the long, 4 hour drive home yesterday, in the 3rd row, horizontal, and out like a light, while my children watched movies and my husband drove.  LOVE it.

Not to mention the stow-and-go.  Who knew there was so much wasted space in a car!  I had both the kids suitcases stored underneath their seats, along with a pillow pet, a sleeping bag, and two headrests that we took off of the bucket seats where the kids sit.

The dog slept between the kids' bucket seats, and for the most part didn't bother anyone.  The kids watched their movies, napped, and for the most part - didn't bother anyone.  I slept, and definitely didn't bother anyone.  Except maybe my husband, who might have been a little jealous, but come on now, my 5 foot frame laying in the back row is a lot more comfortable than his 6'1" frame trying to do it.  He wouldn't have liked it anyway. ;)

So anyway, there you have it.  I heart my minivan.  Love being up high, love that the doors open by themselves, love that on a road trip we all have plenty of space to relax, and love the storage.  I admit it.  I'm a soccer mom.  All the way.  And it's fabulous. :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I realize that my title today refers to the weather in December, however, up here in New England, that's exactly how it feels.  And by the way, how did it become the end of September already?!  I could have sworn yesterday it was July.  :/

Well, thanks to Hurricane Irene, the subsequent rain, and my flooded basement, when I went into our cedar closet to retrieve my down comforter, I realized that despite the ceder, and tupperware, it was covered in mildew.  So, off I went to the mall.  (I hate when that happens. hehe)

I had just received a $25 coupon for Pottery Barn in the mail, and in my mind, that meant my bedroom deserved a fabulous new makeover. 

So off I went with Bean for a little girl time and shopping while hubs watched football with P.  Perfect timing, in my opinion.  There's not much that can make the hubs mad while drinking beer and eating wings.  Especially if I keep things to the point and don't interrupt the game.  Hence our discussion.

Me:  "Our comforter is mildew-y and stinks.  I'm going to get a new one.  I'll take the baby."

Hubbs:  (Without even looking at me.)  "Okay, have fun."

And off I went.  Sometimes, I love football too.

Anyway, when I got back with my big Pottery Barn bag, I  wasn't even a little concerned because I got the deal of a lifetime.  Check out my new room.  (But disregard the yellow paint.  It's in need of a makeover too.  Maybe next weekend.)

Ignore the funky iphone photo...

So here is my fabulous find.  I got the Bella Paisley Duvet Cover at PB for $41.99!  Can you even believe that!  It was marked down (even though I just saw it in the catalogue I got 2 days ago for full price) and I had my coupon.  Then I hit TJMaxx on my way home and scored an Eddie Bauer Down Alernative Comforter for $20 out of pocket (I had a credit too...), and finally I popped by Target for some wrapping paper and fell upon that super comfy smokey blue blanket for $26.  Woo hoo!  A whole new bed for under $100.  LOVE it!  It is soooo warm, which is fab since it's currently 50 degrees and rainy outside.  I am so enjoying the feel of fall with the bright duvet colors, and how inviting it looks.  (Especially on 3-4 hours of sleep.)

Now, my goal is to keep my kids from peeing, puking, pooping, or eating in it.  And the dog too.

Ha!  Wish me luck...

My New Gig

So, I have sort of been neglecting my blog lately.  Not on purpose.  Just lots of stuff going on around here.  I went back to work last week.  (If you don't know, I teach math at our local college.  Only a few hours a week.  At night.  It's my quiet time, and Daddy's bedtime and bath night.  :D)  I've been on the search for a new car, the kid's fall activities have begun, and I got a new gig.  So what am I doing?  Well thanks for asking.  I am now the social media admin for ODIZ Baby Supply.

I am THRILLED to be a part of this awesome company that is owned and run by a fabulous mama, who only stocks brands that she trusts and would use with her own little ones.  When I spoke with Christine, the owner, about reviewing her site on my blog, one thing turned to another, and now I am not only keeping up with her Facebook and Twitter accounts, but I'm also writing for the ODIZ "Let's Talk Baby Stuff" Blog.   It is such a fantastic job for me.  It takes a handful of my favorite things and puts them all together.  I get to blog, FB, & Tweet about baby products that I love and use with P and Bean.  Amaze-Balls!

So come on over to the ODIZ Facebook page and like us.  As soon as ODIZ hits 150 fans, we will do a giveaway and/or a promo code.  Leave us a comment and let us know what you'd like to see us do to celebrate!

How I Keep My Babies With Me All the Time

If you are a parent, you know that the hardest thing in the world to do is to leave your children.  Even when I am at the end of my rope, and feel like I can't handle another minute, I still love my kids more than I ever knew I could love.  Even when I wait for my husband to get home so I can dash out the door and have 20 minutes of peace at the grocery store, the second I am alone in my car, I miss my babies.

Right before P was born, my husband gave me a super sweet gift.  You see, he has this tradition of leaving a Tiffany box in the tree every Christmas.  (I know, he is amazing. :) )  We hadn't shared P's name with anyone, but we had decided what it would be, and so he gave me this Letter Lock Charm.

 

I am crazy about this necklace!  Of course, since then he has given me a C for Bean's name, but they both hang on the necklace together and I really love how they look.  I get tons of compliments on them and pretty much wear it everywhere, everyday.  It might sound silly, but having these charms that represent my children makes me feel like I always have them close.  Plus, they are super unique.  There are definitely some designs from Tiffany & Co. that I think are way over used.  I get that having a recognizable symbol is important for some people, but I prefer to have something a little out of the ordinary.

Well, the newTiffany catalogue arrived the other day, and now I have my eye on another way to keep my kids close to my heart...check these out.  (Psssst, hubby, hiiinnnntttt ;) ).

I love how classy and simple these pendants are.  They come in gold as well, which is REALLY pretty, but since I need two, if I want to stand a chance of getting these, I should probably ask for silver.  (Ahem, hint, ahem).

So I'm curious, what's on your holiday list?  Or better yet, what is on your child's holiday list?  (P of course has a list of about 4,000 things.  If there is a commercial for it, he wants it.  I think he thinks that Santa is rich.  Sorry, P.  Not the case. ;) )

Disney Dreams

I have been waiting for this day for the past 3 weeks.  Why, you ask???  Because today was the day that I could finally apply to be a part of the Walt Disney World Mom's Panel.  In case you didn't know, I am a Disney FREAK.  I truly believe that Disney is the happiest place on earth, and if the hubs would allow it, I would probably move there.  For-EVER.  But anyway, our bi-annual trips are a good second...for now.  I have big plans to retire to Celebration, FL, but that's a post for another day.  Anyway, this morning, I applied to become a panelist along with 19,999 other hopefuls.  I won't hear anything back from Disney unless they would like me to move on to the next round of interviews, and if they did contact me, it wouldn't be until the week of November 14.  Yup - two months from now.  Sooooo, while I wait, I've decided to share with you a little montage of my favorite WDW memories from the past 6 years or so.  (I've spared you the pics of me with my bowl haircut circa 1992.  Ugh!  Thanks again, Mom ;) )

Row 1 L-R:  Our honeymoon at the Grand Floridian, Sporting Our Yoda Backpacks at Hollywood Studios, Family Trip with mom and sis, P’s first trip @ the Playhouse Disney Show.

Row 2 L-R:  P’s first trip asleep with Baby Mickey, P and Pregnant me 2009, P and very pregnant me @ Beaches & Cream, Bean’s First Trip Dinner with the Princesses.

Row 3 L-R:  Chef Mickeys for Bean’s First Time, P and his best Buddy Celebrating P’s birthday, Bean excited for the People Mover, Bean as Princess Minnie.

Row 4 L-R:  Bean letting her inner Tink out, P loving Mickey, P becoming a Pirate, Bean with Mickey hands.

And we have our winners!

Congrats to commenters #3, Christine Thomas, and #2, Monet B.! Please shoot me an email to receive your prize!

A HUGE thank you to Melissa Martins for hosting this amazing giveaway! Please don't forget to check out her website @ www.MaryKay.com/MelissaMartins.

Winners were chosen using www.random.org.

My Little World Traveler

My hubby and I love to travel.  Before we had kids we were constantly going to new places and planning new trips.  We decided that when we had kids, we weren't going to stop traveling.  As a matter of fact, we decided that we would take our little ones anywhere we went and we would start them young so that they would be used to it.  That's why our little man, who is only 3 1/2, has already been to Hawaii, California, Florida, and many states in between.  He knows the drill with airport security and has his shoes off before we reach the x-ray belt.  He knows what the seat belt sign on the plane means, and when it's okay to put down his seat-back tray, and he knows that the nice lady or gentleman who walks down the airplane aisle will bring him an apple juice if he asks nicely.  :)

The only thing we haven't done with our munchkins is leave the country.  Honestly, it isn't for a lack of desire, it more like we really shouldn't be spending half as much money on travel as we do, and adding another $300 + to the trip to get both kids passports, never really seemed worth it.

Well, that has all changed.  We gave in and planned a trip to Aruba, so off to Town Hall & the post office we went to get the kids set up.

Yesterday, P's passport arrived.  He was so excited that he wouldn't put it down.  This is how nap time went at our house...

(I Love Instagram!)

Don't worry, as soon as I took this picture I took his passport and put it in a safe place.  Luckily he didn't seem to think about it when he woke up.  (My only concern is that Bean's birth certificate and passport have yet to materialize in my mail box...)

So now, the world's the limit, literally. Where to next?  I'm thinking Disney World Paris...or maybe the French Riviera...or maybe both! ;)