Master Bedroom Redo on the Cheap Part 1

Thank you to everyone for your great suggestions on bedding last week.  While torn between my two faves from Crate & Barrel and West Elm, we went on a little family excursion to Target and fell head over heels.

Dwell Studio's designs have always been some of my favorites.  Ellie almost ended up with a Dwell Studio bedding set instead of Serena & Lily and Madeline's nursery is filled with Dwell Studio accents.  Dwell Studio at Target?   Freaking awesome.

As we made our way to pick up a pack of size 4 Huggies All Natural diapers we stopped in our tracks.  There was the perfect bedding.  And like the most fabulous outfit, it is only enhanced by the accessories.

Unfortunately I am unable to save images from Target's site so I will just describe and link each item.  But hurry because this set is flying off the shelves!

We have a queen bed but are sick of the blankets never being long enough so we opted for the Flora Comforter Set in a King.  The comforter and two shams are reversible to the aqua link pattern on the back.  We used the one king pillow sham on the reverse side to tie in the pattern.

Three pillows in various textures (the Medallion, the Lattice and Chocolate Rosettes) are the accents and we also purchased two standard shams from the Home Crinkle Collection in chocolate brown.  We may add the chocolate crinkle quilt, too, but are still deciding.

Total for all bedding?  $225

Now I'm shopping for art/wall accessories and curtains.  The new furniture will be here in less than two weeks and (after a little steaming to get the pesky wrinkles out of our new bedding) our makeover on the cheap will be complete.

What do you think of the new bedding?

wordless wednesday: Just Jump! { for my love }

What do you do on a lazy Sunday afternoon?

Just jump!

A Family of Addicts

It all began about 20 years ago.  The pebbles were poured, the milk splashed into the bowl and I was hooked.  The white milk changing to chocolate?  That was the cherry on top.

I have been thoroughly enjoying Cocoa Pebbles for as long as I can remember.  They were my breakfasts, after school snacks, pregnancy cravings and addiction.  Of all the chocolaty things to be addicted to, you could do worse.  They are filled with vitamins and minerals, gluten free and when milk is added, an excellent source of calcium.

Ryan and I will be married for seven years this June.  On our first grocery shopping trip as husband and wife, Cocoa Pebbles were in our cart.  We have had them in our home almost everyday since. 

A few weeks ago Ryan tried them.  Every night since then he fixes himself a little snack of pebbles while watching the DVR'd show of the day.

Now Ellie has caught on to the trend.  The girl would not eat a bowl of cereal for the longest time.  She liked Cheerios and she liked milk.  She did not like them mixed.  When she asked to try a bite I said sure, convinced she would say BLAH! and spit them out.

So not the case.

Ellie loves Cocoa Pebbles.  She asks for them for dessert.  Little Mads?  She's a fan, too, though she has only had a few dry pebbles at a time.

My best kept secret that was really never meant to be a secret is out.  And I'm buying boxes two at a time cause these suckers are going fast.


Does your family have a shared addiction?

I love four.

Four is amazing. 

Elizabeth's switch flipped somewhere around 18 months.  She entered the terrible two's and we waited and waited for the day the switch would flip back. 

It finally has.

Last year we heard, "I WANT!" and "GIVE ME!" with the please being added after the "are we using our manners today?" reminder.

Now?  "I love you as big as the solar system!" and "Are you proud of me today?  Was I a good big girl?"

Dude.  This is what we have been waiting for. 

Sure there were fun times in the two years, lots of them.  It wasn't all demands shouted and running in the opposite direction when the T word was mentioned.  (The T word is tights if you are a new reader)

But right now we are in a love fest.  An approval-seeking, parent-pleasing, preschooler love fest.  And I never want it to end. 

Forevermore - Katie Herzig

You could be my white night

And I could be your fairy tale

And you could come and save me

But that is not the end

 

I will wear will wear a white dress

You will paint a sunset

Life will be a love fest

That’s how it all begins

Say say, oh playmate

Come out and play with me

And bring your dollies three

Climb up my apple tree

Slide down my rainbow

Into my cellar door

And we’ll be jolly friends

Forever more

For those of you in the 2's and 3's thinking it will be "terrible" forever, have hope! If you have an older child and the next awful phase is waiting for me, I'm plugging my ears and singing la-la-la. I want our love fest to last forever.

The Big Girl AND Boy Room: A Master Bedroom Makeover

Here's the scene:

A serene nursery is decorated with soft, minimalist Charlotte Serena & Lily bedding.  A custom mural was painted on the wall and is the perfect compliment to a hand-made bird mobile.  Cherry furniture and a white brocade Little Castle glider finish the room.

The big girl room is bright and cheery.  Pottery Barn Kids bedding lays atop the feminine Stanley Young America bed.  Every corner is decorated with flower hooks, wall stickers, bookshelves.  Flower balls hang from the ceiling over the picturesque doll house. 

The third bedroom, also known as the master bedroom, has nothing hanging on the walls.  Mismatched nightstands sit on either side of a bed with no headboard.  An Ikea dresser now serves as a stand for the television.  The chair, ottoman and floor lamp were part of a living room set in a city condo and were demoted to the bedroom during the big move.

Does the master bedroom sound depressing?  Well it pretty much is.  But it didn't used to be.  Before we had kids we had a beautiful bedroom set that only worked because of the second bedroom condo closet and was too large to allow room for a co-sleeper.

That set was sold and new furniture was purchased, less bulky furniture.  But the floor to ceiling wardrobe had to be left behind because it wouldn't fit out of the bedroom door.  After the move our headboard would bang against the wall every time we rolled over so that was removed for a good night's rest.

Somehow our room became the neglected on while every other space is decorated down to the curtain tie-backs.  But we are ready to spruce it up.  I think we have the furniture figured out but we are having trouble deciding on bedding.  Here's what we have so far:

The walls are painted Sherwin Williams Moody Blue.  We have painted since moving in.

We currently have while damask bedding from Pottery Barn and we're just tired of it. We need a pattern, something fun. A few things have caught our eye...

West Elm
 

Ellie suggested a dandelion bedding set.  We opened the West Elm catalog and there one was.  Not sure if I'm sold on it though. ;)

Pottery Barn

Crate & Barrel

 Restoration Hardware

What do you think?  Are any of these jumping out at you?  Have any other suggestions on places to look for big girl and boy bedding?

Save All My Children!

Credit

When Ryan nonchalantly walked in and spouted out news of All My Children, my beloved soap, being cancelled my reaction was a little more severe than he anticipated.

"Oh, yeah, what will you do during nap time?" was his remark.  But it's more than that.

I have been watching All My Children since birth.  Coming home from kindergarten, we ate lunch and AMC was on.  In middle school and high school we would catch up on Pine Valley during Christmas and Summer Vacations. 

My grandma was ahead of her time.  She used her VCR+ to record her soaps and would replay them at night.  Many visits were spent swimming all day in the southwest sun, shopping and then eating homemade goodies while laying on our tummies watching All My Children.

In college, I couldn't believe my luck when I had a midday break.  My friends and I would grab sandwiches to go and eat in our room with AMC on in the background.

Then came the invention of the DVR and the SOAP Network and daytime TV was accessible to the masses.  All My Children was on while I was in labor with Elizabeth and was worth staying awake for during the newborn haze.  Having early risers is not the only reason naps in Ellie-Town start at noon.

AMC has been gracing our screens for over 40 years.  It's more than a show or a way to pimp products to stay-at-home moms.  We have all seen the power of social media, consider this your call to action!

Here's what you can do to save All My Children:

Sign the petition HERE.

Contact ABC HERE.

Write, call or e-mail:

All My Children
Prospect Studios
4151 Prospect Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027

ABC comment line: 818- 460-7477 (Listen to the prompts and then press 255 for AMC) Messages are 30 seconds in length.


Brian Frons
President, ABC Daytime
2300 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91506

E-Mail: Brian.frons@abc.com
Brian Fron's direct office line: 818-460-7020

AMC Publicist Michael A. Cohen 818-460-7128.

Julie Hanan Carruthers, Executive Producer
E-Mail: julie.carruthers@abc.com

Anne Sweeney
President, ABC Television
ABC Studios
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank CA 91521

Anne Sweeney direct office line: 818 460-7700

E-Mail: Anne.x.Sweeney@email.Disney.com


I realize we aren't solving the world's problems or curing cancer here but let's keep a daytime tradition going.  And maybe get some new writers on board to liven things up a bit?


Are you a die-hard soap fan?  Tell us - what is your daytime addiction? 

Cousins {wordless wednesday}

These girls may live almost 500 miles apart, but when they are together?  They're besties.

There is one more cousin but Baby A is only 9 months old and not into picking flowers and playinng in the Barbie House just yet. 

If it rolls like a bike...

We are home! 

This past weekend we traveled to celebrate birthdays with Ryan's families.  Ellie and her cousin are 1 year and 2 weeks apart.  Gifts were carefully selected on both sides.  Ellie received new things for her Elizabeth Doll collection and we gave a few American Girl gifts, too.

Abby got big girl bedding from her parents and from her grandparents, a balance bike.  Balance Bikes* seem to have come out of nowhere and are getting super popular.  The theory is that you give a preschooler a bike without wheels that they can scoot and eventually coast on, when they get their first real two wheeler no training wheels are needed.

Three year old Abby wasn't filled in on this concept.  As her orange Strider bike was wheeled out as the big surprise, she was squealing with excitement until -

Until she noticed there were no pedals.

"Oh no!  My bike doesn't have any pedals!" she cried.

Ellie was sitting next to her and unfamiliar with the balance bike concept as well.  Seeing her cousin upset she leaned over and said, "It's OK, Abby!  At least it has wheels!"

But before long Abby was scooting around and even beginning to coast.  Pedals or not, the bike was a hit.


Does your child have a balance bike?  We missed the window with Ellie but Mads might love one next year.  What do you think?

*Balance Bikes are frequently listed at BabyDealsDujour.com  for up to 50% off!

That time the cops came.

Monday through Thursday we get up every morning and have somewhere to be.  Preschool, Gymboree, dance class, the morning commitments go on and on.  Fridays are our lazy days.  Our days to stay in pj's til noon, watch Sesame Street and snuggle. 

One particular Friday I hopped in the shower around 10:30 am.  When I emerged from the steam, Madeline was not a happy camper in her Pack N Play.  I put on clean "lounge wear," threw my towel on my head and let her out.  Our bedroom is fairly baby proofed so I let her wander while I moisturized, brushed my teeth and then

BEEP! BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

What the -? 

I glance over to see Madeline holding my keys.  It took another second to realize she had just pushed the panic button on my key chain.  For the house alarm.  I frantically yank the keys out of her hand and hit the OFF button.

Beeping continues.

I run over to the key pad and enter the code.  Phew, beeping stops.  Halfway finished with my walk back to the bedroom, I hear someone talking.  Seriously confused, I walk towards the voice.  She is coming out of our alarm keypad asking for our password.

Crap.

We narrowed it down to two passwords a few weeks ago.  Was it Alpha or Omega?  I hope for the best and say Alpha.

"Thank you."  Click.  No time to tell her that I wasn't 100% sure that was the right one, it could have been Omega.  But she seemed pleasant and hung up so I must have got it right.

Still with a towel on my head, I grab our cordless phone on the way back to the bedroom to call my mom.

"You would never believe what just happened!  Madeline just hit the panic button and the alarm went off and then the alarm lady was on the phone asking for the password!  I think I gave the right one, oh wait, hang on there's someone at the door."

I look out the window and see two police officers. 

"Um, Mom?  The cops are here, gotta go."

Now would be the appropriate time to tell you that the towel is still on my head.  The kitchen is a mess and there are toys everywhere.  The girls are still in their pajamas at 11 am and the cops don't think my story of the 18 month old pushing the key chain panic button is one bit cute or funny.

After I show them my license and apologize a few hundred times, they finally leave. 

Once the humiliation fades and I call to verify that you only get charged after you 3rd false alarm, I'm thrilled with the test run.  In less than 5 minutes we had a call to check in and the cops come.  Hey, I think that's a success!


Have you had the pleasure of a visit from your friendly officers? 

4 is the new 16 {wordless wednesday}

Ellie has a new ride courtesy of Nonna, Poppa and Auntie. 



The first time we turned on the real working FM radio, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" came on.  So appropriate.  Then every time they hit the gas, they screamed at the top of their lungs. 

Who wants a ride next?

Dear 18 month old Madeline Claire,



Madeline Claire 1 year ago.



How did you get so grown up?

The changes in the last six months are amazing.  Your curls have come in, you have teeth (!), you are an effective communicator, a dancer and a drama queen.

You use your words thoughtfully and have a wide vocabulary.  You say, "Here you go!" when you hand us a book, a tissue, an empty cup, etc.  When asked a yes or no question you answer with an enthusiastic "Yeah!" or a huge shake of the head. 

Dancing might be in your future.  Peaking through the two-way mirror during Ellie's dance class is one of your favorite things and you know every step of her recital routine and can do it beside her to the music.  {we really need to get this on video!}



Talking on the phone is another one of your faves.  You grab a cordless phone off of a counter, table, wherever and hand it to me and say a name.  Usually it's your favorite person, Poppa.  I don't know what it is about Poppa but you are smitten. 

There is a photo album of mine from college that is filled with photos of friends and vacations.  Buried in the middle is one photo of Poppa.  You carry this 5x7 album around all over the house and in your sweet voice say, "Poppppppaaaa?  Oh, Poppa?" and start flipping through the pages.  When you arrive at his page you squeal, "POPPA!  MWAH!" and give his pic a big kiss.  So cute!



Madeline Claire now, 18 months old.



Because I am horrible about writing in baby books, I'm sticking it here - you are 32" long and 24 pounds.  75th percentile for height and 40th percentile for weight - long and lean, Dr. B said, just like your mama.  Ha!

But back to you, animals sounds and body parts are your current party tricks.  When we read "Counting Kisses," which we do every night, and get to the chin part you go "Cheeeese!" like we are going to take your picture. 

After a bath a few months ago we put you in a frog towel and then held you up to the mirror.  You giggled and said, "Ribbit!" like the exorcist.  Every other animal is in your adorable high pitch baby voice except the frog - RIBBIT.

We could gush on and on about you, Madeline Claire.  The fact is you are a fun loving, easy going gal.  If we tell you no or say your name in a stern voice you cover your face with your hands and look all embarrassed.  It's adorable and endearing at the same time.

We love you so much and can't remember a time a little over a year and a half ago when you weren't with us.  Happy 18 months!

xoxo

Rear-facing vs Forward-facing - the carseat debate

Parenting is like whitewater rafting.  You are constantly navigating, taking information and recommendations that are continually shifting and changing then you make the best decision you can at the time.

Carseats are one of the {many} things that are a challenge to navigate.  There is the law, and then there are recommendations.

When Ellie turned one, there was not this huge deal made about 'rear-facing as long as possible.'  You turned your child forward when they hit one year and 20 pounds. 
Now people talk about keeping their 3 even 4 year olds rear-facing and I had to wonder, is this the new thing?  Making your own organic baby food and using organic cloth diapers isn't enough.  Now we need to somehow fold a child's legs like Origami to keep them facing backwards?  Seriously?

Our pediatrician is a realist.  She's a mom of two and knows how stressful driving is when your child is facing the opposite direction.  Dr. B told me not to feel bad about switching Madeline forward at 18 months if getting her into the car is a struggle or you find yourself distracted trying to tend to her needs in the car.  Because a distracted driver is less safe than having your child forward facing.

But here's the thing, Madeline doesn't fight going into the carseat.  And she doesn't complain so I'm not distracted.  With an impending road trip where having both children facing the same direction so they can easily view their favorite tv shows would be really nice, I went searching for information about WHY rear-facing is so important.


Why is rear-facing so important?  According to Carseat.org:

Babies have heavy heads and fragile necks. The neck bones are soft, and the ligaments are stretchy. If the baby is facing forward in a frontal crash (the most common and most severe type of crash), the body is held back by the straps, but the head is not. The head is thrust forward, stretching the neck. Older children and adults wearing safety belts may end up with temporary neck injuries. But a baby's neck bones are soft and actually separate during a crash, and the spinal cord can tear. It's like yanking an electrical plug out of a socket by the cord and breaking the wires.
In contrast, when a baby rides facing rearward, the whole body--head, neck, and torso--is cradled by the back of the safety seat in a frontal crash. Facing rearward also protects the baby better in other types of crashes, particularly side impacts.


When should a child switch from rear-facing to forward-facing?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says: When they are too big for rear-facing in their convertible seats. Most kids are 2 or 3 years old when they are too big. "Too Big" means either too tall or too heavy.

Too Tall: If head is within one inch of the top of the child safety seat.
Too Heavy: If child is 30 or 35 pounds--it depends on which seat you have.

The Car Seat Lady states that, according to research, a small child is 5 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed in a car crash if they are forward-facing.

After sharing this information with Ryan, we have decided to follow the 'as long as possible' recommendation.  Madeline still meets the height and weight requirements and getting into her carseat is not one of the times she throws her trademark baby fit.

For more information about carseats and forward vs rear-facing, visit:
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Carseat.org
HealthyChildren.org

Is your toddler still rear-facing? When did you make the switch?

We :heart: Modern Frills!

Modern Frills was first introduced to me when Ellie was featured as a real life cool kid on The Cool Kids Blog.  One of Betsy's picks for Ellie was this vintage inspired Hello Kitty tank. 

So adorable!  After a quick look around the Modern Frills Etsy Shop...

I knew I had found the place for the girls' party shirts.  Kristina's knack for coordinating patterns and her ability to work {extremely!) patiently on custom orders made her my obvious choice.

After much internal debate, these are the shirts we decided on:

Ellie wore a vintage inspired Hello Kitty tee and Madeline wore a monogram M shirt in the same hot pink and light pink scrolly pattern. 

When placing the order I was a little worried that Madeline was going to get the short end of the stick with just a M and not a Hello Kitty but I absolutely love how her shirt turned out.  Paired with a ruffled Baby Gap skirt with built in leggings, she couldn't have been cuter.  Ellie wore funky tights with a light pink pettiskirt and her favorite Lelli Kelly's. 

I cannot rave enough about Modern Frills.  Kristina's unique take on special occasion shirts will definitely keep me coming back!

For more information about Kristina and Modern Frills you can visit her blog or her Etsy Shop.

Wordless Wednesday: Birthday Ballet

Last 'Ellie is 4' post - promise!

Ellie's real day fell on a dance class day.  To celebrate with her friends, Nonna made Hello Kitty cupcakes to pass out at class.

They were boxed and wrapped tight to enjoy at home after class. 

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Those aren't your knuckles!

A while back I talked about my love of Parents As Teachers.  Part of the program is a screening every six months (birthday and half birthday months) to make sure your child is on track.  In the past they have used the Denver Screening but recently just switched to a more in depth test.

The Denver Screening was fine, but it was a tad out of date.  There were black and white sketches of animals and since Ellie was 18 months old she has said the black and white spotted dog was a cow.  Every six months Sara points to the dog and Ellie says, "That's a cow."

The next part of the test Sarah said things like, "Which animal flies?  Which animal gallops?" Then she would ask, "Which animal barks?" and Ellie would reply, "Sara, none of those animals bark." And Sara and I would giggle.

If we thought that was funny, we had no idea what was coming next.

Last week Ellie took the new standarized test for the first time.  After she had counted, sorted and stacked her blocks, skipped, jumped on one foot and drew shapes, we arrived at the last section of the test.  Body parts.  Sara and I giggled together as Madeline tried to point to her forehead, wrist, knee, elbow and ankle along with Ellie.

Then came the last part to name.  Sara said, "Show me your knuckles."

I immediately knew that Ellie didn't have a clue what that meant.  We hadn't taught her about knuckles so unless it was a random thing learned at preschool, it would be a wrong answer.  After explaining to Sara that we hadn't gone over that yet I glance over to Ellie and was shocked at what I saw.

She had the neck of her shirt pulled down and was pointing to her nickels. 

(click here if you need a refresher on what nickels are, but I'm sure you probably have it figured out)

Sara, already in on that Ellie-ism, looked at me and we laughed so hard our stomachs hurt.

"No, Ellie!  Not nickels, KNUCKLES!  KNUCKLES are where your fingers bend!  See?"

"Oh!  I thought you guys were asking to see my nickels!  I know just where those are!"

Despite that little snafu, Ellie did great on the screening.  Not to brag, but let's just say if you lined up one hundred four year olds, only 2-3 would have scored higher.  Their moms obviously did a better job enunciating the names of body parts when they were smaller.  ;)

Ellie's Hello Kitty 4th Birthday Party

It's time to P-A-R-T-Y!  Ellie is 4!!!!

Invite by Tiny Prints.

The girls are dressed in their Modern Frills tees, I'm in my vintage Hello Kitty shirt and Ryan, well it's hard to find Hello Kitty gear for guys.  But we tried!

This is our first time having a party at a place.  You have to admit, it is tempting.  They do everything.  We didn't even need to bring any decorations, cake or goodie bags - but you know we did.  ;)

Ellie wanted to be the chief party planner this year and she decided on a Hello Kitty party at her favorite exploration center.  She was so excited when we walked in the door, she couldn't help dancing.

There is an indoor playground with ball pit, water room, art studio, pretend village, train room, construction and more!

While the kids played, the staff decorated!  Goodie Bags filled with  Hello Kitty everything from the Target Dollar Spot, Hello Kitty Scrabble tile necklaces for the girls then we stuck the complimentary goodie bags down inside. (cupcake toppers and goodie bags made by Nonna)

Party hats, napkins, plates, noise makers, banner and tiara found at Party City.

After loads of playing, it was time for the Birthday Parade!  All of the kids in our group were handed instruments and we had a parade to the party room.

Twinkling lights hung above us as we dined our pizza and veggies.

What can you say about this cake other than AMAZING?!  The entire thing was edible, Hello Kitty herself was made out of rice crispy treats!  We all sang to Ellie and then after a few puffs, the candles were out.

Nothing says "I'm 4!" like a sparkling Hello Kitty tiara, right?  Ellie couldn't keep her eyes off that cake.

Chocolate - chocolate chip with oreo buttercream filling.  Yuuuuummmmmmmmm!

After we opened gifts - which gets crazier and crazier every year! - we all stayed and played until almost closing time.  Ellie had a great day and was wiped out at the end.  Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us and helped with the big 4th birthday!

Party Detail Recap:

Invitations - Tiny Prints

Girls' Party Shirts - Modern Frills (full review coming soon!)

Cake - Contact me for details

Hello Kitty Decor - Party City