23 months

Hello!  Happy Thursday!

So yesterday, a certain little Missy turned 23 months old!

Only one more month until the big "2"....How is this possible???
A local park had a little celebration to acknowledge Mag's 23rd monthday....complete with fire trucks, a bounce house and free hot dogs....aren't they sweet???

Mags was somewhat interested in the bounce house, but was NOT interested (or really understood) standing in the line.  I wasn't too sure about the bounce house, after our last experience, but the line wasn't that long, and I thought we could give a try,
Worst case scenario, she cries and I take her out.  Other end of the spectrum, she has soooo much fun, she cries BECAUSE she has to get out.  I am pleased to say, we were right in the middle.  She seemed to somewhat enjoy it, but didn't mind leaving when her time was up.  Score!

 

She got up a cuple of times and only got trampled, once.  Then when that fun was finished, we headed over to the playground, where it was up and down, up and down, up and down the steps.  Fun!

So 23 months in general?  We're having a great time!  Mags is talking more and more everyday, she is getting more opinionated (good and tough...LOL), she is trying new things (like walking up and down the steps) and overall just amazing us on the regular.  The other day we were talking about our recent trip to my Dad's and Mags was talking about the dogs, which she has done before...but this visit, my sister brought her new puppy, Jaida and Mags didn't miss a beat.  At bath time we were singing her little song, "Rocco and Tyson, Rocco and Tyson (my Dad's dogs)"  and then she added, all by herself, "and Jaina (that's what she call the puppy)"....as I say frequently these days....this girl is too smart for her own good....LOL!

We had Mag's first 2nd birthday party this past Saturday and I will have a full post about it soon!  Mags has two more parties coming up and they work out to one party a month...what a lucky girl!

On to the last month as a one year old, little silly one!  Love you the mostest ever!!!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Monday Ramblings

Hello everyone!  Happy Monday!

I will have some major updates for you soon, (crossing things off the Sand Pail List and the first 2nd birthday party) but for now, a few randoms for your Monday.

A few "Maggie-isms:
Tryandscoop= Fork or spoon...she can say spoon, but it's mostly "spoom"
Greem= green
When you ask what color something is, the first response it always blue...she knows other colors, but blue is always her first guess.
The other day she pointed out that her sheets are "polky dot".
She can now count in the twenties, but she still skips 13, 16 and 19.
The alphabet is getting better, but "DEF" are still missing.
She got magnetic letters, that we put on the refrigerator, and the minute she saw them, she said "ABC's Mommy!".

We are still trying to save money as much as possible.  I am still couponing and looking for deals wherever I can find them.  We are also taking a hard look at our monthly expenses and trying to determine if there is anything we can count down on there.  One thing that really hurts is paying for insurance.  I am going to start looking around for a free insurance quote to see if there is anyway we can get the same coverage for cheaper.  We shall see!   

Oh and if I could win this, it would be awesome!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you are having a great day!

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Review: Pinterest for Dummies

Hello!  Well I think that it has been fairly well documented that I am a Pinterest fan.  I think that it is a wonderful site and I WISH that I had thought of the idea first.  The website is so addicting and you can spend A LOT of time just perusing pins and "pinning" away....not that I would know anything about that.

But on the other hand, there are some people out there that might not know about Pinterest, and to help,  there is "Pinterest for Dummies" by Kelby Carr.

So what is this book all about?  Basically, it gives you the insight into what Pinterest is (a virtual pinboard) and how to navigate it well.  It gives you the basics, like how to request an invitation and then how to find friends on other social media sites.  It then discusses how to create boards and organize your pins. 
The book then goes on to explain that one of the best things about Pinterest is that it is constantly changing and updating, and there is never a lag in new ideas and things to discover.  The book then shows how there are many ways to interact, whether you are commenting or "liking" a pin.
I think one of the best parts of the book is that it explains very simply how to Pin from a website, which can be a little confusing in the beginning.

Another interesting aspect of this book, is how it explains how to utilize Pinterest to self promote.  Specifically for me as a blogger, if I feel like I have a post or idea that other people would find helpful or interesting, I can use Pinterest to get that info out onto the web in another venue!
Finally, I really enjoyed the chapter on Pinterest etiquette. Some people may not realize that there is a certain protocol when it comes to pinning and re-pinning.    

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found it very helpful.  Even though Pinterest is something that I felt I knew a lot about, I learned a lot of new information!

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of "Pinterest For Dummies" for review, but all opinions are mine!  

Monday Mingle

Hello!  Happy Monday!  Hope that everyone had a great weekend and a marvelous Father's day. 

We had a great weekend, but before I share, I have some catching up to do.  So the other day I finally shared our Summer Sand pail List, and even though it's only the 18th of June, we have already crossed a few things off!

The first thing we accomplished was #4 Find a new park.
We went on a park play date to a brand new park on 6/8.  It was a little farther than I had realized, but it was still a nice park.  It had some nice equipment, but there was little to no shade and it was very sunny that day.  They did have some fun bouncy cars and planes that Mags really enjoyed!

 

I called this one "Driving Miss Maggie"...I know the hat is too big, but the ones that are supposed to fit are too small, so she has to wear a "big girl" hat, that is still a little too big...LOL

Then that weekend we accomplished #3 Visit a Zoo (6/9).

We went to the beach for the weekend and that put us about 30 minutes away from the Cape May Zoo.  It is a wonderful zoo and park area, and we had a great time!

Yes, her shirt says, "Let's go to the Zoo"...I couldn't resist it, it was adorable and $4 at Kohl's....LOL

Mags did really well!  She went back and forth from wanting to walk, to wanting to be in the stroller, and I think we got a little glimpse into what our Disney future looks like....baby leash here we come...LOL.  I loved that the zoo was really well covered and it helped a lot with the sun and heat.  They had a lot of really interesting animals and it was a lot more extensive than I had initially thought.  We will definitely be making more trips back!!!

So that's 2 down....23 more adventures to go!

Have a great rest of your day!!!

PS: I've been having some problems with my blog design and honestly, if we ever win the lottery I would love to go back to school and learn more about it.  I mean there is so much out there, like HTML, jquery sliders, font and color combos...I'm so in over my head.  I guess I will just have to mess around and see what I can do...rant/.

  

Wordless Wednesday: I promise, I do NOT put Lipstick on my child...

Summer 2012 Sand Pail List

Hello!  Happy Tuesday! 
So I decided to do a Summer "Bucket List" this year...but I'm calling it a Sand Pail list (unfortunately, the fill-in printable I could find was not editable in regards to the name...so whatever....LOL).  Just a list of things that I want us to do this summer.  No pressure, just some fun things that I think we can do, and of course some things that are already planned! 

Also unfortunate, I couldn't post the actual list but here is a pic, and I listed the activities and added the links to some of the DIY items.....

Go on a Picnic
Make Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas
Visit a Zoo
Find a New Park
Go to the Pool
Finger Painting
Make Cookies
Go to a Parade
Play with Sidewalk Chalk & Bubbles
Attend an Outdoor Concert
Go to a Farmer's Market
Make frozen yogurt pops
Feed the ducks
Make an edible necklace
Attend a Carnival/Fair
Make Water Dropper Art
Visit a Museum
Attend a Riversharks Baseball Game
Go to a Movie
Make/Play with Cloud Dough
Attend a Cookout
Make Lightened Dirt Dessert
4th of July Fun
Celebrate Maggie's Bday!!!!
GO TO DISNEY!!!!!!!


Lots of fun ideas to do over the summer days! As for today, not going to be able to do much since it is raining cats and dogs, with no end in sight.  Oh well, guess we'll just have to cuddle up with a movie...."101 Dalmatians" anyone???

Hope you're having a great day!

Tuesday Tidbits

Hello, happy Tuesday!  Hope that this finds you well!!!

Just stopping in with some things...

First, 74 more days....

Second, I just finished "Carry the One" by Carol Anshaw, and I highly recommend it.  I wouldn't consider it a light, beach read, but it was really good.  The plot is really interesting and I like how she cycled through the narrators, to show the story over time from different perspectives.

I returned it to the library today (yep, kicking it old school) and I had four more books to pick up that I had put on hold.  I don't think I am going to post a summer reading list, but I will keep you updated as I finish the books, and let you know what I recommend.
Next up to read is, "These Girls" by Sarah Pekkanen....

Third, my sister came to me the other day asking some questions about credit cards. I was honest with her and said that I am really the last person that should be giving credit card advice.  I am not a big fan of credit cards and we don't really use them right now.  My advice to her was to have one credit card, to establish good credit and pay it off every month.  Hope she listens!

And finally, this...

 

Picnic at the Park on Sunday

Hope you're having a great day!!!

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22 months

Happy Monday!  Hope you are having a great day!!!

Last Friday, May 27th, Mags turned 22 months old. Only a couple more weeks till she turns TWO!  Not to beat a dead horse, but come on....time is seriously flying by!!!!

What a difference a year makes!  This time last year, Mags wasn't even crawling yet...And now, well...

- You are talking up a storm!  I would say 40% is still gibberish, but you just love chatting, so you don't mind too much that we have no idea what you're going on about.  As long as we listen and pay attention, you are tickled.  As for the rest, it seem like everyday you have new words that you like to try out.  We actually have conversations now and you are stringing the words into sentences...
- You love to run.  Sometimes it looks more like skipping or galloping, but it is fast!  You love being chased, but most of the time you just turn around and let the person get you, or run TOWARDS them.  You are silly!!!
-Books are still your fave.  Right now, "Princess Baby" is in the rotation, because you lvoe saying at the end, "I AM.......Princess Baby!".  You also love "Winken, Blynken and Nod", "Snuggle Puppy" and "Planting a Rainbow".  You still LOVE to be read to, and you also love sitting with your books and reading to yourself!
- Still loving Mickey....still refusing to say Minnie!  The 2nd birthday party has been officially switched from Minnie themed to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Your first birthday party is coming up in less than three weeks, and plans are underway!!
- Still eating just about everything.  Still not the hugest fan of veggies and the other day I made a tuna salad wrap for you with avocado and tomato.  You ate every speck of tuna, half the avocado and picked out every miniscule piece of tomato you could find....stinker!
- Your little memory is really good!  Every time we go to the grocery store you ask for cheese, and it doesn't matter if we are passing the deli, meat or fish counter, you ask until we pass them or you get some cheese!!!
- The new word is "no".  You used to say "all done" when you didn't want to do something, and now you just say no. We have had some issues with mini-meltdowns and for the most part we aren't sure what they were all about.  We think there might be some communication issues and that you get confused with what we are telling you, and then you get upset that it wasn't what you thought it was....

Ex) The other day we said we were going to take a ride to get some yogurt.  You were excited, but when we went to put you in the car you flipped out.  Looking back, we think you might associate rides with the stroller and you thought we were walking to Dairy Queen or something like that.  Needless to say once you had your yogurt, you were very happy.
So lately we have tried to be more specific and say, "Ok, let's go on a car ride" or just "Let's go in the car!"

 

Maggie, you are such a joy to spend time with little one.  You are so pleasant and fun, the majority of the time.  We are truly blessed to have you in our lives! 

Randoms

Hello there!  Hope you are having a great day!

Just stopping in on this great Saturday with some randoms that have been making me smile lately....

We set the dates for Maggie's three birthday parties, and I am so excited to get planning.  One of the parties is in three weeks, so I am a little under the gun on that one to get things moving.  We decided to do favors instead of goodies bags, and I think this is a better idea, in general!  I was thinking maybe a decorative Mickey Mouse cookie for each of the guests.  There are a lot of vendors out there, but they are all pretty expensive...I guess I could DI-myself, but it would probably end up looking like this....

Source: craftfail.com via Caroline on Pinterest

So this evening we watched "The Incredible Hulk", so we are all up to date with all the Marvel movies for when we finally get to watch "The Avengers", and hub had quite the comedic moment...If you haven't seen the movie and you don't want any details, skip ahead.....but at one point in the movie the Hulk is battling the other guy and he splits a cop car in half and puts each half on his hands and hubs remarked, "What impromptu hulk hands???"....I was dying!!!!  Just one of the MANY reasons I love that man....

I finished our Sand Pail list for this Summer.  I'm going to write a whole post about it, but here's a preview.  We are going to attempt this....I'm sure it will be extremely neat and tidy.....LOL

Source: happyhooligans.wordpress.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Cloud Dough...supposedly more sensory fun than sand....let's hope....

And finally unfortunately, it looks as though my part time tutoring job is going to be sparse this summer and although I grumble a little sometimes, it helps me feel like I am contributing.  I really am grateful that I have this job to fall back on and it is something that I can do anywhere.  Even if we moved all the way to California, I could just as easily become a Palo Alto tutor....

Oh well, guess it will just give more time to cross things off our Sand Pail List!

Hope you're having a great weekend!!!!

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The Rest of Memorial Day Weekend 2012

Hola!  Happy Friday!!!!  Super stoked that this week is over, how about you?

So I decided to try out Animoto for slideshow/video editing and I made a slideshow of the whole weekend.  Have to say not the hugest fan of the product...I uploaded my pics, chose a song and that was the extent of what I could do...as far as I can tell.  I think I need to do more research, but if that's it, then I don't want it.

I like the video, though.  It's pretty cute...if I do say so myself....LOL



So basically the rest of the weekend went like this:
Sunday: Yummy breakfast, lazy time on the porch, eating delicious dip for lunch, naps, cookout for dinner, icre cream, playing Rummy at night.
Monday: Another yummy breakfast, hanging out, more dip for lunch, napping, pizza for dinner and heading out.
As you can see it was very strenuous and stressful...

Even though it's almost been a week, how was you Memorial Day weekend?

Any plans for this weekend?
Hope you have a great one!