Uprinting giveaway!

I pin a lot of prints on Pinterest. Sadly,it's kinda funny but most of our walls are bare. I'm trying to change that and maybe even cover your walls too! 

One of you will win an 18" x 24" Poster from Uprinting! I'm working on making a poster for Blake and Brady's big birthday bash that I'm planning too! I'll share when I finish it! They also have Canvas prints and reasonable priced at that! 

To help you create your poster Uprinting has Poster Printing , Poster Templates  and Custom Posters! 

To enter tell me what you would order from Uprinting!

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This is a fast giveaway so please enter by August 24th at Midnight!

Disclaimer:This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive a poster for hosting. Opinions and everything expressed is my own. 

Back to School with Tiny Prints

Growing up, there was always something exciting about the new school year. From the smell of new notebooks, freshly sharpened pencils and back to school clothes,

Even though I'm out of school now, I can't help but still feel the excitement. This year, I'll share the excitement with my own child as he goes to preschool himself (after he turns two, sniff sniff!) This week, Facebook has been filled with posts from parents talking about the their babies going to preschool or kindergarten for the first time and that is a big step. A friend posted the other day that while she is a very emotional person, she does not get emotional about the first day of school. I know I will. While each year brings new and exciting things, it always means another year is gone way too fast.It's bittersweet. It's sad to watch you child take a new step in life but I know how much he'll love it! He will  learn new things and meet friends his age and I know it will always be harder on me than him. To ease myself into the new school years, I hope to start a fun tradition by taking a picture of him on our front porch, holding a sign that says the grade he'll be in!

Tiny Prints wants to help make back to school fun!

Stickers for everything from school supplies, lunch boxes, gifts and so much more!

Adorable thank you notes for teachers and school staff!

Even Lunch Box Notes, teacher stationary, play date cards, emergency contact cards and so much more!

Disclosure: I received product in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed were my own.

Grant's Farm

We are lucky that living in St. Louis, there is so many awesome things for kids to do and we finally took a trip to Grant's Farm or what I will deem as heaven on earth for my child. If my child could have his wish, he would play outside, surrounded by all kinds of wild and exotic animals with a sippy cup of milk in tow.

 It was the first family day we have had in way too long and it was much needed. It was a good day.

Camels were a big hit and I wanted to take him home until he sneezed on the lady next to me.

He just took it all in, watching the animals. 

Then, we fed the goats, or the 'puppies' as he called them. Those things are crazy and if you've ever been to a petting zoo with hungry goats, you understand exactly what I'm saying. I refuse to actually step foot inside so we fed them bottles of milk from the fence!

 He was so intrigued but a bit leery so he watched at a safe distance. That goat later got his head stuck and another visitor had to help guide his head back in. 

Next, was the parrots. Near the parrots was a big, fat peacock. When we told Brady to look at the peacock, he screams, "Deecock." Of all the animals there, he picks up on that one and he now thinks that all funny looking birds are called, 'deecocks!'

We got super close the the Elephants!

Stopped to see the big Tortoise.

He thought it was so cool he was allowed to roam free. Grant's farm is not as big or as crowed as the Zoo, so it was much easier for him to roam free. Well, until he threw a big, fat tantrum right near the Camel's and dropped to the ground.

He fed the 'bock-bock' chickens.

Mommy made him pose for pictures.

Fed more chickens. Actually, I'm pretty sure he was feeding corn to the gerbils here.

:)

Then, he fed a Llama and his day was complete after a ride back on the choo-choo! It really was a good day and reminded us we have a lot more places to venture and show our son. I think one of the best parts of being a parent is watching your child enjoy themselves and I soaked in every minute of it!

The way of life

Things have been quiet around here and I really have been lost for words. A lot of crappy things have happened to too many people and it just sucks. About a month ago, a friend's nineteen month old daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia while on vacation visiting family.

I can't tell you how many times I found myself in Brady's room, just watching own child sleep and just soaking him in. I can't tell you the last time I took a moment to do the simple task I spent  the first week of his life doing. I walked into the darkness of his room, kissed his forehead, and watched his chest rise and fall with each breath. I sat down, grabbed his hand and we prayed for that little girl.

They are moving cross country and will welcome their second child this January so please send some prayers their way.  (O, you have lots of people rooting for you!) I plan to walk in September at Light The Night for her and my coworkers son. Here is her Light the Night page and any little bit can help...even signing up to walk yourself!

On the bright side, my friend got new boobs today...and it is the last step her journey through Breast Cancer. She's a rock star for sure!

We celebrated my BIL's birthday last week and that was another first that we survived. After you lose someone, the first year of holidays and special days are just tough and it is just the way of life we just seem to know but we made it through a big one.

On a lighter note, my child officially has the worst new word ever. Doo-Doo. While walking outside with the sitter, she told him not to step in the doggie doo-doo that someone ignorantly left on the sidewalk. He runs around the house saying, "puppy doo-doo!'' all day long, except for it sounds more like puppy doe-doe.

That kid....his personality makes life so much more interesting and leaves us laughing through it all. He's got his own little unique personality. I've known that since the day he was born, which explains the fact that the kid can say, Puma, Peacock and Giraffe, and can tell you the sounds that a snake, bee, mouse (he shrieks, it's hilarious) and other less 'common' animals. Ask him what a cow, duck, or even a dog says and he looks at you like you have 3 heads. It's our way of life and at least life will never be boring with him around!

Litttle Movers Slip Ons: Diapering a Maniac

If you have every tried to diaper a baby or a toddler that is active and mobile, you will know exactly what I mean. Diapering a toddler is like entering WWIII. It can be difficult. It can be dangerous and even explosive. If your child is anything like mine, he does not sit still. I swear he bounces and jumps all the time, even in his sleep! There are only a few times throughout the day when you need your child to not flail around like a maniac or trying to climb up your hair....diaper time! I think we have gone through the 'lets get this diaper changed as fast as we can' stage and the 'well, at least noone got any poop in their mouth' stage. It's just not easy when they want to squirm, wiggle and play a game of you can't get a diaper on me!

I've seen ads for Huggies Little Movers Slip-on and I have been quite intrigued. The thing about my child is that he thinks running away from me is quite funny, especially after bath time (because you know he HAS to walk from the tub to his room with the towel wrapped around him BY HIMSELF!) He then throws the towel down and runs away. He finds it so amusing (even though I always win), I call him the "DIAPER DASHER!"

I have found a few tricks for diapering my little runaway:

• Bribing...wait, I'm just kidding, I mean I let him play with my cell phone. This usually does the trick especially if I have a fun toddler app for him to play! 
• Stash stickers with the diapers. I put one on the back of his hand and by the time he peels it off, voila, diaper changed!
• I sing a silly song about stinky Elmo or something that I pull out of my exhausted brain.  He finds it oh so entertaining.
• I ask him where his body parts are. If he is distracted and his hands are busy, it goes much faster and well, it saves a change for grabbing things that well, shouldn't be grabbed.
• A special toy or item. I have a few toys or things that he loves to play with stashed away near his diapers in case of a true diaper emergency. A choo choo train, nose bulb or a mini lotion bottle is our go to emergency diaper weapons of choice (my child loves lotions!)

 Do you have a nickname for your diaper dasher, wiggle worm or squirmy stinker?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Huggies blogging program, for a gift card worth $35. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

He learned it from watching..me!

This is what happens when you tell your child to run to the bathroom because it's time to get in the bath but you stop to throw some clothes into the hamper!

My mom gave him a mirror to show him what he looked like but he used it to apply a bit more. I guess he was trying to conceal the marker that was covering his face and body.   

21 months

Dear Brady;

Oh, little boy. You have morphed into a chatterbox this month. I'm not even sure I can even remember all the words you have in your ever expanding vocabulary but I can tell you that it is wonderful to witness. I really can't get enough-your little voice, the way you say each word and how you come up with the creative and silly things you do. 

Every time you see something, anything, you go 'oh!' like it is the most amazing or exciting thing ever.

Sometimes you call me, "momma, Amy'' which I think it pretty darn funny. Grandma's puppy has been staying with us the past week and after she jumped and licked on you, I taught you to tell her, 'No, down' but you've been telling her, 'NO-NO, puppy!" You say it all day even when she's not around.

You've sprouted a lot of new words like, 'boom-boom, uh-oh (instead of your usual, OH NO!), bubble, puppy, momma giraffe (well, momma everything,) Elmo, Papa (grandpa,) Baby Elmo, Beep-beep, Ding-Ding, Mina (Marina a character on a show,) dinner, boo-boo,  just to name a few that you use most.

You also think that everyone can blow you a bubble and will ask!

You have to show everyone your boo-boo, even if it existed months ago.

Your excitement over the small things is apparent in my life. Daily. You also do not miss a single beat. You notice everything!

You love to help. Cooking, cleaning, putting laundry away. You are the best helper a momma could have! When putting away laundry, you like to hand me the hanger and I hang it up. You even know where your jammies and short go. You are getting quite good at wiping your own face and would much rather use a fork than your fingers!

You are a busy bee all day. You still love legos, arts/crafts/coloring, blocks, books but have really started getting more into cars, trains, baby's (like your stuff Elmo, Scout, horse, etc), figurines (like Little People, Horses, etc) You have names for each one and interact with them. It's adorable.

You are so perceptive. You make the little noises I do (like, tsk tsk or a big sigh!) complete with hand gestures and it cracks me up. I really have to watch what I say and do. You are my little mimic! You've started sitting on your chairs, hands on your knees and then you have to cross your arms like momma does sometimes!

But....then you do silly things and those are not always the safest or the best use that toy or household item! You are a jumping bean. You literally jump up and down, up and down. You've learned to walk backwards too. You still remember how to 'march' and climb up on the fireplace hearth to march up there. Mommy cringes everytime!

I've talked about this so much, little man but you have your own sense of style. You now like to pick out your own clothes and even though we like to stay in our jammies longer on the weekends, you tell me when you are ready to get dressed!

You love to wear momma's shoes, daddy's too.

Momma is pretty excite that you're hair has finally started growing all the way back in and the curls are back! Somehow, they look different and I think it's because you look so grown up to me.

You're love for outside hasn't changed. In fact, we've had a Heat Advisory for the past 3 weeks and it does not bother you one teeny bit, red cheeks and all.

See how happy being outside make you? Your smile is like a twinkle in the sky. It is so small in the big world but makes a huge difference in my life. Have I mentioned your laugh because know you tilt your head back when you laugh hard, like it is the funniset thing in the world. Sometimes, you'll even add a little 'ha-ha' to it and it makes me laugh!

If someone does something funny, you will go, 'Oh, Daddy' and throw your head back. Ah, the character you are!

Dirt. Rocks. Water. Mud. All rough and tumble you are. It cracks me up because when you're eating and you get food on your hands,  you want your them washed but you will play in the dirt till the cows come home!

See what I mean?  You are my little nature boy.

The other day, Grandma was moving some stuff into the basement and left the door open. You took it upon yourself to run outside. Luckily, I was on to you but you gave me quite a heart attack.

We've spent quite a bit of time outside and in the water with it being so hot. You love it. We think you might have a future in Life guarding, perhaps?

 

You developed some sort of allergy to sunscreen and broke out in an awful rash full of hives. So, mommy puts on a ton of clothes when we go swimming but you don't mind at all. Though, I have to remind you to keep your hat on!

You got to go to your first parade and had a blast. Fireworks are not your favorite thing, yet. Now you know why, Boom-Boom is a new word!

You are one of the friendlies kids and when someone comes over that we haven't seen in a while, you warm right up, grab their hands and show them your toys!

You are such a little character and some days, I feel like you are so grown up. Then, I see a picture like this and I seem that you will always be my baby as much as you might not want to be. You're very independent these days. You have to walk up the stairs by yourself and, 'do it' you say.

No matter what. You'll always be my baby.

I love you so and can't believe that in three short months, you'll be two.

You know....

You know you are a mom when, you find this:

 ....down your shirt.

As in between your boobs.....

...............while sitting at your desk as work.

I can't believe I just admitted that just yes, apparently my child threw a ball in there this morning and I just realized it was still there.

Yes, I fully recognize that my day is halfway over and I just noticed it. Hey, at least I now have a super secret hiding spot.

Mountain Dew Sippy Cups

 That first year was hard but as Brady gets older, life gets harder in different ways.  I really think books like, "What To Expect The 2nd Year." should be titled, 'How The Hell To Survive The 2nd Year.'

You wonder each day if you're doing the right thing but find yourself picking battles and playing Charades and The Guessing Game.

A few things you might need to survive life with a toddler.

• Wine. Vino. Booze. Chocolate. Whatever your vice, you  need something at the end of a tantrum filled day.
• Patience: Waiting for little minds to 'I do it,' takes forever.  Patience is hard to find and it's often worn down or nonexistent so good luck with that!
• Think about wearing a full body armor and/or a helmet. The bruise on my arm is proof of this if you have a curious toddler and a mouth full of chompers. This comes in really handy when your child accidentally (or purposefully) head butts you or during a really nasty diaper change.
• Enough food to feed a smallish army. He might look small but the kid can put away some food, in fact, he is a bottomless pit and even after the kid eats a full meal, he wants to eat again 10 minutes later. I've learned that some grocery stores give free cookies to kids under a certain age and know I know why. Food=distraction and mom can shop longer which means more money spent at the store. If you leave the house, arm yourselves with stashes of grub. It will save you, I swear!

They are unpredictable. Today, he loves strawberries and the next he's hurling them across the room and I wonder why I fed them to him in the first place. Oh  that's right, he ASKED for them.

The kid cannot seem to hear me when I ask him to stop dumping his snack all over the floor but the second I say, OUTSIDE, he can hear me....even if I whisper it FIVE miles away with "Bubble Guppies" blaring in his ear.

Tantrums. Yeah, so those are fun. No longer are we in the cute tantrum stage but a full blown side show for the whole Toilet paper aisle at Target to see! They are tiny little ticking bombs and you never know what will set them off. Today? It's because you gave him milk when he wanted juice but asked and pointed to milk. Ten times. I apparently suck at The Guessing Game.  The best part is his new 'fake' cry. Who does this kid think I am, Grandma? That is the only person that might fall for that one.

Speaking of grandparents, they do things that drive you crazy. It's in their job description, I'm pretty sure.
 Do you see my child jumping up and down with that high amount of energy like he just downed a Red Bull? Well, that is how he is the moment he wakes up at the butt crack of dawn to the second he passes out at night. Do you think it's a GOOD idea to give him SODA? I mean, I hope he sports the rotten teeth look as much as the next mom but next time just put a little mountain dew in his sippy cup, why don't ya!

The other day, some friends and I got in a conversation about birth control. When they asked what kind I used, I replied, "Brady." It was deemed reliable and a few said they used that same form thanks to the stories they've heard me tell.

There are good things about having a toddler but I'm just too tired to you tell about them. The look he gives me sometimes like, "This is my momma and she is my world!" is enough to get me through any tantrum, even without wine.

Making like easier on the go!

Summer months are just crazy. My child is not even in school yet and summers seem to be the most hectic time of the year. It probably doesn't help that it's a busy time for my job but it seems that the summers are filled with fun outings to the park, pool or zoo and it seems like we are always on the go.  Regardless of all the why's, we moms need time to find little things that make it easier for us! We moms need to have some time to wind down and breathe too!

Ten tips for making your life easier and more efficient while on the go

1. I've posted about this here but individually prepping snacks that are easy to grab before we head out of the house are essential. My child eats about a hundred and ten times a day so if we are without food, things can get kinda crazy and in case of emergency, we break a prepackaged snack and the day has been saved. Once I learn how to actually sew, I'm going to make some reusable baggies too!

2. Pack a beach bag that is filled with all your necessities. Sunscreen, snacks, floaties, towels so that you are ready to go when the pool is calling your name and you're sure that you always have the essentials. When we get back from the pool, I take out the dirty towels and replace them with clean ones and fresh snacks (obviously, sealed items like raisins, fruit bars, etc)

3. Keep spares handy. I have a tote in the back of my trunk with spare sippy cups, sunscreen, change, extra clothes diapers, wipes etc so that if we forget something (and we always do!) it's there when we need it.

4. Toys. We all know what happens when a toddler gets bored and a bored toddler always results in something being broken, destroyed or someone is injured or upset. Emergency stash of toys is always carried with me. I keep a zipper pouch filled with some toy cars, a pack of crayons and a pad of paper. When a wait in line gets to be too long, It buys us a little time before he gets to the point of embarrassment.

5. First Aid is well, essential. Being on the go and having an active toddler often leads to boo-boos. We keep a first aid kid with us in our car stocked and I always keep some band-aids in the diaper bag.

6.  Summer seems to be the busiest time at work for both of us. We keep a little white board on the fridge to not only let each other know what day's we will be home late or have a special activity planned and it helps our sitter know as well. Communication is so important for our busy lives and for us it is key to survival!

7. Get a little help from your friends. Planning a BBQ or outing? Have a list and divide it up among yourselves! Have one person be in charge to bring juice boxes and another one bring snacks.  It makes for a much easier outing!

8.  Keep a tote in your trunk! Extra bags or storage are always needed. I keep a zipper pouch for wet clothes handy too.

9.  Water. I always have a resusable bottle with you. This is a easy tip and many of you probably already do this but we freeze the water bottles and when we are headed to the zoo or park, we throw one in a waterproof bag and that way we don't have to spend $5 on one AND we are using one less piece of plastic!

10. This one is for the mom's. Whether it's your favorite drink or a song, pack something that will give you a little 'me' time or help you through the craziness. For me it's a little thing called, caffeine. My life would not be complete without it and I'm a bit coffee drinker. An Amy without coffee is not pleasant and when it's 1,000 degrees out like it is in July, an iced latte is my favorite go to drink. A can of Seattle's Best Iced Latte would be perfect to take with me!

Want to save $1.50 on an ice latte from Seattle's Best? Click here to get on!




“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Seattle’s Best Coffee blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Ten for Today

1. Brady learned how to flush the toilet this morning. I learned this immediately after I found him crumpling up pieces of toilet paper and dropping them in one by one. Then, I heard the toilet flush....again and again and again....I'm sure this will be a good thing in the future but right now all I can think of is making sure to have a plumber on speed dial. 

 2. A Language explosion happened over at our house. It literally makes me love that kid so much more if that could even be possible. Hearing his little voice just makes me smile. "Momma's phone." He knows exactly what is momma's and what is daddy's in our house! My favorite new word he says is 'boom, boom!' (we've had a lot of thunderstorms lately!)

3. We took Brady to his first parade on Monday and even though we got rained on for a good ten minutes, my child was in complete heaven. From the horses, to the music to the candy being thrown, he was quite entertained.

He spent almost the entire parade like this. In pure awe. He got so excited and there was a giant bubble blower and  now says so cutely, 'bubble'

4. Speaking of toddler heaven, we finally bought a blow up pool. While he was not too sure swimming in a big pool at Nana's...he had the time of his life. I think he has a future in life guarding.

 

The kid who hates getting water on his face was dunking his head!  

  

5. I already knew that my child hates to get water in his eyes. What I didn't expect was that he would use my swimsuit top to dry them off! Good thing we were in our backyard. Good thing.

 6. After he swam on Saturday, we almost had a trip to the ER. He has had issues with eczema this past year and lately sunscreen has been a big issue. Well, shortly after he woke up from his nap, I noticed his back was full of welts and was flaming red. Luckily, a small dose of Benadryl helped but it definitely freaked me out. He's had reactions but never something so bad. Sadly, I have tried several different kinds and most of them are all natural or chemical free.  I'm thinking of just making him wear a UV shirt and a hat the whole summer :(

7. Brady had a little playdate with my cousin's son and it was so cute to see him with a younger kid. In a way, it was cute to see how he'd be as a big brother (not that it convinced me to go there, trust me!) but it also made me realize how dang big he is.

8. I've talked about Brady's little fashion sense before.  I'm sure he might chuckle at this picture when he's older but momma had to!

 He likes to pick out his own clothes as you can see, right down to the accessories!

9.   I was at someones house the other day who has children that are all much older, high school and college aged. I saw tons of pictures of the kids growing up at all ages and stages. It made me smile because I know that will be our house one day...full of happy times and years of memories.

10. Long weekends are the best. Especially when they are filled with those kinds of memories that get put up on the wall for years to come.

Brady and the bee

If there is anything in this world my child loves more than milk, his momma, daddy and playing outside, it's bugs. He doesn't just call them bugs but 'bees!' This was the year of the cicada so that might have triggered his love for bugs but regardless it's pretty darn cute. One day, the cicadas covered the sidewalk and this momma was tired of stepping on them. I took a stick and moved the ugly sucker out of the way and Brady played right along!

Then, this week, he started calling them "Momma bees!" This does nothing but melt my already melted heart but it might be the cutest words he has ever said. I love the fact that there are no daddy bee's so it's true in fact that my son is very wise. He knows that it is the momma bee that rules this house!