a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e

I just saw this image on Sara's Party Perfect..... those cupcake toppers could be the cutest thing I have ever seen for a first birthday. I'm still going ga-ga over them. Maybe they will make an appearance at my Baby #3's first birthday party later this year. You can see the whole party at Elle Belle.

don't forget

Don't forget about ebay. There is so much stuff out there! I got a brand new iPhone cover for like $3.99. So much better than paying $40 in the store.

lunchtime

While browsing Design Mom I came upon her post about Another Lunch. Nice inspiration for the day, too bad the kindergartners at Brody's school have to take snack in a disposable container this year otherwise I would be purchasing a bento box for sure.

sweet

Did you know that rice krispy treats are super good with frosting on top? I had no idea until I received a cute frosted treat as a favor from a baby shower... it was sooooo yummy. Maybe I can add this as a new dimension to holiday cookie decorating?

soy sauce anyone?

I was lucky enough to hang out with a fun mom today and she told me about something she did that I think is brilliant! Her son was past the 1 year mark and still wanted to nurse all the time, he would claw at her and she was sick of it. So she applied some soy sauce before she nursed him (of course he had no idea). He was really confused why it tasted so salty and decided he didn't like it and stopped nursing from then on! Maybe this is a practice that is well known, but I haven't heard of it and I think it's super great. She told me when she had her baby #2, her son asked if the new baby liked salty milk (she told him yes). Kids are hilarious and adaptable and moms are so smart!

mommy talk

(i found this pic on my computer, not sure what i was doing or why i took it)

I say this phrase a lot to my husband, "I'm doing the best I can." When I think about it, no matter how hard the situation is, of course it's not entirely true. What I mean to say is, "I am exhausted and I don't want to do any more" or "I am doing the best I can for right now". But I know (because I am a mom) that I could have done more. I could have played with the kids more, taught them more, made a better dinner and so on and so forth. It's hard for people to understand that we aren't just a mom... we are often a mom to multiple kids that have different needs, a wife, perhaps a single mom, a friend, a family member, we might work full time, own our own business, etc. We sure wear a lot of hats right?

Guilty.... do you ever feel this as a mom? Maybe I am just a perfectionist (which I am) but I always feel like I could have done more or done better. How do we get rid of this guilt? I look at all my mom friends and I know how lucky their kids and husbands are to have them. I think about all the kids whose parents neglect them.... my kids are so fortunate! So maybe we just need to know that we are awesome and our kids are so lucky to live in a loving, fun and safe home. Maybe we should give ourselves small goals for the week, take things one step at a time instead of trying to fill every role, all the time. Being a mom is a big responsibility and we have a lot on our shoulders. I feel it weighing me down because I want the best for my kids (academically, in sports, dinners, play dates, etc.). One day at a time moms! None of us have it all together and we shouldn't feel guilty for that (and don't let other moms pretend they do have it all together, they are lying).

So I am going to give myself small weekly goals instead of trying to accomplish everything all the time (I just end up exhausted and upset).

My small goals for this week:

1. Do all the laundry in the house

2. Work on a few more chapters in Brody's Kindergarten workbook

3. Work on Piper's colors

4. Buy Brody school shoes

Maybe next week will be:

1. Work on potty training with Piper

2. Cook 2 new healthy meals that week

3. Read a chapter book each night before bed

4. Play board games with the kids during the day more

So all you moms out there.....you are doing a GREAT job, I know it! Give yourself a break and don't exhaust yourself by trying to do everything right now. You are already a Super Mom!

xo,

amazing

For all you Southern California residents, have you ever been to the Whole Foods Market at The District in Tustin? Holy cow it's AMAZING and gigantic. I visited it today and was on a limited time schedule, I couldn't even shop the whole store! I cannot wait to go back, it's totally worth the drive and there is so much to explore and different foods to try. Their hot food section is to-die-for. Brody liked the dessert bar the best (I didn't let him see they had a gelato section too).

Whole Foods- Jamboree Store
2847 Park Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782

salt and sweet

Have you tried a version of this yet? Caramels in chocolate with sea salt on top..... yummy! I read about them in a magazine because Hilary Duff used them as part of her wedding favors, and then when I saw them at the Theo Chocolate Factory in Seattle and I had to purchase a box. Perfect balance of sweet and salt. I can't remember what brand Hilary's were, but a lot of chocolatiers make them!

school bags

In our school district kindergartners take canvas totes instead of backpacks to school. Each school has their own school canvas bag for purchase, but what's the fun in that? (Although they are pretty cute). Anyhow I wanted to get Brody something he would like and no better place to search than etsy.com. I found so many great choices by searching under "canvas bag" and then I looked under a bunch of sub categories such as "children's" and "tote bags". There are a million options and even if your child doesn't need them you could get a cute one for the family or for dance class. Most of them were around $10. Brody picked the robot one above and I will personalize it myself with his name. Cute!

back to school

Do you have a child going to school where they will have a locker? Are you worried about them forgetting their combination? Here are two kinds of new locks from Master Lock to help. The top set is called the Master Lock Keyless Precision Dial. I like it because you can use letters and numbers to pick your combo! Plus it has a master key which makes it easy to change the combo if you need to. I think it's much easier to use a code with letters than numbers, but note, it only has 10 of the letters on it. I also love the colors it comes in!

The other lock is the Master Lock Speed Dial. This one is totally cool because it does not require numbers or letters. The lock is set by moving the center dial up and down or side to side. You can choose your combination yourself! It also comes with stickers that you can use with shapes, colors, letters so you you can put them on and make a combination that way. I never had cool locks growing up.

By the way- Mark is so stoked on these locks. He loves having these kinds of things around the house.... I guess they are not just for back to school!