Merry Christmas!

 I just want to wish everyone a 

Merry Christmas!

We will be very busy celebrating with family the birth of Jesus over the next couple of days! 

I look forward to creating great memories and maybe some new traditions.  We already have it all worked out as to whose house we will be at when and it will hopefully make for a stress free and much more fun Christmas this year.  If you don't know what I am talking about please read about Sharing Holidays.

I will be back after Christmas to share what I gave my kids (following this new gifting philosophy) and how our families Secret Santa gifts went.

Pleas enjoy all your friends and family and have fun celebrating Jesus's Birthday!

Losing Weight and a Bit of Humor

My hubby and I have been working hard at losing weight.  It really kinda started and took off when he decided to join the Army Reserves and had to get down to a certain weight to be accepted.  I decided that there is no better time than now to start so I joined him in the journey. The other incentive is that we are going on a cruise in March 2011.

We weigh ourselves frequently to make sure that we stay on track.

Our 2 (almost 3) year old daughter gets on the scale the other day looks down and she says, "Mommy, I didn't win!"  I looked at her and tried really hard to not start cracking up but said, "Some days I don't win either!"

Then she got on the scale again and excitedly says, "I lost 40 pounds!"  I laughed and told her that if she lost that much there would be nothing left of her because she only weight about 35 pounds. 

Kids...Gotta love them and the funny things they say!

Keep your eye out for the story on how I have lost 14.5 pounds in the last 3 months coming soon!

Making Christmas a Little Easier

I am so excited to share with you.  I just came across the best idea ever to make Christmas a little less stressful and a little more affordable.  Are you excited yet?  I know you just can't wait to hear about it.

I found this wonderful idea over at Wonder Woman Wannabe.

To make it easier for coming up with Christmas gifts use this little, practical saying:

Something they Want

Something they Need

Something to Wear 

And

Something to Read

Whether you get them one item in each category or a couple in some and only one in another it is a great plan for coming up with gift ideas and not just for Christmas but birthdays and any other holiday. 

The list can even be expanded as seen over at Simple Kids.

It can include:

Something to Watch

Something to Dress Up

Something to Listen To

Something to Eat

Something to Create

It is just a guide to making gifting easier and it might help make things fair between siblings.  It kinda gives gifting a purpose and not just buying gifts to buy gifts.  I will be adopting this philosophy for all my gift giving.  

(Okay maybe you have already heard about this and it doesn't excite you so much but it is new to me and I just love it!)

Seasonal "Must Haves"

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

Pier 1 imports has all the fun things needed for a great holiday season.  Here are some of the products that I would love to have for entertaining and decorating this year.  These could be considered my “must haves” for this season. 

To start off it would be wonderful to set the mood with these Apple Cinnamon Home Fragrances.

Christmas dinner won’t be at my house this year but if I was hosting I would want these adoarable place card holders.

Everyone could enjoy their beverages in the Poinsettia Glassware.

For a cute and fun accent that the kids will especially love check out these Jingle Bell Napkin Rings.

These “Naughty and Nice” Hand Towels would be perfect for all the clean-up afterwards. 

Here you can find several place setting ideas for some of the holidays.  For Christmas my favorite place setting is the Gilded Forest.  I also like the Couture Christmas but green is my favorite color so the other one wins in my book. 

Also while browsing around www.pier1.com I found some wonderful gift ideas. 

My mom collects swizzle sticks and these would be a great addition to her collection.

Snowman Spoon Swizzle Sticks

A great gift for someone that is hard to buy for would be this Gold Tree Photo Holder.  I think that it would work great for holding Christmas cards too!

A great gift for co-workers, family, or friends would be this Gingerbread Vanilla Soap & Lotion Set.  I bet it smells yummy!

This Wood Tool Set would be a great present for any of the kids.

If someone were to shop to find gifts for me at Pier 1 these would be on my wish list.

Pewter Chandelier Earrings

And this adorable Geometric Silver Hinge Bracelet.

I think it would be great to have this Rattan Chip & Dip basket or the Tiered Glass Platters for entertaining because I love to have people over and I enjoy throwing great parties.

You should go check out all the great holiday décor and entertaining products at www.pier1.com.  And don’t forget they have great holiday gifts also.  You can continue to spread holiday cheer by liking Pier 1 Imports on Facebook.  For every new fan they get, they will donate $1 to Toys for Tots.

Magnetic Bulletin Board

Since I have a stainless steel fridge and it isn't magnetic I needed a place to put important notes, invites, and to do lists.  Otherwise they end up all over the place and sometimes they get lost.

So I created one!

 I bought a piece of metal that is usually used for duct work and I cut it to the size that I wanted.  Well, actually I had my hubby do it.  I tried to cut it and messed up a piece then I decided I didn't want to waste any more money so I let him do it. 

 I spray painted it black.  I found a cute stencil from Stampin' Up called Flourish Décor Stencils.  I just used a simple white acrylic paint to add the design.  I used clear spray to help seal the surface and keep the paint from being scratched off. 

Then, I punched some holes at the top with my Crop-a-dile and added some cute ribbon.
I find great uses for my new magnetic bulletin board and it looks great in my kitchen.

 

The Flu is Going Around

Today I am sitting home with a very sick toddler.  I know that the flu has been going around and I was home all day Saturday not feeling well.  My stomach ached and after I got some sleep my entire body ached.  All I could think was... How do you take care of 2 kids when you feel miserable?  Thank goodness my husband was home (and he was a saint the whole day) to take care of all of us.  It was a day of a lot of movies.  

I am all for natural remedies but I don't know any for vomiting.  We have been using 7-Up and Saltine Crackers.  My little girl doesn't like all the bubbles in 7-Up so it is hard to get her to drink it and my mom plans to drop off some Pedialyte.  It will be a day of laying low with lots of kid movies.  The only time I accept watching tv all day is when you are really sick.

Any Advice?  Any great remedies for vomiting?  Anything that a toddler would eat or drink?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Boudreaux's Butt Paste is Best

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have tried many different diaper rash creams.  I like to use up all the samples I got from the hospital.  When my baby starts to look red I put some cream on right away so that the problem doesn't escalate.  When I first used a diaper rash cream on Taylor she screamed.  I figured that it must be burning.  I tried a different cream and the same response.  After a trying several diaper rash creams I finally tried Boudreaux's Butt Paste and she was happy.  Not only did it not make her scream, it cleared up her rash within the next couple of diaper changes.

I would recommend this to every mom.  The paste is nice and thick so it stays in place and doesn't come off as soon as you put a new diaper on.  It also has a fairly pleasant scent. This stuff is like gold and it works wonders for healing diaper rash and for making babies happier (mainly because their bottom won’t hurt anymore).

 What is totally awesome about this product is that it was specifically formulated by a pharmacist with direction from a respected pediatrician to provide effective diaper rash care. It comes in several convenient sizes of 1oz, 2oz, 3oz and 4oz tubes, and a 16oz jar.  They offer flip top cap (tubes) and a handy travel size.

You can visit the Boudreaux's Butt Paste site to receive a free sample.  Go!  You know you want your own to try.  Or you could just buy it…trust me you won’t regret it.