Friday, August 30, 2013

Sentence of the Day- "M" is for Heather

Posted by Heather at Friday, August 30, 2013 0 comments
Since really focusing on letters, this summer, Katy has been really interested in trying to figure out what letter each word start with. The other night, she spelled "T-E-D" out of her foam bath letters- just by sounding it out! *Proud Mommy Moment!*

Today, she stated, "M is for Heather."
I corrected her and said that, "M is for Mommy."
She countered and stated (very matter-of-factly, I might add), "Well, your name is Heather, isn't it?"

Hahahahah- can't get anything by that one!
Posted by Heather at Friday, August 30, 2013 0 comments


We recently went on vacation with my sister and her family. We were beach-bound and in need of some child-safe silverware to bring along for picnic lunches. Enter in the Nuby Travel Set, and- tada!- winner! 

I love that the Nuby Travel Set comes in it's own self-enclosed case. I can put a couple of forks/spoons in the case, throw it in the beach bag, and there's no worry of them getting dirty and/or sandy. Also, because everything is plastic- silverware and case- there is no fear of breaking, scratching and/or denting other items in my bag. The only complaint that I have is the Nuby Travel Set comes with four forks and four spoons. Yet, you can only comfortably stick two of each in the included case (all eight won't fit in the case, at once. Minor design detail.

Otherwise, the Nuby Travel Set was perfect for our beach vacation!


Here's what the Nuby website has to say about the Nuby Travel Set:
  • Set includes 9 pieces
  • Fork and Spoons are designed for little hands
  • Perfect for when you are out and about
  • Fun bright colors
  • Handy travel case
  • BPA FREE

To purchase, the Nuby Travel Set, go to:
  • TJ Maxx
  • Bealls
  • DD’s Discounts
  • Ross Dress For Less

Connect with Nuby at:

www.instagram.com/nubyusa

“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Bathing Beauties- All Grown Up!

Posted by Heather at Thursday, August 29, 2013 0 comments

Myrtle Beach Bathing Beauties, August 2011


All Grown Up! 
August 2013

Beach Baby- Now and Then

Posted by Heather at Thursday, August 29, 2013 0 comments

Myrtle Beach, August 2011



Myrtle Beach, August 2013

Double Scoop Ice Cream- Now and Then

Posted by Heather at Thursday, August 29, 2013 0 comments

Myrtle Beach Ice Cream Social August 2011


Myrtle Beach Ice Cream Social August 2013

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Myrtle Beach 2013

Posted by Heather at Wednesday, August 28, 2013 0 comments

Smiling Cousins!


On our latest "Mommy/Katy adventure" (as I've started calling my solo road trips with Lil' Miss), Katy and I met up with my sister, Hope's family and her in-laws in Myrtle Beach, SC. Hope's in-laws own a place there and they were gracious enough to share part of their vacation with us (thank you!)!

It took us just a little over four hours to drive there on Saturday. As soon we pulled up, my niece, Molly, declared it to be beach time! Apparently, she had been chomping at the bit all day to go to the beach, but kept being promised a visit as soon as various family members arrived (we were the last to roll in). So, we literally slathered sunscreen on the kids, pulled on our suits and hit the beach a whole fifteen minutes after arriving!

On Sunday, we were able to hit the beach early enough to beat most of the crowds. The girls dug around in the sand and ran around. Luke was less sure of the whole "beach" concept. After awhile, though, Luke went down for a nap while Hope and I took the girls to the pool. 

Since our last visit to  Myrtle Beach, two years ago, the community that we were staying at installed a nice, new kids' area- complete with a big splash pad and kid-friendly wading pool. The girls LOVED it!

Monday and Tuesday were mostly a repeat of Sunday- including pool, splash pad and park. Katy was loving the pool and she was quite the little swimmer- paddling and jumping. I believe the only time I put her "poolies" on, was when we went to the beach (everybody should have a healthy respect for the ocean). 

On Monday, we celebrated Molly's third birthday a little early. Hope baked a cute beachy-themed cake and Molly opened her presents. All the kids had fun playing with Molly's birthday loot!

We had fun and Lil' Miss was more than a little sad to leave on Wednesday morning. She did great on both the car ride there and back home. She's quickly become quite the travel companion and I am loving her sense of adventure when we explore new places.

Wordless Wednesday- The Three Little Bears of Chairs

Posted by Heather at Wednesday, August 28, 2013 0 comments

Monday, August 26, 2013

Letter of the Week- Z

Posted by Heather at Monday, August 26, 2013 0 comments

Friday, August 23, 2013

Chuck E. Cheese's

Posted by Heather at Friday, August 23, 2013 0 comments

Basketball Game


Happy 4th Birthday, Ava!

And so it happened.... Katy got invited to her first birthday party for her friend, Ava, at Chuck E. Cheese's. It only took three and a half years- opposed to Ted's surprise 30th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's (BK- Before Katy). :-)

Katy's never been to Chuck E. Cheese's before. Leading up to the party, she kept referring to it as, "Chuck-a-Cheese." She'd correct us every time we tried to tell her it was really, "Chuck E. Cheese's."

While I'm personally not the hugest fan of Chuck E. Cheese's (Germs! Screaming kids! Bad Pizza!), I have to admit that the kids all had a GREAT time and had LOTS OF FUN!! Katy had a blast using all the tokens and playing games. She racked up quite a few tickets, too- 77, to be exact!

Of course, there was also cake and ice cream and what kid doesn't like that?!?! Happy Birthday, Ava!

Nuby Mommy Blogger- Bath Animals

Posted by Heather at Friday, August 23, 2013 0 comments


We recently had the opportunity to review Nuby foam Bath Animals. Just the Nuby foam Bath Letters and Numbers that we reviewed, last month, Lil' Miss LOVES the Nuby foam Bath Animals.

First impression, you get a lot of animals in one little pack of Nuby foam Bath Animals! There are sixteen animals- two of each. Lil' Miss had fun splashing the animals through the water and then sticking them to the tub walls. Because there are two of each animal, she likes to make the animals have "conversations," together. I like that the letters are just foam and they don't have any unsafe sticky residue on the back of them (attaching them to the walls). Just add water and the animals stick to tub/shower walls. Simple concept, easy clean-up- I like that! The animals are brightly colored, with happy faces  on them.

Here is what the Nuby Website has to say about the Nuby foam Bath Animals:

  • 18 months +
  • Animals stick to the bathtub wall
  • Soft foam animals float in the water
  • Makes bath time fun
  • Includes 16 animals
  • Phthalate and BPA FREE
  • www,amazon.com
  • Tuesday Morning
  • Bealls
  • Meijer


Would your little one like some Nuby foam Bath Animals for themselves? Available at these retailers:
Connect with Nuby at:

www.instagram.com/nubyusa

“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Mommy and Me- A Retrospective

Posted by Heather at Wednesday, August 21, 2013 0 comments

August 15, 2010


Sept. 7, 2010


December 16, 2010


January 30, 2011


May 5, 2011


June 17, 2011


October 7, 2011


November 18, 2011


February 9, 2012


April 6, 2012


June 12, 2012


August 23, 2012


September 5, 2012


October 18, 2012


August 21, 2013

Peasant Dress

Posted by Heather at Wednesday, August 21, 2013 0 comments

Peasant Dress

Here's another little gem that I found on Pinterest- A Peasant Dress by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom. The tutorial and pattern were as simple as can be. I usually shy away from patterns that include sleeves (I'm just not very good at them!), but I decided to give this one a whirl and it couldn't be easier! I made the 4/7 size and the only modification I made to my dress, was the fact that I added a ribbon belt with loops. Fun!

Wordless Wednesday- When Did She Become Such a Big Girl?!

Posted by Heather at Wednesday, August 21, 2013 0 comments

Monday, August 19, 2013

Letter of the Week- S

Posted by Heather at Monday, August 19, 2013 0 comments

"S" August 1, 2013

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Sentence of the Day- Delicious!

Posted by Heather at Sunday, August 18, 2013 0 comments
I was perusing the food clearance at Target, today, when Katy spotted a box of chocolate bars.

Katy, picking up the box of chocolate bars, "Oooh! Let's get these!"
Me, "No. We aren't going to get those."
Katy, "But, MOom! Give it a chance!"
Me, "No, Katy. They are too sugary. They aren't good for you."
Katy, "I know they aren't good for you, BUT, they look DELICIOUS!"

The woman standing next to me burst out laughing.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Letter of the Week- "O"

Posted by Heather at Monday, August 12, 2013 0 comments

"O" July 25, 2013

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Sentence of the Day-Fish Fry

Posted by Heather at Saturday, August 10, 2013 0 comments
Yesterday, we were walking the mall and Katy insisted on visiting Bass Pro Shop to see the big aquarium of fish. So, we went in- I grabbed a seat on the bench and Katy walked up to the glass to get a better look at the sea life. All of a sudden, I catch Katy smacking her lips and rubbing her belly. I asked her what she was doing and she replied, "Looking at all these fish makes me hungry!"

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Easy Canvas Prints- Review

Posted by Heather at Tuesday, August 06, 2013 0 comments
photo

I recently had the opportunity to review an 8"x10" canvas print from Easy Canvas Prints. I have to say, the process couldn't be simpler! Just select your picture, upload, click through a couple of selections (size, border, etc.), order and- voila!- a canvas print is soon sitting on your doorstep. Seriously, it's that simple!

The picture I chose for my review canvas was of my three year old daughter, on our recent quick trip to St. Augustine, FL. I loved how candid the image was. Her messy hair, the blurred background and the not-quite-a-smile-looking-at-the-camera. I felt that I captured a really simple, quiet moment (that you don't often get with a busy preschooler!).


I was pleased with the end result. The shipping was quick and efficient. The canvas itself is good quality and the black border edging is well done (it doesn't look like it's just been sloppily painted on). The image itself is soft (in a good way), yet crisp (though, that might be due to the fact that the originally uploaded image was high resolution). 

Overall, our experience with Easy Canvas Prints was positive- from simple ordering, fast shipping and pleasing end result.

*Disclaimer- I was provided with a free canvas to sample. However, the opinions expressed in this post are solely my own and not affected by the generosity of the Easy Canvas Prints.*

Monday, August 5, 2013

Father's Daughter

Posted by Heather at Monday, August 05, 2013 0 comments
Katy is most definitely her father's daughter!

Today, I caught her playing "School" with her baby dolls. Apparently, it was alphabet day in the school of Katy (Gee, can you tell we've been working on her alphabet, this summer?!). I heard her reviewing letter sounds with her dolls. Then, I heard her say, "K is for Kermit! C is for Cookie!" (For the record, Katy typically tells us that K is for Katy, not Kermit- so that was a new one for us.)

Ted Jones (the biggest, flailing Muppet I know), have you been secretly reviewing the alphabet with Katy and associating each letter to something Sesame Street/Muppets?

Hey, whatever works, though, right?!

Little Fish

Posted by Heather at Monday, August 05, 2013 0 comments
Katy started swim lesson at Open Water Adventure back in May. She goes once a week for thirty minutes, each time. There are three, three-year olds in the class to one instructor. The first lesson went okay. The second, third and fourth were HORRIBLE. There was kicking (and not the good kind)! There was screaming! There was thrashing and moaning and all-over bad behavior.

Then, June rolled around and suddenly, Katy was a different person! She was following directions, kicking (in a good way!) and paddling. Katy calmly floated on her back and she gladly jumped into the water.

By mid-July, Katy decided that she'd actually SWIM... on her own! Now, we're not talking "pretty" swimming, but she does enough kicking and doggie paddle to keep herself afloat. When she starts to get tired, she rolls over to her back to float. Right before our trip to St. Augustine, FL, at the end of July, Katy finally decided to put her head in the water and swim underwater. She is so much smoother and more graceful swimming under the water.

Today, we found a lone dive stick at the bottom of our community pool (left behind by a neighbor). Katy surprised me by wanting to go after the stick. So, I let her go for it. It took her a couple of tries, but she finally swam down far enough (it was in the three-foot section of the pool) to retrieve it. Once she got the stick the first time, she kept tossing it in and then diving in after it. In a word (and I'm totally biased ;-), she was AWESOME!

So, at least I can be satisfied in knowing that the money we spend on swim lessons is being well-spent. She may have her bad swim lessons (what was up with last week's meltdown?!), but she's learning in between the tantrums!

We've got a little fish on our hands! Swim Katy, swim!

Letter of the Week- First and Middle Name

Posted by Heather at Monday, August 05, 2013 0 comments

"Katy Grace" written all by herself, July 14, 2013

Friday, August 2, 2013

Nuby Mommy Blogger- Foam Bath Letters and Numbers

Posted by Heather at Friday, August 02, 2013 0 comments


We LOVE the Nuby Foam Bath Letters and Numbers! This summer, we've really been working with Lil' Miss and helping her learn her letters. The Nuby Foam Bath Letters and Numbers are perfect for helping Lil' Miss learn to recognize her alphabet.

We started out the summer by introducing one new letter, each week. We started with her name. I like to have her point out the letter of the week (and even review previous letters) in her everyday environment. 

While Lil' Miss is taking her bath, she likes to use the Nuby Foam Bath Letters and Numbers to spell her name. She also likes to point to other letters and tell us what words start with that letter. "C" is for "cookie," "G" is for "guitar," etc. Now, Lil' Miss can take a bath, learn her letters AND have fun playing- that's a triple win in my book!!

I like that the letters are just foam and they don't have any unsafe sticky residue on the back of them (attaching them to the walls). Just add water and the letters stick to tub/shower walls. Simple concept, easy clean-up- I like that! The letters are brightly colored and very age-appropriate for my three year old. I would highly recommend the Nuby Foam Bath Letters and Numbers to other parents.

Here is what Nuby says about the Nuby Foam Bath Letters and Numbers:

  • 18 months +
  • Letters and numbers stick to the bathtub wall
  • Soft foam letters and numbers float in the water
  • Makes bath time fun
  • Includes all 26 letters and 10 numbers
  • Phthalate and BPA FREE
Would you like some Nuby Foam Bath Letters and Numbers for her budding alphabet-aficionado? You can purchase them at:
  • Meijer
Connect with Nuby at:

www.instagram.com/nubyusa


“I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I may receive items to sample or review.
 

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