Moving right along with #Pregnancy Week 23

How Far Along: 

23 Weeks Pregnant {23 weeks 5 days}

Due Date: 

June 22^nd, 2013

Boy or girl: 

Girl!

Bump Picture: 

Here I go again... My son keeps refusing to be photographer, so stairway pregnancy picture it is again.

A day at the dentist

My son has been going to the dentist since he turned three years old. We started off with him accompanying mom and dad for their cleanings {hanging out in the waiting room} and then worked our way up to him watching us in the chair. He had a very smooth transition from simply watching, to being the one that is examined and cleaned. Now he insists on going first when we have our dental appointments!

Easy Rainbow Cupcakes!

My little boy turned 4 this past week and to celebrate he wanted to make rainbow cupcakes with sprinkles. Over the past few years we have done big birthday parties with themes and gift bags and cakes and all the bells and whistles. This year we went low key with just a family only party that included his favorite foods and his favorite place to go {Odyssey Fun World}.

To prepare for the big day my son and I got to work baking is special dessert in the kitchen. He wanted a rainbow and a rainbow is exactly what he was going to get. We had so much fun making these cupcakes. I think the process was just as enjoyable as the results.

The Sophia Bag by timi & leslie: a fabulous diaper bag!

The more children I have the more diaper bags I seem to collect and the cuter they seem to get! When I got my first diaper bag I went for something gender neutral that my husband could carry around and not cringe or gripe about. The next diaper bag I went for was something with a little more color, but still a pretty masculine bag. A couple diaper bags later and I finally have picked out something for myself.

Seems a little silly right? I am getting ready to have my third baby and am just now making baby related purchases for ME. After all, I am the one who totes around the diaper bag morning, noon, and night.  I am the one pushing the stroller and taking the kids shopping throughout the day; running from point A to point B. Shouldn’t I get to properly accessorize to suit my style? I am going to say yes!

I am a huge fan of bigger bags. Both my diaper bags and my purses are on the bigger side and I adore being able to organize and take EVERYTHING I could possibly need with me. They key to that phrase is that it is all organized. A simple big bag will not due. I prefer bags that allow me to be at most organized and efficient. 

Kid Craft: Dollar Store Sensory Bin for Kids!

The kid craft we are working on this week is a sensory bin. Why a sensory bin?  Well… my little boy is having surgery next week to remove his adenoid. The surgery is called an adenoidectomy and will require him to be put under using general anesthesia {I am a bit of a nervous wreck about it}. After the operation his activities will be restricted and we will need some calming activities for him to do. So we have come up with a number of toys and activities to keep his hands and his mind occupied while his body recovers. One of these activities is a sensory bin.

A sensory bin can have a calming effect on children. It works on developing fine motor skills and can help to soothe a child by encouraging them to focus on manipulative skills such as pouring, sifting, and scooping. By adding color to the sensory bin there are a number of educational activities that can be incorporated into play as well. Perfect for a little boy recuperating after surgery.

Pregnant and Loving it #Pregnancy Week 22

How Far Along: 

22 Weeks Pregnant {22 weeks 5 days}

Due Date: 

June 22^nd, 2013

Boy or girl: 

Girl!

Bump Picture: 

Most people have stopped looking at me like I am fat and started engaging in baby bump conversation. I think the fact that I am constantly rubbing my belly now is a major factor in this development.

Parent Night

I believe that I have mentioned before that my little guy is in karate. He loves it. I think he is adorable practicing his moves and wearing his little Gi. It is also a great way to teach discipline and patience… at least I hope that is what we are teaching him!

Recently his karate class had a parent night where we learned all about their tournaments. We learned about sparring, scoring, and the general run down of how tournaments are run. We even got to practice sparring as well as judging. It was fun for everyone and let me know what moves to practice with my little karate kid at home.

A St. Patrick’s Day Inspired Breakfast

I keep looking at my calendar amazed that time seems to be flying right out the window! The next big holiday on the calendar is St. Patrick’s Day and I promised myself that I would do something special for the kids. We kind of just let Valentine’s Day slip on by unnoticed this year {don’t judge - we have a lot on our plate}. So I am taking on St. Patrick’s Day and I am starting at the breakfast table. 

My children love fruit and they love cheesy scrambled eggs. So what better way to create a festive breakfast than with the food they already like? I thought about going with the whole green eggs and ham bit, but I know my children and I know that they would not touch it. I don’t like to be wasteful – so we will go with what they will enjoy.

Product Review: Contours Optima Tandem Double Stroller

I am in full baby mode right now and am really enjoying preparing for baby number three, due this June. I have been taking out all of my baby gear and going through it to see what will and what will not work for my expanding family. One of my biggest must haves for any expanding family is a good double stroller.

Having a double stroller has made shopping and running errands possible for me again, especially since my boys are both runners and think that hide-and-go-seek in stores is a good idea {it is not}. Needless to say, a good double stroller can make all the difference in the world!

As a Kolcraft Mom I was given the opportunity to review the Contours Optima Tandem Stroller. I have been eyeing the Contours tandem stroller since I found out I was pregnant with baby number two. One thing that I was excited to try out was the switchable seating options and it did not disappoint.

DIY Modern Baby Shower Invitations

If you have been following along with Mom Mart then you know that I am expecting baby number three in June and it will be a little girl. I am very excited about this. I am even more excited because my little girl will have a little baby girl cousin her own age to grow up with too.

I am going to be an aunt again! My sister-in-law Krystal is expecting a little girl {her 1^st baby} in April and I will be co-hosting her baby shower. This means I get to make baby shower invitations and plan decorations and come up with baby shower games and … oh this list could go on forever! Needless to say, I love planning showers.

So for the next couple of weeks I will be sharing with you my baby shower invitation creations, the baby shower decorations, some baby shower games, party planning essentials, and pretty much everything I can think of baby shower related!

To kick this off and get into the baby shower mood I will share with you my modern take on a baby shower invitation for a baby girl. My sister-in-law loves the purple so I am thinking that we will be all about the purple too!

Shopping for new baby is ADDICTIVE! #Pregnancy Week 21

How Far Along: 21 Weeks Pregnant {21 weeks 5 days}

Due Date: June 22^nd, 2013

Boy or girl: Girl!

Bump Picture: I swear that the shirt in this picture is royal blue and not purple. After a reality check from the last few week purple shirt bump pictures I have gone through my closet and weeded out some old shirts and bought some new shirts – none of which are purple.

The Chicago Field Museum with the boys!

We have been to the Field Museum before and most likely we will go again. My boys love the Dinosaur exhibit and now have become BIG fans of the World of Mammals and the Mammals of Asia exhibits as well!

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup {Recipe}

I love soup. It is the perfect food to warm up a cold winter day. It is my go-to comfort food. There are quite a few soups that I love to eat. For example I love Cheesy Broccoli Soup, Chili, Minestrone, French Onion Soup, and Chicken and Wild Rice soup. But my all time favorite soup would have to be Chicken and Gnocchi Soup from the Olive Garden. Every bite is perfect and it is hearty enough to be a meal in itself.

I tasted this soup for the very first time while in New York in August of 2012 for BlogHer12. I was eating at the Olive Garden in Times Square with my parents – a simple soup and salad lunch to tide us over on our fun filled day of being tourists. It was so good and totally hit the spot. I knew immediately that this was one that I NEEDED to be able to make for myself. So I did!

The Baby Love Event

A couple of blogging friends of mine {Jess from My Silly Monkeys and Tamara from Southern Yankee Mix} are getting ready to launch a Baby Love event. There will be reviews, giveaways, and a gift guide. Since I am expecting baby number three this June and I know quite a few of you also have little babies, will be having babies soon, or know someone who will be having a baby I thought I would share this event with you.

This event will start on February 14^th 2013 so keep an eye out for some great new products. I know I am looking forward to this event!

Http://MomMart.blogspot.com

Kid Craft: Coffee Filter Window Art

This week’s kid craft is all about letting the light shine through. The kids and I were looking for a fun way to really show some seasonal spirit and bring some color into the house. After raiding my cabinets I discovered that (1) I needed to go shopping for more tissue paper and (2) I had a lot of coffee filters on hand. So shock among shocks… we used coffee filters for this project.

A little kick here, a little flutter there #Pregnancy Week 20

How Far Along: 20 Weeks Pregnant {20 weeks 5 days}

Due Date: June 22^nd, 2013

Boy or girl: GIRL! I had so much fun working on my gender reveal. If you missed it you can check it out HERE.

Bump Picture: I am growing... And apparently I really like this purple shirt. I think I may have two or three of the same purple shirt hanging in my closet and I keep gravitating towards them.

#WW: Learning to drive at 22 months.

No my son is not really operating the minivan. The vehicle is not turned on. The keys are not in the ignition. We are not moving. Okay… now that THAT has been clarified let’s take a minute to just smile and be entertained by the fact that my 22 month old little boy climbed into the driver’s seat, got up to the wheel, and pretended to drive the swagger wagon.

Chocolate Toffee Chip Cookies Recipe

I am not a huge dessert fan. In fact I usually prefer fresh fruit to sugary sweets… unless it involves chocolate. If there is chocolate involved I am usually more than willing to give it a try.

Lately I have been on a toffee and chocolate kick as well and have been munching on heath bars in order to get my toffee and chocolate fix. These cookies are replacing my health bar addiction. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner I am in the mood for some sweet treats and these were a big hit over the holidays with family and friends so I thought I would share.

Fun Ways to do a Gender Reveal!

Last week I had the big gender revealing ultra sound and I have been greedily sitting on the big news for almost a week. It has been really hard not to post it on Facebook and shout it from the rooftops (well… maybe not the rooftops – it has been a bit chilly for that). I have almost slipped several times in posts, comments, and discussions I have participated in since finding out.

So why have I not spilled the beans yet? I wanted to get a little creative and think about some fun ways to share the news. Simply blurting out “I’m having a _______!” would not do. So I basked in the knowledge for a day and then put on my thinking cap. I needed to get the creative juices flowing and that meant a brainstorming session.

Dress Up Bin for BOYS!

While this post is titled dress up bin for boys, this can be done for girls as well. As a mother of two little boys I feel like “dress up” has a defined gender role and has been pushed into the girls’ only category. But little boys love to play pretend too and I think it is perfectly acceptable for little boys to run around in costume using their imaginations.

My sister-in-law, Wendy, must agree as well because she created the most fun and entertaining gift for my boys. She created a dress up bin. She created costumes for the boys that appeal to everything boys love. There is a fireman, a police officer, a banker, a dinosaur, a clown, a super-hero, a doctor, and a pirate. She is so crafty – I am always impressed with the things she thinks up and how creative she can be.

I say creative because these costumes are not store bought costumes from a Halloween store. Some of the costumes are hand sewn and others are pieced together from dollar store finds and thrift shop discoveries. The boys play with every single one of the costumes and frequently ask mom and dad to dress up too!