Friday, June 21, 2013

118th Fashionable Fridays - another T-Shirt Dress

I love love love T-shirt dresses. Super easy and way cute to wear. I've been wearing a lot of dresses this summer because it's so fast and comfy. Lately I've been having trouble finding a new brand of jeans that always work for me with my lovely gut so dresses and maxis make are a great, comfortable fit that make me feel good about myself and help me look more put together =)


T-Shirt Dress (for toddlers - adults) from The Polka Dot Alligator
Belt - Kohls
Headband - The Polka Dot Alligator
Earrings - Mila Couture

Monday, June 17, 2013

87th Mommy Mondays - Growing Old

Last week during lunch, my son was commenting on our family's hair color. He said he had brown, Daddy had gray (he's bald with brown hair actually), Mommy has black brown hair (he remembered that I said I have dark brown hair), and his sister has brown hair like him. Then he asks about our ages since he forgot. He told me I was 40, but told him I was 48. Then he asked his Daddy and he said 31? (my husband doesn't remember his age all the time), and our son was like no you have 3 numbers like his dad was in his 100s or something. Funny funny!

Apparently my husband is really old. Here's a picture of him so you can see he's really not that old. My husband did say it would be cool to be 100 and feel like in his 30s.
I guess since he cuts his hair at a 0, it's really hard to tell what color it is =)



I remember when I was 16 and a kid I babysat for told me I was going to die soon since I was that old =)

Love kids' thinking. What funny things have your kids said about you lately?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think my husband had a pretty good Father's Day yesterday. We made him a card through Shutterfly and the kids colored and signed it. I made him a nice breakfast and later simple dinner. Earlier in the week he got the new movie, Oz. It was awesome movie; glad we bought it. Friday we ate at Panda Express - one of his favorite places to eat. Last night we ended the day with a guy movie, Jack Reacher - pretty good - not overly awesome. Great guy movie - several funny parts too.




Here's a poem I found through Facebook that I thought was fitting for my husband.

"A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail..."


Hope all the dads and other men who have taken the role of Dad in a child's life out there had Happy Father's Day!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

2nd SimplyFun Saturdays - Plext

Plext is in our everyday close-out sale! $25.60 (normally $32) - http://www.simplyfun.com/PublicStore/stores/ConnectFamilieswithMaryanne/AM/product/Plext,770,228.aspx

Take 14 letters in a row and turn them into as few words as you can! Prove you have the ultimate vocabulary in this addicting game by finding fewer words than your fellow players. Word lovers unite!

Example: The 14 dice start with MNCPATxxxxxxxx. The two short words MiNCe and PArT will take you through the first six letters, but eMaNCiPATe does it better! So instead of getting 2 points, you only get 1 - you're trying to get the least amount of points as possible! =)




One of my favorite games!

Here are some of the times I played. What is the least amount of words you can think of in each one?

Here's what I thought of....

  1.  HoMELy
  2. RoBot
  3. JeePNey
  4. LoOKS
  5. QueVe






 

  1. CaKe
  2. enViSioneD
  3. OPresSor
  4. TaFFY
  5. Huge

 

Friday, June 14, 2013

117th Fashionable Fridays - Fabric Headbands

Anyone else love fabric headbands? They're an easy way to go from drab to fab when you're in a hurry =)


Reversible Headbands for toddlers - adults made by The Polka Dot Alligator.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Wellness Wednesdays #22 - dōTERRA essential oils for Newborns

Yes dōTERRA's essential oils are safe for even the youngest of babies. So wonderful!

Top oils for newborns for most common baby ailments
  • Lavender for sleep support
  • DigestZen (with Fractionated Coconut Oil) for tummy troubles and other digestive support
  • Peppermint (with Fractionated Coconut Oil) for cooling or tummy troubles
  • Lavender and Melaleuca (with Fractionated Coconut Oil) for homemade baby wipes and skin irritations


Monday, June 10, 2013

86th Mommy Mondays - Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood REVIEW

I was very excited to read Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood because I needed to hear if I was the only crazy parent or notIt's always a great feeling to know you're not the only one. There are stories here for every parent from infertility and adoption to sleepless nights to having a child with Aspergers to fun new traditions. There's a story for everyone to relate to and learn from.




Many of the stories though made me kinda nervous for what's to come with my children and made me think how am I going to teach them that or see them through heartache or pain. Great stories for pondering and planning too.

This past weekend my kids made some big accomplishments at least in my eyes. My son played soccer in his last game of soccer...for about 30 seconds! He played for about 5 minutes in his first game and got scared. He wouldn't play in any of his other games. My son gets scared, nervous intimidated with larger crowds of people watching him. He's in gymnastics now, but that took several months for him to get used to plus it's an individual sport not really a team sport like soccer is. We'll try again maybe when he's in kindergarten when he's the older child on the team not the youngest. Though many people think he's older like 5 or 6 because he's tall, but he's only 4.My son was already comparing himself - not being fast enough - even though it didn't really matter. He notices that stuff very easily so it reminded me of the stories in "Do Angels Wear Glasses" and "The Comparison Monster." How will I teach my son not to compare himself so much or worry about being the best at everything? These stories helped me think about what I can do to help him see what's really important like how proud of him we were for trying, for participating in the cheer willingly, giving fives to the other team, passing out snacks. He was so proud of his medal too. =D


Having another child, my daughter especially, really helped me to learn to stop the Comparison Monster in myself because she is so stubborn unlike my son was. She's not the best listener and jokes around a lot even at the young age of 2! It's getting a lot easier as we have made adjustments in our teaching with her. When I see other parents talk of struggles or see them struggle in the stores, I just smile knowingly. Each situation and stage of life is different. Each person has their own qualities that make them better with certain parenting skills. Instead of comparing oh I know what I would do in that situation, I just smile and cheer for them inside because they are doing the best they can. Hopefully parents will look at me the same why when my kids are sliding across the store floor, climbing in the check out lines, crying because I buckled them in, etc.

A nice quotation from the "Is There a Manual?" for this section, "There is no such thing as a perfect parent so just be a real one." ~ Sue Atkins, reminds me to do the best I can, focus on making memories (like in "Mama, Will you Dry my Hair?" and teaching my children to grow up the best they can to focus on their "character not capabilities."

My favorite section was "All in a Day's Work" with stories of being super mom and juggling it all. In a different section there was a cartoon about before kids and all the things we got done and then after kids, you're proud of yourself when you eat lunch. =) This is still something I am working on, not being able to accomplish as many things in a short amounts of time. I feel like I always have 20 things started and I'd be lucky to finish 1 thing.

I wouldn't have it any other way. I wouldn't trade my struggles with my children or parenthood with anyone else. I'm grateful for these experiences especially being able to share with others my stories.






Chicken Soup for the Soul Soup-er-Blogger

Friday, June 7, 2013

116th Fashionable Fridays - Summer Mom on the Go

Here's a Mom on the Go look for Summertime. Who's ready for summer.




I love this shirt because it's so lightweight which is great when you're going and going all day in the summer time. Not sure about the stripes on this one because I think it does make me look wide in this instance. Maybe these poncho style shirts, I'll need to get 2 sizes smaller in the future because they're huge!

Top - Sexy Modest Boutique
Shorts - clothing swap
Belt - Sexy Modest Boutique
Shoes - Kohls
Necklace - Paparazzi

Daughter's Outfit
Top - Wittlebee
Shorts - used
Shoes - handpainted from Addi's Bowtique on FB

Saturday, June 1, 2013

1st SimplyFun Saturdays - HUGE 2 DAY SALE

On Saturdays, I hope to spotlight a game from SimplyFun to help you connect with your family and friends through play and learning. My family has so many favorites, and we hope they become your favorites too =)
This week I'm starting with our yearly HUGE 2 DAY SALE!
Get READY the BIG 2 DAY SALE is coming June 2nd and June 3rd!

-Items have limited availability (once they are gone they are gone!)

-There is no quantity limitations (they can purchase as many as they would like)

-Sale Starts at 12:00 am PST Sunday June 2nd (so late Sat TONIGHT!)

-Sale ends at 11:59 pm PST Monday June 3rd

You'll just order through my website and on those days there will be a picture in the slider section that leads you to the sale: http://www.simplyfun.com/pws/connectfamilieswithmaryanne/tabs/playologist-home.aspx
 These games and puzzles are at such great prices - fabulous gifts to stock up on for birthdays and holidays.

*If you're a big card player or know one, I'd highly recommend Zing - similar to Spades and Hearts. 
*Family Favorites for all ages - TYP (Take your Pick): Movies, Music, and More, Eye to Eye Jr., and Tunebaya
*Great for young kids ages 2-6: Ice Hop and Tibbar's Apple Race. Other ones for this age group: Crazy Zoo and Something Fishy.

Leave a comment to let me know what you're looking for and I'd can help you find a new game to love. We play a SimplyFun game almost everyday. I love it!
You can also join my Facebook Group, Connecting Families with Maryanne - https://www.facebook.com/groups/215747438567216/ to see more information about games, ask questions, see reviews and more.