the little things

March for Babies

2010-03-17T11:03:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, March 27th, I will be participating in the March of Dimes' March for Babies. I am doing this in honor of two special babies - my daughter and my friend's newborn son, who was born 11 weeks premature. My team goal is $1000 and my personal goal is $250. There are badges on this page where you can click to donate online and help support this cause.

Imagine if you had a baby who was born prematurely or with major birth defects. Wouldn't you want research to have provided medicine to help save and improve your baby's life? Do it for all the babies out there that are depending on us to give them a healthy start in life.

If you're in the Gainesville, FL area, come join me on this walk. It will be wonderful. Strollers and leashed dogs are welcome. There will be tents along the way with food and drinks and children's entertainment at the finish line. Let's March for Babies!!

Help me reach my goal!Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

2010-03-17T11:02:00.001-04:00

Pantry Perfect........Cupboard Cuisine

2010-03-12T09:30:00.002-05:00

I do not particuarly love to cook.

I like to try new recipes and do new things but on an everyday basis, I am uninspired and not really that interested in planning, cooking, and cleaning up for dinner, all the while listening to two screaming children (and that's no exaggeration, they usually are both screaming).

Enter what I like to call "Pantry Perfect" or "Cupboard Cuisine". These are quick and simple recipes made with things that I already have lying around. Recipe varies each time I make them, using whatever ingredients I have. Good last-minute things to whip up. I will start posting some of the ones that are good (or at least edible).

First on the list is Black Bean Enchiladas.

Black Bean Enchiladas

1 can black beans
Soft flour tortillas
Cheese
1 can corn
Onions
Cooked rice
Green Peppers (if desired)
Salsa
Sour Cream

Chop up onions and peppers. Put tortillas in 13x9 dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon black beans, corn, rice, onions, peppers, and cheese on one side and roll up. Top with salsa (can also add cheese and corn to the outside for extra yumminess). Bake in oven at 375 for about 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and a side of tortilla chips, a salad, or choose to make the rice as a side dish.

*Meal tastes best when accompanied by a cold beer or margarita ;)

Green Product Find: Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme

2010-03-10T14:29:00.004-05:00

Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme

I am always looking for a good styling product for my hair. It's hard to find something that helps smooth the frizziness and style it nicely. I decided to try Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme and I really like it. It makes my hair smooth and supple and manageable. It also smells like peppermint so it has a great invigorating scent. I would recommend this product to anyone with thick hair. Just don't use too much at one time or else it might leave your hair looking a little limp. Buy it at Beauty.com. You earn money back at any of the Beauty.com partners so it's well worth it.

Happy Styling!

Fishy Fun

2010-03-01T16:56:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we went on a family day trip to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

We were meeting family and thought this would be a great place to entertain the kids so we could visit but WOW, we were ALL entertained. The grown-ups probably liked it just as much as the kids did. They had some great exhibits and shows too. Olive's favorite was the Penguin Promenade, which was pretty neat. The little penguins were so cute waddling around! They also had a shark show, a dive show, and a Wetlands show that we saw. There were so many fascinating aquatic animals. My favorites were the sea dragons - a creature related to the seahorse that looks like floating seaweed and lives off the coast of Australia. (see picture below) They also had a bunch of very pregnant seahorses - and did you know that the males are the ones that bear the children? How great!

There were also some "Touch Tanks" where you could touch sting rays, sharks, starfish, and sea anemone. Otters, alligators, and more were swimming around the Wetlands exhibit. One of Olive's other favorites was the outdoor playground. (go figure!) They do have a water playground in the warmer months.

The aquarium is located in downtown Tampa, right next to the cruise ship terminals. We saw two massive ships in the port, which was almost as exciting as the creatures inside.

Prices were fairly reasonable. You do get a $3 discount per ticket if you purchase online. Parking is $6 per car. They do have food there in cafes and the food was pretty decent and not terribly overpriced. (Tip: The kids meals are bigger than adult meals at half the price). Enormous gift shop that is fully stocked with everything (both cute and tacky). Olive came home with a stuffed striped pink fish and Buttons got a mermaid book (both very tasteful and adorable).

All in all, a great outing. So next time you're in the Tampa area, check it out!

Adventures in Baby Food (the healthy way)

2010-02-28T22:10:00.004-05:00

When Olive was a baby and first started eating table foods, I played it safe and simple and bought lots of Gerber foods, with a few Beech-Nut thrown in for good measure.

Now that Buttons is eating real food, I am approaching things much differently. I have been making a lot of her food myself. I didn't do this the first time because I was intimidated and, well, lazy. I thought it would be much harder than it is so I didn't bother. I know now that I can simply make some extra of whatever we're eating (sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, peas, etc etc.) and pop it in the blender with some water, pour it in an ice cube tray, and voila!! Meals for days!! How easy is that?! So I've been trying to make some foods for Buttons so as much as possible, she can eat what we're eating, especially since that's what she'll be eating when she can tolerate chunkier foods and the peas that we eat taste nothing at all like the peas that Gerber sells. A friend recently recommended a website with lots of guidelines, recipes etc on it for making your own baby food. I haven't really explored it yet but the site is called Wholesome Baby Food and looks to be very promising.

As satisfying as it is to make your own baby food, there are times when you need a little help. Enter Sprout baby food (it's like takeout for babies!) Sprout food is organic, tasty, and different. I like that it's organic - that's phenomenal. But on top of that, there are so many other good attributes. The recipes are different and unusual combinations that leave baby begging for more. The roasted bananas and brown rice is a bit hit at my house (even with Olive and me too!) as well as the oatmeal with roasted cinnamon applesauce. The green beans and peas are interesting as they are mixed with mint (who'd have thunk it?) We are still fairly new to Sprout and still trying out the various flavors. Another neat thing about Sprout is that they are packaged in resealable pouches instead of cans or plastic containers. This makes them the perfect meal to throw in your diaper bag for lunch on the go. It is also an eco-conscious idea because it reduces the space it takes for shipping, therefore reducing the number of boxes needed to ship a certain amount. Another thing I am thrilled about with Sprout is that they offer a monthly subscription on their website where you can tailor your order to your baby's tastes (and change it monthly) and have it delivered right to your house!!! How great is that?! Genius, I tell you. Pure genius. I will certainly do this after the sale on Sprout at my local Publix grocery store is over ;-)

So there you have it...simple ways to feed your baby nutritious and wholesome meals while still making life easy on you. Nourishing your baby and watching him enjoy new foods should be fun and stress-free. Now it is. :)

A New Direction

2010-02-26T10:38:00.004-05:00

I miss blogging.

I love to write. It gives me a feeling of peace and serenity. I also feel like I have so much I want to say that sometimes I feel like I might burst. I always have ideas, just not enough time to pursue them all or share them all. Upon reflecting on how much I have been neglecting this blog, I have decided to take it in a new direction.

For those of you that have been following, I will still occasionally put some updates about my adorable kids (Olive and Buttons) so you can continue to see what kinds of shenanigans we get into around here. Plus, they are just plain comic relief sometimes. Who can resist cute kids getting into mischief?? But I want to focus on some other aspects as well. I do still want to continue to point out the little things in life that make me happy and that I must savor because the moments flee so quickly and are soon forgotten. I want to bring you tips on things that make life easier and simpler so you can also take some time to enjoy the little moments. I will bring you product reviews (the good, the bad, and the ugly - but mostly the good), money-saving deals, quick and easy recipes, and general humor and fun. I am also making a concerted effort to be more "green" in my everyday life so will share with you my journey on that. This blog will be directed towards anyone and everyone who feels that their life is just a little too busy and hectic and could use some moments of zen sprinkled in. I don't want to be another one of those "mom blogs" because although they are useful, there are so many of them, and I want to appeal to more than just moms. I will always be looking for new products to review, new deals to be had, and all sorts of input from others so please please please contact me with any ideas or if you have a product you'd like reviewed (or if you want to advertise on the site).

I'm always open for comments and suggestions so please give me ideas of what you'd like to see. I will also return to doing some giveaways too.

Happy reading!!

Lindsey

New Year

2010-01-04T14:00:00.002-05:00

It seems that I just can't keep up with this blog these days... I am hoping to do b etter in the new year.

A quick update on us...

Olive and Buttons (the new nickname for Baby Girl) are doing great and had a wonderful Christmas. Toys R Us probably had a great fourth quarter, thanks in large part to our family ;)

Buttons is now 6 months old and very close to sitting up. She's starting to eat some solid foods, which she loves. She's definitely a Mama's Girl and does suffer from a little bit of separation anxiety :(

Olive is doing great. Went back to school today after the break. I think she thrives on routine as much as I do. She had a lot of fun with friends and family during the holidays.

Hope you and yours have a great 2010. Ours is off to a wonderful start!

Olive is 3

2009-09-29T21:24:00.002-04:00

Wow, how time flies....

Olive turned 3 a couple of weeks ago. I'm still in disbelief that my little bitty baby could already be three years old but I'll say, so far so good. We had a family brunch on her actual birthday, which was a lot of fun. Then this past weekend, we did a party with a bunch of her little friends from school. What an amazing group of 3 year olds!! We also had a couple of other friends join us and it was great. I couldn't have asked for anything better!

Today I took Olive to the pediatrician for her three year checkup. Did I mention that I LOVE my new ped?? She is great. She too is a mother, which means so much to me. She is very caring but also very matter-of-fact. She gives it to me straight, tells me what I need to hear and how to do it without being condescending or judgmental about the way I do things. Sometimes I know what I need to do (a little extra "tough love") but she tells me WHY I should do it and how important it is. For me, it is validation for being what sometimes feels like a "mean mommy". So after seeing her today, I must say I feel really empowered. In control. Ready to tackle the next toddler tantrum. (well, ok, I am not exactly looking forward to the last one but I know it will happen sooner or later...)

So we started right away...I limited Olive's milk intake to 2 cups today and gave her unlimited water. I fed her dinner with no extra options and she could eat what she wanted and when dinner was over, I put the food away. I put her to bed a little earlier. I fed her a full-sized vitamin. Tomorrow we will tackle our 1-2 hour nap/quiet time (she's been "resting" in her room for about 20-30 minutes, if I'm lucky). The list continues...

I think I even feel empowered enough to take her advice on Baby Bit too and move her upstairs tonight to her own room. Maybe. But she did sleep all night last night (9-6:45) in the Pack n Play in our room, all nice and swaddled. But tonight she fell asleep early so I will have to wake her to feed her again...maybe I will wait until another night... maybe tomorrow.... this is becoming a stream of conciousness...I should probably go to bed myself. Night night!!!

Change is Hard

2009-09-24T14:15:00.002-04:00

We've had a lot of change this summer. A LOT.

It's been mostly good stuff with some that's not so good. But it's been hard on all of us. We are finally settling in a little to our new house and new routine, including school and ballet for Olive. We're getting by but there have been a lot of tears (from all of us) of sadness, anger, frustration, and overall exhaustion. I'm finally starting to feel like a little bit of progress is being made and my head is clearing just a little. I can breathe again, if only for now.

So as I always promise, I'll try to be better about blogging. I have lots of great recommendations for children's books that we've discovered (my mom is a big fan of taking Olive to the library).

Now...I'm off to make princess lollipops for Olive's 3rd birthday (which was actually last weekend but her party with her little friends is on Sunday). Until later...

Little Pink Pansy has been nominated for an award!!

2009-09-12T21:42:00.003-04:00

You're the first to see our new logo!

Please help my business, Little Pink Pansy, win a fantastic award sponsored by NBC and American Express. We've been nominated for the Shine a Light award and if we win, we would receive $100,000 to use for marketing and promotion. WHAT AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!!!

Here's where you come in....we need help to get 50 endorsements by tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 13th) by 11:59PM EST. Please visit http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=9545 to endorse us. We are a small business and need all the help we can getting noticed!

Please pass along the word to all your friends!

Thanks!!!

Back to School with Food Allergies

2009-09-01T21:46:00.002-04:00

For those of us whose children have food allergies, going to school can be a scary prospect.

Olive's new school is not nut-free (as her last one was) which has caused me a lot of anxiety. However, the staff has been phenomenal in their support of children's special needs. Apparently in this (much larger) school, there are only 3 kiddos with nut allergies. This is so strange to me as in her previous school, I think there were 3 kids in her class of 10 with nut allergies. Anyhow, the principal and teachers sat down with the parents and we reviewed action plans for possible reactions and what to do in case of emergency as well as what things are and are not safe for our children to eat (if you haven't been following my posts, you may not realize that there are SO many more things besides just peanuts and peanut butter that aren't safe for Olive). In another very positive step, the school sent a great letter to the parents in our classrooms and I thought I would share it here in the hopes that another FA (Food Allergy) family could use this as a method of communication within their schools. Also, at Olive's school, they provide the snacks for the children. Since she is not able to eat all the same foods as the other kids, they give her the ones that are safe for her (fruit, cheese, etc.) and I keep a stockpile of other non-perishables (pretzels, cheese crackers, fruit snacks) in her classroom to use as a substitute for the others.

Here's the letter:

Dear Fellow Parent/Guardians,

Occasionally a health concern arises in a school setting that requires enlisting the support of parent/guardians and the classmates to help make the classroom a safe and healthy place for all. This letter is to inform you that a sutdent in your child's classroom has a severe allergy to peanuts/tree nuts. For this child, strict avoidance of these allergens is the only way to prevent a life-threatening allergic reaction.

We are asking for your assistance in providing our students with a safe learning environment. Even touching a small amount of a product or acidental ingestion containing peanuts/tree nuts could result in a life-threatening situation that requires emergency medical treatment. To reduce the risk of exposure in the classroom, we are asking that you consider not sending any products containing nuts for your child to eat during snack or lunchtime and for birthday treats as well. Some examples include: peanut butter, peanuts, or snacks specifically containing peanuts. Products produced on shared equipment are also a concern for these children, but we understand that avoiding this altogether would be difficult. Please read ingredient labels carefully, but understand we may still double check since they are often confusing. If your child has eaten peanuts or tree nuts prior to coming to school, please b e sure their hands ahve been thoroughly washed prior to entering the school.

Parents of two children with this condition have offered their contact information should anyone have questions about the allergy or how to respond.

(this is where my email/phone # and another parent's are listed)

We believe all families understand a parent/guardian's concern about safety and will join us in ensuring the environment is safe for all students. If you have any questions regarding ingredient lists, safe snacks, or other questions, please feel free to contact or email us. Thank you for your help in making this a safe school yar for all!

-----
Not bad, right? Hopefully this helps the other parents understand our concerns. I know lots of parents feel inconvenienced by requests like this but I think we can all understand the parent's need to guard their children as best they can.

Happy eating and good luck at back to school!!

The Messiness of Motherhood

2009-08-30T22:17:00.002-04:00

I'm eight weeks in to being a new mom again and I'm reminded how messy motherhood can be.

Let's start at the beginning...

First you get pregnant and sweaty and nauseous. By the end of pregnancy, many women are wearing pantiliners to feel fresh (and some do this the whole time, some even bleed during pregnancy).

The baby is born and thus we enter another phase of messiness. First off, there are the baby messes. This includes dirty diapers, wet diapers, constant spit-up, projectile spit-up, projectile urine during diaper changes, and much more. Secondly (and perhaps often overlooked) are the mommy messes. After giving birth, women bleed for several weeks (making up for all those wonderful period-free months). Breastfeeding mothers experience lots of milk leaking from their breasts. Not only are these things messy and disgusting, but they require a lot of tending to and also a lot of trash. Think of all the pads that are used during this time and with each one, you have the pad itself, the wrapper, and the strips that adhere them. For nursing moms, most will wear breast pads to help control disgusting wet spots on the front of their shirts. You either use disposable ones (lots of trash) or reusable ones (lots of laundry). For all babies, there are lots of diapers. Again, you either use disposable ones (lots of trash) or reusable ones (lots of laundry). Have you ever thought about the impact on the environment of having a baby??

As baby gets a little older, we start developing the toddler drippy noses, skinned knees, and mushy messy baby food. Later it becomes dirty sports uniforms, stomach flus, and spilled juice. I could go into a lot more detail about each stage but you get the point... No matter how neat and clean of a person you are, the job of mother is anything but glamorous and anything but clean. Inevitably you will experience spills on your favorite couch, a few crushed Cheerios in your car, and spit-up on your dry-clean only blouse. While these things are anything but pleasant, it's just part of the game, and well worth it for that beautiful smile and "I love you" that comes every now and again (but never frequently enough!) After all, it's the little things...

D is for Delirious

2009-08-29T16:49:00.003-04:00

Ok, let's be honest here... I have not been as good about our daily letter lessons as I had intended. Call it laziness, exhaustion, being overwhelmed, whatever... but I am still doing it and that should count for something, right??

Here is our "D" list. Some letters are just easier than others. For me these days, "D" just stands for "delirious". While Baby Bit has had a couple of nights where she slept longer than 3-4 hours, I'm still getting up twice a night most nights and let's just say that I'm a bit tired. But as any of you with toddlers know, there's no sleeping in or resting when you have a toddler. Sigh... so with bags under my eyes and a forced smile, I keep chugging along, enjoying this time with my girls and doing what I can to make life a little bit more stable for them. Luckily, we move into our new house this week so after that, things should calm down. Here are a few pics of Olive on our scavenger hunt.

Learning the ABC's

2009-08-26T14:20:00.011-04:00

I have decided to try to teach Olive her ABC's.

She seems to know her numbers fairly well so thought I'd give a shot at letters. I know she can do it, I've just never had any idea how to teach it. I came up with this little daily plan, which is easy, fun, and quick. We'll see how it goes and I will try to keep you updated. If you have any other great ideas for teaching letters and pre-reading skills, please share as I'd love to reinforce this however I can.

Here's how it works: Each day (weekday, that is) we pick a new letter. (We are going in alphabetical order or else I'd get too confused). On one piece of paper, we write both the capital and lowercase versions of the letter (ex: A a) and on another sheet of paper, I create a scavenger hunt with objects that begin with that letter. I also try to use a couple of proper nouns that require uppercase letters. I try to use words and objects that she is familiar with and will see on a regular basis, as well as the names of her favorite characters or family and friends. Then the rest of the day, we look for the featured letter in other words, signs, etc. Here are some pictures of her with her lists. Feel free to use any of this to help teach your own kiddos their letters. (and notice that on the "C" day, she is eating one of the items from her list - "cookie" - after all, it was important for her grasping the letter "C", hehe).

Olive's 1st Day of School

2009-08-24T15:07:00.003-04:00

Today was Olive's first day of her new school here in Florida.

She is in the "butterfly" class and was so excited. When we arrived at school, she went right to the table and started painting a yellow school bus with her teacher and some other children. She hardly noticed when I left. I had to ask for a hug and a kiss. When I picked her up, she didn't want to leave and when we got home, she kept asking, "can we go back to my school?" I think it was a successful day!

Besides that being great news, the head of the school and the teachers sat down with the parents of food allergy children and we had a talk about allergies and what to do in case of emergency, what foods are safe and not, and how to use an Epi-pen. It was very reassuring. A step in the right direction.

I'm excited to get back into a routine. This summer has been great with a lot of major changes (new baby, moving, still not in our own house yet, death in the family, etc...) but very chaotic. I think we all need some sense of "normalcy" again. However, Olive will be in school 3 days a week this year and I must admit I'm a little sad she'll be gone so much. But it does give me some wonderful one-on-one time with Baby Bit and I'm grateful for that. Happy School Year!

Update

2009-08-06T14:53:00.002-04:00

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've blogged...I promise to get back to it again soon...

Life's been a little hectic, to say the least.

Our newest addition, aka "Baby Bit" arrived on July 2nd. A beautiful, healthy little girl that we just adore. We've been having a blast with her and Olive is absolutely infatuated.

We moved to Florida. Yikes. Yes, we moved 750 miles away with a 3 week old baby. We're crazy. We're currently bunking with family until we can move into our new house next month.

We're buying a house. That, in itself, is a nightmare endeavor but add it to the other things and well, you get the idea...

Hope to be back blogging away soon.... today we re-established some sense of "normalcy" for us - we went to the pool with some friends. Wonderful and fun and now we're all tuckered out and girls are sleeping. Aahhh... guess I'd better go get working on some more stuff for the move.

Later gators!

Betting on Baby

2009-06-25T15:54:00.002-04:00

I am less than a week away from my official due date and anxiously awaiting baby.

For kicks, we're having people guess the date of baby's arrival along with approximate weight.

Here are the only guesses thus far:

Olive - (she has two guesses): Today 6/25 or next Wed/Thursday 7/1 or 7/2

My doctor - Monday 6/29

My brother-in-law Seth - Monday 6/29

Dennis - Sunday 6/28

What do you think?

M.I.A.

2009-06-19T09:30:00.002-04:00

WOW, it's been almost a month since I've posted. You're probably wondering what happened to me?

Life has been crazy, to say the least.

We are still on official "Baby Watch" around here - could be any day. I'm feeling exhausted and awful and ready for her to come. My mom arrives on Tuesday so would be great if she could wait to show her pretty face until then but I hope she doesn't wait too much longer after that ;) Being 9.5 months pregnant while you are chasing a 2.5 year old is not easy. Enough said.

Add to that our other great news...we are moving!!! Dennis got a fantastic job in Florida so we will be leaving the area in July and life has been crazy trying to get packed up and ready to move too. SO many major things happening at once.

On top of this, Olive and our dog Jack have both decided that sleep is unnecessary so the baby is not even here yet and nobody is sleeping in our house. Sigh...

As a total aside...I have been meaning to blog about the book, "The Kite Runner" which I finished quite awhile ago. I'll be short and sum it up and just say that I loved it. I learned so much again about Afghanistan and history and it really makes you appreciate what we've got. Khaled Hosseini is a fantastic author that really draws you in. I also watched "Slumdog Millionaire" (which I did not think was as great as everyone said) but a lot of the poverty and lifestyle images were similar and it gives me a greater understanding of the headlines in the newspaper (that I read while sipping coffee, sitting on the leather couch, and watching my flat screen TV). I realize how fortunate I really am to have unlimited choices in my life (like the opportunity to move closer to family, to stay home with my children, to live in a nice home, to eat whatever I want for dinner). It's a good reminder to be grateful for the wonderful people in our lives too - they are what really make it or break it - and it's imporant to remember how much easier our lives are than people in many parts of the world. So, next time you're tempted to complain that you can't afford the new Lexus, pick up a book or newspaper and be grateful that you have a car at all, or have a job to go to in your car. Many people are not that lucky. So while I complain about being exhausted and pregnant and moving etc., I say it knowing that it could be much, much worse.

Hope everyone is doing well and I will try to post more frequently!

A wonderful surprise

2009-05-20T15:41:00.002-04:00

I am blessed with a wonderful husband.

He was out of town earlier this week for a work obligation and wasn't expected back until tonight. However, they decided they didn't really need him there and he knew I was having a rough week so he hopped on the plane and came home yesterday instead. It was the best gift I've been given! My spirits lifted and I felt a little better immediately. Now I'm feeling a little bit back to my normal self after spending the last couple of days lying on the couch "resting" (how boring). I'm much too much of a busybody to spend as much time lying down as my doctor recommended (plus, it's a bit hard with a busybody 2 year old too!)

THANK YOU DENNIS! ;)

More to come soon...

2009-05-18T20:25:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry for the lack of communication lately. I'm really not feeling well and getting antsy for this pregnancy to be over. I'm almost there. I will try to post more as I feel I can. :)

Trying to let it go...

2009-05-12T20:28:00.002-04:00

To help some of my pregnancy woes, my doctor suggested that I be walking around 50% of the time and lying down with my feet elevated 50% of the time. No extended sitting or standing. All I have to say to that is HAHA. He does realize that I have a toddler with limitless energy so this is a bit of an unrealistic goal but I am trying to heed his advice, at least to a certain extent. I do need to rest more. But what that means is that many things go undone. And I'm not good with that. I'm a busybody through and through, one who never sits down for more than 1-2 minutes at a time. This is so hard for me! So I'm trying to just let it go and achieve what is absolutely necessary and not worry too much about the rest. Anyone have any secrets to this? Sigh... just a few more weeks until I meet this beautiful girl and I can't wait.

Baby Registries

2009-05-11T15:17:00.002-04:00

Having a second child is both easier and harder in terms of baby supplies.

For the first baby, everyone is so excited and wants to throw you a shower and buy you lots of gifts and cutesy baby stuff. For the second, people hardly acknowledge his/her existence.

While it's true that we do have *most* of the things we need for baby #2 (especially since we're having another girl), there are some things that we borrowed or simply didn't have the first time around that I would really like to have now. Problem is, nobody wants to buy anything! First time we had all the furniture, clothing, and supplies pretty much taken care of. This time, NOTHING. There are always things you need, like diapers and usable supplies, if nothing else. Not that I'm complaining (well maybe I am just a little) but I do feel that every child is a blessing and should be celebrated as such.

So to make myself a checklist of the things I want and/or need, I created two registries for this baby. So if nothing else, I can buy gifts for her and feel like they are gifts and know that SOMEONE thinks she hung the moon. Plus, if you set up registries, they often send you extra coupons for fulfilling your registries later so what can it hurt? So I registered her at Babies R Us and another fantastic store (which blows BRU out of the water) called Buy Buy Baby. Buy Buy Baby does not have locations everywhere but they do also have an online feature, though not all items are available there. They are also affiliated with Bed, Bath, and Beyond so those many, many coupons you get from them are good there too.

So I am celebrating my second baby with as much zest and zeal as the first. I am determined not to let her get pushed to the side just because an older child demands my attention. I am still buying her some of her own clothes and other items because let's face it, while hand-me-downs are convenient for us, it's always nice to have something new for yourself (that hasn't been through the wash 1000 times to get rid of the sweet potato stains).

(If you can't tell, I'm getting a bit cranky and hormonal - can't believe it's taken this long!)

Wasting Away the Time

2009-05-05T15:14:00.003-04:00

I feel like Olive and I are so busy, busy, busy all the time that I thought we'd take today off and just sorta relax. I need it - my pregnant body feels like it's going to collapse (I don't remember being this tired at this stage last time?). We did go to the mall today to buy Olive some shoes for her uncle's wedding in a few weeks (that I'll have to miss, boohoo) and look for curtains for the nursery (we got shoes but no luck on curtains). I can't believe how exhausted it made me to just walk around the mall. Amazing. I am now 32 weeks pregnant so technically, I have another 8 weeks to go. The way I feel right now, I don't know how I will make it that long! So I've had to cut back. But I get bored easily and being around the house and actually relaxing and getting things done is pleasing but boring. Although I'm still two months out, I feel like I did at the end before Olive was born - like I'm just killing time awaiting her arrival. Strange, isn't it? I know this endless rain and gloom we've been having doesn't help either. Luckily today has been dark but not too rainy so as soon as this kid wakes up from her nap, I think I need to take her outside and let her run free for a little while. Expend some toddler energy. I just need to go somewhere fenced in so I can sit down! ;) In the meantime, think I'll go enjoy a cup of tea and revel in the quiet. It doesn't happen often enough and pretty soon, there will be no such thing... ;)

Celebrate Mama event tomorrow - Bethesda, MD

2009-05-01T14:14:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is the Celebrate Mama event in Bethesda, MD. This is a great event for "mamas of all ages and stages"! Vendors have something for everyone and there are children's performances like Rocknocerous, a ballet performance, storytelling, belly dancing, and more!

Last year, Little Pink Pansy was a vendor and had a great turnout. Unfortunately we weren't able to do it this year but we will probably be attending. It's a lot of fun and a great chance to support some other local businesses.

If you live outside of the metro DC area, check the Celebrate Mama website for a location near you.

Book Review: News of a Kidnapping by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

2009-04-30T15:12:00.002-04:00

News of a Kidnapping by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

(apologies, I can't get Blogger to do the accent marks)

I FINALLY finished this book that I have been working on for months. It took me so long because I haven't been reading much but on top of that, I just wasn't that into it.

This book is historical in that it tells of the kidnappings of several Colombians during the early 90's by Pablo Escobar and his cohorts. While the truth of the story is fascinating and intriguing (and I did learn a lot about Escobar and drug cartels and political corruption), I felt that the book dragged on in a lot of spots and provided a lot of detail that was boring and unnecessary. Perhaps I was hoping it would read a bit more like a novel but it just didn't fully hold my interest. It's hard to imagine how societies can become so corrupt and lawless but in reality, this is the case in many countries now. People fear for their lives and the government, police, military, etc. are not in control (and when they are, they are often corrupt too). In any case, this shed a little light on the mystery of Escobar and the international drug trade by focusing on the plights of the kidnapped people, detailing their conditions and what happened throughout their captivity. I was disappointed though in the way the story read. Perhaps I expected more out of Marquez but then again, this is not his expertise either. Or maybe some of it was lost in translation. On top of that, it tells in detail about many different politicians and I don't have a firm understanding of the way the Colombian government works so their titles were a bit lost on me. Overall, I'd give it 2 stars.

I'm relieved to be done so I can move on to my next book - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Too Tired Today

2009-04-29T14:03:00.003-04:00

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring. He went to bed and bumped his head and couldn't get up in the morning.

This is one of Olive's favorite songs these days (perhaps because it's been so rainy this spring that she's heard it a lot!) Today is another rainy day and we are so tired. We spent the morning with some good friends who live just far enough away that we don't see them often enough. On our usual 20 minute ride to their house, it took us an hour to get there because there was light rain. Why can't people drive when there is light rain? It's not like the torrential summer downpours we get down South all summer. Or the awful snowstorms they get up North all winter. It's just a little sprinkling of rain. Enough to make things wet but probably not even enough to register in the rain gauges. Yet it shuts down traffic. I'll never understand...

Anyway, I'm tired today and don't have much to say so am going to try to get a few things done and lay down for a quick snooze while Olive is asleep. Happy Rainy Day!

Tuesday's Tip: Don't Forget Mother's Day!

2009-04-28T14:37:00.003-04:00

Next Sunday, May 10th is Mother's Day.

There are lots of things to do for Mom - a card, a spa day, flowers, out to lunch, you name it. But the most special is just letting her know how much you love and appreciate her.

This year Mother's Day is both a bit happier and a bit sadder for our family. It's happier in the sense that I will soon be a mother again so feel I have a bit more to celebrate. It's sadder because we lost Dennis' mother in February and it won't feel complete without her.

Whatever your family traditions, be sure to embrace every minute with Mama, Grandma, and your kids and enjoy the day!

Spring Cleaning (or Nesting??)

2009-04-27T15:13:00.002-04:00

I'm hit with the sudden urge to purge.

I'm ready to clean my house top to bottom, both with cleaning and cleaning out. I am giving away and throwing away and organizing. I'm not sure if it's spring cleaning or nesting or a little of both but I'm antsy and anxious. I've got closets to clean, rooms to organize, toys to toss.

In my quest for clean, there are a few products that I really like and thought I'd share. Now, I'm always looking for a cleaner and healthier way to clean my house so if you have a greener option, please post because I'd love to hear it.

The other day I cleaned out my oven because there was something nasty that had spilled over and was making my oven smoke each time I used it (and hence setting off the smoke alarm). I had avoided doing this because I am pregnant and probably shouldn't be cleaning the oven but this product claimed to be "fume free" (yet Lemon scented, hmmm??) Anyway, I used it and let it sit for a long time (2 hours) and I have to say, it did a pretty good job on my oven. It was FAR from fume free though - my house smelled like lemon the rest of the day. But it did the job.

Aaah...the magic eraser...this works for just about anything! I have been using it lately to scrub baseboards, Olive's table (that often ends up with food or crayon on it), the backs of doors covered in pencil, the mysterious part of our French doors that all have a streak on them, and (you'll never believe this!) for pen on a computer screen?!?!!? That's right, Olive decided at one point to take a pen to the computer screen. I thought it was a lost cause but Dennis did a little research and heard that the Magic Eraser was a great resource and IT WORKED! This thing truly is magic...

Tide To Go - I keep this in my car for "on-the-go" spills but find I rarely use it. Last week, Olive and I were eating strawberries and some juice ended up on my very light khakis. I couldn't find one of these in the house so I just went about my business. Later that afternoon, I remembered that I had it in my car and while I was out, I doctored up my pants, thinking it probably wouldn't work since it had been many hours before that when the stain was created but it did! It ALL came out. The downside: the smell of this stuff made me want to pass out but it did clean my clothes just like in the commercial.

Do you have any great finds??

New blog template

2009-04-23T14:03:00.001-04:00

How do you like this new blog template?? I got it for FREE at Blogaroozer.com. There are lots to choose from and it's very simple to do. Check them out!

Tragedies

2009-04-23T13:54:00.002-04:00

I try to read the paper in the morning over breakfast. I must admit, I don't do it every day and I don't read every story. But I get the headlines and highlights. I also read the Metro section of the paper to find out what's going on in our area.

This week, there have been two separate instances of a husband killing his children, wife, and then himself. This is so sad in so many ways. In both cases, the men were facing financial difficulties. One of the men left suicide notes, the other did not. I'm not sure what they are thinking but it seems that they are ashamed of their financial problems and possibly trying to "spare" their families the embarassment, guilt, etc. of dealing with it. It's so sad when you think this is the only way out. The even sadder part is that they took the lives of those who loved them too.

I also read this morning about a top financial guy from Freddie Mac (I think, don't quote me on that) that also committed suicide. These are the incalculable costs of a recession. It's not just that we're not buying luxury cars and overpriced houses. People are in it so deep that they can't figure out another way out.

So I just say that if you or someone you know is facing financial difficulties, there are lots of resources to help. You're not alone. And please know that if you ever got into any kind of trouble (financial, legal, whatever), there are people who are there for you and will not judge you.

Goodnight Mom

2009-04-21T13:09:00.002-04:00

While perusing through some old magazines to decide which ones to recycle, I stumbled across this cute little excerpt from Parenting Magazine (November 2008) edition. In each magazine, there is something at the end called "Last Word" which usually gives me a good chuckle. Reading this one was no exception. It's based loosely on Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.

Goodnight Mom (with apologies to Margaret Wise Brown)

In the messy green
family room
There was a telemarketer
ringing the telephone
And a crying toddler
because his brother
just popped his
red balloon
And a picture of --

The cow jumping over the moon
(which someone colored on
with permanent marker)
And there was a missing
teddy bear, and a girl with
gum in her hair

And one to be scolded
And laundry to be folded
And a very hungry spouse
And something stinky in the house
(that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush and a colicky
baby who just won't shush
And a frazzled mommy screaming #*%#@

Goodnight messy room
Goodnight scribbled-on moon
Goodnight cow getting out while she can
Goodnight telemarketers and the
popped balloon

Goodnight long-gone teddy bear
Goodnight cereal bar smeared all
over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup
And goodnight leaky sippy cup
Goodnight much-too-little house and
goodnight grumpy spouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush
And goodnight to a certain 4-year-old
who just needs to hush right now I mean it

Goodnight Elmo
Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,
or the next day
Hello chardonnay and TiVo--
"me" time finally - Sarah Jio

Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's

2009-04-21T08:24:00.002-04:00

Hurry to your nearest Ben & Jerry's today between 12-8pm for a free cone! Delicious, sinful ice cream FREE!!!!! You can't beat that. Especially if it's a nice spring day where you live. And if it's not, a scoop of ice cream will make any day better! Enjoy!

Strides for Success

2009-04-15T15:13:00.004-04:00

Are you a runner, jogger, or walker? Do you enjoy helping women and children?

Come join us for the Strides for Success 5K & 1K Fun Run/Walk on Sunday, April 26th, 2009 at Fairfax Corner Shopping Center (11950 Grand Commons Avenue) in Fairfax, VA. This event is put on by the Junior League of Northern Virginia and proceeds go to benefit women and children in the Northern Virginia area through various outreach projects such as our Back to School Health Fairs, JamPacks (stuffing backpacks for kids who wouldn't have school supplies), shelter projects, and a partnership with the Children's Science Center, among many other things.

The event is lots of fun and features two separate races - a 5K and also a 1K Fun Run/Walk. Strollers are welcome in the 1K only but sorry, no dogs or headphones allowed. Last year, Olive and I did the 1K Fun Run and let me tell you, it was FUN!

Registration Information: 5K: $30 through April 20; after April 20 the fee is $35.
5K Children 10 and under - $15.00
1K Fun Run/Walk: $20.
Children 10 and under $15.

This year, I am much too big to participate so I'll be volunteering instead. This is a great event with lots of fun for the whole family. There is also a post-race brunch and a tent with children's events. The 5K starts at 9:00am, the 1K will start shortly thereafter, around 9:15am.

For more information, please visit http://www.runwashington.com/archive0209/features/stridesforsuccessinfo.html# where you can register.

Hope to see you there!

Check out PIXIE BOWS!!!

2009-04-13T13:29:00.003-04:00

My dear friends and colleagues (Holly & Sharon) have been working on their Pixie Bows business for quite some time. They finally have their new website up with their fresh new designs. Their styles are pretty much all that Olive wears and gets so many compliments on them. I'm really excited about their new line, with lots of new funky clips besides just pretty bows. I will soon be carrying them on Little Pink Pansy too so go visit them at Pixie Bows and post here which styles/colorways are your favorites so I can be sure to include them on the Little Pink Pansy site too!

They also have a blog that will keep you updated on their business and feature some great hair accessories. You can also follow them on Twitter.

Post a comment and let us know what you think!

Spring Break

2009-04-07T15:22:00.002-04:00

We are now officially on "Spring Break" from Olive's school. Since we did our big trip a couple of weeks ago, we are now taking it easy and just enjoying being home (and getting to see our teacher friends that we don't see too often!) Today we went to a fun concert of a local kids band - Rocknocerous. Olive is all talk when it comes to live music. She was so excited to go to the "concert" and showed me all the dance moves she was going to use when we got there. But, as is often the case, we arrived and even though there were about 5 or 6 of her friends there, she got shy. My child, SHY. Which is really funny if you know her - she's anything but shy, but for some reason she gets quiet in this large groups sometimes. Nonetheless, we had a great time, then enjoyed some spring break eats (chicken nuggets and ice cream) with friends and made a day of it.

If you haven't heard of Rocknocerous, check them out. Their music is catchy and fun and they do lots of local concerts in the DC area. They also have CDs for sale as well as other paraphenalia (you'd be surprised at the number of kids who show up to these things wearing their band t-shirts!). A good compromise for parents and kids alike!

When things go right...

2009-04-03T13:30:00.003-04:00

Today we had some furniture delivered to our house. The delivery window was 10-1 so I figured that we'd probably be seeing the delivery guys around 1:30 or 2:00. Of course, today was a day with downpour rain and "severe thunderstorms" predicted. Olive and I hit the grocery store early to be back just in case they came on time (which I doubted). However, will wonders never cease...they were here and gone by 11:15 and in the brief time they were here, the rain stopped and there was even almost some sun! Not ten minutes after they left, the downpours returned. Aaah....it's the little things that can make or break your day sometimes. Happy weekend!

Daily Life with Food Allergies

2009-04-02T14:43:00.002-04:00

A year ago, I would have looked at this tantalizing picture of peanuts and licked my chops before I dug in. Now, all I see is poison and fear.

Olive has a peanut allergy. I had no idea what a different life you lead when you have to worry about every food you taste. Dennis and I both LOVE peanuts. Some of his favorites are peanut butter and Reese's Cups. Some of my favorites are boiled peanuts (a Southern delicacy) and my world-famous (ok, not really) peanut butter pie. When I was pregnant with Olive, I ate trail mix every day as it was one of the only things I could stomach. Now we have to avoid peanuts. But not just peanuts, all sorts of nuts and other things that do not contain nuts but were processed in the same facility as nuts. etc. etc. It's an exhausting process but one you learn to deal with.

Recently though, there have been a few occasions where it was not so easy. While in Florida, I sat down with my parents and went over everything about her allergy, showed them lists of things to avoid, taught them to use the Epi-Pen and the appropriate dosage of Benadryl, and what things were typically pretty safe. While they listened, their joking response was, "I'll just take her to McDonald's every day." Haha, except I'm not sure how joking they were. I want them to be comfortable feeding her if we're not around and I'll really need their help when Baby #2 comes and it won't be much help if Olive is running up to me every little while asking, "is this safe?" I know, people who don't have to worry about this on a daily basis don't get it (I surely didn't until I had to) but it's still frustrating.

On the way home from our trip, Olive and I were nestled in for a little snooze on the airplane when all of a sudden my nostrils were filled with the delicious scent of peanuts. WAIT! PEANUTS??? I thought all airlines quit serving peanuts on planes?!? I have not been on one flight since we found her allergy (about 6 months ago) that had peanuts! And I realized that the man sitting next to us had just finished his bag. I almost went into super panic mode. My blood pressure started rising and anxiety kicked in. Luckily, Olive slept through all of it, unscathed. She was not directly affected by the peanuts in the closed air but it made me worry about her exposure and was this adding toxins to her system (raising her IgE levels) so that her next reaction will be more severe and she will have more of it in her little body??

We arrive home and a couple of days later, I went to have a bite of my healthy chocolate (dark chocolate plums, a great antioxidant) that I've given to Olive several times. For some reason, I decided to look at the label again and almost dropped the bag on the floor. Right there on the bag it did claim that it might contain peanuts and tree nuts. OH NO!! However, it was not listed near the ingredients as it usually is so somehow in our other eatings of this, I had missed the warning. Again, panic attack.

So as you can see...as if there aren't enough things for us to worry about as parents, food allergies are a frightening and constant worry. If there's a kid at school or coming to a playdate at your house etc., please be aware that these can be life-threatening and are a major concern to every parent who deals with it. Be sensitive to our seeming hypochondria as we are just doing our best to protect our precious children.

little pink pansy on Facebook and Twitter

2009-04-01T15:02:00.000-04:00

Now my business (Little Pink Pansy) has both a group and a page on Facebook. Find our page and "become a fan" for updates, discounts, and more!

We've also just started on Twitter so sign in and follow us @ littlepinkpansy!

The Joys of Pregnancy

2009-03-31T14:23:00.003-04:00

I am really blossoming.

As you can see, little baby girl #2 is growing like a weed (and so am I!) I will be 27 weeks along tomorrow (almost to the end of my second trimester, yikes!) with an estimated due date sometime around July 1st.

This pregnancy has been different in every way, which is why Dennis and I were convinced that it was a boy (two ultrasounds have said differently though so looks like it will be another sweet little girl). When I was pregnant with Olive, it was all very glamorous (ok, so not all glamorous, but more so). I had a desk job with a stool under my desk to prop up my feet. I could rest all the time, eat even more of the time, and come home and go to bed after work. This go round, my main job is taking care of Olive, an active 2 year old with her own agenda. She doesn't care that I'd rather be lying on the couch with my feet propped up and dozing in and out while reading pregnancy books. Nope, she doesn't care, and she doesn't slow down for anything.

So this time, pregnancy has been much less glamorous. And I've had all the yucky side effects that I didn't have the first time. For example, with Olive, I was "glowing" - this time, I am zitty and yucky. More nausea (which I'm just now starting to get over, but not completely, I still had to take my prescribed anti-nausea meds the other day). Varicose veins popping up everywhere. (eww) Feeling contractions and discomfort for months. And lots of other too-intimate details to share but let me just tell you that it hasn't been pretty. On top of this, I am so preoccupied by other things that I haven't had as much time to dwell on the idea of being pregnant and this beautiful little creature growing inside. When someone asks me how far along I am, I say, "uh, I don't know, I'm due around July 1st" (I had to look at my calendar to try to calculate for this post). I haven't read the weekly pregnancy books in a very long time (we used to do this religiously with Olive). I also took weekly progress pics of my belly the first time and while I'm doing that now, there are often several weeks that go by without pictures. My doctor reassures me that this is normal and actually a healthier way to parent, where you're not so overly concerned about everything. I guess he's right, but I still feel sort of bad...However, as we creep ever closer to D-day (Delivery Day), I am getting more and more excited to meet this girl and I know that it will all be worth it.

Anyone out there had totally different experiences with pregnancy? The good, the bad, the ugly? I'd love to hear...

**Apologies for the giant picture...this was as small as I could get it. It's probably big enough for you to visually see all my flaws.

Adventures in Parenting, the next chapter

2009-03-30T15:20:00.002-04:00

As I've said before, I have been blessed to be surrounded by friends and acquaintances of every different style, interested in all sorts of things.

Recently, Olive and I were playing with another child and her mother. The mom got chatting about how she doesn't push gender roles and doesn't like to comment on her daughter's physical attributes but rather her personality since girls are usually complimented on their looks and boys on their ability. What a great idea...I like to compliment Olive on her good behavior and abilities but I do also comment a lot on her looks. Though I find I comment a lot on most small kids' looks (ie, what a pretty dress, cute shirt, etc.). Not two minutes after this conversation, her daughter did something really adorable and I found myself saying, "Annie, you're so cute!" Uh, oops. "What?" the mom asked. "She has such a friendly face," I lamely replied. Insert foot into mouth. Later, on the same playdate, the mom comments on how the little girl's bedroom is not done in pink but rather more neutral colors - green and red. It was a fun room and I think it's great not to push the girl stuff but then I realized that I will soon have two little girls and guess what colors their rooms are - Olive's is pink and green and Baby #2's room is purple and green. I fell into the "girl" trap again. I left thinking maybe I should go home and neutralize my kids' rooms. (then I walked into them and saw how beautiful they were and couldn't bring myself to change a thing!)

A few days later, we had an Easter egg hunt for the kids at the park. Olive meticulously stuffed her eggs with jellybeans and marshmallow bunnies ("so the children will have candy" she said). Fun and cute. We checked our candy carefully to be sure it was all nut-free and safe for Olive to eat. We arrive at the park and one of the other children, who just recently turned 2, is not allowed to have sugar. Huh? Oops... So guess what he put in his eggs - dried fruit and NUTS. AAAHHH. Talk about a heart attack waiting to happen! Luckily, Olive is old enough to understand that she couldn't collect those particular eggs but it's still something we had to watch. But I was also feeling bad because my child brought candy and cookies for everyone and they don't even eat sweets at all?? I'm all for not letting the kids overindulge but I feel like they should have some fun treats every now again. It's part of being a kid, right? (as a side note, this mama also takes her kid to a homeopathic doctor vs. a regular pediatrician and skips all the vaccines).

Anyways...sometimes these things make you feel a little inadequate but I have to remind myself that just because I let my little girls have pink bedrooms and eat candy on occasion that I'm not a bad mom and everyone has to do what's right for their family. But I just hate feeling judged...

Tuesday's Tip: Be Child-Like

2009-03-24T21:19:00.020-04:00

Olive and I are here in Florida visiting my family and having some fun while poor Dennis is stuck at home transforming my former office into a new bedroom for Olive (she will move in there since it's bigger and the baby will get her old room - a perfect nursery). My parents and I took Olive for her first trip to Disney World over the weekend and let me just say - it was MAGICAL. Amazing. WAY better than I ever would have dreamed. And definitely more exciting as a parent than it ever was a child. Olive was a champ - she went and went and went. We rode several rides, watched the parade, climbed treehouses and play areas, met with lots of characters, and even stayed up to watch the fireworks over Cinderella's castle from our hotel room. All in all, an absolutely perfect trip (except for missing Dennis!) I've had so much fun both at Disney and here at my parents' house with her just enjoying being a kid again that I thought that would be a good tip for today. Just have fun - cut loose - be a kid - and don't worry what anyone else has to say about it (they're just jealous!) Here's just a (very) small sampling of some of our pics from Disney to share.

Arriving at the airport, ready for fun

At the entrance to Disney - Olive, me, and my mom

Olive and my mom watching the parade at Main Street Disney

Riding Dumbo the Elephant

My dad and Olive, with her souvenir Minnie Mouse ears

She got her face painted like Tinkerbell!

Meeting with Mickey and Minnie

Princess Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty)

our favorite princess, Cinderella

Princess Belle (from Beauty & the Beast)

Remember these guys? Chip and Dale - she thought they were so silly ;)

Breakfast with Minnie Mouse

Breakfast with Goofy

Breakfast with Donald Duck

Breakfast with Chef Mickey

Breakfast with Pluto

Dancing on a platform and screaming (with arms in the air) - "We're going to party FOREVER!"

On the way home, we stopped at a fruit stand and ate fresh grapefruit. Dig in!

Doggie Discrimination

2009-03-18T13:57:00.005-04:00

I consider myself an animal lover.

I always had pets growing up (dogs, cats, mice, turtles, fish, snakes - eww those were my brother's - my parents didn't hear my pleas against it) and still have a pet to this day (a small Jack Russell mix dog named, appropriately, Jack). When I visit someone's home who has pets, I always find myself sitting on the floor or couch curled up with the animals and scratching their bellies.

However, recently I've started seeing a new influx of pit bulls and bulldogs into my neighborhood and it makes me a little uneasy. I like to think of myself as a non-judgmental person (not that I don't have slips but I try not to judge others) but I have no qualms saying that I am openly discriminating against these dogs. Perhaps it's the pit bulls' aggressive nature that scares me. After all, I see them when I am out walking my (small) dog and usually with Olive at my side. What would I do if one of these beasts came after us? Sorry, Jack, but you'll have to fend for yourself...Olive & I are taking off. And a lot of these dogs around here are off the leash... "Oh, he's harmless". Hmm.... Well I'm just not comfortable with that. Perhaps my other fear is that I see who is walking these dogs and I guess that means I am discriminating against the people too. They are often a little shady looking, wearing hooded black sweatshirts and baggy jeans, smoking cigarettes and looking rough. Not the kind of guys you want to run across in a dark alley (or on a narrow sidewalk when you are walking your dog and toddler). Plus, not to mention...look at this dog's feet - how gross and creepy!!! For comparison sake, here's a picture of our friendly, lazy, dog Jack: Let me know your thoughts on the subject...

Tuesday's Tip: Watch a stupid movie

2009-03-17T15:08:00.004-04:00

Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to take time out to do something just completely for fun, like watching a stupid movie that makes you laugh.

Last weekend, in the midst of the majority of the room transition (my office is becoming Olive's new room), Dennis and I took a break to relax and watch a comedy. We saw this movie, Role Models, which I think was surprisingly hilarious. It features Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from Superbad), along with Elizabeth Banks (Scrubs, Zack & Miri Make a Porno). Also featured is Jane Lynch (manager from 40 Year Old Virgin). The basis of this story is that these two guys (Rudd & Scott) work for an energy drink company and they get in trouble and have to do community service working with kids. This is their hilarious tale of the worst role models who turn out to be OK in the end. Lots of debuts by other actors from these sorts of funny movies (the party guy from Superbad, the doctor from Knocked Up, etc.) Definitely gave us a good laugh and provided a little respite from reality. Like many of the similar kinds of movies, the language is foul and it can be a little questionable for the pure of heart but certainly a lot of fun.

Book Review: Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes by Julie Cannon

2009-03-16T20:06:00.002-04:00

Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes by Julie Cannon

I'd had this book sitting on my shelf for awhile. It was one that my mom had read and passed along. It was pretty cute for a fun read. The story is about Imogene Lavender, who lost her husband of 48 years (I think) and is on the search for love again. This tells her funny search for love in all the wrong places for women over 60 in small town Georgia. Imogene is an avid gardener and homemaker and this story brings us to a simpler way of life. A good, fun, easy read. I plan to read the next installment - 'Mater Biscuit - at some point. This is defnitely a girly book so don't even think about making your husband read it. Those who grew up (or ever lived) in the South and/or the country will particularly appreciate some of the banter and expressions. For me, it shows me how different my life is and how "citified" and "Yankee" I've become ;) (not that these are bad things, just different!) In fact, just this weekend, Dennis asked me if I'd been teaching Olive to call her shoes "tennis shoes" or if I'd been calling them "sneakers" like he does. I sighed and hung my head in shame... "sneakies" I replied, as this is the cutesy term that Olive likes. Guess I've changed in some ways but it sure is good to read a "down home" story to reconnect with my comfort zone. Happy Reading!

Tuesday's Tip: Deals to be Found

2009-03-10T13:14:00.003-04:00

Spring is coming and it's time to stock up on some fresh new clothes and shoes! I've included some promotions going on right now to help you find just the right thing at just the right price.

DSW Shoe Warehouse

Online only, now through March 16th

Receive $10 off any $50 or more purchase - use promotion code LOVE at checkout

Free Shipping with any purchase over $29 - use promotion code FSDSW at checkout*

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Inspiration

2009-03-09T14:55:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I am totally inspired by a person, an event, a book, or something else. Most recently I have been inspired by reading the blog Green Mamma, written by an eco-conscious mom with a beautiful toddler girl and another one on the way. I do actually know this woman personally but not very well. I like her blog as she provides tips on green living, great kids activities, books to read, and other anecdotes on life. She is an advocate of attachment parenting and breastfeeding well into toddlerhood (two things that don't exactly describe me) but I like reading her thoughts and ideas. Most recently she has inspired me with a post from last Thursday, March 5th titled "Books . . . this is a long one". In this post I was reminded of many of the things I wish to accomplish in my life - one important one being empowering women. If you know anything about my business (little pink pansy), you know that it seeks to help women achieve their dreams. She is also into photography and posts some beautiful pictures, like the ones in today's post "Chirping Frogs". Check out her blog and see if it doesn't make you want to do something great for yourself, your family, your world, and others.

Great Deals on Cute Children's Bedding

2009-03-05T13:44:00.003-05:00

We have decided to move Olive into our spare bedroom (currently it is my office) and give Baby Girl #2 all of the furniture and everything in Olive's room. Baby Girl #2 has gotten new bedding but will keep the same furniture and setup that's there now. Olive now will have a bigger room and a bigger bed etc. In doing our research, we've found lots of great things at some great prices. Depending on what you're looking for, these places might be worth a peek.

Company Kids is a branch of The Company Store - a great place for linens etc. Company Kids has adorable bed linens, rugs & windows, room decor, bed & bath, personalized items, bags, and furniture and storage. Their prices are pretty good to start with but they also have a Clearance center. I'm currently searching here for shams, sheets, and a bed skirt for Olive's new bed as well as a coordinating pillow or something for Baby Girl's room.

The children's counterpart to the home furnishings store, Pottery Barn Kids is even better with their selections. Beautiful bedding, bath, furniture, toys, clothes, etc. are easy to find here. The prices can be steep but they have excellent sales (both in store and online) and you can find some real steals if you keep your eyes open (this is how we decorated their bathroom for less than $50). Another great option for this store is if you can find a Pottery Barn Outlet - click here to see if there's one near you. Both girls' comforters have come from here as well as some towels and sheets.

If you're in the local DC metro area, there is a fabulous store in Manassas, VA called Baby2Teen. They have everything from strollers and rocking horses to TONS of furniture and bedding (for all ages and stages). This is where we found Olive's new bed. Be sure to also check out their clearance room for some excellent deals on discontinued items.

Last but certainly not least is IKEA. If you have one nearby, you've undoubtedly been there to peruse their enormous showroom and find deals on everything from couches to baking pans and EVERYTHING in between. IKEA is an experience, a wonderful chance to stock up on accent pieces or furniture without breaking the budget. You can also purchase online if you don't have one nearby. Some of their stuff is very good quality but most of it is stuff you don't plan to have forever and pass on to your grandchildren. However, for outfitting a child's room or finding some extra accessories, it is the place to go. They also have good deals on some babyproofing items, and in particular the mounted baby gates.

Hope you found our research helpful. We are still perusing mattress options. We did see some really nice and comfortable ones at IKEA the other day for very reasonable prices. If you have any other great places to search, please post a comment.

The snow is melting

2009-03-04T14:02:00.002-05:00

We've had our biggest snow of the season here in Northern Virginia (around 6-8 inches). Unfortunately for Olive, I haven't been up for going to play in it so we've mostly watched it from inside the windows. Today the sun is shining and it's warming up - snow is melting. The steady sound of trickle can be heard outside, along with the occasional icicle dropping to the ground. Spring is coming, sooner or later. The temps are going to be up in the 50's this weekend so most of the snow should be gone soon. While it's pretty to see the snow, I'll be glad for warmer temperatures and the opportunity to let Olive run around outside. I haven't gotten any pictures of the snow but one thing Olive is really enjoying is shoveling it (isn't this a great skill to teach her??) Hope you've enjoyed the snow and had fun with snowmen, snow angels, or snowball fights!

Disney Princesses

2009-03-03T13:36:00.003-05:00

Olive and I will be headed to Florida soon for a visit with my family. My mom and I decided that it might be time to take her to Disney World before the new baby comes. We have been looking for some fun extra activities while we're there and can I just say how fascinated she is by the Disney princesses?? I thought this would come a little later but she is SO excited to see the princesses. Mind you, she's never actually seen any of the Disney princess movies, but has princess panties and PJs, among other things, and so knows their names. Her favorite is Cinderella. At one of my doctor's appointments that she attended, there was a Cinderella book in the waiting room about Cinderella winning some cake-baking contest so this is what she thinks the Cinderella story is! How funny. If anyone has been to Disney recently, is there anything you'd recommend to do with a 2.5 year old princess fanatic?

Heidi's Heavenly Cookies - a delicious little treat

2009-02-27T14:51:00.003-05:00

We just received a gift from a friend from Heidi's Heavenly Cookies and let me be the first to say that these may very well be the best cookies I've ever eaten. That's saying a lot, considering I eat a lot of cookies and am a self-professed sweet junkie. These cookies are SO good. Nothing I could say or do could possibly prepare you for the pure joy and ecstasy that comes when you take a little nibble of these delicious treats. Upon browsing their site, I think the ones we've tried are the various cookies in the Bites Assortment which include Oatmeal Raisin Bites (pretty good), Chocolate Chip Bites (very good), Toffee Chocolate Chip Bites (damn near perfect), and Chocolate Eclipse Bites (pretty good). We also were privileged to receive some of the English Toffee Candy (it doesn't get any better than that). I will definitely be ordering some of these as gifts for others because they are so above and beyond yummy. Check them out today and leave a comment with what looks best to you. My favorites are the Toffee Chocolate Chip Bites and the English Toffee Candy.

*Note: All items from Heidi's Heavenly Cookies are potentially cross-contaminated with nuts so keep out of reach of little nut-allergic kiddos (Olive thinks the pretty box contains a note from a friend, she has no idea about the yummy treats within, which, sadly enough, she'll never eat.)

Tuesday's Tips: Chicken Recipes

2009-02-24T13:54:00.001-05:00

I am not the best cook you'll ever meet. I don't mind cooking per se but am often stunted on ideas and find the pre-planning of several meals per week a real bore. On top of this, I used to be much more creative and inspired in the kitchen but with a nagging toddler, it can really wear me out. I now typically prepare the majority of the dinner stuff during naptime (even more of a drag - I just want to rest). We predominantly eat chicken in this house and I've prepared two yummy chicken meals over the past week that meet my requirements: relatively simply and delicious. As always, I tweak recipes to fit what ingredients I have on hand so try some variations.

Three Pepper Chicken (not sure who should get credit for this recipe - I did not invent it myself - I'm sorry I can't remember who gave it to me)
1 TBS. all-purpose flour
20 saltines, crushed
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (I used Italian breadcrumbs)
4 4oz. boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup egg substitute (I used regular egg)
1 cup red, yellow, &/or green pepper strips (I used all)
1 medium onion, cut in strips
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 TBS. margarine/butter
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups hot cooked bowtie pasta (I served over Jasmine rice instead)
chopped parsley, for garnish (I'm not that fancy)

In shallow bowl, combine crackers and Italian seasoning. Dip each chicken breast in egg substitute & coat with cracker mixture; set aside. In large nonstick skillet, over med-high heat, cook peppers, onion, & garlic in 1 TBS margarine until tender crisp; remove from skillet. In same skillet, cook chicken in 1 TBS margarine until golden brown on both sides, adding remaining margarine as needed, about 5-10 minutes. Remove chicken to serving platter; keep warm. Blend chicken broth & flour, stir into pan drippings. Heat until mixture thickens and begins to boil; stir in pepper mixture & heat through. Serve over chicken with pasta (or rice). Garnish with parsley.

Chicken Divan - Paula Deen

2 10-oz. packages frozen broccoli, chopped
6 cups shredded chicken, cooked
2 10.75-oz. cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream (I substituted cottage cheese b/c I forgot the sour cream, OK but s.c. is better)
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1 TBS. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I used the canister)
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (Again, the canister)
2 TBS. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli. Open 1 end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the broccoli and put into a casserole dish. Add the shredded chicken. In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, Cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Mix well with a spatula. Place the mixture into a 11x7 casserole dish or 2 (9 inch) square disposable aluminum foil pans that have been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, and butter and sprinkle over the top. Bake for about 30-45 minutes. Cook's Note: Try topping with Cheddar or Gruyere cheese.

Patience

2009-02-23T15:39:00.004-05:00

I really need a lesson in patience.

I'll admit, I get frustrated a little too easily sometimes. I've never been the most patient person but this has only gotten worse over the years. I know part of that is marrying Dennis, who comes from a culture of hurriedness, where everyone is always rushing for everything. (and he thinks I'm slow, I understand his frustration because I often have it with others, namely Olive). Actually, the majority of my lack of patience these days comes with Olive. I know, I know, she is only 2 years old, but sometimes she drives me crazy. I think I get annoyed with her lollygagging because most of the time it's not just taking her time, it's manipulation, and that really bugs me. It often takes a good 30 minutes or so just to get dressed, go potty, and brush her teeth. Not that it ACTUALLY takes this long (sometimes she'll do it in under 3 minutes) but she always wants to drag things out. This is especially true of the nighttime routine, which has extended from 30 minutes to an hour or more sometimes. I know, I should just enjoy this time together, but it often feels like a waste of time. How many more times can you say, "let's get dressed" before you want to scream?? Unfortunately for me, it's not that many. I get really annoyed that she doesn't always want to do the exact same things I do. This is unfair and I know that, but she is always testing me at every turn and sometimes I just wish and pray she would just do it the way we want her to without it turning into a big deal. Sigh... Anyway, just wanted to vent I guess. Does anyone have a time when they were particularly impatient (either with or without reason)? Any tips on scooting along a pokey toddler??

Searching for a web designer

2009-02-21T16:08:00.003-05:00

I am in the process of searching for a new web designer for my site - www.littlepinkpansy.com. The site is cute for now but I did it myself and would love to have it redone and made very user-friendly and a little more eye-catching. I know several good designers but since the focus of my business is to support women-run companies, especially mom-run ones, I am looking for a woman with a woman's eye to do it. Thing is, I've sorta stumbled upon how to do this and now that the site has been up for 2 years, I'm a little rusty on the details. I am looking for new ideas and possibly a new host to help make things simple to upload and change. If you know of any great mom or woman designers or have any pertinent information, please leave a comment with a link!! And if this describes you, please advertise yourself!!!

Back to Blogging

2009-02-20T15:09:00.002-05:00

I've been missing from the online world a bit lately but it's time to get back. Just an update on some things that have happened in recent days and weeks...

Last week we said goodbye to my dear mother-in-law who ended her long battle with cancer. Although we knew it was coming, it didn't make it a whole lot easier when it actually happened. We spent the better part of the week in New York (where she lived) and had a beautiful memorial service for her. She lived far away from us in distance but not in spirit - both Dennis and I talked to her on the phone several times each day and this void is very apparent now that we're starting to resume our daily lives. Over the past month or so, Dennis has been gone most weekends and several weekdays to tend to her while she was sick. It's been a rough few months for us and will probably continue to be for awhile. At least now she is at peace though and not in pain - there's nothing worse than seeing someone you love so much be hurting and you can't do anything about it.

On to happier news now...
We had our ultrasound of baby #2 and all looks well. She (that's right, we're going to have 2 beautiful little girls!!!) appears to be healthy and happy and is certainly proving to be as active in utero as her big sister Olive. I am deducing that this means she will be as active as Olive in person too, which both scares and delights me. I can't possibly imagine chasing TWO kids like this but at the same time, maybe there will be SOMEONE who can keep up with Olive (because Dennis and I sure can't!) We are very excited about the impending arrival of this one, due sometime around July 1st.

Business is booming. I'm staying really busy with that, along with trying to convert my office into a bedroom (I haven't gotten too far...) and trying to wrap up paperwork and outstanding things from my mother-in-law's accounts. I'm busy but I'm here and hanging in. I am going to try to get back to regular blogging and will hopefully have some giveaways coming up soon so stay tuned...

Lovin' this spring weather!

2009-02-09T16:00:00.002-05:00

Although the Groundhog suggests that we have 6 more weeks of winter, our weather here has been wonderful the last few days. Warm, sunny, spring-like. It's so great to be able to get out and walk the dog and stretch our legs and play outside. It's made a world of difference. We were able to go to the playground this weekend and to a chocolate festival - so nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air. It does wonders for the state of mind. Not much else to report on that topic, just to say how nice it is!! Get out and enjoy the weather. I doubt it's here to stay but that makes it all the sweeter.

Littering? Really?

2009-02-06T15:04:00.003-05:00

Today I saw something that shocked me.

As I was pulling out of Olive's school, I was driving along and all of a sudden I saw trash fly out of a car. Huh...I thought. Must have had the window open (though it's a bit cold for that) and something flew out. But as I drove up closer, I saw that it was lots and lots of food wrappers from a fast food restaurant. Hamburger wrappers, bags, fries containers. This was no mishap. I was furious. I thought it was another mom from Olive's school so I sped up to see the offender. It was not someone from our school but it was a mom in a minivan. I was so appalled. Who does this?? And not only did this woman throw something out her window, it wasn't something small like a gum wrapper, it was a whole meal's worth of wrappers. And it was so deliberate! I just couldn't believe what I saw. There was obviously a bag that had come from this fast food place - couldn't she have just put all the wrappers in there and thrown it out when she got home or wherever she was going? I couldn't believe my eyes. What does this teach her kids? That you can just toss trash out the window? Unacceptable in my book. Even Olive knows that you throw trash in the trash can. My 2 year old would never dream of doing anything with garbage besides putting it in the right place yet this 30-something woman has no problem tossing tons of junk on the roadside for the rest of us to deal with? I was just truly shocked.

Have you ever seen something so blatant that really got your blood boiling? Post a comment and let me know.

Book Review: The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

2009-02-06T14:52:00.003-05:00

The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

click here to order

I am a big fan of Nicholas Sparks. His stories are romantic, tender, and well-written. This one took me awhile to really get into it though - I felt the beginning was a little slow. It did pick up and I found myself eager to read the rest. This story also brings back the character of Noah Calhoun (from The Notebook). This story is about a man who is approaching his 30 year anniversary with his wife and realizes there is a lot he hasn't said or done over the years and this story is his attempt to rekindle the romance. Overall, I'd probably give it 3.25 stars. Good, but not his greatest work.

Adventures in Parenting

2009-02-05T14:07:00.002-05:00

We are all very different people so it should come as no surprise that we're all very different parents as well. I tend to spend more time with my friends who parent their kids in a similar fashion but this is not always the case. And I know that I'm not "right" and they're not "wrong" for how they do things. Each decision is unique to a family and to the individual child. I've really taken note of how differently people do things from each other so just thought I'd share some of the extremes I've seen and you'll see that usually, I fall more or less in the middle. I sometimes wonder if we're all in a struggle for our kids to either stay babies for too long or to let them grow up too fast. I had a really hard time nearing Olive's first birthday (my baby wasn't a baby anymore!) but since then, have had so much fun with every new thing that I am always excited for the next step.

Nursing:
I know the AAP recommends doing this for the first 12 months. I think this gives a lot of moms a lot of guilt. Some just have a really hard time with it, either physically or emotionally or logistically (pumping constantly at work can be a drag). I know of people nursing their toddlers and the other day even heard a story about a woman nursing a 9 year old boy. NINE! To me, that's just gross. But that's just my opinion. We did it for 6 months with nighttime feedings until about 8 months. But Olive was done and so was I. She lost interest and was too distracted and not eating and hence my body responded by not producing anything. But I feel that was a reasonable amount of time.

Drinking from a bottle:
I've seen many kids do this well past 2, some even to 2.5 or older. For me, I was so sick of cleaning bottles and dealing with the pain of them that they were completely done by 13 months.

Transitioning to a toddler bed:
I've seen or heard just about everything in this category. I know some people who move their kids out of the crib at 12 months, others who leave the kids in there until they're 4. For this, we didn't have a choice. At 17 months, Olive (ever the gymnast) began climbing out of her crib. Unfortunately the bed rails were on back order so we didn't get to transition her until about 21 months or so. This has been both a blessing and a curse.

Potty Training:
I know some lucky families who had their kids 100% trained by 17 months but others who are struggling to be trained before starting kindergarten. Olive became officially "trained" a few weeks ago, around 28 months (though we are still wearing diapers for sleeping).

Pacifiers:
Ok, here's one where I feel like I've fallen behind. We still let Olive have a pacifier (she calls it a "nino" - the Polish word for it) for sleeping. In my opinion, she's much too old for it but I wanted to potty train first and ditch the ninos later. I know some kids still suck on these things until kindergarten (yikes) but I told her it had to be gone before baby #2 comes along. She has even bought new ninos for the baby in an effort to associate pacifiers with babies and not with big girls. I should have taken it away at about a year, when she showed little interest, but I didn't, and now I'm paying for it!

Baby Food:
This was another convenience thing for me. I wanted Olive to eat table food vs. baby food because it was just easier. She didn't complain. She only ever wanted what we were eating anyways but I know some kids who continue to eat baby food until they're 2 or 3.

I could go on and on but these are just some of the things that baffle me sometimes (in particular, the extremes where I feel like sometimes people aren't letting their kids grow up). But I am not judging...I know every family and every situation is different. This is just what has worked for us. Our next one may be totally different. I may be eating these words a year from now ;)

Random Thoughts of a Work at Home Mom

2009-01-30T13:42:00.003-05:00

Last Friday (yes, one entire week ago), I arrived early to pick up Olive from school. Since I didn't have a book or crossword in the car, I started writing down random thoughts to use on my blog. Somehow the week slipped away from me and other things came up and I never got around to sharing them. So, here they are, for a little Friday Fun...

-Is there something innate in dogs that makes them despise all postal carriers and delivery men?

-Spring is coming - today is sunny and warmer and I'm starting to see short sleeves in the stores - yippee!! (Update - since then, we've had both a snow day and an ice day that have kept us at home but today the ice is melting and the sun is out again. New hope for an early spring!)

-Why are there SO many ads on TV and in the Washington Post for furs? Aren't fur coats taboo? Where would you wear this? And why? How do all these "furriers" stay in business?

-I'm enjoying the newfound freedom of being virtually diaper-free (except for bedtime). I will remove the diaper pail and changing pad from Olive's room soon (ok, well when I can move it to the nursery, hopefully soon).

-It's amazing how much you can accomplish in 3 hours when your kids are at school and you are all ALONE!

-I'm truly grateful for the wonderful friends, family, and teachers who surround our family with love and understanding.

-The longer you live somewhere, you eventually begin to grow roots and attachments, whether you intended to or not.

-I'm now obsessed with getting the new baby's room ready and buying everything we need, even though I'm not quite half-way through the pregnancy.

-I love my husband and he is my best friend.

-I love my daughter and have a newfound respect, awe, and admiration for her.

-It's very difficult to grocery shop and prepare meals for your family when 99% of all food grosses you out.

-Whoever invented the internet (and sorry Al Gore, I know it wasn't you) is both a lifesaver and a demon.

-I'm really excited for my ultrasound on Monday, where hopefully we'll be able to determine whether I need to buy some blue or pink things.

Have a great weekend!!

SNOW DAY!

2009-01-28T10:43:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was the first real snow day we've had this season and little Olive had a blast! We hiked all around in the snow, made snow angels, threw snowballs, built a couple of snowmen (ok, so they were small and maybe a bit pathetic), and played with a couple of neighborhood friends. All in all, a great snow day! I'm including a few pictures of my all-weather girl...

HUGE children's SALE CLEARANCE

2009-01-22T09:11:00.002-05:00

A new federal law comes into effect in just a few weeks that will prohibit the sales of any product intended for children 0-12 that has not been tested for lead and deemed safe. If you have been to Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, etc. lately, you may have noticed huge clearance items - they are trying to clear out all merchandise they have that was manufactured before these regulations come into effect.

The same is true for us little guys, though the law has different ramifications. As you can imagine, it's quite costly to have products tested and each and every part of a product must be tested to ensure full compliance. As a parent, this makes me happy to know that my kids will be playing with safe toys and worry less about all those lead paint toys imported from China. As a small business owner who deals primarily with work-at-home moms, this means that most of our children's line will unfortunately be discontinued. While there is no doubt in my mind that our products are all safe, this law applies to EVERYTHING - clothing, blankets, etc. - so the mom who sews baby blankets in her basement at night will soon be out of business. Therefore, my business (little pink pansy) is having a massive clearance sale to get rid of all existing children's inventory before the law comes into effect on February 10th, at which point, most of these items will be discontinued. So stock up now for your kids, for birthday parties, for Christmas, for nieces and nephews and neighbors. You won't find deals like this very often.

A few highlights... pictured above is an adorable coveralls set. This is great for children 6 months up to 2-3 years. It works well for messy eaters but has now become an excellent art smock for Olive. It wipes clean with a wet towel but is also machine washable (and very durable).

Another favorite is the fleece ribbon hats. We still have lots in stock - buy now for this cold weather and go ahead and get one for next year too! These also make excellent shower gifts.

Our adorable best-selling hairbows are also on clearance, at prices you can't find anywhere else for these hand-made beauties. Stock up and get one for every outfit.

To check out the full line, please visit www.littlepinkpansy.com and pass along the word to your friends and family.

Dealing with food allergies

2009-01-12T15:06:00.003-05:00

In October, just a few days before I found out I was pregnant with #2, we learned that Olive has food allergies. (It was a big week around here!) Dealing with this has been really frustrating - it's a minefield of food avoidance and it's absolutely not clear how to do things. Every person has a different opinion. There are so many resources out there but they are hard to find and many of them differ in their recommendations. Our initial meeting with an allergist only left me more confused than before. We're currently searching for a new one who can maybe help clarify some things for me but until then, we've learned to "cope" as best as we can. The problem lies in the ignorance of other people, including those whose own children have food allergies. Most people don't know these things and I wouldn't expect them to. I wouldn't expect everyone to have to cater to my child but there are a few things that everyone should know to help keep kids safe. Someone directed me to this great website with a title - "10 Things Families With Food Allergies Want You to Know". Take the few minutes to read it - it really is valuable information. I think some of the most frustrating things to me are even dealing parents (both Food Allergy and not) because some people say, "oh you should just try giving it to her again" - um, HI, my kid has a PEANUT allergy...if she eats it she could DIE?? WHY THE HELL WOULD I RISK HER LIFE TO TRY THIS ON MY OWN??? ARE YOU CRAZY??? No thanks...I will wait until a trained allergist wants to do a food challenge (in the office, with Epi-Pen handy and 911 on speed dial) to give her nuts again. Anyone who thinks otherwise is out of their minds. As with all parenting issues, unsolicited advice is not welcome ;) The reason I'm blogging about this today is two-fold...I'm spending hours searching for a new doctor that takes my insurance and has appointments available within the next month or two. Also, at school this morning, a child brought in cupcakes to celebrate her birthday. The mom did post to the class about it yesterday afternoon but not enough time for many of us to read it or make other arrangements. I happened to check it right before I left this morning. While we are a nut-free school, some folks don't realize which products might have nut byproducts simply because of their manufacturing processes so it's often safer for me to bring in our own cupcakes. The ones today were OK but there's another child in the class who also has other allergies and couldn't have them. His mom hadn't read her email yet so she didn't have a substitute for him. Luckily I had a Dum Dum lollipop for him so he could have a treat too, but these are the kinds of situations that can be frustrating, especially when you are caught off-guard. Ok, enough of my babble...back to the phones to call more doctors... have a great day.

A Pea in the Pod

2009-01-11T14:34:00.006-05:00

Exciting News...

Little Olive will be a big sister!!

I'm due sometime around July 1st with our second child. What a blessing. This pregnancy has been completely different thus far and we are really excited. I am about 4 months pregnant now and time is flying.

This morning Olive begged to go to the "baby store" so we went to Babies R Us to begin our research on beds and double strollers. As we were about to leave, she started crying that she really wanted to buy something for the baby. What do you buy for a second child when you are still 6 months away? So we settled on buying some new pacifiers, which Olive got to choose herself. I think it made her feel important and big. She's just as excited as the rest of us and is enjoying feeling the baby kick and giving him/her hugs and kisses. I think this will be such a wonderful addition to our little family but I do think about how different it will be when I can't give all my time to Olive. I can't imagine loving anyone else as much but I've heard that love multiplies, not divides, when you have more children. I'm sure this is true and I can't wait to share our love with another lucky little child. Thanks for letting me share the great news with you!

Florida Gators ROCK!

2009-01-09T13:38:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to the University of Florida Gators who eeked out a great win last night over the Oklahoma Sooners to become the college football National Champions!! It was a great game full of surprises, nail biting, and frustration, but they pulled it out! What an amazing game. Dennis and my brother went to the game and had a blast - I had a great Florida fan friend over to watch with me and we cheered late into the night. So proud of them. Congrats, Gators!!

If you want to learn more about the Gator Nation, click here.

A potty training break through

2009-01-08T14:03:00.004-05:00

We have been semi-potty training Olive for awhile now.

During Thanksgiving break, we were traveling to Florida and I'd say she got about 80% pee pee trained but when we came back home, she wasn't interested anymore and I was lazy and didn't push it.

So we've started trying again and have been mostly wearing big girl panties but for naptime and bedtime and she's done OK. She hasn't necessarily recognized the urge but will go on the potty when she is there.

This morning, she was in footed zip-up pajamas with a regular diaper on. I ran upstairs to get her something and I heard the clink of the toilet seat hitting the back. Huh?? I went downstairs and she had stripped off her PJs, her diaper, put the potty topper on (which she never usually uses), climbed up on the potty, peed in the potty, and gotten back down, standing naked in the bathroom with a huge grin and said, "Mommy, I went pee pee in the potty!" I was so shocked I didn't know what to do!! So I did what I would have wanted and showered her with kisses, hugs, and of course, chocolate. Her diaper was dry and she had recognized the urge to go and just took care of it, all on her own. AMAZING!! Then after this, she put on her shirt and socks for the day all on her own as well as a couple of other small independent tasks. I was blown away. Where did my baby go??? I am still reeling with the success of her taking care of this on her own and before she had an accident. Wow. I feel like we're making progress.

That's the excitement of the day. Maybe I should get a life... ;)

Happy New Year!!

2008-12-31T13:39:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!! Wishing you a prosperous year full of good health, good fortune, good times, and lots of completed resolutions!

Weird week

2008-12-30T13:55:00.003-05:00

This week between Christmas and New Year's is so strange, especially this year without any travel. People go back to work and start getting back into the swing of things and then BOOM, another holiday. Not that I'm complaining...it's just a strange time, a period of limbo, if you will. It's strange for us this year too because Olive doesn't have school and most of our friends are either out of town or sick so our social calendar is a bit more empty than usual. Not that we don't have lots of things to do around here, but it feels like a period of waiting. In the meantime, we are enjoying the warmer than usual weather and the extra Daddy time. Real life can wait - it's these fun holiday times that are most special and memorable!

Happy Holidays!!

2008-12-24T14:29:00.002-05:00

As I sit here on Christmas Eve, my final presents wrapped, I think about how fortunate I am.

I am able to give Olive a wonderful Christmas, and not just with the gifts under the tree, but with the whole spirit of everything we've done. We did a daily Advent calendar, a countdown to Christmas, Elf on the Shelf, went to see holiday lights at the Bull Run Festival of Lights, made more cookies than any of our waistlines could tolerate, did countless coloring and art projects, and had fun shopping and wrapping gifts for others. What a special time to be with those you love.

We will not be travelling this year and will spend the holiday at home, just the three of us. I am really looking forward to this - there's no stress, just fun times with our family. I'm not sure what all sorts of activities we'll cook up, but it will be fun just being together and seeing the joy of her face when she opens her gifts tomorrow morning.

Happy Holidays to all of you and safe travels!!

A new trend in fashion??

2008-12-22T21:05:00.002-05:00

As I've been out and about doing some Christmas shopping, I've noticed something that I don't ever recall seeing before - a new line of swimsuits in December. At the first store the other day I thought, "boy, that's strange, I guess they had a lot left over from the summer" - I thought they were on clearance - but thought it unusual that they'd be near the front of the store. Today I made my last trip to the dreaded mall (and thank goodness we got our Santa picture done 6 weeks ago - the line today looked like it was probably at least an hour and a half) and saw the same swimsuit displays in the stores. They were not sale items - they were new styles. Maybe it's the new trend?? Maybe enough people travel somewhere warm over the holidays or winter months that they justify these itty bitty bikini displays next to the bulky sweaters? On a 20 degree winter day like today, the last thing that comes to my mind is a bikini, but I guess if I were headed for the tropics, I'd be thrilled to buy something small (though the thought of taking off my warm sweater to try it on and see my pasty winter skin in the mirror would be a bit of a deterrent). Anyhow, just an observation. If you're headed somewhere warm this winter, make sure to hit the stores for a new bathing suit - there's no shortage of styles. Or if you're like most of us, there are still lots of sweaters, scarves, and jackets to find a new one or two ;-) Happy Winter!

Book Review: Marley & Me by John Grogan

2008-12-20T20:02:00.001-05:00

Marley & Me by John Grogan

A friend passed along this book and said I should read it. I had heard of it before but she said that being a dog lover, I would really enjoy it. So I picked it up and instantly fell in love.

This is the tale of Marley, "the world's worst dog" - a dog who does everything wrong but is still lovable. This story follows him throughout his life with his family and all their ups and downs. A true story, written in an easy-to-read and fun format, that shows you just how wonderful a dog companion can be. I won't say much more than that but it's definitely a book that shows you about "the little things" in life and how to savor every minute, just as a big, slobbering dog would do.

In the course of reading this book, I started seeing previews for the movie which comes out on Christmas Day, featuring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. Sure to be cute, I will definitely see this one.

I have also started seeing Marley stuff everywhere - a line of kids' books and activities and all sorts of other spinoffs from the book. This is a quick, easy read, one that could be enjoyed this holiday during your travel. So pick it up and read it. You'll fall in love with Marley like millions of others.

Last Minute Holiday Shopping Tip

2008-12-17T13:55:00.002-05:00

I had just a few last things to get today so I could send out some packages to distant relatives but I was stumped. What to get?? What part of town or area could I go to that I could get something for these several random people still on my list? Maybe gift cards? But not all to the same place, hmm... I was in a quandary so I called in the expert (Mama). She said, "Do you need to go to the grocery store today?" Huh?? Did she want me to send groceries?? "Uh, yeah, actually I do, why?" Then she reminded me that at most grocery stores they have oodles and oodles of gift cards from every sort of place imaginable. WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!! So I went and bought some groceries and finished some of my Christmas shopping, just like that. How nice! Word to the wise though: If you buy an American Express or Visa gift card (not sure about MasterCard, they were out of those), they charge a $3.95 or $4.95 fee for it so not sure if that's worth it to me. Think you can get Visa Check Cards and such at your bank for face value (ie, no extra fees). Anyway, just something to think about it if you're stumped and also out of time. Gift cards are also great for out of town gifts because it's so cheap to ship them! Bonus! Happy shopping!

I am thankful

2008-12-16T13:53:00.002-05:00

This holiday season, I am reflecting on all the many reasons I have to be thankful.

I have come to realize that everyone is fighting some sort of battle. For some, it may be a baby with colic, a very independent-minded 2 year old (ok, that's us), financial burdens, health concerns, holiday jitters, etc. You name it, everyone has something that is on their mind at any given time. While some battles are bigger than others, we all face challenges in our everyday lives and they are all personal and important to us. That's why it's really important to remember all the GOOD things we have going on. So you may not have been able to afford to give your kids a Wii this year, but at least you can be together on Christmas and maybe make cookies together or shop for a needy family. Maybe this year you find yourself unable to travel and be with family, but there are so many ways to celebrate in a different fashion. It's also good for me to remember in dealing with other people that they all are fighting their own personal battles and when I lose my patience, I remember that there is probably more going on with them than I realize and let it go.

For me, I am grateful for a lot of things. I have a warm home, enough money in the bank to pay the bills, a beautiful daughter and husband, a loyal dog, and lots of love. Really, there's nothing else I need. I don't need gifts under the tree or a big to-do - just time to enjoy those that I love and cherish every moment. I've enjoyed the season so much this year with Olive - baking cookies, making Christmas art projects, opening our daily Advent calendar, decorating (and redecorating) the tree, etc. Take a moment this holiday season and remember the little things and not just about what you receive. That's my motto - "it's the little things..." - this is what makes life special.

Stuck at home with the sickies

2008-12-12T20:29:00.002-05:00

Poor Olive has caught another cold this week. I had a slight touch of it but it seemed to pretty much disappear in less than 24 hours. Think Dennis is fighting it now but it means I've been home all week but busy. It's actually been nice to be home for once. Usually I'm antsy to get out but I guess I've had enough here to keep me occupied. Hope everyone's healthy at your house - I'll be back soon! ;)

The Holiday Spirit

2008-12-05T15:04:00.004-05:00

Well it seems the holidays are in full swing around here. We returned to DC to see twinkling lights and wreaths galore - a beautiful sight! I spent the morning while Olive was at school perusing the aisles of Toys R Us and determining what she would like, what I can stand, and what we have room for. We're not going crazy this year - after all she won't really know the difference - but it's so fun to shop for kids' stuff. I just wish we had a whole house to dedicate to her toys and games so we could have art stations, train tables, playhouses, and more. Honestly, you could fill an entire house with all the things that look fun and educational. I restrained myself as best I could and bought things that I thought she would really enjoy and that I could easily store. I'm still looking for a toy chest and/or other attractive toy storage idea (if you have any good tips, pass them along!)

All week Olive and I have planned to start our holiday baking but it hasn't happened yet. Hope to start this afternoon if we have time. This is one of our favorite traditions. We also just got some new holiday cookie cutters from Grandma (or "cookie comers" as Olive pronounces it) so are anxious to use them. There is one that is a train that she has decided is Thomas the Train. I have a feeling we'll be making a lot of train cookies.

Christmas is also fun with kids because Olive is so into the decorations. Last night we walked the dog around 5pm when it was getting fairly dark out and people already had their lights on. She would walk up to them and say they were so sparkly and pretty and then pick out her favorite colors. Aaah, the magic of Christmas!

Hope you have a weekend full of seasonal magic. We hope to put up our decorations this weekend too.

VACATION

2008-12-02T14:26:00.002-05:00

Last night I returned from a wonderful vacation to visit family in Florida for Thanksgiving. It was great. We had a fantastic time. But while I'm gone, even if I tell myself I will, I really don't have anything to do with my "normal" life. I rarely check email or phone messages, even more rarely do work, and almost never post blog entries. I really take a vacation from real life. It's great while I am gone and free of thinking of everyday stuff but sometimes overwhelming when I return. But I like it that way. A vacation is a vacation and I really like to get away and get a change of pace. Now I'm back though and ready to get working and get ready for Christmas. Boy, time flies, doesn't it?? I will post some pics from our trip whenver I get around to uploading them. Hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving!

Meme Game - a fun way to kill some time

2008-11-20T15:10:00.003-05:00

A friend recently sent me this little game, which I found highly amusing (and a colossal waste of time, which made it all the more fun). Since I went through the trouble to do this, just thought I'd share with you in case you are looking for something to do to beat the cold. Here's how it works...

The concept:
A. Type your answer to each of the questions below into the http://www.flickr.com search engine. (Or any other image search you like. Some have had some issues using Flickr with a mac.)
B. Using only the first page of results, pick an image.
C. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into the Mosaic Maker at http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php Set your columns to 3 and rows to 4.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? (Or try typing in an obscure nickname)
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your heart & soul.

If you give the Meme Game a try, let me know! :)

TWILIGHT - The Book Series and The Movie

2008-11-19T21:39:00.002-05:00

If you've been following my blog, you know that I've been reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. And unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard that there's been a lot of hype about this series. I didn't want to read it at first - after all, it's about vampires - but my moms group book club picked it and after everyone started raving about it, I got curious. It wasn't scary at all (as I thought it would be) but was a true love story with a little twist of something interesting to it. I just finished the 4th book (most people were so addicted that they read all 4 books in the span of a week) but I was so hooked that I didn't want it to end so I really took my time with the last two books. In any case, I'm sad to be done - I will miss the characters - but elated to have read and fell in love with them all. I'm also thrilled because the movie for this first book (Twilight) comes out on Friday and a group of us that read the books together are going to go see it. I can't wait! Let me also remind you that these are "young adult" books so by definition, I am way too old to be reading them, but it seems there is as much of a cult following among the 20/30 somethings as there are among the teeny boppers. Maybe even more so... So if you haven't read these books yet, go get them! And go see the movie! I heard that in pre sales of movie tickets they have already made their money back on this movie. I can't wait!! Have fun escaping life for awhile!!

Tuesday's Tips: Be on the lookout for holiday deals

2008-11-18T12:54:00.004-05:00

Every year it seems like Christmas comes earlier and earlier. This year I saw my first Christmas stuff in stores in August, alongside the back-to-school stuff. AUGUST. 4 MONTHS BEFORE CHRISTMAS! This used to really annoy me - let me enjoy all the other holidays first! - but this year, it seems just right. I want to get things done early. I always say that and rarely do it but with toddler in tow, holiday shopping can be a nightmare. Hence comes the beauty of online shopping. Not only do you avoid the stores but you probably also save a few bucks because you aren't tempted by the 30 other "cute" things on the way to the register. Online shopping is also wonderful for those out-of-town friends and relatives - you'd have to send it to them anyways so save yourself the hassle of wrapping & packaging it (and visiting the dreaded Post Office) and have gifts sent directly. How wonderful! Several sites will also be doing free shipping promotions between now and the big day. Lots of stores and websites also do amazing deals right now where you can really get a good bang for your buck. So keep your eyes open, list in hand, and get shopping. I am hoping to get a lot of my shopping done early so I have time for my favorite holiday activity - baking. I bake lots of yummies for friends and neighbors (and maybe snitch a few bites myself!) I've not really started too much on my shopping yet (though I have pretty good ideas what I am getting everyone) but we've already done Olive's picture with Santa, working on our Christmas cards, and researching deals. It's tough work, but somebody's gotta do it! The first snow flurries hit here this morning and it's making me even more in the Christmas spirit. So shop early and remember to save some gifts, food, etc. for those who need it this season. They should be on your list too.

Rainy Day Activities

2008-11-14T15:20:00.003-05:00

Being born and raised in the Sunshine State, I have very little appreciation for endless gloomy, rainy days. Every once in awhile it is nice but after awhile, it gets old.

On top of that, I have a toddler with the activity level of a Mexican jumping bean and between the two of us, we get a little stir crazy so I've been trying to think of some fun indoor activities for us during these seemingly endless gloomy days. Here are a few ideas I've come up with:

1. Good old-fashioned coloring book coloring

2. Coloring printables - find your kids' favorite characters and print them out for free at www.noggin.com or www.nickjr.com. They also have lots of fun craft ideas. We now have a Dora Thanksgiving placemat colored oh-so-prettily in blue. You can also find other printables at www.crayola.com.

3. Online games at www.noggin.com, www.nickjr.com, and www.disney.com.

4. Finger painting, watercolor painting, or better yet - Color Wonder painting

5. Arts & crafts projects - this can be as simple as sticking stickers on a piece of paper to something more elaborate for older kids. You can draw a scene of something and have the kid put stickers/decorations/color in areas you specify for them (ie, put a sticker of a flower OUTSIDE of the house). Color the dog's ears brown. etc. etc. For kids who know their numbers or letters, you can do color by number.

6. Thanksgiving craft idea - Tom the Turkey - trace your child's hand on construction paper, have them help you cut it out, then decorate with feathers or other scraps of colorful construction paper

7. Read some books together.

8. Cut out pictures from old magazines and make a collage of your child's favorite things. Then send to Grandma for an early Christmas gift (bonus: saves time and money at the store!)

9. Bake cookies or cupcakes together - be sure to check out the book Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann beforehand so the kids will be forewarned not to eat too many cupcakes ;)

10. Build a fort.

11. Hide and seek

12. Scavenger hunt

13. Build an indoor obstacle course.

14. Turn up the music and DANCE!

15. Help Mommy fold the laundry. Oops, how did that one get in there? Well it's a good chance to catch up on that too ;)

16. If all else fails, grab your favorite animated movie (ie, the one that annoys you the least), a bowl of popcorn, and curl up on the couch and have a quiet afternoon snuggling together.

FREEBIE!!! GIVEAWAY!!! over at Little Pink Pansy

2008-11-13T14:11:00.002-05:00

I'm doing a giveaway over at my other blog - little pink pansy. I'm giving away a set of beautiful hand-embroidered linen napkins with assorted bird styles. They are beautiful and will make a great gift for a teacher, neighbor, or friend. Enter now - contest ends on Monday, November 17th!

Olive's 1st Haircut

2008-11-12T14:21:00.007-05:00

Yesterday Dennis had the day off work for Veteran's Day. We decided to take Olive to get her first haircut. Anticipating a lot of kicking and screaming, we thought it might be easier if we all went together. Boy were we wrong! She was amazing! She even let them wash and blow dry her hair! She sat still and quiet and was happy as could be. We took her to Cartoon Cuts in our mall and the lady was fast, efficient, and friendly. At each station, they also had a TV playing some kid favorites - at our station it was Diego, next door was Dora. They also had some Dum-Dum lollipops. It was definitely a win-win for us! Olive did fantastic! We were both surprised. When she was finished, the stylist gave her a "First Haircut Certificate" and saved a lock of her hair for us. While I was so sad to have the first haircut, Olive's hair had gotten quite unruly. While we did take off some length, it looks much more manageable and classy now. I am including some before and after pictures for your entertainment. If you live in Virginia, Maryland, Florida, Illinois, Texas, or Puerto Rico, see if there is a Cartoon Cuts near you - I HIGHLY recommend it!

BEFORE - Long and straggly

Getting it washed at the salon

Mid-cut

AFTER - Cute as a button

Tuesday's Tips: GO VOTE!!!!

2008-11-04T14:01:00.004-05:00

Whether you are an Obama Mama or a McCain Maverick, make sure you hit the polls today!! Each vote counts and there is nothing more important than having your voice heard. If you don't vote today, you have no right to complain about the laws and changes that are made. I am attaching an excerpt from an email I recently received about Women and the Vote. The images are not included but here's the text...it really makes you appreciate the privileges we have now. So even if your line is long and your patience short, people fought really hard for the vote and women and minorities have not always had this option so exercise your voice and hit the polls!! Then post a comment and let me know you went (and feel free to give a shout out for your favorite candidate!) Either way, history is being made in this election - we will either have the first female in the administration or the first minority - in that sense, I think we win both ways.

-------------------------------------------------

WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago. Remember, it was not until 1920
that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.
The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.
And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.' They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because- -why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.' Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote. History is being made.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2008-10-31T14:22:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween!!

Hope you have a safe and fun day!

Olive had a Halloween parade and party at school this morning then we'll be trick-or-treating this evening. Can't wait! Halloween is a bit "trickier" this year with the peanut allergy - did you know that peanuts are (or possibly are) in almost all chocolate candies?? Read the labels and you'll see that even the most unsuspecting candies might have peanut matter in them. Who knew?? Candies that are OK for my little pirate princess this year are: Hershey's kisses, Hershey's milk chocolate bar, Rolos, York Peppermint Patties, Dum Dums, Tootsie Roll Pops, Skittles, Starburst, Twizzlers, and a few other non-chocolate candies.

Speaking of candy...be sure to check all your kids' candies before they eat any - check for tampering or opened packages, along with ingredients if you have a kid with allergies. While I hate that we won't be able to give Olive all of her candy (as if any 2 year old really needs it), I am secretly a bit excited that Dennis & I will really enjoy all the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Peanut M&Ms that she gets :)

Don't forget your flashlight tonight too and be sure to travel in groups. As a kid, I once remember a high school boy stole one of my friend's trick-or-treat bag and there are always a few pranksters out there looking to start trouble. Stay close to the kids and have fun!

Happy Haunting!

Chugging along...

2008-10-29T20:05:00.015-04:00

It's been so long since I wrote on my blog that I don't even know where to start! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. To get you up to speed, here's what has happened:

1. Visit from our friends from NY with their son (our beautiful godson)

2. Visit from Dennis' brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law and their super fun little dog

3. A Little Pink Pansy show that lasted two days

4. Discovery of a peanut allergy in little Olive (who we've also now affectionately been calling "Peanut")

5. Dennis ran the Marine Corps Marathon

6. Neighborhood Halloween Parade

And an assortment of other activities and events, each more exciting and fun than the next and all have kept us busy and exhausted. So here are a few pictures to keep you up to speed. I'll try to be better about posting!

Racism and the upcoming election

2008-10-21T14:07:00.003-04:00

Two weeks from today is Election Day.

I recently saw another blog post at Pink & Green Mama with some thoughts on racism in the upcoming election. I am excerpting some of it here but to read her full post, please visit this link. This definitely gives us all something to think about.

"How Racism Works...

What if John McCain were a Harvard grad and former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to?

What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?

What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter...."

No matter who your favorite candidate is, think about these statements and how different things really might be if their personalities were opposite. Scary thought, isn't it?

Monday, Monday

2008-10-20T11:05:00.002-04:00

Back to the real world and busy times...

We had a great weekend with our friends in town. It's so nice to just hang around and relax, but today is Monday and it's back to the grindstone. Olive has school today and they had a parents brunch this morning where we got to talk with her teacher and she did some parent education on positive discipline and language acquisition. Very informative and neat. I'm so glad she's at such an amazing school. Now I'm home trying to get ready for a little pink pansy show I'm doing this week, then we're off for a doctor's appointment this afternoon. We run around busy all week but I must admit, I wouldn't have it any other way! Life is too short and I don't want to miss anything. After all, it's the little things that make it worthwhile.

Crazy 8

2008-10-17T14:55:00.001-04:00

A friend recently told me about this kids store called Crazy 8. It's owned by the same company that has the Gymboree children's clothing store but it's less expensive. (I think of it like the Old Navy vs. Gap relationship). The clothes are strikingly similar in style but just a little cheaper. Right now they're having a 50% off sale, as well as $5 tees, $11 denim, $7 leggings, $6 tights, and more! How can you beat that? And every order has only a $5 shipping fee!! (that makes it worth it because you don't have to lug the kiddos to the store). If you do want to visit the actual store, click here for the store locator. I can't wait to get some new clothes for Olive from here! They are just too cute!! (and a great place to buy Christmas presents for nieces and nephews)

Clean Up

2008-10-16T14:12:00.004-04:00

Why is it that when we are expecting guests we clean up more than we do for our own family? Or when we are expecting the housekeepers, we clean up before they arrive?

I must admit, my house is not as tidy as it used to be. I do what I can but I have so much fun with Olive that I try to let some of the little things go and not worry so much about them. But when friends or family are coming over, it seems like I often do much more than I would if it were just us. I guess that's good - we don't want our friends to know what slobs we really are, right? - but shouldn't our families hold the same sort of power over us? I really should be better about this but I have too much stuff. I need to throw away about 50% (well, probably more like 85%) of what we have and then go from there. That would certainly be easier. In the meantime, I'll remain on my everlasting quest to find better organizational tools and keep the house spic and span for my family. And maybe tidy up a little extra for our guests this weekend...

Book Review: GRITS Friends are Forevah

2008-10-15T14:36:00.002-04:00

GRITS Friends are Forevah by Deborah Ford

A friend gave me this book as a gift. Both being GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) who now live in Yankee Town, we've often struggled to adapt to life in a place with different customs and traditions. This book was a great chance to remember where we're from and what lifestyle is comfortable for us. While I often feel like a fish out of water here, this book made me say, "AAAHHH, yes, that's what life is like". This was a fun read but one where you can just read a few pages at a time. A great lesson in friendship and the importance of having super great friends. Spouses and children are not enough - friends are essential! Whether you are from the South or not, you would enjoy the lessons in friendship and companionship and friendship at 20 or at 75! Overall, I'd give it about 3.5 stars.

Tuesday's Tips: Spread Generosity

2008-10-14T20:19:00.002-04:00

Do something nice for someone today.

So it's a little early to think about Christmas, but we're headed into the time of giving where we think quite often about others. Unfortunately, we aren't as generous throughout the year as we can be during the holidays but it's time to start doing so, if even just a little bit.

Here are some ideas for kind things to do for others in the coming days and weeks:

1. Clean out your closets and donate your clothes, especially winter ones - there are so many people who will be cold this winter - go ahead and throw out that old jacket that you don't like - someone else will benefit from it's warmth

2. Write an old fashioned letter. Grandparents and great grandparents particularly appreciate this type of gesture. Send pictures to them too.

3. Make dinner for a friend or neighbor who needs the break. (someone with a new baby, a death in the family, friends who are coming to town, a particularly busy week, or just because...)

4. Offer to buy a friend a coffee. It will give you a chance to catch up and have some fun too!

5. Adopt a family for the holidays. Many of us moan and groan at the ridiculous amounts of toys our kids will get this Christmas from doting aunts and grandmas but there are so many children who have no toys under the tree (or no tree).

6. Volunteer in a soup kitchen for Thanksgiving or donate money or food so others may appreciate this holiday too.

7. Offer to watch a friend's kids so she can get her hair cut or go grocery shopping alone (what a luxury!)

There's no limit to what you can do and it doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. Just do something nice to make someone's day. I try to do something nice every day and hope that I at least sometimes succeed in making other people a little happier.

Columbus Day Weekend

2008-10-13T20:04:00.006-04:00

I love having an extra day of weekend. Dennis had the day off so we got an extra day to fill with fun stuff. On Saturday, we went to the City of Fairfax Fall Festival, which was way too much fun. Olive rode a pony, we shopped at the vendors, visited the fire engine, all sorts of great things. Then today we went to Hartland Orchard for some apple picking. Unfortunately, the apples were gone so we just wandered around the beautiful orchards then took a hayride and "picked apples" from giant bins. But a lot of fun and great family time. Only downside to a holiday is no school for Olive (boo) but at least we used our time to do some fun things.

Driving the fire truck

Riding a pony

In the orchards

"Picking" apples

The perfect one

I love the Fall!

2008-10-10T13:25:00.004-04:00

I love the fall.

I love the summer because it's warm, you can live in flip flops and shorts (my uniform), and you can swim every day. But I love fall because the leaves are changing, the air is crisp, campfires abound, and let's not forget the most important thing - FOOTBALL SEASON.

Living in Northern Virginia can be really frustrating at times but during the fall, there are so many fantastic activities to do. Last weekend we went to Fall for Fairfax - a local fair with rides, hayrides, pumpkin painting, scarecrow creating, vendors, and more. It was so much fun - we went home for a nap and then came back again after! On Wednesday, we went to Cox Farms for their fall event - hayrides, tons of slides, apple cider, kettle corn, farm animals, and more! (This is a MUST ATTEND EVENT). This weekend is a City of Fairfax Fall Festival that we may attend. We are also probably going to go apple picking at Hartland Orchard - a super fun fall activity. Last year we had so many apples that they lasted us past Thanksgiving (and yes, they stayed fresh!) We are also coming up on Halloween - a great opportunity to see the kiddos dressed up and lots of fun Halloween activities, including a neighborhood parade for us this year. So much fun, so little time!!! So get out there while the weather's still nice and enjoy the weekend and the fall!

Recent Photos

2008-10-09T15:10:00.008-04:00

I haven't uploaded any pictures recently so thought I'd attach a few of my favorites from our trip to Florida and then a cute one of Olive here at a fall festival. Enjoy!

Painting a pumpkin

Sassy and cute

How sweet and innocent is this??

Mama and her baby

Too cool for school

lil swimmer

Presidential Debate - Tonight @ 9pm

2008-10-07T14:21:00.002-04:00

Tune in tonight at 9pm EST to see the Presidential candidates go at it from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. If you haven't made up your mind yet (or if you have and just want to see them discuss the issues), turn on your TV tonight and take a break from reality shows to watch something of substance.

Tuesday's Tips: Never Trust the "Professionals"

2008-10-07T14:03:00.002-04:00

That sounds sorta negative, doesn't it?

But the point I'm making here is that just because you pay someone to do something (give you advice, complete a task, etc.) doesn't always mean that they do it correctly or have your best interests in mind.

For example, this year I insisted that we get an accountant to do our taxes as I knew they'd be a bit more complicated with the business and the part-time contract work I was doing. I just knew that this was a great idea. I went with a referral from another small business owner and have never been more disappointed in my life. I won't get into all the nitty gritty, but let's sum it up by saying that it is now October (6 months after tax time) and we're still dealing with the fallout of the terrible job they did.

Another important thing is doctors and medical personnel. If you're lucky (or you live in a small town), you may get a doctor who actually cares, but unfortunately, more often than not, you just see someone who wants to get you in and out as fast as they can and move on to the next patient. Rarely do they take the time to get ALL the facts and they're so fast to whip out their prescription pad and send you on your way (they get lots of perks from the drug rep people and it's faster and easier to just give you some drugs than get to the bottom of it). I think it's important to question their decisions and diagnoses and tell them if you feel uncomfortable with anything they say. Sometimes it really is the best or only course of action, but you know your own body better than anybody else.

One other category that I think often falls short is contractors. You hire someone to paint your house, fix the leaky faucet, or whatever, and assume that they do a good job because you have no idea what they're doing. But it's important to double check their work and if you're not satisfied, question the way they did something or why or the price. Be sure to get estimates too, but realize that the cheapest is also not always the best. Same goes for car repairs. This is all too frustrating for me as a woman. I know nothing about cars but I feel like I always want to send my husband to the car place because I think they will not try to weasel him as much as they will me. They always want you to buy something and they don't always fix it just right.

So anyways, all I'm saying is that if something doesn't seem right to you, even if you paid to have it done, question it because it's probably not right. You are the best advocate for yourself and your family - don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

REGISTER TO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-05T20:47:00.003-04:00

It's time to register to vote! Election day will be here very soon and in most states, MONDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, is the last day to register by mail. I believe some states will allow you to register in person for another week or two, but it's imperative that you get this done immediately. There is no greater liberty than the right to have your voice heard. In many countries, people don't have this option and they are forced to live with a leader who was not elected by the people. If you don't vote, you have no right to complain about who ends up in the White House. If your candidate doesn't win, you can gripe about it but you also know that you have another chance to vote in the next election. What an amazing freedom!

If you don't know enough about the issues or the candidates, visit their websites (AFTER you already register to vote). You still have some time to make a decision about who you want to elect. You can visit Democratic nominee Barack Obama's website by clicking here and visit Republican nominee John McCain's website by clicking here. Compare the issues and the candidates and make your own decision but whatever you do, don't sit this one out. There's too much at stake this time for us to be apathetic. You can also register to vote directly through the candidates' websites - on both sites, click on the "Action" tab and then click on "Register to Vote". You can also register by visiting your state website or through Rock the Vote. Get out there and make a difference!!

Event: Fall for Fairfax

2008-10-03T14:18:00.002-04:00

If you are in or around the Fairfax, VA area, you should stop by the Fairfax County Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway) tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 4th) between 9:00am -6:00pm. They are hosting the annual Fall for Fairfax, a great family event. This year it is being called the Fall for Fairfax Kids Fest, with an even greater focus on the little guys. There are hayrides, a trackless train, lots of vendors (I was a vendor last year with little pink pansy), and other fun fall events. There are also rides, climbing walls, bounce houses, kids crafts (like pumpkin decorating and scarecrow making), pony rides, farmers market, and entertainment. This is something you definitely don't want to miss! It runs all day so stop by whenever you can. See their website for more information and to see a schedule of events.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2008-10-02T14:25:00.003-04:00

You may know this by now but October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Most of us know at least one woman who has battled breast cancer. In my case, it is my aunt and my mother-in-law. Something like this is never easy but the more that we are aware and take proactive steps for our health, we can drastically improve our chances of finding and treating the cancer early.

In most stores you will find lots of extra pink stuff this month. Spend a few extra dollars on some of it and know that your money is going to help find a cure. We also have some soap at little pink pansy that helps benefit breast cancer research, along with notecards, notepads, contact cards, square labels, and round labels. (Please note that the links to the stationery items take you to page 4 of the respective collections - more pink ribbon items can be found on pages 5 too).

Another simple cost-free method of helping this cause is to visit http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2. All you have to do here is click on the button to give away free mammograms to women who cannot afford them. It couldn't be easier. This month, their sponsor is giving away extra mammograms if they get enough clicks, so now is the time to do it. It's the easiest way to help.

Other ideas would be getting involved for some of the various walks. There is the Avon Walk in several cities (spread throughout the year). Some of the locations include New York, Charlotte, Houston, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Rocky Mountains, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. This is a 2-day, 39 mile walk. What a fantastic way to reflect on things while also getting exercise and supporting a great cause.

If you're not quite up for such a long walk, another fantastic option is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. These events take place all over the country and the National event is located in Washington, D.C. You can find a race near you throughout the year.

If nothing else, take this month to do a self-exam and get in the routine of doing it. The best time to do it is in the week following your menstrual cycle when the breast tissue tends to be less tender and lumpy. It's not something that anyone really wants to talk about, but we need to keep ourselves healthy and this is a minor inconvenience that can really make a difference. Do it for yourself, your family, your friends, and for the women who no longer have that option.

Product Recommendation: Tongue Cleaner

2008-10-01T13:57:00.003-04:00

Yes, this is totally random...

I went to the dentist for a cleaning a few weeks ago and the hygienist suggested I use a tongue cleaner rather than a toothbrush for cleaning my tongue. How bizarre, I thought. She wanted me to buy the $20 metal one that they have in their office. I decided to pass but looked next time I went to the grocery store and they have the disposable ones to the tune of $2.99 each. I picked one up and took it home and I absolutely love it! It is so easy - just swipe it over your tongue a time or two when you brush. It really does a better job of getting off the plaque and junk that builds up there. My mouth feels cleaner and fresher. It's also supposed to help bad breath because it extracts the germs that cause it. Anyway, I love it so much and didn't even know about this until recently so thought I'd share. I bought one today for Dennis so he can have a clean mouth too. I included a link if you click on the image but you can find this one or similar at the grocery store or drugstore. You will feel great!