Tuesday's Tip: Be Child-Like

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

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

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

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

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*

*Requires a DSW membership - totally free rewards membership that entitles you to extra deals after you spend a certain amount

Banana Republic, GAP, Old Navy

March 12-March 15

Give 'n Get Special - Friends & Family

Receive 30% off plus they will give 5% of what you spend to your favorite non-profit

Online or in stores at Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factrory Stores, GAP, GAP Outlet, and Old Navy

Sign up at their website today to receive an email with a barcode to be scanned and used as many times as you want in-store or a promotion code to be used once online

Inspiration

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

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.