Yo Santa!

My friend Amy introduced me to these new toys. Well, I should say I saw her son playing with them and became insanely jealous that Jack does not have a set...or more along the lines of Jack does not have a set that he and LJ can play with. The wooden train set we picked up at Ikea is great but LJ has been complaining to me for about a month that "the track can not be completed until we find the last curve piece". Jack is perfectly content with pushing his little trains around his uncompleted track and then godzillaing the whole thing. So Santa, if you are listening, these would make AWESOME toys for the younger kids.
A hay lift, bales of hay, fencing, garden tools and feed sacks? Yes please! Plan Toys Farmhouse, $80

Don't forget the animals! Plan Toy Farm Animals, $25
Big Ol' Tractor! Plan Toys Tractor and Trailer Set, $54

Not into animals...how about this awesome parking garage set?

Plan City Parking Garage, $70

See all these toys and more at Amazon.com!

My Kinda' Poster

How can I resist this adorable poster that lists a dachshund as D?

ABC poster by Enna, $15

Plus, when everyone else in his class is struggling to think of a word that starts with "Y", our kid will coolly raise his hand and reply, "Yeti."

Christmas Wish List: Jack!

What do you get a kid that wants to play with the wrapping paper that you wrapped his toy with rather than the toy? The quest is on! Here is what I came up with.

Screw the wooden horse! We want a life-size baby triceratops! I am pretty sure it poops and moos...or whatever sound a baby triceratops would make.
Jack will be have to fight his Uncle Jeremy over this Colorform Playset. It comes with 9 gremlins, 3 plastic bottles of beer, and one principal sitting at his desk with his face eaten off. Why do people forget that this is a horror movie?

I have to start perfecting my "Chewie Wookiee Cookies" and "Princess Leia Danish Dos" now if I want to be the best mom ever.


Oh FAO Schwartz, we are in the middle of an economic crisis but I am so thankful that you are still selling a man-size Tyrannosaurus Rex for a measly $562. Yes! Now how can I get him not to eat the baby Triceratops?

Because freedom costs a buck o' five...

Just kidding. These really aren't the toys for Jack. Just hilarious items that I ran across while making his list. Unfortunately, LJ just called and reported that he is going to buy the T. Rex because it is only $500! Thank god I didn't put any links. Anyways, here are the real items Jack would LOVE for Christmas.


Christmas List: Jack! by mowe34


Building blocks, play animals, a book, pull-wiener dog (because Inchie does NOT play that game), some wooden animals, a laminated mat for him to eat on, and a temperal-artery thermometer. I haven't had to take his temperature yet and this would make the job SOOOO much easier. He thanks you so very much!

Linus is Going to Be Jealous...

...of Jack and his sweet new blanket for his stroller. The best part, I did not have to bust out the sewing machine. The worst part, I still can't sew. Bahhhh! Here is how you can bless a little baby with their own little blanket for the holidays.


First off is selecting fabric. I went with anti-pill fleece from Joann's Fabric Store. They were having a sale so I got a yard of each fabric (plaid and stripes) for a total of $10. Grab some SHARP (please note the emphasis on that) scissors and binder clips and you are ready to go!


Cut off and nasty ends (I think the guy had used pruning shears to cut my fabric from the bolt) and trim the fabric to the size you want. Remember that the fringe will make the blanket part even smaller. Line your two separate yards of fabric up on top of each other and clip with the binder clips.


Next, you need to cut a square off from each corner to form the edge of the blanket. I realized this after I started cutting. The square you cut out and your fringe should all be the same length. I did mine about 6" long.

After cutting out the squares, lay something down that makes a straight line from one edge of the cut out square corner to the other. Then all you have to do is cut to that line to make your fringe. This will keep them about the same length. I recommend cutting either 1" strips or 1/2" stripes (I did 1/2"). 1/2" is easiest to do if you cut 1" strips first and then just snip those in half. This isn't an exact science so don't worry if you mess up a bit.


Now it is knot time! I have heard all different ways of making these blankets, some people say tie them separately then together others just tie them together. I really liked the look of a knot. I hope you can tell from this picture. I just tucked the ends pointing to the left back through the knot hole. Try to tie all the knots the same way for a really uniform look.


Make sure to work the knot back up to the beginning of the fringe before tightening down. You can leave the knots tight or loose, I chose tight.



And there you have it! A pretty, warm, snugly little blanket. These are so great because you can make different sizes. A yard of fabric makes a perfect stroller or car seat blanket that any baby would cherish (that is my best Martha Stewart impression).

I'm a Baby-Wearing Mama

Here is all the info so you can be one too:
Slinglings.com: Great slings plus custom sizing and fabric selection. They also have an excellent "how-to" tab. Priced at $44.99, I highly recommend these slings over any others.
I have longed for a customized BabyHawk carrier since before Jack was born...but at $80 a pop, they are a little out of our budget. Hmm one can dream!
This is the first carrier we had. It is great for longer walks and when you have to shop...the downside is that it takes a bit to get your baby in to it, especially when they are newborns.


(Action shot of newborn Jack in his little front pack.)

Sweet Kitchen!

Oh! If only Jack had been a girl! This adorable kitchen play set from Our Sweet Life sure beats the pants off the plastic "made in China" sets at the stores. A little Goodwill trolling and you would be all set! Check out their blog for more inspiration and the total cost of the project.






Maybe I could still make this for Jack...who knows? He might be the next Gordon Ramsey?!?!

All Jack Wants for Christmas...

is literally his two front teeth. However, that is nowhere near as fun as these pull apart "Word World" animals.

Don't Make Me Shoot You With My Fossilizer!

Yeah the show Dinosaucers only lasted one season and, yeah, they were no where near as cool as ThunderCats, He-Man, or the freak Turtles..but c'mon! They were talking dinosaurs that fought the other "evil" talking dinosaurs and used humans as their "Secret Scouts".

I bring up this blast from the past because I found the coolest shoes ever.










Oh yeahhhh..no need to adjust your screen Just let the total awesomeness of these shoes sink in. Think I am kidding? With its 3-D dinosaur on the side, dinosaur track leaving soles, and the whole eyeball light thing, I can picture the struggle to get these shoes off Jack's feet. Allo would be proud.

These socks rock!

I can not recommend these socks enough. Yes they are slightly more expensive then regular baby socks in the store but there is one HUGE difference. They do not come off! No amount of wiggling, squirming, or kicking will get these bad boys off your baby's feet (exaggerating a little bit here). They come in all different styles and patterns for both boys and girls. If you know a baby on it's way, do something nice for the parents and get them a box of Trumpette's. I can almost guarantee that you will get a call after the baby is born with a thankful parent exclaiming "they don't come off!"