My Mommy Report Card

As the school year closes and we celebrate Mother's Day, I thought it might be time to do a little self-evaluation to see how I'm doing as a mom.  I have to do these at work and (wouldn't you know) I tend to do really well!  However, being a mom is WAY harder than being a lawyer.  There are no hard and fast rules, no wealth of case law, no judge to make decisions for you.  Just us parents, winging it as well as we can.  Some parts of parenting comes naturally, and others...not so much.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses, so I thought I'd share my "Mommy Report Card" with you.  

There's definitely room for improvement. 

How would you grade yourself as a mommy?
What are your best and worst subjects?

Baby Mim - 9 Months

Dear Mim,

I cannot believe that you've now officially been out here in the world with us longer than you were growing in my belly.  It seems like just a few days ago that we found out we were expecting and started imagining our lives with a new little being in them.  But all the daydreaming in the world could not have prepared me for just how amazing and wonderful you would be.  You have surpassed every possible expectation I had about babies and are just about perfect in every possible way.  You add so much joy and laughter to our lives.  You complete us.

Even though you have been such a fun and good baby, I have to say that this right now is one of my very favorite ages.  I just love that you are interacting so much with us.  You talk to us ALL the time - I thought Mac was a loud baby, but he's got nothing on you.  You babble away, repeating silly sounds, screaming to hear your voice and practicing your singing.  You can say "mamama," but you prefer to say "dadadada."  You spit and blow bubbles and crack yourself up.  Your laugh is the most amazing sound in the world.  You smile all the time and are so incredibly happy!  We've just started using some baby sign language with you and we think you'll pick it up quickly, like your brother did.  That was such a useful tool to communicate with him in the early days.  Right now you just look at us like we're crazy, but we'll get there.  

You're way beyond just rolling and sitting these days.  Your crawl is effective, but definitely not pretty.  You haven't quite figured out that you need to lift your belly off the ground and use your legs.  Mainly, you just drag yourself around using your arms, like a slug.  It works though, and you're getting really fast - however, your clothes end up absolutely disgusting by the end of the day.  You love standing and will pull yourself up on anything.  Once up, you love to bounce and dance.  You cruise from place to place, working on taking steps and raising and lowering yourself.  You're already incredibly well-balanced and I don't think it'll be long before you're officially walking unassisted. We got out your walker the other day, but you haven't figured out exactly how to move it around like you want.  Another few weeks and you'll be running.  

Your newest trick right now is waving.  I LOVE this.  You have the best wave!  It's a high wave with a fully straight arm and a limp wrist.  We call it your "hey girl" wave.  I die.  You wave at everything too!  Kids, cars, trees, birds, Sage, the TV.  Going to the grocery store with you is like walking in with a celebrity - everyone watches us, smiles at you, waves at you and has to come over and tell me how adorable you are.  I totally know, but it never gets old hearing it.  

You're quite the little chunk right now, which I love.  You feel so solid and yet still super squishy and squeezable.  You are still a snuggler and love to be held.  I still rock to you sleep every night and we still do our dream feed and I'm not ready to give either of those things up yet.  I love cradling you in my arms, kissing your perfect little forehead and holding hands with you.  I hope you don't mind if we continue to do this into your teens and twenties.  I just can't get enough.  I really do think that I'm going to have a hard time when you start sleeping through the night.  

You also LOVE being the center of attention.  Your baptism was this past weekend and you couldn't get enough of everyone fawning all over you.  We're in trouble.  Whereas your brother always liked (and still does) to have one-on-one attention, you certainly don't mind lots of people around and being passed back and forth.  You reach out for someone, give hugs and love and then reach for the next person.  You love having all your favorite people together and will gladly spread the love around to everyone.  You're a social butterfly!  You also love getting your picture taken and totally cheese it up for the camera, which makes my shutter-happy heart soar.

You're a fantastic eater!  You eat almost anything we give you and are actually starting to eat it and not just spit it back out.  You love fruit and steak, pasta and popsicles.  I'm totally in awe watching you eat most days.  You're a complete mess, but you're also amazing.  Baby led weaning has been even better this time around and I really hope your love for food continues and you don't regress in the toddler years like your brother did.  Keep up the good work, baby!

You are just the most wonderful baby ever.  Thank you for being you.  Thank you for being mine.

Love,

Your mama

For comparison: Mac (on left) vs. Mim (on right) - I think they look TOTALLY different! 

Instagram Takeover

Hi friends!
Today I'm over taking over the Savvy Sassy Moms Instagram feed.  

I'd love it if you'd pop by and say hi!  

SSM Instagram

5 on Friday - Volume 14

1. I'm so excited about all the awesome stuff we have coming up in the next few weeks.  Mim's baptism is this weekend, followed by Mother's Day (with a special surprise giveaway for those of you that follow me on Instagram), then Mac's 3rd birthday (ahhh!!!) and our annual beach vacation (soooo ready).  May is going to be a really great (and busy) month!  

2. I am really enjoying Wednesdays, now that I have the day off and can spend it with the kids. It's been awesome to have a day in the middle of the week to reconnect with them.  Plus, it makes my work week feel so much shorter.  We've been doing all kinds of stuff these days.  So far, we've been to the Magic House (twice), the Zoo (twice) and the Botanical Gardens.  This week I took Mac to get a haircut, then we hit up the bookstore and out for a lunch date at Chick-Fil-A.  We've got plans to do Grant's Farm and Wild Bird Sanctuary soon.  Every week is a new adventure!  This upcoming Wednesday, I'll be taking over the Savvy Sassy Moms Instagram account and giving you a sneak peek into our day and all the chaos that ensures.  Should be fun! 

3. I absolutely love that Mim is a pacifier baby.  Mac never took a paci and always had a hard time self-soothing, but this girl has loved her paci from day one.  She's so funny now that she can manipulate her own paci - she pulls it out, makes faces, sticks it back in, swaps it for another one.  It's adorable.  We received a package of Nuby Comfort Orthodontic pacifiers* to review and she loves them.  They're specially designed for babies age 6-12 months (did you know that you should only give your child pacifiers specifically made for their age because of choking dangers?).  They're also BPA free, have a handle (for easy attachment to a pacifier clip) and come with a package of pacifier wipes.  We're pro-germ, so we don't use the wipes that often (I say that jokingly, but only kind of), but they're great for easy cleaning when you're out and about and not close to a sink.  They're available at Wal-Mart and Babies R Us.  

4. I just got my second Stitch Fix and it was even better than the first!  I'm kicking myself that it's taken me this long to finally pull the trigger and sign up for this.  I'm pretty happy with the items that my stylist sent and ended up keeping 3 out of the 5 pieces (sorry, I didn't take any pictures).  I kept a long sleeve black and white blouse for work, a black and blue striped shell (also for work) and a casual/comfy grey and white striped long cardigan.  I requested a dress that I could wear for Mim's baptism and they sent me two really cute ones - both wrap dresses with stretchy fabric - but neither of them felt dressy enough for the occasion.  I really liked the style of them and they'd definitely both be something I could wear to work, but they were a bit tight in the midsection and emphasized my non-baby bump way more than I'd like.  Ugh.  It's seriously time to lose the baby weight.  

5. I really need some help and motivation in the meal planning department.  Every now and then I'll get myself organized enough to actually plan out our meals for the week and then shop for them and I am blown away by how much easier that makes my life and eliminates weekday stress.  But I can't seem to find the time to actually commit to doing it every week.  Most nights, dinnertime is a total shit show and we're desperately just trying to throw something together that wouldn't get us thrown in jail for child neglect.  If it was just me, I'd have a can of soup for dinner every night (or just ice cream), but alas...these kids need to eat real food.  I'm always so impressed by other bloggers that share their weekly menus and shopping lists. How do you all do it?  Do you plan one week out?  A month?  How often do you grocery shop?  Do you repeat meals?  Do you pick recipes you've tried and know you like or do you try new recipes?  

Please please please share your meal planning tips/tricks and advice!  

I'd love to hear how you do it!

*We received this product to review as part of the Nuby Parent Blogger Program.  All opinions are 100% my own (and Mim's are her own).  

Spring Trendspotting: Mix & Match Florals

All the Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scouts had another Pinterest Party last night and ended up with the most gorgeous pinboard of Spring Fashion/Style.  I'm no fashion blogger, but I do love a good style board.  And of course there was one particular trend that jumped out at me while looking through all the pins (over 300!) - Mix & Match Florals!  I am totally crushing on the way that people are mixing florals with stripes, colored denim, chambray and bold colors.  I love all the gorgeous floral skirts and floral accessories in springy colors like mint and coral.  Here are a few of my favorite pins from the board (which you can check out here):

You can find all these pins (and TONS more) on the Savvy Sassy Moms Spring Style pinboard.  

Do you love the floral trend?

How would you style it?

Spreading Community Love with Huggies Snug & Dry Ultra

One of my favorite things about living in St. Louis is the abundance of amazing free things to do with kids.  From City Gardens in the heart of downtown with it's sculptures, fountains and wading pools, to Lone Elk Park out in the county, where you can watch a herd of wild elk frolic in the lake and hear them bugel to each other, St. Louis has so many amazing free attractions for kids.  But far and away, the best free gem in our city is Forest Park.  

Forest Park is located in the heart of our city and is one of the 100 largest parks in the country with over 1,300 acres (over 500 more acres than Central Park in NYC).  It houses our world-class St. Louis Zoo, as well as the History Museum, Art Museum, Muny Amphitheatre and Science Center...ALL of which are FREE to the public.  And if that wasn't enough, it has an ice skating rink, a tennis complex, an 18-hole golf course, a boathouse and multiple playgrounds, lakes, streams and wooded areas.  Forest Park means so much to our community has become an important spot in my life and heart as well.  I trained for my first marathon on the trails around the park (and ran part of my marathon through the park).  We've taken family photos in the park and Mac's first year pictures at the zoo.  I saw my very first musical (West Side Story) at the Muny with my dad when I was little.  I've attended weddings of friends at the Art Museum and Jewel Box.  Forest Park is a magical place...a place worth saving.  

Which is why I'm so excited to be working with Huggies to give back to our community (and YOURS).  As part of the launch of their new Snug & Dry Ultra diapers (available at Wal-Mart), Huggies wants to help YOU give back to a community project of your choice.  Whether it's a local park that you take your kids to, a nonprofit that means something special to you or an organization that helps others (kids, animals, nature, etc.), YOU get to nominate a community project of your choice to win one of 10 grants of $2,000 each from Huggies!  

Nominating a project is SO easy (and fun)!  All you need to do is post a "selfie" of you and your baby/kids to Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #UltraHug.  Include the name/description of the community project of your choice that you'd like to be considered to win a $2,000 grant.  That's it!  Around July 6th, Huggies will narrow down the finalists and chose the 10 winners.  So pick your project and upload your selfie today!

Obviously I'm picking Forest Park Forever as my community project to nominate.  You can check out my Instagram feed to see the selfie (or "usie" really) that the kids and I took last week when we were hanging out at the stingray exhibit (for an ungodly amount of time) at the zoo.  We are zoo junkies and Mac is obsessed with the stingrays right now, so we'll be back (about once a week) for the next 5 months until they close the exhibit for the winter.  

What community project would you choose?

* Thank you to Huggies for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to try Huggies Snug & Dry Ultra Diapers!  

Moon Valley Organics Peppermint Foot Rub Review

Final review of the week!  I've had so much fun sharing some amazing products with you and I hope you all discovered a few new items to add to your shopping cart or your Mother's Day wish list. The final item in my Savvy Sassy Moms Scout Box was this tube of Moon Valley Organics Peppermint Foot Rub.

I'm going to spare you the agony of looking at photos of my feet (my husband tells me that my toes look like Snausages...the dog treats.  So, yeah.) and just post some pretty pictures of the adorable packaging and tell you all about this stuff.  It's amazing!  According to the box, it blends the natural pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory powers of arnica (sunflower...I had to Google it) and lavender with mint, which is known to cool and energize, as well as boost absorption of other medicinal herbs.  Moon Valley products come from their certified organic, biodynamic farm and embrace traditional knowledge from artisan farmers, herbalists and beekeepers.  Their products are developed with the intention to nourish and heal your body, mind, and spirit, as well as to care for the Earth.  Seriously, pair this along with me diffusing essential oils in my house and I think I'm officially a hippie now (I mean that in a good way).      

It's made with all natural ingredients in Washington state and feels absolutely amazing on your feet.  It's thick and smooth and coats your skin easily, with no abrasive scrubs or beads.  It's made with all kinds of natural oils, so obviously it leaves your feet feeling very hydrated and moisturized.  I recommend using this right before bed and not right before putting sandals on or else you'll be slip-sliding around in them for a while. The peppermint makes the rub feel cool and refreshing and combined with the mint, it smells amazing.  I so wish I would have had this product while I was pregnant and my feet were swollen and achy (although I'm not sure if I could have reached my feet at that point).  I might appreciate it even more now that I'm running around chasing after two crazy kids and on my feet more than ever these days.  My only complaint is that it doesn't come with a personal foot masseuse to apply and massage.  Now that would be perfection.

I hope you enjoyed Review Week!  

I'll be bringing you more reviews periodically and a chance to win some awesome products for yourself (and your kiddos).  

Have a lovely weekend! 

*I received these products for review as part of the Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scouts program. All opinions are my own.

Six Ways to Encourage Toothbrushing in Toddlers and Preschoolers

It wasn't until I received these tubes of toothpaste in fun colors and flavors from Hello Products and started asking my friends about their kids' brushing habits that I realized kids are pretty hit or miss when it comes to brushing their teeth.  Some kids (like Mac) LOVE it and would brush 10 times a day if we'd let him.  Others HATE it and have to be chased around and held down to get them to brush.  But it sounds like the majority of kids are rather indifferent to brushing.  

Luckily for us, Mac is one of those kids that loves to brush his teeth.  I'm not exactly how or why this happened - I'm not taking any personal credit for it.  I think maybe we just lucked out with the way we implementing his brushing or maybe he just loves the taste of toothpaste.  Either way, I'm pretty happy about his good brushing habits (Lord knows makes up for it with noncompliance in many other areas of life) and would like to encourage them, so I've been looking for ways to make brushing more fun for him to keep it up.  Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

1. Let your kid pick their own toothbrush.  

This sounds simple enough, but you'd be surprised how much more they'll want to use a toothbrush that they picked out themselves.  There are hundreds of choices, colors and characters.  Some that light up, some that vibrate, some that play music.  Let them pick!  Mac has a toothbrush "just like daddy's" and loves it.    

2. Get a stepstool so they can reach the sink.

This one was huge for Mac because, like most toddlers/preschoolers, he wants to do everything BY HIMSELF.  Putting a stepstool in the bathroom allows him to lean over the sink, turn the faucets on, and reach the toothpaste/toothbrush himself.  Yes, it's messy...that's life with a toddler.  He spits and gets toothpaste everywhere, but it's a small price to pay for not having to fight him on this.  

3. Try fun toothpaste flavors

Some kids hate brushing because they hate the flavor of toothpaste.  I love the taste of mint, but my step-brother was one of those kids that absolutely could not stand mint and would refuse to brush his teeth unless he had another flavor option.  I've heard kids call toothpaste hot or spicy and I can understand why they might not like the taste of it because it's really strong.  Luckily for kids these days, there are lots of options for fun toothpaste flavors.  We just got the opportunity to try some new flavors from Hello Products - bubble gum, green apple and blue raspberry.  Mac tried all three right away, back-to-back and declared pink (bubble gum) to be his favorite.

4. Let him DO IT HIMSELF

From putting the toothpaste on the toothbrush, to brushing, spitting and rinsing, it's best if I just let him do it all by himself...first.  No, he's not great and he doesn't do the best job, but giving him the chance to do it himself first lets him feel like he's in control and then he won't fight me so much when it's my turn to "help" him get the back teeth.   I gently encourage him to make sure he gets the back ones and the top teeth...and he gently ignores me and does whatever he wants.  So, yeah.

5. Sing a brushing song or set a timer

If your kid won't brush for more than a second or two, try singing a brushing song and making them brush until you're finished singing.  You can pick any song you want, but make sure it's long enough to give them adequate time to brush all their teeth (or repeat a shorter one a few times).  I've heard two minutes is ideal.  Your singing might also provide a nice distraction for them, making it go by a little quicker.  If you really want to jazz it up, add some funny facial expressions and a couple dance moves (I'm totally kidding).  And if that doesn't help, try setting a timer - whether it's on your phone, watch or a kitchen timer.  Kids love timers.  Never underestimate the power of a good timer. 

6. Lead by example

Make sure your kids see you brushing your teeth, especially when they're little.  Kids love emulating adults and acting "big," so take advantage of it and make sure they see you brushing too.  I feel like we can convince Mac to do 90% of any of the things he doesn't want to do if we do them first.  And if seeing me brush my teeth isn't enough, I call in the big guns...daddy.  Anything daddy does it alright by Mac.  It must be nice to be that loved.  Anywhoo.  :)  Hello Products also makes toothpaste for grown-ups, so daddy and I can join in on the fun.  We got a chance to try Peach Mango Mint and Supermint.  Both have a strong fresh (cold) mint flavor and reminded me of Altoids.  So fresh and so clean...clean!  They're not as sweet as a lot of other toothpastes, which I also appreciated, and left my teeth feeling really refreshed.  

Do your kids love to brush or is it a struggle?

What are your brushing tips/secrets?

Click to Tweet: 6 ways to encourage your toddler/preschooler to brush their teeth! http://bit.ly/1GpT6J2

*I received these products for review as part of the Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scouts program. All opinions are my own.

Minted Custom Photo Art Review

Hey friends, if you are looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift, I have found it for you!  Minted's customized photo art gifts are absolutely gorgeous and sure to please anyone that loves beautiful photos and thick luxurious paper products.  

You've probably seen this article floating around the internet about a possible future "digital dark age" and the importance of printing your photos for posterity.  But there are so many other reasons to print your photos too!  Did you know that displaying family portraits in your home can actually raise your child's self-esteem by making them feel like an important part of the family?  Printed photos can also make us happy by reminding us of special moments and they help create a dialogue of shared memories and experiences with kids. There are so many reasons to get your photos off your computer and onto your walls!

I have tons of photos on the walls in our house, but I haven't updated them since Mim was born.  Mac's smiling face can be seen throughout our whole house, so I figured it was finally time to get the little lady some wall space of her own.  I've been hearing great things about Minted's new art line on blogs for months now, but have been too lazy indecisive to actually order anything...until now!  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to customize my own prints as part of my awesome Product Scout box from Savvy Sassy Moms, so I could see what all the hype was about.  The only thing was...I couldn't make a decision about what to order - there were so many amazing choices!  Here are a few of my favorites that would make amazing gifts for that special mom in your life (or for yourself):

Square Up  //  As Time Goes By  

A Year In My Life  //  Heart Snapshot Mix  //  Time Capsule 

Lifetime  //  Forever Yours  //  Family Name

After spending a ridiculous amount of time pouring over my choices, I finally decided on two designs: the Deckled and the Watercolor Hearts.  I love the classic simplicity of the Deckled and decided to use the family photos we had taken last fall for this print.  And then I got a little crazy and chose the Watercolor Hearts print, which is cute/colorful/fun and totally different than my usual boring choices.  I just loved the way this print worked with Mim's newborn photos and thought this would be such a fun way to display all my favorites from that session.  (All photos taken by the amazing Kristie Cromie of L Photographie.)

Minted gives you the option of choosing between a few different color schemes for each print.  But even better, they let you choose a frame to go with your print and will ship it to you already framed and ready to hang.  They have a wide variety of frame choices - from classic white or black to various shades of distressed woods.  

And there are TONS of sizes to choose from.  You're not limited to just a boring 8 x 10 - their prints go all the way to poster sizes!  They even give you a handy guide to show you just how big/small each size print is, making it so much easier to visually judge print size.  I think this is genius.

I chose two prints (without frames), which took only a few days to come in.  I ordered the Deckled in a 11x14 and the Watercolor Hearts in an 11x11 and framed them myself with frames I already had at home.  

Both prints are GORGEOUS.  The paper is really thick and sturdy.  The photos are printed with rich, vibrant colors.  I'm very impressed with the quality of the paper and how professional they feel.

I immediately stuck this one in a giant 16 x 20 frame with a white mat and hung it by the front door. I'm so happy with how well it turned out and the size is perfect for the space.  

But my favorite part is the custom signature and date on the bottom.  I just love that extra personalization.  

The watercolor hearts print is also amazing.  This print is just so fun and pretty.  I'm planning on hanging it on the gallery wall on our staircase to add a fun pop of color and brightness to it.  You know...as soon as I have time. 

This one went into a 12 x 12 frame that I had at home and I just stuck it on a sheet of white cardstock.  Nothing fancy or formal, but I think it looks great. 

Do you print out your photos?

*I received these products for review as part of the Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scouts program. All opinions are my own.