Family Musings

Bruce wrote a lovely essay about why we chose the name Mary Mitchell for our daughter. Here is that essay represented in a Wordle. I hope they figure out how to turn these into higher resolution documents for printing and framing.

Ten Talents hosts a daily This for That McLinky that allows bloggers to get some help in exchange for helping others. Here are the rules: If this is your first time linking up with us on This for That, please READ THIS POST for more information! Post your "need" in the MckLinky by writing about what you need and linking to where others can fulfill that need. Meet the need of the 3 ppl DIRECTLY ABOVE your link, AND THEN YOU ARE DONE! If you want more than 3 ppl to help you out, then wait a bit, come back later and enter your need again (just make sure you AGAIN help out the 3 ppl DIRECTLY ABOVE you). The idea is that you help out 3 ppl and 3 ppl help you out...AND you don't have to wonder if you left someone hanging because your job is done as soon as you help out the three ppl above you! You can link up as many times as you want! Just a couple of quick points: 1) PLEASE DO NOT link up unless you have time @ the very moment you link up to meet the requests of t...

I like to comment on my friends blogs. I also like to enter giveaways on blogs. But I hate entering CAPTCHA codes. Sometimes they are annoyingly hard to read. And when I can't get it right after 2 tries, I just give up and don't leave a comment. This is the text I saw on a recent CAPTCHA: As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments. It makes me wonder, how many automated programs are out there trying to comment on stories about potty training or the newest birthday giveaway. Do programmers really go out of their way to write software to SPAM us? I've had CAPTCHA turned off on my own blog for at least a year. And I have also deleted the rel=nofollow code. And I only get a few SPAM comments a week. I want to challenge other mom bloggers to change their CAPTCHA settings for 2 weeks to see what kind of difference it makes. If SPAM reaches an unacceptable l...

For a while now Bruce and I have had trouble with Charlotte's eating habits, particularly at dinner. She dawdles and takes her time. We don't like to leave her at the table to eat alone, so it has sometimes meant that every one's meal is drawn out too long. So today, I decided to try something new. I set the timer for 20 minutes and then explained that whatever wasn't done at the end of the time, could be saved for later. I think by making it clear that meal time has its limits, she'll be encouraged to do more eating and less talking. What do you think? Do your children dawdle at the table?  What did you do to solve the problem?

PosePrints.com is unique in the world of customized cards, announcements, and invitations. They allow you to create a cartoon or silhouette version of your little one to adorn your card instead of just relying on stock images.  I had fun playing around with different birthday invites for Mary (since Charlotte already had invitations printed). I was able to email the pose and card I designed to myself to use as a digital invitation for Mary's 1st birthday. It worked perfect for us because we do 1st birthdays pretty low key around here, so there is no need for a printed card. Once I received the email, I was able to forward it to my family as an informal invitation. I think the card would have looked cute printed as well and there is an option to order blank cards to use as thank you notes or to print invitations yourself. One thing I had trouble with the first time I used the site was how to create a baby pose. I could only see the adult female pose. I e-mailed customer service...

Toddlers are not too young to learn to give to others. And honestly, most kids have too many toys anyway. That is certainly true of my own toddler. So for her 3rd birthday, instead of asking guests for gifts, we asked them to bring a pair of new pajamas. I also took her shopping to pick out a pair to make sure she was really involved in the process. Then, Charlotte and I went to the FL Baptist Children's Home and donated the pajamas to their emergency shelter. We were able to get a tour of the facility and learn more about how children end up in their emergency care. I hope that by doing this, she will start to learn about the value of helping others and be excited to come up with her own caring and sharing ideas for parties in the future. Other moms are doing the same thing to help their kid's celebrate. Malia, of Homemaking 911, has done it twice. One year her daughter hosted an Operation Christmas Child Birthday Party . Another year, her daughter asked to support the Tou...

I can barely believe my 'Marykins' will be a whole year old in 10 days! (And that I'm just now sharing her 9-month photos!) It's almost time for Mary's birthday! And she is ready Photos from Mary's 9-month session with Karissa Barber , owner of K. Barber Photography in Lakeland, FL .

Lots of things about Charlotte's 3rd birthday party worked well. But one of the things that worked the best (besides my mom who helped out a lot), was the cake. Actually, they are called Cake Shooters. And a bakery in my very own Central FL makes them. These are an innovative way to serve cupcakes at an party, whether its for kids or adults. The push-up style dispenser is filled with layers of cake and frosting that are easy for even young children to eat. This little girl is about 1 1/2 and she was able to work the push-up on her own. Admittedly, the flavors inside were some pretty powerful motivation! The flavors are definitely better than your typical home baked cake as well. Each shooter has a few layers of cake with yummy frosting in between them. All a kid has to do is push up slowly from the bottom and start nibbling the goodness. There are several different Cake Shooter flavors to choose from. The kid's at Charlotte's party tried Sprinkles Signature and  Cho...

When your daughter asks for a pink and purple birthday party, planning is pretty simple. There is room to be creative and have fun with the invitations. And you know what, I did just that. I found these cute birthday invitations at The Party Starts Here and thought they fit Charlotte's personality perfectly. The personalization process is easy to follow and the variety of invitations to choose from is awesome. They really had something for every personality or party theme out there. One thing I appreciated about The Party Starts Here is that they will also sell you a blank card so frugal moms can save the $7 personalization fee and do it themselves. The cards themselves were printed on thick card stock with an appropriately thick envelope to match. I wasn't worried about these cards getting damaged in the mail and I think the one I saved for posterity will stand the test of time. After browsing the various invitations, I want to throw more parties just so I can order and ...

Moms are some of the most creative people I know. If you think about it, we created little people, so there must be something flowing in the left side of our brains! It was easy to find professional party planning ideas. But I know that many moms can't afford to hire professional help for executing their wee one's birthday party. So, I went looking for moms who did it themselves, and these were some of the ideas I found. ******************** If you are into character themed parties, Karli at SweetBeaker designed a Dora the Explorer Fiesta for her own Charlotte. The Dora birthday invitations look upscale and she made them just by using the free printables available at Nick Jr.com. Same for the rest of the Dora decorations and favors . It just took some digital paper crafting skills. The color palette is simple (yellow, orange, and pink) and I can see how it would fulfill any toddler's Dora the Explorer birthday party needs! Karli told me that they kept to a simple, kid-...

When I was looking around and talking to different people about birthday ideas, I came across some particularly unexpected ones. What do you think, would you ever throw one of these parties? Karate Party Anyone - Children have lots of fun while actually learning TaeKwonDo at your child's birthday party! Your child and guests will fully participate in a safe introductory TaeKwonDo lesson. All the children learn the rules of safety while gaining self-confidence and self-respect at a party that no one will ever forget. Soccer Collies - Invite doggies to the party! I bet some of these collies are more well-behaved than some toddlers! Orange Kite Theme - A color themed party is what we did for Charlotte. Her colors were pink and purple, but the little girl with the kite party chose orange and I think the results are stunning! And using kites for a spring party makes tying everything into the theme so much easier. Have you planned any birthday parties with an unexpected th...

I've come across a really neat way that one blogger found to help other bloggers out and I want to take a moment to share it with you. The owner of Ten Talents wants to help us connect with one another by sharing links. They can be links to giveaways that you want more entries on, links to your Facebook page, or requests for more Google Friend Connect followers. This is beautiful in it's simplicity. If this is your first time linking up with us on This for That, please READ THIS POST for more information! Post your "need" in the McLinky by writing about what you need and linking to where others can fulfill that need.  Meet the need of the 3 ppl DIRECTLY ABOVE your link, AND THEN YOU ARE DONE! If you want more than 3 ppl to help you out, then wait a bit, come back later and enter your need again (just make sure you AGAIN help out the 3 ppl DIRECTLY ABOVE you).  The idea is that you help out 3 ppl and 3 ppl help you out...AND you don't have to wonde...

It helps sometimes to put a toddler's birthday party in perspective. Recently, I spoke with Candy Wingate, the President of Nannies4Hire, and she shared the following tips for managing a child's birthday party. Keep it simple. Your child won't care if there are elaborate decorations, or a meticulously thought out menu. He just wants to have fun. Get some help. Many parents get overwhelmed trying to do it all themselves. If your father-in-law is artistic, ask him to make the invitations. If your sister is a great baker, put her in charge of the cake. Consider hiring someone to entertain the kids, run the games or clean your house pre- and post-party. Ask for your child's input. Before you start planning, get your child's opinion. Even young children enjoy a trip to the party store to choose between Elmo and Thomas the Train plates. My kids love to browse through party catalogs to choose a few special things for their party. Keep it manageable. Instead of invitin...

... to tell you why I need a blog makeover. Long time readers will know that this blog has worn many different fashions.   Some nicer than others to be sure. At one point, I even  had a really cool professional blog design, but then, that company went under and my awesome blog design went away with their image hosting. :( [Insert really cool blue silhouette of girl holding a balloon here] And I've been floundering for several months since Mary was born because my old blog design didn't include her, just Charlotte. I finally got tired of not seeing both my daughters on my page and now, I'm just stuck with this simple, standard Blogger template. The colors are great, but a gazillion other people have the same design! And now my button doesn't match my blog. I am in major need of a blog makeover that reflects my family, passions, style idiom, and favorite colors! My style idiom is very well defined. I do my best to make sure my home and my personal wardrobe...

The first giveaway in the Family Musings Birthday Bash is over! I used the random number generator at Random.org to select from the 157 comments. And the winner of the Bake Me A Wish giveaway is.... Anonymous commenter # 85. I've emailed the winner and hope they enjoy their Triple Chocolate Enrobed Brownie Cake!

Party favors come in all shapes and sizes. And if you are lucky enough, all flavors too! DaSweetZpot Jam can turn any flavor or beverage or food into a yummy jam or jelly that can please the youngest and the oldest party guests. For Charlotte's 3rd birthday party, I included a small, personalized jar of Kool-Aid jelly from DaSweetZpot on Etsy . This was an easy choice because pretty much every kid knows Kool-Aid and the flavors are accessible to tiny taste buds. It was a fun addition to our favor bags and something that no one had seen before. (Actually, our favor bags had lots of cool things, but you'll have to wait a day or two to read about the rest of them.) I had to pick our jelly flavors before Charlotte decided on her birthday theme, so I chose to do a rainbow of jellies. The jars were beautiful to look at and they included her name, age, and a thank you for coming note on the label. The flavors were listed on the bottom. I asked owner Marlene how they took flavors of K...

When you have a park party like Charlotte just did, it is important to make sure your guests know which pavilion or picnic area to go to. Sassy Signs are a fun way to do that. They are completely adorable and completely customizable for birthday, anniversaries, yard sales, fundraisers, or just about any other event where people need directions to get there. Sassy Signs is another great company started by moms who saw a need and knew how to meet it. And they didn't do the job halfway either. After using their signs for Charlotte's party, I can see why they are so much better than the traditional plastic cardboard type sign that gets staked in the ground or the typical piece of paper taped to a poster board. The Sassy Sign is very easy to customize with letters, numbers, arrows, greetings, or other symbols. You just peel and stick your characters onto the thick poly sign, insert the spring wires, and then place in the ground. It bends with the wind but can't be blown over...

A cake from the local grocery store bakery is a fine way to celebrate a birthday. But what if you could take it to the next level? You know, bling it up a little? Now you can! Cake Crystals are a new product this year that can take an ordinary cake to the next level. It is hard enough to make a delicious cake, let alone one that is beautiful. Most of us just don't have the time to mess with tints and tips the night before our loved one's special day. In steps Cake Crystals. And thank goodness too! I promise I had every intention of making cute cupcakes for Charlotte's party. Then, I realized that I had less than 14 hours to party time and hadn't even cracked one egg. In steps the local grocery bakery and out comes the Cake Crystals. I was able to take their cake to the next level of cuteness. They have the texture of a lollipop but don't get melty or sticky in the heat. And the flavor is a vague fruity flavor that doesn't interfere with a great chocolate ...

Sometimes I think I am a rural, slow life down country girl.... then I wake up and realize that chickens, 40-minute drives to the nearest Target, and making my own butter just aren't for me. And when I've visited major cities, I feel energized and think, I could live here. But really, I couldn't. It is just too darn expensive to be a SAHM in NYC. In part, that led us to settle in Lakeland, a semi-urban city with some wide open spaces nearby (like Kathleen). So, the next company I am going to share with you let's me have share a taste of urban life with my family without hurting my wallet. Hip moms like myself in NYC have discovered NYC Subway Line apparel. They  make the "Birthday Shirt" which uses the NYC Subway "route indicators" as their subject. These shirts allow your toddler or preschooler to show how proud they are of their new age. In these pictures, Charlotte is sporting her new '3' shirt which represents her new age ...

You've heard the expression, "like a kid in the candy store," right? How about being like a kid in the virtual candy store of Chocomize? Chocomize allows customers to customize their chocolate; that's how they got their name. Clever isn't it? They are the first company in the US that allows people to customize their own chocolate bars. First you pick your chocolate base - milk, white or dark premium Belgian chocolate. Then you can add up to five additional ingredients from a list of over 100 that includes things like dried fruits, nuts, chocolate plaques, beef jerkey and even 23 karat gold flakes. Charlotte was a happy little girl when I let her sit in my lap and browse the add-in ingredient choices at Chocomize.com . In the end, she chose a chocolate butterfly, pop rocks, dried strawberries, and gummy bears. Obviously, I had little to do with choosing her items. :) This girl doesn't get candy too often so the treat was extra special. Fortunately,...

How about we go a little outside of the box with this review? Explore a unique idea for a party favor? Have a little fun with hoops&yoyo ? According to my sources at Hallmark, these are the most popular characters Hallmark offers. What if, next time you threw a toddler party, you gave the moms a party favor instead of just the kids? They’ll share great memories and laughs at your toddler's birthday and then continue the laughs when the hostess offers an assortment of hoops&yoyo Happy Birthday sound cards to moms on their way out of the party. I don't know anyone who doesn't crack at least a small smile when they hear hoops&yoyo. They can choose one and use them to send to one of their friends who has a birthday coming up. I’ve never seen anyone do this before but what a great idea/parting gift for moms who came and gave of their time/money making your toddler’s experience a great one. Another out of the box idea is to throw a hoops&yoyo party. The pi...

If you have ever planned a toddler birthday party, then I am sure you will agree having an expert to come along side and help you figure out the details is a great idea. Ack! But who can afford a party planner for a 3 year old? not me, that's for sure. But I may have found the next best thing - Peppers and Pollywogs ! Peppers and Pollywog s is the creation of Lisa Kothari, who brought us the earlier guest post about planning a park party. On her website, we learn that "her main party planning belief is that no matter the budget or amount of time a parent has, an incredible party can always be thrown, keeping children cheerful and parents stress-free during their wonderfully planned celebration!" That sounds like my kind of party planning! What most impressed me about her site is the wide variety of party planning ideas. She certainly has her hand on the top trends in kids parties and entertainment. Recent posts provided a tutorial for Despicable Me costumes, the Fre...

For Charlotte's third party, I wanted to throw her a friends party. I thought she might enjoy having people her own age to play with instead of the "family only" parties we have done so far. But we live in a small place and there is not room to host 8-10 toddlers plus their parents. So, I am planning a park party. And to help me, Lisa Kothari of Peppers and Pollywogs, Inc shared these tips. I know we will be implementing some of these and I hope you find them useful as well. Feel free to chime in on the comments with your own tips about park parties. I still have a few days left to finish everything up! Top Tips for Planning a Party in the Park It’s the season of planning outdoor parties and one of the best outdoor venues to hold your party is a park. It’s usually free and can accommodate large groups. If the idea appeals to you, keep these top tips in mind when planning your party in the park: Make sure to call your parks and services board and ask if a permit ...

It was my delight to review the product I am going to share with you today. The Sewing Loft sent us their Tea Party set and from the very first time I opened the box, I was itching to let Charlotte host her first tea party. Showing Charlotte the beautiful pieces made by Heather of The Sewing Loft got her excited too. The pieces were beautifully and thoughtfully packaged, as if I had picked the items out of a high-end bakery myself. Before I show you the pieces of the set though, I have to share what might be the funniest tea party story ever. While Charlotte was drinking her punch, I suggested she lift her pinky to be fancy. And she did. Of course, the other mom and I chuckled. Which led her her friend Porter, who was so kind to play the Knight for our Tea Party, to say he would show her how to do it. I must say, I don't think I have ever seen a more manly expression of lifting a pinky while drinking tea! Don't worry though, we did get the pinky in the air part of the te...

This giveaway is closed. When I came home from running errands recently, I saw a big box sitting on my doorstep. As I got closer, the anticipation built and then I realized it was a Vanilla Bean Cake from Bake Me A Wish! Woo hoo! This was a review I knew my husband would enjoy participating in. The Vanilla Bean cake from Bake Me a Wish! came packed in a cooler and ice pack because it is perishable. It took self control, but I put it in the fridge straight away and waited patiently for my husband to come home so we could celebrate life. When we finally got to sample the cake, I put some candles on it so Charlotte could practice blowing them out. We are slowly getting ready for the big day of her birthday party and have never put candles on a cake for her before. As I was enjoying my slice of the Vanilla Bean Cake, Bruce and I brainstormed when this type of cake service might be useful. And here is the list we came up with: When you want a gourmet cake, but don't have acces...

After weeks of anticipation, planning, and sampling, Birthday Bash is here! Over the next two weeks, I'll be sharing a gazillion birthday ideas with you, from other moms just like us, from mom-preneurs who have started their own businesses, and from companies who want to send you the same products they sent me! I have more than 15 giveaways planned as well as a handful of other posts that will give you great ideas for planning birthdays for your toddler or preschooler. This might just be your one-stop shop for birthday ideas! The giveaways will all be kept simple with at least 4 ways to win every time. Make sure you are subscribed so you don't miss anything. And yes, I'm still giving extra entries for tweets and blog links. Hang tight...the first review will be posted soon! Happy Birthday!

Dear Charlotte, Wow! You are three years old today! I can hardly believe that you are now a preschooler. In the last three years you have brought so much joy in my life they seem to have flown by. You amaze me with how much you have grown, not just in the last year, but in the last few months. The conversations we have are delightful. You are creative and love a good story. Each night at bedtime you ask me to tell you one. Many nights you finish because I am just not creative enough for you. Pink tigers. Talking Howie dolls. Goldilocks. Goldi-cat. Goldi-hat. It seems you never tire of hearing these stories. Praying is something you are really enjoying too. And while we mostly do it at bedtime, you like to go with mommy to pray for the unborn babies too. I get such joy from hearing you pray for your family and friends. There is no one who is safe from being on your prayer list! The way you are towards your sister is definitely better than I had hoped. And sure, you do have your ...

Getting out on a boat makes me feel so free. It is wonderful to get closer to nature in that way, so long as no one drives too fast. I guess that is why pontoon boats suit me just fine. Over Spring Break (yes, I realize that was  5 months ago!), my parents treated us to an afternoon of pontoon boating with the family and we all had a great time. Over and over, Charlotte remembered the boat ride in Nicaragua when she got to play with the monkey. I think her memory is more fond of the monkey than she really was, but I don't bother to correct her. If she wants to think she and the monkey hugged and played and she loved every minute of it, then so be it. My blog post from last summer will always be around to testify to the truth. :) We had two small babies on the boat with us, Mary and her cousin Rebekah. Both of them wore infant sized life vests. Charlotte had the same size! It was a gorgeous day for picture taking... I hope you enjoy these. I enjoyed reliving the afternoon as I...