Friday Crush: Pillows

My last birthday present from Hubs finally arrived...so surprised and totally worth the wait! AND it matches!!

I REALLY need to get a better camera...the colors are so much prettier in real life...oh well.

You can get the same one here at Pottery Barn.

Name Recognition/Learning

I'm baaaaaaaack...finally settled in from the exhaustion of Disneyland last week!  I'll share all about that soon!

At the beginning of this year, B was so NOT interested in learning his letters or writing his name.  Even now, after working on letters for months, he has trouble remembering some of the ones we learned in the beginning...he just wasn't into it then. 

Now, he is 100% on board with learning EVERYTHING...especially how to write his name.  The past few weeks, on top of learning letters, I have done an activity involving his name.  I wanted to get him interested in it without forcing him to sit down and write.  He really enjoyed the name activities...I think it was because no "work" (aka writing) was involved.

These are all EASY little activities that you can throw together with things you already have at home.

1.  Stamps

2.  Rocket ship...This was an activity not only involving his name, but shapes and following directions (B had to put his squares in the same color order as my example...We wrote his name at the end.), as well as counting out a certain number of stars. 

This is from a few weeks ago and he had just started writing the letter B by himself...so cute.

3.  Foam letter stickers...This is when we were learning the letter N and discussing how it is part of his name.  I laid out a pile of letter stickers and he had to search to find each letter of his name and then put it all together at the bottom.

So, yesterday I decided that B needed to start trying to actually WRITE his name.  I wrote his name in a light color on card stock and stuck it inside a page protector.  **This is a SUPER cheap and easy way to get your kids (at home or school) to practice ANYTHING.  Put it in a page protector and give them dry erase markers and used dryer sheets (works perfect as an eraser!).** You're welcome!

B was a little wary at first about writing his name, but after I guided him through it the 1st & 2nd time, he was ready to go!  

Here is the picture of his 3rd and 4th time (1st & 2nd time ALONE):

Remember, this is the FIRST time he has EVER sat down to write his entire name...

Pretty impressive, right?!

Then THIS happened this morning...  

He wanted to write a "letter" to his grandparents and I told him to write his name on it, so that they could see what a great job he is doing.  (I did not expect that he would do anything past the B.)

His first reaction was, "I can't...there are no other letters."  So I talked him through it (showed him where to begin each letter and new line), but never touched his hand or the marker!

AMAZING.  I almost lost it, y'all.  I'm one proud nanny!!! Not only is it his whole name and he did it ALONE (no tracing, just listening and looking over at his practice sheet from yesterday), but we started this YESTERDAY and he is not even 4 yet!  Plus, look at the improvement on that B!

Birthday Wrap-up

This past weekend was my 28th (AAAHHHHHHH!!!) birthday.  I was fortunate enough to celebrate for two whole days...one with Hubs and one with the girls...so much fun!  

I won't go into a play-by-play of events, but here are two of my favorite things from my birthday.

1.  On Friday (my actual birthday), after a fun afternoon of doing all my favorite things, Hubs took me out to dinner.  We decided to eat somewhere new (to us) and our decision was DiGiulio Brothers.  Y'ALL...OH MY STARS.  I have no idea why it took us this long to eat at such a phenomenal restaurant.  Seriously, GO.  NOW.


2.  This.

My new beach bag/summer tote...Isn't it pretty?!  I pointed to this from across the store once on a grocery shopping trip to Target when Hubs was with me.  And then he went online and ordered it.  And surprised me with it when I woke up on my birthday.  MAJOR points for Hubs...I love it when he is secretly paying attention!!

So far, 28 isn't so bad...I just HATE the fact that it's SO close to 30.  (Dying a little...)


ANNNND I'm just a little sad that no one made me this......

http://www.theendlessmeal.com/birthday-cake-popcorn/

Guess there's always next year.  Hint, Hint.

Friday Crush : Gatsby

I am beyond crushing on Carrie Mulligan ( & Leo) in The "new" Great Gatsby.  I want it all to be real-life and I want to be IN it.  I want all of my future parties to be 20s themed and I am now on a mission to buy copious amounts of scarves and headbands to wear in my hair at all times.  

I can't possibly pick a favorite moment or outfit from this movie, but this is definitely one of them.  I adore the wardrobe in the scene below.  I know I would look just darling in her outfit and Hubs would kill in that sweater.  I just KNOW it.  So perfectly summer.

My new BFFs.  I DIE for these two.

I fully intend to own this in the near future.  Because in my next life, it's going to be true.

Summer Reading

Need a good book to read this summer?  This is one of my all-time favorites.  I have read it at least 5 times and recommend it to EVERYONE I come in contact with.  I read this book in one sitting (every time!), staying up until the very wee hours of the morning because I can't put it down.  Oh, and you'll cry like a baby...at least I did.  

If you like to read and need a new book, do yourself a favor and buy this one. It's really THAT good.

The Last Summer (of You & Me) by Ann Brashares

Photo: tumblemepinkk

Sunless Tanner Recipe

I have fair skin.  And I've always hated it.  HATED IT.  As a child we would go swimming all the time.  My mom would grease us down with SPF 1,000 50+, you know the kind that is so thick that no amount of "rubbing it in" does anything and you spend the whole day with white streaks up and down your body.  But that wasn't enough, I still had to sit and wait for the sunscreen plaster to "soak in" (like that's gonna happen) while I watched my sister and everyone else jump right in.  It was obviously soul crushing since I still remember it.  But, I guess I should be grateful there was no "t-shirt swimming" in my life, right?!  Maybe everything does have a silver lining.

Photo: Jacobs Stock Photography/Getty Images

In high school, I was forbidden from going to the tanning bed.  So, I turned to the lovely orange-hued spray tan and I LOVED it.  I seriously thought I should be on the cover of Bronzed Beauties or something.  I'm pretty sure I walked around the house in the shortest shorts I was allowed to own and a sports bra for DAYS after each spray tan.  I only got two...you're welcome, family.

I became more sophisticated defiant in college and decided I was going to the tanning bed whether my parents liked it or not.  Obviously, I didn't tell them.  

Since then, I have tried many ways to get (and stay) tan all summer and use as little sunscreen as possible.  Talk about being blonde dumb.  I did not listen to one single lecture from my parents about skin cancer (even though both of them have had numerous skin cancer spots removed) or let one single excruciating sunburn stop me.  But I'm old now and don't have time to deal with the ramifications of sunshine on my skin.

The sunburn I got a few months ago was one of the most painful experiences in my life thus far.  I had not been that sunburned in 5 years or so and it was AWFUL.  So, since I'm spending more money on sunscreen and big hats, I don't have any left over for professional spray tans.  Plus, I just don't have the time.  (I'm one of those people who can't do anything else on the day an appointment is scheduled because I'm so obsessed with being on time.)

Solution: 

http://www.thecreativityexchange.com/2011/05/recipe-for-the-best-self-tanning-lotion-2.html

I bought the exact lotions in the picture and I think they work great!  It took me forever to find the Banana Boat lotion in the light/medium color (Walmart was the only place I could find it).  

I have now used this "recipe" twice and I love it.  There is a slight smell, but I kind of like it and Hubs doesn't even notice it.  NO STREAKING either.  I put it on at night (every 3 days or so) after I shower and shave, let it dry for a few hours before going to bed and I'm golden, literally.  I mix enough for one leg at a time...equal parts of each lotion in my palm mixed together with my finger and then applied to skin.  WASH HANDS after!!  

So happy I found something CHEAP that works!  Everyone feels better when they are "tan", am I right?!

Enjoy Life

Ok, is it just me or what?!  I have been getting increasingly annoyed with Facebook and the people on it.  I deleted the Facebook app from my phone several months ago and I LOVE it. I was to the point where I was spending too much time "checking Facebook" and not enough time with actual human beings.  I was documenting every SECOND of my life, just so I could put it on Facebook so (people who really don't care) could see it.  LAME.  

Does it not mean anything unless other people can rave about how wonderful it is?  Why are we such show-offs, always trying to "one-up" everyone else?  

Ok, the end.

A few sayings that I love and need to practice more.