One Heart World-Wide

I’m a mama! I can’t make time this week to post my birth story (though it was an awesome experience and I’m working on getting it down) or even for a proper baby photo post – but wanted to share something quickly.

Two days after Daniela was born, the most wonderful gift arrived in the mail from my midwife, Deborah Frank of Midwives With Women.  It was a donation made in my honor to One Heart World-Wide, which protects mothers and infants in third world areas with a mission to reduce mortality rates for unattended home births.  The donation covered one birth kit which gives a woman in rural China, Nepal or Mexico prenatal vitamins, a sterile sheet and gloves for the birth, a sterile razor blade to cut the cord, medication to prevent maternal bleeding, soap and sterile clothes for the infant, and a baby hat and blanket.  Overall, the organization uses culturally sensitive programs and teaches simple home based life-saving skills to indigenous community health workers.

You can read more about One Heart World-Wide here, or see the various donation options here.

It was the most touching baby gift, especially appropriate from my midwife but I also think it would be such a nice gift to give in any woman’s honor after she gives birth.

I will be back next week with the goods – either a long detailed birth story, a journal of our first week, a round up of the baby products that have saved our lives so far, or at least some cute pics of my little nugget!

Baby Boy Blue Shower

Over the weekend I had a little dinner for 3 of my girlfriends…ALL expecting BOYS! I decided to have the dinner baby shower style. We had such a fabulous evening… details to follow…

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After the storm

We are keeping busy with lots of puzzles today. Things look good in our neighborhood…no power loss & minimal house/roof damage as I drove around the neighborhood. I was able to get a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts this morning. It was packed with people on their laptops…I am assuming lots of people in surrounding neighborhoods are without power.

Hope you are all safe & dry! shari

Holiday Season

My favorite time of year is here. Not only is it fall, but holiday review season is coming!  Watch for all kinds of fun product features next month. Pictured items from:  Serena & Lily, Fjällräven, Burt’s Bees Baby, Little Miss Millie’s Boutique, & Kushies.

Holiday Advertising

Looking for affordable advertising this holiday season?

Email me for more info: Shari @ Spearmintbaby@gmail.com
*offer good for 120 x 120 ads only

Modern Brights Themed Nursery Products

Hello from maternity leave! I am about to turn 37 weeks, and have almost completed my first week away from my full time job. I was worried I’d get bored, and so far, no chance or sign of that – I have been assembling stuff around the house, organizing and generally doing what it takes to get ready for this baby in the home stretch- it’s so nice not to have to cram it all into nights and weekends, which would definitely get exhausting!

I shot my own maternity photos recently, and should have them to post for next week or the following – and sooner than later, I’ll have my own birth story to post!

But until then, here is another nursery inspiration board, this time centering around a Modern Brights theme.

Top left: Mobile by Scmitt Design, $98 via Etsy.  Top left: Regency Crib by The New Traditionalists

Middle left: Love rug, $473.99 from Overstock.com.  Middle right: Kalon Studios Hut Hut resin seats, $125 each from Layla Grace.

Bottom left: Regency 4 Drawer changer from The New Traditionalists.  Bottom right: Neon floral curtain rods from Byron & Byron.

Working from the bar.

I’ve been working from a new Starbucks lately. The internet connection at the Starbucks that I used to work from became pretty much nonexistent! The bad news is that they do not have comfy leather chairs at this location. The good news is that there is a bar. It is pretty awesome to be working from the bar!

p.s. I love to sprinkle nutmeg in my hot coffee now that chilly fall days have arrived!

Painting Bed

A little peek at the bed I am painting for Harper. It is my LAST furniture project for her bedroom. I cannot wait to finish it- hopefully on Wednesday. (the kids are off again this Monday, today!)

Pregnancy Beauty Products

For me, getting pregnant meant significantly simplifying my beauty routine.  Between the stuff you’re officially advised not to use when pregnant (like my beloved exfoliants with BHA and Crest Whitestrips ; ) and my desire to avoid potential hormone disrupting ingredients like parabens and phalates wherever possible, my pool of beauty must haves became really small, really fast.  But I did get really attached to a core group of products that I absolutely love and now can’t live without.  Here they are:

#1 – Boppy Prenatal Sleep Wedge – alright it’s not really a beauty product, but it helps me get my beauty sleep in a huge way! I have used this wedged under my belly since about month 5, and it’s still providing amazing, much needed support now in my last month.  I also wedge it up against my back to help me stay on my side.  A great investment at $15! I never bought one of those huge noodly pregnancy pillows, just a standard full body pillow that I supplement that with this.

#2 – Dermablend Cover Creme – This is rated a “low hazard” product by the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics’ “Skin Deep” database (located here), but mainly I love it because it covers *anything* and comes in naturalistic skin tones (it’s not too pinky or orangey). Although I never used heavy duty foundation before, I have gotten some melasma above my lips and eyebrows during this pregnancy, and this stuff spot covers it like a dream. It also contains a titanium dioxide based SPF 30, to prevent the same problem it’s covering.

#3 – The smell of most shampoos and conditioners – especially the organic ones which tend to be herby or fruity – were completely intolerable to me in my first trimester.  This one from Avalon Organics smells STRONGLY of peppermint, which along with lemon was one of the smells I actually liked at the time, and it’s also a great conditioner – a little goes a long way, and it feels very rich and thick going on.

#4 – I am definitely part of coconut oil’s cult like following, and have many different bottles of the stuff stashed in various places around the house – one in the kitchen for cooking, one for our dog that I treat his occasional dog park nicks or hot spots with, one ready to go on the diaper changing table for when the baby arrives (will use it in lieu of diaper ointment if need be), and one ready to go at the nursing station (it soothes sore nipples as well as lanolin, but it’s less greasy / apt to stain and also has those great anti-bacterial properties).  But my favorite use so far has been as a belly moisturizer (in lieu of those expensive stretch mark prevention creams and oils).  I have had no itchy bump, and no stretch marks show up so far.  I know that this is supposedly more influenced by genetics than anything to do with products, but I still love the stuff for moisturizing my bump, either way! Dr Bronners and Nutiva are my favorite brands (look for organic, cold pressed, un-refined oils).

#5 – As they say on the beauty message boards, this is now my HG daily SPF moisturizer (Holy Grail – that product you’d been searching for your whole life ; ) Aragan Oil is one of the miracle cosmetics ingredients du jour, and maybe lots of its supposed benefits (like fighting hyper-pigmentation and excess sebum production) are legit – but I mostly love this stuff because it’s free of nasty ingredients, light and fast absorbing.  I have found that a lot of the non chemical sunscreens are very heavy titanium or zinc oxide formulas and love that this one doesn’t have any hint of that waxy feel.  It also smells great, thanks to the aragan oil.  And of course, I also love that creator Josie Maran is a mom with two inspiring natural birth stories under her belt!

Also – not pictured, but I LOVE Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatments – free of chemical nasties and SPF protective, they come in several flattering tints and smell great!

Modern Animals Nursery Ideas

Before we knew whether we were having a boy or a girl, I got sucked into the wide wonderful world of nursery decor and made about a million themed nursery idea boards on Pinterest.  So all of my premature brainstorms don’t go to waste, thought I’d present a few of them here!

First up is a collection of modern animal themed nursery decor ideas – enjoy!

Sources: 1- Safari Animal Wall Hooks from Giggle; 2- Handmade Circus Wool Rug from Overstock.com; 3- Original paintings by Arianne Duckworth / Etsy; 4 –  ”Hand Made” shadow puppet wallpaper by Paperboy UK; 5- Hanging Monkeys sculpture available in any color from SlippinSouthern / Etsy

What’s In My Diaper Bag: Leslie of Timi + Leslie

As a new contributor to the lovely Spearmint Baby, I thought it would be fun to welcome a new series all about the diaper bag. The diaper bag is one of the must-have items for every momma out there and what’s inside is essential for a day out with the Little. So, why not share with each other what we are toting around along with the diaper bag we currently are coveting? Sounds fun right! I think so. I am always up for seeing what other moms carry around in their diaper bags.

First up is the amazing diaper bag designer Leslie of Timi + Leslie. You know her; she makes those beyond perfect diaper bags that look like handbags. Oh yes, they are fab. So, let’s check out just what she carries around in her Hayley bag from Timi + Leslie, of course!

What To Put In Your Diaper Bag

1. Change of clothing from Tea Collection
2. Sweater or Jacket (depending on the weather)
3. Diapers from The Honest Company
4. Children’s pain reliever
5. Wipes from The Honest Company
6. Toys to entertain the little one. 
7. Hat from Gap
8. Sunscreen wipes: always want to make sure your little one’s protected from the sun!
9. Diaper Cream via Drugstore.com
10. Hand sanitizer
11. Swaddle Blanket: This is great to use as a light weight blanket or to lay over your stroller canopy to block out any sun. 
12. Little One’s Snacks
13. Snack for Mommy (especially if you are breast feeding)
14. Breastfeeding cover up
15. Changing Pad
16. Insulated Bottle Tote: Keep that bottle warm or cool! 
17. Mommy Clutch: This is great if you need to run in the store with your little one but don’t want to bring in your entire diaper bag!
18. Dirty Clothes Sack: You want to be prepared if your little one has an accident!
19. Stroller Straps

Interested in being a mom in our “In The Diaper Bag” series? We want to show you off too! Please email me: casi@cupcakemag.com

Dad-To-Dad Advice For Travel With A Baby

Mr Floret Cadet‘s 15 year reunion is approaching, and his friends are starting to plan a group trip for next Spring- at which point, if we’re able to make the trip, we’ll have a 6 month old baby in tow! This is a pretty priceless response he got from a friend and father of four on the email chain after he asked about flying with a 6 month old.  Thought I’d share ; )

They are generally fly OK at 6 months, but you may want to wait until 9 months before asking them to handle a paddle on the river.  My best advice is the following;

1.      Have mom feed them on take-off and landing for their ears and try to sit far, far away.  It’s tough on Southwest with open seating, but you can always claim “full flight” on another airline when you book her in 5C and you’re “stuck” in 28D.

2.      Bring drink tickets for those around you.  If you offer free cocktails BEFORE the crying starts (yours or the baby’s), you look like a hero.

3.      Sit near another baby.  When the crying starts, just look annoyed that the other kid keeps crying.  It’s like gun fire in a rain forest – no one can ever pin point the source.

Good luck and God speed brother.

Here Comes Baby: Watch Me Grow!

These baby photos capture the amazing journey baby Phoenix took from a sleepy newborn to celebrating her 1st birthday with a sugary sweet cake smash. Shellie Wall Photography had the honour to capture & watch Phoenix grow. My favourite photo of Phoenix is her in the cute baby top hat, it is simply adorable!

What is the recipe for a creating a great cake smash:

• Take one super cute baby celebrating her/his 1st birthday
• Add a giant sugary wonderland cupcake
• Add simple & lovely accessories
• Don’t forget a pinch of good lighting
• Mix in with a talented baby photographer

= Sugary sweet cake smash photos

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New Rules for interacting with Preggos…(or maybe just me)

Odd things have started to bother me in pregnancy – not the common stuff like strangers touching the belly, people saying “you must be due any day now” when you’re barely in your third trimester, or folks acting like you’re unfit to carry your purse- but very specific, random things.  I’m wondering if they bug anyone else out there? So, in the spirit of some good-natured pregnancy kvetching, I offer Floret Cadet’s “New Rules” for interacting with pregnant ladies (but really, they probably only apply to me in my specific hormonal state : )

New Rule #1: If you’re going to compare my baby to a fruit or vegetable, make it one I’ve heard of

I subscribe to at least three different weekly newsletters that email me progress reports on baby’s growth and development from week to week.  They are very fond of issuing fruit and vegetable size comparisons, but two things have bugged me about this.  One is that the comparisons the different sites use in the very same week are radically different from each other- one week one newsletter had Baby P the size of a banana, the other the size of a half gallon of milk! Um, hi – those are two very conflicting images about my baby’s size!

But the other is that they use exotic fruits and vegetables that end up being no reference at all for me.  An average sized rutabaga?! An English hothouse cucumber?!  A Chinese cabbage?!  I had to google them all – and by the way a rutabaga is a very unattractive root vegetable and I didn’t take the comparison as a compliment to my little baby!

So please, new rule: if you’re going to compare my baby to a fruit or a vegetable, stick to the ones that are familiar (and appealing!)

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Pregnancy Photo Journals

I’m a photo book enthusiast, so starting a fun pregnancy journal was high on my to do list when Mr. Floret Cadet and I first confirmed the news! If you follow any pregnancy or baby boards on Pinterest, you have likely seen some version of this awesome digital pregnancy photo journal, and I became obsessed with how I could make one like it without hiring a professional photographer / designer to create one.

It just so happens that the photographer who created these journals is Hanna Mac, and after being out on maternity leave herself, she is back and offering a template for purchase so you can have a DIY version of one of her gorgeous booksl! Even cooler, you can buy cute individual images to accompany some of the pages and mix it up if you don’t want to include a bump photo each and every week. You purchase the template for $50 in either PSD or JPG format, and then print your finished book through a service like Shutterfly, or Hanna also has a special recommended printer who she introduces you to upon purchase.

I missed the boat on this template (I think it was made available just days after I looked and then moved on), but luckily for me, she also has three gorgeous baby book templates available – in chalkboard, pennant and chevron styles.  I will definitely be using one of these to document our baby’s first year! Here are some of those designs- what’s your favorite? I think I’m leaning towards the chalkboard for now.

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Sesame Visits Team USA

Anyone else having complete withdrawal from the Olympics? (I swear I watched almost every hour of coverage this summer!) My daughter found these guys on the Sesame Facebook Page & they gave me a laugh. Too cute not to share!

DIY Pig Shaped Pinata

Hello Spearmint Baby readers! My name is Chie. I’m honored to have been given the opportunity to become a regular contributor here. I am a designer and a seamstress behind a clothing line named Vivat Veritas. Besides working on my clothing business, I am a wife, and a mom of one year old daughter.

My daughter, Kiko just turned one in April. I was very excited to throw her first birthday party, and I decided to go for “piggy and pink” theme as my husband and I call Kiko “piggy” most of the time. The nickname stems from the snorting sound she used to make while sleeping. Thankfully the snorting has stopped but the name has stuck nonetheless.

We currently live in Japan, and unfortunately they don’t have pinatas for kids’ birthday parties. I wanted a pinata shaped like a pig, but a quick google search led me to the conclusion that buying a pinata and having it shipped to Japan would be too expensive.

So, based on this tutorial, I made a pinata. I wanted it to be pig shaped and decorated it all in pink, but I failed. The origami paper I bought had multiple colors and not enough pink to cover the piggy head so I just used random colors glued them on the cardboard…When all was said and done and I had a chance to appraise my efforts, I became a little sad because it kinda looked like a kindergartners art project and nothing like the pinata’s I had seen online.

In addition to my failure in construction I was also a bit confused on the contents of a pinata. Having grown up in Japan, where there are no pinata’s, I didn’t know what to put inside. I heard there were snacks inside. So I filled the pig up with chocolates (ok, no problem there) and senbei (Japanese style crackers). Later my husband found out what I put inside and laughed at me. You can imagine what happened to those crackers after a few whacks at the party…

Happy Father’s Day!

Just picked up some “SMEET” Corn for our dinner bbq! Enjoy your father’s day celebration. Thank god for daddies!

Capture your Milestones

Keep track of baby’s growth with milestone stickers! Simply peel and stick on a fresh white onesie each month and get your iPhone out. I’ve seen a lot of my mama friends do this. One even made a 1st year book with the photos on Shutterfly!

only $8.99 on Zulily. (type “milestone stickers” in search box)

NOVICA

Are you familiar with the online shopping site NOVICA? I discovered it a few weeks ago & was so impressed!

A little bit about NOVICA:
It is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites. They work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market. Their are thousands of top fair trade corporate gifts, accessories, jewelry and home decor items for sale!

My favorite part of the store is the HOME DECOR section. I really LOVE all of the interesting artwork for sale. Be sure to check out the Elephant Art. The paintings are actually done by elephants. It turns out the elephants LOVE to paint! So cute! By making the elephants’ art accessible, Novica is helping raise funds to support much needed elephant conservation centers. (money goes to such a great cause.)

I’ve put together a collage of some of my favorite things for sale at NOVICA including pretty summer jewelry and some accessories that I am considering for my living room. I also have my eye on a few paintings for my dining room.

Here are a few fun categories for you to start browsing: Silver Charm Bracelets, Amethyst Chandelier Earrings, Sterling Silver Earrings from Peru, Lockets, Silk Fans, Natural Flower Necklaces

Glidden® Paint $2,500 Walmart Gift Card Sweepstakes

Planning for the arrival of your little one? Find the nursery paint you and your baby will love with Baby Room Colors from Glidden® Paint, as seen in What to Expect When You’re Expecting (only in theaters).

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (only in theaters) came out on May 18th…have you seen it yet? If you are like me you probably kept the books on your nightstand throughout your pregnancy!

The new movie features Glidden® Brilliance Collection™ Paint, which is now available at Walmart. To promote the movie’s upcoming release, Glidden® Paint is running a sweepstakes in which they are giving away a $2,500 Walmart gift card to one lucky mama to design their dream nursery!  

What kind of nursery would you decorate if you had a $2,500 budget? I definitely think I’d go for an ULTRA modern crib with that kind of budget. I’d probably even put in hardwood floors & a fluffy Icelandic rug!

To enter the sweepstakes just decide which of the nursery mood boards you like best. (scroll down) Then, visit the My Dream Nursery Giveaway page on Circle of Moms, log in or register, and vote for your favorite by Thursday, 6/7.

Glidden® has also created a fabulous website where you can learn how to find the right colors & create the perfect mood for your room. Learn about paint techniques and fun design trends as well. Just visit Mycolortopia.com.  & be sure to take the nursery quiz you see above. Upon completion, you will be given advice on color schemes that best fit you & baby’s personality and lifestyle.

Learn about all of the products you see in the mood boards HERE.

P.S. The sweepstakes winner will be announced the week of 6/18/12 on MyColortopia.com.

Road Trippin’ with Toddlers?

Are you planning to do any road tripping this summer? We have no major plans other than weekends in Ocean City. I must admit, I miss the days when you could just jump in the car and drive for hours without worrying about a complete MELT DOWN in the back seat!

So, I was impressed with this mama’s creative solution for DRAMA-FREE road tripping…

Her sweet clips stayed clipped up on the front visor as long as each child continued to behave. Once child became whiny, the clip would come down. & that meant no special treat at the next rest stop, no movie/iPad/etc!

….& she made it 16 hours! so impressed!

Pink & White Azalea Plant

I’m a bit under the weather today. I’ve been in bed since 7:00 this morning (after getting some milk for the kids.)

So, I thought I’d share an Instagram of my pretty new Azalea plant. I purchased it over the weekend at my favorite place, Produce Junction. It will replace my pink hydrangea that I forgot to water for about 4 days! I’m still hoping it recovers, although for $5.49 it bloomed for a whole 3 weeks so I cannot complain.

What is your favorite indoor plant?

Gender Reveal Party

A darling gender reveal party. I love the chalkboard & scrabble tiles. & each guest wore a pin with their gender guess- how fun! Visit Honeysuckleblog.blogspot.com for the big REVEAL!

Perfect Pink Stripes in the Nursery

I admit I’ve never been a fan of pink nurseries, but this one by Blair of The Ellwood Avenue Chronicles has changed my mind! It has the prettiest striped wall that I’ve seen.  Blair combines beautiful, traditional furniture with DIY projects and vintage elements that work together so well. She seems to have a knack for putting together the perfect room, don’t you think?

Blair shares some great advice along with all of the nursery details/links at  theellwoodavenuechronicles.blogspot.com.

photography via Mott Photography

A cute room

Via RUE Mag

Hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend. My daughter is on her spring break this week so blogging will be a little scarce. We will have lots of quality family time…no school and no babysitter either!

A few things on our list: the children’s museum (we have a yearly pass), the zoo, the playground, the NJ shore/boardwalk, a visit from Aunt Jodi, soccer, badminton (I always thought it was Bad – Mitton until my spellcheck just corrected me!), watercolors, sidewalk chalk, running up and down hills (my son’s FAVORITE thing to do!), & anything else I can think of to entertain an almost 2 year old and a 3 year old.

Feel free to send me you favorite activities for little ones. I always need ideas.

BTW, I thought this nursery was darling.  The wallpaper accent wall and DIY abstract art = so pretty!

Reading Material

I don’t read books much anymore, but I do love a good catalogue/magazine. This afternoon I found the biggest stack of Restoration Hardware catalogues in my mailbox! They are completely inspiring & I am really thinking of purchasing these chairs (in the color FOG) with my 15% off coupon. (They would go at the heads of my DINING TABLE.)

Artwork

How do you decide what to keep? Harper does a LOT of watercolor paintings, and they often turn out so pretty that I’ve thought about framing them and starting a “gallery” in my upstairs hallway! For the time being, I photograph each one and am saving them in my Instagram gallery!

My View from Starbucks

He is so adorable! & pretty much gets a pat on the head from every person that walks by.

P.S. don’t forget to enter this contest, retail value $149

Legos in 3D

Pretty awesome to see this process! It took 5 1/2 days and is 30 X 40 feet. via mymodernmet.com

Wallpapered Nursery Wall

Have you ever considered a wallpapered accent wall for the nursery? I’m loving this design by Courtney from alittleglassbox.com!

How precious life is…

My high school friend just posted this on Facebook. It teared me up. How precious life is…
(please help me properly credit the photographer)

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother’s womb. Little Samuel’s mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner’s remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

Little Samuel’s mother said they “wept for days” when they saw the picture. She said, “The photo reminds us pregnancy isn’t about disability or an illness, it’s about a little person” Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

thank you

thank you thank you thank you for all of your prayers! my husband is out of ICU and getting better every day. i never doubted his strength. each day is a blessing, and we are ready for the challenges ahead of us. shari

Want to blog for Spearmintbaby.com? Clickety-click below:

Channukkkahh

LeeVees – How Do You Spell Channukkahh? from The LeeVees on Vimeo.

My 35th year to celebrate, & I still don’t know the proper spelling. Do you? To those that celebrate, “Happy Channukah!” xoxo, shari

Paper Chain Garland

Remember those paper garlands that we made out of construction paper when we were little? Well, Torie Jayne takes the paper chain garland to a whole ‘nother level of prettiness!

This is an easy project for a rainy day and now you can use your paper garlands for home decor!

Paradise

We are having the most PERFECT family vacation. I cannot wait to share details when we return. More to come! XO, shari

Happy Labor Day

Hope you had a nice long weekend! We just tucked the kids into bed and somehow my husband agreed to watch the Bachelor Pad with me! HAHA- we’ll turn it back to the Phillies game during commercials. I’m kind of hoping to see Holly leave Michael for Blake…

Baby Reveal Party

Are you going to find out the sex of your baby at the 20 week mark? My husband and I found out with Harper at 18 weeks, and we were told that they were pretty sure that Rexford was a boy at our 13 week scan! (turned out to be true at 19 weeks!)

Anyway, I love this idea for a gender reveal party…
Have your Dr. or the Ultrasound tech write “boy” or “girl” on a paper and have him put it in an envelope. Then, take the envelope to your local bakery and have them create a reveal cake! When all party guests have arrived, cut the cake open to find out what you are having. How fun, right?

How fab is Erika’s cake? I love all of those gorgeous shades of blue. So Yummy! & every baby reveal cake needs an adorable baby bunting.

BTW, Erika’s party guests wore blue or pink depending on their baby gender guess. One of her friends even painted her toenails blue!:

See more of her fun party at theknoxes.wordpress.com

New Blogs Live!

If you have not yet visited our new blogs, they are now live & updated frequently!

Visit:
Spearmintkitchen.com
Spearmintdecor.com
Spearmintwedding.com

A Day in Pictures

On Fridays the Hubster works from 7:30 AM until 8 or 9 PM, so it’s our long day. Usually my mom and dad (Grammy and Pop Pop) help me out a bit in the evening (bless their hearts!) Here are a few photos from our day:

7:30 AM – I hear Violet’s squawk through the monitor. I stumble out of bed to find her sleepy but smiling face peeking over the edge of her crib. We go downstairs and she has a diaper change and a bottle and then we play for a bit.

8:00 AM – Violet gets dressed for the day. It’s supposed to be a scorcher so we head outside before it gets too hot. Violet insists on taking her toothbrush along (one of her new favorite things) and refuses to let me snap the bottom of her romper. She’s very opinionated these days…

9:00 AM – We head back inside and play a little bit longer. Violet has some apples while I make and eat breakfast (a blueberry bagel with cream cheese and a banana) and then it’s time for a morning nap.

9:30 AM – Violet has another bottle and is down for a nap. I rocked her for a bit, then laid her down in her crib. She fussed a little but pretty much went right to sleep (this is a new thing for us – hurray!) While Violet naps I shower, fold laundry, restock diapers, and generally straighten up around the house. I also get Violet’s diaper bag packed for whatever adventures we are going on today.

11:15 AM – Violet is still sleeping (unusual for her), so I decide to have some brunch (leftover carrot cake from my dad’s birthday and hot Bushel’s Breakfast Tea from my sister in Australia) and admire the grocery store flowers that the Hubster picked up for me the other day.

11:30 AM – Of course just as I take my first sip of tea, I hear another sweet little squawk through the monitor. Violet comes down and joins me for brunch, after which we quickly hop in the Rav and head to market.

12:30 PM – We also head to the bank and grocery store (for things like cat litter, toilet paper, and bagels). Suddenly our smooth-sailing day turns sour when I notice that we’ve lost Violet’s pacifier. It’s pretty much a life or death situation as it’s the only type she’ll take, we’re down to one, and they are out of stock EVERYWHERE. She will rarely go to sleep without one these days as she is doing some serious teething and can’t have pain meds.
After scouring the store for half an hour with a cart full of groceries and a tired, grouchy toddler, I give up and head home. We try a lot of things (frozen teethers, a (few) bottles, a frozen washcloth, a vibrating corn teething toy, and reading a book) but to no avail. Other pacifiers are not permitted near her mouth, and our day quickly turns disaster.

2:00 PM – After calling customer service a bajillion times (Yes, it’s me the crazy pacifier mom again – has anyone found it?) with no luck we head back to the grocery store (sans groceries) in search of the rogue paci. I finally find it in the bakery section under a box (Lord knows how it got there). A kindly grocery store worker lets us scour our prize in the bakery sink and we leave triumphant. Violet falls immediately asleep in the car (car seat picture taken back at home – not in the car).

2:30 PM – I rock her for a few minutes before transferring her to her crib. After putting away the rest of the groceries and wolfing down a ham and cheese sandwich, I also lay down for a few minutes.

3:30 PM – Violet is awake. She has a bottle and her grammy comes over to visit with us for the evening. She takes Violet outside for some play time while I relax a bit more.

4:00 PM – I venture outside to find that Grammy has been pulling Violet around in her wagon chariot and they’ve discovered a fun watering hole (our drinking pipes are being flushed by the water company).

7:00 PM – We order pizza (mushroom and spinach) and continue to play and ‘hang out’ with Aunt Nikki until the Hubster gets home.

8:30 PM – Daddy is home and Violet gives him snuggles and kisses on the floor. Then she is quickly whisked off for a bottle and bed (she’s already up past her bedtime to so that she could see him). After a bit of rocking I lay her down and leave the room. She fusses off and on for a while without falling asleep, so I take another bottle up, she eats a bit more and goes right to sleep.

9:00 PM – I clean up the house a bit and relax on the couch with the Hubster – he watches South Park and I blog for a bit before bed.

10:30 PM – We brush our teeth, load the dishwasher full of bottles, scoop the kitty litter (ah the glamorous life!), water the flowers, and go to bed. A long day, but a good one in the end. ♥

XOXO

Yellow and Pink Nursery

This morning I want to shared this buttery yellow nursery. The colors are so soft and fresh. I love those pretty curtain sheers as well as the camel print, yellow ghost chair, and white/watermelon rug!

For all the details visit thelilbee.com.
Photography by Bentley Waters

Baby Boy Name Announcement

Cari & her husband made this amazing video about how they announced their 1st baby boy’s name. So sweet! Cari is just over halfway through her pregnancy- their little guy will make his grand entrance in October!

P.S. be sure to turn your sound on!

Randoms from Our Weekend

photo of the day

flickr/mrsfogel

to submit your photo for “Photo of the Day” email it to spearmintbaby@gmail.com (subject: Photo of the Day)

Welcome

Welcome to the new, improved Spearmint Baby! More to come tomorrow morning….

p.s. scroll down to the bottom of the page for a peek at the other new logos.

Circle of Moms

Just found out I was nominated for Circle of Moms Top 25 Baby Journals (thanks to whoever nominated me!) You can vote once daily if you are a fan of with two cats.

 

Vote for Diaper Style Memoirs

Ok, so, when I say I never really do this – I mean it! I never appeal to my readers, family or friends for votes. There are thousands of popularity contests in the blog world and asking people to vote for you in each one is a bit ridiculous to say the least.

However, I have recently come to the realization with Shari’s and other’s help that no matter how hard I work on my blog, no matter how many hours I spend drawing, editing, writing, composing layouts and thinking of fun new ideas to share with you – if I don’t take a proactive role in self promoting, Martha is not going to come knocking on my door.

So here is my plea – if you enjoy my blog and my contributing posts here, please take a second to vote for Diaper Style Memoirs. We are up for Top 25 Style Blogs for kids. It would be awesome to be included on the final list of Top 25! I am not going to whine and say i have never won anything in my life, but rest assured i was never a prom queen.

You can vote once a day every day until May 9! There is no creating accounts, logging in or sharing your personal info. Just a click on the thumbs up icon next to Diaper Style Memoirs. That’s it. Thank you in advance for all of your support. It means a lot to me. And, I promise i won’t ask again. Thank you Shari for allowing this shameless self promotion to go on on Spearmint Baby!

in other news – i have a couple cute posts coming soon so stay tuned!