Sunday, July 29, 2012

365 Day Challenge - Day 1


Hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days with a picture of yourself
Well for the next 365 days I want to complete this challenge, become a better mother, grow in my relationship with God, raise money and awareness for Zambia, get my portrait certificate in photography, live on my own, and start school to be a teacher. Most of all I just want to be the best that I can be and help Melody grow well.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Project Chair

We had such a busy and fun filled day today! We started off the day with art class, which is of course one of Melody's favorite things. She played with play doh, danced, colored, and glued. But just look at that concentration! I absolutely love it. She's going to be an artist when she grows up. Or a singer, musician, or model.... 
After nap time she got out her little dollhouse and played with her little people. She has the cutest little imagination. It is adorable to watch. Oh and see that little pink potty in there? Yeah you can flush it and it actually makes a flushing sound. Guess who tried to use the little toy potty and got really excited about it? Yep Melody just scooted over, tried her best to sit on it, flushed, then stood up and clapped. That's my baby for ya. 
Next we went to Ikea to get her a little upholstered chair! I thought about making her one myself but it's her first one and it's adorable and it was on sale. So I couldn't say no. To my amazement we made it in and out of Ikea in about 30 minutes, that's with walking thru the whole store than scavenging the "self serve furniture" for the box. It was pretty great actually, we didn't even have a melt down! Of course as soon as we got home I had to build her little chair.
But of course Lovebug wanted to help. She picked up a screwdriver and a nail and went at it. More concentration. She didn't even want mommy to help, she did pretty good though.

After we started "sharing" and mommy got a turn we completed the chair! That's right I did it all by myself, I'm getting good at these things! Apparently it's pretty comfy, she enjoyed relaxing in it for a bit before dinner. It's a tad bit big but it will last a good while!
So of course I had to finish the day by hanging up her memory board in her room. I have had that thing since before she was born and I have no idea why I had never hung it up before. Don't worry it's actually straight, the paint line below it just isn't ;). Can't wait to fill it up with all sorts of things!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Color Club - Factory Girl Nail Polish Review

One of the things in my BirchBox this month was this lovely nail polish, which is from the Summer Pastels Collection and only $8! Now I'm not very good at putting on nail polish, it's really sad actually. So i have been using the Sally Hanson nail things, I really love all the designs on those but I get kind of OCD and stressed with putting them on.

I was a little excited about this polish though, I normally stick with pinks and such for my nail color so I was happy I had an excuse to try a new color. It was easy to put on and dried pretty fast, I was supposed to put on a second coat which would have made it look a lot nicer, but I was in a bit of a hurry so I only did one. I think it still turned out nice =]

After putting it on I decided I love the color! It's a nice pastel blue and just looks like summer! I felt like I just needed to go to the beach or at least the pool while wearing it! Hopefully I'll be able to try out the rest of these lovely pastels!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Meeting the "Big Meow"


Yes I did it, I took Melody to see Hello Kitty at the mall today. It's safe to say that she LOVED it. My mom convinced me to get there like a hour early to avoid "lines" and yeah that didn't turn out well. We ended up going to the coffee shop to get some apple juice (that little girl is obsessed with apple juice), chex mix, and a red bull for momma. Thankfully that wasted 30 minutes. Next, we went to the Hello Kitty store and of course they were still getting ready, and exactly what were they doing to get ready? Blowing up balloons. Now if you don't know Melody she is in love with balloons. If she sees one she'll throw a fit and cry until she has it. But of course there were still 30 minutes until everything started and they wouldn't make any exceptions, not even an adorable crying toddler.

Oh did I mention she was decked out in Hello Kitty? Hello Kitty dress, Hello Kitty doll, and Hello Kitty underwear (which she proudly showed off). I must say she was the cutest kid there, or well everyone felt the need to tell me she was adorable. But hey thats nothing new =]!

She also got her face painted as a cat; whiskers and nose colored in. She meowed the rest of the day and had a huge meltdown when I washed her face for bedtime. I guess we're going to be a cat for Halloween this year.

On a side note I got a little black dress! Bring on the boys, I need a date!

Friday, July 20, 2012

First day of art class!

Well today has been a long day. We started off on a high note with our first gymboree art class this morning! I must admit it was a blast! They started off the class with some play doh, moved onto painting a "canvas", played with some fake snow and bells, had story and snack time, and then painted an apple and talked about what starts with different letters. Oh, and they also had bubbles. In case you didn't know, Melody LOVES bubbles so this class was definitely a winner! Though I believe any of the classes they offer would be great.







Did I mention I went to the gym yesterday? I have not done anything athletic in 3-4 years and I definitely can feel it! I only stayed there for 30 minutes and I can feel it in my legs and arm/chest area (some spot above my boobs where I didn't even know was a muscle you could work out). My trip there was pretty pitiful, I thought I was gonna die after 2 minutes on the elliptical. It was bad. The childcare there is amazing though! The lady that does it really goes above and beyond. Hopefully when we go back Monday I'll do better!

But back to today. Melody refused to nap during nap time so she just laid in her bed and played for about 30 min. Then ended up taking a late nap. When she takes a late nap she is always so so so cranky, it's horrible. We attempted to go out to eat with my dad and instead ended up sitting outside the restaurant and crying. Being a parent is so tiring!

I am now going to treat myself to a bubble bath before I have to do my homework and run up to Kohls to get Melody some clothes I had on hold.

Oh and tomorrow we're going to see Hello Kitty at the mall with face painting, balloons, and free stuff. Wish me luck!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Uber Larabar Review

My BirchBox came in today and I was so excited! It has to be like the highlight of my month now. Of course the first thing I saw and wanted to try was the Uber LaraBar. Let's face it I love food and I've been looking for a yummy healthy snack! The flavor I received was Apple Turnover, awesome for me! I love any type of turnover! Though the other flavors sound delicious as well.

After staring at the bar for a few hours I finally went at it! And my goodness was it delicious. It was made with all natural ingredients and the ones I thought were most prominent were the dried apple pieces and pecans. They're small and a great on the go snack, I even read that they're melt proof! So pretty much the perfect snack for an on the go mom and toddler. I originally planned on sharing it with Mel but yeah that didn't happen...

For the bar it comes with 5 bars for $12.69, which for me is a bit pricey. But taking into account how delicious it was and how healthy it is I am definitely considering on splurging on some!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Lithops and naptime

When I was pregnant I went to some Home and Garden show and that is where I met Greg, Greg is a lithop which is a plant native to Africa and was my first plant. I managed to keep him alive for 2 whole years before Melody knocked him off of his ledge and killed him.

While running a quick trip to Walgreens, I saw them. Lithops on sale for $1, and of course I just had to get one! So I now have a Greg Jr and hopefully he will last much longer! Lithops are super easy to take care of, you just water them enough so that the soil is most and then don't water them again until the soil is dry. It's like a once a week thing in the summer and like once every other week in the winter. The perfect plant for those who lack a green thumb. They are also supposed to have yellow or white flowers, Greg never grew flowers so maybe I do just have like a black thumb but I'm hoping Junior here will be able to grow some!

Also we have started structured nap time! So for the past three days I've been laying Melody down on her blanket on the floor at 1:30 and she has gone down without any fuss! Normally she wouldn't nap unless we went out before nap time and she fell asleep in the car, which I totally did not enjoy. So this is a really wonderful thing! So now that we have structured nap time and bedtime we just need to work on potty training.... Any tips on that would be greatly appreciated! We're doing it to where at home she wears no bottoms at all and I want to say it;s kind of working but she has only gone in the potty once.

Monday, July 16, 2012

iCandy Cherry stroller giveaway!

Let's face it, strollers can be expensive and it can be hard to find the perfect one. Here's a wonderful chance to try to win a brand new one for free though!!

Megan, who blogs at Behavioral Child and Megan Blogs, was a guest of the CBS TV show The Talk when Dr. Gadget was on, and among other things, she was given the iCandy Cherry stroller, in the liquorice color. She is giving it away to one lucky, random winner. This British-made stroller is very popular in Europe and is sold only in exclusive stores here in the US. Its retail value is $400.

 {Disclaimer/Disclosure: I have not used this stroller so I can’t vouch for it. I have it in its original/new packaging and will ship it to the winner in the exact same condition. So essentially, I’m re-gifting it :) The Talk has no idea what I’m doing with it, nor would it probably care. By entering this giveaway, you agree to indemnify me, The Talk, and iCandy from any responsibilities of all issues arising from the receipt and use of this prize. Thanks for participating and good luck! - Megan Broutian}

Good luck everyone!


Rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

A day at the mall

I have apparently been having a reaction to my contacts (oh great) and my left eye gets red and gross looking when I wear them, the eye doctor says they're ulcers. So lucky for me today was my last visit to the eye doctor for a whole week! Next week they're going to give me a new prescription so I can get new contacts and hopefully not have to deal with this anymore!

Also yesterday I started cleaning out the game room, it took ALL DAY and I finally finished tonight (go me!), while cleaning I found a $25 gift card to build a bear! So while at the mall we just had to stop and well build a bear. Melody actually chose the cheapest out of all the bears, though she did pick the most expensive dress for it. We were able to get away with only spending $3 of our own money though! The stuffing machine did end up being a little scary but Melody loved doing all he things to "prepare" the heart to go inside the bear. So everybody meet "Baby"! She was so cute dragging that box all around the mall and back to the car. Now I just need to get Melody a Cinderella dress to match...





Sunday, July 15, 2012

Blog the Change for Animals

Blog the Change






Millions of dogs are euthanized every year due to an over abundance at animal shelters... That number is way too high, especially considering the fact that only 20% of pets actually from shellers, the rest come from breeders or other places. 

All of my pets have from shelters (or well randomly finding them on the street) and they have all been lovely pets. July 23rd is national dog adoption day and I encourage everyone to look into their local shelters! You never know if your new best friend will be waiting for you there. Dogs are sent to the shelter for many reasons; whether it be a family moving, the previous owners not knowing enough about being pet owners, or just plain neglect and abuse. These animals deserve love and affection from us, so if you do decide that you want a pet please look into how to take care of it so you are prepared to take care of all their needs. Maybe you want a dog around but not want the full term responsibility of it, in that case please look into fostering a dog. That is another great way to help. Maybe you love animals but are allergic, don't have time for them, or just think they're too expensive. In that case please look into donating to a local shelter. I know most shelters accept dog and cat food, toys, blankets, etc for their animals.

Now the shelter I want to talk about is Austin Dog Rescue. Instead of having an actual kennel to keep their dogs everything is in a in home setting. They have also helped over 1,000 dogs find their forever family. Also unlike a lot of shelters, they require the families to fill out an application. This is so they can be sure to find the perfect dog for the family, instead of the family taking home just any dog and realizing it does not fit into the family.

Please look into participating in some way to help mans best friend <3

Saturday, July 14, 2012

InstaFriday 7/13

Today Mel and I had a romper picnic party! She really loves her new romper, and loved posing in it!
 Note to self: Strawberries are messy and should probably not be ate while wearing brand new clothes! But love bug is adorable eating them. And somehow they are less messy to eat than peanut butter and jelly....
 She was also so very excited when she found this dandelion at the end of our picnic, they are most definitely one of her favorite things. Oh the simple joys in life!
 Next we went to Goodwill to find some shirts to repurpose, spent more time hiding in the clothes than anything else! Also clothes are more expensive there than I realized, or maybe I'm just that cheap. Who knows. I was able to come away with one shirt that I plan on turning into a tank for Mel.
So I forgot to turn this picture around before uploading it, oh well! We came home and snuggled down with a book. Though she did end up skipping nap time. We got lucky with our picnic and outing, as soon as we got home rain starting pouring!

 Also my lovely little BirchBox came in! I got these 5 wonderful products I can't wait to try out!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Deciding what to blog about

Lets face it. I love to be ambitious but I never actually get things done, it's terrible. There are so many things I want to do and what I want to blog about. Let's face it, I have no idea how to blog or how to even obtain readers. Now I've thought of a few things;

  • Every day life:
This seems simple, it's just like writing in a diary and I get to incorporate my thoughts and feelings into the post. It also gives me something to write about daily. But let's face it. I'm not a very interesting person and I don't really do much during the day. It's a start though right? Maybe people will one day enjoy my life ongoings, I at least like reading about other peoples lives.
  • Reviews:
This one is also pretty simple and I kinda do it a lot. Just get a product and give it a little review. Maybe one day my reviews will actually be good and some company will want to give me a product! Hey I can hope. The only thing about reviews is I feel that they get kind of boring and repetitive after awhile. Especially if they're the only thing I post!
  • Crafts:
I love this one and do it sometimes but I'm not really the best crafter yet, nor the best at cooking or baking. I enjoy all of them but I don't feel up to par with sharing step by step things or recipes. I enjoy it though so these will probably continue to be posted! Only not as often due to the fact that I'm broke and kind of lazy (lack motivation).
  • Controversial topics or "big" topics:
I think these are fun but should not be posted too much, at least I don't feel like they would belong in an abundant amount here.
  • Beliefs:
This kind of goes along with the one above it. It's something I would enjoy writing about but always in respectful ways.

What do y'all like to blog about? How do you keep a cohesive blog? Mine feels like it's all over the place (but hey that kind of makes it like me).

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Masqueology Pore Minimizing Mask Review

Also in my Birchbox came this face mask ($24). Now I had never used a face mask before or gotten a facial, so I was pretty stoked about this one. I have been wanting to use it for awhile but been putting it off till when I could "relax" with it. I finally had time tonight. So I took it out of it's package and pretty much just stuck it on my face for 20 minutes. I must say it felt wonderful (even though i looked kind of silly)! It was nice, cool, and refreshing. Just what I needed after a long July 4th.

I seriously consider getting some more for myself. I think that they would be wonderful to put on in the mornings so that I would go, or at least start my day with a fresh rejuvenated feeling. Each order comes with 3 masks.

(This review was not sponsored)

Daily Creativity Journal - Day 2

What's your favorite animal? Use it as your inspiration today.

While giraffes are my all time favorite animal, I've started having a thing for owls so I wanted to do something owl inspired. At first I had no idea what I wanted to do, then I picked up my phone and remembered that I had been complaining about the case for awhile. I mean it's an awesome case and is really sturdy but, it's just boring and black. I enjoy cases with a little something extra. It only made sense for me to take some scrapbook paper and mod podge an owl right onto the case.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A Daily Creativity Journal - Day 1

The first step is the hardest, so create something that fits in the palm of your hand using only the materials in your immediate environment:

Lucky for me I had just gotten a book that I was reading, which came with a receipt. So in my immediate environment I had a book, receipt, and a orange marker. What better thing to make than a bookmark?
It just folds over the page so it won't just fall out and the page that I'm on is the starry side of the bookmark!

Lip/Cheek Stain Review

In my June Birchbox I received a theBalm cosmetics Stainiac $17, which is just a lip and cheek stain. NOw at first I was slightly confused, I don't know too much about make up to begin with, but I just thought "lips and cheeks huh?" Lucky for me there is a tutorial on how to put it on right on the Birchbox site! So I just smiled, put three dots on the apple of my cheeks, blended it in, then rubbed it on my lips. For being someone who is not used to make up I really enjoyed the simplicity of it, though I did think it was a bit dark for me (that may just be because I'm not very used to color!), I received the Beauty Queen color, I still really enjoyed the product and plan on wearing it some more!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Mod Podge Monday

I FINALLY got myself some mod podge! And since it was my first time using it I wanted to do something kind of simple to start with (I have a tendency of being too ambitious). So I decided to make a new cover for my composition notebook, and I absolutely love it!