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« Previous EntriesPersonalize Father’s Day Cards with Treat – Giveaway
Thursday, May 24th, 2012June is just around the corner and with that thoughts of summer, time with family, and Father’s Day come into my mind. For Father’s Day, the day is all about the special men in our lives. Since the boys were born, the focus has moved to celebrating the day as a family for TechyDad.
In past years, we have gone mini-golfing, to see a movie, and the amusement park. I’m not too sure what TechyDad will want to do. Of course, we also make sure to spend time with Papa. He is such a special part of our lives as well.
I know I will be spending time with the boys before Father’s Day to create some special cards for the men in our lives. We are excited to try out the new partner site from Tiny Prints called Treat. Treat offers personalized greeting cards that are fun to design for Father’s Day. Just looking around I already see something referencing Elvis that will be perfect for Papa, and a bunch that the boys will love to add photos to for TechyDad. Our photos from Disney World will be perfect additions to many of the cards that we can have shipped right to them, Grandpa, and uncles that live a distance from us.
Did you know that you can try Treat Cards for free? You can and perhaps it could be for Father’s Day. Simply use the code FREETREAT at checkout and the card will be sent right to the recipient for the time that you specify. This day and age, we often forget how special it is to receive a card in the mail. Treat Cards now helps us to do this by allowing you to schedule cards up to a year in advance and ship them out in time for a Birthday, Anniversary, or holiday that you are celebrating.
For more information on Treat, you can follow them via Social media on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. Now for some other fun thanks to Treat Cards.
Treat Cards would like to offer a giveaway to one of my readers for 10 free tokens to use for your own personalized card purchases. Think about how easy it will be to design them at home, have them sent, and the happiness you will provide to the person on the receiving end of the card.
Rules for Giveaway:
- MAIN RULE – Leave a comment letting me know what type of Father’s Day Card you prefer to send. Do you like silly, sentimental, or some sort of combination and why?
The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comments for each that you complete below to make sure you get the right number of entries.
- 1 Bonus Entry – If you win who will you be sending cards to with your tokens?
- 1 Bonus Entry – Tweet the following about the giveaway: Enter to #win 10 tokens from @TreatCards & @TheAngelForever so you can get creative when sending cards http://bit.ly/KNAicg. #giveaway. (May be done once a day – leave link to Tweet in comment below for new entry)
- 1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the months of May/June. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done twice per day.
To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. The giveaway begins May 24, 2012 and ends June 3 , 2012 at 10:59 EST. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but you must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to US residents only – Treat Cards does not ship outside of the US at this time.
Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a Global Influence campaign. I will be receiving tokens to order cards to send to my family and friends in return for writing this post. As a customer of Tiny Prints, I look forward to trying out Treat soon.
Razor Scooter Surprise
Sunday, May 20th, 2012Everyone had been asking what JSL wanted for his fifth birthday. The reality is that he only asked for one item. We cringed at his one request, but figured that walkie talkies would be a lot of fun for the kids to use outside this summer.
We were left with no real ideas and relatives asking for suggestions. When my mother and I went shopping, something clicked while walking down an aisle. JSL has been asking for his kiddie scooter to ride. Unfortunately, it was not in the best of shape after two kids and he is just too big for it. Check out the birthday boy’s face when he opened up his gift Monday afternoon:
JSL was beyond excited to try out his new Razor Scooter. Thanks to rain most of the week, we never had a chance to do that. Yesterday, the weather was beautiful, so we packed up the box to take out and try with JSL’s new helmet.
It truly was priceless watching JSL try to figure out where he wanted the handles, how to place his foot, and whether or not he was going too quickly. I do think he will be doing tricks before I know it since the kiddo has no fear and likes to try things other children are doing.
I guess I should enjoy this stage, especially thanks to the big smiles JSL provided from sheer happiness.
Yes, seeing my little guy smile made my entire day!
Photobomb at the Crocs Outlet
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012
Keep Me In Stitches
Sunday, March 18th, 2012While visiting my in-laws and eating at a favorite Greek restaurant, something caught my eye. A sign above a new store read Keep Me In Stitches. I did a double take and said something to TechyDad. The kids wanted to go to the park and I knew better than to take them into a fiber store. The reality is that my boys love knitted objects, but they do not have patience to let me day dream while looking at different yarn.
TechyDad suggested that my mother-in-law and I head to the store to check it out and then meet them at the park. Sold! As we started to browse, I couldn’t help but overhear the owner of the store mention that she was a blogger. As I looked at all of the beautiful yarn, I knew I had to ask if it was ok to take photos for a blog post.
I was told to go ahead. Here are some photos of the beautiful wall of yarn.
We chatted briefly about using Facebook for social media. Little did I know they were also on Twitter, or I would have sent a Tweet out while there. I am definitely going to have fun exploring their website and watching to see what events will be taking place next time we visit. I know if I was local, their Mom’s Night Out Classes look like a fun activity for a group.
Although I did not purchase something, I have my eyes on the Knit Picks Harmony Wood Circular Needle set I was finally able to see in a store. Something I may be asking TechyDad for my birthday. *hint* *hint* *nudge* *nudge*
Thank you Rebecca for taking us on a tour of your beautiful shop. I know that I will be visiting again and will be sure to have a project in mind to purchase some of your yummy yarn. Oh and I am going to suggest that my father-in-law looks into a class to surprise my mother-in-law. I think she would really enjoy something like that.
Disney Store Blues
Saturday, March 17th, 2012Dear NHL and JSL,
The two of you love heading to the Disney Store. Neither of you recall that we used to have one here in our area. Now, we have to travel to the outlet, go to New York City, or see them in another location. Thanks to this, when we go to any Disney Store, it’s like a holiday for all of us. The two of you certainly are NDK when you see this in front of you.
Then the real challenge begins. Where do we begin our tour? Do we look at new shirts for the two of you, check out the toys, or . . . . wait, what is that over there?
We had to convince you that getting Animal and Kermit was not crucial since we are heading to Walt Disney World soon. Then, around the corner from the Muppets display was something else that caught your eye.
You ran to the Jake and the Never Land Pirates area. This was the first time that you had seen the stuffed friends. Again, we told you it was best to wait to see what we may find in Orlando. Neither of you were thrilled with this idea.
An amazing cast member came and heard what was going on. She gave you each a special sticker and coloring sheet. When it was time to leave, they noticed you were both Perry fans. We were asked to stay a minute. In the back, they still had some of the special Perry hats that they gave away on Platypus Day.
We were lucky and managed to get all of us out of the store without buying too much. We bought a few things for our trip, and a few extras. Now I just wish we had a store closer to keep the magic near us for special times like this.
Love,
Mommy
Buying Bunk Beds
Thursday, January 5th, 2012As a child, I remember going to my friend’s house and dreaming about bunk beds after seeing her brothers room. Fast forward to having two little boys of my own and a small house. Yes, my love of bunk beds suddenly changed to fear. We started our search for bunk beds well over a year ago. When JSL was three, we knew our clock was ticking. We went to stores, browsed, and went home to think about things. Since JSL seemed happy in his toddler bed, we didn’t think much of it until sleepless nights and a four year old bunking in our queen sized bed. If the boys wanted to stay in the room together, two twin beds were not an option within the space. The boys insisted that they did not want to be in different rooms and were excited about bunks.
So, what was I afraid of? Let’s be real here, there are a lot of different types of bunk beds on the market.
Not All Bunk Beds are Created Equally:
- We went to countless stores in our area last time we looked and over the last month. I would not order online because I had seen in person that many bunk beds are very different than they appear on a website. Where some looked sturdy to the eye, they wobbled horrible if we just touched them, no less put our children into them. Others had ladders that frightened me and I could not imagine my children using, no less me when making the top bunk.
- The spacing between the bunks are not standard. I kid you not, they can be VERY close, very far apart, or just right. Some allow you to adjust this, but most are stuck the way they are built. Some of the sets made me worry about the kiddo or adult sitting in the bottom bunk. I mean, you should be able to sit up in bed and not worry about getting a concussion. Of course, the mother in me also knew that the kiddo on the bottom would possibly try to kick the top bunk while lying in bed, so a little distance would help to avoid this at least while the kids are smaller.
- On the flip side, the top safety rails on bunk beds are often VERY different. My oldest son NHL is 8, but he is a restless sleeper. I knew that we had to had a bunk bed with a top rail that would hold his mattress and still provide a great barrier to stop him from falling out of bed from six or more feet above the hardwood floors.
- Support for the mattress is not a given on all of the bunk beds that are out there. When we looked in the past, most of the bunk beds had 2-3 supports across the bottom of the top bed. A bunkie board would help with this, but I had nightmares of the stores that had these on their floors with the mattress sagging out and almost spilling onto the bunk below. Luckily, most new bunk beds sold at furniture stores have the new slot system. Without a box spring, you need to have other items in place to support the mattress. We also bought each of the boys a bunkie board to help with this.
- There are other factors to consider with the safety of bunk beds while shopping around. These are just some of the more hidden items that became very important to us during our search.
Rationalizing the Investment:
Quick note here, I am the person that thinks of all big ticket items in terms of a trip to Disney World. A fix to my car is converted into plane tickets, or nights we could stay in the magical destination that we adore. So needless to say, when we were pricing bunk beds, my brain naturally went to this route and thank goodness some of the furniture store associates had a good sense of humor.
TechyDad and I eventually realized that bunk beds are an investment. This is something that our boys will be using for many years to come. We had to get something that would hold them at their current ages and well beyond. Our kids, the most important items in our lives, had to be safe on them. If being safe and covering the items above meant spending more money, it had to be done.
We were lucky. We knew that we had to get twin over twin bunks. We also knew that we could not get storage drawers under them because of the room set up. Our dimensions left us searching for an old fashioned bunk bed style using a ladder and not a stair case (yes those exist). There was no room for a built in desk or shelving either.
We eventually realized that the simplicity of the bunk beds that we wanted would be a good thing. When we narrowed down our search there was something else that we realized was important. Some bunk beds can be converted into separate beds. Yes, they can be stacked one on top of the other, but they can also go on their own. Not all can do this. In addition to this, not every set that can be made into two beds has the option of supporting a box spring under it in the new format. TechyDad and I really wanted to make sure that if/when the boys want their own rooms, or we move to a larger house, that we are not stuck with bunk beds. We also knew that we wanted to be able to put the box spring support option back in and not have platform beds.
Yes, the bunk beds that we finally selected from Raymour & Flanigan do all of these items and passed our personal safety test factors. The boys are slowly adjusting to the new sleeping arrangements and TechyDad are also working on some rules of use.
Do you have bunk beds for your family or did you have them as a child? I would love to hear about your experiences and any rules that you had to make sure everyone was safe.
Bunk Beds for the Boys
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
Goodbye Crib and Hello Bunks
Saturday, December 31st, 2011Dear NHL and JSL,
Today is a really big day. This afternoon, we are finally getting bunk beds for the two of you. We offered to let you each have your own room, but neither of you wanted to be alone. Since we can not fit two twin beds into the space, we had to make the bedding go upward.
We have spent the last two weeks going around looking at different options. We fell in love with a set of twin over twin bunks at Raymour & Flanigan. Then, we had to make the choice between the darker and lighter woods.
I think the two of you liked the darker wood option for only one reason. You adored the pirate bedding and space items within the decorating. We explained to you that none of those items come with the furniture. Thursday night, we went to the store and a very patient man named Michael at Raymour & Flanigan helped us to finalize our purchase. Much to our surprise, there were still slots for delivery and set up Saturday.
This morning, we will be working on your room to get ready for the delivery truck. NHL, your bed mattress will be moving to the bunk bed, but the box spring and frame need to be stored. Then, you will be the new owner of the top bunk.
JSL, this will be a big milestone for you. You are finally getting a big boy bed. Your toddler bed, and old crib, will likely be given away or sold. When I took the photos of your room, my heart skipped a beat. Suddenly it hit me that my baby is growing up way too quickly. I have a feeling you are going to love your new bed, and hope that it will be more comfortable for you to sleep the entire night.
No doubt that there will be more tears when we put everything away, but it is the right thing to do. The two of you need this change and it will create many new memories for the two of you as brothers. Daddy and I wish you many sweet dreams in your new bunk beds.
Love,
Mommy
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The Making of Clumsy and Snowflake
Thursday, December 8th, 2011Last week, an e-mail from Build-A-Bear came to me. It was actually for my son. It was inviting NHL to come back to make a new friend. The coupon allowed him to get a free $12 friend, or apply it toward a more expensive one. After seeing The Muppets, we walked up to Build-A-Bear Workshop to see if there was anything that the kids were interested in.
Within a few minutes, NHL and JSL each had a new best friend that they wanted to make. It was no surprise to me that NHL wanted to make a Smurf and JSL picked the blue Winter Wonder Teddy. I had a feeling they might select these after I saw them at an event in NYC during SheStreams
After a short wait, we met with the person to help make our new family members just perfect for lots of hugging. She was amazing. This was not our first time at Build-A-Bear, but I have to say she really made this experience even more special. She talked with both of the boys, helped them to make the Smurf and bear just right.
Then, it was time for the new family members to get their hearts. She had NHL and JSL do a cute dance routine when they gave their friends their hearts. After that, it was time to sew up their buddies to begin their adventure within the store.
From here, it was time to clean our new Smurf and Bear friends. We spent some time at the area making sure that everyone looked just right before we went to the next part of the process.
Once the boys were done here, we went to wait on line to register our new family members. This was also the time that they received their names. NHL named his Smurf Clumsy and JSL named his bear Snowflake.
Once we had the certificates and paid, the boys posed for one last photo in the store. Then, we took everyone home to meet Spike and Puppy.
Of course, Clumsy and Snowflake are getting used to life here with us. Snowflake has already been on several adventures and those will be shared another day. Now, if only I had my own special Build-A-Bear of my own – *wink* *wink*
Knack For Knitting
Sunday, October 16th, 2011Knitting has been something that I have been doing on and off since I was in elementary school. Back as a child, I would sit on the front porch during the summer and fall months and knit with my best friend. In high school, it was something to do that would ease my stress. Fast forward to life as an adult, wife, and mother of two. I like to knit at the end of the day to help with stress levels.
Going out to the store to pick up some yarn for stress knitting is fun, especially when I can do it on my own. Selecting colors that will eventually become something is rewarding.
There is just something soothing about hearing the clickity-clacking of the knitting needles as the yarn flies through them to create stitches. Taking the yarn from hanks of nothing but color to making them into something concrete is rewarding itself.
Seeing the fun colors all knit up just brings a smile to my face. Somehow the stresses just go right into the knitting needles and come out into something bright and cheerful.
Now I just need to find the perfect new yarn for a new project. A very special someone in my family is expecting a baby in February and I want to make the new little girl in our life something. So far my quest for good baby blanket making yarn has not been successful. If you have any suggestions, I would love to know.
Pssst . . .other knitting posts of mine can be found here.
