I had never heard of this fun Halloween game before this year, but it's really fun! I guess it's pretty popular in suburban neighborhoods all over. This is the first time we've lived in a real "neighborhood", like with a home owners association and all. Anyway, we came home from the pumpkin patch on Saturday afternoon to find a bucket with some goodies and a note on our front porch. The person who left it for us was obviously thinking of us specifically because the items were geared toward and appropriate for our 20 month old daughter. I thought that was very thoughtful!
So, the way it works is this: when you get Boo'd, you put up a sign on your door to let everyone know you've already been hit. Then, you "boo" 2 more neighbors and the chain continues. I like "pay it forward" things like this. It's always nice to get a little surprise and know that someone has thought of you.
If you live in an appropriate neighborhood, why don't you start this fun game. Here is a website with more information: http://youhavebeenbooed.blogspot.com/
Happy Halloween!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Winners!
I apologize for announcing these winners a little late, but here they are:
The winner of the Stride everyday undies is
The winner of the Stride everyday undies is
Congratulations, Hannah, you've been notified and have 48 hours to respond before I have to draw a new winner!
The winner of the Nutria Frog Kingdom book is
Congratulations, Shanee, you've been notified and have 48 hours to respond!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
This is what I found after "naptime" the other day
I'm really starting to get annoyed with this no nap phase that Emma is going through. It's gotten to be about twice a week now, uggg! At least she stays relatively quiet. She always has a few books and dolls in her crib, so she'll just sit and play, talking to herself and her babies.
Yesterday, I went into her room after about an hour and a half without her sleeping. I was greeted with a cheery "Hi!" and this scene:
She did have a shirt on when I put her down. So, I guess she knows how to take her shirt off now.... sigh. Usually, on days when she doesn't nap, she throws every single thing from her crib onto the floor and repeats "uh oh" over and over. So silly!!!!
Yesterday, I went into her room after about an hour and a half without her sleeping. I was greeted with a cheery "Hi!" and this scene:
Sunday, October 17, 2010
I'm the Featured Fluff Addict at Knickernappies!
Did you catch it? If not, here it is: http://knickernappies.blogspot.com/2010/10/fridays-featured-fluff-addict-istamara.html I haven't actually had the pleasure of using a knickernappies diaper, but absolutely love my Loopy-Do's, they are the only thing that gets my little heavy wetter through the night dry!
Thanks, Knickernappies, for this opportunity!
Thanks, Knickernappies, for this opportunity!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Toddler Tuesday: our new puppy!
Our new puppy :)
Sorry about the grainy pic, I took it with my cell phone because that's what was around when this happened. Emma now does this all the time, kinda grosses me out. I keep trying to explain to her that those are the doggy beds and they aren't that clean but she just doesn't seem to care :) What a stinker!!
CSN is so Awesome!
I've been offered another opportunity to review for CSN stores and I'm beyond excited! If you haven't been to CSN stores yet, you're missing out. Everybody needs something, what do you need? New cookware, a lamp, a new barstool? You can find all those items plus thousands more at CSN stores.
I'm not quite sure what I'm going to choose to review yet, but here are a few things I'm eyeing:
I'm not quite sure what I'm going to choose to review yet, but here are a few things I'm eyeing:
This neat storage solution for the playroom, it really needs help!
A babykicks bumboo pocket diaper, been dying to try one!
A new contour pillow, because I've had the same pillow for at least 15 years now, seriously it's that bad!
It's so hard to decide because there's just so much stuff!! And I really love how there a million different ways you can search for items: by price, size, type, color....I could go on and on.
Next time you need something, anything, check out CSN stores. Stay tuned for my review once I finally make up my mind.
An Exciting Holiday Event
Do you love Christmas? Do you love fluff? Who doesn't, right! Well,this coming December 1-5 you'll have the chance to hop around a bunch of blogs, each of which will be giving away at least $25 worth of fluffy prizes per day. So, that's $125, at least, of wonderful fluffiness being given away by each blog! All prizes are cloth diaper related, oh my, you won't want to miss this one!! There are about 20 blogs participating, organized by Jess, of And then there were 4.
I'm so excited to be part of such an awesome event and can't wait to start bringing you guys sponsor spotlights. Keep an eye out for the spotlights, as they will have extra entry opportunities! But for now, grab the button and put it on your blog.
Friday, October 1, 2010
A baby's first language should be sign: a guest post by Emily Patterson
I knew even before I was pregnant with Emma that I wanted to attempt to teach her sign language. As an Early Childhood Education major in college, I learned that there are various advantages to teaching a child sign language before they learn to speak verbally, one of the most attractive ones being a decrease in tantrums. Babies and toddlers often throw "temper tantrums" out of frustration due to not being able to communicate what they are feeling. Children develop motor skills before they develop communicable verbal skills, so it makes perfect sense that babies would learn to sign before they can speak.
I started working with Emma when she was about 5 months old, being really persistent with a few key signs (more, milk, eat, please, all done, bath) and she started using them at about 8 or 9 months. It may just be a coincidence, but she was a really easy baby, and even now as a toddler (still using some signs, but talking a lot), she doesn't really throw temper tantrums. :)
So, that's my experience with sign language, but I wrote this post because I was contacted by Emily Patterson, Communications Coordinator of Primrose Schools. She shared with me a very informative article on the topic of sign language and early childhood development:
Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language
One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.
At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.
Signing Before They Can Speak
A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.
This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.
In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:
"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children
can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children
can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces
frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves
before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)
The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).
The Best Time To Start
Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.
Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas
Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Georgia educational child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose educational child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.
I started working with Emma when she was about 5 months old, being really persistent with a few key signs (more, milk, eat, please, all done, bath) and she started using them at about 8 or 9 months. It may just be a coincidence, but she was a really easy baby, and even now as a toddler (still using some signs, but talking a lot), she doesn't really throw temper tantrums. :)
So, that's my experience with sign language, but I wrote this post because I was contacted by Emily Patterson, Communications Coordinator of Primrose Schools. She shared with me a very informative article on the topic of sign language and early childhood development:
Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language
One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.
At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.
Signing Before They Can Speak
A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.
This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.
In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:
"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children
can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children
can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces
frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves
before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)
The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).
The Best Time To Start
Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.
Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas
Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Georgia educational child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose educational child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.
Stride Everyday Panties: Review and Giveaway!
I must admit I was intrigued by the premise of Stride everyday panties with light leak protection. So many women I know have this problem, especially after giving birth. The only real solution, I've heard, is to wear a pantyliner, all day, every day. That can get really expensive and create a lot of waste! You might think that a product offering leak protection would be bulky or ugly, but Stride is just the opposite. What a cool, revolutionary product Stride Everyday is.
Marathon runner and mom, Wendy Spencer, created Stride Everyday after becoming frustrated with the lack of quality products available to control light bladder leakage. As many as one in three women deal with the issue, so she figured there should be a product available to them that combines function and fashion.
Stride panties contain Oquos technology. I had never heard of this before, but it's pretty neat.
from the Stride Everyday website:
OQUOS™ Technology
The first layer of the OQUOS™ technology wicks away moisture 8 times more effectively than cotton for superior dryness. It is designed to maintain its shape to improve body contact during normal activity (such as walking, running or sneezing) and will continue to provide comfort and protection for up to 100 washes. Plus, it’s so discreet no one will know you’re wearing it!
The patented OQUOS™ sub-layers rapidly disperse light leaks, naturally deodorizing while the super-absorbent fibers contained in the liner absorb up to an ounce of moisture.
These panties are super fashionable, there are five different styles to choose from and prices range from $19.99 to $24.99 so there really is something for everyone!
My Experience
These are seriously the most comfortable pair of panties that I own. I opted for the seamless style and I can't even feel them. I imagined wearing a pantyliner and how uncomfortable it gets when it twists and crumples and comes unstuck, uggg. Well, Stride is nothing like that at all, I love 'em.
Buy it
Of course you can buy Stride Everyday panties from their website, but you can also look for retailers who carry them. I'm so excited to see that Bartell Drugs (a Seattle area drug store) is now a carrier of Stride. There's a Bartell's just down the street from me.
Jesenny has generously offered my readers this discount code, valid until Nov. 30! Enter STRIDE 818 for 30% off orders over $35
-or-
Win it!
One lucky reader is going to win a pair of Stride panties in the style of her choice!
How to enter
Each action counts as one entry unless otherwise stated. Leave a separate comment for each entry and please include your email address. You must complete the mandatory entry before you are eligible for any other entries.
**Mandatory Entry**
Visit Stride Everyday and let me know which pair you would choose if you won.
Extra Entries
*Go to the Stride website and tell me something else you learned that I didn't mention here.
*Make a purchase from Stride, come back here and tell me what you bought-5 extra entries!
*Follow me publicly through google friend connect-counts as 3 entries! Leave 3 separate comments.
*Subscribe to my blog by email, through feedburner
*Grab my button and tell me where it is posted
*Blog about this giveaway, link back to my site and leave me the URL of your blog
The fine print
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end October 18, 2010.
Winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by e-mail, then must respond within 48 hours or else a new winner will be chosen.
I was not paid for this review, and received no compensation. I was provided a complimentary pair of Stride panties to review. All opinions expressed are my own and completely truthful.
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