rockin baby

City Blocks

2011-09-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

My favorite toy ever!!! I was not given any free toy to review, nor have I ever spoken with this company, I just had to post about it because these are amazing!

I bought my city blocks off amazon

Never have I had a toy be such a hit in my house (beside video games). My kids play with these every day for at least a half hour (sometimes more). My son has me take pictures of each of his building so that I can text them to my husband at work. We have had these for over a month and they are still the favorite.

Very simple toy, but if they entertain my kids I am a happy mommy!

Taylor Joelle and Primary Children's Hospital

2011-05-17T20:17:00.001-07:00

Cooper (Taylor Joelle's brother) has a birthday tomorrow! We love you Cooper! In honor of Cooper's birthday on May 18th, taylorjoelle.com has decided to donate a hat to Primary Children's Medical Center for every purchase made from May 18th - June 18th.
Primary Children's Medical Center holds a very special place in our hearts. On the day of Cooper's birth, the doctors discovered a heart murmur. They rushed him to Primary Children's Medical Center where they performed various tests. We discovered that Cooper has "aortic stenonis". Also one of the arteries in his heart is enlarged. The doctors at Primary Childrens took such good care of him!
When Cooper was 3 he needed surgery. They didn't have to do open heart surgery, instead they did a "balloon procedure" where they stretched his valve. The surgery was such a success! The doctor had warned us that with this procedure there will be some leaking from the valve, but after the surgery he reported that there was no leaking.

Cooper is so healthy today! You would not be able to tell that he has a heart condition. We are so grateful for such a wonderful hospital where Cooper, and so many other children, can receive care.

Taylor Joelle Designs looks forward to "giving back" a little to this fabulous hospital!

Perler Beads

2011-03-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I ordered some beads for my daughter because she wanted to make some friendship necklaces. I just thought I was ordering a bucket of beads, but what I got was so much cooler! My kids have been playing with these Perler Beads all week. My 4 (almost 5) year old especially loves them. What you do is your place the beads on a peg board, and make your own design. Then when the design is ready, I iron over it for a few seconds (to fuse the beads all together) and presto, they have a cute little plastic design that they made all by themselves. My son made a peace sign to begin with, and after I fused it together, he was SO happy. He carried it around the rest of the evening.
My 6 year old is very careful with her designs, and it can occupy her for hours.

What a great craft! I bought it at Amazon for $10.85 They also sell them at Walmart and Ikea.

Baby and Toddler Skinny Tie

2010-12-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to announce that Taylor Joelle finally has a skinny tie up on our site. It is so adorable, and fun. They retail $19.99, and occasionally go on "hot buy" for about 40% off.

Robot Onesie and Leg Wamer Set

2010-12-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

We are so excited about some of our upcoming projects at Taylor Joelle

I am trying my best to come up with baby boy designs, because I have a 3 month old baby boy. Here is my lately project (it is already in production). We will be doing a baby boy robot onesie with matching white/brown striped leg warmers.

Can't wait for these to arrive!!

Winner of giveaway!!!

2010-11-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

And the winner is...
Charlyn

Please email your address to moyerenterprises@gmail.com and we will get your leg warmers sent out right away.

Congrats!!!

J-Crew Sale

2010-11-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

Many of you have asked where we get the outfits for our Taylor Joelle models. Most of the time the outfits come from JCREW.

Right now JCREW is having a great sale! They do an extra 30% off sale items (use promocode: JCREW). Shipping is free for children's clothes.

The dress show in this picture is $64. Right now you can buy it for $34.65 with free shipping. Great deal - actually makes JCREW pretty affordable!

Ruffle Leg Warmer giveaway

2010-11-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

I love our Taylor Joelle Ruffle Leg Warmers! They come in a 2 pack (black and white), and are one size (fit babies and kids).

Let's do a giveway for a pack of leg warmers!

Here's how it works.

1. Post a comment stating your favorite item from www.taylorjoelle.com

2. Become of a fan on facebook (if you are already a fan leave a comment saying you are)

3. Blog or facebook about this giveaway (leave a comment saying you did).

4. Become a follower of this blog (leave a comment saying so)

Winner will be chosen randomly on Monday. We will post the results on the blog, so be sure to check back.

Thanks!

In the works... Rosette flower onesies

2010-11-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

Also, in the works...

We will be doing some baby onesies with rosette flowers aligning the front. Can't wait for these Taylor Joelle Onesies. We will post pics when our samples are complete :)

Baby Mocassins

2010-11-18T10:44:00.001-08:00

So, we have decided on some designs for the baby mocassins. We are going to do 3 boy style and 3 girl styles. They will come in 2 sizes (0-6 and 6-12 months).

We will be doing each style on the photo except for the zig zag. Can't wait to get these. I have been putting them on my baby, and I think I prefer them to shoes.

They should be available in January at Taylor Joelle Designs

Christmas Ornament Crafts

2010-11-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to get ready for Christmas with the kiddies! I just bought a bunch of different Christmas craft kits at Oriental Trading Company

They have kits (makes up to 12) for as low as $2.99

Can't wait to get started!

Mamaroo

2010-11-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I just had a baby in August, and the best purchase ever (well actually it was a gift from my mother-in-law) was my mamaroo. This thing is the greatest invention!

My baby didn't love it the first 6 weeks or so, but around 7 weeks, he really began to enjoy it. It is like no other swing/bouncer. It is almost like a robotic mommy.

I am seriously a little jealous of it because sometimes my baby would rather be in the mamaroo than in my arms. All it needs is a built in diaper changer, and a velcro strap for a bottle and I would become obsolete.

My mother-in-law bought it for about $190 from amazon with free shipping. I believe it is definitely worth the $.

The mamaroo has five different settings:

Car Ride
A figure eight on its side

KangaRoo
Lots of up-and-down, less side-to-side

Tree Swing
High on the sides, low in the middle

Rock-A-Bye
Low on the sides, high in the middle

Ocean Wave
Around in a big circle

I highly recommend this product!!

The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury

2010-04-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I bought this book off Amazon, used for about $5. This has been the best $5 I have spent in a very long time! It is a huge book (hundreds of pages) full of classic children's stories. They have everything from "Where the Wild Things Are" to "Arthur" and "Curious George" stories. We have not come close to reading them all yet, but so far my children's favorite is "tub people". I have been setting the kitchen timer (so we can get our 20 minutes of story time in each day), and the time goes by so fast!

I really enjoy reading these awesome stories to my children, and I thought I would recommend it to you.

Hope you enjoy!!

Taylor Joelle Boy Outfits Coming Soon!!!

2010-03-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

So, we have several new designs in the works!!! Here is a sneak peak at one of the baby boy outfits we are doing.

Giveway Winner

2010-02-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

And the winner is.....

Sleepingkelly

Please email moyerenterprises@gmail.com

Let us know which hat you would like and your mailing address.

Congrats!!!

Free Nursing Cover (plus 9.95 shipping)

2010-02-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

Uddercovers is a cute site that offers awesome looking nursing covers. Right now they have a promotions where you can get one free (you still need to pay the $9.95 to ship) the promo code is "onefree"

Happy Shopping!

What a Women Wants Show

2010-02-09T18:26:00.001-08:00

Taylor Joelle Designs is doing their first expo. We will be at What a Women Wants Show at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, Utah. All of our prices will be discounted.

Should be fun!

Twitter

2010-02-09T12:20:00.001-08:00

We finally did it!! We (Taylor Joelle Designs), signed up for a twitter account. You can follow us here.

Thanks!

Tutu onesie

2010-02-09T12:16:00.001-08:00

Taylor Joelle Designs will stocking some adorable tutu onesies in the near future. Here is a sneak peak at one of our designs (don't mind the ugly flannel background).

Let us know what you think. Is there any adjustments you would make to this onesie? Would you like to see it in other color combos?

Thanks to Karenin, Diane, and Lisa for helping with this design!

Taylor Joelle Baby Beanie Giveaway

2010-02-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is time again to do another Taylor Joelle Giveaway. This time it is for "your choice of beanie". You can choose style and sized based on availability.
Contest will close Feb. 15th. Winner will be chosen randomly, and posted on this blog. Here is how you can win:
1. Comment about your favorite Taylor Joelle Product = 1 entry
2. Become a fan of Taylor Joelle on facebook = 1 entry
3. Follow this blog = 1 entry.
4. Blog about this contest = 3 entries
5. Buy something from Taylor Joelle's site = 5 entries.

Please visit www.taylorjoelle.com

Good luck!!!

Baby Deal a Day Site - Baby Kaed Diaper Bag

2010-02-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

This adorable baby kaed diaper bag is on sale at giggle deals. I am loving the metallic color. It also looks really easy to keep clean. Right now it is on sale for $69 on Giggle Deals. Regular Price is $138. Giggle Deals is a brand new Baby Deal a Day Site.

Argyle Mary Jane Socks

2010-02-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

We just got NEW Taylor Joelle Designs socks in. These are probably my favorite Taylor Joelle product. They are great quality, and soooo cute! They have anti-slip dots (non pvc). They come in a box set of 3 adorable colors. You can score them here for only $10.20.

Book Review - Lovely Bones

2010-02-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, I just finished Lovey Bones, by Alice Sebold, and it is a VERY good book. I have been told the movie is not that good, so I recommend not wasting your time watching the movie first.

The book is a sad story about a girl tragically killed, but it turns into a touching novel about life and family. There were a few offensive sexual parts that I had to skip over, but other than that, I was impressed by this book. Sebold is a great storyteller, and the book was hard to put down!! 2 thumbs up for me!!!

Mixer Giveaway!

2010-01-08T15:39:00.001-08:00

Awesome Awesome giveaway going on right now and

Fab Frugal Food

Win a mixer!!!!

How To Make Bottle Cap Necklaces

2009-12-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

My 5 year old daughter, Taylor, is making bottlecap necklaces as gifts for her friends this holiday. They are so much fun to do and very easy. Here is what you need:

Bottlecap (I buy pre-flatted ones)

Diamond Glaze

Ball Chain Necklace

4 mm open jump rings

round nose micro pliers

bottle cap images, or a 1 inch circle punch to create your own image

Step One

Find the image you would like to put in the bottle cap. I bought some fun scrapbook paper, and some sparkly letters. You can also buy bottlecap images on ebay and etsy. Also if there is plastic inside the bottlecap, remove it.

Step Two

Squirt your diamond glaze inside the bottle cap, and place the image on the glaze. Cover the image with diamond glaze. Let this dry overnight

Step Three

Put a hole in the top of the bottle cap. You can use a drill, but I think a hammer and nail works great.

Step Four

Using your round nose pliers open up the jump ring, place it inside the hold, and close with the pliers.

Step Five

Feed the charm through your necklace, and you are done!

You can find a lot of supplies at your local craft store or on etsy. Good luck!

Healthy Choice Pumpkin Squash Ravioli

2009-12-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

So I have found my favorite frozen dinner meal. It is Healthy Choice's Pumpkin Squash Ravioli. It is only $1.88 at walmart, and it is soooo tasty. I swear I have been having one of these almost everyday and I am still not sick of it. I told my sister-in-law about this frozen dinner. She tried it, and hated it!! So, is it just me? Let me know what you think.

NEW PROJECT

2009-12-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

So, my parents have given me their old cabinet. Super good quality, very nice, but just not my style. So, it is time to give it a makeover. I am now posting a before picture. You will all get to see the after picture in about 4 or 5 days. Here's a hint. I will be using black paint and some wall paper scraps.

Halloween Party

2009-10-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

My mom threw a great halloween party for the family. She wen't all out!!! You can check out the party photos on her blog,"journeyings"

Fun Looking Toy

2009-09-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters are suppose the be one of the HOT and top rated toys this season. They actually look pretty fun. I think you can buy them hamster for about $10, but the accessories are a lot more.

Awesome Excersize DVD

2009-09-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

So, I am a runner. I love running, and I never miss a day (well except for Sundays). Running helps me maintain the weight I am, but I am not losing anything. So I have decided that I really need to start toning and building muscle. I just barely ordered the Jillian Michaels (biggest loser) "No More Trouble Zones" DVD. Tonight was my first night doing the workout, and it was awesome!!! I already know that I am going to be sore tomorrow. If your interested in giving it a try, you will need a set of hand weights (I used a set of 5 pounders). It is about a 60 minute workout and she goes through all the body areas.
I ordered mine for about $11 (with free shipping because of Amazon Prime) of Amazon

I am excited to drop some poundage.

pumpkin soup

2009-09-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

I made this soup, and it was sooooo good. Definitely a keeper:

Ingredients:

3 cups of cubed fresh pumpkin

6 cups of chicken stock (I used chicken broth)

1t fresh thyme (I used about a 1/4 or a 1/2 teapoon of dried thyme)

2 cloves of garlic

salt and pepper

1 cup of heavy cream

Place all of the ingredients (except heavy cream) in a big pot and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Transfer soup to vita mix and blend. Transfer back to pot (I did crock pot because I had to leave for a bit) and then cook for another 30 minutes (I did crockpot on low for about 1.5 hours). The last step is to add the cream.

If you can find a substitue for the cream, great. Maybe milk would work? I used the cream, and it was very very good soup!!! I made some fermented bread to serve with it. Yummy.

Damask Baby Shoes

2009-09-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

Taylor Joelle Designs will be doing a damask baby shoe soon. What do you think?

Baby Bump

2009-09-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

My friend Heidi has entered a baby bump contest. It is the cutest picture! You can vote for her here. She is number 105.

Thanks!

Jenny

Metallic Baby Shoes

2009-09-19T09:17:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon to Taylor Joelle Designs.

Shabby Apple

2009-09-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

My friend just introduced me to a website with the cutest clothing for little girls and moms. Love it!!! It is called Shabby Apple.

Their clothing looks modest and it's all super cute!

Pillowcase Dress

2009-09-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I love this dress! It is called a pillowcase dress, and they seem fairly easy to sew. So go out and grab some cute Amy Butler fabric and give it a try. Here is a great turtorial on how to make one.

Home Preschool

2009-09-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have been having SO much fun doing "preschool" with Cooper. Usually the other kids join in too. I only do it for about a half an hour a day, but he seems to love it! Right now we are working on shapes and colors.
I print off worksheets from the computer, and I also ordered a couple of workbooks from amazon that are on their way. A couple weeks ago we did a math lesson using mms.

Today we had a picnic in the yard, and I read some stories and played a game involving shapes. It was fun!

Free Nail Painting

2009-09-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

This morning the kids were looking for something fun to do. Taylor came up with the idea of offering free nail painting to the neighbor kids. Cooper wanted to join in the fun, so he offered free Popsicles

Early Christmas Shopping

2009-09-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

So, I did a little early Christmas shopping yesterday. Justice is currently having a sale of 40% off everything in the store. Taylor has been asking me for a camera. I found her a digital camera for $3.59 (regular $24.90).
I also got her a hair color stick so that she can do red and blue highlights (that are washable of course. The hair color stick was $5.70.

Good deals!

Baby Gift Idea

2009-09-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

I love etsy! Here is a very cute set that would make a great baby gift! JolieBerry makes the cutest baby shoes, plus she often does onies to match. This set is only $27.95. Pretty good price for something handmade.

Wallpaper Bookshelf

2009-09-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Another fun thing you can do with some wallpaper is to add it inside your bookshelf. This could be a really inexpensive project. You can pick up an old bookshelf at a yard sale, thrift store, or ikea scratch and dent. Then buy or order online some wallpaper scraps.
There's some instructions at "Scanton Design Inspiriation".

Wallpaper is Back

2009-09-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, so as soon as I get the energy (and some extra money) to redecorate, I would love to do my bedroom. And guess what? I am definitely going to include some wallpaper. I am not a fan of wallpapering the entire room, but I would love to wallpaper the wall behind my bed. I will be posting some before and after pics, when I get around to this project.

Here is a fun nursery pic using wallpaper.

After School Snack - Choco Banana Muffins

2009-09-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today for an after school snack I am making banana chocolate chip muffin s. My kids love muffins!

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Tile Necklace

2009-08-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

So I have seen more and more people wearing these fun tile necklaces. The first time I saw one was when I was waiting in line for the twilight movie. Someone had a tile with the book cover pic. I would love to make one for my daughter with a flower, barbie, or even picture of her new puppy on it.

Anyway, I think they look fun. You can buy them all over the place on Etsy. IM Creations is a store that has a bunch of them.

OR if you are feeling ambitious you could make some yourself. Here is a blog with great instructions!

Taylor Joelle Designs Baby Blanket Winner

2009-08-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

And the winner is...

mcveggie

Please email Jenny at moyerenterprises@gmail.com and let me know which blanket you choose, along with your mailing address.

If you would like another chance to win one of our blankets, here are a couple of sites that are currently hosting a Taylor Joelle Giveaway:

Mud Pies and Maryjanes
The Otherhood

Also, we are having our polka dot blanket as our weekly hot buy this week for only $14.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Drop Dead Diva

2009-08-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am coming out of the closet. I am a lifetime network fan. My new favorite show on lifetime is Drop Dead Diva. The season is almost over, so set your DVRs to record the reruns. It is really entertaining!

"Drop Dead Diva" is Lifetime's spirited new comedic drama series that puts a wildly unique and entertaining spin on the complex issues of a woman's identity in today's world.

The show tells the story of a beautiful-but-vapid model wannabe, Deb, who has a fatal car accident and suddenly finds herself in front of Heaven's gatekeeper, Fred, who declares her a self-centered "zero." Outraged, Deb attempts to persuade Fred to return her to her shallow existence but is accidentally relegated to the body of the recently deceased Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliott), a brilliant, thoughtful and plus-size attorney.

Handmade Baby Shoes

2009-08-24T21:27:00.001-07:00

I found a very cute crafty blog today. It is called paper-and-string. She has a fantastic free pattern on her blog for these adorable baby shoes. They would make such a cute baby gift.

Mushroom Bisque Recipe

2009-08-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

This soup is amazing!!!! It is definately restaurant quality. We have made it several times. My huband found it off the food network site.

Here it is:

Ingredients
1 quart chicken broth
1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons half-and-half
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
White pepper
Hot sauce
Directions
In a 2-quart pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add mushrooms and onions and bring back to a simmer. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cover for at least 1 hour.
Roux:
In a separate large pot, melt the butter, then add the flour. Whisk until evenly incorporated. Continue to whisk while slowly adding half-and-half to the roux. Add bay leaf and stir constantly until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Add the mushroom broth to the roux and stir until evenly incorporated. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce, to taste. Serve immediately.

BABY BLANKET GIVEAWAY

2009-08-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

We are announcing our very first contest/giveaway. In this contest you have a chance to win your choice of Taylor Joelle Blankets. These blankets are top quality and sooo soft!

TO ENTER:
* up to 4 ways to submit an entry: (you can post a separate comment for each entry)
1. Become a follower of Rockin Baby, and post a comment about your favorite item from Taylor Joelle Designs.
2. Blog about this contest.
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter.
4. Subscribe to Taylor Joelle's weekly hot buy.

* Contest will be open until Wednesday August 26th
* The winner will be randomly selected (from random.org) and announced on this website Thursday, August 27th. Please check back to see if you won, or leave your email address with comment. The winner will need to contact moyerenterprises@gmail.com to provide name and shipping address.

Hats

2009-08-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

We now have hats on www.taylorjoelle.com. These are perfect for fall and back to preschool/kindergarten. We will be getting some boy ones in our store in about a month.

So cute!

MY sister-in-law took these cute pictures. You can visit her photography blog at:

Quiet Time

2009-08-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

While her little brothers napped, my daughter, Taylor, found a great activity to do. We had some unfinished frames that we found at the craft store. Taylor painted them with some acrylic paints.

After she paints, I think we will glue some fun jewels or ribbons onto them.

Greek Orzo Salad

2009-08-19T06:36:00.001-07:00

This is such a yummy salad. I love having it on hand in the fridge to snack on.

Greek Orzo Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
2 (6 ounce) cans marinated artichoke hearts (sometimes I leave these ot)
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 (2 ounce) can black olives,
1/2 small jar of green olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until soft; drain. Drain artichoke hearts, reserving liquid.
In large bowl combine pasta, artichoke hearts, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta, olives, parsley, lemon juice, oregano and lemon pepper. Toss and chill for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Just before serving, poor reserved artichoke marinade over salad.

Great Present Idea for children 8 and up

2009-08-18T16:17:00.001-07:00

My neice, Julia has a flip camera, and has gotten a lot of use out of it. She is great at creating and directing vidoes (she even knows how to edit). Julia is 12 years old (I think). Here is a link with one of my favorite of her productions:

The flip camera costs about what you would spend on a nitendo DS, but I like this better than a DS for a present because it encourages creativity.

You can get a used one on Amazon for as low as $65 (as of this morning).

Amazon Prime

2009-08-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

So, I signed up for the Amazon Prime free trial several months ago, and it was great. My sister-in-law uses it and LOVES it. She even buys diapers and groceries from it. Here is what she says about Amazon Prime:

"I think it is worth it for me because I have twins. Also because I don't like going in a store with 5 kids. It makes you feel like everyone is staring at you (I think they really are!). I also like that I know exactly when it will show up at the door. Because it is so predictable, you can even have something shipped to another house you know you will be at. It takes 2 business days.

I think it was $75 for a year. You only get free shipping on things that are shipped by amazon, but that is a lot of stuff. My most recent purchases included:

Signing times video for the twins
American Girl DVD for a 7 year old girl birthday party
horse stamp set for a 10 year old girl birthday party
pack and play that I ordered on Thursday and paid $4 to have 1 day shipping and received it the next day at Grandma's house in time for a sleepover
baby organic banana puffs and organic jar baby food
clif organic fruit twist for the kids. One of my new favorites that I need to blog about"

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

2009-08-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

I am not much of a meat eater, but my husband loves this meal!! It is soo easy!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
1 pound cubed beef stew meat
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup water
4 ounces cream cheese
1 pkg of Egg Noodles

In a slow cooker, combine all the ingredients except for the cream cheese. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for about 5 hours. Just before serving, stir in the cream cheese. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Crazy 8 Clothing

2009-08-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

I love this store!! Gap has their cheaper brand - Old Navy, and Crazy 8 is Gymboree's cheaper brand.
So cute! I want the lime green tutu for Taylor, but they are sold out.

Here is a great promo code for $10 off 30

PSF9ZD7TTX41024

Baby Towel Bibs

2009-08-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine gave me a couple bibs for my sons made of old towels. I love them!! They are huge bibs, so the cover his whole body and keep his clothes totally clean. Etsy has a bunch of them. Here is a link to one:

Also, if you feel like being crafty and making one yourself out of a hand towel, here is a link for instructions:

The Human Knot

2009-08-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Julia, my niece organized a game with the kids of human knot. She had each of the kids stand in a circle and reach out and hold and grab a hand of someone across the circle. Then they had to see how fast they could untangle

Water Games

2009-08-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Never underestimate how fun an opstical course or relay games can be. Here are a few easy games we did:

We gave each of the kids a plastic squirting fish and had each child stay a few feet away from a cup. They had to fill their fish up with water (we had a couple big bowls of water) and squirt it into the cup. The person who's cup was overflowing first wins.

Limbo

2009-08-16T10:32:00.001-07:00

Bored and looking for something to do with the kiddies?

Try a game of limbo. We did this with the cousins and grandparents and the kids had a blast! We had some prizes for the winner.

Family Restaurant

2009-08-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

As part of our staycation we had a little pretend restaurant. The kids had a lot of fun with it. My mom made some menus and the kids decorated the tables with center pieces. The older kids were our servers. That had a lot of fun doing it. If we liked their service we tipped them using tickets (later we had a movie night where they could buy candy using their tickets).

MUST HAVE Pajamas

2009-08-13T20:27:00.001-07:00

I think every baby needs a few pairs of Carter's Pajamas. I have been looking for them at costco lately, and they have finally arrived! They are around 7 or 8 dollars each. So worth it.

Doesn't Mason look cozy?

Great Birthday Party Idea

2009-08-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

My nephew had a WIPE OUT birthday party recently, and I was so impressed. What a fun idea! Here is his mom's description of the course:

"For the wipeout course, you start on the zip line, and go over the stream and land in a kiddie pool full of jello. You then run to the blow-up waterslide while dodging flying water balloons. After sliding down, you proceed to the doughnut station and try to eat a powdered sugar doughnut off the string while powdered sugar falls from the sky onto your head. The last step is just to walk across a pool noodle over the river to the finish line. Nothing to it."

So fun!!

Plus they have a really yummy burrito bar.

The First Years - Soothie Bottle

2009-08-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

I wish I had of thought of this product. How genius!! My sister's little guy will only take these bottles - nothing else. You can find them at Walmart.

The greatest thing about these bottles is that the nipple part is just like the pacifiers that your baby gets at the hospital. How cool!!!

Bouncer Chair Review

2009-08-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

I bought the Fisher Price Zen bouncer chair for my 3rd baby, and it is awesome!!! It works just about the same as any bouncer chair out there. But it is sooo cute and modern. Plus, fisher price has a whole collection of product to match.

Right now, it is only $79 on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Zen-Collection-Infant-Seat/dp/B0011MOVS8/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1250199934&sr=8-19

THE BEST BABY DVD EVER!!!!

2009-08-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so these dvds are pretty ghetto, but they are magic!!! I have used them with all 3 of by babies, and they have totally surpassed baby Einstein (in the way of entertainment). It is all about watching kids and animals put to music.

Once your baby is about 6 months, give it a try. This dvd will definitely that THE dvd that allows you to shower, or even make a quick meal without a baby whining to be held.

http://www.babysongs.com/

Hair Bow Activity

2009-08-13T13:46:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning my daughter was bored and really wanted to do a craft. We decided to make hair bows. This is a super easy activity to do with your child. Taylor is 5 and she did just fine (I handled the glue gun).

What you will need:

1. Fake Flowers (I bought fake gerber daisies at the dollar store)
2. Glue Gun
3. Metal Single Prong Clips (you can find these at beauty supply stores such as Sallys)
4. Buttons or other decorations for the center.
5. Ribbon to cover clip

Steps

1. Take apart the flowers
2. Restack the flowers (it looks great if you use a few different colors)
3. Glue each flower piece together in the center
4. Glue the button or other decoration in the middle.
5. Cut a ribbon long enough to cover the clip, and glue the ribbon over the clip
6. Glue the flower to the clip

All done!!!