Pretty in Pink

Today is L's birthday!  Can't believe a year has gone by!  She is turning into this little person right before our eyes!  Here are some pictures from her Pretty in Pink Birthday Party yesterday.


Pretty in Pink Invitation



View from the front door

Party Table

I added more pictures after this was taken of L throughout her first year

Tutu table for gifts

Birthday Girl

Blowing out her cupcake cake candle

WAY to into her cupcake to pose for a pic

L with her cool older cousin

L is lucky enough to share her birthday with her Grandmother, future aunt, and my cousin!  Happy Birthday to all of you! 

Funny Friday: Toy Week

The PERFECT white elephant gift!  I legitimately saw this ad on TV a few days ago!  I am super competitive when it comes to games, but I think I would be ok with losing this one. (Email subscribers click here to watch)

You win by collecting Doggie's Doo?  To me, that is losing!

Buy your own Doggie Doo game!

The Island of Misfit Toys

To continue Toy Week, I wanted to tell you the toy L was not into.

I am not sure if there is baby crack in cell phones, but when L sees one, she has eyes for nothing else.  (Kind of like me and a chocolate chip cookie.  They make me a bad person.  I will literally steal one off your plate when you are not looking.  I can't help myself)  She will grab hold of one and not let go!  She cries when it is pried from her fingers.

In order to solve this problem, I kicked into mommy gear and thought I was so smart.  I bought this fake toy phone for her, BUT she was not tricked whatsoever.  She cast away the fake phone like Rudolph on the Island of Misfit Toys!

"L wouldn't let poor fake phone, fake phone, join in any cell phone games."

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smilin' Smart Phone

She played with it for maybe 5 seconds.  SO...Against my better judgement, I gave L a real phone.  Before you judge me,  I recently had an upgrade for my phone, so decided to give L my old iPhone.  Within the first few minutes, I realized this phone was not going to last long.  The screen would get cracked in no time.  

"Then one foggy autumn eve, Amazon came to say, Mommy with your phone so bright, won't you buy this case tonight, Sure!"  

I learned about the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case that protects the phone and acts as a teether.  Mine JUST came in and I am taking it out the box as I type.  I will let you know how it goes.  Worth a shot, right?

"Then, all the iPhones loved L, loved L, as she shouted out with glee, yippee.  IPhone, the grand ole' 3G, 3G, you'll be safe from my baby"

Ok, so my story isn't as kid friendly as the Rudolph story.  The fake phone is still on the island of misfit toys and will probably stay there.  Truth hurts folks!  

Toy Box Top 8

I am excited to kick off toy week this week!  With Christmas looming in my mind, I hope I can give you some ideas of what to buy the babies in your life!

L has a mountain of toys that we have accumulated throughout the year.  It is funny to me that she ends up playing with the same toys over and over again.  Her attention span never lasts very long, but if it keeps her entertained for more than 10 minutes, it is a success!  Here are the top 8 go-to toys at our house...


1.  Musical Monkey - Three-in-one!  The tail is a rattle, the blue ring is a teether, and the nose lights up and plays music.  She especially loved this toy from 0-6 months!

2.  Sophie - The lovefest has definitely simmered down between Sophie and L, but we couldn't live without Sophie those first 9 months.

3.  Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes - Baby Einstein is the jam!  L loved pushing the button to make the song change over and over again.  L was crazy about this one from 6-9 months.

4.  Plush Books with Tails - These books come in all different themes.  They are made of crinkly material,  have different textured tails, and bright colors.  L loves those features and I love the Velcro loop!  I can attach it to high chairs/car seats/grocery carts to keep L entertained on the go.  L has been entertained by this book since she was 4 months and still is today!

5.  My First Purse - This is the one we have, but they sell all sorts of them.  She loves to open it up and pull everything out.  The cell phone rings and there is a mirror on the compact that keeps her attention.  This is a  more recent favorite in our house!  Is it bad that she already knows to put the cell phone to her ear?  Is she trying to tell me something?

6.  Learning Walker - L's grandmother brought her this last time she was in town!  It is her favorite toy right now.  She loves pushing it around and around and around!  The music pad part comes off easily too, so she can use it flat on the ground.  She started playing with this around 10 months and it is a daily favorite.

7.  Stacking Cup Set  - I was shocked that she likes these.  They seem so boring, but she loves to knock them around and try to restack them.  We just started playing with these a couple weeks ago.

8.  Press N Go Inchworm - A family friend gave us this one.  She has 9 grandchildren, so I knew she knew what was up!  She did!  L can't really push it by herself yet, but we help her.  She loves chasing after it and it puts the biggest smile on her face!  A really fun family activity to send it back and forth between us.  I think we started playing with it around 9 months and still do today.

What were your baby's favorite toys?  Did they like any of these?

And the Winner is...

After 90 votes on facebook, the winner is the Hangover picture!  Congratulations to Courtney and Baby "Carlos" for winning the Halloween Photo contest.  Email me to discuss your video.

The Battery Controlled

I apologize for the serious tone of today's post, but received an email with information I wanted to share.  It made me realize how many of these products I have in my home and that I need to pay more attention to them.  I am definitely guilty of letting L play with my keys and remotes.  Please pass along this post to raise awareness on the issue. 

Electronic devices are a part of daily life. And they’re getting smaller, slimmer and sleeker. But inside the battery compartment of mini remote controls, small calculators, watches, key fobs, flameless candles, singing greeting cards and other electronics, is a very powerful coin-sized button battery. When swallowed, these batteries can get stuck in the throat and cause severe burns in as few as two hours. Small children often have easy access to these devices, parents often don’t know about the risk and little ones can’t always communicate with adults

The Battery Controlled is a partnership to raise awareness about the severity of the issue and share information with parents, caregivers and the medical community.

Launched by Energizer and Safe Kids USA, this effort is committed to helping parents prevent children from swallowing coin-sized button batteries. There are three main points we hope you’ll share with your readers:

1. Keep out of reach. Devices with coin lithium button batteries have no place in unsupervised hands or toy boxes.

2. Get help fast. Life-threatening damage can happen in as few as 2 hours.

3. Tell others.

·         Start by taking The Pledge today.

·         Tweet @BatteryControl:

o   Sample Tweet 1 – PSA: Energizer raising awareness about button batteries. Serious injuries for small kids. Learn more www.thebatterycontrolled.com

o   Sample Tweet 2 – Plz be careful. Small kids swallowing button batteries. Injuries & deaths reported. www.thebatterycontrolled.com #batterycontrol

·         Share the facts or this compelling video with your friends on Facebook (Email subscribers, click here to watch the video).

Time magazine published an article on this issue in September.  Click here to read.

The winner of the photo contest will be announced this evening.  "Polls" close at 6pm today.

One More Day

One more day left to vote for your favorite picture!  The current rankings are piggy, cat, Carlos and Allen, Up characters, Elvis, and pumpkin.  Click here to vote by liking your favorite. 

The Best Thing I've Done So Far

When GiGi was two weeks old, we had a professional photographer come to our home and take our picture.  I love that the pictures where taken in our home and the majority were done in GiGi’s nursery.  I’m totally obsessed with the photos and will do this with all my babies!!  I’m so obsessed I think I might have her picture taken every three months for the first year … she is growing and changing so much and I want to capture her sweet face as much a possible!! 

This is really the BEST thing I’ve done so far and I didn’t read this anywhere and no one told me to do this … I guess I came up with it all on my own.  So, I’m telling you now … if you are pregnant, find you a photographer and book a photo shoot sometime during the first four weeks!!!

Until Next Time,

Rearranging Dirt

Before I get started on today's product, check out the adorable costume entries on the Keeping it Simple facebook page.  Thank you to those who entered!  You really out did yourselves!  Please vote for your favorites by "liking" the individual photo.  You can vote for more the one if your heart desires!

Alright, back to Rearranging Dirt...My cheerleading squad used to have car washes for fundraising purposes.  My parents would come to be supportive, but my mom always said we would make her car dirtier than it was when she got there.  By the end of the day, the towels we were using were black with dirt...instead of washing cars we were basically rearranging dirt.  

So, I am not a germ freak, but when my food falls off my plate at a restaurant onto the table, I won't eat it.  It might as well have fallen onto the floor.  When I see the dish rags they used to "clean" my table, I picture the towels we used on the cars.  They basically rearrange the food and germ residue on the table from the people before us.  ICK!

We don't go out to eat nearly as often now that we have L, but we still try to make Sunday dinners with my side of the family.  This suddenly became harder when L began sitting up and didn't want to stay in her car seat anymore...to the high chair she went.    The high chair gives her more freedom and almost everything on the table is within her reach.  So, we try and plan our day so she eats at the restaurant to keep her entertained during the meal.  Just recently, we started ordering off the menu for her.  This proposes a problem!  Where do I put the food?  A plate would go flying to the floor, food and all.  Obviously, I won't put it on the "rearranged dirt" table.  I said last Sunday, "There has to be some sort of product out there for this." 

Well, yes there is!  I FOUND A FEW!

Summer Infant Tiny Diner

The Summer Infant Dining mat rolls up easily, latches on to the table, and is reusable.  However, if you do not want to deal with cleaning it every time, there are some disposable versions.

For you environmentally friendly moms, some of them are biodegradable.

Any other tips out there for dining out?

Costume Contest

The stomach bug traveled through my house this weekend!  No fun!  I was recovering all day yesterday and didn't get to the contest photos.  I have extended the contest entry through today, so you still have a chance to enter your pictures.  I will post them to facebook tomorrow.  Please email them to me.

I missed the Halloween party last night, but Special K took L.  He took pictures for me so I could see my little piglet!

Hope you all had a fun Halloween!

Costume Friday: Final Chapter

As I promised last week, I saved the best for last! The top 2 most creative/weirdest maternity Halloween costume are...

Labor and Delivery Team

and...WAIT FOR IT...the #1 pick...A BELLY TURNED BOOB!!!  I may never be the same again...you all have already learned my fear of the pregnant belly button and this lady turned it into a nipple!!!

Thank you to Pregnant Chicken for posting both of these photos.  Here was the explanation of "how to do it" if you are so inclined..."I used eye shadow for the areola and a baby bottle nipple for the nipple. I stuck it on with Vaseline, since I was staying home, but I suppose you could use spirit gum and it would stay on really well."

AND the top 2 offensive baby costumes go to...

BABY HITLER 

Can you say therapy? Thank you to Momversation for their costume list. 

AND, of course...

BABY POLE DANCER

I just don't understand!!!  The least of this girl's worries are the exposed outlets!

This concludes the Costume Friday series!  I hope you enjoyed!

Don't forget to take pictures of you/your little ones this weekend for the Baby Book Video Contest! 

Baby Book Contest

I am so excited to announce the photo contest prize that I mentioned earlier this week!!!  

So, I decided to make a Baby Book Video instead of having a standard baby book.  

The winner of the Halloween photo contest (as voted by "likes" on facebook) will win a video of their very own (up to 100 photos) made by me!   Here is the one I made for "L".  BIG TEASER:  The video reveals L's name for the first time :) (Please ignore my awkward hair toss at the beginning...not sure what that is about) My apolgies, but the blogger video upload does not show the best quality.

A note for all the email subscribers:  sometimes the videos I post don't show up on the email, so please click here to watch.

Don't forget to snap away in the coming days!  Best baby or maternity costume wins!  Email your photos to me.  The pictures will be posted on facebook on Tuesday, so please send them before then.

The big winner doesn't HAVE to use their prize for a baby book...I, also, made one for a friend's rehearsal dinner.

Pin It

Happy Gifting 2

One of my girlfriends gave me a package of “Monthly Onsie Stickers” to use every month when I take GiGi’s picture.  They are so cute and make for a great photo opp … and they’re stickers … SO SMART!!!!  This might just be my unique, go-to gift from now on ... and I'll probably include a few plain white onsies in various sizes with my gift.  Check them out at etsy.com.

See other gift ideas here.


Until Next Time,

It's Go Time

Water breaking in the middle of the night, waking Special K to tell him "It's go time," racing to the hospital with our emergency lights on, wheeling me straight to delivery...No, none of those things happened to me.  Overall, heading to the hospital when I started having contractions was not the fire drill I imagined.   We waited throughout the day for them to get stronger and more frequent.  We picked up dry cleaning, had lunch at Central Market, cleaned the house, and just waited.  My hospital bag was ready to go for weeks prior, but in reality, I could have packed it that very day.

Regardless of when you pack your "go time" bag, it is always a good idea to have an idea of what to bring.  I have asked 4 moms there advice on what to bring...here is the list we compiled. 

Must Pack

1. Your ID/Insurance Card
2. Comfy Socks (a few pair)
3. Boppy Pillow (or whatever you will be using for nursing)
4. Camera and Cell Phone with chargers
5. Button Front Pajamas (I bought these...they are super comfy and have so many patterns)
6. Your favorite toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, tooth brush, tooth paste, face soap, etc...)
7. Lanolin
8. Tank Bra or Comfy Sleep Bra
9. Snacks
10. Baby "go home" outfit (bring 2 in case an accident occurs)

Items to consider

1. Laptop (obviously not mandatory, but it was nice to have there)
2. Your own personal pillow from home for you and your husband
3. Baby Book (or at least the pages pertaining to those first few days)
4. Baby Blankets (the hospital provides some, but in case you want your own)
5. Baby Outfit for first photos (some hospitals offer newborn photography)

One I will expand on...Snacks!  Remember that you are the patient, not your husband.  You get meals (not the best, but at least it is food) and he doesn't.  We didn't think to grab snacks and Special K was starving to death.  He didn't want to leave the hospital very often, so he was ravenous most of the hospital stay.

Suggestions - If you are going to visit a friend at the hospital that just had a baby, offer to bring some non-hospital food.  I promise they will appreciate it!

What did you pack in your hospital bag?

One Week Countdown

It is officially one week until Halloween!!!  I wanted to remind you to take pictures of your baby's/kid's costumes or any maternity costumes.  Get cute and get creative!  There is going to be a prize worth a $100...details to be announced later this week!

Now That's Nifty

Costume Friday: Homemade Addition

Last week we discussed painted bellies.  You are in luck!  I found a painting kit specifically for pregnant bellies, so have at it!

ProudBody Pregnancy Belly Painting Kit

I found some great homemade maternity costumes I had to share...

LET ME OUT!  What is the baby holding in its hand?

LOVE the little elephant with his peanut!!!

You may only dress as a solar system if you pose like this...

Thank you Pregnant Chicken for the photos.

AND the offensive baby costume of the week is...

The Pimp

Hurry up and purchase it here...maybe mom could go as a hooker?


Just wait for next Friday...you know I have been saving the best for last!!!

It's Raining Books

L has slowly accumulated quite a book collection and the allotted shelf has filled up.  Everything is constantly falling on to us when we are in the rocking chair.  I find myself wishing we had put a little more thought into book storage.  I don't know if we will ever get around to doing this at our house, but I wanted to share a few unique DIY ways to not only store books, but use them as decoration.

I really love these shelves I saw on Elizabeth Sullivan Design and wish we had a huge wall space in L's nursery to do this...

Elizabeth didn't include any "how to" instructions, but it seems other were inspired by the above picture...

Go to Frugal Home Designs, Kara's Corner, and Anything Pretty to see a some different ways to achieve this look.  If you don't consider yourself a do-it-yourselfer, Ikea sells similar shelves for $9.99 or $14.99 (depending on the size)...  

If you are good with a sewing machine, I found another book storage idea on Penny Carnival.  You could use any fabric you wanted with a curtain rod!

What do you use for book storage?