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,

The Witching Hour

After L was born, I heard many people refer to the “witching hour.”  I have come to discover what this means: the 2 hours just before bed time.  L is just a little cranky during this time…some nights worse than others.  Seeing as this is the ONLY time I get to see her during the week (TEAR), I want it to be quality time.  Bath time is SO helpful during this cranky time of day.  L LOVES it and has so much fun!

In Rub-a-Dub-Dub, I offered my opinion on which bath tub to buy, but I didn’t offer up the accessories to go along with it.  (Did anyone figure out why there were three men in the tub?)  These accessories help make bath time fun and a stretch it out a little longer.  This is also a great gift idea…you can put them all together as a bath time basket. 

1. Bath toys - We have the ones pictured, but any bath toy will work.  These help stretch bath time an extra 5-10 minutes.  L especially loves the ones that squirt.

2. &Rubber Ducky - Duh!  Every baby needs one of these.

3.  Shampoo/Body Wash/Body Lotion - We received so many different kinds of these as gifts...we have yet to buy our own because of our abundant supply from our shower. We have liked them all...Noodle & Boo, Thymes Sweet Leaf, and Johnson and Johnson.  They all come in travel size packaging (as pictured) which works great for gifts.

4.  Spout Cover - We actually do not have one of these, but will include it in my next Diapers.com order.  Now that L is officially in the real bath tub, we have had many close encounters with her head hitting the spout.  

5.  Animal Towel - I have to say that I am a sucker for the animal towels!  I just love them!  You obviously don't have to have the animal one, but I recommend paying a little more for the nicer towels.  They are much softer and not as scratchy.  Specialty boutiques sell the nice ones along with Pottery Barn.  Don't forget to check to see if they come with a wash cloth.

6.  Toy storage - We have this lovely frog hanging in L's bath tub.  It is so nice to scoop up all her toys and let them drip dry.  The frog is not required, but definitely think about registering for some sort of bath toy storage product.  They make a lady bug now that is SO preshrunken!  

7. Pitcher - my mother-in-law bought this for L.  L actually plays with it more than any of her other bath toys, and it is great to have something to rinse her off with.

Let me know if you put a gift basket together!  Would love to see pictures!

Also, check out the new tabs at the top of the blog!  What do you think?  Anything else you would like to see?

Don't forget to enter the Pint-Sized giveaway!

Pint-Sized Giveaway

I have been waiting to announce this giveaway for a few weeks now!  Between facebook, blogs, and other social media, I have reconnected with so many old friends.  It has been so fun!  One friend, in particular, Lauren, contacted me to do a giveaway for Keeping it Simple.  I had no idea she had started a children's clothing line, Pint-Sized Clothing and Design.  As described on Facebook, "Pint-Sized is an online boutique offering items at affordable prices.  Everything is made by hand, just for you!"

I ordered L an owl onesie (applique pictured below) and was beyond excited when it came in the mail last week!  Not only was it adorable, but it was also great quality.  The only bad news is I intentionally ordered it a little big, so I have to wait for L to grow into it.  I guess I can contain myself for a few more weeks!!!  I will definitely share the pics with her wearing it when I have them.

Take a look at Lauren's fabulous designs below.  Her dresses are super cute!  I love the dress with ties on the shoulders because you can adjust the ties as your little one grows!





Here are a few of her MANY appliques for onesies including L's owl!

Are you dying to have your one-of-a-kind Pint-Sized outfit yet!?!?

Her dresses run from $38-$50 depending on the size and monogram, and her onesies run from $15-$22.  Her turn around time is around 1-3 weeks.

Today she is giving exclusively to Keeping it Simple a personalized onesie (or $22 credit toward an outfit).  We must earn Pint-Sized 50 likes to qualify for the giveaway.  If we reach the goal, I will announce the winner next Monday.

To enter...

• like Keeping it Simple on facebook, 
• like Pint Sized clothing on facebook, and
• leave a comment on this blog post. 

Good Luck!

What's in your heaven?

My sister and I like to play this game where we ask people what/who would be in their heaven?  For example, in my heaven there would be spinach artichoke dip by the bath tubs served with thin tortilla chips, Tiff's Treats chocolate chip cookies, a constant stream of new release movies, and all my favorite people!

The baby shower my friends threw for me was so thoughtfully planned out and included lots of my heavenly things!  They had a menu planned perfectly for me with spinach dip and thin chips, all of my favorite people were there, the jungle nursery theme was used for the invitation/decorations, and they bought me my diaper bag!  They knew me well enough to know I would have never purchased a fancy diaper bag for myself.  I still LOVE it and obviously use it daily!  I have to say Special K looks adorable with it too when he gets stuck toting it around ;)

My friends did such a great job with the shower!  I wanted to get them something useful, but relevant for all the thought they put into it.  It is always a challenge to find something that a handful of people will like, goes with the shower theme, and won't break the bank.  I will share with you what I gave to them and two precious hostess gifts I received last weekend to give you some ideas.


Idea #1...My gift to them...I did some research and found the cutest idea!  Get them some shower/bath essentials and write on the card, "From my shower to yours!"  I went to Pier 1 and bought them animal print bubble bath, an eye mask, and scrubbing brush to match the shower theme, but you could obviously buy whichever bath products you wanted.

Idea # 2...One of my childhood friends is having a baby in December and gave us the sassiest coolers at her shower on Sunday!  I just love it!  All of our coolers are so masculine...it is nice to have one I could tote to a tailgate.

I couldn't find this exact one, but found a couple other options for girly coolers.



Turner Tennis



Built NY

Idea # 3...On Saturday, a college friend of mine who is due in November gave us gifts and the card read...

If you are having trouble reading, "Janann, Thanks for helping me get ready for my bun in the oven.  Happy Baking!"  Inside the bag, the most adorable apron by Sugar n Spice on Etsy.

Super cute idea!!! This apron might actually get me in the kitchen!!!  Sugar n Spice has many other aprons to choose from or you could buy anything baking related...

Sprinkle Cupcake Mixing Set

Or take the literal interpretation of "bun" and give Williams Sonoma sticky buns... 

Sticky Buns

I think I may have just added a couple more things to my heaven!  Those sticky buns look yummy!  

What did you give as a hostess gift?  Also check out the Now Stylebook.  They did a great post on wedding shower hostess gifts that could work for a baby shower too.  

Now, please indulge me...What is in your heaven?

Happy Birthday to...ARE YOU JOKING?

I recently went to a baby boutique because I had credit to spend.  I was on the hunt for a 1st birthday outfit for L.  I knew it is a couple months away, but I thought I would get her something super cute with the credit.  I found one of those HUMONGO pettiskirts and a cute top with a cupcake on it to match...I fell in love with it and had to have it.  Well, until I saw the price tag..It was pretty similar to the one below.  How much would you think this outfit costs?

La Bella Flora

I am walking through the store with the outfit in hand picturing L running around it while we sing Happy Birthday to her....Then, I see the price tag...$75...Wrong!  $125...Wrong!  $175...DING, DING, DING!  We have a winner!  It seriously made my jaw drop in the middle of the store.  I am sure the sales lady saw me since I was the only one in there at the time.  I have trouble spending that much money on a pair of jeans I will wear every day for two years.  I am still in shock over it.  Even with store credit, I just could not justify it.  I have been searching for a replica of it for less.  Any ideas?

I found one almost exactly like it at Zulily, but it was sold out!  What is Zulily, you may be asking?  If you are a expecting or new mom, you MUST know about Zulily. 

It is similar to Gilt that I posted about a few weeks ago, but it is ALL about babies, kids, and maternity products.  They post weekly deals from various companies.  Subscribe immediately for some super cute things with fantastic prices.  Here is the Bella Daniella skirt ($24.99) and top ($24.99) I found for a much better deal than the whopping $175.  I am sick I missed it!

Let me know if you find anything similar for a good price or any other preshrunken birthday outfits for that matter.

The Evolution of Toys

It is really hard to know exactly when and how the different baby gear is used when you are standing in a baby store, so you register for it all!  Your house looks more like something out of Chuck E Cheese than a home (not sure if you have seen Chuck E Cheese in the news lately, but it certainly attracts some people you wouldn't want in or around your home). 

My mom made the comment when I was registering that so many of the baby products are more for the adults than the baby.  She was referring to this baby spa bath tub thing at the time. I have found her comment to be true about a lot of products out there. 

Through the different stages of L's infancy we found we had one go-to toy for each stage.  I wanted to share with you these toys over a series of posts.  There is no need to have more than one of these types of toys per stage.  The biggest thing in common with most toys is the musical part.  L really seemed to react when we played music.

Stage 1 - We used this before L could roll over, around 6 weeks - 4 months - Fisher-Price Luv U Zoo Deluxe Musical Mobile Gym

There are so many different activity mats with themes.  They are very easy to move from room to room.  She loved hearing the music and watching the mobile, but have the replacement batteries ready to go because the mobile drains them quickly.  Here is L in action!

Happy Gifting

Growing up I took acting lessons at the local theatre.  I liked  being in plays and dressing up in costumes, but we weren't die hard about it.  My mom was never the Toddlers and Tiaras type.  She would take me to/from class, help me memorize lines at home, and watch my end of semester plays.  Pretty standard mom stuff really...no voodoo dolls for the other kids or plots of revenge on the smother mothers back stage. 

Initially, I went to these classes because my sister (3 years older) did and I followed suit.  She always got the lead because she could not only act, but sing.  I honestly thought my voice sounded exactly like her.  I had all the confidence in the world at auditions.  I would belt out the song "Daisy" as loud as I could because louder meant better, right? WRONG!  I was horrible!  I could have definitely qualified for American Idol's worst auditions.  I was (and still am) completely tone deaf!  In my head, I sounded fabulous! 

My mom said it was always a difficult thing to tell my sister she got a part in the play, but I didn't.  Pretty big cop out by the theatre to call the house and make my mom do the dirty work, but show business is cut-throat, even at the local youth theatre in Fort Worth.  I cried many tears over these lost parts.  I recently found an apology note I typed (yes, using an actual typewriter) to my sister because I was mad she got the part and I didn't.

In case you are having trouble reading it (I can't see why), it says, "DAER SISTER, CONGRAGLASHANS IAM SO SORRY THAT I WAS SUCH A BRAT PLAESE FORGIVE ME PLEASE I HOPE YOU DO GOOD AS A SNO BUNNY LOVE J."  My mom hand wrote on the letter what had happened because I think she knew we would not be able to make heads or tails of this in the future: "Janann wrote to sister Nov 19, 1989 after sister got the part in Frosty the Snowman and she didn't."


I feel sorry for for the 7-year old me, well, for a lot of reasons.

1. I clearly did not know how to spell or punctuate.
2. I could not load the paper into the typewriter correctly.  
3. For feeling such rejection at such a young age.  

In the long run, I think it was a good lesson to learn I wasn't talented in that department early before I demanded my entire family move to Hollywood to pursue my acting career.  (By the way, I am pretty sure my sister forgave me after receiving this note.  How could she not sympathize with her untalented, tone deaf sister who was clearly not the sharpest crayon in the box.  Plus, I am pretty sure the letter is stained with tear marks...so sad!!!)


I have mourned the loss of my acting career and accepted the fact this was left best for my sister.  Acting classes proved to be a very poor investment.  Unfortunately for me,  as I have gotten older, acting comes into play all the time.  Pretending to listen in class, acting like you know what you are talking about at your first job, and gift opening in front of a group are all things that require advanced acting skills and improv.  Not shocking given my acting background, but I am the all-time worst gift opener in crowds!  I can't fake that I like something.  For my baby shower, we displayed unwrapped gifts so I would not have to open them.  During our engagement, Special K and I didn't have any showers, only engagement parties with no gifts.  It gives me so much anxiety thinking about opening gifts in front of a crowd.  

I might be the world's worst gift receiver (and singer), but I am great at gift giving!  When I find the perfect gift for someone else, it truly makes me happy!  I would like to implement a new series today, Happy Gifting, to follow up on "Can You Improve a Classic?" post.  At this stage in life it is so hard to buy expensive gifts for all the different weddings, birthdays, showers, house warming, etc..., so I will periodically post unique baby gifts under $40, but with a higher perceived value (WOW!  I am pretty sure that sentence was not grammatically correct...I am afraid the 7 year old me is haunting the present day me for posting that letter).  I hope I give you the happiness of finding the perfect gift for the new baby in your life.

Today's gift:  A friend gave L a little Polo romper that I loved and hated the day when she grew out of it.  I did some research for a replacement and found out Ralph Lauren has a huge line of baby polos. 

All adorable, but this is no ordinary line!  It is called "Create Your Own Collection."  They let you customize the monogram.  You can choose between outfit style, outfit color, monogram (horse or initials), monogram color, and monogram style (if using initials).  Just a few examples below...

Monogramming makes gifts seem so much more personal.  The best news is this entire line is $35 or less including the customization!  Happy monogramming!  What do you think? 

Danzo Baby

Thanks to Bradley, the Making Diapers Trendy contributor, for emailing me the Danzo Baby website!  She came across it and thought of Keeping it Simple.  They make the cutest, most functional diaper bags I have seen.  They average around $200-$300, so may be more than you are looking for, but I had to share.  You could easily get them monogrammed too!  Check out this awesome selection...

On top of the cute designs, you can customize the interior pockets!  You get 25 different pocket labels with your bag that you can change out to fit your needs (for example wipes, diapers, and ointments, etc...).  The inside labels serve as a checklist before you head out of the house!  Here is a peek at the inside of one of the bags...

Unfortunately for me, they are not currently sold in Texas stores.  Check out their locations to see if there is a store near you that sells these bags.  You can but them online through their website or on Amazon.

Which is your favorite?

Flying My Freak Flag

Today I am flying my freak flag for you all...

My cat had a sex change operation.  It is true.  From the moment I got Simon, I knew he wanted to be a girl.  I kid!

Before you go off and call the crazy bus on me, let me explain.  Yes, my cat had a sex change operation.  No, he didn’t “want” to be a girl.  He had horrendous health problems as a kitten and the vet recommended this surgery to help ease his chronic blocked bladder that would ultimately kill him if it was not corrected.  A cut here, a snip there, and Simon was officially Simone.

Around the time he became a she, I was shopping for a cat carrier.  I was choosing between the only two options on the shelf…

                      

I contemplated for a little while and decided since my cat was a girl now, I could buy the pink one.  I excitedly purchased it, loaded it in the car, drove home and showed it to my husband.  Oops!  He was NOT amused!  We had a bit of a disagreement that went something like this:

He said, “Our cat will not be a cross dresser.  Simone’s chromosomes are still male.  The pink carrier is just taking this whole thing too far.”  (Although I was getting a bit frustrated with his attitude about this, I thought it was pretty cute he was trying to hang on to Simone’s manhood)

I said, “Really?!?!  The actual amputation of the penis wasn’t taking it too far?”

He moved on with his argument, “I have to carry the carrier too and I don’t want it to be pink.”

Aha!  The real reason he was upset was surfacing!  Good thing this conversation happened.  Years later, when we were discussing the stroller for L, I recognized the fact he didn’t want to be strolling around town with a pink stroller.  I respected that and we went with a gender-neutral stroller. 

The color was the least of our worries when purchasing a stroller.  It is a BIG decision!  You really need to evaluate your lifestyle to figure out which one is best for you.  I will share with you what we did as an option, but I am not forcing it upon you.  Staying with my theme “Keeping it Simple,” we decided not to do a big travel system. 

We registered for the Bob jogging stroller and have been really pleased with it! 

It maneuvers smoothly and folds up in one easy step.  However, it is pretty heavy and bulky.  To solve this problem, we also got the Snap n Go for me to run quick errands and for air travel.  If you decide to get a Snap N' Go, make sure that the car seat you decide on fits into it.

I HIGHLY recommend both products.  We have been pleased with them and haven’t felt like we missed out by not having a travel system.

Other moms out here…what do you suggest? 

Can you improve a classic?

Someone emailed a request to post my fave off-registry gifts L received.  I am more than happy to share and hopefully give you some unique, baby shower gift ideas. 

I still love all the books I grew up reading...The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Are You My Mother to name a couple.  I would consider these books classics since they have stood the test of time, but can you improve a classic?  This is not always easy and you could easily offend your original audience.  Just look at Saved by the Bell: The New Class.  They were never going to be as cool as the original gang!  Trying to replace Screech with Weasel, come on!

The powers that be have managed, however, to do a GREAT job improving these popular children's books.  They enhanced the reading experience without changing the storyline and pictures.  They now sell them complete with a stuffed animal character from the book.  I long for the day when L is cuddled up in my lap hugging her Caterpillar begging for me to read the The Very Hungry Caterpillar to her.

 The Goodnight Moon Gift Set comes as a prepackaged gift set for $11.55

Are you My Mother comes as a prepackaged gift set for $16.95

The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Plush Toy comes as a prepackaged gift set for $11.55.

You could give one of these individually or even buy all three of them as a gift basket for a total of only $40.  I think the perceived value is way higher than that! 

Another way they have improved on The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the Pop-Up Book...How much fun!  My sister gave me one and I love it! 

I applaud all of these improvements on these classics.  Anything that can improve the reading experience for your child is a plus in my book (no pun intended)!

Also, please see this great post by my friend, KK, at Small Town Lovin on creating a reading space for your child.

The Eye in the Sky

My name is Janann and I have a gambling addiction. 

I make it no secret that I LOVE craps.  If there was a table anywhere in my city limit, L’s college fund would be in trouble.  When I was in my first trimester, I went to Vegas for a bachelorette party.  I was still keeping my pregnancy under wraps which was no easy task in that town!    When I would make my secret departure from the clubs dying to get some sleep, I managed to find myself at the craps table for a couple more hours.

(***Keeping it Simple*** side note:  To hide my pregnancy, I drank ginger ale in a champagne flute and it worked like a charm.  The key is in the bubbles.)

As demonstrated in Smock-tions, I tend to use gambling references more often than I should.  Today’s post is no different.  We call our baby video monitor “ The Eye in the Sky." 

My husband takes it even further when he puts L down in the crib.  When he knows I am watching through the monitor, he put L in her sleep sack and “checks out” like a black jack dealer by flipping his hands in front of the camera.  You know what I mean?  They have to show the Eye in the Sky that they are not holding any chips or cards up their sleeves.  Why do some jokes never get old?  It still makes me laugh!

This very long intro is to present the Summer Infant Video Monitor. 

When I was registering, I thought the video monitor seemed unnecessary and only registered for the audio monitor.  A couple of people decided against my choice and got the video monitor anyways.  I am thankful to them daily.  IT IS THE BOMB! 

I can't tell you how much it helped us implement Baby Wise.  We learned L's sleep habits: when she was just talking in her sleep and when she was actually awake.  Letting her cry it out was one of the hardest things to do when sleep training.  I found that hearing the cry was completely unbearable and would make me want to go pick her up immediately.  With the video, I could mute the volume and just keep the video part on.  Success! 

I highly recommend making the investment towards a video monitor.  They keep coming out with new models, so it is hard to recommend a specific one.  Read the reviews to decide which one would be best for you. 

Registry suggestion:  Also, register for an audio monitor for travel and staying with grandparents.  Since you mount the camera for the video monitor, it is not easily portable. 

Good luck to you with your eye in the sky and all future craps rolls!  I guess are new saying the next time we roll will have to be , "Baby needs a new pair shoes!"

Longhorn Envy

Kinda wishing I could have one of these for myself ;)  Miss L is ready for game day!

Thank you Barefoot Designs!  This is absolutely precious!  I have a feeling you might be hearing from a few of my fellow Longhorns soon.

Meet Sophie

A while back, my friends and I were discussing Starbucks.  As shallow as this sounds we decided that we felt pretty cool walking out of our local Starbucks with the official Starbucks cup.  You know the feeling, right?  I mean celebrity superstars can afford many things I can’t even dream of buying, but I can afford the $4 coffee they drink.

Don’t even get me started on the red holiday cups and how excited I get when they roll around.  It has fallen in line with stockings, Christmas trees, lights and carols as must have to get the full feeling of the Christmas spirit.

Well, there is a person (or thing) in the baby department that falls into the Starbucks category.  You must meet Sophie.  When I met her, I was skeptical and thought, “She’s cute, but has a high price tag”  Once I got to know her, I realized she was so much more!  She squeals with delight when squeezed by L which gives our poor cat, Cleo, some relief in this department.  She became L’s (and my) new best friend. She soothes L at times of need.  She provides entertainment for L on road trips.  She is carried around by the coolest of celebrity tots.  Alas, meet Sophie!

Sophie has actually been around since the 1960s in France, but just started making waves in the US a few years ago.  She was rejected from many retailers because of her high price tag.  Finally, Helene Dumoulin-Montgomery was able to find a Beverly Hills boutique to sell her giraffe and place her in celebrity baby baskets.  Sophie took off from there and can be found at multiple retailers across the country. (information gathered from this article in the LA times)

Her price of around $20 is quite high compared to her $3 competitors.  In my opinion, she is absolutely worth it!  I am convinced that the teething process is the worst through infancy.  You all need to appreciate each one of your teeth because you earned them!  Sophie is the ONLY teething toy L will chew on and it instantly calms her down.   Children’s Tylenol and Sophie are my prefect formula for teething.  I realized how dependent we had become on Sophie when we could not find her one weekend.  I tore the house up looking for her.  L and I both missed our new friend terribly. 

Sophie is such a genius, well thought out product.  The reason she has been the most popular girl in pre-school is because she appeals to all 5 senses (taken from description on Sears):

Sight: From birth to 3 months, a babys eyesight is usually limited to high contrasts. The attention-catching spots all over Sophie the Giraffes body provide visual stimulation and is easily recognizable object to reassure and comfort.

Hearing: Sophie the Giraffe's happy little squeak keeps baby amused, stimulates hearing and helps baby understand the link between cause and effect.

Taste: Sophie the Giraffe is made of 100% natural rubber and food paint and is completely safe to chew. The soft texture and many chewable parts (ears, horns, legs) make her perfect for soothing babys sore gums during teething.

Smell: The singular scent of natural rubber from the Hevea tree makes Sophie the Giraffe very special and easy for your child to identify from all the other toys.

Touch: Touch is the first means a baby has of communicating with the outside world.

Definitely register for Sophie or buy her for your friend at the next baby shower.  Your baby can look like these celeb tots as you sip on your Starbucks…throw on some oversized sunglasses and a hat and people may just mistake you both for celebrities…

Don't forget to enter the Barefoot Designs giveaway.  Click here for details.

UPDATE: The Bopster Family

Bopter Family post update:  I just went to Target to buy a shower gift and they had the Boppy Lounger on the shelf by the nursing products.  Guess what gift I am bringing to the shower?!?!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

SALE ALERT: Semi Annual Sale at Diapers.com

We all know about my love fest with Diapers.com.  Click here to check out their MAJOR sale!  Stock up on baby items and baby gifts if you have a lot of showers coming up!

I will be hitting up the 15% off baby proofing since L will be crawling pretty soon.