little miss manners

warning: brag alert!
This post has a lot of bragging in it, but you know when your child (or you) does something that you just can't help but share, well I have to "toot" Caroline's horn, since she can't tell you herself!

Caroline has the best manners! Now I'm sure they could better, and she's not a perfect angel every second of the day, but really, for a 2 year old I'm quite impressed.

I've received a lot of compliments lately about how sweet and well-mannered Caroline is so I started to take notice myself.

Here's what she says on a regular basis, usually without being prompted.

*Please and Thank You before asking for something and then after being given the "wanted" item.

*Bless You after someone sneezes except it's "Oh, Bless you ---!" Then when you say thank you, she says "Welc"

*Excuse Me if she burps or {ahem} toots. And if Molly does this, she'll quickly say "Oh Scuse You Molly."

*Good Job! -- We were doing a puzzle together and I put a correct piece in it's place. She said "Good Job Mommy!" and gave me a thumbs up. She also says this to other kids when they go potty, which cracks me up!

*When she completes a puzzle, cleans up, makes it to the potty, etc. We will say, "Good Job Caroline!" and she follows it up with a "Thank You --- (whoever is speaking to her)" -- this is our favorite b/c its so darn cute!

*Yes, Please or No, Thank You as opposed to "uh huh" or just "no"

*We are starting with the "Mams" and "Sirs," but one thing at a time...this is a prompted reply right now.

*We usually can't start dinner without saying Grace, and if she starts, she'll say "Oh Dace!" then clasp her hands and close her eyes. When we're done, she says "Amen!!"

*I know I already said "Please," but her latest thing is to ask for something while in the car when she knows the answer is no, but when she says "Please" how can you resist! It'll go like this "Donuts please, Mommy Donuts please" as we pass DD at anytime of the day. "Ice Cream please, Mommy ice cream please" every time we pass the ice cream store which is on our way home from EVERY WHERE. Sundays on the way to church, "Chick Way please, Mommy Chick Way." "I'm sorry Caroline, they are at church, CFA is closed on Sundays." "Otay Mommy." -- uh, what a sweet child! Love her!

So anyway, just thought I'd share! I think for a 2.5yo, this is pretty good! Plus, I'm sure I'll want proof of the sweet child that once existed when her teenage years are in full effect! Ha, just kidding!...kind of.

Just hope she teaches this one these manners too! 

first kiddie cut

I'm really not sure how we managed to make it 2.5 years without every having Caroline's haircut at a kid's hair salon (other then my husband is a DIY kind of person when it comes to these things). She has had her hair cut once before, by Brad, but other then that it has been us placing her on the kitchen counter by the sink and trimming it ourselves.

I decided for school pictures though, we'd be having none of this! She needed a "real" haircut! We tried out Snipits, and while I think Pigtails and Crewcuts may have been our better option, her hair turned out cute as pie!

I am shocked that she climbed right up into the chair and just sat there. I think she saw the lollipops and figured she'd get one if she sat still! Ha! Nothing like a little bribery. She wasn't as uncomfortable as she seems in this picture though.

She kept checking herself out in the big mirror, and the lady kept saying, "Please look down..." Yeah, right. When there are cartoons on all the tv's, circus music playing in the background, and a "center" area next to her chair, she's going to look everywhere but down!

I tried to get a picture of her afterwards, but Daddy showed up (Mommy forgot her wallet at home), and it was all the lady could do to finish evening out her hair (looking all around doesn't bode well for a straight cut). But her bangs are out of her eyes, her hair is even, and I'm sure we we'll be cutting her hair over the sink for the next 6 months. I saw Daniel's eyes bulge out of his head when she told him the price followed by a few, I wouldn't pay that for MY hair cut. 

Oh men....

sunday funday!

Nothing like a little fun in the sun...especially when the weather is perfect!

Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

scarf swap!

I participated in Meredith's 3rd Annual Scarf Swap and got Haley as my partner!

I immediately knew what scarf I'd be giving away, because let's be honest....I've been wanting one myself!

I sent Haley this adorable Monogrammed Scarf from Marley Lilly. I gave her the eggplant one with ivory monogram. I can't wait to see a picture of it. Hope you love it Haley! :)

And in return, I got a super cute navy chevron scarf with gold/yellow poms! Love chevron, especially when it's navy! Now bring on the fall weather!!! (I refuse to show my face due to the mountain of a zit that is on my chin.)

Thanks so much Haley! 

september sponsor specials!

My inbox was full of great promotions and sales from my sponsors this morning, be sure to take advantage of them all!

Tea Collection is offering 15% off orders of 3 or more items for four days only --Thursday, September 22nd through Sunday, September 25th. 

Here are the sale details:
Enter Promo Code: YAYPICK3 when checking out 

Offer valid: Thursday, 9/22 through Sunday, 9/25 at 11:59 pm PT 

Minted is offering my readers two fabulous deals on Halloween and Thanksgiving cards! Enjoy 15% off any of Minted's Halloween cards with code PUMPKIN15. This promotion expires 9/30/2011

These are a couple of my favorites!

You can also receive 15% off any of the festive Thanksgiving cards with code GIVETHANKS15. This promotion also expires 9/30/2011.

Mini Boden is offering 10% off all orders PLUS free shipping and returns! 

I just bought the girls the MOST adorable outfits for our family pictures in a few weeks from Mini Boden! Their clothes are fun and funky, not some you'll see just everywhere!

There you have it, lots of great promotions going on right now, have fun shopping! :) 

school days, school days

Via Amazon

Before I forget, Minted's Mommy Cards Promotion ends Friday, after that you'll have to pay FULL price, get them now for FREE!! 25 Free Mommy Cards from Minted!

With the school year just starting, I am trying to get myself (and keep myself) organized. If you've known me for any amount of time, you know I am Type A all the way when it comes to schedules, organization, and keeping things in order. I LOVE my Erin Condren Life Planner, I love my home organization notebook, and I love my iCalendar on both my phone and computer(I can't wait for apple to lauch iCloud so everything can sync!). I have to have both written and digital calendars, just in case I forget one at home or lose one, I have it "backed up" with my other version. So you can see, my life is in order, what I'm quickly seeing that Caroline's School Life is not. There are papers, constant events, and crafts galore! But where do I put everything? I've asked friends via text, email, and twitter how they store their kids' school stuff, and everyone seems to have a different way of organizing all the memories.

I've gotten the "homemade" answer...either get an under-the-bed rubbermaid bin and write the school year on the lid with a sharpie, or get a file folder and label that, then put it in one big bin like below.

Via In Order For Life

Or here's another version of the above homemade box. Get an already assembled box with folders and then just label the box with each the child's name. You can put trophies/awards, bigger craft items and the like behind all of the folders

Via See Jane Work

There's also the large art box that I've seen in numerous stores. While I love this idea, I'm not sure how I feel about all of the boxes that will stack up, literally, which each passing school year. We don't have that much room for box after box of memories for each child. It can also get pretty pricey.

Via Exposures

Amazon has one that is for 6 school years, comes with a box (for the bigger items), folders for each year, and a book to write special events that may occur during the years. I like the idea, but I'm bad about scrapbooks/journals. Caroline's baby book is a joke, Molly doesn't even have one, and my One Line A Day Journal hasn't been written in since April. My blog serves as my scrapbook, which it in it's self is hard to keep up with as well!

And lastly, there's the digital memory "book". Take a picture of everything, load it to your computer, comprise them all together into one large book on a given date or when your child graduates. But my question is, do you just toss all of the artwork? I couldn't bring myself to do that!

So I must ask, what method do you use? This Momma is in need of some guidance! :) 

potty time!

Via Amazon

*Disclaimer: If you don't care to read about potty training, you'll probably want to skip this post! Not that this is graphic in any way.

Well, we are a little over a week into our potty training/no diapers stage of life with Caroline! I wanted to give you a little overview of what we did, what worked, what didn't, and how it's going!

I read two potty training books -- 3 Day Potty Training by Lora Jenson as well as Potty-Wise (part of the Baby-Wise series). The 3 day is intense, where the Potty-Wise is a little more "kid-friendly" if that makes sense. I read the 3 day and knew it front to back, knew when we were going to begin, but Caroline had a different plan in mind...

Caroline came home from her first day of school last Tuesday and when she woke up from her nap, she said, "No Diaper Mommy," and so it began. I asked her if she was sure, to which she said yes, then asked if she needed to sit on the potty, which she did. She went right away and I though, "Whoa, surely it's not going to be this easy." I quickly gathered towels, tons of panties, put her only in a shirt and panties and started feeding her snacks and lots of liquids. I think I panicked because this wasn't "my PT training," so because I was caught of guard I felt ill-prepared. After about 30 minutes and constant nervous pacing on my part, she yelled, "Potty!" and ran towards the bathroom. I looked at my Mom and laughed because I just felt this was way too simple. Where were all the accidents and craziness that I'd heard of? I guess I spoke too soon.

Soon after her 2 successful trips to the potty, we began having accident after accident. No sooner then would I scoop her up, run her to the bathroom, explain that she has to remember to tell Mommy, change her, give her another reminder, that she'd have another accident. I think I sent a text to my friend Erin that said, "Why is she peeing so much?" Ha! Well...I quickly realized that she's never had to hold it, so kids just go constantly throughout the day. This whole process was very tiresome and got old really quick. I mean 4p-6p isn't called "The Witching Hour" for no reason. Molly was fussy, Caroline was fussy because she was so frustrated, and I was fussy because it just seemed like pure chaos. Caroline had no idea how to remind me because she didn't know, and I felt like she wasn't getting rewarded because she wasn't being successful. We ended the night all drained and wondering how the next day would go, but I knew something had to change.

On Day 2 I decided that I needed her to learn two things: 1.We go potty in the potty and 2.We need to learn to stay dry as well. So every 15 minutes, I would ask her if she was dry. If she was, she got a reward! This helped keep things positive; rewards for staying dry and also for making a successful trip to the potty. Since the later still wasn't happening, I was still able to praise for not having accidents. Around 10am she ran to the bathroom yelling "potty," but didn't quite make it. I reminded her of everything but was so happy that she almost made it, this was progress. At 11, she finally did it! She started to have an accident, stopped herself, and finished in the bathroom -- success!! I could see at that point she was getting it. At 1230 or 1, before nap, she told me and made it to the bathroom without an accident! Yay!! From then on, it's been pretty smooth sailing. After her nap she had 5 more successful trips to the potty.

I kept her home from school on Day 3, just to make sure that she would continue to do well. My fear was her having an accident and being really embarrassed. Considering she had only met her teachers once and had never gone to the restroom outside of our house, I wanted to ensure success for her, so with the blessing from her teacher, we stayed home. No accidents on Day 3!

Day 4 came and went with no accidents, and we even ventured out to MOPS! I did put a pull up on her just in case, but it was dry. She did however sprint into the house and go...guess she held it for the 2 hours. :)

On Day 5 she FINALLY went "potty" potty. I was quite concerned with this, but I guess it just took a lot of apple juice, some fiber snacks, and Mommy leaving her with Grand Dan and Janice for the afternoon to get her to go. Since Day 5, all has been normal (in case you were worried).

She has had 2 small accidents since beginning last week, but both have been when she was outside playing in our backyard. I guess she just got to playing and not paying attention. She told us both times when it was a little too late. She will NOT "try" though, so even though I asked her to try before going to play both times, unless she really has to go, she won't.

So there you have it...sorry this has turned into a slightly longer post then I wanted. Bottom line is though, I waited until SHE was ready, not me; I rewarded for TWO things (staying dry and successful potty trips); and despite her being ready, we still had accidents, but after getting through Day 1, we were both less stressed. She does still wear diapers/pull ups at nap time and bedtime. I don't plan on changing that anytime soon. She's still in her crib, so I can't expect her to wake up, have me take her, then put her back down. No way would that work!

I hope this helps some of you who have emailed me saying there was not way you are ready...you don't have to be (I wasn't), but if they are, try it. I'd love to hear how it goes! Good Luck!

mommy cards reminder

Minted's Mommy Card Promotion is still going on, it's not too late to get your's for free!

All you have to do is visit, Minted.com, then you pick your favorite from the over 150 designs. Once you've picked the design that you love, you personalize, and order. Minted will even send you a digital print for free! All you have to do is pay for shipping, its a no brainer in my opinion. Just hurry, you only have until September 23rd!

Here's the link:

25 FREE Mommy Cards

I'd love to see the design you decide on!

make over!

Jenn over at Munchkin Land Designs helped me with my new blog design, and I think she did a fantastic job! My OCD made me a very picky customer, and I'm sure not the easiest of people to work with, but she was as sweet as pie and came up with a design that is exactly what I had in mind!

If you are thinking about re-doing your blog, twitter, etsy page, or even just want a new header, Jenn is your girl! Her prices are great, and her customer service is even better!

Thanks so much Jenn, love it!

more peas please?

We haven't quite taken to the peas like we have the squash. She's not too sure about them, can you tell by the shudder?! Babies trying baby food is always an adventure and I usually get a chuckle out of it (as well as some food raspberry-ed onto my face as well). Fun times! 

Happy Monday! 

you never let go of me

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.  ~Psalm 23:4 

We sang Matt Redman's song, You Never Let Go of Me in church today, and I think it is the perfect song for our nation today. 


Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know you are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

(Chorus:)
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me


I pray these words over all of the families of the 9/11 victims as well as the families for all of those lost fighting to keep us safe since 9/11.


We will never forget.

Cooking with Caroline

I haven't cooked/baked with Caroline since Molly was born, so I figured we were due for some home baked goodies! Publix had BOGO free brownie mixes last week, so that's what we decided on. I got the one with the chocolate frosting, because let's be real, if you're going to make some brownies, just go all out!

Caroline's new thing, regardless of activity, is always to say, "My turn, My turn!" or "Care's turn, Care's turn" {we're in the speaking in 3rd person stage}, so as I was stirring, Caroline quickly got her own spoon and needed to help me stir!

And again, because stirring with Mommy's spoon is no fun, we must stir with the smallest spoon in the kitchen.

There we go! Soooo much easier.

 She wanted to so bad, but I didn't let her because of the raw eggs. Mommy on the other hand...

When the oven timer went off to put them in, Caroline yelled, "Oh Mommy, Ready, Set, Go, Go, Go!"

And I had to try one just to see how it tasted before icing them. Don't judge.

Highly recommend the iced brownies!

Even Molly got in on the fun!

*I used boxed Duncan Hines brownie with frosting mix. I followed all directions, but substituted an applesauce cup for the oil. Less fat and cholesterol, and more spongey goodness!

1st day of preschool and more!

Tuesday was a HUGE day at our house! First, Caroline started school today! It was her first day of 2 Day - 2 Year Old Preschool, and we had NO tears from anyone, Mommy included! And secondly, which I'll get to later, we started potty training. I must be crazy!

Let's talk about school first! Caroline was so so SO excited about going to school! She was ready the second she woke up, and got quite frustrated when I told her it wasn't time just yet. Once we got there though, she walked right in, and over a child that was having a not so good morning, up to her teacher to say hello, and then blew me a kiss and waved "Bye Bye Mommy!" She received a great report when I picked her up and then a follow up phone call, letting me know what a pleasure Caroline was and how she was fabulous from the time she got to school to the second I picked her up. Talk about pulling at a Mom's heart strings....love it! I am so proud of her! So now, picture overload!

This is the face I get when I say, "Caroline, look at Mommy!"...where did she learn this? 

Of course we had to twirl in our brand new dress.

The three faces of a "Caroline Meltdown" -- too many pictures, too early in the morning, and no more playing with chalk in our new dress before school. Oy!

"Just one picture with Mommy before we leave...please!" {Please excuse the no makeup}

"All ready!" Off we go to "Care's" school!

The only good pictures I got. As you can see, there was no looking back. After stepping over the child that was not having a good morning, she was ready to "check in" by giving her picture to Mrs. Laurel to put in the classroom mailbox. I'm honestly shocked she remembered to do this, I think it was said in passing last week. Guess it's just me she doesn't listen to!

And now back to the second big event...potty training! Caroline woke up from her nap around 330p complaining of her tummy hurting, so I said do you need to go potty? She said yes, so I sat her on her potty and the potty training began. She "tee tee-ed" twice yesterday and went "poops" once. Sorry for all the potty language, but we're all adults here, right?

After her 2 successful trips, we had ALOT of accidents, I mean ALOT. One of my friends explained it to me well...she's never had to "hold it," so she has to learn, and that just takes some time. Even though we had so many accidents, we ended the night dry for an hour before going to bed, and that to me is a success!

I'm hoping for more successes tomorrow, and will then have to decide what to do for Thursday (she's supposed to go to school), and we'll be on house lock down on Friday as well. I figure now that I've started, I can't go back, unless it's all too much for her.

Wish us luck!

molly is 5 months!

Molly is:
*Wearing size 3 diapers during the day and 4 overnights at night.
*Now is size 6 month, 6-9m, 6-12m, and 9 month clothes. I've had to buy a few extra things, b/c most of the clothes I had for these sizes were long sleeve. She's DEFINITELY bigger then C.
*Her two bottom teeth are very visible now, and I believe she's getting a third now as well.
*Sleeping on her belly for 12 hours at night with 2 naps during the day (a shorter am and longer pm), sometimes a catnap of 30 minutes between 5-6pm.
*Taking 4 bottles a day, all 8-8.5oz each.
*Eating cereal with fruit in the morning before her nap and eating cereal with veggies before her catnap in the evening.

What Molly's loving these days!:
*Rolling from back to belly. I can't put her down before she's already on her tummy.
*Her feet! Yep, she's discovered them, so she's in a constant crunch, holding them for deal life.
*Licking her feet, then giggling because it tickles.
*Squash (We've tried squash, pears, applesauce, and peas - I have a video of this)
*Her big sissy! She's really started to take notice of Caroline and will laugh at her when Caroline gets in her face, which is most of the time. They have a new game where Molly sits in her exersaucer and Caroline runs around it over and over, this apparently is the funniest thing either of them has ever seen.
*The Exercauser. I think she loves that she isn't in the sitting position anymore. She has just figured out how to turn around in it and look at all of the toys on it. She especially loves the mirrors...she's so vain! ;)

What I'm loving about Molly these days {besides everything!}:
*Her belly laughs
*Her schedule! I can't say it enough, but thanks to Moms On Call, she is on a fabulous schedule and it's predictable. I can figure out my day around her eating and naps, b/c I know when they will start and end. It makes life with 2 much easier and enjoyable!
*She is so smiley! When I go in to get her from her nap or in the morning, she gives me the biggest grin, love it!
*That she LOVES her big sister, and her big sister LOVES her!
*Her rolls. It's no secret, the girl likes her food, and I am loving the little chunk that she has become.

Both girls at 5 Months!
Definite differences, but their smiles are the same!

callin' the dawgs!

In case you didn't know, we're quite excited about football season starting!

Go Dawgs!

must reads

I'm linking up with Kelly over at Kelly's Korner, to share a few of my favorite blogs with you!

This was hard because I have a TON of blogs that I love (my google reader can attest to that), but there are just a couple that I read daily and have been reading for some time now.

In ABC order, here they are!

According to Nina -- LOVE Nina! I came across her blog a few years ago. I loved her style, adorable personality, and fabulous ideas for throwing a party; from tailgate parties to christening and baby showers! She's covered it all. Then, through blogging, we became friends! She has been a huge supporter for my Willow House business and just has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever met!

Blue Eyed Bride -- Through the powers of blogging and twitter, but mainly twitter, Erin has become a really close friend of mine. I started reading Erin's blog when we lived in Greenville and I loved everything about her! We both got pregnant {her with Hudson, me with Caroline} around the same time, and I really became invested since we were going through similar things, and I really didn't know many other girls that were pregnant at that time. THEN we became pregnant with our 2nd children around the same time, and we've been texting daily every since! Ha!

Four B's in a Pod -- Betsy and I have been friends since elementary school! We cheered together in high school, then she rushed me at UGA, and also introduced me to one of my dearest friends Katie! Betsy and I now have children the same age! I really enjoy reading her very honest posts with a few pictures of her adorable boys sprinkled in there. :)

In This Wonderful Life -- I'm sure Megan is on a lot of lists. If you haven't heard Megan and Brent's story, check it out for yourself. I became an avid reader right before Baby Cohen passed away and was beyond thrilled for them when I learn they'd be having twins this summer. Megan has such a sweet spirit and huge heart, you'll love her too!

Pretty in Pink Megan -- Here's another Megan for you! Megan cracks me up with her vlogs and commentary. She's also got a great eye for fashion, I just wish I could wear half of what she blogs about.

The Norris Family -- Amy is a sorority sister of my sister in law, and also the designer of Brownie Goose {fabulous kids clothing that we LOVE in this house!}. Amy is a no holds barge, tell it how it is Momma with southern sass! Her stories about Louisa, her firecracker toddler, will have you laughing out loud!

Tutus and Tantrums -- Katie is hysterical! Katie's husband and Daniel used to work together and we just love their family. I've never met a funnier couple, everything they say makes me laugh! They also have 2 girls, just like us, and have moved around a ton, again, just like us. I wish they'd move back to Atlanta, because they are such a fun family!

Hope you enjoy reading these fabulous ladies' blogs! I've got more listed on my "Daily Reads" blog roll as well!

What are some of your favorites? I love finding new blogs to read!

a few more beach favorites!

Can you tell where I wish I were going to be for the holiday weekend?!

I found a few more "favorites" when I was looking through all the pictures again, and I couldn't resist posting just a few more shots with the slideshow at the end!

Enjoy!

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Our Little Fish who refused to get out of the water!

Yay Pool Time!

MG enjoyed the water too!

Poor Caroline was stung by a jellyfish (she still has a big red mark that wraps around her ankle).

We put mayo on it, the vinegar in it is supposed to take the sting away. We don't know if it helped or just go her mind off of it. :)

Molly enjoying a little beach time in her stroller. 

Let me know if this slideshow doesn't work...it was acting a bit wonky before.