Monday, March 23, 2015

Etsy Love: March Edition

I just
CAN'T
EVEN
handle the cuteness of this Easter basket.
 
Etsy has done it again.
 
 
When it came time to start thinking about Lara's first Easter basket, I knew exactly where to go.
 
 ETSY.
 
For the record, there are a gazillion shops featuring the most adorable Easter baskets you could ever dream of!  I had almost made up my mind and then I saw this one....
 
 
This basket can be purchased from a shop called Eugenie2. 
Click here for a direct link.
In comparison to several others I loved, this basket is one of the most affordable at only $17.95.
 
Eugenie was extremely easy to work with and unlike some other embroidery shops, the font selection & thread color selection is very straight forward.  I had my basket within 7 days of purchase!!
 
 
 
 
For me, this basket was love at first sight. 
Hopefully when Lara gets a little older, she'll love it as much as I do.
 
It's made from heavy quality polyester felt, I mean heavy quality.
I was a bit concerned about durability so I have to say, I'm very impressed.  
It holds it's shape very well!
  It even folds down for easy storage.
 
 
Until Easter rolls around, I may or may not be using it for decoration.
 

 
If you haven't picked up an Easter basket for the little in your life, click here to order this cutie!
{And yes, they make it in blue}
 
 

Friday, March 20, 2015

A note to every working mom's wing-woman...

You're more than just a daycare teacher, you know.
You care for our most prized possession, every single day.

The words thank you don't seem to do justice to how thankful I actually am, for YOU.  Every morning I wake up, I pick my daughter up out of her crib and I cling to her because I know in a few short hours she'll no longer be in my arms.  She'll be in yours.  

It's a love, hate relationship I have with you...


I slide on my pantyhose, throw on my heels, then out the door we go for yet another whirlwind day of car seat carrying, daycare drop off, office talk, conference calls, meetings, daycare pickup, baby food messes, bath time & bottles.

But when I walk in the room to drop my little girl off, you are there.
Smiling.  Full of energy.  Ready to love my daughter for those hours that I cannot.


I envy your t shirt & jeans.... 
But what I envy more is the time you get with her.

In the beginning, it was brutal.  Handing off my tiny baby to a strange woman I didn't know.
A process some would call in-humane.

I hated everything during those weeks.
I hated my pencil skirts. I hated the commute to work. I hated my job.
I hated the guilt.

But most of all, I hated you



But now, I adore you.
You're my right arm...



You're my wing-woman.  

You're there with my daughter, 5 days a week.  Loving her, comforting her, teaching her.
You allow me the opportunity to wear my badge with pride, not guilt.

Working mom.


 I've learned that that badge can carry a lot of weight.
The weight of guilt.
But you, you make the guilt a little easier to carry.


I'll never forget the day I got a call that my daughter was sick and needed to be picked up.
It was the first time I, as her mother, wasn't able to rush to her side.

My husband called me later that afternoon, and it was a call I'll never forget.
 I broke down in tears as he described the love you were showing our sick little girl.


You were rocking her ever so gently, stroking her back, comforting her as she was throwing up.
Just the way I would.

I realized in that moment that I love the love you show my daughter, in the moments when I cannot.

While it ripped my heart out to not be there with her, I knew you were.

So until I can find the words to convey the profound appreciation I have for you...
THANK YOU wing-woman, will just have to do.

(Lara's Daycare Teachers, aka, My Wing-Women)


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Bring it, Disney


And that you did.  

One of the fantastic perks of being a Mom Squad blogger for iFamilyKC is that from time to time, we get to hit up super fun, kid friendly events here in Kansas City...for free.  A couple weeks ago we were given tickets to see Disney on Ice at the Sprint Center.  

I will admit, I typically enter the Sprint Center after enjoying several a few libations at Power & Light across the street.  This go around we traded beer for cotton candy & dancing mermaids. 

And I wouldn't have it any other way.






I have to say, I'm not sure who enjoyed the show more. 
My 7 month old daughter or my 30 year old husband.


Lara goes to bed at 7:00 pm most nights, so we chose to go to the 10:00 am show on Friday morning. Surprisingly, it was quite busy!  As every Kansas Citian knows, parking downtown just sucks.  When attending any downtown events, give yourself 30-45 minutes lead time.  We arrived around 9:30 and barely had enough time to get parked and to our seats for showtime.  

There was an entire empty section near where our seats were, so about 20 minutes into the show, we decided to move over to the empty area.  I know all the moms out there can commiserate; between Lara, the diaper bag & the camera bag, we needed an entire aisle for ourselves!  


I remember going to Disney on Ice in the past, but what I didn't remember is that these ice skaters are ON POINT.

They didn't just dance around on the ice, they did lifts....





And they covered the ice with full blown, synchronized dances!





And can we talk about the special effects?
The smoke.  The lights.  The MASSIVE Ursula character.
It. 
Was.
Awesome.


I have to admit, their Ursula put my Ursula costume to shame...  

 



This Peter Pan skit was probably my favorite.  I mean, the kids literally flew across the auditorium.  You can't beat that!


From The Little Mermaid to the Lion King to Peter Pan...at seven months old, she loved it all! 

To all the families out there contemplating snatching up tickets to the next Disney on Ice show here in Kansas City...
Do it.


And thank me later.
;) 

     

Monday, March 9, 2015

My Best Friends Woodland Themed Baby Shower

One thing ya'all may not know about me is that I love throwing a good party. So when my best friend told me she was pregnant I said CONGRATS, hugged her & cried, then asked if I could host her baby shower. 

Listen, I don't like wasting time. 

We had planned to be pregnant together, but Jon and I jumped the gun a little bit. What can I say, he's just so irresistible. 

When she and her husband visited us in the hospital after we gave birth, I just knew! She had this glow about her...


She didn't confirm the big news until a week or so later when she came by to see us once we got home. It was adorable how she told me. She pulled out a bottle of champagne to celebrate and low and behold, it was alcohol free. I screamed, we hugged, we cried and then I poured a glass of wine instead because alcohol free just wouldn't cut it. She poured herself a glass of "champagne" and we toasted to the beautiful news of another baby joining the world!! My best friends baby. I have goosebumps just thinking about it!! 5 more weeks!!



This was taken right after she shared the BIG news!
She is having a little boy and his nursery is woodland themed. At first I struggled coming up with cute ideas but Pinterest pulled thru for me....as always. 

Well Pinterest and Hobby Lobby. 

The shower was hosted at an adorable local coffee shop. The room was just the right size for an intimate gathering.  We just "dolled" it up a bit.  The main thing we added was a backdrop for photos. Jon used some scrap wood from our garage to build two 8 foot stands with a curtain rod attached to hold the curtains.  
Simple as that & I really think it made the room pop.

So without further adieu, if you're ever in need for some woodland inspiration, look no further, folks. 

I have linked just about everything you see below for your convenience!


                        

(Invites from Graphically Yours Etsy Shop: Click Here)
I just ADORE how the invitations turned out!

(Wishes for Baby Cards from Little Birdie Prints Etsy Shop: Click Here)
(Little Birdie Prints Etsy Shop: Click Here)
Hali is a SUPER creative teacher & made all the beautiful banners for the room!  Thanks Hali!!

You may remember the beautiful banner she made for my shower...


(Free Printable Bookmarks from The Elli Blog: Click Here)

(Acorn Cookie Baskets:  Hobby Lobby)


(Acorn Cookies! For the super easy instructions, click here





(Cupcake Toppers: Hobby Lobby)
 

(All the Fresh Wildflowers:  Trader Joes)



Jenny's Grandmother

(Woodland Animal Cutouts (I just taped to photo frames) Crafting Crew Etsy Shop: Click Here)

(Woodland Napkins from Hobby Lobby: Click Here)
We gave away Bailey's as party favors since the shower was at a coffee shop!





(Animal Masks from Hobby Lobby: Click Here)
(Masks can also be found at Barnes & Noble: Click Here)
Because no woodland themed shower is complete without wild animal masks.     

I just have to say a HUGE thanks to all of the girls above.  Each of them helped pull of this beautiful shower for one beautiful mom to be!  From picking up fresh flowers to putting together adorable games, to making a special paper acorn banner to swinging by Target for last minute necessities, 
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
xoxo,
Anne