Blog Party {How Does Your Nursery Roll?} Week 6 : From Baby to Big Girl

Kelley — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:06:09 +0000

I am so excited to be a part of Simply Baby Furniture’s Blog Party learning all about some other fab blogger’s and their nurseries! This week, I’m excited (although a bit embarrassed) to show you Miss Lavery’s nursery. I’ll confess, it’s a total mess! We moved into our new house right before Christmas and since Lavery is turning 2 in July, we are in the process of transitioning her from her baby nursery to her big girl room. Without further ado.. meet Lavery’s humble abode!

Let me first start by saying, I did not choose this color. The walls in her room were painted this already in our new house and we decided to keep it while we decide what to go with for her big girl room. Her old nursery walls were a pale pink and the bedding and decor matched with a light pink and white toile. Her nursery right now is completely “mixy matchy” in every way!

I love the large white letters hanging on her wall and I wanted a more “clean” look as opposed to the hanging letter with ribbon we see a lot of. Even though we can convert her white sleigh style crib, we are planning to move her up to a big girl bed sometime in the next few months instead of keeping this. Her windows are also “curtain-less” right now since we are in transition too.

I knew I was having a girl and had my hear set on white furniture. I found a great Bassett Furniture sleigh style crib I fell in love with so went with this then added the rest of the pieces from there.

Her changing table was a DIY project. I found a wooden changing table at a yard sale when I was pregnant for cheap. I repainted it to match the white decor in her room then took a black and white damask fabric to lay down on the shelves to pair with baskets and use as storage. Right now, it still stays that way until we make the switch. I did the same with an end table used next to the glider/ottoman that has since been taken out of her room.

I’m still using the pink toile decor from her baby nursery right now. I still love it (even though I’m not so sold on that with the green walls.) I do love pink and green together and think I will keep those colors when redecorating, but maybe add in some chevron since I’m so into it right now and I think it will give her room some “big girl flair!” What do you think?

The two favorite parts of her room right now and I hope to keep incorporated into her room when it’s completed are these pieces of art work. Her name was designed by my friend, Sarah Masci : A Drop of Golden Sun when I was pregnant and I still love it! I think the colors still go well with the green walls and while it hung on her door in her old nursery, it’s hanging on the wall in her room now.

She also has this Cinderella quote I bought over Christmas at Blacklion in Charlotte hanging up that I absolutely love and sticks with the whole pink and green theme I’m thinking we’ll run with.

All in all, right now her nursery is nothing short of a mis-matched mess, BUT I think I’ll be able to work with a lot of what we’ve already got and incorporate into her new, big girl paradise – coming soon!

I would love it if you would join me on Facebook & Twitter too! Watch for an update on what her big girl room turns out like!

Don’t forget to check out these other great blogger’s who have been sharing their nurseries each week too!

Fears of The World Wide Web : Why Facebook Needs To Let Us Be More Private

Kelley — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:43:31 +0000

I had a scare today. Like, seriously something that fortunately wasn’t a HUGE deal, but a freaky wake up call nonetheless; and something that is making me WAY more aware of my world on the Internet and why I’m cracking down on my kids privacy on the blog too.

When I got a notification that some guy liked a picture on my blog’s Facebook page, my first instinct was – AWESOME! Hey! I got a “like!” Liking pictures is a good way to show your support for pages and your friends. My excitement quickly changed when I saw some random guy I didn’t know not only liked an ultrasound photo of little miss when I was pregnant (from 2 years ago I might add) and a Christmas photos of both littles from 2 Christmases ago. I quickly put my mama bear defensive glasses on and got curious. What I found :

I didn’t know this guy at all.
Not only did he “like” my blog’s page, but several of my friends photography businesses, mommy blogger fan pages, and even the 3D ultrasound business who performed the u/s he liked among HUNDREDS of other mom blogger and other parenting sites.
This guy showed no signs on his page of being a parent himself and even looks a little creepy in his picture.
ALL of his wall is filled with photos he’s sharing of other young kids with captions such as “She is so beautiful” or “I love his smile” and even “Amusing photo!” on pictures of young children potty training (linking back to mommy blogger potty training posts), and even in the bathtub.

What did I do? I immediately banned him from my fan page and got to work contacting every single mom blogger shown on his likes and on his wall along with photographers. I still haven’t gone through all of them yet, but a good amount and have gotten responses from all of them thanking me, saying they’re reporting him, and talking about how scary it is. Not only did I ban him from my page, but I reported him to Facebook too and opted out of blocking him so I could keep an eye on his Facebook profile to be sure my kids don’t show up there. It took everything out of me to not just deactivate my personal FB account and business pages instantly out of pure fear when I first saw this.

I realize there might not be anything Facebook can do, but I’m hoping that if enough people report him, it can prevent him from taking this any further. There are a million things that have gone through my head today, “What if this guy was local and watching our kids?” “What if he had posted pictures of my kids on his wall, what could I do then?” I know Facebook and the Internet in general is a scary world and I firmly believe, if you put something out there, you are handing it to whoever wants to take it, BUT I think Facebook needs to make setting and maintaining privacy settings easier.

I have worked to prevent scary situations like this. As a blogger, I will say you will start seeing less pictures of my kids on here and more private in that sense, but when it comes to photos, I do keep that all private and I only post what I would be okay with getting out if it were to happen. These are my babies. I want to protect them and keep them as close as I possibly again and away from scary eyes. I keep my Instagram and Facebook private and hardly ever post pictures of them on Twitter, because that is public for social media purposes.

Facebook makes that SO HARD TO DO. I can’t count how many times I have had to go back in and reset all of my settings, because they did an update and everything wasn’t private anymore. It’s not even possible to keep newly updated profile pictures or cover photos from being clicked on. Even though my photos are all set to “Friends Only,” people who aren’t my friends can still click and scroll through all of my cover photos.

What if I DO want to share pictures with friends and tag them? Then ALL of their friends who I might not even know can see them, comment, share, like. What I want to know is, WHY!? Doesn’t our privacy and opportunity to control who sees OUR content count for anything? I would rather pay for a service such as Facebook than have lack of control over my life on it.

Facebook isn’t everything. Facebook isn’t meant to be a scary place. I keep my Facebook to stay in contact and share my life with people near and far who I KNOW and care about. We don’t have the luxury of living a drive away from our family. Facebook is the best way for us to all stay in contact and to allow our family and friends to watch our babies grow up and be a part of that.

Why is it so difficult to protect ourselves from creepy people like this guy? And why is it so difficult to get Facebook to contact you back about such a creepy profile? Maybe he isn’t breaking any laws, but anyone who has seen his profile agrees… this is wrong and it’s unfair as a parent we have to be terrified of people like this.

HOW TO BLOCK/BAN SOMEONE ON FACEBOOK

To block a person (this means you won’t see them showing up anywhere on Facebook and vice versa.) You won’t be able to send or receive messages from the person, look at their profile, nothing. To do this, just click their profile and click on the little star symbol to the top right. Click block/report and then choose your option.
To ban a person from a fan page. This can get a little tricky if you have a lot of fans (luckily for me, this guy had JUST liked my page so he was on top) You have to click to see all of your likes. Click “Show” in the top right corner of your page. Then the box in the bottom left where it says “Get More Likes”, click “See Likes.” Scroll until you see the person you want to ban and click the “x” next to their name and click to Ban Permanently.

So Facebook…. I want to know WHY. Why do you make scary people so easy to get into our lives? Why is control so hard for us to have over own lives on social media?

Potty Training My 22 Month Old // Day 1 {A Potty Princess}

Kelley — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:03:41 +0000

So today marked Day 1 of potty training and I went ALL IN. I was scared, stressed, and highly anticipating something far different than we have come across. We had a little big of pee, a little bit of poop, and a little bit of fun! Little Miss pranced around in her big girl undies, crown, purse & all! We have a potty princess on our hands!

If you follow me on Facebook, you saw the picture I posted after taking Little Miss shopping for her new big girl undies! She loved picking out the princesses and we were bot eager to get started!

First, I’ll start by saying. I suck at potty training. Like, literally… LC wasn’t potty trained until after he was 3. We tried at a younger age like Lavery is at now, but it just wasn’t happening an we waited. Once we did go into it after 3, it only took two days and I was good with that! I totally thought, even though Lavery is so young I would seriously put her in big girl undies and she would magically be potty trained. Boy was I wrong….

We started out the day in her big girl undies and within 10 seconds of putting those on, I was mopping up the floor (Thank goodness for hardwood floors throughout my ENTIRE downstairs!) A little while later after saying ”Tell mommy if you have to go potty” about 1,000 times… still on the floor. Poop in her pants, pee on the floor. It just wasn’t happening. But, I am so determined to be done with diapers I didn’t get discouraged and I kept with it. After sitting her on the potty with nothing before her nap, I put her down to sleep. When she woke, she was dry! This is a good sign!

I put her right on the potty and guess what!? I stepped out of the bathroom for a second to hear her saying “Yucky! Yucky!” to go in and SHE’S PEEING! Yes, yes, yes!! I cheered so loud, I jumped up and down, we fived! She was proud, I was proud, it was a peeing party.. IN THE POTTY!!! YES!!

This is her proud little face right after.. I was proud, she was proud, we were all proud! Mommy, daddy, and big brother all praised her and praised her over and over, everyone was excited!

This has GOT to be a sign that I’m not wasting my time right? Potty training at 22 months has to have the opportunity to be successful and we are on that path, right!? Give me your words of encouragement, because I’m SO EXCITED and seriously hope this is the beginning of lots of pee pee and poo poo on the potty in our house!!!!

Stay tuned for more updates and see how the rest of our process goes! Maybe I’ll be able to call myself a potty training pro and give you all tips!? I can hope, right?

Spring Blog Party {How Does Your Nursery Roll?} Week 3

Kelley — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:28:03 +0000

You may have read my post last week announcing the Spring Blog Party with Simply Baby Furniture and some other fab bloggers. Each week, we’ll be bringing you something new each week on decorating your nursery.

This week, check out ScrappyLoveBlog’s post on their mixy AND matchy twin nursery!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Style Contributer’s and give them a shout!

Stick it, Tag it, Find it {Kiddotags Review}

Kelley — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:29:29 +0000

So, I will be the first to admit I am always learning as a mom. Last year, when LC first started going to preschool I never thought about labeling all of his stuff. I never even considered writing his name on the tag of his coat, on his sippy cup, or his lunch box. Why wouldn’t the teacher’s know he was the kid with the blue Patriots fleece and lunch box with a “C” embroidered on the front?

It wasn’t until he started coming home with masking tape on his cups with his name written on them or in black permanent marker on the bottom that I realized I should probably be labeling my kids stuff. Once I realized this, it was a matter of actually doing it and keeping up with it for every new cup, snack trap, or coat that I had to keep up with.

Enter Kiddotags into my life.

I feel like such a dork, because the day our Kiddotags arrived, I could barely contain my excitement to slap these adorable sticky labels all over my kids cups, bowls, food pouches – you name it! We got a value pack with labels in different shapes and sizes to fit on sippy cup tops, bottoms, sides, all the way around so we would have no more missing lids or cups!

We also got clothing tags, which are not only practical, but adorable! I love that they are so easy to use – they just iron on and Kiddotag’s says they’re also easy to remove for when your little ones grow out of their clothes so the name isn’t left on there when it’s time to donate or re-sell. I even read they can stick onto glass, so since I chose the cute crab design, I might just use them as part of the decor for Lavery’s “under the sea” birthday party coming up too!

The awesome news? No more black permanent marker coming home on cups!

I also think I’m completely in love with these super adorable AND practical Social Kiddo “business cards.” How many times have you been to the park and met a mom with children playing so well, you want to plan another playdate!? Social Kiddos lets you carry around your kids names and all of your info to just hand right over if you need to! We like to be out and about, and my kids get their socialization skills from their mama, so these are a perfect cute, practical, and fun accessory to keep on hand while out and about! Need to give someone your phone number or email? Hand them a Social Kiddos card and you’re good to go! Anyone who know me, knows it’s only natural my children would walk around with their business cards

Can I just tell you… even if these (dishwasher safe I might add!) tags weren’t so practical, I would still want to use them, because they’re so darn cute! And super easy to apply, all you have to do is make sure the surface is clean and dry and stick it right on – easy peasy! You just want to make sure you’re sticking onto a smooth surface.

In love with the cuteness and practicality of Kiddotags too!? They’re perfect for my need to reuse and keep things organized and NOT lost for once! What would you use them for? Check out Kiddotags on Facebook and Twitter to watch for deals, usage ideas, and more!

Monsters University Trailer Now Available!! #MonstersU

Kelley — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:31:35 +0000

I’m SO excited for this movie to hit theaters in June, I had to share!

Check out Monsters University on Facebook to connect with more details & teasers!

Spring Blog Party {How Does Your Nursery Roll?} Week 2

Kelley — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:28:53 +0000

I am so excited to be a style contributor for Simply Baby’s blog and I’m especially excited to be joining my fellow style contributors for a fun blog party every week! I hope you’ll join us this week as the blog party embarks on its second week and check out Tiffany Leigh of Tiffany Leigh Interior Design who’s featured today!

I would also love it if you would check out my fellow style contributor’s – I know you’ll love them!

Spring Fashion with Stride Rite & Zoe Girl Designs

Kelley — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:29:14 +0000

Having a daughter means many things. One of my favorites? Fashion. I love dressing up Lavery probably just as much (if not more) than she loves to get all dolled up too. I love to pick out adorable outfits with accessories to the nines and watching her prance around so proud.

Among one of her favorite accessories? Shoes. Ever since she was a baby, she has loved shoes and she stands at the shoe closet banging on the door until you open for her to take her pick. Lately, her first choice are these adorable pink pom pom shoes from Stride Rite. Aren’t they adorable?

I love the girliness of these shoes and Lavery does too. We’re having so much fun pairing these with the endless selection of dresses, shorts, leggings, and skirts in her closet! The part mom loves? Stride Rite is a trusted brand making their shoes with good quality, so no worrying about them getting ruined after a few spills outside.

Even though I have one serious girly girl with a love for fashion on my hands, she’s one tough cookie and she likes to keep up with her big brother. The durability of these shoes gives her both the fashion and the strength an active toddler needs. I can’t tell you how many pairs of shoes we have gone through between both kids and anytime we make the investment on Stride Rite, it’s worth every penny.

Now that we’ve got THE shoes, what about the clothing and accessories?

I had the opportunity to work with the fabulous Zoe Girl Designs at an event last weekend and she graciously gave us the adorable chevron skirt seen in the photos. I first recognized Zoe Girl Designs, because her adorable boutique clothing is on sale at The Boulevard at South End and as soon as I spotted the chevron toddler fashion, I was hooked! I was so thrilled when she contacted me to participate in The Great Cloth Diaper Change last weekend and even more excited when she offered up one of her especially cute creations for my princess to sport at the event!

Lavery’s Zoe Girl Designs skirt plus Stride Rite shoes are polished off with an adorable headband purchased from The Boulevard at South End! I think I have a little fashionista on my hands, don’t you? Move over Gisele, there’s a new girl in town! I think she’s got what it takes to start a fashion blog, Toddler Fashionista.. whatcha think!?

Thank you so much to my lovely partner Dana of Baby Elan {Daily} for introducing us to these adorable Stride Rite shoes and Zoe Girl Designs for our fabulous skirt. Good news – they’re both Lavery approved!

Forever’s Like a Dream Sample Disclosure: The opinions expressed above are honest, accurate, and not encouraged anyway by monetary donations. A skirt and pair of shoes free of charge were received from said company, as stated within the editorial.

Celebrate Earth Day Everyday with a Lorax Nursery

Kelley — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:06:36 +0000

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” -The Lorax

Did you plant a tree this past weekend in celebration of Earth Day? If so, The Lorax applauds you. After all, he does speak for the trees! Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is one of my favorite family movies. At the risk of my mothering skills being judged, I’ll admit that my three kids practically have the whole movie memorized. The storyline, witty one-liners and voices by Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Betty White and Danny Devito make The Lorax equally enjoyable for children and adults alike.

After watching The Lorax for the 20^th time and seeing all the celebrations of Earth Day, I nostalgically wished I could’ve created an eco-friendly nursery theme featuring The Lorax. Who wouldn’t love all the vibrant colors, funny characters and beautiful Truffula trees? Most importantly, the message from the movie is something I want to engrain in my children, because saving our environment is our future. I know I had a hard time thinking of the perfect nursery theme for my kids, which is why I’d like to share my nursery design ideas for all the newbie parents out there. From my thoughts to you…

Fantastic Design Ideas

Thanks to a combination of The Lorax branded products and DIY tricks, you can make baby’s room earth-friendly while reflecting your own personality at a reasonable price. Here are some creative ideas to turn your nursery into a slice of paradise in the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss.

3 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Everyday with a Lorax Nursery:

1. Paint- Select your favorite solid color to use on your nursery’s accent walls. On the main wall, create your own DIY mural of The Lorax’s truffula trees by projecting them on the wall, tracing and painting with your own creative flair.

2. Wall Art and Accessories-

On the accent walls, you can showcase The Lorax branded products likethis Trend Lab Wall Clock with the movie quote, “Save the Trees for me” or this “I speak for the trees.” Trend Lab Frame Set. You can also look for wall decals that are an easy way to spruce up your walls without taking a gamble of your artistic abilities. Create a lively scene and watch your nursery walls come to life!

3. Eco-friendly Baby Furniture : There are many nursery furniture products that use resources that are from eco-friendly sustainable forests and use non-toxic paint and finishes. That would be the ultimate tribute to The Lorax, right? If the Onceler could of replanted the trees while others were harvested, it would be a sustainable environment and would not turn into an artificial jungle like Sneedville. It’s great eco-friendly practice and a valuable lesson to teach the kiddies.

4. Be resourceful- You don’t have to spend a fortune to decorate nursery shelves, bookcases and night stands. Some great resources are often little to no expense. For example, you can frame this free Lorax themed printable…

…frame your own Truffula tree art with pom poms and twine

Babble.com

With a nursery theme like The Lorax, the options are limitless! The key is to get creative, have fun and be yourself. Not only will you be gifting your precious child a world of color to stimulate the mind from the very beginning, but you’ll also be instilling, at an early age, the importance of being a good steward of what’s been entrusted to you, including the earth. Happy decorating. Don’t forget- someone like you really can care a whole awful lot and things just might get better….

Author bio

Hey Yall! My name is Hannah and I’m a Southern girl that loves sweet tea, flip flops, the ocean and road trips. As a social maven and work-at-home mom of 3, including toddler multiples, I am living out my Faith while trying to balance babies, budget, beauty, blogging, bookoos of laundry, and Bible Study. I am truly blessed by a great support network of family and friends.

Stormy Surrender by Nicole Andrews Moore #Giveaway

Kelley — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:00:33 +0000

When I first met Nicole Andrews Moore, I knew her as a mom. I knew her as a mom expecting her sweet bundle and then I knew her as a fighter; someone to admire. Now, I know her as an author and I have loved the opportunity to check out of her newest book, Stormy Surrender.

Sometimes the life you planned isn’t the one you get to live. Sometimes the pain of the past overshadows the future. And sometimes to start over you have to go back to where it all began. That’s how it was for Joe Masters. That’s how he ended up back in New Hope. And that’s why he was in his thirties and had nothing to show for his life. He needed a complete overhaul, just like his father’s old house. Instead of a fast track, he had slowed down and was on a ten year plan. These days that was more his speed. And as much as he tried to fight the inevitable, he was learning to accept and surrender.

Martha had weathered her fair share of storms in Vermont, was accustomed to the cold, both the chill in the air and the cold shoulder in her marriage, but after the miscarriage she felt like she would never get warm again. So she did the research from the laptop while sitting in front of the fireplace. She knew what she needed when she Googled hope, she just never imagined that it would bring her to New Hope, South Carolina. She never imagined that her husband would trick her into leaving and never follow. She never imagined that a southern storm with all its force and fury could be so destructive. But after the storm, the land is washed clean. It’s perfect for a fresh start, a clean slate, and a new love.

I really love to read. Even though you can more normally find me behind a celebrity gossip magazine, I love a good book. When I first starting reading Stormy Surrender, I was sucked in. It was especially cool for me, because I knew the author and they talked about Charlotte and the South.

Martha craved a new beginning. She craved finding herself in a new area. This is something I can even personally relate to moving from New England to Charlotte to start my life with my now husband. It’s always fun to read something you can relate to and reading about Martha and her journey of disappointments, new beginnings, and new love was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Being a sucker for Nicholas Sparks and romance novels, I would put Nicole’s Stormy Surrender to that same category. I love a light, fun read with romance, chaos, and real life moments in between. Stormy Surrender has me eager to read more from the lovely and talented Nicole Andrews Moore!

What’s really awesome? You can enter the giveaway below to win one of FIVE prizes!

Custom Jewelry Set (similar to what is described in the book)
THREE signed copies of Stormy Surrender
$10 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A little bit about Nicole :

Nicki has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina with her children for the past eleven years and her husband for the past three years. Her journey has barely begun and she loves every minute of it. Every day of her life seems to bring new adventures, some bigger, better, shinier and prettier than others. She’s still getting used to that new life smell she’s experiencing, a combination of hope, love, and happiness. (The perfect scents to build a new life on…)

For fun, she spends time with those she cares about, cooks, reads, writes, and especially lives to travel. The current travel goal: visit every Margaritaville. Two down! (Eleven to go?)

In addition to writing on Suddenly Single Journey, Nicki is a contributor for Project Underblog. Her writing can also be found on Shine, where she is a Shine Parenting Guru and an award winning Yahoo! Contributor on YourWisdom as the relationship and dating expert. And she has been published by McClatchy News in their syndicated papers.

Find Nicole on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and her website here.

Stormy Surrender can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.