Knitting Zeal

On being a boy mamma

I've been thinking about how being the mom to a boy is a unique experience as to a mom to girls or to both sexes of kids.  It's funny, but I always thought of myself as a mom to girls, complete with the Lilly Pulitzer pink and green bedroom and lots of American Girl dolls.  In fact, one of the first thoughts I had when I found out I was having a boy baby was that I guess I'd be saving thousands of dollars by not having to buy any American Girl stuff.  I don't know why I assumed I'd have a girl; maybe growing up in a family of girls had something to do with it.  

Now that I have a boy, I have completely embraced the wonderfulness of it.  My son is a blast and loves to do many great things, mostly without involving bugs and worms yet.  He keeps my girly-girl side in check!  There are cetain times that I still get a little pang for the girly girl stuff, especially at Easter time when Macy's is FILLED with beautiful girly spring dresses!  I avoid Macy's kids' department at this time of year!

But just because boy clothing is not all that exciting doesn't mean we can't have fun with it!  My son has two birthday parties this weekend (one is a tea party for his two best girlfriends, but he doesn't know it yet!) and on Easter weekend we have two days worth of celebrations with family, so he needed some proper clothes for the events.  We spend the afternoon shopping today for new sneakers and an outfit.  So while I may not be buying those cute pink sparkly shoes, I can buy the cool light up when you jump sneakers that he likes.  We hit Stride Rite, as their shoes really do last.  (The cheaper shoes I buy for him never survive more than a month or two on the playground, while he has worn the same sneakers from Stride Rite for almost a year now and they are just starting to wear!) The shoes he picked out were out of stock for the size he needed, so they are ordering him his size for us to pick up later this week.  They are crazy police car shoes!  He was so happy to have them.  

We stopped at Gymboree because they still have cute clothes for boys and I had a coupon.  I love a little boy in an argyle vest or sweater, but my darling child has grown to the age where he doesn't like "those funny looking diamonds" on his clothing.  (ugh)  He did like the cute red vest with a baseball on it, so we found some coordinating pieces to make most of an outfit and added a few accessories from the Children's Place to complete the "ensemble!"  He even decided he needed a new belt to go with his outfit!  He was a great shopper, and very patient.  

He's going to look awesome in this:  And it was all on sale!  

The 263 Marketplace, and indoor shopper's village in Warminster

Last Saturday I had the chance to tour a semi-new shopping area nearby on a road I travel on at least weekly.  I still can't believe I never took the time to explore the 263 Marketplace in Warminster, but I'm glad I know about it now.  This indoor market is a cross between a farmer's market and an upscale (temperature controlled!) flea market.  If you've ever been to Rice's Market, it reminded me of a more upscale version that was indoors.  The 263 Marketplace is located in what used to be a Pathmark when I lived in Warminster many moons ago, then became Waterloo Gardens, and now a great place to spend some time on the weekend.

Only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the 263 Marketplace features about 80 vendors selling everthing from women's apparel, wine, antiques, children's books to sports memorabillia.  There are seveal choices of food vendors for a nice lunch or dinner while shopping, as well as some tasty dessert or treat options, including Chance of Sprinkles, a cute ice cream shop and Dautcher's Farm Market, selling great cookies and baked goods.  The Cupcake Fantasy by the Horsham Bakery display was beautiful! 

(and  yes, I took a photo of cupcakes!)

I had lunch from Bobby G's BBQ, that was a BBQ pulled pork sandwich and some creamy mac n cheese.  The BBQ sauce was really tasty!  I also had the chance to pick up some great cookie cutters at Ivyland Kitchen, who had these graduated star shaped cookie cutters I had been looking for in order to make cookie trees with my son for Christmas.  (They were under $4 too!!) I am amazed at the variety of vendors all in one place.  From home improvements, a locksmith who cuts keys while you wait, to jewelry, they really have all the bases covered at 263 Marketplace.  

Every Friday night they have an all you can eat pasta meal along with musical entertainment.  Sundays they offer a brunch to enjoy before shopping.  There is even a mini movie theater in the back that shows G-rated family movies twice on Sundays.  The 263 Marketplace is having an open house on December 10, 2011 at 5pm.  Participating vendors will be offering light refreshments and complimentary gift wrapping services.  It should be a great night to be introduced to this suburban Philadelphia marketplace. 

While I was there I also purchased some children's books from Lambkins, who sells Barefoot Books.  I love the books published by Barefoot Books.  They are beautifully illustrated and different than what I've seen offered in big box bookstores.  One of our favorite Barefoot Books my son received as a present is The Prince's Bedtime. I was able to pick up three books for gift giving this holiday season.  

Nichole, from Lambkins, was kind enough to set up the tour of the 263 Marketplace and the Marketplace provided lunch, which was appreciated!  I had a great time shopping at these small local businesses in my own community.  If you are in the Montco/Bucks County area, be sure to check out 263 Marketplace, located at 700 York Road (RT 263,) Warminster, PA 18974 (located across the street from Archbishop Wood HS.)

My winter hands need relief, Carmex to the rescue

Ok, it isn't exactly winter yet, but with the way the weather has been going this fall, it might as well be.  All spring and summer I don't have to worry about my hands, especially while knitting.  As soon as it gets cold out, the skin on my hands, especially my fingertips, dries out and starts to peel.  It's ugly, it hurts and it makes knitting a bit challenging since the skin catches on the yarn fibers.  It's been so bad in winters past that my fingers have bled.  I am sure the fact that I am constantly washing my hands or washing dishes contributes to the problem.  I use hand cream and lotions constantly during the cold months.  (I do use them in the summer for sun-kissed skin, but not as much.)  

As a member of the Carmex Blog Squad, I received a package of Carmex's new line of lotions and creams.  Carmex, the company famous for selling their little yellow pots of lip balm, have used their experience to create two moisturizing formulas of lotion and cream.  The Carmex skin care line has two products: Carmex Healing Lotion and Carmex Healing Cream.  Both products are advertised as having a non-greasy feel, which I have to say was accurate from my experience.  I like to apply hand lotion prior to knitting, and after, since the yarn wicks away moisture from my hands.  I cannot use greasy lotions or creams when knitting, as I don't want to stain the yarn.  I was impressed with how quickly the Carmex lotion and cream absorbed.  

Both products smell faintly of their famous lip balm cousin, as there is menthol and camphor in both for healing and soothing skin.  Each also has a very light vanilla scent added.  The lotion has Vitamin E and Aloe in it for additional soothing and healing properties.  While I liked the results of the products on my hands, the scent wasn't my favorite, although it did dissipate rather quickly.   I also liked the thickness of the cream a bit more than the lotion, as it was more concentrated and I could use less.  

The Carmex Skin Care line is available for purchase at Walgreens and CVS, as well as Walmart.  

 

Want to try out the Carmex Skin Care line yourself?  Carmex will send one of my readers the same Skin Care pack that I received.  In it you'll find 

• one 5.5oz Carmex Healing Lotion
• one 4oz Carmex Healing Cream
• one 1oz Carmex Healing Lotion
• one .75oz Carmex Healing Cream

For a chance to receive this skin care pack, leave me a comment here and tell me why you want to try this new line of skin care out!  I'll pick a winning comment using Random.org on November 21, 2011 after 10:00pm EST. The winner will be notified by email, so be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the chosen one.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email, otherwise the prize is forfeited. Contest open to US addresses only.  

 

Disclosure:  As part of the Carmex Blog Squad, I received complimentary products for the purposes of this review.  No monetary compensation was received.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

I love the toys that Melissa and Doug offer and we have many of them already!  We have plenty of food for my son's kitchen from the Melissa and Doug toy line. I am currently debating purchasing the tool bench they have for my son for Christmas.  He keeps asking for one and I know that the one by Melissa and Doug will hold up through rough play.  Take advantage of this great offer to vote for a favorite toy and get a savings on a holiday order!  

 

 

Disclosure: For sharing this Poll and discount coupon, along with my love of their toys, I am eligible for a discount coupon good on a future purchase at MelissaAndDoug.com.

Only children can have hand-me-down clothing too

In this crazy economic times we live in currently, and being a single income family, we are creative in how we save money.  We have an only child, which means there are no hand-me-down clothes from older siblings and the cousins are all too close in age/size to share.  We are really lucky to have a close friend who shares his hand-me-downs with us.  Only 18 months apart, the two boys are best buddies and have a blast together.  How lucky for us that once our buddy is done with his clothing my little guy gets to wear them!  Some of them are even hand me downs from another cousin, so the clothes make for perfect play and school clothes, since they are well broken in!

It's nice to mix the old with the new.  Some of the jeans we have inherited are great because they are softer than new jeans from the repeated washings.  They work great with new tees or sweaters.  We also have received snow boots, snow pants, snow suits and great coats, items that are not worn out at all!  When we are done with them, the things we cannot pass on to others I either donate or sell at consignment, along with the items I have purchased.  It's a great way to recycle clothing and to save money!

How do you save money when it comes to kids' clothing?

 

Slippers for little boys

Do you have a favorite pair of slippers?  I buy a new pair of fake-ugg style clog slippers from Target.  They are lined with pretend fleece, are cheap, and very warm and comfy.  I wear them out by the end of winter, hence why I have to buy a new pair each season.  Someday I'll splurge on something real that won't wear as fast, but for now my cheap slippers work great.  

My son has cold feet constantly.  He thinks it's funny to touch me with his ice cube feet first thing in the morning.  I so don't appreciate it!  Finding slippers for him is hard, for some reason.  I refuse to pay a lot for slippers that he will grow out of quickly.  He's had slippers from Target and the Disney store, but the sizing always seems off and they end up not fitting him for long. I also am opposed to buying some character slippers that places insist on selling for little boys.  My kid isn't into violent tv or inappropriate sponge characters!  I finally found a great pair of slippers for him on the overstocks page at Lands End over the summer and thankfully they still fit now that it is cold enough in the morning to wear them.  The little guy loves them and they are great because they are not slippery when he runs through the house in them.  They are also easy to put on for him, so he feels a bit of independence with them.  Plus, aren't they the cutest?! 

Creative play: Design & Drill toy for imaginative fun

As a parent who also is a therapist and a student of child development, I am careful about the choices I make regarding the toys my son has in his toy box.  Since he was born, I've tried to avoid some of the toys that seem popular, but lack imagination regarding play.  I realize that at some point he will begin to request specific, branded toys, but until then, I am able to fill his world with educational opportunities.  When looking for a new toy to buy for him for his birthday, I look for something that will utilize his creativity, involve physical activity, and/or use imagination. 

Imaginative play is an educational opportunity in disguise!

Recently I discovered an online toy retailer that sells the type of toys I like to buy for my son.  When imaginetoys.com was seeking reviewers for their products, I jumped at the opportunity! They sent me the Design & Drill toy for my son to play with and for me to review.  To say my son enjoyed this toy would be putting it very mildly.  This is a boy who likes to turn chairs upside down and pretend to fix them with his "tools." 

The Design & Drill is made by Educational Insights and is recommended for ages three and up or grades Pre-K+.  My son is about seven weeks shy of his fourth birthday and was able to play with this toy as recommended.  The Design & Drill contains a battery operated reversible drill, three drill bits, a wrench, a plastic screwdriver handle, a plastic activity board, 120 plastic bolts in a zipper bag, 20 activity cards, and a guide booklet all stored inside a recloseable box, which makes storage easy for all those parts.  The plastic, battery powered drill uses three AA batteries, which are not included. The batteries are easy to install with the use of Phillips head screwdriver, although I had to really push the battery door shut before replacing the screw. The three drill bits are easy to push into the drill and remove, even by my three year old.  The plastic screwdriver handle can also hold the same drill bits, so that two children (or parent and child, in our case) can play at the same time.   The colorful plastic bolts can be screwed into the white plastic activity board using the drill, the screwdriver, the wrench or even by hand.  The reversible drill makes removing the bolts very easy and helps with a fast clean-up.  My son was able to drill in the bolts and remove them using each tool, which he seemed to really enjoy.  The drill has three power positions: forward, off and reverse.  My son picked up on how to use the drill after just one use.  The three drill bits included all fit into the bolts, so it doesn't matter which one is used, the child will succeed.  

The Design & Drill includes 20 activity cards that have bolt/color patterns on them for a child to match.  The guide included suggests helping your child develop a strategy for matching the cards to the activity board.  For the card we worked on, I asked my son to count how many of each color we needed for the bolts.  I then counted out the colored bolts into separate piles to make it easy for him to complete the pattern.  My son reversed the pattern, but still understood that he needed to make rows of colors to match the pattern.  This activity was on par with other activities he likes to do with matching, as it is developmentally appropriate at his age to make connections or matches with concepts.  The activity card pack also included blanks for a parent or child to make up their own patterns.  

As my son matures, I anticipate that he will be able to complete more intricate patterns with the colored bolts and even create his own patterns.  At this time, he enjoys using the drill and screwdriver to pretend to "fix" the activity board (which is not a board to him, but often becomes something else to him, such as a control panel!)  He was able to do the more simple matching patterns too. 

This is a great toy that utilizes several skills: matching, counting, hand-eye coordination, and imagination. My son loved playing with this toy.  It would make a great gift for kids over age three.  As a parent, I like that the toy can be stored all together in the original box with the bolts contained in their own recloseable bag.  Clean up was easy too.  Both my son and I highly recommend this toy! The Design & Drill toy is now available as a take-along tool kit, which makes travel to relative's houses or vacation a breeze!

 

Disclosure:  Imagingetoys.com provided me with a complimentary toy for the purposes of this review.  No monetary compensation was received.  The opinions and experiences described here are honest. The photographs are property of this author.

My top ten holiday survival tips as a busy mom

1. Shop early, shop often!  I shop year round for my family and friends.  It is a great strategy for shopping for toys and books, especially.  I keep plastic tote containers in my basement and use them to store my gifts.  When I find a great sale price or something on clearance, I buy it then.  I’ve learned that waiting for lower prices doesn’t always work. 
2. Use a chart, list, or spreadsheet to keep track of purchases and gift lists.  I found over the years with my year round shopping that I’d forget what I bought, so now I use an excel spreadsheet to keep track of my purchases.  On it I also have a column for gift ideas to buy.  I update it every time I bring home more gifts.
3. I purchase holiday outfits on clearance after the holidays, usually in January.  Last January I found my son’s Christmas outfit for this holiday on clearance for 75% off.  I got a three piece outfit for $6 and Christmas jammies for $3 from Sears and stashed them in the back of his closet.  At this time, his size is still predictable, so this works for us now. 
4. Shop online!  I find great deals online for items that I know I specifically want.  I use Retailmenot.com to find online coupons or codes for free shipping.  I peruse the catalogs sent here for coupon codes too and keep a list of them from the retailers I use frequently.
5. I keep a running shopping cart on Amazon and other online retailers that have free shipping minimums.  That way I am not placing small orders and paying shipping when I am sure to order more again soon.  Once my cart reaches the free shipping threshold, I order.
6. I start trying to get a good snapshot of my son early in the year, usually starting in the summer, so that I have a few choices for the holiday cards.  Since having a child, I love sending photo cards for the holidays instead of traditional cards.  I've used Tiny Prints before for stationary and now in checking out their cute holiday cards I found a style I really like!  Info about the company: 

   Tiny Prints provides stylish, modern and unique stationery from photo cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you cards and business cards. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side the Holidays will be a cinch! They offer adorable Thanksgiving Cards, Christmas Cards, Hanukkah Cards, and even New Years Cards. All fully customizable and personalizable.

7. With photo cards, I don’t have to spend time signing cards, since greetings and names are printed right on the cards for me.  I know it’s impersonal, but some things have to go when there is a time crunch.  I also use printed mailing/address labels that I create on my computer using Avery labels.  It really saves time when addressing cards.
8. Plan holiday baking and schedule it.  I use my planner to decide when I’m going to bake in the month and what kind of cookies I am making.  Then I assemble my shopping list and make sure I have all my baking supplies on hand. 
9. Wrap gifts throughout the month of December.  Ideally, I would wrap the gifts when I buy them, but that never happens, so I try to spread the wrapping out so that I’m not spending last minute late nights trying to get it all done.
10. Simplify as much as possible.  We stopped exchanging gifts with many of our family members and friends because we found we were all giving each other the same thing…candles and gift cards!  Instead, we focus on the kids and the time we spend together.  I also like to give small homemade gifts, such as cookies or chocolate pretzels as a little gift. 

And of course, at some point I recognize my limits and accept that not everything has to get done!  

Happy Holidays!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tiny Prints blogging program, making me eligible to get a $75 Tiny Prints gift certificate! For more information on how you can participate, click here.      

 

Consignment sales

Since having my son I've accumulated more items of baby stuff than I'd ever imagine existed.  Since we are only having one child, we do not need to hang on to anything, except for the few hand knitted items and really cute and sentimental clothing.  I've passed on some stuff, but have run out of kids to give things to since his cousins are in a different size than him.  With the amassing piles of clothing and baby goods burying us alive, I found a way to pass on most of the stuff and make a few bucks: the consignment sale.

It cracks me up to see baby gift registries these days, since I now realize that 80% of the baby stuff is unnecessary.  I have sold off his swing, bassinet, jumperoo, bouncey seat, bumbo seat, boots, shoes, swimsuits, coats, etc. at a twice yearly consignment sale near me.  It is happening this week again and I've volunteered to work at it too this time so I got to shop first at the volunteer sale night.  I managed to find a few clothing items that made up a cute outfit and a pair of fleece pjs that even still had the tags on it.  I also found some books and baggies of little things: cars, animals and santa figures for his little people set.  The baggies of toys were only a buck each!   This little blue vest with digger trucks on it might be my favorite find this year.  My son loves diggers at the moment, so it fits in with his theme.  When I put it with the GAP sweater and jeans I bought I thought it actually looked good together.

It does surprise me at what people (other consignors) think is "sale-able condition."  Many of the shirts and pants in my son's size were really wash-worn and to me, not worth selling or buying.  To top the condition, prices, which are set by the consignor, were off the chart.  A faded, pilling long sleeve Tee shirt for $5 just because it has an iron on of Thomas the train?  I also discovered that I set my prices for my items on the low end...that may work out for me if it all sells!  The stuff that doesn't sell I usually take to our local goodwill store as a donation.

I'm looking forward to volunteering tonight at the sale!  If you are local, check it out!

The toy store

We had to visit our local big box toy store today to pick up a birthday gift for my awesome nephew you is turning six (!) and loves Toy Story.  My monkey boy LOVES going to the toy store because he thinks it is a play land.  They sell big cars that he can ride on...his favorite is the Cadillac Escalade that has a working radio.  He climbs into it every time we go there, which is often a rainy day activity or something we do when we shop at one of the other stores in the shopping center.  Today he decided that the Escalade, which he calls his Jeep, is old now and needs to be cleaned.  He can't drive it because the speakers are old, he tells me.  Instead, he found this little vehicle, and declared it his new favorite, next to the Lightning McQueen car.  (Notice that the Escalade is behind him.)This car is almost half the cost of the Escalade, which assembled retails for around $400.  Yep, $400!  Needless to say, my monkey will only be enjoying these cars on the "lot" since that is way over my budget!

My son is obsessed with vehicles currently and I've decided it must be a genetic thing.  I wonder if any scientists ever studied the DNA link between boys and things with wheels.  We have amassed a small collection of "hot wheels/matchbox" style cars that he loves to play with along with trucks and diggers.  He requested that we have a "digger" party for him when he turns three in a month.  It should be quite a party!