1.26.2011

While I'm Away...

The road to a lousy blog is paved in good intentions to keep it updated daily and plan ahead for a trip by scheduling a bunch of posts to run while you're away... and then NOT doing any of those things.

Sorry about my lousy blog but I'm off to St. Thomas for a few days of daiquiris recuperation (with a totally Nothing New wardrobe which I'll try to take pictures of so I can show you next week how darn thrifty I got at Buffalo Exchange). My great disappointment is no un-new shoes *sigh* and I forgot to stop eating and do 10,000 situps this week *sigh sigh*.

Talk to you guys real soon. Probably about my itchy sunburn (that's usually how these things end).

xo,
Lindsey

Wordless... Every Day Is The Best Day; Every Day Is The Worst Day

I stole that title line from my friend Kate's insanely insightful 6 year old. She came up with that sentence on her own for a story she was writing/illustrating. Her name is Zora and someday we all will probably work for her :) So here was the highlight and lowlight of my day Wordless-style (happened already and it's 8:30 am)...

Highlight...

Lowlight...

xo,
Lindsey

1.24.2011

My Kid + Duplos = Like Paxil, Only More Addictive


So writing this post is like one of those moments where I seriously wish I'd made this blog anonymous. There are so many things I'd love to get off my chest right now (while screaming and crying and punching walls) and unfortunately I'm just not comfortable sharing everything on here because too many people I know (in real life) read this blog and I don't want to deal with it. Sorry to be so vague and emo, but there it is. Suffice to say I've been dealing with some disheartening stuff the past week which is why I haven't posted in a while.

You know what, though --> there's something absolutely surreal about being sad/depressed and being a mom at the same time. Because if I'm with Otto, just chilling or doing crafts or whatever normal mom stuff I have to be doing (because you can't stop being a good mom just because you find yourself in a bad mood) those moments with him elevate me out of my funk. Otto = the trump card.

And then we hit the Duplo Motherload...

Many of you know about my Nothing New resolution for 2011. So far I've been 100% on track and haven't spent any money on anything new for our household all year (yay, 3 weeks in and going strong). Well, we found out that this very cool Montessori family in town was moving to an island in the South Pacific (seriously, how amazing is that?) and selling almost all of their, well, everything. I went to this sale expecting to find a 2nd hand wooden abacus (I did!) and that kind of thing, but I didn't expect to hit the Duplo Motherload (but I did!)... So I'd love to share the "Otto/Lego therapy" that has been such a joy to Ot (kid's a Legomaniac) and therefore helped put a smile on my gloomy mug this week...

In this scene a convict has taken Grandpa hostage in the teepee on the hill, but the wolf and dalmation puppy tracked them down and cornered them until the Chief, his son Bear Rider, and Buzz Lightyear arrived to help.
 Something cool: Otto insists that all of his Duplo people have bathtubs and toilets, no matter what. Usually I'm kinda lazy about building the plumbing but the other day I put together this pretty amazing toilet (yes, I'm proud of this)...


How much do I love this kid? There are no words. You know what I mean? If you're a parent I totally know you do.


xoxo guys,
Lindsey

1.17.2011

CLOSED: Eco-Adorable! Little House Creations (Etsy) Review, Discount & Giveaway!

How much do I love that I get to bring you a discount code & giveaway from a fellow Tucson mama? And an eco-friendly, entrepreneurial Tucson mama at that? Ummmm, well it's MORE THAN A LOT! 


Little House Creations is an Etsy shop dedicated to preventing waste, advocating recycling, and offering general charmingness in the form of reusable snack and sammy bags. I can't remember what exactly brought me to this mama's Etsy shop (she's a friend of my super-cool neighbor, maybe that was it?)... anyways it was right around the time Otto started pre-school this past fall and I was powerless against the cuteness and loved the idea of NOT sending Otto to school with plastic baggies in his lunch every day. So I snatched up 2 reusable snack bags (love!) and they came sooooo charmingly packaged:


I wanted to spread the word about Abby's shop to the world and she thought it would be fun to do a discount code/giveaway so Yo! Check it!

Through January 31 all your purchases are 10% off!

Just enter the code "Tidbits" with your purchase and you will be refunded 10% via PayPal once the transaction goes through. This is such a great investment - Abby's stylish, reusable snack and sandwich bags are totally affordable to begin with and you save mucho denero in the long run by not buying box after box of plastic bags. Also, they are ultra cool-looking so you (or your kids or whoever) will be the Arthur Fonzarelli  of the lunchroom when taking meals/snacks in these freaking cute bags! 

How to Enter The Giveaway...

One lucky TidbitsParenting reader will win this set of 1 reusable sandwich bag & 1 matching reusable snack bag!


CONGRATS TO SNOWFLAKE07 WITH COMMENT #58 YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THIS GIVEAWAY! YOU ALSO TWEETED SO REGULARLY, I'M TOTALLY HAPPY YOU WON! THANK YOU!

Many Entry Opportunities (none are mandatory); pick and choose the modes of entry that you like, and remember to leave a comment for each.

- Tell me another item from Little House Creations you'd like to pack your lunch in.


- Tell me why you think reusable snack/sandwich bags are a cool idea

- Tell me your favorite thing to pack for lunch or a snack

- Follow TidbitsParenting via Google Friend Connect (see right sidebar) (if you already follow that counts too)- Follow @OttosMomBlogs on Twitter (if you already follow that counts too)
- Tweet the following and in your comment, put a link to your tweet (up to 3 bonus entries per day / 1 per tweet / 30 min apart or more please):

Win a Little House Creations reusable sandwich/snack bag set! http://tinyurl.com/4vl87st @OttosMomBlogs #Giveaway #discount #Etsy !

- "Like" TidbitsParenting on Facebook (if you already "like" that counts too)

- Vote for my blog on Picket Fence (click here: Picket Fence Blogs ) you can do this daily for a bonus entry each day & I'd love it if you did!

Please note the fine print...
Remember to leave a comment for EACH entry. Please put your email address in each comment so that I can reach you if you win. I will contact the winner at some point on February 8 and they will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a different winner will be chosen. Giveaway will be closed for new entries at 11:59pm Pacific Time on February 7. Open to US only. I will use Random.org to choose a winner and will verify that the winning entrant has played by the rules so it only makes sense to be honest! Note: I was in no way compensated for this post although Abby was cool enough to waive the shipping fees on my order.

1.13.2011

CLOSED Giveaway! Natural Face, Hand & Body Lotion from Skin MD

So excited to host for you a review/giveaway of Skin MD natural face, hand & body shielding lotion. Yeah! I love that this product is gentle, natural and effective.
The Review: Me: I'm pale and pastey with dry alligator skin (kind of amazing to behold) and in the winter it's always 10x worse so I jumped all over this opportunity to fix my sad self up. I used the Skin MD predominantly on my poor little chapped hands and I have to say it worked wonders. Even my cuticles look better and my scaley winter skin is now much softer and hydrated. No more albino alligator over here!

Things I really like about the Skin MD product...

- It's very light and not greasy at all
- Even the 1st time I could tell it absorbed and softened my skin
- No animal products or testing
- Manufactured in a 100% solar powered facility
- Paraben, petrochemical, and dye free
- Effective at treating eczema, psoriasis and rosacia

And the lovely people over at Skin MD have offered a 4oz bottle (retail value $9.99) to one lucky TidbitsParenting reader!

Giveaway CLOSED... Congrats to entry #31 ToothFairy you are the winner of this giveaway!

Many Entry Opportunities (none are mandatory); pick and choose the modes of entry that you like, and remember to leave a comment for each.

- Tell me why you'd like to try Skin MD lotion


- Visit the
Skin MD skin care site
and tell me 1 thing you learned there

- Follow Skin MD on Facebook

- Follow Skin MD on Twitter

- Follow TidbitsParenting via Google Friend Connect (see right sidebar) (if you already follow that counts too)

- Follow @OttosMomBlogs on Twitter (if you already follow that counts too)

- Tweet the following and in your comment, put a link to your tweet (up to 3 bonus entries per day / 1 per tweet / 30 min apart or more please):
Win @SkinMDNatural face and body lotion http://tinyurl.com/6xzrk2n @OttosMomBlogs (arv $10) #Giveaway !

- "Like" TidbitsParenting on Facebook (if you already "like" that counts too)

- Grab the TidbitsParenting badge (on the right) and in your comment leave a link to your badged up blog homepage (4 bonus entries) (
if you've already got the badge that counts too)

- Vote for my blog on Picket Fence (click here:
Picket Fence Blogs ) you can do this daily for a bonus entry each day & I'd love it if you did!

Please note the fine print...
Remember to leave a comment for EACH entry. Please put your email address in each comment so that I can reach you if you win. I will contact the winner at some point on February 1 and they will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a different winner will be chosen. Giveaway will be closed for new entries at 11:59pm Pacific Time on January 31. Open to US & Canada. I will use Random.org to choose a winner and will verify that the winning entrant has played by the rules so it only makes sense to be honest! Note: I was in no way compensated for this post other than Skin MD generously providing a lotion for review. The opinions are my own.

1.10.2011

The 2nd Birthday Party - A Frugal-by-way-of-Awesome Affair

Otto's 2nd Birthday Party was this past Saturday! Whoot shaka boom! I say that while clicking my heels and twirling a fireworks baton because: a) I survived it and b) I survived its cake drama. Seriously, I survived the terror of making and transporting (i.e., carrying in my lap) this cake over 100 miles...


Cute, eh? Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus are handcrafted from donut (doughnut if you're proper) holes dipped in colored, warmed frosting. Their faces are drawn with a food marker by an insanely talented artist (ahem). Accessories (Lucy's hair, Charlie's stripe, Linus' blanket) were created from re-sculpted licorice and laffy taffy. Each one has a toothpick holding head to bottom and anchoring them to the cake. FTW!

In the spirit of my "Nothing New in 2011" resolution, I resolved to spend $0 on party decorations and gifts and to make the cake myself. A problem arose immediately, the first cake I baked & frosted = this...


Hello piece of shit garbage cake. I had attempted something WAY above my cake-ing abilities with warmed frosting. Eff me! This was 3 hours before we had to hit the road Friday night because the party was going to be at my parents' house in Phoenix the next morning. So I adjusted my game plan to "buy a cake as fast as you can at the grocery and decorate it yourself". 

I spent the 2 hour drive to Phoenix dedicating myself to Pure Cake Stability... No sharp turn or slam on the brakes was going to undo my 8 hours of donut/cake decorating efforts!

 But because the universe hates me, this happened at a stoplight about 1/2 mile from my parents' house...

Yes, Linus hung in there.

Luckily for me when one shows up at my mom's house yowling and bawling and running in circles carrying a cake travesty she pushes one out of the way, takes charge and fixes things, by heck! So the cake was salvaged but OMG. So next year I'm either going back to buying Otto's cake or I'll be serving birthday chocolate chip cookies.

Free party decorations, on the other hand, were a 100% success...


Leftover balloons from a craft project, decorated with cut-out craft paper 2s and stars and loose sequins. So festive!


"Happy Birthday Otto" sign hand-made from craft paper & string. I totally saved this for future birthdays. It's insanely cute. Cute City, USA!

This left so much budget for party food. We did croissants, bagels, sunbutter, organic jellies, cream cheese, a HUGE amazing fruit salad, organic greek yogurt, a veggie platter, and a selection of organic juices and natural sodas. Quel brunch extraordinaire!

Most importantly, Otto had a blast. He played with his cousin and our friends' little kids. He hammed it up for the crowd. He dance partied (of course he did) and was spoiled rotten with so many toys and gifts. Rob and I managed to use Kohl's cash & a Target gift card we'd received during the holidays in order to gift Otto at no out-of-pocket cost with an acoustic guitar (like father, like son, and hopefully some day like mama), Mr. Potato Head accessories, and a Mickey Mouse seek-and-find book.

Not that this day was all about the Nothing New challenge. Not at all. If I thought it would take away from the joy, or Otto's joy, I wouldn't have done it. But I knew it was a manageable goal and word to your mother, it was!

ps. My baby boy is 2. How did that happen?

xo,
Lindsey

1.06.2011

Tiny Giraffe - The Cutest Blocks on the Block (Plus a 10% Coupon Code)

Classic wooden stacking blocks with a stylish, modern twist...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65151083/matryoshka-paper-doll-blocks

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61799769/simply-vintage-wooden-baby-blocks

We fell in love with these Classic Paper Doll Blocks for Otto. Now I want to steal them from him...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/62357337/classic-paper-doll-blocks
Our Tiny Giraffe blocks came in a personalized "Otto" bag (to die for!) like this...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62569921/personalized-drawstring-bag

I can't tell you how much I love, love, love this one-of-a-kind Etsy shop! I love them on Facebook and I love them on Twitter and encourage you to show them some love as well! If you are on Twitter you HAVE to follow Amy (aka TinyGiraffeShop) she is so fun to tweet - for reals.

And I'm very excited to share a 10% off coupon code with TidbitsParenting readers. Valid through January 14 just enter code OTTOSMOM10 at checkout! These blocks would be the sweetest little valentine!

-Lindsey

1.04.2011

Nothing New - My Resolution Challenge-y Thingy

Outside of finally making out with George Clooney (why can't the universe just get on board with this one already?) and trying to remember to wear deoderant every day, my New Years Resolution list "2011 Edition" is pretty slim pickins. I can't think of anything. That's how awesome I am I guess --> no room for improvement outside of the whole "forgets to wear deoderant and then smells bad" thing. But I have this idea (that I really like). I think I'm going to try to buy Nothing New in 2011.

Obviously groceries, tooth brushes, and toilet paper are exceptions. But nothing else. No new clothes, no dollar bin crap treasures from Target, just... nothing new. Like if I can't stop dreaming, drooling over, and fantasizing about Pottery Barn's Mum Garden bedroom set (wouldn't it be so pathetic if this was all I could think about ever since I saw it? What a loser I would be then.), well... I guess I would just have to wait for my May birthday and hope some generous soul gifts me with it, or that I stumble upon a mysteriously donated set at the thrift store. Because I ain't buyin it new! (Not even on credit, not even if I really, reallllllly want to.) And I do. Can you blame me?


I'm thinking, "I can do this!" "It'll be a challenge." "But it'll be fun (right?)!"

Whatever. All I know is we need to get our credit card debt under control. We need to build up our savings. We need to minimize the crap treasures in our house. And we're moving in like 7 months, so we need to get these things done sooner than later. Nothing New sounds like the plan to help us get there.

I'm a little scared. What do you think? What are your New Years Resolutions? Maybe I'll do one of yours instead!

-Lindsey

1.02.2011

Hot, Sweet & Easy Chicken. A Recipe I Seriously Endorse!

This recipe is hot, sweet, and easy... just like me. Obviously kidding --> I'm not sweet.

I was recently trolling Twitter for a new recipe to use on some chicken breasts I had in the freezer. I begged Lori O (aka the amazing Martha Points blog) to boss me around. Saying something like, "just give me a recipe and I'll make it, no matter what it is, but it can't be Taco Soup I already made that."

She highly suggested Hot & Sweet Drumsticks from Tasty Kitchen & endorsed by the Pioneer Woman. (Those are both links to the recipe.)

I made them...

AMAZINGNESS!

The only adjustments I made were to use chicken breasts instead of wings (I used 5 but the sauce is enough to handle 7) and during the last 10 minutes of cooking I threw some frozen veggies on top (not the prettiest, but an easy way to add veggies to the recipe).

Go to the Pioneer Woman link above for some "real blogger, real gorgeous" food photos of this recipe. It was so easy & I already had all but 1 ingredient in the house! If you make this let me know. I loved it, as did Otto, and even my vegetarian husband was digging the sauce over some Morningstar chicken strips & brown rice.

-Lindsey