Thursday, June 30, 2011

Carter And The Toilet Paper Chronicles....


Thanks to Plum Organics for sponsoring my post about fun kid photos and the stories behind them. Enter Plum's "Babies for Yum Caption Contest" Facebook and you could win a $100 gift card or Plum goodies.






Just shy of his 11 month birthday, C discovered the toilet paper. Ever since then, the child makes a beeline for any bathroom that might contain The World's Latest and Greatest Play Thing. Just look at that face! That's also his Latest and Greatest Expression. Whenever he's found something new or is taking part in something he knows he shouldn't (ie: unassisted stair-climbing) the eyebrows go up and he makes this ridiculous face. Is it just me or does he look like a ninety year old man? I just love those ears










You see, when I find the time to blog I most often do it from the office located on the second floor of our house. The office is basically a death trap for Carter. I have all sorts of Final Destination visions when he's in this room with me as there are more sharp corners just waiting to connect with a forehead than I can count on all fingers and toes. That's why I let him roam free in the upstairs hallway with access to only his room and the bathroom. 

You know somebody's up to no good when the house suddenly goes silent. Rarely is there a moment when somebody isn't banging blocks or rocks or pots and pans together or blabbering away a mile a minute. It's when that sudden silence creeps in that you know something is awry. 




This is how C decided to pass the time while I was blogging the other day. I can only imagine that eventually the toilet paper will be replaced with dirt, mud and other well, boy-ish things. I love being a boy Mom. Especially to such a funny little boy. I also love having the opportunities to catch C paper red-handed. Kids do the darndest things, don't they? 

Happy Thursday, Loyals! Make it a great one.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.






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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wee One Wednesday: My Little {Walking!!} Carb Lover! (Bonus Video!)








Carterito, those blue eyes slay me... 

Not only are you eating table foods and acting all kinds of grown up, but just 2 days shy of your 11 month birthday, you suddenly decided that crawling was for the birds. After taking three and four unassisted steps here and there, last night? You literally stood up and took off running.. You are officially no longer my "Baby C." 



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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Baby Bottle Prepping Blues? You Need The Beaba Bib'expresso!

Let me break it down for you. Bottle feeding is a pain. There, I said it. I mean, when you're breastfeeding, there aren't five million tiny parts to wash and nooks and crannies to clean and you don't ever have to worry about warming The Milkies up too hot because, well, frankly, your body does a fantastic job of it on it's own. 

However? Not all women are lucky enough to have fully functioning parts, if you will. And? Others? Well, they just choose not to use them. Whatever the case may be, I'm going out on a limb here, but I think it's safe to say that the washing, prepping, warming and fixing parts of Bottle Feeding can be a real pain in the rear. 



The Beaba Bib'expresso is literally a Scandinavian gift from god. When given the opportunity to review and write about this product, I literally jumped out of my Mom-iform. You know, the yoga pants and ratty T that I've taken to wear literally every day for the past several months? Yeah, that one.

With the Beaba Bib'expresso it is possible to both prepare and warm a bottle in just seconds. I know, pick your jaw up from the floor. You read that correctly. Brace yourselves, Mommies, because this can all be done with ONLY ONE HAND. Shock of all shocks

With it's direct water flow and constant safe temperature, your formula bottles will be mixed and warmed to perfection. In less than 30 seconds. 

Here's where C would like for me to point out that he no longer needs to wait forever and ever for his Mama to prep bottles. As we Mommies know, ravenous babies are both unhappy and impatient. And to tired Mommies in the morning? That scenario is mighty painful.

Not only can you use this product to mix and prepare bottles but you can also use that fancy attachment up top to warm jars of baby food, using the "baine-marie" method. The attachment is precisely that. An attachment, which means that it can be un-attached and taken with you wherever the need may be. 

Because C's baby food was cubed and frozen in ice cub trays and zip lock baggies, I didn't really have much necessity for warming his food. However, I was able to take the attachment with me to friends' houses when I knew I would need to easily warm a bottle of milkies. Brilliant.

Plus? No more putzing around in that dark cabinet at dark o' clock in the morning searching for bottles and bottle parts. See that pretty little compartment on that back end there? Why, that's for storing your bottles. And wait. It gets better. Shucks, I feel like Oprah!

Not only can that compartment hold up to three 10oz bottles but it is also microwave safe which means your bottles can be sterilized in it and kept safely protected from both light, dust and other gross Germies.

Other notable niceties? The Beaba Bib'expresso is self-cleaning (holla!) and BPA free. 

And? If you're so inclined, once Baby is no longer in need of bottles? The Beaba Bib'expresso warms water for both tea and hot cocoa. Talk about multi-faceted! Here's a link to a fancy little video that shows the Beaba Bib'expresso in action: 


All in all? C and I give this product a whopping five paci's. If you're not hip with the Pacifier Rating Scale, that's as good as five stars! 


So many of you have already expressed an interest in purchasing the Beaba Bib 'expresso that I wanted to make sure you knew where to look for it! It's also available for purchase at the following retailers Amazon and Pampered Tot!

Thank you to Béaba for providing me with a Bib’expresso to review free of charge. To order your own Bib'expresso or one of many Béaba products, visitwww.beabausa.com.

While Béaba provided me with a Bib'expresso to review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Béaba,Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity


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Monday, June 27, 2011

My Style Monday or rather What We Wore!

After posting pictures of Sweet C's Baptism last week, I received a flood of emails asking about both mine and C's outfits. Okay, it was more like a trickle rather than a flood and Husband? I'm sorry you didn't get any outfit-love. Regardless, we thought you looked pretty dapper!

That being said, I thought I would link up with Mrs. Smith so that I could share with you a bit more about our ensembles. Again, not something you typically see around here but after breaking my rule of "no formal weekend recaps," I figured "what the heck!?" Rules are meant to be broken. 

First up? Carterito. Carter is wearing a handmade white pique cotton Jon-Jon, believe it or not, custom made by an eBay seller. That's right. eBay. Not Etsy. Shock of all shocks, really. I stumbled upon this particular seller, spotted an ah-mazing pricetag and figured, "well, if the quality isn't all that good, I won't feel too bad spending so little on it." Shame on me. 

Thirteen-Stitches was an absolute doll to work with and when the Jon-Jon arrived? I was blown away by the high quality fabric and buttons. She truly did an amazing job. I ordered his Jon-Jon without the monogram and ended up taking it to a local tailor and choosing a simple Circle Monogram in beige. I have to say I am supremely pleased with the end result! I loved working with Thirteen-Stitches so much that I went back and ordered C's First Birthday Jon-Jon from her and Loyals, IT IS AMAZING. From the monogramming to the appliques, she did a fantastic job! I cannot wait to share it with you! She truly did a stupendous job!


Carter's shoes are Sperry's purchased at Nordstrom. I may or may not shed a tear or two when he outgrows them.





As for moi? I know I joked around a bit, saying that I might consider wearing something pink, poly-blend and bedazzled a la a certain New Jersey Housewife. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you when I ended up choosing something a bit more, let's say, understated. 






When looking for a dress, I knew I wanted something bright and airy. Something that would accent my faux tan thanks to Jergens Express lotion. To me, summer parties scream bright, bold colors and keeping in mind that this party was preceded by a church celebration, I knew the dress would also have to be.. appropriate. I love this dress. 

I stumbled upon it while in the JCrew outlet shopping with one of my favorite Mommy friends. With a cinchable tie-waist, this dress was able to camouflage my mom-bits that needed camouflaging (tummy) and accent my mom-bits that could use the accenting (arms, legs, ankles, etc). This dress seems generously sized as I ended up buying it in a small. Yay, me! 

Versatility is a major bonus in my book and I can't wait to pair this dress with my classic Rainbows for a trip to the park or even a quick errand-run to the grocer. 

And the shoes. Holy hot glitter wedges, Batman. Have you ever seen a prettier shoe? I'm in love. And what makes this Nine West Outlet steal even better? They're comfortable. Can you believe it? Although I may not be able to "run" after Carter, I know I'll certainly be able to keep up. I have a feeling these shoes will be a staple in this Mama's summer wardrobe! 

Hope you enjoyed this slight deviation from the norm here at I Love You More Than Carrots! 
Feeling model-y? Want to show off your look? 
Well, link up with Mrs. Smith! 
Happy Monday, Loyals! 

My Style Monday


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Saturday, June 25, 2011

Sneak A Peak Into Our Saturday Morning...




Saturday Morning Scene

 

With all of the shit-losing that's been happening at The Beach House this weekend, I had to take a break and focus on something sweet and happy. If a diapered Baby C in a rocking adirondack chair isn't one of the cutest things ever, then I don't know what is.  

Now, where's my pina coloada? 
IV please, or straight to the jugular rather!
Happy Saturday, Loyals! 



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Friday, June 24, 2011

A Call for NEW JULY Sponsors! ...


With the start of a new month comes the opportunity for new sponsors here on I Love You More Than Carrots. Are you looking to promote your company and or specific product? We would love for you to consider us and are incredibly flexible when it comes to options. 

I Love You More Than Carrots is accepting sponsorship offers for advertising space, relative to the content of this here fine slice of the Internet. That means we'd love to work with any companies whose advertising interests include but are not limited to handmade goods, fashion for savvy moms, children's items and household products.

Right now, I Love You More Than Carrots is offering a "basic sponsorship" package that includes:

1. a 125x125 sidebar button (created by sponsor)
2. a weekly tweet that promotes your company and/or product
3. a weekly facebook post that also promotes your company and/or product
4. an introductory post (150+ words) introducing your company and/or product.

With greater than 22,000 page views per month and over 5,000 unique monthly visitors, we would love to help spread the word about your next great idea or product.

Our "followers" via Google Friend Connect is currently 645 and growing by the day! We're also Facebook friendly with 160+ "likes" and Twitter friendly with over 450 dedicated followers, also growing by the day! 

For competitive pricing and package discounts, email me at iloveyoumorethancarrots (at) gmail (dot) com! 

We look forward to working with you! 


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Thursday, June 23, 2011

Today...

I will try not to lose my patience. 

I will say "no" less.

I will rock a little longer...

I will squeeze a little tighter. 

I may bend the rules....

To extend bedtimes. 

I will breathe deeper....

Counting to 10 before raising my voice. 

I will try to be less controlling. 

I might stay outside a little longer. 

The dishes will be dirty. 

The carpets un-vacuumed. 

The laundry unfolded. 

We may even skip a bath or two.

But? 

He will have enjoyed every "will" and "may" or "might."

And that makes it all worthwhile.

Yesterday was one of those days when I knew I wasn't being the best Mom I could be for Carter. It happens. I'm human and being a parent is frustrating. It is a constant give-give-give and selfless "job" that I am blessed to have but sometimes it gets away from me. I found myself saying "no" about ten too many times yesterday. Shouting at Carter when all he was doing was being an inquisitive albeit slightly stubborn almost-11-month-old. 
I needed to remind myself today. 
What are you doing today?

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Wee One Wednesday: Poppy Love.

I know I promised you the story behind I Love You More Than Carrots. And truth be told? Just a few short months into blogging I posted it. You know, back when I had 4 followers and they were all related to me. Now before you go all Google on me, I do have plans to write it again. I wasn't all snark and sass back in 2008 and after finding my niche and coming into my own as a "blogger," I'd love to write it again. So? Bear with me. It's in the works. In the meantime, love all over these pictures of my Dad (the genius behind "ILYMTC") and Baby C. 

Happy Wednesday, Loyals!





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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Meet The Newest Catholic!

I'm bending my "anti-weekend recaps" rule and posting a few hundred pictures of C's Baptism this past weekend. I mean, it was a pretty darn good party and a beautiful celebration, if I do say so myself!

My dress, although not a bedazzled poly-blend of spandex, was a hit. There were no brawls and only a few fist pumps. And the best news? We will not be featured on TLC's next big hit, "Redneck Backyard BBQ!" Whew. Everything came together just as I had anticipated, despite the handful of nervous breakdowns I was on the verge of having during the days leading up to the party. 

And? Only one dog needed Benadryl. Oh, I failed to mention that my parent's dog is neurotic? Ha. Slight oversight. Well, thanks to The Benadryl and half a beer The Husband slipped him, Hurley enjoyed the company, too.

Up first? Standard front yard family pictures: 

Godparents!

My brother, Uncle Woobs and his girlfriend.

Aunts and Uncles all around!

Next Up? Church. Which, if I may interject, WHY is the lighting so awful?

Oh, you know. Just hamming it up...

Paying close attention? Not really. Trying to keep C from lunging out of my arms and into the baptismal "jacuzzi?" Definitely. The kid wanted to go swimming in the worst way!


This picture is for The Shabby Princess
The best shot I could find of the JCrew dress and glitter wedges!

Meet The Newest Catholic, modeling on the steps of the altar. Awesome:




And finally, the party deets: 


Yes, I did buy 50 sunflowers. And yes, I did arrange them myself.





Happy Tuesday, Loyals! 

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to try and kick myself out of this post-party funk that I can't seem to shake! Hands down I could sleep until next Thursday if only C would let me! Oh wait, what's that you say? Carter's First Birthday is a month away? Right. Forget that I ever mentioned sleep...


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Monday, June 20, 2011

Photo Challenge or Photo Challenged? Judge Away!

I think I've mentioned before that I love getting emails from you, my brilliantly dubbed "Loyals," right? In the two plus years that I've been blogging, I've gotten emails regarding just about everything under the sun. 

From questions about shoes, dog food, chemotherapy and cameras to marriage-advice (say, what?), recipe exchanges and more recently, breastfeeding, baby food-making and all things Baby, Baby, Baby. 

My favorite emails, of course, are the ones where you tell me how much you love me or how cute Baby C is. 

Recently I've received a few emails about submitting a photo for The Paper Mama's Photo Competition. And not only did you suggest that I enter a picture of C in it, but some of you went as far as to suggest just which photo I should enter. 

So? Without further a do... Here's our entry! 
Wish us luck!



There are so many things I love about this picture. 
Most of all, the fact that my 10-month-old is wearing a tie. 
That the idea came from a reader. 
His eyes. The innocent yet concerned look on his face. 
The tiniest bit of curl that sneaks out behind his ear... 
Oh, those lips.. 
I could go on and on... 




The Paper Mama



Happy Monday, Loyals!

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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saturday Morning Scene: "Who's That Dog?"






Taking a quick little timeout from party prep and hanging with my family to show you just how ridiculous my parent's dog is. This is "Hurley." For those of you who don't know him, he's a 4-year-old Jack Russel/Pug Mix. Needless to say, he thinks he's a human. I mean, really. Straddling the couch? So inappropriate, Hurley

Happy Saturday, Loyals!
Go link up with Kate and Emeline 
so we can sneak a peak into your Saturday Morning!

Saturday Morning Scene


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