Saturday Shopping

Before you start your weekend, whether it's full of sunshine and the outdoors or wind, rain, and hot chocolate, head on over to Houston Moms Blog where I share what finally put me over my non-judging ways.

And when you are done, head over to The Chirping Moms for their annual Yellow Friday Sale! I'm pretty sure I will be shopping this rainy afternoon while LSU takes on A&M! Last year I scored some great Christmas presents, and it's always fun to support small businesses. I love the list that the girls have put together this year: 

I'm excited to share one of the best shopping events of the season: Yellow Friday, hosted by The Chirping Moms! 
Yellow Friday is a weekend long shopping event FULL of great deals. The Chirping Moms got together 35 fabulous places to shop online & all of them are offering big discounts for their event. A lot of the stores are also offering items in a GIANT giveaway. That's happening over on their site, so be sure to go enter! 
Why wait for Black Friday when you can shop all of these wonderful small businesses now? This is a chance to sit back, relax & get your holiday shopping done from the comfort of your own home. It's easy to shop the deals, because all 35 stores are using the same coupon code: chirpholiday
Below you will find each company/ Etsy shop participating, an idea of what they sell & what their Yellow Friday deal is. Just click on the store name & it will take you right over to their site to shop. ALL of the stores are using code: chirpholiday (unless a different code is noted)
Happy shopping everyone!
Yellow Friday Deals 2013 1. Artterro:  Eco-friendly art kids 20% off

2. Bitty Birdie Boutique: Overstock designer children's clothing at fantastic prices. $10 off $50 purchase + FREE SHIPPING

3. Bleu Collar Paperie:  Paper goods and more 20% off + FREE SHIPPING

4. Blocks Paper Paints:  Fun home decor for every occasion  20% off 

5. Bridier Baubles: Accessories perfect for any occasion 20% off + FREE SHIPPING

6. CP Toys:  Online toy shop 30% off + FREE SHIPPING (excludes Playmobil, Thomas & Friends, Melissa & Doug, Lego & sale items)

7. Designed to Shine:  Custom Jewelry and accessories 20% off + FREE SHIPPING

8. D & L Designs:  Hand stamped flatware and hidden message bracelets 10% off

9. Felted Kitten: Eco-friendly felt crowns and handmade goods 25% off

10. Flutterbye Prints:  Personalized prints, teacher gifts, and more 20% off + FREE SHIPPING Use code CHIRPHOLIDAY20

11. From the Heart Creations:  Custom appliquéd clothing 30% off

12. Instathis:  Instagram photos printed on wood, aluminum, or coasters   30% off 

13. Lil Bean Baby Boutique:  Custom boutique baby items 10% off

14. Lion and Lamb:  Handmade kids t-shirts 25% off

15. Loveliest Littles:  Infant and children's clothing and accessories 25% off all orders $10 or more

16. Minted: Holiday cards

17. Miss Monogram:  Personalized gifts and accessories 20% off

18. Olivia and Owen:  Kids' boutique clothing 50% off

19. One Good Name:  Personalized placemats Buy 1, Get 1 Free Placemat Downloads Place coupon code in the NOTES section & you will receive a message on how to redeem free mats

20. Opposite of Far:  Play masks and tails 15% off + FREE GIFT with purchase over $40

21. Pearls & Petit Fours:  Decorative pillows and banners 25% off + FREE SURPRISE GIFT 

22. Pennymeade: Classic children's clothing 25% off

23. Pop Pops Furniture Co:  Hand-crafted children's furniture 15% off Animal Stools

24. Preppy Paper Girl: Monogrammed and paper gifts 25% off

25. RAKA Mod:  Furniture and decor for the modern home 20% off

26. Shiloh Design Company: Handmade picture frames and home decor 20% off + discounted shipping

  27. Sila Boutique:  Online shopping boutique catering to moms and children 15% off

28. Smock Your Tot:  Clothing and accessories for children, youth, and ladies 20% off + FREE SHIPPING

29. Starlight Woods: Eco-friendly jewelry 15% off

30. Three 1 Seven Designs:  Unique home accessories and decor 20% off

31. Tiny Dancer: Beautiful leotards & skirts $5 off $20 Purchase

32. Truly Sanctuary:  Unique shirts for the whole family 30% off

33. Wavy Navy:  Custom wood signs, photo frames, and clocks 20% off

34. Whole Wide World:  Hand-stamped coffee mugs and tea cups 15% off items $14 or more

35. Wren's Nest Creations:  Handmade baby shoes for boys and girls 15% off

Crazy Eight

John Man!

You are very quickly approaching 9 months, so let's get this done! Since you are moving and shaking around these parts, we will make it quick and bullet style.

*You love eating. Bottle time, baby food time -- doesn't matter. Give it to you and fast! You make the funniest face when you are ready for another bite and crack us up by opening your mouth super wide for more. I'm not sure teaching your baby sign language for "more" is even necessary. You let us know.

*You are crawling and pulling up (on everything!) The train table is one of your favorite hangouts and you have recently discovered the shoe rack. Your brother's crocs are your favorite pair to attempt to eat before Momma steps in. Come on, kiddo, shoes are gross!

*You have 8 teeth, and I think from here on out they will be a pain for all of us. Your last one was a doozy!

*You are "talking" more and more and love to hear yourself shriek. I don't mind joining in on the fun either.

*You are a happy baby and love when people greet you in the morning, any time Wyatt hangs out with you, and seeing Daddy come home.

*We've caught you in some trying position (upside down in a storage bin and inside a shelf) and with some funny faces. Thanks for keeping us laughing, but let's take it easy on the daredevil antics, ok?

Life Created Tuesdays :: Leaves of Thanks

While the call of Christmas music is tempting us to forego the Turkey's big day, we are doing our best to take some time this November to remember our blessings and be thankful for the small things that make life sweet. We gave the bird the spotlight in crafting these Candy Apple Turkeys, but I knew I wanted to do more with this season. 

I've been wanting to join the fun with Erin and Sarah for Life Created Tuesdays for a while now, and sharing our easy Thanksgiving window decorations seems like the perfect chance. I'm not sure where I came across this method, but we have adapted it several times now for various activities, and while it might not be "Fall" yet in our neck of the woods, it was fun to explore and talk about the various shades that this season brings. 

Materials:

1. White coffee filters

2. Washable markers

3. Permanent marker

4. Medicine dropper

5. Small bowl of water and trays for drying

Directions:

1. Draw a variety of tree leaves with permanent marker on filters. I found outlines here to look at and freehand. 

2. With your little ones, color leaves in Fall colors with washable markers. Encourage use of several colors on each leaf for blending. The more color, the better your leaves will turn out. 

3. Using a medicine dropper, add drops of water to each leaf until entire leaf is wet. (Hooray for fine motor skills!) 

4. Allow to dry. 

We try to write what we are thankful for each day around the edges of the leaves and hang on our back window for the stained glass effect.  Although we have gotten some repetition (little man is especially thankful for airplanes and helicopters--imagine!), he's also made a few connections here and there about being thankful for people that I didn't quite expect, and we have added our own "parental" ideas like our house and warm beds and those not-so-exciting-as-things-that-fly blessings.

As we continue to move through this season of thanks, may you and yours be blessed with reasons for thanksgiving each and every day!