Wordless (day after) Wednesday: Reward

I figured out how to reward myself for hitting my first weight loss goal. My last pair of casual sneakers (as opposed to gym ones) are in shreds (literally), so I went on a hunt for new ones. I found these at Target on clearance. I paid a whopping $4.98 for them. Go me!

Wordless Wednesday

SHOES: I could do this.

I've told you all before that I cannot use a sewing machine to save my life (what type of situation, exactly would one find oneself in where a sewing machine would save one's life?). I, however, still love crafts.

I just saw this tutorial at Prudent Baby for baby shoes and I think I could hand sew these. I'm not a big denim fan, so I probably wouldn't follow exactly, but I could absolutely do these with other material.

Stay tuned because if I do manage to pull this off, I'll be sure to post pictures.

The reason for the season

This time of year, we tend to get overwhelmed by the crowds at the malls, the traffic, and the hectic nature of it all (we've barely been home since Chanukah started because we've been at so many different events).

So, this time of year especially, we feel it's very important to remember to give back.

Here's what we're doing this year:

We donated our old coats to our synagogue's mitten menorah. They asked for new or slightly used coats, mittens, scarves, etc. So that's where the outgrown coats went.

We donated bags and bags of clothes to a local Veterans organization. All my maternity clothes went there (fare thee well, old friends) along with a whole host of the kids' old clothes. They picked up about 5 big garbage bags of clothes.

Our kids give tzedakah at Sunday school, which, this month, is going to a local food pantry. They've given both money and cans of pasta sauce which they bought themselves with their allowance money (can't beat 25 cents a can).

In an attempt to simply, we instituted the rule that, for each new item, an old one must go. So, we're cleaning out toy and book bins and donating them to that same Veteran's group.

How about you? What are you doing this holiday season? How do you teach your kids to give back?

This blog post is written as part of the Twitter Moms Holiday blog prompt in association with Robeez.

Robeez will donate a pair of soft sole shoes to K.I.D.S. with every soft sole purchased through December 23rd

For anyone looking for a gift idea this holiday season, these are the Robeez I would love for my daughter.

A turn for the lucky

I appear to have a stroke of good luck which is good because I really need that right now.

I won this giveaway at Jamie's Precious Peas for a great diaper that I've wanted to try, but money was an issue. It's a one-size which is ideal. We have medium and a few large diapers, but only 1 one-size diaper and very few smalls. I already got the message that the lovely folks at Banana Peels Diapers have already sent it. Sweet!

I just got a message that I won a Jack and Lily giveaway at Lizzy Dear's Life Reviews. That's perfect! We need footwear for the baby. I had some soft-soled shoes that I've picked up over the years (mainly at consignment stores and as hand-me-downs), but I've loaned them out to people and most of them have not found their way back. I've been searching for footwear for this baby that won't break the bank, so this is WONDERFUL.

I have yet to receive them (and I'm dying to because these things look far too cute), but I won a pair of Polliwalks through a giveaway at Gruntlings. I originally planned to get a pair for the big kids because I figured that would get the most use between the two of them (plus I think the Pink and Fuchsia fireflies are cute), but I realized the big kids still have some sandals packed away that will fit. TheBoy has nothing that he'll fit into this summer. So we opted for the orange and blue fireflies in his size.

I've been entering contests like crazy in hopes of winning some things for the kids so that we can save some money. I am VERY very thankful to the sites for offering giveaways and I'm a huge fan of randomness for letting my numbers get picked. :-)

Dear Robeez, You're Mean.

Oh, this is simply unfair. I adore shoes. I admit that I'm a bit of an addict. I like Robeez, but I've never actually bought a pair new. I've always gotten them second-hand either as hand-me-downs or at consignment shops (RIP my favorite shop which has closed its doors thereby eliminating any chance of finding great bargains). I've bought other (much cheaper) brands of soft-soled shoes online (through co-ops and eBay), but never Robeez.

Today, I get an e-mail from Robeez featuring their new shoes. Many of the soft-soled shoes I had for my other children were loaned to friends and have since been lost. So this baby will need new shoes. Our bank account, however, does NOT need us spending insane amounts of money on baby shoes. If this was our first baby, I'd be more willing to spend the money since it would be an investment that we could use in the future. This, however, is our LAST baby and so I'm reluctant to spend the money. Man oh, man, these new shoes are adorable, though. Check these out. They are, quite possibly, the cutest shoes ever. The new Mini Shoez are my very favorites.

I'm very nearly drooling over these. Unfair--it's simply unfair. Robeez, you make adorable shoes, but you're such a meanie!

Forget his own, my son is too smart for OUR good.

Yesterday, we had places we needed to be on time. The kids were all dressed and ready to go. TheBoy WAS dressed, but decided he didn't like his shoes. Yet, when asked which pair he preferred, he said, "None." Well, a good rule is do not go barefoot into that good night. So, since he gave us no other option, we opted to keep him in those shoes.

As we're headed out the door, we find him sitting on his bed wearing only one shoe. We then take 10 minutes to search his entire room--all 4 of us. We all ask him in various (sometimes sneaky ways) where his other shoe is. We get no answer. We strip his bed. We search all his dresser drawers. We scour the closet. We even picked him up and moved him to make sure he wasn't sitting on it. Still, no shoe.

Now, we're late and we have no other options that he can wear. We're screwed. At that point, I reminded the child, "We're going out for dinner. If we can't find your shoe, we can't go and you won't eat." Where's your shoe? He then jumped down, reached UNDER his dresser and pulled out the missing shoe.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

What did I just say about not overdoing it?

I just came across a site that has super cute crocheted baby booties. Should anyone feel compelled to get the new kid a gift, feel free to consider these. If you are some of my lucky friends who actually can knit/crochet and can figure out how to make these on your own, then rock on with your bad-ass selves. I wish I was you.

Best of Chums Taxi Cab Crocheted Booties (my favorites)

Best of Chums Basketball Crochet Booties

Unicorn Crochet Booties

Hippo Crochet Booties (Hippos? How cute is that?)

Monkey Crochet Booties

Pirate Crochet Booties (these are adorable)

We're off to see the Wizard...

to ask him why the freaking munchkins can't make their absolutely adorable shoes in sizes that fit my kids (or hell, even me).

At Kohl's last week, I annoyed the husband by drooling over these clogs. It doesn't help that I'm forever complaining about the price of children's shoes and how I would never spend more than $10 for most shoes. Then those pop up and I was almost willing to actually entertain the idea of getting them--at full price. Alas, they stop before sizes into which my children can actually fit.

While searching through Kohl's website in an attempt at sharing the cuteness that is those clogs with you, I came across yet another pair of munchkin shoes that are too freaking cute.

Alas, dear readers, please, I beg of you, in the future, NEVER let me search the internet for things to share with you.

Since those Kohls shoes are from Stride Rite, I headed over to their website to look around. You know I won't pay much for children's shoes, you should know I have never shopped there. I did once order two pairs when Amazon had a huge sale, but the pair for TheBoy was too small and the pair for me (yes, I can fit into kids' shoes) was a very different color than it appeared, so both were returned and I got a refund. I don't have much experience with Stride Rite, so when I looked around, the sheer cuteness almost knocked me on the floor.

You all suck! I want to share with you, but instead, I fall in love with things I will be forced to drool over from afar because I will never spend that much money on kids' shoes.

But damn it, these are some of the cutest shoes I have ever seen.

Let's not forget these, these (which are available in my size), and TheBoy would love a pair of shoes that are very much like his daddy's.

Who decided to let me have kids? I was a shoe fiend when mine were the only feet with which I was concerned. With three wee ones, I have the opportunity to hoard 3 times the cute shoes. Is there a 12-step program for this?

Thursday Thirteen Version 3.0

Thirteen Things I Could Go For Right Now 1.... Cookie Dough. Thanks to Robin's latest TT featuring cookies, I have cookie goodness in my house. She shares my opinion that they're far better raw and that chocolate chip is by far the best flavor. So today, while food shopping, I grabbed a batch of cookie dough just so that I could eat it raw in her honor. As soon as I finish this entry, I'm devouring it. 2.....Starbucks, but that's not just a current longing. That's all the time 3.....Rum and coke. See #2 4.....Cute kid shoes. I'm hopelessly addicted to shoes (Did that inspire anyone else to start humming a song from Greece or am I alone here?). I am not, however, a big fan of the prices on some of those oh so fabulously adorable children's shoes. And so, I'm left to oogle from afar. 5.....Gift cards for stores that I love, but where I never spend money (see #4). 6.....Sleep. I haven't been getting nearly enough of it lately and that's kicking my butt. 7.....A week long vacation for me and some friends. A few of my friends are going through difficult times right now. I would love nothing more than to whisk them off to some WARM exotic location where we could lounge around on a HOT beach sipping drinks and being our usual odd selves and laughing until we spit our drinks out our noses. 8....Cute hair. I got mine chopped a few weeks ago, but it turned out more middle-age and far less artsy than I was hoping. I'm dying to get it fixed. 9.....A chainsaw. We don't currently own one, but we need one to clean up all the tree limbs strewn across the mess that was once our back yard after that oh so lovely storm. 10.....My own personal post office. I have late Chanukah and early Xmas gifts that must go out to family and friends. I do NOT however, enjoy the idea of standing in long lines while precariously balancing boxes and trying to herd all of the wee ones who will undoubtedly wander in front of someone carrying a huge box and the kids will therefore either be trampled or will cause said person to stumble and fall possibly breaking a bone or two. You only think I'm exaggerating. It would be so lovely to saunter into my own private post office where I was the only customer and where they would fall all over themselves to help me in any way they could. And they would never ever lose packages. They would also be open 24 hours 7 days a week and would never ever close for any reason. 11.....Starbucks. I'm not being redundant. One can never have too many Peppermint Mocha Frappacinos. 12.....Several extra hours in the day. 13.....A self-cleaning house and self-cooking oven/stove. Then again, if I had those, #12 would probably be irrelevant.

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Barber, baby, bubbles and a bumble bee

Once again, my gratitude is extended to Dr. Seuss and his insanely addictive ABC book (I swear I can still recite the entire book from memory and my kids haven't touched that book in 2 years).

I've gone back to the gratitude thing which I seem to have abandoned. I got the letter B. Let's begin:

1. Babies: I'm oh so thankful for the one I have and for the fact that we are in fact planning on having another one.

2. Birth: It doesn't have to be an over managed, hospital-bound, illness. It can be a wonderfully empowering thing. For that, I am amazed and oh so thankful. I'm also thrilled that through my belief in birth, I have come to know some wonderful, brilliant, funny determined people who support education about birth. In that breath, I must also say that I'm thankful that medical interventions do exist. I wish they were reserved for when they're truly necessary, but I am glad they are an option. Without them, I would be dead. I am one of the rare few people who apparently does have a bone structure that was too small to allow the size baby I had to pass. Please note, however, that while many doctors use that as a threat for early induction or c-section, it's actually very rare.

3. Bands: Where would we be without music? I can't answer that, but I can assure you that it would be a pretty boring place.

4. Barefoot in the summer: It is simply not summer until I have run barefoot through the yard.

5. Baths: Soaking in a hot bath is heavenly.

6. Bath oil/bubble bath: See above. Even better with sweet scented moisturizing goodness.

7: Beach: I'm a pisces. I love the water. My very favorite place in the world to be is on the beach (although I prefer it when it's warm).

8. Beds: At the end of the day, I'm exhausted. I'm glad there's a nice warm soft place for me to collapse.

9. Bakers: I'm all about the shoes. I got some of my all time favorite shoes from this place when we lived in a different state over 10 years ago. So when I walked into a mall a few weeks ago and saw a Bakers Shoes, I damn near had an orgasm. I love that place.

10. Books: I simply cannot put into words how much I adore books. Other people, however, can.

"I cannot live without books." Thomas Jefferson


"I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library. Jorge Luis Borges


"The library is the temple of learning, and learning has liberated more people than all the wars in history. Carl Thomas Rowan


"Books may well be the only true magic." Alice Hoffman


"For books are more than books. They are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men lived and worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives." Amy Lowell