Monday, June 28, 2010

Dadda Monkey's Birthday

Yesterday was Dadda monkey's birthday and we didn't have any set plans. True to form, we found some old Outback Steakhouse gift cards that had been misplaced and decided to go ahead and use them for a birthday lunch. The monkeys were very well behaved and the waiter loved Bro Bro monkey. He even offered to go above and beyond and carry Bro Bro around the restaurant if he got fussy. Admittedly, it was slow in there, but he was a nice guy and apparently has a son who's a few months older than Bro Bro. Between you and me though, there was no way I was letting a stranger take my son out of my sight. Luckily, there was little to no fussiness. We did get very attentive service and had a nice meal out as a family. We recently bought a new (used) car so I think it was also an excuse for Dadda to get to drive it.

When we returned home, I began working on Dadda's birthday cake. I'd seen Trisha Yearwood's Key Lime Cake recipe and decided to try it. It turned out pretty well. I was a little surprised at the tartness at first, but it did taste good and a lot like a key lime pie (in cake form). The recipe said the cream cheese icing is optional, but I'd recommend you go ahead and include it because it's a good addition to help cut the tartness. Monkey girl also liked the icing and couldn't keep her little fingers out of it. I wish I could remember what the tip was on how not to get crumbs in your icing, but this one wasn't too bad. Happy Birthday, Daddy monkey!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Friendly Friday

Today's somewhat busy for us. This is Dadda monkey's last Friday off before he switches to a Monday - Friday schedule. There are pros and cons to the switch, but we're taking it all in stride. We went to get Monkey girl's first professional hair cut today, which I was not pleased with. We picked up a few groceries, grabbed lunch, and came home.

Dadda monkey had to run an errand without us so he switched the car seats to our Explorer so I can take the kids with me to the vet this afternoon. Hopefully, Dadda monkey will meet us there so I don't have to handle 2 dogs and 2 kids the whole time. Then what's left of our afternoon is free for some playset fun (and maybe a glass of wine for Momma). McCormick posted an interesting shrimp/snow pea coconut curry dish the other day so we're going to try that for dinner tonight. Happy Friday everyone. I'll leave you with a picture of our completed playset (finally). Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

all Free Clear Giveaway! CLOSED


When my daughter was born, I learned how important it was to treat her skin delicately which meant, in part, paying more attention to what laundry detergent we used. There were few options for us, but I noticed several people recommended all Free Clear. It's safe for our babies, effective, and affordable. The greatest thing about all Free Clear is that it's free of dyes and perfumes. The second greatest thing is that it works really well. All Free Clear is pediatrician and dermatologist recommended. I'm really happy that I can use it in my HE washer too. I use all Free Clear for the whole family's laundry now.


How to Have Your Second Child First: 100 Things That Are Good to Know... the First Time AroundDuring my pregnancy with Monkey girl, I tried to read as much as I could and do a lot of research before she arrived. I still wasn't fully prepared, but was eager to welcome the adventure that would begin. When Bro Bro monkey arrived, I learned more, some of which I've shared in previous posts, but a book like How to Have Your Second Child First by Kerry Colburn and Rob Sorensen would have been a great asset. The sub-title, 100 Things That Are Good to Know... the First Time Around, really says it all. I love the tips and I agree with almost all of them (ex: wipe warmers aren't necessary and it's okay for your baby to cry). The book is concise so you don't need to set aside time to read a consuming novel. It's also realistic with examples I can relate to along with some light humor.

I have to mention one funny thing. One of the tips in the book is that you don't need to separate your baby's clothes from the rest of the family's laundry. I just started doing that, but I think that was just a mental hump I needed to get over (made easier by the fact that I'm already finding the kid's clothes intermingled in our laundry basket).

To help new moms manage, all Free Clear is teaming up with Kerry Colburn, author of How to Have Your Second Child First, to create a forum at www.facebook.com/alllaundry for first-time moms to share tips and seek out advice from other moms who have been there before.  You can visit all's Facebook page for more parenting/laundry tips and a downloadable coupon.

In partnership with MomSelect, I have the opportunity to give one of my readers 2 coupons for all Free Clear AND a copy of How to Have Your Second Child First.


How To Enter:
(The first step is required for your first entry. Any steps after that reward you with an extra entry.)
This giveaway, and subsequent shipping, is only offered within the continental United States.

1. Let me know why you want to try all Free Clear OR share your tips for first time parents.

2. Become a follower of my blog, Mommy 2 Monkeys, and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.
3. 'Like' the Mommy 2 Monkeys Facebook page and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.
4. Follow me on Twitter and leave  a comment on this post that you've done so.
5. Place my button on your blog/website and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.

This giveaway will remain open until July 5, 2010 at midnight central time. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. I will post the winner on my blog and also email the winner (please make sure your email is visible on your profile or post it in your comment). The winner will have 72 hours to respond to my email or I will choose another winner via Random.org. Good luck!

Disclaimer:


Mommy 2 Monkeys was provided with a sample for the purpose of this review and the opportunity to hold a giveaway for my readers. No other compensation was received and the views expressed here are my own.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Giveaway Winner Communication

Every morning, I eagerly open my own email to see if I've possibly won something. Usually there's nothing there, but occasionally I get a pleasant surprise. So I'm stunned that it's been so difficult to communicate with the chosen winners for my last giveaway. I've just sent an email to the 3rd chosen winner after the first two didn't respond. She has a blog of her own so I'm hoping that's a good sign. It's not a big deal other than being slightly more work for me and a big delay for the sponsor to get the information they need. Oh well, I tried (and will continue to do so) and I'm glad to have every one of my readers. After all, my blog's not primarily about giveaways.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Proud Military Dadda

Bro Bro monkey has been so close to crawling for a few months now. Everyone who has seen him kept saying how close he was and that any day he'll be cruising along. Well, 'any day' took about 3 months, but he's now mobile, just not with the typical crawling we expected. He decides where he wants to go, turns that direction and uses his arms to reach out and drag himself there.

It's been a few years since Dadda monkey was in the Air Force, but he still works for them indirectly and is very proud of all of it. Dadda monkey, with beaming pride, says that Bro Bro monkey does the best military low crawl he's ever seen. He definitely has some arm strength and just today he started opening the DVD drawers like his sister used to do. Just after crawling over to the drawers and opening them, Monkey girl went over and closed them and gave her brother a hug. I love watching them when they interact together and can only hope they'll always get along this well.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Finding Proper Places for Things

Since we moved into this house, I've been struggling to find places to put all my junk. I know I have too much stuff, but weeding through it is easier said than done. In addition, there are a lot of things I know I want to keep. However, this house has very little storage and there's only so many things I feel comfortable with storing in the garage. This weekend we're getting another storage tote to finish putting christmas stuff away (yes, I know it's June, just don't look in my dining room). I also found a box of my old flight attendant uniforms that I guess I want to hold onto, but the best way I can think of to store them is with space bags so I have to order a couple of those.

Also, my camera charger is lost AGAIN so I'm delaying some of my posts until I can get my camera charged again. Take a guess what other object doesn't have an appropriate place for it and all of it's accessories/boxes. That's right the camera. If it did have a normal storage spot perhaps I wouldn't keep losing the charger. The good news is we've been working on getting the house organized so it shouldn't be long until everything has a proper place. Now getting the monkeys (including Dadda monkey) to put everything where it belongs is a whole other task.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Nursery Decorating Lessons Learned

Since decorating both baby's rooms I've learned a few things. I don't intend to have any more children, but I thought I'd share some of these things with you. In order of importance:

  • With my daughter's room, the first thing I learned is to not decorate with wallpaper border (at least not at chair rail height). Monkey girl developed a habit of playing with the border while getting her diaper changed. Also, she's taken off a good portion of it around her crib.
  • With my son, I learned that the small changing tables are good for space saving in the footprint of the room, but I really need the extra length of a dresser to keep items like diaper cream and wipes easily accessible. I'm going to have to replace Bro Bro monkey's changing table with a dresser in the near future.
  • Waterproof mattress pads are vitally important.
  • Blinds are also vitally important if you value not getting up as soon as the sun does. (Tip: point the blinds down towards outside so the sun doesn't come through as much)
  • Small bookshelves are a must, though I'm still trying to figure out how to divvy up the books between their rooms.










Bookcases are also obviously good for getting into gift boxes to play with tissue paper.

    Safety Innovations Door Locks Giveaway Winner

    A winner has been selected, with the help of Random.org, for the Safety Innovations giveaway. Congratulations to Laura!


    I've sent the winner an email. If I don't hear a response within 72 hours, I will select a new winner with Random.org. Thank you to everyone who participated and a special thanks to Safety Innovations/Safe Beginnings for sponsoring the giveaway!


    Saturday, June 5, 2010

    Favorite Kitchen Chopper

    I'll admit that occasionally I find myself watching QVC and mentally bookmarking an item for later consideration. One day a food prep device was on and I showed my husband. He agreed that we 'must' try it. So we ordered it, all the while hoping it would be better than the slap chop type things we had before. You know the kind; they're hard to clean and are messy to work with. Anyways, the Kitchen King 11 piece Food Preparation Station lived up to the hype. This is one of those items that I love to share with my friends because it truly is wonderful.














     

    It's similar to the salad spinners and that's even one of the attachments. You simply put your items in the bowl and turn the handle. Three blades chop your food quickly and efficiently. I am even willing to do onions now with this chopper (that's my nickname for it). I haven't done chocolate yet, but I don't foresee that being a problem. There's even a mandolin attachment for the top that I haven't used yet. Suction feet keep it secure while you're chopping and there's a lid for storing your items in the same bowl when you're done. This, along with my Kitchenaid mixer, is one of my top choices in kitchen gadgets. I'd have loved to see if I could give one away to my readers, but I can't find the company's contact information, but you can order one from either QVC or Amazon.


                                                                                                                                                 

    Friday, June 4, 2010

    Happy (Friendly) Friday!

    Happy (Friendly) Friday! It's a good day at the Monkey house since we found out we got HOA approval for our playset. Also, the contractor has agreed to start work on the 15th, which is a little later than we were hoping for, but it's really only 10 days away.

    Now I have to figure out a good Father's Day gift. I was thinking of buying Dadda monkey a gas grill, but I'm worried that he'd rather choose one himself. I have a tough time with gifts because he accuses me (probably rightfully so) of buying things for the house and calling it a gift for him. Personally, I'd be overjoyed if for my birthday he bought me...oh, I don't know...a new countertop for the kitchen, or a new dining table, or put money aside to go towards a deck, or hardwood floors, or ...! See how easy I am. :)

    Wednesday, June 2, 2010

    Safety Innovations Door Locks Giveaway!

    If you're like me and haven't heard of Safety Innovations, you might know their parent company, Safe Beginnings. Safe Beginnings has the largest selection of carefully selected baby products for your home. Here's a little information about Safety Innovations:

    Safety Innovations is a division of Safe Beginnings, Inc. At Safety Innovations, we designs our products for use by safety professionals. This means that they are designed with high quality and the utmost attention to minor details in order to obtain positive results. We are concerned with safety, solutions, quality and results before we even start talking about cost. Most manufacturers set a price point before they even know what has to be done in order to prevent future accident and injury, this is not the way we work.

    Safety Innovations was kind enough to send me a deluxe top door lock (there's also a bifold door lock) to install and review. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I am a week behind schedule, but...the lock has been installed and tested by one little monkey. We chose to install one (they come in a pack of 2) on the door to our laundry room, which also happens the door that leads to the garage door. 

    It's a fairly simple concept, but you mount a peg to the door frame and the door lock itself simply rests on top of the door. There's a notch cut out in it and you slide the lock, along the door, toward the peg to lock it, or away from it to release it. I'm sure my technical description there is incredibly helpful. You might find some pictures more useful.










    Some of my favorite parts of Safety Innovations top door lock are:
    • It's very easy to install with minimal assembly
    • For us, it completely blends in with our white doors
    • It's simple and easy to use


    There is a wand that can be attached to help people operate the door lock, but I found that to be more difficult to use. However, it is provided for those that might need it.


    Overall, I found the door lock to be effective, minimally obtrusive, and easy to install. Another key point to note is that it's not for use on exterior (or oversized) doors, but Safe Beginnings has plenty of other options. In fact, you'll find all kinds of useful safety products there. One thing I have my eye on is an exterior gate for our porch. 


    Check out their website, http://www.safebeginnings.com, and I bet you too will start making a list of the things you want to get to help protect your little monkeys. Thanks again to Safety Innovations and Safe Beginnings for letting me try the deluxe top door lock.


    Safety Innovations/Safe Beginnings is also letting me host a giveaway to win a 12 pack of these door locks.
     
    How To Enter:
    (The first step is required for your first entry. Any steps after that reward you with an extra entry.)
    This giveaway, and subsequent shipping, is only offered within the continental United States.

    1. Go to Safe Beginnings and leave a comment on this post telling me what other item(s) they carry that interests you.

    2. Become a follower of my blog, Mommy 2 Monkeys, and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.
    3. 'Like' Safe Beginnings on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so.
    4. 'Like' the Mommy 2 Monkeys Facebook page and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.
    5. Follow Safe Beginnings on Twitter and leave a comment that you did so.
    6. Follow me on Twitter and leave  a comment on this post that you've done so.
    7. Place my button on your blog/website and leave a comment on this post that you've done so.

    This giveaway will remain open until June 11, 2010 at midnight central time. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. I will post the winner on my blog and also email the winner (please make sure your email is visible on your profile or post it in your comment). The winner will have 72 hours to respond to my email or I will choose another winner via Random.org. Good luck!

    Disclaimer:
    Mommy 2 Monkeys was provided with a sample for the purposes of this review and the opportunity to host a giveaway for my readers. No other compensation was received and the views expressed here are my own.