Happy Mother's Day!

"Good moms have

sticky floors,

dirty ovens,

& happy kids."

Drumroll, please...

Thank you so much to everyone who entered-- so sorry this post wasn't up last night! If you're interested in shopping, my party is still open. Check it out while you can!

I hope to do more giveaways & reviews in the future! This one was tons of fun!

Wordless Wednesday: Popsicles

Win a 31 Thermal Tote!

Ok, I'll admit it... in the past, I haven't seen what the big deal is about 31 products. I have several Vera Bradley totes, a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag and tons of lunch bags from various places. What else could I possibly need? 

Then, all of the sudden, some of the prints started catching my eye... I'd notice one in the fridge at work, then again at the grocery store. "Hey, those are cute!" I thought. I started wanting a bag of my own!

My super sweet friend Gina granted my wish, by sending me a Thermal Tote in polka dots & chevron (oh my!).

How cute is this? It's already come with me to work as a lunch tote, and it has accompanied me on several quick runs to the grocery store. 

What makes it so great? It's the perfect size. With some of my other lunch bags, I can fit my lunch, but not my drink.  No problem now! I can easily fit my eggs and meat in this tote when grabbing some things from the store on the way home from work.This bag has plenty of space without being cumbersome. And the pocket on the outside? Perfect for holding silverware for my lunch or even my keys as I shop!!

So, why should you care?

Because you could win a matching tote for yourself! You don't have to follow the blog, re-tweet a link, or like me on Facebook (I'm not even on FB!)... Simply leave a comment below, and a winner will be chosen at random after the entry period has closed on May 10th.

 Thermal tote's not your thing? That's ok!

I'll be hosting a party today through May 10th & Gina has so many amazing options to offer you-- go shop! Lucky for you, the new catalog came out TODAY & it's full of fun summery stuff. I'm already making a list of everything I want to organize my new house and all of the kids' stuff!

Anyone who places an order (any amount) between today and May 10th will be entered in to win a set of free Timeless Memory Pouches!

Anyone who places an order (over $50) between today and May 10th will be entered in to win a free Timeless Wristlet-- and you're still eligible to win Timeless Memory Pouches! 

(Winners will be picked within one week of the close of my party and will be notified via email.  Winner will be picked using a third party system. Consultant chooses style and print.)

Additionally, Gina will give away a "door prize" to the 2nd and 14th people to place orders!

Want to host your own party or join Gina's team as a 31 consultant? Let me know & I'll put you in touch with her!

What are you waiting for? Leave a comment!
And don't forget to check back on May 10th, when I announce the winner!

Liam v2.5

I've been meaning to do one of these for a while-- But today, after I spent much of the afternoon cleaning up poop off of Liam's bed, the floors & the walls, it seemed a necessary reminder of why 2.5 is such an awesome age (in addition to a tough one)!

When you look at it like that, it's a pretty amazing time.

I'm a lucky mama.

Thomas & The Great Paci Pass Off

There's no denying it-- there's a full blown Thomas obsession in the Blakely house.

It's hard to believe that less than 6 months ago, Liam didn't even know who Thomas was & now he can name dozens of the characters. Admittedly, I think it's really cute. The movies are boring, but I love watching him put the trains together, push them around the track, line them up and announce their names. He's building up quite the collection-- he gets a new train for cooperating at his eye appointments!

A few months ago, I saw an ad for A Day Out with Thomas and immediately bought tickets. We've been building up our visit to see "The Real Thomas" since January & he was so excited.

We've needed to take away his paci for months, but I've been too scared to deal with it. (Taking Jack's bottle away was a bit scarring.) But we really meant to get rid of them by two, and we've already passed 2 1/2. I thought, what if I suggest that he gives them to Thomas? About a week before the big day, I asked him, "Can you give your pacis to Thomas, so that he can take them to the babies who need them?"

He said, "Yes!"

That morning, we packed up all of his pacis in his Thomas backpack, which he insisted on carrying himself.

We played at the train tables, hit up the bubble station & rode the train.

Then, it was time for the big moment... We found the conductor, dug out the pacis and asked if he could give them to Thomas-- Liam handed them over & the conductor told him how proud Thomas was!

Liam was beaming.

That night, when we got home & settled him into bed, he said, "I need my paci!" and we gently reminded him that he'd given them to Thomas... and that was the end of the discussion! No begging, no crying, no big deal. He immediately went to sleep. I couldn't believe that he was so cool about it.

Over the next week, he asked a few more times, but he always seemed satisfied when we reminded them that he gave them to Thomas. I'm so glad that we were able to pass this milestone in a positive way-- he's still talking about getting to see "The Real Thomas!"

Wordless Wednesday: Here we go again.

We've all been well for approximately 3 weeks, so of course, it was time for this.

Liam and I have a date with the pediatrician tomorrow morning-- hoping that, whatever it is, it passes quickly. Liam and I have a trip to SC planned this weekend & we need to be healthy!

Update: Double Ear Infection...of course.

Update #2: Jack has one, too.