Share a Square Program

I've finally started a separate blog for one of my favorite obsessions, Crochet! You can view it HERE @ Cafe Crochet... I thought that this would also be the perfect place to share a bit of info about a program that is dear to my heart because it involves children.

If you crochet, you'll want to visit The SHARE A SQUARE PROJECT.
It is ongoing right now and they are searching for people with big hearts.
140 afghans will be given to children at Camp Sanguinity in JULY 2008.
Please visit their blog for more info!

Our trip to Brookfield Zoo

I meant to get these zoo pictures posted a few days ago, but life happened! Here are a few of my favorites! I thought that this polar bear and her baby were just too adorable! I couldn't believe I caught such a cute pose!


"Daddy" held Caitlin up so that she could get a better view of the elephants:

I myself loved seeing the giraffes!

I wish I had gotten some good pictures of the monkeys, as they are my favorite! But my camera battery kept dying and I didn't catch any really good ones... Most of them were too far away to really see anything... Oh well, maybe next time!
Then it was time to go home! Brandon was all tuckered out after all that walking... He was soon fast asleep in the car on the way home...

Amigurumi Crochet

I love to crochet! I don't know if anyone else finds these little Japanese characters as adorable as I do, but I thought I'd share a pattern with you! I received this free pattern from Lion Brand yarn in my e-mail tonight! I'm definitely going to have to make this for Caitlin! You can view the pattern by clicking HERE!

Toy Recall

As I was glancing through today's newspaper, I noticed an article about the Toy Recall... As a parent, I've been shocked at the number of items they've discovered that contain high levels of lead. Just recently I even heard that some vinyl bibs purchased at Toys R Us were among the list! Anyways, back to the article that I read today... I can totally relate to the author, Desiree Chen | Tribune staff reporter... You can read her story here: Can't they recall a toy because parents hate it? I REALLY relate with this paragraph:
"My husband and I fight a constant battle with a growing collection of toys that the kids have outgrown or rarely play with, yet which they ferociously protect whenever we try to, shall we say, move them along." Yes, this could be my husband and I that she's writing about!
On to the Zoo! We DID make it to the zoo yesterday! Against all odds! I will have to post some photos tomorrow... They're still on my digital camera at the moment. We had a great time despite my aching feet! I wore a brand new pair of Bass sandals and they rubbed sores on my toes and heels... Ouch! Guess I should have broken them in first...
The kids loved the zoo and they did wonderfully until we stopped to sit down and eat lunch. They wouldn't sit still. The only high chair left had a broken buckle, so I couldn't strap Brandon in. He kept standing up in the seat. Then a couple of minutes after my husband had left to find a restroom, Caitlin decided she wanted to go with him. So she took off in the direction that he had gone, and here I was with Brandon in one arm, chasing her all the way across the restaurant and halfway down the staircase! (Mind you, our food and the diaper bags were still sitting on the table) So you can imagine how frustrated I was! It's seems funny now looking back, but I was definitely not laughing at the time!
Brandon fell asleep in the car on the ride home... Little guy wore himself out! He actually wanted to walk most off the time while we were there. Caitlin on the other hand, wanted to ride in the stroller. Once we got home I realized just how tired I was too, so I hit the hay with the kids!

Brookfield Zoo & Serta Counting Sheep

Weather permitting, we are planning a trip to Brookfield Zoo tomorrow! Yesterday we were under a Tornado Warning... with lots of rain... hmmm... and as I type this it just started raining again! Hopefully it will all clear up by morning... (fingers crossed) Caitlin is really looking forward to going to the zoo... and to be honest, I am too! I've always loved the zoo! Especially the monkeys! My absolute faves are the Golden Lion Tamarins and Marmosets! I've loved them since childhood...



I just downloaded all the pictures off my digital camera to make room for the zoo photos that I hope to take tomorrow... Here are a couple that I couldn't resist sharing with you!


Oh Brandon! What a messy mess!!! Doesn't he look like he's trying to hide from me? I will normally feed him myself if it's something really messy (to avoid this)... But I thought I'd let him have a go at it for a change!


Look out behind you! Is that a giant sheep? No, it's just a cardboard stand-up of the Serta Counting Sheep that we ran into while shopping at Menards. I couldn't resist getting a picture of the kids with it! You can actually view Sheep Commercials and download desktop wallpapers HERE!
Look at the time! Well, I think I'd better get some sleep if I'm going to get up early tomorrow... I look forward to sharing our zoo trip with you!

My little monkeys!

I just wanted to share a picture of my 2 little monkeys, Caitlin and Brandon. I can't keep them out of the kitchen cupboards! I actually had to empty nearly everything out of this one except for my Tupperware!

Is there anybody out there?

I just added a counter to my blog this afternoon, because I am curious as to whether anyone has found me yet. So far it's still only showing 1 visitor, and more than likely that was me! I'm really new at blogging, so I'm anxious to see how this works and how long it takes to show up in Search Engines, get visitors, etc... I'm actually reading a book about blogging that I picked up at the library. It's titled Blog Wild! and it's written by Andy Wibbels. It does have some helpful tips and information in it... But the tutorials in the book are based on the TypePad platform. All in all though, I think the book is worth checking out if you're new at blogging!
While I'm on the subject of the library, mine has a section of books that are for sale. These have mostly been donated and are in "like new" condition at bargain prices! I bought one the other day that caught my eye, and it only cost me $1! It's titled The Happiest Toddler on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D. I couldn't pass it up because the cover reads "The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old" Wow, this sounds exactly like what I need right now! I plan to start reading it next. I'll let you know what I think and whether it helps out or not.
On a lighter note, I finally got a chance to watch a movie tonight after the kids went to sleep. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which I also checked out from the library! I had never seen it, but had wanted to ever since I saw previews for it when it came out. That just goes to show how often I get to see movies! Anyways, it wasn't what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised. It has a lot more depth to it than I thought it would.
Last but not least, I added some banner links to the right hand side of my frontpage today. Be sure to sign up for the FREE BABY STUFF and then check out the Limited Edition Pink Jogging Stroller (which benefits breast cancer research), I think it's so cute!

Play Dates and Potty Training

We've just gotten back from our play date/lunch date with my friend Mary. My daughter and her daughter are only a few months apart in age, so they really get along well... And the one on one "mommy time" is also a rare treat for me!
Anyways, this blog may actually morph into more than just my kid's everyday antics, as long as you don't mind a peek into my personal life! I'm thinking about sharing info on some of my recent discoveries, fresh new toddler and baby products, and sensitive topics, along with some of our daily struggles... Right now I'm on a hunt to find Potty Training methods... My friend Mary potty trained all three of her children using the Potty Training in Less Than a Day method as seen on Dr Phil. There's also a book by the same title which I may have to get! She actually used the book. Sound to good to be true? Well, it worked for her, so I think I may have to give it a shot! My daughter turned 3 in April and it's still a daily struggle with her! Does anyone out there have any other tips or ideas?

Innocence

The children were nestled all snug in their beds... Don't they appear so innocent when they're sleeping? It's 2:45am and I'm about to head off to bed myself. Seems like lately this is the only chance I have to do any research! I've got so many ideas swimming around in my head for my new online Boutique "Monkey Baby". My original plan was to only sell products that I had handmade myself. But time is not on my side right now. So I'm searching out some fresh unique items to add to my store.
If you or someone you know might be interested in submitting a product, I would love to hear from you. Just shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment here!

Another day in the jungle...

Well this morning started out with a bang! Brandon had already pulled leaves off of my artificial tree, pulled a mound of CD’s down from my CD tower, and dumped nearly half a box of cereal on the floor… All before noon! The cereal incident actually happened while I stepped outside to check the mail… Does anyone else’s children do these things? Sometimes I wonder! I’d love to hear your monkey tales too! So, leave me a comment with your stories!

My Little Monkey Baby!

I thought this would be a fun place to share some of the antics that I find my “little monkeys” doing on a day to day basis… I have a 3 year old daughetr, and an 18 month old son, Brandon, who has just become a real climber! As of lately I’ve found him flipping over the back of our couches and even standing on the kitchen table! Can't keep him in his playpen, because he climbs right out! So it's become more of a toy box than anything else... If I step out of the room for just a second, I never know where I’ll find him next! Yesterday he actually pulled down the kitchen curtain! Does anyone else out there have children like this?