Giveaway blitz: Patriotic Pillow pet

Okay another great giveaway brought to you by New Age Mama! I had to share this because I have a little story about Reagan and pillow pets. I tried the bribe trick with her to get her to stay in her bed at night, it worked for a bit and after 7 sleeps she got a dora umbrella. A week or so passes by and she sees a pillow pet commercial while watching Dora (good marketing pillow pet peeps) and she runs up to me VERY excited and says "Mommy if I sleep in my bed ALLLLL night you can buy me a pillow pet". Muhahahaha the kid is too smart for my own good. OBVIOUSLY this didn't happen but she would be thrilled to have a pillow pet.

This is a special Patriotic Pillow pet giveaway. And if you know me Patriotism should be my middle name! Everytime you purchase the patriotic pillow pet $5 will be given to the scholarship fund for military children (everyone this is a great cause!!) more details can be found here. The giveaway ends on August 6th!!

Reagan's 3rd Birthday

Someone is having trouble with the turning 3 thing, and it that would be me! I just cannot believe how much she has grown. She is 3 going on 15, throwing dirty looks left and right (no idea where she gets that) and pure girly attitude. As my friend Lauren, who teaches preschool, said: "I don't teach preschool, it's more like a room of 3 year olds who think they are in high school". For example here was one of our convo's last week:

Me: "Reagan, I'm busy and you will just have to hold on a minute"

Reagan: (stomps feet, crosses arms, pouts). "Ughhh, whatever Mom"

Me: (trying not to bust into hysterics) "excuse me, young lady *giggle* we do not talk like that"

Enjoy the pics from her party!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday: Reagan's favorite Game

Snow: Then and Now

I am constantly amazed by the experiences Reagan has as she grows up. Playing in the snow is no doubt one that I have seen a big change in as she gets older. The first time she went in the snow she was just a little over a year old. She was interested in looking at it, but when it came to sitting in it or playing in it she was down right terrified (not like the Santa Clause issue though). Unfortunately, we did not play in the snow last year. It was just too cold, and on the days it was warm enough for her to play she was sick. Yes, it was a rough winter for us all.

This past week after begging and pleading I finally took her out. Immediately she plopped down and made a snow angel and threw the snow in the air. Which, she learned from the ever so annoying Max & Ruby show, and oddly enough she can LEARN from that show. She went sledding down the dip in our backyard, helped mommy shovel and jumped in the piles of removed snow from the driveway. The difference a couple years make is just amazing. She is going to be SO ticked when we can't go out tomorrow

because it's too cold!

For some comparison here are pictures from when she was 1

And this is from this week!

Christmas 2009

Will mark the first Christmas that my daughter really got into. Despite her lack of enthusiasm upon seeing presents under the tree she was more than excited to play with all her new presents. I spent most of the day playing board games, which she was into for all of 3 minutes and then my sister and I duked it out for the rest of the game. By the way, I lost more than once today to dear sister. Reagan also wanted to explore the land of play doh worms and cookies, only to be followed by barbies and a bazillion little parts to be tracked now.

I think she had a great day, she was giving many hugs and saying "Happy Christmas" all day. She went to bed with her 3 new friends, Woody, Buzz "lightchair" and spongebob and 2 new blankets in her new toy story pajamas.

There are other aspects of this holiday season that I wish were different. But I took control of the one thing I could, Reagan's happiness and did the best I could, and for that my heart is full of joy. Despite the above picture she had a good day, that picture screams mommy get away from me. Of course no time for pictures when we have "ice to break". I think the next month will mark a time for me to find "myself" again...but I'll spare you that we have 1 and half hours to be Merry!

Stay tuned for another baking blog entry, it's worth it, her treats look delicious!

Gotta Go, Gotta Go

So Reagan has been potty training for a little over a month. For the first few weeks she still wore pull ups when we went out running errands. The past 2 weeks we have left the pull ups at home and she gets to wear her big girl panties out. As her mother, I of course, take a couple changes of clothes just incase. Especially when we are going to be out all day.

I am proud to say that my little princess has been doing great. Although, I have to be able to locate a bathroom at any time, or pull off the road to run into Burger King so she can go. Which I might add, as soon as we walk in she wants fries. Only on a couple instances she has told me she has to go and didn't. You know the time we drove 3 miles away from the highway to find a gas station.

What really helped us was the "Potty dance" which is now more of a victory lap for her around the living room furniture. And getting a pom pom for her jar each time she went potty. So this body dance business has been great, but she has now started to sing it to me when I use the restroom. You know that fowarded email of the mom and her son in the public restroom and he is carrying on about her "business". Well ladies and gents that is my future, only on a couple instances has it happened, but trust me it is looming is ugly head around the next corner.

Someone's gotta be "The Boss"

Reagan has a knack for taking things that I tell her, or her teachers and re-illustrating that point with her dolls or animals. Most of the time she is telling Annie Bananie what to do but sometimes she has a new learning subject. Today it happened to be her elephant.

Since it is Christmas time, Reagan and I have had many talks about not touching the tree. Just looking at the ornaments and no playing around the tree. This afternoon she took a liking to her elephant and I found her kneeling around the tree giving the elephant 'the business'.

I told you elephant, no touching the tree just looking. Remember I said no touching.

If that wasn't enough she then started to put necklaces on the elephant and telling him/her that it was beautiful and a movie star. I snapped a picture of the two of them, which she instructed the elephant to say cheese. When the elephant did not say anything she made me take the picture again with a "I told you to say cheese".

Gifts from your children

The handmade gifts from your children are simply the best Christmas gifts. Our tree still dons a few ornaments I made my mom when I was younger. I am happy to say that I have received my first ornament from Reagan. And might I add she looks absolutely adorable in the picture. I found it in her folder from daycare and she ran up to me and said "Mommy I made that for you" with her face beaming of joy. Those are the moments that make all the meltdowns and tantrums worth it.