Mute Monday...err... Sunday: Beach Lovers

Traveling home from vacation and totally swamped with the craziness of traveling with Logan. Soo...here is Mute Monday a day early.

Subscription Addiction: JewelMint

I talked about my mystery JewelMint purchase here, so I wanted to update you on what I received. Honestly, I was REALLY disappointed. I got a total of 5 items in my mystery box. Lets break them down shall we?

So this one, I actually like. Logan broke the small gold necklace in two seconds, but the colorful beads I've been wearing wrapped around my wrist as a bracelet. See below.

I love the casual feel of it wrapped around my wrist and the little gold swirls look great with my bauble bar renegade bracelet. And that about sums up the good stuff...

That's right. 1 out of 5 pieces were good. Shall we journey on?

I can't stand crappy fake pearls. I have some great faux ones from Jcrew that I ADORE but these are horrendous. Sending 'em to goodwill.

I feel the same way about this charm bracelet. I see what they were going for - eclectic as if you had been collecting for years....problem...I have one that I have been collecting for years...yeah. So...not so good. Also going to goodwill...oh and did I meant that this bracelet made up two of the five pieces? As in I got a double.

Double yucky. With a side of great disappointment. Allegedly they are sending me a replacement...a mystery one... (groan)

But I have saved the worst for last....feast your eyes on this bad boy.

I mean disgusting. It is a choker so it's even worse than it appears. The little beads sit right on the collar bone and they feel cheap and plasticy. 

So what did I learn from this little experiment? JUST SAY NO to JewelMint mystery boxes. While some of their stuff is cute and wearable...some of it is so ugly it needs to go in the trash.

Was I too harsh? Do you agree with me? 

Dreaming of: Home Blogs

Every since I was a little kid I've gotten on what my parents deemed "kicks"...Where I pick a topic and have to know ALL about it and obsessively read and read and research and then I'm over it and I move on to something new.

In elementary school it was Barbie - I had those crazy collectors books of Barbies dating back to the original one (full disclosure...they are still on my book shelf in the guest room.) In middle school it was the Titanic. In highschool it was Royal Families - mostly from England and Russia (seriously revealing some nerdy behavior here.) In college it was Disney - I actually wrote 2 papers on the early films and Walt. (A+ on both thank you very much.)

Fashion "kicks" were always coming in and out - I'd get obsessed with certain clothes and wear the trends over and over (not unlike my Jcrew polka dot pants now) and was probably the most relevant post college kick until I got a house (home decor obvi) and then had Logan. WHEW... That's a lot to deal with.

Well thanks to Young House Love - which I just discovered - I'm on a DIY home decor kick.

So here is my round up of the blogs that I am dreaming of with projects that have me drooling every day!

1. Young House Love - Their hallway frame project has inspired me to do a little something, something at my house...details to follow as they unfold (stay tuned!)

2. Bower Power - Funny and cute and the kids are ADORABLE. Really easy DIY items that make me think I can actually learn to spray paint!

3. Design Megillah - Great ideas to decorate for the Jewish Holidays - sort of a hard think to find actually.

4. Kate's Creative Space - She makes me want to start DIYing really interesting Toy furniture. Obsessed.

So there you have it. The four websites I look for everyday. Hopefully I'll start DIYing my first project soon!

Royal Baby: King of the Skies

I posted my take on the female version of the royal nursery here, but I wanted to show how I would decorate for the future King of England below.

I envision the nursery to have an vintage pilot theme to it. So lets take a look at what that would mean!

Let's start with the crib and bedding. I loved the clean lines of the crib and think it plays well with the more traditional wood color. The crisp colors in the bedding combined with the traditional map print would compliment the crib nicely and serve as the color scheme for the room. I also love the idea of the globe mobile with the vintage model airplanes flying around it.

The dresser pics up the same colors from the crib and would make a good changing table. I would repeat the mobile idea with these wire planes - a nice touch to keep the baby's attention during diaper changes.  The union jack tarp wall tapestry has a nice vintage feel and gives a gentle nod to the baby's future role.

I love the idea of outfitting a rocker in a nice manly leather. The combination is so unexpected and decidedly masculine. The vintage ticket stub rug is graphic and fun - it even includes a nod to London!

Now onto the fun stuff - Every room should have a little fun it. I love this pilot tent (yes I realize that it is for the US air force instead of RAF, but I'm pretty sure they could have it custom made with Will's division logo.) and the matching pedal airplane. Both should inspire hours of imagination and fun. The final touch is the aviator chair which is miniature sized and perfect for quiet reading time.

DIY: Mirror Mirror on the...oh...

I have a dream.

I want a mudroom to corral all of our outdoor gear. I don't have space for one, but I have a wall in the kitchen that I am looking to turn into a makeshift mudroom. When my mom gave me this lovely, mirrored coat hook rack I thought my prayers had been answered....until my mother-in-law accidentally broke one of the side mirrors.

I couldn't bare to part with it, so I stashed it in my storage room and set about on a new plan (which I am in the process of completing.) I decided recently that it would look good in my office, so I attempted to fix it up.

First I removed the glass from the other side - an easy repair - leaving 2 gaping holes.

I raided my stash of scrapbooking paper to find a floral pattern that would look good with another piece of art I was going to hang in the room. 

Next I measured the mirror and cut the paper according to the size.

A simple line of glue dots around the inner lip made placing the paper easy.

And here is the final piece.

SUCCESS......Except that AFTER our handy man came and drilled it into the wall (the position wouldn't allow for hooks and he was coming over to wall mount our TVs, so he just drilled it up really quick) I decided I hated it. Loathed actually. So...the mirror is currently on the wall...but about to be undrilled and removed to get a nice coat of white paint - which should look much better with both the walls in the room and the paper I chose to back it. I'll keep you updated on the process...but don't judge my failure too harshly right now. 

Toy Review: LeapFrog My Discovery House

I've had my eye on this LeapFrog house for a long time, so when I saw it on sale on Amazon.com for $13.00, I HAD to buy it for Logan. He's been playing with it for a week now, so here is our review.

Leapfrog My Discovery House

First off - yes this toy totally has batteries, but everything that it says is educational (except when you ring the doorbell and its says a cowboy is coming over for dinner - no idea where that came from.) It teaches a couple different things which break down to two categories - opposites and day/night activities. 

Logan loves to open and close the refrigerator door and push the duck in the tub to hear the squeak.

He also opens the front door and kisses himself in the mirror. The light switch is another point of interest - he hasn't figured out how to do it himself because it needs a tad more force than he is capable of, but he is happy to yell at anyone to push it up and down. 

I love it because it is small and has a handle so we can carry it anywhere. I like to bring it to other people's houses if they won't have things for him to do so he stays entertained.

I would probably give this one 5 stars because I can really see the potential for this to grow with him and it is a convenient item to have around. Logan would give it a 3 1/2 stars. He likes it when others are playing with it, but it doesn't keep him occupied for long yet. I'll update it in a few months to see how he processes. I've heard great things so I have high hopes for this one. 

Mute Monday: My little Will Ferrell

Gymboree

Cory and Logan have a fantastic time every week at their Gymboree class. Cory likes to go alone for some daddy-son time and they always come back with cute activities or songs that they learned in class. This week I convinced him to let me go and take pictures and here is what I learned:

1. Logan loves wiffle balls. He crawled all over the place to get one of these bad boys. It was a great ice breaker for him and he was interacting with other kids (trying to steal their balls) as opposed to being shy.

2. Pony boy might be his favorite game ever. He knows its coming and just starts giggling the minute Cory puts him on his legs.

3. He loves the hugs at the end of pony boy best. At Gymboree they do one verse of pony boy and then one verse of pony girl, but each verse ends in a hug - well this week Logan decided to skip the second verse and snuggle instead.

4. Gymboree has some weird activities. Cory says every two weeks they change the activities. This week was air toys(?!?!?!) I dunno what was going on here.

5. Logan refuses to go through tunnels. Literally refuses. Thinks it's funny to see a person or toy on the other end but will not go in at all.

6. Baby soccer is hysterical. Seriously. Logan thinks so too.

7. Logan is actually really good at baby soccer. He definitely takes after Cory with that one.

8. Bubbles mesmerize him. At home he giggles when I blow bubbles, but at Gymboree he focuses and just stares.

It was really special to go and watch them interact. I tried not to interrupt their time, instead I just snapped photos like a lunatic. We missed a class a couple weeks back so I'll get my own time during the week with Logan at class, so I kicked back and marveled at the love my guys have for each other.

Subscription Addiction: December StyleMint

Guess what arrived today!!!

I eagerly opened my first ever StyleMint package and was filled with... well... disappointment.

Ok... the colors were pretty, but lets look at the styles shall we? At first glance, they weren't very special.

However, my opinions did change when I tried them on. Lets take a closer look. First up was a fairly basic tank:

It was my least favorite of all the tops until I tried it on. It actually has a pretty flattering cut - the bottom is not flat like the picture but dips lower at the center on the front and back.

Next up was this item:

This was my favorite of all the pieces before I tried it on and decided I'm not a huge fan. The cut is alright a little baggy in some spots but the color is vibrant. I'll have to see how I'm able to work it into my wardrobe.

Finally we have the wild card:

This kimono top is more of a satin cardigan/kimono.  It is way out of my comfort zone but I think it is the object I'm most excited to actually wear. I love experimenting and trying new things.

My goal is to wear each of these items twice before the end of the year - once in a casual outfit and once for an evening out on the town. I'll post the final outfits with an updated take on each shirt in early January.

In the meantime, ideas are welcome! Feel free to post outfit suggestions.

Dreaming of: Emerald Green

Pantene had named Emerald the color of 2013. It is actually a little hard to come by right now, but like Tangerine before it, I have not doubt it will show up in mass by mid-March. This should keep you satisfied until then.

1. BaubleBar Earrings // 2. Alice and Olivia Pumps // 3. Posh Tots Rug // 4. Illamasqua Nail Polish in Viridian // 5.Baccarat Champagne Flute // 6. J. Crew Pants // 7. Wizard of Oz DVD // 8. One Dress

Subscription Addiction: December Citrus Lane

I am sooo excited!! My first Citrus Lane  package arrived today. It took all my strength to wait until Logan went down for a nap to dig into this beauty!

First I was impressed with the presentation. I'm pretty sure I would love a package of goodies either way, but having the items wrapped in tissue paper made it feel special. Also, I love that it was addressed to Logan. 

First up, they gave me some Madecasse Chocolate. ($1.50)

I loved the concept - farmer friendly cocoa, but... it was seriously gross. As in I spit it out and couldn't swallow it gross. Then I thought, maybe it was just me - I'm not a fan of dark chocolate anyway, so that must be the problem, right? WRONG. I gave it to Cory to try without giving away my opinion. He chewed it, started to swallow and then he sprinted to the toilet, spit it out and accused me of trying to poison him. And he is not one for the dramatics. Sorry Citrus Lane .... total fail.

Ok, next up was a Renee and Jeremy CD called "It's a Big World!" ($12)

I only listened to a few songs, but they seem acoustic and child friendly without being so child friendly it is unbearable to listen to. I'll test it on Logan next time we are in the car.

A Pearhead bragbook was the next thing I removed. ($9)

I'm not a brag book kind of person, but Logan loves to look at pictures, so I think I'll use it as Citrus Lane suggested and fill it with photos of Logan's family so he can learn their names. Who knows maybe it will help with his stranger anxiety.

I was really excited about the next item and intentionally saved it for the end of the box. It is a Green Toys submarine. ($15)

I have been dying to get Logan a Green Toys recycling truck and some of their other products, but I hadn't seen this one yet. I love it!! Its a bath toy that I can use to rinse his hair too. Unfortunately, he is still in the infant tub and this is way to big for that right now, so I'll postpone a toy rating for this one until we transition to the big boy tub (when he stops trying to stand up or lay down in the tub!)

The last item in the box was almost missed by me after the excitement of the submarine - a gift card for $15 to Ecomom.com! ($15)

I used it to purchase a Fluf Organic snack pack two pack. I have been wanting to transition away from  plastic baggies so these should let me test the waters.

Ok, so here is the tally: Citrus Lane values the box at $52.50. I did some googling and found the prices to be fairly accurate actually. The submarine and the gift card both got 5 stars for me and since their retail value alone was $30 - more that the $25 a month (or $20 I paid with my discount) I am very happy. The other items are icing on the cake. I'll probably listen to the cd once or twice (3 stars) and I am sure he will like the photos in the brag book (4 stars.) I just don't want to ever see the chocolate again (1 stars.) Total star value is 3.6 stars...but I'm rounding to 4 stars.

So there you have it. You can sign up for Citrus Lane here. I'm excited to try it out again next month!

Adventure Aquarium

As I've already mentioned, Cory and I took Logan to Adventure Aquarium for Chanukah. We had an excellent time as a family and I wanted to share the highlights with all of you.

There was hippo feeding when we got there, so we started there first. It turned out to be amazing! 

Then we walked over the jellyfish tanks where Cory took over camera duty.

Next up was the shark tunnel...which was incredible. Logan loved to wave at the sharks that swam overhead.

Seriously, I think I was pointing in every photo with him. A mom's work is never done.

After the shark tunnel we strolled through a few of the other exhibits and Logan waved a greeting to each new fish tank. He also posed for some adorable photos. I've never seen so many smiles in one day!

We ended the day getting Logan's first picture with Santa. He had no idea we had given him to someone else - which is the only way we were able to get the photo. It wasn't until we picked him up that he caught sight of Santa and started to cry. Oh well! We got the shot! I know...I know...you've already seen it here but here it is again!