She makes fantastic tutus (oh how I wish grown ups would not be looked at oddly for wearing tutus...), bloomers with MONKEYS on the butt, bibs, burp clothes, and MUCH more.
Ethan and I reviewed a zebra print bib, backed in light blue minky fabric and with a blue minky "E" on front. (FYI: I was NOT paid or compensated to post this review, these are MY thoughts and MY opinions of a bib provided to me for free by 3 Little Monkeys of etsy.)
Oh. My. Gosh. I could not wait for Ethan's birthday so he could show it off.
(eating a ritz before the cake...need a little carbs to help with all the sugar)
And show it off he did. :)
The craftsmanship of the bib is great, though it is handcrafted, it is as well made as a "store bought" bib...it would make a lovely baby shower gift. (as would her burp rags and some other items!) I love it and he has worn the bib a few more times since his birthday. I can't wait for him to wear it at the MOM Christmas party.
Want a bib from 3 Little Monkeys all for yourself???? I've got a cute one to giveaway!
3 Little Monkeys sent me this cute jungle print bib to do as a giveaway...Simply go to 3 Little Monkeys shop, come back here, and leave a comment telling me your favorite item!
Extra entries:
Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway (Daily for one entry each day, leave a comment and include me in the tweet @jessremington)
BUY something from 3 Little Monkeys...she'll email me to let me know you did...leave a comment here, too, and get 200 extra entries (tis the season to be generous)
Follow my blog (and leave a comment of course)
P.S....she's got free shipping on her site right now because she is participating in EtsyKids Promotional Holiday Shops stuff!
***Winner will be chosen on Dec. 13, my mom's birthday!!!
Giveaway: ONE iron on kit to create a snowman AND ONE iron on kit to create your own reindeer. No, these are NOT listed in my esty shop, just something I am doing on my own. ENDS DEC. 5 and will be mailed by Dec. 8.
Entries:
1. Go to Little Dude Duds (MY etsy shop) and see if there is something you like. Leave that in the comment form. If you don't love something (there isn't a ton), tell me one thing I could make/add for BOYS or if you were to order a shirt, what you would want for the color combo/print. MUST be completed first or I'll delete all your entries :)
EXTRA's:
Blog about this giveaway, including a picture of either iron on. Leave a link in the comments forum.
Follow me on twitter (jessremington)...tweet however many times a day you want, leaving a comment here every time so I will have those entries saved for you...make sure to @jessremington it so I get a copy. endless entries
Become a Facebook fan (click on the button on the top left)...TWO entries...you got it, leave TWO comments.
Follow MY blog...(button on the left)...leave a comment...or TWO! Up to TWO entries just for following my blog.
Post about this giveaway on Facebook...no, I probably won't become your FB friend, so we will go on you being honest on this entry. I save FB for FIRL only, even though I do love you all!
Buy something from Little Dude Duds...get 150 (no lie!) EXTRA entries. I am trying to get a little bit of extra $ for the holidays and would love to accomplish that and share some cute shirts, banners, birthday hats with you at the same time! Order more then one product, get 150 entries PER ORDER!
Order your own snowman or reindeer iron on kit from me. Super easy to finish and simply adorable. I will mail your kit within 24 hours, so you will get it pretty fast. $5 for the kit plus $1.50 for shipping...email me if you want boy or girl (for snowman) and I will post the options for hat colors later (they are soooooo cute...Jackson LOVES his snowman.) theremingtons (at) cox (dot) net. 200 EXTRA entries...cause I can and I have got it all figured out. This will be paid for via paypal.
SO, what are you waiting for? I hear the Christmas bells, and they are all saying "BUY SOMETHING FROM LITTLE DUDE DUDS!" :)
Well, I might not have done NABLOPOMO this year, but I DID post 27 things I am thankful for, if not always once a day, at least all 27! Whoo!
Day 27: I am thankful for the freedom we have by living in this country, my power to turn off the t.v. when I've had enough of the endless parade of "buy me" Christmas advertisements, blogs that share fun craft ideas, light hearted stories, etc, my friends, getting to scrapbook on New Years Day, my husband who is working his butt off this holiday season, the power of the atonement of Christ, my church, my parents, my sister, cell phones so calling them on the same network is free!, my adorable boys, health insurance, IUD's, the delete button, and desserts.
To mix it up a bit:
Some things I am NOT grateful for:
Snow, mice, cold feet, teething, bills, trash, infomericals that make you NEED that (fill in the blank here), calories, blurry pictures, and stains on Jackson's adorable turkey tee shirt.
A little bit of my family, just for you on this day of Thanks.
Day 26: I am thankful for children that make me laugh, and a husband who is creative enough to think Lucador masks are the perfect gift to buy when on a business trip in San Antonio.
#1...it just occurred to me that there are 26 days in the month including Thanksgiving (I know there are really 30)...I wonder if the creator of this idea wanted us to go the entire week of Thanksgiving??? If so, why not just do all 30???
Day 25: I am thankful for early bedtimes and boys who will go willingly, as long as they have a few books and a night light.
Today I am thankful for Pottery Barn Kids Catalogs...it's like a goldmine of crafty ideas to copy at home. I am also thankful for cheap felt, glue guns, and sewing machines. They really make life easier.
And this post...I just found it and want to make them all...
Day 27: I am thankful that Old Navy had matching argyle sweaters for Jackson and Brennan for Christmas that go wonderfully with the fabric I have to make pants for Jackson and Ethan.
If they'd had the same sweater for Ethan, I might have wet myself from excitement. Oh, well, he can just coordinate.
WAY before Ethan's birthday, I got super excited about a theme. A blue and white and black all over theme.
I searched high and low for items that complimented that and one place I found was Party Pops on etsy. Now, let me tell you, I am an etsy junkie, I could just click, click, click away for hours.
(Please ignore the crummy fondant covering job...it was for a one year old so I was not too worried)
Well, I let my fingers do the clicking and found this adorable party decorations shop. Sure, I do make a lot of my own decorations, but I don't know how to do a cute picture with the words the way she does, so I asked to review one...she sent me a cake topper and I love it.
Included in the package was a large cake topper and two smaller ones, one saying "Happy Birthday Ethan" and the other smaller one saying "Wild about one"...which led me to put that one both birthday cakes as well...thought it was a great idea! I did not put all three on one cake, but the big one on the big cake, the one with Ethan's name on it on his smash cake and the one that said "Wild about one" on Kylee's (E's girlfriend and b.day mate) smash cake (this was for the dinner party, not to be confused with Fiona who shared a party with E that morning...K was just over for some grub to celebrate E and I threw her into the mix for the cake)
They were a huge hit!
Check out her adorable treat toppers. LOVE THEM! And here is a lady bug party pack. The party packs are $92 and include:
Party for Eight
Birthday Banner customized with name Three Piece Cake Topper OR 12 Cupcake Toppers 7 Customized Party Hats 1 Custom Party Hat with Crown for Birthday boy or girl 8 Custom Party Invitations with envelopes 8 Thank You Cards with Envelopes 8 Customized Favor Tags with Clear Bags 10 Napkin Rings 1 Package of Confetti
CA-UTE! I love her party hats, by the way.
So, next time you start planning your little one (or big kids...do you think Bart would order me a cake topper for my 30th birthday party on New Year's EVE???), go check out Party Poppers and you might find exa
I did a Google search for "Blue, zebra, birthday" and one of the products that popped up was this shirt design by zazzle.com. I was immediately lusting after one. I contacted the company, sent Larry an email, and the rest is history. (The product was provided to me for free and the statements in this post are 100% my own opinions) Larry suggested instead of just telling him what I want that he send me a gift certificate so I could go through the order process. At first, that puzzled me, but then, I learned that at zazzle.com, you custom create everything. Want to add a picture of your child added to background on mouse pad? Go to zazzle. Want a customized hoodie for your kids sports teams? Go to zazzle. I picked the zebra shirt that says "I'm 1" on front. Bart and I designed it so the back says, "I'm so hungry I could eat a zebra" -Ethan....so it looks like a famous quote :) We LOVE it. (The back of the shirt is pictured in the first picture but Ethan would not cooperate to get a good backside shot)
It was super easy to design and play around with the options available for you. We played for about 1/2 an hour, just making stuff up, until Bart thought up that funny mis-quote.
The only bad thing I have to say is that we ordered a size 2 (Ethan is a big boy!) and it fits quite well. His other clothes are still 12-18 months for the most part with some 18-24 thrown in for good measure...so make sure you don't order down a size if ordering a kids shirt. I can not say that this is true for sweatshirts or adult shirts, just the shirt that Ethan received, but now you know.
I can't wait for Jackson's birthday...he might be having a robot theme and I'd love to design a shirt perfect for him!
I am thankful my new church calling is not as bad as I thought it would be... Missionary Meal Coordinator. Easy, peasey, right? I will be doing a bit more work then past coordinators, because we are now working contacting less actives to invite them to feed the missionaries, but I think it'll be fine.
I am thankful for healthy children. I watched My Sister's Keeper the other night and just cried and cried. It takes such strength and courage to be able to deal with illness on such an extreme level. I know you do not choose to have to deal with sickness and death, it comes to you. I am still grateful for my children's health and pray God will give me the strength and comfort to handle whatever life throws my way.
I am thankful for baby Ethan, all 28 lbs. 13 oz. of him!
I am grateful for Joann's 50% off coupons that Kyra and I "stole" when I visited Ohio this past Labor Day...I've used the heck out of them! Used one today to buy some $12 a yard fabric for $6...I only needed 1/2 a yard, but still....oh, and wait til you see what I needed that fabric for!!!!
I am thankful for Jenn posting a recipe for a poinsettia sipper drink on her good eats blog last year and for me printing it out. It is SOOOOO GOOOD...I am glad I made it to go along with Ethan's fancy (for me :) birthday dinner...more to come on his birthday next week, when I have more pictures.Now, if only I have the lovely pitcher to put it in, instead of a plastic one, I'd be REALLY thankful :)
(Oh, and doesn't the folding chairs and funky green ones really add to the loveliness of the evening? I thought so...esp. when Chunky Monkey figured out he could make the chair fold up WITH HIM STILL IN IT!)
Happy First Birthday Baby Ethan. You have been the perfect addition to our very boyish family, bringing a love of cars and trucks to our Star Wars, Lego, Ben Ten mix. You have a smile that melts the heart of all the Remington boys (and makes them instantly offer to share whatever they are doing) and a way to look at me that makes the crazy days of having three boys okay.
In one year you've been all over, from South Dakota, to Florida, to Ohio, to Louisiana. What a full year! Your daddy hadn't been to that many states until a year or two ago :) Not only did you get to travel, but you were able to meet lots of people that just aren't around because of distance. You charmed all of those people, too...and let's not forget Ms. Kylee, who also turns one today. Ethan has charmed her, too. :) Before you made your grand appearance (staying in my womb long enough for the grandparents to get here), we called you "Fat Baby"...I believe Daddy came up with that name. We didn't know how true it would be...you've tipped the scales at every well baby check up! That's okay...the extra padding has been perfect to provide a bit of extra comfort from the rough and tumble ways of your older brothers.
Your easy-going mannerisms fit in just right with the rest of the crew and we are so lucky to have you. Thank you for coming to earth to be with us for the rest of eternity.
Day 16: I am thankful for forgiving followers who don't mind me merging multiple thankful posts into one :)
Day 17: I am thankful I've learned how to decorate cakes...they are not nearly as good as my mom or sister's, but they will do just fine for my little boys. And, yes...it is ANOTHER zebra cake (or 2). They are just so easy to make!
To check out Punctuation Stationery's great line of products! From invitations, to enclosure cards, to stationary, there is a lot of variety and you can help design the cards as well.Ethan's first birthday party is a zebra theme, with blue as an accent color. Punctuation Stationery designed two different invites for Ethan's birthday, along with enclosure cards and fold over note cards. After having a bad experience with an etsy shop, I am a bit nervous about ordering products that I do not see the final product for before getting (I did not pay for the products used in this review, though, and all statements are my own opinions). Punctuation Stationery sent me a convo including a sample of both cards so I knew what I was getting, something that is very important to me. I love the customer service and final products I received from Punctuation Stationery. Go check her stuff out and tell her I sent you. :)
Do you know that the last time I went scrapbooking was in July at the Convention in Natchez, MS? Yep. (In the back of my mind, I think I might have gone to Karen's one night, but I can't remember for sure) Not even one little mini project at home. Sure, I've been crafty, but not doing my #1 favorite craft...scrapbooking. Today I am creating Ethan's birthday banner and using the Cricut, cutting paper, and using my TomBo adhesive has got me missing my old friend. Good think I only have to wait until New Year's Day to get a good, LONG dose of scrapbooking in. My friends here did it last year and this year will be even BETTER. We drew names so each friend will get one nice present (though I did get a LOT of nice presents last year :) and we are going to have a ball. I have a lot of mental countdowns right now. -10 year anniversary -Christmas -My birthday party (Bart says he sent out an email invite last night! I wish he'd let me in on who he chose to invite, cause I have no clue) -My Birthday! -and finally, Scrapfest 2010!!!!!
What a GREAT way to start the new year.
Yep, I know you are all jealous cause I'm so crazy cool like that.
*Bart in New York City for his review one year ago*
Day 14: Yesterday I was grateful for great friends. I got to attend an appreciation dinner for the management of MyOmahaMommies.com. The Site Administrator and ASA prepared a lovely dinner and dessert, and we all hung out until at least midnight. I am thankful to have MOM because it has provided me with some great friendships (as I already mentioned in a previous thanksgiving post). I had such fun. Day 15: Today I am grateful that Bart's business trip is only one night...and that he won't have to miss Ethan's birthday so all my plans can stay as they are. (Play date b.day shared w/ little Miss Fiona in the morning, then a small b.day dinner with two baby friends...the perfect # b/c our table seats six...see, I think of these dorky details all.the.time.) Originally, he thought he'd be gone to the Big Apple 11/16-19 or something like that. Then he was somehow able to change the dates of everything and only be gone one day! Score. Now, everybody say lots of prayers that CitiGroup is impressed with all the hard work the West crew put into creating the review this year.
Now, starting tomorrow, I will be doing reviews (and I've got maybe one or two giveaways!) of some great products I scored to help Ethan celebrate turning one in style...a fantastic cake topper, bib, tee shirt from Zazzle, and adorable invites...stay tuned, but never fear, I will continue to post my 27 days because I want to be committed. And not just to the crazy hospital.
I am grateful that we took family pictures LAST weekend, not this upcoming weekend.
Last night, Brennan, Jackson and I attended our ward's gingerbread house activity. Our stake had a HUGE gingerbread exhibit each year at the Mormon Trail Center and last night the kids got to decorate their own houses! Thanks Rebecca for organizing this event. Despite what I am about to say, the boys and I had a lot of fun and look forward to the same thing next year.
Everything was going well. I had (for the most part) kept my children under wraps and out of the mischief of the pack of wild dogs running through the gym excited children prancing around. Now, my boys were NOT perfect, I did find them on the stage at one point for a moment and they did run for a bit here and there. But, overall, they were well behaved kids, chilling with the Alexander's and gluing candy to cookie. However, it is VERY hard for my boys to sit in their seats and do as they are told when they see other children having a blast running around and having a good old time.
At one point, I went to wash my hands. Helping with gingerbread houses gets pretty sticky. (Thanks Diana for your help w/ Jack's...you two were too cute) When I came back, I found Jackson on the floor, sobbing, and an adult standing near him. "Well", I think, "this is Jackson, he gets hurt from time to time."
Come to find out, Jackson had left his chair (probably being naughty to go run around, as he had been instructed NOT to do) and somehow managed to get the side of his face smacked with the middle edge of the accordion folding door/wall. Now, you LDS know what I am talking about, the wall that divides the gym from the chapel. Yep. Apparently someone (maybe a male kid, not really sure) was closing the divider (?) and Jackson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I do not know the full story...I mean, a 3 and 6 year old are hard to figure out and once we got home I tried to get the story out of them, but I do believe that if the other children had been chilling at their tables and not running freely that A) it would have been easier to contain my children and B) Jackson *might* not have gotten smacked in the face. (Of course, once again, this is Jackson and it was time for him to get a "boo-boo"...this was not even a bad bo-bo, either, it's just the straw that broke the camel's back, so to say)
I know I once ranted on about my ward, and I did something about it. I raised my voice and made sure that our Christmas dinner was different and that we did not run out of food (unlike the year before). I have not, however, really raised my voice about the behavior of children at church outside of Sunday worship services.
When I was the primary president, I discovered that the behavior of the children on Sunday during services and during the week, at an event, etc. is very different. On Sunday, they are reverent children, respectful, etc. Any other time...not so much. As a matter of fact, the behavior of the children at Benson Ward has caused some older people to avoid attending functions where children are allowed.
Preparing for last year's Christmas dinner/party, I preached over and over again the etiquette of attending a church function...do not run around, don't play on the stage, be respectful, etc, etc. I made sure there were crayons and papers for the children to have something to do. And, I feel that the event was pretty good. The kids weren't too rowdy or anything, unlike at that years Trunk Or Treat (which I was in charge of) where my non LDS friend came and was scared to allow her three year old to sit on the ground not five feet from her chair. I seriously doubt Dawne will make the drive to attend any more of our church functions. It was not a relaxing evening with the extremely high level of excitement and lack of parental units bringing that level down.
Now, Jackson's smack on the face...it was not a huge thing. He gets hurt all the time so that is nothing new. It's just really frustrating to me that the adults in attendance last night felt that it was okay for their children to run around almost the entire time. Sure, the room is called a gym, but as I tried to teach (and obviously failed at!) the children is that it is also referred to as a CULTURAL HALL, and when that is the case, when we are not playing basketball or other games, our behavior at the church and in that room should be just as reverent as on Sunday.
Sure, the kids were done with their gingerbread houses. Sure, they were bored. Then the parents should have figured out a way to keep them under wraps. The children were presented with an activity, they did it, they go home. That is what we did.
I hope this post doesn't piss too many people off, and that they can forgive me if it does, but I am sick and tired of keeping my frustration at the behavior of the children at non-Sunday events quiet. I almost don't want to attend the Christmas Event this year...which is a shame because in Louisiana, it was one of my most favorite activities of the year. It's a shame that I, Miss I-go-to-church-and-all-its-events-whether-I-want-to-or-not, is hoping a child of mine gets sick or I have an important meeting I can't miss or something come up so I can avoid the stress of trying to contain my children while others are allowed to roam free. So, if this posts angers a few Benson Ward members, maybe you will see that I am not doing it out of hate, just tiredness. I am tired of being told to pray for how I can benefit Benson Ward when right now, I don't feel like it is benefiting me. This just happens to be the tip of an iceberg of frustrations, but I do not feel it is proper to go into the rest here.
Know this. I love my church, I am grateful we have a prophet, Thomas Monson, on the earth today to guide us in these last days. I am thankful my parents raised me to be the kind of Miss I-go-to-church-and-all-its-events-whether-I-want-to-or-not so that my testimony can grow. I am grateful we have a temple in Omaha to attend and learn and grow. I would encourage anyone with questions to find out more about the church (and double check which ward you are supposed to go to, don't just take the word of a stranger over the phone...those of you who know my address, go see which ward it says we should be attending)...don't be put off about my rant about a few kids. They really are good kids, they just get wild and crazy when not properly contained :) I am sure this is not the way it is at all non-Sunday events at all LDS locations globally. So, without further ado, here is a super bad video of me recording Brennan's gingerbread house that ends with a shot of Jack's face. It's better today (and looked worse then the video makes it out to be last night), thanks to an ice pack and some cuddles...it had the potential to become very green, purple, and ugly, though...so, I am thankful that our family pictures were last weekend, while Jackson was facial injury free.
Thursday I was grateful for the email, twitter update, and google search that led me to find totally free Christmas cards! I ordered 50 for free...not even shipping and handling. You know I was excited :-) Plus, when you sign up for this site, you get 100 free prints...you had me at no shipping :)
It's MY blog, so if I want to group days 10 and 11 together, I can. So there!
I am thankful for Phineas and Ferb, on Disney. I really want to cancel cable, I do. It's a $50 a month bill that is not necessary. We did just fine for YEARS without cable, and we would do just fine if we were to cancel cable again. However, there is this show. This kids show. On Disney. Phineas and Ferb. It sucks you in EVERY TIME. But, it is also every educational. Seriously.
Did you know that the doo-dad on the end of your tennis shoe is called an aglet.
Now you do. And it is all because of Phineas and Ferb. If anyone wants to buy me the complete series, then I will gladly cancel cable.
Oh, why am I going on about the AGLET you might ask? Because yesterday (day 10 of my journey of thanks), I woke up with...
Wait for it...
The aglet song stuck in my head. Yep. And it's been there ever since. I total get where Candace is coming from on the "It doesn't matter" front.
And...DAY 11.
Did you know that I am an award winning poet. Yep. True story.
In sixth grade (Ha, you probably were like, "What, she won an award for writing? Recently? No way, her writing sucks.") my dad was overseas as part of Operation Desert Storm. We lived in Leesville, LA, where my dad was stationed at Fort Polk. Although we did not live on base, a large majority of the students were Army brats at my school.
There was a poetry contest for Veteran's Day, and I, as everyone was forced to do, entered the contest...the winner got a trophy and the "privilege" of reading the award winning poem at a Veteran's Day assembly. However, I waited until the night before the contest to even attempt to write something. I remember being very tired and overly stressed about this stupid contest. I quickly jotted down a few lines of rhyme, then went to bed. I turned it in and sat down with relief. I was done.
Then, the poetry was judged and mine won! Third place, but still, I got a trophy and had to read it in front of the entire school. I remember thinking, "Those judges must be dumb to have picked mine", but whatever.
I think I still have that trophy, and because I took a sharpie marker and wrote on the bottom of it the words to the poem, it has been engraved in my memory (sort of like the dumb aglet song that was the first thing to pop in my mind yesterday morning), though a few bits have gone on vacation...
So, without further ado, I present...
MY POEM (w/ a few missing links):
I'm proud of the presidents, good and strong, Proud of the wars, fought and won, I'm proud of you dad, over there now, You've help me to become A Proud American.
Now imagine Lee Greenwood singing "Proud to an American" as he stood in Tiger Stadium at half time of the LSU vs. LA Tech Homecoming game in 2007, surrounded by thousands of adoring fans drunken captives.
Oh, wait...you don't have to imagine. Through the power of Youtube (possibly day 12's thanksgiving???), you can BE IN TIGER STADIUM and hear it, too...now since I am working right now, I can't preview, so hopefully this version has no drunken cussing in the background and is okay. If not, leave a comment and I will find another.
There you have it folks, giving thanks for the Aglet and America.
I am grateful for my almost one year olds morning nap. It allows me to accomplish a few things that don't get done in the afternoon when I am doing work. It also allows me (on rare occasion) to lay on the couch and take a nap myself, while Nick Jr. babysits Jackson, who lays beside me. Like today. MUCH needed.
(Ethan is modeling the hairbows that are the girl party favors for his birthday party...assembled during morning naptime the other day...got the headbands for a steal and as soon as Barb gives me the link again, I will share)
I am thankful that for the first time since 2003, I sat in the congregation to watch the Primary Program. It was lovely. Brennan read his part well, the kids sang the songs wonderfully, and it was nice to NOT have the stress of planning, writing, organizing, etc. I loved hearing each little child share his or her part, knowing that I helped teach them many of those principles up until June, when I was released from Primary President. I also loved seeing how much each child has grown since we moved to Omaha...2 1/2 years is a long time to spend with children and they are all so different and mature now. I am also thankful that (hopefully) no one noticed when Jackson clapped and gave Brennan a thumbs up after he read his part. It was very funny and cute. I am grateful that my husband was able to pull together a really good Sunday School lesson with little to no advanced notice.
Oh, and I am thankful I figured out that I had all the ingredients for a chicken pot pie from scratch and that I remembered to make it right after church...now when I am done with this MOM event, I will come home to a hot, homecooked meal that is delicious. If I remember, I will post the recipe for that (along with a picture of my new shoes, Bren :) tomorrow.
3 Little Monkeys from etsy.
(eating a ritz before the cake...need a little carbs to help with all the sugar)
3 Little Monkeys sent me this cute jungle print bib to do as a giveaway...Simply go to 3 Little Monkeys shop, come back here, and leave a comment telling me your favorite item!
