My new project

My hubby loves me, there is absolutely no doubt about that! I was talking to him about all my graphic design orders lately (yay!) and telling him that I was getting sort of bored with Photoshop. So what does he do? He goes and gets me the WHOLE Adobe Suite CS4!!!! Holy Cow!! This is the new version of everything from Photoshop to After Effects (cool movie editing). So now I am delving into the world of Illustrator for the first time. Whew! It is NOT as easy as I would have thought, being a Photoshop nerd. But I am learning pretty quickly and here are my first two pieces on my new program. I am sure I will be posting more as I learn new tricks!!

The tutorial for this cool project is here!!

THE List -Beta

Ok, I make these lists and all I center on is stuff for the family, the kids I care for, even my pets and Hubby. Rarely, like most moms, do I think about myself. So here is a list that I have been composing of things that I want/need all for ME!!!


I made this strawberry butter tonight and will cheerfully murder anyone else who touches it! Total yuminess! (@ Martha Stewart)

One of my guilty pleasures is laying on the beach, listening to a good playlist or audiobook. This book came highly recommended and I can't wait to try it! (as seen in Sex and The City)

I am such a huge fan of Dogeared Jewelry... this bracelet tops my wish list there! (@Dogeared Jewels & Gifts)

Usually you don't find chandaliers in bathrooms, but this one is so beachy, how can you not put it near the water? (@ Lily & Eve)

Yes I know it is summer, but here in Cleveland it will be chilly again before we know it. I really REALLY want this quilt for those frosty months ahead! (@ Hudson Quilts)


Since I am growing my hair out (with the help of an island vacation promise from the hubby!) I am always looking for cute things to put in it. Sure I could make some hair clips myself, but what would be the fun in that?! And of course these have strawberries on them!!! (@ Zomo & Bara)

And what would a wish list be without something Bento-y?? This set is my new love!! (@ Bento Crazy)

Nirvana has been reached!

If you want to buy me a gift (and who doesn't) here is a little wish list that represents my two favorite things right now- strawberries and Bento boxes. [please insert heavenly choir music here]
Now that I have to find a store to replace Ichiban Kan this may be my new mecca.... Bento Crazy!!! What could be better than this lovely collection of Bento boxes??? LOOOOVE it!

clipped from bentocrazy.com

Strawberry Candy 2 Tier Bento Box and belt set 6.50

Cram Cream Strawberry Stainless Steel Water Bottle 13.00

Black Strawberry Two Tier Bento Box 16.00

Red Strawberry Two Tier Bento Box 16.00

I wonder if I can score some free Bento goodies for doing a kick ass review?? =)

Tickets? Oh, yes, we have tickets!!

So we have been at the new reward system for a couple of days with simply amazing results so far. Gabby immediately understood the concept of the tickets, what they mean, what she can get, and most importantly what happens when she doesn't complete a task. And I can proudly report that we have had five days of perfect ticket earning!!!

No more yelling, no more pleading to clean the room or take a rest break (she actually NAPPED!), and no instigating fights with AJ.... now I just need to find something that will stop AJ from hitting, hair pulling, and pinching in the car!!

I know not all days will be perfect, but five perfect days are encouraging. And you can tell how proud Gabby is of herself that she earned all of her tickets. Love it!

THE List 1.1

Round pancakes are soooo yesterday! How about a pirate ship? ARRRRR! (@ Filth Wizardry)

I can't wait to try out this homemade hand scrub for myself.... sounds sooooo fresh and citrusy! (@ Craftzine)

Who has tons of cash laying around in this economy? Try these cute cheap date night ideas! (@ Small Notebook)

As if I didn't need any more ideas for cutting up pillowcases... cute apron anyone? (@ Betz White)

This pineapple chicken sounds soooo yummy... try it and let me know how it is! (@ Home-Ec 101)

I think that the kids will get a kick out of these DIY poster paints (@ Pepper Paints)

Don't feel like heading down to the pool? Try these cute and cheap sponge balls instead! (@ Betz White)

Watch out rainy days, I may actually have something to battle you now... (@ The Mother Load)

This decorated tape is so cute...so many things I feel the need to tape up now with it! (@ Ichiban Kan) (Pssssst....check out the adorable Bento supplies while you are there!)

MAIL TIME!!!

I LOOOOOVE GETTING MAIL!!!!! In the last three days I have gotten two wonderful packages (with more to arrive any day now!)

First came my bento order from Ichiban Kan, a lovely Japanese import store in CA with the BEST bento deals. I bought three two-tiered boxes with matching belts, a square box, some toothpicks (for make kababobs), some paper grass (for keeping items separate), and some small condiment bottles. (If anyone knows where I can get a pipette please let me know!). All that for about $12!!! Lunches are going to be sooooo much easier to take! Just check out the Bento Group on Flickr to see some AWESOME bento ideas!
Here is a pic of my loot!


Then today I received an even better package- my Usborne book order!! Aside from getting my customer's books I also got Gabby and AJ's books... a LOT of them! (Did I mention that being a consultant totally ROCKS out?) Let's just say that I spent very little to get all these and my girls are sooooo excited to have new books to look at!



And last, here is a pic of my girls... digging in the pool! Gotta love their imagination!

What if Snow White DIDN'T Live Happily Ever After?

photo by Dina Goldstein

Cinderella's on her bedroom floor
She's got a
Crush on the guy at the liquor store
Cause Mr. Charming don't come home anymore
And she forgets why she came here
Sleeping Beauty's in a foul mood
For shame she says
None for you dear prince, I'm tired today
I'd rather sleep my whole life away than have you keep me from dreaming

Snow White is doing dishes again cause
What else can you do
With seven itty-bitty men?
Sends them to bed and calls up a friend
Says will you meet me at midnight?
The tall blonde lets out a cry of despair says
Would have cut it myself if I knew men could climb hair
I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows

But the story needs some mending and a better happy ending
Cause I don't want the next best thing
No no I don't want the next best thing

My Kind of Technology

Real Simple

I love watching people's expressions when I walk through the zoo, a store, anywhere really toting 3 toddlers and 2 preschoolers along. I am not yelling, 99% of the time no children are crying, and everyone is having a good time. The only mildly stressful time is lunch time. Nothing like trying to prepare food for 5 hungry, tired, whiney kids. One of which (usually AJ) is hanging on my leg in the kitchen begging for scraps. Oye!


In comes my savior- the Muffin Pan. Yes, this wonderful pan does not cook muffins in this house. Instead it holds a wide variety of fruits, veggies, breads, crackers, and even the occasional cookie. It is so much easier to chop up some thick pieces of meat, cut up some fruit, and just let the kids pick what they want to eat.
Simple huh?

Here are some other sites that sing the praises of this creative way to feed lunch:
Make and Take
Sycamore Stirrings
Muffin Tin Flickr Group
Mom to 2 Busy Boys

THE List 1.0

So I have been trying to figure out how to share all the wonderful things that I find on the web with all my lovely readers. Obviously I don't want to bombard you all with my blogginess... but there is so much fun here, how can I NOT share? LOL! So here is my solution. A simple list, complete with links, maybe a pic of two..... go on, you know you want to see what I found!!

I am dying to try out this wiggly watermelon recipe with all the kids! (@ Gourmet Mom-On-The Go)

Making your own homemade cleaners have never been so easy thanks to this post (@ Jolly Mom)

Need some new traditions for your family? Here are some great starters! (@ Simple Mom)

I think that this Bento Birthday Bash is going to be Gabby's theme this year...love it! (@ Secret Agent Josephine)

All my kids will be making this adorable Blackberry/iPhone craft for Father's Day...lovely (@ No Time for Flashcards)

With a street called Blossom Park how can I not make these beautiful flower pot house numbers? (@ Evangeline's Vine)

And finally, you all know my obsession with birds and fabric... well these decoupaged windows would fit in perfectly with my fabric flock perfectly. (@ Oh Dee Doh)

So what do you think of the list??

Ticket please!

So we have a defiant child. Well...not quite defiant, but we are well on our way there. Yesterday was not one of Gabby's best days... she did everything we told her not to, said she was sorry and then did the same thing again. By the end of the day I was left wondering if I was turning into one of those moms Nanny 911 or Supernanny would rip to pieces. I would get so mad at her for doing the wrong thing, lying to us about doing her chores, and found myself yelling like a mad woman. Me, yelling at my girl.... sigh, not my best mommy moments I am sure.

So I decided to do something about it.

There is a book called "The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child" whose suggestions just clicked on a light in my head and made me really think about what was going on. I mean, we weren't physically fighting like some families, but it was bad enough that I lost my temper more than I care to admit. I thought about where are are having the most conflicts- getting Gabby to eat her meals, pick up her room, and most of all rest at naptime. One of the suggestions that the book had was a positive reward system involving raffle tickets.

So here is what I bought: stickers, small craft box, and the raffle tickets. On one sheet of cardstock I put down 5 chores that we want her to do each day- feed the dog, put dirty clothes away, rest at naptime, eat at least 50% of her meal, pick up toys at the end of the day. Each of this has a ticket value from 1-5.
And on the other side I wrote down all of her rewards- a trip to the dollar store, gets to pick out dinner, going to the movies with Daddy, and her favorite- a trip to the Kiddie Park! Each of these has a ticket value as well ranging from 10 tickets to 100 tickets.
At the end of the day Gabby gets her tickets, puts them in her newly decorated box, and gets to spend or save them as she sees fit.

Here is why I like this idea- there is no negativity associated with it. The child doesn't do the task, they don't get a ticket, easy as that. You never take tickets away. Also, you don't have to give tickets for EVERYTHING that your child does right. Gabby still has to use her manners, still has to help set the table, etc. And, she practices her math and understands saving up for what she really wants. (Let's just hope she doesn't want a pony or something!)

So we will see how it goes... so far so good though, Gabby has earned 5 tickets already!

10 things that I want to teach my daughters

10. There are very few situations in life that can't be made better by petting a cat or dog.

9. Sometimes it is ok to go to bed angry.

8. No matter what, love your sister. Through the ups and downs, if you love her like your best friend, you will always have someone to depend on.

7. Read, read, read....read about stuff you love, stuff you hate....you never know what you will learn and where you will go.

6. We will always love you, even when you screw up royally.

5. Don't ever let other people tell you what you can and can't do, not even your father and I. We will steer you in the right direction, but only you know your own path.

4. No matter what your father tells you, the Miami Dolphins are the root of all evil, we hate them more than Republicans.

3. You can always talk to us about anything... anything!

2. Choose to be happy, it is so much easier and makes you so much healthier.

1. Nothing will be more important to me than being your mom. You will understand this when you have kids.... after you are 30 and your dad lets you start dating.

Love you sooooo much!

Coolness from Around the Web

Here are some cool things that I have "stumbled upon". Enjoy!! (And the woman who writes Filth Wizardry is my hero, let me just put that out there!!!)

clipped from filthwizardry.blogspot.com

Seriously, this woman is Super Crafter! Take a look through her archives and you will be amazed, inspired, and totally crafty!

clipped from www.go-girl.com

Simply put, GoGirl is the way to stand up to crowded, disgusting, distant or non-existent bathrooms. It’s a female urination device (sometimes called a FUD) that allows you to pee while standing up. It’s neat. It’s discreet. It’s hygienic. (more)

If you camp, you’ll love GoGirl. If you ski, you’ll love GoGirl. If you boat, you’ll love GoGirl. If you travel, you’ll love GoGirl. If you just want to avoid the germs you find in nasty public toilets, you’ll love GoGirl. GoGirl is for active women of all types and ages. (Get to know some GoGirls)

Every little girl's dream is now realized- we can now write our name in the snow ladies!!!

clipped from orkposters.com

I am pretty sure this poster is the coolest thing that I have seen in a long time. Love typography art!

clipped from bitsandpieces.us

This just made me giggle ...a lot!

clipped from www.landofnod.com

This bed is just sooooo pretty!

clipped from tinyhappy.typepad.com

I am in love with these pretty little shoes...the entire blog is an inspiration for a newbie embroiderer like myself. So feminine and pretty!