October 14, 2013

new home tour: basement

People have been asking for a home tour of our new home, and we’re finally getting unpacked and able to share bits and pieces with you! I’m going to share in pieces, since otherwise we’d have a wayyyy too long post. Let’s start with the kids’ favorite room: the basement!

My kids have been fascinated with basements for years. Probably because we never had one. Whenever we went to a house with a finished basement, the kids would only want to play there! So we were thrilled that our new place had one. The basement has 4 rooms – 3 small unfinished/utility type rooms and one finished room. The previous owners left the projector system for us, so we now have one kick-butt movie room!

I found these vintage travel posters from movie locations online. Aren’t they SO SUPER COOL?? (I’m extremely proud of these)

{Endor | Narnia | Hogsmeade}

The kids have their own little play area, complete with train table (that is currently a Lego Friends World) and this AMAZING organization system by IKEA.

And – Elizabeth’s favorite part – the cupboard under the stairs! Just like Harry Potter’s. 🙂 We made ours a reading nook!

And the hallway back to the laundry room (complete with a pile of dirty laundry) has a bulletin board that we’re already filling up with works of art!

So there’s the first peek! Enjoy!

October 10, 2013

swimming with dolphins at dolphin cay

Melissa 1 Comment

This happened. This really, really happened.

Honestly, it was so surreal – almost like a dream. When in your life do you get to interact so intimately with such a beautiful wild animal? When do you get to learn about them from their trainers – who love and understand them so closely – with them right in front of you? When do you wade into waist-deep water and get to make friend with a dolphin, touching and playing, giving them kisses and high fives?

At Dolphin Cay in Atlantis, shallow water interactions are limited to just ten guests per dolphin, so you truly get one-on-one time with your dolphin. Your time begins with a quick orientation where you learn about dolphins and then leads to a 30-minute in water interaction. Your trainer leads you through an educational time, learning about dolphin behavior, training and even dolphin anatomy. Did you know that the first residents of Dolphin Cay were 16 rescued dolphins, who were swept to sea during Hurricane Katrina from their previous home at the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Mississippi?

You’ll get to kiss, hug, dance, high five, pet, feed and give cues for the dolphin to do tricks. At

TIPS FOR DOLPHIN CAY:

You will get wet. Dolphins are very playful and love to splash. (And the trainers love to make them splash you 🙂
JEWELRY IS NOT PERMITTED, for the dolphin’s safety. Lock your wedding rings in your room safe before you visit Dolphin Cay. They do have lockers, but you may be uncomfortable leaving your valuables there.
Come dressed in your swimsuit. Locker room space is open, so its easier to just pull your wetsuit on over your suit.
Wetsuits, personal lockers, beach towels, and non-alcoholic refreshments are provided, along with all-day access to Dolphin Cay’s luxurious private beach. You are welcome to stay and enjoy the gorgeous beach after your interaction.
Children under 10 MUST have an adult doing the interaction with them.
Bring your Atlantis room card or a credit card with ID – these are the only ways to pay.
The photo CD is the best value – for $99, you can get a photo CD with 30 pictures on it, so you can print your own pictures at home. Photo print packages start at around $40.

Disclosure: This trip was provided courtesy of the Paradise Island Bureau of Tourism and Development. As always all thought and opinions are our own.

September 30, 2013

flush for good: you can improve sanitation conditions worldwide

Melissa 160 Comments

I am so pleased to be partnering with the Flush for Good campaign. This important campaign is designed to increase awareness of the global water sanitation crisis and to stimulate action that protects the health of all people through well-engineered plumbing solutions. In the US, we tend to take our access to clean, running water for granted. Across the world, over 1.5 billion people are living without access to sanitary water or a proper toilet. American Standard saw this as a problem and created the Flush for Good campaign to try to help.

Having traveled all over the world, my husband and I have seen the deplorable water conditions so many people live with. You really haven’t lived until you’ve used a public toilet in rural India. And you think the bathrooms at the rest stop on the turnpike are disgusting? I remember the Ganges River in India – telling the kids not to go in, because you could see how awful the water was. The Ganges was ranked among the five most polluted rivers of the world, with astounding amounts of sewage and industrial waste. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many poorer people rely on the river on a daily basis for bathing, washing, and cooking. And we were at the top of the river, so it wasn’t even as bad!

I will never forget this picture my husband took in Haiti. I had to crop it, because the little boy was not dressed, but this a a boy, playing is a river filled with raw sewage in Haiti.

He lived in a tent city, atop a hillside outside Port-au-Prince. His family lost everything in the earthquake. This water – THIS water – was their source of water for drinking, washing and cooking.

This should not be. We can fix this.

EVERY DAY 2,000 CHILDREN DIE FROM LACK OF PROPER SANITATION. For every Champion toilet purchased, American Standard will donate one sanitary toilet pan for a developing country. You can also help on Facebook, with a sanitary toilet pan being donated for every 100 likes and shares. These sanitary pans create a barrier that prevents cross-contamination between open latrines and the people that use them.

I am so supportive of this campaign. I love that American Standard has latched on to a cause that is related to their products and is doing what they can – not just to donate money – but to EDUCATE people about this important issue.

win it!

One lucky Girlymama reader will win a $200 Gift Card to Home Depot, courtesy of American Standard!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Winner must have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see our giveaway policies page.

September 23, 2013

another side effect of moving… weight gain

Melissa 3 Comments

The last few months have been busy.

Perhaps you noticed, what with the moving and traveling and being homeless for 6 weeks and unpacking mountains of boxes.

Anyway, its taken its toll, in more ways than one. We’re all still exhausted – we just don’t have the energy levels we usually have. (Seriously, ask our friends, We tend to be a bit crazy.)

And I’ve seen it on the scale. I gained 12 pounds. I mean, really?? Yes, we were moving and not cooking and eating out and stuff, but 12? Yes, I wasn’t going to the gym, but 12?? Yes, I went to Greece where there are gelato stands on every corner, but 12???

I was desperate. I have cute fall clothes I need to wear. I needed to kick start things and fast.

So I joined Weight Watchers Online.

The first week I gained weight. Cause that’s how I roll. No seriously, I honestly feel like I had no idea what I was even eating. I was still in our summer mode of eating whatever was handy at the time. That was an eye opener.

Now its been 4 weeks and I’m feeling good. I started exercising again and I’m paying attention to what I’m eating. And I’ve lost 4 pounds! GO ME!

Here’s what I learned so far.

I graze. I tend to eat small meals all day. This isn’t bad, but when the nearest thing is cookies, that is not good. I’ve been keeping fruits and veggies handy.
I’m a champion excuse maker. I can come up with any excuse under the sun not to exercise. If you ever need one, just call me.
I need to plan. If I don’t plan out what we’re going to eat, it all falls apart! I’ve started being more diligent in menu planning and I’ve seen a big difference in how healthy we eat – and how less stressed rushed dinner times are!

Have you done Weight Watchers? What was your experience?

;

disclosure: i have received a complimentary membership to weight watchers online. unfortunately, they don’t lose the weight for me, so i have to do the work and share my progress myself 😉 people following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week.”

September 19, 2013

back to school round two with staples giveaway

Melissa 45 Comments

Well, it time for our second annual Back-to-School shopping trip, where we buy everything we forgot the first time! (I’m not the only one, right?)

Except now we’re facing crazy temptation when we go to Staples – they’ve expanded their educational supplies section and the prices are divine. Now, right along those school supplies and copy paper, you can find brands like Crayola, Leap Frog, Melissa & Doug and more, at select Staples stores and on Staples.com.

First off, if you’re a fan of Crayola brand crayons (who isn’t?) then you’ll want to head to Staples and take a look at their “crayon wall.” Now you can pick up an empty tin and customize it with your own set of colors. From Wild Watermelon to Mac and Cheese to Royal Purple Glitter – the choice is yours! Gracie’s would be entirely pink and purple. Colin’s? He would want every color EXCEPT pink and purple. That’s how we roll. We like to be complicated like that.

Remember fresh crayons as a kid? WHAT was more exciting?

We took advantage to beef up our TAG by LeapFrog library. Colin is obsessed.

We got him one last year and it has been a lifesaver. He is so proud when he can sit and ‘read’ just like his big sisters! We were thrilled by the great selection of Tag books we found at Staples. The prices were competitive and we even found one in 3-D. Total coolness! Staples had a ton of options from brands like Crayola, Melissa & Doug, Leapfrog and Alex Toys – all brands we know and love in our house!

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Additional entries:

2. Like Girlymama on Facebook to keep up with what’s happening on our site (then comment here to tell us!)

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I entered to win$25 gift card to Staples from @MelissaAngert #giveaway! Enter here: http://girlymama.com/?p=6214

One winner will be selected at random using the And The Winner Is plugin for WordPress and will be notified by email. Winner must have a U.S. Mailing address. For other contest rules, see our giveaway policies page.

September 19, 2013

lundby: every girl’s dream house

Melissa

We have way too many toys. Moving really drove that home for us. Even after our yard sale and taking a bunch of stuff to Goodwill, somehow we still have too many.

I’m on a mission – no more junky plastic things that break moments after they are out of the box. Nothing with batteries and makes loud, unnecessary noise. We have enough of that on ur won, thanks.

I’m ready to invest in a few nice toys that my kids will play with for years, are well-built, last forever, and have the ability to hold their attention.

So, we’re thrilled to be working with Lundby.

Lundby doll houses are typical examples of modern dream homes – in miniature format: 1:18 scale. All of their houses are based on the same fundamental belief – that the urge to play lies in the details. And this conviction obviously applies to the interior design, fixtures and furniture too. They were the first in the world to install electric lighting in their doll’s houses. And when you look at their products, you see painstaking attention to detail and design. No detail is too small to be overlooked.

Lundby is The story of Lundby doll’s house begins in 1945, when Axel and Grete Thomsen moved back to Sweden from Denmark. They settled down in a small neighborhood named Lundby in the northern part of Gothenburg. Grete started designing and building a doll’s house and furniture for her niece. It was so popular with her niece’s friends that they decided to go into business… and the rest is history.

Gracie and I are so excited to be working with Lundby and to get to create our own dream house. Its so chic and sleek, that I can have it on display in your living room and it will fit right in. No hiding this toy in the playroom for us! We have been pouring over the Lundby catalog, planning out how we want to decorate. There are endless furniture options – and even some DIY opportunities! You can print up your own pre-sized wallpaper from the Lundby website – free of charge.

We are going to have so much fun with this. We can’t wait!

disclosure: we will be partnering with lundby to highlight their products with our audience, so we will be receiving products to facilitate posts. as always, all opinions are my own.

September 17, 2013

don’t forget the donate pile!

Melissa

This weekend we took part in a community yard sale. It was incredibly freeing to clean out the basement and get rid of things we no longer need. We went through a gazillion boxes and had four piles: Keep, Sell, Donate and Trash.

We ended up selling a bunch of baby toys and books and a few household goods, like some old lamps, throw pillows and baby furniture (like the toddler bed that sold less than 2 minutes after we set it out). All our outgrown clothes, books and kitchen stuff we don’t use anymore we donated to Goodwill.

Did you know that donating one bag of clothing and one bag of books can equal up to 2.3 hours of on-the-job training for someone in your community? Add to that a used lamp, a dusty computer and perhaps a box of DVDs and CDs, and that number nearly doubles to 5.2 hours. A simple item donated to Goodwill^® can help provide job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face other challenges to finding employment. In fact, Goodwill is the leading nonprofit provider of job training programs and career services in the United States and Canada.

When you’re cleaning out your closets and switching your clothes from summer to winter, don’t forget your donate pile for Goodwill!

September 16, 2013

adjusting

Melissa

We’re having so much fun with our pup!

He’s not perfect – he’s got a bad habit of chewing up the kids stuffed animals and tends to chase squirrels every chance he gets. But he’s very mellow and quiet and is fitting right into the family.

But he has really bonded with the family. He adores the kids. He sleeps all day while they’re at school, then practically wags his tail off in excitement when they get off the bus. He just loves when we’re all home and can’t decide where to sit if we’re all together. (“I want to be next to Eliza! No! Gracie! No! Colin!”)

Oh, the sweetness.

September 10, 2013

ode to school supplies

Melissa

I confess: As much as back to school shopping is stressful and annoying, I LOVE shopping for school supplies.

Like seriously.

New notebooks and folders. A fresh planner. Binder clips. (I have a serious thing for binder clips.) And new pens.

I LOVE pens.

I firmly believe I can never had too many pens. Partly because my daughters have inherited my pen obsessed gene, so they are always stealing them from me. But also because they are just fun. I actually write in my planner with a different color for every family member.

I love the Bic Z4 Roller most – its smooth and perfect for keeping my planner organized. They come in classic colors and cool neons (that my kids immediately confiscated.) But the Bic for Her is a close second. It writes beautifully without bleeding through the pages.

And the girls are loving them too! They promptly stole all of them except the boring blue and black ones…

I’m not alone right? Other people love school supplies too, right?

disclosure: bic sent me a selection of school supplies to facilitate this post. as always, all opinions are my own. although my love of pens probably makes me biased 😉

September 9, 2013

meltdown

Melissa 1 Comment

As we’ve been settling in to a new place, there have been remarkably few bumps in the road. The kids have adjusted beautifully. The house is great, we’re slowly making new friends and getting plugged into our new community.

But this weekend, we hit a wall.

We had several epic meltdowns about seemingly inconsequential things. We ended up talking a lot – about how this has been an incredibly stressful few months and that its ok to cry and have a little meltdown once in awhile.

I think now everything is doing well – but I’m sure its not the end of the bumps in the road.

I think we need to cut ourselves a little break and let ourselves recover a bit longer after this summer.

*****

We’re full swing in activties here. Dance, music lessons, running, clubs, Sunday School… and I’m a soccer mom again.

*****

The pup is doing well. We had a few rough days last week, but he is definitely making progress! We’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel… although it probably has dog hair on it.