a FREE treat from treat!

In the age of emails, twitter and text messaging sometimes the "thought" gets lost in the holiday season (and lets be real, all seasons).  personally, there is nothing that makes me smile more than a heartfelt card from a sweet friend. SO I try and do the same and send cards to my loved ones near and far. I love me some snail mail! 

which is why I love Treat -- their cards are cute, affordable and you can make them personalized for all sorts of events/occasions. Treat is Shutterfly's exciting new greeting card brand that makes it easy for people to create and send one-of-a-kind greeting cards. It’s super easy. And it’s completely personal.

they have cards that you can personalize for all sorts of occasions, including --

anniversaries... 

friendship/just because... 

birthday cards....

 thanksgiving cards...

The amazing folks at Treat have a great deal for you (today and tomorrow ONLY) create and send a totally personalized greeting card from Treat for FREE. 

Whether saying thanks for Thanksgiving, wishing a best friend a holiday birthday, or simply sharing the holiday cheer with a just because card, Treat lets you create a one-of-a-kind card that is sure to impress.

Use the code TREATBLOGR today (11/19) or tomorrow (11/20) for your free treat card! 

**This is a sponsored post, many thanks to Shutterfly/Treat.

moms on call: an update

So, after my blog post earlier this week about Moms on Call and the whole online training not having the 8+week schedule and having to buy the book fiasco [basically, me complaining about having to buy two things because I'm cheap]. I got an email from Laura Hunter one of the founders of Moms on Call who stumbled upon my blog --

From there - we emailed back and forth and I was truly impressed by her genuine care and dedication to what she does!

I felt like a bit of an ass because I realized that the lack of 8 week schedule was not intentional and just an oversight. Also, like I said before - I would buy the book and the online training again without a doubt, because  in the grand scheme of things $55 is well-worth it for the amount of sleep I'm getting and the fact that my baby is well-rested and slept 11 hours last night...

I'll be honest, I was unsure if I was going to buy the 3-12 month online class in two weeks when Penelope turns 3 months. But now - I have no doubt. Even though Laura is sending me book 2 for free I'm still going to buy the online class... Not only because I think I'll get valuable information but because I want to support a company who truly cares about their customers.

Moms on Call also sent me [for FREE] their updated books (two of them!), a PDF of their second book, and a swaddling blanket -- so nice!

Also, on a completely UNRELATED note - I've started swaddling Penny loosely without her arms wrapped in and this is how I find her almost every time I check on her....

I know, I know...

so freaking cute.

I was not compensated for this post by Moms on Call - just truly impressed and wanted to share.

moms on call... a rave & rant.

remember that time my baby started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks?

I do.

It's amazing and glorious.
Penny is currently sleeping 10-11 hour stretches at night [!?!?]
hell to the yes.

I would like to credit my amaaaaazing parenting skills...

 but really I think it's [a small] part routine (moms on call)* 

....and [a big] part dumb luck (I'll take it)**

so let's start at the beginning - melissa mentioned moms on call on her blog back when her daughter Blaire was itty-bitty and I took note (basically, melissa is really smart and I want to be just like her). we emailed about it a bit and when Penny was two weeks old I bought moms on call's 0-3 month online training class and was VERY happy with the information, routine and the results I had gotten. We currently follow the daytime schedule loosely and the nighttime/bedtime routine pretty precisely. Penny was sleeping 3-4 hour stretches from 2-6 weeks and from 6 weeks on (minus a few off nights) she's slept through the night (just in time for me to start working from home - what a sweet girl, so good to her momma).

so, I've been singing moms on call's praises all over the interweb (twitter, blog, etc) and it seems some other moms are having great success from it too! which makes me happy. I wholeheartedly recommend it if you like sleep - if you have specific questions about the system/our take on it feel free to ask. clearly, it's probably not for everyone - but it works great for us!

now, I'm not going to lie - I was a little annoyed with moms on call a week or so ago -- so Penny turned 8 weeks... so I turned to my 0-3 months online training course and... wait?! what?? the 8+ week routine/example schedule is not included?! now, I know this is a business but I was frustrated. It should have been called 0-2 month online training - so I had to spend another $25 for a book (which has pretty much all the same information I already got from the online training sans 4 pages of schedules that I actually needed/wanted.....). I guess I just figured the same information would be offered in the book and in the online training - just in different ways for peoples different styles of learning, etc. but I'm disappointed to find out there are things in the video NOT in the book and things in the book NOT in the video. ugh.

I know... 

I'm being a baby 

(and cheap)

...but I just feel like I got one pulled over on me. 

now, could I have figured it out/done my own thing... yes. but let's be real - I'm a control freak. I like routine, systems and checklists (which moms on call provides me). I like having a framework to go  off of. I guess, the way I look at it is for the next baby I have the book to reference and I won't need to buy the online training course again so it really isn't money lost. oh well.

one last thing --

as cheap as I am...

I can't lie

it's SO worth it.

girlfriend is sleeping great!

and mommy?

mommy LOVES her sleep too!

now the question is -- do I buy the 6-12 month book or the 3-12 month online training session - I really do NOT want to buy both of them. I know, I'm being a baby (and cheap) and a little bitter. Judge away.

has anyone else used moms on call?

if so, where do you think I should go from here?

do you recommend doing the online training course or getting the book?

...or neither?

and of course, what you've all been waiting for -- pictures of our sweet sleeping babe...

*I was not compensated by moms on call for this blog post - just sharing my opinion -- though I wouldn't turn down a free book. seriously. hook a complainer up.
**I know, I know -- she will likely regress and she will have bad nights and in a few months she could go back to getting up once or twice a night - don't pee on my parade. I'm happy and my baby is sleeping and I'll take it!

penny's adorable tush: aka my cloth diapering post...

yes.

that's right.

we're cloth diapering Penny's adorable little bum...

I mean, how cute is that? 

pretty cute. right?

right.

when I first heard of cloth diapers years ago I was baffled at why anyone would want to use cloth diapers. I didn't ever think it was a decision I would choose to make when the time came... well, I am the first to admit when I am wrong [I was wrong] and I am a cloth diaper convert! 

there are many reasons we're choosing to cloth diaper - cost [bigger cost up front but definite savings over time, especially if you use the cloth diapers for more than one baby], environmental benefits [we're contributing less diapers to landfills across america], and of course - for our sweet pea's health [no chemicals on her nether regions and we have been diaper rash free from day one, hooray!]... oh, and I think they're pretty adorable!

clearly, it's not right for everyone - but it's right for us... [no judgement if you're using disposables - we use them in between wash cycles and currently for overnight!] So, in case using cloth diapers is something you've been toying with here is "our system" - I'm not a pro, but posts like these were SUPER helpful to me when I was figuring the whole cloth diapering thing out so I figure I'll try and help "pay it forward" - so here goes....

A lot of people start with "one-size" cloth diapers but I decided I wanted to diaper PJ from day one so I started with a newborn stash.  This was for a few reasons - first, I didn't want her to spend her first month or two in disposables since I know babies go through so many diapers during that timespan [I'm cheeeaaaap!] and I wasn't sure if we'd be able to cloth diaper fulltime once I went back to work because of daycare (still up in the air) so I wanted to cloth diaper "fulltime" while I was home on maternity leave... 

Our "Diaper Stash":

First, I got a total of 24 newborn diapers... 

12 X-Small FuzziBunz Cloth Pocket Diapers

[so cute, huh?]

12 newborn bumGenius diapers...

[equally adorable]

Penny's been wearing her cloth diapers since she was around a week old... here she at just 8 days old in her first cloth diaper!

She just outgrew her newborn diapers this past week so they lasted around six weeks - not too shabby considering we'll use them for another baby (or two).  Now I'm on to build our one-size stash (we currently have six bumGenius 4.0s and 2 bumGenius elementals -- clearly, we need a lot more one-size... I plan on just getting more of these two bumGenius types because I LOVE them).

anyways, in my opinion - almost as important as the diapers you get is the "system" you use with them. So, for us here's how it goes...

Our "System":

we have a tight lidded trashcan ($39.99 from Target)...

...in the trashcan we have two Munchkin Arm and Hammer Nursery Fresheners (just throw them right in the bottom of the trashcan)

...then we put a Kissa's Pail Liner in the trashcan (we bought two so when one is in the wash, the other one goes right in)...

...so after we take off the "dirty diaper" ever diaper is sprayed with (2-3 squirts) of Bac-Out w/Foaming Action Sprayer...

viola. 

no diaper stink and our diapers come out of the wash fresh and clean!

we're also using cloth wipes -- so we give Pen's "nether regions" a spray or two of California Baby Diaper Area Wash and wipe with the cloth wipes and toss them in the "bin"

Washing the Diapers:

As far as washing goes, I've heard and found it's trial and error - what I've come up with is this -- first, I run a normal cold wash (no spin, soiled heavy, no detergent) then a normal hot/cold wash (with a spin, soiled heavy, Ecos detergent, extra rinse). Our washing routine combined with the Bac-Out has left our diapers smelling nice and clean with no stains! AMAZING.  

Cloth Diaper Love:

...so we're all big fans of cloth diapers around here - even Ollie...

Oh Ollie... silly diaper thief.

...and of course - some more pictures of our adorable cloth diapered baby...

let me know if you have any questions!

clearly, not an expert but happy to help and give my [limited] perspective...

lastly, here are some super helpful links where I got a lot of my cloth diapering information/ideas:

elefantitas alegres

oh! apostrophe

I suck: the valentines day edition

remember that time that DJ and I were having a baby and trying to save money... 

I do! 

I'm currently living it. 

to pinch a few extra pennies DJ and I decided we would be doing a frill-free valentines day this year.. aka no gifts, no nada - just a moderate dinner out [which we're doing tonight to not deal with the crowds]. so I was going to be sneaky and make him a little gift but I said something to him about needed to get a few little supplies and he goes into the whole "we're trying to save money, no gifts, I'm not getting you anything, no no no..." speech so I back down.

...and I do precisely that. 

nothing.

so let's rewind to yesterday... I get in the car and my love has a dozen beautiful red roses sitting on the passenger seat for me, which he then quickly follows up with a sweet card, a box of chocolates and [one of my all-time favorite things in the whole wide world] cotton candy.

I then have a slight freakout saying thank you and showering him with kisses and then I say "but we weren't supposed to do gifts or anything this year..." his response, something along the lines of - "well, I knew you weren't going to listen and that you'd do something so I did too"  I stare blankly and respond "no, I didnt!?"

the one time I listen. of course, he laughs it off and says that valentines day is really all about women and he doesn't care but I feel like a big ole ahole. I didn't even have a card for him [in my defense we're supposed to be celebrating tonight].

I know it wasn't a big deal, it was just such a sweet sentiment and I really was caught off-guard. who knew $20 at the grocery store could get a man so much street cred.

so there you have it. my valentines day failure...

and here is his sweet valentines day success...

I'm a lucky girl...

so excited to have a nice relaxing Italian dinner out [yay carbs] with my love tonight.... 

...and now the clock is ticking - what can I buy/make him in the next 5 hours?! 

....wish me luck! 

24 weeks...

24 down, 16 to go!? Is it just me or does 16 seem a lot sooner than 17? maybe because it's an even number, or 4x4 - who knows. either way, I feel like the next 16 weeks are going to fly by - also, I have this fear that sweet baby j is going to come early and nothing is going to be ready for her so I'm trying to get the essentials over the next few weeks [hey, better to be early than late, right?!].

we did make our first "big baby purchase" this past week [other than my diaper bag, which is clearly lifechanging] - we bought our glider! we originally fell in love with a little castle glider at Buy Buy Baby but then when we were at Babies R Us this weekend [no tears!] we saw an extremely comparable one [which was just as comfy] for $200 cheaper [and we all know I'm cheap] AND I could use a 20% off coupon that I had -- that was it... signed, sealed - hopefully delivered this weekend! We're going back this weekend to buy the ottoman [and use another 20% off coupon] and possibly buy my breast pump too [yup. I just wrote breast pump in a blog post. didn't see that one coming did you]...

here's the skinny chub on my 24th week...

• baby j is currently 24 weeks old - and she weighs over a pound and is pretty much a foot long [ear of corn!], I also learned this week that my uterus is currently the size of a soccer ball. fun. 
• the nesting has begun - baby j's basement nursery is underway and we have started rearranging the room and getting set for her! I also took the tags/stickers off of all of her clothes and sorted them by size... yup. anal retentive, party of one.
• sleepless nights: one. I don't know why but I could NOT sleep Tuesday night - I got up to pee like 6 times and just could not get comfortable/clear my head... luckily last night the exhaustion set in and I slept like a baby. it was glorious.
• items bought: our glider, diaper bag, and too many adorable onesies from baby gap...
• items borrowed: a friend from work lent us her swing, snap and go stroller, and boba baby carrier! score for fun free stuff aka saving money!
• birthdays celebrated: two! oliver turned 2 and our sweet niece Sarah turned four! 
• DJ felt our sweet pea move for the first time this past week! SO exciting. she's a jumping bean that one, I love our little conversations that we have all day long while she wiggles around my belly

24th week bumpin bump... and a bumpin bully...

24th week in pictures...

so that was our 24th week. 

lots of cuddling with Oliver on the couch, date night at Bonefish [hooray gift cards], chocolate chip banana pancakes, nesting taking full force, building storage cubbies and adorable tiny clothes.

pride and prejudice...

"I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine." - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

I recently finished re-reading Pride and Prejudice, I haven't read it in over a decade and so easily fell back in love with the characters, story and Austen's style of writing. As someone who often is caught reading chick-lit fluff it was great to read a book of true substance. Many critics say that Pride and Prejudice is the greatest love story ever told, I just might be inclined to agree [clearly, other than mine - hah. kidding]. Seriously though - I caught myself just smiling and sighing as I read the book falling utterly in love with the characters to where I literally couldn't stop smiling when I finished the book. 

 Then... I watched the movie again. Now, I know the book is always better than the movie but still, I have to admit I really, really like the 2006 movie version of Pride and Prejudice. Yes, they clearly changed the ending [originally just in the US because we like things "sugary sweet" - funny, but true], but I loved every minute of it. If you haven't read it in awhile or ever, I recommend you pick it up soon. The great news is if you have an ereader or iPad you can download it for free! Let's be real, I love free. I'm currently reading Emma and am again being reminded why Jane Austen is such an esteemed author and said to be ahead of her time - for lack of a more eloquent way of saying it - she's really good.

Just to make my heart happy and to hopefully give you a taste [or reminder] of the amazingness that is Pride and Prejudice here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book...

"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life."

"A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment."

"Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing after all."

"They were within twenty yards of each other, and so abrupt was his appearance, that it was impossible to avoid his sight.  Their eyes instantly met, and the cheeks of both were overspread with the deepest blush" 

Source: pillageplunderpilfer.tumblr.com via annahita on Pinterest

Source: designismine.blogspot.com via annahita on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via annahita on Pinterest

in closing, if you haven't already...

Source: adorablelife.tumblr.com via annahita on Pinterest

with all that being said, run out and read the book. not feeling too literate? watch the movie. either way, you'll be left with your feeling a little lighter and more filled with love.

oh yeah, one last thing about Pride and Prejudice... Lydia is a whore. 

The End.

true birds groupon!

check out this awesome deal groupon is running today...

$25 for $50 worth of jewelry & accessories for true birds!

true birds is a company based out of LA run by two adorable twin sisters 

[you might have seen their adorable stuff at Nordstrom]

they have headbands, broaches, clips and jewelry

personally I love their jewelry...

here are some of my fav necklaces....

story teller

jet plane

harmony harmonica

vintage silver fan

their necklaces average at around $50 so this groupon is a great deal to get a piece for only $25!
perfect if you're looking for a fun gift for someone [or yourself!]
the deal runs until thursday so hurry over to check it out for yourself!