Fabulous Favorite Friday

Ok, so I was rocking Logan to sleep last night and I was thinking about the Stiletto Spy School and if I had the chance to go, what my spy girl name would be. Since it seems like I'm always trying to get these kids to be quiet, I think my spy girl name would be "The Silencer". LOL






For my Fabulous Favorite Friday post, I'm posting two products that have helped me out greatly. About a week ago, I was in the store and I saw these Huggies Overnites diapers. I had been having a really hard time with getting Logan to sleep through the night. He kept waking up around 4 or 4:30. Since I don't get to bed until 11:30 or 12:00, having to get up at 4:30 was not working. And I wasn't able to just let him cry it out because he was waking up his big brother. So, when I went to the store and saw these diapers I figured I had to give them a try. Well, lo and behold it has done the trick because the little guy has been getting back on schedule. If you are interested in trying them out, you can follow this link and print off a $2.00 off coupon. http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13000&zid=xu12&nid=10&cid=14541034






The second thing I'm sharing today are the Huggies Calming Touch Disposable Wash Cloths with Baby Wash. I have to admit when I saw these in the store I didn't give them a second look. But, a few months ago it dawned on me that these were a great solution to a problem I was having. Ever since Logan was born, let me just say in a delicate way that he is regular. I have never changed so many explosive diapers as I have on this child. It led me early on to give him the nickname of Poo Paw. I'll never forget one day I went out shopping and thank goodness my mom was with me. All of a sudden Logan had a blow out so bad it leaked through his clothes. I had to take him in the bathroom and use paper towels to get him cleaned up. It was a job that was bigger than my wipes could handle. He was definitley a stinky little piglet. After that happened, I saw these wash cloths in the store and I realized how much easier it would have been if I'd just had some of these in the diaper bag. So, I bought a box and I have been pleased ever since.

Whenever I've been out and Logan has had a bad diaper, these have been wonderful to help clean him up. They come in a wonderful Lavendar scent which is nice because many times after one of these episodes he needs something that will make him smell nice. LOL These of course are also great for traveling. With all the regulations on not taking liquids on airplanes, these are a nice solution to that problem.

So, that is all from my neck of the woods. I can't believe the weekend is here already. Have a great weekend!

Shaken, not stirred

Ok, for once I got a chance to see a story this morning on The Today Show and when I saw this, I knew I had to blog about it. Have you ever heard of Stiletto Spy School? I had never heard of this until the story aired this morning. It sounds like a fun girl's weekend opportunity. Two of the journalists went through the weekend training while in Las Vegas.

They teach you things like Mixology because every great spy needs to mix a martini, right? And they have knife fighting training, weapons training, extreme stunt driving skills, perfect poker skills and burlesque dancing and some other cool stuff. I have to say the burlesque dancing sounded like the scariest thing they trained you on. LOL And I think I could totally ace the stunt driving. Because if you've ever driven Interstate 95 any amount of time you become pretty adept at stunt driving. Seriously.

They have each of the women come up with their spy name. I'm going to think on that and will get back to you. I love the idea of having a spy name. What would your spy name be?

Here is a link to the school. Go and check out the different descriptions of the skills they teach. They are unbelievable. http://www.stilettospyschool.com/ And if you check out the Today Show's website, you can see the video of the report. It is just a few minutes and so cute.

Oh, and I totally want one of those cute t-shirts they have. They are so fun!

I'll be back tomorrow with something for Fabulous Favorite Friday. Happy Thursday!

Later Gator

Gonna post something cool later today. Gotta run out with the kids this a.m. Wishing you a great Thursday morning!

Two Tip Tuesday

Happy Tuesday everyone! The sun is shining here and summer is in full swing. We've had a beautiful summer so far. We have some little tomato plants in the back yard and they are loving the sunshine and occasional showers we have had recently. The humidity is back up, but we've been blessed this summer that is hasn't been as bad as it normally is. So, there is a lot to be thankful about weather wise.

With going outside a lot and planning for another beach trip next month, I thought it would be great this Two Tip Tuesday to talk about skin care and protecting yourself from the suns rays. Last week I was in Wal Mart and one of the local hospitals (which is a teaching hospital) had some dermatology folks set up at a table and they were giving away free samples of sunscreen and providing information. I am a firm believer in sun screen. I have to be because both my mom and grandfather have had skin cancer. So, I know there is a family history to consider.

I thought I'd share some of the information I received from them in a pamphlete that had information on sunscreen and skin health because there is some great information to pass along.

Tip #1

"One bad burn as a child can double your chances of getting skin cancer in life." Yikes! This is why I'm always trying to put sunscreen on my kids. Sawyer has eczema and I've found that I can only use the Coppertone babies sunscreen on him. I myself am allergic to things with paba in them (do they even still put that in sunscreen?) so I look for that on labels when I buy for myself. I was very surprised last summer that I tried the Neutrogena sunscreen and it made Sawyer break out. So, we stick with Coppertone Water Babies. I like it because I can get it in small bottles that have a hook attached. It is great for attaching to our diaper bag.

I learned a very interesting fact earlier this summer and it was on this pamphlete. "Sunscreen should not be used on children less than 5 months old." I did not know this. Fortunately for me both of my kids were 6 months when summer rolled around. I asked the folks giving out the information why you can't put sunscreen on a baby and they explained to me that a child who is that young has very thin skin. By applying sunscreen, it would seep through and could actually poison them. That was shocking. So, keep those bitty babies covered with light clothing and keep them in the shade.

Tip #2

What to look for in a Sunscreen to help protect you.

"Broad Spectrum labeled products containing: avobenzone, zinc oxide, and/or titanium are preferred. 'Water Resistant' will last for 40 minutes of water exposure, whereas 'Very Water Resistsant' will last for 80 minutes. Avoid sunscreen/insect repellant combos because the bug spray does not need to be reapplied as often."

If you don't have any sunscreen head to the store now (get out your trench coat and hat and sunglasses and cover up until you buy it LOL) and get some. And if you check the Coppertone website they've got a printable coupon right now for one of their sunscreens. So save some money and get protected at the same time. Have a great Tuesday!

Sweet Baby

Today I feel like it is best to dedicate this post to a sweet little baby who needs lots of prayers. I got a message on Twitter that this little one is in bad shape and is being flown to a hospital in Boston. Please pray for MckMama and her family and little baby Stellan. Little Stellan has had heart issues before he was even born and they are dealing with that now. This breaks my heart because Stellan and my little Logan are close in age. If you want to follow the updates, follow McKMama on Twitter or through her blog.

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Tomorrow I will have my Two Tip Tuesday post. So be sure to check back to see what I've got in store for you.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods. We are off to visit my grandfather today and it is an all day journey. He is looking forward to see the kids, especially the baby since Logan has grown and changed so much in the last few months.

For my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick, I wanted to share with you that I recently purchased Ulta's nail polish and I am so tickled with it. They've had it on sale for $2.00 a bottle. I usually just buy OPI (love their stuff too) but I didn't want to spend $7.00+ on a bottle right now so I figured I'd give the Ulta a try. The color I bought is a strawberry color and is very summery. If you don't have an Ulta store near you, you can order from them online. When I checked their site this morning, they have free shipping until Saturday on orders of $25 or more. They also have a coupon where you can get $3.50 off a $10 or more purchase. You can print that off and take it to the store until you get signed up for their card. I get coupon books in the mail since I have their card.

So, if you are looking for some fashion chic on the cheap consider giving their nail polish a try. I also bought another lighter pink color called Pink Lady (love that name!) and another one that has a little shimmer to it and is a bronze color great for fall. I love getting 3 bottles of polish for $6. Can't beat that! And your feet and hands will thank you. LOL

Well, we are off. Have a great weekend and if you get any Ulta polish let me know what color you get.

Welcome Cool Kids to BlogHop 09'!

Hey y'all. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. This is my first time participating in BlogHop, so I'm very excited and delighted you've stopped by.

I started this blog in December of 2007. My first blogging experience was in 2006 when my first son Sawyer was born premature at 25 weeks. I used that blog to keep friends and family up to date on our progress through the NICU experience and then getting our little guy home. After dealing with the stress of becoming a new mom and all the challenges of having a preemie, I needed something new and for me, thus the Chic Crafty Chick blog was born. I picked the title for my blog because I wanted something catchy and fun that would capture and reflect the different parts of who I am. The parts of me that I felt I was losing a bit and having a hard time staying in touch with after becoming a new stay at home mom.

I'm a wife to a great guy and a mom to Sawyer who is 3, little Logan who will be 9 months next week, and Miss Zoe our Boston Terrier and first fur child. I've also just taken over as coordinator of my Mother's Of Preschooler's (MOPS) group, so I'm juggling many different hats.

I love sharing information and I blog about things I like and love. I blog about my kids, fun finds, and my hobbies of scrap booking and knitting (when I get a chance to do them). I have started posting two fun tips that I call my "Two Tip Tuesday" posts and every Friday I have a "Fabulous Favorite Friday" post where I share something I like that you might find helpful too. And the rest of the week is just a hodge podge of goodness.

I hope you enjoy BlogHop 09' and thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you again.

Be there or be square!

In case you haven't heard, the big BlogHer conference is going on in Chicago starting tomorrow. It sounds like such a cool event and I wish I could have gone. This is the 5th year they've had it. One day when the kids are bigger I'll make it. But, I've discovered the next best thing to being in Chicago. The Blog Hop 09' will feature a bunch of fabulous ladies who will be partying with their blogs in the spirit of being at BlogHer. And I figured I'd help get the party started by letting y'all know about it.

Our hostesses with the mostestes will be Musings of a Housewife Blog and The Pensieve Blog. These ladies are pulling together a great event. Be sure to check it out starting tomorrow. Different blogs will be posting through out the weekend. You can sign up your blog to join in. Or if you don't blog, just come check out the ladies who are participating and leave them a comment on their blog. I'm so excited to "meet" some great new bloggers through this party.

Jo-Lynne with Musings of a Housewife Blog created this fabulous button and was so humble about it. She claims she didn't do anything for the party, but I think this button rocks. Kudos to her for having such a cute way to get the word out! And thanks to Robin at The Pensieve Blog for all her hard work in getting sponsors lined up for fabulous prizes. I myself love fabulous prizes. :)

If you are on Twitter, you can join in all the party goodness by following the gals @BlogHop. I can't wait to see what tweets they have flying in the next few days.

So, be sure to check this out. All the cool kids/bloggers will be there. LOL

Two Tip Tuesday. It's Chic on the Cheap!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I don't know where Monday went. We are so glad that Sawyer is doing much better and has recovered from his viral tonsilitis. We had to go to the doctor because we had his 3 year old checkup scheduled, so it was nice to have a follow up check up to confirm he was better.

I had a fun filled weekend. My sister in law is engaged and I went to the local bridal expo with her and a few others to check out the latest and greatest in the bridal industry. Apparently the latest and greatest craze is to have photo booths at wedding receptions. There were a number of companies featuring those. It was an interesting concept and provided a really unique give away for wedding guests. We had fun making silly faces and fun memories for my sister in law's scrapbook.

Before going to the bridal expo, our family headed to Panera for our morning bagel. I have to say I'm a real fan of the Asiago cheese bagel. I get it sliced, not toasted and put some Land O' Lakes butter inside. I do not get them to toast it because they always over toast my bagel and I hate that. I don't want to take a chance of chipping a tooth on some hard bagel. And, I do like cream cheese on my bagel, but I find that the containers are more than I'll use so instead of ending up with a bunch of cream cheese I'll never use I just stick with the butter. Paula Deen would be so proud.

After visiting Panera we went over to the Kohl's to check out their sale. Because you know Kohl's never runs a sale. LOL I hadn't been in Kohl's for a while, so I did enjoy browsing. I have learned that it really pays to check out the marked down jewelry section. As you can see in the picture, I hit the jack pot. I love the Candie's jewerly Kohl's sells, but I think that a lot of it is over priced. So, I was excited to find these necklaces marked down. One was marked down to $6.00, another was $4.00 and another $3.00. The two necklaces on the right are not something I'd usually get, but because they went together and could be layered I decided to get them. And paying only $3.00 and $4.00 helped with the decision. I ended up wearing them when I went to the bridal expo and I just love them. They looked great together.

I just love the necklace on the left because it has so many layers to it. The round circles are faux coins. What also made these necklaces attractive to me is that they are pretty sturdy with all the layers. I need that these days because Logan likes to pull on my jewelry, so if I wear something when I have the kids then I need it to hold up.

So, here are my Two Tips for you this Tuesday

1) As I mentioned above, be sure to check out Kohl's clearance jewelry section. You never know what you'll find.

2) When looking for cute, inexpensive jewelry and accessories check out this website. http://www.sammoon.com/web3/index.asp Big Mama featured it on her blog last Friday. I have had such fun checking it out. There are so many cool things I want. I sent the link to my sister in law because they have the cutest tiaras and when you are going to be a bride a tiara is definitley on the table. What other time in your life can you get away with wearing a tiara? Because every girl should feel like a princess for a day.

Have a great Tuesday folks!

Fabulous Favorite Friday

What a week it has been. This is one tired mama. Poor little Sawyer has had viral tonsilitis. He hasn't eaten in two days. I'm trying to get something in him today. But, I think that the high fevers are going away which is good news. We saw the doctor yesterday and we are having to wait it out. I hope we are on the upswing. Oh, and I've seen so much Curious George that I could probably win a CG trivia contest hands down. Better George than Barney.

Since this has been such a rough week, I've had two things I've used this week that have given me a little boost that I thought I'd mention for my Fabulous Favorite Friday picks.

My first pick for today is Gillette's Satin Care Lavender Kiss shave gel. I have previously recommend Skintimate, but I have to say I like this brand too. I had a coupon and got it for free when I bought a Venus Embrace razor. Which by the way, I again highly recommend. I have tried some other razors recently and they just don't compare to the Embrace. It is still hands down the best razor. I have yet to cut myself with it. But, I digress. The Lavender Kiss shave gel has been great to use and I especially love the scent. With this being a stressful week, that calming lavender scent has been nice. So, if you see this in the store I'd recommend it.

My second pick for today is Yardley of London's Lavender soap. I bought mine a while ago when it was on sale at Walgreen's. They occassionally run a sale where you can get if for 69 cents. If you aren't a fan of lavender, what is wrong with you? Just kidding. What I was going to say is if for some reason you don't like lavender this soap does come in other scents. I love this soap because it leaves a light fragrance on your skin. It is a great way to have chic luxury on the cheap. And who doesn't want that these days?

So, here is to wishing you a great weekend of health and fun this summer of 2009. Wasn't this supposed to be the summer of George?

So sick

I thought I'd put out a quick update. My son, Sawyer is very ill. He is running temps of 104.4. We are off to the pediatrician's for blood work. They aren't sure if he has a virus. Please keep us in your prayers. I will check back in when I can. Bless his little heart, he is just pitiful.

State of Unconsciousness

Well, I'm on day two of no sleep. DH and I were up most of the night with Sawyer. Bless his heart he has a sinus infection and they had to put him on an awful antibiotic. So far he has kept it down, but I've got a call into the pediatrician because even on Tylenol his temp is 103.3. And he has also had the chills. I will be so glad when this is over with and my sweet guy is feeling better. I think it is worse being sick during the summer. At least in the winter you don't want to go outside.

I had a great time last night participating in the Girls Night out #GNO twitter chat through Mom It Forward. I blogged about it yesterday in case you haven't heard about it. I was blessed about a month ago to win one of the prizes on one of their chats. I won an awesome Orville Redenbacher bowl full of their yummy popcorn. I also won a copy of this interesting book called "The Busy Mom's Guide To A Happy, Organized Home" by Kathy Peel. I have to chuckle because I'm so busy, when will I get time to read it. LOL Seriously, I do hope to get my little guy well and everyone on their regular bedtime schedule so I can start checking this book out.

Well, that is all here from the trenches. Wishing y'all a happy, healthy and sleep filled day.

Bless his heart and it's Two Tip Tuesday

Well, today has certainly not gone the way I thought. I was up at 3 a.m. with Sawyer. And then when he woke up this morning he was running a fever. Took it a while ago and it was 102.3. So, we are off to the pediatrician in a little bit. I have a suspicion that the ear infection he was treated for did not clear up. But, what do I know I'm not an MD. I just play one at my house. LOL

I wanted to try to get a quick Two Tip Tuesday post in because I love sharing great info. That was one of the big reasons I started this blog.

Tip #1
I've discovered the Mom It Forward website and it is a great resource of information. My favorite thing about Tuesdays now is Girl's Night out or #GNO as the hashtag is listed for Twitter. Every week there is a chat using Twitter. Tonight's topic is Simple Summer Meal Ideas. You can check out the details here. http://momitforward.com/rsvp%e2%80%94gno-shares-simple-summer-meal-ideas-tues-on-twitter Be sure to rsvp because they usually have awesome prizes. I've connected with some awesome ladies through these weekly chats, found some fabulous people to follow on Twitter and I've discovered lots of useful information. If you've never done a chat using Twitter, check out Tweet Chat. http://tweetchat.com/ This can help you with doing it. It is a lot of fun. I hope to join in this one if I can get my little guys to bed. I'm sure the recipes will be flying!

Tip#2
I have been saving quite a bit lately and getting some awesome deals by utilizing A Full Cup. The Target coupon generator alone has been so helpful. I'd suggest getting over there and taking advantage of this deal. Right now they have coupons for Edy's/Dreyer's ice cream for $1 off. You can go to Target and use these on the little cups they have that are on sale for $1.19. 19 cent ice cream can't be beat. http://www.afullcup.com/ So, I hope this tip helps you beat the heat. Everyone needs to stop and have some ice cream. That is one of my favorite things about summer.

Have a great Tuesday everyone. And say a prayer that we get well and a sound night's sleep. Oh, and hopefully I "see" some of you on the Girls Night Out tweet chat tonight through Mom It Forward.

Beech Nut

Happy Monday everyone. I wanted to share with you some great information I recently learned. I have been feeding both my little guys Beech Nut baby food. I started with Sawyer when he went on solids and now I have been using it for Logan. Apparently they have a program where you can save your labels to get coupons. They also have a program where they will send you a new parent package that has coupons in it as well. I called their toll free number to get the new parent package sent to me. I haven't received it yet since I just called last week. Here is the number 1-800-233-2468. Here is a link to their special offers page where you can get more information on their coupon porgrams. http://www.beechnut.com/About%20Us/SpecialOffers.asp#

I have liked the Beech Nut Oatmeal and Rice Cereals because they come in a container that has an easy to use pour spout. I add this to Logan's bottle at night and it makes it so much easier to add it to the bottle with this rounded pour spout.



It is always nice to find a product that works and a way to save some money on something you like.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I'm so glad to be blogging today. I've had so many things I've wanted
to share lately and unfortunately my blogging time has been cut back. Those darn kids and general life keep getting in the way. LOL


With the warm weather here, I've been trying to grill out more. It is just so much easier to prepare dinner that way and there is nothing like the taste of grilled meat and veggies. I love smelling them cook on the grill.

I wish my picture had turned out better so you could see the package better, but I have discovered the wonderful rubs and seasonings put out by McCormick Grill Mates. This one is called Sweet & Smoky Rub. I put this on a steak one night and my husband said it was the best steak I'd ever made. It really turned out well. I have to say I just used this on pork chops the other night and even though the packaging says you can use it on pork, it was much better on the steak.

Grill Mates also has two other seasonings that I'd recommend. They are Montreal Steak and Montreal Chicken. When I've used these as well as the rubs, I've taken them and just added a little oil to them in a ziploc baggy and that helps the rub/seasonings stay on the meat. So, if you are looking for something to jazz up your grilling repetoire, give these McCormick Grill Mates a try. I think you'll be pleased.

By the way, if you like my Fabulous Favorite Friday post today or any of my posts, I'd sure appreciate it if you hit that "Digg This Story" button at the top of each of my posts. That helps me get the word out about the Chic Crafty Chick blog. I'd love to have more folks coming to visit.

Have a great weekend! And happy BBQing folks!

Target Deal of the Day

I had to run errands this morning and ended up at Target. I thought I'd take a quick trip around and lo and behold this caught my eye and came home with us. This was originally $29 and they had marked it down to $7. That was too good a deal to pass up. And, I've found it difficult in the past to find a play "house" that is for boys. Everything is usually geared towards little girls.

I decided to surprise the boys by setting up and having it up when they got up from their naps. As of writing this Sawyer is still asleep, but as you can see Logan woke up and has been enjoying it. He is so cute crawling in and out. I just have to watch it because he wants to grab onto the sides. Such a cute little barn.

Here is my little farmer Logan peeking out of the window. I love the little side corral. I guess the boys will be herding our boston terrier in their soon.

So, if you are in Target you might want to check out the end caps for deals. We think this one is something to crow about. Logan is as happy as a pig in slop. Ok, I know I'm milking this for all it's worth. LOL It is the little things in life that make us happy. :)

Hope you are having a great day!

Two Tip Tuesday

Wow, I don't know where the time has gone. We went away for vacation and then unfortunately at the end of it Sawyer got sick the last two days and ended up having a double ear infection. I spent last week trying to recover from vacation and to get him well. Fortunately he is feeling better. His birthday was Sunday. It is so hard to believe he is 3. We've come so far in three years. Every year we count our blessings. For those of you who don't know, Sawyer was a preemie and was 1 pound and 12 ounces when he was born. So, we are so grateful for him and the blessings we've had with him.

I thought I'd get back into the swing of things with offering up some tips for you this Two Tip Tuesday.

Tip #1

My first tip for you today is that you've got to try Smucker's new Apple Cinnamon ice cream topping. I discovered it at the store last week and it is just heavenly. I am a fan of apple pie and of course my favorite part of it is the filling. This ice cream topping is just like having the filling of apple pie to put right on top of your ice cream. It is awesome and I highly recommend it. Taking time to make a sundae is a fun way to cool down and beat the heat with your family.

Tip #2

If you are looking to throw a fun party, be sure to check out Dollar Tree. I decided to do a luau themed birthday party for Sawyer. We just had our family come over and celebrate, but I still wanted to make things festive. They had great decorations and I didn't have to spend a fortune to make things look nice. Remember that streamers are an inexpensive option that can cover a lot of space when you are decorating.

So, that is all I have for today. I hope to share some 4th of July pix and other goodies later this week. Have a great day!

Back from vacation

The Chic Crafty Chick blog will return from vacation tomorrow for a Two Tip Tuesday post. Hope y'all are having a great summer!