Study Finds Surprising Biggest Regret Among Moms

Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile, authors of I'd Trade My Husband in for a Housekeeper: Loving Your Marriage After the Baby Carriage, interviewed hundreds of moms across the country. They were surprised to find mothers with older teenagers ready to leave the nest, repeatedly admitted to wishing they had made their relationship with their husband a bigger priority. Many women found their marriages had been on the back burner for so long that it was often too late to repair or rekindle the relationship.

Hmmm...

Fabulous Stationery for Cool Holiday Cards

If you are anti photo holiday cards, then check out Fabulous Stationery's Cards. They are oh so cool and hip. They come customizable and in different color combinations to choose from. Cost is $45 for a set of 20. They also have different paper stocks to choose from and great customer service.

My company Pixel Pop Designs is sending out "Flurry In Dark Blue" this year to my clients (see below):

Special Offer: Now through December 31st, you’ll get a fabulous FREE pashmina scarf with any order of $150 or more.* This year our pashminas can be ordered in a winter weight or an all-year weight. Winter weight pashmina as a slight sheen and comes in two ombré palette colors, storm or sky. With a $100 retail value, they’re perfect for the man or woman on your gift list.

Perfect Holiday Card if you have 3 kids

This is such a cute card I had to share. Tiny Prints, of course.
Through today only (November 17th), use code TPSHIPSALE to enjoy free shipping PLUS $10 off holiday card orders of $75 or more OR $30 off holiday card orders of $149. If you're ordering after November 17th, use code "AFL10" instead for $10 off orders of $99 or more).

Holiday Photo Cards Deals

Snapfish is the best deal. I like their modern and simplicity holiday designs. For the card pictured above it's only:

 

20 cards	75¢  per card
40-60 cards	55¢  per card
80-160 cards	45¢  per card
180-220 cards	39¢  per card
240+ cards	29¢  per card

 

They are also offering 50 free prints for new customers

AND everyone gets 20% off. Use coupon code NEWHOLIDAY2009.

I think I may have to go for this. For the biggest deals you should wait until mid December but I like to get my cards out early.

Shutterfly is running a good deal right now that I wanted to share: for a limited time, 5x7 Flat Photo cards are now 20% off Plus Free Shipping on orders over $30.
50 cards for .63 each
100 cards for .55 each
See details here 

Tiny Prints

TinyPrints is my favorite designs online holiday card shop but their main line can be a bit too pricey. Check out their "Studio Basics" line. I think the designs are still better than their competitors and the prices are just a wee bit more: as low as .69 per card, mostly .79 per card.

Right now they are having a sale through Nov 17:

$3 Shipping

Plus $10 off orders $49+

$20 off orders $69+

Choose Our Holiday Card Photo

We recently had Julie Stewart take our family photos. She did a great job and was super patient. Photographing my DS at 21 months was a challenge to get him to cooperate but you'd never know it from the final product. Now we can't decide which photo to use on our family holiday card. DH has his favorite and I have mine. Break the tie for us. Please post your vote below in the comments section. Thanks! I'll be posting holiday card specials, stay tuned.

Option A.

Option B.

 Option C.

Blankets and Loveys: Great for Toddlers AND Parents

If you have a toddler, I highly recommend reading Dr. Harvey Karp’s, “The Happiest Toddler on the Block”. It’s an easy read and has helped me tremendously. It was through this book that I learned the power of a “Lovey".

What’s a “lovey”?
It’s a particular blanket, stuffed animal or doll that you little one loves on. If your little one hasn’t developed a lovey on their own, I recommend encouraging them to bond with a potiential lovey, it'll make parenting your little "cave kid" easier. Keep a blanket or stuffed animal in their crib every night.

Why encourage a lovey?
These calming toys are Mommy substitutes. They’re a step between you and your child’s first real friend.  (That’s why they’re also called “transitional objects.”) They provide a quick hit of love and security when you’re not nearby. These security blankets help toddlers deal with illness, parental absences, trips, new siblings, frightening situations, and just about any stress that you could image (like a trip to the doctor’s office). At bedtime these “first friends” play a huge role in helping our tots separate from us and relax.
-Excerpt from The Happiest Toddler On The Block

Since my DS’ has developed his fondness of “blanket” it makes going to bed easier, especially when traveling. Each night he looks forward to getting “blanket” and if he’s tired during the day, he’ll tell us “I want blanket”.

Two notes on loveys:

1. Try to find another just like it, in case you lose it.  And try to alternate them so they’ll have the same comforting worn in feel. I keep two blankets in his crib all the time.
2. Dr. Karp warns, “Never take the lovey away (or even threaten to).  Far from making your toddler pay greater attention to you, you’ll make him feel insecure. And you’ll weaken the soothing power of this trusted and important friend”.
   

You Need to See "Food Inc"

It will change the way you and your family eat. It's a real eye opener especially into how beef, pork and chicken comes to our table. Don't worry it's not gruesome.  Check out the trailer here.

Babysitter Emergency Contact Form

A few weeks ago day care was closed for a few days. Luckily, I was able to share a sitter with two other families. One of the families was my neighbor so we carpooled together. As I was dropping off my DS with my neighbor, I realized I forgot to leave my cell number. "Oh, no worries," Amy told me, "you can just jot it down with ours [phone numbers]". Then she nonchalantly handed me a beautifully organized and typed sheet with not only her and her husband's phone numbers, but also their contact information for their piedatrician, hospital, nurse hotline, fire station-- and directions to their house!

I was so impressed I asked them to send it to me so I could copy it, and now I'm sharing it with you. Click here to download the template.

Here's to hoping you use it (we all need to go out more) and your babysitters never need to use it.

Have a great weekend