DIY Pretend Makeup Set

Charlotte is obsessed with "makin-up" (makeup). Occasionally, when running late, I will bring my makeup bag and mirror to the breakfast table to throw some on before running out the door. So NOW... Charlotte wants to put "makin-up" on too. I tried letting her play with my brushes once but she immediately started jabbing them bristles down onto the table, so that idea got shot down real quick.

Thus began my search for a play makeup set.

Toys R Us has a Disney Princess makeup kit that looked promising, but after further research I found out that it was REAL nail polish (quite flimsy according to one review) and pasty lipstick; so... no thanks.

Toys R Us also had some vanities... but that's not what I really wanted.

I was oh so tempted by this Mini-Play Makeup set... but $34 it a tad pricey in my opinion.

I HAVE purchased a $12 plastic vanity set from Target but it's not exactly what I was looking for. It also has a (plastic) hair dryer, straightener, and some clips. Also, I don't like giving my kids toys and presents for no reason because then they'll want everything NOW... so I am holding onto it until Christmas (if ever).

So in the meantime, I have decided to make her her own make-up set. Searching through my makeup box I found a shattered blush compact from a drug store, so I emptied the contents in the trash and wiped it out. Then I used a pinkish nail polish and brushed the inside of the compact. Voila.... pinkish blush.

Add in some hardly ever never used brushes and some chapstick "lipstick" and you've got yourself a toddler makeup kit. Ooooh, also... just YESTERDAY I received a free makeup bag and sample lotions/shampoo stuff from target... PERFECT!!

Here was this morning at the big reveal:

Trying the blush

yay!!

Next I am going to give this eye shadow that I saw this morning a shot from Parenthacks.com and from Smashed Peas and Carrots AND at Polka Dot Daisy (clearly I was not the first to come up with using nailpolish as fake makeup, lol).

I'll let you know what else I find!

Enjoy!

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Quick funny story (and fun news for me!)

So the other day I make the girls some tuna fish on crackers for lunch, but they didn't finish it all. So I put the leftovers in a small Tupperware. Charlotte picks it up off the counter and says "this go in frigerator?". I answer "yes" as I am cleaning up the dishes, high chair (see post on NeatNik Saucer for reasoning), the floor, etc. To be honest, I pretty much forgot about it.... until a few hours later.

A neighborhood girl, Haley, stopped by to bring the girls some clothes that she had outgrown so I invited her and her brother in to hang out for a few minutes as I am attempting to clean up the play area (yes, I know they are kids and all... but I was still embarrassed at the state of the play area).

I'm in the kitchen (we have a great room plan) with her brother and Haley and Charlotte are playing in the play room and I hear "... um... is this real food?". Kind of confused, I walk over to investigate and the second I see the container it dawns on me that I hadn't put the tuna fish from lunch away.

Turns out Charlotte had put the tuna fish container in HER play refrigerator... NOT the real refrigerator (with cooling powers). Boy am I ever glad that Haley came over!!!

Close Charlotte.... valiant effort :)


NOW my exciting news!!
Right before my vacation I received my package from SeamsMod's Etsy shop (I had won a giveaway from The Balancing Act in Stilettos and Scrubs). I chose a Diaper Clutch AND a mini clutch. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these! She is one talented lady! The Diaper Clutch is perfect for either putting in a larger bag, keeping in the car for emergencies, or bringing into the gym child care for a quick diaper change! How awesome is this:

Also, I found out TODAY that I won a giveaway for Loveable Labels from The Mommyhood Chronicles. What an awesome day!!!

Happy Hump Day everyone.

This Weeks Meal Plan {& last weeks in review}

I am BACK in town! Got in yesterday evening only 3.5 hours delayed (ugh!). We boarded our 12:50pm flight on time, and then you know how it goes. "Attention passengers, sorry for the delay, the mechanics are checking out the plane, we will have more information in 15 minutes". Then about 30 minutes later a similar message. Finally an hour later we were told that the damage was "worse than they thought" and we were deplaning.

I was bummed, yes... we haven't seen the girls all weekend (they stayed home with my parents) and we were excited to get back, but whatever. I'm just glad they found the problem BEFORE we started take off. Once outside the plane we were asked to line up to be given some meal vouchers (sweet). At least that was MY response... I figured, hey... they are giving us some money for food, I'll take it. However, some of the other passengers were questioning how much it'd be and one of "that group" got to the front and turned around and said "6 bucks!" (in disgust), and another lady said, "6 bucks?! That's not even worth standing in line". "Then get out of line"..... is what I WANTED to say, lol, but I kept my mouth shut. I mean seriously, that's $6 LESS that you have to pay for food. 6 bucks is 6 bucks. Some people see the negative in EVERYTHING!

Oh well, anyway, we finally got back to the house around 8 to some happy girls (and happy Gigi and Pop pop I'm sure)
This Weeks Meal Plan
Monday
Chef Salad for hubby, Mac n Cheese and hot dog for the girls. This mama has a Junior League meeting tonight.

Tuesday
Creamy Fettuccine with Shrimp & Bacon

Wednesday
Feta-Topped Chicken

Thursday
Marinated Flank Steak

Friday
Pizza night... probably!! Gosh it is hard to plan  5 days in advance... I'll work on it.

Here is last week in review:
(So... I realize I forgot pictures of MOST of the meals... again... I'll work on it)

Over Baked Chicken Parm

Salmon with a Honey-Mustard Glaze

PS - If you are interested in any recipe, please email me or ask in a comment.

Don't forget abut my NeatNik Saucer Deal; act soon because it is a limited time offer!!

NeatNik Saucer::. Product Review & Special Offer

I have a messy child.

No really... I have an extraordinarily messy child... see?

So much so that at least every other week I have to take apart my high chair and bring it out back to scrub it with cleaner hose it off (super fun... let me tell you).

Have you guys heard of the NeatNik Saucer? I have been privileged to test one out and so far, the NeatNik Saucer has passed with flying colors.

On their website, NeatNik Saucer boasts that it fits most restaurant-style high chairs, but I have found that it will work just as well in my high chair at home (naturally I had to try it out the SECOND we got it!!); my first two trial runs of the saucer were in my Chicco high chair.

Jillie was happy as a clam in the saucer!! And my favorite part is the suction cups underneath to stick it to the tray (or table at a restaurant).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the bib (did I mention I love it?!)! It has 2 snaps on the back (no annoying Velcro that baby can undo herself) and it can either fold up and Velcro together to form a pocket (to catch the food) or be left unfolded for a larger bib. It can EVEN be attached to the saucer for more protection.

Lastly, those nifty white Velcro pieces on either side are to attach toys to. Genius!

It even contains TACO NIGHT!!

The only one who isn't a fan of the NeatNik Saucer is Duke... our resident floor and high chair cleaner... poor boy.

I used this in public for the FIRST time last Sunday for Jillie's baptism lunch and boy was it a hit. The manager came over and was asking us about our "neat contraption" and he said that everyone was talking about it. We joked that it would be great for restaurants to offer them to patrons.

Unfortunately I forgot the bib that goes with it! bleh!

One potential downside is that it sort of does require two people to operate; the first person will take the child out of the saucer and the second person will take the saucer off the chair, wipe it off, and fold it up. One person could do it if the child can stand on their own... but then you run the risk of little one running away.

We had maybe two pieces of food on the floor, which considering my child, is saying a lot!!

The NeatNik Saucer was a HUGE hit at the restaurant between Jillie, interested patrons, and probably most of all... the staff.

Wow! We CAN eat out again...

Moore Babies readers will get a SPECIAL offer!

Go here to request an invoice from our friends at Seaboard Traders of South Carolina: 

 NeatNik Saucer Offer

Offer Rules –

• Saucer & Bib Special : $37 + $4.50 Shipping
• Savings of around $12.55, based on standard retail cost for :
• Saucer ($32.75)
• Bib ($11.75)
• shipping ($9.55)
• Offer Valid once 12 people accept.
• A PayPal invoice will be e-mailed to the email address you provide in the form.
• You may pay with either credit card or PayPal account
• Lmited time offer, ends 2 weeks from offer post date.
• Tax applies to South Carolina orders

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Features from the Neatnik Saucer website :
Neatnik Saucer® is the modern parents' "must have" for dining out with their little one. U.S. Patent #7717504
• Fits restaurant- style high chairs
• Keeps food and toys off the floor
• For infants and toddlers 6 mo. and up
• Provides clean dining space for teethers
• Portable, collapsible, and easily cleanable
• Includes 12" x 12" carry case w/ wipes pocket
• An AblePlay™ "Great Find"

For the baby who is just learning to sit in a high chair at restaurants, the Neatnik Saucer provides a clean surface for toys and prevents them from landing on the floor and getting dirty. It also prevents babies from teething on the table or other unsanitary surfaces. For the older, more seasoned (dare we say sophisticated?) baby gourmet, it prevents the so-called 'garden of food' phenomenon - also known as the wasted mess of played-with or chewed food that often ends up surrounding a high chair. The end result is not a less-messy dining experience, but a more relaxing dining experience.

This Weeks Meal Plan

I made a new resolution... to plan out the weeks menu so every morning (or previous evening) I'm not asking hubby "what do you want for dinner" and getting the SAME response of "I don't know" or "whatever is fine" (ok, so... cereal is fine huh?).

I've attempted this before, but my weeks end up getting thrown off because hubby's parents want to go out to eat or I have a Junior League meeting... or we something; but I am DETERMINED this time!

Here goes:
Sunday (I figured I'd let you know what we had, you may get some ideas!)
Crock pot Pork Chops with Navy & Red Beans served with broccoli

Monday
Baked Chicken Parm (this will be loosely based on Skinny Taste's Baked Chicken Parm) served with a salad

Tuesday
Salmon with a Honey-Mustard Glaze served with asparagus

Wednesday
Slow Cooker Jambalaya over rice

Thursday
Brined Turkey Breast on the grill served with... mmm.... ok I haven't gotten that far yet but the rice and broccoli look pretty scrumptious don't they? (look below)

Doesn't that just look AWESOME!! I'll share this recipe soon!

We are heading out of town Friday so I kind of got off easy on this week!!

Happy Monday!

So Excited::. The Mandie Books

Ok, the other day I was in the local Christian Book store buying a gift for Jillie's baptism which was this past weekend (yes she had a HUGE weekend); she got an adorable "My Pink Prayer Purse" and a "footsteps" plaque thing from us.

Yummy prayer purse...

But that's not the point... anyway as I was checking out (and trying to keep Jillie out of.. well.. EVERYTHING) I looked down and saw a DVD titled Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure and I got SUPER excited! Well, it took a little while for my brain to get to that point.
First I was like 'Mandie.. hmm... I read Christian books with a Mandie character'.
Then it went to, 'Well, I am in a Christian book store, let me look more closely'.
I reread the title and thought, ''Cherokee... yeah this Mandie had friends who were Cherokee.'
Then finally the light came on, "Oh my gosh!! They made movies?!!?'

Src

Has anyone else read any of The Mandie Books? They were like 'the Nancy Drew books for christians'; I'm quoting the checkout lady at the book store there, but that's pretty much what they were... and I LOVED THEM! My Aunt (married to a preacher) would get me one or two of these for every holiday and birthday.

Src

Yeah, I was excited. I'm totally going to see if the library has these and watch them when hubby has drill or something (Not gonna lie, he PROBABLY won't want to watch it no matter how good it is).

Anyway, I just wanted to share my excitement... woo hoo!

Cupcake Party ::. Jillie's 1st Birthday

My baby girl is ONE! I can't believe it, I really don't know where the time went (tear). But anyway, enough babbling... onto the decorations.

I think I kinda went overboard on this one and if I keep trying to outdo my last party I'm in trouble! Eventually I'm going to either run out of time or out of sanity... not sure which one will come first.

Starting off, we have the front door...

Simple. Boring dollar store cupcakes and balloon (iparty).

Then in the entryway (in case you weren't sure why you were here...)

Moving on a little bit we have the "Shrine of Jillie"

On the mantle we have her month by month banner (using the paper accordion fan thingys as a background that I can not possibly recall where I saw instead of the circle that I used for Charlotte's 1st birthday month by month banner)

and NOW onto the CUPCAKE (and dessert) TABLE!

Click to enlarge (and I am really proud of this so go ahead and click!)
PS - I made the table cloth too... and love the doilies scattered around

The breakdown of the dessert table:

Sugar cookies AND... my first time rolling out cookie dough and using cookie cutters. As you can see I only
have 4 "shapes".... I got bored with rolling out the dough and did the rest in flattened balls of dough. Sue me.

Vanilla cupcakes, Grandma's wedding icing, edges rolled in sprinkles.

Chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes from My Baking Addiction with Grandma's
Wedding icing and cupcake tags made by me in photoshop

Orange cupcakes with orange and white swirled Grandma wedding icing...
with same cupcake tags made in photoshop

These were the favor boxes so each guest could bring home a cupcake. These are actually leftover from my wedding...
I just made a tag (in photoshop) large enough to cover the "Eric & Stevie" that were printed on them 5 years ago.

If the cupcakes weren't enough... I made a LARGE cupcake for the centerpiece.
PS - Do you see that orange cupcake to the left... that's sitting on an upside down
margarita glass as a display; I did the same for the Chocolate cookie cupcakes too on the right.

and LASTLY I tried my hand at marshmallow pops (seen EVERYWHERE, but designed to match these) held up by skittles. Not gonna lie... the skittles didn't work at all. Maybe I didn't have enough. These were actually the biggest hit with the kiddos.

And since I didn't catch it in the picture of the table (dummy), here is the wreath that was hanging above the table

This WAS inspired by someone here in blogland... someone I follow but for the life of me I can't find the stinkin blog post to link it to. She found pink and green bows in the dollar section and added a number of the birthday. So if that was YOU... let me know and I will totally post your link!!

And NOW for the party...

Saturday was the party. Then on Sunday, Jillie got baptized. It was a HUGE weekend...

Time to get ready for Thursdays playdate birthday party... I. Am. Exhausted!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you liked it :)

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