Art Day gone.... haywire!

We try to have an art day a couple times a week complete with paint and all the really fun stuff. The girls have constant access to markers and paper for drawing when they're so inclined, but paint is reserved for days when I'm feeling brave. Following is a series of photos showing how art day can go from totally innocent fun to total chaos! Enjoy!

Very Very Innocent Looking Artists

But then....
Malie's Inner Hambone Started Peeking Through

It Wasn't Long Before...
The Paint Found Her Face!

Very Very Amused With Herself and then outcame...

BUTTONS!

"Mom, what'd you do that for? I was bee-utiful!"

And of course Miss Tala couldn't be outdone and did her makeup too!


And last but not least...
The Finished Masterpiece!

Sometimes its Easiest to Just Go With the Flow!

Watch Out World, here she comes!

Miss Tala completed her first day of Art School yesterday. She had a blast. I have to say the most amazing part was watching her on the bus when we headed up there. She had to sit by herself, and she was just radiating with excitement. Her eyes were so bright, and there was a shy little smile hiding under her coat.

The hardest part of the day was dragging Malie Cat away from the art studio. Who knew Mommy time was such punishment? A smoothie and a new book later she was quite content. Hopefully next week will be easier (and less expensive!).

Tala's teacher said that she did amazing in class. She listened to all the instructions and wasn't a bother at all. Now if only I could find a way to channel her good behavior at school to home sometimes. Tala & Malie have a knack at getting on each other's nerves. The sure do know which buttons to push! Anyway... back on track. She made a darling snowman puppet and did a beautiful painting of a snowman. She really had a lot of fun and didn't even notice when we arrived. All us parents were grouped out in the hallway trying to steal a peak through the little window beside the door. Must have been a sight to see. We finished off our day with a special lunch out. Chinn - ease as Tala likes to call it. The kiddo can sure down that Wonton soup! Both girls were exceptionally well behaved the entire time out, and we are all looking forward to next week.

On another note... Miss Malie Cat is such a party animal that she's been falling asleep every where! What a silly Billy! Here she is passed out on the floor. Oh to sleep like a child again!

She's At It Again - New Contest from Kim @ thebabymarketplace

Kim is at it again. Its the month of amazing contests from The Baby Marketplace :O) Check it out!

Kim the owner of thebabymarketplace.com - a great online spot for Baby Clothing, Shoes, Toys, Gifts and Cloth Diapers is hosting the Pippalily Baby Slings Give-Away @ mommyknows.com go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two Pippalily Baby Slings! There are also 13 pairs of Bical Grippers up for grabs. Don’t miss out!

Jaime

She doesn't want to be a Doctor, Baker or teacher....

Tala told me today that she wants to be a Mommy just like Mommy when she grows up **insert extremely proud Mommy look here**. What a sweet little thing for her to say!

I would have expected to hear a princess, or a ballerina, or even an explorer, but Mommy hadn't crossed my mind. I guess being a Mommy does have its perks. I do get to spend my days with 2 of the cutest little people I know!

Cloth Diapers are Fun... egad!

No one should knock them until they give them a shot. We converted to cloth diapers early in 2007 and will never go back. The problem is that there are so many different varieties, and it can be hard to find the perfect fit for your little ones bum.

Check out this site to have an opportunity to win 5 (yes 5) Rumpster's diapers. What a great opportunity to give cloth a chance without taking a hit to your wallet.

http://ourblessedarrows.blogspot.com/2007/12/big-cloth-diaper-giveaway.html

Even if you happen to not win the contest, I still recommend giving cloth diapers a chance. You have so many amazing color and pattern choices these days... your babies bum will never be more styling!

Happy diapering!

Contest Hurrah! (PS Don't forget to enter @ the Babymarketplace!)

As I mentioned earlier... I love to win contests. Today I got word that I won a referral contest, $200 in gift certificates. What a wonderful win. I'm so excited, that I won after all my hard work to get the referrals. To everyone who I pestered relentlessly to sign up for pigsback I send you a huge thank-you!

I've spend my morning daydreaming about what to order. There's the wayspa giftcertificates, coffee, build-a-bear, Fruits&Passion. How's a girl supposed to choose?

Now on to my next big Gift Card contest that I have my hopes set on is at the Baby Marketplace. I'll post the link just in case you missed it. I think that you're nuts if you don't head over and post.... you have nothing to lose, and my goodness! Imagine if you won the gift card... apart from me being super envious, the stuff there is amazing.

Kim the owner of thebabymarketplace.com - a great online spot for Baby Clothing, Shoes, Toys, Gifts and Cloth Diapers is hosting the January Gift Card Give-Away @ mommyknows.com go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two $100 Gift Cards!

Happy contesting if that's you're game! Last years total was $1653.44... including a couple amazing prizes from The Babymarketplace. $200 and counting for 2008!!!!

Little Things Make All the Difference

Kids have so many little things that make them unique. Some are more hilarious then anything.

Miss Malie's big thing is scrunching her nose when she says anything that has an "N" in it. So cute.. and it makes me smile every time. Examples include: Snow, Nose, and Nice. Okay... so her hair isn't the greatest... I... ummmm... took her hairdressing into my own hands (er scissors). And I'll tell you, she doesn't sit anywhere near as still as her big sister! Tala's was so easy to cut, and looks great :O) I don't quite know what happened with Miss Malie's. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

One more picture of Malie, just because its so gosh darn cute! This was right before Tala's 3rd birthday party. She insisted that she had to wear every single tshirt we grabbed as party favours. What a nut!

Poor Little Daddy Mouse

Very long story short... we rescued a baby mouse yesterday afternoon. The poor little guy was in desperate need of rescuing. Tala of course fell in love with him and named him Daddy. After a hectic afternoon of trying to figure out how to feed him I finally got him to take some milk from a dropper. Headed off to bed unsure if he'd make it through the night or not. And with all honestly I was surprised this morning to find that he was still alive and moving around a lot. Fed him his breakfast. Tala played with him a bit, carried him around in a bucket with a cloth in it for over an hour. When I went to feed him again he was gone. Not sure who was more upset me or Tala. Tala felt better about it when I told her that he just needed his real Mommy and that he went off to a better place. Me, I'm still sad that I couldn't save him. He was such a little cutie, and I hoped so hard that he would make it.

And that's the story of Daddy mouse. Tala is asking for another one, but we have so many pets right now that I don't think another one is on the top of our list of priorities. Though I do need to remember to send away for those worker ants....

**Sob** Swimming Lessons Ahoy!

As Miss Tala is exceptionally fond of telling me

"I'm not a baby, I'm a big girl"

I guess that her first day of big girl classes was inevitable. And thus we arrived at total pandemonium this morning, only to find out that I had my times wrong and she was a half hour late for her very first swimming class. Luckily they took pity on her poor razzled Mommy and let her join another Guppies 1 class that was just starting. She truly enjoyed herself in her class. At first she was just a tad bit timid until they pulled out the balls. She had so much fun doing the 10 second tidy in the pool that the rest of class went really well. What a strong little kick she has! She's eagerly awaiting her next swimming lesson next week.

Malie Cat will take swimming lessons too, starting in 4 weeks. Parent & Tot classes. Not sure how eager I am to parade around the pool in my bathing suit... but it'll be a lot of fun for Malie, who was so disgruntled not to have any pool time today.

This week will also include another first class. Friday Fun with Art at the ACT. It should be the most enjoyable for our little Artist. Its a full hour long class. I'm looking forward to it as I'll be able to have some Malie time too. I feel a tad bit guilty not spending more time with her one-on-one... but its hard. She still naps, but Tala doesn't. So most of the day while I see her its time with the both of them. She's always so excited when she gets me all to herself. So Tala's Art Class will be special time for us too.

Oh The Things that They Say...

I had my gallbladder removed last year and of course my very curious toddler wanted to know all about Mommy's scars. She pointed to the one on my belly button. I of course told her that that was there they put the camera in to look inside Mommy's tummy.

Well now she figures that I have a camera in my belly button. She continually points it out to me and anyone who will listen... and not only that she has now taken to standing in front of my belly, pulling my shirt up and saying "Cheese".

What an imagination this kid has.

Contests!

I love entering contests. Okay... check that I love winning contests. Entering them can be a bother, especially the daily entry ones that I never seem to win. Hence the reason for this post.

Kim the owner of thebabymarketplace.com - a great online spot for Baby Clothing, Shoes, Toys, Gifts and Cloth Diapers is hosting the January Gift Card Give-Away @ mommyknows.com go on over and comment and be entered to Win one of two $100 Gift Cards!

What can I say about The Baby Marketplace? Oh my goodness it is the absolutely most amazing online baby boutique that I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Kim has the most amazing sales, most recently being her Bonus Boxes. I am so happy with the quality of the clothing we've received, and also with the new and interesting products that she's presented to me. We now have a love love relationship with our Bical Shoes. They're amazing for water activities like canoeing but they're also good around town. Very stylish, with so many different colour choices. I definitely recommend picking up a couple of pairs if you haven't had the opportunity.

One other product from the Baby Marketplace that I have to give serious kudos to are the Sherpa No Fold diapers. How could I have ever made it through cloth diapering with out them? Kim (being the savvy business person she is) put them onsale for 50% off. You see prior to them being such an amazing price I was apprehensive about shelling out more money for diapers. We had quite a few different kinds, and I wasn't sure how well the no folds would work, no fancy snaps, velcro, or tricks involved. They're absolutely amazing! They hold so much liquid compared to our others, and are the only diapers that make it through the night with my 19 month old daughter, Malie Cat.

If you're looking for amazing clothes be sure to check out their selection of BLU, and also the Wild Mango. We received 3 Wild Mango shirts in our bonus boxes and am in love with the line. They are amazing quality, and my only regret is that they're for my littlest one.... so our wearing time will be limited. Almost enough to make me want another... shhh... don't tell my husband!

And there you have it. If you have a chance to pop by her blog and enter the contest, and happen to win the $100 giftcard I've given you some amazing suggestions on what to spend your winnings on. Can't deny that I might be a tad jealous that you "stole" my giftcard. LOL.

I've been Suckered In!

I have no time for much of anything these days, but perhaps now is the time to start. Part of my new year's resolution is to de-stress. I'm such a high stress person that it affects me in so many ways. I worry about every little thing that I can possibly worry about. Its a rough way to go.

A Bargain Hunting Mommy on the Go! is just that. A blog about me and my family and some of my Frugal Shopping Secrets! I found an awesome online community last year and smacked myself over the head thinking why on earth didn't I find them earlier?

After I had my first daughter I was shocked by the price of diapers. My gosh! I mean seriously you just throw them away. And I was so excited when I received my first coupon for Pampers. What a wonderful concept. I went searching for more ways to get these amazing coupons! I just had to have more. I was a Mommy with drive to save money on those god awful diapers. And alas I found www.frugalshopper.ca. The beginning of the end of wasting money.

My coupon, Shoppers Drugmart Redemptions, SPC card savings, and giftcards netted me a total savings of: $4726.09. This total does not include my amazing deals, freebies, or contest wins.