Baffling Behavior.....

I just ran across this great article at Parenting.com discussing children's behavior and why they do the things they do. They aren't out to get us - that is reassuring!!! Sometimes I feel like my little guy knows which buttons to push and has it in for me :).

"So there I was," Johnson says, "bringing him back in, taking him out again -- which drove us both crazy!" Surely Eliot didn't want to spend the morning stuck in a doorway. In fact, after his mom finally got him out of the house, with tears streaming down his face, he began bouncing up and down in excitement only a block later."

Wow, that sounds familiar. My little guy will say "more, more" when there is no food left in his bowl, so I give him more and he pushes it away!! The article stresses that this happens because a child's feelings are in conflict with his needs, but he hasn't learned how to express either yet. Our job is to figure out what those feelings and needs really are and to help our kids voice them.

Check out the article, it may help alleviate some of your concerns or worries about why your child is acting a certain way and realize that it isn't anything personal :).

Featured on Ohana Mama.....

Head on over to Ohana mama and check me out on Three Thoughts Thursdays!!!!



Thank you Ohana Mama for the face time :).

Wordless Wednesday......

Mommy's Little Businessman.....

so I'm in the kitchen getting S dinner together tonite and I look over at him on the floor and he is sitting on his orange cushion with a small calendar in one hand (I just gave it to him earlier to keep him occupied while I work), and in his other hand he has a calculator (aka his cellphone). I hear him jabbering a bit and then he says "Bye". I swear he could have just finished making a million dollar deal. His calendar was open and his phone was to his ear.................. I think he's been watching me too much. Priceless, nonetheless :)

Check out this great site!!!

Head on over to Kristen's Custom Creations and check out the great custom hand stamped jewelry that she makes!! Her personalized jewelry makes a great gift for a Mom, Mom's to be, Grandmas.....anyone who would love to have a custom piece of stamped jewelry. You can create a personalized piece for yourself, or someone else, that will convey a special message. She welcomes custom orders!!!

I just received my necklace a few days ago and I love it. I had two sterling discs done, one with my son's name and one with "mama" because that is what he typically calls me :). I also added his and my birthstones. It's really sweet and I know I will treasure it for a long time. Check her out!!

She's on etsy at: http://www.klacustomcreations.etsy.com/

SHARE TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WAHM.....

I am looking for ideas and tips from women who work from home while taking care of their children. Let me hear it all, the good the bad, and the ugly!! :). I am starting an online fair trade children's clothing boutique and I teach online as my full time gig. I also have a toddler that keeps my hopping during the day. It gets pretty crazy at times. I try to shoe horn things in where I can. I feel like I can't waste one moment. When he naps I jump on my computer. I try to do the house work stuff when he is awake because he likes to help load the dryer , and fold clothes. But I also want to play with him!! It's very difficult at times to juggle all of this.

So I want to know, how do you do it? Do you have any tricks or tips that you can share that help you make it through the day with your sanity intact?

CONTEST TIME.....

Take a peek at Ohana Mama's blog!!! She has a contest sponsored by OnTray, a really great new product designed by a mom. The contest details are at Ohana Mama!!

Horsey's and Towels.......

those are my little guy's favorite things right now, except for his ugly guy (that he can't live without)! The beach we go to is a state park on a barrier island and there are wild horses that roam throughout the area. We saw several herds of them on the beach yesterday. Look out, or they will take your backpack if it has food in it! They are beautiful to see and so exciting, especially if you see them running. But my little guy (LG), loves them and as soon as we drive over the bridge he says "horsey?" Like he is asking if they are there. Amazing. He also loves towels, really fabric of any kind. He loves to carry it around and touch it and examine it. It is so interesting to watch him. Maybe he will be the next "IT" fashion designer. Hmm........horsey's and fabric, maybe Ralph Lauren!! :)

Anyway, homeward we go today. It has been a fun time but a lot of work with a 1 1/2 yr old, especially one that will not nap at the beach or in the carseat on the way back to the hotel. Wow, talk about exercising my tolerance and patience!! I guess that is one thing that having a child has taught me so far. It is a good thing, because I was lacking in both :).

Sunny Days......

we'll we made it safely to the beach. It's always a harrowing experience for me, having a 1 1/2 yr old toddler that wants to play is one thing, but the bridge we have to cross to get here always gives me stress. Just thinking about crossing it days beforehand always gives me concern. I HATE THAT BRIDGE!!! My hands sweat going over it! But there is no other way here, except a 4 hour drive completely around the bay. Now I'm not sure what is worse the the bridge or 4 extra hours in the car with a toddler that won't nap in his carseat!!! I'll take the bridge. I try to do other things, work on my computer, but I can still see the water out of my periphery and my hands leave wet marks on the keyboard. It doesn't help that there was a tragic accident on the bridge only a week ago. A truck actually went off the bridge!!!! That is probably my biggest fear. I know that sounds hokey, I'm embarrassed to even type it, but that truly does enter my mind from time to time. Anyway, my heart goes out to the truck driver's family. But it does give me pause to think........... I can't even think about going home!!! I'll think about that tomorrow.......

Off to the beach today with little guy. He had his feet in the sand a bit yesterday and he was chomping at the bit to dig in..... should be a fun day......

Sun, Fun and Relaxation...

We are heading to the beach for a few days of sun and fun. My birthday is Monday, gulp.......29 AGAIN!!! Wow, time is sure zinging by the older I get. Especially now that I have a toddler. I just keep thinking, he's getting older but time is standing still for me!!! I know I'm fooling myself but it sure does sound good.

Looking forward to watching S play in the sand and try to run into the waves. He's so brave...... I think the weather will be really nice as well.

Head on over to Launch Day at Ellie Bags!!!!

Take a peek at Ellie Bags Launch Day! This is the smart new way to carry a diaper bag. Check out the Over Tote TM system - it is a great way to make your life simpler!

Come on over to www.EllieBags.com!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY....

When to Launch???

When will launch day for Hippos Toes get here? I was hoping it would be the end of August, but now it looks more likely to be in September, no later than October!! The clothing is made in South Africa and they only make as much as they have orders for. So all items were made based on the initial order that I placed. They don't have inventory laying around, (which is great from an environmental standpoint), and they only make as much as they have orders for. So I am waiting for them to complete the clothing that I will be selling. I think that is such a great selling point about these clothes. That really stands out from the way the majority of retailers sell their clothing. Just making a bunch of things and hoping they sell. I like this "greener" approach that the manufacturer has adopted to making their products. Less resources used - that's good for all of us!

When I visited South Africa a few years back, that was one thing that really stood out to me, the fact that the country was so intune with the environment and conservation! I just loved that! When you go to the grocery store you pay for your bag, to encourage you to bring your own. Water is such a valuable resource that they really stress the need to conserve it!

But I ramble.....of course I will be updating as the launch date gets closer and my clothes arrive :). I will be having some grand opening sales so stay tuned for that as well.

What a great blanket.....Secure2Me

What a great blanket! It's made to stay on! The Secure2Me baby blanket! It has four clips on each corner that you can clip onto your stroller, carseat, or even use it to cover up when breast feeding. No more having a blanket drop in the middle of the street or having it blow away if a gust of wind comes. With Secure2Me you can clip it on and it stays on. If only my son were younger - I love the Biscotti!

They also make unique baby shower or baby gifts. But most importantly, it makes a mom's life a bit easier.

Right now through August 15th Secure2Me is having a 40% off sale! Don't miss this! Head on over and use the code OM40.

Learned something new....

I always consider it a productive day when I learn something new. I know it sounds small and simple, but I learned how to add buttons from other sites to my blog. I tell you, every day I learn something new and that keeps me on my toes. I also am continually amazed at the generosity of some people that I have met via blogs or message boards. Mommy's Ideas blog has been so helpful to me I feel that I must mention that here. What would I do without such kind people? I hope I can return the favor one day soon.

Have a nice weekend! We are planning to take our little guy to a local fair. His first time seeing real cows and pigs, instead of in a book. This should be lots of fun. Not to mention all the fun fair food :).

Twittering.....

I've decided that I really need to become more familiar with this whole Twitter thing. I see everyone talking about it (Tweeting about it, I should say :) ), and it sounds like a great asset, both personally and professionally. I just feel like I have so many things to keep up with now, that adding another thing makes my head hurt.

If you are Tweeting (or Twittering), how do you like it? Do you find that it has gotten you more exposure?

Productive day

Well yesterday turned out to be more productive than it started out. I finally got my tail in gear and got some things done. I'm excited to say that I now have a button on my website for guests to sign up for newsletters. If it wasn't for some of the wonderful women that I have met on some of my forums (in my blog area and link areas), I would not have found out about these great marketing tips. Now I have to work on the newswletters :).

On a different note :), my little guy just put three words together yesterday. He said "momma and daddy" together. Usually it's one or to the other! I'm amazed at how fast he is changing. He is a very contemplative little guy. We've decided that he likes to assess the situation first before he jumps in. ie. in a room full of people he will just sit and take people in and see how his dad and I interact with them, then he realizes that they are okay and he warms right up. It's interesting to watch his little personality take shape :).

Good day to all.....

No Motivation....

I just feel so unmotivated today! I have so much to do and no ambition to do it. I would rather play with my son or read a book when he naps. I think I just need a kick in the pants. I have post it note reminders and lists coming out of my ears and I feel like I'll never get caught up, and here I want to slack off.

Off I go to get something done................I hope :)

Happy WAHM

['[-I'm so lucky that I can be home with my son during the day and still continue to work. He makes me want to get up every day and I can't wait to see what new word or thing he will do today. Over the last couple of days he has learned to climb up onto the sofa and then GET BACK DOWN! I think that is major feat for him, and for me, so I don't have to keep rescuing him. He has also learned how to go down the stair backwards. It makes me so happy to see him growing and getting more independent, but it also makes me a bit sad. He has also added a few new words, "dirty, more and door," to his arsenal.

Just had to speak a bit about my good fortune in being home with my little guy. Although he does make it difficult to juggle the work thing. I've been working on extending my networking contacts to other boards and other blogs, as well as keeping up on the forums that I am involved with now. It sure is a juggling act, just like being a mom.

I found out that my fall clothes should be arriving from South Africa by the end of the month if all goes well with customs and shipping. I'm hopeful that all will go well. And then I can get Hippos Toes officially up and running.

Monday, Monday....

We made it back safely from PA last night. Poor Sammy. He didn't sleep the entire 7 hour car ride. It breaks my heart. He gets so fussy at times because he wants to go to sleep, I can see it in his poor little eyes, but he just won't go. No matter how manytimes we've been through "Old MacDonald"! Man, does that farmer have a lot of animals on his farm when we sing it, :), and he still won't go to sleep. He does get quiet, he loves to hear the singing, but he just can't get to off to sleep.

Busy week again. Lots to do. Have to investigate shipping and how to set it up on my site. Working on a newsletter and still fine tuning the website. Oh, and playing with Sammy too :).

Have a good week!

There are some amazing people out there doing some amazing things with their blogs. I love the idea of featuring a particular boutique or blogger each week with an interview. I will have to incorporate that into my blog as things continue to build for Hippos Toes. I also love the idea of offering a discount or giveaway to those of you that are reading my blog! It seems like the sky is the limit as far as what can be done with an online boutique. I'm hoping that it won't take me too long to be as savvy with my blog as those that I have seen. I have to learn to stop beating myself up about what I need to do (too many things), and be proud of myself for what I have accomplished. At least that is what my husband tries to tell me everyday :).

Someday's it seems that there are just not enough hours in the day. For everything that I have done it seems there are 100 more things left to do. Right now we are traveling with our 1 1/2 yr old son to visit the grandparents. It's their 50th wedding anniversary weekend. A big day for them, and for all of us. It sure can be challenging traveling for 7 hours in a car with a toddler. Especially one that does not like to nap in the car! He loves to sleep in his crib, which is great, but that doesn't work too well on long road trips. He really is a trooper though, and even with his lack of sleep I have to say that he did really well. Mom and Dad were ready to pull their hair out :). But it's a moment in time and it is certainly important for the grandparents.

Hippos Toes is really shaping up and I'm really proud of it. Just working on getting my shipping up on the website. I'm also waiting for the clothes to arrive from South Africa. Should be sometime in the next couple of weeks. And then it's full steam ahead.