December Sponsor Shout Out

Posted by on December 5, 2011 2 Comments

Wazzzuppp???

Dude, that was so 1997. Sorry.

Anyway, here’s a little shoutout to some folks who are helping me feed my online shopping addiction (ZOMG the deals are CRAZY this time of year!).

Blogs

My Adventures Through Mommyhood details life as a toddler boy mom, and she’s happy to admit she’s “that mom,” the one that ignores her sons tantrums in public sometimes. I. Can. Relate.

Liberating Working Moms is back this month, and I think a lot of working moms can relate to how extra exhausting the holiday season is.

Courtina is written by a lovely and very talented photographer so you know that’s going to equate to some blog eye candy, especially with 2 adorable little subjects like her twin sons, who were born premature, but are thriving now.

Passionfruit Ads is not necessarily a “blog” but it is definitely something you should get excited about if you’re a blogger who wants to monetize (or who is currently monetizing – selling ads- and sick of all the admin work that goes with it). “Passionfruit is a service that will help blogs manage and sell more blog ads.  It’s not an ad network, but more like a shopping cart for your ads. We’ll also track your stats and clicks and help you figure out if you’re charging enough, and we’re planning a marketplace for advertisers to find sites to advertise with by demographic and traffic size.”

Shops

Little Bird Parties is a sweet little Etsy shop that sells, well, party stuff, and also the coolest keepsake ornaments that she puts your wedding invitation or baby shower invite inside. Just check it out to see what I mean. Also, readers get free shipping with the code babyrabiesfreeship. Yay!

Livi Stitches Patterns is back this month, and I really wish I could find the time to get the pattern for and make this Ava dress. 

Stringing Along is supporting me again. Yay! She’s running a twitter contest for a jewelry set. All you have to do is retweet a tweet she’s typed out for you. Scroll down her homepage for more details.

Hopper’s Baby Haven is also back, and they have Babylegs on sale for $9!

 

Olive Bungalow is offering 15% off earrings until Monday, December 5th at 9pm PST. I also have a SWEET giveaway from her coming up this week.

The Vintage Chain It may be too late to get your order in in time for Christmas, but it’s not too late for a last minute gift certificate!

For Two Fitness Forget working out in your husband’s enormous, old college t-shirt while pregnant! Oh, was that just me… that one time I worked out when I was pregnant? Well, either way, this stuff is ADORABLE. I particularly like this “We Need A Nap” tank.

That’s a wrap for now. I’m still accepting sponsors for this month, though, and it’s turning out to be a pretty good one around here with the help of my Inappropriate Elf. If you’re interested in advertising with me, send an email to jill at babyrabies dot com and I’ll send the media kit your way. A big, huge thanks to all of my sponsors this month! Please do check them out.

 

 

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Green Beans Wrapped in AWESOME (a recipe)

Posted by on November 22, 2011 6 Comments

Ever heard of green bean bundles? We hadn’t either until my dad met his ex-girlfriend. This was *her* recipe. And while she didn’t last (and has now been replaced with a totally awesome new wife), the bundles have remained, renewing my belief that everything happens for a reason, even dad’s ex-girlfriends.

Here’s how you make perfectly healthy veggies completely unhealthy and AWESOME with bacon and brown sugar.

You need a bag of frozen WHOLE green beans, a package of bacon and some brown sugar. That’s it.

I cut the bacon in half. Then lay it on the cookie sheet and place 5 or so green beans in the middle. Like so…

Wrap the bacon around the beans, place seam side down, then top with brown sugar. Go ahead, be generous.

Then bake at 350 for 45ish minutes, depending on how done you like your bacon. We like our bacon pretty well done around here.

Easy peasy and crowd please-y! These are always the FIRST thing to go at our Thanksgiving Dinner. You should try them out at yours!

Disclaimer: I am not a food blogger. I am actually not even much of a cook. This is a recipe I posted after Thanksgiving last year, and I’ve had a couple people email me looking for it again, so I figured I’d re-post it to be helpful… and because I’m too sick to blog about anything original right now (DAY 12 of whatever wretched sickness this is). I was going to re-take the pictures because, truthfully, the ones I posted last year aren’t all that appealing, but again, the sickness. 

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November Sponsor Shout Outs

Posted by on November 21, 2011 1 Comment

Here’s some love for the folks who are helping me stash Christmas money away this month. A huge thanks to my sponsors for November! Check them out if you have a chance.

Blogs

The Froggy and The Mouse- Awesome blog by an awesome friend, especially awesome if you’re a boy mom or thinking about cloth diapering part time. Steph is funny, real, a working mom, and a list addict. It’s a beautiful combo.

One Of Those Moms- Dianthe is another Dallas blogger who is full of sass and diva-like qualities (self professed), mixed with some crunchy ones, too. You should start by reading about how she had her baby on the side of the road. Truth.

The Hipster Homemaker- Kelli is a Chicago area birth doula and may be what you call a “birth junkie.” I especially admire her new plan to become a one-car household to pay off debt and save money. Seriously.

Mommy Points-  Mommy Points is all about helping moms and families make the most of their credit card points and miles earned for every day things, and turning them into reduced or even free vacations. I know! I’m stalking her now, too.

Baby Baby Lemon- I met Amy at Blogher this year. She’s lovely, she has an adorable little boy, and she’s semi-crunchy (just don’t ask her to give up paper towels). She also cooks things and blogs recipes and stuff. Salted watermelon granita? It’s like she GETS me. (Love me some salt on my watermelon.)

Crunchy VT Mommy- Back again this month. I can’t get enough of her pictures of her cute kids, and this letter to her single sister? I should just go ahead and forward it to mine. Pretty funny.

Liberating Working Moms- Also back for another month of sponsor awesomeness. So much relatable, great content going on over there. For one, this piece about prepping for Halloween as a working mom is amazing.

Stores

Hoppers Baby Haven- They sell cloth diapers, including one of my favorite brands Apple Cheeks, and all the cloth diapering accessories you might want. They also sell baby wraps, toys and diaper bags. Free shipping to orders in the US over $75.

Livi Stitches Patterns - “Sweet and simple children’s clothing patterns” The Livi pants? Could not be any cuter.

Calista’s Bowtique- Hair bows, paci clips, mitten clips, headbands and hats. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in this stuff when you have a girl! Now through November 25th, you can get 25% off with their Thanksgiving sale coupon code THANKS25.

Olive Bungalow- A long time supporter of mine, I really can’t get enough of her stackable rings. Rumor has it, she may have something for me to give one of you soon, too.

Stringing Along- Also back for another month. She has some beautiful, and very reasonably priced statement necklaces up.

The Vintage Chain- Make sure you get your orders in for custom, hand stamped jewelry by December 1st! I love all of Jennifer’s work, but I especially love the stuff she makes for the men in our lives, like the custom keychains.

 

If you’re interested in advertising with me, send me an email- jill at babyrabies dot com. I have special rates just for bloggers and small shop owners. 

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Why We’re Not Keeping This Video Game Swag

Posted by on November 20, 2011 22 Comments

I got to go to an event this week in Dallas where we talked a little about how video games affect kids, specifically girls.

It was interesting to hear, because I played my old school Nintendo from the age of 9-12 nearly every day. Granted I also played outside nearly every day, and I wasn’t vegging in front of a TV for hours on end (ok… maybe I did a few of those days, but I was THIS CLOSE to beating Super Mario, and that shiz was a PRIORITY), but  video games were a big part of that phase of my life. And I honestly think it helped me learn to process information faster, improved my spatial thinking, and kept me challenged. (Interestingly enough, The Cognitive Neuroscience of Video Games listed those among the skills people who play video games develop.)

So, I’m really not opposed to my children playing video games, like everything else, in moderation.

That said, Kendall is not keeping any of these 6 Activision games I came home with.

Nope, not even that cool one with the virtual puppy. (Wappy Dog… it pains me to part with it, it’s so. darn. cute.)

It’s NOT that I didn’t like these games. No! I loved them.

It’s just… he’s a boy… well, it’s not even that. Really, there were quite a few I’m sure he’d enjoy… if he were older, or if he wasn’t so wrapped up in sports.

But, I’m not going to hold onto these 6 really awesome Nintendo DS games that Activision sent me home with just to see if he’d like to play them some day. And as much as I’d like to fantasize that I’d have the time to sit around and play with the adorable Wappy Dog, that ain’t happening. I think my real dogs would riot and eat it since they hardly get enough attention from me as it is.

So, they’re all 6 going to kids who need them much more than my son does. One is going to a girl at Children’s Medical Center, another to a girl whose parents both lost their jobs. One is going to a girl whose mother AND father abandoned her this year and she’s now living with her grandparents. I’m smoothing out the details on the other 3.

(All of the recipients already have a Nintendo DS or are getting one from another toy donation for the holidays)

They’re going to girls who could use a little sunshine in their day, a game to get excited about, a challenge they can conquer. 

Kendall found the bag of games I was trying to hide in our room today.

“MOMMY!! Are those for ME?!”

I tried to explain that they weren’t. That they’re for kids who are in a tough spot right now, that their mommies and daddies need help, and that there are kids who don’t have all the cool toys and sports stuff he has.

I wish I could say it was an after-school-special kind of moment, and that he totally got it after that, but, you know, he’s 3.

It was the beginning of a dialogue I hope to have with him for many years though, about being kind and giving and thinking beyond himself. So maybe the message doesn’t stick today, and maybe he doesn’t really get it for a few years, but it’s a start.

I wish I could send so much more than just games to these girls. I wish I could wrap them up in hugs and high fives with confetti made of self-esteem and awesome.

Have you had conversations with your kids about giving? How did that go? I’d love to hear some tips on how to explain the importance of giving to the really young set.

Kendall is 3.5 years old

Activision gave me the following games: Wappy Dog, Zoobles, ZhuZhu Babies, Squinkies 2, Moshi Monsters Moshling Zoo, Lalaloopsy. I didn’t take any out of the package to play with them, but they all looked pretty cute. This isn’t really a review, but I didn’t get compensated, in case you’re wondering. I do love that I have the opportunity to help out 6 families now, though… so maybe I was compensated in warm fuzzies.

 

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