Happily Ever Mock

Ben the Rooster Calendar

Ben the Rooster has done it again!

Hallie and I are of course still enjoying his bimonthly post cards.  She is getting pretty good at answering his open ended questions (of course she tells me what to write) and drawing something at least slightly on topic before mailing Ben back her pre stamped post card.  But the fun now doesn’t stop there.

Starting this month we have an adorable calendar page to decorate once every month.  I was able to use Ben’s calendar as a fun teaching moment for Hallie as well! After Hallie colored Ben’s January calendar photo.  I talked to her about the 12 months of the year and the 7 days of the week.  We discussed how the first month in the year is January, and it is part of Winter.  Then we talked all about the 4 seasons.

I just love that Ben provides such easy educational tools that can be easily adapted for each individual child’s age and comprehension level.

 

If you haven’t subscribed to Ben’s postcards, be sure to do so here!
It’s also not too late to get Ben’s 2017 Calendar! Check it out!

<3 Kelly and Hallie

Freckles Creative Studio

Hi my name is Kelly and I am a compulsive list maker, lover of snail mail, stationary hoarder and obsessive planner.

 And these reasons right here friends, is why I love Freckles Creative Studio 

I just love how bright and fun the colors of their stationary and pencil sets are! I couldn’t wait to dig into the adorable box of goodies! Seriously, isn’t their box adorable!?

I just love finding amazing stationary companies to crush on and this one is so worth it! I can’t wait to make more purchases!! 
What are your favorite stationary companies?
<3 Kelly 

Hallieisms Take 8

A new year, a new batch of Hallieisms!

  • Hallie is really into mimicking everything we say! Including terms of endearment. She is known to say “Thanks Babe!” when Daddy hands her something.  
  • I told her recently to “Hop down” off of something she was climbing. She shot right back at me, “I will NOT hop! I am NOT a bunny!” Touche!
  • One of Hallie’s friends has a of couple dogs that are not the friendliest. They are a bit skittish around kids, so I always try to steer her away from playing with them in case they get scared and nip. She walked up to one of them and screamed “Just give me a chance dog!” I couldn’t stop laughing, which of course Hallie didn’t take kindly!
  • Around Halloween, Hallie invented an imaginary friend that would do all the naughty things in the house. If something went missing or was damaged it was Snoop’s fault.  Snoop also in true Hallie fashion was an animal that liked to change form.  One day he was a dog, the next a bat, and the Snoop that scratched Pop’s living room table with a rock was a Goat.  Luckily for us, Snoop has seemed to disappear! Thank Goodness!
  • I am going to have to get a video of this one, it is just too good not to actually hear! Hallie heard a lady on Halloween get scared of a man in a mask. She ran across the street screaming “Oh my GOD!” So Hallie liked to go around telling the story and get very animated exclaiming she said “OH MY DOD!” She still uses it to exclaim a lot of things! Looking at Christmas lights, “Oh My Dod, more lights!” Or “Oh my Dod that baby is adorable!” lol
  • She for some reason was calling a Skunk a Slob…..I guess thats not too far off!
  • She sneezed and I wasn’t quick enough with a “God bless you” so she said to herself “God Bless Myself!” 
  • She likes to respond “Okie Dokie” When I ask her to do something
  • Same night as the infamous hilarious “I like Dogs Better than people” comment, she was sitting quietly in the back seat and said.  “My hands smell great!” I was like oh yeah? That’s great! And she responds immediately “I put spit on them”….gross!
  • On Thanksgiving we asked her what she was Thankful for and she would respond with, whoever was in the room plus her “Happy Birthday” Such a people pleaser! 
  • If she is hurt or not feeling good and then you ask her a little while later how she is feeling, she’ll say “Much More Better!” 
  • Speaking of getting hurt, She fell and scraped her knee outside of her Pop’s store. I took her back inside to get a band-aid and Pop started to fix her up.  She looked right at him and said “Pop, you are NOT a Doctor!” 
  • She is starting to name all of her stuffed animals.  One day I asked her the name of the puppy she was playing with.  She said “Slim” so I shot back, mostly under my breath, “Like Slim Shady?” And she exclaims “YES! That Ezactly it! SLIM SHADY! Come here Slim Shady! Good Slim Shady!” OOPS!!
  • We had just shown up to a friends house and were getting out of the car.  There were some men outside working on the power lines or something.  Hallie walked right up to them and asked “Oh are you camping?”
  •  Have I mentioned that all cars are named Carmine? She will actually talk to our Carmine while we are driving and say “Go CARMINE! Go faster to the finish line!”
  • If I am trying to get her down for a nap she’ll say a la Anna “The sky’s awake, so I’m awake, so we have to play!”
She is getting more hilarious every day! Here are all of her other Hallieisms in case you missed them!
<3 Kelly

2 1/2 years of Hallie Anne

Well, Hallie turned 2 1/2 over the Holidays (12-21) but I thought I would wait until after the chaos to update you on my sweet, hilarious, tall, Tall, TALL girl! She just brings us so much joy and every minute with her is exciting! 
Age- 2 1/2 years, and she never forgets to remind people of the half!
Weight- Still under 22 lbs last we checked.

Length- 35 inches tall!! That’s 2 inches in 6 months!

Size- Still so proud of my potty trained girl! Pants, PJs and Skirts- 18 month (though most times we still need to take in the waist) and Shirts and dresses- 2T Need the length!!

Eyes- Most of the time they look green or brown but they are still big and beautiful!

Hair- Light brown and super long! I keep saying I want to cut it, but I can’t bring myself to do it! It will likely be down passed her tushy before I get the courage to do it! 

Sleeping- 1 nap (1 1/2 to 2 hours) and 11 hours at night.

Favorite Foods-  Carb addict like her momma, fruit, and sweets. Loves pasta, pizza, hotdogs, strawberries and anything with sugar! She says her favorite food is potatoes today! Haha!

Milestones- Her ever extending vocabulary, help with dressing herself, washing hands and helping in the kitchen. I love that now I don’t have to remind her to go potty (most times!) And she can do a 30 piece puzzle by herself. 
Memorable outings and events- Birthday parties, photo shoots, ballet class, First Nutcracker, pumpkin patch, family holiday traditions over the holidays

Favorite toys/activities-  Stuffed animals (Especially my puppy!) Baby June, Coloring and Arts and Crafts, puzzles, Play Kitchen and shopping cart, bike, trampoline, Princess Castle, and Dress up clothes and Minnie and Daisy

Words/sounds- The kid loves to talk! She is completely conversational and says HUGE words like Interesting and frustrated! She literally has me dying laughing at all the hilarious things she says ( Be looking for a new Halllieisms post soon but here’s a little taste:) We were driving in the car looking at the Super Moon a month or so back and it was pretty quiet.  All of a sudden, out of the blue, Hallie exclaims “I like dogs better than people” we both kind of stifled a stunned laugh because okay we always knew she loved animals, but wait doesn’t she love us more than dogs at least?! So we asked her, “what about us? do you like Daddy better than dogs?” then she confirms “No! I like myself better than dogs!”  

Nicknames- H, Hal, Sweet pea, peanut and bean
Looking forward to- Decorating her new room and playroom when we buy a new house, hopefully a well deserved family vacation soon and of course planning that 3rd birthday party that is going to make this momma cry like a baby!
Big girl, I know these next few months will fly by and before I blink you will be three, but please try to slow down! 
XOXO
Momma 

Getting Organized and New Years Resolutions

I always get so sad when Christmas is over. Packing up the decorations and the switch back to regular music on the radio always slightly depresses me.
So it’s a REALLY good thing I love getting organized because it’s something to look forward to in the New Year!

To get my started, I pulled out a few of my favorite things:

I’ve got my personalized Erin Condren Life Planner, Erin Condren What To Buy/What to Eat Snap in Dashboard and Stickers, Gilmore Girls Pencils, All Out of Grocery List and of course COFFEE!

Once I got organized, I jotted down a few goals and resolutions for myself for the year, Here’s what I came up with:


1.) Be a Happier, Healthier Me:
     I could definitely set a goal of going to the gym at least 3 times a week, lose 10 lbs or eat only healthy food, but lets be realistic, that’s not going to stick.  Sometimes I need to binge on a bowl of pasta or a pint of ice cream, and you know what, that’s okay! I am not going to feel bad for indulging on my favorite foods here and there.  What I can do is make conscious decisions to balance those splurges out with healthier foods and some cardio!

2.) Spend more quality time with Christopher and Hallie:
     I definitely need to work on setting down the phone and spending QUALITY time with my family.  What I mean by this is helping Hallie with a puzzle instead of scrolling through facebook while she plays; or spend time chatting with Christopher when he gets home from work instead of turning on the TV.  I am really hoping to strengthen our relationships this year!

3.) Figure out my dreams (AND MAKE THEM HAPPEN): 
     Last year I totally thought I knew where God was leading me, and then a HUGE curveball was thrown at me and I was left figuring things out. I do know that I really enjoy having an outlet for my creativity and I really enjoyed working in social media. I just need to find the right alley! I have a lot of balls in the air and getting much closer to figuring things out, so I am hoping that this year will be a year of revolutions for me!

What are your resolutions? How do you get organized?
<3 Kelly

Tips on Celebrating NYE with the Littles

Celebrating New Years Eve with kids might not seem as exciting as the glamorous parties you may have once attended or might even seem a bit stressful when your kids have a set bedtime that you want to keep for your sanity, without being a party pooper! Well you are in luck, because I have some tips that will make celebrating NYE with those littles fun and stress free!

1. There’s no need to skimp on the fun and the glamour! Put on a fancy party dress and scour your babe’s closet for some festive clothes and accessories to dress up their NYE look! Grab a few looks if you want! That’s a plus of partying at home! Costume changes are totally acceptable!

2.) Hit your local Hobby Lobby for some fun decorations and party supplies! I got some party poppers, blowers, adorable headband and tinsel door curtain!

3.) Create a fun photo booth with some wrapping paper taped up on the wall! Go wild with party poppers and blowers.  Dance to some fun music and start the party! Hallie had so much fun creating silly memories and can’t wait to do it all over on NYE!

4.) Still stressed about being a party pooper by forcing that 8:30 bedtime? You can countdown to midnight at anytime with the Netflix New Years Countdown. Celebrate midnight with the kiddos at 8:30, then put them to bed and ring in the New Year with your sweetie and some champagne!

So just make sure to make the evening your own and have a little fun! I promise, you wont miss those wild parties too much!

 

Happy New Year!
<3 Kelly and Hallie

Just a few of my favorite things (Kids Accessories)

I love when I find quality products for Hallie! I have two recent favorites that I want to share with you today:

Turbans for Tots: 
I have been using these bows for Hallie for a while now, and I just can’t stop buying MORE! The colors and patterns are vibrant and fresh. The style of the bow is classic and pretty, but better yet the quality is absolutely AMAZING for the price. If bows aren’t your thing, there’s a variety of other accessories listed in her shop: Bow ties, turban hats, headbands and even scarfs.
The best thing about this shop by FAR however is that the sweet shop owner, Jenna is a real GEM! She is one of the nicest ladies I have worked with through Etsy.  She is a doll to converse with and always ships out items with lightning speed! If you have a girl or a boy, you should definitely check her out! 

Little Stocking Co:
Little Stockings Co makes hand dyed Knee High Socks and tights for girls and let me tell you, they are TO DIE FOR! The colors are absolutely vivid and GORGEOUS and the quality of the Stocking itself is AMAZING. The solid colors are perfect because they pair with seriously everything in Hallie’s closet! I definitely am going to need them in every color!  I love that they are thick enough to wear right now in this chilly weather, but also not too thick so that Hal will still be able to pair them with her dresses this coming spring and summer! I am kicking myself for not ordering Bashful Blue! It’s going to be a must this Spring! I am having such a hard time not pulling these out of Hal’s Stocking so she can wear them now! You need some!  Head on over to Little Stocking Co now and Sock up….I mean Stock up (See what I did there??)

What are your favorite kids accessories?
<3 Kelly

Last Minute Have To Do’s

Last Minute Have To Do’s
I love this song, because as much as there is to do this time of year and as CRAZY as it gets, I could NEVER skip it! It really is the best time of year! 
So, here’s a few tips, thanks to Erin Condren to help things from getting to stressful! 
1. Keep everything in line with an Erin Condren Life Planner
If you know me, you know that I am a planner snob, and the Life Planner’s block system keeps everything and everyone in line!
2. Make your “To Buy” lists on this Snap in “What to buy/Meal Planner” Dashboard
Check off your To Do’s with these Wet Erase Markers
3. You can even make your Life Planner festive with these adorable yet useful Stickers
4. Last but not least, Forget to send someone a card? Having trouble keeping track of who you still need to buy for? Well Erin Condren has you covered with these Festive Printable Cards and Envelope Liners and Holiday Gift Checklists! 

Make these last few days before Christmas easy! Let Erin Condren take care of you this Holiday Season, and every one after that!
<3 Kelly 

Hallie’s visit with Santa

This year is just SO MUCH FUN! Hallie is really in the Christmas spirit! She wants to be a part of every preparation: making lists, shopping, wrapping, baking cookies! She gets so excited looking for Jovie every morning demands Christmas music in the car, and Girlfriend was totally awestruck when meeting Santa! It was like she was meeting a celebrity or the queen of England!


While we were waiting in line, it zipped through this arctic room with “snow” falling from the ceiling and TV screens with Arctic scenes and animals. Hallie LOVED playing in the snow and pointing at all of the Polar Bears and White Tailed Foxes! Of course it was difficult getting the snow out of her hair before our turn with Santa, but totally worth it to get this sweet picture! She had a blast!
When it was our turn with Santa (despite the screaming terrified child before her) Hallie calmly walked up to Santa and smiled at him.  He asked her a few questions and she answered gracefully! Honestly she was acting like a total grown up! Then it was time for the photo. I put her on Santa’s lap and she smiled right at the camera.  Then she got down, Thanked Santa and said Merry Christmas! I was totally blown away! It really was the PERFECT experience!
<3 Kelly and Hallie