My toddler son came home from daycare last week with a note asking parents for a donation of plastic eggs for an Easter egg hunt. The request was innocent enough, but it stirred up a bit of controversy in my house. Why?
Click here to read the rest of my post over on Lifetime Moms.
Happy Easter!
My mother-in-law is arriving this afternoon, so I need to step away from the computer and quickly tidy up the house. (I guess that makes me a time-pressured appearance cleaner? Read on for more info!) Actually, her visit kicks off a week-long spree of overnight guests; my parents arrive for their visit mere hours before my MIL leaves. As much as I love hosting family, it can get exhausting, wouldn’t you agree? Do you plan action-packed agendas when you have visitors, or do you prefer to take a more impromptu, laid-back approach to entertaining out-of-town guests?
We covered a variety of topics this week:
– I love the idea of this monthly subscription service (plus a discount code!)
– Do amber teething necklaces really work?
– I still can’t believe that I met Debbie Gibson!
My latest post for Lifetime Moms:
– Here are the 10 things to not ask a military spouse
Plus, more great content from around the web:
– Morgan wants you to cut your crap by five items a day for 90 days.
– What better way to put our half-acre to work than by constructing a backyard office?
– How do you approach housecleaning? Are you a cleaning routinist, a quick and convenient cleaner, or a cleaning avoider?
– Don’t worry: It’s OK to allow your child to get bored. (Phew!)
– A simple and modern DIY friendship bracelet that I would love to give and receive!
– Spring is desperately trying to make its appearance here in Omaha, yet I’m suddenly craving soup–especially this one.
– I recently checked out this book
– Megan’s 10 travel must-haves, including one product with 18 uses!
Happy Easter to all those celebrating!
I received a birthday card from a family friend last week that read, I only send e-cards now, but I know how partial you are to paper, so I’m making an exception.
It’s true: I love paper. In fact, I even owned a short-lived stationery company. (Turns out Omaha was not the market for high-end letterpress invitations.) And because I don’t write as many letters as I should, I have an ample supply of beautiful note cards and preppy paper stashed away in my office. I have a hard time resisting the urge to buy new stationery, especially letterpress greeting cards and to-do list note pads.
In addition to paper products, I also love receiving mail. Now, I don’t get quite as excited as Levi when I see the mail truck drive away, but I always hope I’ll find something unexpected in my mailbox.
My affection for stationery and snail makes me the ideal OliveBox customer! OliveBox is a new subscription service that delivers delightful paper goodies and lifestyle products to your door each month. Each themed box (past themes have included “Paris” and “Celebrate You”) is filled with hand-picked objects that have been “transformed by the beauty of paper,” such as cards, artwork, books, and gifting ideas.
Grace Kang, a former buyer for Bloomingdales and the founder of OliveBox, told me that the upcoming April box is her favorite yet but wouldn’t reveal what’s inside–each monthly theme is a surprise!
Want in? The deadline to sign up for the April box is March 31st, and I have a exclusive discount code just for Bunny & Dolly readers. Enter bunnyanddolly10 now through March 31 to receive 10% off your order. Monthly, three-month, half-year, and yearly subscriptions are available, and you can even buy an OliveBox subscription as gift for a friend. (Hint, hint…)
Enjoy!
A handful of people this past week have asked me about Levi’s beaded necklace, so I thought I’d explain its significance today. Though I suppose it does make Levi look like a free-spirited beach bum, the purpose of the necklace is not solely to make a fashion statement (little boys can wear jewelry, too!).
Levi was just about a year old when I bought him the amber teething necklace at an Omaha baby store. Supposedly, Baltic amber contains healing oils and anti-inflammatory properties that, when worn next to the skin, help alleviate pain associated with teething (or any other ailment, I imagine). While my husband dismissed the fossilized resin accessory as “hippie voodoo bullshit,” I was willing to give any natural pain remedy a shot.
The salesperson instructed us to let Levi wear it 24/7, although some websites advise taking Baltic amber teething necklaces off at bath and bed times. As a parent who is notoriously paranoid about my son’s safety, I thought long and hard about letting Levi wear his necklace while sleeping.
Note: Although I eventually felt comfortable with him wearing it overnight, it is not my place to convince you to allow your child to do the same.
So does the amber teething necklace work? It’s hard to measure its success since there’s no control group in our little pain relief experiment, but I can say that although Levi has experienced crankiness, unwillingness to eat, and insomnia while teething, he’s never been in inconsolable pain. However, we do often supplement the natural analgesic with Hyland’s Teething Tablets
Would you consider letting your baby or toddler wear an amber teething necklace or do you think it’s “hippie voodoo bullshit” like my husband? Do you believe that Baltic amber has natural anti-inflammatory properties or is it all a marketing ploy?
Who was your childhood idol?
Twenty-five years ago, I loved Debbie Gibson. I have vivid memories of listening to her debut album “Out of the Blue” on vinyl in my friend Jodi’s basement. Jodi and I played that record over and over and over again until we learned every word to every song. I can still visualize the album cover: a teenage Debbie Gibson wearing a striped shirt and ripped jeans (she even drew a smiley face on her exposed knee!), sitting next to an oversize white teddy bear wearing a watch. To my seven-year-old self, she was the epitome of cool.
I was a huge fan of her second album, “Electric Youth,” and even owned her Electric Youth perfume by Revlon. Sadly, I don’t recall stuffing my Caboodle with any of her Natural Wonder cosmetics. (Did you?)
Although my adoration for the 80s pop icon began to wane around middle school, Debbie Gibson’s music and style left an indelible impression on me as a little girl. In fact, I didn’t realize how important a role she played until this past Friday when, at 33 years old, I finally had the opportunity to meet my childhood idol…… READ MORE!
