A Girl Named PJ

How a Toddler Plays with Sidewalk Chalk

Toddler Playing with Sidewalk Chalk

Toddler Playing with Sidewalk Chalk

Toddler Playing with Sidewalk Chalk

On a warm October day, Levi got his tiny little hands on sidewalk chalk for the first time. I’m pretty sure he thought it was the coolest thing ever. I showed him how to draw and color with it outside a friend’s house, but he was more interested in transporting the chalk from one side of the driveway to the other. He crawled back and forth through other people’s colorful masterpieces to fill and dump that blue plastic chalk container.

Note to self: Buy Levi a bucket of sidewalk chalk next spring.

But I wonder…When do toddlers start understanding the concept of drawing and coloring with crayons, markers or chalk? At IHOP last weekend, Levi made marks on his paper place mat with tiny green and orange crayons but only because he was tapping the crayons on the table. It wasn’t like he was intentionally trying to doodle. (I still brought it home to hang on the fridge.)

Do you remember when your kids first became interested in coloring?

This week has felt suuuuuuper long, and I’m really looking forward to having some down time this weekend. But it looks like it’s gonna be another busy one: We’re attending an event at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch on Saturday and have brunch with friends on the calendar for Sunday. Can you believe that Halloween is already next Wednesday?! Have you picked your pumpkins yet?

PS: I’ll be posting Friday links tomorrow, so be sure to come back and check them out!

Shop the Catalog // The Land of Nod

I only subscribe to a couple of magazines, including Lucky, Whole Living and Real Simple. Still, I run to the mailbox every afternoon eager to see if next month’s issue has arrived. Most days, however, I only find bills, junk mail and catalogs.

Have you noticed that many catalogs nowadays read like magazines?

Lately, I’m just as content to curl up with a catalog. (Perhaps a sign that I need more excitement in my life?) From their creative styling and photography to their unexpected editorial content, some catalogs are are actually fun to flip through–especially if their products are equally as awesome.

Take the newest The Land of Nod catalog. I had barely gotten through their first section featuring holiday products when I tweeted that I wanted it all–and I don’t even celebrate Christmas!

I finally made it through to the very last page and wanted to share with you some of my favorite new products. How does that Barenaked Ladies song go? “If I had $1,000,000…”

New Toys and Tables from The Land of Nod

Big Game Beanbag Toss // “You Say Coffee, I Say Play” Table // Build Your Own City Blocks Set // The Elmwood Table

The Land of Nod Tent and Toys

Haul and Totes Ride On // Off-Broadway Puppet Theater // A Teepee To Call Your Own

What did you see and love in the latest catalog from The Land of Nod? Share YOUR picks below!

My Frustration With Facebook

Dip Dye Pink Hair

A Facebook page I follow posted a similar call-to-action message on their wall, and I’d like to share my version of it with you. However, if I were to post it on Bunny & Dolly’s Facebook page, there’s a good chance the majority of you would never see it…and here’s why:

Facebook now requires page administrators to pay to promote Facebook posts we want our fans to see. If we don’t, only a small percentage of our fans will see our page’s updates in their home feed. Right now, out of Bunny & Dolly’s small but mighty following of 148 fans, approximately 16% of you generally see my updates content in your feed. The rest are missing out on updates about blog posts, behind-the-scenes photos and any special Facebook-only content.

To make sure that you are seeing all of Bunny & Dolly’s Facebook updates, follow these simple steps:

1. Hover your mouse on the “LIKE” button near our name on Bunny & Dolly’s Facebook page

2. Select “ADD TO INTEREST LISTS” from the drop-down menu

3. Create an “interest list” for a special news feed you can access from your home page that will include all of our posts

Follow the above instructions for all of your favorite Facebook pages so you aren’t missing out on any posts or updates!

There tends to be a lot more conversation on Bunny & Dolly’s Facebook page than in the comments section of the blog. Same with Twitter. If you’d like to join the convo, please share your Facebook page or Twitter handle below!

{image source}

Mixed up on a Monday

pushing toddler in backyard swing

This post is a pretty accurate representation of how I’ve been feeling lately — mixed up and kind of all over the place. My mind races with ideas, none of which I think are any good. I’m so caught up in my head that I feel uninspired, and this lack of inspiration or creativity has been making blogging a challenge.

Confession: I’m kind of getting bored writing all the time about motherhood.

toddler boy profile black and white

To make matters worse, I’ve also been feeling uninspired as a mom. Levi has been taking fewer and shorter naps, which means I need to find more ways to entertain him during the day. (We can only browse Target or run to Costco so many times in a week.) If I were more creative I would come up with art projects and games to occupy our time, but I’m feeling totally clueless about what to do with a 14-month-old boy. And anyway, he’s not walking yet, so our options seem a bit limited.

I believe they call this the doldrums.

Despite experiencing the doldrums, there have been moments of sweet happiness and joy. Like this weekend, when we popped by the Henry Doorly Zoo for an hour and checked out the aquarium for the first time. Levi loved watching the penguins swimming and goofing around. Or when my little guy messily spread refried beans all over his place mat at Rivera’s, our favorite Mexican restaurant, and then put his face on the table to lick them up. Serious cuteness.

I was going to end this post with a list on links to other interesting articles, but I think I’ll just share an assortment of photos from my iPhone instead. Randomness.

Scott Aquarium penguin at Henry Doorly Zoo

mom and toddler son in backyard

toddler in bed and snake pedicure

toddler eating goldfish crackers in front of red curtain

PS: I welcome your advice, opinions or words of encouragement on how to beat the doldrum and on what I should be doing with my life. (No biggie.)

Say “thank you” with 10 free personalized cards

Tiny Prints 10 Free Thank You Cards

As somebody who has an easier time expressing herself in writing, I prefer to say “thank you” the old fashioned way — in a handwritten note. 

That being said, I tend to dilly-dally when it comes to actually getting a thank you card in the mail. Finding the time to buy an appropriate card (there are too many choices out there!) and sit down to write it can be a challenge with a toddler in tow.

Tiny Prints wants to make saying “thank you” a little bit easier for me and for you. For one week only, you can get 10 FREE thank you cards from Tiny Prints. All you pay is shipping (as low as $3.50).

These cards can be completely customized and personalized to your tastes. Choose from thousands of designs, add pictures, change the text, the fonts, the colors. Just use the promo code FREETHANKS when you check out (and pay the shipping!), and Tiny Prints will send the 10 cards right away.

Unfortunately, Tiny Prints won’t babysit your kid while you write your thank you cards.

Visit Tiny Prints now to get started!

Back to basics, back in business

mom and baby cuddling

I lied. I told you I was taking a week-long break from blogging, but I decided to take a two week blogcation instead. I’ve had a lot on my mind and needed the extra time to sort through all of the activity in my head.

Feeling disconnected

Bunny & Dolly began as a sort of online diary, a place where I could chronicle the highs and lows of pregnancy. When Levi was born, the topic naturally evolved to motherhood and blog posts ranged from anecdotes about parenting to Levi’s favorite things. Since I was already writing about clothing, books and toys for babies, I began to seek out ways to monetize, including sidebar ads and affiliate links, in an attempt to earn some pocket cash. As a VPTWAHM, I’m not the breadwinner in the family, so any little bit I can contribute to our checking account makes me feel good about myself.

I realized that Bunny & Dolly was losing its authenticity. Cluttering my sidebar with ads and posting solely about products felt phoney. You don’t come to Bunny & Dolly for fashion, beauty or decor advice (at least, I don’t think that’s your primary reason). You come for stories, snippets of my everyday life as a mom to a toddler son and wife to a military husband. Maybe you enjoy reading about my daily parenting adventures because they remind you of your life and, like me, you find it comforting that somebody else is experiencing the same challenges. Or maybe your life is nothing like mine and you find our differences interesting. Perhaps you just think Levi is the cutest kid in the entire world and keeping coming back to see more photos of him. (I wouldn’t blame you!)

Moving forward

I’m going to take Bunny & Dolly to the next level by going back to basics. More posts about me and my family. More conversations. More questions. I may still include affiliate links and take on sponsored posts, but only if they’re a natural fit. You’ll notice, however, that I’ve removed my sidebar ads. They were clutter, that’s all.

On my to-do list are plans to clean up my categories and update my About page. I’m also going to be adding a Blogroll page with links to other fantastic blogs. I may bring back Friday favorites; I’m still undecided. Did you like those? Oh, and I promised you a super cool giveaway in September that’ll happen later this week. Probably.

Psst…

And one other thing: I just learned that Bunny & Dolly was included in Weatherables 2012 Top 20 Family Blogs list alongside such A-list blogs like A Cup of Jo, Marvelous Kiddo and Design Mom. To be grouped together with these big-name bloggers sort of blows my mind.

So that’s it. Bunny & Dolly is back in business. And now I’ve gotta find some time to catch up on two weeks worth of blog updates in my Google Reader!

Happy Monday, friends!

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A break from routine

sometimes a break from routine is the very thing you need

Sometimes a break from your routine is the very thing you need.

I’ve decided to step away from the blog this week to recharge my blogging batteries. August has been a particularly stressful month for me, from dealing with Levi to dealing with self-doubt. In an attempt to not overthink myself into a stress spiral, I’m giving myself permission to not think at all for the next several days. Hopefully, I’ll greet September feeling renewed and excited to blog again.

(PS: I have another really exciting giveaway in the works for the beginning of September, so set yourself a reminder to come back!)

In the meantime, you may be interested in my latest post for Lifetime Moms on the pros and cons of the Mirena IUD. And since I can’t completely cut myself off from social media, you’ll still find me tweeting, posting photos on Instagram and updating Bunny & Dolly’s Facebook page. Are you following me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook? You should, especially because I have a cute Levi video that I’ll be uploading later today!

I hope you enjoy the unofficial end of summer. Why not take a break from your routine, too?

{quote: source unknown / original image: girly me}

 

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