Upcoming Review for CSN Stores!

I contacted Jessica from CSN Store’s Promotion Team and she kindly offered to do a review with me!  CSN Stores has over 200 online stores and they sell everything!  No matter what you need they sell it from office supplies, shoes, handbags, to tools and so much more!  They even have dining room furniture! With more family members then chairs at our table, this is something we sure could use!

I love this set for our family:

Or there is this bar stool that would be perfect at my breakfast bar:

Check them out!  I have a long list of things I want to spend my money on, there are so many options!  I spent about an hour looking already and the list keeps getting longer!  I will narrow it down and then do a review in the future!

What did you get in the mail??

Here are some pics of what I got in the mail in the last little while by day.  I am going to try to do this each day, but since it's been a week and I haven't done it once it might not happen each day LOL! 

Last Monday:

I won the lullabelly, and then the bath stuff is for an upcoming review and giveaway...stay tuned!

Last Wednesday:

The Swiffer Duster was a freebie I got from P&G Brand Saver, and I won the books on One Income Dollar's Blog!

Friday:

I won these on a blog!

Monday:

Moboleez Nursing hat that I won on a blog!

Today:

 

The Iphone Cradles we bought, but still was exciting to get them.  The Brugo mug is for an upcoming review and giveaway, and the other items are all from P&G Brand Saver!

My boys love checking the mail, and these days they find it so exciting.  We have those little postal boxes, and every day when we walk down to get the mail Jack will say "Mommy can we get letter A?" That is the boxes that the packages come in, so I always just say "We will see."  Then if I get the key with the red key chain that means we have a package.  Whenever I pull that key out of our regular box, Jack gets so excited and says "Mommy, you're a good girl!  You found it!"  Ha ha like I had anything to do with it, but I am not giving away my secret!  Soon enough he will figure it out.

Current Craft Projects

So lately I haven't been doing much updating other than giveaways and reviews, which is great, but not why I started blogging in the first place.  So I thought I would update on my craft projects on the go.

Currently, I am trying to focus on my regular knitting and getting a pink baby blanket done.  It has taken a while, but I am almost 1/2 way there.  I am hoping to make a matching infant girl hat, and headband to go with it.  I would love to be able to sell these in my etsy shop, and also on my facebook page called: Choice Crafts.

I am currently making a headband, I am hoping will fit me.  This will be the first headband I make, and I am not sure on the sizing for me, that is on my loom knitter.

I have a whole bunch of projects either on paper or in my head I would like to get done, and in that vein, I went shopping at a friend's house through all her fabrics she is getting rid of.  My goal was to get fabric to make some of the projects that are in my head...however, she didn't have the fabrics I was looking for.  I do, however, have a whole new list of projects that I would like to do with these fabrics.  Some are over my skill level though.

Gaddy Nipper Crayon Winner!

So our winner is:

♥Cari♥ said... I really, really want the lego ones!
carissa.sutton(at)gmail.com

Congrats Cari, I will be contacting you shortly!  You will have 48 hours to contact me to claim your prize.

Social Parade

Welcome everyone from the Social Parade!  While you are here please check out my Giveaways page, where I have several awesome giveaways!!

Welcome Baby Bloggers!

Are you new to blogging within the last year?  If so, join the Baby Blogger blog hop at: Cookies and Clogs

My first guest blogging experience

Hi all!  I was interviewed by Kim from Chubby Cheeks thinks!  Check it out here:

http://chubbycheeksthinks.blogspot.com/2010/06/guest-blogger-shari-from-knit-wit-by.html

It was such a fun thing to do.  I love her blog anyways, and always read it, so when I got the opportunity to be intereviewed I had to do it!  Oh and she has great giveaways over there, and I have won one!  So be sure to go on over and enter all her giveaways that you can!

She is also giving 5 extra entries to any of her giveaways to any of her followers who come over here and check me out!  I thought that was cool, and if you are a follower of both of ours - go get your 5 entries!  So...I hope she doesn't mind but I am going to steal this idea from her, and give out 5 extra entries to one of my giveaways of your choice:  if you can go over to her blog, read the interview, and come back here and tell me something you learned about me.  There has to be something, because there are some questions and answers there that I have not spelled out before.  Don't worry if you are new here from her blog, you get the 5 entries too!

Have a great day all!  I am off to Mommy and Me today - I need it last night the baby and I didn't sleep well and I get a real break there.  The older boys run and play, and the baby lays and watches other kids - good times.

My Lip Stuff Review and Giveway WORLDWIDE

I have a confession to make, I am an avid Blistex Lip balm user, year round I use blistex if I am not wearing lipstick....er...well...I was a blistex user.

The one thing I have always hated about blistex (or any lip balms I have used) is the waxy build up I get on my lips after. It totally grossed me out! (Do the kids even say that anymore?? Ok so I am showing my age!)

When I saw My Lip Stuff I thought it would be nice to have a girly scented lip balm, so I could tell my 3 year old this one was for Mommy!  I hate using my lip balm after him, it is usually textured with either food or teeth marks!  But totally didn't expect that it doesn't leave the weird build up!

I received 3 different ones to try: Strawberry Marshmallow, Graham Cracker, and Mango Sorbet.

I have a very sensitive sense of smell, and generally when I get those scented lip balms, or lip glosses, I get a migraine from the strong perfumy, or "sweet" smell.  But, I really love the scented ones, because they seem more "girly", and smell so good!  Well after trying the My Lip Stuff lip balms I can tell you that although they are scented and they smell so good, the scent is very mild!  My favourite one is the Mango Sorbet, because the other 2 make me so hungry! LOL!

If you are looking for wild and exotic lip balms this is the place for you  There is a list of the major categories, with over 500 different varieties, I can't possible list them all!:

Booze Balms - liquor inspired balms with fun drink label
Mood Lip Balms - a label for whatever mood you are in
Days of the Week Balms - a lip balm for each day of the week
Calendar Lip Balms - a month calendar right on the label
Call Me Lip Balms - a fun way to give out your phone number
F'Undies Lip Balms - cute lip balms for whatever kind of underwear you like
QLoveabalms - a great way to show your love of whatever!
Fortune Cookie Lip Balm - comes with a little fortune that is hidden under the label
Horoscope Lip Balms - 2 pack of the good and bad characteristics of the zodiac signs
Initial Lip Balms - get your initial right on the label for a personalized touch
Party Theme Lip Balms - fun themed labels- great for parties and more!
Magic 8 Balms - just like the magic 8 ball. ask a question and get the answer!
Voodoo Balms - a fun way to send positive or negative energy to whoever you want



The great thing is it really works to soften my lips too!  I really love the way it feels light on my lips when it is on, and afterwards leaves my lips feeling so soft and supple!

Here is what their webpage has to say about their products!:
My Lip Stuff products are skin, earth, and animal friendly.  That means we NEVER test our products on animals and use only the finest ingredients  that are skin safe and environmentally friendly.

My Lip Stuff products can be customized or personalized for the ultimate lip balm experience.

Custom label lip balms are great for business promotions, weddings, showers, or any event where you'd like to give a personalized gift.

BUY IT:  Go to My Lip Stuff and pick some up!


WIN IT! My Lip Stuff has been so generous and offered one of The Knit Wit By Shair readers a random pack of 6 lip balms!

Mandatory Entry: The mandatory entry must be completed before all other entries will be counted. Be sure to leave your email address with each entry. For each entry be sure to leave a seperate comment.

Go to My Lip Stuff, and check out their products. Then come back here and tell me which item lip balm name is the most interesting to you (not necessarily one you want to try).
Bonus Entries:
1 Entry: Follow My Lip Stuff on Twitter.
1 Entry: Like MLS on Facebook.
1 Entry: Follow Me on Networked Blogs on the sidebar.
1 Entry: "Like" The Knit Wit on Facebook (please leave me you FB name to verify your entry).
1 Entry: Follow Me on Twitter
1 Entry: Tweet about this giveaway (leave me the link or add @shairbearg).
1 Entry: Enter my other giveaways and tell me which ones (1 comment per giveaway).
3 Entries: Update your Facebook status notifying people of this giveaway (please leave me the link to verify your entry).
3 Entries: Post my button on your blog (let me know where I can find it).
1 Entry: Vote for me on "Top Mommy Blogs" on the right side bar.

Good Luck! This giveaway is open to WORLDWIDE. Giveaway ends on July 16, 2010 at 11:55pm
Disclaimer: Please note that I received 3 lip balms for review purposes, and no payment was received. The opinons are my own.

Wednesday Link Up!

Add your links to your giveaways! Please include who is eligible, and when they expire!

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myLot User Profile

Simply Kids Diaper Review

I was given some Simply Kids diapers, and thought I would share my thoughts on them.  Personally I am glad we didn't pay for them, as we are not fans at all!!

We had major leaking issues with them.  In all fairness, with our first son we had troubles with leaks on certain brands because of how thin he is, and Justin is the same.  We found with our middle son who is chubbier, we had less problems with leaky brands.

Another thing we don't like about them is that you can see the poop through the back of the diaper.  Which doesn't seem like a big deal, until you try to let your baby lay with no clothes on because he is sweating from the hot weather.  Then all you see is poop!  Very gross! 

All in all, I will not be trying this again. 

Meet Me on Monday

Java at Never Growing Old is the host of this fairly new hop.

Every Monday Java will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

Java will add a linky so we can follow who participates and get to know them better!! Be sure to link the POST and not just your whole blog!

Questions:

1. How many brother and sisters do you have?
I have 2 sisters, 1 older and 1 younger.  I think it's funny that I a from a family of 3 girls, and I have 3 boys.

2. What is your favorite thing to do?
Hmmm I gotta say watching Nascar with all my boys, while knitting!

3. What countries have you visited?
Not sure you are ready for my exotic list - Canada and US, and in Canada it has all been in the same province I live!

4. Are you a morning or a night person?
For sure I am a morning person, but with the baby I am more of a middle of the day person b/c I am not getting good sleep.

5. What's your favorite cereal?
It changes, but right now Mini Wheats!  Not sure why, but I am obsessed with the mini wheats!

Nursing Bling Winner!!

So we have a winner for the Nursing Bling:

It is Kady from Take a Mom's Word for it -
kady transferred over 11

Congrats Kady!  I will be contacting you, and you have 48  hours to contact me to claim your prize.

Agoo Leggings Review and Sale!

So I recently spotted Agoo Leggings on-line and thought I would give them a try, I was sent a pair of leggings to try. 

I find that Justin is a very warm baby, and if I dress him up too much he gets sweaty, so anything more than a onsie right now and he gets too hot.  However his little legs get so cold in the air conditioner, and he kicks off any baby blankets I try to put over his legs to keep them warm.

Enter Agoo Leggings

They are cute and practical; they keep his legs warm and he can't kick them off.  He has super skinny legs, and although they do slip over his foot the top actually stays on his thigh really well!  I really doubted that they would work for him, as Jack was another super skinny baby and I always had a hard time with things that were supposed to fit, falling off if it was elasticy. 

Although none of my boys are crawling, currently, I know these are great for crawling babies as I go to a Mommy group where they are used for that purpose, and when Justin had them on he pushed himself around a bit with his legs and feet and he didn't get red legs like normal.

If you have a daughter, these would be a great replacement for leggings, and they come in all cute styles, and they would making changing her bum really easy - no tights to pull down.


They are made out of eco-friendly bamboo!  We all know how quickly bamboo grows and what a renewable resource it is, but it is more anti-bacterial than other fabrics, which are very absorbent, causing them to hold dampness in. Because bamboo wicks moisture away, it's great for your circulation and skin, preventing over-heating or chills from trapped-in moisture. Bamboo's is composed of a matrix with various microscopic gaps, which allows the fiber to be more breathable, comfortable and have better thermal regulation than cotton, wool, or synthetic fibers, keeping you cooler, drier and more comfortable. The unique structure also allows bamboo apparel to absorb and evaporate perspiration faster than any other fabric. 

It is also hypoallergenic, and its organic, natural fiber properties make it non-irritating to even the most sensitive skin. Bamboo apparel also protects you from UV rays, naturally.


So it is good for us, and our environment, plus it looks great!

They made a big claim that these leggings would fit me, and all 3 of my boys, and then go back to looking new without looking stretched out.  Well...I have to tell you....

It is true!  I put them on, and then I let Jack put them on.  He tugged and tugged to get them up as high as he could get them pulling at the fabric from one spot - cotton would've been all stretched out.  These were not!  They went back perfect.  They stayed on both of my older boys who are very different shapes, and I already mentioned they stayed on Mr. Thin legs. 

They come in all different colours and fit every one ages 0+.  Here are some of the selection:

Check them out on Facebook, and become a fan, I know I am!

BUY IT! Go to Agoo Leggings and take advantage of this special offer: Agoo Leggings 1 cent sale, in the coupon code box put in 1centleg5 and you get your first pair for 1 cent, it is good for the first 25 people so act quickly!

My sweet hearted boy

Ok I know that boys are supposed to be rough and tumble, and don't get me wrong, Jack can be very rough and tumble.  But he is also the sweetest spirit you will ever know.

Whenever his brother's cry, he will go over and hug them, and kiss them better.  He gets a tissue and dries their eyes, even has done this for other kids at Sunday School. 

This morning (yesterday too), his brother has finished eating his breakfast while I have been feeding the baby.  Jack goes over, gets a cloth, wets it in the sink, and then proceeds to wash his brother's face and hands.  He then pulls out his chair, and carefully helps him down from the booster seat.  This morning, as soon as he let his brother down so gingerly, he then took the cape off his superman pjs and started a hitting each other in the head with the capes game!

He will be starting school in September, and I am afraid he might get made fun of, and it will take away this sweet side of him.  I really love that he can be a rough and tumble boy, so sweet and caring too.

Social Parade!

Come along on the social parade

Check out this cool giveaway:

Do you like handmade crocheted items? If so check out:

Wednesday Giveaway Link up!!

This is my 2nd one I am hosting!  Please add all your giveaways, and don't forget to enter the other ones on the list:

Belly Charms Review and Giveaway!

People who know me, know: that I am an emotional, sentimental person, who loves her family very much. 

Something I have always wanted was a family ring; which I plan on getting in the next year or two.  I love the idea of looking at the piece and having it remind you of your family, but not screaming MOMMY!!!  I mean, the children screaming Mommy all around me should get the point across to strangers.

I am not a big jewelry wearer, so when I do, I like it to be noticeable, but not over powering.  Also if it is too heavy, I won't wear it too much, but it also has to be sturdy enough to deal with some rough wear and tear.  I am not the type to be overly delicate, so it can't be either.  Ok so I am super picky when it comes to jewelry.

As soon as I saw the Belly Charms Mommy Bracelets, I knew I had to contact her, right away I could tell they fit some of my criteria. 

1. You can customize them with your kids initials, and she doesn't just cater to people with 1 or 2 kids.  Some of us crazy people have more than that, or Grandmas may want all their kids initials, and she has those options!

2. At a glance, I can see my boys initials which reminds me of them even if they aren't around.  It doesn't scream kids! But if someone looked at it they will probably guess it's my kids initials.

3. It is beautiful, and elegant, but not over powering.

As soon as I opened the envelope, I squealed!  I was so excited, as I fell in love right away!  It was beautiful, and classy looking.

Here is a close up of just the letters:

I put it on right away, and was surprised at how light it felt, and although it looks substantial, it's not overpowering!  I then went about my life, and honestly, sometimes I forgot it was on.  It is not heavy, and it looks great with everything I wear.  I don't take it off except to shower, and it is holding up very well!  I even forgot to take it off when I was washing dishes, because our dishwasher broke.

I know you are thinking, why is it called "Belly Charms" if she sells mother bracelets?? Well, it's not all she sells!  She started out making belly button rings for pregnant bellies when she was pregnant.  Although I don't have a pierced belly button, I thought this was a great idea!  I know I am on different chat boards, and when we went through our pregnancies there was always a lady in the group who had to take out their belly button ring because of being pregnant.   This is a great idea, here are some:

Here is a selection of SOME of the many other things they have:

baby charm bracelet, baby on board earrings, and baby on board necklace

Maternity flip flops (it's a girl/boy), Grandma bracelet, Grandma initials bracelet

and anklets, they can be personalized, or not, your choice.

I usually don't write anything about the person I worked with, maybe a quick line saying they were helpful, or kind, but I felt that this time I had to make an exception.  After all, my blog, my rules!  ha ha!

Sonya has been going through a very hard thing personally (which I will mention more in the next paragraph), but during all that was going on personally, she was very professional.  I only know what is going on, but reading hers and her sister's blogs.  I got my order very quickly, and she was very very sweet.  I really did enjoy this partnership very much.  I have to say her blog is in my top 5 favs, she always has all the best link ups posted too, so I just go there, and link up to them all!  (You can find her button in my blog buttons section on the left bar).

As for what has been going on, please check out: Sandi's fight for the whole story

Here is a small portion:
Sandi is 33 years old and has been married to her husband JJ since January 2007. She graduated with her Master's Degree in professional counseling in August of 2009. She finally found a job as a mental health professional counselor working with at risk teens and their families in December of 2009. Everything in her life was perfect.




The end of April she started having some very sharp head pains with a "whooshing" sound in her head. On Friday April 30th she drove home from work, got out of her car, and her left leg would barely function. She got herself in the door, up the stairs, and knew that something was wrong.



Sandi called her doctor on Monday, May 3rd and they immediately set an appointment for the following morning. That is a day that will forever change our family and everyone who knows Sandi.



They did a CT scan, found a brain tumor the size of a lemon between her frontal lobes and immediately put her in the ICU for fear that she would have stroke or seizure.



On Thursday May 6, 2010 my sister had brain surgery. The Neurosurgeon removed as much of the tumor as possible and closed off the blood vessels that were feeding the remainder of the tumor. We were very hopeful at this point. Later that afternoon the doctor sat down in a conference room and told us the unthinkable. The tumor looked malignant, it was being sent to John Hopkins and we would have the pathology report back in 2 weeks........so we waited, and waited.



On May 19th the results were back. The first thing the doctor told my sister are words that we will never forget....." You are now fighting for your life". The tumor is malignant. Now the real battle begins.

You can continue to read Sandi's story as she documents her treatment and progress on her blog "Sandi's Brain Tumor - My Fight for Life""

I want my sister to focus on getting better instead of worrying about how they will pay the medical bills. They have insurance, but she can no longer work and there is a $40 copay for every radiation treatment. I have created the "Affirmation and Inspiration Collection - Sandi's Fight" to raise money for Sandi and JJ. Proceeds from the sale of these items will be donated to them to help cover the expenses associated with her treatment of brain cancer.







BUY IT! Go to Belly Charms and pick some up!

WIN IT! Win a customized Mommy Bracelet, like mine (1,2, or 3 sets of initials):

Mandatory Entry: The mandatory entry must be completed before all other entries will be counted. Be sure to leave your email address with at least one entry, and for each entry be sure to leave a seperate comment.

Go to Belly Charms, and check out their products. Then come back here and tell me which item is your favourite, and why, by leaving me a comment.

Bonus Entries:
1 Entry: Follow Belly Charms on Twitter.
1 Entry: Like Belly Charms on Facebook.
1 Entry: Follow Belly Charms on Networked Blogs.
1 Entry: Follow Me on Networked Blogs on the sidebar.
1 Entry: "Like" The Knit Wit on Facebook (please leave me you FB name to verify your entry).
1 Entry: Follow Me on Twitter
1 Entry: Tweet about this giveaway (leave me the link or add @shairbearg), you can do this once a day for one entry each time.
1 Entry: Enter my other giveaways and tell me which one (1 entry per giveaway).
3 Entries: Update your Facebook status notifying people of this giveaway (please leave me the link to verify your entry).
3 Entries: Post my button on your blog (let me know where I can find it).
1 Entry: Vote for me on "Top Mommy Blogs" on the right side bar.

Good Luck! This giveaway is open to Canada & US only. Giveaway ends on July 9, 2010 at 11:55pm

Disclaimer: Please note that I received 1 customized Mommy Necklace review purposes, and no payment was received. The opinons are my own.

Mailbox Monday

Welcome to Mailbox Monday:


Welcome all new subscribers, while your here, please check out our giveaways!  We have some great ones with low, or no, entries!

Baby won't sleep?? Meet the Snoedel!! - Review

I recently had a baby, and while I love the baby stage very much, it is much harder to deal with the lack of sleep when you have 2 older boys who  need your attention all day.  Also, he doesn't always get the luxury of snuggling Mama all day during his naps.  Sometimes I have to put him down to get his brothers something, or to stop them from fighting, or hurting themselves.

Lately he has been teething (as my boys are early teethers), so he is miserable and wants to snuggle Mommy alot.  Putting him down is necessary, but generally will wake him and cause crying.  I have tried putting my shirts in with the older boys, and even with him once and it never worked.

So, I read online about this doll called a Snoedel and thought it was interesting.  So I contacted the company, and they were so generous and sent me one.  I figured, worst case, it's something for him to play with or chew on when his teeth are bugging him. 

When I pulled "Snoody" (our name for him), out of the envelope, I was holding Justin on my lap. He got a huge toothless grin, and grabbed on for dear life, with his tiny little hand.  So I put it on his chest, and he hugged it. 

The explaination of the snoedel from their site, as they can say it much better than I:

Snoedel is the original sleeping and bonding aid doll for babies completely handcrafted in the United States by moms, grandmothers, and female college students under "newborn-safe" conditions (environments free of tobacco and perfumes.) It is comprised of 100% natural fibers and has been safe for use with all babies including newborns, premature infants, and other babies in Neonatal Intensive Care units.


Snoedels bring comfort as "aromatherapy of the very best kind - Mamatherapy (the scent of mom)". They are designed specifically to absorb and retain a mother's (or father's) scent. Then when held or placed near a newborn or infant the scent is slowly released to comfort the baby, thus improving sleep, aiding in bonding, and soothing a baby's crying or distress. A parent should sleep with the soft Snoedel for a couple of nights prior to giving the Snoedel to the baby.


OK so that's what I read.  Justin and I co-sleep together, so I brought snoody in and cuddled him too for the next few nights.

Since then, when I put him down in his bassinet (he sleeps there first and then moves to my bed after the first wake up) with Snoody beside him.  He goes to sleep quite well, or is calm while he lays there looking around.

There have been a few times during the days, when I can't calm him to sleep, because as I hold him I move and it wakes him.  So I put him in his crib, with snoody, and he will fall straight to sleep.  The first time I found this trick, he was so miserable, and was crying no matter what I did, so I put him in his crib.  After about 3 min I thought I would try snoody.  I put him in, and as soon as Justin smelled him, he gave a big sigh and went straight to sleep.

The only thing I would change is: The hat on snoody is the same as iggle piggle's blanket, and Wesley's snuggle toy is iggle piggle, which he has lost the blanket for...I think you mom's know where I am going with this...every time he sees the hat on snoody he says "iggle piggles blanket.  Wesley want iggle piggles blanket."  I am pretty sure one of these days snoody will no longer have a hat!  ha ha  So not really a problem for most people, but I have to convince my middle boy, it's not iggles blanket!  Gotta go search the house for 1 of 7 iggle piggle blankets to put on the night time iggle!  bye for now!

I am not claiming this is a miracle cure, and your baby will sleep through the night, but I know for me during the days for sure it has saved my sanity a few times.

I really do recommend these if you are finding your baby needs you to hold them all the time, or is having a hard time sleeping. 

BUY IT:  You can order on-line from Snoedel, they are located in the US, but do ship to Canada.  Or for those of you in Canada, you can also order from the Canadian distributor: Trendy Baby Products

Click n Kids Review and Giveaway

I recently posted about my electronic boys, and how our almost 4 year old, Jack, has a computer of his own.  Jack also as a speech delay, and we are always trying to find learning tools, and anything that gets him repeating words gets bonus points with us.

So, while I was perusing facebook I saw an ad for clickn kids.  I went over and checked it out!:

ClickN READ Phonics teaches the entire kindergarten to 3rd grade phonics curriculum taught at USA public schools through 100 interactive cartoon animated online phonics lessons. Children learn english correctly in a phonics game-like environment that is great fun and easy to use.


You can be assured that you are purchasing the world's most effective reading program because the research based phonics curriculum is designed by nationally recognized research professor Dr. J. Ron Nelson. All other learning to read programs are simply toys when compared to ClickN READ Phonics.

Our phonics program is designed for children as young as 4 years old learning to read English for the first time, older children struggling to learn to read, learning disabled children and even adults learning English as a second language

Jack is only 3 but will be 4 soon, but  we were given a license to try out.  He already knows all his letters, and sounds, but his listening comprehension is behind.

He loves the program, and has even figured out how to start the next lesson on his own.  It is geared that you won't even have to log them in, but we do it for Jack anyways.

What I love is that, not only is he being taught to read and doing actual cirriculum and having fun doing it; but it makes him listen and understand what they are asking of him.  Also, when going over the sentences to read, they make him repeat it out loud.  Thus working on his speech! 

I love this program, for it's educational benefits.  The one thing I would change would be that it is on the website, so sometimes he clicks around other pages.  I would prefer if they had a web portal that isn't as easy for a child to navigate away from, like some of the other programs we use for him.

BUY IT:  Go to Clickn Kids and type in my email address (theknitwitbyshair@hotmail.com) in the promotional code area, and you get 20% off, and they are already having a sale!!  Also if you sign up and refer your friends you can get a referral fee of $5 per person!

The wonderful Denise over at Clickn Kids not only offered 20% off for this software, but is giving away 1 free license to The Knit Wit readers!  You are all so spoilied! LOL!

WIN IT! Win your choice of "Clickn Read" or "Clickn Spell" - (we previewed clickn read)  Leave 1 comment per item you complete!
Mandatory Entry: The mandatory entry must be completed before all other entries will be counted. Be sure to leave your email address with at least one entry.

Tell me what your favourite thing about Clickn Kids software is, either from above, or from their site.
Bonus Entries

1 Entry: Follow clickn kids on Twitter.
1 Entry: Like clickn kids on Facebook.
1 Entry: Follow Me on Networked Blogs on the sidebar.
1 Entry: "Like" The Knit Wit on Facebook (please leave me you FB name to verify your entry).
1 Entry: Follow Me on Twitter
1 Entry: Tweet about this giveaway (leave me the link or add @shairbearg).
1 Entry: For each of my other giveaways you have entered and tell me which ones in seperate comments.
3 Entries: Update your Facebook status notifying people of this giveaway (please leave me the link to verify your entry).
3 Entries: Post my button on your blog (let me know where I can find it).
1 Entry: Voting for me on Top Mommy Blogs (Left side bar).
Good Luck! This giveaway is open to Canada and US only. Giveaway ends on July 2, 2010 at 11:55pm

SmartMom Teething Bling winner!!

And the winner is.....

Congrats to Lauren @ Hobo Mom who said:

102

Lauren @ Hobo Mama
June 11, 2010 at 9:11 am
I have your button in my sidebar:
http://www.HoboMamaReviews.com
#1

I will be contacting you shortly by email, you will have 48 hours to get back to me! 

Speech Therapy Update

I know I am very late with the speech therapy update, since we will be going again on Monday, but it has been a crazy week! 

So here goes:

Jack is getting much better at proper asking when we are at therapy, but at home he gets lazy and doesn't always ask properly.  We need to prompt him, and sometimes we get busy and don't think about it.  If allowed to, he will just say "want some juice?", when prompted, or we if we don't move fast enough we get proper asking "Mommy (or Daddy), Can I have some juice please?" 

We were told to work on:

- getting him to tell us where something is located.  If you tell him - put this beside that, he will do that no problem.  But if you ask him where is it, he doesn't always get it right.  So that is something that needs work.

- getting him to work on answering questions e.g.: Why do you wear a coat?  Why is the baby crying?  He is starting to get it.  But he doesn't always know the answers, so we have to tell him, and after the 2nd or 3rd time he starts getting it. 

The thing that makes me feel bad is that Wesley (our 2 year old) will answer the question before Jack can, because he heard the answer the first time.  Or if we ask why he eats, he knows its b/c he is hungry, where Jack has to think longer about it.

This Monday is our last group session, and then we will go for another assessment to see what she will tell us to work on next.

Come on along on a Social Parade!!

Check out the social parade, and welcome to all the new paraders!  Don't forget to check out our awesome giveaways, all the low entries!!!

The enigma that is me

I am not a typical Mom.

I don't have a bunch of purses, up until recently I was only carrying my diaper bag. But I am feeling like I need to be more girly with all these boys around, so I am trying to look for some nice cute bags..but that's another issue entirely.

I have about 5 pairs a shoes, and truth be told I wear the same pair almost constantly. I do wear fancier shoes for special occasions, and during the summer will switch to my sandles, but that's it.

I do love knitting, and...well... my other obsession is NASCAR! And no, I do not have a mullet, or a broken down car on my front lawn! LOL!

On my resume, under "Other Interests" I have: baking, knitting and watching Nascar. I have gotten a few interviews that way, as they wanted to see the person who loved to knit and watch Nascar. I actually really enjoy sitting down with my knitting during a Nascar race.

I am a Dale Earnhardt Jr fan, and if you don't know anything about Nascar, you can either stop reading now, or pretend you do LOL!

This has been a rough year for Jr Nation. Last year, wasn't so bad, even though he didn't win, he was at least close to the front most of the time. It actually is a little comforting to know that Jimmie is struggling some too. I mean if he can win 4 championships in a row, and have a bad year, we can at least blame it on Hendrick cars struggling. I was really hoping he would make the chase this year, and I know he isn't out of it yet, but it really is looking a lot less promising then a month ago. I sure hope he can turn it around.

One last thing. Go JR! EARRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNHARDT!!! (for any of you Race Day fans out there!)

Have Pedometer - need motivation

Ok so I use to tell myself that I was going to go to the gym and work out. It lasted a few weeks, and I paid for the membership for months. I would be on the treadmill looking at my office thinking of all I could get done if I was there, and then I started going to work instead.

One of my friends suggested a pedometer,so I picked up a cheapie, and up until recently it worked great for me! I usually get over 10,000 steps a day.

Once I got pregnant with my youngest my numbers dropped. With the exhaustion from lack of sleep, lately, and constantly holding the baby who is napping, it is hard to get the steps up. Plus with me spending all this time sitting in front of the computer getting my blog going, it is really hard to be walking.

I need help getting motivated, does anyone have any good ideas?

Wednesday Giveaway Link up!

This is my first ever attempt at hosting any sort of link up, so please bear with me! LOL!  I love going to the link ups and going down one central list to enter contests, and check out other blogs, so I thought I would start one here, and hope that others will join in on the fun!

Please feel free to publicize it, and I am sure I will get fancier as I go along:

CSN stores $60 gift card

Here is a give away being hosted on Creations by penny for a $60 CSN gift card: $60

Gaddy Nipper Crayons Review and Giveaway - Can/US

My boys love colouring, and doing any crafts of any kind.  However, it is hard finding a craft they both can do, that I don't have to do a lot for because I may have to go deal with the baby.  Plain old colouring can be a little boring for them, so I try to do special things when I can.

Sometimes, I let my 3yo use my pen, or notepad to colour, I've even let him use markers, as he is pretty good at staying on the paper.  It's a bit harder to keep it interesting for the 2 yo because he doesn't always stay on the paper.  But, he is just starting to get into actually colouring.  Previously, he would eat the crayons, then we moved on to playing with them, e.g. rolling them, putting them in the baggy, and outside the baggy, etc.  In the last month he has really started colouring.

When I saw Gaddy Nipper Crayons on another blog, I thought it would be fun to try.  So I contacted them. 
They specialize in recycling crayons. They take only the Crayola® crayons and turn them into fun shapes for all your party needs, or just crafting fun!  What a treat for your kids to have really good crayons, in fun shapes such as:

numbers, letters, their own name, puzzle pieces, vehicles of different shapes, their favourite characters, swirled colours, legos, lollies, etc. and if that isn't enough for you, they also allow customization!

You can get sets for grab bags for your birthday parties, or why not just do a fun colouring table with specialty crayons in the birthday childs name!

With fast turn around times, and free personalization, you can make sure your party is very special!  Have a party theme, go on over and see if they have matching crayons, and if not, contact them to see what they can do!

Here are some of my favs!:

A B C Come Learn with Me!  Each letter has a picture on it of the animal starting with that letter! 

My boys are obsessed with fire trucks!  They would go crazy for these!

This is called "girly girl"...not in my future, but I still think it is a super cute set!!

Ok these are my ultimate favourite!  Swirly lips! 

We were sent these lego men to try out.  Jack loved them, and as soon as I handed him the first one he promptly ripped the head off.  I was disappointed that he would do that, but I don't think he realized they were crayons and the head didn't come off and go on.  I told him he had to be more gentle with them, they are crayons for colouring.  He then coloured with them for a half hour with no futher decapitations!  Since then, Wesley has discovered them.  Positive that I would have a bunch of decapitated lego man, and loose heads, lying around I tried to convince him to play with the other crayons.  He would have none of it.  We have cheaper crayons that he plays with, but doesn't colour hard enough to get many marks on the paper.  He used these, and because they are crayola, and small enough for him to grasp really well, he drew a picture he was so proud of.  He never even snapped any heads off!  I have only the 1 broken crayon from this set, which is quite remarkable in our house. 

We were also sent the lego blocks for giving away, and if your child is a crayon snapper, I would recommend getting something like these.  They seem much less likely to snap.  The lego men have the thin neck which if pushed at will snap, of course.

I was quite happy with the quality of the crayons, after all crayola is a good quality crayon, and the molding is done very well!

Most of all, my boys love colouring with these crayons, and when Wesley got tired of colouring, he sat there and played with them too!  2 quiet boys for over a half hour?? Worth their weight in gold to me!

BUY IT! Go to Gaddy Nipper Crayons and pick some up!

WIN IT! Win a set of the lego block crayons:

Mandatory Entry: The mandatory entry must be completed before all other entries will be counted. Be sure to leave your email address with at least one entry.  For each entry be sure to leave a seperate comment.

Go to Gaddy Nipper Crayons, and check out their products. Then come back here and tell me which item is your favourite, by leaving me a comment.

Bonus Entries:
1 Entry: Follow Gaddy Nipper Crayons on Twitter.
1 Entry: Like Gaddy Nipper Crayons on Facebook.
1 Entry: Follow Me on Networked Blogs on the sidebar.
1 Entry: "Like" The Knit Wit on Facebook (please leave me you FB name to verify your entry).
1 Entry: Follow Me on Twitter
1 Entry: Tweet about this giveaway (leave me the link or add @shairbearg).
1 Entry: Enter one of my other giveaways and tell me which one.
3 Entries: Update your Facebook status notifying people of this giveaway (please leave me the link to verify your entry).
3 Entries: Post my button on your blog (let me know where I can find it).
1 Entry: Vote for me on "Top Mommy Blogs" on the right side bar.

Good Luck! This giveaway is open to Canada & US only. Giveaway ends on June 25, 2010 at 11:55pm
Disclaimer: Please note that I received 1 package of crayons for review purposes, and no payment was received.  The opinons are my own.

My Electronic Kids - June Bloggy Mommy Challenge

Ok, so I am a part of Bloggy Mommys and they have a challenge each month.  This is the first one I will be a part of.  It works out, as it was something I was planning on blogging about anyways.

Jack, our 3 year old, has a speech delay, and we are always trying to do different activities and things that will engage his love of learning, his visual learning skills (he sees something done and knows how to do it from that moment on), and improve his speech.  I do lots of crafts and things with him.

We had a computer that was just laying around and a bunch of spare parts, and Jack was really good at dealing with those kiddy laptops from v-tech.  So we thought, why not throw together a system for him so that he can learn how to use one, and maybe find some learning games.

When we first set it up for him, we had plans of all kinds of time limits we would set on it, and made sure that there was kid friendly web browsing set up.  We do not want him just cruising around on the internet.   He has had it set up for several months now, and it has never caused any issues.  We never need to use a time limit, he tends to limit himself.  If we need to go somewhere he gladly turns it off and comes along.  The first day we set it up, he did not want to turn it off and head to bed, but that was because he was afraid it was going to disappear and never come back.  After all, we do not let the boys touch our computers.

I just recently got an Iphone, which I have a love affair with!  It is awesome. 

Whenever I go to the doctors office, the wait is fairly long these days.  I have 3 young boys there with me, and I am on my own.  I am always looking for something I can do to keep them busy.  Today, was the first day I had the Iphone with me, and I have put on a couple of kids educational games on it.

I did not let the boys touch the Iphone, as I could see it hitting the floor, or the next time I am home and putting it down, they would be all over it.  But I pulled up the a flash card game, and let Jack tell me what it was, and then I would type in the words.  It worked really good for about a half hour.  Then, Wesley got fed up, and wanted to run around.  Jack was still interested though, but the baby started fussing, and I had to try to finangle the baby and Wesley and just did not have the spare hands. 

I love using electronics for educational purposes, as well as keeping them occupied when necessary.  I think moderation is the key.

When we were touring the school for the JK orientation, they had a computer set up in the classes, and I think it will give him a leg up to have an idea on how to use it already.

The sponsor for the contest: Punflaykids - http://www.punflay.com/kids-educational.html.  Please note that I have not tried any of their products, or had any contact with them myself at this point. 

Mailbox Monday

This has been an adventerous weekend.

My hubby got a flat tire, and ruined the rim on his Mustang, and my laptop died!  So, I didn't get to blog hop or twitter hop like I normally do.  I am doing my best to do a mailbox monday today.

I am using my hubbies computer when I get spare time, and he isn't needing it.  He has been great at letting me jump on his! 

I am doing my best to combine mailbox and twitter hopping, so if I see a twitter button while I am on your blog, and a network blog button, I will follow as much as possible.  I am doing subscribing, but can't confirm the subscriptions as my email is not set up!  I will hopefully have a new laptop this weekend, as we are hoping to get a discount on one, but I have to wait until then to get it.

I appreciate any following I get, and if I haven't followed you first, I will follow back!

To my current followers, I promise I will post something more interesting soon!  LOL!  We had speech therapy today, and I want to update you all.

Morning Birds, You've slept 1/2 the day away...

So promptly at 6 am on a Saturday Morning my 2 older boys woke up, and then woke me up. This happens every Saturday these days.

It wouldn't be so bad...except....

• that Sunday is my day to sleep in, and they sleep until 7:30 and get Daddy up then.  The baby, who I have to deal with, sleeps usually from 5:30-7:30 solid.  So I am usually up between 7:30 and 8.  On his sleep in days hubby gets up no early then 9, but usually around 10-11.  That is a lot of time trying to keep 3 boys happy, and quiet.
• since I have a 3 month old and am up a lot in the night, 6 am is a brutal wake up call
• and they always wake the baby, who is then miserable, and wants me to deal solely with him, which doesn't happen.

I am ususally an early bird anyways, but with the lack of sleep, I could really use the 2 hour block, and I know they can do it.  The days hubby and I have changed (and not told them we were going to), they have slept into 7:30 for him.  Every day during the week, when he is working, they are up by 7.  I swear it's a conspiracy against Mommy, to break down her defences.

This week has been a rough week around here.  My boys are usually really good, and I have had it pretty easy for having 3 young boys close in age, but there are bound to be bad days, and weeks.  I could really use a good sleep.  Soon enough, and I know I will miss my midnight snuggles with baby J.

Blog Hopping

Trying to blog hop, but these boys are insane today! ha ha so post a message and I will get back to you.

Nursing Bling Review & Giveaway!

I am a nursing mom and very proud of it, this is my 3rd go at this. Even though, sometimes I feel very tied to the baby, it is something that I enjoy doing most of the time.


Whenever I am nursing, I have trouble remembering which side I last nursed on. Heck, remembering my own name during the first few months seems like an impossible task. Nevermind, trying to remember which side I last nursed this baby when they are eating so much.

With my first 2, I never heard of nursing reminders, so just kind of did whatever I could to try to remember. My tricks didn't work all that well, and sometimes I would have troubles. So, when I was pregnant with #3 I had heard of some nursing reminders and thought I would try them out.

I tried one product out and had some problems with it, although the concept was intriguing to me. So my friend suggest trying Nursing Bling.

So I went and looked at their site and read all this info:
Nursing Bling and Nursing Jewels help new and seasoned breastfeeding moms avoid painful clogged, plugged milk ducts for a stress free breastfeeding experience!

Breast engorgement is caused by not alternating breasts during feedings, leading the breast milk glands and duct network to become engorged. Breasts can become painful and uncomfortable when this happens, making your breastfeeding experience stressful for both you and your baby.

Doctors and doulas agree that nursing both breasts evenly to maximize milk supply is especially important in the early days of breastfeeding. You know, those “crazy” early days when the baby’s fussy and hungry and you can barely keep your eyes open! (Editor's Note: or when you are going through all that and have 2 older boys running around you are trying to keep from killing themselves or each other)

Uneven breastfeeding can lead to a "lopsided" milk supply in just a few days if your baby prefers one breast, has a better latch on one breast and favors that side, or likes to always start feedings on the same side. This can lead to symptoms like painful breastfeeding engorgement, uncomfortable plugged and clogged milk ducts, breast infections, and eventually mastitis and a round of antibiotic treatments if not carefully managed.

Nursing Bling and Nursing Jewels are the fashionable treatment to avoid painful breastfeeding problems. click "Custom Nursing Bling" or "Custom Nursing Jewels" to your right and choose your color, bead style, and favorite charms for your OWN personalized nursing reminder jewelry for $40 or less SHIPPED!

Always remember which side you nursed with Nursing Bling and Nursing Jewels - THE stylish reminders for hip nursing moms!

Since I am nursing, and well...trying to be hip, I contacted Yvette at the items quickly arrived from Nursing Bling, and I promptly put it on. Because Yvette personally handcrafts each nursing bling with with beatiful jewels and designs it like a piece of fine jewellry; I fell in love with mine right away. Here it is (isn't "she" a beaut??):

You can get all kinds of different styles and charms to show off your personality, like this one for a designer bag:

And if you aren't in love with any of the pieces she has already pictured, you can customize your own by looking at various jewels and charms, like these ladies did:

My nursing bling is not at all bulky, and I can wear it under tighter tops and you can't even tell it's there. I have worn it on my nursing tank top straps, and looks beautiful enough that I am proud to show it off when needed.

When wearing my previous nursing reminder, my hubby made fun of me, saying it wasn't very stylish, and looked like something a 10 year old boy would wear. He doesn't fully understand the need for a nursing reminder (as he leaves all the breast related items to the expert - me!), but he does say it is very nice!

The only thing I found was that for me it had a bit of a learning curve, although I am pretty sure, it is because I am pretty sleep-deprived, and distracted these days. I put it on, and it would fall off. Sometimes, right away, and sometimes a little while later, I never knew when. At one point, it was under our deck (which is thoroughly sealed off to keep skunks, and boys, out from under there. Thankfully, I have a wonderful hubby who fished it out for me. At this point I was quite disappointed as it was so beautiful, and fancy, and needed, that the thought of not being able to make good use out of it had be down. As I was looking at it, the light bulb went off and I said "DUH!!"

Basically, I just had to hold it so the beads seperated, and I could have a piece of the string empty. Then it would hook on the other beads, and stay on! From that light bulb moment on, I haven't had any problems with it, unless I am in a hurry and don't hook it on right. I do find it takes 2 hands usually for me to put on the other side, but I can get it off with one hand usually.

Yvette has been an absolute pleasure to work with, and quickly sent me the items!

Yvette generously offered the following bling for one of my readers to have:

BUY IT! Go to Nursing Bling and pick one up!

WIN IT! Win the beautiful fresh water pearl nursing bling, with frame!

Mandatory Entry: The mandatory entry must be completed before all other entries will be counted. Be sure to leave your email address with at least one entry.

Go to Nursing Bling on Etsy, and check out their products. Then come back here and tell me which item is your favourite, by leaving me a comment.

Bonus Entries
1 Entry: Follow Nursing Bling on Twitter.
1 Entry: Like Nursing Bling on Facebook.
1 Entry: Follow Nursing Bling on Networked Blogs.
1 Entry: Follow Me on Networked Blogs on the sidebar.
1 Entry: "Like" The Knit Wit on Facebook (please leave me you FB name to verify your entry).
1 Entry: Follow Me on Twitter
1 Entry: Tweet about this giveaway (leave me the link or add @shairbearg).
1 Entry: Enter one of my other giveaways and tell me which one.
3 Entries: Update your Facebook status notifying people of this giveaway (please leave me the link to verify your entry).
3 Entries: Post my button on your blog (let me know where I can find it).

Good Luck! This giveaway is open to Canada & US only. Giveaway ends on June 18, 2010 at 11:55pm

Smart Mom Review & Give away

Check out the post here: http://shairbearg.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/smart-mom-review-and-giveaway/



My boys have always been earlier teethers, and it is nearly impossible to find a product that they can hold on to and chew. Jack started teething at 2 1/2 months, and got his first tooth at 4 1/2 months. Wesley had a tooth at 3 1/2 months, and Justin certainly doesn't want to be out done, and has started teething in the last 2 weeks.

Also at such young ages, they don't like anything too cold. So finding a teething product that works for us, is an ongoing battle.

I recently received a Teething Bling necklace from SmartMom. They offer several different products in their online store: Tween Bling in various shapes and colours with scented items coming!, Teething Bling in different shapes, and colours both solids and patterns, gift sets, coordinated bangles, even Teething Bling Keychains! And just in case, that wasn't enough for you, they even have gift cards, so you can let your Mommy friend pick out her own gift!

I received the Blue Camo Donut Teething Bling. I really wasn't sure how it would work for us, as I really haven't had much luck until the boys are much older. Justin isn't really all that interested in my Mommy Necklace at this point, so wasn't sure he would be that interested with this one either.

The Blue Camoflage Donut Shaped Pendant hangs on a silky cord with a breakaway clasp. The pendant itself is made out a rubbery teething material, which is perfect for teething babies!

It is very light, comfortable, and fun to wear! The only thing I wasn't completely in love with was the length. I felt it was a little long on me, however Justin disagrees. Whenever I am nursing him now, or holding him close he grabs onto it, and holds on for all he is worth. He likes to pull on it, and old it. It is thin, so his little fingers can grasp it, as he is only just going to be 3 months. Also, because it is a donut shape his hands will clasp on either side, or I often find him holding it with 2 fingers on either side of the cord. My Mommy Necklace was too high for him unless I bent over. I am starting to really like the length because when he is holding it I am not bent over or constantly taking it off.

The breakaway clasp is durable, but does break away if it is needed. Justin has never broken it away, but I did get it caught under neath him once when he was sleeping and I was putting him down. I pulled back and it came apart for me.

Although Justin has not held it in his mouth on his own yet, I have done it for him a few times when he was biting me and I popped him off.

Amy from SmartMom has generously offered one of my readers a Green Camoflauge donut shaped pendant.

BUY IT! Head on over to SmartMom, and be a SmartMom by ordering yourself some of their awesome jewelry, even if you aren't a nursing Mom!

Magic Powers

It seems like my husband holds magic powers, either that or I am just not scary at all.




Tonight I heard my 2 older boys playing in their room instead of sleeping; they have bunk beds, and share a room now. I went up and told them to get back in their beds, and no more fooling around and to go to sleep. They just looked at me all doe-eyed, and laid back down with big smiles on their faces. I left the room feeling quite sure that this was not going to be the last of the shananigans.



I was right.



I didn't get down the stairs before it started again. My husbad and I waited a few minutes, and then hubby went in to deal with them. He basically said the same thing as did, and as he walked out their was wailing! He didn't yell or anything, he just calmly told them all the same things Mommy just did, and the reaction was totally different.



After about 5 minutes of crying, the house went silent, and they went to sleep. So, as I lay on the couch, I began to ponder the following:



- do all parents have these magic powers, except me?

- is it just my hubby that has them, or all hubbies?



This is not the first time this type of thing has happened. Many times at bed time, and during the day I will instruct, yell, physically move a child, and nothing makes them take me seriously. The only time I say something and a child obediently moves without any sort of fuss is either when Daddy is right behind me, or I am telling them some sort of food is ready.



So am I alone in this?

Introducing

I am starting my blog, and wanted to tell you a little about me.




I have been married for 7 years to my wonderful husband. We met when we were 18, and date for 9 years before we got married. I don't know where I would be without him. I have one of the most helpful hubbies in the whole world.



I have 3 boys. My oldest son, Jack, is 3 1/2 and has a minor speech delay. We are starting speech therapy in April for him, but he is learning so much on his own already.



My middle son, Wesley, is 23 months old, and is a speech sponge. He actually has been a catalyst for Jack's speech pick up. Wesley is not so fond of being a middle kid so far. He does love being a helper though, and wants to potty train, so we are working on those things, so he feels special.



My youngest son, Justin, is 24 days old. Justin is growing like a weed. He only sleeps 2-3 hours at a time during the night, but hopefully he will grow out of that soon.



I am a stay-at-h0me Mom, and in my spare time (what little there is), I enjoy watching Nascar, and knitting. I seem to have a constant pile of laundry to do, and the house seems to always be in need of some cleaning, but I guess that's par for the course.



Jack has recently just concurred pooping in the potty, and likes to celebrate it! If you come over to our house when he goes on the potty, you may see him come out of the bathroom with his pants around his ankles yelling "I did it!!" Sometimes he says he pooped in his pants, but he means in the potty. We do a big celebration, and he gets a cookie. So far he is liking this going poop in the potty. He has been trained for peeing for a while. I thought there was some magic trick to getting the pooping thing, but we kept telling him what he wanted to do, and one time he got it!



So far, I am loving being a mom of 3 boys!