I'm bad at blogging!

I would just like to say that I am bad at blogging!  I just can't seem to remember to keep up with my blog and when I do think about it, I don't seem to have anything interesting to say.  My excuse for not keeping up lately is that my daughter was in the ER twice in July (once overnight in the hospital), and I have been super busy trying to get my fall clothing line out in my etsy shop and getting the pieces photographed and ready to go. I am still only just over half done getting my fall pieces listed so there is plenty more to come, plus Christmas stuff! Head on over and take a gander if you have some extra time! www.trendytot.etsy.com

It's not easy being green!

Am I the only one out there that feels this way? I want to help the environment, but in the busyness of being a mom, cooking, cleaning, and running a business, I feel like I am falling short in this area. I would love to recycle and use cloth diapers and make my own baby food and many other environmentally friendly things, but how do I balance it all? Anyone have any tips for some busy moms about being a green mommy and finding the time for everything else as well? Leave your sage advice as a comment to this post so we can all learn!

Summer at last!!!

Summer finally, I have been waiting for warm weather so we could go swimming, have barbecues, just relax. . . what was I thinking? Nothing is slower. My life no longer revolves around the school year since I am not teaching right now. Well here's to the not so slow, but still fun summer days ahead. I look forward to watching my two year old playing in the pool, Tuesday mornings with other moms from my Sunday School Class, each new devlopment of my 4 month old son, and I can't forget ice cream and popsicles!!!

Polka Dots and Poodles

I just did a custom dress for someone for her daughter's first birthday party and it turned out so cute that I just had to share it with all of you! Just so you all know, I love to do custom orders, so just let me know if anyone is interested. Once again the link to my store is:

http://www.trendytot.etsy.com/

Eat your Veggies!!

Any other moms out there trying to get rid of that left over baby weight? My son is only 12 weeks old, so I have a ways to go! I am finding that the second one is a lot harder to recover from (weight wise). Here is a tip that helped after babe #1 and I'm hoping it does the same this time!

Negative Calorie Foods!

Now I know your thinking, "Negative calorie foods? That's ridiculous!", but I'm telling you this actually exists. Let me explain. There are actually foods that take your body more calories to digest than are actually in the food. So when you eat them, your body uses the calories from the food itself first to digest then pulls calories from stored fat to finish the digestion since there are not enough in that actual food. Wow, great news right?! So essentially, food from this list, the more you eat, the more weight you lose. (Exercise helps a lot too!) So eat away, girls and lose that baby weight. You will also be setting a good example for your new baby about eating habits.

Here are a few of those negative calorie foods:

Fruits
apple, strawberry raspberry, tangerine, cantaloupe, orange peach, blueberry, grapefruit, honey dew melon, watermelon, pineapple, tomato

Veggies
cucumber, celery, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, radish, onion, carrot, garlic, asparagus

Cleaning Tips for New Moms :)

As seen on http://www.breastfeeding.com/:

House Cleaning Tips for New Mothers or 30 Minutes to a Cleaner HouseYou're getting company in 30 minutes. Your house is a mess.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first session of Housekeeping Tips for New Mothers. If you're a Martha Stewart type of housekeeper, this column is NOT for you. However, for the rest of you, this is your chance to learn 15 Secret Shortcuts to Good Housekeeping that your mother never told you.

SECRET TIP 1: DOOR LOCKS
If a room clearly can't be whipped into shape in 30 days, much less 30 minutes, employ the Locked Door Method of cleaning. Tell anyone who tries to go in the room that you accidentally locked the door and can't find the key. Of course, the locksmith can't possibly come until tomorrow.
CAUTION: It is not advisable to use this tip for the bathroom.
Time: 2 seconds

SECRET TIP 2: DUCT TAPE
No home should be without an ample supply. Not only is it handy for plumbing repairs, but it's a great way to hem drapes, tablecloths, clothes, just about anything. No muss, no fuss.
Time: 2-3 minutes

SECRET TIP 3: OVENS
If you think ovens are just for baking, think again. Ovens represent at least 9 cubic feet of hidden storage space, which means they're a great place to shove dirty dishes, dirty clothes, or just about anything you want to get out of sight when company's coming.
Time: 2 minutes

SECRET TIP 4: CLOTHES DRYERS

Like Secret Tip 3, except bigger. CAUTION: Avoid hiding flammable objects here.
Time: 2.5 minutes

SECRET TIP 5: WASHING MACHINES & FREEZERS
Like Secret Tip 4, except even bigger.
Time: 3 minutes

SECRET TIP 6: DUST RUFFLES
No bed should be without one. Devotees of Martha Stewart believe dust ruffles exist to keep dust out from under a bed or to help coordinate the colorful look of a bedroom. The rest of us know a dust ruffle's highest and best use is to hide whatever you've managed to shove under the bed. (Refer to Secret Tips 3, 4, 5.)
Time: 4 minutes

SECRET TIP 7: DUSTINGThe 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House method says: Never dust under what you can dust around.
Time: 3 minutes

SECRET TIP 8: DISHES
Don't use them. Use plastic or paper plates and you won't have to.
Time: 1 minute

SECRET TIP 9: CLOTHES WASHING (EEWWW)
This secret tip is brought to you by an inventive teenager. When this teen's mother went on a housekeeping strike for a month, the teen discovered you can extend the life of your underwear by two ...if you turn it wrong side out and, yes, rerun it. CAUTION: This tip is recommended only for teens and those who don't care if they get in a car wreck.
Time: 3 seconds

SECRET TIP 10: IRONING
If an article of clothing doesn't require a full press and your hair does, a curling iron is the answer. In between curling your hair, use the hot wand to iron minor wrinkles out of your clothes. Yes, it really does work, or so I'm told, by other disciples of the 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House philosophy.
Time: 5 minutes (including curling your hair)

SECRET TIP 11: VACUUMING
Stick to the middle of the room, which is the only place people look. Don't bother vacuuming under furniture. It takes way too long and no one looks there anyway.
Time: 5 minutes, entire house; 2 minutes, living room only

SECRET TIP 12: LIGHTING
The key here is low, low, and lower. It's not only romantic, but bad lighting can hide a multitude of dirt.
Time: 10 seconds

SECRET TIP 13: BED MAKINGGet an old-fashioned waterbed. No one can tell if those things are made up or not, saving you, oh, hundreds of seconds over the course of a lifetime.
Time: 0

SECRET TIP 14: SHOWERS, TOILETS, AND SINKS
Forget one and two. Concentrate on three.
Time: 1 minute

SECRET TIP 15:If you already knew at least 10 of these tips, don't even think about inviting a Martha Stewart type to your home.

This article in unattributed. If you wrote it, write us at feedback@breastfeeding.com and we'll credit you!

Time to Cook?

So to all you moms who are having trouble getting creative with dinner preparation and don't really have much time to plan it much less prepare it, I have found this new nifty little free site that you can sign up for that does meal planning for you and even gives you a grocery list you can print out and! Yay! More time for myself! So anyway here is the link for anyone who is interested.

http://www.menusformoms.com/

Also there are all kinds of neat tips for freezer cooking and all sorts of things! The menus and grocery list are free, but for a few cents a week if you want you can get the nutritional information.

All of you moms with little girls, don't forget to check my etsy store trendytot.etsy.com for some cute dresses. I am adding new things frequently!

So much to sew. . . so little time!

Wow it has only been a week and a half since I started Trendy Tot, but I for some reason thought it was a good idea to throw myself into a craft show in two weeks! What was I thinking? I have no idea how I will be ready even using all my spare time between now and then. I guess I will just give it my best. I started trendy Tot with the philosophy that I will learn and perfect my business as I go. In an effort to prepare and have more variety to my products I started making little lovies. (mini blankies) They are so soft! They are irresistable! Check out the new dress I designed this weekend as well.

Gotta love crafting!

I am going a bit crazy with buying fabric to make little outfits and dresses for my Etsy shop. I am just having so much fun right now. It is great to have something beyond wife and mommy to pour myself into. I am loving it! Spurring on my creativity was my first sale on Etsy today!!! I have to say, the dress that sold was my favorite one in my shop, so I am not surprised it went first. It was a scramble to get things ready because, since my shop is so new I still am waiting on fabric tags with my store name in them and business cards. Above is the newest addition to my shop called Little Ladybug Pillowcase Dress.

So Excited!

Last night is my "night out" when hubby watches the kids and I can leave and go or do anything I like. He was late home from meeting with a friend though and I wanted to get some fabric for some new designs to post on trendy tot. I looked up the fabric store's hours and they were open until 9 which meant I had 30 minutes, so I raced like a mad woman to get there in time! I am not sure if this was some sort of April Fool's Day joke, but they were already closed when I got there well before 9! Luckily I found another fabric store on my way home that was still open, so since today my daughter goes to "school", I will get to sew. Yay! There will be some new designs coming soon on trendy tot! Above are picture of one of my latest creations.

The brink of exhaustion!

I am becoming addicted to my Etsy site and making it succeed! As a result, the best time I had to work on it is after the kids' bedtime, so I have been up to ungodly hours lately. It is starting to take its toll on me today. I guess I will have to think of a better way to prioritize my time because I am deciding I like sleep better than Etsy today. :) Check out the new dress I just added to my shop today.

Rainy Days

It is gloomy and rainy on my two year old's birthday. She is whining at my legs and my newborn seems to be constantly hungry! It probably wasn't very smart, but I am so excited about my new business http://www.trendytot.etsy.com/ that I was up until 3am making dresses for my shop. So today I am paying the price with fatigue, stuck indoors with a whiny toddler and hungry baby. Still, could life be any better? God has blessed me by allowing me to be the one to feed my newborn and train my toddler not to whine about things! I am so glad to be home with them!

Check out some of my early morning creations, and if you are interested to see more check out my shop at the website above. I have very few things in my shop at the moment, but will slowly be adding to my inventory so keep checking back!