Father's Day Gifts under $50

I don't usually post anything on Saturdays, but since I had so much fun putting together a list of Mother's Day gifts for under $50, I thought I'd take a stab at a list of Father's Day gifts.

What we've been up to

Hope everyone had a great weekend! It was 80F both days, so we were able to play outside, which is my favorite way to pass the time with our 21-mo (J) on the weekends. Here's a post updating y'all on what we've been up to in the Ng clan.

Dealing with tantrums

A few weeks ago, J suddenly lost interest in eating meals. It was really odd considering he's been a great eater since he was born. We were really lucky. In a nutshell (details, advice from readers), he'd throw a tantrum when it was time to get in the high chair. When we finally coerced him into the chair, he'd take 2 bites and squirm to get out.

Mother's Day Gifts Under $50

This will be the 3rd Mother's Day that I'm celebrating as a mom. I celebrate being a mom everyday, but just to make Mother's Day on May 13th May 13th even more special, I've put together a if-you-wanted-to-get-me-something list (in order of preference). Just putting it out there! Share your recommendations in the comments!

Grandma's visit

At the end of March, my mom visited us, which is so nice because then we don't have to pack up all of our 20-mo's (J) and dogs' things. Originally, we were going to take her to see the cherry blossoms, but with the warm weather, they bloomed early. And then a few days before she arrived, rain hit the region. That's ok since the real reason she visits is to see her 20-mo grandson (our son, J) ;). Plus, she thought seeing cherry blossoms was the same as cherry picking, so I guess she woulda been disappointed anyways ;).

Puppy love, literally

When we first started thinking about getting a second dog, the hubby and I first considered rescuing a young adult dog. Unfortunately, most people give up older dogs (so sad and age-ist!). Since Coco (our first dog) was only 2, and we really wanted a play companion for her, we kept looking and waiting.

We found Delaware Puppy Rescue, but unfortunately they had restrictions about families adopting a puppy when there's a child less than 7-yrs at home. They had good reason. Both child and puppy are in their early stages of development. Neither is mature enough to understand restraint. Their past experience with young families is that puppies are returned :(.

Going against DPR's valid concern, we got a puppy from a breeder anyways. We named his Jasper. Our son (J) was a little over 1-yr at the time.

A V-Day card for you

Happy Valentine's Day! Late last night, I posted about a DIY kids' V-Day t-shirt I made for our son (J). Well, if you didn't like that, how's about a card from J himself?

Valentine's Day craft: DIY kids' t-shirt

Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Well, 30-min from the time this post posts. It's a late night! Half of you are super-excited, half of you would rather stick a fork in your eye, and the other half of you wonders why there is such a dichotomy over this holiday.

We had the tasting menu at Tintos in Philadelphia a few years ago and had so much fun with tapas that we planned a nice V-Day dinner at a highly-rated Mediterranean tapas (or mezze) restaurant found via Yelp -- Cava Mezze around here.

Since they don't take reservations for V-Day, we planned to go tonight, and my sister was going to babysit. As luck would have it, our son (J) came down with a fever last night, and we aren't comfortable about leaving him tonight. That's ok because I just remembered I was going to make cards for J's daycare teachers. Well, even if he hadn't of gotten sick, I at least had one V-Day craft done last night.

J is in the Bees Classroom at daycare, so what better way to celebrate V-Day than to make a t-shirt:

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for open communication between me and my hubby.

On our honeymoon, almost 4 years ago

I'm even more thankful because he's usually the one that says.

Maybe there was some miscommunication. Let's work on it together.

Ok :)

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Day 17: Our day off and my online haul

The day started out with a peaceful, take-our-time breakfast. The hubby and I chatted about photography -- purchasing accessories, new lenses, and possibly taking a course together. Other classes we chatted about were cooking, swimming (low on my list *wink*), and tennis lessons. We're trying to be proactive about spending time together! After breakfast, we went our separate ways because I had some shopping to do and he had some WOW to play!

P.S. I added an effect to my original photo in Picasa! And added a watermark. Who knew?

Sadly, I went home empty-handed after a trip to the mall. It really irks me when that happens, but I didn't let that stop me because I went home and did some crazy shopping online! Here's what's coming in the mail!

Ann Taylor Woodland Cable Crew Neck Sweaters, $15.95 after SHOPANN 60% discount (today's discount is WEEKEND for 40% off). Buy through ebates (referral link) for 2.5% cash back!

Ann Taylor Loft Petite Saddle Shoulder Cardigan, $20 and $16 after SHOPSALE 60% off. Buy through ebates (referral link) for 3% cash back!

All prices after ONSAVEBIG 25% discount (today's discount is NEWYOU for 30% off!)
Old Navy Women's The Diva Skinny Jeans, $22.13
Old Navy Women's Poplin-Stretch Dress Shirts, $19.88
Old Navy Women's Cable Knit Sweaters, $16.88
Old Navy Women's Cropped Cable Knit Sweaters, $12.97, How could I resist for $13? And cropped means it could be a shorter length! Buy through ebates (referral link) for 2% cash back!

So I guess the only thing I didn't get off my wishlist was a gingham shirt. No biggie because I got plenty! I just hope some of it fits! Ah, the risk of shopping online...

Are you taking advantage of any sales today?

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Day 2: Recap of NYE in National Harbor, MD

Happy 2012 again!
Thanks to everyone who's been following our family on this blog. 

Hope you'll continue reading & sharing! 

[source: Gaylord Hotels]

On New Year's Eve (NYE), we decided to go down to National Harbor, MD since a few people in our lives have mentioned this place and I always think they're talking about Baltimore's Inner Harbor -- doh! Having only perused their homepage for a few minutes, I came to two conclusions:

1. The National Harbor is what Penn's Landing (Philadelphia, PA) wants to be when it grows up.
2. I figured that we'd check out the National Children's Museum Launch Zone and the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center since the ICE! exhibit was going on.

[source: Gaylord Hotels]

The National Harbor would have been a nice place to walk around in mid-morning on NYE -- what was it, like 50F? Too bad we had to be at home. The blower on our heat pump needed replacing, which was important since the temperature has since dropped outside. Needless to say, I'm eagerly waiting for warmer weather so we can go back!

We only got to go to the Gaylord because the Launch Zone was closed. Upon seeing the crowd inside and the line that wrapped around the entire length of the lobby, I thought to myself, Wow, this Gaylord must be a big deal! 

 [inside the Gaylord, taken by the hubby]

We visited the lower level where the "streets" were decorated with lights and garland. J's favorite part was the water show. We saw kids building gingerbread houses and taking pictures with the gingerbread man from Shrek. Cute, but for $79?! We did not go to the ICE! exhibit because it was $35 for adults! WHAT?! I'm guessing that ice-slide up there also costs extra. Pictures with the Madagascar characters also extra.

  [watching the water show]

 [enjoying the water show with daddy]

Man, really taking those parents' hard-earned dollars, huh, Gaylord?

Later that evening, the hubby and I watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes courtesy of Blockbuster Express. I can't believe I stayed up until midnight after all!

How did you and the family spend NYE?

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New Year's Resolutions (NYR) (are you cynical already?)

[source: Richard Wiseman, How to keep your NYR]

I've grouped my NYRs into several categories:

Achievable:

• No more chips or fries.
• Attending church every Sunday -- no matter what
• Attending small group -- building relationships
• Reading the Bible and praying everyday
• Date night with hubby at least once a month
• Swim lessons for J -- and me too, I guess…
• Going to the gym at least once a week (lower on the achievable list) -- so sad!

Lofty:

• Blog here 365 days (actually 366 since 2012 is a leap year!) 
• Take a picture a day for capturng.com 
• Take a photography class
• Lose 8 lbs. (pre-pregnancy weight)
• Overseas trip with J (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan?)
• A short getaway for hubby and me...without J or the dogs!

Pff! I wish:

• Learn to sew -- so I can alter my own clothes
• Develop personal style -- I could definitely start a Pinterest board
• Go on The Price is Right -- Drew Carey isn't as annoying as I thought he'd be when he first took over for Bob Barker
• Go on the Wheel of Fortune
• Get on The Amazing Race -- my friend said my sister & I would be hilarious on this show

It'll be interesting to see if I can cross these things off my list as I accomplish (or know I won't accomplish) them!

Please share your lists in the comments below!

Thanks, Amazon wishlist

Thank you, Amazon wishlist for being there for others to use even when I've forgotten about you.

My sister (real-estate-agent-extraordinaire) went to the trouble of finding my "kids" wishlist on Amazon and got J....

Splashimals!

By Milliwik

$10.95 per set

By the power of adhesion, these cards stick to the bathroom wall and tube when wet. J isn't old enough to read but he sure loves to put these up and take them down! When he's old enough, he'll be able to create his own animal names, like penphant above. How about a liger (Napoleon Dynamite's favorite)?

What my A-type personality loves most about these cards is that all the drawings line up. The drawing of the left half of that penguin above will line up perfectly with the right half of the elephant. I tried it all different cards and they match every time. I appreciate the company's attention to detail.

Other variations available are:

• SplashJack (slap jack for the tub $12.95)
• SplashJack Royal (slap jack for the tub but with traditional card faces -- I actually thought it was poker! That wouldn't be kid-appropriate $12.95)
• SumBodies (make your own characters $10.95)

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'Twas the night before Christmas" Mommy version

I like 'twas 'cause I'm old English on the inside *wink*

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through our home
Nothing was stirring, not even the iPhone

I intended to decorate, to hang lights and hang stockings
But those tasks came second to cleaning and resting
So our home, it does look like it does everyday
Hey! At least there are presents tucked somewhere away!

Our son's in his crib, no one's staying up late
Gosh, wouldn' it be nice if he slept until 8?

When all of a sudden, there arose such a clatter
I barely opened my eyes to turn down the baby monitor
Unfortunately for me, that wasn't it
Then my brained turned back on, "It must be St. Nick!"

Sure enough it was he, trying to be fancy
Backing his sleigh into visitor's parking
I got to the door, before he could ring
The doorbell that'd definitely start the dogs barking

He was dressed in faux fur, from his hat to his shoes
He had a Starbucks in hand, on the phone using bluetooth
He complained about traffic, "That dreaded 270!"
I said, "What'd you expect? People are still shopping!"

He came in and said, "No lights and no stockings?"
"COME ON!...
"Can we talk 'bout his later, perhaps by email or texting?"

I shushed him as he plopped his bag on the floor
Our son stirred a bit, overheard on the monitor
Soon St. Nick was done, out the door he went quickly
Instead of his sleigh, to next door he shimmied

When he was all done visiting our little street,
He got back in his sleigh, hurt were his feet
He had more homes to visit, DC metro is crowded
"Maybe next year I'll use UPS or FedEx it!"

"My GPS's been stolen! What a long night!"
Nevertheless…
I heard him exclaim, while he flew out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

 by expandng.com
Show some love. Leave a comment below and/or share this post using buttons below.  P.S. Read this mom-version of the classic poem
with a sweet lesson for all moms at the end.

Mashed bananas

We now know what J was doing when he held his hands together and rotated his trunk in this video...

Mashed banana in The Wiggles' "Hot Potato"

Last night, my husband and I broke into this song after dinner (we're officially dorks now), and the biggest smile came on J's face! He clapped and spun around a few times. It was so heartwarming, I teared up (yep, dork again).

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Spending $271 per child this Christmas?

When I was growing up, I remember receiving ONE GIFT from my parents. When my sister and I were old enough, we also exchanged a SINGLE GIFT. So seriously, what is up with spending $200 per child these days?!

The survey results of Are your kids spoiled? on Parenting.com shows that:

Parents plan to spend an average of $271 per child on gifts this year, with a surprising one in eight spending between $300 and $400. Despite the tough times, 74% will spend the same amount or more than last year.

The drivers were guilt for not fulfilling their children's wishlists and keeping up with the Joneses. Speaking of wishlists, it was Target that came out with a toy book with checkboxes next to the toys. Really?

This year, we bought multiple gifts for J because we've been dragging our feet on toy-buying in general since J didn't play much with them anyway. Now that he's 17 months, I like him having more options to play with than electrical outlets *wink*.

We bought an American Plastic Toys My Very Own Kitchen Play Set (video of J playing with it here), a Mega Bloks Fill & Dump Wagon, and two toys for the diaper bag (Fisher-Price Stacking Blocks and Tomy Hide n Squeek Eggs). Total is not even close to $271.

Well, there is some good news from the survey:

Almost 4 out of 5 families make an effort to something to counteract the commercialism of the holiday and teach kids the importance of giving back. 70% of parents donate gifts or money to those less fortunate, and 16% volunteer as a family. 36% of families also encourage kids to spend their own money on gifts for others.

Did you hear about the anonymous donors paying off people's layaway accounts at Kmart around the country? The donors often wanted to payoff accounts for families with young children so they wouldn't have to "miss Christmas".

We need to give back to our community. And by "we", I mean my family too.


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$10 off $25 purchase at Macy's today & tomorrow

$10 off $25 purchase at Macy's today & tomorrow until 1pm, with exclusions of course. Go here to print your coupon! I have a two more things to buy today...

Family photos by A. E. Landes Photography

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Right before my birthday dinner with my sister and brother-in-law (BIL), aka A. E. Landes Photography, he agreed to take some family photos for us before the sun set. We made it to the Gravelly Park near the Reagan National Airport. It's right by the Potomac River and where many people go to watch the planes take off. We made the card above using Shutterfly (shop through Ebates {referral link} and get 8% back). Unfortunately, we won't be able to get them out by Christmas so they'll be New Year's cards :).

J was in awe when the planes took off. The photo in the middle above is him watching the planes go by. The one below is 5 seconds later ;). Poor guy -- his knees knocked together out of fear!

Luckily, if Mommy or Daddy was near, J was ok.

Below are some other favorites from the shoot.

J enjoying sherbet at The Dairy Godmother

Thanks again to A. E. Landes Photography, D. C.-area photographer extraordinaire!
 He also edited out a scratch on J's nose, so thanks!!
P.S. My husband got the impossible shot of Coco & Jasper both sitting AND looking at the camera!

[Video] Rocking out on the guitar

J is bouncing up a storm to the beats from the guitar. He also does this thing where he folds his hands and rotates his trunk back and forth. It's so cute and hilarious!

[Video] New play kitchen

This video maybe long kinda boring because J is just playing quietly...but he's doing it for 3 min which is like eternity in the toddler world!! The play kitchen was only $20 -- it's a bit wobbly and doesn't have any sounds or lights. Speaking of awesome play kitchens, check out what That'sSoHuang's husband did with an Ikea EFFEKTIV furniture and LED lights. Show-off, just kidding, love them!

From IhackEA (husband's blog), More photos here

Anyways, my husband's like, "Maybe we should buy a more expensive one that has sounds and lights since J likes this one so much...He could have two!" Let the spoiling begin...