A Pampered Baby

I am so excited because the weather will be warm soon and we will get to visit some fun outdoor places again.  This is a picture of the amazing flamingos we saw last summer when we went to the zoo. It's definitely a nice place to visit and see all the interesting animals while taking a leisurely walk.

I usually get really nervous when bringing my car into the shop for any kind of repair. Being a woman, the cliche is that you will always end up paying much more than you should for each service. (I'm sure it is a common problem even for some of you men out there) Sometimes you even end up paying for repairs and extras that you didn't even need. I usually check with a few friends just to get their advice and sometimes go to an official dealership just to avoid any unwarranted issues that sometimes come along with going to some random shop. I have noticed that going to a dealership usually costs quite a bit more, but to be honest, I have no idea how much anything should cost. There is a website called RepairPal and it is a great reference for those who want to have an idea of how much a repair should cost, before going to get their car fixed. I love this because I like to have an idea and some sort of knowledge about what I should be paying for car repair and maintenance se...

This post brought to you by Express . All opinions are 100% mine.   The rainy spring days will soon turn into days of sunny summer fun! During the summer, I often visit the beach since it is so close to us.  This means having several swim suits is a must and gives me an excuse to shop the Express Spring 2011 Swim Collection, including monokinis, string bikinis, strapless and halter styles. I love all the ruffles, glam beaded embellishments and beautiful colors of their new women's swimwear  line, but  my favorite one is the neon ruffled bikini pictured above. It comes in pink as well, but I think I will change my ways and surprise everyone this summer by wearing something that is not pink to my friend's annual pool party! Plus, yellow is such a happy color. :) Don't get stuck without a sexy swimsuit this summer! Check out  where they are also giving away $200 gift cards to ten lucky ladies and gentlemen. (Yes, they ha...

 Ballerina Umbrella  I am always a huge fan of shopping, especially when it is for a good cause! Lol. Springtime is fast approaching which means the rain is on its way. Kidorable has super cute umbrellas, raincoats, adorable boots and so much more. From March 21 through April 4, Kidorable is partnering with the Children’s Cancer Research Fund and will donate 10% of purchases to the fund, bringing kids health, hope and happiness by revolutionizing the way childhood cancer is treated worldwide. To help, all you have to do is use the coupon code CCRFUMB8 at the checkout to get a free umbrella with any $20 purchase. *Please rememeber to add your free umbrella to your cart first. So, if you need some springtime gear for your little ones or even some gifts, hop on over to Kidorable and shop for a good cause.

I have been shopping for room decor for my little girl's room and noticed that Land of Nod has beautiful room decor as well as many wonderful organizer items.                    This beaded chandelier is absolutely stunning and has a classic look which I love.                                                                    Beaded Chandelier This peg rack will help me keep some items organized and tidy. Accordion to Me Peg Rack   I love the nice clean look of a simple, yet elegant white dresser.        ...

If you love tutus, this is the place to be! If you have a shop that sells tutus or you have made a tutu that you would love to share with everyone, please feel free to add it to the collection. How to add your link and picture: 1. Click the "add your link" button below 2. Enter the URL to where the tutu can be found 3. Name........enter the Name of the TUTU 4. Enter your e-mail (will not be displayed and I will not e-mail you unless you need help, but in that case you would e-mail me. :) My e-mail is on the top righthand side of this blog. 5. Click "next step" to choose a picture or upload your own. Remember to click on the "upload" button after browsing for your own photo. Please feel free to include tutu dresses as well! *Pretty please only enter a maximum of 2 links/pictures per person. Thank you! This linky will remain open until next Tuesday morning at 8:59 AM. For those who are looking for tutus, tutu ideas or just love eye c...

I am always looking for quick and easy do it yourself projects to try out. Sometimes, I don't want to buy all of the little things involved in making shirts, tutus, hair accessories and other items so I just buy them partially made. This sometimes saves me time and it definitely saves me money. The shirts I was looking for cost anywhere from $15 to $30 and more. I made both of the embroidered applique shirts below for under $15 and in 3 simple steps. The price of each item is specified at the end of the post. Step 1: I ordered a few appliques online (by doing a search on  Amazon , Etsy or eBay, you can probably find an applique that suits your needs). I also noticed that they sell appliques at Michael's if you are not fond of shopping online. Step 2:  I simply went to to the mall, stopped into a few children's stores and found cute shirts to put the appliques on. I found the t-shirt at H&M and the tank top at Children's...

This is the Way to Watch! I usually look forward to watching the only 2 shows that I watch these days every Monday night. They are 90210 and Gossip Girl. However, tomorrow night they will not be on and will not be back until April 18th! Watching television one night a week (I would like to watch more often, but don`t often get the chance) is my little getaway from working, cleaning, cooking, doing laundry and many everyday errands. I actually caught a glimpse of the Oscars last weekend, and it was so fun to watch. I was originally thinking of watching Americal Idol, but I think this is a good excuse to tune into Survivor:Redemption Island. I have secretly been wanting to watch it, but didn`t want to add another show to my very short list of shows to watch. Once I start watching, I can`t stop! I believe it is on Wednesday nights and started a couple of weeks ago. Boston Rob is back and the last time I watched Survivor, he and Amber were on it! That was a LONG time ago. I can`t wait...

I have been looking for a dress for my little girl's birthday portraits and found so many pretty ones. I am going to share them here since I always have such a hard time deciding which outfit or dress to pick. I think I will just make myself choose from the ones that I post here. That way I can stop looking! Enjoy! The first dress is plain, simple and pretty and I love the color. Taffeta Dress from Tiny Tot Dress Shop This next dress is simple as well and I just love the style of it.  Pleated Tulle Dress from the Gap A-Line Trapeze Party Dress The next one is cute and fun. It's also kind of casual so it might be more comfortable to wear. Cute Dress from H&M This is the last dress. I really like the rosettes on it, because it would be extra cute with a matching headband. Rosette Dress from the Gap  Those are the five dresses I narrowed it down to. I know most of them are pink, but that seems to be what is mostly available out there...

 Apple iPhone  I enjoy the convenience of my phone finishing my words for me, but once in a while it isn't all that helpful. I was sending out a text today and didn't read it before pushing the send button. I assumed it said what I wanted it to say since I was sure I typed it all out correctly. However, when I wasn't looking, it filled in one of the words for me to say "dimwit" instead of a person's name! I scrambled to type and send a new text to fix my error. It's a good thing I only text friends and never colleagues. I will have to try remember to read what I type before compulsively pressing the send button from now on.

I'm not sure why, but my little girl LOVES bread. She sees it, she asks for it and she eats it up really fast. It could be plain, toasted, buttered or have jam on it and she doesn't care. I thought I would use this to my advantage since we have lucky enough to have a local bakery that makes amazing bread using only nutritious ingredients. I'm sure I could find a good bread recipe online, but I probably wouldn't have the time to actually make it on a regular basis. One of the breads I bought is a raisin bread that contains whole grain flour, rice flour and bean flour amongst a few other ingredients, none of which include preservatives of any kind. They freeze their bread which is fine with me, because I can buy several loaves and just put them in the freezer. Anything that saves me a trip to the store works for me! On days when I am pressed for time in the morning, having this bread makes it so easy to make a fast breakfast for my little bread monster. I just pop a few...