See that fancy new tab?

You know, the one that says, "I'm a PR friendly blogger"? That's right! I've been contacted a couple times by potential sponsors, so I thought I'd set up an official "shop" for people who might be interested. Hey, we all gotta pay the bills, right?

Now, if we win the lottery tonight, I'll let y'all advertise for free. K? :)

Have a great weekend, awesome readers!

Homemade yogurt drops

I saw this tutorial for making homemade yogurt drops on Pinterest,

and had to give it a shot! It was the easiest thing ever.

Step 1: Fill a Ziploc bag with yogurt (I used Trix yogurt for kids)

Step 2: Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and pipe onto a baking sheet

Step 3: Pop sheet into the freezer, wait for them to freeze, and BAM! Yogurt drops!

The verdict: Colin didn't really like them, because they're cold. He has an issue with cold things. Silly boy. Mommy likes to munch on them, though. Ha! Maybe when he outgrows his fear of cold things, he'll enjoy these as a tasty snack. They're perfect for a hot day, and so cheap and easy to make! I think I'll try these with Greek yogurt next, since that's my fave. Have you been working on any Pinterest projects lately? You can see my pins at www.pinterest.com/sbuxsweetie!

A few things

1. How in the world is this comfy? Colin sits this way all the time.

2. Yes, he is wearing Christmas pajamas in late March. We're running low on 18 month PJs.

3. My little pumpkin is sick... again. This time it's a fever that spikes up to 103 whenever the Motrin wears off. He has a cough and a slight runny nose, too, but no other symptoms. Pedi says its likely viral and should go away soon. I hope that's true.. because mommy is running low on paid time off due to all the illnesses we've had this winter. :(

4. In happier news, this is my first time blogging from our new iPad! So far, so good!

Wordless Wednesday: Cheers!

It's Official

There's no denying it now. I have a full-fledged, bona fide, no-doubt-about-it toddler. The process has been gradual, but I feel like suddenly, the last bit of Colin's babyhood disappeared. Why? Because my baby gave up bottles this weekend. He's been drinking water and juice out of sippy cups since he was about 9 months old, but he never accepted milk in a cup - only in bottles. We had tried a few times before to make the switch, but he always threw a fit and we poured his milk back into the baba for him. On Friday morning, I offered a sippy cup of milk at breakfast, and he took it and drank it like it was no big deal. I still sent a bottle with him to daycare, but that evening we tried a sippy again in the evening, and he drank his milk like a champ. He made it all day Saturday and Sunday without a single bottle, and he didn't seem to notice or care at all. So, this morning, I told his teacher at daycare that he's off bottles. She cheered, and we raved about what a big boy he is, but secretly I was a little bit sad.

Colin at 9 months old

It's been a long journey learning how to feed this kid. He got breastmilk for the first 4 weeks of his life, often pumped into bottles, and then we switched to formula. Because he had silent reflux, though, it took us a while to find the right formula, and then we had to put him on reflux meds to help with his upset stomach. As soon as we'd get the dosage right, he'd have a growth spurt, gain some weight, and we'd have to adjust it again. At 11 months, we started the transition to whole cow's milk. And now, my TODDLER is 14 months old and drinks out of a big boy cup. 

Our last cuddle session with a baba.

Somebody hold me! I have a feeling this crazy ride called motherhood isn't going to slow down anytime soon.

Mommy/son day

Lately, Colin hasn't quite been himself. Something's been "off." He's been irritable, fussy, and generally out of sorts. On Tuesday I noticed he was pulling on his ears, and then Tuesday night he slept like crap. So, on Wednesday morning, I made the decision to stay home and take him to the pediatrician.

Our beloved Dr. G was out of the office, so we had to see Dr. H for the first time instead. She was great too, though. My big boy (who weighed in at 26 lbs 13 oz!) was a bit squirmy for Dr. H, but let her listen to his lungs and look in his ears. He hung out in my lap while I answered the doctor's questions. She asked about the cough he's developed lately and wanted to know very specific things, like the sounds he made in-between his coughs at night and if he ever sounded wheezy. After talking to her for a while, we ended up with a diagnosis of croup and an ear infection. Awesome... two diagnoses for the price of one. For the croup, he got a steroid shot (poor baby!) and for the ear infection, a prescription for antibiotics. Argh.. it feels like this kid is on a constant rotation of antibiotics.


I suppose I could have taken Colin in to daycare for the afternoon, but I felt so bad for him after the shots and all, and I decided to take the whole day off. He took a nice, long nap when we got home and then we hung out, watched cartoons, and walked around outside until Daddy and Uncle Clark got home.

Exploring the yard. Doesn't even look sick, does he?

Little man was kind of picky at dinner and didn't eat much of the turkey stew Gerber meal I offered him, so I figured he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to eat. Well.. fast forward to bedtime. He seemed SO tired around 6:30, so we started his bedtime routine early. He FLIPPED OUT when I tried to put him in the tub. Like, he was NOT having it. At all. So into a clean diaper and his PJs he went. After finishing his bedtime bottle, he FLIPPED OUT again. We gave him a couple more ounces of milk, and as soon as that was gone he screamed. We absolutely could not figure out what was going on. Don't you hate those moments as parents, when you have NO IDEA what to do and your baby can't just TELL YOU?


Long story short... he was hungry. STARVING, in fact. He ended up eating a single-serve (adult-sized) thing of applesauce, a Trix yogurt, and and adult serving of plain Cheerios. Oh, and then he gulped down some water to wash it all down. What the heck, child?! At first the hubs and I were concerned about his newfound hefty appetite, and then we just laughed about it. Who woulda thunk he was suddenly starving to death at 8:30 pm? Freakin' weird.


Oh well. This morning he was (almost) his normal self, chattering away at his high chair while he ate spoonfuls of apple & banana baby food. And more Cheerios. And a respectable amount of milk. Is it possible he's having a growth spurt at almost 14 months?


Anyway, here's hoping the sickness and tantrums are over.. at least for the moment.

Silk Fruit & Protein Review & Giveaway!

Confession time: I don't drink milk. I had a lactose issue as a kid, and as a result, I still find the taste of cow's milk disgusting. I love other dairy products- ice cream, cheese, yogurt, you name it. But milk... no thank you. Since I still need my calcium, though, and I need to put something in my cereal, I buy Silk! I've been a Silk fan for years; their soy products are great. So when I heard about their new Silk Fruit & Protein, I was excited to give it a try.

The awesome people at Silk sent me some coupons so I could try all three fruitalicious flavors: strawberry banana, mixed berry, and mango peach. Here I am giving strawberry banana a try for the first time. (Yes, I am ridiculous.)

Seriously though, it was really good! It's also loaded with goodies like calcium, vitamins C and D, real fruit, and of course, protein. It's good for a quick shot of fruit and protein in the morning or afternoon. I also have a feeling it would make an amazing smoothie base. After tasting it, I had the urge to blend it up with some ice and fruit for a cool, smooth treat. I mean to try that very soon. :) Oh! Did I mention that my 13 month old son kept trying to steal my cup of Silk Fruit & Protein after I gave him a little taste? Guess he liked it, too!

Are you interested in giving Silk Fruit & Protein a try? Good! Because Silk wants to give one of my US readers some coupon booklets so you can get three (3) quarts or half gallons for free! Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. If you don't win, Silk is having a giveaway of its own. Check out the Silk Facebook page for more info.

That time Jenna Fischer retweeted me

Something monumental happened today. I tweeted @ Jenna Fischer (you know, Pam from The Office!) to ask her about her favorite baby items (she welcomed baby Weston in September), AND SHE RESPONDED!

Thank you, Jenna, for making my entire year!!

Eleven Things

I was tagged by the incomparable Sarah at Nurse Loves Farmer! She is seriously awesome, and if you don't already follow her, you should. Her tweets from the ER are hilarious, too!

1. Post the rules
2. Post a photo of yourself & 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them that you've tagged them.

My 11 random facts:

1. I could probably eat Chobani Greek yogurt every day for breakfast.


2. My eyes are greenish hazel. They look more or less green depending on what I wear.


3. I have an English degree, but can't remember the last time I finished a book. That's really sad, isn't it?


4. I love coffee, tea, hot chocolate, spiced cider... pretty much any hot beverage.


5. I speak a little bit of French. Probably not enough to carry on a conversation, but I can tell you a little about myself. Je m'appelle Katie, et j'ai vingt six ans. J'aime les romans et les films romantiques.


6. I love silly romantic comedies. Even though I know it isn't "great cinema," they just make my heart so warm and fuzzy. Sleepless in Seattle is my all time fave.


7. My husband and I married young. I was 18 when he proposed and 19 when we got married. (We celebrated our 6 year anniversary in August!) He is eighteen months older than I am.


8. I have a special place in my heart for ice cream. I could eat it year round, and sometimes do. Frozen yogurt is good, too. Pretty much anything cold, sweet and delicious is fine with me.


9. I long to travel the world. I've been to a few amazing places (Brazil, Scotland and Germany to name a few), but I was pretty young and would love to see more of the world with my love. I've been on more airplanes than I can count. Flying doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I think it's kind of fun to fly.


10. I've never been able to settle on a favorite color. Some days it's red, others pink, still others, green. I just like color, I guess. Color makes me happy.


11. I own a Canon Rebel t1i, and I'm ashamed to say I've never bought a lens or flash for it other than what came with the kit. I've only scratched the surface of what it can do, and I'd like to get better at it and eventually get some better equipment for it.


Questions from Sarah:


1. If you could have any career/job in the world, what would it be?
Truly? A stay at home mom. Maybe one with an Etsy shop, or a profitable blog. I'd like to contribute to my family, but ultimately my most important job is raising our son, and I wish every day I had more time to spend with him.

2. What are your daily website/blog visits/reads?
I pretty much scroll through my Blogger reading list every day and see what's new. I also visit Facebook and Gmail every day, and most days I check out Twitter and Pinterest.

3. What is your biggest pet peeve?
There are lots of silly little ones. I hate it when people chew loudly, use bad grammar, the word "ain't," or swear a lot. I also can't stand bad drivers- and that includes fast (slow down, are you trying to kill my child?!) and slow (hello, we have places to go!). Huh. Maybe I'm a pickier person than I thought. Or maybe I'm just PMSing.

4. What is your guilty pleasure?
Pumpkin spiced chai from a local place called Cool Beans. It's way overpriced, but so, so delicious.

5. Where is your favorite place(s) to shop for clothes?
Old Navy is usually my go-to. I only buy clothes that are on sale, so I like to "window shop" on their website, look at clearance items, and apply coupon codes until I'm happy with the total.


6. If you had to give up one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Work? LOL! Seriously though, if we're talking something tangible, maybe purses? I think they're overrated. My diaper bag is more handy than any purse ever was.

7. Most of you are mommies or mommies-to-be... if you had the entire day to yourself, what would you do?
Oh gosh, that hasn't happened since I don't know when. I'd probably get a pedicure, wander around Target, eat a hot meal, and then come home and watch a girlie movie in peace.

8. What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
Still working, still in love with hubby, still changing diapers. We will have added a second munchkin by then, and will be busy, but happy. Maybe we'll be in another house.

9. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
My husband may not always agree, but I think I'm a pretty patient person, especially when it comes to "mommy things." I never lose my patience with Colin, even though he tries to test it sometimes. :)

10. What's your biggest source of procrastination other than reading my blog? :)
Pinterest! I don't think I've put a certain idea from that site into practice yet.. but that doesn't stop me from creating new pinboards and pinning everything I see!

11. What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
Folding and putting away laundry. It just feels so time consuming and repetitive.


Questions for those I'm tagging:

1. What's your favorite breakfast food?


2. What's playing on your iPod right now?

3. What are you wearing right now?

4. What is your biggest fear?

5. Chocolate or vanilla?

6. If you could have dinner with one famous person, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you say to them or ask them?

7. What's the most rewarding thing about your chosen profession?

8. Name three good things that happened to you this week.

9. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

10. You get a free roundtrip ticket to go anywhere in the world. Where do you go?

11. If you could have one superpower, which one would you choose?


I tag:

Mrs. G. @ Growing Up Gardner
Melinda @ Life With Blog
Bridget @ Little Man Liam
Jennifer @ Sweet Little Lovings
Nicole @ The Kavanaugh Report