Look What I Got!

Look what I picked up today from my sponsor, Giggles Children Clothing!

This insulated lunchbox is currently being given away here!  Go check out how to enter and be sure to remember to use the promo code RSDOI15 at Giggles's website to get 15% off!  And don't forget, free shipping in the continental US!

I was in the store today and picked up these for Jax at the playground this summer:

He picked them out (loved the red stripes, obviously).  We are huge fans of See Kai Run shoes, and you can go get a pair for your little one here right now!  And with the Rub Some Dirt discount (RSDOI15) and free shipping, they can be delivered to your door for less than $36 (before tax).  Quite a bargain, I'd say!

So be sure to enter my giveaway for the lunchbox this week!  Don't forget, it ends June 1st!

Re-Gifting

How is it that we went to a double birthday party this week and I felt like I left with a gift?

No, not the gift of friendship.  Got that one.  No, not the gift of great memories and photos to cherish.  Got those, too.  I'm talking about the gift of an awesome craft idea that I get to share with all of you, and I didn't even have to do any work!

Now that's friendship for you.  Thanks, Katie and Heather!

Two of Jax and Em's great friends turned two this week.  Andrew and Matthew had a fabulous, train-themed birthday celebration, and I thought their mommies went all out. 



Including, what I thought was the coolest birthday party entertainment for a bunch of two-year-olds I had ever seen.  We made our very own train.

First of all, my friend Heather cut out the silhouette of a steam engine out of cardboard, which led the way.  Then every kid got his or her own cardboard box, flaps folded down, to make a boxcar. 

Four taped paper plates became wheels.  The kids could then decorate as lustily or as minimally as they wanted.  At the end of the day, we put them all together to create their very own train!

Here are some photos of the admittedly hectic fun.  Any time toddlers have access to tape and/or scissors, I always think there's potential for disaster.  Although Jax did attempt to "chomp" his friend Matthew with the red safety scissors, and I did see him contemplating cutting Harper's hair (yes, they were confiscated at that point), I think it overall went rather well.

 I love how all the kids seem to have a look of quasi-confusion.  I'm not sure what they were unsure about, but they all seem a bit perplexed about this particular crafting adventure.  Too much freedom, maybe.

This is Jax, contemplating whether to use his scissors for good or evil.

Here's Andrew, one of the birthday boys, admiring his friends' handiwork.  He finished his a lot quicker than Jax, who played in his box for a half hour but didn't actually do anything other than open and shut his scissors and horde red markers.

It wasn't just the big kids who got into the act.  Em, Paisely, and Jacob had a grand time, too! 

  

And the best photo of the day goes to 2-week-old Jacob:

He was super happy in there!  Didn't make a peep.

You could go as crazy as you want with this idea.  You could make a train station.  You could set up tracks or junction lights.  The possibilities are endless, and the centerpiece (the train) will undoubtedly be a huge hit.

Of course, the fun didn't stop there.  That Thomas cake was as yummy as it looked!

I had to tell Jax to stop "helping" (aka spitting all over their cake).

Thanks for the great photos of Jax, Heather!

Eating cake outside was a brilliant idea for clean-up of crumbs and no mess in the house.  However, having two chocolatey babies clamoring all over me with no bathroom or paper towels in sight was a bit too much for me.  I needed to clean them before they smeared me with their chocolate hugs and grabbed me with their chocolate fists.

Of course, it didn't quite work out that way, but I tried.

And after their sugar highs wore off, they piled into their boxcars...

...and had them contained in one place! 

Of course I needed to take photos--this was history in the making!

And if you think this is crazy, there were three kids who had left already! 

We really like living on the edge up here in the Upper Valley.

Happy Birthday to two special little guys and thank you, again, mamas, for a great idea to steal!  I am re-gifting this idea to all of you lovely readers, and I hope you spread its love far and wide!

All aboard!

A New Sponsor Website and Giveaway!

Giggles Children's Boutique, my wonderful sponsor and favorite place to shop locally, is launching its very own website!  And to commemorate this exciting occassion, we are doing a giveaway!

A Skip Hop Frog Zoo Lunchie insulated backpack!

Here's what it's all about:

With friendly faces and matching zipper-pulls, ZOO LUNCHIES make lunchtime fun time! Sized just right for little kids, or a mom and baby on-the-go, these soft bags have a roomy main compartment that holds sandwiches, snacks, drinks and more. An insulated, wipe-clean interior keeps food and drinks cold, plus an inside mesh pocket holds lunch money, an ice pack or utensils.

I don't personally have one myself, but after reading about it, I definitely want one for Jax! It's time this kid started pulling his own weight.  Maybe I'll start with him carrying his own lunch!

This is extra exciting because I can now spread the Giggles love both near and far; I'm always encouraging local parents to shop there (located in Woodstock, Vermont), but now I can send all you lovely readers there, no matter where you live!  And did I tell you that you get FREE SHIPPING no matter where you live in the continental US?  Even right next door!  Even in California!

As you may recall, my kids do love shopping at Giggles!

Not all of these things are currently on her site now because inventory has changed and she is just getting the site off the ground, but you get the idea of all the fabulous things Anne stocks there!

One thing she definitely does have in stock on the website are Em's beautiful Riley Roo Mary Janes:

And as an additional bonus, there is ALWAYS FREE SHIPPING to the continental US!  Plus, Rub Some Dirt On It readers get an additional 15% off by entering this coupon code: RSDOI15! 

So you get 15% off, and free shipping, every day!

Yes, Becky, but what about that giveaway?  I want that frog backpack!!

Right.  Here's how to enter.  You will have up to 6 entries for this giveaway, which will end in one week on the first day of June!  Here's how to enter.  YOU MUST DO EACH OF THESE AS A SEPARATE COMMENT BECAUSE I WILL COUNT EACH COMMENT AS A SEPARATE ENTRY.  IF YOU DO ALL THESE THINGS AND TELL ME IN ONE COMMENT YOU ONLY GET ONE ENTRY.  ONE COMMENT EACH, PLEASE.

Ways to Enter the Frog Backpack Giveaway:

1. Follow me via Google Friend Connect: it's that big "Follow" button over in the right sidebar.  Comment and tell me you did.  If you're already my follower, remind me in a comment.
2. Like me on Facebook.  Comment and tell me you did. If you're already a fan, remind me in a comment. 
3. Follow me on Twitter.  Comment and tell me you did. If you're already my follower, remind me in a comment.
4. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.  Make sure to mention me @rubsomedirt or link back to this post.  You still have to leave a comment here saying you did!
5. Like Giggles Children's Clothing on Facebook.  Comment and tell me you did.  If you're already a fan of hers, let me know in a comment.
6. Go to Giggles's website and leave me a comment telling me one thing you love from there.  Remember, you get free shipping and 15% off using the RSDOI15 code, so maybe you should just buy it!

I hope some of you take advantage of this opportunity to win an adorable gift for your child or a friend's!  And don't forget, local moms!  You ALWAYS get 20% off your purchases in store at Giggles when you mention this blog!

I'm excited to see who wins!  On your mark, get set, go!

Cocktails & Crafts, May Edition

The sunshine arrived just in time for one of my favorite monthly reasons to celebrate:  Cocktails and Crafts, May Edition!  If you're not familiar with Cocktails and Crafts, head up to the tab above or just click here to learn more about it, but I'll give you the short version.  Cocktails and Crafts,

is a fabulous monthly excuse to get together with friends and be creative!  In my group's case, we let the kids be creative and we supervise while enjoying a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail as the case may be).  I try to concoct a tasty beverage for my friends to enjoy as a thank you for participating and crafting something sweet for our kids.  This month it was sangria!

The recipe was courtesy of Martha Stewart, and it goes like this:

4 cups of non-aggressive red wine, like a Gamay

1 cup of orange liqueur, like Triple Sec

1 cup of seltzer

1 lime

1 orange

Enjoy!  I definitely did.

So, we had our cocktail, what was the craft?

My friend Katie (you may remember her as my party planning friend who organized the perfect modern baby shower) is crafty incognito.  She pretends that she's not crafty, but she totally is.  Her idea was to create windsocks (like a cross between a kite and a windchime, minus the music) using a brown paper bag and crepe paper.  They looked a lot more complicated than they actually were.  They were easy, and turned into a lovely kid creation.

She got the idea from this website, but stick with me.  I won't steer you wrong.

Materials:

* brown paper bag

* single hole punch

* fishing line, ribbon, yarn, thread, etc.

* crepe paper

* decorating materials

* scissors

Directions:

First, cut the bottom of your paper bag off, so that you have a big paper rectangle with two openings.

Guess whose windsock this is...I'll give you a hint.  His name begins with a J and ends with an AX. 

aka Alphabet monger.

Jax and I didn't follow this in the correct order, but next you are supposed to fold the top over and make a cuff and THEN decorate it.  But you know me.  God forbid I do a craft correctly.  So cuff it first, decorate second.  Use stickers, summer-time pictures like suns and flowers, markers; go crazy.  Jax wasn't very interested in coloring.  He just wanted to cut with safety scissors.

So now you have a paper bag with two holes (one on each side), cuffed on one end, decorated to the max.  Now you must bust out the crepe paper.

 

It may seem counter-intuitive, but the next step is to cover your child's beautiful drawings with crepe paper.  Use varying lengths and colors to create the tail-of-a-kite-feeling when the wind blows through your windsock.  When your windsock is blowing in the breeze, all your kid's art with shine through the rainbow ribbons.  So go crazy with the crepe paper.  The kids love it.

Next, punch two holes across from each other in the cuff of your bag.



Then loop your fishing line, yarn, ribbon, etc. through both holes so your windsock hangs straight.  Make the length as long as you want, and you have your finished windsock, ready to hang and share with the world!





Ta Da!





A great creation the kids can be proud of, with little fuss.  My mom has already called dibs on Jax's.  I may have to make more to meet the rising demand.

Then, in true Cocktails and Crafts style, you eat, drink, and be merry!

 



Jacob and Sebastian couldn't be bothered. 



Don't worry; the girls took care of that.  Three little mamas just itching to get hold of a baby!

Time to go play, kids!









 


 

Oh, sunshine, how we've missed you!  Welcome back!



Cheers to great friends, great times, good food, and drink!

Here's to spring!

* * * * *

By the way, still waiting for the first group to start a Cocktails & Crafts group in their neighborhood! It's a date, set in stone every month, to look forward to.  I can't wait to hear that someone else has starting C & C in their neck of the woods, too!  I promise I will make a big fuss and feature you here, on this blog, when you do!