Top 12 of 2012

2012 has been a very good year. As 2013 nears I can't help but reflect at how great this year has been and because I love lists I can't resist making a Top 12 of 2012.

1. Violet being born. This goes without saying but she tops the list for sure.

2. Becoming an Auntie to the cutest little boy, Oliver. It amazes me how much I love this little guy, he is such a sweetheart.

3. Our first family vacation at the lake. It was a great week and I love that we went to the lake as we did for many years when I was growing up.

4. Turning 30, I know, it shocks me that it made the list but it was such a great birthday weekend with a lot of great memories.

5. Becoming a stay at home mama. I may have days where I meet Marc at the door needing a few moments of quiet but I feel so lucky to be able to stay at home with my girl.

6. Taking Violet swimming for the first time. I loooove swimming, for as long as I have wanted to be a mama I have look forward to taking my baby swimming.

7. Winning the Ugliest Couch Competition! I know it seems silly but I have never won anything like this. I am happy to say we picked out our new couch and I am in love. A big thank you to everyone who helped by voting for us on Facebook.

8. Christmas this year was great, it was so much fun with Violet and Oliver even though he is only two months old. It is an awesome thing seeing your little brother being a Dad. We just had so much fun exchanging presents and playing around.

9. Watching Marc be a Dad. Watching your husband being a soft puddle of mush when it comes to his little girl just fills you with warm fuzzies.

10. Watching my parents be out of this world awesome grandparents. It amazes me how tiny little Violet has them completely wrapped around her teeny little finger. They love her so much and I am glad that she has them. I am also glad I have them as parents, they have helped us so much this year in advice and support.

11. Ruby and Violet being best friends. Yes, I realize that my cat and kid have color names but it wasn't planned to be that way. Before I knew I was pregnant Ruby started sleeping on me at night which she had never done, she continued through my pregnancy...even escorting me to the bathroom every night. She laid with me when I was on bed rest and if she wasn't with me she was on my pillow sleeping. Since we brought Violet home, she has been Mama Ruby, she meows at us if Violet is crying, they play and if Violet isn't home watch out. I love that they are best friends, it is so sweet.

12. Taking Violet's weekly photos, they are a lot of work but so worth it. I am so sad that we only have 11 more pictures until her birthday! These pictures are some of the funny out takes we have captured.

By no means are these the only top things of this year, some honorable mentions are all the wonderful mama and mama to be friends I have who help keep me sane, you know who are! Starting my blog and making so many awesome bloggy friends, Lanaya, Kera, Dara, Mel and Dawn to name just a few! Going to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 with my friend E who also keeps me sane and knows exactly what I am talking about 99% of the time.

2012 has been one of if not THE best year so far, I can't wait to see what 2013 brings! What are some of your Tops of 2012?

Raising Imperfection - Week 9

Welcome to Raising Imperfection Link Party #9. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! I did but I am glad it is over, I am exhausted and out of my normal routine. I am ready for everything to go back to normal.

Our Party Rules1. Please follow your hosts Raising Reagan and Violet Imperfection via Facebook and/or Twitter, Bloglovin, Google + or any other form that works for you!If you are new to the party, please leave us a comment so we know to follow you back!
2. Please follow your co-hosts:Sara from Confessions from a Red Headed Mama Kera from Nugget on a Budget
3. Link up your DIY projects, cooking disasters, parenting successes and fails, funny stories, kid photo bombs, etc.Please DO NOT link up your main blog page, giveaways or other link ups. Those entries will be changed to your last blog post.
4. Visit some of the other blogs in the link-up and even follow them! {comments are always recommended and appreciated}
5. Tweet, Facebook, spread the word about the Raising Imperfection Link Party!

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Violet's First Christmas

Christmas was a success, not that I had any doubts. It is a very exciting thing celebrating your child's first Christmas. I think the pictures say it all.

Already picking on her poor cousin.

Probably her favorite present...the pink gift bag.

She love love loves this tunnel to crawl in.

She looks way too big in this picture!

Where are you Santa?

I love this onesie my brother and sister in law made Violet. My brother calls her Verlet.

I have some awesome homemade gifts to share in another post! I think we need to make homemade gifts a new tradition.

 

December of Kindness Wrap Up

I can't believe December is just about over, where has the month gone? I have loved participating in this challenge, it has opened my eyes up to all the little acts of kindness I do on a daily basis.

• December 22: took an extremely loooooong night shift with Violet so Marc could sleep.
• December 23: Donated a $1 to St. Jude's at checkout
• December 24: Sent a picture of Violet to Marc while he was at work waiting to get out
• December 25: Drove home from my parents even though I was exhausted, I knew Marc was too.
• December 26: Held the door open for a lady at the craft store
• December 27: Left coins in Red Cross collection jar
• December 28: Let someone go in line ahead of me nice they had fewer items than I did

To wrap up the month I plan on continuing to do the little things I have been doing and making paper snowflakes do Sandy Hook Elementary.

 

Active Mama Series 2013

A new year always brings resolutions, promises and new goals. I don't know that I have ever kept a resolution. Maybe it is will power or maybe it is because they aren't specific enough.

I want to be a good mama, this is so important to me. Violet is already active and learning so much everyday. I want to make sure that I do fun things with her and not to do the same routine over and over. I will admit, I have a tendency to be lazy. I am not the best at keeping motivated and getting up off the couch and doing things. I want to keep Violet active and engaged in new things.

I have complied a list of 24 projects, activities and fun things I would like to do with and for Violet in 2013. I am calling this my Active Mama Series 2013. My goal is to complete two of these activities each month at the very least. If I do more in one month, great, if I do less than that means more the next month. I plan to post my Active Mama updates during the first and third weeks of the month. My first update will be on Wednesday January 23, mark your calendars!

Projects for Mama:

• Tutu jeans
• Hairbow holder for Violet's room
• Start a Project Life book for her first year
• Make a silhouette portrait

Activities

• Squish Bags
• Ribbon Wands & Dance Party
• Edible Finger Painting
• Water Play
• Sticky Situation Play
• Plastic Egg Maracas
• Play in the snow (this is huge for me, I hate being outside in winter)
• Trace Violet's hand on her 1st birthday and do this every year
• Read Violet 100 different books in 2013, keep a list
• Go to a Bring Your Baby matinee movie
• Bring Violet to Babies & Books at least 12 times
• Mirror photo shoot
• Make an indoor ball pit
• Pipe cleaner activity
• Pom poms and Tupperware
• Clothespins on clothes
• Make a drum out of a container
• Egg carton with plastic eggs
• Rolling picture cans
• Ball tube

What do you think? Have you done any of these activities? Any suggestions?

Active Mama January Update

Active Mama February Update

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

 

 

Feature Friday #8

Every year around this time I start acting like a little kid getting excited for Christmas. It isn't about the presents, though I do adore giving people presents. It is about the traditions, roast beef dinner, Yorkshire pudding for Christmas dinner. Having a quiet Christmas Day with my parents. Playing board games on Christmas Eve. I have butterflies of excitement in my stomach and I am so ready for the festivities to begin!

I just counted up my comments for Cans for Comments and I had 30 comments. Yay! I plan on donating this weekend.

We will not be hosting a Raising Imperfection party this week due to Christmas but we will be back on the 30th.

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Now for my features...

First up from Sara at Rockin Oily Momma and her Checking for Pregnancy post. Go click the link, I know the puppy picture has you curious.

Do you love glitter? I know that I do so I can't resist featuring these adorable glitter color block flats from Brie at Breezy Pink Daisies.

I love these glitter ball ornaments from Natalie at Northshore Days! I am going to make some of these for next year, so cute!

The most clicked link of the week is from Javeriya at Believe & Inspire and her cute hair fascinator.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

 

December of Kindness Challenge - Week 3

December 15: Made a dessert for a family party.

December 16: Kept my mouth shut while Marc drove home in the snow from my parents. I normally do the driving but I hate driving in the snow, I know I am a horrible back seat driver so I tried really hard to be quiet.

December 17: Donated to Sandy Hook through the CT PTA.

December 18: Left 4 quarters on vending machines at Toys R Us

December 19: Made an In Memory donation to Give Kids the World Village in honor of a friend I knew through the Disney message boards who passed away this week.

December 20: Brought home Marc a surprise Starbucks gift card from my trip to Target.

December 21: I am planning on getting my canned goods bought and donated today from cans for comments.

I also just wanted to say that when I say I donated to somewhere, it isn't a lot. I have donated $1 - $5. We have a very tight budget but I feel like it is important to help others even if it is a few dollars. By no means am I MissMoneybags flinging $100s of dollars at charities. I am saying this because even if you can only spare a $1 it does help!

 

Brain Overload, Leslie Style

Do you ever feel like you have 1,001 things to blog about or share and then your brain becomes all jumbled up and it explodes all over the place? No? Must be me then. So this is my attempt to get all those little things out of brain and into blog-land. Prepare yourself for randomness, jumbles and pictures.


All of my Christmas presents are made, bought, finished AND wrapped. Yes, I might be bragging a bit.

I am super happy with how Violet's gift from Santa turned out. I started with a $7 baby doll cradle from the unfinished wood store. I painted it grey to match her room and bought a truly hideous baby that I returned after my friend helped me find the cute, snuggly baby Belle. Then Belle looked lonely, so we added Cinderella who is cuddly and lights up. Violet is very into light up toys at bedtime. I made a pad for the bottom, a pillow and a blanket without throwing anything on the floor. Santa doesn't wrap presents at our house, he leaves one big gift and fills your stocking and then the rest are from mom and dad. I am so happy that I was able to do something semi-homemade for her first Christmas.

I love this silly Christmas card from my lawyer's office. Don't worry I am not a law breaker.

Dara from Not in Jersey convinced me that I needed to start Project Life. Check out the link because Dara explains it far better than I can. I am so excited to get back into some sort of scrapbooking again.

It is currently 1:50am est as I write this post. I can't sleep anymore for some reason. I don't know what my problem is.

Look at my sweet girl! 40 weeks, only 12 weeks until her 1st birthday. This year is flying by.

I found another use for one of Violet's hairbows. Tree topper! Creative or just too lazy to put it away....take your pick.

I bought a $10 iPad stand at Walgreens and it is one of the most amazing things ever. We can FaceTime my parents without me having to wrestle my iPad away from Violet.

I love this picture of V and myself. I look at it and feel love, me and my sweet girl.

Cousins! How cute are they? I am pretty sure my brother captured better pics of them but I still think this one is adorable.

Violet's friend and her mom came over and we made these cute little reindeer feet. I just need to take a minute and express how awesome it is to have a mom friend. I think play dates are needed just as much for moms as the kids.

Who doesn't love crazy bed head?

And on a completely ridiculous note...can we talk about Sex and the City for a moment? First, I love this show. I have to watch it in order so I have lost count how many times I have cycled through. In case you are wondering I do watch both movies when I am done with the series, have too before I can start season one again. ANYWAYS, my point of this is that is there a more detestable character than Aleksander Petrovsky? I want to punch him in the face. Side note, he is a ballet dancer in real life. Another side note I noticed yesterday that two people in Grey's Anatomy were in the same episode of Sex and the City and they dated on Grey's too. Fun, huh? No, I am not telling you who. You have to guess. I will give you a hint....main female character who has been on the show from the start and a guy she dated briefly. 1....2...3....GUESS.

I realize how pathetic that previous paragraph makes me sound so let me give you one more fun fact. The Allstate Mayhem guy was also in an episode.

One last fun fact before I try to get some sleep....I have never had a cosmopolitan and I don't own any high heels.

With that I bid you farewell until tomorrow with the features from Raising Imperfection.