Family Themed Costumes

Halloween has become big business over the past few years. Traditionally a few jack-o- lanterns were set out, a bowl of candy was prepared for visitors, and children donned costumes rummaged from goods found around the house. These days Americans are spending almost 5 billion dollars on this October holiday. Inflatable pumpkins decorate lawns, costumes are ordered months in advance and candy bowls have evolved from Mom's old Tupperware into something a bit more sinister....(to read more, please go here)

Does Starbucks Deliver?

As I sit here at my computer, currently pondering why Starbucks does not have a delivery service especially for moms stuck at home during nap time, I wanted to take a moment and share a few recent articles I have thrown out to that vast space called the "Internet". I do promise to be back here at savethephillipsfamily later today with some new material. Until then, enjoy the links!

Wardrobe Essential talk at BurbMom

Fun indoor play place discussion at Moms Out Loud

Turning a routine mammogram into a spa experience

She's cute, even when she is sick

The fabulous Miss E. is still sick.

Fortunately, she happens to be a perky little patient. This morning at 2am as I bathed her (why must children's tummies wait to get sick until the wee hours of the morning?), I kept having to remind her to use her quiet voice because the boys were sleeping.

She kept reminding me that she just needed to sing.

103 fever and all.

Just another fall afternoon...

It is the perfect fall afternoon here at casa de phillips. The Tiger (aka Isaac) and I are sitting at the kitchen table. He is slaving over a fall craft while I get some work done on the laptop. My drink of choice this cool overcast afternoon is a mug of coffee while the boy is sipping on some chocolate milk (triple chocolate because he is just so darn cute). Miss E. is still napping and still fighting the fevers (no flu test today because she had no other symptoms).

Hopefully you are enjoying a fine fall beverage this afternoon. While you are sipping away, please feel free to check out some of my other Internet happenings.

I am on Examiner today discussing buying organic foods.

BurbMom is letting me tell-all about local preschooler staycation locations.

Enjoy!

Fever Watch 2009

We are on fever watch here at casa de phillips.

Yesterday morning was spent cleaning out our entire attic. After a healthy breakfast of donuts (we walked to the donut shop, which totally makes the large chocolate twist I consumed healthy), we set up for a morning outside. The kids rode bikes and trikes (Isaac's terminology...it stems from Berenstain Bears) while Tobe and I pulled everything down from the attic and organized it. There was only one bike wreck, involving Miss E. and her new purple princess trike. Despite our best efforts to block off all dangerous areas of their "bike and trike" course, the girl ended up in the street with her trike on top of her. Fortunately she only had a scraped elbow and a slightly hysterical mother and was up riding again in no time.

Around lunchtime we realized E. had grown increasingly quiet (only happens when the girl is asleep) and that is when we first detected the fever. She has been battling it ever since. We have been instructed to go in for a flu test once we hit the 48 hour fever mark. Hopefully we will not have to go that route. I am attempting to avoid the petri dish that is the pediatrician's waiting room during H1N1 panic.

Last night I left the husband on fever duty and set out to join a group of strangers. Seriously. Before you wonder if my parents never had the "stranger danger" conversation with me, allow me to explain. BurbMom (aka Texas Holly aka June Cleaver) hosted a blog party for bloggers in my area. Hoping to meet some new area bloggers, I opted out of wearing my mom-iform and tossed on my best Target dress and set out in the rain.

The party was great fun, involving organic pizza, excessive amounts of cheesecake, and a lovely house tour (unfortunately said Target dress did not allow me to fully experience the slide in the playroom). Blogs were discussed, pictures were taken, tweets were sent out, and fun and merriment ensued. I fought my inner shy girl and made some new friends from the blog world.

Good times.

Today the Target dress has been put back into the closet, jeans and t-shirt are on, and Fever Watch 2009 continues. Now if only I can keep Miss E. from attempting to feed her brother cheerios, then hopefully this bug will hit the road soon...

A Swap a Day Keeps the Crazies Away (or something like that...)

The other day I came across a plaque in a gift store that read, "Motherhood means never having to go to the bathroom alone."

Can I get an "Amen!" on that one?

I think one of the biggest struggles of a mom staying home with her children is the lack of alone time (working moms feel this one too). When your boss is under three feet tall and is in your shadow 24/7, a little time alone is to be cherished. I stumbled across a mommy confession recently where a mom admitted to feigning gastrointestinal issues to her family simply so she could escape to the quiet of her bathroom for a few minutes to read a magazine undisturbed.

Feeling the crunch of needing a bit of space to ourselves, a friend and I have recently decided to swap babysitting hours with each other. This is not a weekly swap, but an occasional "Can my child come over to play for a few hours before I go insane?" kind-of deal. Wednesday was Isaac's day to visit my friend and her daughters. When my friend extended the offer, I immediately jumped at the deal. Evelyn would be a preschool, Isaac would spend some time with a dear friend, and I might actually be able to accomplish a task from beginning to end without stopping to play a "quick" game of Candy Land (curses to the peppermint stick card...) or settle a toy dispute.

After dropping E. off at school (She cried. She always cries. Then she always has a blast.), I drove to my friend's house to deposit Isaac. He informed me from the backseat that he would prefer if I just let him out of the car and allowed him to walk up to the house by himself. Apparently he became a teenage overnight and soon is going to be requesting that I drop him off at the corner of the block so none of his fellow preschool classmates will know his mother drove him to school that day. I obliged, happy that my four year old wants some Independence and a bit sad that his baby days have completely faded.

Those feelings of nostalgia completely faded by the time I arrived back at casa de phillips and set about cleaning the joint from top to bottom. There were no kids to sequester to another room (am I the only one who makes the children play in one room while I clean the rest of the house?), no one offering to "help" (they are pretty good at dusting though), and only the sounds of the Food Network were falling on my ears.

I retrieved Isaac a few hours later (bearing lunch for my friend and me) and discovered he had a fabulous time. He even told tales of how my friend had let them play the piano (Bless her heart...and her ears), which placed her in the "coolest mom ever" slot for the day.

We have another swap set up for next week when my friend's middle child is coming to play with E. for the morning. I hope all our baby dolls are ready for all the "love" they will receive that day. Fun times.

Do you swap babysitting services with a friend?

I *Heart* American Girl

Little girls in the Dallas/Fort Worth area can find themselves in doll heaven when they walk through the doors of the American Girl store, located on the grounds of the Dallas Galleria. Upon entering the massive doors, girls come face to face with a variety of dolls, accessories and an excessive amount of hot pink. Squeals are often heard around the store (sometimes coming from the mothers and grandmothers accompanying children) as girls take in the American Girl experience. (to read more, go here)

Hello, 800

This is my 800th post.

800.

I remember when I first heard someone talking about a "blog", I had no idea if it was some sort-of contagious disease or a vague technical term like "texting." I soon discovered that a blog was similar to an on-line diary and I could cruise said diaries of a variety of people, some I knew and most I had never met before. Soon after that I typed out my first post and 798 posts later, here we are.

Good times.

The amusing thing about these 800 posts detailing the activities, lives and details of our little family of four is that the two main stars of most of these posts have no clue as to this blog's existence. Most of my writing occurs when the children are asleep, either in the early morning hours, at naptime, or in the evening. Now that I have been writing a lot more lately, the kids are a bit more aware that Mommy does something else other than fetch goldfish and dream up random projects for them to craft (by the way, I glittered pumpkins with Miss E. yesterday. Our sidewalk and her hair might never be the same.). One day they might pour over the pages from this blog. Or they might beg me to hide them and never, ever mention such stories during life's important moments such as their graduations or rehearsal dinners (They have been discussing how they will one day become a mommy and a daddy. Currently they are planning on Isaac being the daddy and Evelyn being the mommy and Tobe and I can come visit on occasion. Precious, I tell you.)

So...thanks for sticking around for 800 posts. Especially for posts lately that tend to link to a writing somewhere else or discuss topics not nearly as entertaining as a play-by-play rundown of our latest shopping adventure at Target.

Here's to the next 800...

Teaching children how to communicate effectively

September is rapidly coming to a close, marking the end of "Good Manners Month." The concept of "good manners" seems to focus on proper eating skills, how to have a bit of decorum, and perhaps learning a "please" and "thank-you" along the way. These are all great skills for children to posses and will serve them well in life. However, an aspect of good manners that will really get children far in the world is teaching them about the power of words and the ideas their words can convey to others (to read more, please stop by here)

Attention Local Bloggers...

Hey local bloggers....

I have the opportunity to attend a "Blogger Nite Out" hosted by BurbMom this Saturday, October 3rd. Anyone interested in coming with me? It is a great chance to meet fellow bloggers, get some publicity from your blog and hear about exciting opportunities in our area for bloggers and writers alike.

Leave a comment or drop me an email (savethephillipsfamily_at_hotmail.com) and let me know if you want to tag along.

What's cookin' at BurbMom...

Are you reading BurbMom yet?

If you aren't, you really need to.

Head on over and hear what I have to say about Mending Broken Fences...Toddler-style

(By the way, that is not my family in the picture. BurbMom does have some great illustrations to go with their stories though!)

Praise Junkie Anonymous

Perhaps it began when parents and teachers began displaying the famous "101 ways to praise a kid" poster in homes and classrooms. Maybe it started as an innocent effort to reward children for positive behaviors. Possibly it was the result of the infamous prize box that began popping up everywhere, from home to the Sunday school class to the dentist's office.

However it happened, excessive praising of children is big business in today's world, potentially creating a generation of "praise junkies"...(to read more, please go here)

Links Galore!

I am a busy little bee over here at casa de phillips today. In lieu of an actual post with an attempt at actual writing and possibly satirical wit, I am going to simply post some links I have been holding onto for awhile now. Enjoy!

• I love secrets...especially when food is involved!
• Isaac had great fun counting the house last week. I think he had even more fun when he tried to make Miss E. do it as well....
• The next cool snap we have, I am making these ASAP
• I *heart* a good smokey eye when going out with the husband. Here are some tips to achieve "smokey" as opposed to "trashy."
• I made journals for the kids about a month ago, mainly as something for them to do at the table when Mommy needs to write. Also, I think one can never start writing too early (I wrote my first "novel" in elementary school. I fervently hope it has gotten lost in one of my parents' moves.). Here are some great journaling tips for kids. We have not started writing in our journals yet, but I hope to soon.
• I really, really, really want to like oatmeal. It is supposed to be so healthy. However, the smell of instant oatmeal turns my stomach. My pal Jordan posted this recipe for oatmeal recently and I am considering attempting it.
• What are your kids going to be for Halloween this year? It is still a debate here at casa de phillips. Katherine Marie Photography recently posted some ADORABLE pictures of her kids' past costumes.

Fall Wardrobe Staples for the SAHM

In a workplace that is filled with spit-up, paint splatters and constant sticky hands, a new fall wardrobe seems like a joke to the stay-at-home mom (SAHM). When moms make the decision to stay at home to raise a family, they often feel like they must trade their high heels for sneakers and their pencils skirts for yoga pants and old t-shirts. However, the stay-at-home mom can have a functional, stylish wardrobe than can work both at the park and out on the town with friends (to read more, go here)

This week's Mom--iform

In sixth grade, when large "attitude" buttons were all the rage (and I suppose the pre-cursor to today's attitude tees), I proudly purchased one that read "Born to shop" and affixed it to my purple Members Only jacket.

Good times.

The sentiment of "Born to Shop" has remained true, as I love to shop. Miss E. is showing such a passion as well in her early years. The husband better hold tight to those credit cards when she hits her tween years because I have a feeling she and I will be participating in several mommy/daughter shopping sprees.

Even though I do heart shopping, I have the tendency to buy the same outfit over and over and over again.

Remember my trouser jean affair of last Fall and Winter? I am not even going to reveal how many pairs of these jeans I own.

I tend to find something I like and stick with it for awhile. For example, when I find a pair of boots or sandals that get my attention I purchase them in a variety of colors. When I find a t-shirt that holds up to my SAHM role, I stock up.

Lately my newest wardrobe craze has been the pairing of the long cardigan, the fitted t-shirt, jeans (really wanting these boyfriend jeans for ATL), funky necklace, and sandals.

I have worn this uniform of sorts four out of the five days this week. I would be wearing it today, but I am out of clean cardigans.

Do you have a go-to outfit or suffer from the tendency to purchase the same item repeatedly? Is your closet over-flowing with seven different "perfect" little black dresses? Am I the only person who gets excited when Target clearances out basic necessities and grabs one in each shade of the rainbow?

Share amongst yourselves...

Ending the isolation of being a stay-at-home mom

Forgoing the workplace and opting to stay at home with one's children can be an incredibly rewarding experience. It can also be a very isolating experience. In the attempt to find the balance between maintaining a household, parenting children and meeting the basic needs of the family, the stay-at-home mom (SAHM) can often feel lost and alone in her 24 hour workday. Unlike a corporate workplace where individuals can discuss such woes with fellow employees, the stay-at-home mom's colleagues are typically under three feet tall and are much more interested in being given a snack of goldfish rather than listening to mommy vent (to read more, go here)

A Ticket to Ride...the escalator

The man playing the piano in the middle of Nordstroms paused for a brief second to smile at Isaac and me as we stepped upon the escalator to ride up to the second floor this morning.

We returned going down the escalator 45 seconds later and he gave a courtesy nod.

The fifth time we made our ascent on the escalator, the piano player shot us a curious look.

On our tenth trek down the escalator, the piano man narrowed his eyes at us and exchanged a look to a fellow employee working the shoe department.

By the time we had completed our twentieth ride on the escalator, the piano player was obviously over our antics and was completely ignoring the mother and son duo who had chosen to spend a portion of their weekday morning enjoying the escalator of a large department store.

As our preschool school year began a few weeks ago, I slightly lamented the fact that the children would not be attending school on the same days. Because of this unique schedule, there would never be a day or time when both children would be safely tucked away inside the walls of their school, leaving me to frolic child-free around town for a few hours.

It is now week three of school and I am enjoying these moments each week of being a parent of only one child for a few hours. Yesterday Evelyn and I wondered the aisles of Target, sighing over precious hot pink patent leather mary janes and carefully examining the baby doll section of the toy department. We hauled out every girl toy that child owns and hosted a grand tea party that would make even the Queen of England a bit jealous.

Today Isaac and I headed out to the mall, in search of a mall play area. The boy ran, jumped, ran some more and made a few new friends. After discovering a sippy cup that had emptied its contents into the bottom of my purse and attempting to clean said mess out of my purse, we called it a morning and started the retreat to our car. On the way we passed a fish tank and stopped to examine each fish, speculating about their fish personalities. As we were about to leave the mall, Isaac spied the escalator. When I asked if he wanted to go ride it just for fun, his little blue eyes glowed with excitement.

So we rode it.

About 23 times.

Sure, I needed to get home. The breakfast dishes were still piled in the sink, there was a bed unmade, I had an article to write and Isaac and I had a reading lesson to complete before we picked up his sister from school.

But I figured when Isaac is 15, there will likely still be some sort-of breakfast dishes in the sink, there will be an bed left unmade in the house, I will likely still have something to write (I hope), and most likely Isaac will have moved on from learning how to read and will have some sort of complicated homework to finish.

However, when he is 15 he probably will not want to ride the escalator at Nordstrom's 23 times.

So today we rode. And rode some more. And I was so thankful to be that boy's mama.

A few personal links...

I am taking a break from eating my upteenth cinnamon roll to pass along a few links of some of my writing from today.

I am discussing diaper bag essentials over at BurbMom...

I am on the look-out for area pumpkin patches at Examiner...

Enjoy!

"Firsts" on this First Day of Fall

The windows are open, the crisp breeze is blowing through my bedroom curtains...Fall is here.

I am sure the hot temperatures will return at least a few more times before cool weather actually settles into our region to stay for a few months, however today I am embracing our lower temps and welcoming autumn.

Hello, September 22nd. I have been waiting on you.

In celebration of this first day of fall, I wanted to share some recent "firsts" that have occurred around casa de phillips.

Isaac had his first jail experience... Then he had his first jailer experience, when he quickly placed his sister behind bars...

Finally he had his first conductor experience...

All of these firsts happened over the weekend at our local street festival. The family had a glorious time stuffing our faces full of kettle korn (we *heart* kettle korn here at casa de phillips), seeing the sites (such as the above jail) and shelling out big bucks for the kiddie rides.

Another first that occurred at casa de phillips was E.'s first time to wear for-real, genuine, little girl pigtails. I know I have discussed E.'s hair in length on this blog, but it has been such a process attempting to grow her mane of hair. Although the sides have yet to come in (still baby hair) and it is all sorts of uneven, I was able to get all of it in pigtails yesterday morning. Being the smart girl that she is, Miss E. understood the significance of such an occasion.

Check out that grin...

Another first that happened was Isaac's first successful time riding a big boy bike.

We trekked down to our neighborhood park which has a great area for practicing some riding skills. After a heated debate over whether or not he has to wear a helmet (it was a non-negotiable...no helmet, no bike), he set off. Bless his heart, his mother is not the athletic-type. Although I can ride a bike (and owned one until recently), I was not the best at explaining exactly what he should do on the bike. Fortunately, the process came naturally to him.

Isaac also experienced his first bike wreck, which is a blessing in disguise. He fell over and his head/helmet made a loud thump on the concrete. He was perfectly fine, but now understands the importance of wearing that helmet all the time. He needed no encouragement to jump back up on that bike and give it another try.

Even thought my children have never seen an episode of The Office, last night they had their first "Parkour" experience (is it an experience?). Seriously, it was the funniest thing I have seen in years. We do not know what possessed the children, but they were jumping and tumbling and throwing their little bodies every which way. Tobe and I were laughing so hard we did not have the sense to video such a scene.

Here is the real "Parkour" from last week's Office:

What is a "first" that has occurred in your house this week?

To celebrate these "firsts" and to welcome this glorious first day of Fall, we will be feasting on some homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls after dinner. Normally I do not bake during the week, but the cooler temperatures inspired me. Interested in the recipe? Check it out here.

Happy Fall!

Photographing Children Successfully

Childhood is a time of wonder, of magic moments, and of endless joy found in life's small details. While children are ambling through the world experiencing such phenomenon, most parents are scrambling behind them attempting to catch these discoveries on film.

Photographing children can be a frustrating experience, especially when parents are attempting to snap a picture of a child who tends to be more interested in eating the leaves rather than sitting in them for a festive fall picture. Paige Pearson, mother of three and creative force behind Paige Pearson Photography, has a few tips (to read more, go here)