Still Christmas shopping ...

Sephora is at it again .... spend only $25 and get this darling metallic clutch for free. Perfect metallic clutch to go with your holiday attire and fun festive events!!! Apply coupon code METTALIC and you will get this free clutch PLUS 20% off, all you need to do is spend over $25!

Christmas cards are in the mail ...

Now that our cards are on their way to your mailboxes I have to share my favorite "out-take" from our impromptu Christmas photo-session. I have to also mention that keeping my camera in my car really paid off this day, I was not planning on capturing his Christmas card photo that day but had 20 minutes before the store opened and grabbed my camera from the car while he was outside playing in front of Santa's house! Lesson learned, having your camera handy certainly helps! I can also honestly say we used a fun "snapshot" of our son playing rather then a posed planned shot (don't get me wrong, I LOVE those too!).

So here it is, my favorite "out-take", I *adore* his expression here:

Lighten your load while traveling with a little one!

I was recently talking to my long time and good friend AS about traveling with a little one. AS is my girlfriend that owns the amazing children's clothing line www.eight3one.com. Remember her? If not, you can LINK TO THIS POST to hear more.

Anyway, she was talking about the difficulty of traveling with a little one by yourself and how hard it is to manage all the items you need to take along with you such as, a stroller, car seat, highchair, etc. with out any help. I immediately remembered a new site that my knowledgable friend KR told me about. It is www.octraveltykes.com. In-the-know and ever so sweet KR sent me the information because I have been actively looking for a double stroller before our new little girl arrives (I have only 11 short weeks to figure it all out) and www.octraveltykes.com allows you "test drive" strollers. A wonderful feature for a gal like me that can never make up her mind even between the chocolate brown sweater or the cocoa brown sweater! LOL! I contacted them and got an immediate response (they also provide a great consultation service) and will be making an appointment in January to personally test the two strollers I have narrowed it down to: The Elite Urban Mountain Buggy or the Double version of the stroller we have now, the Valco Runabout Double.

But what I also noticed when I first went to the site was their first capture that read "Traveling to the OC? ... Don't pack it, we've got you covered!" How wonderful is that? They will deliver to most locations in Orange County, CA or you can pick it up after you arrive in Southern California. You can rent and use the items while on vacation and return them before you leave town. You can rent almost all large items you would need while traveling with your child(ren) including strollers, highchairs, playmats, pack-n-plays, etc. Even if you need a double stroller, they have you covered. The rental rates are also very reasonable. If you are not traveling to the OC soon, check out if the city you are planning to visit has the same type of service. In my limited research I did notice Tahoe, South Florida, and Martha's Vineyard. Less space needed for baby equipment means more space for your souviners!!!

I hope this helps "lighten" your holiday load!

I share, Daddy!

My DS is at the age where we are really trying to teach him about good manners. We are often reminding him about the big three (1) say please, (2) say thank you, (3) and share! He actually has been doing quite well with all 3 of them, especially for an active 22 month old boy.

Here is a picture of him sharing a cookie with Daddy at the wonderful St. Regis tree lighting ceremony after Thanksgiving (in Laguna Beach, CA).

Reader's Digest thought it was worthy of their top 10 Thanksgiving pictures and if you agree CLICK HERE to see and vote! (& boy, wouldn't a $100 come in handy during this holiday season!!!) :)