OctoParty!

I have sooo much I could blog about from this summer and hopefully I will find some time to do so but I had to share the fun we had this past weekend celebrating Nolan's birthday! We finished two with a bang from fireflies in the Smokies to zoo trips and touching jellyfish at the beach! To celebrate Nolan turning three it was only appropriate to chose an Octonauts theme because we spend so much time with Captain Barnacles and his crew anyway. 

If you have ever experienced an Octonaut  obsession, you are well aware of how hard it is to find anything related to them that isn't an expensive toy at Toys R Us. Thankfully I found BirthdayExpress, an online party city times a million. They had the perfect Octonaut themed party supplies and the more you buy, the better deal you get. 

I told myself I would never be the water bottle mom, but this was too easy! We printed them out on photo paper so it wouldn't be too thin and they turned out perfectly! Here is the link: 

http://halegrafx.com/printables/free-printable-octonauts-water-bottle-labels/

Nolan is obsessed with Chick-Fil-A nuggets and lets be real, who isn't? So it's a pretty easy choice for what to serve. Plus a few prepackaged snacks which are easier to grab and if there are leftovers we picked our favorite foods so they are definitely not going to waste. 

Peso's Medical Boxes for favors included: 

Kwazii's Pirate Eye Patches

Turnip's molding clay

Shellington's Midnight Zone Glowstick

Inkling's Library Chalk

Eyepatches and medical boxes came with the birthdayexpress kit

Everything else came from the Dollar Tree, super easy and simple. 

There was also plenty of room for the kids to put their pinata candy in their boxes!

 

Decorated the tables with Oconaut toys that we already had. I had this theme in my head for a while so I also scored some pretty cheap additional OctoPods at consignment sales for a fourth of what they cost new! 

So, if you are reading this you already know how spoiled Nolan is but also that we have the best family members in the world that we wouldn't be able to live without. Obviously between my aunt to help plan, shop and run around with us, my uncle to make these AMAZING Nolan-sized Octonaut cut outs, my sister to make the perfect delicious cake and my mom and everyone else to set up and help the fun happen we are so thankful! The party would not have been such a success without them.

Nolan has some of the cutest friends in all of the land. 

The photobooth was 3 year old sized so that they could get in all the action.

I made Octonaut faces for the photobooth out of paperplates like I saw on Pinterest however....... I am not as crafty as I thought I was! Just used them as a little corner filler. 

One of my biggest rules for myself during a party: make sure to get a picture with the birthday boy! Don't do all the work and not have a photo to make the memory last forever.

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Nolan got Mitch the Fish for his birthday last year so he celebrated with us this year too. 

He loves the Octonauts, his favorite is Captain Barnacles. 

Finally, the face that made all the planning worth it! He loved it. 

It's Consignment Sale Season!

So my family has a running joke about the ladies that sell all of their stuff on Facebook and out of their cars at Ingles from VarageSale being ~gypsies~ but have ya'll ever sold anything on there because it's addicting! You make $10 off something you spent $150 on and you feel like you've won the lottery. I tried that for a while but I'm just not cut out for the meet up at Publix in the middle of the weekday lifestyle, so I started putting all of Nolan's old stuff in consignment sales and I LOVE IT. It's awesome. I would seriously love to open a children's consignment store one day. 

You buy clothes for 1/4 of what you would pay brand new (!!!) Half of the time I go through the racks and grab things Nolan would never need or wear but it's SO CUTE I have to remind myself that I will never put it on him and to put it back up. 

Picking which sale to register for:
In Knoxville there are many options for consigning in sales. ConsignmentMommies.com and Knoxville Mom's Blog can hook you up with an entire list like the ones here http://consignmentmommies.com/Partners/FrugalissaFinds.html however I personally love Duck Duck Goose and Jack & Jules for how organized they are. These women KNOW their consignment sales, probably because they have done them so many times.

Duck Duck Goose: Double the setup space, so many more consignors and alot more people know about the sale- so it's an easy choice for the first time. It's a little overwhelming to think about how anyone really find my items in this sea of endless stuff but it's totally worth it! I've made anywhere from $250-$400 from consigning in Duck Duck Goose at the Expo Center location.

Because there are over two THOUSAND consignors at DDG- they inspect clothing as it arrives for season, condition and wear. Usually you only leave drop off with a few pieces but they have to take it serious because of the quantity of items they put out each season.

http://dkdkgoose.com/

Jack & Jules: J&J is hosted in the same location, The Knoxville Expo Center, as Duck Duck Goose but uses only half of the space. With a fraction of the consignors, the sale is smaller but there are definitely people still shopping this sale. Sometimes the quality of items is better at this sale but it all goes fast because there is less to choose from!

 http://www.jackjules.com/

Getting things together:
When going through the piles of clothes you feel like your child never wore, sort them into Spring/Summer & Fall/Winter. Both of these sales are semi-annual so eventually your stock pile will make its way to their floor. Get organized and it will go alot faster!

Don't be afraid to get creative when selling your stuff! Most of the time if you bought it for your kid, someone else will be looking for it too. Bags of extra diapers, bibs, bottles, even furniture!

What you need to get started:
-Index Cards: This will be what you attach to each item as its tag, best deal for these is at the Dollar Tree
-Hangers: (& lots of them): I find wire hangers are the easiest/cheapest way to go. Save the hangers you get when you shop and reuse them! Sometimes dry cleaners have a recycle pile that they will give you.
-Safety Pins galore: You will use these to tag and reinforce your items to the hangers so they don't fall off being picked through and sorted.
-Stickers: Most likely Avery (or store brand) 5160 will fit the labels.
-Printer/ink: to print the labels
-Markers- I used Sharpies to write on the tags, It's easier and shows up better.
-Highlighter: for these particular sales, you will be assigned a color of highlighter based on your name. This is crucial in the sorting process to have your items returned.
-Zip Lock Bags: This is the best way to display toys with little pieces and sometimes shoes.. Some buyers are skeptical of buying shoes in bags but I think it keeps them in the best condition.
-Tape: You will need packing tape NOT scotch tape for attaching tags to toys, boxes, etc. Scotch tape will not hold up from the amount of hands that will touch each item you put out.

Tagging:
Tags for both of these sales are pretty similar and luckily both websites have clear instructions on how they want the tag to look. The only difference between the tags for DDG and J&J is the half price day indication.

For DDG the tags will include a RED DOT beside the price. This means that on the last day of the sale, an item WITH  red dot will NOT be discounted. All items without a red dot will be sold for half the given price.

For J&J the tags will include "ND" on the left side. This means that on the last day of the sale, an item WITH "ND" will not be discounted. All items without "ND" will be sold for half the given price.

Pretty straight forward on how to tag.. Tagging is TIME CONSUMING and not something you want to do the night before your drop off shift. My advice is to work on it a little at a time so that it doesn't become a chore and overwhelm you. It can be relaxing if you do it in small doses!

Printing labels: 
I make labels all day long at work, but for those of you that don't this process can be confusing and not worth it. Both of the sales I have mentioned use "Print at Home" systems that will save SO much time and can be such an asset to a consignor once you get the hang of it. Each sale's website provides the template for the labels. You won't have to rely on someone sending you specific amounts of labels and you can print them at your pace.

My best advice is to hang, tag and price everything before you print the labels. Then you can count how many of each price you will need to print out. This eliminates waste and can help you get your items organized. This can also help you get a good idea of what your goal is to make in sales.

Pricing:
You basically have two options when pricing your items. Price to sell or price to make money. You are taking a chance with either of them and it's really your personal decision on which to choose. Most likely, shoppers are only willing to pay 40% of what the orignial asking price is. Honestly, that is sometimes a stretch.

If you NEED to get rid of the items (aka all this old baby stuff is taking over my house, garage, attic, living room, bathtub, etc.) then you probably need to aim for a lower percentage but don't sell yourself short. Remember you are only getting a portion of that back so don't basically give your item and the time it takes to get it all together away.

For higher end, larger or boutique items I would suggest pricing to make money. Obviously you aren't going to make a profit on these items unless you purchased them at a steep discount from the beginning, however there is potential to make some serious extra money from these sales.

Drop off:
Make sure it's sorted properly BEFORE drop off. Each rack is sorted by gender then by size. For clothing, I recommend grouping hangers together with rubber bands so it's easy to unload and hang up on the appropriate rack. I would bring a basket, cart, something with wheels for all loose items like shoes and toys and have them ready to unload as well.

Drop off can get a little crazy and definitely overwhelming the first experience.  Be sure to give yourself enough time during the day of your drop off shift for your items to be inspected, sorted and put out.

Pick up:
Depending on the time of day and season of the sale, pick up can be kinda annoying and a headache. Most of these sales offer to cut your check when you pick up your unsold items. After getting your remaining items off the shelves and into your car, you might have to wait in a line that is LOOOONG. Duck Duck Goose especially, due to the volume of consignors. Plan for this time, maybe try to do this while the kiddos are not with you because it can either be easy breezy or a headache.

Working shifts:
4 hours? Really? I feel like alot of people have no interest in spending any more of their time devoted to these sales. Especially once they realize how much it will really take to get all of their stuff prepared to sell. However it's crucial to make these sales successful. The biggest perk is shopping early, not waiting in line (!!) and sometimes a bigger percentage of your sales but you also have an opportunity to make sure your items haven't fallen off the hangers or been left out on the floor. I personally think it helps your stuff to sell.

DON'T FORGET TO SHOP!!

My favorite part about these consignment sales is that I basically make around the same amount of money that I spend, so it turns into a cycle of how I get clothes/toys. It's perfect!

Here are some examples of what you can find:

@ Jack & Jules

Octonaut's OctoPod with characters $8

Jake & The Neverland Pirates "Bucky" $7

Melissa & Doug Wooden Pots & Pans $4

Polo t-shirt $4

Bag of dinosaurs $2

 Cole Haans IN THE BAG for $7... yes $7

@Duck Duck Goose 

Toy organizer bin $25

CARS chair $2

Mickey Chair $3

CARS toy bin $5

Nikes $5

Piles of clothes!!!

LIGHTNING MCQUEEN BED-- $75.. what?!??! steal of the century!

When you go in to shop the sale, remember you are not the only person in the store. Be considerate of the people shopping around you and don't take up too much space or crowd someone on the same aisle as you. Also, respect the consignors by placing the items you don't want to buy in the discarded areas or back on the racks. Don't tear off tags, leave stuff on the floor or anything like that. If you put something out of place it makes it really hard for it to sell. Being a consignor always helps you to become a more considerate shopper. Finally, prepare yourself for the line. If you are as impatient as me, you definitely need to figure out a time in the day that the line isn't wrapped all the way around the store. My best piece of advice while shopping: you get what you pay for! You are (hopefully) getting some AWESOME deals, so it's probably out of your shopping comfort zone a little at some point in the experience. It isn't a department store however the workers that run and organize these sales try their best to make it the most pleasant experience possible. Appreciate the deals you're getting. 

your life is not over

I know how you feel, because I sat in a waiting room by myself and felt the same way. Cried while filling out the paperwork and threw up when they confirmed my fear. The feeling that nothing is going to be okay, it can't be okay. The overwhelming pressure in your chest and eyes and head when you think about people finding out. Thinking all the homework, studying and exams meant nothing because you will have to quit school now. Falling into the trap the world sets up for you about life being over when you get pregnant before marriage. at 19. A sophomore in college. Nobody wants to be a single mom, nobody wants to date a single mom. How will I afford being a single mom? Will my family ever even talk to me again?

Comforting words from friends and family can only go so far. They start to accept the idea, but have you really accepted the way your life is about to change? Probably not. Because you really have no idea how it's going to change. As everyone jumps on board the train that's going to keep moving whether they get on or not you make plans, buy nursery items, plan a baby shower, pack the hospital bag.

Then reality hits. 8 pounds, 11 ounces, 22 inches long of REAL LOVE. Real, screaming, crying, hungry, needs his mommy more than anybody in the world, love. My second thought, after the immediate holy cow this just came out of me...Why did they leave me alone with this baby??? I have no idea what I'm doing. Why is he making all of these noises? What is that smell? Did I really just spill sprite all over him? I'm doing this wrong. How will I even know this is right?

Thankful for all the help from family and sleep deprived, you begin to piece this new life back together. Maybe your thoughts were right a little,your life the way it was is over. It's really about this new life. But this new life is so busy and full of diapers you have no idea you're missing that part of you anymore.

Once the craziness calms down, he starts to hold his bottle by himself, maybe even sleep for longer than 3 minutes, you start to miss your friends and free time. It's really hard at first but you find out who really cares for you when your time is limited and you can't swing by a party every night of the week. When he's asleep and you think you are bored, the last productive thing you can do is stalk all of your "friends" social media posts to see what fun you're missing out on. Think about all the fun you two had that day. Do something for yourself. Netflix, workout, shower? Something more productive than making yourself feel left out. Your little buddy appreciates you, mom.

Work starts, school starts, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO STARTS. Your life is not over, you just have someone little to share it with. His life is just beginning. Your biggest fan and motivator who is the reason you may rush home a little earlier than usual because you can't stand being at work without him one second longer. Please don't limit yourself. I know it's so hard when the world wants you give up but keep pushing on. When laundry and homework are done at 2AM and you're tired and just want to stop YOU are the one that has made it this far, don't give up on yourself.

Your new beginning with this little person life. You answer your own questions without even thinking about it. You have plenty of new things to do that you probably never thought you would be doing. Birthday party planning, 15 doctor's appointments, cleaning, playing in the sandbox, driving around looking at 12 neighborhood's worth of Christmas lights, stopping when you pass cows so you can "moo" at them. This list could go on for about 8 pages. You figure out how to make it work. You figure out how to afford things, you figure out that your family couldn't stay mad because they melt whenever they hear his laugh.

At some point you realize you are allowed to have friends. It took me alot longer than most people to accept that sometimes mom is allowed to spend baby free time. It's actually really good for you to, probably because more often than not it reminds me that the "party life" isn't for me anymore. The coolest friends though, are the ones that want you to bring him along. They enjoy having him in their life and care about what is going on in yours. They get that it's your life with him. You'll appreciate that more than you ever could imagine. Hang on to those people and don't let them go.

The biggest evidence I can offer as proof that life isn't over just changed by my little guy is that the questions surged my thoughts sitting in the waiting room chair at The Hope Resource Center on December 28, 2011 are not worries of mine anymore. I seldom worry about how things will effect me because I am too worried and concerned about how they will effect him. One thing is for sure, most of the time when you are looking for something, Nolan probably hid it in the microwave.

No mother is an expert at parenting. I have no advice on how to be a rockstar role model and teacher for my little guy. But I can tell you I am confident you will figure it out.

You chose life for your little one and yourself, live it! 

Tonka Truck Party!

This week is officially the beginning of my summer, which for me means it's time for birthday party planning starts full force. I have gotten so much done today that I am SO excited about, but also really sad because Nolan is about to be 3.. how did that happen??? He's basically an adult and it makes me wanna cry a little. ANYWAY with all of the excitement that my new found free time has given me in planning this party I thought I would share with you all a little from last years! It was tonka truck themed and soooo fun to work on! 

The name board was just a black foam poster board from the dollar tree and metallic sharpie like markers. I listed his favorite things and little details about how he is growing. I like keeping this boards and using them in his yearly pictures to track how quickly he is growing. 

I wanted the party favors to be interactive for the kids and true to the truck theme so the safety glasses/goggles and hard hats were perfect! I added truck stickers to glasses and goggles and made the hard hats a "decorate your own" option with stickers and markets. I found the cutest stickers at the dollar store along with the tiny tonka trucks. 

I also found orange aprons and glued stickers with trucks on them that said "Nolan's Crew" which took soooo much time but turned out SO adorbs!!!

The coloring station was something I've always wanted to try from Pinterest and it was super simple to set up. Just printed out the trucks and added Nolan's name then sat crayons in little cups. I ended up putting some of these around the tables and the grown ups colored more than the kids did. 

My ever so talented sister made the perfect cake on the table!

We added the dollar store trucks to tie it all together plus the CONE CANDLES- my favorite part of the entire party. The easy cupcakes were nice for people to grab if they didn't want cake. 

These awesome Cone Cups (birthday express or amazon) were kinda pricey but we still use them a year later for juice so hey they were worth it and doubled as great decor. 

The food table was so fun to put together

I put saran wrap inside the dump trucks and

 served chips and chick fila chicken nuggets out of them

The photo booth was my favorite part of this whole party! I used real caution tape from 

Home Depot as the backdrop and bought photo booth props from Walmart that were already on sticks along with silly hats that we used from his first birthday photo booth. This was much easier than trying to make my own props and saved alot of time!

this working mom thing

Being a working mom is like trying to pat your head and rub your belly at the same time. When you first try to do it, you think that it is pretty impossible but if you work at it enough you can actually do it without even thinking. I really feel that way lately. I've learned to juggle a lot in a short amount of time but there are a lot of times I feel like I add something else and have to concentrate on getting everything back on track again.

I was so excited to finally start a blog but of course this spring has flown past me faster than I could have ever imagined. The past 8 weeks have been the busiest and most testing that I have encountered so far. I have worked far longer hours and spent more time away from Nolan than I had planned, not that I am not so thankful for the opportunities that I've been given at my job- but it's been a struggle to spend as much time with him as I would like to and do everything I need to do. We have fallen into a pretty good routine, as regular as the hours I work will permit, including snuggling and watching the Octonauts every night. I used to think that co-sleeping was the worst thing ever because it starts bad habits but it's the only time I see my little guy some days. I'm thankful he will only sleep with his toes underneath his mommy because I know there will be a day he won't anymore!

When people say that every kid is different and wants to potty train on their own time, they are not kidding. I made charts, tried bribery, bought every pair of underwear that Target offers in size 2T but of course the minute I hit the road with the softball team towards Columbia, South Carolina I get a call that Nolan has decided to pee in the potty. We haven't really looked back from when he decided other than a few accidents and I now have a 95% of the time toilet using little boy!!!! It's amazing. I have no cool tips or tricks on how to hurry the process along but just had to share how proud I am of him.

I am usually all about giving advice on how to do anything but really the only encouragement I can give to other mom's in my shoes or that feel overwhelmed with everything life has thrown at them is keep going, you're doing a good job. Sometimes it may feel like you're drowning or not doing it right but those are the times you're probably doing your best. When you're spread thin, take a break and take care of yourself. I wish I could take my own advice on that one more but I am learning that sometimes I really must have a netflix break or I will lose my mind.

It's all worth it when the smiling face YOU CREATED lights up and runs towards you the minute you walk through the door. There is really nothing like it. I pray one day he can comprehend how much I love him.

Doing Disney Pt 1: The Packing Plan

   Doing Disney Pt 1: The Packing Plan

Okay, so never did I think that people would actually read this thing- but since you all are here I'm going to put it to good use! I am going to start talking about going to Disney World with littles If you follow me on any other social media then you know we have been lucky enough to venture to Disney World a few times with Nolan. Every single time is a new experience and is more fun than the last. The more he grows, the more fun he has! I'm no expert by any means, but every once in a while I will share my tips and suggestions for taking a little one to the most magical place on earth! 

Depending on the age of your little mouse and how long you are planning on staying, the luggage alone could need it's own room at a resort. Obviously you need the basics (clothes, diapers, wipes, socks, shoes) but I will share the 3 most important tips about packing for Disney World I can pass along!

1. Plan for any kind of weather. Of course you will check the forecast a million times before your big trip but you never know what is going to happen. When they say it's windy, they mean it at Disney. It's probably best to bring clothes for any type of weather that the season could bring. We usually go in winter but I pack enough shorts and pants for both. 
*Bring your baby a rain jacket* Disney does not sell kid's rain jackets anywhere, we looked for an entire afternoon one day. They do allow umbrellas in the park too! 

One day you're bundled up

the next you are in shorts

2. Bring a backpack/diaper bag with you to the park.
Be sure to include snacks and drinks in this bag for the day! Uncrustables (ya know the PB&J sandwiches) are $6 EACH inside the parks. Get a box before you come and save a lot of money by packing them in your bags for a snack! 
I also include: sunglasses, sunscreen, hat  (aka the fair skin people essentials), water bottle, oragel, tide to go, chapstick, tylenol for you and them, wipes because you never know, hand sanitizer, aquaphor, change of clothes, iPad and portable phone charger. Also anything else your child will need if they are sleepy or need to be entertained while waiting in a line for a ride. If you are still changing diapers I would suggest a changing mat &/or clorox wipes because the baby stations inside the restrooms have hundreds of little butts on them a day. 

3. Your stroller is your best friend. I have a Britax B-Agile stroller and it's so great for Disney. It folds up in a breeze and is very light so taking it on the buses and boats is very easy! I also bring a stroller fan (they sell them in the parks too) for when it's really hot and it's time for a stroller nap. Be sure your stroller has an identifying characteristic like a luggage tag or monogram because Disney is a sea of strollers and the last thing you want is to get into a theme park war over who a stroller belongs to. They also have stroller rentals and for some people this is a better option because you don't have to fool with them once you leave the park. 

Some other random things I bring in my suitcase with me that always make the trip better: surge protector so all phones/ipads get charged, bath tub toys so he will actually want to take a bath even though he's exhausted from a 12 hour day, BLANKETS because the resort rooms are freezing cold. 

Obviously there is so much more to cover but I will go by different topics as I post! It's so important to research everything before you take your first visit to Disney World with little ones. Planning out the day with what to bring and where you are going can try and save time and a little sanity! 

xoxo