6 Things Sunday: Back to School

Summer is rapidly coming to a close.  You know what that means???  School's back in session!

Well, soon anyway.

So for the next 3 weeks, I'm going to be giving you 6 Things that are ALL about back to school.  Like today.

6 Back to School Items That I Want For Myself.

1. Building Block Calculator, (Perpetual Kid, $26.99)
It's no big secret that I hate math.  I'm just no good at it.  Therefore, I'm going to have to hire a tutor if my kids EVER need math help.  However, I'm pretty sure this calculator would tempt me to brush up on my skills.

2.  Where in the World is That Bulletin Board (Land of Nod, $24.95)

Are you using a bulletin board to keep up with stuff?  I should.  And I might if I had this awesome board.  Not only is it an awesome bulletin board but it features a magnetic map.  I'm pretty sure I could fit a geography lesson in there somewhere.

3. Over the Door Homework Organizer (LillianVernon, $34.99)
I had a tough time keeping up with my homework as a kid.  Hopefully this will make keeping up with it easier.  If not for them than for me.  So I can hound my kids when they aren't doing their homework.

That's right.  I'm that mom.

4. Building Block Bento Box (Modes4u.com, $21.97)
Yep, my kids are going to pack a lunch.  At least until they're "too cool" for that.  But I'm so over brown bags so I'm definitely thinking of Bento Boxes.  I love creative food storage and display. And with THREE boys, you can't go wrong with this awesome stackable Bento Box.

I want one for me.

5. Shark Bag Pencil Case (MinneBites, $35.00)
Every kid needs a pencil case.  This one just happens to be the coolest thing. Ever.  Words cannot express how much I love this.

6. Kraken Octopus Canvas Messenger Bag (Skip N Whistle, $34.50)
All that stuff from school has to get carried home somehow.  While this may not be the BEST for your back, it certainly is appealing to the eye.  I'm pretty sure I'm just including this because high school me would have LOVED this.

There ya go.  6 school supplies that pretty much rock.  Your kids can thank me later for making this awesome list. (I kid!)

Until next time, Happy Sunday!

Summer Blog Challenge: Bucket List

Today's Summer Blog Challenge prompt earns it's own post.

Create a Bucket List with a minimum of 10 things.

1. Visit Peru.
I love Peru.  I've been fantasizing about vacationing there since I was 15.  It must happen.

2. Open my own Brick and Mortar Shop.
The shop would be all boutique style gifts and children's items.  Cause there aren't enough of those in the world.

3.  Get in the physical shape I long to be in.
This mommy body needs some fine tuning. Someone motivate me.

4. Celebrate my 50th anniversary with Jon.
He'll be 81. I'll be 75.  (Hey, when I said I wanted to grow old with you, I meant it!)

5. Watch my children achieve their dreams.
Regardless of where their heart takes them, I want to see the look of satisfaction on their face when it happens!

6. Get that degree I said I don't care about.
The problem is getting myself to sit in front of homework again!

7. Become fairly self sufficient.
I would LOVE a small farm with cows, chickens and garden to die for. (By the way, the cows are for milk and the chickens, for eggs. I'd have to buy meat elsewhere...)

8.  Progress.
I want to keep pursuing my dream of becoming a plush designer. Beyond my small time stuff.

9.  Achieve InterGalactic Oneness.
If you can name the movie, you get 1000 gold stars today.

10. Learn to swim.
Stop laughing.

There are a million more things. But this is what I'm sharing today. What's on your list?

Copy-Kids. The Beginning.

Dinner time around the Sugar Crumbs house isn't as sweet as you'd imagine.  I'd always envisioned myself setting a table with a perfectly cooked roast, several cooked to perfection sides and a dessert that would ruin the strictest dieter. We'd say out prayers and then everyone would eat their dinner, complimenting my culinary expertise with each bite.  Plates would be licked clean and I'd excuse everyone from the table.

What actually happens is that I rush around like a headless chicken, trying to get served plates of food to the table WHILE listening to the immediate complaints.

"We're eating that for dinner?  But why?  Can't I have dessert? How about I don't eat that... Just two bites... One bite."

That negotiation, of course, is over the vegetable.  What can I say... my children are not big on eating their veggies.  It doesn't matter whether they are cooked or raw, plain or smothered in delicious melted cheese, if they see it, they don't want it. (Yes, I have added pureed veggies to other foods.)

Naturally, I'd like to see that change.  And I've tried everything from bribery to withholding dessert or other treats. Unfortunately, my children have an iron will.

But I have another plan to attack their iron will against all things vegetable.

Enter Copy-Kids.

Copy-Kids.com

So I have the awesome pleasure of reviewing a DVD called Copy-Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables. This DVD features children, real children, enjoying fruits and vegetables.  Seriously, that's it.  The idea behind it came from Cai Dixon noticing that her daughter would be more accepting of fruits and vegetables when she saw other children doing the same.

It's brilliant, really.  Kids like to mimic other kids.  Why not film a slew of children EATING and see what happens.

I received my copy in the mail and decided to watch it myself first. It's exactly what it claims to be.  115 minutes of children blissfully eating their healthy snack. (And it's adorable.) It's broken up into 12 chapters, each focusing on a different food.  Cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers avocado, bananas, apples, raspberries, etc.

So, after watching it myself, I'm interested to see whether or not this award winning DVD will win my children over on vegetables. With a MACT Excellence Award AND a Top 10 Dr. Toy Award, I have my hopes up.  (My pessimist side says they've never met my boys...)

So today, I'm off to the produce stands to get some fresh veggies.  We're going to test this out. Check back next Wednesday for Mister Man's (4) reaction to Copy Kids. The Wednesday after, we'll see how Copy-Kids fares against Mister Mister (5) who is very set in his ways.  Will they be as impressed as me?

Could I be the mother of children who eat... broccoli?? *gasp*  (Little Cassidy of Copy-Kids does! How did her mother accomplish that, I wonder...)



Until next time, Happy Wednesday!


Be sure to check out Copy-Kids.com for more information.  You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter!

6 Things... Tuesday. WBW 2012.

I missed 6 Things Sunday.  I know, I know.  You can scold me.  But I did it on purpose.

In case you didn't know, August 1st marked the first day of World Breastfeeding Week, 2012.  Now, I'll be honest.  I didn't even know that WBW was a thing until last year.  (What can I say?  I live under a rock sometimes.)  However, once I found out about it, I jumped on board.  After all, World Breastfeeding Week is all about encouraging and supporting breastfeeding.

And if you know me, you know I'm a lactivist to the max.  If you don't know me, Hi. My name is Erin. I am a lactivist to the max.

So in honor of the last day of WBW, I give you

6 Things I've Learned About Breastfeeding (Beyond the basic latch on)

1. Breastfeeding may be natural but it doesn't always come naturally.

I expected my newborn to sleepily latch on and fall asleep with a full belly. And with my middle child, that's pretty much how it went down. So I expected the same experience with my newest addition.  Blissfully content baby, happily nursing to sleep. Soft music would be playing and my hair would look fantastic.  Instead, my newborn would fall asleep before even latching on and when he would wake up, he'd scream like a banshee about latching on. Once he did latch, he'd fall asleep.

Yeah. And my hair looked like crap.

2.  No matter how many times you've breastfed before, you will STILL worry about whether or not your little one is getting enough.
I spent a lot of time obsessing. "Is he nursing enough? Wait, how many times has he had a wet diaper today."  9 times out of 10, it's a ridiculous concern.  As long as your baby is gaining weight and has an appropriate amount of wet/soiled diapers daily, you're fine.  Which leads me to number 3.

3.  You will never worry about diapers the way you do in the early breastfeeding weeks.
Okay, that might just be me. I counted them.  Luckily, the cloth diapers make it possible to keep track of wet diapers.

4.  Breastfeeding is convenient.
I've gone out a few times and left the diaper bag in the car.  And the Little Mister started fussing for food. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about running to the car for a bottle.  I like that since I pretty much suck at running.  Especially under pressure.

5. Haters Gonna Hate.
So while I'm on the topic of breastfeeding in public, I've learned that people are going to have their own opinions regardless of what you think or do.  I'm all for nursing your baby where ever you want. It's not like it has to be a huge peep show... However, you will come across someone who makes a comment about how inappropriate it is. Or my personal favorite "Just because you 'have the right' doesn't mean you should exercise it in front of me." To which I say, please feel free to exercise your right to look elsewhere!

6.  It's okay to enjoy it.
If you say that to some people, they'll be a little put off.  But the truth is that breastfeeding is one of the most loving things I've ever done. I absolutely LOVE looking down at my little one to see him staring up at me with a look of pure adoration. Or when he looks at me and grins.  I really enjoy those moments and the bonding time we have.

So there you have it!  Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

Yep. I'm feeding my newbie!

So I still have the Summer Blog Challenge going on!

What is a skill you wish you had?

Hm.  I would LOVE to have better organizational skills.  I try to organize things but somehow it never ends up the way it should.  I need to give it another go, I suppose.

I would also love more motivation to start working out again.  Not really a skill but definitely worth mentioning.

Until next time, Happy Tuesday!