Thursday, July 29, 2010

Hectic Days

This past week has been so hectic. We've had things that couldn't be pushed off any longer on base to do, guests over, and trying to paint the house.

Sorry for not blogging. More to come soon. I'm enjoying the North Carolina rain. It is such a nice change to have warm rain over Seattle's cold rain. I love this state!

P.s. Finally have a new camera so picture quality will be much better around here <3

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The Wife Mowing the Lawn

I mowed the lawn. Well the front, and the side and half of the fenced in part. That’s right just half. Out in the lovely humid heat of NC, I hear a small whimper. I swear I must have bat ears. I turned off the mower crept into the house as I thought both our babies were sleeping. Low and behold Charlie is teething and awake. She was laying there and seemed to be yelling at her elephants on her crib mobile.

Like any mother bird, I swooped her up and cuddled. The lawn can wait. Moments like this can’t.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

For the Love of Crabs

Yesterday Justin brought home some more crabs. And these is what we made!



It’s so yummy! Hope everyone has a great day

Top 10 Baby (Smaller) Toys

Usually you see lists with the swing, the exersaucer, etc. I wanted to compile a list of the smaller toys, the ones your child can take with them. These are all ones my kids have enjoyed for almost the whole 1st year of their lives.


1. Lamaze Octivity Time
This toy has been a huge hit with both of my children. It carries a high price tag, $21.99 currently on Amazon. We were lucky to score it for $2 at the Tacoma Once Upon a Child. I’m not sure I would have jumped for it brand new due to the price but knowing how wonderful it is now, I would should we ever lose ours. This toy has it all! It’s soft, adorable and completely baby friendly. The head squeaks, the starfish clicks when it turns, a mirror, floppy pieces, and crinkles all over! There is even a little Velcro piece in the bottom so that you can take it almost anywhere with you. Both my children played with this little guy from birth but the recommended age is 6+ months.


2. Infantino Ball
Not sure if you can purchase this one separately. The little clackers have received little use but the ball is a huge hit! Jake loves interacting with Charlie and the ball. It has little beads in the clear parts that sound like rain when turned just right. Charlie is all about grabbing this one, gumming away on it, and just having a good time flinging from either side of her bouncer. I also like this one because it is brightly colored. This toy is for 3+ months.


3. Bright Starts Rattle & Shake Barbell Rattle
This toy is great! You can use this one from 0months on up. Its amazing watch your two week old baby curl her fingers in between the twisty part in the middle and just go to town. We went through many, many rattles with my son and none seemed to really hold his interest or even be easy for him to shake til he was older. I actually received this rattle at my daughter’s baby shower. It has been a huge hit so thank you Heather!


4. Bright Starts License to Drool Teether
There are so many obnoxious baby keys out there. The License to Drool Teether by Bright Starts is great. No obnoxious noises, has great little bumps so your teether can use them and accomplish that much needed massage. These keys were the only ones that have out lasted and been most used by my little punks.


5. Sassy Me in the Mirror
A lot of the toys I have on my list have little mirrors on them but nothing beats having a big (no breakable of course) mirror in the crib or on the floor so baby can see another baby to crawl over to or make funny faces at. I love the Sassy Mirrors the best because they are low noise, can be hung on a crib or stand alone on the floor or where ever baby is playing. These come in a variety of colors and even has an mp3 capability


6. Whoozit
This toy has bold colors and an adorable mirror nose. There are little noise makers all over and easy to grab arms. Great straps to take everywhere with you. I personally hung ours above the changing table. Spin it around and your babies won’t be able to take their eyes of the whoozit. We have the larger version but they do have a smaller size available.


7. Leap frog caterpillar
I loved this toy so much. I remember going into the store with Jake. Everytime I would bee line it for toy aisle and grab this so Jake could play with it. He loved it from moment he was born. I had to save up to get it, it was a new toy so I had no luck at garage sales finding it. We were beyond broke back then and with a new baby. This toy has little hang downs that crinkle or make noise. The neck allows you/baby to chose from classical music, colors, counting. It attaches to the strollers, cribs, can be alone, and about anywhere else you can think of. This one doesn’t seem to be in stock anywhere unless at very high prices. It’s one I would suggest hunting garage sales for. It’s worth it!


8. Lamaze Play & Grow Flutterbug
What is more fun that a toy that you grab and it vibrates away from you? Well I can think of lots of things but this toy is a huge hit at our home. Infantino, Tiny Love and other brands have similar toys. I think the Lamaze Flutterbug was such a huge hit because of the bold colors, the rings making it easier to grab for younger ones, not to mention the rings are great to chew on.


9. Infantino: Monkey & Elephant Wrist Rattles
These are so much fun for newborns till around 3 months. You just put them on your baby and their face is priceless when they move their little hands. This is one toy I love to gift to others at showers. We picked some up at a garage sale for just 10 cents!


10. Stuffed Animal
A classic no matter the gender. I recently bought this new with the tag Pluto (goofy’s dog), stuffed animal from Goodwill for just 99 cents. Both my kids fell in love with him. He is great with huge and an adoring puppy look. They remind me of our basset hound. Just make sure if baby is playing to have all tags removed and watch out for any removable eyes or parts.

*All pictures are from Amazon.com

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Twilight: Eclipse

This morning has been a great one. I finally watched Twilight: Eclipse. The movie didn't disappoint in the slightest. Or perhaps I should say Edward didn't (yes I am Team Edward). The battle scenese made it much more interesting for Mr. Right to watch with me. To his credit, Mr. Right has dutifully watched the other two films with me and bought them the day they are released on DVD. He truly is Mr. Right for many reason :)



What I really liked in Eclipse was the how they portrayed the growing friction between Edward and Jacob. While I absolutely love the first two movies, I felt the friction could have been a little more obvious in New Moon. There is nothing like a good drama strung,love triangle. At least in books and films...




Another sweet surprise was Jasper's sudden Texan accent. I never detected it in the other films but when he was recounting his story to Bella about his past, there it was. When he called Alice "Ma’am", it made heart go pitter patter for a moment. Mr. Right is such a gentleman to me like Jasper is to Alice. Few men are like that in these times and I am so grateful to have nabbed one to have all to myself.

If you have yet to go see Eclipse, I highly recommend it. Hopefully you will be able to get your husband to go with you. Show him the trailer with the fight scenes of vampires and werewolves if he needs some coaxing. Then just cuddle up with a bag of popcorn and enjoy.

Mr. Right just brought home some yummy coffee and is cooking up breakfast right now. Hope everyone has a blissful day!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Getting to the Good Part is Always Tough

Today Justin and I went crabbing with kiddos. Jake had an absolute blast. The intial plan was to go fishing but after the water was assualted with pinecones thanks to Jake, we settled in on some good crabbing. Charlie spent the day cuddled up with Mommy in her swanky Baby Bjorn, checking out all the tadpoles and crabs.

The bites we're not that great but we had fun sitting around on the dock waiting for the turkey neck nets to tug. We caught all in all, 4 crabs worth keeping. We let many little guys go. The plan is to give them time to grow and nab them later.

Here is a picture of our "catch"


We brought these guys home and cooked them up. The hard part was cracking up all the little pieces. Just like in life the hard work always has big payoffs. Its funny how things always work out that.


The crab meat was amazing!!! Hope everyone had a relaxing Sunday

Friday, July 9, 2010

The Beginnings

Hello! Welcome to A Bird Loves Her Nest. My name is Robin and I LOVE my nest. I have been "haunting" garage sales for years. I love antiques with a passion. Since my husband and I had a sweet little boy, almost 3 years ago, I have turned my thrifty ways into cover our baby expenses. Whether is be finding 304ct of *sealed* huggies 1-2 diapers for only $5, finding decorating, and everything nest. Hope you enjoying visting and check back soon.

To shorten things up from now on these will be how I refer to my little family in the blog.
amazing freebies, or making it myself. My husband has been amazed that I have continued to do so after our last addition to the family, a smiling baby girl that completes us all. With much nudging from my ever encouraging husband I've decided to take things a few steps further and really see just how well I can do. I plan on writing about my amazing deals and steals, projects,