rain, rain, go away and guest post at she breaths deeply!

The severe storm woke Henry from his afternoon nap as I drove home in marble sized hail and thunder so loud I could barely hear the radio. Garrison swooped a sleepy Henry out of his crib and the three of us sat on our tiny porch and watched the weather turn wild. And as dinner cooked we chased a giggly (naked!) Henry across the hardwood floors, stopping occasionally to sing "rain, rain, go away" and to admire the side swept rain and lightning out the single pane window.

I love how this weather makes this little house feel like a home.

Hey! Check out our guest post over at She Breathes Deeply! I was so excited when Mandy asked me to write about what it's like to be a new(ish) mom. Mandy's blog has been a favorite of mine for a really long time. She's super sweet and incredibly pretty AND she just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Lily! Go say hi!

F21 Hates Me

I don't even remember how it feels to be able to browse through clothes leisurely. Now I'm that annoying customer with the over sized stroller, frantically grabbing everything off of the racks (Henry will die if I make more than one trip to the dressing room!), leaving behind a trail of goldfish crackers and apologizing to everyone who has to pick up a bottle or the Clifford book that Henry chucked out of his stroller in anger. And after I've handed back everything that I didn't have time to try on, I leave with only a skirt. Babies = best budget saver ever!

oh you know, just eating....

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Henry Helps

And by "helps" I really mean, "goes behind me and tears out everything I just got done picking up...."

hey? wanna vote?

Double Fisting

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Mama Guilt

I've been feeling so guilty this week. Henry is growing up so fast and I feel like I've wasted too many precious baby days being stressed out and easily frustrated at the most trivial things. I know it's normal to feel overwhelmed at times and that I am not a bad mom, yet here I am wishing I could take back every second I've ever let Henry know anything but peace and love.

I hate this feeling but I do think it's an important one because it makes me cautious of my emotions and helps me focus on the moment at hand. I'm learning that even the most stressful times can become some of your most cherished memories, it's all in how you choose to handle it that makes the difference.

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Lend a Hand, Help Japan GIVEAWAY

My friend Jill over at The Chronicles of Corbin is doing something really cool. She's asked a few ladies to donate something for a giveaway that is GOING ON RIGHT NOW!!! Make a minimum donation of $5 and you'll be entered into a drawing for something really awesome. All of the money raised will be given to the Red Cross.

I'm offering a pair of custom, hand sewn baby booties like the ones I made for Paige's friend Cheryl last year:

photo via cheryl

Organizations use the cheesy "for the price of a coffee you could...." tag because moms drink a ton of coffee and it makes them feel guilty. So here I am, making you feel guilty: Brew yourself a cup at home tomorrow and send your money to people who could really use some help right now. Click the Japan button at the top and check it out!

On Firetrucks:

We really were having a fun time planting Henry's strawberry plant....

Until the firetruck drove by and blasted its horn.

I've never seen him so intrigued and incredibly scared at the same time. They'd be on his awesome list if they just didn't make any noise!

Also, see our new banner? I'm so excited about it! My beautiful blog friend Jess from I ROCK SO WHAT made it for us along with a new button that I'll be posting soon.

Have you all seen her banners yet? She's so creative and has made some of my favorite blog banners for other blogs. Want one of your own? Visit HER SHOP and she'll be more than stoked to work with you. It was really easy too, I basically told her what I had in mind and she played around with the pictures I sent...four days later It's a Wonderful Life is all spruced up and looking awesome. Please, please check her out!

The Invisible Leash

Yesterday my mom asked me if I knew how long Henry's "invisible leash" was. She said that every kid has one- the distance a baby will venture away from you before turning around to make sure you are still there.

So I tested it at the park, sat down on the grass and just let him go. And guys? He walked clear across the field before finally turning around to show me a handful of muddy leaves he then stuffed in his mouth. My independent boy with the longest invisible leash ever... I think we're going to have our hands full.

we're slipping! could you please send us a vote?

do you want a handmade baby quilt?

For Hen's first Christmas, my mom surprised us with a gorgeous hand-sewn quilt. I was, of course, bawling the second I opened it because a gift like that you can't buy at a store and it's something that Henry will no doubt hand off to his own baby some day {omg, MORE tears!!}.

Henry's quilt turned out so beautiful that my mom has taken up sewing again and is whipping out quilts like nobody's biznazz and I thought it would be fun to try something new.

A quilt auction!

So here's how it works:

* Starting price is $50 (+ S&H)
* You are bidding on the handmade quilt pictured below
* Leave a comment letting me know that you are interested and how much you'd like to pay (ex: if someone has already bid $52, leave me a comment saying you'd pay $53....)
* If you're the only person to comment, you could win this quilt for $50!
* Auction ends Friday, March 31st

About the quilt:




* Size: 32 x 42 (the size of a crib mattress)
* Perfect for a crib, tummy time, stroller outings, or as a picnic blanket!
* 100% cotton fabric (john deer, blue sky, and red bandana patterns. same as Henry's, CUTE).
* Henry's is made from the same material and it's super cuddly, he sleeps with it every night!

(Also, $50? A steal. I've priced quilts this size on Etsy and they are selling anywhere from $75-$150!)

Good luck!

(payment accepted through PayPal. auction open to US/Canada residents only -sorry! please email any questions to: allie at wonderful_life_blog@yahoo.com)

Poor Henry has croup and is up all night with a barking cough and a runny nose. It's gorgeous outside but we're choosing to hang around the house in these baggy striped sick pants, sipping Odwallas and watching "Babba Babba"...just waiting for this sick to leave us alone.

Park!Park! Weekend!

This weekend we spent a ton of time outdoors. We took Henry to two parks and ate avocado and burnt cheese sandwiches with giant cookies. Henry is getting really good at walking which means I can basically plop him down anywhere and he'll explore on his own. It's awesome.

OH and this picture makes me laugh so hard. It must be tiring being the park's primary creepy balloon animal man!

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On Advertising

Opening up this blog for your advertisements? Something I was pretty stoked about the first time an Etsy shop owner contacted me but now I'm having second thoughts. I love the idea of sharing awesome handmades and fun blogs with my readers but I'm not sure selling them an ad space is the way I want to go about that. I feel like it might make this blog a little less charming so I'm stepping back.

How about this. Interested in being a monthly sponsor? Let's work out a giveaway or a product review trade for trade and I'll post your button on my blog for a month. Just click the ad button above for more info!

Oh, and while we're talking advertising, I do have three new sponsor's buttons posted on the right. Go check them out!

* blog friends: if you are currently advertising for some bucks, please don't think i'm calling you out. i think it's so great that you are, it's just not something i feel is for me (right now, anyway).

incredible duckboy takes a break

because even the most awesome superheros need some r&r.



please vote for us today?

Hen's Dance Montage (Video)

We're getting down and crrrrrazy over here. Henry says, "Now I wanna see ya'll on your baddest behavior. Lend me some sugar...I AM your neighbor!"

shshshshake it from allie on Vimeo.

Dear Henry

Some mornings I look into your crib and I swear you've grown over night. I used to get sad at the thought of you growing up but you know what? The grown up Henry is so much fun and I'm loving these days 10x more than I ever imagined I would. While I'll always yearn for those cuddly newborn years, I'm looking forward to the future with you.

Love,
Mom

On Public Meltdowns

I'm getting better at composing myself when Henry gets upset in public but I'm still not "there". Taking him out as a newborn really stressed me out. The thought of him crying in a restaurant was enough to make boxed mac and cheese at home sound freaking amazing. But looking back on those feelings I'm laughing because a newborn cry? SO QUIET! and everyone is all lovey dovey over a newborn baby anyway so they don't really care as much as you think they do (seriously, new moms. stop worrying about it).

However, a screaming thirteen month old chucking food across the table? Yeah, not as charming. We went to breakfast yesterday and Hen was tired and all upset about something dumb and it was an experience, for sure. And I'm bad. I'm "that mom" who's ripping open a box of unpurchased goldfish in the grocery store just to keep my brat child under control. Not that Henry is really a brat. He's just stubborn.

realllly STUBBORN. see?

But I'm working on keeping my cool, even if he isn't. And maybe when Henry is 15 and he yells at me in public because I won't let him drive the car home, I'll look back on these "embarrassing" meltdowns and laugh too.

vote for my stubborn brat?