Much Appreciated

It's Teacher Appreciation Week so we wanted to make sure we recognized the daycare workers who take such great care of our little one.  However with several teachers instead of just the one, plus being entirely new to this game, we weren't sure what would be the best way to do that.

Overwhelming internet consensus (for what it's worth) seemed to be that gift cards are the best bet, but it just didn't feel right buying a stack of them and saying hey here you go.

Here's was my idea to make it a little extra special:

It seemed to be a big hit with the ladies and I wanted to share in case anyone else was at a loss the way we were earlier this week.

Show your teachers some love, y'all!

Flying Solo with a 12-Month-Old

How does the saying go?  Do one thing every day that scares you?  It is amazing how accomplished you can feel after you doing something completely terrifying that you never thought you'd be capable of.

Liking taking a 3 hour flight, with a 12-month-old crawler, with a convertible car seat, without checking bags, all by yourself.

That's what I was faced with a when a planned family trip to South Florida to visit my parents at their timeshare, was upended with a last-minute work conflict for the hubs.  I was in desperate need of some beach therapy and L&B were so excited to see their grandson, but could I do it on my own?  A 15 minute drive to the grocery store is enough of a challenge, how was this going to work?

Well, I'm here to tell you it can be done, and I'm a better person for it.  Here's how I survived:

1.  No stroller

Pushing a stroller requires one, if not two hands and on this trip I was going to need every available appendage at my disposal.  Not only that, a stroller would've been just one more thing to gate check, and already towing a roller bag and car seat, it just wasn't in the cards.  Hands-free was the way for me, so baby carrier was Henry's mode of transport through the airport, namely this one.  Thank goodness for the Baby Trekker, it's uber comfortable and literally can be worn for hours (unlike some of its less-comfortable brethren).

What to do when your plane is delayed:  Take selfies!

Note, FAA regulations do not allow a baby to be worn during the fight, this thing came off as soon as we got to our seat.

2.  One carry-on bag

Since we'd be arriving after bedtime on the return trip, the last thing I needed was to wait another 30 minutes (or more) for baggage claim after the flight.  It was going to be one bag and a carry-on at that.

But wait, how do I make it through the airport by myself, carrying a baby, pulling a bag, and holding a car seat?  Even one of those expensive rolling car seats didn't seem like the right answer.

3.  Get a Travelling Toddler

{toddler not included}

Thank the travel gods for this contraption.  So simple, you'll wish you had thought of it, it's just a strap that lets you attach the car seat to your rolling bag and voila, instant travel carseat.  I'm waiting for this thing to show up on Shark Tank any day now (or maybe it already has?). I'm not so sure about putting your child to said car seat as that picture indicates, but hey I won't judge.  For me, though, wearing the baby was the way to go.

Important usage note, DO NOT TRY USING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE AIRPORT.  Speaking from experience, y'all. It was kind of a disaster trying to figure it out curbside while the hubs was double parked in the zone for loading and unloading only.   Once it's properly adjusted, it's super easy to use, so just do a test run at home with a fully-packed bag first.

With these simple tricks, all of the sudden I was Supermom, wearing my baby, nonchalantly sipping my latte and taking selfies as I waited for the plane.  Some nice woman even came up to me and complimented me for how well I was handling it all.

Very kind of her to say, but what she didn't know was despite my calm demeanor and fancy travel contraptions, I was still scared to death how my little one was going to behave on the actual flight.  Thankfully, due to the kindness of strangers (i.e., no one wanted to sit next to us) we had plenty of room to stretch out and my boy was easily entertained by snacks, toys, and the airplane reading light.  All that plus a bottle for take off and landing, and we were good to go.

A scary selfie and the guy behind us questioning his decision to sit so close to a baby

Was it all worth it? Heck yeah, we got to spend a long weekend in Florida in early February with lots of family QT.  We were even in bathing suits one day for goodness sake.  Going solo: not ideal (we were missing the hubs big time) but totally doable and should not be a deal-breaker (ladies).

Waterfront dinner at sunset, I could get used to this  #FlaLiving

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, I'm one of those people who loves their birthday and today is mine.  I just love birthdays in general though, and celebrating them.  There could be some stranger in a restaurant, and while the wait staff sings their birthday song, I'll be singing and clapping right along with them. And then there's the cake.  Mmm...cake.

I just strongly believe that everyone should get very special treatment for their birthday and I love that there are companies out there who feel the same way. I figured I share some of the birthday deals I've received this month, so others can get the birthday props they deserve, too:

25% off at Amaryllis Jewelry

10% back in rewards at Office Depot

Double A+ rewards from Airtran

Saving on booking vacations at Delta Vacations

FREE gift from Sephora

FREE drink from Dunkin Donuts

FREE class from Bikram Yoga Baltimore

FREE class from Bikram Yoga Raleigh

10% off any products and services from Zina's Day Spa

There's also a much more comprehensive list of birthday deals here.  Evidently I could eat for free all day today by hitting up Denny's, Fuddruckers, Baskin Robbins, and Famous Dave's but I think I'll pass as I would like to be around to celebrate my next birthday, too.

Oh, the (Brunch) Possibilities

This Mother's Day, to avoid the crowds and add that extra bit of homemade love for the hubs' mom, we'll be hosting brunch at our house with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.  Last night, we discussed what should be on the menu, and while we haven't made any final decisions as of yet, there are all kinds of fantastic brunchy possibilities.

I am loving the idea of bite-sized anything for some reason, like these Egg, Bacon and Toast cups from Kayotic Kitchen:

And these mini quiches from the Kitchn.

Or the cutest little darned pancakes I've ever seen.

So cute I could just eat them up, literally

I do love a basket of breakfast breads at brunch, too, and we could make it even more special by adding a trio of flavored butters, like this strawberry butter from Half Baked

It's nice to have some fresh fruit at the table as well, to help offset all of that buttery, eggy, bacony goodness, and I think this spin on the fruit salad is a cool way to mix it up

Who doesn't love food on a stick?

Or we could even add some veggies to the mix, like these Zucchini Rounds from Health Magazine

But this also counts as a vegetable, right??

Old Bay = mandatory

I think yes.  Cheers to all the moms out there!

House Guest Prep

When you have guests like L&B coming to visit, you do not want to disappoint, so in order to make sure I was properly prepped, I did my research y'all.  I turned to a couple experts like Martha and Carolyne Roehm, as well as about half a dozen google searches.

In all the tips I read, there were definitely some common themes, so here's a summary of what learned to make Chez Tar Heel as close to the Four Seasons as possible.

Tips to Prepare for House Guests:

• Make your guest room feel like a nice hotel room by adding the amenities you've found yourself appreciating from your travels, like bottles of water with drinking glasses or some fresh cut flowers in a small vase.

• Leave fresh towels out on the bed so there is no need for your guests to go searching for them.  I didn't get around to this myself, but you can make the towels look even more special by tying them up in some twill or placing in a decorative bag or basket.

• Keep a good reading light next to the bed.  There's nothing worse than turning off the main light in a strange room and then trying to navigate your way to the bed in the dark.  A good alarm clock and a box of tissues nearby are also essentials.

• Your guests probably won't feel welcome if they feel like they are staying in your home's storage unit.  Clear out the clutter and leave out welcoming touches like a selection of books and shared photos, or even their favorite brand of mineral water.

• During our honeymoon in Greece, I loved how each place we stayed at set out a bowl of fresh fruit, so I did the same.  Fresh baked cookies or other local fare would work nicely as well.

• Even if you are using the guest room closet as your own overflow space, make it as neat as possible and clear out some room for your guests so there is ample room to hang their own items.  Leave at least one empty drawer in the bureau for them to use as well.  One tip I saw suggested leaving the guest towels in a drawer so when you take them out to set out for your visitors, you automatically have that storage space to leave them as well.

• Set out a luggage rack so no one feels the need to be placing their dirty bags on those fresh linens you just laid out.  We don't currently have a rack so I just left a storage ottoman at the end of the bed that bags could be set on.  

• Make sure there are plenty of pillows and blankets provided on the bed.  That way your guest can adjust their sleeping space to their needs.   

• Don't put anyone in an awkward situation.  Stock the bathroom with plenty of supplies so that there is never a need to ask for more.  And always leave a fresh bar of soap.  If I was smart like my mom, I would save the hotel toiletries that I never use during my travels, and then I would be able to leave them out for guests, again adding to that hotel-like comfort.

Not only will your guests appreciate all of your effort but you will also get a lot of satisfaction out knowing what you've done has made them feel welcome.

I'm still waiting for the Trip Advisor review, but L&B did seem to be big fans of everything we did.  

Now, who wants to come visit next? *


*Cannot guarantee all amenities pictured above will be provided during said visit, but I'll do my best.

Getting my link on:

Home Stories AtoZ, TipJunkie