Halloween Ideas

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

Ready for Trick or Treats!

I am loving our new Halloween lanterns. Real candles are so spooky. Lydia and Shane had a great time pulling the guck out of the pumpkins. I stuck to making pumpkin muffins.

Get the instructions for the moon pumpkin here.

Help me decide.

What should I be for Halloween this year?

A clown?

A vampire?

A ghost?

A witch?

A zombie?

Or maybe I will just be...mysterious :)

What are you going to be for Halloween?

pediped giveaway

I have mentioned before that I love pediped shoes. Soft leather, handcrafted, unfortunately not in my size....Look how happy they make my little man. Well, now you have the chance to win some!

pediped has joined with Make-A-Wish Foundation to present: "Stars for a Wish". More than 50 well-known entertainers and athletes will participate in Stars for a Wish, an online auction of autographed pediped baby shoes to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The auction will run Oct. 25-Nov. 5 on Charity Buzz. Bidding will start at $200 for the signed shoes.

Recipients will receive the shoes attractively displayed in a cherry-finished shadow box or clear acrylic box complete with an engraved plaque. The Stars for a Wish fundraiser has a minimum goal of $25,000, which will help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. One-hundred percent of the funds raised through the auction will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They would make an amazing Christmas gift for a fan!

Want to win your choice of either boys or girls pedipeds from the Original Collection?

To enter: Check out the celebrity line up for the Stars for a Wish, come back here and comment as to which celebrity is your favorite! (I have included a rather obvious hint as to which celebrity I would choose.)

For an extra entry, let me know in a separate comment that you are a natalie's sentiments follower.

For a third entry, let me know in a separate comment that you have voted for me in the Divine Caroline Love this Site Award Contest. It ends soon, so make sure you vote!

I will announce the winner on November 4th. Good luck!

Jon Stewart onesie by Reckon.

Sunday thoughts....Leaving a legacy.

I have been thinking a lot about The Maile Family whose father was suddenly taken from them. He left behind 6 beautiful girls and his lovely wife. I can't seem to get them off my mind. For the last week their situation seems to haunt me. I can't help thinking, what if it was us. What if we lost Shane. What if my family lost me? The thought of leaving my little family is of course unbearable to think of, but this week I have been thinking about that possibility. I have been thinking mainly, what legacy would I leave my children?

Have you ever thought about what your children will have learned from you if you suddenly were no longer with them? What lessons would they have learned? What truths would they trust? What memories of you would they hold on to for the rest of their lives?

I think I am a good mother and I try to be. I try to spend meaningful time with my children and help them feel secure and loved. There are many things I want to teach them before they leave my home. I want them to understand how desperately I love and cherish them. I want them to know God loves them and for them to receive a testimony of Jesus Christ. I think most mothers would agree on wanting their children to understand those two truths; love and faith. But what else? What specific things do you want your children to learn from you? I have so many things I want to teach them, but other than religion and my love for them, these are the things I most want them to know.

To Lydia and Collin -

1. Find the right spouse. Nothing in your life can bring as much joy, or sorrow, as the spouse you choose. When you marry someone, you are tethered to them. Your lives are the same. Find someone who brings light and love into your life. Find someone who is always kind to you. Someone who is kind to others. Who make decisions based on your needs. Find someone you love to be around so much it hurts when they are away. Find someone who understands you need time for yourself as well. Find someone who shares your faith. Stay away from anyone who demeans or belittles you or doesn't understand your worth. Stay away from anyone lazy. Stay away from anyone who spends beyond their means. Stay away from anyone with addictions. ---- Don't rush. Don't let the excitement blur your vision of who someone really is. Take your time choosing this person. Get to know them. Live enough of your life to know what type of person you are looking for. And above all else, be the kind of person the man/women of your dreams would choose. - I married the man of my dreams, and other than having children, it is my greatest accomplishment.

2. Be gracious. This is different from just being kind. Being kind is so important, but being gracious encompasses much more. Make people feel comfortable around you. Be interesting, but more so, be interested in other people. Understand that the world does not revolve around you. Focus on others happiness, even if it is just in a warm smile and a friendly hello. Act sincere and be sincere. Serve others without needing to call attention to the act. To be gracious is to be kind, refined, loyal and focused on the needs of others. Understand the manners of society and follow them, but do not be uppity in your effort. To Lydia, this means to be a lady. To Collin, it is to be a gentleman.

3. Love your family above all else. During the high school and college years it is easy to believe that the friends you surround yourself with are the most important people in the world. While good friends are wonderful, more times than not, they end of becoming people you keep in touch with through Christmas cards. Your family is eternal. Spend time with your siblings. They will become your best friends. You will never regret an evening spent playing with your brother or sister. Be fiercely loyal to them. The memories made with your parents and siblings will be the one you hold on to. Keep a journal and record the things you do as a family. Include the adventures with friends, the crushes and the drama of youth. Those are important too. But years down the road, it is the record of your family that will be the most precious.

4. Become educated in all things good. Graduate from college. See the world. Learn and develop your talents. Read good books. Write your memoirs. Read the scriptures. Understand the religion you are living. Learn about the things that keep your body healthy and strong. Meet interesting people. Be an interesting person. Do not be lured into things of distraction and lethargy. Be an individual.

5. Have children and love them. If you are able to have children, do. Nothing will bring you more joy. Love them with everything you have. See the change they make in your life, not as an invasion or a derailment of your personal freedom (because you will feel that way at times). See them as the incredible blessing that they are and show them love and interest and all things precious. Teach them. Enjoy them. Make traditions that you hold close to. Create a loving environment for them to flourish. Let them see the love you have for your spouse. Take advantage of every opportunity to show love and to teach them. Remember that no success can compensate for failure in the home. Love your children. There is nothing as exquisite as holding your baby close, seeing your child learn to walk, learn to talk, become their own person. There is nothing like it in the world. I would guess that being a grandparent is wonderful as they get to see their children experience the love they themselves could never truly articulate. Love your children. Love them as your parents loved you. Utterly and entirely.

----------------------------------------------------------------

This is my list. What do you want your children to know?

The Maile family has a donation page for funeral expenses. If you would like a button for your sidebar that links to this page please click here. Let's get the word out.

12 PEOPLE HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY:

Heather said...

What a beautiful and well written post. After a hard week as a mommy, this was such a wonderful reminder to me of what a precious gift it is to be a mother. I'll definitely be putting more work in to the legacy that I will be leaving them. Thank you for your amazing words of inspiration.

OCTOBER 25, 2009 1:05 AM 

Megh said...

I initially heard about your blog when a friend posted about one of your giveaways. I became a "follower", hoping to win something cool, but what I've gained in the weeks since then is worth so much more. Your posts invite a lot of reflection, and while I am not a mother yet, we are waiting for that day, and constantly trying to prepare ourselves, spiritually. This post is priceless- I want to hold it close and read it often, so I can keep reflecting on the legacy I want to leave for the dear little ones that haven't joined us yet. Thank you!

OCTOBER 25, 2009 1:25 AM 

Randi said...

thanks nat for spreading the word. so sad. you coming to wa for the holidays?

OCTOBER 25, 2009 1:59 AM 

Natalie Jane said...

Hey Randi - nope, my parents are coming to us this year. We will have to have our next high school reunion next summer :) Love your new profile pic!

OCTOBER 25, 2009 7:40 AM 

Hannah LaRue said...

The Maile family has been on the news, all over fb, and blogs...such a sad story. Death can be overwhelming at times.

OCTOBER 25, 2009 2:16 PM 

Amy said...

so sad to hear about the family's loss. thank you for this post. i don't have children yet, but i am grateful for this reminder of the things i want them to remember and live by. thanks for sharing.

OCTOBER 25, 2009 2:46 PM 

Melanie Anne said...

Hi Natalie! I am so happy to find your sweet blog! (Your hubby gave me the address when he came by last night) I loved this post. Great thoughts!

OCTOBER 26, 2009 9:09 AM 

Becky said...

Thank you for sharing these thoughts. They touched and inspired me. What a blessing you are to your children, and what blessings they are to you!

OCTOBER 26, 2009 9:31 AM 

Tales of a Peanut said...

Here's my post like this. Thanks for inspiring me to write it! http://talesofapeanut.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-i-want-charlotte-to-know.html

OCTOBER 26, 2009 11:31 AM 

Anonymous said...

What a beautifully written post! Reading this brought tears to my eyes. I am so proud of the way you express yourself and the inspiration you are to your readers, especially your Mom.

OCTOBER 26, 2009 2:16 PM 

Adam & Brandi said...

Hi Natalie, you don't know me but I just started reading your blog last week. A friend of mine had you on her blog so I checked you out...so glad I did. I now have your button on my blog and I've been telling my friends about you. Your fun! :) My husband and I tried for almost 4 years to have a child, and after many visits to the fertility specialist and many tears we were told that we couldn't have children "naturally" that is. So we started the adoption process and were told that it could take up to five years. Sometimes longer sometime shorter. Well a birthmother chose us on Oct. 10 lasr year! But then at the end of November we found out we were expecting our OWN! So the adoption was no longer valid. And sadly enough, the birthmother lost the baby weeks before she was due. That was very hard on us all. Anway, sorry to make it SO long but, what I am trying to say is that we just had our little girl in July. We often write her letters and we even wrote her letters before we ever had her. But this letter that you wrote to your children is truly priceless. I just want to copy and paste it! hehehe! But I won't. It's very beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing. Sorry this is so long. Oh and my blog is private since I've had the baby. But if you are at all interested my e-mail is bigsky81104@comcast.net Thanks again Natalie.

OCTOBER 26, 2009 3:35 PM 

Kate the Great said...

You don't know me, and in truth, I only just stumbled upon your blog today, but I felt I had to comment. Thank you for such a thought provoking and beautiful reflection on the things that are important. It has caused me to reflect, myself, on what legacy I would leave my children. You have brought me to tears, and your spirit has touched me. Thank you.

NOVEMBER 2, 2009 8:18 PM 

Shaped pancakes 101

Shane's pancakes this weekend were spectacular. Seriously, he is a pancake artist. Lydia and I went out and picked leaves and Shane based his pancake shapes on Lydia's favorite one.

After making the pancake batter, Shane separated it in thirds. He used red food coloring to dye one batch red, one batch yellow and combined red and yellow food coloring to make the third batch orange. The colors were a bit vibrant, so he added chocolate syrup to dull them. He added each batch to a condiment dispenser and drew the leaves directly on the skillet.

Shane used a toothpick to draw the leaf veins.

Flip, add a bit of maple syrup and you are good to go.

My Closet Addiction - And Peanut Free Halloween Candy.

I bought two huge bags of Halloween candy at Sam's Club a couple weeks ago. I didn't want to be tempted, so I asked Shane to hide it somewhere I would never find it. I discovered it a week later.....

...behind the vacuum.

Speaking of candy, I was asked by Lydia's pre-school teacher to compile a list of candy that is okay for kids with peanut allergies. I thought there might be some of you who could use it too. If you have a kid on your block with a peanut allergy, consider buying one of these candies. It is really sad to have to take candy out of your kid's bag because they can't eat it. I have also included a list of stuff to stay away from. Just because something doesn't have peanuts in the ingredients does not mean someone with a peanut allergy can eat it.

CANDY THAT IS OKAY FOR PEANUT ALLERGY SUFFERERS

Dum Dums
Whoopers
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars
Nerds
Oreos
Tootise Rolls
Junior Mints
Goldfish
Super Bubble Gum
Dubble Bubble
Disney Gummys
Marvel Candy Sticks
Transformers Candy Mix
Blowpops
Twizzlers
Pixy Sticks
Gummy Lifesavers
Lifesaver suckers
Jolly ranchers
Milk Duds
Smarties
Hersheys Cookies & Cream
Dots
Tootsie Pops
Laffy Taffy
Sweet-tarts
Skittles
Starbursts
Starbursts gummys

CANDY THAT IS NOT OKAY FOR PEANUT ALLERGY SUFFERERS

Baby Ruths
Kit Kat
Reeses
Take 5
Candy Corn Taffy
Snickers
3 Musketeers
Hershey Miniatures
All M&Ms
Quaker granola bars
Ritz Bitz
Milky Ways
Twix
Pretzel treats
Sponge Bob gummies
Butterfingers
100 Grands
Crunch
Mounds
Almond Joy
Farley’s “Chewy Mix”

note: This is my personal list of things I am comfortable giving my daughter. I have not taken into consideration any other allergy such as tree nuts, milk, wheat or soy.

Mama's Boy

Collin is going through a phase where he wants nothing to do with anyone but me. He will go to Shane if I am around, but if I leave, he tends to have a breakdown. He won't even take the breast milk I leave. All of the sudden I can't go to the gym (screams in the child center) and girls night out is becoming a thing of the past. I am starting to feel a bit trapped. It doesn't help that Collin's sleep habits seem to be regressing and I am averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night. I am so tired, it literally hurts.

Last night I nursed Collin, thinking of the piles of laundry to fold and dishes waiting to be washed. I had been so stressed the entire day and I'm not sure I had even brushed my teeth. Dreading the work that was still ahead of me, I looked down at Collin, who had pulled away from my breast. His eyes searched mine and I could see his perfect adoration. We watched each other while the rest of the world fell away.

What I keep on telling myself is that this is a very short time of my life. Freedom will come again. Sleep will come again. For now, I am trying to enjoy being the most important person in the world to this precious little child. It is an incredible gift to be so completely and utterly loved.

Thank you for the photo Kristi.

Already on my Christmas List

So I am totally in love with this ring. (Have I ever mentioned that I love yellow?) I know I have a lot of jewelry, but this is a signature piece, don't you think? When I first moved to the South, I worked at a high end art gallery. We sold (very) high end antique jewelry and I used to wear a canary diamond from our inventory that looked just like this. I almost cried when it sold...for $18, 000.

I found this piece at LuShae Jewelry. In this economy, no one is shelling out the big bucks for jewelry. That doesn't mean I don't want something sparkly waiting for me under the tree this year. I'm also tempted by this necklace. Is this too subtle of a hint Shane?

Need some cash for Christmas? As I was gawking over the jewelry, I discovered that LuShae is having this awesome contest where they are giving away $200 cash every month, and all you have to do is put one of their buttons on your sidebar. I could use $200 right about now.... to get this ring and some matching earrings.... or groceries.