I hung out with Michele from Fun Orange County Parks this week at a local park (duh!). Michele and her kiddos are a delight… REALLY!

She got to see the healthy lunch I packed for my kiddos and comfort Cora after she burned her bare feet in the scalding hot sand, while I sat on my fat 38 week pregnant rear…

Being an outdoor gal, she whipped out her iPhone with an app for identifying birds and listening to their different birdy churps (Chirps USA).

It was awesome…

I continued to sit on my keister and eat nuggets.

Michele and I both agree that kiddos (and adults) should spend at least an hour outside everyday.

Here is a fun, simple Summer outdoor game the kiddos and I love…

All you need is different colored chalk!

Write BIG letters (or numbers or draw pictures) on the ground then call out letters for them to run, jump or sit on. If you used different colors you can call that out too.

Kinda like Bingo meets Twister with a chalky mess.

This game is a hit. And best of all you can sit on your bum eating popsicles while you call out the next move. (I am lazy.)

4th of July tees are live on the site!

Ready to buy before the festivities…

The tee tells it all…

“Land of the Free

Home of the Brave”

Choose between blue or red.

Tees are made in the USA and printed by me… yes ME!

If you need something to warm up your lil gal’s legs during the evening firework show… get matching Skidnees!

How about something to top it off??? Try a 4th of July bow from Funky Polkadot Giraffe…

How cute is this flower pin!?!?!

(and how bad do I need to get my hair done?!?)

 I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing bloggers at a fun blogging party called, Blog*Sugar. The pin was a party favor made by The Pleated Poppy and given to us by LIFE.rearranged.

I love it!!

Check out The Pleated Poppy… REALLY! Her fabric choices are fresh with a vintage feel and she is always adding new things.

Thank you to Jeanett from LIFE.rearranged for giving everyone such are great take-away… and for walking with me to the car. Click on over to her blog for some inspiration!

At the last Blog*Sugar I put together these sweet lil’ Ice Cream Cones out of fat quarters as a take-away. I think the crafty gals liked them… and everyone else thought I was a fruit loop!

To visit all the great bloggers who were at this par-tay go on down this Blog*Sugar List.

Now my Invisible Friends, if you want to show off something please add to the “I got it at…” Carnival below! There are guidelines, but really it’s just a fun place to share, brag, promote and get to know each other! I’ll be doing it every Sunday whether there are linkers or not 🙂   

It’s no secret I love the gals from Blessed Nest. I mean, it was her idea to host our awesome monthly MOMday Morning giveaways… just because we love mom bloggers!!

It also isn’t a secret that I’m 37 weeks preggers with baby #3 (though you may not have heard, I’m 1cm dilated as of yesterday!) and that I nurse my kiddos. I’m 5’10” and NOT a size 2… heck, I’m not a size 8!! The nursing pillows out there just don’t fit me. After facing her own nursing struggles, Donna’s friend Heather designed the Blessed Nest Nesting Pillow!

And I got one!!

It is amazing!! The fabric is just delicious (fabric lovers will understand that), it is totally organic and it is VERY well made. I can wrap this thing around me and position the buckwheat to any level. Of course, I’m not nursing right now (no baby yet… lol!) so I have been using it as a laptop desk:

 Blessed Nest also carries a smaller version called a Nest Egg. A Nest Egg can be used as a companion to the Nesting Pillow or your kiddos might steal them and use them for…

…a baby doll bed:

 …a TV seat: …or just snuggle up with it (Eli also uses it as a surfboard!)

Both my kiddos sleep with it every night! REALLY!

Tomorrow I’ll put up the first “I got it at…” Carnival. Feel free to link up or just read my post. It will be there every Sunday!

Need something else to read???

Check out my post over at Blessed Nest about saving money on family haircuts!

I’m a huge fan of Anthropologie.

I’m not a huge fan of their prices.

I have a few tricks I’ll share about that… but not today 🙂

They just had a huge sale and I got these salt and pepper shakers for $14.95…

Aren’t they just divine?? (especially reflected in my new pot on the right!) I can’t quite figure out what the 3rd croc is for… but it has a little spoon and it’s that little spoon that sold me!! I put sugar in it? Thoughts??

I also picked up these little spice containers for $1.95 each…

They say Thyme, Curry, Chile and Basil. Will I use them for spices?

Ummm… no.

I’m thinking my secret candy stash.

Chile = Hot Tamales (because they are spicy)

Thyme = Skittles (because there is always time for a Skittle)

Curry = M&M’s (To curry favor with the children I give them M&M’s)

Basil = DOVE chocolates (something creative with Dove & the word basil)

There may still be some awesome sales going on in the store and of course there are always new things on their website sale page!

Keep thinking of things you want to show off or deals you want to share and come back here to link up on Sunday for the “I got it at…” Carnival! 

A Nesting splurge has been new drinking glasses and new pots and pans from Sam’s Club.
Check out the full post at the beginning of our I got it at Carnival. Hope this gets you thinking about something you “got!”

Check out my posts all week before the launch of the “I got it at…” carnival and come back to our new site http://www.smallthingsarebigthings.com/blog Sunday (6/12) and link up in the fun!

I’m nesting big time right now. How do I know?? Well, I have this burning desire to create an extensive family tree (there are free programs for that right?).

My nesting is random and rarely useful… but always a huge kick for Hot Hubby to watch.

With Eli I HAD to bleach the whole house. Cora, I HAD to paint a wall shelf in our dining room while it was on the wall! I was perched on the dining room table painting the shelf (40 weeks preggers) with Eli’s children’s paint brushes.

A major Nesting splurge has been new drinking glasses and new pots and pans from Sam’s Club.

This is somewhat ironic because I’m not “blessed in the kitchen,” as Hot Hubby would say! My old pans were great (I think) but they were teflon and my mom has recently brainwashed told me about the dangers of teflon. I found this awesome stainless steel cookware set at Sam’s Club for $150. We sold our old set on Craig’s List for $130! I love the bell shape on the bottom of all the pans. Maybe since I don’t cook much (understatement) I could use them for centerpieces!

I love love love the new glasses! They were only $15 for 8 glasses. I think that’s a great deal because they are 20 oz and make everything look fancy when I drink out of them!! Here is my afternoon smoothie…

Hope this gets you thinking about something you “got!”

Check out my posts all week before the launch of the “I got it at…” carnival and come back Sunday (6/12) and link up in the fun!

 

UPDATE 9/27/10: Instead of a linky carnival please include your link in the comment section!! 

I’m starting a weekly linky carnival.

Because I’m unpredictable like that!!

I’ve wanted to do it for over a year but getting pregnant seems to really get in the way of my blogging aspirations.

So what’s the carnival about?

You know how you get something new and you want to tell everybody about it? Maybe you are a coupon maven and spent $23 on $233 worth of groceries, or you splurged at anthropologie (sigh), or won an awesome giveaway, or you got an awesome gift and want to honor that gifter… the list goes on!

Introducing the “I got it at…” Carnival

Guidelines:

• If you got something (yourself or from someone) or won something or made an awesome craft or want to promote a giveaway or product this weekly carnival is for you! (Even if you casually mention something you got in a post that is primarily about something else… please feel free to link up.)

• Put your name (or your blog name) in the linky along with a description of the post you are linking. Examples: Eli’s Lids – Stainless steel pans from Sam’s; Kara-Noel – Won this necklace from Kristen’s Custom Creations; Eli’s Lids – Giveaway for baby hats; Kara-Noel – Love this new teether for newborns!; Eli’s Lids – Free shipping coupon for Sweet Lily Tutus

• The carnival will go up on Monday (12am) and stay open a week.

• Use any post you have written within the last week.

• Be sure to put a link in the post to the product or company (if you bought it) so we can pick one up too if we are so inclined!

 

• Link back to the “I got it at…” Carnival. (Not required, but I would love to spread the word to get to know more of my blogging buddies!)

To launch for Sunday, I’m going to do an “I got it at…” post everyday. Enjoy the things I have gotten (that doesn’t sound right… grammar girls, fix it!), then link up on Sunday!