Friday Favorites From The Past Week

ONE:: The holiday season is in full swing around here and we have been taking advantage of all the fun activities that come along with it! Last Friday we headed downtown to the park for the Bright Lights Festival. They had movies in the park, hot chocolate, popcorn, lights displays, and sleigh rides.  It really was fun and I think Palmer had a good time. She had her first taste of hot chocolate and she especially loved the horses! We had to wait in line for awhile, but it was worth it!!! 

TWO:: We took out all our Christmas decorations and set up the tree! Palmer wasn't really too sure what to think of it all, but she was helping to rearrange the ornaments on the tree every day this week! I am really excited about Christmas this year because I think Palmer will understand a bit better what is going on and I can't wait to see her reaction to all her new gifts!

THREE:: This beanie from Baby Elle Apparel. Palmer seriously can't be any cuter. I love her in a beanie and last week it was the perfect Fall weather to be matched up with a vest and sneakers!
We have a matching mama beanie too, seen here.

FOUR:: Can we talk for a minute about this new EOS lip balm I found the other day?? I LOVE IT! Soft Coconut Milk. It is my absolute new favorite. I hope Santa hears this and I can find some in my stocking next month! 

FIVE:: I'm planning on making our Christmas cards this week coming up so I need to decide on some photos to use. There are so many great cards and companies out there, it makes it hard to choose. I found a couple I like - I just need to find the right photos to use with them. I am hoping to get a head start on cards this year and get them send out the first week of December.

simply to impress || tiny prints

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Every first Friday of the month we will be hosting a lovely GIVEAWAY!

:: Three Sisters and us ::Mice In The Kitchen :: Second Chances Girl ::CompleteBliss Blog :: My Silly Little Gang ::

                                                                                                                                                               

    

Meet This Weeks TGIF CoHost

Crazily Normal

I am a 20-something wife to Mitch, mama to Palmer and fur-baby Leaf. 

Crazily Normal is my space to share all our adventures and daily musings as we navigate our way through this crazy thing called life!  

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This Weeks TGIF Feature

From the blog of: Three Kids and a Fish  

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easy-fall-inspired-recipe-for-5-minute

Things I Said Before I Was A Parent

I can remember back to before we were even expecting a baby, thinking about how I would plan to raise a child when the day came. I would see parents in the grocery store, a restaurant, or in the mall and judge them for what they were feeding their children, how their children were dressed, or how their children were acting. I thought to myself I will never let my child act like that, dress like that, or eat that!!! 

Boy, let me tell you, those thoughts the childless me had were so far from right. I see now, those parents weren't wrong. They were exhausted from fighting with their children who didn't want to eat the healthy food. They were burnt out from the lack of sleep from the child who didn't want to go to bed. They were done nit-picking about what outfit to dress their child in and let them dress themselves!

Before I was a parent I thought....

....my children will not eat junk food. They will only eat healthy food. This means no sugary snacks, no juice, no MacDonalds. 

Now - I just want her to eat. You don't want to eat the supper I made, even though I know you liked it the last time we ate it? Fine. I don't want to argue about it. Just eat. Eat whatever you want. Cheese and grapes? Sure. A bowl of cereal? You got it. Just please eat something!

...my children will not watch hours of tv, play video games, etc They will learn from books, puzzles and outside time.

Now - If watching 3 episodes of Bubble Guppies means I have a free minute to clean up the juice spills, please, watch on. If playing on the iPad for 20 minutes means I get a spare second to eat my cold breakfast and sip my cold coffee, please do it!

...my children will not act out. They will listen to and respect their parents.

Now - I just hope that I have a distraction close by when this happens. Do I have a snack in my purse? Is my iphone in my pocket? Is there anything at all I can negotiate with that will make her stop flailing around in the parking lot of the grocery store?

...I will not lie to my children. I will be honest with them.

Now - I probably lie on a daily basis. "Bubble Guppies is over." "The iPad is broken." "The juice is all gone." I like to think I am lying to her for her own good?!?

...I will not let my house turn into a child's playground. My house will be kept clean and well organized. 

Now - what on earth was I ever thinking? I clearly wasn't. There is a tornado of toys in every room on a daily basis. There is food crumbs trailing from the kitchen to every possible room. Yesterday, I even found a half eaten Timbit in the middle of the floor. There are tiny pieces of ripped up toilet paper scattered throughout the bathrooms. There are tiny little hand prints covering every surface of the house. There are socks hiding in every corner. 

But, I wouldn't have it any other way. A whole new reality hits when you become a parent but it is truthfully the best thing in the world.

My Friday Five: Holiday Gift Ideas

I really don't have anything in mind as far as major Christmas gifts this year. I think Christmas is all about Palmer now, and watching her excitement Christmas morning, opening all her gifts. Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning to me over the past few years and I have to say, I am actually really excited to watch Palmer Christmas morning. I think this year, she will actually start to understand a little bit what is going on. We plan to do the Elf On The Shelf this year too. I think Palmer will love waking up in the morning, searching for her Elf. We were gifted an Elf On The Shelf this year by Mitchell's Nanny and Aunt, so we will start watching the video soon and maybe Palmer will recognize her elf when the time comes.

Anyways, back to this post....My Christmas wish list.
(I really don't expect any of these things at all, but I wouldn't be mad if I got some of these things)

01. White Cami from Garage. I wear one of these every. single. day. I prefer to wear them under my shirts almost all the time and all the ones I have are getting old, so adding a few more to my collection would be ideal for me!

02. I am a sucker for Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue. It is by far my favorite perfume.

03. New Running Shoes. They don't have to be these ones from Nike exactly, but I love bright, flashy colors.

04. A new gym/tote/everyday bag from LuluLemon. I love the color of this one and I know Lululemon has awesome quality bags and would last me for a long while.

05. Pajama pants. I am a sucker for pajama pants. I often change from work clothes to comfy lounge pants (aka pajama pants) and only wear nice pants (aka jeans) when I have something I need to do outside of the house!. I have a couple Old Navy pairs and I really like them. Plus, they are a great price!

And as a bonus....have you checked out my giveaway?? Find the perfect little (or big) beanie for that stylish someone in your life. Its super easy to get entered! Check it out here!

(check out where I'm linking up here)

22 Months: Palmer's Life

I know I say this every. single. time. but, I truly cannot believe that in 2 months, Palmer will be 2. Time is going by just as quickly as ever and it truly is the most amazing thing to watch her grow. 

So much has happened since this last monthly update post.

Palmer really is a loving little girl. She doesn't hesitate to give out a big hug or kisses, which completely melt my heart every time. Her sweet little personality shines though in everything she does and I truly hope that she carries this with her always. 

Palmer's words have exploded. She will now make sentences and tell you (almost always) exactly what she wants. "Mo juice peese" or "no soot (soup)" and this list can go on and on and on. She will even say things that I didn't even know she knew. We were reading a book one day and she lifted up the flap and said "hot dog." WHAT? I didn't even know she knew that. 

She can play the matching games like nobody's business. She can match the cards up like a boss. Or she will find all the look and find items in her book in the blink of an eye.  Little smarty pants can put her puzzles together in all of 12 seconds. Seriously, how does she know all this stuff?

I could really go on and on with all the amazing things Palmer is doing and saying. I cannot even put into words how blown away I am with Palmer and all the things she can do. This little girl has taught me so much in such a short amount of time. She has given us so much love that words can't even describe. I cannot wait to watch her grow even more and surprise us daily with all the new things she can do. 

We love you, sweet Palmer. 

XOXO

A Cute Little Shop & A GIVEAWAY with A & L Inspired!

So a little while back, I came across the cutest little shop on Facebook, A & L Inspired,  and knew IMMEDIATELY I needed to get Palmer something! I had such a hard time deciding, but ultimately, I picked out the cutest little beanie. I LOVE this fabric. It's so soft and looks so darn cute on Palmer. 

She also makes the cutest, softest headbands and infinity scarves. Seriously, go check out her site. You will instantly fall in love! And, to top it off, she has the cutest little models. Her kiddos are precious!!!

With Fall here and cool temperatures hitting us, what better way to keep everyones heads warm than the softest beanie? Maddy at A & L Inspired is offering one of my readers just that!



Maddy is so graciously offering up a beanie of your choice. The winner will get to browse through her fabrics (which are all amazing, by the way) and pick out one for their very own beanie. Trust me when I say, this task will prove to be very difficult for you because you will love them all!

So, enter in the draw and head on over to A & L Inspired to get yourselves the chance to win!

I'm actually so excited about this giveaway! YAY!

World Prematurity Day - November 17th

Today, November 17th is World Prematurity Day. You would never know it, but Palmer was a premature baby. She came exactly one month to the day of her due date. Palmer was born at 35 weeks and 4 days. You can read her story here. 

In Canada, 1 in 12 babies are born premature, meaning born before full term at 37 weeks. World wide, that number is 1 in 10. (stats here)

Palmer spent all of about 2 hours in the NICU. I am not going to go into great detail here but we are so beyond grateful that we see zero effects of her deciding to arrive early. I know that her arrival a month early could have meant nights spent in the NICU. It could have meant sleepless nights for Mitchell and I, away from Palmer during some of her first days. We are so lucky that things worked out so well for us. There are many families out there who have very different stories. 

I wanted to mention World Prematurity Day here on my blog because I know how important it is to be aware of. I know things could have gone very differently for us and  drawing awareness to the issue can help spread the word on the facts and provide education to others in hope of preventing premature births in the future. 

Having a baby born premature can be very stressful on families; emotionally, physically, financially, etc. This is exactly the reason why we need to raise awareness about preterm birth and provide education in hopes of prevention. 

Palmer and I are wearing purple today. Are you??

Friday 5: Winter Things

Well, winter is here. The piercing cold air that burns your face the minute you step outside. The days of bundling up in your winter jacket, mittens, touque and your big Sorel's. The waking up that little bit earlier to make sure the car is warm before you start your trek to work. Yup, its here. It has been (what seems like) brutally cold here in Lethbridge, like -22 with a windchill of -30! That cold. UGH. 

But, instead of hating winter, I'm going to make a list of 5 things I want to do this winter....

one:: Go sledding. We went last year down this pitiful little hill near the park by our house, but this year, I think Palmer will enjoy riding down a bigger hill. Mitch and I would have fun too, especially hearing Palmer laughing and having fun! 

two:: Build a snowman. This is another thing I've not done in a LONG time!!! We definitely get enough snow around here to build one, or two, or eight!!!

three:: Go ice skating. Again, I don't think I've been ice skating in over 10 years. I enjoy it and I'm good enough that I don't fall, so maybe we need to give it a try too.

four:: Teach myself to knit and/or crochet. I've seen lots of posts of people making their own cozy scarves and it got me thinking, I can do that too!! Any ideas where to start???? 

five:: Stock pile some slow cooker freezer meals. There is nothing better than coming home from a long day at work to your supper already being cooked for you! Getting out of the cold to the smells of delicious food... What are your favorite slow cooker freezer recipes?? I'd love to hear it. 

linking up here

and....before you leave, have you entered the ItFitBand Headband Giveaway????

itFitBand GIVEAWAY!!!!

Today I'm just stopping by for a quick little post and to let all my lovely readers know about this fantastic giveaway!!!

Today I am teaming up with itFit Band! ItFit is a Canadian company who strives to make the best headband for your workout. They wholeheartedly believe a headband shouldn't slip off during a run or workout, or everyday life for that matter, and they have made a product that achieves this!!

One thing I really like about the headbands is the fact that they are so versatile. Each headband can be worn to have 6 different look to match they look you are wanting that day. 

One of my favorite things about these headbands is that they can cover your ears. I like this because I like to keep my ears covered on the cool outdoor runs. It also helps me to keep my earphones in place (I have major issues with them always wanting to fall out when I'm running)

sorry for the poor quality. I'm not yet an expert at self photos with the camera!! so, iPhone it is!

These headbands come in a variety of different colours and patterns. You can check them all out here.

The itFit Band team has so graciously supplied me with some headbands to giveaway to one of my readers!  

Spread the word, join the giveaway and get in on your chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oh Hey, Friday!

Can you believe another week has come and gone and we are now a few days deep into November? I can't believe how fast the time is going and how quickly the winter and Christmas are approaching! So, here are a few kind-of-winter-related items for my Friday Five

one: We have signed Palmer up for gymnastics starting in January. I think she is really going to like it! Shes so full of energy and always on the move, so I think this will be a good place for her to have fun and run and jump and play! I'm excited to start and watch her have so much fun!

two: I received this awesome beanie in the mail last week from a small Etsy shop, Baby Elle Apparel, here in Alberta and I'm in love with it! Dress it up, dress it down, it's a perfect accessory. The material is so soft and I love the way it fits. It is the perfect piece to top off your fall wardrobe! Thanks Brittany!!

three: Every year, our local radio stations team up and hold an auction where numerous local business offer up prizes. To be honest, I'm not really sure what the proceeds go to, although I'm sure it's something meaningful towards the community. Anyways, we ended up getting a year family pass to the local YMCA for half price. Good deal! We both get a gym membership, swimming, all the fitness classes, the parent and tot stuff...We are pretty happy with it! It will give us all a good reason to keep active throughout the winter!

four: I recently tried the Essential Oils that many people are talking about. I thought they were just this hocus pocus stuff but I think they actually worked! I was fighting off a cold last week, and working nights wasn't helping my cause, but I tried the Thieves essential oil along with some Lemon and it cleared my sinuses right up! I always tried out the Lavender and peace and calming before sleep and it worked like a charm. I always struggle with sleeping while I'm on nights, but this made it much better!!! I think theses may be essential as winter sneaks up on us! Have you tried any of these or other essential oils??

five:I am so excited to finally have a weekend off. It seems like FOREVER since we have had a family weekend. it will be nice to just relax, get some things done around the house and be together before I have to go back to work on Monday. Mitch on the other hand, gets Monday and Tuesday off too!

I'm linking up here 

The Little Things: The First Big Snow Fall

Lucky for us, Halloween evening was beautiful. Around these parts, we usually had to make our costume big enough to fit over a snow suit. This year, we were lucky enough to have almost 20 degree weather on Halloween. The next day though, there were snowfall warnings and Saturday evening the snow started and didn't stop until Sunday morning. This was the first big snowfall of the season. 

 
Sunday afternoon, we headed outside for a while to play in the snow with Leaf. I think Palmer may have forgot what snow was. The initial look on her face when she started walking in it was priceless. She didn't hesitate even once to start playing with it and licking it off her mittens.

The rest of the photos speak for themselves.