"Slide, slide, slippity slide..."

I’m sure you’ve all seen those furniture movers advertised on TV and in your favorite housewares store.

One of the best things I had going in Connor’s nursery (until recently when he became mobile) was an easy-slide crib.  Though I still wish I had invested in zip-around sheets, having a heavy crib able to glide on the carpet has been a lifesaver!  The dreaded crib sheet changes are so much easier, and I can find all of the lost binkies without having to get on my hands and knees.


Sadly, the kid walks around in his crib, now… so the sliders must go.  :(

No better reason to throw a party

…than to use these gorgeous, FREE, downloadable invitation templates from Download & Print.  Every weekday a new template is posted… and the best part is that each template is simply a Word document.  So, just download, open up, adjust details and fonts, and print… it’s so easy, even my mom could do it.  :)

March for Babies

The family of one of Connor's girlfriends from the NICU is actively involved with the March of Dimes.

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

This April is the annual March for Babies Walk in Naperville.  Similar events are held all over the country.
Natalie's family has organized a team called The Nat Pack, and they are fundraising for this effort right now.  (Unfortunately, we won't be able to participate this year, but we want to help support them in every way we can!)

The money raised for March for Babies will help:

• support all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects
• educate women on things they can do to increase their chances of having a healthy baby
• provide comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care
• push for newborn screening and health insurance for all pregnant women and children.

Please help their team help babies! 

Click on the DONATE button below or in the sidebar to help this most worthy cause.

Private practices

This is probably the best idea I've seen in days...

If you have a PRIVATE blog, good for you.  But, please consider creating an UPDATE blog for your faithful Google Reader (or other RSS reader) followers.

Read Megan's explanation here for more details.

As Martha would say, "It's a good thing!"

Countdown to Christmas - RERUN

Re-running a post from last December... this one consistently gets hits year-round on Sprik Space, and with the holidays fast approaching, I thought it might be fun to dust it off and revisit a few old ideas...

PREVIOUSLY POSTED:  December 1, 2008

Lately, I've been a little obsessed with Holiday Advent Calendars.

I recently spotted this crafty and clever idea for Advent Boxes on {A}, and I think I could pull it off, too. See her tutorial here and here. I don't think I would be as brave as she was in pinning them to a wall (too much spackling afterwards!), but I can definitely envision them on an embellished corkboard.

Or, there's even the Stocking Garland Advent Calendar idea, as illustrated by Martha here. Fellow blogger, Dandee, pulled it off with great finesse as seen on this post.

I also adore the Advent Calendar Pockets that Jenny of Allsorts created and described here. No sewing machine necessary... that's my kind of project!

Wondering what you'd put in your advent calendar (besides treats, of course) if your family had one, too? Send me your e-mail - I have a couple of lists of ideas, activities, and scriptures to fill them with.

Having an advent calendar is one of the many family holiday traditions I'm planning for in a few years.

One tradition I've already begun collecting for is a Christmas Book A Day. The idea is to collect various holiday storybooks to read as a family for each of the days before Christmas. The Flowering Dogwood suggested here to individually wrap them, to make them even more fun.

Another tradition I'm gearing up for is the Christmas Elf. The idea is to invite an elf into your home prior to Christmas, for him to keep an eye on well-behaving children for Santa. The elf might leave surprises for the family, and each day the children will find him in the morning after his evening adventures. My mom introduced this idea to her fellow church ladies last year, and I've been collecting more information I'll want to use as part of our family's tradition. See more details online here and here. I picked up the perfect Christmas Elf at Tai Pan Trading while I was in Utah, and he's just waiting for a little one to interact with.

Brian and I have already been talking about how fun and more meaningful the Christmas season will be when we have a little family of our own. We can't wait!

Since I'm collecting ideas, do you have fun family holiday traditions you want to share? Tell me! Tell me!

Packing perfection

I'm in the process of readying Connor for his first overnight trip away from home. I'm likely over-packing and over-planning, but it's our first time traveling with a baby, too. And, it's exhausting!

Since we're still traveling with a large stroller, which takes up the majority of our trunk space (and we have an SUV), my method this time is compartmentalizing his stuff, to make it easy to find, and easy to pack the car. So, with various totes (and I won't even say how many, because it's embarrassing!), I've got clothes, feeding supplies, diapering supplies, toys, linens, etc. organized. We'll see how it works when it's actually in play this weekend.

I stumbled across this idea today from Small Notebook, which I've seen somewhere before... but, I think it's genius for longer trips with older babies on up.

By dividing each day's outfit into labeled, ziploc bags, there's no more hunting for socks and underwear in the bottom of the bag... and messing up its previously packed order.

Genius!

(As seen on ohdeedoh.)

RERUN - Must Have Monday

Originally posted on Memorial Day 2008... still rings true!

This week's Must Have Monday... are the incredible men and women serving in our military.

I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to be a Navy pilot. I don't remember how long I held that ambition, or if it only coincided with seeing "Top Gun". At some point, I remember that it was dashed when I was told that they didn't allow women to be combat fighter pilots (this ban was lifted by Congress in the mid-1990s).

Regardless of our personal opinions on the war, I believe it still to be of utmost importance that we support our troops... especially those in harm's way.

Today I want to honor those that have served, those that are serving, and those who have fallen in service to our great country.

Memorial Day has been observed in some form or another in this country for over 140 years. Up until 1971, Memorial Day was traditionally on May 30, but was changed to coincide with the last Monday in May - so as to make it a more convenient three-day weekend. Did you know that for 50 years now, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the 260,000+ gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery? Throughout the weekend, they patrol the cemetery 24 hours a day to ensure that each flag remains standing.

Thank you for your sacrifices. We wouldn't be where we are today without your efforts.

Countdown to Christmas

Lately, I've been a little obsessed with Holiday Advent Calendars.

I recently spotted this crafty and clever idea for Advent Boxes on {A}, and I think I could pull it off, too. See her tutorial here and here. I don't think I would be as brave as she was in pinning them to a wall (too much spackling afterwards!), but I can definitely envision them on an embellished corkboard.

Or, there's even the Stocking Garland Advent Calendar idea, as illustrated by Martha here. Fellow blogger, Dandee, pulled it off with great finesse as seen on this post.

I also adore the Advent Calendar Pockets that Jenny of Allsorts created and described here. No sewing machine necessary... that's my kind of project!

Wondering what you'd put in your advent calendar (besides treats, of course) if your family had one, too? Send me your e-mail - I have a couple of lists of ideas, activities, and scriptures to fill them with.

Having an advent calendar is one of the many family holiday traditions I'm planning for in a few years.

One tradition I've already begun collecting for is a Christmas Book A Day. The idea is to collect various holiday storybooks to read as a family for each of the days before Christmas. The Flowering Dogwood suggested here to individually wrap them, to make them even more fun.

Another tradition I'm gearing up for is the Christmas Elf. The idea is to invite an elf into your home prior to Christmas, for him to keep an eye on well-behaving children for Santa. The elf might leave surprises for the family, and each day the children will find him in the morning after his evening adventures. My mom introduced this idea to her fellow church ladies last year, and I've been collecting more information I'll want to use as part of our family's tradition. See more details online here and here. I picked up the perfect Christmas Elf at Tai Pan Trading while I was in Utah, and he's just waiting for a little one to interact with.

Brian and I have already been talking about how fun and more meaningful the Christmas season will be when we have a little family of our own. We can't wait!

Since I'm collecting ideas, do you have fun family holiday traditions you want to share? Tell me! Tell me!

I'm preventing dementia

Did you know that surfing the internet is good for your brain? Yeah, I didn't either... but it's my new excuse for all the time I spend at the computer.

According to BBC News, a UCLA team found that searching the internet helps boost brain power. The more time you spend online, the more active your brain stays, the more you stave off Alzheimer's and other effects of the brain slowing down with age.

Happy surfing!!

Purdy pendants

If I had some of these, maybe I'd start wearing necklaces again.

So pretty, simple, and clever!
They're actually made from Scrabble tiles.

Currently they're offering them as buy two, get one free... now I like them even more!

(As seen EVERYWHERE, but most recently on Fabulous Fun Finds!)

A gift... for me???

If someone wanted to buy me one of these, I wouldn't at all be disappointed!

At around $3 each, you could probably afford to buy me more than one...

(As seen on Fabulous Fun Finds!)

Jumbo Jamba

Mmmmm... I love me a fruit smoothie!

Go here to print your own Buy-One-Get-One-FREE coupon for a Jamba Juice smoothie.

Happy 7-11 Day!

Hone in on your nearest FREE SLURPEE here.

Wednesday Wishin' on Thursday

I don't really feel like going out for a pedicure, but the more I read about these Ped Eggs, the more I think I have to have one.

Organic schmanic

Here in the Sprik household, we haven't yet subscribed to an organic-only lifestyle... because, who can actually afford it? We've got pesticides and chemicals coursing through our veins for the time being, but maybe that will change once we have children to feed.

I found a great list here of the foods that you should and shouldn't buy organic. It also lists foods in their order of pesticide loads. Check it out...

Must Have Monday

This week's Must Have Monday is an Ice Cream Maker. Nothing says summer like homemade ice cream! I brought ours out over the weekend, and treated Brian to his favorite fruit in ice cream form... yep, it was a hit!

Blueberry Ice Cream

2 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1. Get a plastic container out (or churner) to be ready to pour ice cream in. Drop the blueberries, sugar and salt in a sauce pan and turn to medium-high heat. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, mashing berries and stirring with a fork. Simmer mixture, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes; cool slightly.

2. In a blender, puree mixture with milk just until smooth and stir in cream. Chill this mixture until cold in the fridge or an ice bath. Churn in an ice-cream machine until thick or place in a plastic container, pop it in the freezer and give it a good whip every few hours.

(Recipe from Genesis of a Cook.)

Messy popsicles no more!

Ohdeedoh highlighted Dripsticks this week.

I remember seeing them a couple of years back, and Andi ordered a couple for her kids.
Now they don't dare eat popsicles without them!

Grab some for yourself at Amazon for only $3.89 each!

Wednesday Wishin'

I saw these Oven Rack Guards on Baking Bites last week and I think I must have them.
$19.95 seems a small price to pay for no more burned appendages!

(Which I'm really good at, BTW.)

Must Have Monday

This week's Must Have Monday are Price Matching Policies! We bit the bullet this weekend and purchased a new washer and dryer set. We walked away from the store, swallowing hard, but feeling good about what we had just done... planning for the future and all that. Lo and behold, the next day produced sale prices we couldn't believe at a competitors' store! Taking advantage of the posted Price Matching Policy at Sears has earned us $600 cash back on our purchase... making our decision that much sweeter!

The moral of the story, kids: When you spend a lot of money, be sure to keep an eye on the sales afterward, and don't be afraid to go ask for your money back!

Must Have Monday

This week's Must Have Monday is mineral make-up. I was introduced to the Mineral Essence brand by Miss Andi just in time for my wedding three years ago, and I haven't used anything else since! It gives me a nice, smooth, even finish and keeps my face from getting too oily during the day. With mineral make-up, my face has a much more natural look to it, versus using liquid foundation (a la Tammy Faye). I think Mineral Essence is great, because it's a lot cheaper than the other stuff, and I can almost always find it on eBay. A 30g jar of foundation and magic finish lasts me an entire year. Using a Kabuki brush, both applications are super quick and easy... which helps me get out the door faster, but doesn't keep me from still being late! Anyone got a miracle fix for that??