Elf On A Shelf: Current Addiction

How did I not know about Elf on a Shelf before this holiday season? How did I miss out on such a cute tradition? I have no clue how I had never heard of this but now that I have, its sort of become a Pinterest fueled addition. I confess, I sit on Pinterest looking at others peoples cleverly staged Elf locations wishing I had known about this before. Next holiday season I am so buying myself this little guy. I am so adopting an Elf, registering him online and placing him on way more than just a shelf. Are you like me and never heard of Elf On A Shelf? Here is some handy information.

In the meantime enjoy my favorite Elf On A Shelf pictures that I got from....yes, Pinterest.

Is Elf On A Shelf incorporated into your holiday tradition?

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Infant in Your Life

I know Christmas is right around the corner and I also know that like myself, many of you still need to do your last minute shopping. Here are my favorite gifts for the infant in your life that you need to shop for. I think the little ones are the easiest as all you need is a simple yet cute item. Popular on my list are the last two items below that capture babys' first holiday.

Trumpette Socks: I simply cannot get enough of these adorable socks that come in the most drool worth packaging. They make already cute baby feet simply irresistible. They have boy themed, girl themed and neutral boxes of socks. Look for some at great prices on Amazon. Or checkout your local Target for Trumpettes more moderately priced line called TrumpetteToo...trust me they are equally just as cute.

Skip Hop Hug and Hide: This super cutesy owl squeaks, crinkles, rattes, reveals a baby own inside, has over 10 different activities and 2 removable teethers. Whew! Not into owls? The Hug and Hide also comes in the form of a puppy, bear, monkey and lamb. My little one is getting the owl this Christmas. You can find this on Amazon or the Buy Buy Baby website. You also could purchase it directly from the Skip Hop website by clicking here.

Holiday Frame: If the infant you are buying for is really little and you want to give something a little bit more on the "memory lane" side, you can give a baby's first Christmas type of frame. Its a sweet way to capture and store your little ones or someone else's' first holiday photo. You can get the frame above from PersonalizationMall by clicking here.

Pearhead Baby Hanging Keepsake: My personal favorite is this do it yourself Christmas ornament that takes your little ones handprint.This really is a crowd pleaser here. Who wouldn't want to pull this out of their ornament storage container each year to hang on the tree? I am getting this for my little one and all my nephews. You can purchase this ornament via Amazon by clicking here.

What are you buying for the infant on your Christmas list?

Its Christmas Time Baby: Photo Shoot Ideas

 Christmas will be here before you know it. I am just loving browsing for holiday photo shoot ideas for little ones. Wanted to share them with you all. Enjoy and beware this is one huge dose of cuteness overload.

 Ok i'm sorry but this photo is just way to cute, stick a bottle of milk in their somewhere and voila.

I have been seeing a string of (pun intended) holiday baby photos with the babies chewing on lights that appear to be turned on. As cute as it was, I feel very uncomfortable seeing a baby eating lit up lights with string wrapped all around them. I thought this picture as a much safer and equally as cute way to showcase your little one with sparkly holiday lights.

Here is too chubby babies, Santa hats, the colors red and green and mommies everywhere.

All photos courtesy of Pinterest, my obsession.

Winter Onsie Exchange...

Attention mommies with little ones who still wear onsies...Its time for the much requested Onsie Exchange. I have been saying I was going to do this for a while but never had a chance to roll it out and get it going. Well now is the time.

What is a Onsie Exchange?

You will be partnered up with another reader of MrsMommyTalk and then you two will send each other a onsie for your little one. I will ensure that when you receive your partner you know the gender, age and size of their little one as well as the name. You get to be super creative here, you can send a cute Carters onsie, a onsie you created yourself or something off of Etsy. Its all up to you. Have fun with it though and try to be creative.



So here is all the details and what you need to do:

• Its open to any mommy who wants to participate. If you are in a country other than the US or Canada, send me an email so we can work something out for you. I really want to be their for all my readers, regardless of location.
• If you wish to participate please leave a comment below stating what type of onsies are your favorite ( i.e. long sleeves, Carters, blue, customized, favorite animal/character etc) AND send me an email asking me to please enter you into the exchange. You can email me by clicking here.
• You have until December 12th to ask to participate. You will have until December 20th to mail out your exchange partners onsie.

Happy December and have fun with this exchange! If you have any questions at all please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

The Winter Cheer Winner Is....

Tammy81!!

Congratulations, you are the winner of the Winter Cheer Giveaway. Please email me at mrsmommytalk@gmail.com by December 3rd.

I used Random.org to choose the winner.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Look for a new giveaway shortly!

Photo is courtesy of Pinterest.

November Giveaway! Winter Cheer.

I love giveaways and I haven't done one in a while now. So here is one for all of you! You have from now until November 29th to enter. Winner will be chosen on November 29th, 8pm pacific standard time via Random.Org. The winner will be announced here on the blog on November 30th.

What will I be winning?
A personalized winter cheer gift bag. The winner will be asked some basic questions in order to cater the gift towards you and your little one/s. I am so excited to put this together!!

How do I enter?
Its simple. Join this blog via the Google Connect bar on the right hand side and then leave a comment below stating that you have joined this blog. If you are already a member just comment below that you are already a member.

Any additional entries?
Why, of course. Each of the below constitute an additional entry. Just be sure to leave a comment for each additional entry, letting me know what you did.

• Like MrsMommyTalk on Facebook.
• Subscribe to MrsMommyTalk on YouTube.
• Follow MrsMommyTalk on Twitter.
• Leave a comment on any post in this blog that interests you and come back here and let me know which blog post you commented on. This is to give me an idea of what type of posts are your favorites! =)

Good luck!

Mommy Makeover Tip: Mani Time!

With our tootsies pretty much covered up now thanks to cooler fall and winter weather its time to put our full focus on those finger nails. Yes, I am a mom and I know that sometimes our nails become lost in a sea of jagged edges, overgrown cuticles and general dullness but ladies its time to put that to an end! Its time to mani up! Whether you like colors on your nails or a quick swipe of top coat after a nice buff...you know you hold that head of yours just a wee bit higher when your nails are looking pretty.

Here are some of my favorite looks for this fall/winter.

I love nude polishes and this shimmery nude looks fab for the holiday season.

I really need to get my hands on this Scotch Naturals line of nail polish. Not only are the above 3 colors perfect for this season but they are supposed to be a natural water based paint. Score.

One of my all time favorite shades to wear is anything that is deep/dark purple. I think this is especially perfect for November along with a nice rich cranberry color. Which reminds me im on the look out for a festive cranberry shade. Any suggestions?

A perfect nail polish splurge for this season, Chanel Peridot nail color. 

First photo from here.

Second photo from here.

Third photo from here.

Fourth photo from here.

Fifth photo from here.

DIY: Modge Podge

On a recent DIY shopping trip for supplies for my latest attempt at being crafty (look for a blog post soon on what I made. Hint: has to do with organizing necklaces) I stared in amazement at the cost of Modge Podge or in other words decoupage goup. Why is something that is so simple to make selling for such a high price? If you guys need to decoupage your lastest project consider making your own modge podge.

What you need:

• Water
• Elmers Glue
• Mixing jar & something to mix with.

Yep that really is it. Didn't I tell you its super easy and cheap?

How to make it:

All you need to do is take your mixing jar and add 1 part glue and 1 part water. Depending on how much modge podge you need you just make sure 50% is glue and 50% is water. Mix and voila, you now haver perfectly perfect modge podge. I promise. I just did two semi-extensive projects with my homemade modge podge and it worked perfectly.

Dont Forget:

You can always alter it to meet your specific needs. Adding more or less water or glue can give you a thicker or thinner formula. Also remember it dries perfectly clear so no worries about ruining your project.

Modge Podge away...and for cheap!

Burts Bees is the Bees Knees...

Cheesy blog title? Yes. Cheesy baby product? Nope. Im actually in love with this baby wash and shampoo in one product. If you are used to buying Johnson & Johnson baby products, this may seem a bit pricey but it lasts a long time and is a high quality baby item in my opinion. I used Amazon Subscribe & Save to get it for a little bit cheaper but you can find this product in most drug stores here in America. I am not sure if it is sold in other countries.

Reasons I love Burts Bees Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash:

• Fragrance free & tear free.
• Plant based.
• Cleans naturally with Aloe, Oat flour and soy proteins.
• Free of harsh chemicals such as sulfates.
• Reasonably priced for being a natural/chemical free product.

I know that the Baby Bee line has lots of other natural products in their line. Have you tried any?

Mommy Style: Beauty on a Budget

Being a mom is tough. Looking like a million bucks ( or even like you had a good nights sleep) is even tougher at times.  Keeping beauty on a budget...not all that tough. Thanks to some high quality drug store products, keeping yourself beautified while keeping your pocketbook unharmed is very much possible.

First off, I have to rave to you all about Rimmel mascaras. They are anywhere from $4.00-$9.00 and work just as well for other tubes of mascara that can sell for around $30.00. Rimmel makes so many different types of mascara as well, so you are bound to find one thats works for you. Taking a minute to swipe on a few coats of mascara before you head out the door can help lend a tired mommy a well rested and bright eyed look.

Last week in a quick pinch I reached for my husbands bottle of head and shoulders two in one shampoo and conditioner thinking, "great now my hair will be all messed up today". Wrong. My hair was wonderfully clean, smooth and great smelling. Almost more so than when I use some of my much more expensive shampoos.

These are just under $5.00 at Target. Smell amazing, feel amazing and well are just pretty amazing. I use them to wipe off any makeup before I shower at night.

If you are on a budge, you don't have to sacrifice your beauty regime. Their are plenty of products that feel just as luxurious and work just as effectively as your more expensive brands. What beauty item do you use when you are on a budget?

Makeup picture from here.
All other photos taken from their company website.

What I am Liking Now: Evenflo Glass Bottles

I have been through so many different bottles since little Z was born. I can't even tell you how many different brands I have tried. I guess I was always just curious to see if I could find a bottle that was better than whichever one I was currently using. I always had a problem with each bottle brand until I stumbled across Evenflo's glass bottles. So simple, so plain and so old school. Who would have thought I would actually like this? Their are NO fancy tubes, nipples, caps etc etc..The packaging even screams bland, boring and granny. However, these bottles ARE the best bottles I have used thus far and I now exclusively use Evenflo glass bottles in the classic style.

Why you ask?

• Super easy to clean and always look brand new.
• Never get that weird cloudy/old look that plastic bottles get.
• Eliminated about 95% of the gas/air problems with were having with all the fancy schmancy bottles.
• Inexpensive. Like seriously inexpensive. Check them out on Amazon or in your local Target.
• BPA free which is always a plus.
• Saves on buying plastic which aids you in becoming a green mommy!

Trust me I was reluctant to buy these but thought what the heck I might as well give them a shot. Surprisingly I haven't broke one yet which is the one con I can think of with having glass bottles instead of plastic. I have already purchased the 8 ounce size and have stored my 4 ounce sized ones away for baby #2 one day. I will never again repurchase a plastic bottle.

Have you tried a glass bottle before? What are your thoughts on them?

Fun Fall Fashion for Baby Boy & Girl

Baby Girl Fun Fall Fashion by mrsmommytalk on polyvore.com

With weather finally getting cold here and my little one growing faster than a weed, I have been avidly scouring baby clothing items suitable for the fall. I kind of fell in love with the pieces above.

Baby Boy Fall Fashion Items by mrsmommytalk on polyvore.com

I dont have a baby boy but if I did these are pieces I would consider. I am loving that little newsboy hat to pieces!

DIY: Simple Marbled Cupcakes

Marbling cupcakes is really so easy and fun. First choose which two flavors you want to marble together. For mine pictured above, I just stuck with a simple cocoa batter and a vanilla batter. The possibilities really are endless though and that is the fun part. I was thinking of the following flavor combinations:

• Chocolate & Hazelnut
• Lemon & Strawberry
• Vanilla & Almond

You can also color your batter with food coloring. Its hard to tell in this picture ( and because I ran out of food coloring) but I dyed my vanilla batter a nice shade of orange since these ones were for Halloween.

Take your first layer of batter and place a spoonful of it on the bottom of the cupcake tin then take a spoon of your second flavor and place on top of first. Then use a toothpick or any other utensil that is long and relatively thin and gently swirl the two flavors together. Yes it is really that simple.

Mommy Style: Simple Sophistication

Simple Sophistication by mrsmommytalk featuring a pleated skirt

Am I a late bloomer to Polyvore? Most likely. Do I love a creative outlet? Most definitly.

OOTD Baby Style: Little Puppies

While we may not own a real life puppy, Little Z was busy sporting them on her cute long sleeve onsie with matching skirt pants.

Aren't little baby legs and feet just so cute?

Sorry for the poor quality but I was stuck with using my Iphone today as my main source of picture taking. I love seeing how big she is getting day by day but it sure does go by fast. I cannot believe how chunky my little girl has already become.
Onsie, pants with attached skirt and headband all from Gymboree. Here is to little girls and puppy dogs!

Poor Forgotten November

With the spooky hauntings of October and the winter wonderland of December, poor November seems to be a bit forgotten. Lonely November doesnt' seem to get much adoration other than one single day of turkey and glutton. So in honor of it being November 1st, 2011 here are some of the things that remind me of November. What does November bring to mind for you?

Hot, creamy homemade soups.

Trees. Yes for some reason November brings to my mind images of whimiscal forests of magical trees.

Dimly lit rooms with fall inspired candles! I always like one in my bedroom, bathroom, guest bathroom and kitchen. Yes, this is an obsession. Thank Bath & Body Works for that.

Cozy fireplaces. I wish I had a wood burning one but alas my gas powered one will have to do for this November.

Chunky sweaters and hot drinks. November perfection.


Candle picture from here.
Fireplace picture from here.
Sweater & Mug picture from here.
Remaining pictures from Pinterest and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to embed the link here. Help?