For the past couple years, my daughter (Eva) has spent most of her days insisting we call her by whatever name she’s dreamed up for herself. Among others, we’ve had periods of “Evie Cat,” “Gina Kitty,” “Jen,” “Carol,” and “Fancy Cat.” She’s been many different kitties, duckies, puppies, meerkats, chickadees, and bats…not to mention multiple characters from her favorite story books. At her kindergarten (4K) screening last week, she introduced herself to the school secretary as “Kitty.”

And it’s not just her own monikers she’s been dictating—each morning (and then many more times throughout the day) she announces roles for the rest of us. I’ve spent so much time as Mama Cat (or Mama Kitty), it’s become somewhat of a nickname. And her little brother has been dubbed “Wayne.” (Don’t ask me where that one came from.) However, this all pales in comparison to the personas she’s been coming up with lately.

Last week, she proclaimed herself to be a “Fancy Pirate Kitty Princess.” (And if you give her a minute (or 10), she’ll share with you an entire back story to go along with that name.) Pretty much any multi-word combination of “kitty, fancy, ducky, princess, fairy, and Ariel the Mermaid” will do. And she often throws in a few “robots” and “ninjas” for good measure. I’m beginning to have trouble keeping up!

I couldn’t be happier about her active imagination. I just need to hire a consultant to create a database of names so I know what to call my daughter when it’s time for lunch.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

These Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme  baby shower thank you cards are just adorable  and are perfect for both baby girls and for baby boys.  And you can even personalized them with one line of text.  But the inside is blank so that you can add your own personalized hand written message making it a more sincere thank you card to give to your guests. 

These personalized baby shower thank you cards are available for as low as just 89 cents.  You absolutely want to make sure that you get thank you cards.  And it is best to just start writing them right after the shower.  During the shower it is always a great idea to have someone write down what each person gave you as well.

A major part of planning a baby shower is selecting the room décor. Whether your shower will be held in an elegant ballroom, a shady backyard, or right in your living room, you’ll want to be sure your venue conveys the “feel” you want to have at your baby shower. One of the most sure-fire ways to achieve the atmosphere you desire is to select a theme which can be woven throughout every aspect of the baby shower—from the favors to the tableware to the centerpieces.

Balloons and streamers are classic baby shower decorations and can help to tie a look together, but adding smaller, more intimate details will really make a lasting impression on your guests—remember: even your tableware can serve as a part of your decorations! SimplyBabyStuff.com offers a wide selection of coordinating baby shower decorations and supplies, making it even easier to pull a look together. Once you’ve selected your theme, SimplyBabyStuff.com covers all those small details for you! From personalized candles on your table, to a special banner on the wall, to gorgeous diaper cake centerpieces, with SimplyBabyStuff.com, your baby shower decorations will be beautifully polished and coordinated—effortlessly!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Whether you’re a hands-on person or simply on a tight budget, when it comes to planning a baby shower there are many reasons to “Do-It-Yourself.” One of the great things about putting together a DIY shower is that the final product is absolutely unique…and as a bonus, the cost of hosting the shower is often quite a bit lower.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a particularly crafty person, you can create beautiful decorations, favors, prizes, and even invitations by teaming up with SimplyBabyStuff.com.  At SimplyBabyStuff.com, you’ll find an entire section devoted to helping you add your personal style and touch to your baby shower. Whether you’re looking for personalized tags and stickers to add to your own handmade favors and prizes, or containers to fill with candy and flowers to create beautiful centerpieces for your tables, you’ll find just what you need at SimplyBabyStuff.com.

While a do it yourself baby shower requires a bit more work on your part, when you do things your way your guests are sure to notice…and appreciate your efforts!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

I’m usually not a boxed cake mix kind of girl—I tend to make our food from scratch, and there’s just something about a homemade cake. Yum. I’ve been known to make innocent recipes much, much more complicated than they need to be because “I can make that myself—why buy it?”

However.

These Pineapple Cupcakes are so light and tasty and perfectly simple just as they are…I don’t even mind buying a boxed cake mix to make them. (I do, however, whip the cream to put on top of them—highly recommended!)

Pineapple Cupcakes

(Makes 24-30 cupcakes)

These cupcakes are delicious as written below, or they can be enhanced by the addition of ½ cup shredded coconut to the batter. Create a beautiful display for your baby shower by adding a few fresh berries or flowers to the top of the whipped cream and presenting the cakes in these cupcake pedestals  or this tiered cupcake stand  from SimplyBabyStuff.com

1 (16 oz) package angel food cake mix

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice

Whipped cream to top

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers (or, alternately, spray a 9×13” pan with cooking spray.) In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and pineapple  (with juice) and stir until it’s well blended. Fill the cupcake papers 2/3 full with cake batter, and bake 15-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown. (Refrigerate the remaining cake batter until you’re ready to bake the next batch of cupcakes.) Remove the cupcakes to a rack and cool completely. Serve topped with a dollop of (real!) whipped cream.

Yum.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

This 12″ Square Mirror would make for a very elegant baby shower centerpiece to have on the tables and you can not go wrong with prices as low as $3.49.  And keep in mind that it not only make for great decorations but it can also serve as gifts for the shower.  Perhaps they would make for great door prizes!

These would look great with candles, flowers or even a nice floating candle bowl.  And this is not only a great addition to your table decor for your baby shower but this would make for Great choice to use as a table decoration or centerpiece at your next baby, bridal, wedding or anniversary event.

When we first decided to start a family, my husband and I were foolish enough to think that the hard part of raising baby would be sharing our religious beliefs with her, teaching her how to love and respect others, instilling within her a proper moral compass. We spent hours talking about how we wanted to approach discipline, what we would answer when asked questions like “Where do babies come from,” and which examples from our parents we wanted to mirror and which we wanted to avoid.

Silly us! We have since learned the hardest part of raising baby may very well be how to glean important safety information while weeding out unnecessary causes of panic. It started with the H1N1 vaccine. My OB said, “Get it.” My family practice doctor said, “Get it.” Almost 100% of the mommy discussion boards (as well as most of my friends) said, “DON’T get it!” After doing some research ourselves, we got it.

That decision was fairly easy to make; two very trusted physicians recommended I get the vaccine (one of them was pregnant herself at the time and had also gotten the vaccine). Others are more tricky. For instance, there’s the range of options in baby monitors. Do I want a monitor to tell me my baby’s breathing movements or am I okay with sound only? (I decided I’d be worried enough without laying awake watching the movements monitor.) After reading that used breast pumps are an absolte “no-no,” I returned the one I’d borrowed from a friend and added a new one to my registry. If I really scrubbed all those tiny tubes well enough, it’d probably be okay. But I know me; those tiny little tubes are not going to be scrubbed well enough. Then there’s the issue of paint. We’d found some paint samples we liked but a friend told us we really should get VOC-free paint for the nursery; it’s a little more expensive but not much and we figured it’d be alright. And it was—except that when we put it on our wall it was definitely not a “pink reef” shade but more a “lilac fields.” So, VOC paint it is; hopefully the room will be aired out and our daughter won’t be a wall licker. We’re still on the fence about our used crib mattress, though. Some sources say new mattresses off-gas, which may cause SIDS; others say used mattresses have bacteria in them, which may cause SIDS. I’m in favor of buying a new one but my husband, the finance guy, is in favor of keeping the used one. We’ll have to see what other expenses add up before we decide.

Ultimately, parents can’t control everything. Sure you can buy that all-natural organic wool rug for the nursery, but what will you do when you’re visiting out-of-town relatives with (gasp!) synthetically dyed rugs? It’s a balancing act, and all you can do is your best.

Posted by Stacy, a Dot-arilla Blogger

A baby shower is such a special occasion—a celebration of new life, with the future new mom usually surrounded by the people most dear to her. One great way to be sure your guests know how much they mean to Mama-to-be, and to help the memory of your shower live on, is to send attendees home with a little something just for them—a baby shower favor!

Baby shower favors are a wonderful way to thank your guests for attending your shower, but these days there are so many great favor ideas out there it can be a bit overwhelming to choose the perfect one. Luckily, SimplyBabyStuff.com makes the process much easier for you by offering a wide range of favors all in one convenient place.

At SimplyBabyStuff.com, you’ll find everything from very simple favors (think lollipops and personalized candy bar wrappers), to very fancy favors (pretty frosted votive holders and stainless steel coffee scoops), to very quirky favors (cheese graters and playing cards, anyone?), and everything in between! Baby shower favors to fit anybody’s style can be found at SimplyBabyStuff.com–and the best part is that many of them can be personalized with your shower information, so your guests can remember the fantastic time they had at your baby shower every single time they use their new (customized!) vanilla lip balm.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Holy cats. Ok. I know I say this a lot. A lot, a lot. But seriously? I am tired. Amazingly, I have discovered something that drains this mama’s energy (And has caused me to whine even more! Unprecedented!) way faster than a  newly-mobile infant who seems intent on injuring himself hourly combined with a three-and-a-half year old who never. Stops. Talking.

I’ve spent the past week and a half being the “Official Nose Wiper” for not one, not two, but three individuals, simultaneously. And people…the mucus is winning.

Somehow, both kids and I caught a Spring cold at the same time—we each took turns nursing a sore throat and a fever…then the snot arrived. And it will not leave! My pockets are bulging with soggy handkerchiefs, and there is a string of used tissues marking my trail through our house, Hansel and Gretel style. I have to wrestle the baby down to the mat each and every time I take a swipe at his nose, and his sister can’t seem to master the idea of blowing through her nose as opposed to her mouth, so each blow requires about five takes.

Both of my children (and myself) have raw, red noses and chapped upper lips from all the wiping. And still, the kids (and not myself) (I swear) have perpetual slimy booger tracks smeared on their faces. If we venture into public (Give me a break—it had been a week and a half, we needed groceries!), other people give us a wide berth…and slightly horrified glances.

I realize I probably shouldn’t base my worth as a mother on my ability to keep my kids’ noses wiped…but come on! I should be able to handle this! I think I’m going to file this whole ordeal in the “Things I Should Have Been Given a Heads Up About Before I Ventured Into Parenting” file.

I’ll put it right next to that time I had to clean grapes-and-hotdog vomit out of my washing machine…right after having been puked upon. Twice.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

If you are expecting and you have other children then you have to really be sensitive on how they are feeling.  Here you are getting all of these gifts for the new baby and they are just sitting there at your shower.  It is always a great idea to get something for them and these Big Brother and Big Sister tee shirts are just absolutely adorable and are perfect.  They will wear them with pride once their little brother or sister comes along.

Simply Baby Stuff has a great selection of styles and why not get them a little hat to go with it as well.  And for $12.95 you just can not go wrong.  A fabulous baby shower gift for that sibling!