Now that my daughter’s in school every morning, my 14-month-old (Sully) and I have suddenly found ourselves with some time alone, just the two of us. For me, this has been a major perk of sending my oldest off to [Pre]Kindergarten.

Save a few evening or weekend hours here and there, Sully and I haven’t had much time to ourselves. I’ve always felt a bit guilty about that—his sister had an entire three years of my full attention—but I suppose that’s just the way of things for second (and third, and fourth…) children. They come into the world sharing.

There are benefits to that, to be sure—he’s already got a built-in playmate, and he’s already well on his way to understanding the intricacies of the sharing process. He’s constantly attempting things his sister hadn’t even dreamed of at his age, all because he’s got an example, someone to look up to.

But still. There’s something to be said for some quality one-on-one time for each kid. I do think it’s very important—ideally they’d each get a bit of my (and my husband’s) undivided attention each day—I just…haven’t been very good at implementing that. I let life get in the way, I suppose, just rolling along until I wake up one day and my oldest is in school and my youngest and I are in a room together, alone, staring at each other.

Alright, so it’s not been that dramatic, exactly. But we have had a bit of an adjustment period. Sully still spends some time each morning looking for his sister, repeating her name in a rather (adorably) confused sort of way. We’re quickly settling in, however. Finding our own routine, just as his sister and I did when she was small. We’re getting to know each other in a new way…and making up for lost time, I think.

Let me tell you though: you should hear the squeals when he spies his sister heading toward our car after school. I may be his mama, but I think she’s his very favorite.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

Planning a baby shower for some moms-to-be is a cinch. As long as there’s lots of pink and/or baby blue decorations and some cute little teddy bears, you’re in business. But what about the almost-mamas (and daddies!) who aren’t into the traditional cutesy stuff? What do you do for the friend who just loves quirky and/or geeky stuff like X-files, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica?

You go with the Lil’ Space Alien baby shower theme, that’s what.

One of SimplyBabyStuff.com’s newest baby shower themes, the Lil’ Space Alien  design was created with sci-fi and whimsy lovers in mind. Instead of super cute babies or animals, you’ll find a super cute alien baby piloting its space cruiser into some intergalactic fun.

And of course, SimplyBabyStuff.com carries the theme through an array of baby shower goods from invitations to banners to plates and cups to party favors and decorations to thank you notes and more—and all of it is customizable for your mother-to-be.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

When it comes to fruit salads, reactions from your guests can often be a little spotty. It’s always nice to add a sweet element to your table, and to be certain, there are many people who really enjoy them, but too often it seems like fruit salads are relegated to a tiny spoonful serving perched on the edge of a plate…which may or may not actually be eaten.

This salad will change all that. This salad will bring the fruit salad lovers and the fruit salad rather-not-ers together. You’ll find your guests inching the other foods off to the edges of their plate to make room for seconds and thirds (and occasionally fourths, but who’s counting?) front and center.

This Pineapple Pretzel Salad was shared with me many years ago by my mother-in-law. I’m pretty sure it ranks in the top ten on the list of good things that have come out of my marriage (After the children, of course.) (Barely.) I’ve since passed it on to many other people, and it is the one fruit salad in my recipe box which leaves people (um…ok: leaves me) scraping the bowl at the end of the meal. 

This salad calls for the brilliant addition of buttery, salty pretzels which pair so wonderfully with sweet pineapple for a yummy salty/sweet treat. It’s so good, you may find yourself passing over the dessert table and reaching for another serving of fruit salad instead.

Pineapple Pretzel Salad

For the best taste, this salad should be assembled just before eating, but if you’d like to prepare it ahead of time, both the pretzels and the creamy salad can be stored for a few days and mixed just prior to serving. Keep the pretzels at room temperature in an airtight container, and store the creamy salad covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble and serve the salad. Any leftovers (ha!) can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days—the pretzels will get a bit soggy, but it’s still delicious.

1 cup crushed pretzels

1 stick melted butter

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained

1 (8 oz) container whipped topping

In a 9×13-inch pan, melt the butter in a 400º oven, then remove. Sprinkle the crushed pretzels evenly over the butter and press into a single layer. Sprinkle 1/3 cup granulated sugar over the pretzels and bake them at 400º for 3-5 minutes, until they are bubbly and beginning to brown. Set them aside to cool, then break them apart with a fork and set them aside until you are ready to serve.

In a medium-sized bowl, cream the cream cheese and ½ cup granulated sugar with a hand mixer until they are well-combined and the sugar is fairly dissolved in the cheese. With a spoon, stir in the drained pineapple and mix until it is well-combined. Gently fold in the whipped topping until everything is evenly mixed, and store the salad, covered in the refrigerator, until you are ready to serve. To serve, mix the pretzels into the creamy salad until they are well-incorporated (I often reserve a few pretzels to sprinkle on top of the salad for a beautiful presentation.)

Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

After a full year of “firsts” and milestones with their little one, new parents are often ready to celebrate a bit, and whether it’s a humongous blow-out with everyone they know or an intimate family affair, a first birthday party for their brand new one-year-old is always in order!

However, those same parents are likely exhausted from their year of “firsts” and milestones. A lot happens over the course of that first year, and it can leave your head spinning. Planning a party—no matter how simple the event—can feel like a momentous undertaking.

Well breathe easy, new parents: Big Dot of Happiness is here to help! They’ve developed a new line of decorations, invitations, and tableware specifically for birthday celebrations—including a huge selection of First Birthday products—and it’s all available at SimplyBirthdayStuff.com.

At SimplyBirthdayStuff.com, you’ll find scores of First Birthday themes to choose from, allowing you to effortlessly coordinate your little one’s party—from the invitations, to the decorations, all the way to the thank you notes. (And more and more themes are being added regularly!) SimplyBirthdayStuff.com is truly your “One Stop Birthday Party Shop!”

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

As you may remember, my daughter started school this year. She now spends her weekday mornings as one of thirteen 4-year-olds in a 4K (pre-kindergarten in our school district) classroom.

So far, her transition overall has been a smooth one—which is fortunate because it could have so easily been traumatic for her (um…and for me): this is the first school-type situation she’s ever been in. No daycare. No preschool. Just she and I, always together, for four (mostly blissful) years.

Yeah. (sniffle)

Happily, she seems to be adjusting pretty quickly to our new routine, and we’ve even begun to see some changes in her at home already. She’s doing things for herself without batting an eye, she’s jumping up to be helpful (practically) without being asked. She’s even <gasp> sharing with her brother. Nicely! And it’s usually her idea!!

I take this all to mean that she was ready for this new step. Ready for a bit of independence. For something that is all hers. That she’s reveling in her new discoveries and skills and adventures…and it’s a beautiful thing to witness!

Still.

A little part of me aches a bit when I notice her skipping into the school building or gleefully telling her daddy all about the newest BIG THING she learned that day. I’m used to witnessing all the wonderful things she encounters in her days. I knew all the reasons she skipped along, and I usually helped her tell her daddy all about our exciting days.

I’m not used to being on the outside, and I’m having to hold myself back from firing too many questions (in a good-intentioned, excited mama way) at her the moment she climbs into our car after school. I’m fumbling a bit trying to find my new role in her life—still as her mama, sure, but with a bit looser grasp than in the past. My instinct is to pull her closer. To inquire about every single moment she spent away from me. To attempt to fill in that giant blank place in my mind which used to be occupied with knowledge of “How My Daughter Spent Her Morning.”

It’s tough, this mama gig. I knew from the moment she was born that I’d eventually be sending her off into the world. That I’d have to stand back and watch my beautiful girl find her own voice, her own way. I just never dreamed that process would begin so soon.

Or that I’d be so incredibly proud.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

These pretzels fall very close to the Seasoned Crackers I shared a few months back—they’re completely unhealthy, and completely addicting! However, I find leaving around little bowls of simple snacks like these to be absolutely crucial to creating a comfy-cozy shower atmosphere…so I figure you can never have too many “munchy” recipes to choose from. 

These pretzels always go over very well with the gentlemen, making them practically a requirement at couple’s showers. (And the fact that I’m sharing this recipe just as football season is beginning is no accident…just saying.) 

Buttery Ranch Pretzels
NOTE: This recipe requires the pretzels to sit overnight before you serve them. Plan accordingly—no last minute preparation with this one!

1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 (8 oz) bottle Orville Redenbacher’s Popping and Topping Oil
2 (16 oz) packages small twist pretzels

Combine the ranch dressing mix and oil by stirring together well, set aside. Put the pretzels in a large, lidded container or in a paper bag placed inside of a plastic bag. Pour the dressing/oil mixture over the pretzels, cover, and shake well to coat all the pretzels. Let them sit overnight, stirring or shaking them regularly, until all of the seasoned oil is absorbed.

Devour. (Enjoy!)

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

You guys: my kid starts school this year. I said MY KID STARTS SCHOOL THIS YEAR!!!!

I’m going to skip right past the part where I whine and cry and carry-on about how my girl’s growing up and how my poor mama-heart is breaking and how I’m freaking out because I’m suddenly dead-certain that I’ve done absolutely the wrong things during the past four years to prepare her for school—she has absolutely no idea how to tie a shoe for example, nor has she ever encountered a wall-mounted pencil sharpener. Yep, I’m going to skip all that because I have something much more important to discuss:

School. Shopping.

I LOVE school shopping. There. I said it. When I was young (and then still when I was not-so-young), I really looked forward to (nerd alert!) school starting each year. For me, the start of the school year was like the true New Year—it just felt so promising, like anything could happen. Almost… (super nerd alert!) magical.

I am the person that Back-to-School commercials are written for. I eat it up. When stores start breaking out their Back-to-School signage, and stacks of paper and sparkling displays of brand new pens (!) begin spilling into the aisles, I get a little shiver. Yes. Still.

I have many, many stock reasons for needing another notebook, and I can come up with a project requiring a brand new Sharpie marker on the spot if my husband intercepts me slipping school supplies into our cart.

However, since I’ve been out of school, I also feel a wistful little pang whenever I see those beautiful displays of school supplies. My time has passed. I no longer have a (legitimate) reason to buy a brand-new protractor or a 10-pack of pretty folders each fall. <sigh.>

But! This year all that changed because this year a very special piece of paper arrived in our mailbox. This year, we have a school supply list! A list! Of supplies! That we HAVE to get! From the Back-to-School section!!!

My daughter and I set a date, made a plan, and, clutching my her precious list in my hand, we headed out to the store. (Tra-la!)

Of course, she’s only 4, and she’ll be attending half-days in a pre-kindergarten classroom, so our list was mostly comprised of things like paper plates and Dixie cups (to share with the other students), but she did get to pick out a back pack and a special folder.

And I don’t think I need to tell you that we also came home with some new pencils and glue sticks (And a notebook! Everyone needs a notebook!) to play with at home. We were school shopping, after all. For the first time! I had a precedent to set, and of course, my nerd status to consider.

She’s been carefully filling up her new notebook ever since…I think she gets it.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

I am a person who sees a product in a store and immediately thinks “I could make that!” It may be easier to simply buy pre-made items, but, even when doing-it-myself is way more trouble than it’s worth, I still tend to tackle things myself. I like the satisfaction of the finished product being exactly suited to my tastes, and  I love the challenge of figuring out how to accomplish a new project (while possibly learning new skills.) And often, I can make something at a far less cost than buying it outright. 

It’s because of this do-it-myself streak I have that I was so thrilled when I first noticed SimplyBabyStuff.com has a whole section of products just for people like me. Row after row of customizable labels and tags! A huge selection of cute empty containers just begging to be filled and decorated! Yards of baby-themed curly ribbon and piles of favor boxes and candy bar wrappers to match their popular baby shower themes!

There’s even a build-your-own diaper cake. Yes. There is.

You maybe don’t consider yourself to be “crafty” or generally steer clear of DIY projects, but seriously? SimplyBabyStuff.com makes doing it yourself so easy (and incredibly cost-effective!) that you really have no reason NOT to consider taking this route. If you can peel and stick a label or pour candy into a baby bottle, you can handle these projects.

Just be careful: one successful DIY project quickly leads to more and more, and before you know it you find yourself developing your own lavender-scented glue recipe which you’ll use to seal the hand-crafted envelopes that hold your hand-drawn baby shower invitations.

Ahem.

Not that I’d know.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

So, you’re getting ready for your baby shower, and you’re pulling together the all-important baby shower party supplies. Sitting on the kitchen table, you’ve got red plastic cups from the last family reunion, stars-n-stripes napkins from the 4th of July, holy-pattern paper plates from Christmas, and five rolls of purple streamers from June’s graduation party. Each item is essential and just sitting there at the ready…but your table looks an awful lot like a Jackson Pollack painting, and the mother-to-be doesn’t even know who Jackson Pollack was.

Yes, the partial stack of Chinet dinner plates pulled from the back of the pantry are just begging for their day in the sun. But trust me, today is not their day.

SimplyBabyStuff.com has pretty much every baby shower party supply covered—from plastic spoons to mylar balloons. They’ve got matching placemats, table skirts, plates, cups, napkins and more. And many of the baby shower supplies are packaged into “party packs,” letting you grab everything you need, all at once, all in line with your theme.

Baby shower party supplies shouldn’t be an excuse to clean out the cupboards. That’s what a last-minute pizza party is for. Baby showers are an excuse to indulge a very special person getting ready for a very special, life-changing event. Give them the best by shopping at SimplyBabyStuff.com.

 Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

A few days ago, while riding in the car, my daughter suddenly pipes up from the back seat:

“Mama! We should make a band! We’ll call ourselves ‘Stop Sign Heads!’”

She’ll be doing the singing and playing the guitar. Her brother’s on maracas.

Apparently, I get to play the wooden spoon and plastic bucket.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger