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

You’ve spent a lot of time putting together a baby shower, and you just crossed the last item off your list—party favors. But how do you hand them out? Do you put one on each plate? Do you place them around the buffet table? Do you rig up little baskets to parachute from the ceiling, launching each party favor at guests via basket-mounted micro-catapult?

Well, as much as I love seeing a good parachute/micro-catapult launch, there’s an easier way to make sure your party favors get noticed: personalized baby shower favor boxes.

SimplyBabyStuff.com has super cute favor boxes, available in two different sizes and a variety of designs, making it easy to coordinate them with your baby shower theme. The best part is you can personalize these boxes with a custom message to or about the mama-to-be.

These boxes are so special, your quests might think their party favor is the box itself!

P.S. The larger size includes a matching gift card and satin ribbon!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

A few months ago, I tasted a wheat berry salad at a local restaurant, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. The chewy texture of wheat berries, the sweet tang of cranberries, the bite of a vinegar dressing…I was in heaven. It was good, people. If you’ve never had the pleasure of devouring a wheat berry salad, I’d suggest you quickly move the experience to the top of your list. 

Of course, with the taste of that salad fresh in my memory, I figured I ought to add a wheat berry salad recipe to my own repertoire. I waded through many similar recipes, but I couldn’t find one that was on-par with the yummy salad I’d been day dreaming about. And so, finally, with you all in mind (as well as my own taste buds), I set out to create my own crave-worthy version of the elusive wheat berry salad recipe. 

You’re welcome.

Cranberry Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat berries are simply the entire (hulled) wheat kernel (whole grains, yay!); cooked until they’re soft but still a bit chewy, they impart an interesting—and yummy—texture to a salad that’s a nice break from the ordinary. Add this salad to your next shower menu…your guests will be begging for the recipe (and the leftovers!)

2 cups hard red winter wheat berries

10 cups water, salted

1 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup minced onion

½ cup sunflower seeds

1/8–1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (parsley, chives, basil, etc.—whatever’s fresh)

¼ cup raspberry vinegar (or your favorite vinegar)

2 T good extra virgin olive oil

2 T sugar (or your favorite sweetener)

1–2 tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds

In a large pot, boil the wheat berries in the salted water until they’re soft but still a bit chewy, about 60 minutes. Drain the wheat berries and transfer them to a large bowl. To the bowl, add the cranberries, onion, sunflower seeds, herbs, and the nuts if you’re including them. Stir to combine everything. In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar and oil then pour it over the salad. Stir well to be sure everything’s coated in dressing, then add black pepper and/or more salt to taste. Let the salad sit, covered, for at least 30 minutes before serving—the longer it sits, the better it tastes! Serve this salad either chilled or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger

One afternoon, while I was attempting to put my son down for his nap, my daughter came bursting into the room. Naturally, I was annoyed that she was interrupting the baby’s lullaby, but something in her tone made me hold my tongue, and I’m so glad I did…because what happened next was nothing less than magical.

She was talking so quickly that I couldn’t understand the words tumbling out of her mouth, but I could tell that whatever she was trying to tell me, it was big. And exciting! EXCITING!

Eventually, I was able to help her calm herself enough to deliver her message: “Mama! I can read Sully’s [her brother’s] beach ball book! And I just did! I read it! With the real words! I! READ! ALL! THE! WORDS!”

Now, I knew full well that my just-turned four-year-old hadn’t actually read a book. I knew she’d flipped the pages and recited the words she’d memorized from hearing them over and over again. I also knew she’d been doing that since she was two, and this was not a new skill…But. Something was different. I decided her brother’s nap could wait a bit and we followed her back into the family room to listen to her “read.”

Something has shifted for my daughter. She’s got a new understanding. As I sat and watched her read the book in her hands (all while looking at me rather than the pages), I saw such pride in her eyes. Total belief in her skills. Whether she’s begun connecting the idea that the letters and words she sees around her actually hold stories, or if she’s simply beginning to truly grasp that one day she will learn how to read for herself, I’m not sure. The difference in her perspective could be anything. But I do know that as far as she’s concerned, she can read–only that one book, but she can read!

 And really, after witnessing her absolute confidence in herself as she recited that book to me…I was inclined to agree.

“Yes! I heard you read, Sweetie! You read all the words!”

 The baby never did nap that day…we were too busy listening to stories.

Why should you worry about baby shower invitations? Hmm. Honestly, if your shower’s potential guests care at all about the mother-to-be, you could probably send out invitations written on old cardboard toilet paper tubes (with postage due) and still be confident about a good turnout. But baby shower invitations are about more than guaranteeing a sizable headcount.

Really, all the special touches you can pour into a baby shower amount to providing an experience. And your baby shower invitation provides guests with the first taste of that experience. (As well as, you know, practical things like a date, a time, a place and all that).

SimplyBabyStuff.com has enough baby shower invitations to make your party planning-head spin, but finding what you want is easy—even if you don’t know what you want. They’ve got everything from cute-n-cartoony to elegant-n-understated. Looking for a classic invitation with a baby carriage on it? What about a cute monkey? A cute owl? Something trendy? Already know the sex of the baby? Planning a couple’s shower? No problem. You’ll find all those baby shower invitations and more—whatever you need to set the right tone for a terrific experience.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger