Because of the tough economic climate, our local snowmobile parts dealer has shut their doors.  Of course this is no surprise given the current economic crisis, but it has definitely saddened many of us that enjoy such sports.  Hubby and I used to go to The Circle every time we had the extra money to invest into either our quads, dune buggies or snowmobile’s.  And now?  We will have to travel a longer distance to get the parts we need or the upgrades we want.  I guess this only breaks my heart because the former owner, who passed away last year, would be devastated that the shop she worked so hard to build and keep running with her husband has closed its doors.  The Circle was such a large part of our county that  I am sure we are not the only ones saddened by this loss, but what can we do about it?  Money is tight for everyone and everyone is clinging onto their money tightly.  Please pray for our county, as we are on the verge of becoming a ghost town.  Our businesses are closing their doors, one by one.

I have been playing catch up since Addison’s birth on November 3rd. I know that her birth was only two weeks ago, but I pride myself in being very organized and timely- so this has just shaken my world up a little bit. The husband and I currently live in my grandparents home and maintain their lower level. We had initially planned on selling our first home and finding another one to flip, but ended up staying with my grandparents instead. It has worked out very nicely, as we are here to help them and vice versa. The only downfall thus far is that Ethan likes to tear apart our office, which is a huge no-no. Sometime this week we are planning on getting the internet hooked up downstairs so that I may work freely from home without having to worry about him tearing up an office. Sadly, I still need to buy memory for my computer due to its slowness. Isn’t there any way to speed up the computer with increasing memory size?? Money is tight right now and this little bit extra doesn’t fit into our budget.

Finding fun, unique clothing for children is a must for me. I live in a small town where every one wears the same thing, so any chance I have to set my child apart from the rest is a great day. One of my new favorite t-shirt and onesie lines comes from Bored Inc. Their Japanese inspired shirts are hilariously cute, not to mention functional.When my package arrived from Bored Inc, I was impressed to see how well packaged it was.  Our items were individually wrapped and aside from our items, I was surprised by a package of their adorable little pins.  The pins are much too small for the husband and I to keep around the house, so we donated them to my nephew who had a ton of fun passing them around to his “girlfriends” at school.

One of the first things I do when I receive new clothes is wash them- which makes for a great first test on how well the items will hold up.  I did not have any problem with shrinkage, but did notice that our t-shirt (size 12) looked a little small to begin with.  Shirts and onsies are made from 100% cotton, which give them a soft feel.

You will find more than just tees and onesies on the Bored Inc website.  You can purchase wall decor, totes, plushies, accessories and jewelry.  After seeing the pins, I can only imagine how awesome the wall decor is.  I plan on purchasing the Octopus wall decals to spruce up the kids bathroom, as they are probably the most fun, unique designs I have found to date.  Over all, these items are too cute for children not to have in their collection!

Around twenty-two months of age, the hubby and I started experiencing what many people consider to be the “terrible two’s.”  He went from our happy go lucky “yes mommy” little boy to a much more defiant and mischievous little guy.  It seems as though I am constantly telling him the word “no,” asking him to quit dumping the cats food into the cats water dish or yelling across the room for him to quit climbing the entertainment center.  After reading the books Always by Ann Scott, the hubby and I decided to tally up the number of times in one day that we tell our son “no” or get after him for something his bad behavior. Reading this book made us think long and hard about our current parenting style and how our son must feel every time we get after him.Always by Ann Scott broke my husbands and my hearts, but reassured us that all of those “no’s” we have been telling our son over the past few months are in his best interest. Always is an eye opening book for parents and a reassuring book for children. It teaches children that no matter how troublesome or messy they are, their parents will love them regardless of the circumstances until the end of time. Though our son is too young to understand the meaning behind the book, he has been able toto enjoy the beautiful illustrations by Matt Phelan.  Although the book is targeted towards children, it does offer a great lesson for parents as well.  If you have yet to read this book, please do so.  It is a real eye opener!

Scrap booking is a hot trend amongst people of all ages.  I, myself, am a true scrapbook fanatic.  Something about creating customs pages to display some of my more cherished memories puts a smile on my face. Up until recently, I created all of my scrapbook pages by hand. Every last detail that went on to the page was cut, pasted/taped or maneuvered by in some fashion. However, that has all changed.When I received the new Digital Scrapbook Artist software made by Serif, I quickly fell in love. Creating custom pages is as easy as 1-2-3! No more digging through files upon files of embellishments for me or trying to print pictures from the computer to complete my pages. So how easy is this program? Easy! You simply choose your page size (12×12, 8×8, letter and A4). You then choose from a wide variety of embellishments, craft tools, paint brushes, shadows and effects to make each page suit your liking.

If any of you are like me, I enjoy sharing my scrap book with everyone. Plus, what better way is there to share life’s biggest moments? With the Digital Scrapbook Artist, you don’t have to wait until you see people to share your memories. The software offers one-click sharing, allowing you to email completed pages to your family and friends. You can even use one-click sharing to print these pages off at home or through a printing company to add these completed pages to your current album. I hope you find the modern way of scrap booking as fun and simple as I have!  Digital Scrapbook Artist is $39.95 and currently available for purchase at serif.com.

Unique is a word very highly cherished and lived up to in our family when it comes to decorating sense. We have several items through out our home that have made people stop and stare or ask questions. Our newest addition in the unique collection is a beautiful foot stool made by Lee Brochstein of www.yourcouturekid.com.

When the foot stool arrived, I could not get over how incredibly beautiful it was in person versus the images shown on the website. Every detail that went into the stool truly makes it a one of a kind piece. From the material used on the stools top to the tutu around the stools top and the ballet slippers. Our foot stool had a beautiful blue, swirl pattern on the top that reminded us of the sky and the tutu itself was made from blue, white and a gold embellished patterned tulle. The legs were blue with beautiful white ballet slippers on the feet. No matter who you purchase this foot stool for, it is sure to be a hit amongst children and adults alike.

My daughter is only two weeks old, so she has yet to use the stool herself. But her big brother has put it to the ultimate test. He places the foot stool next to the rocking chair in the nursery and use it as a seat, while he tells his sister and I stories during her feeding time!

About two weeks before Addison’s due date, Jeff and I began redoing the basement. We painted walls, hung chair railing and began sorting through our pictures to find some to hang on the wall. One thing we have yet to look at is home theater furniture. We both agreed that at some point in next two years, we would like the basement to feel more like a home theater. We are not much for going out to the shows, plus we like to entertain. I have a few pieces of furniture that I like, but Jess and I are having a hard time agreeing!  He loves theater seating- I want something more family friendly.  This has been one of the few times we cannot agree on anything!

When the weather is nice you can find hundreds of motorcyclists cruising through our town on their Harley Davidson’s. Of course, we still have some crazed Harley riders who ride in colder weather as well- mainly the hubby’s ex boss. Anyways… last week, he wiped out on his bike and has been since looking for inexpensive Harley parts to repair the bike. We have tried to help research this matter online, but really? I no absolutely NOTHING about Harley’s or bikes for that matter!  If you could give me some tips on where to have him shop, I’d appreciate it!

Traveling with children can be stressful business, especially when there is more than one. Besides packing your luggage and getting everyone around, you have to find snacks and toys to help keep your child entertained. With the limited amount of space your child has to play with during travel, you have to get creative on what toys or forms of entertainment to lug along. The portable playtime back pack is a great bag to have on hand.

The size of the portable playtime back pack folds out to a size perfect for airplane trays. Plus with the zippable pockets, you can tuck away several items. We have found that tucking away art supplies on the one side of the back pack and a few smaller toys on the other side. When the bag is opened up, the sides (or pockets) drape down to either side, leaving toys within close range, but far enough out of the way to use the back pack as a play mat. My son loves taking this bag with us for long car rides or doctors appointments. No parent should travel without these bags of entertainment!

How many of our Pajama Mommy Community readers enjoy reminiscing about the good ‘ol days? For me, nothing beats going through old photographs just to recall a moment in time. My son is only two years old, but I enjoy going back and looking through the photos taken of him in his first few moments of life. I enjoy seeing how much he has changed from month to month and picturing what he may look like over the next few years. My parents and grandparents often times reminisce about their childhood or us kids and occasionally will put out a few cherished photographs for us to view. So it comes as no surprise that I am going to share with you a fabulous personalized gift for that special someone. Angel Bags are a priceless gift to give someone- no matter the occasion.

Creating and purchasing your Angel Bag is a breeze. You simply place your order by selecting the style of purse you would like. You can then choose between having one photograph or a collage of photographs. To choose a collage, you will need to check the collage request option during ordering (or make a note in the comments section). Once you have ordered, email your additional photos to pic@picturemypurse.com- where you will be sent 3 style sheets (using your pictures) to choose from. A final style sheet will then be sent to you for approval and your order will be placed. If an Angel Bag does not suit your needs, then take a look at the personalized dog tags, watches, jewelry and more. PictureMyPurse.com truly has something for everyone!