Does planning a birthday party for your child fill your heart with delight or panic?

We’ve certainly all heard stories of extravagant parties costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I guess like every area of parenting, it’s not fair to judge anyone else’s choice. But if you want to laugh at someone’s extravagance, read this hilarious article by one of my favorite writers, Dave Barry (thanks to Sonya for sending it my way!). 

At the other end of the spectrum, many families are choosing to simplify birthday celebrations. This post from Simple Mom gives some excellent suggestions for minimizing materialism, such as creating gifts for a charity in lieu of traditional party games.

Since I work for an invitation company, I can’t completely get behind her suggestion to use Evite or handmade invitations. I’m biased of course, but ours are just so cute! View the entire birthday invitation gallery online, or modify your favorite birth announcement design to be a party invite.

For tips on what’s appropriate for birthday parties at each age, read this article by Kimberly Hargis. I like her idea of having bigger celebrations for the milestone years (5, 10, etc.) and something simpler for those in-between.

How do you celebrate your kids’ birthdays? What were your own birthday parties like as a child?

For claiming to be not into fashion, I’m on kind of a roll lately…inspired again by Jae at How Not to Dress Like a Mom. Actually it’s her guest-writer Jenna doing the inspiring this week. Pregnant with her second child, Jenna is writing about finding cute maternity clothes on a budget. Specifically, she’s focusing on pieces that help you get through the earlier months in your regular wardrobe. Look for more Maternity Monday posts in the coming weeks, and here are some old ones for now.

A few direct sources for maternity clothing:

Fertile Mind offers unique pieces such as the 6-way maternity dress and the BellyBelt (shown on the right)

Due Maternity has really cute tops for fall and good layering pieces too. Get a couple of great sweaters, and maybe you can avoid buying a maternity coat, with the extra warmth the baby provides.

Kiki’s Fashions Maternity has very affordable maternity clothing. There are especially good bargains on warm-weather pieces, great if you’re in an all-year-summer climate. Please do not buy the shirt on the left, especially if you’re going to a picnic, as I fear you may be mistaken for a tablecloth.

Finally, don’t forget the pieces that you wear every day, whether you’re dressing up or going casual- Amon Maternity specializes in underwear that supports your pregnant belly.

P.S. These are just products that appeal to me; I’m not receiving any benefits from the companies above.

The old song is just made for newborn babies: “you outta’ be in pictures!”.

But thank goodness we live in the age of digital photography. There are so many precious moments that film would cost a small fortune! I suppose our kids will find envelopes of film negatives someday and wonder what they are…

The cute filmstrip look on this announcement takes the best of the “film” era and combines it with the best of the digital – namely that you were able to take hundreds of shots in order to capture the yawn, the smirk, the grimace, the grin. Show off your baby’s flair for the dramatic!

I love that these announcements have room for several different photos of your baby. That’s several different moods, poses or outfits that you can share with friends and family!

Someday his name may be up in lights and these birth announcements will sell for big bucks on eBay. Not that Grandma would ever part with hers…

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends who are expecting a little one, especially if they’re theater types! Check out the entire collection of magnetic and paper birth announcements at MagnetStreet Baby.

What do you know about woot?

No, that’s not a typo or my latest attempt at Dr. Seussisness. Woot is a funny little website that sells one product at a great price each day: it goes online at midnight and if it hasn’t sold out, it’s pulled from the “shelf” at 11:59pm that same night. For instance, today’s product, a funky power strip, sold out around 6am.

In addition to the main woot site, there are woots for shirts and wine. They have really creative/sarcastic writers doing the product descriptions each day, usually good for a chuckle if not an outright belly laugh.

“But Kara,” you ask, “why are you talking about woot on your mommy blog?” Well, I’m glad you asked! It’s because a kids version of woot was released last month.

Today’s product is the Buildin’ to Learn Motor/Workshop for just $49.99. This same toy workbench is selling for $99.99 on the Little Tikes website, so it’s a fantastic deal. Other products have ranged from DVDs to electronic toys to car seats.

Put the kids woot blog in your blog reader if you don’t feel like checking the site at midnight every night. You’ll know if that day’s product is still available because the button will say “I want one” instead of “sold out”.

Happy Wooting!

P.S. I’m not getting any kickbacks from woot; I just think it’s a fun site!

Photo Courtesy:
Little Tikes website

Maybe it’s because I’ve lived most of my life in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but I think the best way to enjoy a hot summer day is out on a boat. The breeze is cooling and the water below begs for my toes to be dipped in.

My boat of choice is a canoe, but paddleboats, motorboats, pontoons or big fancy yachts are all acceptable. I think the connection to the water is what makes me love this little boy birth announcement. The crisp blue and white lines are anchored by the blue band at the bottom, with a cute little duck to finish off the look.

Or how about this sweet one, with your baby’s name and birth details riding along the waves.

As summer nears its end, I hope you’re able to get out on the water a few more times. Even if it’s just in the inflatable kiddie pool out back!

You may remember the post I wrote last fall, wondering how to keep Tate’s head from flopping forward when he fell asleep in his car seat. There have been times when he’s awoken because his head keeps tossing back and forth, or is crying after a long sleep and it seems like his neck is sore. Therefore, I was really excited to hear about a new product designed to solve this problem.

Via TwitterMoms, I learned that Melrose Kids wanted some mom bloggers to review their new Head Snuggler. I jumped at the chance, and they sent me a free one to try out. 

The product is very simple: a soft cotton/spandex sheath that slides over the top of your child’s car seat. The lower edge slips over the child’s forehead, holding it in place when he falls asleep. No more floppy-head sleeping!

Here are a few things we learned in trying out the Head Snuggler, which would probably be different for every child/family. We discovered on our Chicago roadtrip that Tate had to be really asleep before pulling it over his forehead, or he would wake up - ten minutes seemed to be enough.

At Tate’s age (18 months), putting the Head Snuggler into place requires both hands- one to hold the sleeping child’s head up and one to pull the fabric down. On our road trip, I was the passenger and could reach back and pull it down. If I were driving alone with Tate, I would just put the car in park at a stop light or pull the car over.

I imagine that when Tate is older and realizes that this product helps him be more comfortable, neither of the above issues will apply. He’ll probably pull it down into place himself when he’s ready to sleep!

Finally, the fabric selection is pretty limited right now but their website says that additional options will be available soon.

I love this idea- a simple, safe way to keep my son’s head and neck properly aligned while he sleeps. The Head Snuggler is something we will continue to use and I definitely recommend it!

I’m kind of on a roll with Minnesota-loyalty lately, so I thought I’d stick with it…this week my lovely state is hosting the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

If you already knew that, you’re probably a fan of golf. Perhaps you really hope your new son or daughter loves golf too. And maybe you’d even go so far as to plant a seed in his/her mind with a golf-themed birth announcement!

As with all of our birth announcements, you can choose either magnets or linen cardstock, and you can customize the colors and fonts.

You could also be a little more subtle, using just plaid to hint at your affinity for golf and its Scottish roots:

And don’t worry, we have lots of other sports-themed announcements if golf isn’t your favorite. 

Please do share this post with the golf-lovers in your life. And ask them how things are going at Hazeltine- they’ll be impressed!

I’ve already told you about our family adventures in Chicago, but the real reason I was there was to attend BlogHer ’09 – a conference for hundreds (thousands?) of female bloggers. Not just mommy bloggers, although we were probably the largest group.

It was my first night away from Tate since he was born. Okay, it was my first more-than-8-hours away from Tate since he was born! I had a great time with Heidi, my MagnetStreet blogging buddy, who writes about engagement, weddings and marriage at Truly Engaging.

So what does one do at a women’s blogging conference, you ask? Well, I got some good blogging inspiration and instruction, especially more about how to use Twitter in relationship to the blog. (Hey, please follow me on Twitter if you’re not already!)

Then there are the famous people…I saw Tim Gunn and Carson Kressley, and apparently Paula Deen was around somewhere. But who cares about them when you can get live, in-person blogging advice from the fabulous Pioneer Woman?! Not only that, but after her presentation, I saw her husband “Marlboro Man” and two of their little boys, waiting for her in the hallway. Wow!

Really, that was the best part, meeting other bloggers. And not just the famous ones. Check out some of my favorites- you may enjoy following them too!

At breakfast, I met Sandy from the clever blog Momisodes - she’s a SAHM in Boston with a 3-year old (known online as Babisodes – ha!) and another baby on the way. Also at my table was Sue from Chocolate Cake Moments - a blog with lots of great ideas, especially for school-age kids. 

I’m more prepared for future travel adventures after meeting Mariana at Riding with No Hands, who has Sightseeing Sunday posts along with lots of product reviews and giveaways. Lorraine from My Busy Kit is my new source for portable activity kits, once Tate is a little older.

At “speed dating” (meeting lots of bloggers really fast!), I met Erin from $5 Dinners – what a great resource for this economy! And a really unique site where the readers create the content: Three Words Blog. Wander over there to see what I mean…

Look for links to more new blogger-friends in my future posts – there are so many great sites out there. What are your favorite blogs? I’d love to know!

If you’re like me, decorating the nursery has been a work in progress. Probably when it’s just the way I want it, Tate will be starting junior high!

Nevertheless, it’s been fun to gradually add pieces here and there. Today I want to share a couple of ideas, and they both just happen to have Minnesota connections.

The first is a series of websites, each focused on items in a particular color or color scheme. I learned about them when our local newspaper featured blogger Erin Olson. She started with a site devoted to her favorite color, turquoise, and went from there.

The sites feature a full range of items for decorating your home, but you can click on the “baby” or “kids & toys” sections if you want to see things specifically for your child’s room. Whether you’re still deciding what color scheme you want or looking for fun pieces to add to your existing palette, check these out.

• Black & White Delight (This was my original idea for Tate’s room, but couldn’t find cute black & white stuff – now here it is!)
• Pink & Brown Love
• DecorGreen
• The Chocolate Blues
• Everything Turquoise
• Just Blue & Green 
• Purple Punch
• All Animal Prints (Hey Lindsay, for your Jungle nursery!)
• Pink & Green Scene (Mindi, check this one out!)
• Pop of Red

Next is some artwork that I first fell in love with at a gift shop featuring local artists. (I couldn’t decide if the spatulas or the spoons would be more adorable in my kitchen!)

Imagine my surprise when I saw the same artist featured on one of my favorite blogs, Ohdeedoh. It turns out that Dazeychic also has sweet, modern, whimsical prints for children. I think I want one of each! Visit her shop on Etsy or her blog to see more.

How did you decorate your nursery – did you start with a theme or just a color scheme? Was the decorating all done before baby arrived, or is it an ongoing process? What are your favorite places to shop?

This is the 101st post for Notes on the Nest! The milestone kind of snuck up on me, in the midst of a busy month. Thanks for your patience in my lack of posting. After a week of family camp, the BlogHer conference, and a family reunion, I’m now unpacking, doing laundry (okay, I’m only thinking about the laundry) and deep-cleaning most of the house.

Not because I’m that much of a clean freak, but because the whole main floor had a thin layer of sheetrock dust. Due to a plumbing fix upstairs, we’ve had a gaping hole in our dining room ceiling since I was pregnant with Tate. We finally decided to have it patched up while all three of us were out of town for the conference. So the ceiling looks better, and now we’re doing cleanup…

In celebration of my repaired ceiling, an almost-clean house, and 101 posts, I’d like to offer you (and anyone with whom you’d like to share) a 20% discount off of any product at MagnetStreet Baby. You’ll find birth announcements, shower invitations, baptism announcements, birthday invitations and more. Just enter the promotional code NEST20 when you place your order - it’s valid until October 31, 2009.

And because posts are always more fun with photos, here’s Tate signing “more”. He’s telling you that there will be more posts coming soon: our travel adventures, a BlogHer recap and new voices in the Pregnancy Decisions series – stay tuned!