Mama Loves

After a long break… I thought I’d return to sharing with you some of the things Mama Loves (at least occasionally… life with 3 under 3 is a bit more manageable, but still hard!).

I was on Pinterest a few weeks ago and stumbled across this pin by a friend.

Personally, I think it’s a little outlandish for a momma who practically has to bribe her kiddos to even COMB their hair. I definitely have to hold their little bodies between my knees if there’s a really good knot. 

Did I mention I have two of these toddler girls?

Yeah, I’ll stick to ponytails or pigtails, thankyouverymuch!

However, I recently got my once a year hair cut. Every year I make this mistake.

Ms. Unconcerned Hairstylist: Do you want layers with that bob?
Me: Sure, but just light ones. I get mushroom hair (curls under on the top and up on the bottom) if there’s too much depth between the layers. And I’m not prone to styling it everyday to prevent that.
MUH: Sure I can do that.

And what do I get every year?

Mushroom hair.

(You think I’d learn my lesson and be willing to pay $30 plus tip each year… nope… still too cheap)

Ah, but it grows out. It’s not all bad 🙂 Soon I’ll cut the bottom layer up about a half inch and it’ll look more normal… but I’m not willing to give up my pigtails when it’s over 80 degrees outside with two toddlers. I hate sweaty neck hair.

Back to the toddler hairstyles. Not practical for most toddlers. But they’re awesome for ME when I don’t have time to blow dry with a round brush patiently for about 15 minutes b/c I have a ridiculous amount of short, fine, and thick hair and I’m not feeling up to pigtails.

Oh, and do you like how I’m rocking these Kate Spade glasses?

(Who is Kate Spade?  Is she cool?)

My toddlers love crayons, pens, and pencils.  Unfortunately, they’re not so skilled at keeping their coloring on their paper. My table is often covered with crayon marks.

But it gets better.

Whenever my girls find a writing utensil and are left unsupervised, they will test it on the nearest wall.

A stray blue crayon on my coat closet floor probably from when we moved in: all over my living room walls.  Flat paint. Ug….

A little red wax heart from the center of a candle left too close to the counter’s edge: all over my kitchen and living room walls.  You’ve got to give them some credit for creative use of objects!

A pencil from who knows where…. all over the playroom wall.  You get the idea….

There is one product that can get these and even the worst toddler food stains off your walls and dinner table.

Seriously, you need some of these!

One caveat: when your toddlers figure out they can unplug the Christmas tree lights and use the plug ends to draw on the wall… well, Mr. Clean isn’t up to that task.  When you find something that works… will you let me know?

I’m 5’10”.

Being a tall girl isn’t so bad… except all of my extra height is in my torso.  I sometimes literally walk on the ends of “average” length jeans.  And if I fold my body in half… my head is centimeters from my toes (yes, I can do that… when I’m not bending over a baby bump!).

I have a way longer than average torso.  It doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but it is.

Especially if you like wearing low to mid rise jeans (rather than “mom” jeans) and absolutely hate bending over chasing toddlers and sunburning your lower back.  Or that cold draft when your shirt raises in the back in the winter.  Or even worse: the dreaded “plumber’s crack”.  Eek!

For years, I’ve suffered all of these terrible fates wearing the fitted tee’s and tanks from such esteemed places as Target, Old Navy, Gap.  Nothing could prevent my lower back (or sometimes my tummy after an accidental hot wash) from being exposed.

And then one day I stumbled on DownEast Basics.  It was much the same as you’re probably stumbling on it now: some blogger was talking about it.  I skipped on over to their catalog and noticed something about their basic tees and tanks.

They said they have extra long length.

And at Target/Old Navy prices, I thought: “What have I got to lose giving them a try?”

So I ordered a few.

Good bye forever long torso woes: you’ve met your match.

Seriously, these shirts are extra long length.

Here’s me at 37+ weeks pregnant wearing a DownEast Wonder Tee.  A little short now… but I wore them until I really rounded out.

And just for a comparison… here’s an average length Old Navy tee thrown on top. (and me caught in mid-sentence…)

Did I mention they really are that long?  My tanks even stay tucked in my pants keeping me warm all winter!

However, the extra long length rule only seems to apply consistently to the Tanks and Tees (minus the Pretty and Demi tees).  The coveted length seems to be hit or miss with all their other tops (which are always super cute, stylish, and very comfortable despite their length), but I have a closet full of layering basics that keep me covered.

And for that I am thankful!

Oh and for you Mama’s of older girls: they have a great girl section too… I’m excited to graduate into 2T next spring!

Okay… maybe I don’t love all trash.  Cigarette butts, tin cans, and litter top my most hated trash lists.

But I love some good trash.  Some toddler entertaining trash.  I mean it’s free, it keeps them entertained, can be thrown out or recycled with no guilt, and the variety is endless.  It also gets bonus points for not making annoying battery operated noises.

As I type, Aeralind is running around with an empty plastic basil bottle.  Bronwyn has a spent contact solution bottle.  Both girls are endlessly fascinated with opening and closing their screw on lids.  Occasionally, they switch pieces of trash for more fun.

Right after “sisser” dumped water all over Bronwyn

Their bathtub is filled to the brim with trash.  I’m not a big fan of the bath squirt toys since they grow mold inside and there’s no way to clean them.  But give the girls a half dozen empty yogurt containers, a cottage cheese container, empty children’s Tylenol bottles, and a plastic cup from the zoo and they’ll entertain themselves in the tub for half an hour.  Water is poured from one container to the next or dumped out on “sisser” or splashed on the floor (I promise the guest bathroom is the cleanest floor in the house!).

So before you recycle something plastic… evaluate it for toy purposes.  You might be surprised how entertaining your little ones think it is 🙂