Tuesday, December 9, 2014

holiday gift guide: as seen on shark tank

i love watching shark tank. it's filled with (mostly) super cool, unique ideas that leave you with a "oh man, i wish i would have thought of that!" moment. 

here are a list of awesome as-seen-on-shark-tank items that are perfect gifts for that person on your shopping list this year that is hard to buy for. enjoy!



































































disclaimer: although we received some products for free, many are purchased on our own dime and *all* are products that we love and the opinions are all our own. also, from time to time we do use affiliate links in our posts.

Monday, December 8, 2014

elf on the shelf ideas: week two


last week brought our first installment of "elf on the shelf" ideas. if you missed last week's post, you can find it here. 



i don't know about you, but with our "charlie" i can use all the help i can get. i still find myself having to set an alarm on my phone like heather does to help me remember each night. there may or may not have been one night this week when i completely forgot and the questioning looks began. #winningatchristmas. this week i'm determined to do better. i also need to be realistic about what i am planning to do each night. if it is too elaborate, i may just throw the towel in. here's to you all of us having a successful week!

day 1: reading the christmas story

we have a great book that my parents gave the kids that has the christmas story read in their voices. my kids pour over that book for hours. each year our elf and his friends spend one quality night with that book as well.


day 2: the elf needs a shave

this is one of my favorites because it can be done in two seconds. it's especially perfect for those occasions when you have forgotten to move your elf and are in a panic one morning. buddy the elf had to shave. we figure "charlie" can shave too.


day 3: do you want to build a snowman?

who doesn't want to build a snowman? our elf cannot get enough of all things winter.


day 4: time for snow angels

snow angel day follows perfectly after snowman day. the "snow" activities continue with our elf (either in flour or powdered sugar) making a snow angel on the countertop. 


day 5: mischievous elf in the printer

our printer has the copy feature so our elf takes one day each year to photocopy himself. we keep the copies "G" rated and the kids love walking around with their funny pictures. (note: it's probably best to print a couple of copies of your elf so each of the kids can have one. you can thank me later when you have avoided the fights over one lonely copy. not that i am speaking from experience or anything like that...)


(note the wrinkles in the copy...pretty sure this was ripped from one child's hands into another's. happy, merry, bright and all that jazz.)

day 6: watching shows with friends

some days a mom just needs a break. this one gives me just that. grab some stuffed animal friends and be the first person to the tv in the morning before the kids are up. turn on a christmas movie and you are all set. the kids will be happy and you can relax for a day.


day 7: a day at the races

this one takes a little time to set up but is fun for the kids to see. buddy always is on the winning car each year (though i'm never quite sure how he manages to beat batman).


there you go! week two, done. enjoy the merry making. i am working to remember it passes quickly so i should enjoy it all and find joy in the process. happy december!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

5 ways to include your pet in the holiday festivities


this is a sponsored post for the lovely people at nutrish cat food. as always, the ideas, stories, 
and crazy thoughts are all my own. please consider making the switch to nutrish. we at the
third boob have done so and we could not be happier. click here for more information and a coupon especially for our readers. 

the holidays are officially upon us. for our families, that means extra family time, special trips and meals, and a whole lot of togetherness. heather and i both have pets as a part of our family and we cannot leave out our little furry members of the family when the holidays come around. here are five things you can do to include your pets in the holiday festivities.


1. give them a safe haven.



underneath our christmas tree is our kitties' favorite place to lounge and sleep. amidst all the crazy of the holidays, the animals can get exhausted too. on top of our tree skirt and right by the heater vent is the perfect location for our cats to snooze. the kids have been told that particular place is off limits to little hands. it is where the cats can go to escape. with extra holiday treats being consumed by my kids and the excitement of the holidays, it's just what those poor kitties need to function with five kids running around. there are many occasions i wish i could hide under there with the two of them. 




2. get the cats decorated for the season.




i realize i'm over the top with this one but i could not resist these outfits. i mean, come on now. they are just too much. i felt a little guilty after i put them on the kitties because i'm pretty sure they viewed the whole ordeal as a special kind of torture but the pictures still make me laugh and laugh. they will forgive me eventually.

3. include your pets in the holiday meal



now, don't think i'm too crazy here. i'm not someone who wants my pet sitting with us at the table. i'm also not as nice as my mom is. she used to cook all the giblets and feed them to our cats growing up. that's just too gross for me. i will, however, keep a couple of scraps of turkey aside to give our kitties a special treat.  i figure they have to smell all the thanksgiving and christmas goodness like the rest of us. the least i can do for them is give them a little sample. they normally get *nutrish cat food* which is all natural and made from fresh meats and grains so they are used to the good stuff. this just gives them a little extra dose of goodness and lets the kitties share in the holiday eating as well. i'm hoping the extra food will help them to forget the santa and reindeer costumes.

4. just let the bottom foot of the tree go.



it used to be that the bottom two feet of my christmas tree was destroyed by one toddler or another. i thought i had finally gotten to the year when that destruction would be no more. turns out, it wasn't all my children's fault all these years. my cats absolutely love the bottom of the christmas tree. with all the decorations and pretty garland to swat, they have destroyed that pretty foot of decorations like nobody's business. i figure after eleven years of not having a pretty bottom of my tree, i should just officially let it go. 

5. don't forget their stocking.



my kids absolutely love this. we don't spend a ton of money on the cats but we do get the cats a couple of new toys to play with, some catnip and other little treats to make them a part of the gift getting. each christmas the kids gather up the kitties and spend more time playing with the cats and their new toys than they do with their own. it makes the kids happy and the cats happy so it makes me happy.  it is a small price to pay for a one very merry family.

what about you? how do you include your animals in the holidays? 

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make the switch to nutrish today. click here for a special coupon just for our readers. 

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

fun finds: ugly christmas sweaters

i was invited to an ugly sweater party. have you ever been to one? i have never been before, but i have seen photos from various friends escapades and it looks like a blast. 

i have a confession to make: i feel funny about shopping at goodwill or another thrift store. i know what good things they do, but i can't get past not knowing who wore an item before me and my mind wanders off and i can't stop thinking things like..."i wonder who owner this sweater before me?"; "why would they give it up?"; "did something happen to them?"; "did they donate the item by mistake and someday a random person with approach me and ask for said item back?" yep. i know it is not rational at all.....but it's the truth. welcome to a minute in my brain. crazy town. 

i went online searching for new ugly sweaters and hit the jackpot! look at all of these awesome ugly sweater alternatives for your whole family. i know where my ugly sweater will be coming from this year......enjoy! 




























i can't decide between the yeti and the sweater vest. what would you pick?


disclaimer: although we received some products for free, many are purchased on our own dime and *all* are products that we love and the opinions are all our own. also, from time to time we do use affiliate links in our posts.

Monday, December 1, 2014

a week's worth of elf on the shelf ideas

it is officially december 1st. you know what that means. moms across america are taking out the elf on the shelf for another year. love it or hate it (or choose to ignore it), the elf has become a part of our christmas culture. i'm going to be honest. i have not had a stellar track record with moving "charlie" on a daily basis. i've learned to write out a calendar with ideas for each night so i can eliminate all thinking as to what to do with him once the kids go to bed. preparation has become key. heather has an "elf" alarm set each night at 9:00 to remind her. my goal this year is to avoid letters written to santa claus by my children in years past. they looked something like this:


"dear santa, could you please ask our elf to move to a different place. it's been three days and he still hasn't moved. from addalynne to santa"

in an effort to help moms everywhere. here is your first week of elf on the shelf ideas. good luck!


day 1: the arrival 

our elf usually arrives on december 1st. if you haven't started yet, don't worry. bust him out this evening. we usually include a letter from our elf reminding our kids to "be good." 


the letter

day 2: the dry erase marker

this day takes very little work. color on the glass frames of some of the pictures of your kids around the house with a dry erase marker. the marker will wipe right off with a bit of index. we leave our elf guiltily holding the marker for the kids to find in the morning.


day three: drinking maple syrup

whatever is good for buddy the elf, is good enough for our elf on the shelf!


day 4: time for tea

if you don't have a child's tea set, put out a couple of tea cups of your own around some stuffed animals and let them have a tea party.


day 5: the bubble bath

this one does require a bag of mini-marshmallows. the kids will love it, though and it is easy to put together. light a candle and play some relaxing music for when the kids come downstairs.


day 6: donut day

i reserve donut day for the weekend. who doesn't love a special holiday weekend treat? this one the elf gets to enjoy too. we hide the donuts and let the kids find them in the morning.



day 7: going fishing

this one requires some goldfish and a bowl. we used a kebob stick, a bit of twine and a paperclip to make the fishing pole. the total prep time is about 10 minutes.


that's it! week one is planned for you! enjoy this crazy time of the year and the magic you get to create for our kids. the time really does move much too quickly. come back next week for seven more ideas!