Lynde Easterlin Designs

My dear friend/cousin-in-law (her husband is J's Godfather and A's cousin), Lynde Easterlin, is being featured on One Kings Lane tonight in their tastemaker Tag sales. Please check it out. 

Check out Lynde's One Kings Lane Sale tonight at 9pm est: https://www.onekingslane.com/invite/magnolias

Check out Lynde's website: www.lyndeeasterlin.com

Check out Lynde's blog: http://flairfordesign.blogspot.com

Follow Lynde on twitter:  @lyndeasterlin

Congrats Lynde! We love you and are so proud of you!

Gaggle of Chicks $50.00 Giveaway

Hello readers! It's time for our first giveaway of 2011. I hope you are as excited as I am! Gaggle of Chicks is offering one lucky MMM reader a $50.00 credit. I have become a Gaggle addict this past year. I signed up before they launched and they have (according to my account) helped me save $373.11. How awesome is that? Gaggle offers deals for both Moms and Non-Moms. The deals last 48 hours and if enough people sign up, then the deal is "hatched!" You can read more about the details here.

Gaggle of Chicks specializes in New York City deals, but they also now offer national deals too. I bought their Well Appointed House deal as a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law. (I used it to buy the most adorable monogrammed playing cards.) My other purchases include one that I'm enjoying this week. For $20.00, I received $40.00 worth of Din Dins. J is obsessed with their cranberry zucchini muffins. I'm not going to tell him they really aren't "cake."

As I mentioned yesterday, J's birthday is next week. He is having a party with friends and family on Saturday and a special play date on Thursday with just his friends. I bought a great deal for a play date for 10 kids at City Treehouse for $49.00. What better way to celebrate your birthday then with a special play date! Other deals I've bought include 4 classes at the Junior League house with Moey's Music Party and a trip for 2 to the New York Fire Museum. Talk about amazing deals at Gaggle!

Follow Gaggle of Chicks on twitter, like them on Facebook, and follow their blog. 


Here's how to win the $50.00 credit! 


1) Sign Up for Gaggle of Chicks. Use my special link and you get a $10.00 credit and so do I!


Between 1/13 and 1/20, anyone that signs up through my link will be entered to win the $50.00 credit. You must complete the entire registration to be entered to win. Gaggle of Chicks will draw the winner and let me know who it is! Good luck!

Also, I know I am lucky to have a lot of vendor readers! I would love to see your products on Gaggle of Chicks. Learn more about the process here.

Hello There!

Hi friends! I've been slacking on this blog, because I've been catching up on J's baby blog. He'll be 2 next week and I'm trying to make sure it is current! =) I really want to turn it into a book, has anyone done that? I tried blurb, but there are too many posts. Any tips on how to narrow it down or the best way to make it a book?

I've also been busy planning J's 2nd birthday party. He's having a taxi cab birthday. My little New Yorker is OBSESSED with taxi cabs so it seemed only appropriate. We're excited to use a few new vendors and some of the same from last year. Our food is all New York based, including a hot dog bar. I can't wait to share the party with you. It has been so much fun to plan. Let me know if you have any last minutes ideas. I'm pretty sure if it is somehow yellow or black or taxi cab related I've found it and bought it, but you never know!

We missed the last big snow storm because we went home to Alabama for 3 weeks, so I was eager to get J out this morning. We bundled up and heading to Central Park with friends. J & J had a BLAST! 

 Here is J and his buddy sitting in Central Park this morning!

Hard to believe this was just a year ago...

 I hope that you are staying warm wherever you may be! I promise to do a better job of keeping up with the blog once I catch up on the other one. BTW, if you want to read the other one and you "know" me, just send me an email and I'll send you an invitation. Blogger now allows private blogs to have more than 100 readers so I can get you "in." HA!

 Great Deals right now:

Little Giraffe Blankets on Gilt:http://tinyurl.com/67wms7q

Check out Kidorable on Zulily today! They have umbrellas, raincoats, hats and mittens that are too cute:http://tinyurl.com/298c4jf

Adorable Tag Valentine's decor on Zulily: http://tinyurl.com/298c4jf 

Cute Shadow Boxes from MK & Company on LilLuxe:http://lilluxe.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/254/ 

Pixie Chicago Stationery Giveaway

I'm so excited to share another fabulous stationery company with you. Pixie Chicago has an adorable line of note cards, invitations, and announcements. They have a great website as well as an etsy store. If you still need to order your holiday cards, they are currently 20% off with code RED10. Pixie Chicago is offering one lucky MMM reader a $30.00 discount code to use on their website. Scroll down for the rules and ways to get extra entries!

The New York skyline is my absolute favorite! Adding this one to my Christmas wish list!

 Here are a few of my other favorite designs:

Here are the rules to win the $30.00 stationery giveaway:

1) Go to the Pixie Chicago website
2) Pick your favorite item!
3) Come back here and post your favorite item in the comment section.

For additional entries (and please remember to post each of these in a SEPARATE comment or the random number generator won't count it):

1) Become a follower of my blog or let me know you are already a follower in a separate comment
2) Become a follower of the Pixie Chicago blog and let me know you did so in a separate comment
3) Blog about this contest or add it to your sidebar and let me know you did in a separate comment
4) "Like" Pixie Chicago on facebook. Follow this link. Let me know you "liked" them in a separate comment.
5) Tweet about this contest to @MrsMMMBlogger and @PixieChicago and let me know you did so in a separate comment.

That is a potential for FIVE additional entries!! Good luck ladies! The random number generator will pick a winner on Friday, the 26th!

On the Road Again!

We moved to NYC from Alabama almost 3 years ago. Have you been along for the ride the whole time? If so, thanks! When you live in the city, there is no need to have a car. The garages are very expensive and walking, cabs, trains and buses are just a way of life. We've adapted this lifestyle and just rented cars when we wanted to go on quick getaways. Well, since summer is just around the corner and our days on the East coast are numbered we decided to bring A's old car to the city so we could have lots of getaways this summer! His parents have been using the car (they both have smaller cars and it is a old Explorer, so they enjoyed having a "big" car.)

On Friday night, A flew to Bama and he hit the road yesterday morning. He made it to Hagerstown, Maryland. He is so funny. He stayed in a Motel 6, went to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays by himself (with all of the local kids who were heading to Hagerstown High prom) and went to the local theater to see Iron Man 2! Ha! Big adventures in Hagerstown! He currently in route to the Upper East Side! We've missed him terribly this weekend and can't wait to see him in a few hours.

I'm so excited to plan some weekend and day trips. My question for you...where should we go? I would love to pack Daisy up and bring her to a dog friendly beach. She used to be such the swimmer and she hasn't been in a car since the day she arrived! I can't wait to take her somewhere...anywhere! Please leave your suggestions in the comment section on where you think we should check out this summer. We already have a trip placed to Newport. Thanks in advance for your help!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for Photo Card Creations $50.00 gift certificate! Click here to enter.

Win a Trip to NYC!

The Clorox Family of Toilet Products has launched its Facebook Page, “Ode to the Commode,” and to kick-off they’re announcing a great sweepstakes celebrating the coolest commodes in America and giving away fun-filled family trips for four to fabulous cities where these top toilets reside.

The first sweepstakes is a chance to win a sports spectacular all-expense paid getaway to New York City, including round-trip airfare, accommodations, prime seats at a Yankees or Mets game, tickets to the Sports Museum & Hall of fame, dinner at ESPN Zone and more! A new city and prizing will be announced each week.

Visit www.OdetotheCommode.com for more information on all the great destinations.

Rainy Day Activities for Toddlers in NYC

What do you do with a 16 month old  (he's 16 months today!!) when it is raining outside? You have to get CREATIVE! Here are a few of the things we have come up with in the past. Do you have any other ideas?

1) Play with toys, puzzles and read books (20 times each, a day)
2) Play in the bath tub (just for fun)
3) Take our wagon and push car in the hallway for "rides"
4) Hang out in the lobby with the doormen
5) Go to music class with our friends
6) Go over to friend's apartments
7) The train table at Barnes and Noble on 86th Street
8) Play with cooked spaghetti noodles in our highchair
9) Use a playspace pass at Kidville for the gym
10) Manhattan Children's Museum
11) Go to lunch/dinner at kid friendly restaurants like Brother Jimmys and Cilantro
12) Storytime at Barnes and Noble or Giggle
13) Finger painting
14) Coloring with crayons
15) Dance party!
16) Put the rain cover on and just GO! 

I would love to hear your ideas of what to do when you can't go outside?

10 Random Things I'm Loving

1) Plum Tots Organic Mish Mash

This healthy treat is one of our new favorites. It is mashed fruit puree and your child just sips it out. You can buy them at diapers.com (be sure to use my code, MMMBLOG if this is your first order and get $10.00 off) or at the above link on amazon or at target. Baby J LOVES these and while they are a little costly for daily use, they SAVED me on our last plane ride. They are great to have in the diaper bag too!

2) The Central Park Zoo
We just joined the zoo and have enjoyed going to the petting zoo and to visit Bruiser, the baby sea lion.  It's a great family activity and I look forward to visiting the other zoos this summer!

3) Ebates
I'm still one of ebates number one fans! If you aren't using it, you are CRAZY! I've been a member since 2008 and have made $685! Here's the link to join and get started. They are having a great referral bonus right now, where if you refer 50 friends, you can get an ipad! How cool is that?  Don't forget to use it for all of your online purchases and tell all your friends! I use it a lot for Baby J's clothes that I buy from ebay. Most stores are on there. It's easy to do, just go to ebates and then search for your store and then you will receive cash back for your purchase straight into your paypal account 4 times a year! It is AWESOME!

4) Dr. Praegers
Thank you Dr. Praegers for being in my freezer when I need a quick and healthy dinner option for my favorite toddler. He loves your sweet potato pancakes, spinach pancakes and veggie burgers. It is one of the easiest ways for me to get some veggies in him!

5) Glee
Are you on the bandwagon? I can't miss it! So fun!

6) Moo, Baa, La, La La! by Sandra Boynton
I've read this book to my little guy about 10 times today. We have special hand motions and sounds. It's so cute and he just LOVES it! Sandra Boynton is one of our favorite authors and her books are in our daily rotation. Other favorites include Pajama Time, The Going-To-Bed Book, Barnyard Dance, and Birthday Monsters!










7) Energy Kitchen
A great restaurant chain that helps me stay on my diet (we have a little work to do after going off it in Mexico!)

8) Indaba Chardonnay
I found this great chardonnay through Fresh Direct. It is a BARGAIN at only $5.99 and a regular in my fridge these days. It is a GOOD cheap oaky chard, just the way I like them. =) I can't drink Cakebread every night after all.







9) The Help
Maybe I'm the last person on earth to read this book, but I devoured it during our recent vacation. It is SO good! Have you read it? If you haven't, buy it now and read it this weekend.  It is amazing! I can't wait to read more by Mrs. Stockett and I'm sure they'll make a movie out of it too. 

10) Thomas' Light Multi-grain English Muffins
With only 100 calories and NINE grams of fiber, these yummy little english muffins have been one of my keys to losing weight on Weight Watchers. I have one daily with a tablespoon of reduced fat peanut butter for 3 points. They keep me full and hit the spot! What's your diet friendly favorite breakfast?