We asked our Birmingham moms to tell us about things they’d love this Mother’s Day! Here’s a sampling of what they had to say:
Reader and contributor L.K. Whitney would love:
Dinner and a movie (really! It’s been that long!), a day alone with yoga or a hand-written love letter thanking me for childbirth.
When I asked L.K. about any luxury items she’d love to recieve, she had some lovely ideas on that too!
Birthstone jewelry in honor of my son, a spa day, shopping spree at anthropologie, dinner at highlands, 3 months of cleaning service or a portrait
Reader and contributor Amanda had this to say:
Shoes. (L.K. added that “Yes! The gift of Tory, Jimmy, Manolo!”) Also, a “bubble bath” kit – super easy: bubble bath, a candle, fav magazine, and some new slippers! And – a bath WITHOUT SPECTATORS
Reader Kelly T. is also thinking shoes:
My perfect Mother’s Day gift would be the Chanel black quilted flats I tried on in LA.
Reader Lee F. had this to say:
A trip somewhere and someone else pack and get everyone ready. Or for my husband to take the girls to a pottery studio and let them paint something for me. It has to be my husband to do it though =).
Reader Kona R. agreed with Lee
I love the pottery idea, someone tell my husband!! I always tell my husband that whatever he and the boys get it should have something to do with being a mom. This year I requested no more jewlery.
Reader Jen Cowsar had this to add:
a solid 24 hours without any of my kids arguing. 🙂 I would settle for lots of hugs from my kiddos!
Reader Holly B. had this to add:
I have a lot of clients who love to get a photo session with their kids
Honestly I would love to go to a nice hotel and spend a night by myself. I would get a massage, order room service and just sleep,sleep,sleep.
From reader Gwen Y.:
Spa or Honda Pilot!!!! Oh maybe a beach trip!
From reader Kerry A.:
I have been dying for the silver fingerprint charm! I Want my husband to take my 2 girls to get it done. And maybe a pretty frame for our family pics from The Blink Lady this year
Reader Brandy B. had this to add:
Trip to the Beach!
Reader Laura J. had some great ideas too!:
I would love to have a Wildflower Wax candle made by hubby and little one, some great pictures of my daughter, and/or at least 4 hours to relax by myself and read a book, take a long bath, or just BE LAZY!
Laziness is not a privilege moms get to enjoy too often – I miss afternoons with nothing to do!
Reader Julie S. had this to offer:
To have my family around me.
If you could dream up anything – big, small; material or not – what would it be?
I planted broccoli! I’ve never had broccoli in my garden – well this is in my daughter’s garden. They’re actually doing quite well for a first-time try! Yay Broccoli!
Trish –
My new thing this week was to start online bill paying. I live in the dark ages when it comes to paying bills. No more!
Angie –
I’m beginning to realize that a lot of the new things I try are because I’m forced to do so… For this week, I was forced into a new hair stylist. I called to make an appointment and my girl (of more than 3 years) was gone. The new girl did fine, but I want my old girl back. I’m on the verge of stalking every salon in the area until I find her.
For more New Things or if you’d like to participate in 52 new things along with BirminghamMommy and many others – please join in by posting your new thing to your blog, facebook or on twitter (use #52newthings) – Also, you can head over to www.willblogforshoes.com to link up every Thursday!
We decided to have even more fun this month putting together the Juicebox Jukebox and called on our friends and fellow BirminghamMommy’s Brooke Smith and Wendy Garner, hosts of NBC’s Daytime Alabama to help us out and let us know what they listen to with their kiddos. Here’s what they gave us!
Wendy Garner, Mom of 2 boys ages 6 and 8 says her boys love anything by tobyMac! Here’s what gets them movin’
Brooke Smith, Mommy to a sweet little 6 month old girl was all about this project, she started sending us songs the first time we ever met her. She has a lot that remind her of her little girl and the times they share now and before she was born!
What a fun mix of songs! A big thank you to Brooke and Wendy for playing along with us on this months Juicebox Jukebox, make sure to catch these lovely ladies on NBC 13 Daytime Alabama, Monday – Friday at 11:30am.
If you would like to download one or all of these songs, we’ve created a imix that you can find on itunes by going here
Congratulations Brandy Bates!! You are the winner of the adorable Greenzy’s book! Contact us though our email so we can make arrangements to have your book shipped. Thanks to everyone who entered this and all of our giveaways this month! Thanks for helping make our month so “Green”
In college at UA, we had an awesome Rec Center. I have never been the “workout” type of gal, but after my first year (as a Sophomore), I came around. My then boyfriend (now husband) was in Birmingham and I had to find something to do.
So, off I went. Frankly mah dears, I was looking forward to the steam room more than anything… it’s awsomesauce for allergies and your pores… but my conscience kept telling me I needed to actually WORK OUT at the gym…
Stupid conscience….
I hit the treadmill first. I am of the “hate to run outside because there are bugs and hills and rocks and the potential to fall over cracks” variety, so the treadmill made sense.
I remember being very standoff-ish at first. There before me sat row after row of roaring running machines… FULL of Sorority Girls.
I should mention at this point that I wanted, more than anything at that time, to be one of those girls. Michael got me an “in” (and I made a friend or 3 in the process), but I couldn’t pay for it. It wasn’t until we were married that Michael told me he thought our relationship would have suffered, but he helped me get my recs and invites because he saw how badly I wanted it. Isn’t that adorables??
Anyhooters.
I had a hard time making friends at ‘Bama that first year because so many of the girls my age were tied to their sorority. I knew virtually no one.
And there I was…. with 50 of them sweating their butts off with their fancy music playing thingies (that I didn’t have), Greek letters (that I didn’t have) on their shirts about this party or that social, and name brand water (that I didn’t have/want).
I jumped on a machine in between two girls already running close to a box fan – I knew I was going to need some help.
I started walking, slowly, then sped up. As soon as I got to a good jog, I realized I was going to be ok at this. I started getting lost in my thoughts, only periodically being reminded by my shorts to pull them out of my crack…
And it was sometime mid-hard run that I realized something: these girls that were there already running when I got there? They were STILL there. I started paying more attention to their speeds and how hard they were pushing themselves.
I upped my speed to a solid run to maintain my heart rate – the girls on both sides “beeped”.
Had they just upped their speeds because I did???
Surely not.
Then, the girl on my left upped hers again, and I heard a barrage of beeping across the row and from behind me.
That’s it… this is a competition.
I could resist – “beep, beep, beeeeeeeeeeeep”
I was running with The Best of Them… heart pounding, slamming water back from my re-used bottle with no label.
“Beep” from one girl…
then 15 beeps from the rest.
This was getting insane.
And FINALLY, after what seemed like an eternity of heart-pounding, aneurysm-ensuing, non-stopmarathoning – one stopped… and 3 girls followed her.
I slowed down my pace to a jog to cool off, and I heard the “beep” again… about 3 more girls were slowing down as well.
Over the next 10 minutes of cooling off and praying I wouldn’t just pass out, the treadmills practically cleared out. I looked down at my meter and was shocked – 3 and 1/2 miles.
I kept up the routine of running on the treadmill with the competition for 2 semesters, and honestly I always thought it was something very “Bama”.
Until, yesterday.
Michael and I joined the local Y, and we have been using a satellite branch close to our neighborhood. Ever since those college days of treadmill running, I’ve longed to get back on just to see if 4 years off the horse, making and birthing and raising babies, had done anything to my ability to run a mile or two.
But this time, Mike ran with me for 10 minutes. Soon, I was joined by 2 girls in Auburn shirts and soffie shorts. Most likely, they were my age and even more likely to be minus aforementioned babies.
It was SO on.
I was already at a jog when they got on, so I decided to test my theory after they warmed up.
I “beeped” 3 times. Guess what? So did they.
I ran like that for a few minutes and upped my speed again – SO DID THEY.
There we were – pounding the treadmill practically in sync. They would beep, and I would beep. No one was giving up.
Finally, the girl on the far end slowed down to a hard jog, and because I’d been running longer, I did as well. Her friend took all of 3 seconds to follow – I’m guessing she thought she’d won.
I looked down – 2.37 miles under 20 minutes “Not bad….” I thought.
Mike helped me do my shoulders in the Place Girls Rarely Go, better known as the Weight Area.
The girls did some of the same things… staying together and talking when they weren’t listening to their MP3 players (me and my iPhone… teehee)
Then, we go to leave and I walk to the Child Care room and pick up my 18-month-old and my 4 year old. As a family, we made small talk and I passed the girls on the way out the door.
I glanced their way and we caught eyes – they were a little shocked, to say the least.
I had totally won.
About Amanda:
My name is Amanda and my last name is hardly pronounceable. I’m currently 25 and the mother of 2 half-breed monkey/gorilla hybrids wonderfully rowdy boys (under 5), blogging LIVE! from a city somewhere in Alabama… I have the personality of a 6′6″ man trapped in a 4′10.5″ body. I’m loud, sometimes bitchy, occasionally moody, disorganized yet incredibly passionate and a total goofball. My friends just think I’m odd and that’s fine by me.
You can read more from Amanda over at hush, amanda and you can follow her on twitter @hushamanda
Hey Birmingham Moms, listen up! This Birmingham-based business is taking your decorating ideas to the next level and offering you some of the most creative ideas we’ve seen for kids rooms in a long time.
Stuck on You, a new business, based here in Birmingham caters to Moms that are looking for unique ways to display and showcase the little loves of their lives. They specialize in vinyl wall art, only instead of the cute little flowers or dots you’ve seen, they are taking actual pictures of your children and creating some of the cutest, coolest and unique wall decor you have ever seen. Want to add your child’s name above their crib? They can do it, combined with your favorite picture of that adorable little baby. Playrooms or Nursery’s, the only limit is your own creativity.
Not the creative type? No worries! They will even send a Consultant out to you to discuss your options and help you choose colors and fonts.
Children grow fast, and trying to keep up with age appropriate decorations can be expensive and time consuming, this gives you options.
These designs are printed on removable (non re-positional) vinyl. Know what that means? No more holes in your walls. You can create an entire collage of little Junior, with no spackle in your future. And it’s all completely custom to your needs or wants.
Check out their site for all of this and more, including hospital door hangers announcing the birth of a new baby, ceramic tiles or plaques with a family name or favorite saying. The possibilities for decorating with vinyl are not just limited to children’s room, no room is off limits. There is so much you can do and it’s a lot less expensive and much more personal than your traditional ways of decorating.
To see more of what Stuck on You can do, visit their site
Now, because we love them, and we love making our readers happy, they are letting us offer you 15% off of your first order, by using “BirminghamMommy.com” as a discount code.
So, what are you waiting for? Go there now! Now we say!
When you have little ones, it’s so fun to organize and decorate their rooms (or is that just me?). I knew that I wanted my boys’ rooms to be fun, functional, and stylish. But how do you accomplish that?
1. Stay neutral on the basics.
Sure, right now your 2 year old loves Diego. But in 6 months, he may love Ninja Turtles. Those character comforters and curtains may be cute, but they could also quickly become dated. Instead, consider choosing neutrals or basic patterns for the major items (comforters, furniture, and curtains), and add in personalized “theme” items with accessories. My three year old’s room is done in blues with a madras plaid comforter, and he has a few pieces of art that are airplane-themed. His solid navy curtains go with anything. I can easily see him in the space as an older child.
And don’t be afraid of light colors, even white, for quilts and pillows. I know white may sound crazy, but it’s actually a very kid-friendly color because it’s so easy to bleach if it becomes stained.
2. Think long-term on furniture.
Those small toddler beds shaped like cars are fun, but will your child outgrow it next year when he has a growth spurt? Furniture isn’t cheap, so it may be better to buy something that will last. We have a twin trundle bed in our son’s room. Right now, he doesn’t have friends sleep over, but in a few years, he will. And we’ll be prepared. Look for furniture that can mature with your child.
3. Allow space for creativity.
I can’t emphasize enough how much I LOVE chalkboard paint. It’s fun to have a space where you are allowed to write on the wall. How about putting a chair rail up in the room and painting the walls underneath with chalkboard paint? Or painting a huge rectangle as a chalkboard and then framing it out with inexpensive molding? What about painting the closet doors as a chalkboard?
Another idea I love is putting cork on one wall to make a giant bulletin board. You can purchase large squares of cork at craft stores and make your own board, as large as you want! One day your preteen will be tacking up posters–go ahead and make a space for it now. In the meantime, you can display some of that art that the preschool sends home.
4. Don’t forget storage and organization.
A bookshelf with storage baskets. A window seat that opens to reveal storage underneath. A great closet shelf system. Be sure to plan in plenty of storage space for all of the toys and clothes that your child has. I also like shoe storage bags–you don’t always have to store shoes there. What about socks and undergarments? Art supplies? Doll clothes? Kids like having a sense of order, of knowing right where things go. Set up a system that works for your child, and they may be more inclined to keep things tidy.
5. Throw in a “grown-up” element.
I think we’ve all seen cute little girls’ rooms with a fancy chandelier. How about a large pendant light with a drum shade? Grown up, graphic prints and fabrics? A cozy armchair for reading? One of my favorite kid rooms was featured in Southern Living, and the large pillows on the bed with brown squares would look great on a sofa! Throwing in a grown up item increases the sophistication of the space, and it adds interest, keeping the room from being too boring and “kiddie”.
6. Get their input.
Maybe this should be point number one! But ask your child for his/her ideas about the room. Ask them about favorite colors, how they want to use the room, what they want to play. My son loves playing trains and trucks–so he has a rug patterned with roads and buildings where he can happily play with all of his vehicles. Maybe your child loves art, so a desk and craft area makes more sense. Perhaps you could frame some of their art for the walls. When looking in the room, you should be able to tell something about their interests and hobbies. Remember, the greatest kids’ rooms are geared to the children who live there!
My new thing is dating. With my kids! Every weekend we have a mommy date and daddy date with our kids. Usually I take my daughter to a movie while my husband and son go do who knows what. It’s a fun little way to make sure they’re each getting some special time, and it gives them something to look forward to. And it gives me something to look forward to too. I love our dates!
Angie –
This week mine is a 2 for one. There is a great venue here in Birmingham called the Workplay Theater. Lots of concerts and events are held there, and while I’ve been there before, I had never actually attended a concert there, it’s a great place for a show! The 2nd New Thing? Seeing Hottie Vampire Jackson Rathbone (aka Jasper Hale from Twilight) in concert with his band 100 Monkeys. We even got to meet and TOUCH him. I guess that could count as a 3rd thing, huh? It was all in all a great night of New Things!
Jamie – “This week, I’m still catching up on new things – I did this a few weeks ago 🙂 I put my baby on my back and I hiked to the top of Mt.Baldy – at 126 feet high, it is also the largest moving dune of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It moves about 4 feet a year – who knew? This was a feat for me because, well, the thing is made of sand. It was exhilarating and I felt like Rocky when I was finished!”
For more New Things or if you’d like to participate in 52 new things along with BirminghamMommy and many others – please join in by posting your new thing to your blog, facebook or on twitter (use #52newthings) – Also, you can head over to www.willblogforshoes.com to link up every Thursday!
We are so excited to be a part of this fabulous night out honoring Birmingham’s Yummiest Mummy’s. Join Brookwood Medical Center, MyScoop and BirminghamMommy.com on May 6th from 6:00pm – 9:00pm at the Matt Jones Gallery. Tickets are $20 and will benefit Jenny’s Light. Enjoy fabulous food, drinks, door prizes, Scoopette bags and more! Make it a great Girls’ Night Out.
The Yummiest Mummy winner will receive a gift basket valued at over $5,000 including a beach trip, jewelry by Comer Neal, Amy Head makeover with $100 in product, a hair makeover from Fringe including cut, color and style, $1000 photography package from Amanda Traywick, Gloss Denim Bar designer jeans, Pure Barre Baby Bounce Back Classes valued at $395, Water Baby Classes from Brookwood Medical Center, Greystone Smile Design’s professional teeth whitening, pottery from The Cook Store, dress by Yarni, and gift certificates from Swank, Tonya Jones Salon, Supper Supers and more.
Fabulous Door Prizes will include a 2 night/3 day Sandestin Beach Getaway, one month unlimited classes from Studio Fitness, necklace from Chrissie Larkin, Sister Schubert gift basket and cookbook, Morgan Creek Winery gift basket and picnic, and a gift from Swaddle.
For our top five nominees, each will receive a Salon U Makeover on the day of the Yummy Mummy Night Out.
We look forward to seeing all of our Birmingham “Mummy’s” there and finding out who will be named Birmingham’s Yummiest Mummy!
We were so excited to learn about this new eco-friendly creation of a Stay at Home Mom of 2, Lisa Keyser. Greenzy’s is a literary based brand of high quality books and toys that your children are going to flip out over.
We received our panda, Yew Yew last week along with a great book that teaches your children the importance of preserving our environment. It’s beautifully illustrated and takes you on the journey of a group of animal friends that volunteer to help protect the oldest living tree, Orlinda, who is in danger when the very eco unfriendly bad guy, Grimy steals her last pine cone leaving her needing help from The Greenzy’s in order to get it back.
Our plush toy (Yew Yew the Panda) has been a big hit with all 3 of my girls, ages 4 and 2. In fact, he’s pretty much a staple now on outings, playtime and sleeping. The only bad thing I have to say is it has become the source of many a fights over who gets him next! The plush toy characters that include, Mango the Gorilla, Poppy the Lioness, Peat the Penguin, Willow the Elephant and more are made from non toxic dyes and soy fibers, they are lovable, huggable and downright adorable.
Rounding out our Green Month and Green Giveaways, the fine folks at Greenzy’s have given us an extra book to offer up to one lucky BirminghamMommy – Here’s what you need to do to enter:
Leave a comment here on this post (one entry allowed per day per person)
For extra entries, please do any of the following in separate comments:
Visit The Greenzy’s site and tell us which plush character is your favorite! (one per day allowed per person)
Subscribe to our newsletter (or tell us you already do – one allowed throughout entire contest)
Follow us on twitter and tweet “@Birminghammommy is giving away a a book about The Greenzy’s” (one allowed per day, per person)
Follow @thegreenzys on twitter
Giveaway ends on Friday April 30th and 11:59pm – Winner will be announced on Saturday May 1st.
As an environmental bonus and in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, The Arbor Day foundation will plant one tree in our nation’s forests for every Greenzy’s purchase made between now and December 31st. To learn more about Greenzy’s or how to make one of these lovable pets your own, visit their site today!
You can also find The Greenzy’s on Facebook make sure to “like” them and tell your friends about these new green living toys!
Reader and contributor Amanda had this to say:
