Tummy Time Fun (for less than $25!)

Hailey’s been rolling over (a lot) and she seems to be on her tummy a lot more lately! It’s really adorable to watch her do it, but also a little scary when I turn around for a second and all of a sudden she’s flipped on her tummy on the floor, her changing pad, in the crib… I’ve definitely got to keep my eyes on her! Since tummy time is really important for her development, I decided to make tummy time as fun as possible. I wanted a fun toy for her that allowed her to play and explore instead of just staring around and eventually crying. And, since I’m not working right now I needed something that didn’t break the bank.

*This post contains affiliate links

I went onto Amazon and found this tummy time water mat and knew I had to give it a try. The mat comes folded up, and you fill it yourself with air and water. This means it’s really compact when it’s not in use, and for only $22 you can’t go wrong! There are a few more affordable options (see below) but I picked this one because it seemed like a good size and had good reviews. I didn’t want it leaking water everywhere! 

A lot of the reviews complain about a smell, but in the words of my husband “it pretty much smells like a beach ball would”. You could definitely air it out if you wanted to, but I didn’t feel it was overpowering or anything. Plus, the baby didn’t seem affected. That being said, the smell was much stronger when we closed it in our baby’s room, so I’d recommend storing it somewhere else.

As for storage, I keep it filled since I’ve been using it everyday. I’m nervous to leave it on the floor unattended (if it leaks that’s a LOT of water!) so I’ve been storing it in the bathtub when not in use- works perfectly for keeping it clean and safe from my 3 cats and new puppy.

Hailey’s still getting the hang of it, but she seems to love when I press down and the water sloshes around so the little foam sea animals “swim” across the water. She’s been very observant lately, so she loves studying all the different colors and images on the mat. It’s also comfy for lounging apparently, because she always takes a rest on it. And another added bonus is that tummy time often leads to lots of saliva and spitting up, and with this mat it just gets wiped right off! One less thing to launder is a win in my book. I use these baby-safe wipes to clean it off before and after use :)

As mentioned above, I got this mat because of the good reviews and larger size. They also have a pastel version for under $12, a round one for less than $10 and a mini one for less than $6, which is perfect for small apartments or those that don’t have a lot of space! I was soooo close to buying the pretty pastel one but I opted for the larger size and better reviews with the one I ended up getting.

No matter which mat you get, baby is sure to love playing around and watching the little items move inside the water. Grab one today to start your tummy time fun!

Just a Wee Bit Irish Free Printable Iron-On

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As the queen of the last minute blog post (seriously… it’s March 17!) I decided to make the easiest St. Patrick’s Day craft out there. A free printable where all you need is iron-on paper and a onesie or t-shirt! I’ve had this idea for a month but I was just finally able to work on it this weekend. Since Hailey is just a wee bit Irish (12.5%, to be precise!) I thought it would be really fun to make her this onesie! And since I'm generous, I'm sharing the printable with you totally for free! Also… I feel really foolish for having to use iron-on paper for dark fabrics YET AGAIN. I totally didn’t learn my lesson from Halloween but I’m going to order a new set for white fabrics, stat! Also, can we talk about how tiny newborn Hailey was. I’m not crying, you’re crying.

You will need:

White onesies (here)
Iron-on paper (here)
Iron
Printer (I have this one and love it!)
Free Printable

The printable is available in my resource library, which you can get totally FREE access to, just by signing up. What exactly do you get? Access to all my printables, including party planning guides, checklists, and my projects. By signing up, you'll have access to all projects- past, present and future! 

Isn’t she sooo stinkin’ cute in this little outfit?! If you want to create this super easy onesie for your little baby, get the free printable and get crackin’!

I’ll also add for a second time… your printable won’t have this white border if you get the right iron-on paper! You want to use one for light-colored fabrics.

The printable is available in my resource library, which you can get totally FREE access to, just by signing up. What exactly do you get? Access to all my printables, including party planning guides, checklists, and my projects. By signing up, you'll have access to all projects- past, present and future! 

DIY Easter Bunny Napkin Rings

It’s becoming spring outside and I am SOOO excited for it! Sure, the weather does fluctuate between freezing cold (where you need a jacket and scarf) to sunny and warm (where just a sweater will do) but living in NY, you take all the nice days you can get! Since Easter is coming up quick, I created these really fun DIY napkin rings for the Giggles Galore blog that are easy to make and super colorful!

They only use a few supplies, and as a crafter you probably already have them on hand! Who know that just felt, paper and a wooden bead could be so adorable? This is one of my favorite posts I’ve done, and I can’t wait to use these for Easter!

Be sure to head on over to the Giggles Galore blog to see the full post!

DIY Spring Pipe Cleaner Rings

There’s something about holidays that makes me especially crafty. I absolutely LOVE a good holiday craft, and I personally don’t think they all need to be saved for Christmas. Since Easter is coming up, I scoured the attic for supplies and decided to make these adorable rings out of pipe cleaners! They’re simple to make and pretty silly, so I think the kids would LOVE them.

I added some fun embellishments, like pom poms, felt flowers and glitter paper to create some spring characters. I kind of want to wear these all the way until Easter, since they’re so cute! Plus they really play up my lavender manicure.

They’d make a perfect prize for your Easter egg hunt as an alternative to candy too! Head on over to Giggles Galore to see the full post. It’s so easy to make your own!

We Got a Dog!

Exciting news- we got a dog! I think I’ve officially gone insane but we are now a party of 7- baby Hailey, 3 cats, the dog, John and me! I was blissfully content without a dog right now, but somehow the timing felt right and Lexie became a part of our family! 

Some backstory on me and dogs: allllll my life I wanted a dog. I would ask my parents non-stop and I even wrote it on the grocery list a few times. Even though I begged for one any chance I got, I didn’t get my first dog until I was in college! I still lived at home but I dropped out for a semester and was feeling incredibly lonely. So, I decided to browse around and found a really cute dog on Craigslist named Cody. My parents were extremely hesitant, but they fell in love with Cody and I finally had my dog. When I moved out, I had a tough break. My parents didn’t want me to take the dog with me, and my husband (boyfriend back then) didn’t want him to come with us. Cody shed a lot and barked a lot, plus was only wee wee pad trained. We were getting a small apartment which didn’t have room for that plus a litter box. I decided it was in Cody’s best interest to stay with my parents, and eventually we went from having just one cat to three cats. 

Let’s fast forward. We bought our house and I didn’t want a dog yet because we were at work all day long and I felt bad. Cats are ok alone all day and since we have 3, they have each other. I knew a dog would want attention that I couldn’t give it, so I didn’t get one. I still wished for one though, and last Christmas (2017) John almost got me a dog as my gift. I got really excited but in the end he didn’t get one. I still remember crying on Christmas Eve because it felt like the Cody fiasco all over again. I was always this-close to having a dog but couldn’t quite make it happen. 

In January of 2018 I got pregnant, so all dreams of having a dog were put on hold. I didn’t care much for anything new besides my baby, and even the blog fell to the wayside! I knew I’d get to the point where I couldn’t bend down to pick up poop, and the nausea was in full gear that first trimester and I didn’t want to tempt it. Plus, I was imagining how needy a baby would be and how big of an adjustment that would be, so I didn’t want to add to the stress.  

Now Hailey is a little bigger and actually a really good baby, sleeping through the night, happy.. all around wonderful beyond my wildest dreams. I didn’t think we needed a dog right about now since everything was so perfect, but my husband was really big on Hailey having a dog so that they could “grow up together”. John’s mom got a dog a few months before he was born and they literally grew up together. I’m also home all day erryday so it did seem like a good time to be training a puppy. Much to my surprise, I gave in and started to get excited about getting a dog. 

We went to North Shore Animal League and found little Lexie! She originally went by Tess, although I didn’t realize that until we took her collar off and saw it scribbled inside. She was the only dog that wasn’t going wild, or barking and licking people as they came by. Instead, she was quiet and sleeping at the back of her cage. Even when we took her out to play with her, she seemed shy and overwhelmed with all the hubbub. They told us that she’s a terrier mix, came from South Carolina and was only 2 months old. Poor little thing traveled a great distance and lived in a cage, so it’s no wonder she was so frightened! I fell in love with how sweet she was so we put in an adoption application and hoped for the best. The adoption process at NSAL is pretty long- you’re there for hours waiting to hear any news. We headed to a Starbucks and relaxed while we waited, and I began to think about a name. I thought about naming her Charlotte (our second choice for Hailey’s name!) but then I thought to look at names of cities in South Carolina for a cool name. I saw Lexington, which is also a popular street in Manhattan and it seemed like fate. It’s a name that shows her adventure from South Carolina to the suburbs of the Big Apple. We call her Lex or Lexie for short. 

It’s been just over a week since we got Lexie and I’m happy to say that she’s starting to find her place at home. She was really scared at first and wouldn’t move past her wee wee pad, then only up to the couch, and finally around the kitchen and dining room. She’s 50% wee wee pad trained and we plan to train her outside once it warms up and she gets her shots. She sort of knows her name, kinda responds to “no!” and is pretty good at playing fetch! But she’s also a professional toe biter, cat food thief, and scavenger hunter who finds the most random pieces of garbage on our floor that we didn’t know existed. I find myself wondering why I decided I wanted a dog in the first place sometimes, but seeing her run around with a ball in her mouth playing fetch or napping next to me as I blog at night makes it all worth it. 

I’m going to do a separate post about navigating life with a puppy along with a 4.5 month old baby (and 3 cats!), because it’s been pretty crazy! Just know that when people tell you it’s like having 2 babies, they aren’t kidding! Although it’s more like a baby and a rambunctious toddler you’re trying to potty train ;) Keep an eye out for that post and be sure to follow along on Instagram to see when it drops, plus get behind the scenes footage of Lexie via my Instagram stories! 

I’m super excited to make Lexie an official member of our family and create DIY’s for other dog mommas out there! Stay tuned for even more fun on the blog as the Cardona Circus evolves and grows.  For now, you can find the DIY pom pom collar here.