Money Saving Monday-5 Things to do This Week

Happy Monday! Let's start it off right with some money saving tips to try this week:

1. Do you ever have those "I'm so proud of myself" moments where you want so badly to buy something, but you resist?  That pair of shoes, that amazing top, that hardcover book.  This happens to me a lot and it is hard to resist sometimes.  Something that makes it a little easier is to take that money I didn't spend, even it it's $5 saved not going to Starbucks, and put it somewhere meaningful.  Have a credit card you're paying off? A student loan? A savings account or a savings for a special house project (for us it's a fence)?  Put that money there!  You'll be surprised how quickly you forget about those things you didn't buy, especially when you see your monetary goals being realized.

2.  Remove the temptation to spend.  Do you get those millions of emails filled with deals claiming they will never be back (they will)?  Or those special coupons just for you that you have to you use? I mean come on! It's just for you! It's not. Every day I would wake up feeling so overwhelmed when I checked my email.  Instead of a positive step to get me saving, I was bombarded with retail peer pressure to spend.  I did the only thing I thought would help and clicked that liberating UNSUBSCRIBE button.  It takes a little while to kick in, but its wonderful to not have all those offers staring me down.  They are great, don't get me wrong, I'm a girl who loves a sale, but I can't have them all. 

3. Meal plan.  I'd like to tell you that I do this all the time.  That I plan it all out, and make my list with my coupons and get my cash envelope (so I won't go over budget) but that isn't true.  However, I am working on it.  I get a general idea of what we will eat for the week, and when I go grocery shopping, I get our essentials that we use and run out of weekly (like milk, eggs, etc) and then what I need for the meal plan.  If you can sit down with Pinterest and really make a plan, it will save time and money, and then you should come back here and tell me about it so I can be inspired to do it more.  Before I decide what we are going to have, I look at what's in the house. Sometimes we say we have no food and need to go grocery shopping right away, and then I look, really really look, and realized there are many options hiding in the pantry, fridge and chest freezer. Be creative and use what you have before buying.  You'll be surprised how much you actually have to eat!

 (Bow tie optional Build Your Own Burger Night)

4. Shop your own house.  This is one of my favorite things to do.  We change things around at our house a lot.  Because we live in an old home, we are working on updating (very very slowly) and to make things fresh on a tiny budget, and I like to shop my garage, or basement, or even other rooms and see what I can come up with add some flare to a room. Change the purpose of an item.  One of my favorite things to use for this is hanging fruit baskets. I have one in my office for sewing supplies and one in my bathroom for use as a catch all over the counter.  Re-purpose and use what you have, and if it isn't working, then go on the hunt for what you need.  (That's an old church pew below).

 (Before and after of one of our recent house projects, the sun room.  I shopped our house to furnish and decorate most of it.  It isn't done yet, and some was temporary until we buy furniture, but you get the idea)

5. Use up all your bath, body and beauty supplies before buying any more.  This sounds odd, I know. You're probably thinking, "But Amanda, if I have shampoo still, why would I buy it?"  Look under your sink. Look in your other bathrooms if you have them.  I bet you have some there, just waiting to be used.  Lotions, I know you have a million.  Use them!  Once you have purged your bathroom of all of them, then you can buy more.  Saves money, and reduces waste.  And you'll probably smell really good.

Do you guys have any tips on saving money? I'd love to hear them! Give a shout!

And to see more of our projects and gluten free meals follow @KnapTimeKnitter

Naptime Sewing-Summer Dress (Link to Free Pattern)

After a very long winter of knitting and crocheting, I was dying to break out my sewing machine.  The poor loyal friend had been hidden away in my office for months, begging to be used.

I consider myself a beginner. I have had two formal classes, only one of which I actually turned on my machine.  I can do the basics (totes, headbands, basic skirts, pillow cases) and I was ready for something a little more challenging.

Naturally, I went to Pinterest.  I have a few store bought patterns I wanted to use, but I am a visual learner, and I find I can better execute the instructions when I have a tutorial.  I found this pin and got to work (during nap time, of course).

A couple notes about this dress pattern.  When you download the free pattern from Craftsy, it only has one part and this had many (including myself) confused.  Be sure to read through the directions before starting.  You cut another piece for the skirt portion, and the straps, but it isn't in the PDF because you just measure it.  So do not be alarmed when you go to print and it isn't there.

The pattern comes in one size.  I simple cut mine a little bigger to accommodate my girl.  I'll be honest, I didn't measure.  I also made mine the dress length the pattern calls for, so it would be a longer shirt on my girl (who is 12 months).

 

And finally, I found it somewhat hard to get on and off her with the straps on the orange dress, something I attribute to the pattern being a smaller size, and my daughter having an enormous head.  Two things could have solved this: putting them further apart/thinner, or simply cutting the top portion bigger so there was a wider opening.  On the purple dress, I opted for tie shoulders and it did make it a bit easier.

 

I also suggest possibly adding some elastic thread to the waist so she can wear the dress for longer, as a shirt.

I really enjoyed making this. It was that quick project that I craved, and there was the instant gratification of seeing my daughter wear it.  Naturally, she went out in the Spring grass and got herself all dirty moments after snapping these pictures, but at least she waited until after! 

To see more of my projects, follow along on Instagram: @KnaptimeKnitter

ThredUp, An Addiction

Recently I began to down size my wardrobe in an attempt to organize my house, simplify things and fill my closet with only things I 100% love.  I usually would just take my unwanted items over to the consignment shop, but its a half hour away and with two small children, sometimes that wasn't something I could do easily.  I also don't like the inconvenience of having to make an appointment.

Then, I discovered ThredUp, after my sister sent me a link with a free $10 credit to give it a try.  What's better than that?  So I looked at the site, thinking I probably would use my credit and then forget about it.  I'm here to tell you, I haven't.

Basically, it's a giant online consignment shop, a thrifters dream.  You can create an account and then customize it to fit your likes and sizes.  For example, I love Anthropologie but can't afford it, so I set my ThredUp to show me their brands in my size so I can see what's available. 

Now, back to the down sizing portion of this post.  I ordered a ThredUp bag, filled it with items I no longer wear, and sent it in. I've actually done this twice now.  They take what they can sell and donate the rest. You can get the rest back for a fee, but I opted out of this.  You don't get a ton for your items, but since their prices are so reasonable, you can use your credit to get something else, or wait 14 days and it can be deposited to your PayPal.  I love this because it is so easy and it costs you nothing to send it in!  They even take kids and baby items, which is fantastic when trading up for different sizes.

The quality of the items is amazing, and they recently started accepting free returns. 

If you are ready to give it a try and want the free $10 that got me hooked, you can use this link here. Place your first order and then tell all your friends, and when they order you'll both get the $10 credit. You can literally get something for free here, friends, go try it out!

Money Saving Monday-Dyson

You know you've entered a new realm of adult hood when the prospect of a new vacuum gets you excited.  For years, we dreamed of a Dyson.  With dogs and kids, carpets and hardwood floors, we were in desperate need of a vacuum that not only worked, but lasted more than three months. I kept reasoning with myself that someday I would invest, but for now it was ok to just get a cheaper, more affordable one. Who cares if it doesn't last, I thought, we'll figure that out later.  Well, my friends, long story short, we were replacing it every year and that adds up.  By the time I tossed our broken ones, we could have definitely just got a Dyson.

 

--I should note, that as amazing as it would be, this is in no way sponsored by Dyson or anyone else--

Ok, back to my fascinating story, here's where it gets good.   A friend mentioned that QVC had them. I was all, ok, yea, maybe, but aren't those limited time offers and do you even really save anything. I'm here to tell you: YOU DO! And the deals are still going on. I'm not certain if they actually do have a time cap.  They also have a payment plan which makes it even easier on the budget.

There's a few models to choose from, you can check them out here on QVC.  You might be thinking, "But Amanda, that is still a very expensive vacuum and we're on a budget here."  Yes, I know. But its worth it!  We went with the DC 39 Canister.  The best part of this deal is that it comes with five attachments, something you would normally need to purchase separate.  I chose canister because we have stairs, and I like to be able to easily maneuver into little corners of the bathroom and small spaces.

A couple things I don't like about it, but honestly, this probably is our fault and not the vacuum's.  The canister fills up quick.  I know, that's not really their fault, we have kids and dogs and it gets dirty on our floors. The other is that the carpet attachment gets clogged somewhat easily and won't turn. Again, with the amount of yarn I drop on our floors, this is more my fault than anything. The good thing is, you can take it apart and easily clear it out.

We have had ours for about a year now and its going strong.  Usually by this point in our relationship with a vacuum, we would have broken up.  One actually started smoking once, that terrible rubber smell.  I'm happy with it, and it has been worth the investment.  In hind sight, I would have gone with the Animal, which is more expensive but is for just that: animals.  And when you have a Pomeranian, you need that. All in all, my only regret is that we didn't invest in one sooner. 

 

   

One Year of Ada

 

Well, it's almost here.  The first year of my daughter's life has flown by.  I knew it would, it did with her brother too, but somehow it was different this time.  Laboring this butter ball was quick and to the point: it lasted 10 hours, on my due date, 14 minutes of pushing and there she was.  9 pounds 5 oz of gorgeous.  She slept her first two weeks away and then decided she was done with that. She has too much to explore!

In one short week this baby will be one. I love the toddler years, absolutely love them.   I know, I know, nothing can really beat those squishy newborn and baby days, but toddlers have a fire to them that I love.  They are fascinating to watch, if you can keep up.  Over this past year, I have watched closely as our little bug has sucked up everything she can.  With her brother as a guide, she discovered language, her surroundings, her voice, her reflection and just soaks it right up.

The thing that has tugged at my heartstrings most heavily is her bond with her brother.  Atticus took some time to warm up to his baby sister.  He was beyond excited about her, asking every single day when she would arrive (for the full 9 months), but once she came and the reality set in that she stays, like, forever, he had a hard with that.  It went from being just he and I when my husband was away for the National Guard for five months, and then suddenly dad is back and a sister came.  But the shock set in and he has grown in his role as teacher for his new baby.  Now, she can't leave his sight without him looking for her, and I watch as his eye moves to keep up with her, just so he knows what she is doing and where she is at all times.

Atticus is a constant reminder of how quickly they grow up.  His baby days seemed to go a little slower than her's, but then, so did I.  Somewhere in there, life sped up, and I'm making it my mission to slow it down from here on out. 

So as my June Bug turns one, there are some things about her that I am likely to never forget and always cherish:

-This hair. Girlfriend has hair that I always dreamed of on my daughter. It is soft and beautiful and begging for bows and headbands. Then I remembered that this is my child we are talking about.  She obviously will not keep them in her hair.  She has to explore them, throw them on the ground and discover them again later. 

-These eyes.  Ada has eyes on her so fierce, I could actually sit and stare at them all day.  But more than just the aesthetics of them, she sees everything, and she finds so much joy in that.  She watches, and she tries things out. Nod your head, and she'll do it back.  Smile at her and say hello, and she's sure to give a wave and a big toothy grin.  She sees you, and she wants to know everything you put in front of her.

-Her gorgeous little hands.  Ada is very animated (see below) and uses her hands a lot.  They are always flailing around, and you are likely to be hit with them if you're too close when she's excited. She dances with them, she cheers you on with them, she uses them during her diva moments.  Her hands speak volumes, and they are also very tasty when cutting a tooth.

 -This smile.  She has an infectious way about her.  She smiles and you have to smile along with her.  Ada finds so much joy in everything around her and it is a beautiful thing.  I often watch her, just to see how she'll react to things.  Mornings are my favorite, as I enter her room to greet her, and she immediately shoots up with a tired face, huge smile and stands immediatly to see me.  We open her shade, she looks right out her window and points, "theeaaa" (there) and then laughs until I pick her up.  We should all start our day the way she does.  Excited, ready, smiling.

  

I feel insanely lucky to be the mom of Atticus and Ada.  I have never in my life been so tired, and after a solid year without a full night of sleep, I honestly don't know how I have made it, but I can tell you, I would do it all again.  This year has been too busy, and I've been a zombie through most of it, but looking back at her first year of being here, I am so proud of all she's done.  I'm proud of Atticus for being so amazing and patient.  I'm proud of my husband and I for surviving a year of no sleep.  I'm proud of my year of breastfeeding.  I'm proud of it all.  Now, I have one more week before she turns one, and I intend on making it go by very slowly.

Kid's Barn Craft

If you have kids, you are no stranger to the "what can I get them for a present?" question.  As you look around at the cemetery of toys forgotten, those ones they had to have, would keep them busy and couldn't resist, you just don't want to add to the chaos.  Well, that is our house.  So at Christmas, when my mom asked what Atticus might enjoy, she suggested this barn craft and it was just the ticket! She picked it up for him (at Tractor Supply of all places), and he loved it.

  

The kit came with paint, the barn, a fence and these adorable little animals, and was just $14.99!  If you can't find this specific one, AC Moore has many wood crafts with basically the same idea.  It was great, because it kept him busy for a long time, and he had a toy to play with in the end.  

The only thing I didn't like was the lack of brown paint (he asked about this many times "where's the brown for the barn, mom?"), and the colors that were included were sparse, so you may want to pick up some extra at the craft store. 

Ada enjoyed watching the craft, and has since enjoyed the little animals!  There are also a lot of bird house varieties that look fun, so luckily I now have a great idea the next time someone asks what he likes.

Etsy Roundup!

As you can probably guess, I am obsessed with Etsy.  Because I'm on there so much with my own business, I am always seeing amazing items and I wanted to share some of my findings with you.  So here it is, my Etsy Roundup for this week:

1.I love this Mama Bear shirt so much! Available here.
(photo borrowed from Maisonwares)

 

2. A little obsessed with this tea towel! Available here.

(photo borrowed from Crafts Gone Awry)

3. This little friend! Available here.

(photo borrowed from Moffit Plush Co.)

 

4. We have these bunnies and they are so soft. But even better, these ones are monogrammed! Available here. 

(photo borrowed from Designs by April)

  

5. The perfect artwork display hanger! Available here.

(photo borrowed from Shellyka)

If you have an item you think I'd love, please feel free to contact me!

Small Business Saturday 2014

Happy Small Business Saturday!!  From the time I was a child, I have appreciated small businesses and the customers that keep them alive.  My grandparents built a business from scratch, and opened beach front cottages in the 50s.  Their business boomed and my childhood summers were spent managing the grounds with them, chambermaiding and making loads of new friends.  On the same property, my father opened a lobster pound, run by our family, and I can remember summer after summer the faces of customers from year's past, who always made us a stop on their Maine summer vacation.  At the time it seemed like a chore, working from a very young age to do my part for the family, smelling like lobster and steamers and sweat and summer.  I wanted to go to the beach! I wanted to eat French Fries and soft serve and fried dough! (these were my pre-gluten free days) but my dad always insisted that we did not spend our coveted Tip Jar money (that was our only pay check for most of our working days) on such things as that, because soon we would need cars and college.  

My dad has always been self employed and that is a struggle and triumph I have always admired.  He is a big part of why I wanted to start my own small business and launch Crooked By Design.  Once I became a mother, and knew I wanted to be home with my babies (not an easy job!) it was the perfect time to take my craft, my hobby, to the next level.  Opening my little shop was a very scary thing! What if no one visited it? What if I sold nothing? Would it be worth it? And then the biopolar of these, what if I had too many orders! Can I keep up?  But, thinking back on our nights running the lobster pound, when we were so busy I thought we'd never make it, and those days where we sold just one or two lobsters and we equally thought we'd never make it, I knew my answers: I'd made it, and it is always worth it.

So here I am, two years after opening up shop, nearly 600 sales later, and an order queue that doesn't seem to be letting up and I am 1,000% thankful for YOU and everyone who has stopped by the shop, Liked on Facebook, followed along on Instagram to see our family and my projects, and who read this blog.  You are what makes this worth it, and I am so grateful for you.  

So today, on Small Business Saturday, I hope you visit some of your local shops, and go onto Etsy, craft fairs, Facebook, or any other small business and shop, share and support. We need you!

Here's some of my favorites that I have personally shopped:

 For incredible pillow cases check out Oh Susannah's

Awesome shirts over at Hello Apparel

For everything you need to get organized, head to Thirty-One 

Amazing little headbands and Mom & Me sets over at Baby Jules Boutique

Some more amazing headbands & leggings at Baby Beans & Me

Gluten Free Halloween Candy 2014

 (Photo source)

I'm always looking at labels and trying to determine what is safe, so this list is amazingly helpful!

Happy Halloween,everyone!

(content is directly from here)


Nestle USA considers "gluten-free" to mean "no gluten ingredients are in the product, whether directly added, or potentially present due to cross-contact. If a product label has an allergen advisory statement such as 'made on equipment' or 'facility that also processes wheat etc.,' we do not consider that product to be gluten-free. It is important to always read product labels/packaging for the most accurate information." Nestle will label potential gluten cross contamination, a customer service representative says. In addition, Nestle will disclose all gluten ingredients (not just those containing wheat) on its products' labels.
According to Nestle, the following candies are gluten-free:

• Baby Ruth
• Bit-O-Honey
• Butterfinger Bar (original flavor only, NOT Crisp, Giant Bar, Snakerz, Medallions, Jingles, Hearts or Pumpkins)
• Milk Chocolate
• Goobers
• Nips (including both regular and sugar-free)
• Oh Henry!
• Raisinets (including Cranberry and Dark Chocolate flavors)
• Sno-Caps
• Wonka Pixy Stix
• Laffy Taffy (including Laffy Taffy Rope)
• Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip

The following Nestle candy products are NOT gluten-free:

• Butterfinger Crisp Bar
• Butterfinger Giant Bar
• Butterfinger Snackerz
• Butterfinger Medallions
• Butterfinger Jingles
• Butterfinger Hearts
• Butterfinger Pumpkins
• Wonka Nerds
• Sweetarts
• Wonka Bar (all flavors)
• Chewy Spree
• Wonka Gummies
• Wonka Kazoozles
• Everlasting Gobstopper
• 100 Grand Bar

In some of these products, the ingredients themselves are gluten-free, but the candies are processed in a facility that also processes gluten.
Contact Nestle USA at 800-225-2270.
Mars Chocolate
Mars Chocolate makes M&M's, Dove, Snickers and other products. The company no longer maintains a gluten-free list of products; instead, it urges gluten-free consumers to check labels and promises to call out any wheat, barley and rye ingredients by name, as well as any cross-contamination risks, on the label. Even if a product normally is gluten-free, in busy times of year (such as Halloween) Mars uses alternative facilities to make its candy, and some of those facilities may introduce cross-contamination risks (I've seen this frequently on flavored M&M varieties). "The ingredient statement on each wrapper is the best source for this information," the company said in a statement.
In the past, these Mars Chocolate products have been gluten-free. However, I can't emphasize enough that you should always check the label before purchasing any of these products:

• M&M's (all EXCEPT for pretzel-flavored M&M's and some special flavors with a risk of gluten cross-contamination)
• 3 Musketeers Bars (all flavors)
• Milky Way Midnight Bar
• Milky Way Caramel Bar
• Dove Chocolate products (all flavors EXCEPT for milk chocolate cinnamon graham/cookies and cream)
• Snickers Bars (all flavors)
• Munch Nut Bar (the customer service representative urges consumers to check the labels on this one)

The following Mars Chocolate products have NOT been gluten-free:

• M&M Pretzel flavor
• Some packages of M&M White Chocolate, Mint and M&M Coconut flavors
• Milky Way Bar (original)
• Mars Bar
• Mars Combos (a snack mix)

Again, always double-check the label. Note that plain M&Ms (in any color) actually meet the more stringent standards for gluten-free certification, which require the products to contain less than 10 parts per million of gluten.
Contact Mars Chocolate at 800-627-7852.
Tootsie Roll Industries
Tootsie Roll Industries, which also makes Charms products, says that, as of September 2014, all of the companies confections are considered gluten-free with the exception of Andes cookies. "Tootsie does not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt, or any of their components, either as ingredients or as part of the manufacturing process. Corn and soy products are used during the manufacturing process," the company says.
According to Tootsie Rolls Industries, the following candies are gluten-free:

• Tootsie Rolls
• Fruit Rolls
• Junior Mints
• Frooties
• Dots
• Tropical Dots
• Crows
• Cella's Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries
• Cella's Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
• Junior Mints
• Charleston Chew
• Junior Caramels
• Tootsie Pops
• Tootsie Peppermint Pops
• Caramel Apple Pops
• Fruit Smoothie Pops
• Tropical Stormz Pops
• Child's Play
• Charms Blow Pops
• Charms Super Blow Pops
• Charms Pops
• Zip-A-Dee-Mini Pops
• Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy
• Sugar Daddy Pops
• Sugar Mama Caramels
• Charms Squares
• Charms Sour Balls
• Charms Candy Carnival
• Pops Galore
• Andes
• Sugar Babies

These Tootsie Roll products also are peanut-free and nut-product free, according to the company.
Contact Tootsie Roll Industries at 773-838-3400.
Smarties
Most of Smarties' line of products (with some exceptions, see below) is considered gluten-free and vegan in the U.S. (see note below for information on Canada), and is made in a gluten-free facility, according to the company. However, Smarties sells its products to different "re-baggers" as well as various retail outlets. Since a re-bagger buys products from many different companies and then places them in different packaging, only re-baggers can verify whether their manufacturing plants are free of gluten or other allergens. "If the UPC number on the packaging begins with '0 11206,' you can be assured that the product was packaged in one of our manufacturing facilities," which means it should be gluten-free," the company says. Smarties Gummies contain no gluten ingredients, but are manufactured in a facility that also processes wheat-containing products (along with peanuts, milk and soy).
Note that Smarties sold in Canada contain wheat flour — always check the label to make sure you're buying the gluten-free type.
Contact Smarties through the company's website.
Hershey's
After several years of listing only a few products as gluten-free, Hershey's in 2012 began publishing a gluten-free list that included several more products. Since then, the company has regularly added to its list. The following list of Hershey's candies are considered gluten-free to less than 20 parts per million:

• Almond Joy (all)
• Mounds (all)
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses
• Hershey's Filled Chocolate Kisses (only caramel and cherry cordial creme, NOT Hugs, Special Dark, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, or Cookies & Cream)
• Hershey's Nuggets (milk chocolate, milk chocolate with almonds, special dark chocolate with almonds, and extra creamy milk chocolate with toffee and almonds)
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar, only in the 1.55 oz. size
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar, only in the 1.45 oz. size
• Hershey's Air Delight
• Hershey's Milk Duds
• Heath Bars
• Payday
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (all except for seasonal shaped items, such as Valentine's hearts)
• Reese's Pieces (all except for Reese's Pieces Eggs)
• Rolo Caramels in Milk Chocolate (all except for Minis)
• Skor
• Skor Toffee Bar
• York Peppermint Pattie (all except for York Pieces, York Minis and York Shapes)

The following Hershey's products are NOT gluten-free:

• Hershey's Special Dark Bar
• Hershey's Cookies 'N' Creme Bar
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Drops
• Hershey's Miniatures
• Mr. Goodbar
• Symphony Bar
• Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolate

Be careful as you choose between Hershey's products, as the gluten-free list can be confusing: for example, the Hershey's Nuggets Special Dark flavor is considered gluten-free, but the Special Dark chocolate bars are not.
Generally with Hershey's, you need to avoid seasonal items such as Cadbury Creme Eggs (both Easter and Halloween versions) and Reese's pumpkin-shaped candies — even if their ingredients are free of gluten, they likely are manufactured on shared lines or in a shared facility.
Hershey's says it will list any ingredients containing wheat, barley, rye, oats and malt on the label, and also will disclose shared equipment or shared facilities on the label. Hershey's gluten-free list includes baking chips and bars, cocoa products and syrup; you can access the list here. Always check the list prior to buying, as items seem to change frequently.
Contact Hershey's at 800-468-1714.
Wrigley
Although Wrigley's online gluten-free statement is pretty cagey (saying most products are gluten-free but some might not be, and failing to specify which is which), a statement provided to me by a customer service representative says that as of October 2013, all Wrigley products in the U.S. are considered gluten-free except for Altoids Smalls Peppermint Mints (which always have contained gluten in the form of wheat maltodextrin).
Note that Wrigley makes Creme Savers, Lifesavers, Skittles and Starburst, which in the U.S. are free of any gluten sources, according to the company.
Contact Wrigley at (800) 974-4539.
Jelly Belly
Jelly Belly makes jelly beans in an ever-expanding array of colors and flavors. According to the company, "all Jelly Belly beans are gluten-free, dairy-free, gelatin-free, vegetarian and OU Kosher." This includes licorice-flavored gluten-free Jelly Belly jelly beans (in most cases, licorice candy contains wheat). Jelly Belly also makes gluten-free candy corn for Halloween.
However, other Jelly Belly candies, including Chocolate Malt Balls, Chocolate Bridge Mix, Licorice Bridge Mix, Black Licorice Buttons and Licorice Pastels, are NOT gluten-free. In addition, seasonal mixes sold around the holidays contain the malt balls, and so are not gluten-free.
Contact Jelly Belly at 800-522-3267.
Necco
Necco probably is best known for its small sugar Valentine heart candies – the pastel-colored ones that say "Be Mine" and "True Love" – but my daughter's candy stash often turns up a few Necco products every Halloween, as well.
According to Necco, the following products do not contain gluten from wheat, rye, oats or barley:

• Necco Wafers
• Necco Chocolate Wafers
• Candy House Candy Buttons
• Canada Mint, Wintergreen and Spearmint Lozenges
• Mary Jane
• Mary Jane Peanutbutter Kisses (available for Halloween only)
• Banana Splits Chews
• Mint Julep Chews
• Haviland Thin Mints, Wintergreen Patty, Nonpareils and Chocolate Stars
• Skybar
• Sweethearts (for Valentine's Day only)
• Conversation Hearts (available for Valentine's Day only)
• Mary Jane peanut butter kisses (for Halloween only)

Contact Necco at 781-485-4800.
Just Born
Peeps marshmallow treats, made by Just Born, used to appear only at Easter, but in recent years we've seen Halloween Peeps shaped like pumpkins and ghosts, Christmas Peeps in the shape of trees, and heart-shaped Peeps for Valentine's Day.
According to Just Born, as of September 2014 all the company's marshmallow candies that are safe from cross-contamination will state "gluten-free" on the package by the ingredients listing (Note: recently, I've run across numerous packages of Peeps that carry this warning: "May contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy and wheat." Definitely double-check the packaging, even if the product is something that has stated "gluten-free" in the past.). The modified food starch used in the products is corn starch, according to the company. Just Born also makes Mike and Ike Candies.

• According to Just Born, the following candies are gluten-free:
• Mike and Ike Berry Blast
• Mike and Ike Italian Ice
• Mike and Ike Jolly Joes
• Mike and Ike Lemonade Blends
• Mike and Ike Original Fruits
• Mike and Ike Redrageous
• Mike and Ike Tangy Twister
• Mike and Ike Tropical Typhoon
• Mike and Ike Zours
• Mike and Ike Jelly Beans
• Mike and Ike Hot Tamales
• Goldenberg's Vintage Peanut Chews

Contact Just Born at 888-645-3453
Tic Tac Mints Tic Tac mints are produced by the Italian confection manufacturer Ferrero, and have been sold for more than 40 years.
According to the company, Tic Tac mints do not contain any ingredients derived from the gluten grains wheat, barley, rye, oats or triticale (a form of wheat).
Contact Ferrero at 732-764-9300.
Sweet's Candy Co.
Sweet's Candy makes salt water taffy, chocolate jelly sticks, jelly beans, gummy bears and other candies. All are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, which requires products to contain less than 10 parts per million of gluten. A customer service representative tells me that Sweet's makes only gluten-free products, but does package other products (some of which may contain gluten) in the same facility.
Contact Sweet's at 855-772-7720.

Sleep, Are You There?

Hello friends! You may have noticed I've been a little absent these days.  You have this face to blame:

You see, friends, this baby DOES NOT SLEEP.  She just doesn't. I was one of those moms who were like, "oh, a six month old, yea they sleep, no problem."  I was wrong. Very wrong.  I jinxed myself when she was a newborn.  She would constantly sleep. I had to actually wake up her for feedings, she slept so much.  I thought we had it made.  But then, around three months, she just stopped sleeping, and I became a crazy person, desperate for sleep, bags under the eyes, hair never brushed, caffeine inhaling mother.

In an attempt to break her terrible habit of waking up every two hours, I asked some mom friends what to do.  This is my second baby, so I thought I knew what to do, after all, I've done this before.  My son slept from seven weeks on.  It was amazing.  This girl though is very different.  She's just too excited.  Here are some things I tried over the past two weeks and guess what...THEY WORKED!

 

1. White noise or music: My children are like me, they need some sort of noise to sleep. Sounds backwards but it works.  I sleep with a fan, my son does too.  Ada here enjoys the calm sounds of beach waves and/or some music to get her to sleep.  Her favorite song, for some reason is this.

2. Put them down while they are awake: this is something that took some time to work but now is great.  If I put her in bed while she's sleeping, she can't figure out how to get herself to sleep.  Putting her down almost asleep, awake, but not crying, works 90% of the time. 

3. Establish a routine: my son was not a routine based kid, and still isn't at age four.  Ada, however, is very routine. Each day, I am working on making her a schedule that looks something like this:

8:45-wake up

9:00-eat/play time

11:30-nap

2:00-wake up, eat, play

4:00-nap

5:00-wake up, eat, play

7:00-eat, bath, pjs

7:45-8:15-play time

8:30-eat, rock, snuggle, bed

Since I started doing a schedule like this, she has been waking up once instead of every two hours.  It's been glorious. 

Naps have been better too.  She used to only nap for spurts of 20-45 minutes, and now I can usually get two hours out of her, twice a day.  It is not an exact schedule, but an outline.  Take some time in the beginning to help her out getting used to it by being home for nap time and trying to keep it as routine as you can.  The more you stay on schedule, the more it will help them to do the same.

As I said before, this whole schedule thing is new to me.  I am fortunate to be a SAHM, so I can make her schedule around us, but if your baby is at daycare, try and get them on your schedule, or adjust your days home to what they are used to when they are there. 

This has made for a happier mom, but more importantly, a happier baby!

Pinterest Pumpkin Craft

My son kept asking to do some Fall and Halloween crafts, so naturally we headed on over to Pinterest to see what we could find.  We found this pin and had so much fun making our pumpkins.

We did both the bottle cap ones, and the paper towel tube ones. I found the paper towel tubes pumpkins came out a little better, and were easier for him to color in.  I jumped on board and did some too! These can easily be framed, and the printable can be found here.

They can also be made apples by doing them in red and green, if you want to add some to your fall picture. It was fun, easy and he had a ball doing it.

To keep on our projects, be sure to follow on Instagram!