Some Tips on Getting Great Christmas Card Shots of Your Kids

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Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?  I love this time of year and really look forward to Thanksgiving.  The problem is that Christmas comes so quickly after Thanksgiving and I find myself needing to look past Thanksgiving a bit to what needs to get done for Christmas.

One of those to do items is Christmas Cards.  I love taking photos of my kids and turning them into our Christmas Cards.  I have to think about it early though and work on getting a great shot to use.

I will usually find a nice day, not too hot or too cold and head to a park.  The best time is earlier in the morning (before 11) or late afternoon.  You don’t want harsh sunlight in your photos so plan for a time when the sun isn’t directly overhead.

Trees, a lake, bushes, a cool looking door, a field or an unused railroad are all great places to take pictures.  Look for places while you are out and about and make note of the ones that would make good photo backgrounds.

Make it a fun time with your kids. Don’t let the stress of getting a perfect shot ruin your time.  Plan a fun time and insert the photo session in the midst of it.  I’m thinking about taking large lollypops or ice cream and cones, handing them out and then snapping away.  This should make for less tears and some great candid shots with the kids true personalities coming out.  Be sure to take lots of pictures!  It’s a great way to find a few that turn out well.

This year I am going to create our Christmas Cards using TinyPrints.  I love the round cards they have this year that double as Christmas ornaments.  It is a perfect new way to display Christmas Cards.

What are your plans for Christmas cards?  Have you found a great location for taking photos in your area?

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Disclosure: I am receiving my Christmas cards for free this year from TinyPrints in exchange for this blog post.
Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With:

Ribbies Clippies: Adorable Hair Clips for Little Girls {and a giveaway}

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With 5 girls I have been through my fair share of hair styling battles. Little ones are the worst when it comes to sitting still and letting me do their hair.  When I got my hands on some Ribbies I was excited because these little clippies are crazy cute and so quick to put in.  Who needs a pony tail when you can pop in cute Ribbies in just a few seconds?
I am a hair bow and flower fan too but for little ones with finer hair sometimes the bow doesn’t make it out the door with us.  I’ll often find it on the floor because it fell out or in the car because it was easily pulled out.  That’s why I am loving Ribbies!  These adorable clippies have foam grip on them so they are not easily pulled out and won’t fall out!
Ribbies are great for older girls too.  I love this look of two clippies on one side!
There are SO many incredibly cute designs of Ribbies to choose from so you can have them match every outfit if you wish.  Or you can just pick a few simple designs to match almost everything.  My favorite set is the Zoe set (shown below) but it’s not an easy choice.
 If you’d like to get your hands on some Ribbies Clippies you can purchase them here.  Don’t forget to check out their headbands, clippie holders and pacifier clips as well.
Would you like to WIN 2 adorable gift sets of Ribbies Clippies {$24 value}? Follow the instructions bellow to enter and be sure to leave me a way to contact you in case you are the winner.

Mandatory to Enter:

Go check out Ribbies Clippies and come back to tell me which design you would love to have if you win.

Additional Ways to Enter (leave a separate comment for each action):
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Tweet about this giveaway (up to once daily) you can use this message or tweet your own and include the link to this giveaway and @mommykudos:
“Win 2 gift sets of cute & stylish Ribbies Clippies! Your little girl will love these! https://www.mommykudos.com/2011/09/ribbies-clippies-adorable-hair-clips/ ”

Contest ends October 4th at 11:59 PM EST. Open to U.S only.

Disclosure: I was given a set of Ribbies for free to review.  As always, my opinions expressed here are my own.

 

Filed Under: Great Finds for Babies, Reviews Tagged With: ,

So Yummy: YummyEarth Organic Lollipops

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Seriously, when “yummy” is in your name you better be good! The YummyEarth Organic Lollipops certainly live up to their name!  I am not really a big hard candy or lollipop fan myself but these things are amazingly good.  They have amazing all-natural flavors like Pomegranite Pucker, Tooberry Blueberry, and Strawberry Smash.  All of the flavors I have tried have been very flavorful and, well, really yummy!  My kids can’t get enough of them!  These lollipops make great treats that you can feel better about giving to your kids than high fructose corn syrup, artificial color and artificial flavored filled candy. Last time we went on a family road trip I took a bag of these lollipops and it was a nice distraction for when everyone got a little restless.

YummyEarth also has gummy bears, gummy worms, and drops too! Any of these would be great to hand out at Halloween or put in stockings for Christmas.  Don’t forget about the adults too.  Your friends and co-workers will thank you for introducing them to YummyEarth’s goodness!

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Reviews Tagged With:

Antsy Pants: Potty Training Genius

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While I am on the topic of Potty Training I thought I would mention a few more of our favorite finds in this category.  Enter Antsy Pants.  Antsy pants are great for potty training! I discovered these pull-up style cloth training pants while on the hunt for an alternative to disposable training pants.  With every child that I have potty trained (I have done it 5 times and am on my 6th) I have tried a variety of different methods including disposable Pull-Ups, cloth training pants, bare bottoms, underwear and a combination of them all.  In my own experience and in talking to friends, I find that the best way to get a child to learn to use the potty early and quickly is to use cloth training pants. Children learn the difference between wet and dry early on with cloth and most children don’t like to feel wet.

Going straight to panties or underwear can be frustrating and messy for mom (or dad).  Antsy Pants are a great solution in my opinion.  They snap at the sides so they can easily be taken on or off for an accident but they also can be pulled up or down just like underwear.  Because they are absorbent they will allow the child to feel wet without leaks and messes on the floor.  If you plan to use them at night or for heavy wetters you can add a microfiber insert.

Antsy Pants are also great to use for swim diapers.  They come in boy, girl, or bright neutral colors. Antsy Pants end up saving you money in the long run versus buying disposable pull-ups.  For one thing, your child will probably train faster with cloth and not need them as long as they would need disposables. In my experience every single one of my kids treated disposable pull-ups just like a diaper.  They only really potty trained when I would put them in something that they could feel that they were wet.  I do like disposables for longer outings and trips but even Antsy Pants with the insert work well for that.  Just make sure you take along extras and a “wet bag” to hold the wet ones in until you get home to wash them.  Antsy Pants site has lots more info on the cost comparison and potty training tips.  Check them out!

Filed Under: Great Finds for Babies, Reviews Tagged With: ,
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