Santa Sighting!!

There is less then 2 weeks to Christmas! Has your little one seen Santa? It's still not to late, here are some places to visit him in Anchorage.

Diamond Mall-- Mon-Thurs 11a-8p Fri & Sat 10a-8:30p Sun 11a-6p
Nordstrom-- Dec 18th-23rd  11a-7p
Arctic Playgroundz-- Dec 16th & 17th 11a-1p Bring your camera
Pump It Up-- Dec 22nd 6p-8p
The Mall at Sears--Check here to see schedule
House of Harley Davidson- Pictures with Santa on his Harley! Dec 18th 12p-2p Bring your camera!
Beall's Nursery- Specking Rd Sat 11a-5p Cranberry Rd Sun 11a-4p

Of course you can always visit Santa at the North Pole.

If you know of other Santa sightings, please list them in the comments.

Advent Calendars

One of the best things about being a kid during the Christmas season were the advent calendars. There were a few years when I was a kid where we were even lucky enough to get one of those absolutely delicious waxy chocolate filled ones you can get at the grocery store. It was even better when you forgot to open up one of those tiny little doors for a few days and then got to eat a weeks worth at once. But there's so much more to the advent calendar then just the treats. It's all about the joy of anticipation having a fun way to look forward to something so magical. 

There are so many different types of advent calendars these days from the waxy chocolate ones I mentioned above to the store bought to the home made. They don't have to be pricey, sugar laden, or expensive. I remember waking up excited every day because it was time to rip another "link" of my red and green contruction paper advent chain. These days you have the choice to do candy and sweets, tiny trinkets, a fun family activity a day, or just a simple calendar to count down the days. No matter how you choose to advent it's for sure going to be a family hit. So for this post I've scoured the internet and decided to post just a few of my favourites. 

Just do it already!

You can do it. Seriously, you’re a mom, you can do anything! So just stop talking about it and do it!!

Have you ever thought that about anyone you know? Or maybe wanted to say something like that right to their face? Come on, be honest. Have you ever come across a “You’re such a better mom than me” mom? Do you have that one friend/acquaintance that constantly tells you you’re such an inspiration  and that they wish they could be just like you but never does anything about it? Honestly, I think we all do. I also think at times we all have a bit of that mom in us. 

We all have our hang-ups, I really think that’s just par for the course. We’ve all got something that at one time or another was put on the back burner for one reason or another and it’s just a matter of time before we get around to it. I myself am pretty guilty of that. I’ve got about five projects in the works, a career diploma in Desktop Publishing I’m doing nothing with, and a long list of “get around to its”. I even have a ton of long term goals but in all honesty, they’re just long term because I haven’t gotten around to them yet. I’d really like to blame it all on being a mom but I don’t think that’s really the reason. I think that it’s just human nature to dream big but at times be too scared to accomplish big too. Well that and the fact that it also seems to be human nature to gain sympathy from friends by complaining about the things we “can’t” change.

Everyday Minerals Giveaway Winner is....

Congratulations to.....

Chandra!

You've won yourself the Everyday Minerals Giveaway!

Congratulations! 

Please contact us within 5 days to claim your prize!

Thanks to everyone for reading and entering!

Remember.

Novemember 11^th is an incredibly important day. It’s a day in which we focus our thoughts on those who have fought for us over the years. It’s a day for us to remember that there is no greater sacrifice than the one made by the thousands of men and women who have served our countries. 

Rememberance Day (Veterans Day in the US) is observed on the 11^th of November to recall the official end of World War I. It marks the occasion of the German signing of the Armistice in which the war was officially ended in the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month, 1918.  Nowadays it’s become a day in which we can honour all of those who have given up so much for the sake of others. 

Everyday Minerals Giveaway!

***This Giveaway is Now Closed***

Just as promised I’m giving away the freebies I received to write a review for

Everyday Minerals! 

Check out the products I’m offering up for the giveaway:

A FULL SIZE Everyday Minerals Blush!

-This SoCo blush is sure to be a fast favourite! It’s a “feminine blush with petal pink hues”

.19oz/5g

A TRAVEL SIZE Everyday Minerals Eye Shadow!

-This Passion Passport Eyeshadow is a gorgeous shimmery shade of smoky grey/silver.

.03oz/1g

A FULL SIZE Everyday Minerals Lippie!

-This Blushing Park lipstick is an oh so girly shade of pink. All natural ingredients and super smooth, super moisturizing colour!

.16oz/4.5g

Everyday Minerals = Fabulous Everday Makeup!

When it comes to makeup I guess you could say I’m somewhat of a collector. Okay, so maybe hoarder might be a bit more appropriate of a word. I’ve spent a lot of time (and money) trying to find a perfect makeup which let me tell you, gets a bit difficult when you’re a mom!  A few of the things that are important for me in a makeup are: 

Cost - I hate paying ridiculous prices for makeup! I LOVE my makeup but I also have to think realistically about what I can spend money on and more often than not, makeup isn’t near the top of that list.

Ease of Application - I’m a mom and I have a daughter who loves to imitate me. This means that most mornings she’s sitting on the counter “helping” me put on makeup or pretending to do her own. I need makeup that’s easy to apply, long lasting, and not so complicated that getting interrupted every 30 seconds is a big deal.

She's Got Teeth and She's Not Afraid To Use 'Em!

My Poor Shoulder!

Today my darling daughter bit me. Yup, you read that right. In a tiny toddler fit of rage she bit me on my shoulder hard enough to leave a welt and nearly broke the skin. Crazy huh?

Well, crazy maybe, but unexpected? Hardly. My daughter seems to deal with real frustration in two ways; she either throws something or bites something. It doesn’t happen too often, she’s usually pretty good about her tantrums but when they do escalate watch out! The throwing thing I get, I’m pretty sure it’s genetic. I myself like to huck whatever is close to me when I get really angry. The biting though, who knows? Usually she’ll just look around for an object close enough to get so it’s not really a hazard to people but unfortunately today that wasn’t the case. I’ve read that boys are generally prone to yelling, hitting and spitting and girls are generally biters so maybe it’s just par for the course. Either way, it shocked the heck out of me!

How To Colour (and other things my two year old taught me).

 One of the biggest things I’ve had to learn since becoming a mother is that things don’t always have to be done a certain way. To a toddler, everything is new and everything has a different way of being done that what we’re used to.

It’s been interesting having to teach myself that in the world of my toddler, there isn’t a “right” way to do things. It’s always so tempting to tell her that she’s doing something wrong, or to try and tell her the right way to play with a new toy. We’re so used to following rules or reading instructions that as adults we too easily forget that we once had an imagination too, and that sometimes and little rule breaking is so much fun.

All or Nothing-Creature of Habit-Procrastinating-Super Mom Wannabe!

So I’m not sure which is worse, the fact that I haven’t written anything in 10 days or the fact that I feel like 10 days is forever ago. Heck I even feel like the three days since I posted the list of Halloween events was forever ago. I’m starting to think this is a side effect of being a parent.

I’m hoping it’s not just me (but maybe it is?) but I seriously feel like some days feel like entire weeks. Today was one of those days. And it wasn’t even a bad day, it was a pretty good day! I’ve only been up for 12 hours but I feel like it’s closer to 20, I’m actually already in my pajamas.  I think it’s just because today was one of those days that felt non stop. I feel like I was “on” all day and now that I’ve actually sat down it’s catching up. Don’t get me wrong though, having a busy and productive day is kind of nice!

Halloween Events This Year!

A Huge Thank you to our Alaska's Kids Organizer Jamie for putting together this post! She's done a great job hunting down this years local Halloween events for us! 
If you know of any events we missed or have any extra details to share please feel free to post it in a comment or let us know via email at alaskaskids@gmail.com!
 

ANCHORAGE/EAGLE RIVER

Fall Carnival-- Anchorage Muesum Oct 23rd 10a-6p Included with museum admission: $10 adult, $8 senior/student/military, $7 child, free ages 2 and younger
Wear your Halloween costume to the museum and enjoy hands-on science activities, listen to spooky stories, paint a pumpkin and more.

Trick or Treat Street-- The 4th Ave Market Oct 30 2-5p FREE
An event for the whole family where kids can come downtown with their parents to trick-or-treat for candy in a safe environment, on 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue, between C Street and L Street. There will be games, treats and prizes at participating merchants and a Halloween stamp map where kids and parents come in and get their maps stamped at every location. Completed maps will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

A Day In The Life Of.... A Part-Time Working Mom! (Monica!)

In this post Monica tells us a bit about what it's like for her as a working mom! She has a young daughter and a baby on the way and does it all while working part time as a Registered Nurse!

The night before:

Get everything ready after bath and bedtime routine. Mad mission to get her, me and my
honey’s lunch made because if I don’t make it for him he often does not take one to work. Pack
things up that she may need for daycare like extra clothes etc. Get my clothes and things ready
so that I don’t wake anyone up getting ready in the morning.

5am:

Vibrating iPhone alarm goes off, get dressed and out of the house quickly.

If I want to shower in the morning I have to shower at work because at home, Isabel wakes up.
Like her mom, she is a light sleeper! I keep all the showering necessities at work in my locker and thankfully we have a shower and it is just cold enough to make you rush and never run late for work.



RN at Prov and mornings are our busiest time of the day. 6am to 10 we rush, rush, rush. I keep
my cell phone in my back pocket and the two times I forgot it in my locker daycare called and I
felt terrible about it. I fear someday I will get buttocks cancer from the phone but I don’t have
an option. Now that I am pregnant my scrub bottoms are constantly falling down and the cell
phone weight does not help!!!

Thankfully I have only had to leave a few times to go pick up my daughter! I can’t say I have
a good back up plan. My husband leaving work is my back up plan but he is super busy and
travels frequently.

Pick up time:

Done at 4:30

if I clock out right at 4:30 I make it to daycare just in time

If I am running late and sometimes I run late a lot, then I rush like crazy and get home to
wonder how her day was and how the provider does not threaten to fine me if I keep pushing it
so close. she is amazing and she is very understanding.

If I leave on time we get home, make dinner, sit at the table. If I run late, we get home, Isa is
starving and grumpy, we find something to eat quickly and often she won’t even eat it as it
seems I miss her dinner window and she just wants milk.

Bedtime:

Bath and bed time she is so exhausted she can hardly stand it and so am I! And my feet hurt
and my lower back aches

When my honey travels:

Did I forget to mention that when Kameron travels I have a sitter who comes over at 5am to be
there when Isa wakes up and then drive her to daycare….no stress really!!!

But:

I love working and being a nurse!

When I work I am a much more patient and happy mom on the days I spend with Isa. I also
know that she absolutely loves going to daycare and really enjoys her friends and talks about
them constantly at home. I look forward to a day when I can go to work well rested and clear
minded and come home to less responsibility but I know that is a long, long way away and for
now I enjoy each chaotic day as it comes!

A Day In The Life Of...A Working Mom! (Rachel!)

Here a working mom, Rachel, tells us what one typical Tuesday is like for her as she balances an early morning job, pumping, and life with her husband and four month old son.

1:45am 

Alarm is going off. grrrrr. pretty sure that was not my normal four hours of sleep. I pump and get into shower.

2:30am

Kiss husband and James goodbye, head downstairs.

2:45am 

Maddy is ready,(Maddy is my pump), Husbands lunch packed, dinner is in crock-pot, Diaper bag ready to go, banana and toast ready to eat while I drive, Nalgene bottle filled with H20, grab keys and go.

3:00am
Welcome to work! I load my truck for the day while singing to myself "the wheels on the bus go ....."

3:45am
Leave bakery, start my route for the day.

A Day In The Life Of....A Working Mom! (LeeAnn)

I am mama to 10 month old Iris Bloom, wife to my wonderful husband Lincoln, dog mom to a 12 year-old golden retriever named Kodiak, and a Dept Director at ANTHC in Anchorage. After ten years of marriage, two graduate degrees, a few career changes, and lots travel, I was thrilled to give birth to Ms. Bloom last December but I was completely unprepared for how to balance work and home. I thought for sure that my gift for organization and multi-tasking would make going back to work full-time a breeze! Add last-minute diaper changes on the way out the door, mid-day Pediatrician appointments, discovering milk stains on my sleeve during a presentation, and sleepless nights to an already packed work schedule and you will find opportunities for chaos. While there are many challenging moments, I feel so grateful to be able to contribute to my community through my work and still have a full family life. Here's a snapshot of a recent Monday:  

Rockin' Green Giveaway Winners Announced!

And the winners of our Rockin' Green Soap Giveaway are.......

Melissa (Plain Green Tea's)

and 

Richelle! (Orangevana)

Congrats Ladies!

Please contact us within 5 days to claim your prize! 

Thanks to everyone who entered! 

 

Raising a Housewife.

Growing up I was told that I should do great in school, find a career path, and be able to take care of myself. “Don’t depend on a husband” was one phrase I heard frequently. My last couple of years in high school I endured many talks from the school counselors about how I HAVE to fill out my college applications, how I needed to focus my energy into finding a career. My answer to them? I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.  Thank goodness they finally gave up on me.

The truth is, I knew what I wanted to be. I’ve always known. I wanted to be a housewife, a homemaker, a mother. For as long as I can remember I’ve never wanted to be anything more than someone’s wife, someone’s mother. Well, except for that brief stint where I was convinced I was going to be an astronaut (thank you Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks). I had jobs while I was in high school, after graduating I was given an amazing opportunity with a well paying/great benefits job, I successfully managed a store for two years, but the entire time I knew I would never last. I’m not a career woman, I’m a housewife.

You mean you won't just decide that for me?

What happens when your kid doesn’t make decisions for you? That’s what I’m facing right now. I always thought that there were a few things that kids were supposed to just decide for you. Things that were just going to happen on their part and I would just go along with it when it did. Things like when they’re going to potty train, stop nursing, or move out of their crib. Boy was I wrong!

I always figured that my daughter would let me know when she was ready to move to the next step with all of those things I listed above. I figured she would tell me when she was ready to potty train but she doesn’t really seem like she’s too keen on the idea. I’m alright with it though, she’s only two and she does at least attempt it. As for nursing, I had no idea that she was going to still be nursing at two. Again, I’m totally alright with it, but now I’m starting to wonder if she’s ever going to choose to stop. Will she ever decide she’s done or am I going to have to gently suggest that she stops? When will that be? I honestly thought she would just make that decision for me too.

Kids Are People Too!

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people treat their kids like an accessory or even a pet. We seem to forget that just like us, they have wants/needs/desires/etc and it’s up to us to help them to feel fulfilled. Too often people tend to just shove their kids feelings aside thinking things like “Oh he’s just a kid, what does it matter?” Right from the get go we have people telling us how we should raise our children. There are hundreds of books written about how your kid is feeling, how he’s confused, how he doesn’t know better. But it’s not very often I’m told to just listen to my child. 

Rockin Green Soap Giveaway!

***This giveaway is now closed***


Rockin’ Green Giveaway!

I’ve wanted to do a review for Rockin’ Green Soap and was planning on it regardless, but I thought that you all might appreciate a little giveaway. So I emailed Kim, the owner of RnG to see if she would be interested in offering up a couple of samples to give you one of you lucky Alaskans. Instead, she sent me TWO FULL BAGS to give to you!    Now that’s what I call service!

Before I get down to the nitty gritty of entry details I’d like to tell you all a bit about how amazing Rockin’ Green Soap really is!

First off, before I even tell you how much I like their detergent, I’m going to tell you about how amazing their customer service is. Seriously, it’s the best. Plain and simple. The gals at Rockin’ Green are well known for their personalized approach to customer service. Having problems with your wash? Just email them and they’ll get back to you incredibly quick. Post something on their Facebook page and you can bet that if they don’t answer your questions one of their loyal fans will. On top of that, when they voluntarily recalled some of their soap a couple of months ago due to it not being as effective as it should have been, they acted quickly and professionally going above and beyond what I had expected! I had four bags that were part of the recall and they sent me four brand new bags and let me keep my old ones to use as household cleaner! (It’s BY FAR the best toilet bowl cleaner I’ve ever used. I don’t know why or how, it just is. It’s also great for getting the bottom of our stand up shower super clean.) 

Resentful to Thankful; My Day Today.

Today has been a hard day. I didn’t sleep well and couldn’t shake it in the morning. The coffee was cold when I poured myself a cup. The diaper pail was overflowing. All I wanted to do today was work on things for me. Not for my daughter, my husband, or my house but for me. I want to be selfish. 

Today I felt resentful. I felt like I never get a turn until everyone else has had theirs. Breakfast was served for my daughter before me. I had to put my wants and needs on hold for hers.

Then a while later, after working on some projects that I wanted to get done, the guilt kicked in. I felt like I should have painted with my daughter. I should have read to her this morning. I should have sat with her instead of trying to just work around her.

Mommy Guilt

The decorative pillows on my couch and loveseat used to have fringe on them. Used to.

When my daughter was three weeks old I sat on my loveseat and propped her up on one of the decorative pillows to nurse her. When she was done I stood up with her and she let out her very first cry out of pain. The fringe had wrapped around one of her teeny tiny little toes. Now me being a new mom, hormonal, and overly emotional, immediately burst into tears. How could I have let something like that happen to my sweet little innocent baby? What kind of mother was I? We had my dad and my brother staying with us then and they burst into the room with the oddest looks on their faces. As soon as they realized why I was crying I could tell they were trying not to laugh. Can you blame them? I totally laugh about it now. But the hilarity of the situation only grew once I promptly walked to the kitchen, grabbed some scissors, and proceeded to cut off each and every bit of loopy fringe from those pillows. This, my friends, is what we call the irrational feeling of Mommy Guilt.

Local Business Interview! Essential Esthetics by Richelle!

This week we took some time to get together with Richelle, of Essential Esthetics by Richelle. We asked her all about her esthetics business, how she keeps it running while keeping up with her two growing boys, and what keeps her mom motivated!

Alaska’s Kids: Tell us just a little bit about yourself, what makes you, you?
Richelle: I am a pretty typical mom. I juggle the needs of my two boys, my husband, a dog, the house and just to make things extra crazy, I threw in a business. I am really passionate about natural health and sharing what I learn with other people who are interested. I also love challenging myself and I am the type of person who functions best with lots of chaos surrounding me.

A Story of Tandem Nursing, by Lia Keller

Today we are happy to post something from a fellow Alaskan mom!

Here, Lia Keller tells us about her experience tandem nursing her two boys.

I have a hard time doing one thing at a time. Maybe that is what led me to my life as a tandem nurser.

I was exclusively nursing my son when I realized I was pregnant and he never stopped nursing during my pregnancy as some suggested would happen. It was painful early on, and seemed to increase my morning sickness during the first trimester. And of course, was logistically challenging as my pregnancy progressed. But it also was amazing to feel my unborn son move inside of me as I nursed his brother.

A Day In The Life Of... A Stay at Home Mom! (Charissa!)

For our last Day in the Life of…A Stay at Home Mom post, we take a look at what life is like for me, Charissa, as I go about a typical day with my 2 year old daughter Lilah.

5am

I wake up from a bad dream and realize a) the chances of me falling back to sleep are pretty slim and b)Lilah is going to be up soon.

615am

I hear Lilah waking up and not only does she sound a bit cranky, but I managed to doze off and now I feel worse than I did at 5!

620am

I go and get Lilah, change her diaper (which I’m pretty sure is at its max for absorbing by this point!) and bring her into bed with me. We’ve pretty much cut out our morning nursing but today she’s cranky, and I’m super tired. I decide to just let it slide.

Twirly Whirly Tutu Winner Announced!!

The winner of our Twirly Whirly Tutu is......

Ashley L.!!!!

Congratulations!

Please contact us at alaskaskids@gmail.com within 5 days so we can get your tutu to you! 

Thanks to everyone who entered! Be sure to keep look out for a new giveaway coming soon!

A Day in the Life of... A Stay at Home Mom! (Jamie!)

Today our Alaska’s Kids Organizer Jamie, shares one day in her life as a stay at home mom to her three little ones! With three kids under the age of four she shares how crazy, but amazing, life with Kaden-3, Brooke-2, and Kora-6 weeks, can be.

310am

Kora is rooting around, time to feed her.

405am

Oops! Woke up and Kora was asleep on the boppy that is still around my waist. The whole reason I try to sit up when I nurse her is so I DON’T fall asleep!

610am

Kora is hungry again, sigh. Everyone else in the household is sleeping except me….one day.

745am

Nursing again…. In 30 minutes my other kids are going to be up and (I say this while whining like a two year old) I’m so tired!! I want sleep too!!!

A Day in the Life of... A Stay at Home Mom! (Calleen)

Today we see what a day is like for stay at home mom Calleen and her two kids Daniel-4 and Reagan-2 as she balances day to day activities with specialist appointments.

6am

My day starts with the ringing of the alarm clock; my least favorite sound in the world. Why my husband can’t turn it off on the mornings he doesn’t have to go into work is something I just can’t figure out. Every 8 minutes afterwards it continues to go off. Shut the darn thing off!! At 630 he finally does.

7am

I’m almost back to sleep when I hear the door open to the kids room. It’s Daniel and he wants his morning glass of milk. I’m lucky this morning that he has slept this late. I get him a glass of milk and convince him to lay back down for a little while. 

A Day in the Life Of... A Stay at Home Mom! (Tammie!)

Meet Tammie, a busy stay at home mom with four! There’s J.J-11, Fisher-8, Babette-4, and Gesina-19 months. Check out what life is like for this mom as she juggles life at home while her husband Jeramy works for weeks at a time out of town.

7am

The alarm goes off, OMG how many times did Gesina nurse last night? I don’t think I got any sleep. It's time to get up and wake up the boys. SSSSHHH!! Don’t wake up your sisters! I argue with J.J for 15 minutes about why smelly 11 year olds must take a shower. He slams the bathroom door and wakes up Gesina. I physically drag Fisher from bed while Gesina screams in my arms. Super! Now Babette is up too! I head downstairs with crying girls to make breakfast.

730am

Breakfast this morning is cereal because I can’t make anything else with two crying girls hanging on me.

A Day in the Life Of....A Stay At Home Mom (Renee!)

Today we take a look at what 24 hours is like for Stay at Home Mom Renee and her family! Renee’s got her hands full with her fabulous family including Kaden-3, Riley-2, and her step daughter Kiana-4. 

530am

Third time waking up. Woke up twice during the night thinking that I heard Kiana yelling for Daddy. She really is yelling this time. My hubby Chris goes and gets her and brings her down to our bed. I really hope I can go back to sleep. Ki talks for half an hour or so. I try to get comfortable on the 6 inches of queen sized bed left for me. Just as I start to drift off, I hear the boys start to squeal. Check the clock….630. They’ll be fine for a little bit, right?

7am

First Alarm. Hit snooze.

730am

Okay, I’m up, I’m up. Riley is not a very happy kid in the morning. Kaden on the other hand; I wish I had his energy and optimism! I probably would if I slept as soundly as he does. He gets 12-14 hours each night!

A Day in the Life Of... A Stay at Home Mom! (Jess!)

And so begins our first "Day in the Life Series"! 

 Today we’ll take a look into a day in the life for Jess! Jess is a stay at home mom to her three growing boys! There’s 3 year old twins Ben and Sam, and their 8 month old baby brother Jack. 

Take a look at what just 24 hours in their house looks like as Jess juggles preschool, nursing, lunch, naps, laundry, and everything in between!

3am

Sam, one of our almost 3 year old twins, wakes up screaming and crying. He hasn’t been sleeping well lately (and because of this, neither have I). I give in and just throw him in bed with us. Oh the pain! Can you say “ENGORGED”?? I decided to cut out our 8 month old baby’s 11pm feeding last night and now I am totally paying the price.

630am

Ben, our other almost 3 year old, wakes up for the day, comes into our room and now the entire family, except baby Jack, is up for the day. Still engorged! OWIE! And now I’m starting to leak through my shirt…GREAT!

7am

Nate feeds the twins breakfast and I actually get a chance to take a shower (how many days has it been since my last shower anyway?). Maybe the steam from the shower will give me a little relief/release until the baby wakes up for his morning nursing.

730am

Nate leaves for work. Muah, kiss goodbye, and I set the twins up with a little Backyardigans action and dig into my morning coffee before Jack wakes up. A shower and coffee in peace? This day is starting off GREAT!

There's no way I said that! Did I???

I think there has been a time for each of us when we've had to look back and see just how hypocritical we really can be. Before we had kids we thought we knew it all right? Well, then we had kids…

Here’s a list of just some of the things I know I said before I became a parent.

“Hunny, we’re totally going to be those cool parents. I mean, we know what new songs are out, we wear decent clothes, AND we play video games! Our kids are going to think we’re awesome!”

Ummmmm…. Is it even still cool to say awesome? Or even cool for that matter? Is Fall Out Boy still relevant??? When’s the last time I bought something other than a tank top? 

Twirly Whirly Tutu Giveaway!

***This giveaway is now closed***

That's right, we're giving away a fabulous tutu!

What girl doesn’t love a twirly, whirly and oh so girly something special in her closet?

I know I wanted one for mine so I popped over to my local fabric store and stocked up on tulle to make an adorable tutu for my little one! Of course I didn’t want you (well, one of you) to be left out so I made sure to get enough to make a second!

This tutu is white and blue with a hint of gold. It features an elastic waist making for a comfortable and long lasting fit!

Of course I can’t take all of the credit for this wonderful and girly creation. I created it with the the help of some inspiration from places like here and here, and some wonderful tutorials from sites like this, this and this. 

This fabulous project took no time at all! And the best part is, it’s so easy that 1) You could probably do it to so make sure to hop on over and check out the tutorial’s I linked above, 2) I made two of them last night all while watching TV! Now that’s what I call a relaxing, instant gratification type of project! My fave!

Click read more for how to enter!

Trail Mix Muffins

Healthy and delicious CAN go together with wonderful ingredients like organic agave and white whole wheat flour. Add in things like carrot, apple, nuts and seeds, and you’ve got yourself a treat that’s both kid and husband tested and approved!

Click "read more" for the full recipe!

Are you stuck in a Stay At Home Mom state of mind?

I’ve heard a lot of talk lately about people assuming a stay at home mom has tons of free time. I’ve also heard a lot of talk FROM the stay at home moms about how annoying it is that people assume that. The majority of SAHM (stay at home moms) are always talking about how they wished people could just see what it’s really like. They want people to know that there’s barely enough time to breathe never mind have actual free time. There have been times where I’ve said those things myself! But all of this got me to thinking, while we SAHM definitely do have a lot going on, is it really as much as we want/need people to believe? Or are we just getting stuck in a stay at home state of mind?

What's so wrong with just one?

All my life I pictured myself getting married and having kids. Yup, that’s right kids, with an ‘s’, as in plural, more than one. Then I got married, and I had a baby. 

I LOVED being pregnant. Seriously, loved it. I never had morning sickness, I didn’t have to work so I got to spend my days sleeping and watching sleazy daytime TV. Flavor of Love? Yup, watched every episode. Rock of Love? Yup, that one too. From the moment I first felt her kick I loved just sitting around poking my belly.  I could tickle her feet and feel her move them away. I could spend all day counting her hiccups. Delivery wasn’t too shabby either. It took me 9.5 hours from water breaking to baby holding. I wussed out around the 5.5 hour mark and opted for the epidural (which I wish I didn’t, I really wanted to go natural!) which in turn caused me to literally laugh my daughter out. Now any of you who’ve had a baby knows that laughing a baby out is a VERY BAD IDEA. Very bad. This brings me to the only part of having a baby that sucked for me. My recovery was terrible. I was extremely uncomfortable for weeks; I couldn’t sit down unless I did it very slowly. My six week go ahead got extended to eight weeks, then ten. It took nearly a full year until I felt close enough to my pre delivery self to get ‘close enough’ to my husband. 

But that’s all an entirely different story. I just wanted to post a little background before anyone wanted to say “was your pregnancy/labour/delivery/etc just hard and you don’t want to go through it again?”. To you I say nope, I loved every second of my pregnancy/labour/delivery/etc and I would LOVE to do it again, I just don’t want what comes from it, another baby.

Welcome To The Crazy House

Welcome our very own Alaska's Kids organizer Jamie as she gives us a candid glimpse into her life as a (brave!) mom of three!

Welcome to my crazy house, with 3 kids under the age of…..4.
Don’t worry about taking off your shoes because the floors are dirty and they'll keep your foot protected from little toys. Just throw your jacket on the pile of clothes on the couch, at least they are clean. I’m sorry the dog is begging for your attention….she gets “pet” by the kids.

Sigh. It’s one of those days that all moms dread, crazy day! Let’s just say that today I’m easily aggravated and pissy, but no sleep does that to me. It seems the kids always jump on my lack of sleep. They are annoying me! Ugh, I just don’t want to be touched!

“Kaden, leave your sister alone!”  
Don’t say it Jamie..... 
“What is wrong with you Kaden!?”
But for now I will relish in the crazy house and I will feel the love. 
Tomorrow will be a different day, I’ll learn from my mistakes and become a better mom.

Are you an Alaskan Mom Blogger?

Because we're new to the blog scene, and because we wouldn't be here without first seeing some of the other amazing Mom blogs out there, we'd love to link your blog to ours!

If you're in Alaska, a parent, and you have a blog, comment here or send us an email with your blog address and we'd love to link you under our "Fellow Alaskan Blogs" list!

New Website is Up!

Big news everyone!
The brand new Alaska's Kids website is up and running!
Jamie and Myself have been working really hard on it to make sure that we can have the best possible Alaskan Kids site ever!
The new site is easy to navigate, has great links for resources, our favourite local businesses, info on becoming and Alaska's Kids Member and more!
Be sure to hop on over to www.alaskaskids.com and check it out! Tell all of your friends!!

Thanks!
Charissa :)

Here's What We're Looking For!

So I thought I'd do a quick post today about the kinds of things that we plan on posting about, as well as the things we'd love to hear from all of you about! We're really looking forward to posting all kinds of things having to do with parenting, raising kids, living in Alaska, inspirational families, and the list goes on and on! We want to be sure that we cover all sides of the story, any issue, and remain unbiased!
Does your family love to hike together? Do you have a favourite spot in Alaska that you're family loves? Did you have struggles in your pregnancy that you want to share? Have a breastfeeding story you want to tell people about? Let us hear them!

Email us at alaskaskids@gmail.com !!

Welcome To the Alaska's Kids Blog!

So we finally did it! We've crossed over into the land of blogging!

We're really excited to have started this blog and hope that you all get as much out of it as we hope to! Our plan is to feature stories about life with kids in Alaska, as well as offer up reviews and even giveaways!
You'll have to bare with us while we get the first few posts rolling but we hope that you'll enjoy things once we do! Keep checking in, there's a lot to come!

If you yourself would like to be a guest blogger then drop as an email at alaskaskids@gmail.com!